Leading the two females down the hall not thirty seconds behind him, I stop as Ragar’s still form comes into view. I cock my head in question. His rigid posture is seemingly frozen. The swell of rage surrounding him competes with the filth in the air. Growling, I charge into the room. Females. Strung up on the walls by chains. Soiled. Un-fed. Listless. Turning their heads our way, they say nothing. So broken, so without hope, they do not even bother to yell out for help. My movement jostles Ragar into action and he begins ripping the chains from the walls, releasing one female at a time. Cradling their broken bodies as he gently lays them on the floor.
“Why aren’t they speaking? They’re just lying there. Why?” my mate asks, wrapping her hand around mine. The emotion in her voice fuels my anger further. Her sorrow rakes across my skin like thorns. Running toward the first freed, she ignores the filth on the floor and kneels beside her.
“You’re okay. Oh, God. You’re going to be okay.” She fumbles around, trying to feel the female’s pulse point but is unable through the thickness of her suit.
“Skara, no,” I warn as I rip through the binds holding a gray-skinned female and ease her to the ground.
I lunge for Jayla. “Do not release your suit!”
Already pulling at the seams, she tugs at the hood, finally ripping it off. Shit. “Put it back on.”
“No, Ren. Stop it. I have to help her. I can’t fucking do that with this stupid thing on.”
The urge to crush her to my chest and cart her back to the ship nearly overwhelms me. “The air could damage your lungs. You cannot be without it.”
“I promise, I’ll put it back on. Just let me help her. Let me help them all.” My mate’s eyes leak, and the scent of salt and anger rise. I know it is not for me, but for those who have done such unspeakable acts.
“Directly after finishing…”
She nods, gathering one of the multi-use containers of water she brought with her. Relief floods our bond when the female at her feet lifts her head to drink.
A curse followed by a scream cleaves the eerie quiet. I jerk my head toward the sound and barrel through the door to my right. Overwhelming rage. Female. Strapped to a bed. Held down. Releasing my barbs, I let the violence begging to be released swallow me.
Chapter Fifteen
Jayla
Ren’s just standing there. Covered in blood, chest heaving. The Blurg-hybrid, or whatever it was, is in scraps on the bed. The only recognizable pieces left are half a hand and some random teeth. Ren slaughtered him. Ripped him apart so savagely, there are gouges in the floor underneath.
“Ren, Ren, come back to me,” I beg, but he’s not responding. The rescued female clings to his chest, half-naked and crying hysterically. When Ren suddenly barged through the door, Ragar charged in right after. By the time I made it to the room, Ragar had subdued the four very well-fed overseers holding a young girl down on the bed. A second later, and that thing would have succeeded in assaulting her. As soon she was free to move, the green-haired female scurried off the bed and into a corner while Ren viciously shredded her would-be rapist. She then latched onto Ren before he even retracted his blades, refusing to let go.
Ren isn’t holding her. His hands are stiff at his sides, still wrapped around the hilt of his weapons. It’s almost like his brain short-circuited the minute he saw what those assholes were trying to do.
His gaze is locked on the plump female accomplices. Teeth bared, he’s trembling, the veins of his forehead bulging with every beat of his heart. He wants to kill them. Skin them alive for what they’ve done. But he won’t. He can’t. Illusian males are raised to never harm a female.
“What’s going on in there?” Leandra yells from behind me, still trying to convince the last of the four captive females to drink.
I hesitate, unsure how much to tell her. The scent of blood is nauseating. Overwhelming, even. It’s everywhere. “Just stay there. You don’t want to see this…”
“What do you mean? What just happened?” Leandra pads up behind me and slaps a hand over her mouth. “The fu—”
Ragar takes a step toward her, then stops and glares at the busty overseer he’s having to restrain. “Leandra…” His low voice carries an edge of concern.
Painted red like something out of a nightmare, Ren remains locked in place. No amount of waving my hand in front of him is going to break his trance. I have to do something. But what? What the hell do you do when a male twice your size goes nuclear?
