Page 7 of The Ozar Triad

He could barely come to terms with the fact it had actually happened.

Klaej stopped at a door. A faint red outline of their mate’s dainty hand was smeared on the paneling. Rujali’s growl echoed in the narrow walkway.

Close by, a door slammed shut, someone not wanting to get caught up in their business.

Wise choice.

“Is she close by, Klaej?” Setzan asked.

Klaej’s shoulders tensed until he was twice as broad as he normally was. The red tone of his skin told Setzan he was barely keeping it together. Klaej couldn’t go rushing to their mate like this. He would likely scare her in this state.

Setzan placed a hand on Klaej’s arm. “Pull yourself together, brother. You don’t want to frighten her more than she probably already is.”

Rujali pushed past Klaej, no mean feat, and slammed his shoulder into the door. The material splintered with a crack. A middle panel crashed into the inside wall, showering them with door shards.

“Where is our mate!” Rujali bellowed.

Setzan filled his lungs with a tense breath. “I’m glad you’re being gentle and subtle. That’s the way to do it.”

Klaej slanted a look in his direction before stepping behind Rujali. Both his brothers filled the small room inside. Setzan pushed Klaej aside. He needed to be the first male she saw. He, at least, was calmer—by a thread—than his brothers.

He knew how… intimidating… they could be.

All he saw was a swathe of dirty, rough-hewn material shaking at Rujali’s feet. No female. No mate. Just a filthy pile of rags. Definitely not what he wanted to find.

Setzan took a sniff. The stench emanating from this being was not his mate, and it was so bad it cloyed in the back of his throat, but underneath the reek of this being came the faint undertones of their mate’s blood.

The final vestige of calm snapped. He launched himself at the being, grabbing it by the scruff of its neck, and held it at eye level. Its feet dangled far off the floor. It couldn’t be worse. A Norvegicus. Panic took a hold of his heart and choked him with it. A Norvegicus with their mate’s blood on it didn’t mean anything good.

“You have hurt her! Where is she?” he said with a growl.

The creature flinched. Its nose twitched and its whiskers danced. Setzan shook the Norvegicus. Even by the species standard, this one was grimier than most. A state they liked to be in. Not only were they filthy on the outside, they’d sell their own mothers for credits without a second thought. They were the vermin of the universe and didn’t find anything wrong with being that way. More than a few beings had been sold to slavery—and worse—at the hands of these beings.

“Are you looking for someone? A female perhaps? If you are agreeable I can show you a whole roomful of them. Some are even willing, but if you’re not in the mood for that, I can get some unwilling if you like a fight. If you prefer them more placid, they don’t even have to be conscious. It’s entirely up to you and your tastes.” The creature lifted its top lip to show crooked yellowed teeth in what Setzan assumed was a smile.

Klaej roared and his chest heaved. “Have you taken our female?”

The Norvegicus’ whiskers twitched and it rolled its little clawed paws. “Would you like me to take your female? I can have her chained and whipped into submission if you don’t want to be bothered with her screams. Or her blood. Pesky things, females. Not worth the upset she seems to be causing all of you. Are you sure you still want her? I’ll make it worth your while if you want to sell her to me.”

“Where. Is. Our.Mate?” Klaej boomed, his skin flaring with deep crimson.

The creature’s enormous buck teeth clacked in fright. Splatters sounded on the ground, and the stench became worse. Setzan held his arm out at full length and stepped back, trying to ignore his watering eyes. Norvegicus’ urine was notoriously hard to wash out, the smell often lasting years.

“If you’ve wrecked my boots, you worthless piece ofdrumascrap—” Setzan began.

“Setzan,” Rujali interrupted, placing his hand on Setzan’s forearm. “We need him to talk.”

Setzan took a deep breath and forced the anger down. There was a real danger that if the Norvegicus had taken their mate was lying to them, they might never see her again. They needed information, which they couldn’t get if he choked the Norvegicus. These species had no respect for females. Didn’t they see that females were the lifegivers of the universe and should always be treated with the utmost care and respect, no matter the species? If there were no females, there was no life. If it had taken their mate, there would be no other for them.

Setzan loosened his fingers from around its neck, realizing just how tightly he had been gripping the creature. The Norvegicus gasped, its frantic breathing fanning over his arm. Setzan forced himself not to gag with its fetid breath.

“So she is your mate? I have several products that will help you train her into the docile mate all males like. She’ll be good for cleaning and fucking and will do anything you tell her to do. Overnight she will be transformed,” the Norvegicus said.

“Talk!” He shook the Norvegicus again, but not as roughly.

“She came through here. I can smell her in your domicile. If you have laid one claw on her, you will be sorry,” Klaej said.

The Norvegicus’ nose twitched. “I did smell something when I came home, but I thought it might have been a thief. If I thought it was a female, I would have looked for her.”

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