Page 83 of Stolen By the Alpha Hunter
It’s the only part of this whole situation that feels even a little bit natural.
I didn’t want to leave Peaches, but Gideon and Abel weren’t going to take no for an answer. I know they could kill me out here and leave me to die—and I’m sure Abel would love to try it if it was just the two of us—but I have a feeling Gideon has bigger plans for me.
Like Peaches said, he’s trying to get me on his side, willing to offer me anything.
I wonder what he’s going to offer me today.
“Why not just fish off the edge of the Rig?” I ask, crossing my arms and going to stand next to Gideon. “I thought they liked spending time around the supports underneath.”
“No fish around the Rig these days,” Gideon says. “We caught everything below and they’ve learned to steer clear since. Back in the day, though, we used to pull up full nets—snapper, redfish, the occasional shark. Good eatin’.”
I frown. Doesn’t seem right; there aren’t enough people on the Rig to overfish the whole area. And we’re a way’s out now, the citadel tower just barely visible on the horizon.
“Abel caught a bigass red snapper last time we went out,” Gideon says. “They love it over here.”
“What’s down there?” I ask.
“Old Mer base from before the Convergence,” Abel calls out from behind us. “They left rations down there...and we like to leave a little bait too.”
All the others laugh.
That can’t mean anything good.
I can’t see the Rig anymore, but my bond to Peaches is as strong as it was when I was onboard, tethering me to her. I feel her love pulling me back, and it sets me at ease that she doesn’t seem to be in distress—which I would definitely sense now that we’re fully bonded.
I wander back around the edge of the boat, scanning the horizon. Abel stands right behind me, saying nothing. He’s clearly been in a bad mood since we met up this morning, and I think I know why—because I’ve actually won, and claimed the girl he still thought he would be able to snag. I’m surprised when he says something to me, his voice grating.
“Did she cry?” he says. “Please tell me she cried.”
I glare at him over my shoulder. “That’s none of your business.”
“The princess is everyone’s business,” he says. “We could all hear you breeding her last night.”
I stiffen. I’m not sure what they want from me—if they want her punished, they’ll be disappointed, because she was obviouslyexperiencing nothing but pleasure last night. I cross my arms and turn to face him, leaning against the side of the boat.
“Why do you say it’s everyone’s business?” I ask. “She’s mine.”
“She might be yours, but she’s royalty around here,” he says. “Carry on the family line and all that. If it were up to me, I would just have everyone breed her until she’s used up?—”
I snarl and raise my fist, but Gideon is suddenly between us, snapping his arm out to block my strike. I glare into his eyes, ready to tear into Abel.
I think about ways to kill them both.
“Cut the shit, Abel, or you’ll be in a world of hurt,” Gideon warns. “Javier is one of us now. It’s time you started acting like it.”
“Just talk between men,” Abel says with a sneer.
“Enough,” Gideon deadpans. “And look up there—it seems we’ve arrived.”
I look toward the prow to find a rusty buoy up ahead, swaying on the waves. I can’t see any other trace of a settlement or anything else, but I can scent something strange here—a smell faintly of corpses, like chum in the water.
“Let’s get the fishing nets set up,” Gideon says. “A hand, Javier?”
I’m grateful for the reprieve from conversation with Abel, and it’s nice to do something that comes naturally. Boyd and I have fished so many times over the years that it’s old hat at this point, and I throw myself into the process of grabbing the nets to sling them over the side.
We set up fishing rods too, slotting them into stands on the side of the boat.
Now comes the hard part…tolerating these people while we wait for something to bite.
