Page 7 of Primal Vow

But the rest of the crew were converged by the ship, speaking in urgent whispers. As Rhys pretended to ready his helmet, he strained his ears, trying to catch what they were saying.

"That's the last of that vein," grunted Mal, their hard-nosed mining expert.

"...think that's enough?" Lila said. For a medic, she sure was involved in the nuts and bolts of mining.

"Can't be sure, we'll have to check the calculations."

"I don't know, it seems light to me..."

Mal held up a hand, silencing them. "We're going to get every last gram we can. We're not going to get a second chance at this."

The others nodded grimly. Rhys burned with curiosity, but knew better than to ask for details.

He was just a pair of hands, after all. Rhys turned back to work—

It all happened so fast.

There was a yell from the other side of the clearing, a sudden movement — and before Rhys could even register what was happening, they were.

A pack of Borraq warriors, their horned heads swiveling as they sprinted towards the mine site.

Towards him.

Fuck! For a moment, he was frozen in panic, the world around him a dizzying whirl of noise and heat. Around him, people began to scream.

He needed to run, and fast.

But, stuck in his heavy mining gear, he couldn't.

Desperately, he flung himself behind the nearest rock, his breath coming in frantic gasps. It was a pathetic scrap of cover, barely big enough to hide him, but it was the only lifeline in sight.

Rhys crouched low behind the meager shelter of the rock, his heart pounding so loudly he was sure the Borraq would hear it, and began to tear at his straps and fasteners. Scream, roars and gunfire erupted around him, filling the air.

He needed to get this heavy crap off! But the more desperate he got, the more his hands shook, and the clumsier he got. The protective equipment was meant to be put on and taken off by two people.

Where was everyone else? Why weren't they helping him?

There! A flurry of movement across the mining site caught his eye—

The rest of the crew were abandoning the site, fleeing towards the jungle. "Jak!" Rhys shouted over the din. "Lila! Get me out of this!"

Jak met his gaze for the briefest of moments, the grizzled man's expression twisted with a snarl.

Then he turned and fled with the others, leaving Rhys trapped on the wrong side of the operation.

Abandoning him to the Borraq without looking back.

Rhys watched in stunned disbelief as the crew rapidly disappeared into the trees. A surge of hot betrayal rose in his chest, mingling with the icy tendrils of fear already gripping him.

"Hey!" The cry finally tore from his lips, desperate and pleading. "Don't leave me!"

But his words were swallowed up by gunfire and the roars of the Borraq, dispatching the last of anyone else stupid enough to stay.

Rhys was utterly alone, with nowhere to run, and no one coming to his aid.

He shrank back against the rock, his mind reeling. How could they do this? Just abandon him without a second thought? He knew the crew were a rough bunch, up to something underhanded, but he never imagined they would be so utterly merciless.

But he didn't have time to feel betrayed.

---