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“Watch yourself, worm,” I ground out. He had led the way ontomyship, and his hesitance to integrate his technology into my vessel did not overcome my annoyance with his presumption.
Marex flashed a smile, but I could see his sharp teeth behind his spread lips. It was not entirely without threat.
But the Zathki were scientists, not warriors. And if any among them had been able to bear the light of Lyr before they came to this barren planet, hiding underground for generations had made their pale skins weak, unable to take a mark. What threat could this one pose to me on his own?
If it had been one Zathki worm and the one outside the ship, I could have defeated them both, left their corpses for their brothers to find on the ice, and taken Wes to safety, orrelativesafety, but I sensed more than two enemies near at hand. The best I could do was to keep Wesley there in my lap, close to me, my form shielding his smaller one from the Zathki who might invade the ship behind us.
“The best thing we could have done was lose these arrogant technologists,” I told Wesley. “It was their incessant inventions that took our homeworld.”
Marex scoffed. “No single thing destroyed our home. A lack of control from all of us. An unwillingness to sacrifice comforts.”
I glared past Wesley at the arrogant intruder. “A warrior needs no such comforts.”
“Ah, yes. That is why you skin the zintari and harvest spikdari silks. Why you sate yourselves on plates of fruit and fresh meats. Clearly, you abhor comfort. You were willing to let your people die for it, rather than sacrifice to preserve them.”
A growl rose in my throat, sounding before I realized I meant it. Wesley’s wiggling brought my attention back to reality. He was shifting the blanket, pulling it tighter around us both, and I had the sense he meant to trap my arms so I could not attack our new companion.
In truth, it only served to highlight how inept I was. If the Zathki decided to kill us now, I would likely fail trying to defend Wesley. More important that I swallowed my anger and stayed at his side to keep him safe.
All my life, I had been protecting Kaelum—a prince of Thorzan, son of Xyren, and a warrior determined to prove his own worth. If I ever slipped and risked his life, Kaelum was capable of protecting himself. Wesley was far more vulnerable, and he was mine.
“So you left your homeworld, and now you’re... what, two different peoples?” Wesley asked.
Marex’s mouth tightened into a small moue. “Not precisely.”
“We are,” I confirmed. “We have changed. Evolved. The Thorzi are greater than ever, after overcoming the challenges of settling Thorzan.”
The Zathki tipped his head to the side. With an outstretched leg, he used the edge of his boot to nudge the small heater closer to us. “There are more Zathki today than there are Thorzi. Why is that, Warrior Jax?”
I bared my teeth. “Because Zathki are cowards who hide under the ice, scurry around like rats, and take no risks.”
Marex tilted his head back, stared at the ceiling, and puffed out a loud breath. “Because you warriors and your mages were fearless beyond reason. Because to live in plenty, you sacrificed many. We prioritized keeping our people safe.”
This last, Marex said directly to Wesley, who was watching him with keen attention that I did not like. My arms flexed around the human’s middle to pull him tighter against my hips.
“Indeed,” I sneered. “At the cost of living. If there are fewer of us now, perhaps that has to do with your desire for war, your greed.” I thought of my father’s first mate, his mage’s magic burning through him in an attempt to keep us safe from the Zathki horde.
The line of Marex’s mouth hardened in annoyance, but before we could argue further, Wesley’s hand slid down my arm. He linked his fingers through mine, but the way he raised his brown eyebrow was pure challenge.
I swallowed down further insults. That alone satisfied Marex, and he continued.
“We have survived. We have fought. As have the Thorzi. And now, we lend you our aid.”
I wished to tell him I did not want it, but that would only land us in deeper trouble. The truth was, if Wesley and I meant to survive, our best chance was to cooperate here. It seemed the Zathki did not mean to kill us right away.
But if this Marex expected me to betray my people, he would be disappointed.
“And why do you do that? Why assist your enemy?” I demanded.
I could not trust him. Had a Zathki ship landed on Thorzan, we would not have offered a heater. We would not have fretted over the well-being of their passengers.
These Zathki wanted something from us, and I had a sinking, terrible feeling, that what they wished to take from me was the small, pink creature in my lap, the man with all his peculiar words and his easy willingness to let me slip my hand inside his clothes.
And he wasmine. I would not let my guard down, allow my enemies to kill me, and surrender my Wesley to the arms and the bed of a Zathki worm.
Marex tipped his head to the side again, the other way, blinking his wide, familiar blue eyes at me. “Because, Warrior Jax, I am hoping if I offer you hospitality and aid, you will return the favor.”
I nearly growled again, but there was Wesley, staring up at me, fiddling with his funny glasses. He opened his mouth, and when he spoke, it was a whisper that rushed heatedly across my skin. “Jax, I’m cold.”
