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Strike after strike, I cower like a child. Just like when I was young, hovering beneath the makeshift stage, watching my father get the shit beat out of him. The only difference here is Cal is taking no prisoners and kicking ass. Stripes of blood appear on his skin as the whips make contact periodically, but he doesn’t even flinch. They all are super tough bad asses.
There’s movement behind me, and I turn, worried I’ve been discovered. And I have, but it’s just Nako, panting with exertion. “Come help me.”
“Do what?” I hiss. Just what is she up to?
“Get them out.”
“Who?”
But she’s already disappeared, and I move to the edge of the door, peeking around. The crowd has disappeared, running off to who knows where. The wusses.
Do I want to be like them?
Spotting Nako, she’s waving me over. She’s at the other set of doors, peering into the temple through a crack as I join her.
“Stand back!” Swinging the door wide, Emma and Alexa drag out a trainee while one holds each arm. Staring down at the young Orclan, Nako punches me in the arm. “Our turn.”
Riiiight.
Okay. Yes. I can do this.
We’re helping, at least.
Following her lead, we take five steps into the room, and I grab the arm of the trainee puddled on the floor. He’s heavy, but we manage to tug his body across the floor to where Emma and Alexa wait.
“One down... however many more to go.” Emma and Alexa race back in before the door closes while we haul the guy another ten feet inside the room.
To the side, I see Healer Torlen running our way, a large bag in his hand. Well, that’s good. At least they’re going to get medical attention, but for how long? Are the Ropors just going to come in and kill everyone in a few minutes, anyway?
Nako jerks open the door, and when I see Alexa struggling, I move onto her side, helping her and Emma get the large body into the room. Glancing across the space, I see the guys are almost at the base of the stairs up to the portal.
As Nako and I enter the room, one of the Ropors spins, cracking his whip in our direction. Nako dodges, and it slaps against the wall, creating an explosion that makes my ear drums ring.
“Retreat!” Nako yells, grabbing my arm.
The loud booming voice of the Ropor on the Portal’s dais, screams, “Freeze! Or I’ll kill her.”
Glancing up, I see two of his disgusting arms are holding a whip wrapped around the neck of the Orcleen High Offering. Unlike the others, she isn’t frozen. She’s struggling in his grip, but he looks like he has her effortlessly pinned.
“We don’t want to kill you! We want to negotiate!”
The Ropors have stopped everywhere, rearing up on their hind legs. “We don’t know what you did to our Dishif to keep us from coming here. But as you can see, we have more. Now the agreement has changed.”
Luc and Malk are halfway up the stairs, pausing as the Orcleen High Offering lets out a blood curling scream. “This is what will happen to your mates if you don’t bring us Earth females. And new Offerings to mate with them. You have two of Burloo’s rotations. When we return, be ready or watch our hostages die.”
The portal shimmers behind them, turning into a scene I don’t recognize. Before I even realize what they’re doing, the Ropors stream around the room, gathering up their dead and some of the fallen Orclans. Screaming ensues as they race to the sides of the room, up the walls, circumventing the stairs where Luc, Malk, Cal, and Serlo are still standing. They disappear in a flash through the portal.
The last thing we see is the underside of the Ropor, hovering over the portal. “Twenty each. Twenty male Orclan Offerings and twenty Human females.”
He backs up, and the portal shimmers in a rainbow of color before darkening.
