The Mercenary's Bounty Read online

  They continued until there was a soft knock on the door. Matesh was patient and didn’t try to stop her from practicing after that first attempt to get her back into bed.

  But once that knock came, he stole the book from her and closed it.

  “Come in!” he called, sliding the book away before wrapping an arm around her waist. She didn’t say anything as he held her possessively as the door opened.

  Rainev poked his head in, smiling at them. “Breakfast is nearly ready. I didn’t want Mave to miss it again.”

  “Oh!” She jumped up, ignoring her nakedness. “Thank you, illi bodyr.”

  “No problem, illo amyr,” he replied, his smile turning into a grin. She couldn’t help but return it. “Now put some clothes on.”

  “Fine.” She waved him away and the door closed with a thud. “Come on, Mat, let’s get something to eat.”

  “I know what I want for breakfast,” Mat purred, looking over her. She narrowed her eyes at him as he rose onto his knees. She didn’t resist when he grabbed her hips and pulled her closer, kissing just under her belly button. “It won’t take long,” he promised, moving lower. His nose pressed against her thigh and he inhaled deeply, then bit down on the flesh with just enough pressure to make her notice. Her pulse jumped as her world focused on his hot breath caressing her skin. One of his hands reached around to cup her ass as he licked the spot he’d nibbled on.

  Her stomach growled.

  “You are relentless,” she mumbled, running her fingers through his hair. Then she grabbed his horns and pushed him back from her. Looking down at him, she liked how the broken horn made him look rougher, less perfect than the day they had met. “But I am hungry and I missed breakfast yesterday, only to regret it.”

  “A male has to try, right?” He was laughing as he stood up. She didn’t miss how he somehow kept his hand on her ass, letting it slide to her lower back and holding her.

  She only rolled her eyes. She enjoyed his attempts, even when she wasn’t going to accept his offers every single time. They made her feel wanted and appreciated. She also wondered how much of this he held back in the pits.

  Anxiety crept in as they got dressed, like it did on occasion. She didn’t know what life was about anymore. Would Matesh still want her when they were off the ship and he had other options? No male ever wanted her when there were other options.

  Skies, no male ever really wanted me before.

  She tried to shake it and never spoke of it, but for three weeks, the anxiety over it had settled in. It was one of the reasons she was pushing so hard to learn before they landed in Olost - one of many internal and external pressures to get through this. This was why she had been out on the deck in the middle of the night, forcing the frustration to leave her body.

  She didn’t say anything as Matesh buckled the back of her shirt for her. He did it every morning without commenting. One day he’d caught her struggling to reach it, and he was there quickly. Since then, he was just always there.

  “Make sure to stretch your wings after breakfast,” he reminded her softly. “You’re supposed to do it when you wake up.”

  “Thank you.” She’d forgotten to when she left the bed earlier. “I’ll make sure to get to it before lessons with your uncle.” She tried to hide the bite in the sentence, but nothing could cover up the dread she felt at another day with Leshaun, poring over Andena scrolls.

  “Is my bodrya giving you a hard time?” Matesh grabbed her forearm, holding her before she could retreat.

  “No, I just…” She shook her head. It wasn’t Leshaun. It was her. “I don’t like feeling like I’m failing, and I am.”

  “Just the language lessons, right? You’re fine with everything else?” He seemed so concerned. “I know it’s been hard for you, but I don’t think you need to worry. It’s not failing; it’s just difficult. You’re making progress, too. I know you are. So does everyone else.”

  “The history is whatever. He wants to bring Varon in to teach me about the gods soon as well. Not like I give a damn about them-”

  “Mave.” Matesh’s voice was full of warning. He didn’t appreciate when she spat on their gods. It was a sticking point.

  “All right,” she conceded. It at least stopped the conversation about Andena and how she was bad at it. “Let’s go get breakfast before it’s cold.”

  “Let’s,” he agreed, nodding. He didn’t release her, not for several long seconds. Even then, she noticed how his fingers lingered. At least one thing hadn’t changed; she was still as observant as ever. She liked noticing the small nuances of the people around her just as much as always.

  They walked to the dining area together, and she immediately did a head count when she walked in. Alchan and Luykas were together, pouring over papers she didn’t care about. Nevyn and Varon were both yawning as if they had gotten no sleep, sitting close together much like she and Matesh had. She knew they were in a relationship, but she didn’t know much else. She didn’t speak to them much.

  Next, she saw Rainev with two empty seats on his right. On his left, his father. Zayden. That man. She didn’t feel like dealing with the cranky man this early so she sat in the further seat, leaving Matesh closer to the father and son duo. It left her with Matesh on one side and Bryn on the other. Leshaun was the last to enter, using a cane, something she saw nearly every day now. He grabbed a spot next to Luykas and ignored everyone as he pulled out his own reading material.

  “Good mornin’,” Bryn said brightly to her, smiling.

  “Good morning,” she replied, not saying anything else as he continued to stare at her. She made no attempt to keep talking and waited to see if he would try. She knew he wanted to get to know her. She wanted to get to know him too, but she was also unsure how to make it happen.

