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I strained to see and could barely get a look at Mia’s silhouette. The mist slowly dissipated, and the power shut off, rocking the starship hard. I fell lifeless onto the molding vegetables, barely able to move, breathe, or do anything.
At least I bred her. It was a strange last thought, but it allowed me short relief. She would get her child.
Wearing a gas mask, Cade walked through the plants without care. Every step he took came with the deep impact of his boot heels in the soil.
I was injured, but I wasn’t dying. A large halo ran across the flickering lights. As I looked into Cade’s eyes, I reached out for mercy. He met me with a stiff kick to the gut.
One last pump of adrenaline managed to get me on my knees again. ”Mia,” I growled. She needed me. I promised her that I’d protect her. We were supposed to get out of this hellhole together.
“Don’t make this harder on yourself than it has to be,” Cade said, voice m
uffled by his mask. He leaned down and removed the breathing device. Looking directly at Mia, he placed his heel against the top of my head, pushing down with all his weight until my cheek hit the soil. She just kept screaming.
He tied my wrists and ankles together, making sure the knots were firm enough before moving on to checking the rope. “It’s only precautionary. Your body will heal, but I need to keep you from attacking me.”
When I was completely incapable of fighting back, he slid out a large black body bag and was able to roll me in.
The bag was just big enough to fit two bodies, as well as a monster like me inside. Any other species would have just killed me. There was more to this.
I breathed in the scent of the leather bag, feeling the heat rise around me. My senses were dull, and I couldn’t move an inch. I closed my eyes and tried to remain calm, but my system was growing wild with uncontrollable thoughts.
“Took you long enough to show up, Talis,” he said, smacking against the back the body bag. He lifted the front end and started to drag me out of the room. I could no longer hear Mia. My only hope was that she’d run to safety.
He knew my name. What else did he know?
If Mia had her own mission to take on, Cade did as well. He knew too much. And now, I was going to pay for my sins.
Even the ones I was hadn’t yet committed...
11
Talis
“Wake the fuck up.”
A strong whip shot against my back. Leather grinding into my flesh, the heavy knots coursing into me, I dropped forward and spat blood.
“I said, wake, son.”
Heavy accent. Tattoos. His body was skinnier than I remembered. He had a lot to prove. His mind was weak, but he appeared as confident as ever.
Humans and their egos. It was no wonder their leaders weaponized their people with emotion.
He had fight in him, but he was no fighter. He hadn’t acquired any skill worth bragging about, and he wasn’t even as capable as a dog. He was a cheating predator, a low-level human being. He was a snake, a Trojan horse waiting for any opportunity he could find. Well, he’d found one, and it might have worked out had I not had a child and woman to protect. He was barking up the wrong tree.
If Cade hadn’t ambushed me in the garden, I could have ruined him. In a fair fight, I would have cut his legs off and watched him hop around the ship like a leper. I would have relished watching him suffer to death.
“I’m up,” I barked, adjusting to the light. I knew where we were now, at least. We were in what they kept calling “solitary.” I was shut inside the small space within the airlock, forced to stare at the endless space landscape.
“I could easily open this thing. It would kill us both instantly. At least, I think. We seem to share some characteristics,” Cade said.
“Don’t do it,” I said. “You’ll suck us both out.”
“It’s good that you’re awake.” Cade circled me. I blinked and woke up some more, realizing he had hung me up to dry. My wrists were chained to the ceiling. My legs felt too weak to stand on.
In that bag, I would have been powerless. I was starting to feel my strength again. Even if I was still chained, there was a chance of escape. I just didn’t like the odds of him opening the door to space.
“Guessing you came for that bounty,” I muttered.
