by Leia Gray
18
Darvok
I feel the overwhelming sense of wrongness before I even get back to the hideout. It floats in my mind like oil on water, muddying all my thoughts.
I can’t quite tell what’s going on, but it’s bad. She needs me.
My heart jumps into my throat when I return to find the door hanging open, scratch marks clawing their way across the reinforced metal.
“No...” I mouth, the lunch bag falling to the ground. I barely hear it.
She’s gone.
Damn all the gods, she’s gone!
I rush into the ransacked hideout, my heart threatening to burst through my chest. There’s anger there, oh yes, but something even more red-hot. Shame.
I should never have left her alone. I should have been there for her, to protect her...
I squeeze my eyes shut. When we mated last night, I swore to protect her. I swore to make her mine, just as the Tia had ordained it. But I was stupid. Too stupid. Too careless. Now she was gone.
My hands clench into fists as I survey the place for clues. The heels of her shoes have left long black scuff marks. Broken glass and dead flowers litter the floor. There was a struggle, and a big one.
Please let her be okay.
“Oh, Liana,” I murmur, trying to catch her scent again.
There’s only the smell of panic, acrid and biting. Images flash through my mind, unbidden. A pair of thugs. Their greasy, groping hands. A ripped dress. A broken glass. And all the while, her screams.
She flails and kicks, but the thugs are too strong for her. They hold her still, bind her wrists. I watch with horror as they drag her, kicking and screaming, out the back and into the depths of the city’s underbelly. They could be anywhere by now.
I let out a breath through my nose and grip the stone in my pocket. Please, I implore anyone who might be listening, help me find her.
My eyes open again, taking on the eerie blue light of the gods. The footsteps and lingering scents light up now like the bioluminescent moss down in the tunnels. I can see a path leading from here toward the back hatch and away.
Wasting no time, I rush toward the source and down through the corridors, the signature left behind by her lighting the way. I can smell her, yes, but it’s...mingled, somehow. Tainted. With sweat and grime and the uneasy, gagging scent of the one man I should have done in when I had the chance.
Krevith.
This time, there would be no mercy.
I surface above ground and the scent nearly fades, lost in the bustle of Ecto buskers and market booths. I grip the stone tighter in my pocket now, the edges jabbing into my skin.
“Please,” I whisper to the sky. “Don’t let me lose her. Not now. Not yet.”
The hours drag on. I try not to think what may have happened to her. That way lies madness.
I push through the crowds, ignoring the shouts and complaints. I’m a big guy, and it’s not too hard for me to make may way through a throng of people. But I didn’t say I would be gentle about it. The thought of Liana and her smiling face drives me, along with the pulsing light of the stone. It feels like part of me now. No. Part of us.
Giving over to blind faith, I follow its path until I’m far from the epicenter of town, left on the outer reaches, where only tangled weeds and shady deeds grow. Perfect.
There’s a light in an old warehouse ahead. It flickers weakly, then goes out like a puff of smoke. The stone pulls me toward it, and when it does so, a healthy heaping of dread piles up on my stomach.
This is it. I can see now. This is the club where Krevith intends to hold the auction. I only hope it’s not too late...
I run as quickly as I can toward the old creaky warehouse. The landscape is open, with nothing to hide behind. If they have guards, or snipers...
I shiver.
It’s not long before I make it to the door and find it unlocked. That’s weird.
When the door gives and I burst into the darkened room, the overwhelming sense of dread peaks and drags me under.
It’s empty.
The club has been completely stripped of any decor or materials. Even the drapes on the windows have been roughly ripped away, leaving only rags in their place. The floor is cold, bare stone, and the bar, where dozens of people should be gathered for booze and merriment, couldn’t be emptier.
I scan the room again, reaching out for Liana’s scent. This is all wrong. If the club was already empty, why was I led here?
The stone stills in my pocket, the glow waning. It turns into a normal piece of rubble once more, and that’s when I know even the gods have deserted me.
The trail is cold. Cold as the long nights I spent on enemy freighters, trying to smuggle a living for myself away from prying eyes. Cold as the blood in my veins when I think about what they’ve done to her. If she’s hurt, I fear not even claiming Krevith’s head will take this pain away.
The coughing rumble of engines in the distance brings me back to my senses and I peek out the single grimy window of the club.
There she is!
I catch the brief flash of light through the window as the ship powers up for departure. Her scent calls out to me.
Darvok! Darvok, where are you? Please!
I spring to my feet and wrench open the window, hitting the ground hard. I won’t let them take her! My legs are moving faster than I’ve ever run before. My breath pants in time with the racing of my heart. I’m closing in on the vessel, and the cargo bay door is closing...
Hot steam and heat from the engines blazes into my face. My eyes water. I throw myself forward at the last minute and cling to the strip of metal at the edge of the cargo bay doors. With the last of my strength, I haul myself up and slide inside. The door hisses closed, and the familiar feeling of vertigo hits me once again as we jettison off into space.
19
Liana
I’ve never felt hate this strong before. It washes over me in waves, radiating from my heart outward and electrifying every sense. It’s like being on fire, but from the inside out. My eyes burn at the face of my attacker and I rail against my restraints, baring my teeth at him. There’s nothing more for me to be afraid of. They’ve taken everything from me, after all. If I’m going out, I’ll go out with a bang. Not as some meek weakling.
