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His lips twitched, and he took a slow step back and to one side, clearing the way for me to the cockpit. But I didn’t miss the way his eyes lingered on my ass. He swatted my butt cheek with a quick tap, making me jump and then growl. Behind me, I could hear him laughing to himself.
I slumped in the captain’s chair and flipped the power on. There was a low hum as all the systems came to life. My finger rested on the ignition, and I waited, wondering just how much longer I needed to stall before my rescuers were here.
“What are you waiting for?” Adreax barked from over my head.
“Nothing,” I said with a sigh, and then I pressed the button and felt the shuttle’s tiny engines awaken.
“Good. Now let’s see about getting out of here, why don’t we?”
His heavy hand fell on my shoulder, and he squeezed, pressing his fingers into my flesh just enough to remind me he meant business. I steadied my hands and grabbed the throttle, bringing the engines up to speed steadily, until they were roaring and whipping up a tornado of loose dirt outside. I spared only a second to think regretfully of all my scientific equipment getting sandblasted, but there was nothing to be done.
Finally, the engines reached their peak, and we were ready for departure. I glanced at Alec and he gave me a solemn nod, steeling himself for a bumpy ride. I released the brakes, and our shuttle rocked forward, pressing me back into my seat. Adreax stumbled. This was my chance.
I stomped on one pedal and yanked the throttle all the way back to zero, cutting the engines and sending our shuttle into a sideways slide. We hit a low rise of dirt, and the shuttle tipped sideways, dumping both Adreax and Herod onto their knees and causing them to curse. Alec swore too, but in an instant, he was up and by my side, helping me out of my seat and back toward the door of the ship.
The patrol ships had landed. They were only a few hundred yards away, and what appeared to be a small team of officers was striding straight toward us with weapons raised. Alec and I threw the cabin door open and jumped out, running toward the officers with our arms in the air.
“Thank god, you’re here! He’s in the ship. We had to knock him out to escape!” I gasped, ready to throw myself into the arms of my rescuers.
There was a loud concussion, and someone screamed at me. I looked around wildly, thinking that perhaps Adreax was behind me. But then there was another resounding bang, and the dirt at my feet exploded, spraying me in the face with stinging bits of shrapnel. The screaming continued in a language I could not decipher.
They were shooting at me. “What the-”
One officer approached me, his gun still raised, and he shouted at me again. The rest of the officers circled around us. They trapped us. I tried my hardest to keep my hands above my head, trying to show them we were unarmed and harmless, but they did not seem to comprehend. Instead, one of the officers kicked me in the back of the knees, forcing me to the ground and wrenching my arms behind my back painfully. I cried out, looking over my shoulder to identify my attacker, but all I saw were the shapes of Adreax and Herod watching from the cockpit of my ship.
