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Incredulous eyes shoot her direction. “Vacation…” Tekil barely mouths slowly. What was she thinking? Who in their right mind would take a vacation on their own, this far from home?
“Where are you from?” Andred continues in a more skeptical tone.
Not that I blame him. ‘Vacationing’ in this part of the galaxy is unheard of.
She shrugs again without answering. Andred narrows his eyes as Tekil studies her face, both males suspicious. She must be lying. There is no way a Human would vacation alone in this part of the galaxy, where most of the slave trading takes place. Slavery is illegal, but the law is rarely enforced this far away from Galactic Council Security.
Breaking the scrutiny, she huffs impatiently. “Seriously guys, how are we getting out of here?”
Andred snorts, a mocking sneer spreading across his face. Tekil rolls his eyes, wishing he would go away. As much as he may need his help to rescue his team, he is more of a hindrance than an ally.
The need to work with Andred irritates Tekil immensely. As someone who worked under Moak in the Ruling Quad, he knows that Andred hates him for that reason alone. He made that clear on Kintuke long ago, and in the many months they were held prisoner here. Always yelling ‘freak’, and other offensive words when the Arcadida came for him.
His taunts and mockery were heard by each and every individual from every species in those horrid cells, and probably by the Acradidia themselves. Tekil’s constant appearance of half- transformed creature only fueled Andred’s taunts even more.
Near the end of the DNA ‘remodeling’, Tekil had just entered the last phase before he would have been taken to a ‘training’ facility. The last phase: inserting a chip in the base of his neck to prevent escape. They have already inserted the chip to link him electronically with Vi’del and Zeno, which allows him to communicate mind-to- mind.
His eyes shift toward Andred, wondering if he, too, has been electronically linked to his team.
His eyes shift back to Myla with her glorious long auburn hair and that striking splatter of brown dots across her nose. She appears so delicate, so fragile…yet her spirit is strong.
What would the Acradidia want with a Human? Is she the only one, or are there others?
“You guys do realize I don’t even know your names, right?” Myla shatters his thoughts with her oddly-accented voice.
Stepping forward abruptly, he replies, “I am Tekil.”
Andred grins, taking his own step forward, using his shoulder to knock Tekil out of the way. “I am Andred.” His voice oozes seduction, making Tekil bare his teeth.
When Andred glances over his shoulder and shoots him a triumphant smile, Tekil turns on his heel and walks away. He knows better than to let Andred get under his skin; moreover, he needs to be aware, to be careful. This attraction toward Myla is not normal; he must not allow Andred to use it against him, or to bait him into playing mind games.
4
____________
Myla
“Where you going?” I holler as I trot alongside Tekil, leaving that arrogant sleazeball Andred behind. It’s hard to understand what’s happening, but Tekil definitely seems upset.
“Hey!” I grab his arm, but he jerks away.
Glaring at me with accusing, wide eyes, his voice is angry. “What magic do you wield?”
Confused and a little hurt, I fold my arms across my chest. Defensively, I ask, “What are you talking about?”
“Nothing.” He looks away, blowing out a long, slow breath.
“Then why do you think I have magic? Wait—do other species ‘wield magic’?”
“Some, yes.”
I gape at him momentarily before recovering my composure.
“Well, not me,” I reply matter-of-factly.
Although that would be a neat trick to have, I think, picturing Superman flying through the air, or Wonder Woman blocking bullets with those neat wrist bands she wears. That’s not magic though, hmm…and then there’s Harry Potter... I wonder if other species carry magic wands?
Shaking his head a little, he seems perplexed, maybe even confused. I’m right there with him.
