Page 6 of Venomous Heart
Arlen nodded to his brother, then returned his attention to the human male. Jonah’s already pale pink skin was a shade paler than before, and his narrow face was taut. He looked like one who was about to take off running.
Yes. Don’t forget what I am. Never forget what I am.
“What is it you want to know, Representative Jonah?”
The human opened his mouth, then closed it. His eyes went from Arlen to Khal, then to the Relany officers. Slowly, resolve returned to the smaller, weaker male’s expression and he cleared his throat.
“Firstly, how many of you are there?” Jonah nodded to himself, like he was getting encouraged by his own boldness.
“An entire contingent,” Arlen answered coldly. “One hundred warriors.”
Jonah blinked, then frowned. “There are a thousand people on this planet who need to be kept safe.” He chuckled, then his smile slipped when Arlen scowled. “How are you going to keep all of them safe with a hundred guards?”
“Not guards.” This time it was Khal who spoke, his tone cutting. “Warriors. Do not mistake our peaceful intentions towards your people for weakness. A hundred Eok warriors are worth a thousand Ilarian guards.”
At this, the human’s eyes grew wider and his pale skin took on a sickly sheen. No matter how brave he was, Jonah wasn’t prepared to face the full force of an Eok warrior’s strength.
But no matter how much the human annoyed him, Arlen still couldn’t turn him into a blubbering fool by terrifying him out of his mind. Jonah had been elected Representative of the human population of Aveyn, and Arlen needed him if he was going to keep them safe.
“Together,” Arlen went on, bringing Jonah’s attention back to him. “I will keep them safe by keeping them together. The new housing complex is finished and ready to house the humans. Each family unit can be accommodated in keeping with their needs, and single housing units will be provided to unmated males and females. The entire human population is expected to be relocated to the Housing building within the month. What your people call the Tower is the main tool I will use to keep them safe.”
Jonah frowned and opened his mouth to argue, then closed it again. It was clear he had more to say, but Arlen was done. He had already lost valuable time arguing about his right to oversee the resources and weapons. There was nothing more to negotiate.
Arlen turned his back on Jonah and faced his Relany officer. “Is the report on agriculture potential ready?” he asked the officer.
“Wait a minute—” Jonah spoke behind him.
Then he was cut off by the sound of the door being slammed open.
“Who is the idiot who took away my access to the medical supply room?”
Arlen turned to see a red-haired fury storming toward him. He watched, mesmerized, as the strange female planted her feet solidly in front of him. Startling purple eyes locked on him, gleaming with intense, cutting intelligence in a dainty, fine-featured face. Her skin was pale, but not the same sickly, lackluster pallor Jonah had. No, it was milky, almost luminescent. The color of a pearl, or the shimmering inside of a seashell.
Wrong. Something is wrong with her.
He could tell her form was slim and sinewy—elegant—even when clad in the shapeless synthetic cotton pants and shirt she wore. Her limbs were fine and long, but just a tad out of proportion. Too long, too finely boned. And those eyes, he’d never seen a color like this on a human.
Then it hit him. This female wasn’t human. At least, she wasn’t all human.
A hybrid. This isn’t supposed to be.
“I’m guessing Captain Silent over here isn’t the one in charge, so who is?” The female’s eyes scanned the room, pausing for only a second on the Relany officers, then skipping over Jonah altogether before resting on Khal. “You? You’re blue enough. Are you the idiot in charge?”
Arlen stared at the female while she glared at a flustered Khal. Feelings coiled and rose from somewhere deep inside him, somewhere dark and forbidden, full of things dangerous and feral.
“I am.” Arlen spoke loud and clear. His voice was the same as always, despite the roiling darkness inside him. “I am Commander Arlen of the Eok armies.”
“So, Big-Blue-And-Mighty, you’re the genius who took away my medical supplies?” Her light purple, almost amethyst eyes locked on him again and she cocked her head to the side slightly as she openly challenged him. “Well, can you tell me why and, more importantly, when you’re going to give it back?”
Her stinging words shook some sense into him and Arlen felt his jaw clench as he squared his shoulders. “The medical supplies have been taken to a safe location in the absence of a qualified medical doctor.”
The female’s mouth hung open and her eyes widened in shock, then reduced to slits.
“And who told you there was noqualifiedmedical doctor on Aveyn?” Her voice was soft but there was no mistaking the simmering anger underneath.
Anger flared into Arlen as well, and he welcomed the familiar feeling.
“There was no record of any medical doctor in the official report recovered from Minister Knut’s workforce.” He spoke with all the weight of his authority as Commander of the Eok forces. “Now, please vacate the control rooms. An officer will escort you back to the general population.”