Closing my eyes, I push into his mind and cry out. Anger, outrage, frustration, pain, all crashing together like waves in a storm. No wonder he isn’t moving. He’s damn near about to explode.
An infusion of calm shoots down the bond as I try to counteract his fury, but it’s swallowed whole by his rage. “Ren,” I call to him, hoping my voice will mute his indignation. No response. Pressing in further, I swim through his turbulent thoughts and wrap myself around his mind, spreading my calming influence out like tendrils, grasping and reaching wherever I can. Reality spirals further away as I struggle to hold on, bracing myself against the gale-like chaos threatening to swallow Ren’s sanity. Something cold and wet splashes against my cheek. Blood. Shit, I must be lying on the floor.
Leandra tugs me upward, her hands familiar, reassuring. “What’s wrong with her?” Her voice registers as a faint whisper as I flounder in the violent chaos possessing Ren’s mind.
“I do not know. It appears the Acia has lost himself to his rage.”
Like a virus, Ren’s rage snakes its way through our bond, trying to steal my sanity. As a last resort, I beg him, “Come back to me.” Unable to hold the connection any longer, I tumble toward the now. My muscles cramp, and my head feels like it’s been split in half. The room spins, threatening to send me back to the floor, and a loud clang resonates as Ren drops his blades.
“Skara.” My name scrapes across his throat like gravel.
Exhaustion creeps in as my adrenaline wanes, and I peer up at him through heavy lids. “There you are. What took you so long?”
The panic-stricken female clings to his chest. She’s panting, eyes tightly shut. He raises a brow in question.
“No clue what to do with that one…”
A loud thwack reverberates through the air. “Oh, no you don’t, you evil wench!” Leandra’s standing over the largest of the four overseers with an electrical prod in her hands. “This space trash slipped her restraints. She was whining in Meta about needing a drink. Ragar turned around to get her some water, and she tried to stab him! With my knife!” Leandra jabs the business end of the prod into the female’s gut, igniting the prongs. The smell of burnt flesh rises. Leandra’s hands tremble, knuckles turning white. She looks at Ragar, then back to the female at her feet, jabbing her again.
“Enough, Leandra,” Ragar says in a quiet voice. He reaches out and takes the prod from her, letting his hand linger on hers.
She shakes her head and glares at the other three overseers tied up in the corner. “Any of you bitches try something similar…” Leandra pushes past them, edging around the bed. She squeezes my shoulder, then retreats back into the room where the other four females are.
“What are we going to do with them? I ask, nodding toward the overseers.
“We will leave them in the stalls, then return the control of the house to the enslaved still remaining.” Ren turns to Ragar. “We will handle the mercenaries outside.”
The stalls. Oh, no.
Running out of the room, I sprint down the hall and thrust myself into the darkness holding the six dank sleeping stalls. Bursting into the first on the right, I stumble and hit empty ground. She isn’t here. I panic, worried about the other two overseers who are unaccounted for. Hearing a thump up ahead, I sprint forward down the main hall and see the frail golden-skinned female who had the water jugs dragging the unconscious female I saw before.
“Wait!” I yell, surging forward, eager to help. The golden-skinned female stops and jumps over the body of her friend.
“No hurt her. She sick.” She holds up her hands, covering her face. My heart sinks. She thinks I’m going to hit her.
“I won’t hurt you. Or her. We’re here to help. That thing that’s been keeping you here is dead. You’re free…”
Tears well in her emerald eyes. “Dead?”
“Way fucking dead.”
She sinks to her knees and begins bawling, clutching her chest, then raising her arms to the sky. Her body shudders and vibrates so hard that even her mostly unconscious friend registers her pain and feebly reaches out for her.
“Ren, I need you.” Heavy steps echo down the hall as he strides arounds the corner, still wearing the green-haired female. “Can we get her and the other females upstairs?”
“Without question.”
Leandra follows closely behind Ragar, double fisting prods as he drags the four overseers by their binds toward the damp enclosures. The golden-skinned female spits on the ground in their direction.
