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"Wait here," he murmured, his voice a bare whisper. "Do not make a sound."
She opened her mouth to protest but he was already gone, melting into the darkness. She bit her lip as panic clawed at her throat, but forced herself to remain still and silent. She was well hidden, and Vaarn knew what he was doing; she had to trust him.
Crouching low, she tried to make as little noise as possible as she crept forward to peek around the boulder, searching for any sign of pirates sneaking up on her. She could just make out several hulking forms milling along the shoreline.
Then she saw a dark shape detach itself from the rocks and glide toward one of the pirates who had ventured into the rocks out of sight of his companions. Her lips curved into a fierce grin.
Vaarn.
With lethal precision, her dangerous mate took out the pirate before he even knew he was there. He emerged out of the darkness like an alien version of the Grim Reaper and struck faster than she could follow, rendering the pirate unconscious or dead in seconds. She didn't know which and didn't care. These assholes wanted Vaarn dead and to sell her to the highest bidder.
As far as she was concerned, they got exactly what was coming to them.
13
He was a predator, slipping silently through the shadows as he followed his prey. Vaarn stopped in the darkness as one of the pirates walked around a rock at the back of the beach, and into what was now his killing field. He was a big brute, a Travortian from his armored skin and quill-like hair, peering into the shadows oblivious to the danger that lurked just up ahead.
Vaarn's hand tightened around the hilt of his dagger. Ice seeped through his veins as he readied himself for battle. He fought without anger, without emotion, which made him one of the deadliest warriors on the battlefield… normally. But this time rage and fury crept into the edges of his vision. This draanthic and his friends wanted to sell his precious little mate to some male who would do unspeakable things to her. His expression tightened, his jaw clenched so hard he was surprised he didn't shatter his teeth.
There would be no mercy for them. He would show them what it meant to cross a Latharian warrior. There was a reason that even the Krin were wary around the Lathar.
Vaarn struck, and with lightning speed, he grabbed the hulking brute and slammed him into the side of the rock. The Travortian roared in surprise and pain, thrashing wildly to try and dislodge his attacker, but Vaarn shoved a hard forearm into the pirate’s throat to hold him in place.
He struck, plunging his dagger deep into his enemy's stomach. The hot rush of blood poured over his hand, and his victim grunted. Ripping the blade free, he slashed again, opening a dark smile across the Travortian's throat.
There was a wet gurgle as the pirate collapsed to the ground, big hands clamped over the mortal wounds in his neck. Vaarn stepped back and watched as the light faded from his victim’s eyes.
Crouching, he wiped his blade clean on the sleeve of the dead pirate's jacket. One pirate down, four more to go. Then Tiir. Already, Vaarn had moved on in his mind, anticipating where the other pirates would be in the deadly maze of shadows and rock. Where he would need to move to cut them off before they reached his little mate, where he would need to funnel them to end their lives in silence and shadows.
He melted back into the darkness. He had no problem with the way he’d killed those males. They’d already proven themselves to be without honor by trying to take an innocent female and sell her for profit. People like that deserved what they got.
He moved through the darkness, every sense alert. He'd reconned the area earlier before he'd headed over to the escape pod to recover what he could to help them survive until rescue arrived. Thankfully he had, because he'd memorized the layout of the rocks at the back of the beach. Which meant he knew where the pirates were likely to be, and where the best choke points for an ambush were. He would use their own brutal methods against them, slipping in and out of the shadows to take them by surprise.
The sound of footsteps reached his ears. He pressed himself against the rock face. Two more pirates rounded the corner, laughing at some crude joke about the females they already had in their ship’s hold. His lip curled in disgust. This would be the last mistake they'd ever make. He would remind them that even the biggest predators could become prey. That there was always a bigger predator out there.
This time, it just so happened to be him.
He struck in a blur of motion, his blade finding the first pirate’s heart like a laser guided missile. The brute looked down, his laugh falling silent as his eyes widened. The dagger trembled twice with the last, desperate beats of his dying heart.
Before his companion had time to react, Vaarn lashed out, tying the second pirate up in a tight hold. His arm wrapped around the male's throat, an iron bar impossible to remove. The pirate gasped, flailing as his air was cut off, and trying to break free. Expression set, Vaarn gave a sharp twist and snapped his neck.
Dropping the second body next to the first, he crouched to retrieve his dagger again. His hands were slick with blood, so he wiped them on the pant leg of one of his victims.
He continued through the dark, keeping an eye and ear out for anything that might suggest one of the pirates looping back to sneak up on him. He couldn't afford to be careless. There was too much at stake. He had to kill these draanthic before they could reach his mate. Sadie needed him to protect her.
He couldn’t let her down.
He wouldn't let her down.
Spotting a flicker of movement up ahead, he melted into the shadows, circling around a large cluster of rocks to come up behind his quarry. It was another lone pirate who had been separated from his comrades. His lips split into a wide smile. Perfect.
Vaarn snuck up behind him and struck with the speed of a liraas, his arm snaking around the pirate's neck in a chokehold. The smaller male flailed and kicked desperately, but he only tightened his grip, spreading his feet for balance. With a sharp jerk upward, he snapped the pirate’s neck and dropped the limp body to the sand.
Three more pirates neutralized. Grim satisfaction filled him as he melted back into the darkness. Just one more pirate left to go…
Tiir.
He stepped from the shadows a few minutes later, his boots silent on the sand and small stones. Tiir had his back to him, looking out at the ocean.
