Page 11 of Primal Vow

At least, that was what he thought.

As time passed, the young warriors, chatting around the fire, began to look at Rhys with curiosity.

"Hey, human," Soren said. "Tell us about your people."

They approached Rhys, and the human couldn't help but feel a flicker of unease. These aliens were different from Taryn. They were younger, yes, but there was something else in the set of their shoulders, the sharpness of their gazes. They were eager, full of a restless energy. They hadn't yet fully grown into their roles, and they were hungry for experience.

Their eyes roamed over him with open curiosity, lingering a little too long in ways that made him deeply uncomfortable.

"Tell us about your weapons," Jorah demanded, his sharp teeth bared in an unsettling grin. "How do your puny human bodies withstand the kickback?"

Rhys swallowed hard, shifting under their scrutiny. "I… I don't know. I'm not a soldier. I've never fired a gun."

Krye snorted derisively. "Typical human cowardice."

How could humans be both warmongers with guns and cowards at the same time?! Rhys bit back his retort. "Whatever you say, big guy."

Soren loomed over him, that massive frame blotting out the firelight. "Humans are so fragile," he rumbled with a cruel smile. "I could snap you like a twig."

Rhys said nothing, his jaw clenched tight.

Krye circled him like a predator. "Your kind don't belong on Vasz. This is our world."

Jorah jabbed at Rhys's ribs, making the human flinch. "Yeah, scrawny little thing, ain't he? He doesn't fit in here."

Fear and anger surged through Rhys in equal measure. He was a member of a species that had conquered entire star systems, that had built colonies on distant planets and mined the resources of a hundred different worlds. And yet here he was, at the mercy of a group of alien teenagers.

He'd heard dark rumors about the Borraq. In the depths of the colonies, men whispered that the aliens didn't kill their human captives. No, they did something far worse. Something that turned the stomach to even think about — something that spoke to a deep, primal fear in the hearts of men.

Surely the rumors about cannibalism couldn't be true. They were just the fevered imaginings of men trying to act big, telling ghost stories about their times on the front line to scare civilians.

And yet... as they loomed over him, those dark whispers seemed all too plausible.

If the Borraq didn't eat their captives alive… then why had they taken him?

Rhys's heart pounded with fear and adrenaline, the heat of the campfire mixing with a cold sweat on his skin. He was trapped. Trapped at the mercy of aliens, his fate unknown. Trapped in a world that he was too small and insignificant to understand.

Trapped... and utterly alone.

But just as things looked like they were about to go bad, Taryn reappeared.

The Borraq leader stepped into the circle of light, and every single one of his young warriors immediately straightened. Rhys had been around enough dangerous men to recognize the sight of someone who could command respect — and it was never a good idea to disappoint them.

"Fall back." With two curt words, Taryn disciplined his charges. And this time, he didn't call them warriors.

It wasn't anything as crude as a punishment; there were no raised voices, no harsh reprimands, no orders for extra laps run or weapons to be cleaned. Instead, it was a simple look of disappointment from their alpha, a few quiet words, and a single sweep of his gaze that seemed to cut through the young warriors like a blade.

They hung their heads, abashed, like scolded children. They were anything but children, though. As they returned to their seats by the fire, a sullen air hung over them, mixed with the simmering potential for violence. Rhys had seen the same look on the faces of men who'd had their egos bruised, men who were all too eager to lash out to reclaim their pride. A simmering pot that could boil over at any time.

Rhys had to escape before it did.

Chapter six

The fierce beauty of Vasz surrounded Taryn. The mountains loomed in the distance, their peaks capped with snow. The forests swayed in the wind, a sea of green and gold. The skies above were a deep, vivid blue, untainted by pollution.

The air was fresh, carrying the scents of earth and growing things. It was a good day to be out in the wilds.

It would have been a better day if Taryn wasn't escorting a filthy little human.

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