Page 16 of Guardian's Destiny

"Give it to me, and I'll make your alien talk," I promised, a plan forming in my head. This wasn't my first rodeo interrogating an asshole who thrived on being hurt. Some fanatics got off on that shit. The harder you hurt them, the deeper their conviction of not saying a word. You always had to be one step ahead of them, and I was good at that. Me and Tuck both. I missed working with Tuck. He was one of the few people I trusted. Him and Ash, really. It was too bad that we got separated after the Cryons invaded. I got stuck in North Carolina, and he… wherever they had sent him on a mission, right before. I even missed his bullshit flirting with all the girls. Despite the hard times I liked to give him about it, he was a hopeless Casanova.

"That I've got to see." Nova boxed Hannah in the side. Shit, it was a well-known, well used gesture between friends, but I swore I still had a callous right underneath my rib where Tuck used to love elbowing me.

You remind me of my little sister, he would grin. I looked Nova up and down; the more I thought about it, the more… no, it couldn't be. But I would start looking into it.

"Is there anything else you need to know from the Ohrur?" I asked before I left.

"We want to contact the other Space Guardians, but their names are encrypted on the Ohrur database, and we haven't figured it out yet. If we can get their names, I can try to contact them and convince them to join… our little rebellion." Hannah filled me in.

Her sincere enthusiasm was refreshing, and I found myself liking her more and more. "I'll have that to you in a jiffy," I promised confidently.

SLOANE

Outside the door,I took a deep breath, stealing myself, shutting all my emotions down. It was important that I established dominance from the moment I walked through the door. I had to intimidate the fuck out of the Ohrur. I shook out my shoulders, put my game face on, and entered thecell.

All the men, Zaarek, Raasla, Noodar, Tharaax, and Vraax, stood around a chair on which a shorter alien sat, looking defiant as hell. His oversized head wobbled precariously on top of his too-skinny neck, but his green eyes, which were regarding me, were filled with a cunning intelligence. This was a man used to getting what he wanted when he wanted it—a man who thrived on power over others. One look at the Space Guardians, who each outweighed him by at least double, probably more, hovering menacingly over him, told me everything I needed to know.

Possedion had ordered these men around for years, or if not him, someone like him. They might intimidate and scare him, but Possedion still held an Ace in the Hole, and he wouldn't give that up to them. In his mind, he was theirboss.

That needed to change. Quickly.

I brushed by Vraax, and a tingling sensation spread through me that I suppressed with a herculean effort. I couldn't allow this in right then. Or ever. I didn't like the effect he had on me.

I shouldered Zaarek and Vraax out of the way, pushing myself right in between them.

It didn't matter that I was taller than him; if the Space Guardians hadn't intimidated Possedion physically, then I wouldn't either. No, I had to establish my dominance brutally; that was the only way. He had to believe that I was a greater threat than these five Space Guardians. Not an easy feat, given that standing between the five of them… yeah, it was intimidating as hell.

"Alright, I've been told you don't feel pain." I leaned forward, placing my hands on the armrests of his chair while glaring down into his eyes.

"You don't scare me, human female," he scoffed.

"Does he need both hands?" I didn't like doing this. I hated torturing people, or aliens, I suppose, but I would do it like I had before because it needed to be done and because this pathetic excuse for a man deserved it.

"Not necessarily," Zaarek answered behind me.

"Give me a knife." I never broke eye contact with the Ohrur, letting him know how serious I was, while his eyes were telling me that pain didn't faze him. I held out my hand over my shoulder until I felt the hardness of a handle in my palm. With my foot, I pulled the table closer.

When it was close enough, I quickly grabbed Possedion's left hand, and without any farther fanfare or giving him a chance to process what was happening, I cut off his hand.

I pulled out the healing wand, certain he knew what it was and would do. Then, I replied to his comment about him not being afraid of a woman. "You should be afraid of me, little man. Very, very afraid." I healed his bleeding wound while he hissedprofanities at me from underneath his breath. The others had been right; there was no sign of Possedion feeling any pain, but I was sure having lost a hand did bother him.

"Damn, I wish I would have thought of that," one of the Guardians said behind me, I couldn't be sure, but I thought it was Raasla. I hadn't spent enough time with them yet to distinguish their voices.

"That's my mate." Vraax's voice; however, I recognized and cringed at his statement. If the fool didn't shut up, he would destroy any headway I had made with Possedion.

"Now, I've heard you're holding back on how we can get to Darlam." I turned Possedion's attention back to me. I held up the vial Luph had given me and spun my lie, hoping it would be as effective as Luph had promised it would be. The potion didn't need to kill him; he only needed to be convinced that it would.

"This will first make you sick like the dog you are and then slowly kill you. You're going to vomit and get a stomachache from hell. One that will even penetrate your pain-resistant mind. Trust me. This poison will work its way through your system within an hour. A very painful, disgusting hour. You'll be puking your guts out, literally, until there's nothing left to come out. Next, your lungs will liquify and slowly drown you from the inside. Remember the wet towel on your face?" I paused just enough to allow him to recall his waterboarding experience. "That's nothing compared to what you will experience next."

I grabbed his head, tilted it back, and plugged his nostrils, all three of them, which was a little bit more difficult than I was used to. The moment he took a gasping breath, I poured the liquid substance into his mouth, forced it closed by pressing against his jaw, then I massaged his neck until I felt him swallow.

Possedion glared spitefully at me.

It didn't take long before his body began to spasm. His eyes bulged. I moved a few spaces back, not wanting to be hit by the vomit that was about to come out. "Tick tock," I reminded him, "that's just the beginning."

A disgusting black mess exited his mouth and stank up the room. He spasmed a bit more, pressing his hand into his abdomen. He stared at me through his bulging eyes—still filled with defiance.

I waved the healing wand. "It can all go away. Just say the word."

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