Another clang rang out, closer this time.
He grabbed her arm, pulling her behind him as he drew his katana in one smooth motion.
The blade gleamed in the dim light, a promise of both protection and danger.
“Stay behind me.” His voice was low but commanding.
Toni swallowed hard, her heart pounding as she did as he asked. She might be skeptical as all get-out concerning him, but she wasn’t stupid. Even if he was sent to betray her, hiding behind his hard, muscular, warm body was as good a place as any.
Now if only she could quell the spark of something deep inside her that urged her to trust him. No way. That stupid something could just shut the hell up.
Azazel tightened his grip on the hilt of his katana as they moved through the incubation room. The faint hum of the crystalline walls matched the steady pulse of his frustration. Toni’s sharp remarks and her reluctance to trust him grated on him. Son-of-a-lilit! What he wouldn’t give to stop everything and address the growing mistrust creeping between them. It’d make things so much easier. Maybe it’d help calm her the constant shivers.
Perched next to him on his shoulder, JR14 clicked his front metallic claws.
“Observation: subject human female named Toni exhibits recurring signs of mistrust toward primary organic. Probability of this hindering cooperative efforts: 72.3 percent.” His voice came out cool and analytical.
Azazel’s jaw tightened. Great, his unemotional bot picked up on the apprehension she harbored about him. With his gaze fixed ahead, he muttered, “Thank you for the insight, JR14.” Tack that info onto the expanding list of problems making this rescue damn near impossible.
The pods lining the walls cast eerie shadows, and their contents flickered like ghostly specters. Behind him, Toni’s teeth chattered.
Her breathing was shallow, her steps hesitant as she trailed behind him.
He stopped and faced her. His lips flattened as he studied the blue hue on her full lips.
She skidded to a halt and stood there, shivering, her jaw quivering and her arms wrapped around her waist.
Damn it!He’d better do something. This damn place was as cold as a refrigerator. “Here, put this on—” He whipped his tunic off and handed it to her. “—or you’ll freeze to death.” He’d rather conjure up a warm jacket with soft insulating fur, but he didn’t dare use his psychic powers. That would be a sure way to get caught by the Krystalii.
Toni clutched the fabric close to her chest as she watched him with wide eyes.
“Won’t… don’t you need it? W-won’t you be c-c-cold?” Her voice caught.
Moving close to her, he tilted her chin up and looked into her cornflower-blue eyes. He couldn’t resist feeling her soft skin, but the brief touch served a more important purpose: it allowed him to send her a drift of warmth to overcome the onset of hypothermia in a way that wouldn’t alert the Krystalii. “You don’t have to worry about me.” He took the material from her clenched fists and pulled it over her head.
It was so big on her that the sleeves covered her hands, and the hem went to her knees.
“I’m used to the cold.” Plus, he could regulate the temperature of his body to keep himself warm. He sent another brush of warmth her way. “Now, don’t fall behind,” he admonished before he turned around.
“Aye-aye, mon Capitaine,” she muttered.
At least the quiver was gone from her voice. But Azazel couldn’t help but catch the stress in her tone as she masked her fear with sarcasm. He smiled as the tension in his shoulders relaxed. Sarcasm he could deal with.
She reminded him of his younger brother, Arakiba, who did his damnedest to irritate him with his vast arsenal of sardonic nonsense all the time. It was how his brother dealt with fear or when he was unsure of something. That experience allowed him to relate to Toni using it.
And he respected her strength and her refusal to crumble under the weight of the madness she found herself in. He grimaced. It gnawed on him that she expected him to betray her. If only he could enter her mind to show her the real person he was. If he could do that, it might ease some of her worries. Too bad that wasn’t a good idea on this ship with so many psychically strong Krystalii. They’d have no trouble picking up the energy he’d have to use.
Not for the first time, he questioned how humans relied just on conversation to communicate with each other. It was one of his least favorite ways to relate his intent since speaking didn’t only involve words, it also required the right body language and tonal nuances. By itself, it was fraught with inadequacies and misunderstandings.
But, for now, he’d better focus on finding them a safe harbor or somehow get the Sub-Node to work again. And communicate with her the best he could with what he had. “JR14?” he whispered. “Where’s the nearest exit?”
The spider-like AI scuttled ahead, and the radiant orange in his multi-faceted eyes scanned the room.
“Proximity analysis indicates a corridor at the far end of this chamber. However, activity levels suggest a high probability of Elite patrols within adjacent pathways.”
“Fantastic,” Toni muttered from behind him. “So we’re either stuck in here with the pods of doom or we play hide-and-seek with crystal bad guys. Great options.”
Azazel glanced over his shoulder with a slight smile. “Hebat, I am sure we will uncover another probability.”
