Page 2 of Guardian's Heart

"Darkest?" I arched a cynical eyebrow at him. If slave trade was as dark as it got in the universe, he needed to up his investigative skills.

"I never heard of a Space Guardian buying slaves… so, in conclusion, you're here to—"

Was he actually giving me the benefit of the doubt? I didn't have time or the curiosity to ponder this. Instead, I directed my gaze at him, and he finally shut up.

"Got it, on a mission."

He was close to the truth. I had to admit the little annoyance was quick-witted. In extension to terminating criminals, Space Guardians sometimes acted as bodyguards or extracted hostages. Neither of which was my current mission. My current mission was quite laughable, or would have been had it not been so humiliating. My new minder had tasked me with freeing as many humans as possible and taking them to Astrionis, where a safe haven was being built for them.

One of the largest forces in the GTU, the Pandraxian Empire, had taken it upon itself to become the champions for an, until now, unknown species called humans.

The human's home planet, Earth, had been attacked by the Cryons, and in a twist of fate, the Pandraxians realized that humans were not only compatible with them but capable of reawakening the long lost mekarry bond—soulmate bond. One human female had even become the new Empress of the Pandraxian Empire. Now, Emperor Daryus had decided to fund the credits to round up and save as many humans scattered throughout the universe, hiring the Ohrurs and, by extension, me. Thus turning me into a glorified babysitter. So yes, I resented this mission and everything about it.

A hum of excitement weaved through the large hall as the partition hiding the stage lifted, exposing Monrag, the universe's mostsuccessfulslave trader. I had long dreamed about terminating the bastard. He was a Pandraxian, but there was none of the moral compass the Pandraxians were known for left in the shell of a male. Pandraxians' skin normally held a metallic sheen to it, but this one's had dulled and looked more rusty than anything. Used up, like the rest of his body. Overindulgence in anything and everything oozed from his pores. An evil spirit emanated from him that I could feel even from several paces away. I didn't need any proof to know this male was a criminal; even had he not stood there on the stage, announcing his intent, I felt his soul's need to be set free, to be taken from this fermented body.

"Thank you for coming here today. I promise you won't be disappointed. I am Monrag, your host," he announced without fanfare. He didn't need to; the crowd broke out into ear-shattering applause, hoots, and yelling.

"Are you here for him?" Nock yelled over the noise.

I contemplated hitting him over the head to shut him up, but the large hall turned silent as Monrag dramatically marched his tall Pandraxian frame to the first cage. The walls were set to dark mode, like all the others lined up. No noise, no glimpse could be gleaned from inside, not even now, as the crowd had fallen deathly silent.

"Today, I have brought you the most exclusive articles ever brought together during an auction. I have traveled far to all the corners of the universe, worked tirelessly, bartered, and haggled for you."

What he meant was that he had plundered several planets and stolen their inhabitants. Of all the criminal acts I had witnessed and ended lives over, for me, the ultimate immoral act was that of enslaving another person. Taking away their free will andtheir rights. Turning them into shadows of themselves. Slavers and sex traders were the worst of the worst for me, and I was never happier than when I ended one of their miserable existences.

How I wished Nock was right and Monrag was my assignment. I would have enjoyed taking the bastard out. My orders, though, were explicit: no killing unless my life or that of innocent bystanders was at stake. My mind worked hard on how I could make the case that innocent bystanders had been at risk when I took Monrag out, but even I realized that the repercussions would be ugly. Nobody wanted to put a tag on Monrag. Simply because every elitist in the GTU bought from him at one time or another. Making him far too valuable to be touchable.

"Today's first object!" Monrag yelled, and the crowd went wild even before the cage slowly turned translucent, revealing a couple of ethereal Faysars. I didn't believe in gods, never had, but if any species had ever been created in the image of a god, it would be Faysars. Their ethereal beauty got even to me.

"By the gods," Nock cursed.

The two genderless Faysars clung to one another, their translucent wings flapping in agitation.

"The bidding begins at two million credits. As you all know, they have to stay together."

"Figure out who buys them and report it," I snarled at Nock.

"No worries, they'll be free in no time," Nock assured me. He might have been a short little frygg, but he had connections.

A loud bidding war broke out, ending in the obscene sum of ten million credits.

"He won't enjoy his purchase," Nock promised, speaking agitatedly into his comm.

Next on sale was a grouping of Kallamants, one lone, beautiful Syguilla, and a Thoo-Thoo, followed by the big finale.

I straightened myself.

"And now what we have all been waiting for. Most of you have never laid eyes on this new species—"

Monrag broke off when I strode forward, straight at him. He visibly swallowed at the sight of a Space Guardian making his way to him.Good, he should be scared.

Your orders are to free all captives andpunishtheir captors, my minder's words echoed through my head.Punish, punish, punish, ran on repeat. As sure as a supernova exploded, I wanted to do just that: punish that frygging Pandraxian into oblivion. Unfortunately, I had been raised to think beyond clear orders and to prioritize them.

"You can't touch us." Monrag raised his palms in defense.

I punched him straight in the face, breaking his nose. "I just did," I snarled into his face as I lifted his six-and-a-half-foot frame off the ground, fisting his shirt.

"Those"—I jerked my head at the still-blackened cage—"are mine. Any objections?"

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