Primal Bond (Warlords of Vasz #4)

25. Chapter 25

Chapter twenty-five

A t the end of Rivek’s chain, a broken-looking Asher stumbled, his once-bright eyes now dull and lifeless. Finn’s heart clenched painfully at the sight.

Rivek sauntered to his seat, dropping into it like he owned the place. He hadn't noticed Zanik — not yet. He would soon, though.

Rivek yanked the chain, forcing Asher to his knees beside him. "Sit," he commanded, his voice dripping with cruel amusement. Asher obeyed, his movements mechanical.

A wave of fury and helplessness surged through Finn. His hands trembled, fists clenching at his sides. He wanted to scream, to rush at Rivek and tear him apart. But he knew better. One wrong move, and everything would be lost.

Zanik might be able to kill Rivek — but running away with Asher, too? No-one in the club would let them get away with that. If the place tolerated patrons killing each other for their slaves… Well, it wouldn't have much of a client base for long. The place would become a bloodbath, and then a ghost town.

He felt Zanik’s subtle touch on his shoulder, a grounding presence that kept him from losing his act. Finn glanced up, meeting Zanik’s gaze — already icy and calculating. The Borraq’s expression was a mask of ruthless determination. Finn drew a shaky breath, feeling a surge of relief.

This time, he wasn’t alone.

This time, he had Zanik.

Finn’s thoughts raced, memories of his last encounter with Rivek flooding his mind. The man had taken everything from him — his freedom, his dignity. But now, he had a chance to set things right. He just had to keep it together.

"Keep your head down," Zanik murmured, his voice barely audible. Finn nodded, lowering his gaze. He needed to focus, to stay in character. He was a slave, meek and subservient.

For now.

Zanik rose to his full height, confidence radiating from him. "Stay."

That command given, he strode toward Rivek. The other club patrons fell silent as they watched him move, ready for confrontation.

“Rivek,” Zanik called out, voice low but laced with challenge.

Rivek’s attention snapped to him, surprise belatedly flickering across his features. The shock didn't last for long, though, before a sly grin settled in. “Zanik, huh? I didn’t expect to see you here.”

Finn watched with bated breath as Zanik approached Rivek, his heart pounding in his chest. Zanik's swagger oozed confidence, a stark contrast to the fear churning in Finn's gut.

"Well, well," Zanik drawled, his voice dripping with arrogance. "If it isn't the self-proclaimed king of the sector. Slumming it with us commoners tonight, Rivek?"

Rivek's eyes narrowed, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. "I'm surprised to see you here. And with..." His gaze flicked over to Finn. "...company. I didn't think you were the type to keep pets."

Finn's breath caught in his throat. This was it. Rivek would recognize him, would taunt Zanik with all the cruel things he'd done to Zanik's pet before casting him off like trash.

Finn braced himself for the humiliation, the shame...

But it never came.

Rivek's eyes passed over Finn without a flicker of recognition. Finn blinked, stunned.

He was just another face in the crowd to Rivek, not even worth remembering.

I was nothing to him, Finn thought bitterly. Just another toy to use and throw away. His fists clenched at his sides. That'll be your downfall, you bastard. You won't even see me coming.

"Oh, you know," Zanik replied smoothly, drawing Rivek's attention back to him. "Sometimes it's nice to have a little entertainment."

The other patrons in the club leaned in, hungry for the brewing conflict between the two smuggler lords. Finn could practically feel the tension crackling in the air.

Rivek leaned back in his chair, one hand absently toying with Asher's chain. "Entertainment, huh? And here I thought you were all business, Zanik. Getting soft?"

Zanik's laugh was cold and sharp. "Hardly. Just diversifying my interests. Speaking of which, I hear you've been branching out yourself. Making some interesting new friends in the outer systems. Epsilon."

Rivek's eyes narrowed. "You hear a lot of things, don't you?"

"I make it my business to know what's going on in my sector."

" Your sector?" Rivek's voice was dangerously soft. "You're overestimating your reach, Zanik."

