Page 22 of My Alien Sunshine

As Gar’s people advance, I shuffle back until there’s a wall behind me. There’s nowhere to go. No one will help me. Drayth’s going to sell Ellen to some pedo creep and it will all be my fault. All my fault.

“Show her what it means to disobey me,” Gar orders, his smirk pure evil.

I pull the trigger, hitting the guard closest to me in the shoulder. He collapses, but two more jump in. Something hits the side of my chest, knocking all of the air from my lungs. My vision goes black. When it clears, I’m on the floor screaming as someone’s boot stomps on my wrist and I’m forced to let go of the stunner. It was a ridiculous weapon, anyway. How did I ever think I could win this? I was stupid and now my precious daughter will pay the price.

My scream turns silent as the shock stick touches me. The pain is incredible, like liquid fire coursing through my veins, igniting everything. Though I wish I’d lose consciousness, I don’t, staying wide awake and screaming between each jab of the stick until my vocal chords give out. The bastards must be using a lower setting so I suffer longer instead of just knocking me out straight away.

“Stop it!” Pakri shouts and through my semi-conscious haze, I hear the sound of struggle. “This is torture!”

“We’re merely subduing a dangerous criminal,” Gar replies, sadistic pleasure resonating in his voice. “Give her more.”

I’m not sure my body can take much more but it doesn’t look like I have a choice. At least, it seems to be the case until a furious roar echoes through the streets.

Chapter 13

Faelin

I don’t waste time reasoning with the station guards. Even though she’s silent now, Nala’s screams still echo through me. That last scream is all I can think about.

They hurt her. They fucking hurt her and I’m ready to end them. Every single one of them deserves to die for daring to touch my Nala.

“Don’t kill them!” a familiar voice pierces through the fog surrounding my brain.

With a grunt, I reluctantly let go of the neck of the ugly Syndoran I’m holding and break his arms instead. In several places. Let’s see how he torments innocent females without working arms.

Pain jolts through me as one of the bastards yet to be immobilized touches a shock stick to my thigh. My leg gives out and I stumble onto my knees. The idiot male smirks thinking I’m defeated, but I swiftly erase his smug grin with my fist. He can get new teeth. Once his jaw is reset.

A dozen broken bones later, I scan the carnage, searching for more targets but thankfully finding none. There is one Lakhartan standing amidst the mess of beaten and broken bodies, but he’s no threat to me and something deep down tells me to leave him standing. Threats neutralized, I don’t waste time pondering about him or anyone else. All my thoughts are focused on Nala.

She’s trying to move but failing, her muscles twitching sporadically from the shocks she’s received. I step on the nearest guard in my rush to reach Nala. I almost slip and fall as the guard vomits on the floor by my feet like the fucking worm he is. I stomp on his shin in rebuke, smirking at the obvious sound of a bone snapping. He’s alive, which is more than he deserves. If I’d been carrying my hammer, I would have turned them all into mincemeat.

“Nala,” I whisper, pulling her into my arms.

“F-Faelin?” She seems to have trouble focusing her vision, but her hand caresses my cheek. “You came…?”

I roll my eyes. “Of course I came. I would have come earlier but someone stunned me,” I tease, carrying her away from the filthy mix of blood, piss, and vomit spreading across the floor under the now unconscious guards.

“But…I shot you… I…” She looks around, her eyes finally focusing. “Oh, fuck! I have to go!”

She shoves at me but I don’t let go. Not this time. “You can barely sit up, let alone walk, Nala. You’re not going anywhere. Don’t worry, I’ll keep you safe.”

“No!” She struggles against me with all her might. “You don’t understand, Faelin. I have to find Drayth before he leaves the station! Please, I have to go.”

Just hearing the desperation in her voice, I can’t help, but nod. “Alright. Where is he?”

“Central dock, berth 18-B,” a voice says from behind us.

I spin abruptly, coming face to face with the Lakhartan. Now that the bloodlust has cleared from my mind, I recognize him. Pakri, the UGC officer. The one who admires me. Well, probably not anymore, with the slew of mangled bodies I just left behind. “Which way?” I ask.

He holds out a small card. “Use my hovercraft. It will auto pick the shortest route. Flip on the sirens and everyone should clear the way for you.”

I hesitate. “You shouldn’t be giving this to me.”

“I’ll say you stole it,” Pakri replies, grinning. “If you could knock me out without breaking anything, that would be great.”

“My stunner,” Nala says. She slips out of my arms like a newborn foal and takes a few wobbly steps, carefully stepping over the bodies. She picks up the tiny weapon, the one I recently had the “pleasure” of being introduced to much more intimately than I would have wished. “Here. It shouldn’t hurt.”

“Only your pride,” I grin, grabbing the card from Pakri’s hand. “Thanks, Pakri.”

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