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catch.”
    Knox cocked an eyebrow. “There’s always a catch.”
    “Okay, you’re right. There is something.” Mike leaned even closer, as if he were about to tell him a secret. “You give me that antidote you’re carrying, and we’ll call it even.”
    He shook his head. “Sorry, mate, can’t do.” The people on this planet were freaking him out. Just like the old woman, this guy knew things before they were spoken. Was he some kind of mind reader?  
    “A friend of mine really needs it.”
    “Sorry to hear that, but I plan to give it to someone.” Knox thought of the wild man getting stabbed by the Thropod’s pincer, and how he hadn’t been able to help him. Thropod poison was a slow and very painful way to die. If the Recast had made it out of the arena alive, surely he’d be at a place like this to celebrate his survival. It seemed farfetched to think he’d wind up here, but it didn’t hurt to be hopeful sometimes.
    “I think we may have the same man in mind.” A smirk spread over Mike’s mouth and he pointed. “That’s Ace over there.”
    Knox looked over his shoulder and spotted a familiar face. “What the hell? How did you know?” He turned back to Mike.
    The man tapped two fingers against his temple and winked. “Nothing gets past me. Now, go. Give the antidote to Ace and be on your way. The ship awaits you.”
    “Thanks.”
    “And be careful out there!”
    Knox headed toward the Recast who’d saved his life, pushing past the throng of people intensifying his craving. At least after looking into the bartender’s eyes, the drumbeats had subsided and for some reason, he felt a lot calmer.
    For the first time since he’d woken up inside the stable, he realized something good was going to come out of all this. Blood craving or not, he was looking forward to starting a new life.
    When Knox sidled up to the shaggy-haired Ace, he scanned the thick swell of the bandage beneath one of the Recast’s thighs. There was another one on his shoulder. The guy didn’t look so good.  
    “Hey, buddy, I got something for ya.”  

Chapter Two
    “You love to travel, don’t you, dear?”
    Lian Shan nodded and managed a saccharine smile just like she did whenever her mother attempted to get her involved in the boring conversation going on around the dinner table. She was half-listening and had more important things to think about—starting with how to keep her distance from the latest potential husband ,who was already sitting too close.
    “Yeah.” Lian coughed. “I love to travel.” Thanks to her mother, Meiling—the matriarch of the Shan Estate—she didn’t leave the house. Ever.
    “I would take you wherever your heart desires, my lovely bride,” Sergei Orloff cooed, leaning so close the metallic piercings on his face shimmered. “Anywhere…”
    No thanks.
    Lian cringed at the thought of being left alone with this creep.
    Meiling was nowhere near sealing this deal but Sergei’s enthusiasm made her beam with excitement. Her mother carried on with these very public charades in the hopes of impressing the foolish, wealthy men she constantly welcomed and tried to entice her daughter with.
    As much as Lian wanted to leave this house, she didn’t want to do it by marrying a stranger. Meiling had spent the last year hosting countless politicians and wealthy men of all shapes and colors, but Lian barely paid attention. Her mother didn’t care about anything but the potential dowry and the social status she wanted to bestow on her family.
    The Shans were a successful fishing family in the northern hemisphere of Fray, near the heavily populated town of Shiver. But that wasn’t enough for Meiling—she desired more power and influence, while carrying on a side business sick enough to turn her own daughter against her.
    Lian leaned away from Sergei, but he closed the distance again. They now sat so close their elbows touched.
    Meiling’s dark eyes were glossy with approval. “So, Sergei, what