“They are at your mercy now.” Ren jerks his head toward the stalls. “You have free rein of this place. And this.” He raises a currency stick the previous owner of this shit hole had imbedded in his arm. How he found it in all that blubbery mess is a miracle. “Take care of each other.”
The golden-skinned female nods, then looks to the girl clinging to Ren for dear life. I’m thankful she managed to stay partially dressed, because she won’t let me or Leandra near her.
“She stay here? She arrive last week.”
“No. She comes with us,” Ren says.
My eyebrows nearly jump off my face. I figured she was who we were looking for, but I had no idea we were taking her with us. Surprise. I eye the female. With bright green hair and light orange skin, she can’t be more than sixteen. Her deep yellow eyes narrow as they meet my gaze. I fight the urge to growl when she tightens her grip on his chest. My chest.
Wow. Ren’s definitely rubbing off on me.
After straining to make the last four stairs, Leandra and I place the worn, lethargic female on the counter and help clean her up.
“No! Get off me, no!” I hear a deep feminine voice say. In my periphery, Ragar drags the last two overseers out of their hiding spot. Heartless monsters. They deserve every bit of what’s coming to them.
After giving the injured female some water and dressing her in warmer clothes, she stirs to life. “The fatter one is particularly vile.” Shock silences me. Earthen English?
“You’re human?” Her features are definitely humanoid, but her skin carries a light tinge of blue. I have no idea if that’s her normal color or related to her illness.
“Half. My mother was a human, my father is Zrune.” My brows furrow in confusion. “They are pale blue ice planet dwellers,” she clarifies, coughing through the words.
“Hey, no more talking, all right? You’re super weak.”
“Yeah, that’s because those hags refused to feed me after I bit off a piece of that Blurg creep’s ear.” I narrow my eyes, but the golden-skinned female nags her before I can.
“No talk, Sharith. Keep strength.”
Sharith swats her hand away. “I am fine, Aza. Go tend to the others.”
Guilt and indecision weigh heavy on my conscience. Aza scampers between the wounded, frail females. Several of them look too sick to travel, but how can I leave any of them? A human who speaks English, no less?
“Are you going to be okay here? We can take you all with us.”
“We’ll be fine. Most of the girls won’t tolerate being out in the open after what happened here. Plus, I heard the overseers talking about five more scheduled deliveries of girls already paid for. They’ll need someone to help them adjust.” She reaches out to grab my hand. “Thank you. Without you…well, let’s just say this is the first time in forever I would rather live than die.”
My breath stalls, and my stomach drops. I can’t imagine what she’s been through but the scars littering her body suggests significant suffering.
“But won’t it be dangerous for you to pick them up?” None of these females could pull off looking like an overseer. They’re all skin and bones.
“We will be all right. Master Jorna—the dick that owned this place—didn’t allow any men near us. There’s a specific drop zone in front of the compound. Just make sure all those pricks outside are dead and we won’t have any problem getting them.” She gnaws at the nutrition bar I gave her like she hasn’t eaten in weeks. “Why are you here anyway?”
“We’re hunting a group of females who were stolen. One of the girls sent here shared a cell with them at one point.” I nod my head toward Ren. Now standing, the orange girl is still hovering exceptionally close to him.
“Bryn. She just got here. It’s her consummation day. Did you save her in time?” Sharith’s eyes flash with sadness. There was no one here to save her. To save any of them.
“We did. She’s coming with us. We’re hoping she remembers something that will help us find them.”
Sharith reaches out and grabs my hand. “I know I already said it but, thank you. Your friends, whoever they are, are beyond lucky to have you.”
Ren has spent twenty minutes re-strapping me into my suit, and the nearness of Bryn’s hovering has me on edge. If she gets any closer, she’ll be inside him. I don’t mean to be an ass, but he’s my dude and she’s all over him.
While Ragar neutralized the threat outside, Leandra, Ren, Bryn, and I retraced our steps to avoid any of the boobytraps in place. Sol might be good at what he does, but there’s no way to ensure he found them all. We took the safest route.
