Page 79 of Fractured Souls

“You can tell me in Earth years. I’ve spent enough time on your planet to become familiar with its orbital cycles.”

“It was roughly two years ago now. Feels so long ago. But it feels like yesterday, too.”

“Two Earth years…” He muttered something to himself in Kordolian, his eyes glazing over for a second. “Ah. That fits the timeline. Explains how they were able to evade our notice.” He curled his fingers around her arm as he moved even closer, his warm breath feathering her cheek. “The reason they could no longer send their own to hunt you is because we had taken full control of Earth’s orbit-space by then. We would have shot down any unknown Kordolian ship that tried to enter Earth’s atmosphere.” He chuckled darkly. “You must have frustrated them no end, evading their hired guns. Their obsession with finding you is not unusual for Kordolians. We will go to any lengths to get our revenge. It may seem strange to you, but I understand their motivation perfectly.”

She caught a glimpse of razor-sharp fangs. Stars, the vibe he gave off was both dangerous and protective; alien and familiar. It made her a little breathless. “I get the sense what I—what we—did was something they weren’t used to. That’s why they’re acting so damn irrationally when it comes to getting their revenge.”

“Believe me, there’s nothing irrational about it. Alexis, when you and your subordinates killed those Kordolians, you challenged the very fabric of Kordolian existence. Humans aren’t supposed to be able to kill Kordolians. They just aren’t. For them, it’s critical that they restore their version of the Universal Order, and that can only be done when they have you completely under their power.”

Alexis shuddered. “They want to make an example of me, one that’s so fucking terrifying anybody else will think twice before trying to mess with them—whoever the hell they are.” She opened her eyes and turned to him. “And what about you, Nythian? Do yo think humans shouldn’t be able to kill Kordolians?”

“Would I be telling you all this if I thought that?” He caressed the side of her face. “No, Alexis, you were well within your rights to kill, and now I am bound by the very same Kordolian logic.”

“What does that even mean?” Warmth spread through her core as his fingertips glided across her skin. Hands that could kill in an instant were so gentle against her skin. She got the sense she was on the cusp of something monumental, but she couldn’t quite grasp it. All this alien talk of revenge and Universal Order had destroyed her ability to think clearly.

He destroyed her ability to think clearly, with his damn intensity and his irresistibly warm body and those devious fingers.

“They did unspeakable things to you. Even if you don’t want to tell me, I can read it in your face.” His hand began to tremble ever so slightly. “You, the one I have chosen as my mate? They had no idea… No idea. Don’t worry, Alexis Carter of Earth. You have nothing to fear from any bounty or revenge-oath. I will deal with it. We Kordolians might be different in many ways, but we are also alike.”

“How so?”

“I will take my blood-revenge.” A tremor coursed through his massive frame as he leaned in and kissed her.

It was a featherlight kiss, full of reverence. He brought his arms around her restrained body and held her for a while.

Gradually, the tremor disappeared, and his breathing became steady and even, but she could still sense his anger. It was a cold, tightly controlled thing, and suddenly she understood that there was a part of him that would always be inscrutable to her; a part of him was tethered to a dark, ice-encrusted planet that she would never ever set foot on.

It didn’t bother her anymore.

“One of them… one of the Kordolians we killed was called Orshak.” The name was seared into her mind. “I didn’t get the name of the other before I killed him, but he spoke to someone called Sarkiss.”

“Hm.” Nythian gave no indication that he recognized the names. What were the chances? There were plenty of Kordolians out there, both good and bad.

Hers was one of the good ones…

Sometimes.

Abruptly, Nythian kissed her again, and this time his kiss was white-hot and passionate. “You did well, my love,” he rasped, his voice thick with emotion. “Nobody will ever lay a hand on you again. I swear to the Goddess.”

She closed her eyes and let herself be engulfed by him. Whatever the hell it was that he planned to do… it didn’t matter. She believed him. One hundred percent, she believed him.

Twenty-One

Nythian held her close until they landed, using the pad of his thumb to wipe the salty tears that slipped from the corners of her eyes. She seemed annoyed at this phenomenon, this terribly human trait.

He found it curious and fascinating and strangely beautiful, but he was also enraged that some piece-of-shit Imperial scum could make her feel this way.

Kordolians didn’t cry. Biologically, they couldn’t. Sadness and grief were not acknowledged much in their culture. They were signs of weakness, to be crushed or turned into anger and coldness.

The Aikun had their ways of expressing sadness, but the so-called modern Imperial Kordolians sneered at their old tribal ways, dismissing them as primitive.

Nythian didn’t feel any sadness right now; he was Kordolian, after all. He would honor her fallen humans, the ones who had sacrificed their lives to save hers—for that he would be eternally thankful—but he couldn’t summon any emotion resembling grief.

Only anger. Cold, all-consuming anger that invaded his heart like a disease.

Anyone who had harmed her, who had sent hired goons after her, who was even having a sliver of a thought of a possibility of threatening her…

He would kill them all.

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