  If anything, he made her nervous. A rogue, another prior slave, another gladiator. And one who kept giving her small gifts and not so small ones, like the gold sun. She didn’t know much else about him other than that, even after three weeks on the ship.

  Then again, I haven’t tried getting to know any of them.

  It was second nature for her. Surrounded by males in tight spaces, her natural reflex was to keep her distance and try to be safe. The only reason she ever spoke to them was because she was going to be working with them.

  As the newest member of the Ivory Shadow Mercenary Company, of all things. One of the most infamous groups to give the Empire a hard time in the last thousand years.

  Bryn’s bright smile disappeared as he looked back to his plate, proving her gaze was the more dominant one, even if it was unintentional on her part. It was the same every morning. He would try to be friendly and she would shut down. She wished she could think more about how easy it was in those first few days. She had been easier with all of them when the trip had first started. Time and the environment had forced her back into old habits she wasn’t sure how to break.

  She felt guilty for it. This wasn’t like Rainev and Matesh in the pits. There, she had been in her place, knew the rules of engagement, and outside forces pushed them together. Here, she was trying to swim and failing at it. She had no experience to draw from to grow these new relationships thrust upon her.

  Distance was easy. It was her best defense mechanism - and one she wished she could get rid of.

  She ate slowly, listening in on conversations. Matesh and Zayden were teasing Rainev about a boy back home until something flew across the table and nailed Zayden in the forehead with perfect accuracy.

  “Varon,” Alchan chastised softly. Males chuckled, but in the end, Matesh and Zayden stopped teasing the young male.

  “Mave, remember to get your stretches done,” Matesh said to her as she finished eating. There was a pause before he added anything further. “Before you settle in for lessons.”

  “I didn’t forget.” She took the last piece of jerky off his plate and bit into it. She felt the heat explode in her mouth, but she was getting used to the spices and seasonings they used
every meal. The sailors on board made every meal to how the Andinna liked their food, and she just had to get used to it.

  Along with fucking everything else.

  “I’ll come out with you,” Brynec offered, pushing his plate away. She shook her head quickly.

  “No…” She rejected the offer every time. She knew if she accepted it, they would probably have a better opportunity to talk, but it also meant someone new would be touching her. “Um…” She saw the sad acceptance at her rejection in the rogue’s eyes. She wasn’t sure what to do with it.

  “I’ll come out with you!” Rain jumped up, grabbing her plate from in front of her and walking away. “I don’t want to have to listen to those two all morning.” He jerked his head towards Matesh and his father.

  “Good idea.” She smiled at him and together, they walked out of the dining area and to the main deck. “Thank you.”

  “I know you don’t like other people touching you. Matesh normally does the stretches with you, right? Or Leshaun?”

  “Yeah. I can do them by myself sometimes, but it’s nice to have someone helping work out the cramps as they come, before they send me to the floor.” She began to extend her right wing, making Rainev jump into action. His hands weren’t as skilled as the old male’s or full of tension like Mat’s. He went through the motions, helping her.

  “You know, if you let Bryn do this, then you might progress a lot faster. You are doing really well, from what I’ve heard, but he’s got the practical experience of having done it before. He’s been where you are. He knows how it hurts better than anyone and what ends up being the weakest section that needs work.”

  “I don’t want him touching me. He’s not bad, but…”

  “You’re nervous around everyone. We can tell.” Rain chuckled. “Well, you aren’t nervous around me or Mat, of course, but you are with them.”

  “I’m not sure how to just…talk to people.” She sighed. “Well, we’re long-lived. I don’t need to learn tomorrow right?” Well, I do. I needed to know Andena by yesterday if I want any chance.

  “Is that why you’re always in your room?”

  “No, I’m always in my room because I’ve been practicing the things I do need to learn. I can’t get off this boat without knowing how to read at least Common. I’m nearly there, though. It’s much easier than Andena.”

  “Andena isn’t hard. You just have no experience in it.”

  “Andena is hard and I’m very bad at it.” She was feeling snarly at just the idea of it.

  “No, you aren’t. You didn’t think you would learn it just on this trip, right?”

  “I mean…” She had. “It’s not like I have anything else to do. I can dedicate all my time to it, and I do and yet…”

  “I thought you were more patient than this,” he commented, raising an eyebrow as he moved in front of her. “Look, there’s really no reason to beat yourself up over this.”

  Yes, there is. Not knowing Andena makes me an outcast. I don’t want to be one of those anymore.

  “We’ll talk about it later. Tell me about this boy they were teasing you about.” Her tone left no room for him to argue with her. As illo amyr, she was learning she had a level of authority over him, even in the eyes of the other Andinna on board. They all respected the adopted familial terms as if she had always been his big sister, including Zayden, who also made it clear she was not his ‘daughter.’ Whatever relationship she had with Rain was between her and Rain. Just another thing she hadn’t expected from her people.

  “Let’s finish your stretches before Leshaun comes out looking for you,” he said quickly, moving back behind her, ignoring what she had brought up. Two could play at that game, so the silence continued.

  They kept going with her extensions as Rain massaged out the muscles, helping them get through the exercise without cramping, until the old male himself walked out, tapping his cane on the deck. She heard the same tapping every morning when he came to look for her.

