Page 38 of Venomous Lust
“Back so soon after your mating?” Gerkin’s eyes slid from him to Hazel and fury filled Khal’s mouth as the other male looked upon his new mate with lust in his eyes. “You sealed it. I can smell your seed in the air.”
There was naked lust in Gerkin’s eyes, in the way his gaze kept wandering to where Hazel was hiding behind Khal’s back. It was clear to Khal that the fact that Hazel was mated mattered little to Gerkin.
What kind of an Eok looks at another’s bloodmate this way?
“Hazel is my bloodmate.” Khal’s voice was barely controlled and he fought the urge to let his wrath loose upon the commander. “No harm shall come to her from an Eok’s hands, on pain of death, as per our laws.”
“A mighty threat coming from a warrior whose brother is chief of the Erynian tribe, but it wasn’t necessary. My troops are not savages, Commander Khal. Most had never witnessed a bloodmating before. It will give them something to look forward to for when their time at the Frontier ends.” Gerkin smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “The mere thought of finding a mate such as yours is bound to make them fiercer for a long time. They will be mad with lust, it will make them all better fighters. I must admit it affects even me.”
Again, that wandering gaze, full of jealousy and lust. Bloodlust had taken a toll on Gerkin’s soul, shaped him into an animal whose veil of civilization was barely skin deep. A coat of varnish over the rotten ruins of a lost soul.
I will have to kill you before this day is over.
But could Khal attack Gerkin? Fight him out in the open on Garana, even as he commanded an entire garrison of battle-hardened warriors? A quick glance over his shoulder confirmed what he already knew. A dozen Eok warriors had followed them inside, eying Khal and Hazel with a mixture of deferential awe and naked jealousy. Each and every one of them yearned to find a mate, to fill that hole in their lives that only a female could fill. But they were loyal to Gerkin and their training wouldn’t let them betray him. Khal and Zaxis were too severely outnumbered. If a fight broke out, they wouldn’t have the upper hand.
Khal reined in the hatred that had blossomed inside him for the Eok warrior in command of Garana. Losing a fight to Gerkin wouldn’t just foil their mission, it would put Hazel right in the path of danger. And he could never stomach harm coming to her.
Never to Hazel.
“I can smell her sweet essence on you.” Gerkin’s voice was sandpaper to his ears. “Like honey and flowers. Just ripe for the taking.”
The growl filled the room. Feral. Unabashed. Khal’s.
Gerkin’s face lost its grin and the naked ugliness of his soul shone through clearly. As Khal growled at him, his talons shot out of his fingers, long and deadly. Every single one of his instincts pushed him to attack, to remove the threat with bloodshed and violence. As Eoks all around eyed the standoff warily, Khal noticed some were staring at Gerkin with hard eyes. They didn’t all take the threat to an Eok’s mate as lightly as Gerkin did.
It seemed Gerkin didn’t have all his men’s loyalty after all.
“Forgive me, Commander Khal.” Gerkin cast a quick, harsh glance at his fast-growing audience. “I meant no disrespect to you or your bloodmate.”
Silence descended on the assembled Eoks as Khal let the words sink in. They all needed to understand who the superior warrior was between Gerkin and himself. Not only in physical strength, but in honor and loyalty. Those Eoks might be fighting under Gerkin now, but they had families back on Eokim—mothers and brothers, all who valued loyalty above all else. They would not follow a dishonorable warrior blindly, and it might be enough to tip the scales if things came down to violence.
Gerkin stared hard at his warriors, then turned his back on Khal, walking with an affected slow, confident pace to his desk.
“Now, I don’t suppose you’ll tell me what in the Midnight God you’re doing on this red shithole?” Gerkin didn’t waste time, he sat down at the desk and flicked through a few dusty looking screens, looking for something he obviously didn’t find. “Unannounced, unofficial, it’s like you’re not even here, Commander Khal.”
“I am to accompany this Avonie on a mission to establish trade with the Decatee people.”
Commander Gerkin lifted his pale, unfeeling eyes from his screens and snickered at Khal. Nothing passed in those eyes, but Khal could feel the cold of his thoughts on his skin like a poison.
“We both know that’s bullshit.” Commander Gerkin shrugged, but his eyes remained sharp and focused. “You’re here for the same reason Captain Roohl and the Mother paid me a visit two days ago.”
Khal’s chin lifted and the corners of his mouth twitched, but he didn’t answer the provocation.
“Captain Roohl was here?” This time, it was Zaxis who spoke, his voice full of the emotions Khal had hidden so easily. “Did he tell you why?”
“Son of a bitch was as closed-mouthed as you are.” Commander Gerkin leaned over the desk, his face splitting into a humorless grin. “But he did leave me with a little parting gift.”
At the sound of the dark glee in Gerkin’s voice, Khal’s mind filled with suspicion. Whatever that gift was, it wasn’t good news. “Quit playing with me, Gerkin.” Khal’s voice was harsher, more cutting. He was done playing games with a sick mind. The Myrador was already refueled. He wanted off the planet as soon as possible. “What did Roohl give you?”
Commander Gerkin slowly got to his feet. Khal stayed firmly in place, his face expressionless, betraying nothing of his feelings. From the corner of his eye, Khal saw a few Eoks darting fearful glances between Khal and Gerkin.
“Let me show you instead.” Gerkin turned and walked away, not glancing over his shoulder to make sure he was being followed.
A heartbeat later, Khal turned to Hazel and Zaxis. “We stay together. Whatever happens, don’t let Hazel out of your sight.”
Zaxis nodded somberly, then they all headed into the bowels of Garana’s garrison.
Finally, after following Gerkin down increasingly narrow and dark hallways, the commander of Garana pushed open a door at the end of a long, bare tunnel. As soon as the door opened, the stench assaulted Khal’s nostrils. Khal kept his expression unaffected as Gerkin stepped aside to let them pass, a cruel smirk on his mouth. Behind him, Hazel let out a distraught little whimper and Zaxis coughed, but they followed him inside, thankfully remaining mute.
