Rebel (12 page)

“Ilya Zolo,” Roncas said. “Nasty piece of work.”

“Anyway, Zolo had this lab out in the middle of nowhere on Orpheseus Prime where he was putting together all sorts of weird combinations. The Avians are one of his later creations—apparently a lot of his earlier efforts failed once he started doing more than just cloning people. Anyway, the Avians are Terran clones, so they’re basically human, but they’ve got wings and a few other birdlike traits. Incredible eyesight, for one.”

Kim couldn’t believe it. “You mean they can actually fly?”

“Oh,
yeah
.” Roncas shivered, letting out a musical twitter. “They’re the hottest things on wings.”

Onca rolled his eyes. “She practically has orgasms from watching Val swoop around.”

“The takeoffs are the best,” Roncas said. “
Incredible
wings.”

“I still don’t get the part about him not being a real person,” Kim said. “Just because he’s a clone… I mean, it isn’t
his
fault he was created.”

“That attitude is slowly changing, thanks to Anara Threlkind,” Onca said. “She’s a lawyer who found two of Zolo’s clones working in a hotel and sort of fell for them. With a little detective work, she discovered the lab and got Zolo thrown in jail. She freed the clones who were being held there and has been fighting for their rights as individuals ever since.”

“So Val was being held captive?” Kim had been hiding out and practically starving for most of her life, but at least she’d been free.

Onca nodded. “Apparently it was pretty horrible—cages and such.” He shuddered. “He kept the Avians chained up. And that’s not the worst of it.”

“I think we can skip that part,” Roncas said. “I can’t stand to think about it.”

“Me, either,” Onca said. “Anyway, you can see why he’d be willing to help rescue your friends and anyone else we find there.”

“I just hope we don’t find
another
crazy dude at the end of this,” Rashe said.

“He—or she—probably won’t be crazy this time,” Onca said. “Just exceptionally greedy and heartless.”

“I dunno,” Rashe said. “Sounds a little nutso to me.”

Kim nodded her agreement. Only a soulless person could do some of the things she’d witnessed. As far as she was concerned, that made them less than human—or inhumane, as Onca had said—and she wanted no part of them.

Unfortunately, those were the kinds of beings she’d often had to deal with.

Or run from.

Unlike
Onca.
Roncas had mentioned his honesty—and that was part of it—but he had a certain sweetness to him, as well. He might not like to show it, but it was there. He even seemed to be winning Jatki over.

Onca had a warm heart and a kind soul. She suspected he had been wounded in the past, which might be why he tried to hide what he probably saw as a weakness, but his true nature was clearly evident in everything he did.

Even in what he’d done with her the night before.

Perhaps she was wrong to feign interest in Rashe. She hadn’t done anything as blatant as sitting in his lap or telling him how wonderful he was, but the very last thing she wanted to do was to hurt Onca. He’d been so kind to her. He deserved nothing less in return.

Onca leaned back against the kitchen cabinet, chewing a thumbnail. “I’m thinking maybe we
do
need to move faster. Breaking into one of the brothels would be tough, but I could pretend to be a client and see what’s going on in there. I could specify I wanted someone like one of your friends. That way we’d at least have some idea of what we’re up against.”

Roncas laughed. “I can see it now. You’d get in there, and those girls would probably want to make you
their
prisoner.”

He smiled, showing his fangs. “Why, Roncas, I do believe that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

“Don’t let it go to your head, Boss. You’re cocky enough as it is.”

It was now or never.

“Maybe a
little
cocky.” Kim ran her eyes from his groin to his chest before finally allowing them to come to rest on his face. “But it works for him.”

Onca’s expression shifted from pleasantly surprised to something slightly more secretive as a tiny smile lifted the corner of his mouth.

Holding his gaze, she gave him a slow, subtle wink.

If Onca had been Comanche rather than Zetithian, he would have let out a war whoop loud enough to curdle the blood of any foe. Instead, he opted to wink back at her. “Why, thank you, Kim.” His smile stretched into a full grin. “You don’t know how much that means to me.”

“She’s really cute, dude,” Rashe said. “Don’t fuck it up.”

