by Presley Hall
Druxik and I are behind everyone else, almost the last to board. But as the last three women race onto the ship with Zhori helping them up and me guiding them toward the bridge, one of the guards lunges forward and grabs one woman by the wrist, hauling her backward and out of the ship’s opening.
“No!” Zhori shouts, lurching toward her, but he’s too late.
We’re all too late. None of us react in time.
The guards haul her back with frightening speed, as if determined to keep at least one of their prizes even if they can’t reclaim the rest. The hatch closes, and Zhori strikes the door with a closed fist.
“Krax!” He pounds at the door again, anger and frustration in his face. “Open it up!” he shouts at Druxik. “We can’t leave one behind!”
For a second, I think Druxik is going to do it. I can see the anger on his face too, the sense of failure that we didn’t get every last woman onto the ship. But then blaster fire strikes the hull, one shot and then a volley of them, and he shakes his head.
“If we don’t go now, they’ll destroy the ship and kill all of us,” he says urgently. “I have no choice, Zhori. I’m sorry.”
My stomach lurches. I know he’s right, and I know he’s making the only decision he can as our leader, but the anguish I see on Druxik’s face lets me know how difficult this is for him.
I take Miri from him, holding her tightly as I guide the rescued women toward the bridge. The ones who saw the last woman get taken are quietly crying, and there’s fear plain on every single face. But they follow my lead as I lead them to a spot where they’ll be safe while we take off, then instruct them to stay put until I come back.
Whatever’s coming, I know it will be incredibly difficult. I have to be with Druxik.
He’s at the controls, lifting the ship off the dock as the blaster fire continues to strike the hull. Several other warriors are gathered on the command deck, giving damage reports and returning fire.
“We need to get out of here,” Druxik growls, his jaw tight as he maneuvers the ship to take off, his face set with concentration. As we speed up, heading toward Nierra’s atmosphere, I catch sight of other ships following us on the radar.
“Shit. They’re coming,” I whisper.
Druxik nods, his gaze focused on the view beyond the large window at the front of the ship. “They’re not going to let the Terran women go so easily. We’re about to cost them a lot of money.”
“Good.” My voice is tinged with hard satisfaction. “Can you evade them?”
For the briefest second, his gaze flicks to me, his lips curving up a little. “Yes. Because there’s no other option.”
As he returns his focus to the controls and the trajectory of our ship, I can’t look away from my mate. I can see some of the old confidence in his face, the knowledge that he’s going to get us out of this no matter what it takes, that he’s going to win. Pride and love swell in my chest as he increases speed, sending us hurtling toward the asteroid field where hopefully we can lose the ships tailing us.
We don’t have as much thrusting power as we should since the dock workers didn’t finish all the repairs, but Druxik told me once that his skill has always been in evasion and precision piloting, not necessarily in speed. The asteroid field will be difficult to navigate for any except the most skilled pilot—and Nierra probably isn’t known for its piloting prodigies.
I hold Miri as tightly as I can, not wanting her to watch as we begin the dance around the asteroids. Druxik takes us near each one, cutting it very close before sliding around them. The first time a Nierran ship collides with an asteroid in a fiery explosion, I shield Miri’s eyes.
But I hardly even need to bother. She’s not looking anyway. She buries her face in my hair, her small frame shaking in my arms.
“I’m scared,” she whispers, and I stroke her hair.
“We’re going to be all right,” I tell her. “Druxik’s got this. We’ll be safe.”
I realize as I speak that I believe it. My heart is in my throat as Druxik navigates the asteroid field, and it’s terrifying every time we narrowly slip past one. A collision would mean instantaneous death.
But it’s strangely beautiful too, watching my mate guide the ship with consummate skill, as if he’s forgotten that he ever doubted himself, that he ever believed he wouldn’t be good enough. He’s not doing this to show off now, or for the glory of being the best—he’s doing it to protect the ones he loves. The immediacy of that need has made him forget his fear and self-doubt, and has proven to him and everyone else that he’s still an excellent pilot.
And no matter what, he always will be.
25
Druxik
Every part of me, every fiber of my being, is focused on the task at hand as I navigate us through the asteroid field, evading the Nierran ships chasing us.
There’s no other thought in my head—not about my robotic arm or my fears that it would hamper my abilities, not about the doubts I’ve had or the ever present voice of my father in the back of my head, telling me that I’ll always have to prove myself.
Because I don’t anymore.
My men believe in me completely. They proved that many times on our journey to Nierra and while we executed the mission there. And more than that, Cora believes in me. There was no doubt on her face when she watched me take the controls, no hesitation. She believes I’ll get us through this, she has faith in my skills no matter what. And that, along with the need to keep her safe, fuels me as we fly through the obstacles ahead of us.
Perhaps this singular focus was what I needed to finally sync my mind with the robotic arm, making it as much a part of me as my flesh and blood one. I use it flawlessly, without hesitation or issue, and although I’m perhaps not quite as quick or smooth as I once was, it’s not far off.
I feel myself falling into my old rhythms as if they never left me, sliding around the asteroids quickly and with ease as the Nierran ships falter, a few colliding with the larger asteroids, others beginning to fall behind as they hesitate. And I realize that despite the danger and urgency of the situation, I’m enjoying flying for the first time since my accident.