It’s like a warrior rage has taken control of my body and mind, filling it with only one thought: revenge. I wonder briefly if these bloodlusty thoughts are even my own, but that’s silly. Who else’s could they be?
Darvok’s. He’s speaking to me. He must be. Remember what he said about the spirit of the warrior?
I’m tired of being used, of being pawned off like an animal, of waiting for my rescue. This damsel is gonna save herself. Just as soon as I figure out how.
Krevith steps out of the shadows, appraising me from head to foot. A wide, greedy grin stretches across his wrinkled face, and I notice with horror the growing bulge in his pants.
This turns him on, the sick fuck.
Stealing defenseless women, putting them up on the auction block like pieces of meat. He wants this. Savors this.
When Krevith draws closer, the scent of bile and alcohol nearly gags me. I gather up every last bit of saliva I can manage, and when he takes my chin into his gnarled hand, I spit. Hard.
Flecks of spittle splatter into his face and eyes. Krevith roars and puts a hand to his face, the other swiping out in a wide arc. The air vibrates with the sting of his slap and the world spins around me, but I stay upright. No, I’m done falling over for this pig.
“Fucking bitch!” Krevith growls, wiping the spit from his eyes. He advances on me again, his eyes shining with a momentary madness.
“He’ll find me, you know.” I keep my voice steady, firm. My face aches and throbs with the force of his blow. My vision is still a little blurry. But I can’t let him know that. “And then you will die.”
I’m not sure how I know that, but the fire in my veins is so sure, so clear. It imparts a cool-heade
dness above the pain and heartbreak. Darvok is my mate. I saw it, same as he did, last night under the stars. He would find me. No matter if it took decades, he would come. I was sure of it.
Guess the purple bastard’s rubbing off on me after all.
“Who, your little boyfriend?” Krevith smirks. He reaches forward like a predator playing with his meat. I do my best not to cringe away, but his sharpened nails are like claws as they drag down my bare skin. “Honey, I’m counting on it.”
His eyes meet mine with such unbridled malice I’m tempted to shut them, just to erase that image from my mind. But it will always be there, no matter where I go, how far I run. This monster has imprinted himself on me, and I’m not sure I could forget him if I tired. Dread washes over me in waves and I feel sick, my body heaving as I gag up the remaining food in my stomach.
He has something planned, all right. And when Darvok gets here, he’ll be falling right into Krevith’s trap.
I kick. I scream. I bite. I spit.
Anything that will keep Krevith away from me just a little longer. And anything that will make noise to lead Darvok to me.
Of course, I don’t get off easy. He smacks me, belittles me, binds my hands and feet. He’s stroking himself in front of me, drool pooling at the corner of his mouth, his breath cloying all around me when...
There’s a crash and a hiss of depressurized air from below. A red light flashes on the console, beeping a warning.
Intruder detected. Intruder....intruder...intruder detected on level 3. Intruder...
The computerized voice raises above Krevith’s howls of laughter. “Looks like the party’s about to begin.” He presses a button on the console, speaking into it. “Bring him up here to me. Unharmed.”
I shiver at the venom in his voice and yank at my restraints again. The spirit of the warrior is even stronger now, spreading from every cell in my body. A roar bubbles up from my chest and I lunge for him again. There’s a sound of creaking metal and the contraption holding me actually moves.
I did that?
Spurred on by the adrenaline and the warrior haze in my head, I lean into it, ignoring the scream of metal and the panicked cry of Krevith. My arms and legs scream in pain and exertion. Sweat beads up on my brow and drips down into my eyes. I’m nearly free when the door hisses open and three guards muscle their way in.
Darvok sucks in a breath when he sees me. “Liana!” he cries, voice hoarse.
“Darvok!” I scream back. I lurch forward with all my might, but this time Krevith is on me. He tightens the restraints and slams me back into the wall, winding me. While I’m wheezing for breath, he leans into me, the gross bulge of his erection pressing against my thigh.
“You’re a pretty one,” he whispers, way too close to my ear. “It’s too bad you’ve fallen in with his ilk; you’d fetch a nice price.”
“Eat sand!” Darvok roars, wrestling free of his guards. He barrels into Krevith and catches him off balance. They topple to the floor, a swarm of purple and red. I can’t tear my eyes away, my heart leaps into my throat. Is this it?
The guards close in, tearing Darvok away from their leader. “No!” The scream rips from my lips as they bind him hand and foot. Darvok’s eyes never leave mine, boring into me with all the intensity of the warrior’s fire I feel in my heart. I need to be with him. Need to help him somehow...
But I’m trapped. “Darvok!” I call out again, resisting the reinforced restraints to no avail. Krevith rights himself and looms toward me once more.
“Hold him!” he snaps at the guards, stroking himself. I scream and twist away, my heart hammering furiously. Not like this. Not like this.
“Now, Darvok, you’ll watch me take my prize...” His eyes are full of venom and he lunges forward. I close my eyes...
