by A. G. Wilde
Her cheeks felt warm at the thought.
Had she just really slept on a naked guy? Slept on him? All unconcerned?
That you did, Nia. That you did.
There was a soft click and she knew he’d just put his mask back on.
“Ready, ta’ii?” His voice found her in the darkness.
“I think so.”
“Follow me.”
She heard him move and she reached her hand forward to help guide her way.
A firm hand grasped hers and she almost pulled back before she realized it was his.
“Let’s go. We have to be quiet. I don’t know how many of them are still walking around, but we should be able to make it to the upper deck and the loading bay undetected.”
“Okay,” she whispered.
The cold was already biting at her now that she wasn’t curled up in his arms and she realized just how much he’d helped her by keeping her warm.
He squeezed her hand lightly before he began moving through the dark tunnel.
Nia closed her eyes and put her complete trust in him as he led them forward.
She wasn’t in a little dark tunnel.
She was simply walking in a big open space.
She repeated that to herself as he led her forward. Over and over, she repeated the words, and when she felt him squeeze her hand again, the reassurance added some strength to her will.
His hand felt strong and sure and before long, he stopped moving.
Ka’Cit lifted her hand and shortly after, the cold metal of the ladder was underneath her fingertips.
“I’ll go first,” he whispered.
Nia nodded before she realized he probably couldn’t see that she’d responded…or maybe he could. She wasn’t sure.
The ladder jerked a little as he climbed up and soon she heard the slight sound of the floor covering sliding back.
“Come on up.” His whisper was urgent. “It’s clear.”
Her heart hammered in her chest as she grabbed each side of the ladder and began making her way up, eyes still closed.
The higher she climbed the harder it was for her to breathe and relief swept through her when she felt his hand close over hers again.
Ka’Cit grasped her and helped her from the hole and that’s when she finally opened her eyes.
It was dark in the corridor. Only a dim strip of light ran along the floor.
Nia’s gaze darted around and she was mildly aware that Ka’Cit was replacing the flooring as quietly as he could.
When he stood, she did too.
“This way.” He was already moving and Nia followed so close behind him that she was almost plastered against his back.
She couldn’t help but glance behind her every now and then.
It was eerily quiet.
Maybe they would get off this ship without any problems at all.
Right?
“Wait,” Ka’Cit whispered and stopped so suddenly that she did plaster against him.
It sounded like he was feeling against the wall for something and in the dim light she could barely make out what.
There was an almost inaudible sound before part of the wall before him opened.
“Well, well, well…” There was that amusement in his voice again and it made her peek around him to see what he was looking at.
Nia’s eyes widened a little.
Guns.
Even in the darkness, the sleek metal seemed to glisten.
Ka’Cit ran his hand over a few before grasping one and pulling it from its spot in the wall.
“How did you even know that was there…” She glanced up at him. “You know what? Never mind.”
Reaching forward, she pulled one of the guns from the rack, noting the sound of surprise he made in his throat.
Well, she wasn’t going to pass up a weapon when a whole rack was right in front of her.
As she gripped the weapon, she glanced behind her and then in front of them.
Her heart felt like it was in her throat and all she wanted to do was to get the hell off this ship.
Ka’Cit closed the panel and she was aware he was eyeing her and the gun she held. The weapon felt heavy in her hands and she ran her fingers over it.
It was huge. It wasn’t like any gun she’d ever held in her hands before and she’d held a lot. Her father had brought her to the shooting range almost every week. It was always a competition to see who could hit the most targets with one hundred percent accuracy.
It was their thing. At least, it had been.
It felt like ages since she’d last held a gun and she clutched it tightly as Ka’Cit began moving down the corridor once more.
She was inching along the wall following behind him in the dim light and now that her eyes had adjusted completely, she noted something. Ka’Cit looked relaxed, almost as if they weren’t in the midst of danger, but something about the way he moved told her that he was incredibly alert.
It was almost like a cat walking before her.
Calm, measured steps. He was completely silent, but every muscle in his body was ready to react at a moment’s notice.
Every sound, every movement, he was aware of.
In just the few hours that she’d stayed with him in the nook, he hadn’t been like this.
Now there was a deadly calm about him, reminding her that he was, truly, still a man she did not know.
He stopped walking suddenly and she almost bumped into him. They were near the end of the corridor now and her gaze darted in front and then behind them. What was it? Did he see something?
But she couldn’t see anyone.
“The cargo bay is up ahead.” He spoke over his shoulder so she could hear him. “But there’s a problem…”
Nia gulped.
There had to be a problem. Of course, there was. No way it was going to be this easy to escape.
“They know we’re here.”
Her eyes darted down the corridor again.
“How do you know?” Her whisper barely passed through her lips before the lights of the ship came on in full force.
For a moment, Nia was blinded and she felt her body being thrown backward as Ka’Cit shouted something she did not hear.
