Cornering Carmen (18 page)

He withdrew as he felt the lift slowing to a halt. Opening his eyes, he glared down at her with a combination of pride and possession. He watched as her eyes crinkled and her lips curved in a knowing smile as she acknowledge she belonged to him.

“Forever,” she whispered before the doors opened and the crowded streets of Kardosa forced them to separate.

*.*.*

Creon watched Carmen head off eagerly into the crowd, Harvey in the shape of the droopy-eared creature trotting next to her while Cree and Calo, and their symbiots in the shape of twin Werecats, followed closely behind. His jaw hurt from clenching it so tightly in an effort to hold back his demand that she return to his side. A dark frown twisted his features when he lost sight of her.

“She is in good hands, my friend,” Ha’ven said quietly. “Let us find the information that we came for so you can be reunited with her.”

“I swear on my life, Ha’ven,” Creon muttered darkly.
“When I find my uncle, I am going to gut him.
He has caused too much grief to be given even the privilege of a warrior’s death.”

“I agree. But first, we must find Vox,” Ha’ven gently reminded his friend. “You have to admit it will be a lot of fun watching Vox’s face when we rescue his sorry ass.”

Creon grunted, fighting the urge to charge through the crowd after his mate. “Let us finish this. I want to take my mate somewhere I know she will be safe.”

Creon turned and strode off, blending into the crowded streets. He would find Devnar first.
He was a Toluskin, a thick-hided beast with two legs and four arms.
Devnar
owned a parts and recovery business dealing
in
legal and illegal equipment. Anyone who needed a part for their transport went through him. He dealt with a few honest freighter captains, a couple of honest military personnel, and a lot of dishonest ones, not to mention the wide assortment of space pirates who visited the Spaceport. He also never forgot a conversation or
a face
which made him better than any holovid feed.

He moved through the crowded streets easily as most patrons took one look at him and gave him plenty of room. He kept one hand on the short sword on his hip and the other on the laser pistol gripped tightly in his hand. His long black hair was tied back at his nape. He wore the typical uniform of black leather pants and vest with a black undershirt. He had several knives hidden around his body including two in each low cut boot. This was a world he was very familiar with and he knew better than to let his guard down.

Turning down a narrow alley, he glan
ced at a couple of Marastin Dow
, a slim, purple species that were known space pirates. They followed no star
system's
rules. Their own world was a deadly maze of murderers, thieves and cutthroats. Their young were taught early that life was either kill or be killed. In fact, the males and females were given the same training in the art of piracy. He had been to their world several times and had no desire to ever go again.

Creon ignored them knowing they were more of a scavenger and would never attack a full grown Valdier dragon warrior unless they were in a large group. They preferred sneaking up on their opponents and slitting their throats. He turned down several more alleys before he came back out onto a larger thoroughfare near the lesser kept docking berths.

He paused to look around carefully. He knew he was being followed. He could feel it and so could his dragon. It was pacing back and forth in agitation.

I feel it
too
, my friend,
he said silently.
Patience, they will show themselves soon enough.

I kill,
his dragon snarled angrily.

Only after we get the information we want,
Creon assured his more temperamental self.

He pushed through the partially opened door listening as a chime sounded to let Devnar know he had company. The huge round body of the Toluskin had to turn sideways to get through the back door of the small shop. The shop was dimly lit but that was not a problem for Creon as he called his dragon to the surface. His eyes narrowed into long slits and glowed a dark, rich gold.

“You know, I could get good credits
for
those eyes of yours,” Devnar snorted out.

“Credits are of no use to a dead man, Devnar,” Creon replied as a return greeting.

Devnar’s
deep laugh caused his whole body to move. The dark orange and
gray
leathery skin rippled as he crept closer to the narrow counter separating the front from the back. He
leaned
two of his arms on the counter while keeping the other two hidden below the scarred surface of it.

“What can old Devnar do for a Valdier dragon prince?” Devnar snorted out in a thick accented voice. “You ever want to join the fight rings, I can get you some good opponents. I could do 60/40 with you.
Best offer
I’ve ever made to anyone.”

“The first thing you can do is raise your other two arms up above the counter before I remove the ones resting on it. I have no desire to harm you, my old friend, but I have little patience right now,” Creon said
,
pulling his short sword out of its sheath part way.

Devnar
snorted several times but slowly raised his other two arms, resting all four on the counter. “Now you know old Devnar knows better than to mess with you. I owe you a life debt,” he responded leaning heavily against the counter. “You tell Devnar what you want and I’ll get it for you.”

“You owe me three life debts, you old thief,” Creon grunted out, moving closer. “I don’t need parts, I need information. I know if anyone talked you would hear about it.”

Devnar
nodded. “What information do you need? There is much talk going on. This have anything to do with the disappearance of a certain hot-headed, stubborn cat prince?”

Creon’s lips twisted at Devnar’s description
of
Vox. “You aren’t still upset with him, are you? He did save your life from that Bovdean assassin.”

“Yeah, he did but I’ve got cat claws across my ass
from
him grabbing me and pulling me under that damn shuttle. The misses
wasn’t
happy with me. She thought I had been to the pleasure house and got caught by a Sarafin Warrior working over his woman. Took me almost a month to get her to quit throwing things at me,” Devnar snorted out angrily.

Creon shrugged. “Be thankful it was your ass he grabbed and not something else. What have you heard?”

