Hotbloods 6: Allies

“Aww, Kirin, you are someone!” Zippi interjected. “You’re empress of our universe.”

A sharp-toothed grin spread across Kirin’s face. “You always know just what to say, Zippi!” she said, giving the troll a friendly slap on the back, before turning to us. “So, you guys coming or what?”

“I guess we are,” I said, secretly excited by the prospect. These pirates thought I was cool, and I’d never been cool before.

“Then follow the leader!” Kirin hollered, setting off down the alleyway where Bashrik and Angie were standing, grabbing Bashrik’s hand and yanking him along as she passed by. Angie tried to snatch him back, but the half-fae, half-merevin was too strong. Laughing at the mortified sight of her boyfriend being hauled along unwillingly, Angie waited for us to catch up, before walking alongside as we headed for The Empty Purse.

“That was a close one,” she whispered. “Where’s Lauren?”

I grimaced. “It wasn’t her.”

“What do you mean it wasn’t her?”

“Believe me, no one was more shocked than I was, but the person in that building wasn’t Lauren. She must still be out there somewhere,” I said regretfully.

“Why, who was it?”

Taking a deep breath, I relayed everything I’d seen in the lounge to Navan and Angie, watching their expressions shift with every word I said. I didn’t think Angie’s eyes could get any wider, by the time I finished telling them what I’d witnessed. Navan had already been told it was Ezra and the president of the United States, but he hadn’t been able to hear the rest from his position.

“What do you think it means?” Angie asked, breathless.

I shrugged. “I think it means they’ve struck a deal, and that can only be a bad thing.”

“Do you think Ezra is trading weapons?”

I sighed deeply. “I think it has to be something along those lines. He said it would open up the secret to the stars, so that’s got to be either weapons or technology that will allow humans to travel in space or defend themselves against alien threats.”

Navan nodded. “I imagine it might be something that combines the two.”

The thought of that sent a shiver up my spine. Humans with space gunships? That was the last thing the human race needed when they couldn’t even be trusted with regular firearms and nuclear weapons.

“I just want to know what the president is offering in return,” I said grimly.

Angie pulled a face. “My parents are really going to wish they hadn’t voted for him now.”

I thought about Ezra, out there somewhere, destined to return in a couple of days. Maybe he’d even come back sooner. I realized our best bet was to stick around and keep an eye out for him, considering he was due to return for whatever Stone was bringing with him. After all, Stone wouldn’t be able to tell us anything about the situation with Earth, but if we could get hold of Ezra at the same time and take him by surprise… maybe we could find out everything.

Moreover, Stone still had Yorrek’s notebook—having them both back here on the Junkyard would give us the chance to retrieve it. I knew we could chase after Ezra in the hopes of cornering him in some quiet part of the universe but that would mean postponing our rescue of Lauren, which, frankly, wasn’t an option. No, it was better to stay and hope our two targets came together in one place.

Besides, Lauren needed us, and we weren’t about to let her down. We were the three musketeers, and this was one for all, and all for one.





Chapter Fourteen





“Hurry up, Fed-Smasher!” Kirin shouted from around the next corner, before disappearing through a doorway with a neon sign flashing across the front.

“Who’d have thought you’d end up with street cred?” Angie joked, as we came to a halt outside the ramshackle structure. It had a dome of stained glass arcing across the top, pieced together from broken fragments of every possible color.

I grimaced. “I really wish they wouldn’t call me that, though. I wasn’t even the one who hogtied the poor bastard.” I flashed a tentative look at my friend, pleased to see a smile curving up the corners of her lips.

“Yeah, I really went to town on that guy!” She laughed cheerfully, the sound warming my heart.

Cautiously, we stepped inside The Empty Purse and looked around with awe. The casino was massive, with tables and games set up throughout the cavernous space, raucous shouting bombarding my ears—the place was filled to the brim with alien clientele.

The décor was a mishmash of different cultures, and it looked like most of the universe was being represented by at least one member of its species. Music, which sounded like a cross between heavy metal and electro, was pounding through ancient speakers, the bass vibrating through my ribcage. There were pieces of furniture of a hundred different styles scattered about, with posters on the walls depicting countless species in various states of battle or undress. In the middle of the room stood an enormous opaleine statue of a large-breasted mermaid and several holograms of alien males and females, barely clothed, turning in an alluring manner. Yeah, there was definitely something for everyone here.

Along the far side was a long bar, with a mix of species crowding it, waiting to be served. In the lounge area off to the left, a group of shady-looking individuals sat, deep in conversation. The nosy part of me wanted to know what dodgy deals they were negotiating, but I knew I’d end up losing a hand, or worse, if I got too close.

Kirin waved at us from one of the tables in the lounge area, where most of the eight-strong gang were sitting. One of the tiger-striped twins had gone to the bar to order a round, and he didn’t look too pleased about it. I imagined he’d drawn some kind of short straw.

“Helix has just gone to get some drinks. I ordered for you. Hope you don’t mind,” the giddy half-fae, half-merevin said as we approached the table.

“Is it alcoholic?” I asked, an image of my drunken birthparents flashing through my mind. I thought of the silver root, too, and recalled Navan saying it would made me more susceptible to addiction for the rest of my life.

“I’ll get you one without it, if you want,” Kirin said with a smirk.

“That’d be great,” I said, relieved. I didn’t want to drink anything with alcohol, even with the Reapers scrutinizing me. I could tell some of them were finding it hard to believe I could be on a wanted poster, and they weren’t alone—I couldn’t believe it either.

Bashrik was sitting at the end of the booth, looking uncomfortable. The Reapers kept trying to encourage him to play a game with them, but he didn’t seem too eager. In fact, it looked like he wished he was anywhere else. Navan, meanwhile, had tightened his grip on me, his eyes narrowing as he took in the new surroundings, while Angie looked excited, tapping her foot along to the weird music.

“Ladies, why don’t we grab our drinks and do some gambling?” Kirin suggested excitedly, clambering over the rest of her crew to reach us. “The best games are in the back, away from all the riffraff.” A cackle bubbled up from the back of her throat, apparently coming out of her gills as well as her mouth.

“Whoa, why just the ladies?” Navan asked anxiously.

Kirin grinned. “I told you—to get away from all the riffraff.”

“What kind of games are we talking about?” Angie wondered, her eyes wide.

“Any game you want, sweetheart!”

“Well, I don’t want to play,” Bashrik murmured.