He gripped her to him as they landed on the floor, twisting just enough so his whole left side got the brunt of the impact before he adjusted her, gripped her by the waist, and rolled over placing her completely beneath him.
She was barely able to understand what was happening but his gun hand rose, aimed, and a blast of green light left the muzzle.
There was a cry and something fell to the floor at the other end of the corridor.
Ka’Cit was heavy and she could hardly move but she managed to lift her head to see a Niftrill writhing and screaming a few feet away.
But the Niftrill wasn’t alone. Another was on his tail, a gun pointing in their direction.
Nia tried to lift her gun to aim but it was caught underneath her body and no way would she be able to fire quickly enough.
“Ka’Ci—”
But he was already firing.
He caught the Niftrill in its arm holding the gun and the weapon went flying as the Niftrill gripped its hand.
“Herza couldn’t have picked a worse species for guards.” Ka’Cit’s voice was so calm and steady, it surprised her. It was as if he didn’t just exert energy. “If they’re injured, they forget their prey and default to their pure instinctual need to mend themselves. Pitiful.”
“Wha—” It was all happening so fast and she almost didn’t hear the sound behind them. But before she could warn Ka’Cit of the danger coming from behind, he was already spinning and taking her with him.
One, two, three Niftrills were coming from behind.
They seemed to pause for a moment, no doubt seeing their fallen comrades, and a sound she’d never heard before filled the corridor.
It was like the screech of a million bats.
“Oh, shut. Up!” Ka’Cit growled as he fired.
>
He shot twice, and it seemed he aimed at their weapons for two of the Niftrills howled, their guns flying as they gripped their cloaked wrists.
Nia’s head snapped into the game.
She and Ka’Cit were on the floor and vulnerable.
Though he was doing great, no doubt he could do better if he wasn’t trying to prevent them from being shot while protecting her at the same time.
She lifted her weapon and aimed, praying there wasn’t some sort of safety she had to deactivate.
But Ka’Cit was one step ahead of her. Green eyes met brown ones as he looked down at her. He released her enough for him to press something on her weapon and while he was doing that, his other arm raised and fired without him even looking at what he was firing at.
Nia’s eyes widened and when she looked down the corridor, he’d hit the third Niftrill in the arm.
The alien howled and its weapon fell from its hands as it stared down at the hole in its cloak.
“Point and shoot,” Ka’Cit said.
For the moment, the corridor was clear bar from the writhing and howling aliens and Ka’Cit jumped to his feet and brought her with him.
As he set her down, Nia’s finger settled on the trigger of the weapon.
This was what people meant when they said shit hit the fan.
Her heart thumped in her chest and her throat felt dry.
It was a life-or-death situation now—no escaping that.
Ka’Cit glanced at her for a moment. “Don’t worry if you don’t hit them. If anything you can confuse them.”
His words cut through her consciousness and made her do the strangest thing.
She glanced at him and smiled.
She couldn’t help it.
“Oh, how you underestimate me.”
19
Nee-ya was steady on her feet but the blaster she was holding was so big, he wondered if she could manage it.
There was a look of determination on her face though, and that was inspiring.
“Let’s go.”
No more creeping in the shadows. Herza knew they were there and more Niftrills would be coming.
It seemed Herza had called off the search and had just been waiting for them to appear.
She’d known they’d been hiding somewhere in the ship then. Luckily, she hadn’t found them.
Phek.
The one thing he’d been trying to avoid was about to happen.
He wasn’t worried about himself getting hit by a stray bullet but the fear he felt for Nee-ya getting hit was very, very real.
Niftrills couldn’t see well. Even if they weren’t aiming at her, they may accidentally shoot her anyway.
That would suit Herza just fine but he wasn’t about to allow it.
As they hurried past the writhing Niftrills at the end of the corridor, Ka’Cit took a left and headed straight toward the cargo bay.
He glanced behind him to see Nee-ya was jogging to keep up with his pace. He’d slow it down, but they were out of time.
They’d been out of time for a while. He just hadn’t realized.
Their best bet was the cargo bay. There would be an offloading shuttle there and that was what he was hoping to “borrow” so they could get off the ship.
They just had to get there without being shot down first.
In front, a Niftrill turned the corner and Ka’Cit fired, hitting the weapon out of the henchman’s hand and searing flesh in the process.
The Niftrill collapsed and as they passed him and the smell of burning flesh was strong.
Ka’Cit glanced down at Nee-ya but she didn’t seem bothered.
As a matter of fact, with the weapon now in her hands, she looked even more resolute than before.
Who was this female?
The more time he spent around her, the more she fascinated him.
She was by his side now, no longer running behind him and he couldn’t help but stare at her.
The corridor opened to the cargo hold and as he skidded to a halt, so did Nee-ya beside him.
“Phek.”
“Fuck.”
The cargo hold was filled with Niftrills. Armed Niftrills.
Every single last one of them, and there were many.
