Page 114 of Fractured Souls

His vision became clearer, until he was able to make out the dark lines of the ceiling and the two bodies he’d left in his wake.

And someone was rushing toward him from behind, a plasma gun pointed at Nythian’s head.

His arm shaking, the Kordolian fired. Searing blue plasma shot past Nythian’s head, barely missing him.

The noble’s arm trembled. Clearly, it wasn’t his shooting arm.

Nythian took one step, two steps. In a single fluid motion he picked up his blade from where he’d dropped it and leveled it at the Kordolian’s neck.

He would kill this creature for daring to even think about his mate.

The noble staggered around, blood gushing from his wound. His face was pale, almost white. Soon he would be dead from blood loss, but Nythian wanted to make him suffer before he killed him.

A flicker at the edge of his now-perfect vision made him pause.

Then the Xargek’s bloodied claw came crashing down, and he lowered his blade, rolling to one side as it narrowly avoided him.

Shit. Nythian was still naked. His nanites were tied up repairing the massive damage to his organs.

He couldn’t summon his armor right now.

The Xargek screamed, yellow venom dripping from its mouth. Sensing a kill, it rushed at him, becoming a black-and-yellow blur.

Nythian rolled again and again, narrowly avoiding its thrashing claws. His hand connected with something sharp and curved…

The Xargek’s severed claw!

His fingers curled around it. He had one chance to kill this wretched thing.

The Xargek came down again, and this time, he didn’t dodge. Instead, he brought up his right arm and leg, and the Xargek’s claw sawed through flesh and bone.

His forearm split in two, and suddenly his hand was no longer attached to his body.

Nythian wasn’t bothered about that. Grunting with exertion, he sat up and slammed the Xargek’s claw into its very own neck, penetrating the soft vulnerable point beneath its maw.

The creature’s strength evaporated. It crashed to the floor in a tangle of insectoid limbs.

Gasping, Nythian reached for his severed arm. A fog of pure rage clouded his mind. His Kordolian prey swayed and toppled to the floor beside him, blood spraying everywhere.

Nythian rolled to his side and stared at the dying noble. “Who are you?”

“Wha—”

“What is your name?” Nythian barked, knowing that a man on the verge of death would blindly follow orders.

“I… I am General Sarkiss,” the noble whispered. “And if you kill me, you are in a whole lot of fucking trouble.”

Nythian let out a derisive snort. As if that name meant anything to him.

Wait.

Sarkiss… Was that not one of the names that Alexis had mentioned when she told him of the Kordolians that had attacked her? Wasn’t he the one who had organized all those failed assassination attempts on her?

Nythian’s urge to kill became so strong that he feared he would go mad if he didn’t tear Sarkiss’s throat out right now.

He needed to avenge his mate. The desire was so strong that for a moment, he almost blacked out.

But…

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