Scrapper. Book 1. Parts 1—3
The woman kept glancing over her shoulder, checking on her three companions, but so far, all of them seemed to be relaxed and enjoying the friendly chatter that the Laithorians offered them. Pher was acting quite restrained, well-mannered and attentive, obviously humbled by his past interaction with Serena’s wrath and her threat considering his manhood.
Once the initial conversations were done with and the pleasantries ran dry, Lindon gestured to the live musicians – an expensive thing to have at any social gathering. He definitely spared no money to impress both Serena and the guests that arrived to see her. The light, unobtrusive melody gracefully changed into one that was familiar to any Veluthian.
«I hope you remember the Laithorian Tango, Lady Thara-Lyss.» Lindon bowed to the woman, offering her a hand as an invitation for a dance.
«Of course. How can I deny our gracious host a dance?» Serena bowed in return, accepting his hand.
Cipher caught Hunter’s wrist, stopping him from interfering.
«Remember where we are.» Cipher whispered to his friend.
Hunter stayed silent, watching as the pair, joined by a few others, stepped into the centre of the hall, starting to dance.
Unlike most of similar dances Hunter has ever seen, this particular tango reminded him of a duel between the partners. But there was no contact other than grasping the wrist or catching the partners’ foot from making another step. It was a dance, no doubt, but instead of depicting lust or love, like the Terran dances, the Laithorian tango showed the military prowess and capability of working as a team – otherwise any of the moves were able to trip or land a blow to the dancing partner. In other words, this dance was representing a duel.
It was a strange thing to see, though, extremely interesting to experience. Hunter caught himself on a thought that he was made privy to something the Laithorians never showed to the people of other human colonies.
The man suddenly heard a slap and turned to see what was happening, only to notice one of the dancing pairs suddenly break up, as the woman tripped her partner and left him, while other guests chuckled at the sight.
«First time watching the Laithorian tango?» an older gentleman stepped up, raising his glass to Hunter.
The man replied, doing the same, and nodded:
«Never knew Laithorians even danced.»
«We dance, we sing, we entertain ourselves just like any other race.» the gentleman smiled. «I don’t believe we’ve been introduced to each other properly. Valoras Dorn Gray-Linn.»
«Hunter.»
«No last name?»
«My last name bears no value on Velutha.» Hunter shrugged.
«I assume you’ve taken up mercenary work then, as I do know mercenaries prefer not to use last names…»
«You could say that.»
«Velutha values mercenaries, as they are the closest thing to us in terms of their views.» Valoras smirked. «Is it safe to say Lady Serena was a mercenary as well?»
Hunter glanced at Serena dancing and felt himself out of place.
«That would be better asked elsewhere, sir.» the man said. «As I am in no position to speak for Serena.»
A pleased smile appeared on Valoras’ face and he finished his drink:
«Good answer, good man. Enjoy the evening.» he stepped away, leaving Hunter on his own again.
Fortunately, the music finally stopped, finishing the tango. Hunter saw the remaining pairs bow to each other and scatter. The way men and women walked off, mostly alone, hinted that even though they were dancing, it never meant that they were anything else in terms of personal relationships. To Hunter this was even stranger than the way this tango looked.
Lindon, nevertheless, accompanied Serena back, making Hunter feel even more uncomfortable.
«I noticed you speaking to my father.» Lindon smirked to Hunter, seeing him press his jaws together. «Was he scolding my awkward steps again?»
«No.» Hunter saw Serena’s eyes squint just a bit and forced himself to relax. «He was enquiring to my occupation and if Serena was engaged in mercenary work.»
The woman twitched her eyebrow in surprise. Being a mercenary wouldn’t make anyone think any less of her, but the fact that she never used her real name would definitely raise a lot of unnecessary questions among Veluthian aristocrats.
«I hope your answer was reasonable?» Lindon noticed Serena searching the hall for Valoras with her eyes.
«I told him it wasn’t my place to answer for Serena.» Hunter shrugged. «I am in no position to speak for her.»
Lindon smirked, a restrained approval appearing in his eyes, and glanced aside. Seeing his father standing by the corner and giving him a very subtle gesture, the man bowed:
«Please enjoy yourselves. It appears I am being called for one of those pesky little conversations my father loves so much.» he smiled to Serena.
