Page 66 of Space Daddy and a Boy Called Twink

“Because you forgot to give me the one thing I really needed. Freedom.”

Despite how firm my hold was, Sheila was tenacious, and I found my strength waning, while hers never wavered, and she chuckled, I was sure because she knew that eventually she would wear me down.

“Found it!” Twink called out, rushing over.

“Don’t come too close,” I warned him. “Just toss it!”

Twink followed the instruction, and I figured I could spare one tentacle for the task, but it was enough to give Sheila an advantage, and she pulled free of the others before spinning around and decking me in the face. “How are you preventing me from controlling you?” she pressed, clearly mostly annoyed that her old tricks weren’t working.

I didn’t bother to respond, only went for the attack, but Sheila was too quick for me, seizing my tentacle holding the syringe, though I moved just as quickly in passing it to another before sticking her in the thigh and emptying it into her.

She stared at where I’d punctured her before looking back at me, that rigid jaw softening as she looked at me with those gorgeous eyes, as though she was making one last heartfelt plea for me to do her bidding.

“I’m not yours anymore,” I reminded her. “I’m Twink’s.”

Her eyes bulged, and she flashed her teeth. The tranquilizer hadn’t kicked in yet, since she still had enough strength to headbutt me. My skull slammed against the asphalt, and she used my moment of disorientation to gain her freedom and rush Twink.

“No!” I called out, grasping for her with a tentacle, but she was already out of reach.

Twink didn’t even have time to react, just standing there, stunned, before something moved quickly, grabbing Sheila and tearing across the street.

Once I’d recovered, I checked the other side of the street, where this large brown-gray mass had Sheila pinned to the wall of a building before pulling away. She tumbled to the sidewalk.

She was done.

The brown-gray mass had legs and tiny arms, and it steadily shifted until it became a blue Furker. His appearance suggested he was from the same generation and species as myself—the result of Furkers mating with Darbons on our home planet. The Furker fidgeted with his arm cuff, and a black sphere rushed to his side, floating midair. It opened, and the Furker reached inside, retrieving two bands and restraining Sheila.

“You are hereby under arrest by orders of the Intergalactic Justice Department,” he said before issuing her rights in her tongue, which I didn’t really see as by the book, considering she remained unconscious.

Twink hurried to my side, his arms around me in no time. Fear still coursed through him, his eyes glistening as he said, “Are you okay?”

I set my hand against his cheek, stroking my thumb across his flesh. Seeing him, feeling him, reminded me that despite how terrified I’d been of what Sheila may have done to him, he was safe, which was all that mattered. “I’ll be okay. Did she hurt you?”

He shook his head. “No, just gave me a good scare. She’s really something.”

He must’ve noticed when she confronted him. “Yes, she is gorgeous, isn’t she?”

His expression twisted up, and I sensed I’d misunderstood his meaning, but I didn’t really have time to get into that.

“So no aliens in Harmony Springs?” Powerbottom said, coming up behind Twink.

Guilt twisted up in my Twink as he cringed, turning to see his friend. He chuckled lightly. “Yeah…about that…”

By then, the Furker who’d saved my ass was heading over, Sheila wrapped in his tentacles.

“Who are you?” I asked.

“Name’s Kryton.”

He slid one of his tentacles across his arm cuff, and his credentials appeared in my line of sight. With them, the appropriate authentications to show he was a member of Justice.

“Got a lot of questions for you,” he went on.

“You’re not the only one,” Powerbottom added.

*

After securing Sheila,Kryton tended to Powerbottom’s injury with a pain reliever and serum that sped up his natural healing process, then escorted us to his ship.