Page 170 of Scorching the Alien Empire
My gaze falters, his words like freezer burn against the flames of my fury.
I only wanted to make him stop—to teach him the respect I deserve. But he just keeps bullying me! I can’t kill him? Can I?
Before I can answer the thought, the ship rumbles. The floor beneath my feet bucks violently, tilting as if we’ve been hurled into a spin cycle during an earthquake.
I stumble, catching myself against the obsidian throne. The jagged rock bites into my palms. Even Todd digs his wee booties into my shoulder to keep from being fired off like the world’s cutest rubber bullet.
Did my shields drop? Are we about to die?
The ship shudders violently, my head whipping around like a bobblehead in a hurricane. Through the jarring motion, I manage to catch a glimpse of the holographic control panel. Lights flash like a rave in a disco inferno, and alarms are blaring like I’m five hours late for school.
Todd clings to my Sock-Chair cloak like a spindly little barnacle, letting out a distinctly judgmental croak that sounds suspiciously like,I told you so!
Another jolt slams through the ship, and I swear my stomach is trying to escape through my ears. This rollercoaster from hell is the worst gift that keeps on giving.
Through the viewport are the swirling hues of confetti-speed stretching across the void—thankfully no longer featuring the terrifying, constant near-death dance with the massive floating space turds. Oh, no,thatnightmare was so five minutes ago. Now, the view has changed.
Outside, an expanding ring of searing blue fire erupts through the darkness, carrying shattered chunks of metal, the remains of the murder-orbs and shattered asteroids. Enough to make a scrapyard jealous.
The wreckage pelts against the shields like boulders hurled by Arawnoth himself, each impact rocking the ship like it’s a cosmic cradle turned gravestone.
Just as I open my mouth to yell something sensible—like “Abandon ship!”—the vibrations suddenly stop.
The fiery wave dissipates into the void. Silence follows, eerie and absolute, broken only by the low hum of the engines and the sharp whine of the shield generators struggling to recharge.
Then. A sharp, metallic thud echoes through the chamber. A sound like a meteorite crashing against stone.
I stiffen. The hairs on my arms rise as a shadow looms over me.
A presence. I tilt my head up.
Mr. Frowny Face, looking very, very frowny as he stares down, eyes burning crimson, his expression darker than the abyss beyond the viewport.
“Release him,” Dracoth commands, his voice rolling through the chamber like distant thunder. His arm lifts in anunmistakable gesture toward Drexios, still crushed against the wall, pinned beneath my divine force.
A shiver flutters down my spine—not of fear, but something else entirely. The power, the authority, the sheer weight of his meathead presence...
If only there was real fire beneath it.
The Lexie-moths in my stomach flutter for a moment before dying off. It would be hot—if it weren’t so impotent. Cute in a pitiful way, like a teacup Chihuahua thinking it’s a dragon.
I let out a delighted gasp, dripping with mock relief.
“Oh, babes! Such a relief you were able to save us from all those murder-bots.”
Sliding closer, I lift my arms, eyes peering up beneath fluttering lashes.
“My big, strong—”
His massive gorilla hand clamps down on my shoulder, fingers like unyielding steel beams of destruction.
I stop mid-step, my face twitching.
Rude. Prick.
“Release him. Now!” He insists, his scowl reminding me of the time the principal caught me cheating on my exams.
Ugh, I’m so over this.
