Page 5 of Guardian's Heart

His hand— the one with the pinky standing at an odd angle—clamped around my neck and pressed me into his arm so hard that I had to let go because I was suffocating. When I did, the pressure on my neck intensified as he guided my head from his body. He turned me under his arm, and I stared at a set of black shark eyes.

"Stop!" He pushed out in a barely controlled voice, matching his furious expression. Up close like this, he was even more impressive, his barely contained anger was giving him an aura of undiluted menace. I might have caved under this authoritative force, but I was far too focused still on getting away.

I was facing him now, though, which meant my legs were free to kick him. So were my arms. I slapped both of my palms over his ears with everything I had, making his head ring. His expression turned into a mask of disbelief as he shook his head, but I wasn't done. I reared my knee up and got him right between the legs, then I ducked under his arm, forcing him to let go of my neck.

Thinking he’s subdued, I made another attempt to jump but hesitated as my eyes took in the mob of aliens staring up at me. It wasn't just that they were so unequivocal alien, but their number. There had to be hundreds. Some did look human, somewhat, but besides me being naked and them being clothed, there was no way I could get lost in that crowd. Or make it the hundred feet or so to the exit. Leave alone what lay behind it.

I swallowed.

You never give up, Tuck's said in my mind.

Damn straight, I won't, I responded,but Missy taught me that sometimes you have to bide your time before you get to fight the next battle.

ZAAREK

I had never encountereda galactic scourge like her before. Her attack on me had been as unexpected as her battle techniques. She broke my frygging finger! Nobody had ever hurt me before and lived to tell the tale, but I could hardly hurt the very person I was sent to rescue. I didn't understand what by all the moons was wrong with her.Maybe she's crazy in the head, I surmised. There was no telling what captivity might have done to her. I had seen weak species break down in captivity. And she was of a weaker species. Aside from her crazed attack, it wouldn't take any effort on my part to twist her little neck. I could lift her with one arm and throw her against the wall, breaking every single one of her fragile little bones. As tempting as that sounded, I would never hurt a female.

"So these are humans?" an obnoxious voice that I had hoped I had heard the last of announced.

"You're still here, Nock?"

"Wouldn't miss this for any supernova party." His head turned in all angles, lingering on the group of huddled humans,behaving like any good rescued group of individuals should—and not like this mini vorathrax. When Nock’s head turned to her, I stiffened. For an inexplicable reason, heat rose inside me. She was still naked, like the others, buthernakednessbotheredme. I didn't want anybody to see it.

With a snarl, I ripped my cape off, shouldered Nock out of the way, and draped it over the tiny human female. When I realized what I had done, I demanded from Monrag, "Get the others something to cover up as well."

He yelled orders to his subordinates and watched impatiently as they handed similar capes to them.

"You will come with me," I told them. Never once did it occur to me to assure them that they were safe, that I would take them to their new home. Why would I? I was a frygging Space Guardian; everybody knew who I was and what I did. Not killing them should have been indication enough that I was saving them.

Not her though, oh no, not the crazy one. I should have known better.

I stared at Monrag for a long moment. The urge to take the bastard out was strong, even more so when I heard a high-pitched scream from one of the Faysars. There was no way I could leave with that galaxy scum still alive.

"Get back in line with the others," Monrag snarled, oblivious to my inner struggle not to terminate him. He grabbed the female's arm through my cape, about to pull her away.

That's when I snapped.

"Do not touch her!" I roared, pulling my blaster and terminating the scourge's life. There would be repercussions from my minder, but right then, I didn't give a frygg. The moment the bastard laid his dirty fingers on the human female, he forfeited his life.

"What the frygg, Zaarek," Nock sputtered.

"Got to uphold my reputation," I grunted, "let's go!" I waved at the humans.

The female wearing my cape gave me a thoughtful glance before she fell in line with the others, who looked, contrary to her, resigned to their fate.

"You're gonna be in one flaming inferno with the Pandraxians," Nock prophesied. He, for whatever reason, had attached himself to my side.

I shrugged. "Free the humans and punish the ones who took them," I repeated my orders, more to myself, internally preparing myself for a debate with Possedion than to justify my actions to Nock.

"You do know that this was a coldhearted kill, right?"

"You do know what Monrag has been doing, right?" I threw right back at him, expecting my freed prisoners to follow us like a good little flock, like every single sentient being in the universe would have done.

"Doesn't mean you can just kill him," Nock argued.

"Would you have rather me taken him to the GTU? So that they could have imprisoned him? The powers he served would have either silenced him or set him free," I predicted.

"That might be the case." Nock didn't give up. "Still, who gave you the right to kill him?"

---