The woman watched him retreat towards his parent, and allowed herself to breathe out, relaxing her shoulders.
«How long do we have to be here?» Hunter whispered to Serena, finding her being weary of her surroundings.
«As long as it takes.» she replied, taking Hunters glass and finishing the drink. «Please be a good friend and get some more drinks, will you? I feel like I’m about to challenge someone to a duel.»
The man took back the empty glass and headed towards the bar, wondering what drink to get for Serena to make her forget about the tiring social interactions she was supposed to be engaged with all through the evening.
When he returned to Serena, she was chatting away with a young looking couple, dressed in similar styled clothing – something resembling a military coat and tight trousers, both in silver and grey colours. Serena received her drink from Hunter, and the couple bowed, walking off and chuckling at something they were conversing about before Hunter returned.
«They find you Terrans a fun company to keep.» Serena allowed herself a disgusted huff. «Such simple minded people…»
«We Terrans, or that couple?» Hunter asked, noting the curious glances all the guests were giving him.
«I wasn’t referring to you, Hunter.» Serena emptied her drink in a few large sips. «I’m here among my people, but all I can think about is getting away somewhere…»
«Maybe you should?»
Serena tensed up, seeing Lindon approaching them again, even though his smile and gaze showed nothing less than good mood. But, nevertheless, something felt wrong.
«Might I steal you for a private conversation?» the man asked her as soon as he walked up. «I assure you, it will be worth your time.»
Hunter flinched to step in and object, but Serena stopped him, pressing her palm against his chest.
«Of course, Lindon.» she said with a nod, leaving her glass at the nearby table.
«This way, my lady.» Lindon gracefully gestured aside.
Serena returned the smile and followed the man out of the hall and into a smaller room, where a couple of guests were engaged in conversations. She thought they would stop there, but Lindon walked further – deeper into his estate, until they reached what seemed to be his personal office. After the door behind them closed, he offered her to take a seat near the far end of the room, where a couple of comfortable chairs stood, perfect to have a conversation.
«Did any of my men do something wrong?» Serena forced her voice to sound firm, declining the invitation to have a seat.
Lindon stepped to his table and picked up an information tablet, often used to show specific bits of information. He turned to Serena and offered her the device, watching her frown in surprise. The woman approached and took it, looking at the screen.
«Forgive me for snooping, but I had to run a background check for you and your men. Theirs came out interesting, though I haven’t found anything considering you…» Lindon said.
Serena threw a quick glance at the man, feeling caught in some sort of a trap.
«I was that good at hiding, huh?» she said with a smirk, hoping this would sway Lindon from being suspicious.
«You came onto the radar only recently, so I congratulate you on how well you’ve managed to keep yourself from being noticed.» Lindon leaned over the table. «Your men, however…»
Serena flipped through Cipher’s file, noting some insignificant information worth knowing, and then turned to Pher, realising how the man kept getting in trouble in his last workplace. When she opened Hunter’s file, though, she slowed down, seeing lines of details he had never mentioned to her before.
«You are showing me something I am well aware of.» Serena handed the tablet back.
Lindon shook his head, catching her on a lie:
«Hunter’s married, Serena. Whatever you have between you two means nothing.» the man smiled, tilting his head. «So I am going to offer you to reconsider my proposal.»
Serena felt like she was trapped – both by the lies Hunter told her – and by Lindon, who pointed out this information.
«You know very well that I don’t care who you’ll sleep with. As long as you marry me and we produce strong children, everything else doesn’t matter. The benefit of us forming a union will be much greater than that of yours and this… Terran.» Lindon straightened and stepped closer to Serena, allowing himself to put his palm on her shoulder. «Trust me when I say that I will never lie to you or disrespect you. If you agree to be my wife, you will always be my first choice for company, advice and sex.»
«A generous offer, Lindon…»
«Don’t decline just yet, Serena. Take some time to think. I won’t rush you to make this decision.» he gave back the tablet. «Have all the time you need.»
Serena forced herself to meet his gaze calmly and not flinch, when she replied:
«You’ll have my answer by the end of this week.»
The way Lindon smiled showed how glad he was to hear that.