“I heard your uncle has decided he wants control of the Valdier star system, preferably without the current royals alive, that is except for a beautiful Valdier princess. I never heard the name but he did say something about she should have been his instead of his brother’s mate. I am assuming you will know who he was talking about?” Devnar asked
,
rubbing two of his hands together while one of the others scratched his ass.

“You heard this from him directly?” Creon asked staring into the beady black eyes.

One hand came up to rub the back of his thick neck. “Well, not exactly from him.
I heard it from a man who was talking to another man who was working on a ship that heard a couple of the
crewmen
on board the
Mortar
, one of the warships your uncle is known to
use
, talking about it,” he responded with a shrug.

Creon fought the urge to grind his teeth together in frustration. “What else did you hear?”

“The
Mortar
was taking a hot headed prince and two of his men to the Antrox mining asteroid between the
Quillar
moons of Bosca and Dorland. They were going to have the Antrox work him until they sent notice that he was to be terminated. They were giving the damn insects three times the credits just to keep him,” Devnar grinned, if you could call the twist of his thick lips one.
“I heard he killed three of the security force members guarding him before they knocked his ass out again.
The captain ordered him and his men to be kept sedated until they were turned over to the Antrox. I bet his furry ass is royally pissed!” Devnar’s belly rolled again. “Do you get it? Furry royal ass! Damn, sometimes I’m good.”

Creon shook his head in disgust at the Toluskin’s obvious enjoyment of Vox’s situation. “Have you heard anything else?” He asked, ready to be done with the Toluskin and get back to the ship.

“Just for you to watch your back, dragon,” Devnar said
,
suddenly very serious. “Your uncle has a new weapon the crew was bragging about that can kill a Valdier warrior, his dragon, and his symbiot. That
is a weapon a
hundred star systems would pay a king’s treasure of credits for.”

“Have you heard what the weapon is?” Creon asked tersely.

Devnar
was shaking his head. “Nope, the bastard is keeping it close to his chest. The crew doesn’t even know what it is, just that it works.”

“Thank you, my friend,” Creon said turning to leave. “You only owe me two life debts. Your help is appreciated. Watch your own back until this is settled,” he added
with
caution before he turned back toward the door again.

Devnar called out as Creon reached the doorway. “You just tell that damn cat shifter that my debt to him is paid. I would rather owe you than him.”

Creon nodded his head in agreement before he walked out of the door. He turned the opposite way
from which
he came. He wanted to know who was following him and he wanted answers to what his uncle was up to next. He strode down the crowded street, stepping off a narrow walkway before ducking into a covered doorway.
His eyes scanned the crowd focusing in on a dark green and brown scaled reptilian species often hired for their skills as an assassin.

There!
His dragon hissed out in anger.

You know what
to do
, my friend,
Creon muttered darkly.

Yes!
His dragon growled out licking his lips in anticipation.

Carmen grinned at the merchant who was trying to catch her attention with a large collection of brightly colored beads. She laughed when he put his small hands together as if begging for her to come shop at his stand. She kept her eyes scanning the crowds and stands in the marketplace. One of the older warriors who worked in the food service area on board the
Horizon
had become friends with Cal and he promised to escort Cal and Mel to the market so they could meet up.

Harvey saw them before Carmen did. The huge gold symbiot bounced up to Mel, circling the boy over and over before sitting down so he could bend down and rub on him. The boy kept his head down and a huge hat covered his head. Carmen still hadn’t seen Mel’s face. The boy was extremely shy. He never came close when she came to visit preferring to stay with the small Pactor that he was caring for or hidden in the maze of huge crates stored in the repair bay. She didn’t know who was more surprised, her or Cree and Calo, when their two symbiots suddenly rushed
to
the boy who was kneeling down. Both symbiots brushed up against him, pushing for some of the attention he was giving to Harvey. She watched as the boy, who kept his head tilted down, rubbed his hands up and down both symbiots affectionately.

“Carmen, it is good to see you,” Cal said with a wide grin and a soft southern drawl, drawing her attention back to him. “Zuk has been showing us around. We left the ship as soon as it docked so we could get a few things Mel and I needed. Have you eaten? Zuk was saying there is a good place not far from here.”

“No. We’ve been exploring. Isn’t this just totally mind blowing? I mean, I saw alien movies back home but to see them in real life is like… so different than I was expecting!” Carmen said as she watched several creatures that were obviously women walk by them staring at her with just as much interest as she was staring at them.

“If you permit me, my lady, it would be a pleasure to escort you, Cal, and Mel to grab a bite to eat,” Zuk said politely making sure he had Cree and
Calo’s
permission as well.

“Thank you, Zuk,” Carmen replied
,
looking over to where Mel was still kneeling with the three symbiots surrounding him. “Cal, do you think Mel would mind if we joined you?”

Cal turned to look hesitantly down at his grandson before he turned back and stared at the two men behind Carmen. “Yeah, Mel will be fine. Just make sure that those two stay back or it might spook him. He doesn’t like being out here and is jumpy as hell as it is. Maybe your gold friends there can sit with him. They seem to have a calming effect on the boy.”

Carmen smiled in understanding. “That would be fine,” Carmen replied in relief.

The small group moved slowly through the marketplace
,
down the street and finally up two levels. Mel followed behind them all with Harvey and the twin Werecats by his side. He made sure to keep a wide berth of Cree and Calo who kept turning around and frowning back at him when he dragged his feet to
o
much. Carmen felt sorry for the boy. The huge hat and obvious over-large clothes overwhelmed his small figure.