Moving as a unit, the females encircled by the crew, their entire group encircled by Vytln’s family, they walked down off the dock of the Humility, into the supply depot. Where, no doubt, his brother was waiting for him.
Chapter 22
Haven
The supply depot was clearly not a place meant for the general public. All utilitarian design, machines and people moving around, the smell of oil and dust heavy in the air. The only ones meant to see this place were workers.
Haven and the other girls, whispering to each other in English as they walked, putting their heads together to figure out what was happening. They all had different pieces of the story. Talking about what each person individually knew, and combining that with what was going on now, they managed to figure out that Vytln’s brother had been tracking them, Vytln was playing dead to his family, and now they were being forced to meet him.
Haven wasn’t sure how concerned she should be. On the one hand, they were surrounded completely by a group of large lvtl males that were all of the same caliber as Vytln – huge, blocky, imposing. A few of them had glowing scars visible on their bodies, but just as many did not.
They were big, they were tough looking, they were intimidating. They certainly outnumbered them, by two if hercount was right. If she were by herself, she’d be immediately afraid for her life. The species may have changed, but the vibes of someone you didn’t want to run into in a dark alley remained the same. Their mocking, smirking creepy glances made it worse. How they were looking at Haven and the other girls …
It should be terrifying.
But between them and the crowd of creepers was a solid ring of steel.
Vytln and the rest of his crew remained between Haven and the others. They couldn’t block all their eyes, but none of them could get close. And though they were fewer in number, the way they walked, the way they held themselves, was just…different.
Maybe it was the awareness.
All of the guys were managing to look in every direction at once. The twin avanava males, shiny, deep blue scales gleaming darkly, white hair sparkling brightly, in the light, stood to either side, both of them tense and watching everything. Rok, the huge male with four arms, a horn coming off his head, covered in a patchwork of teal and black scales, covered the rear, his footsteps heavy, his shadow covering them all. Next to him, Trove walked with an easy, false calm that was belayed by the way he kept his hand tense, ready to snatch the pistol he always kept on his belt, while his tail remained straight and tense. Ahead of them, Sway, the blue, feathery farasie male, watched everything that was coming, his crest high, his tail feathers spread. Meanwhile, Tanin alone walked with true calm, hands in his pockets, eyes forward, stride easy. Despite being nearly in the middle, he seemed to be the one setting the pace. Next to him, fists clenched tight, snarling silently, Vytln looked ready to destroy everyone around him the second they sneezed.
There were seven in total, only seven separating the four girls from the ring of hostile lvtl males, yet it felt like an impenetrable iron barrier.
And with that barrier in place, it was easy to feel safe. To feel protected. Like watching a storm rage behind tempered glass. Or seeing wild beasts through the safety of a TV set. There was such a distinct since of separation, part of her didn’t even feel the threat.
The large group didn’t walk far. Just inside the office depot, off to the side, away from all the packing and shipping, were what she would dub administrative offices. The kind of blank, boring meeting rooms such places always needed for when the depot was hosting people who might not be doing the packing but were still working. Higher ups, inspectors, etc.
The doors they came to were already standing open when they arrived. The room itself half filled with more lvtls. A long, rectangular table – a powered down console – took up the center, with basic but comfortable chairs lining it. One entire side was filled with lvtls. Brown skin, fiery gazes, a few with glowing scars, a few without. One male was missing an entire arm, and where it should be was only a glowing hole.
At the head of the table was a male who looked suspiciously similar to Vytln. The same blocky features, but more rectangular than square. He was thinner than Vytln, not as stocky in the shoulders or broad in the chest, but he didn’t have a single visible scar on him. And instead of a jumpsuit, he was wearing a clean, well-tailored black suit. Classy, elegant, expensive, and simple. Neatly pressed pants. A black shirt tucked into them that had a high collar and long sleeves. Then, over that, a simple coat jacket without a lapel. He draped his body with proof of his power over these roughly dressed, intimidating males.
And at his side was the only female lvtl in the room. She was thinner, less stocky than her male counterparts, though her chest was equally flat. She was draped in black silk, her brown skin absolutely flawless. She had no horns on her head, unlike the males, but she was wearing a diamond encrusted band across her head. Her black claws were sharpened and shined to a deadly point, and she sat back with the ease of a female completely in control of herself.
The moment she caught sight of Haven and the other girls entering, she very clearly smothered a mocking chuckle as she posed. There was no other word for the way she sat back, deliberately crossing one of her legs over the other, showing them off through the long slit up the side.
Haven, still in her letterman jacket and stained clothes, couldn’t have been more different from her. All of the crew were not as well dressed or well adorned.
Like the male at the head, the lvtl female exuded money and wealth and power.
They looked like blue-collar workers.
A ragtag delivery company coming in together, dressed in their work clothes. All the guys in jumpsuits. Garnet was in stained shorts. Goldie had a cute romper that was not at all intimidating. Grace, in her simple, elegant gold and silver dress was probably the closest match to the lvtls, but she was staying back and staying quiet.
“J’tll!” The male at the head beamed, getting to his feet, holding out his arms like he was expecting a hug. “There you are.”
Haven didn’t recognize the name, but it was very obvious who he was talking to.
Vytln didn’t respond or approach. He remained at Tanin’s side. Haven, at his back, couldn’t see his expression, but she could see all the tension in his muscles, in the bright glow of his scars.
The male’s arms dropped, but his smile didn’t. “You lied to me, Captain Tanin. You said you’d never heard of my brother before.”
“I said, I didn’t know a male by that name,” Tanin replied evenly. “And I do not. This is Vytln.”
“Vytln?” He laughed. “It’s a good thing father’s dead, J’tll, or he’d be furious you discarded our grandfather’s name so easily.”
Still no response from Vytln. Though, it was clear this guy didn’t expect one. He gestured to the empty side of the table.