Chapter 20. Games
After the gathering ended and they could finally get some rest, Serena wanted to be left alone, but remembered how she promised Hunter to be with him that night. Knowing how poisoned her view of the man now was due to the fact he hid his marriage from her, she didn’t understand why he acted as if he wanted to be with her alone.
Still, she invited him to her quarters and spent the night, letting herself a bit of relaxation, if not the thing she wanted at first. She showed him how passionate she could have been with him all the time, though her true feelings changed.
He never found out that something became different between them.
Once he drifted to sleep, Serena slipped out of bed and dressed up, walking out onto the balcony and jumping onto the wide railing. The long drop didn’t bother her – every Veluthian played around on similar railings every chance they had, balancing and fighting to show their strength and prowess.
Serena strolled up and down these railings, thinking over the proposal and the information she was given about Hunter and his friends. The thrill of the drop under her feet was just as strong as the intrusive thought to let her body sway and fall, but she forced the latter down, not allowing the feeling of betrayal make her fall prone to the darkest thoughts in her head.
Finally, Serena sat onto the railing, watching the horizon change colours from the shimmering greens and purples to golden blues, as the sun began rising.
The woman thought if she should even stay with Hunter and glanced behind, where the man lay on the bed, deep in his sleep. Serena jumped down onto the balcony and walked inside, watching him sleeping carelessly with a pleased smile on his face. She approached the bedside table and picked up the tablet. Leaving a short note on the screen, she carefully placed it next to the man and walked out onto the balcony once again, settling on the railing and thinking about the beauty before her eyes, and not the situation she was in.
It wasn’t long before she heard the soft rumble of a hover bike approaching and noticed Lindon, flying up to the balcony. He smiled at her, greeting her with a bow and gestured at the seat behind him:
«Fancy a stroll on this wonderful morning?» he proposed.
Serena couldn’t reply with a smile and glanced over her shoulder at Hunter, still caught in his dreams. The woman rose, balancing on the railing and considering her options, before stepping off and landing onto the hover bike. She sat and wrapped her arms around Lindon’s waist, showing him that she wasn’t distancing from him.
To Lindon this also gave hope that she was really considering the proposal he offered, and not declining it straight away. The man chuckled and flew off, accelerating.
Serena closed her eyes, feeling the rush of speed and the wind blowing in her face, ruffling her hair. This sense of flight and the confidence of the hover bike’s pilot made her feel free and unburdened. She dove into this sensation, feeling her heart calming from all the aching she was experiencing all through the night.
Breathing in the fresh air and the pleasant, metallic scent of Lindon’s skin made her open her eyes and finally smile.
«How is my lady feeling today?» Lindon took a sharp turn, feeling out how well Serena sat behind him.
The woman didn’t even flinch and never tightened her grip, perfectly balancing on the hover bike.
«Ask me this after we return. At the moment I am just enjoying the ride.» Serena smirked, hearing Lindon chuckle.
«Perhaps, you would enjoy a little entertainment?» the man said. «A few rounds of fireball? Or, maybe, something a little more exciting than just a drink?»
«What do you have in mind, Lindon?»
«Let’s just say… a sport that needs to be played with a partner one could trust.»
Serena chuckled in his ear, feeling how the back of his neck covered in goose bumps:
«Are you proposing sex, Lindon? So soon?»
«That’s also on the table if you like.» Lindon cackled, enjoying having her with him. «But what I meant was…»
He made another sharp turn, slowing the bike down and Serena saw the sports field surrounded by people enjoying an exceptionally dangerous game Veluthians called Dharna Nole – an air-fought battle of teams of two fighting over the flags that were strapped to the passenger of the hover bike. The tiny flag was target to other teams – and if the flag was ripped off the team was eliminated. The fights continued until one team remained. But that wasn’t the aim of this game, as the winners were considered only if the team was sill «alive’ and having collected most flags.
Serena laughed at this, understanding how much Lindon would rely on her as his partner. She would have to not only fight, but also target the flags to collect as much as possible. Anything went in this battle, including knocking the opponents out and throwing them off their bikes. Accidental deaths were usual to this sport, and whoever agreed to play always kept in mind that any mistake could cost the team their life – both figuratively and literally.
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