“Oh, Kim, say it isn’t so,” Roncas lamented.

“Say
what
isn’t so?” Kim shot back. “I only said he was a little cocky. And he
did
save my life—or at least my freedom.” Her chin dropped and her voice grew soft. “I realize that now.”

She seemed so tiny sitting there next to Rashe, who was easily twice her size, perhaps more. Onca wanted to take her in his arms and kiss her like there was no tomorrow—the way he’d kissed her last night and yesterday in the speeder. His heart gave a little twist as the realization struck.

This
is
happening
whether
I
like
it
or
not.

The scariest part of it was, he was rapidly approaching the point that he
did
like it. And she obviously liked him. Too bad he was the only Zetithian she’d run across since she lost her family. She might not think he was so hot when she had other options. Still, saving her life and freedom had to count for something.

“We’ll do our best to get to the bottom of this, Kim,” Onca said. “I can’t promise you more than that.”

Roncas tapped an imperative fingernail on the comlink pad. “We need Jack. Call her. Now.”

Onca couldn’t think of many people he would rather have on his side in a fight than Jack Tshevnoe. Tough as nails, she came with a lot of firepower and some damn fine warriors. Unfortunately, she was also the one who ragged on him the most about settling down and starting a family. No doubt she would scare poor Kim to death with all of her talk about Zetithian procreation. And then there were her sons. Those boys would give Onca some serious competition. He wasn’t sure he was ready for that, whether it was in Kim’s best interest or not.

I’m so fuckin’ confused…
“What’s the matter, Roncas? Don’t you think our best will be good enough?”

“I’m saying we need help. I don’t want any of us to get caught or killed.” Her lips formed a moue of distaste. “And I especially don’t want anything to happen to
you
.”

Momentarily stunned, Onca gaped at her. “Who are you and what’ve you done with Roncas?”

Her lips thinned into a sardonic smile. “Very funny. It’s just that I’m seeing something I should’ve seen when I walked in here yesterday.”

“I’m not even going to ask what that is,” Onca said—although he suspected it had something to do with his lack of tact and common sense or his volatile temper, none of which he would admit to.

Well…maybe a
tiny
bit of a temper, and he did have a tendency to be blunt, but that remark about lacking common sense was uncalled for. After all,
he
hadn’t been the one to go haring off after Jatki without backup.

“I’m gonna tell you anyway,” Roncas said. “You and Kim are members of an endangered species. Risking your lives unnecessarily is fucking stupid.”

Rashe chuckled. “Don’t mince words, Roncas. Tell them what you
really
think.”

Favoring Rashe with a withering glance, Roncas went on, “Remember what you said about how pissed Jack would be if you let Kim get away? Well, she’d skin me alive for letting you get yourself killed.”

“I have no intention of getting killed.”

“Famous last words,” Roncas said. “Call Jack. If she can’t get here soon enough, we’ll take it from there. But at least try.”

Onca hadn’t planned on asking for Jack’s help in finding the girls. All he really wanted from her was a ride to Terra Minor. And if she wasn’t available, he could always take Kim there on some other ship. “Okay. But if she can’t get here in a day or two, we’re going ahead without her. Agreed?”

“That’s easy for you to say,” Roncas drawled. “I mean, what’re the odds she’ll be that close?”

“Astronomical. But Jack isn’t our only hope. There’s Val and I know some other guys we could ask. Shemlak for one. Having a Darconian army might even be better than Jack.” He knew his argument was weak. What they needed was— “What about Leroy?”

“Now you’re talking,” Roncas said with a nod. “Call him.”

Onca sent out the same message to all three.
Needed
on
Rhylos
ASAP
for
rescue
mission
involving
a
Zetithian
girl.
It wasn’t strictly the truth, but it
would
get their attention.

Kim heaved a weary sigh. “Okay. Who’s Leroy?”

“Lerotan Kanotay,” Onca replied. “Arms dealer.”

Kim nodded. “’Nuff said.”

***

Shemlak and a few of his friends promised to lend a hand, but by the time his fourth attempt finally got through to Val, Onca’s temper was obviously beginning to fray. Kim felt like she was about to come unglued. She sat at the table with her chin on her folded hands, her tapping foot reflecting her impatience. Rashe gripped his tomahawk as though considering the best way to smash the comlink.