Attention, an automated voice calls from the ship’s speakers. All personnel to the flight deck immediately. Critical system failure in effect...all personnel to the flight deck immediately.
I freeze. Darvok’s just out of reach, still being held by the guards. Krevith groans in frustration, running a hand over his face.
“Can’t you take care of this hunk of metal?” He snaps.
The guards shuffle side to side, glancing at once another as if they don’t want to be the ones to defy their boss. “Sounds pretty serious, Krevith. We need to go take a look. If you stay here...”
“Yeah, yeah, I’ll die or some shit. Whatever.” He turns on his heel, grumbling curses, but not before he fixes me with one last hungry glare. “I’ll be back for you, sweetheart. And don’t think you being dead will deter me.” The door hisses open and he slinks out, his laughter bouncing off the walls.
The guards look at each other, then back to us. “Oh no you don’t,” they say to Darvok when he struggles, shoving him into another compartment with a locking door. I watch with horror as they lock him away like some kind of animal and snatch the ore away from him. It stops glowing and goes dead. Broken.
Just like that, all the fight I thought I had whooshes out of me. I’m tired. Just tired.
Then they descend on me too, and who am I to resist?
We’re locked up in cages facing one another, with only a thin hallway between us. The guards check the locks one last time and head out the doors toward the source of the siren.
Then we’re alone.
“Hey,” Darvok says quietly. He sits with slumped shoulders, looking at me. “I’m...” he starts. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” is all I can offer in response.
I take a deep breath through my nose. I have to think. Getting upset? Getting emotional right now? It would spell doom for both of us. Instead, I focus on the ore and how we might get it back. I’m not sure why or how, but I know it’s our ticket out of here. If we have the ore on our side, we might just stand a chance.
We sit in silence for who knows how long. There’s no windows, no way to tell the passage of time. I must have fallen asleep at some point because I wake up later, groggy and aching from sleeping on the cold stone floor.
I look over at Darvok’s compartment. He’s sleeping too, or at least, I hope he’s sleeping. The guards moved so fast when they threw him in there and subdued him. They could have drugged him or something, to weaken him. I wouldn’t put it past them.
Footsteps echo down the corridor and I freeze. They’re coming back.
The footsteps grow closer and I soon see that it’s only one guard. Probably sent to check on us, no doubt. It’s hard to describe how I know, but I feel a pull in the guard’s direction, like someone or something wants me to look there. When I focus my eyes just right, I can see the pale pink glow in the guard’s pocket. So close. The Imala is there, calling to me. If the guard came closer and I reached out through the bars, I could almost grab it. Almost.
But I need a distraction.
I swallow the lump in my throat and sit up straighter. Now is the time to put my plan into action.
I exaggerate a cough and clear my throat. He looks my way, raising an eyebrow.
“What’s going on in there?”
“Please,” I rasp in my most gravelly voice. “I need some water...”
“We’re under direct orders to...”
“You don’t want to have to explain to Krevith, or the buyer, why you’re transporting damaged goods, do you?” It turns my stomach to even say those words, but I manage to get them out.
“Hmm...” He narrows his eyes at me and his hand moves toward the blaster on his hip. I hold my breath.
“Just a little water, is all.” I give him my sweetest, most innocent smile.
For a horrible moment, I think he’s seen right through my ruse. That he’s going to stun me with that gun of his, or worse, call in reinforcements. But after a time, his face softens, and he relents. “Fine. But no tellin’ the boss I helped ya.”
The moment he turns his back to pick up the water pitcher against the wall, I slip my hand through the bars. Blood rushes through my ears and I hold my br
eath. My dainty hand slips into his pocket ever so gently. Then my fingers close around the ore.
Warmth flashes through my body, like reuniting with a long-lost sibling. There’s no time to celebrate, though. The guard turns around and I yank my hand away, shoving the stone under me and giving him my best poker face.
He looks tired, a little annoyed, but none the wiser.
Keep it cool, I repeat in my head. Just until he leaves, keep it cool...
“Happy?” He shoves the water at me and I take a quick sip, letting it quench my dry throat before continuing. “Thank you, sir.” I bow my head in what I hope looks like a gesture of deference.
The guard sniffs, then nods, putting his hands behind his back. “All right then. No more funny business from you two. The buyer’s just upstairs; he’ll be down soon.” With that, he saunters off.
I let out a long-held breath and my body goes slack. The weight of the stone beneath my leg presses into me, connecting me with its mystical energy somehow. Even though I’m not from Darvok’s planet, our ‘mating’ ritual seems to have unlocked something in me.
I can’t believe I’ve actually done it.
When the door thuds closed, I grasp the stone again, bringing it up to my face. It gives off a warm pink light, fluttering against the cold stone walls of the cell. “So this is what’s so special,” I murmur, staring into its faceted depths.
There’s only one problem. Darvok’s still unconscious, and I don’t know how to use the stone. I need to get it to him, but he’s across the hall, too far to reach.
I briefly entertain the idea of throwing the stone at him. Maybe that would wake him up? But the idea of the stone missing, or falling outside the cell, or the guards coming back to steal it away once more is too terrible to risk.
I’ve got to figure out something, and fast.
20
Darvok
