His Human Rebel (Zandian Masters 4)

“Sten, who’s at the door?” a sleep-disgruntled voice called from inside the bunkroom,

“Would you shut the veck up?” another one called.

She withdrew her foot. Sten shut the door, leaving her standing there, staring at the gray metal door, her stomach heavy as a stone.

Where had Lundric gone? Was he in trouble because of her? Maybe he’d been summoned to the Zandian palatial pod to see Prince Zander.

She lifted her chin and marched to their headquarters. A Zandian warrior stood in the office.

“Is Master Seke here? Or Rok?”

“Seke went back to the palatial pod and Rok hasn’t returned. Lundric’s also gone. I’m next in command after Lundric. What do you need?” He studied her. “Ah. You’re Lundric’s female.”

She flushed but forced herself inside the office and stuck out her hand in a human-style greeting. “I’m Cambry.”

He looked at her hand like he didn’t know what to do with it and raised his fist at a ninety degree angle. “Samsen.”

“Where has Lundric gone? When will he be back?”

Samsen folded his arms across his chest. “I don’t know, and if he didn’t tell you himself, no one else around here will.”

“What is that? Some part of your code of honor?”

“Yes.”

She meant to be strong, but the fear Lundric wanted to put distance between them, or that he was in trouble because of her made her heart thump too hard against her sternum. “Will he be back?” Her voice was an octave higher than normal.

Samsen shrugged. “I cannot say.” He studied her for a moment. “You are safe here.”

Annoyance flashed through her. Did he think she was afraid without Lundric? Stars, these Zandian warriors truly were so chivalrous. Grudging appreciation melted away her irritation.

“I’m not concerned for my safety. I need to speak with Lundric. If you hear from him, will you relay the message?”

He bowed. “I will.”

She dipped into a curtsy—the first she’d offered any of the Zandians. “Thank you.”

As she walked away, she chewed on her lip, her stomach churning. She needed her male back. They had things to discuss. She’d hurt him, and she wanted to fix the rift she’d caused. The trouble was, even if she knew where he was, she wasn’t sure how to fix things.

~.~

It took Lundric three planet rotations to locate the twenty-year-old slave named Tal, the only living relative linked to Cambry in Ocretion slave records. He found the young man working as a slave in a factory not far from the one Cambry had escaped from.

He used his life savings to purchase the human, though he had to buy three other males with him, to avoid raising suspicion. The four of them all sat in his battleship now, their wrists in manacles, their faces masks of wariness.

He faced them. “Humans, you have a choice. I only need one of you—the young one.” He lifted his chin toward Tal. The boy’s hair was brown, not auburn, but he had the same pale coloring as Cambry, with the light dusting of auburn freckles over his nose and identical brown eyes. He also had the same intelligent mistrust in his gaze. They narrowed when Lundric indicated him.

“The rest of you can come with me, or I can sell you back to other Ocretions. If you come with me, you will no longer be slaves, but you’ll serve the same master I do, follow the rules I follow, and will have to fight the battles I fight to win a better life. The choice is yours.”

“Who is your master? Where are we going?”

“I cannot tell you where, and if you decide to go with me, you cannot change your mind. Once you’ve seen our headquarters, you cannot leave. My master is Prince Zander, the rightful ruler of the planet Zandia.”

From their blank faces, he would bet they’d never heard of Zandia or Zander.

“What about me? Why do you need me?” Tal demanded.

“I will tell you after they’ve made their decisions.” He didn’t want to mention Cambry in front of the humans if they were not coming along. Any hint to Ocretions his female was still alive would put her, his species, and his mission at risk. “So, humans? Make your decisions, quickly. I don’t have time to waste.”