Page 135 of I'm Not Your Pet

In the dark, I couldn’t see his face, and for that I was glad.

It was easier this way.

“Fuck,” Briar hissed out from my left, sounding impressed. “You justkilledthat dude.”

I blinked, head spinning.

“Not as weak as I thought,” Grimm hummed. I wanted to think I was a good person, but there was no denying how good that had felt. More than good. My blood thrummed as the sticky slick of death coated my gloves. The aliens that Grimm and Briar had knocked out gurgled, and Grimm, following my example, bent low. A snapping sound filled the air as he twisted their necks.

“I guess we’re killing all of them now?” Briar confirmed.

If they were dead they’d never hurt anyone again.

Ever.

It may not have been my original plan to outright murder all of them, but now that I’d done it once, the idea was easier to stomach. It was them or us, after all. It would be naive to think this could go any other way.

“Back into position,” I commanded, not responding to Briar or Grimm’s approval.

We had a job to do.

I had a pink shark I wanted to see before the day was over.

They both did as they were told without complaint.

I picked up another vial, hefting it in my palm.

And again, my focus narrowed.

If all went well—and Grimm was correct—there were less than thirty aliens to get rid of now. It may seem like a lot. And maybe later I’d feel guilty—but for now…no. No. I didn’t think about death or my soul—or how many lives I was about to take.

I thought aboutRoark.

My big squishy pink heartthrob.

My mate.

The beast Iloved.

I thought about his smile—all toothy and wide. His broken glasses. The way he viewed the world like he was ready for it to betray him. I thought about the way helookedat me.Reallylooked. I thought about the future we’d have together. The things we’d share. The home that would be ours, if we could survive today.

And with every pirate I killed, I got one step closer to making that reality.

Since the day we’d met, Roark had been my protector.

But today, it was my turn to return the favor.

I was frightened when my father died, and I found myself alone. I was frightened when I’d joined the academy and my commanding officer had told me I wouldn’t make it far if I couldn’t learn to speak up. I was frightened the day our ship had taken off and I’d realized this was it. This was mychance. And if I missed it—I’d never get another one.

I was frightened when I picked up Huu-goh. Terrified I wouldn’t know how to care for him when I’d never cared for someone else before.

But nothing…nothing in my life compared to the fear I felt the moment the lights went out and the door to the bridge slammed shut, locking me inside. And though in the past I’d always been grateful for their presence, it was only anger I felt as the safety response that had been programmed into my ship cut me off from my mate.

I had never been more desperate to break through metal.

To bend the laws of physics.

To break the things I held dear—just so I could get to him.

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