Page 13 of Venomous Lust
“I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.” Hazel raised her brows and crossed her arms across her chest. This had to be one of her all-time best sasses, and she didn’t feel halfway confident that it wouldn’t get her killed.
But she had a feeling that showing weakness in front of any of those alien males was liable to lead her exactly where she didn’t want to end up.
Where she’d started.
A roaring laugh answered her snarky comment, and the Avonie male shook his head before looking back up at her with a whole new interest in his gaze. An interest that was much more honest, and somehow, much more dangerous.
“You’ve got a mouth on you!” Laughter still sparkled in the male’s eyes as he spoke.
“Yes, she does.”
Another voice came from beside the ladder, one that she would recognize out of a million. One that she would hear even lost in a crowd. Soon, the impressive, square shape of another male made its way into the light—a male whose very presence sent Hazel’s newfound comfort hurtling out and into the void of space.
Khal’s Prussian blue eyes set on her like a warning. Like he was telling her how dangerous he was. How much she should fear him. But she was a cornered animal on this ship, in this cell.
And cornered animals had only one thing left to do.
Bite.
“I see you brought reinforcements with you. Didn’t know the all-powerful Commander Khal was scared of a little human like me. Should I be flattered?” she said.
His too-blue eyes flashed with sudden anger and his lips lifted in a cold, heartless grin. Hazel’s heart raced so fast it hurt against her ribs, but she kept the sardonic smirk on her face. She had chosen her hand, and now she was going to play it.
“What you should be is careful. What you should be is trembling with fear.” His voice was like a whip cracking through the air, and Hazel wasn’t sure how she was still standing. All she wanted to do was cower in the back of the cell and beg for mercy.
“Sorry, not sorry. You don’t scare me.” But her voice broke and betrayed her.
At Khal’s side, Zaxis had lost his humorous expression and was staring at them with a sober, cautious gaze. Hazel wanted to look at him, wanted to know if she had an ally in the Avonie, but she couldn’t do more than shoot him a quick glance. She was mesmerized by Khal. By Khal’s eyes, hard as a cold winter sky; by Khal’s mouth, a frozen, punishing line; by Khal’s body, the light playing over the markings on his Prussian blue skin, highlighting the sharpness of his features until he looked like an ancient barbarian King, all-powerful and bloodthirsty.
She sustained his surreal gaze, refusing to back down, even though her entire body wanted nothing more than to crumble on the floor in a misshapen pile of defeat and tears.
“She’s staying here tonight.” Khal was obviously speaking to Zaxis although he stared directly at her. “Maybe she’ll learn some manners during the night.”
Great. I’ll never get out of here, then.
Hazel narrowed her eyes as she held Khal’s gaze. The total weight of the Eok’s domination settled on her shoulders and she knew she was going to break.
“No.” Zaxis disrupted the strange trance linking Hazel to Khal. She turned to him in a daze. “She’s weak and female. I’m not having her sleep in the cargo hold.” With that, he opened the cell and stepped inside under the smoldering eyes of Khal. The Eok’s silence enveloped the room as Zaxis loomed over Hazel. As he reached to grab her upper arm, a vicious growl tore from Khal’s throat.
“Unhand the female.” The words were measured, but the danger underneath was palpable. “I am the leader of this mission and the captain of this ship.”
“Commander, captain, leader.” Zaxis bit out his words, but his hand didn’t touch Hazel as he faced the Eok. “Doesn’t mean much if you intend to imprison a female who hasn’t committed a crime. Where do you think she can go, anyway? She’s human. She can’t just hop from planet to planet.”
Khal’s eyes were trained directly on Hazel as Zaxis spoke. She could see the clear landscape of feelings passing behind those blue eyes, and the violence of the storm that came with them.
Suddenly, staying in the cargo hold didn’t seem all that bad an idea.
“It’s fine. I’ll stay in the cell.” Hazel took a step back. She hugged herself, then winced. She had forgotten all about her injuries. Bobbie and his fists seemed such a long time ago. Or a world away, which was the reality.
“She’s injured.” Zaxis frowned, then ignored the savage growl coming from Khal as he delicately lifted her arm then ran his hand over the surface. Hazel couldn’t refrain from wincing at the pain. Seeing her reaction, Zaxis’s face became dark and dangerous as he turned hardened eyes to Khal. “What did you do?”
“Takes your hands off the female.” Khal’s voice was barely recognizable as he ground out the words through his teeth.
“No.” Zaxis straightened, then placed himself squarely between Khal and Hazel. “I’m not going to let you hurt her again. I don’t care if Prime Councilor Aav herself put you in charge of this mission. I’m not going to work for an honorless warrior.”
The tension increased so high, Hazel’s forehead was covered in sweat. She knew that if those two got down to business, there would be blood. Blood and maiming, violence without end.
“No, stop!” She put her hand on Zaxis’s arm, all the while just too aware of Khal’s piercing gaze latching onto her fingers like he wanted to pry them away from the Avonie and rip him to pieces while she watched. “Khal didn’t hurt me. I was injured before I even climbed into the cargo container.”
