The Pirate Prince Read Online Free

Qurilixen. Jarek was a Var, a cat shifter. Lochlann was a Draig, a dragon shifter. Usually the Var and Draig were at war, but Jarek had never seen a reason for it. It was why he’d left his homeland and it was why his good friend, Lochlann, had come with him. In the wide open skies of space, things like race didn’t matter. Everyone was different.
    Dev snorted at Lochlann’s comment but said nothing. The group of men tried to contain their laughter. Dev was half Belvon, a demonic looking race with red skin and a very stern temperament. Aside from the intense coloring, he appeared humanoid, only larger. He was the ship’s muscle and a bit of a loner. Rick was the polar opposite of Dev.
    The Belvon was all about maintaining order. Rick was all about breaking it. It often led to humorous fights. Sometimes when the crew was bored, they’d provoke them into an argument for the sake of entertainment. But, when it came down to it, if Rick was in trouble, Dev was there just like everyone else to bail him out. They were like a family
    that way.
    A family of misfits, Jarek thought with a small chuckle. He wouldn’t trade his life of freedom for anything in the world.
    “I say we let Rick rot,” Lucien mumbled, pouting. “Would serve him right for breaking my Virtual Girlfriend. Does he even realize how long it took me to get her breasts just right? And then he goes and melts all three of them off. Poor Fanessa!”
    “Did you drink more Torganian Rum?” Viktor, Lucien’s brother, demanded. The two constantly bickered, but were really quite close. If one said the sky was white, the other would swear it was black just for the sake of disagreeing. They were half human, half Dere, and had a milky white complexion that contrasted with the strangest red-brown and red-green of their eyes. Lucien was a communications genius and Viktor was one hell of a mechanic. The man could rig anything. “We can’t let him rot.” Viktor paused.
    “He owes me space credits from that last card game.”
    “Yes,” Jackson, a dark blond security officer, agreed. “And you owe me.” “Oh, right, yeah.” Viktor cleared his throat. “I forgot about that. Well, how ‘bout we cut out the middle man and just say Rick owes you?” “Not likely,”Jackson said. “He’s not good for it and I’d rather not take your loss.”
    “Can we please concentrate on saving Rick? Then we can argue about who gets to kick his ass first,” Jarek ordered, wondering briefly how he’d ever come to captain such a crew. Fate was funny that way.
    They hid behind a long stone gate, looking up at the palace which was on top of a miniature mountain with a flat top. Long rows of stairs led up from the base, carved from the tan stone of the planet’s earth. Their position was halfway up so they could easily see the front entrance. Platforms were carved intermittently along the stairs on the way to the top, decorated with black pots and golden statues inlaid with precious jewels. Jarek tensed. The Song Dynasty was a wealthy one. They must indeed have no fear of intruders if they put their treasure within plain view of the city below.

    “One of us has to go in,” Lucien said, eyeing Dev.
    “Yes, I would make the obvious choice,” Dev drawled, his tone heavy with sarcasm. With his giant red body, he was the farthest thing from the slender humanoid culture of Líntian.
    Jarek tried not to laugh. Dev had been around Rick too long in space if he’d picked up sarcasm. Usually the man was completely sober in nature.
    “He’s right, guys,” Jarek said, “one of us needs to get in there and find out where the secret purple jade mines are located. My sources say that’s where they’ve taken Rick.”
    All eyes turned back to the palace. The location of the mines wasn’t known, no matter how much money he’d thrown down for the information. Most things about this planet were a mystery. Jarek could respect their desire for privacy. Qurilixen was the same way.