Page 76 of Fated to the Dragon Warlord

“That’s what Darax calls them.” I study her face. “You’ve seen them before, haven’t you?”

“I’m not sure. My head was already scrambled enough before they drugged us, but I saw enough which makes me want to throw up every time I think about them,” Lydia says.

Rosalie puts her arm around her. “You’ve got us now,” she says protectively. “And the chances are the big beast will be coming for Kerra, so we’re going to get rescued.”

“Until next time,” Scarlett grumbles. “I hate we’re pawns in all of this.”

“I want to learn how to shoot one of their laser guns, then these cockroaches would think twice about more human abduction,” Maggie growls.

Guilt crawls in my chest. It clamps its claws into my lungs and squeezes tight.

“I’m sorry,” I gasp. “I said you would be safe. I said the Sarkarnii would protect you and it wasn’t true. I never should have promised anything.”

“It was our choice, Kerra,” Maggie says quietly. “We didn’t have to trust you, or the Sarkarnii, or each other for that matter, but we did.”

“There’s always a choice.” Lydia takes my hand in hers. “Most of us could have been somewhere else when we were abducted, but we weren’t. I could have chosen not to eat the green meat when we got on the Sarkarnii ship, but I did.” She gives me a supportive smile. “Don’t eat the green meat,” she whispers. “It tastes like rotten eggs.”

“Our choices are our own,” Scarlett says fiercely. “I don’t want anyone else to feel bad, least of all you, Kerra. You did what you thought was right.”

“Including the deed with Mr. Growly,” Rosalie snorts.

“But he is coming for you, isn’t he?” Maggie asks. “Because we’re going to need all the help we can get.”

I think of Deus’s prone body. It makes my heart hurt so badly I wonder if I’m being turned inside out, because it could have been Darax.

And if it had been him, my heart wouldn’t be hurting. I know it would be torn to shreds.

KERRA

The black stone in the center of the weird room drops suddenly with a grinding noise. It sets off my cough again, but fortunately Rosalie still has the water, and I take sips until the spasm subsides. The rest of the ladies push themselves back against the walls.

“Last time it did that, one of thosethingscame out. It was gross,” Scarlett mutters. “So gross.” She shudders.

The stone rises back up. There are containers on it.

“Are theyfeedingus?” I ask.

“I wouldn’t call it food,” Maggie says. “In fact I don’t know what to call it other than slop.”

“If they’re feeding us, they want us for something.” I contemplate the containers. They’re white and the stuff inside looks like oatmeal.

“No shit,” Scarlett says. “I don’t need to bang a dragon man to work that one out.”

Maggie huffs out a laugh.

“If you keep that up, I’ll give you a blow by blow detail of all the differences between a man and a Sarkarnii.”

“Oh god no!” Rosalie cries, covering her eyes.

“I do NOT want to know.” Lydia covers her ears.

“I promise I’ll shut Scarlett up.” Maggie covers Scarlett’s mouth, and she squeaks.

There’s a scuttling sound overhead, and all the mirth in the room disappears.

“Is that one of them?” I whisper.

Maggie still has her hand over Scarlett’s mouth. Scarlett nods, her eyes wide with fear. The sound continues as if there is more than one.

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