Kraving Dravka by Zoey Draven

Chapter Eighteen

When Dravka blinked his eyes open to late morning light, he was momentarily bewildered.

But then he scented Valerie, dragging her into his lungs, a low groan tumbling out of his throat. When he looked next to him, however, he found his bed was empty, the sheets cool where she’d lain throughout the night.

Dravka sat up, feeling half-drunk on sleep and Valerie’s scent. He didn’t remember the last time he’d slept this long but he felt refreshed. Though, he strongly suspected that sleeping next to his female—feeling her warmth against him and her even breaths drifting across his chest and her soft belly pressed into his aching cock—had something to do with that.

And he had a lifetime of it to look forward to. If only his stubborn little female would trust him.

In the morning light, Dravka realized that they hadn’t spoken of her dinner engagement. He’d meant to ask but something told him that she wouldn’t speak of it.

It doesn’t matter,he thought. She won’t have to worry about the Larchmonts much longer.

With a deep, chuffing sigh, Dravka rose from the bed. He was still naked from the night before—still hard, too—but his skin was sticky with the pre-cum that he’d tried to wipe away.

He left his room to bathe quickly, intent on finding Valerie. He was loathe to wash her scent from his skin, but he figured it couldn’t be helped. Soon, she would be all over him, her scent mingling with his own, until they were both covered in one another.

When we get off Everton, Dravka thought, rising from the bathing tub, drying his body off. He marveled at the determination rising in him and a hope that he hadn’t felt in years.

He’d been a fool to wait this long. He’d been a fool to not leave with Khiva a few months ago and drag Valerie with him, despite her protests.

But he would do right by her now.

Once he exited the washroom, he found Ravu and Tavak in the sitting room.

Ravu tilted his chin up when he saw him, his eyes sliding to the door of his bedroom.

“Was Valerie here last night?” Ravu asked, his eyes glinting with…amusement? “I thought I heard her.”

Dravka stiffened. The possessive Keriv’i in him didn’t like that his female had been sleeping so close to other unmated Keriv’i. Then again, it couldn’t be helped.

When we are on Dumera, I will build us a house far away from other males, he promised, feeling a little of his possessiveness drain at the thought. He couldn’t help it. Keriv’i were singularly jealous creatures when it came to their chosen mates. In fact, it wasn’t uncommon for Keriv’i males to mark their females’ necks in their teela, especially if they would be around other males.

He ignored the question, knowing he would have to put off locating Valerie for a little while longer. The three Keriv’i had matters they needed to continue discussing.

“On Jrika,” Dravka started and Tavak’s head whipped up from the Nu device, “I heard rumors about you, Ravu.”

Jrika had been the backwater colony that Madame Allegria had found them all on. A seedy one, only good for drinking away sorrows and perhaps fucking them away as well. Unlawful merchants, space pirates, bleary-eyed miners, criminals, thieves from all over the universe frequented the colony. And those unfortunate enough to live there?

Well, there was a reason the Keriv’i had chosen Everton, after all. Jrika had been a hellish place to call home.

Ravu’s gaze narrowed. “What did you hear?”

“That you ran with space pirates and scrappers,” Dravka told him. “That if they needed stolen tech unlisted, if they needed data extracted, then you were the one to find.”

Ravu exchanged a small look with his brother, his lips pressing together. Then he shrugged, a human gesture they’d all seemed to pick up over the years.

So Tavak had been selling sex and Ravu had been helping to sell stolen goods off raided vessels. Dravka didn’t blame them, didn’t judge them.

Hell, Dravka had sold himself once or twice on that colony when he needed to eat. It had been surprisingly easy, that first time. And he had turned a blind eye to some goods that had passed through his hands. It had been a difficult life back then. They’d done what they needed to do to survive.

It had been why all of them were so unwilling to follow Khiva and Eve to Dumera, after all. Because of the memories of Jrika, the fear that all neutral colonies might be the same.

“Celine Larchmont’s visit with you is tomorrow night,” Dravka said. “I told you that Valerie mentioned Celine hates Madame Allegria. That she doesn’t want this marriage to happen.”

That word…marriage. It felt like acid on his tongue.

“And what does that have to do with what I did on Jrika?” Ravu questioned softly.

He was protective of Celine Larchmont. A part of him cared for the older woman. They’d all had clients that they cared about—and though those feelings weren’t romantic, there were still clients that had shown them kindness.

Then again, there were always the clients that were the opposite. Clients whose visits left them feeling used and…lesser.

It wouldn’t be a feeling he would miss once they left.

“Are you able to get copies of the records downstairs? From the main Nu terminal in the basement?”

Copies of business records. Copies that Valerie had once tried to take to an Earth Council member and had gotten punished for it…her back whipped and raw.

Sometimes, Dravka swore he could still feel the warmth of her blood dripping across his hands as he lasered her skin closed. Sometimes, he could still feel that burning hatred and self-loathing for not saving her from this. Sometimes, he still felt that nausea churn in his belly whenever he thought of it.

“It will help incentivize Celine Larchmont,” Dravka said. “If she has blackmail over Madame Allegria, it would give her control back. She doesn’t want this marriage to happen. This would ensure that it doesn’t.”

“And what makes you think that Celine could do anything with that information? Look at what happened to Valerie,” Ravu argued, though his eyes were narrowed—as if he was already working through how he’d extract that information.

“Because unlike Valerie, she has money and power here on Everton,” Dravka said. “Valerie said the Larchmonts are one of the wealthiest families on the New Earth colonies. Richer than Madame Allegria by far…and thus, more powerful. She could do something with that information if she chose to, get it into the right hands, but you’d probably have to wipe her name from the records first.”

They all knew money meant power. It was why they’d been left powerless for so long.

Tavak said, “You’ll need a Nu device to access the terminal.”

He held the slim device out to his brother, who took it slowly.

“I would also need a Coms upload wire link of some kind,” Ravu said quietly. “And something to store the data on. A microchip would work but I’d need a processor. A Blue Light drive would be better.”

“We can check downstairs at Valerie’s desk and in the back office,” Tavak said. “There has to be something you can use.”

Ever since he’d learned of the firestones, Tavak had been more determined to leave Everton than he’d ever been before. Because now they all had tangible proof of a better life. Maybe for the first time, all the Keriv’is were imagining better ones.

They all looked at one another for a long moment, realizing that…this might work.

“What are we waiting for then?” Tavak asked, rising from his seat.