Free Shadow Revealed (The Enlightened Species Book Two) by Wendy S. Hales

young Tellus, tossing it to Zakel before returning to the tree line. Zakel’s skin tingled with the question of how many of Osiris’s people might be in the trees. The worry vanished when his dentes hit the vein and psyche of the second helping. He savored his second victim the way he’d been unable to with the first.
    “Rumor has it the SOSC is planning an event to celebrate all the females they have rescued in the last few years. Your former blood slave is amongst them,” Osiris began. That got Zakel’s full attention. “I want her. I also want this female.” He held up a picture of a female with long blond hair and green eyes. The female was laughing into the camera. The background showed rows of seats filled with smiling people of all species in human disguise. The female was wearing a wedding gown.
    Osiris continued, “Her name is Jess Einar.” Zakel couldn’t help growling at the name. “Yes. Her mate is related to Irsu Einar, the very female who led the unit that captured your slave.”
    Zakel tossed the second drained body next to the first; keeping his eye on Osiris, he watched out of the corner of his eye as the bodies were dragged away for disposal. “Where?” The word left his lips on a growl.
    “The event would be too risky. I’ve learned that the two females will be uniting prior to the event. You will only get one chance to capture them. They will be staying together in this home prior to the event.” Osiris handed him an aerial photograph with a close up inlay. The aerial was a desert setting. The inlay’s close-up showed a modern-built, two-story home. No doubt it had additional levels built below ground. To a human, it would probably look welcoming; to Zakel it looked like a fortress.
    Osiris handed him one more photograph of a rocky bluff, with the house visible in the distance. “That bluff is where you can lie in wait for an opportunity to acquire the females. When you have them, call me.” He handed over a disposable cell phone. “My number is programmed.”
    “What do I get in return?” It must have been the high giving him the courage to ask. “The additional female should increase the return.”
    Osiris gave him a slow deliberate smile. “I will make you a king. You will be given a blood and breeding site, fully protected and staffed. I will ask for one tenth of the offspring produced.”
    A victim farm? Where he would be protected to raise victims from birth? That had been Zakel’s dream for centuries. How had Osiris known? “Agreed,” he stuttered, the pictures trembling in his hands.
    Osiris handed him a map of the state of Arizona, an X over the Mesa area. The final piece Zakel needed for a geographical port. “Agreed.” He vanished, leaving Zakel high and motivated.
    Osiris had failed to mention the SOSC facility that lay behind the house. At first he thought that perhaps Osiris was unaware of the additional risk, but Osiris must have known. That was the only explanation for the generous offer he’d given Zakel. He’d offered the one thing he knew Zakel wanted most in the world, well aware that Zakel would be unable to walk away.
    The chortal opening located inside the weave gave off a pulse of energy, announcing an arrival. A female with dark hair and a Tellus male stepped into the Arizona heat, shucking off coats. He studied the two. The male he’d never seen before. The female was familiar, so he focused on her. She had short dark hair that shined in the Arizona sun, a decent body, though a little too skinny for his taste, medium height with small breasts and narrow hips. She squinted up at the sun and said something to the male. A flash of gray reflected from her eyes. Zakel felt his heart pound with recognition. Kurva.
    There was no way for him to port into the facility—the weave guarded against that—but could he fly or run in? Could he reach her before the alert brought reinforcement? No way, the location of the chortal was just deep enough that he would