Page 15 of Guardian's Soul

We were wrong.

"They're coming!" someone screamed from farther down. The buzzing of drones echoed off the slimy walls, growing louder by the second.

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out the images, but they persisted.

The Cryon soldiers, towering and emotionless, their weapons trained on us as they herded us like cattle onto their shuttle.

One barked a command at me I didn't understand, shoving me forward with a stick that I had learned worked like a cattle prod.

The memory of the spaceship made my stomach churn. Hundreds of us crammed into a cell, hands bound painfully behind our backs. The indignity of having to ask fellow prisoners for help with the most basic bodily functions still burned.

But even that, I mastered in typical Hannah fashion. I approached a woman and asked,Hey, so I guess we're already sharing everything else in this charming little cell. Wanna add ‘bathroom buddy' to the list? For a moment, the lady looked stunned, but then she laughed, turning the others' attention to us. In hindsight, I realized I was burning on the inside with shame and, yes, anger, but I did what I had always done, made light of the grimmest situation any of us had ever been in. My words,we're gonna look back on this someday and laugh. Probably while in therapy, but still—laugh,made some giggle. Fueling me with a sense of accomplishment and giving me the strength to wait to go pee for another few minutes until everyone returned to their gloomy thoughts.

I rolled onto my side, curling into a tight ball. The food trough flashed in my mind—that cursed metal contraption where we had to kneel and lap up sustenance like animals. The Cryons had watched, their cold eyes devoid of any empathy.

I called out,Oh, don't be shy—grab a plate and join us! Oh, wait,I forgot—you don't do plates.A couple of subdued chuckles rose from the other prisoners, but the Cryons'only response was silence. At that moment, I realized the terrifying truth—to them, we weren't people at all. We were commodities, resources to be exploited in their relentless quest for galactic domination.

A sob caught in my throat. I buried my face in the pillow, willing the memories away. Slow-churning anger burned like acid in my stomach at the humiliations the Cryons had subjected us to. Anger I should have felt then but had suppressed.

I heard Thrax's steady breathing. At least he seemed to have found rest.

What are you going to do with me?

So many questions burned inside me. I felt like a leaf ripped from a tree by the most brutal storm imaginable. Blown right and left, up and down, wind tearing at the edges as it kept changing direction, totally at the mercy of the raging storm that surrounded it, with no way out. Nowhere to hide.

Just like my restless mind, wherever it went, there was no peace. My future was just as terrifying as the last few weeks, and I wasn't sure how much longer I could keep it together.

The lights slowly began to illuminate the room in an imitation of dawn, just like they had dimmed the night before. After catching an hour of fitful sleep here and there, my head felt fuzzy. I sat up, running my fingers through my tangled hair in an attempt to get my bearings. Movement from the couch turned my attention, and I caught sight of Thrax stirring.

"Morning," I muttered, having no clue what alien etiquette required. My voice sounded hoarse from lack of sleep.

Thrax's eyes met mine before he closed them for a moment. Probably realizing that no, he hadn't dreamed, and yes, I was still here.Well, get used to it. That makes two of us, buster.

I waited a beat when his eyes opened again, but he didn't ask,did you sleep well? Or anything like it, so I refrained from trying to pretend we were enjoying each other's company.

"What's the plan now?" I stretched and moved off the bed, hating for him to see me on it.

He gestured toward the door. "Nourishment first. Then we talk."

Nourishment first. Then we talk, my mind repeated his words in a falsetto.

"How about a quick bathroom break first?" I suggested, aware of my throbbing bladder. "I don't know how your anatomy works, but humans need a few moments."

He, too, stood up with a slight sneer on his face that made me want to punch him.Sorry my body needs certain things,asshole.

Why, of all the creatures in the universe, it had to be himsavingme was a puzzle I couldn't figure out.

But then it hit me. He hadsavedme. If it weren't for him, unspeakable things would have been done to my body by now. It didn't seem like he wanted or needed any kind of thanks for it, but guilt rushed through me for not having done so yet. That actually, I'd been acting like a spoiled brat, like someone throwing food into their savior's face after they found them starving. I might have gotten a little bit too caught up in releasing the dragon and allowed anger to control me, just like Mom had warned me. But hey, I figured everyone is entitled to some rudeness in their lives and to let their anger out.

It still took a little bit of getting over myself because, let's be honest, hewasan ass, but I managed, "I don't think I've thanked you yet. For taking me away from there."

My foot drew an undescriptive pattern on the ground, and my focus was on it. I didn't want to look at him, just like I had intentionally not thanked him forsavingme because, hey, I still didn't feelsafe.

When he didn't reply, I looked up. His expression was one ofsurprise and disbelief. Briefly, I entertained the idea of us being civil, but he quickly ruined it with a sarcastic remark.

THARAAX

Her unexpected apologytook me off guard. She hadn't shown me any vulnerability so far, so I tried to defuse her apology with some humor. "Careful now, or I might start thinking you like me."

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