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"Why are you grinning?" the human hisses at me.
"Recalling a moment of pleasure," I snarl at her interruption of my erotic musing.
"Well stop it." She threatens me by waving the electro-rod that I could so easily rip from her hands. "It's creeping me out. Now get your ass up and fly me out of here."
"And why would I be doing that?" I rake my gaze from her tiny toes peeking out from the hem of her flowing robe to the top of her raven head.
My gaze flicks back to the collar circling her throat, leaving no doubt to whom she belongs. Once thought to be a rumor, it would seem the warden's coveted pet is real after all. I can see why he chose to keep her hidden away. She is a most rare and exotic morsel.
A pair of pale, steely eyes glare down at me. Her courage is impressive. Yet there's an underlying vulnerability that speaks to something deep within me. Something which has lain idle for millennia.
Impossible!
The sudden surge of energy exploding from every cell of my being can only be imagined. I refuse to believe this tiny human has triggered an ancient ability that's laid dormant in my species for millennia.
Ever since the emergence of powerful female warriors of the Kaul species, the sivot, an ability for males to morph into beasts, has been silenced. The need to protect a chosen female is no longer needed as they have become even more fearsome fighters than the males.
The fluid essence of my beast surging under the surface of my skin can be nothing else. Eager to be released, I feel the sivot's lust for carnage, but it's not hungry to take her life. It wants to shelter her, blanket her fears behind fangs and claws.
I have not chosen this pathetichumanto mate!
The harder I work to suppress the transformation, the more painful the ache driving me to morph into the creature pulsing within me. I refuse to accept this female as my chosen mate. I will not give myself over to the sivot determined to protect her and claim her as mine.
"If you haven't noticed, there's a prison break in progress," she says with urgency. "And I'm the one holding the weapon."
“I noticed.” I gesture to the charred blaster wound in the center of my chest. “Compliments of the escaping prisoners who already exited."
"The guards are coming." She points to the door leading to the arena where the thunder of many footsteps echoes under the massive dome. "Now fly me out of here, or I'll zap you until your eyeballs turn to liquid and ooze out of your skull."
"That was descriptive." I wrinkle my broken nose, which oddly no longer hurts, and push myself into a sitting position. "Hostile little thing, aren't you?"
When my movements don't immediately wrack my body in excruciating pain, I glance down at the blaster hole in the center of my chest. Already healing at a rapid pace, I smooth my hand over the charred splotch that's now no more than raw flesh that's tender to the touch.
Remarkably, I can feel my body working hard to repair itself. The wound has closed up in a matter of seconds, the edges of it knitting together under my fingertips. My glossy blue flesh has taken on a liquid sheen of iridescent light, and I can feel the power coursing through my veins, invigorating me from within.
"This could come in handy," I mutter and push to my feet, wishing I had paid more attention during physiology teachings at the Academy during my youth.
My sights had always been cast on joining the brotherhood of Star Mavericks, not stuck inside the oppressive walls of the Academy. Feared and revered, the Mavericks hold no allegiance to any world, but instead follow their own code of honor. They live free, above any laws, and plunder whatever they can get their hands on.
Adventure runs hot through my veins. Cruising the galaxies in a sleek spacecraft, taking what I want, and living life on my own terms is all I’ve ever wanted.
My newly awakened sivot makes me an even more formidable opponent. I will be nearly impossible to kill with as quickly as I can now heal. And with the ability to morph into a beast, I can easily out fight anyone who dares challenge me.
The only downside is the female who triggers it. I'm not interested in any permanent female entanglements, but the sivot shifting inside me demands I claim her and keep her safe.
Her?
Not that I cared, but, "What is your name, human?"
"Cora Gale Vogel," she blurts. Panicked eyes swing to the exit door where the guards can be heard tapping out the code on the keypad. "Now can we go?"
"I'm Navik T’Jarik—"
"I know who you are," Cora cuts me off with a venomous, narrowed glare. "You're the space pirate Warden Hyt hired to bring the giant porcupine here to fight the Berserker."
A hard clunk echoes through the corridor, proceeding a loss of power. We're left in complete darkness except for the glowing tip of the electro-rod Cora clutches in her delicate hands.
I shake my head with a harsh curse, "Bliking Nomadican!"
