Page 26 of Warrior
Bored rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't mind being known as having bested a Vaktaire.”
Something dark and wicked crossed Cocky's face. "I guess killing him is one way to secure him." He yanked a knife from his belt; a tiny thing, though, the blade wouldn't make it through my pelt.
“Wonder if they’ll give us a reward” Bored stepped closer, pulling a dainty little knife of his own.
“What kind of reward?” Cocky wondered aloud.
“Money,” Bored snorted, then his lips twisted into something that might have been a smile. “I know something else I’d rather have.”
“What?” Dumbass seemed less interested in my fate and more interested in the control panel of the skiff.
“I know,” Cocky answered Dumbass’s question with a chuckle.
“Like you don’t want the same thing.” Bored shot at him.
“Of course, I do," Cocky admitted with a laugh. “Everyone with a cock wants it."
A rumbling started deep in my chest; the sound not yet audible to their paltry ears.
“We’re not allowed on her level.” Dumbass pointed out. ‘It would upset the younglings and affect the yield. Nansar said we were not to hurt the human.”
My blood grew hotter, scorching through my veins as I struggled to stay lax. If something went wrong, the last thing I wanted was for these fuckers to realize Daisy meant something to me.
Something very dear.
“We don’t have to do it on her level.” Bored suggested an insidious waggle to his eyebrows. “There are a million different tunnels to take her where no one can hear her scream. "I've always wanted some human ass, and hers looks good."
“You know,” Cocky snorted. “We can always toss her in the pit when we’re done. They’ll just think she got lost in the mine and died.”
It broke.
The thread of control I held onto while they spoke about Daisy ripped, fraying apart to leave edges of wicked sharpness. The roar rumbling in my chest released, bellowing from my throat in a mix of rage, vengefulness, and an emotion I hadn't felt in a long time.
Fear.
Fear heaped upon fear, making it difficult to breathe. Fear of Daisy being at the mercy of bastards like this. Fear of what they would do to her soft, sweet body and fear that by leaving her side, just for this little bit, I might have condemned her to that torture.
I lunged from the chair, my hands settling on the first guard. Bored’s neck snapped under my hands, as a whine of surprise burst from his mouth before going eternally silent. Cocky jerked out his knife, but I spun, grabbing the blade by the hilt, and using it like a lever to pull him into a hug. He fought as hard as he could, almost managing a disastrous slash through my enviro-suite. I kicked him in the chest and sent him sprawling. With my hands bound, I couldn't move freely, but killing the bastards who fantasized about harming Daisy was all that mattered. As he clamored to his feet, I moved closer. He stabbed at me again, but I dodged to the side, letting him think he would succeed, then spun and locked his arm. Slitting a man’s throat double-handed isn’t ideal, but as long as Cocky went down with a gurgling grunt, what did I care if it the cut was straight or not?
Only one left.
The knife felt sticky against my fingertips, dripping with the gore from the last few moments. Dumbass backed away; eyeswide with horror. He gulped, watching as I flipped the blade in my hand, eyes settling on the center of his chest.
Dumbass wasn't dumb enough not to realize he was about to die. He was the youngest of the three, a waste of life. He pressed against the side of the ship, terrified eyes shining. I drew back my hand to throw.
Fuck.
Something stayed my hand, the very something I’d killed to protect.
Daisy.
The rage and fear in my gut stopped tumbling, replaced by something warm and calming. She did not mind when I killed for vengeance—she supported what I intended for the guard that hurt Ewok. She would most like support the death of these two. But the young guard wasn't like the others. He'd tried to intervene in the disgusting fantasies of his comrades.
She wouldn’t want me to kill him.
Fuck!
Dumbass’s eyes darted from me to the control panel and back. I still held the knife in a throwing position, but my body relaxed.
