His Ravin mark.
The Andarion immediately held his hands up and backed off. “I’m not here to hunt or kill you, friend.”
Yeah, right.
And yet, he could have easily killed him a second ago and had chosen not to. Bastien wasn’t sure why as he glared at the beast. “You’re League, aren’t you? Isn’t that why you’re here?”
The Andarion scratched his chin with the back of his hand. “Used to be, and was discharged years ago. If I wasn’t, I’d have killed you already. These days, I’m Sentella only.” He gestured toward the weapons on the ground that were left behind from his victims. “Walk with peace, brother. Take your supplies and go. I won’t stop or track you.”
Still not sure he could trust him not to shoot him the minute he turned his back, Bastien wiped at the blood on his lips, then pushed himself to his feet. One thing was sure, he wanted more distance between them.
Like the gutter rat he’d been forced to become, Bastien scurried over to the other side to watch the muscled mountain. He still had the traditional Andarion warrior’s braids that fell to the middle of his back. And even though he was dressed in civilian gear, there was no doubt this warrior had taken a lot of lives.
Something evidenced as he viciously cut off one of the heads of the men who’d been sent to kill him and then put it in the container they’d brought to house his. Brutal and yet poetic.
Bastien would have done the same.
As the Andarion started for his airbee, Bastien called out to him. “I was captain first rank. Gyron Force.”
The expression on the Andarion’s face as he turned back to rake him with another look said that he knew who and what Gyron Force was. The elite of the elite for the Kirovarian armada and infantry. Less than one percent of one percent of their soldiers qualified to wear their uniforms.
Hell, even Bastien’s dad had been proud the day he earned rank among them. His uncle had stood in total disbelief… along with his older brother, who’d never been able to pass the tests to get in.
“I’m Hauk,” the Andarion finally said.
Hauk… yeah, he looked a lot like Fain. Fought like the vicious beast, too. They had to be related.
“Bastien Cabarro.” He licked at the blood on his lips as he narrowed his gaze on Hauk. “You really Sentella?”
Hauk slid his hand toward his blaster again, as if he was now afraid Bastien might go forhisback. Made sense given the bounty that was attached to the heads of their membership. Even before the war that had broken out, The League had hated The Sentella. A rival organization, The Sents had made their living by saving and rescuing innocent League targets and putting them in places where The League couldn’t find them.
The higher-ups in The League tended to take issue with anyone who defied them.
“Yeah.”
“You guys really declare war on The League?”
Hauk relaxed a degree as he heard the hatred Bastien had been unable to remove from his words. “Definitely.”
“Then can you get this fucking chip out of me?” If anyone could, surely it would be a Sentella member.
“Absolutely. How long have you been implanted?”
Bastien curled his lip as a whole new wave of pissed off went through him. “Almost eight full minsid years.”
Hauk let out a low whistle of appreciation that Bastien had lived so long. Because they were tagged and hunted so viciously, they couldn’t risk being in any civilian population. Relegated to hellholes like this one, many ended up taking their own lives just to stop their suffering. It was physically and psychologically grueling to be hunted like an animal. And Bastien had considered the easy way out more than once. Only the need to avenge his family had kept him going.
As his brother had so often said, he was too damn spiteful to die. And no one ever got the better of him.
Hauk bit his lip, exposing a hint of his long fangs. “Damn long time to be on the run.”
“What can I say? I’m a stubborn bastard, fueled by venom and vengeance.” Sighing, Bastien finally relaxed as he approached Hauk. “So is that your family you’re traveling with?”
Hauk drew his blaster and pinned it right between Bastien’s eyes again. “What do you know of them?”
Bastien held his hands up, for the first time without fear. “Nothing. I saw your camp a few days ago. Being hunted, I make it a point to check out anyone who lands here. I figured you were on a hiking trip of some sort, so I left you alone and went away. Seems to be some kind of Andarion thing around here. But usually it’s only two Andarions at a time, and they leave after a few weeks. Though why you guys want to vacation here, I cannot imagine. You are one fucked-up species.”
Snorting, Hauk holstered his blaster. “Have you beenherethe whole eight years?”
