Page 77 of Guardian's Heart

Just then, the Space Guardian did something totally unexpected.

ZAAREK

I instructed Nock toreturn to the ship. I needed to find out who had docked, hoping it was Raasla. Otherwise, I didn’t want Nock to get entangled in a fight between me and whoever had joined us. Whoever it was, I knew he was looking for me, stalking me like I had stalked my prey before. This would be ugly. I hated the idea of hurting or even killing one of my brothers, but I also knew they wouldn't give me much of a choice. If it were me, I would never stop, and neither would they. But this wasn't just about me, it was about Nova, too, and I would never, ever allow anybody to lay hands on her. Dying for her was not an option because that would leave her unprotected. I would have to be smarter, stronger, and more ruthless than my brethren. For her.

And my brothers. This affected them, too.

"Traitor!"

The same instant those words were shouted, I was tackled to the ground. A fist grabbed my hair and used it to slam my face into the hard, metallic floor, which didn't give me a chanceto react. The force of the impact made me see stars. Whoever had tackled me wasn't giving me an opening to retaliate as he pounded my head again and again against the metal.

I was about to pass out when the thought of Nova, helpless and alone aboard my ship, revived me. Enough to bring my arms into a pushup position and to get up to give me room to roll over. My opponent still had his fists buried in my hair, but at least I could now entangle my legs with his, scissoring them until his only choices were to either let go of me or have his leg broken.

He jumped off, and I scrambled to my feet, staring into Vraax's enraged face. Of course, it had to be him. He would love nothing better than to take me back to the Ohrurs in disgrace. That he simply hadn't shot me was telling that the Ohrurs wanted me alive. Worry for Nova renewed my strength and pushed the blackness hovering at the periphery of my consciousness back.

"Let's make this easy, traitor," Vraax snarled.

I didn't answer. I jumped forward, fists ready, and landed a blow in his stomach. His fist struck me in the eye socket in retaliation, and stars danced in front of me again.

"I don't want to hurt you," I pressed out.

Amused, Vraax chuckled. "ButIwant to hurtyou."

His leg kicked out in my blind spot because my eye was swelling shut and grazed my thigh when I saw it coming at the last tick. Frygg.

I stumbled back, clutching at my injured thigh. Pain surged through me like a wild beast, but I pushed it away, focusing only on Nova. I had to get to her, to protect her, and to stand against anyone who dared harm her.

I had learned to block pain out. I gritted my teeth and lunged forward, wrapping my arms around Vraax's waist to avoid another of his strikes. Vraax was caught off guard by my sudden move but recovered quickly. We were too close to the wall, and I realized my error too late. Vraax pulled his legs upand pushed them against the wall, staggering us backward. His weight slammed me back first into the opposing wall. With a grunt, I shoved him away to create some distance and catch my breath. We stared at each other, panting and bruised but still standing. Rage reflected in his eyes, and I felt a knot tighten in my stomach. This wasn't going to be easy.

With a roar, we charged each other again. Our bodies crashed together, fists and elbows flying in every direction. The sounds of our blows echoed throughout the corridor as we struggled for dominance. Sooner or later, one of us would make a mistake or tire.

We were about the same size; he was younger, but I had more experience. I also had something Vraax didn't. I had Nova to fight for.

Her name brought a surge of adrenaline forth, and I managed to land a solid punch on Vraax's jaw, knocking him back a step. Seizing the opportunity, I lunged forward and grabbed his arm, twisting it behind his back. He grunted in pain but didn't give up easily. His free hand slammed into my side, causing me to let out a cry of anguish.

An idea hit me. "What species are we, Vraax?"

My words didn't have much impact; we were still grappling and hitting each other's sides with our fists.

"What?" Vraax panted when my words seemed to finally penetrate his mind.

"What species are we?" I tried to catch my breath and ignore the pain of his fist hitting the same spot by my kidney for the umpteenth time.

Vraax brought his arms in between us and pushed me so hard it propelled me against the wall behind me. Both of us were gasping for air now. Bent over our knees, we watched the other warily as we tried to regain our strength.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Vraax shook his head.

"See these?" I kept my one good eye trained on him; the other was swollen shut, weeping blood, while I pointed at my mating marks.

"So you got yourself some fancy tattoos."

"They're mating marks," I corrected him.

He laughed dryly, but since he was just as out of breath as me, his laughter turned into a coughing fit.

"Listen, I don't know what the Ohrurs—"

"You are a traitor. You are taking credits from that holostreamer, selling your charges to the highest bidder, and you're mutilating your body," Vraax summarized my charges. His last words were an insult to my mating marks.

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