Lugging our exhausted, emotional bodies back onto the ship, we’re greeted by chaos as we enter.
“Did you find them? The others?” Injari, one of the Illusian females freed from the Inokine ship, frantically paces the anteroom. She’s panicked, radiating aggression. This is the first time I’ve seen her outside of her room. I was wrong. The marks on the back of her head aren’t just a burn. It’s a brand.
Naya’s hovers near, ready to restrain her. “Acia, she will not rest until she is briefed. After being in forced slumber for long, I cannot safely put her under again. My attempts to calm her have been ineffective.”
Ren’s overbearing energy smothers the tension in the room. “It is good to see you are recovering, Injari. Please take a seat in the gathering room, and I will inform the group of our findings.”
Injari flinches, then braces her trembling hands on the wall like she’s barely able to control her rage. “Just let me see, Acia. Please, show me. I do not wish to wait. I need to know now.” Without warning, she slams her shaved head against the wall and snarls, backing away from the males. I clutch Ren’s hand, trying to get close, but Bryn’s in the way. She’s pressed against his chest, leaning into him. It’s really pissing me off. Ren pulls our clasped hands, tugging me closer, and edging her out.
Injari zeroes in on the contact and a hiss tears from her lips. “You dare touch the Acia so casually?” She lunges at us, and Naya clamps a hand down on her wrist, holding her at bay.
A long sigh escapes my lips. “Not this again.” I get enough of this drama from Illaria. Now Injari? She’s been through so much I can’t even hate her. The irritation tightening my jaw spikes into anger as Bryn recoils further into Ren’s chest.
Ren looks down at the little fireball plastered to him. He tugs at our bond, utilizing my knowledge of Meta. “Enough. You must release me.” He lifts his arms, trying to avoid any additional touch. Bryn’s green hair flutters as she shakes her head, refusing.
So now we know she speaks Meta.
Injari screeches and flails wildly, trying to get to Bryn. “He is mated! Get off him!”
Wait, what? She’s pissed for me? Not because of me?
“It’s fine, Injari. The girl’s distraught. Please don’t overexert yourself any further.”
I inch closer to the unmated female, but Ren squeezes my hand, holding me back. “No, Skara.”
Shaking him off,
I move forward. “Come with me. I’ll tell you everything I know.” Injari’s breaths are heavy, her eyes wild. Pressing a timid hand to her shoulder, I once again attempt to calm her. “Come on.”
The unmated goes rigid and stops fighting against Naya. “You are my Aciana?” I nod. “You will tell me what you saw? Who you found? The others… I have not seen them since…” Her words tumble over one another in a rush. It’s like she’s drowning in a sea of panic, barely able to breathe. I cup her neck without thinking, unable to stand the pain I see clouding the pale violet of her eyes. Shoving whatever I can find toward her: empathy, calm, security—every emotion I would want to feel, need to feel if I were in her position, I pray it helps. Injari’s eyes widen, and she braces herself against the wall, a single tear streaming down her battered cheek.
I’ve never seen them cry.
Something is happening. I can’t name it. But even Naya’s lips part slightly as she watches whatever’s unfolding between us. Injari sucks in several deep breaths before jerking away from my touch like it burns her. She says nothing, but the glint of hope that flashes underneath the tears in her eyes is enough for me. She nods and flattens herself against the wall, allowing me to go ahead of her.
Ren stares, a strange intensity gleaming from the depths of his black eyes. I pause, waiting for him to say something, anything, about my influencing Injari through touch and accessing the bond in front of everyone, but he doesn’t.
I guess even the king of all badasses can be left speechless.
Chapter Sixteen
Jayla
She’s finally asleep. Peering into Injari’s room, I watch the rise and fall of her chest like a total creeper. She didn’t take the news well. Having to tell her we didn’t find the other Illusians nearly killed me. The slight hope that flashed in her eyes before fizzled out like a flame in the wind. Now she’s back to refusing to eat or talk about what happened to her.
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