Page 16 of The Hunter's Mate

I pause.

“Your mate?”

Nyrik comes closer again. “Isn’t it obvious? The connection between us—it is undeniable. Now…let us hunt the creature and prove your worth to my Order, and then I will take you from this downtrodden planet.”

“What if I don’t want to leave?” I ask.

His eyes narrow into slits. “Your planet will be broken. There is no point in staying here.”

I don’t have any family. I’ve been alone a long time.

But this is my home.

“It’s not that easy,” I murmur. “And if you could have just taken me…why not do that from the outset? I was on your ship, you could’ve—”

“If I intend to have you admitted to my Order, then you will need to fight for that,” he says. “Hunting the zimya will earn you respect.”

“Are you sure I’ve already earned your respect?” I ask.

He cocks his head. “Do you need my approval to earn a place amongst the stars?”

I lift my chin. “Yes.”

His tongue darts along my jaw. I don’t think it’s sexual—like any reptile, he uses it as a sensory organ—but I can’t help the sigh that slips past my lips.

“Then hunt, Fawn,” he says. “And when you’ve cut off the creature’s head, bring it to me…and I’ll decide what to do with you.”

I lift my crossbow as heat surges between my legs.

“We’ll talk about whether I’ll be leaving Earth or not.”

He hums, that deep bullfrog sound resonating in his chest once again.

“As my equal, I suppose a negotiation may be in order,” he says.

“Good,” I say. “In that case—I’ll see you when I have the zimya’s head.”

11

Fawn

I follow the trail of the zimya deep into the swamp, taking my flat-bottom boat and using the last bit of fuel I have. And as I ride, I think about Nyrik…and his offer.

I don’t have anyone on Earth. My family is long dead. I was working a dead end job before all this happened, and it isn’t like I thought humanity was truly worth saving.

But I’ve spent my life here. I thought I would die on this planet.

I can’t just let some hostile force take over.

I would like to say it’s because I’m compassionate, that I found some trace of goodness in my heart—but if I’m being honest with myself, it’s about pride. I know humanity is stronger than this. We won’t take an alien invasion lying down.

As a soldier of fortune, I might be able to turn Nyrik to my side…and together, we can hunt a more dangerous prey.

The invaders.

I bring my focus back to the zimya as I pass the corpse of a recently killed gator, the creature lying on its back with an open wound on its stomach. The zimya seems to be killing for sport and not just for food, though the strange droppings filled with hog bones a ways back indicate it has a full belly. I keep my ears open as I kill the engine of the boat, and I close my eyes to trace any unusual sounds.

Birds sing in the cypress canopy.