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“Does your friend have a history with the Zevrians?” Rose asked, swinging her head from one to the other.
“He does not,” Zaandr said, “but we are not the first Dothveks to come to Kurril. My kinsman was in the Den of Thieves before and encountered some Zevrian mercenaries. He got the better of them.”
Rose nodded solemnly, her brows pinched together. Then her gaze darted to the tribal markings around his forearms. “That would explain it. You are a distinctive species. If you were spotted in the market by one of the Zevrians, they might have mistaken your friend for your kinsman who wronged them.”
Zaandr feared that the sweet bread and drink would rush back up. If the Zevrians thought that it was Rixx who’d killed some of their crew mates and taken their ship, there was no telling what they were doing to his best friend right now. “We should go.”
Rose nodded. “You should wear the cloaks that were given to you yesterday.” She cast a quick glance to where they were folded across the back of a chair, then her gaze caught on Tegan’s panties that had fallen to the floor when he’d pushed back the covers. Her lips twitched, but she said nothing. “Have you eaten enough?”
He nodded as Tegan grabbed her crossbody bag and slung it over one shoulder, then tucked Pog inside it.
“We’re good,” she said, snatching one of the cloaks from the chair and pulling it over her shoulder.
Zaandr did the same, stepping in line as Rose led them from the room. He looked over his shoulder at the cozy room and wished they had more time there, but a part of him also twinged with guilt that they’d been warm and fed while Rixx had been held prisoner by Zevrian mercenaries for something he didn’t do.
It was too much to hope that the Zevrians had realized their mistake and not punished Rixx for Vrax’s actions. Even though he was not close enough to his fellow Dothvek to detect distinct emotions or thoughts, he was certain Rixx had not had a good night. He could feel it in his bones, as if his body was somehow absorbing the distant pulses from his best friend. The faster they reached him, the better.
Rose led them through the brothel, although now there were no girls swinging from hoops and no music blaring. The balconies were free from ladies hanging over and waving to patrons below, and the thick, wooden doors were all shut tight. The scent of stale liquor and perfume still hung heavy in the air, but it was like an echo of the raucous night before.
When they reached the exit, Rose flipped up her own hood and her nubby, brown cloak covered her almost entirely. The tough women with her did the same. Tegan twisted her head to meet his eyes and smiled at him before she followed their lead, and they all ducked through the door and into the dank, narrow passageway.
The Den of Thieves in the early morning was a very different place. Like the brothel, it seemed empty and unnervingly quiet. The warm sun barely slatted above the rooftops, the light still not reaching the dark labyrinth of corridors that made up the city. Their footsteps tapped on the worn paving stones as they hurried down one alley and then another.
Zaandr could tell they were skirting the center, but he was sure the resistance leader had a reason. Although Kurril was filled with creatures who didn’t wish to be seen, their group might draw a few unwanted glances.
He kept his gaze focused on Tegan. She was both nervous and excited, normal emotions when you were about to stage a rescue. He’d wanted to suggest that she stay behind, but he knew that she would have rejected that and been offended that he thought she couldn’t take care of herself. He didn’t think that, but the fact was, Tegan wasn’t a trained fighter. She was a brilliant healer and midwife, but she would not be much use if they ended up fighting hand-to-hand. As much as he cared for Rixx, he would not sacrifice Tegan for him.
Not now. Not when he knew without a doubt that she was his. Not when he was tied to her as if their hearts were beating as one. He groaned as a primal need to protect her swelled in his chest. Would his desire to protect her distract him from the mission?
Rose stopped and they all hunched down behind her, as she bent low behind a stack of rickety crates. She nodded to a three-story, brown stone building with faded, black shutters closed tight over narrow windows. “That’s it. That’s where they have your guy.”
Zaandr reached out his mind for Rixx. Now that the city was sleeping, it was easier to parse the mess of thoughts. He locked onto his friend’s mind, almost gasping when he found him. “He’s there, and he’s alive.”
The resistance fighters stared at him curiously.
“Dothveks can read minds,” Tegan said.
“I’m coming for you, Rixx,” Zaandr whispered, as much to himself as to his friend.
The single, urgent word that Rixx sent him made fear ice his flesh.
Hurry.
Chapter
Sixteen
Tegan felt Zaandr stiffen beside her, even though they weren’t touching. Fear arrowed through him and into her, and she sucked in a sharp breath. “We need to hurry.”
The resistance fighters looked from her to the Dothvek, whose face was set in a grimace, and they nodded grimly.
“We can’t just rush in,” Rose said.
“Why not?” Zaandr cut his gaze to the building. “The Zevrians are either asleep or passed out, so they won’t put up much resistance if we go in fast and hard.”
Rose studied him for a beat. “You really can read minds?”
“Not every mind, but I can communicate with my Dothvek brothers through our thoughts. Rixx is on the top floor in a front room with the windows covered.”
