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We took out our own guns,
Optima Laser X1867 models. The humans wouldn’t even see it coming, but they were already dead. It was already far too late for them. They were dead the moment I’d laid eyes on the woman and decided she was mine.
I leveled the sight to the back of the fat one’s head and pulled the trigger. In a flash, the laser burned through the paltry barrier of his scalp and passed right through his head, turning his brain into liquid mush within seconds. All three of them dropped dead right by the fire, Taraik and Xandaar taking care of their men with just as much ease as I did.
We turned around and left them there, bodies collapsing to the side and some right into the fire.
Mission accomplished. Part one, that is. The three of us then turned in the direction that Zac was supposed to end up. I almost laughed at what I saw.
The little female, freshly freed from her metal cuff, was standing straight up, her chin up in defiance as she sparred with Zac. She was strong despite the fact that she was far too thin, that much was obvious. Fragile, apparently she was not. Once she was in our possession though, I would make sure she gained the few pounds that she desperately needed.
The three of us chuckled, watching as the woman kicked and punched, while Zac blocked, looking exceedingly flustered at the woman’s will to fight his attempts at rescuing her. After a long moment, and a few glares from Zac in our direction, we moved in and surrounded her too, only dropping our camouflage at the last possible second so that she wouldn’t see us coming.
Her surprise was obvious, and it quickly morphed from shock to anger and then, she began to look nervous.
“Don’t come any closer,” she warned, but her voice trembled, giving away her fear. Plump pink lips parted as her dark hair swayed back and forth in the breeze and then I saw her eyes. Icy blue and defiant, just like sparkling water.
I held up my hands, letting her know I wasn’t a threat. She didn’t know it yet, but she was already ours. I loved a challenge and Vakarran law allowed those who captured a free human female to keep her. And boy, did I intend to.
“My name is Roan,” I began, and she glared back at me.
“You’re Vakarrans,” she growled, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Indeed,” I replied. “You are correct.”
She looked a little flustered at my response and I had to stop myself from chuckling again. Her body remained tense though, so I didn’t force myself any closer just yet.
“Flank her. All sides,” I commanded, using our link. She wouldn’t be able to hear it, making it optimal to strategize between the four of us. We could take her in the blink of an eye, but I didn’t want my new human conquest to be terrified of us. Now that the men were out of the picture, she was ours, so we would take our time with her. And, we had to fix whatever damage they’d done. She’d need medical attention right away.
“And you are?” I asked gently. I was used to being obeyed, so I was careful to keep it out of my voice. I’d been the leader of the Third Battalion for many years. The four of us were battle hardened, having been at the forefront of many invasions of planets that were compatible with our species, but none of them intrigued me as much as Earth. The rest of them were rather forgettable. Not Earth, though I couldn’t quite pinpoint why.
Something about the humans here was special. And this one was no different. She was more than special. She was radiant, even as filthy and injured as she was. I could see it in her eyes.
“Danika Stryke,” she said softly after a long moment. I could tell she had been thinking about running and about not responding at all, and what the consequences would be if she was defiant. She was probably wondering if we would kill her. I watched her carefully, taking account of her body language and the emotions flittering across her features.
Her eyes held an overwhelming sadness beneath her instinct to fight us. There was something inside that gaze that was broken and wanted to give up, but even so, she held herself with a strength I had never witnessed in a human before. Her eyes told me many things that her body did not. She stood up straight, her arms pulled into her chest in a defensive position, her legs bent just enough so that she could spring away at any moment. I knew deep in my heart, though, that something haunted her. Something had taken her spirit and crushed it. The realization saddened me. I wanted to rescue her from that.
“Stryke,” Xandaar repeated, his tone thoughtful.
“You recognize the name?” I asked.
“I do. Her sister Kira Stryke has a reputation, despite the First Battalion’s efforts to quiet it,” he responded.
The name rang a bell. I furrowed my brow, running my hand over the horn at the side of my head. Kira Stryke. Hmmm.
“She’s the human rebel who was rumored to have killed Commander Strohass, but nothing could be proven. All the evidence had suspiciously been wiped from the database,” Xandaar added.
“That’s right,” I said thoughtfully.
“You know about my sister?” Danika asked, her demeanor turning a bit hopeful, despite the sadness that still cloaked it.
“She’s safe, if that’s what you mean,” Xandaar replied, his reply short and clipped. His guard remained up, but that was him. He was a scientist. He liked data and solitude. It would take him some time to open up to her.
I moved toward her a little and she didn’t flinch, even as I reached for her, brushing the hair from her face. She stared at me with a certain hatred, sadness, and fear. Like a frightened and abused animal that was afraid to strike out. I wanted to change that. I wanted her to look at me with love and desire. I wanted to take away whatever pain was holding her hostage and replace it with happiness.
Soon, I’d make her mine completely, no matter what she said. I’d make her beg for me to take her. She’d be mine. Ours.
But I was patient.
