Page 35 of His Brazen Bride

“Not so fast, ass barnacles.” A familiar voice pierces the darkness behind Drak and Cirn. Two laser guns are pointed at them. “Drop your weapons!” the voice booms.

Drak fumes but doesn’t move.

“Are you deaf, or just stupid? I saiddropyour weapons.”

When the Ocrevv finally do so, the figure moves into the light, kicking their weapons away.

It’s the hooded man!

“You!” I yell. “You tricked me!”

Zadren readies his gun and Ryz brandishes his knife.

“I most certainly did not,” the man protests. “You got on the wrong craft, silly female.”

“Vex?!” Ryz snarls. “I should have known you were part of this mess.”

“So youdoknow him,” I say, as Ryz pulls me to him.

“Unfortunately, yes,” Ryz spits.

Vex strolls forward, also keeping his guns trained on the Ocrevv, who look utterly confused.

“She was going to join me by choice, you know,” Vex says with a smug smile.

My cheeks heat in shame. “Only because you said you knew where Iris and Lacey were. You promised to take me to them.”

Ryz tilts my chin up to look at him. “Gwen??—”

“You really messed up, brother,” Vex interrupts.

“Brother?” I yelp. This golden Kraetian is Ryz’s brother? No wonder he looked familiar.

Ryz barely nods.

“Vexeliar Urralix,” Vex says, bowing toward me. “A pleasure to meet you…again.”

I whirl on Ryz. “You didn’t tell me you had a brother.”

Ryz groans. “I try to pretend he doesn’t exist. He’s a liar and a cheat, and the universe would be better off without him.”

“Tell us how you really feel,” Vex smirks.

Drak and Cirn make a move, but Vex turns and shoots them both in less than a second. I yelp as they drop to the floor, their shocked expressions still on their faces as death takes them.

I gulp, trying not to be sick from the smell of burnt flesh where the laser went through their bodies.

Ryz shakes his head. “Some warning would have been honorable.”

Vex sighs in obvious exasperation. “We didn’t have time for that. They may have sounded an alarm, meaning more Ocrevv are already on the way.”

“You know as well as I do that Ocrevv like these don’t sound alarms. They’re arrogant and think they can handle anything alone.”

“Fine,” Vex shrugs. “Maybe I just like blasting vrekheads like them. They’re the scourge of the galaxy anyway; a waste of space that would kill me and anyone else for the right price, or simply for the hell of it.”

“How is that any different from you?” Ryz counters.

Wow.

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