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Footsteps bang up the ramp only to skid to a stop. I whirl around on the intruder, releasing a mighty roar. The armor on my biceps shifts with a mere thought, creating a circular disc large enough to cover Cora and my upper body.
The Quahe male, who was stupid enough to think he can steal my Moktian craft, tucks the length of his whiplike tail between gangly legs and retreats.
A deep chuckle rumbles up my throat as I will the shield to recede and slap my palm over the control panel to raise the ramp. My imagination runs wild, dreaming of all the ways my sivot will come in useful.
“To protect the female in my arms,” my sivot utters aloud.
I shake off the beast's absurd thoughts.The human is merely a tool to trigger my beast. Nothing more. I might have to protect her to maintain the connection with my sivot, but that doesn't mean I have to like it orher.
What matters is, with the strength and power I now wield, I will be the preeminent Star Maverick, a conqueror of the Universe who can take what I want with impunity. No one will stand in my way.
I will be a legend among my brethren!
* * *
CORA
"You are safe now, starfire," the beast that used to be Navik says in a gentle voice.
Well, as gently as a gigantic blue Sasquatch with a rumbling baritone can sound. Not that the beast is covered in hair like the legendary ape-like creature, but there's no other word that comes to mind to describe him.
He carefully places me in one of three seats at a long, curving console and activates a seatbelt-type thing that buckles me in. As he meets my gaze, blazing white eyes soften to a gentle gleam.
I shrink in the presence of his towering height. He stands at least eight feet tall and five feet wide, with a mop of long, wild hair the pristine white of newly fallen snow. It sticks out in thick tufts all around his head like a lion’s mane and down the backs of his arms and back.
Claws as black as sin and sharp as razors protrude his fingers like knives. Where Navik's skin was a glossy blue, the beast's flesh swirls and shimmers like liquid metal. His right arm, where Navik wore a thick tribal tattoo, is encased in a matte sheet that somehow transformed into a shield.
I gulp past my heart pounding in my throat as I sit here trembling. I can't tell if it's fear or from the bitter cold that's chilled my bones, shaking me to my core. Maybe both.
I stare up at the beast in bewilderment. No longer is this male leering at me with a mixture of lustful curiosity and disgust, his gaze now holds something akin to fondness. It's strange and confusing why the beastly side of the notorious space pirate shows me kindness where Navik does not.
"You are cold," Navik's beast states flatly and marches off.
I swivel the chair around and watch the beast squeeze through the door in the rear of the bridge. It isn't long before he returns. Crushed in one meaty fist is a wad of material. He stands before me, carefully unfurling the tawny fabric between claw-tipped fingers.
My body tenses as he carefully lays the blanket over my legs. I stare at the soft fabric, unsure of what to do. The beast's thoughtfulness is baffling. Is this Navik's alter ego manifested into a huge monster?
I feel his stare on me, waiting for my response.
"Thank you," I manage to say, my voice barely above a whisper.
He grunts in response before turning away. It's almost comical as he wedges his hulking frame into the seat next to mine and works the controls that fly the ship. Everything looks so tiny in comparison to this beast.
Wrapped in the softness of the blanket, I sag in my seat, relieved to finally be leaving my gilded cage and Warden Hyt behind. Tears press behind my eyes knowing the forced sexual acts of a perverse monster are behind me.
My throat works through a knot of emotion. I relax back, watching the frozen rock of my prison fall away through the large window before me, letting the soft whirring of the engines lull me as Navik's beast lifts us silently off the ground.
But the peace is short-lived, as an alarm rips through the calm of the ship.
Navik's beast jumps into action, his clawed hands dancing over the controls. I watch in awe as he maneuvers the ship, dodging and evading the blasts of red light whizzing past us. His muscles bulge beneath the fluidity of his skin as he takes evasive action to keep the ship from taking fire. I can't help but feel a sense of admiration for him, even as fear grips my heart.
"What's happening?" I loudly ask over the blaring alarm.
"We are under attack by a Yulineon patroller," Navik's beast growls, his eyes focused on the screen in front of him. "The bliker just painted us with a tracker.”
My heart races in my chest even though I don't completely understand what he's talking about. All I know is we were home free, and now we're in trouble. Navik's movements become more urgent as he speeds up and tries to outmaneuver the Yulineon patroller.
I yelp and and white-knuckle the seat's arm rests. The ship lurches and shakes beneath me as we take our first hit.
