When the Starrs Align by Marie Harte Page A

of the ride passed in silence. When they finally came to a stop, she remained frozen, pleased when Drekk gave her no more than a glance before leaving the vehicle. He opened the door and pulled her out gently, to her surprise. They walked together towards an unremarkable house on the edge of what looked like a once-respectable neighbourhood. Now it was rundown and festered with trash and street vermin—both animal and human.
    Drekk punched in a code, the sounds of which she committed to memory. They entered into a dingy receptacle, where a scanner made note of her weapons. Drekk raised a dark eyebrow and waited, a hand out.
    Erin quickly handed over her pistol and the Easfran dagger she’d pocketed from the first Mardu thief dumb enough to misjudge her. Playing along with Drekk set him at ease even more. Though the large man didn’t unbend enough to slouch, she read the ease in his body and contained an inner sneer, her confidence returning in force. She couldn’t wait to lay into him. Him and that scum Cheltam.
    Drekk dumped the weapons in a storage bin that pinged a moment after disposal. A large door slid open, and they walked through it. Once past the entrance, the hallways showcased an altogether different house than the one she thought she’d walked into. The air smelled clean. The floor boards underfoot sparkled, and the walls had not a smudge or nick to mar the refreshingly bright yellow colour.
    “In here,” Drekk growled and nudged her towards a set of large furen wood doors. He pushed them open and followed her inside.
    “There you are. I’ve been waiting.” The man who stood from behind an oversized, ornate desk was nothing like what she’d been expecting. Yes, he had measuring, unforgiving eyes and a full-lipped smirk. He wore danger like a second skin, the menace inherent in his character there to see. Yet the sheer beauty in this Mardu male took her by surprise. Cheltam had shoulder-length dark-brown hair pulled back in a neat tail. His face was narrow, masculine planes and lines that hinted at a rough life. His nose was strong, his chin square and hinting at stubbornness. The stark cheekbones and exotically slanted eyes made her think of a jungle cat’s—golden and mesmerising if one stared too long.
    “Cheltam.” She waited, wanting to hear him acknowledge his name.
    “In the flesh.” His gaze wandered over her. “All covered up I see. Smart.” He nodded. “You’re worth a pretty bek to the folks at Blue Rim. Not sure if it’s really because you’re stirring up trouble with science or not. Obviously interference in the scientific process is a criminal offence. But you must have seriously interfered with something big to be worth a hundred grand.”
    “Wheller had said you were a man who could help.” She wanted to smack the satisfaction off his handsome face. Instead she trembled and shrunk smaller. “Why won’t you help me ?” Calling on the helplessness she’d felt all too often during her short life, she willed tears to her eyes. By the blessed suns, she managed to squeeze one over her left lid.
    Drekk homed in on the tear trailing down her cheek and frowned in what looked like concern. Cheltam, however, didn’t budge.
    “Nice try, but—”
    Drekk coughed at the same moment and offered her a cloth to wipe her eyes. Cheltam, dammit, was too far away to take down with Drekk. But she feared if she waited much longer, they’d bring in reinforcements. When Drekk shoved the cloth at her again, she slowly reached out a hand.
    In seconds, she’d taken the cloth, and Drekk, to his knees. A wrist lock kept him down while she pinched the nerves on his neck, at a spot at the base of his skull, to knock him out. As he tumbled to the floor, she crouched before shooting into the air, meeting the blow Cheltam aimed her way. She saw his eyes widen as his fist met her open hand.
    Good, she’d surprised him. But that wasn’t all she meant to do. Whipping her glasses off, she shocked him