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My men were too.
Chapter Three
Danika
The moment I’d seen the Vakarrans come for me, I’d been afraid. They were the race that held Earth in their claws, had conquered and invaded our planet years ago. I hated what they stood for and what they’d done to the human race, but as I stood in front of them now, I faltered.
I’d seen them kill the human men who held me captive. They’d been ruthless, had killed them without a second thought, but here they were with me and they hadn’t lifted a finger toward me in aggression. Not a single fucking one.
I had wanted to run when Roan reached for me, but something in his gaze had made me falter, had made me stand there as his dark purple skin brushed against mine. He was warm, and my forehead tingled where he had touched me.
I stared at him, his skin like the color of a full-bodied merlot, decadent and elegant at the same time. Each of them had dark gray ram-like horns jutting out the sides of their heads, but it was their eyes that held me captive. Copper colored and rimmed with black, they reminded me of the colors of the fire. Reds, oranges, and yellows all dancing within and what surprised me most of all was none of them looked at me with cruel intentions. In fact, I could have sworn some of them were gazing back at me with pity. I didn’t know how to feel about that.
I had gotten fairly good at reading what Neil and his two men had on their minds, if they were going to hurt me, because their eyes always told a story, always gave them up before they acted. These Vakarrans had eyes that were just as expressive, but all I saw there was concern. For me. I didn’t know how to react to that.
They were supposed to be the enemy, right?
For an overwhelmingly large portion of my life, I’d been taught to run, to hide, and to avoid exposure to the Vakarrans at all costs. I’d heard shocking tales of their cruelty. Rumors passed from one human to the next. Beatings. Murder. Rape. I furrowed my brow with confusion. For a moment, I questioned what I thought I knew, but then I told myself I couldn’t draw any conclusions yet. Just because they hadn’t beaten or killed me yet didn’t mean they weren’t going to, eventually. I took a deep breath and tried to stay calm.
I studied Roan first. He wa
s the tallest of the four and although it was hard to tell in the dark, he looked to be the largest. I could see just how enormous his biceps were and the hint of the muscles of his chest under his protective combat gear made my heart flutter just a bit.
My eyes slid over to the remnants of the fire that seemed to be burning brighter than ever. Three bodies were slumped to the ground, illuminated by the flames in a way that made my heart jump into my throat. I had to remember, they were killers after all.
“Are you going to take me now? Sell me off and breed me like a human cow carrying your young? If that’s your intention, just kill me now. I’d rather be dead,” I said, unable to quell the rising panic within me. I felt like a piece of glass, capable of shattering at any given moment. I didn’t know if I could handle something like that.
“We’re not going to do that,” Roan answered, his eyes crinkling with his rising concern. No one moved toward me, as if they were afraid I would bolt. I wanted to. Instinct told me to run, but I didn’t. Something about them made me curious to learn more.
“Then what are you going to do to me?” I asked, my gaze never leaving his.
“We’re going to get you cleaned up. Then we’re going to feed you a nice, big, hot meal,” he replied, looking me up and down with sadness. “You’re far too thin. Did those men ever feed you?” He scoffed in disgust. “I should have made them suffer first. Punished them for what they did to you.”
The Vakarran beside him, the lankiest of the four, roared in anger and I shrank back.
“Easy, Zac. You’ll scare her,” Roan murmured and the Vakarran looked away.
“Sorry,” he mused softly.
One of them came forward and offered his hand.
“I’m Taraik. Nice to meet you,” he said with an easy smile. “Don’t mind Zac. He makes weird noises sometimes.” He winked in my direction and despite my misgivings, made me feel slightly more comfortable.
The last one crossed his arms and nodded in my direction. I squirmed under his gaze, feeling almost like a naughty child even though I hadn’t done anything wrong. I pressed my legs together, his scrutiny warming my body unexpectedly. My dirty fingers played with the hem of my filthy dress and I bit my lip.
“I’m Xandaar,” he said simply.
“Don’t fight us, we just want to help you,” Roan said softly, his tone soothing, but I was wary. I chewed my lip, taking a step backwards, away from him and away from everything. I felt the other three stiffen around me.
Zac, the one who had initially tried to grab me, held up his hands in mock surrender.
“Easy, girl,” he said.
The air around me grew tense and my skin crawled with it.
Roan slowly moved to wind his arm around my waist and the only thing I could think of was the feeling of Neil’s goons’ arms on me when Kaze was shot. I saw his eyes die again, the memory washing over me like it was happening all over again and I screamed. I kicked, I punched, and I fought against my captors, but I was no longer fully present. Caught up in my very own nightmare, I couldn’t tell what was real anymore. Aliens. Humans. Murder and pain. It all blurred into one.
I tore out of their grasp, running with all the energy I had left. I had to get far, far away.
