Page 87 of Fractured Souls

Something long, black, and slender poked out of its throat.

A blade?

Transfixed, Alexis watched as the blade slid down the length of the creature’s body, splitting it right down the middle.

A mass of slimy grey entrails spilled out of the cavity, splattering onto the hot desert sand. The creature swayed and fell backward…

And then Nythian burst out of its mangled belly, covered in guts and slime and bits of gunk, and the relief Alexis felt was so intense that she started to feel giddy.

“Oh my god, that’s disgusting,” she blurted, unable to tear her eyes away as Nythian gracefully landed on the sand in a half-crouched position.

The beast feel to the ground with a dull thud, and a dramatic tide of dust momentarily engulfed him, before clearing to reveal Nythian’s solitary form, victorious before his vanquished foe.

He looked menacing, spectral… as far from human as anything she’d ever encountered.

He rose to his full height and cleaned his dark blade with a sharp flick of his wrist, sending blood and guts flying. The movement was brutal and elegant, underscoring the violence that he lived, breathed, and walked.

He’d taken the monster down so easily… it had all been over in a matter of seconds.

A seed of understanding cracked open inside her brain, and suddenly she felt a little bit foolish.

How could she have even thought that he was in any kind of danger? She put it down to all the years she’d spent protecting people. Now she was the one being protected, and all she could do was stand back and watch.

Ektans snorted; a dry, cynical sound. “See? I told you. Takes a lot more than some pissed off sand worm to trouble him, believe me. Now release my man, human, or we will have a problem.”

“You weren’t very forthcoming about his skill level,” she sniped, still getting this sneaking suspicion they were making fun of her.

Ektans laughed. “Is it us, or Nythian who’s supposed to explain these things to you? Relax, female. You don’t need to worry about a thing. You’ve got the First Division on your side now. You don’t even understand what that means, do you?”

“Huh.” Slowly, she removed her hand from the Kordolian warrior’s neck. The man reflexively rubbed his throat, giving her a funny look—as if he’d seen a ghost.

Abbey had tried to explain this to her—the First Division… they’re not normal, even by Kordolian standards—but being the jaded former detective that she was, Alexis had thought she was exaggerating.

The seed in her mind grew, blossoming into perfect understanding.

Holy crap.

Why had Nythian even bothered to try and teacher how to fight? He was so far beyond her level that it was almost laughable.

She looked out the window again, but he’d disappeared from view.

Ektans clapped her on the shoulder, still chuckling. “Welcome to Darkstar, Alexis of Earth.” A note of approval entered his voice. “Good. Very good.”

“Good? I just gave your man a death-threat.”

“Exactly.” Ektans grinned, revealing his sharp fangs.

If she was crazy, then these Kordolians were another degree of nuts.

“Did you give my soldiers trouble while I was gone, my love?” Suddenly, Nythian was there—how the hell did he move so fast?—putting his hands on her shoulders, possessively, pointedly drawing her away from Ektans and his men.

She turned to him, feeling bemused and relived and mildly annoyed all at the same time. Damn. He was the only one who could scramble her emotions like this. “What’s this, soldier?” She looked him up and down, admiring every inch of his chiseled body. His dark helm was down, and a wicked smile curved his lips. Ektans was wrong. He wasn’t in a foul mood at all. He seemed rather pleased with himself. Alexis frowned. “You don’t stink. Why don’t you stink? Considering you just went for a ride inside the guts of a giant drooling sand worm, that’s impressive. Please don’t tell me your suit of armor has magical gunk-and-spit removing properties?”

“The nanites absorb protein and use it as an energy source.” He shrugged, looking devilishly handsome with his crew-cut hair and creased brow and slightly uneven nose. Damn him. Even when he’d just emerged from the bowels of a monster, he was perfection. “Gunk is mostly protein, isn’t it?”

“I wouldn’t know. It’s not really my style.”

Nythian grinned. “I apologize for the uncontrolled variables on the shooting range. Your shooting style is adequate… for current purposes. We’ll have to continue that particular conversation later, but right now I think Lodan will be arriving in three, two…”

---