There’s a thrill to be found in the familiar movements, in the sensation of having the ship in my hands, of hurtling through space with it entirely under my control.
At last, after what feels like an eternity, we’re clear of the asteroid field. The Nierran ships have retreated, turning back and falling off the radar. I lean back into the captain’s chair as I set the controls to autopilot, entering our course to Kalix and exhaling a deep breath.
“Holy shit! You did it, Druxik!”
The moment my hands leave the controls, Cora sets Miri down and throws herself into my arms. I turn the chair to face her, tugging her down onto my lap as I kiss her deeply.
I close my eyes, breathing in the sweet scent of her, reveling in the feeling of her body under my hands, in my arms. I never again want to feel the kind of fear that gripped me when she was captured.
“Are you all right?” I ask when she breaks the kiss, panting a little. “Truly all right? Being captured again, after what the Orkun put you through—”
“I’m okay,” she promises, repeating the phrase humans often use as she rests a hand on my cheek. “I knew you would come for me. It was terrifying, but I’m safe now. We’re going home.”
Hearing her refer to Kalix as home sends a rush of pure happiness through me, greater than I could ever have imagined.
“I never want to kiss you through bars like that again,” I tell her, threading my fingers into her hair as my lips brush hers. “I never want anything separating us.”
“Me neither.” She strokes my face, peppering my lips with kisses that deepen until she’s shifting against my lap, and I can feel my pulse speeding up in my throat.
“Gross.”
Miri’s small voice comes from behind us, and I break the kiss, seeing Cora flush as she starts to laugh. The warriors who are still gathered o
n the captain’s deck laugh too, and I can’t contain the smile that tugs at my lips.
“Sorry, sweetheart,” Cora says, sliding off my lap. “I’m just so happy to be off Nierra, that’s all. And to be back with Druxik. I didn’t like being apart from him when the guards took us away.”
“Are you… in love?” The little girl looks at us curiously, her mouth still pursed and her brows drawn together.
Cora looks at me, and the expression in her eyes makes my chest grow tight all over again.
“Yes, we are,” she says softly, her eyes never leaving mine. In them, I can see everything she wants to say to me, and everything we’ll have a lifetime to say to each other.
“Gross,” Miri says again, and another round of laugher fills the deck.
Cora stands up, brushing her hair out of her face, but just as she opens her mouth to say something, a massive crash come from the common area of the ship.
Shouts echo down the hall, and I leap out of my chair, instantly on high alert.
“Stay behind me,” I tell Cora as she scoops Miri up, following me down the bridge as we cross the ship to where the disturbance is coming from.
As we approach, Rashar and Vrexen are backing away from one of the cabins, their faces pale.
“What’s going on?” I ask, my gaze darting between the two of them.
“We put the Kalixian in one of the cabins and locked the door until he woke up,” Rashar explains. “But now he’s going crazy in there. It sounds like things are breaking, and—”
The door shakes as the feral Kalixian throws himself against it from the inside, shouting something incoherent.
“We tried reasoning with him.” Rashar grimaces. “But he won’t listen to anything we say. He’s just raging in there. He won’t calm down, and now he’s getting more violent—”
“We’ll have to tranquilize him again,” I tell him firmly. “Once he’s down, put him in a holding cell, and we’ll go from there. At least in the cells, he won’t be able to destroy anything or escape.”
“He’s still got some in his system, so a few doses should do it. Everyone back away,” Rashar cautions, motioning for us to move well down the hall as he takes the tranquilizer gun and reaches slowly for the cabin door. I keep Cora and Miri behind me, determined not to let either of them face any more danger today.
The moment Rashar opens the door, the feral Kalixian lunges out into the hall. He’s making a sound that’s almost a growl, an animalistic, primal noise deep in his throat. He charges at Rashar, bellowing that same rage-filled roar that we heard him make earlier.
But Rashar holds his ground as coolly as if the other Kalixian doesn’t outmatch him in both size and ferocity. With his feet planted and his shoulders squared, he fires one tranquilizer shot after another into the charging man, aiming for the neck.
The wild Kalixian sways, shaking a little, and finally drops to his knees, slumping forward onto the floor again.
“This is deshing insanity,” Rashar grunts as Vrexen comes to help him lift the Kalixian up so that they can take him below to a holding cell. “The dose I gave him back on Nierra should’ve been enough to keep him out for a while. He’s deshing strong, and he doesn’t seem to understand a word we’re saying. If we can’t explain that we mean him no harm, I don’t know if he’ll ever stop trying to attack us.”
“We’ll get him back to Kalix and see what they can do for him there,” I say. “In the meantime, we’ll make sure he’s not a danger to himself or anyone else aboard the ship.”
A few of the women have gathered in the hallway, drawn by the noise, and they look fearfully at the Kalixian as he’s taken past them, shrinking back. But there’s concern on their faces when they look at me.
“Are you going to hurt him?” one of the women asks in a small voice, and I shake my head firmly.
“No, we will not,” I say, trying to reassure her. “He’s one of us. We would never harm him.”
