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I swung my Reaper-class prowler in a low-flying arc before settling down among the wreckage of a junkyard. It would be safer here with the scrap metal waste than parked in the shiny streets with the other tourists.

At least this way, no one would be tempted to steal a light-wing craft that looked to be a derelict. I turned on the cloaking tech for good measure. No need to tempt fate, given the shithole I needed to check out for the next few days.

Erebus.

Known for all manner of debauchery that anyone would be willing to pay for, it also served as the home base for the Spades gang.

Starships zipped above the buildings; their screeching could be heard over the repetitive boom of the electronic music wafting from the surrounding bars. The scents of pollution and grime assaulted my nose. Robotic screens hovered over the main thoroughfare, flickering advertisements for scantily clad females promising happily-ever-afters for the right price.

Rusted androids limped brokenly, cleaning the busted pipes, wires, and bolts piled high in the streets.

I turned my gaze up to the holographic force field surrounding Erebus and protecting the outpost from space. It was the only thing I truly enjoyed in this rundown place. The holographic plates portrayed clouds and a full moon, occasionally flickering, yet still reminding me of a night sky I had gazed upon when I was a kit.

Two small starships swerved around each other, one crashing into the street several feet away. Alien juveniles took turns kicking a wrecked android, before running toward the small ship. It didn’t take long for more opportunists to come out of the shadows and see if they could run off with anything of worth.

My lip curled in disgust and I swallowed my base instincts with a growl. This was neither the time nor the place to intervene. The entire outpost was full of parasitic scum, and leaving a trail of bodies would not help me while I was on this cloaked op.

I leaned against the wall of a building I could only presume was a bar. It was the only area not illuminated in neon and I allowed the darkness to mask my features.

A Ceresian female, her shimmering blue scales illuminated in the neon lights, leaned against an entrance to a building flashing neon yellow. Her scales covered her ample breasts, which were barely concealed by the simple pink bralette she wore. She raised her hands over her head as if she were dancing to the music. Her hands travelled down the length of her body, tugging at her matching pink thong.

The Ceresian reached out to a potential customer, stroking his shoulders while rubbing her breasts against his arm. She pouted when he shook his head at her, pushing her away as if she were a diseased creature. For a moment she watched him leave before her serpentine gaze flicked my way. She looked me over, crossing her arms and parting her legs. She flicked her long tongue across her lips. Her serpentine eyes blinked sideways, and she turned, smacking her well-formed ass.

I chuckled at her subtle invitation.

Funny how a few months ago, I’d have taken her up on it, hunting her down after a reaping mission. A hot, willing body to warm my den for a night. But ever since my reaper commander, Cade, had met his fated mate in Solana, I felt restless for more. It gave me hope that maybe one day, I would find my own fate-mate.

Hope was a dangerous thing in the Savage Lands.

Two Redbacks exited a blue neon pub, swinging at each other with their eight arms. The taller of the two pounced, its fangs ripping into the shorter one’s neck, whose wild screams were lost amid the city’s noise.

Several customers spilled out in their wake, goading on the fight. They were a motley group of various races cheering and placing bets.

“Get him!”

“Bite him!”

“Hit him harder!”

I watched each of them, looking for the marking, anything that indicated they were branded with a Spade tattoo. It was turning out to be surprisingly difficult. Though everyone on Erebus seemed to work for the syndicate, not many were actually part of the gang. I needed a true member, one high enough in rank to sport a tattoo. Only one like that would know drop sites and other trade locations.

The fight reached a fevered pitch. The taller Redback clamped his jaw down on the shorter one’s forearm, and with a quick jerk of his head, ripped it completely off his opponent’s body. It landed in front of a large, beefy man who had chosen to leave the pub at this inopportune time. The man scowled, the red thorns all over his face emphasizing his annoyance as he clutched a black bag closer to his body.

Curious, I scanned his face and brought up any information I could on my retinal display. He was a Kazzor, no known affiliations or any other biological information. For all intents and purposes, Mr. Thorny Face was pure as a virgin.

Yeah, and I was a kit born yesterday.

The brawl ended as the taller Redback straddled his opponent and sank his teeth in his victim’s neck. With a sickening crunch, the shorter Redback went limp and the onlookers cheered in horrifying joy, moving back toward the pub.

The Kazzor made way for the party. He kicked the detached arm toward the dead Redback as he strode past. His yellow gaze darted about before he turned on his heel, revealing the black spade tattoo on the back of his neck.

I smiled in the shadows. Target found. I kicked away from the wall, tugging my hood over my head before I was bathed in garish neon lights.

I trailed behind the Kazzor, watching how he kept the bag close to his body. It could be anything, really. His laundry. A collection of severed heads. Library books for a needy orphanage.

But my gut told me that it was what I’d been assigned to find—evidence of black-market tech from the Kridrins.

Also known as the fuckers who trafficked in slaves. Legion command wanted more intel on them. They didn’t exist in any database, which meant they were good at hiding their tracks.

Didn’t matter how good they were, though. We would find them. Rodinians found everything, no matter how well-hidden. It would only be a matter of time.

A drunken group stumbled out of a bar, laughing and jostling each other before ramming into me. Quickly, I hid myself in an alley. I didn’t need to get involved in what looked to be another bar brawl.

I glanced around, my tail twitching when I couldn’t find the Kazzor’s red horned head. “Dammit,” I muttered. I couldn’t lose this bastard now.

I dodged the fighting gang members, who were busy rolling around on the ground, finding the Kazzor looking around and sniffing the air. Why was he sniffing? Could he smell me following him? His yellow eyes looked in my general direction and I lunged, hiding my large form behind a stall steaming with meat sautéing in a skillet.