Nee-ya’s gaze met his and recognition passed between them.
In that split second, he didn’t need to speak.
A mountain of words unsaid passed between them as he moved, ducking behind a huge crate as she did the same on the other side of the entrance.
Phek.
From somewhere above, he heard Herza scream. “Kill them!”
When he glanced back at Nee-ya, there was a look on her face that he’d never seen before. Her brown eyes were cold, focused, and she jerked her chin in a nod.
He knew what that meant—there was no other way to decode that movement.
Was she…did she really think he was going to let her put herself in danger fighting the horde before them?
“Hide!”
It was all he managed to say as he leaned out of his hiding spot, cocked his blaster, and pressed the tri—
But the Niftrill closest to them, the one he aimed at, was already falling, shot straight in the wrist.
Its weapon fell just as it received another shot in the leg.
Who…
Ka’Cit’s mouth fell open as he turned, wide-eyed, to look at the human, just as she aimed again, her brows furrowed to match the determination on her face.
Her eyes narrowed a little as she pressed the trigger once more and another Niftrill went down, shot in the arm and leg again.
It wasn’t a coincidence.
She wasn’t randomly spraying laser blasts.
She’d meant to hit them there.
She glanced his way and a slight smile appeared on her face.
Ka’Cit stared at her even as movement caught his eye—a Niftrill approaching from behind.
He cocked his gun and fired, but instead of receiving one laser blast, the Niftrill received two—one from his blaster and one from hers.
Surprise had him glancing her way once more and Nee-ya’s gaze met his.
“Dohnt wohree abowt mee dar-leen.”
Phek.
Chaos erupted in the hold as the rest of the Niftrills charged and danger was coming straight at them. But, in that moment, all he could do was stare.
At her.
His life organ thumped in his chest as she gripped her weapon and unloaded another laser blast.
Never in his life had he ever seen anything more magnificent than the female he was looking at right at that moment.
She was phekking perfect.
As he stared at her, the screeching of the Niftrills charging at them felt like it was far in the background of his mind, and Ka’Cit realized one damning thing…
When this was over, when he had to say goodbye, he was going to have a helluva hard time walking away.
They took down the Niftrills one by one.
After the first ten or so fell, the others had gotten the memo and instead of running directly at them like a crazed horde, the Niftrills had begun seeking cover behind the various crates that were resting in the hold.
When Ka’Cit finally came out of whatever daze he’d gotten into, it had felt almost like being back on Earth shooting targets with her father.
The thrill made her smile and that smile turned to a grin.
Nia peeked over the crate she hid behind and glanced at her blaster, glad that it wasn’t something that needed reloading.
There was a bar on it though, a neon green bar, that appeared to be decreasing after every few shots she took.
She was sure that was the charge and it looked like she only had half a charge left.
Fuck.
She lifted herself up enough to peer over the crate once more, careful not to expose herself too much.
She couldn’t see any movement and the room was silent now, apart from the groans of the Niftrills on the floor.
Ka’Ci
t had been right about them.
They didn’t even pick up their guns after they were hit. Their sole focus became their wounds.
It wasn’t something she understood but it was something she was thankful for.
For a few moments, she held her breath as she listened.
No more laser blasts were coming their way and she was sure she’d heard the last one about two or three minutes before.
She’d promptly gotten the Niftrill who’d shot at them, too, and the anxiety she’d felt about the fight was completely gone now.
They were going to get out of this. She could feel it.
A grin lit up her face and she turned to Ka’Cit.
He’d been staring at her, his eyes wide, and they widened even more now under the slit in his mask.
“What have I done?” His gaze moved from the blaster she clutched then back to her.
Huh?
Oh yeah, she forgot.
She was showing her teeth.
“No challenge.” She shook her head, hoping he would get her meaning. “I’m just happy.”
She turned her grin into a smile so her teeth were no longer showing.
Ka’Cit blinked underneath his mask but still seemed a little confused.
“Just happy,” she repeated.
Strange she should get such pleasure from shooting bullets into live beings.
But they’d planned to rape her so…they deserved it.
Between Ka’Cit’s blasts and hers, they hadn’t killed any of the henchmen anyway. They’d simply wounded them.
Ka’Cit was still staring at her with a strange look in his eyes, though.
Like her, he had his back pressed against the crate, but the way he was looking at her…
Like a predator that had just seen its prey.
Maybe it was the effect of the mask…the fact she could only see his eyes and nothing else?
Or maybe not.
She wasn’t quite sure.
And what was mad about it? She wasn’t scared.
Instead of the instinctual fear she should feel when someone dangerous was looking at her as if she was prey, his gaze made something thrilling go down her spine.
Nia released a breath and forced herself to focus. This little “excursion” was getting to her head.
“Think it’s safe to go out there?” she whispered.
Ka’Cit blinked and she had to motion behind her, gesturing to the rest of the hold.
