Page 41 of His Human Runaway

Maybe because I learned I have a twenty-five-year-old half-brother living on Omega 9 that no one ever fucking bothered to tell me about. And he was kept from me my whole life.

I grasp my warm cup of Traq with a tighter grip. An irate growl rumbles in my chest.

Or I could be angry because my father not only kept this brother from me, but also recently took legal vows with a human female who has a young daughter from a former mating, which means I now have a new human stepmotheranda stepsister. And I haven’t met either of them yet.

Or maybe my irritation simply stems from the unclaimed red fabric still tucked away in my pocket, which taunts me daily. How can I possibly remain calm when my future bound is still unfound?

Last season, I traveled with the Don for an annual meeting with the Intergalatic Mafia Council and found this scarf left behind in a booth at the VIP lounge on the main transporter station on Salo. The tantalizing scent emanating from that silky fabric exploded in my lungs. I immediately began a hunt for the owner, but she was already long gone. And her identity still eludes me; all I know is that she is human. Her name and her features are a complete mystery. But my body has latched onto her pheromones, and the scent from that fabric—my only clue to her identity—tortures me with no end in sight. I need this female, the owner of this red scarf, because I am certain she is my bound and the mother of future Brimstones.

Meanwhile, I steam with low-level rage and recline in my favorite chair. Black smoke wafts from my flared nostrils as I sip my favorite brand of morning Traq. “I still can’t believe Father took a new bound,” I grouse to my two enforcers. “And how is it possible we were unable to find my stepsister on that entire space station?”

“I can’t believe we couldn’t find her either,” Rojer growls as he leans his thick body back into his creaking chair. He shifts, allowing his barbed tail room to rest along his thigh. “We’re good at this; it’s what we do. Normally all we need is a name and a location and we can bring that being to ground.”

“I’ve found beings with less info,” Jak snorts. “Not even a name or species.”

“Right? We found that human locked away in that fancy gated community, living next door to Dr. Brimstone, didn’t we? We got past Molten Lava so Prince could scent her. That wasn’t easy.”

They both steam-chuckle and bump their fists together.

My partners in crime drink their own highly sweetened Traq, reclining in opposite chairs. The fire pit crackles pleasantly. I grew up with these two in the Brimstone organization and they were groomed from an early age as my personal enforcers. And somehow, I still enjoy their company. They often act idiotic, as if they haven’t a brain between them, but in an instant they can turn into sharp-minded killers, which is what matters. Plus, they’d give their lives for me.

We start each day in my quarters on the north tower because of the perfect view of whomever enters the compound, allowing great daily intel. This is where I strategize world domination and plan how I’ll terrorize my enemies.

Jakyl Brimstone is my father and I’m his only child, the heir to the entire Hyrrokin mafia. I’ve lived in the family compound my whole life, without a mother figure. My own mother was gunned down in broad daylight at a shopping center when I was a toddler. It was a retaliation against my father from a disgruntled rival.

Although now I’m about to gain more family—my secret half-brother, Horace Brimstone, and the addition of a human stepmother and stepsister. Life is about to get interesting. Mygoal is to come out the other end of this disruption with new allies. My aunts, uncles and cousins smile and act like they care, but in reality they’re mostly traitorous assholes who’d murder me in a moment to gain control of Father’s organization. I need all the back-up I can get.

“We should’ve been able to easily find one human child,” Rojer continues, complaining yet again about last night. “But she didn’t exist on the station database. We personally visited each domicile with a human child and none of them were named Olivia Timlin. It can’t be said we didn’t try.”

“Eh, if we couldn’t find her, she wasn’t there. I bet we were sent on a fool’s errand,” Jak grumbles as he refills his cup. “Not the first time that’s happened and it certainly won’t be the last. I’m over it already. I’m stuck on the fact that the Don found a new mate while on a vacation. Since when does the head of the Brimstone mafia take solo vacations?”

“It is shocking. And he didn’t take her as a one-time pleasure mate either, he took her as his legal bound. This human female is too old to birth offspring, so he didn’t need to make her his permanent bound, but he did.”

I grunt in agreement. “I also find that part surprising. Older Hyrrokin are less likely to take vows because there’s no ability to breed, and as legal bounds they’d be mated until the end of their lives, with no legal recourse to part. So why bother? Most elders choose avowed pleasure mates, which allows for a change of mind if necessary. The only reason for my father to exchange vows and take this female as his bound is because he wants to make sure she will remain with him for the rest of his living days.”

“Well, also because it was the only way to keep this human. He had to make her his legal bound so she could become a citizen. The Don had to decide right then—she’s his vacationpleasure mate and he’ll never see her again, or…she’s his legal bound. There was no middle ground.”

“What I want to know,” Rojer questions, “is why there are suddenly so many human females around? How was your father able to meet one on a Nebula cruise? Humans are everywhere nowadays.”

“It does seem as if I’m constantly running into a human,” Jak agrees. “And not just the ones we’ve met on Tarvos. Boss found that human’s piece of clothing on Salo. There were several groups of human families living on Omega 9. I heard rumors humans are working on Timbur.”

“I’d never heard of that species until recently,” Rojer continues. “What were humans? And then that female who mated Aegir Touchstone, the one with that Intelgram channel—wasn’t she the first one on Tarvos?”

“I think so,” Jak agrees. “Then Aegir’s brother took a human as bound too, right?”

“Yeah, Bergelmir Touchstone has a human bound,” I agree. “Both brothers mated humans.”

“Even the Fire Lord mated a human.”

“I’m starting to think on Tarvos you only get a human if you’re rich or a celebrity,” Rojer laughs.

“Or aristocracy.”

They chuckle over their joke. These two can gossip for hours. “Well,” Rojer confirms, “Boss, you’re rich. You should have your own human soon too.”

“I need to find her,” I agree. “The wait is excruciating.” They both know the future bound I’m looking for is human. Yes, it’s odd that my mate is going to be a being not of my own species, but it is what it is. No one else knows I’m looking for her. Well, except for the females I’ve scented and discarded during my hunt, and their mates who were angry that I scented their females, but I had to know. I’ve told no one else because nothingcan get in the way of me having her, not even family, or my own father.

“Now that the Don has a human bound and your brother has a human mate too, you’re next,” Jak agrees. “It’s your turn.”

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