Page 27 of Aria's Ascension

Oh god…

How many times? How many times had she fallen in love with these men? How many times had she lost them?

For a long, breathless moment, she was too stunned, too furious, to speak.

Obviously taking her silence as a provocation, Zhrovni took a step forward and hissed angrily. Snapping his beak, he straightened and narrowed all four of his eyes at her.

“I grow weary of this game, Vhraress. This is your final opportunity. I present you a bargain: submit and I will only kill these two males. I shall leave the beast caged, but alive, for I have use of him. Refuse, and I shall kill all of you.”

In a mutter he likely thought she couldn’t hear, he added, “I cannot have the Federation discover my slaves are Aware.”

Aria kept her reaction to a minimum, but that last statement, and the way he said it, got her undivided attention.

Zeroing in on him, she searched his face, trying to read his expression. His shoulders were hunched slightly, his forward eyes narrowed and cut to the side, and the folds of flesh bracketing his beak were downturned.

He didn’t appear as though he was worried about getting in trouble or feared that he’d come to harm. She’d seen what that kind of self-protective worry looked like when she riled up the gladiators in the lab. His expression, now, struck her as that of a petulant, greedy child who knew he might lose his toys.

As soon as that clicked, it was all she could do to not smile triumphantly.

So, if we’re awake, our status changes. He loses us. Maybe we’re no longer even considered slaves. That… changes everything.

Aria had been desperately trying to work out how they’d stay free once they took this place over. If what Zhrovni was doing here was legal, then her freeing the gladiators could very easily beillegal. Add in that she’d likely destroy some property and kill a few bad guys in the process, and the chances that she’d end up freeing herself, only to become a felon in the eyes of the law here, were better than good.

She’d take living on the run over slavery every day, but if there was a way for her, her men, and all the people trapped here to be truly free, then she had to take it. Her revenge wasn’t worth condemning hundreds of people to whatever passed for prison on this planet or life as fugitives.

Zhrovni must have seen something on her face, because he took a nervous step backward before he caught himself. Raising the datapad again, he tapped on it rapidly, his fat, clawed fingers a blur. Finished, he sent her a cruel smile, his tongue flicking excitedly.

Fuck.

“Get ready,” she breathed.

Shifting slightly, so her left hand was hidden by Kix’s body, she slowly reached down and withdrew a throwing star, tucking it in the palm of her hand. Without looking, she pressed the indentation in the middle to activate the explosives.

Before she could throw it, a soft hissing sound from behind her had her tensing. It was the same sound the doors made.

“What do you see?”

“A shimmer from above. Out of reach,” Kix answered.

“Octofly.”

Aria frowned, thinking quickly. Zhrovni should know by now he couldn’t make them kill each other, so why…

“He’s going to lead the prisoners to us!”

Almost before she finished speaking, the low rumble of the octoflies rage-inducing warble vibrated her eardrums and reverberated into the cavern behind. Aggression surged through her, mirrored by the men standing at her back.

A roar from deep within the cave echoed into the cavern, followed by another and another.

Gritting her teeth against the need to lash out, to let go of her rage and charge forward to rip Zhrovni limb from limb, Aria ruthlessly locked it down and whispered, “Now.”

Chapter 16

In one movement, Aria drew her left arm back, double-clicked the indentation, and hurled the throwing star at Zhrovni while firing at the guards. She shot four before the star exploded. The Godzilla standing to Zhrovni’s right tried to step in front of him and deflect the star but only succeeded in taking the brunt of the detonation.

He, Zhrovni, and the guards to either side were thrown back into the door behind them so hard they dented the metal. Guttural screams of pain and the scent of burning flesh filled the air. Shrapnel peppered the line of Godzillas still standing. Their screams joined the cacophony as the remaining guards opened fire.

Tirox returned fire on her right while Kix launched himself into a run, his powerfully built legs propelling him forward at speeds she could never hope to match. Tirox shot off next, splitting right.

---