  Here we go. Another day of this.

  “Let’s get to work, Maevana,” he called. She bared her teeth, glad she was turned away from him. She was going to rip his throat out one day for refusing to use her chosen name. No, he would only use her full name or female. Damned old pigeon. Quickly, she remembered why she wasn’t ever going to hurt the old man. He was Matesh’s uncle, his blood uncle at that, and his last real family.

  Other than always calling me that, he’s kind. That’s keeping him alive more than anything else.

  “Have a good lesson,” Rain told her as she went to follow Leshaun back into the ship.

  The old male moved slowly and with care, his cane supporting his left leg. She didn’t remark on it. To live so long, to see as much as he must have, it was something to be respected. Many Andinna no longer lived past their prime, cut down too young. She knew from experience.

  She grabbed the door to his room for him, holding it open. He narrowed his pale green eyes at her in response to the gesture and walked in first. Once they were closed into the room together, he sat slowly on his bed and pulled out a book she was familiar with, but hadn’t yet read.

  “Begin,” he ordered. She took it without comment and sat down on the other bed in his room, opening it up. Andena used symbols she wasn’t familiar with. Elvasi and Common shared some between the two languages, making them easier to learn, and she was moving quickly with those studies since she could already speak it.

  Andena, however, was like nothing she had encountered before.

  “You know I hate this type of lesson,” she reminded him as he handed her a second book.

  “Yes, but this is the one that helps you build the most skills at once. Read the Common and then read the Andena version. I’ll assist as you go through.” He was patient, watching her carefully. “And if I have to repeat a previous lesson, I will. It takes time to build the vocabulary, and our language isn’t easy, I know that. We use glyphs that grow more complex as the word grows complex, more meaningful. When we were a young race, we developed Andena by scratching on cavern walls. Those places have become holy sites. Did you know that?”

  “No,” she answered. She hadn’t been expecting the history lesson so early in the morning. “Can I get started?”

  “Ah yes. I just love the interesting nuances of our language compared to others.”

  She groaned. She opened her mouth and started but was quickly cut off. She threw up her hands as Leshaun kept talking.

  “Also, before we get off this ship, you’re going to sit down with me and Luykas. We’re not going to start your Blackblood training until we get to the village, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have the lessons and rules of it before then. It will only prepare you more for the future.”

  “Oldura,” she muttered petulantly, growing angry at even the idea of spending time with Luykas. After they talked about what the blood bond entailed, they smartly started avoiding each other. Her ability to create emotional distance from people only helped encourage the separation.

  Leshaun just reached out with his cane and smacked her shin, causing her to wince.

  She rubbed her leg as she looked over the pages. She started reading before he could stop her again. “‘The Dragons raised the Spine, and with it divided the land, protecting the territory of their people, the Andinna, and their beasts, the wyverns.’”

  “Very good,” he said kindly. She even dared a smile at his words, even though it was slightly pained from his cane. He was a tough old man, but she liked impressing him because of it. A compliment from Leshaun was rare and earned. “Now, the Andena.”

  With a deep breath, she looked over the Andena and began desperately trying to sound out the glyphs into the right words. She grew more frustrated with each word he had to correct, telling her how each word was said. Dragon was simple. Andin. It was important to their people, the people of dragons, of flight, of the skies. Wyvern was andinno. The siblings, the other, the beast. Others proved more difficult, like territory or pro
tecting.

  “Remember, Andena heavily uses root words. Take soul. It’s semara, a combination of skies, sema, and mara, which is life. We believe the soul comes from those two things.”

  She nodded, understanding that part. This was a lesson he had given her several times before, but she appreciated the time he took to repeat it, reshow it. Appreciated him for it. She hated herself for needing it.

  “So…” He pulled out a loose scroll and a quill. She watched him deftly open some ink and write both words, sema and mara. Then he wrote semara. She studied it, knowing what he was showing her. Semara was just made out of the glyphs of those two root words.

  “What if I learn all the roots? I’m better at those than anything else.” She liked things she was good at. Didn’t everyone?

  “Then you’ll understand about half of our language. There’s many words that needed unique terms. Those will trip you up, which is why you need to learn all the glyphs and how to pronounce them as they are brought together.” He pointed back to the book. “Keep that in mind, though. It will help you.”

  She went on to the next sentence, swallowing before she read it in Common and then butchered it in Andena. She snarled when she slipped up on a word she knew, screwing up how to say it. It changed the meaning of the word and she was embarrassed by the mistake. When she did it a third time, she held onto the books a bit tighter.

  She hated this. She hated Andena, but she needed it. She would never fit in if she didn’t know it. Never. She wouldn’t bother trying until she could speak to them and not be the weird Andinna who didn’t know her own language.

  She was more than ready to stop when he snatched both books from her and began to put them away. She had been getting snappier with every word, every time he had to correct her, until at one point, he just stopped trying to help her at all, leaving her to flounder and grow more frustrated.

  “Go eat lunch,” he ordered. “Then I recommend working out your frustration with the others on the deck before coming back and getting back to this.”

  Thank the fucking Skies. I was about to rip those damned books to shreds.