Page 36 of The Erion Triad

“Watch, Lucie,” Zaen whispered. There was something in his tone that made her open eyes she hadn’t realized she’d closed.

Her limp body bounced over the shoulder of the Reptile that had snatched her from the cage. She’d been in such pain. She didn’t know which part of her body hurt the most. She was so floppy, it looked as though she’d passed out.

Kyel rose a pulser and shot the Reptile carrying her in the leg. It went down in a tumble of limbs and her body skidded along the corridor. Zaen shot the other Reptile that had also taken her square in the middle of his back. Juliran ran to her crumpled body, while Kyel strode to the Reptile’s prone form. His chest heaved with each deep breath he took and the pulser trembled in his tight grip. She’d never seen him so furious.

“You seek to harm precious females?” He kicked the Reptile in its side. The crack of ribs echoed off the walls of the corridor. It tried to scuttle backwards, but Kyel slammed his fist into its snout. Its head flew to the side. Teeth and a spray of green blood splattered across the wall.

Juliran hunched over her body, his hands fluttering as though he didn’t know where to touch her.

“Gods… what have they done to her?” His voice cracked.

She’d begun to think he didn’t know where to touch her because every inch of her body was covered with disgusting filth, but something in his tone stopped that thought before it had fully matured. She never heard him sound so anguished.

Zaen kneeled next to his brother. “There’s not an inch of her that’s not been brutalized.”

Kyel kicked the Reptile again, this time in its other side. “Is the other one dead?”

Juliran peered at the unmoving Reptile Zaen had shot. Lucie saw the floor through the middle of the hole in its back. “Yes.”

“Pity.” He sounded so in control, so monotone, but she could see the fury beneath his carefully forced control. “I was looking forward to treating it to the same attention they did the human females.”

“Especially to our mate,” Juliran said.

“Yes. Especially for how they treated our mate.” He glared down at the Reptile. “Why did you do it? Tell me.”

The Reptile narrowed its eyes on Kyel and made a huffing sound, as though it was laughing at him. Kyel brought his foot down in the middle of the Reptile’s stomach. The Reptile doubled around Kyel’s massive leather boot.

“There can never be enough pain I can inflict on you for doing this to her,” he said.

There was an explosion and the corridor shook and tilted.

“Kyel, finish it off. We need to get off this craft,” Juliran said.

“Watch out, Kyel!” Zaen shouted.

The Reptile held a small device in its claws. So fast Lucie barely saw him aim, Kyel shot its wrist off. The device, still clutched in the Reptile’s claws, skidded to Juliran.

“A remote detonator,” Juliran said.

Kyel shot the Reptile’s head. Its skull disintegrated. A fine spray of green coated Kyel’s leathers but he didn’t seem to notice. “Bring our mate, brothers. She is in too much danger here.”

“But… I don’t want to hurt her any more than she already is,” Juliran said.

Kyel hunched behind his brothers. Lucie saw him flinch and moisture gather in his eyes when he looked at her crumpled body. She’d never seen him so shaken. He held out a hand towards her and a tremor worked through his limb. He clenched his fist and drew it back.

“Don’t worry, brother. We feel the same,” Zaen said.

There was another boom. The walls shook. Sparks danced from a rent in the ceiling. Juliran scooped her against his chest, bundling her so carefully she might be made from tissue paper. She groaned and her eyelids flickered open.

“I didn’t mean to jostle her, brothers,” Juliran said, sounding horrified.

“You didn’t, brother. You are being more careful than I ever could,” Zaen said.

“The others. Have to… help… the others.” Her voice was so quiet she didn’t think any of them heard.

“They are safe, mate. They are rescued,” Kyel said.

Her eyes fluttered closed before she went limp again. “Good.”

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