“Where the hell you been, Wings?” Onca snapped. “Don’t you ever answer your fuckin’ comlink?”

“Hello to you too, Fangs.” Kim couldn’t see the viewscreen from where she sat, but Val sounded annoyed.

“Mr. Tactful strikes again,” Roncas murmured. She stood behind Onca, waving at the viewscreen. “Hi, Val.”

“Hello, Roncas.” Val sounded only slightly less irritated. “I see you’re still hanging out with this loser.”

“Not really,” Roncas replied. “He retired, so I’m out of a job.”

“Congratulations.”

Onca rolled his eyes and visibly counted to three before he spoke again. “We need some help.”

“More challenging than the last time, I hope.”

“Maybe. We need you to hack into the computer system of a place called the Den.”

“Sounds interesting,” Val said. “Mind telling me why?”

“We think there are some friends of ours—wait a minute.” He beckoned to Kim. “C’mere, Kim. You tell him.”

Onca rose from his seat in front of the comlink, and Kim took his place. Her first glimpse of the Avian made her glad she was sitting down.

Roncas had drastically understated the man’s attraction. Light brown hair shot with gold fell in gentle waves to his shoulders, and though his full lips, cleft chin, and firm jaw would’ve turned the heads of most women, his eyes were what made her stare. Crystalline blue and slightly larger and rounder than a human’s should have been, they had no whites whatsoever.

Kim had never seen eyes like that on anything.

“Some friends of mine disappeared,” she finally said. “We think they were kidnapped.”

He blinked, his huge, round pupils reacting dramatically to the light. “What makes you think that?”

“Someone tried to take me too. Onca shot him.”

His eyes narrowed. “Really?
Onca
rescued you?”

“Yes, he did,” she snapped. “Why is everyone always so surprised when I tell them that?”

“Because it’s completely out of character for him,” Val explained. “You obviously haven’t known him very long.”

“Well, no, I haven’t. But that’s not important right now. I need to find my friends. I-I just know something terrible happened to them. Rashe thinks they might be in a place called the Den to be used or sold as…” She stopped there, hating to even say it aloud. “S-sex slaves.”

Val’s eyes flashed like blue ice. “Imprisoned?”

She nodded. “That’s our guess.”

His gaze slid past her. “You aren’t at the Palace, are you?”

“No. We’re at Onca’s house.”

“Be right there.”

The screen went dark.

“That’s Val for you,” Onca said. “He always was a bit theatrical.”

“Oh, he is
not
,” Roncas twittered. “You’re just jealous because he’s better-looking than you are.”

Onca glanced at Kim. “Should I be jealous?”

“That’s probably the most loaded question I’ve ever heard,” Rashe said. “But I think we should
all
be jealous of Val. I mean, the dude can fuckin’
fly
.”

“Yeah, well, so can Scorillians,” Onca snapped. “But wings aren’t everything.” He kept his gaze focused on Kim, obviously expecting an answer.

Having already decided that what little flirting she’d done with Rashe had hurt Onca’s feelings, Kim wasn’t sure what to say. How much teasing was too much? She didn’t know Onca well enough to judge, and her own inexperience wasn’t helping. Still, Roncas picked on him constantly, and she didn’t want him lumping her into the same category as the Zuteran. “Jealousy is a wasted emotion,” she said, doing her best to seem unbiased. “Everyone has their good points.”

“But you’ve got to admit, he’s gorgeous,” Roncas insisted. “Those incredible eyes, those fabulous
wings
.”

“Yeah.” Kim shrugged. “If you like birds.”

Onca’s lips twitched. “And you’re a cat.”

“Yeah.” Deeming it best to drop that subject before she leaped into his arms and sank her teeth into him again, she shifted her attention to Roncas. “Are any of those Avian clones female?”

“No,” Roncas replied, her entire body aflutter. “None of them are married, either. Val won’t say why.”

“Maybe it’s because they don’t have dicks,” Rashe suggested. “Or they might’ve been castrated.”

