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 been here the whole eight years?”
“Most of them. Once I realized the magnetic field and radiation played havoc with tracking devices, I decided Shithole Central suited me fine enough.”
Hauk snorted at that. “Doesn’t seem to be playing with mine. They haven’t had any problems tracking me.”
“Ah … that’s why they keep hitting you. Wondered about that.” Bastien frowned. “So who wants you dead?”
Hauk lifted the container that held his confiscated head. “That’s what I’m going to find out.”
Gruesome, but understandable.
Crossing his arms over his chest, Bastien nodded. “Guess being Sentella, you have a lot of friends who want to play with you.”
“Yeah, but I’d rather take my ball and go home.”
Bastien laughed. “Why do I doubt that?”
“Probably because I’m about to take my ball and go shove it up the ass of whoever started this.”
And now Hauk reminded him a lot of his cousin Jullien. “Spoken like a true Andarion.”
“Known a lot of us?”
Bastien hesitated to answer. Obviously, Hauk didn’t know he was royal or related to Jullien, and he wasn’t about to bring that sore topic up since The Sentella had their own bounty out on his cousin’s hide. Not that he blamed them. The Sentella was led by Jullien’s twin brother, who hated him over the fact that Jullien had stupidly assisted Nykyrian’s bitterest enemy in his abduction of Nykyrian’s wife.
Hence the condition of the base Bastien currently lived in. He’d found those data files and had been shocked by them.
Until he’d heard Jullien’s side of things.
His cousin had been in a dire situation, and much like Bastien, had been left with almost no options for survival. And he loved Jullien, and owed him way too much to ever judge him for the steps he’d taken to keep himself alive.
Desperate people did desperate things.
He was just too damn grateful to have his cousin still with him.
However, he wasn’t about to bring up something that could get him killed right now. So he settled on a safer Andarion topic.
“Just one.” Technically true since Jullien was only half-blooded and while Unira and Vasili were Andarions, the Fyreblood race was vastly different from the Ixurians—which was what those with dark hair and skin would be considered. “Nasty-tempered bastard, but damn good in a fight.” He cast an amused grin at Hauk. “Now that I think about it, he looks a lot like you.”
“Yeah, well, we all look alike.”
Bastien rolled his eyes at the bad stereotype that Andarions used against all humans, and it definitely didn’t apply to him. “Wouldn’t know. He’s the only Andarion”—full-blooded Ixurian, anyway—“I’ve been this close to, besides you. Come to think of it, his name’s also Hauk. Only it’s his last name.”
Hauk narrowed his gaze as if he was one breath from attacking. “Friend or foe?”
“Good friend, so if you plan to shit-talk him, you better be ready to draw again and shoot when you do so.”