Page 45 of My Alien Sunshine

“I know, I know. It was stupid. I mean, that thing could have eaten me alive. I just couldn’t bear to see it suffering any longer in that crushed cage. Look.” She raises her hand, showing me a purple stain. “It’s bleeding.”

The animal raises its head and croaks in panic. Thudding footsteps draw closer, but I remain calm, having recognized Tareq’s tall frame. Without slowing down, he guides us toward the nearest marketplace exit. “This way.”

The animal croaks again, this time warning us of guards approaching from behind. As soon as Lyriana and Omni pass through the door, D’Aakh looks around. “Everyone here?” he asks. At our confirmation, he holds a device to the door console, sealing the guards on the other side.

Since I have no idea where we’re going, I let the others lead the way. I focus on helping Nala, who’s barely able to stand on her feet anymore. Just as I’m about to offer to carry her too, we round the final corner and arrive at our airlock.

“Where the fuck is Nikolai?” Tareq scowls at the empty room. “He was supposed to be guarding the place.”

“Probably somewhere helping the injured,” Astra guesses, pointing in the direction of a distant sound of fighting.

Lyriana growls. “I’ll fucking kill him. Get inside. I’ll drag him back and then we’re taking off. Captain should have the ship ready.”

I help Nala into the airlock and set Ellen down by her side. “Go inside. I’ll be back.” There’s one more promise I intend to fulfill before we leave this ship.

Ellen whimpers, refusing to let go of my hand and Nala looks at me in confusion. “Where are you going? The ship is leaving! You can’t go anywhere now.”

“I’ll catch a different ride and rejoin you in a couple of hours, I promise. This is something I have to do, Nala.”

Realization dawns in her eyes. “You’re going after him? It’s too dangerous. I don’t want you to go.” She chews on her lower lip. “You said you’d do anything for me.”

I nod, anxiously awaiting her next words. Will she ask me not to go after Drayth? I’d obey her wishes, even if letting the bastard go unpunished would grate on my nerves. “I said that, and I mean it. Do you want me to stay?”

Her eyes dart between me and Ellen, and I can tell exactly what she’s thinking. If Drayth lives, they’ll forever be looking over their shoulders, worrying about his revenge. If I kill him, they’ll be safe. The hesitation in her eyes is clear but she’s not going to stop me from going after Drayth. She’s putting the wellbeing of her daughter above mine. As she should.

But clearly, me going after Drayth puts me in danger. And—a thought that pleases me more than I can say—Nala doesn’t want to lose me. It’s a heady feeling knowing that she cares.

“Come back to me. To us,” she whispers hoarsely.

“I will,” I promise, stealing a quick kiss. Running back into the fray, I worry about the blood I just tasted on her lips. My perfection better not be hurt!

Deciding to leave her in the hands of my crewmates, I transfer my concentration back to my mission. I have to be fast if I want to exact my revenge and still make it out of here alive.

Chapter 24

Faelin

Following Cai’s directions I head to where the Crimson Serpent is docked. Halfway there, everyone starts yelling at me to return to the ship through my comm, so I turn it off. They can scold me later in person. Right now, I have a mission to complete.

The sound of laser fire greets me as I approach the final corner. I cautiously peek out to assess the situation.

A large group of recently liberated slaves is attacking the Serpent’s airlock while Drayth’s guards defend it. I momentarily wonder why Drayth hasn’t simply shut the doors and left already but the heavily scorched panel by the airlock gives me the answer. The automatic controls must be damaged, which means they’ll have to close the airlock manually. Under normal circumstances, it’s a simple task. Under heavy fire from over two dozen raging people? Nearly impossible.

The slaves are running out of time. As soon as the Arcade’s system reboots, the collars will come back online. Once that happens, Arcade security can knock them all out with a single push of a button. The pressing time limit is making the slaves desperate, but they’re untrained and disorganized. Drayth’s goons might not be top shelf mercenaries, but they do have at least some training and are easily fending off the slaves.

I approach the largest group of slaves taking cover behind an overturned hovercar. I move cautiously and loudly toward them, announcing my arrival with my hands raised to show them I come in peace. The last thing I want is to get shot.

“That ship is ours,” an Ataxian who appears to be in charge snarls at me, waving his rifle in my direction. “Get lost. We don’t need you.”

What a charming fellow, I think, fighting to maintain my friendly smile. “I’m not interested in the ship. I just want the guy who’s currently hiding on it. How about I help you get inside, you let me kill him, and then we can all go our separate ways?”

He sizes me up, then shrugs. “Fine. But we’re leaving the second we take the bridge. If you’re still on board by then, we’ll throw you out of an airlock.”

“Fine by me,” I grin.

My response catches him off guard. “What? You do know we’ll be in space by then?”

“Like I said, I’m not planning on staying on this ship. Just let me put on a space suit and I’ll happily wave you goodbye from the airlock window. But first, I want Drayth.”

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