As the two Borraq postured and traded barbs, Finn's mind raced. He watched Zanik carefully, marveling at how easily he held Rivek's attention. Asher was all but forgotten, kneeling silently at Rivek's feet.

This is my chance, Finn thought. We just need to keep him talking, keep him distracted…

Finn kept his head low, heart pounding in his chest as he slowly inched closer to Asher. The dim lighting and the distracting confrontation between Zanik and Rivek worked to his advantage. None of the Borraq there cared about what a mere human was doing.

He edged forward on his hands and knees, every muscle tense with anticipation. Finally, he was within whispering range.

"Asher," he said urgently, his voice barely more than a breath. "It's me, Finn. We're here to save you."

Asher didn't respond. His eyes stared blankly ahead, the life drained from them.

Finn's stomach twisted in horror. He waved a hand to catch Asher's attention, but there was no flicker of recognition, no sign that Asher even saw him.

"Asher, please," Finn pleaded, his voice cracking. "Remember me? Finn? We met on Rivek’s ship. We had escape plans, remember? Jasper was with us too."

Still, nothing. Asher's gaze remained fixed on some unseen point, his expression void of any emotion.

Desperation clawed at Finn's insides. He felt the tears sting his eyes, but blinked them away, refusing to give in to the hopelessness.

"Asher," Finn whispered fiercely, "we're going to get out of here. I swear it. Think about the plans we made. We're going to get you back home."

To the side, Zanik's voice rose, the confrontation with Rivek reaching a new pitch. His actcouldn't last long — not when Zanik wasn't ready to escalate to violence. Finn took a deep breath, leaning in closer. He was running out of time.

"Remember those nights we spent in that cold cargo hold, planning our escape?" Finn continued, his voice trembling. "You told me about your plans, your dreams. You said you weren't going to let anyone take them from you."

A flicker. It was almost imperceptible, but Finn saw it. A tiny spark of recognition in Asher's eyes. His heart leapt, a fragile hope igniting within him.

"Asher," Finn said, his voice breaking with emotion. "Just... hang on, okay?"

Rivek's voice was cold, every word dripping with venom. “You think you can waltz into my territory and just take what you want?”

There was a smirk in Zanik's voice. “Yours? You don’t own anything here.”

There was nothing else to do. Finn had to wrap this up. His heart raced as he settled back into his role, returning to crouch submissively by Zanik’s seat.

Rivek’s eyes narrowed, his smile fading. “Careful, Zanik. Statements like that could get you in trouble.”

Zanik leaned in, his voice a low growl. “Trouble loves me, Rivek. Test me, and find out how much.”

Rivek chuckled, though it lacked humor. “I've had enough of your barking, dog. Go and play with your mutts, and leave me to my drink."

With a final, mocking smile, Rivek turned and yanked Asher’s chain. Asher stumbled to his feet, his movements sluggish and automatic. Rivek dragged Asher away to the other side of the club, not even glancing in Finn’s direction.

Finn forced himself to stay still, to maintain the facade. Inside, his blood boiled, a tempest of anger and helplessness raging within him.

Zanik returned, his expression carefully neutral. He scooped Finn up, pulling him into his lap. Finn felt Zanik’s breath against his neck, the pretense of a bite concealing their conversation.

“Should I just stab him right here?” Zanik’s voice was a low rumble, full of restrained violence.

Finn’s mind raced. “No,” he whispered urgently. “Who knows how many other Borraq here might join in. It'd be chaos. We couldn't get Asher away safely. We need to get him away from Rivek first.”

Zanik’s grip on his hips tightened slightly. “How?”

Finn’s thoughts spun, desperate for a solution. He couldn’t let Asher slip away again. But they needed a plan, something more than just brute force.

He looked up at Zanik, searching for any sign of a strategy. “We need a distraction. Something that’ll give us a chance to grab Asher and get away from Rivek.”

Zanik’s eyes were sharp. “A distraction...”

Finn nodded, determination hardening his resolve. "I have something in mind…" He swallowed. "But you're not going to like it."