Page 25 of Barbarian Daddies

Selina smiles. “I’m sorry, but nobody is going anywhere,” she says, her expression suddenly melting into cold darkness. “Get me the girl. Kill the rest.”

“NO!” I scream, but it’s too late.

Laser projectiles start flying. Our men fall, one by one.

Maur pushes me out of the way. Dahlen rolls through the sand. Kai uses his blade to deflect the Sky Tribe’s weapons. I tumble and roll, then spring back on my feet and start running, my flight instincts finally kicking in. I run as fast as I can. I hear one of our fighters crying out in sheer agony. The wail of a sword slicing through a Sky Tribe mercenary. The grunt of a Hadana brother as he fights to get to me.

I’m running as fast as I can, tears pricking my eyes. A figure emerges ahead, clad in the darkness of the night.

I gasp, recognizing the red lips and that evil fucking smile. The glowing red eyes.

“How did you—”

Before I can finish my thought, Selina swings out her arm, a mean left hook.. Her fist feels like a hammer to my head. Everything turns black as I fall down an endless pit of despair, my consciousness unraveling as I leave the pained sounds of an ambush somewhere at the surface. I can’t see a thing. I can’t hear anything. I can’t feel anything.

Is this where it ends?

It can’t be.

10

Kai

My eyes slowly open.

I taste sand and blood in my mouth. My whole body hurts, but my left shoulder feels like it’s on fire. Grunting, I manage to pull myself up into a seated position. I regret the decision but have no choice. I must face what is around me.

“No,” I mumble, grief and rage blowing through me and tearing my heart into bits and pieces.

Almost all of my men are dead. Dahlen is on his knees, shaking and covered in blood. I don’t think any of it is his, though. I don’t see any cuts on his body. But his red eyes are so big, they might just pop out of their orbits. Maur is trying to get up, but his eyes are shut tight, the skin burned around them. I think I remember how that happened.

“Maur,” I gasp and crawl to his side. “Ah, fuck!” My shoulder is killing me.

One of the laser blasters got me. I smell the seared flesh. I can barely use this arm, but the adrenaline courses through me with unstoppable fury, and I somehow reach my brother.

“Kai?” he asks, his voice ravaged with pain and despair. “I can’t see.”

“It’s alright, brother, I’m here,” I tell him, then look to Dahlen. “Hey!”

But he doesn’t answer. He’s shell-shocked and useless. I look around again, and the fuller picture comes into focus, kick starting my heart into a desperate frenzy.

“Kai, I can’t see,” Maur says it again.

“You deflected a laser blow with your sword. The sparks caught you in the face,” I tell him. “We’ll get you to safety, hold on. I need to figure out… DAHLEN!” I snarl, but still no answer. “Fucking hell.”

“What’s going on? Where’s Cynthia?” Maur asks, heaving from the pain.

Selina took her. They killed our fighters, our men, and they left us for dead. I don’t know why they spared us.

About twenty yards away, standing in front of the northern gate, is a platoon of Sky Tribe mercenaries with their weapons trained on us. They’re quiet, watching us and waiting—likely waiting for us to try and get in, to get past them.

“Where’s that bitch of a general of yours?” I howl, anger making my throat burn.

“General Sharuk was merciful enough to let you live to see another day,” one of the mercenaries says. “You would be wise to head back and never show your faces around here again, or you will be killed on sight.”

“Where is Cynthia?” I insist.

“The human is where she belongs, with the Sky Tribe. Soon, she will bear our children and help lead our species into a brighter future,” the soldier replies.

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