Page 45 of Bred by the Alien Prince

“I had no choice. I’m sorry for tricking you, but this was the only card I had.”

“Lorvian!” Now, there he was; that familiar, lovely tone was what I wanted to hear coming through my comms.“Is that you?”

“Caspian, are you hurt?”

“No, I’m fine. I’m on a ship!”

He said before Elvira came back on the line.“He’s fine. Now we both have something the other wants.”

“Why the hell should I trust you? Do you think you can dangle the promise of my reunion with that human over my head forever?”

“No, just long enough to get my brother back.”

“Brother, you say.” I sighed. “Who is he?”

“Please! I’ve done all I can to hold off Feion’s forces but can’t do this for long. Return him to me, and I will tell you whatever you want to know. I will return your human to you.”

“I can’t return through the airlock you opened.”

“Sector thirty, middle airlock.”

“Fine. I want you to know that I don’t enjoy being used. You will pay for this in one way or another.”

“I don’t like being used either. Please hurry.”

I blasted the lock open; the man was half-naked, and his white filthy hair hid his visage. He only just acknowledged my presence until I brought him to the light.

“You… you look like her…”

“Her who?”

He sighed and hung his weak head low.

I placed his arm around my shoulder and dragged him along. “Listen, if you want to live, I suggest you not make me have to carry you. I will leave you if given no other choice!”

“I will move, even if I have to crawl.” He said, and with renewed enthusiasm, he shifted to his feet.

We returned to the hall only to find smaller drones heading their way.

“I’ll be back.” I sat him down and charged ahead, using a combo of my blaster and jiva to take them down. A gust of energy flew by. The drone hit the floor and sparked out of control before black smoke rose.

I looked past the smoke to the frail man. His labored breathing filled the hall as he held his hand out, one purple eye visible under that mop of void black hair.

“See, I’m not so useless.” He clawed at the wall until he stood. “You need not help me. I can follow you.”

“It will be for nothing if you lag behind, and I’m left with no choice but to desert you.”

His pride was on the line; he and I knew it. No Valisian tolerated being a burden.

“Cormac.” I contacted my ship, though some part of me wondered if he was dead or had taken off.

“What?!” He yelled, going through hell as the malfunction warning blurred in the background.

“How is it out there?”

“I’m really busy!”

“Connect the damn ship to the sublevel airlock, now!”

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