“What are you going to do with him?” she presses.
“I’m not sure,” I admit, rubbing my hand over my chin. “We can’t just let him free, not when he’s such a danger. But we have excellent medical facilities on Kalix, and our king is kind and fair. We’ll convene with him and the Alpha Force commander when we return and lay out a plan of action.”
The woman nods, but she doesn’t seem entirely convinced. Her skin is a rich dark brown, and she tugs her lower lip between her teeth as if she’s biting back more words. I catch her gaze darting after the feral Kalixian again as Vrexen and Rashar take him down the hall to the lift that will bring them to the cells below deck.
I want to say something else, to make her feel better, but before I can think of anything, Anzir comes around the corner, his brow furrowed anxiously.
“I need to tell you something,” he tells me quietly, and I can see from his expression that it’s nothing good.
“M’Xelni, take a couple of the others and show the women around the ship—where their quarters are, the mess hall, common area, all of that. Cora and I will come to speak to them shortly, so keep everyone together once you’re done with that,” I instruct. Then I glance back at Anzir. “Come to the captain’s deck,” I murmur. “We’ll talk there.”
As I stride down the hallway, Cora falls into step beside me. Once we’re on the captain’s deck and away from the other Terran women, I turn to Anzir. “What’s happened?”
Anzir presses his lips together, hesitating for just a moment before he speaks. “During our flight from Nierra, while we were being chased, one of the escape pods on the ship discharged. At first I thought it was an error, or a result of our ship being struck. But Zhori is missing. He must have taken one of the pods.”
Desh it all. That means I’ve lost two people on this mission.
Cora and I exchange a look. The knowledge that Zhori is gone makes my heart sink, and my first thought is to turn the ship around and go after him. But I have a feeling I know why he’s gone.
Just then, as if summoned by my thoughts, the comms unit near the control panel crackles to life.
“Druxik?” Zhori’s voice comes over the comm. “Druxik, come in.”
“Zhori!” I whirl around, hitting the button to reply as Cora and Anzir step closer to listen. “What happened?”
“I couldn’t leave anyone behind,” he says, and I can hear the sorrow and resolve mingled together in his voice. “I should have saved her—I tried to save her, and I failed. So I have to fix it. I have to make this right.”
“Zhori, I—”
“Don’t come after me.” His voice is resolute and firm. “Don’t risk yourselves. You were right to save the others, and to leave when you did. You might not make it out of here twice, and you have all the other women on board. The ship can’t take another round of attacks either. Get back to Kalix. I have to do this on my own.”
“Zhori!”
“I know I’m taking a risk by doing this.” His voice hardens with resolve. “But I can’t abandon that Terran to slavery. Not when I should’ve been able to save her. I’ll face whatever consequences there are for this insubordination when I return to Kalix. But don’t come after me.” He pauses. “Safe travels, Druxik. It’s been an honor to be led by you.”
The transmission crackles and cuts out.
I sink into my chair, running a hand over my jaw as I absorb what just happened and everything that Zhori said. Cora’s hand covers mine, but I can’t move for a moment.
Every instinct in me says that we have to go back, that I need to go after him, that I can’t abandon one of my men. But Zhori is right—the ship likely can’t manage it. And we have all the other women on board, all of whom would be at risk if we turned around now. I have a duty to complete the mission, to get them safely back to Kalix. And Cora… I can’t risk her either.
Zhori knows the danger he’s heading into, and he made his choice. I can’t say what Tordax and Khrelan will do if—when—he returns.
But I deshing hope that he can find
that woman and get both her and himself safely back to Kalix.
26
Cora
While Druxik gathers the warriors to brief them on what’s happened with Zhori, I bring Miri with me to the commissary so I can speak to the women now that things have calmed down. They’re all gathered closely together at the tables, some eating hungrily and others still too shell-shocked, staring or talking quietly among themselves.
As I look out over their faces, I think again of the woman who’s missing from this small, bedraggled group—the one who was snatched by the guards back on Nierra. One of the women who spoke to her while they were being held in the cages in the warehouse told me her name is Brooke.
Even though it was reckless and dangerous for him to do it, I can’t help but be happy that Zhori chose to go back to try to find her. The universe can be a terrifying place, and Nierra seems particularly awful, but she’ll have a much better chance of surviving if she’s got a Kalixian on her side. If there’s anything I’ve learned about the Kalixian warriors, it’s that they’re unstoppable in the defense of something they believe in.
My thoughts have gotten away from me, and I realize I’m just standing in the doorway of the commissary. The women are all looking at me as if waiting for me to speak, some seeming curious and others uncertain. I clear my throat.
“I’m sure you’re all wondering what’s going on,” I say, keeping my voice soft and comforting. “I know you’ve all been through a terrible shock.” I pause for a second, meeting the gazes of several women. “I know, because I went through the same thing. I’m not referring to my being captured by the guards on Nierra—I know that’s nothing compared to what you’ve experienced. But I was taken from Earth by the Orkun too. I was meant to be a tribute bride, just as you were.”
“Did they try to sell you too?” one of the women asks. She’s got her arms wrapped tightly around herself, and I can’t tell if she’s cold or just nervous.