“Squiddle?” the stall owner asked, a grey Morsei with six tentacles for hands. He grabbed one stick, the meat still squirming on it, and offered it to me.

I shook my head and tried to keep myself from making a face. Damned Erebus. Volatile creatures and disgusting cuisine. “No, thanks,” I muttered.

I glanced back at my target, who was flirting with another Ceresian female, this one dressed in a shimmering gold thong and bikini combo. She tilted her head to the side, smiling while she stroked his arm with one tentacle.

The Kazzor leaned in, whispering something in her ear, and I watched her face go from seductive to horrified.

She smacked him and turned on her heel, slamming the door in his face.

“Not the ladies’ man, I take it,” I mumbled to myself, sliding into a dimly lit alley and watching him turn down another street.

I jumped on a dumpster, kicking from wall to wall until I landed on a rooftop. He was a slippery fellow, weaving in and out, his hands moving into passing pockets and snatching credits. I followed him, watching from above, jumping from one rooftop to the next. He occasionally stopped to feel around in the bag.

Whatever he carried, it was important.

Cade’s voice spoke through my comms as I jumped onto another rooftop. “Reaper One to reaper squad. Call in.”

“Dorn.”

“Lyova.”

“Talus,” I replied, keeping my voice low. I crouched and leaned over the edge of the rooftop as I watched my target enter into a large square with a broken fountain.

There weren’t as many neon lights in this area, but there was one club with a large female holographic display lit up in neon pink. She was squatting over the entrance with her hands touching her breasts.

“Tal, have you found anything on Erebus?”

I growled low in my throat. “Too fucking much. Long story short, the Spades are terrible with women.”

I heard Lyova’s chuckle over the line. “As bad as you?”

“I’m lovely with the ladies,” I said, jumping from the rooftop and landing fluidly on my feet in the streets. I circled the club, keeping my form in the darkness despite the flashing neon pink lights. There must be another exit, I thought, finding a back alley.

I sighed, my tail twitching as I approached the back door of the club. “You just couldn’t make this easy for me now, could you,” I muttered, rubbing my chin as I wondered if I could watch both exits from the rooftop.

Most likely not. The back exit was directly behind the front. “That motherfucker.”

“I take it you’re not referring to one of us?” Dorn said in his sardonic way.

“Obviously,” I growled, tiptoeing to the front entrance while keeping my body pressed to the wall. “I’m hoping this one, whenever he comes out of this dump of a place, will lead me to the other Spades.” I had already spent longer than I wanted to on Erebus and now I had to wait for this disgusting piece of shit to finish wetting his dick. “What about you? Found anything useful?”

“None. All is quiet,” said Dorn.

“Like your love life?” Lyova teased.

“Lyova.” Cade interrupted the potential snarling masterfully. “How is the Luna outpost?”

The other reaper sighed over comms. I understood the frustration. “Boring. Seems Tal is the only one getting some action.”

“As per usual. This setup is kind of surprising,” I said, crouching low and watching males going in and out of the club.

“What do you mean?” Cade asked.

“Everyone here seems to be part of the Spades syndicate—The brothels, bars, clubs, anything that turns a profit at least.”

Lyova snorted. “Well, what did you expect from an outpost in the Savage Lands? Not exactly known for their charitable works.”

“Yeah, but not everyone is branded a Spade, though their business is complies with them.” I shrugged, though they couldn’t see the gesture. “I suppose I expected more brainless thugs and less a formal multi-level-marketing structure. Most of them look like they’re trying to sell you a slice of real estate.”

“Good to know. Anything else?”

I sighed. “There have been several fights and thefts, but I haven’t picked up any chatter that could be code for human trafficking, slaving, or a big trade.” I leaned my head against the wall and grabbed my tail to keep it from twitching. “This outpost is a shithole full of parasites, but nothing out of the ordinary for these folks. Are you sure something is going on here?”

“Intel informed me the Spades have been trading with the Kridrins and that Erebus has been the hottest spot.”

“I’m wondering if they finally caught on that the Legion have been homing in on them,” I said, watching a group of men swagger out of the club. “You know, since someone tore through that nexus outpost a few months ago, leaving a litter of bodies behind.”

Cade barked out a laugh. “Hey, now. You know I don’t like to litter. Besides, the Eridani alphas assured me they blasted that outpost to ash.” His lethal tone made me glad he had my back.

“Yeah, proves my point. Legion command deploys a canon when a hammer would do. Overkill. Not surprised that the bad guys are motivated to change tactics and stay low key.”

“We’ve got tricks of our own,” Dorn said. “You installed the updates to your suit?”

I tapped my gauntlet, initiating the upgrades as he spoke. “You know it. Might have added my own modifications.”

Dorn’s dark laugh rumbled beneath his words. “I would have been disappointed if you hadn’t.”

“We’ll find them soon enough,” Cade said. “We’ll regroup on Erebus. It’s the most likely. I’d bet my tail on it. Dorn? Lyova?”

“Thank fuck!” Lyova exclaimed. “I’ll burn atmo to get there. It’ll take a few hours.”

“Same,” Dorn agreed.

“Watch your back, Talus.”

“Over and out,” I said, turning off comms. Knowing that my team would have my back soon, there was no need for me to wait.

The Legion hadn’t asserted their presence in this part of the galaxy, at least not yet. But I still didn’t want to risk being recognized for a reaper. Besides, I worked better in shadows.

Disguise in place, I vaulted down from my perch.

{Available for pre-order here: books2read.com/legion-scorched}