Roncas let out a screech that nearly split Kim’s eardrums. “You don’t know what you’re talking about!”

“More likely it’s because they’re afraid to breed,” Onca said. “Some hybrids can’t reproduce, and even if they can, there’s no telling how their children would turn out.”

Roncas sighed. “I’d be happy to volunteer for the experiment.”

Onca shook his head, frowning. “Since they were cloned from humans, I’m guessing they might cross better with Terran females.”

“May I remind you that Valkyrie has extremely acute hearing,” Captain said from above. “And since he is currently on approach, you might wish to end this discussion before he lands.”

“Good idea,” Onca said. “See anyone else around?”

“No,” Captain replied. “I believe the coast is clear. Shall I let him in through the cupola?”

“Yeah. You know Val. He never comes through the front door if he can help it.”

“I do hope he doesn’t attempt to enter through your bathroom again,” Captain said. “That was most embarrassing.”

Onca shrugged. “Not really. Wasn’t the first time he’d seen me naked.”

Jatki clapped a hand over her mouth but failed to stifle her laughter.

“Go ahead and laugh, Jatki.” Onca chuckled. “It
was
pretty funny. If you’d seen the look on his face…”

Kim stared at her friend, openmouthed with astonishment. There were
two
men in the room, and Jatki was actually giggling. When Valkyrie entered the kitchen with rustling wings and fire in his eyes, she lost her composure entirely and howled with glee.

Val came to an abrupt halt. Standing with his feet apart, arms crossed, and wings unfurled, he glared at Jatki. “You find my appearance amusing?”

Nearly convulsing with helpless laughter, Jatki simply shook her head and pointed at Roncas. The Zuteran’s skin, which had been a rather shocking pink to begin with, was now a brilliant shade of lavender.

Appearing not to notice this change in hue, Val merely said, “Good morning, Roncas,” in a manner that led Kim to suspect that his presence always made the Zuteran turn purple. Following another brief, puzzled glance at Jatki, he aimed his piercing gaze at Kim. “You are only a child.”

Kim blew out an exasperated breath and got up from her seat. “Tell him, Captain.”

“Miss Kimcasha Shrovenach is twenty-two years and four point five months of age,” Captain droned. Apparently Kim wasn’t the only one getting tired of having to vouch for her age. “She is not a child.”

“And Jatki wasn’t laughing at you,” Kim went on. “She was laughing at something Onca said before you got here.” She stole a peek at Roncas.

Still
purple.

“Lighten up, Wings,” Onca said. “You’re too sensitive for your own damn good.”

Val responded with a slight ruffling of his feathers.

“Nice wings,” Kim commented. Composed of feathers that were the same golden brown as his hair, his huge wings arched from his upper back before tapering to tips that nearly touched the floor. His broad chest was bare, displaying well-developed pectoral muscles.

“Thank you.” Shaking back his hair, Val spread his wings slightly before folding them against his back. Even barefoot, he was slightly taller than Onca, and a pair of shiny brown pants fit him like a second skin, disproving both of Rashe’s suggestions regarding his genitalia.

After exchanging a speaking glance with Roncas, Kim continued. “Will you help us find my friends?”

“I will.” Val’s voice was deep and solemn. “I cannot bear the thought of innocents being caged.”

While she could understand this sentiment, Kim wasn’t completely sure where he’d gotten the idea. “Caged? Who said anything about cages?”

Rashe shoved the tomahawk’s handle through the loop in his belt, focusing on the task as though unwilling to look Kim in the eyes. “He’s probably right about that. I’ve never actually seen it myself, but the girls in those places are usually kept in cages when they aren’t being…used.”

Kim’s head swam as every drop of her blood seemed to pool in her feet, leaving her legs wavering.

Onca spun a chair around and helped her to sit. “Dammit, Rashe! Couldn’t you have phrased that a little differently?”

“There isn’t any other way to say it,” Jatki said. “My father used to do the same thing to me.” She looked up at Val with eyes filled with complete understanding. “We both know what that’s like, don’t we?”

“Yes, we do,” Val replied. “And we must do whatever we can to keep it from happening to anyone else.”