He glanced past the prime and the blond Ravager, Dominic, to study the smaller male—Logan—who watched him with deep, dark eyes. Like the rest of his kind, Logan possessed dark hair and ropy muscle. Though leaner than Eric, Logan would still tower over most humans. He should have fit in with the rest of the Ravagers Kellen sensed close by, yet something about him stood out.
Kellen couldn’t figure out why, but he’d learned to trust his instincts, so he kept the Ravager in his sights while still paying attention to the prime. “What do you want from me?”
“Your allegiance or your departure.” Eric stood and shrugged. “Or your death. I’ll take that as well. But I don’t want to. You’re smart enough to know when to fight and when not to, and we can use good Ravagers in our clan. Especially against non-Ravagers who don’t know when to back down.” Eric showed his teeth.
Kellen wondered if the rumors he’d heard were true. That human Watcher groups had started striking out at Voiders in the States, not content to keep their battles overseas.
“Do you want to die?” Dominic asked, an odd smirk on his face.
Kellen growled, saw Logan frown, and quieted. “No. I long for battle.” He met Logan’s stare.For something to call my own in this hellish world where little makes sense.Then he blinked.Where did that come from?
Dominic snorted. “Typical Lawless bullshit.”
“Ravagers fight to protect what’s ours,” Kellen snapped. “Have the Savages become so soft and fearful they’d prefer to bargain for what they should demand? To ally with enemies to keep what they can’t rightfully claim through combat?”
Instead of offending the blond bastard, Kellen had apparently amused him.
Dominic laughed. “Good answer.”
“Dom, stop fucking around.” Eric’s light-blue eyes were off-putting in a species known for blending in with the shadows. He said to Kellen, “We fight to keep what’s ours. That’s why your clan is no more. They took what didn’t belong to them, killed the innocent, and drew attention from the authorities in this world.” Eric folded his arms over his chest. “I’ll ask one final time. Do you give us your loyalty, or do you leave our territory for good? Dead or alive is your choice.”
“I can live here, with you?” Kellen snorted. “As what? A slave?”
Logan muttered, “He sure does like to work us to the bone.”
Dominic slapped him upside the head. “Shut it, puppy. No, Kellen, we don’t enslave our own kind. You’ll find that if you stay, our rules are very different than Nev’s. We’re a gentler Ravager.”
Eric rolled his eyes.
Just then, a pair of “gentler” Ravagers tumbled past, striking, clawing, and having a terrific time while brawling. A small group followed, placing bets on the winner.
“Oh yeah. We’resogentle.” Logan grinned. “My money’s on Nate.”
“You’re on.” Dominic took his bet. “Ten bucks says Sam wipes the ground with him.”
Kellen watched, noticing the many differences between his clan and the Savages. He’d arrived on the planet and been immediately taken in by the Lawless Ravagers. His time spent with them had showed him wild fighters who preferred to live like their animal namesakes.
The Savages had been despised for being soft, some even living in the city outside clan territory. Yet all the Savages here looked healthy and hearty. They didn’t stink and fight over food or women. And the prime didn’t castigate his subordinates for speaking their minds. He didn’t kill them for having opinions. A definite plus to Kellen’s way of thinking.
“I can’t blindly pledge my loyalty,” Kellen said. “And I won’t leave. Cross Step is my home.” Life spent abroad had told him that much.
Eric’s eyes narrowed. “Then you die.”
Everyone stopped moving. Stopped talking, as the attention centered on Kellen and the prime.
“So be it.” Kellen waited.
Dominic stepped closer to whisper something, which had Eric pause. “You’re sure?” he asked.
Dominic nodded.
Eric sighed. “Fine. For now, you hold that pledge, berserker. But youwillvow to do no harm to our own.” He looked down his nose at Kellen, dismissive. “Wedon’t abuse our people, and especially not breeding females.”
Kellen blinked. “Breeding?”
Eric grunted.
Kellen’s heart raced, excited and stunned to learn their kind had a future once more. But would Eric Savage prove to be a different kind of bad than Nev? Or someone he could trust and follow? Only time would tell.
