Zecri: Stolen Warriors #4

by Maven, Ella

He said I was his mission; well, he was my mission too. No way would I let him relive the horror he’d experienced here. “Can’t you just…” I inhaled deeply before blurting out. “I’ll work in his place.”

  The entire room went still.

  Riven’s panting breath was hot on my back.

  Wargo slowly turned on her heel to narrow her eyes at me over her shoulder.

  “I’ll—”

  “Sit the fleck down and shut your mouth, female,” Zecri growled.

  My knees wobbled at the sound of his voice. A chain slapped the ground and then a Pliken guard was shoved out of the way. In his place stood Zecri, his hands still chained at the wrist. He glared at me with so much venom I swore I’d been poisoned. “Sit. Down,” he snarled.

  I sat. Mostly because I didn’t have the strength to stand anymore. Why wouldn’t he let me make a sacrifice for him? “Z—”

  He shoved another guard with his shoulder. “Let’s go.” As he turned, I was faced with his scarred back. I’d seen it before, but now that I knew more about what his life had been like, the sight was a punch to the gut.

  “I’m going to be sick,” I whispered to myself. I couldn’t handle this, knowing he was being walked off to Hell. If it wasn’t for us, he never would have stayed and been caught.

  He would have fled before the guards ever came. He would have been in the right mind to fight and flee without the burden of me and Riven.

  “Please,” I protested as they shuffled him toward the door.

  Wargo snorted. “Kilzer won’t let me put you to work, but if you want it that badly, maybe I’ll have to ask him about your price.”

  Riven clung to my back as they marched Zecri out the door. When it slammed shut behind them, I let the tears fall.

  Five

  Zecri

  Stubborn human. Wargo knew Drixonians, so she would be aware I’d do anything to prevent either Sybil or Riven from getting hurt. But I didn’t want her to know we felt any real affection for each other. Sybil offering herself… just the memory of her words made me want to slam my fist through the wall. What had she been thinking? I’d be fine. I would always be fine. Wargo hadn’t broken me then and she wouldn’t break me now.

  I trudged after her, thinking I was going to have to change our plan.

  Sybil wouldn’t be able to get the key on her own, and she should stay focused on protecting Riven. I’d have to get free the same way I did last time, which I’d been hoping to avoid. I didn’t enjoy killing everything in my path, but sometimes it was necessary.

  Sybil’s voice kept filtering into my brain and messing with my thoughts. I could still feel the lingering warmth of her hand on my face. Why had she touched me like that? What did she want from me? I told her I’d get them to safety, and I would. Bonding to a human worked for Rexor, Mikko, and Fenix, my Drixonian warrior friends who’d long left this planet on their own mission.

  Hopefully, they were happy now, living a promising life with their mates. But that wasn’t for me. Fatas would not use me for that. I was like an empty ship ready for transport, but I certainly wasn’t a long-term living space.

  I shook my head. I needed to get Sybil’s big blue eyes and Riven’s warm purple ones out of my head. Now was not the time to get caught up on sentimental emotions. Especially around Wargo. One sign of weakness and she’d pounce. I had to be me. Zecri. Not whatever the Drixonian who had been back there in the room with Sybil, talking about dreams of all things.

  We reached Wargo’s door, and the guards led me inside. The room hadn’t changed much since the last time I’d been here. There was still a massive pile of bedding as the focal point of the room. Various torture instruments lay around… of the sexual variety.

  She never used those on me.

  I got the real torture. The whipping which had nothing to do with intimacy and everything to do with power and punishment. All Wargo had ever wanted from me was obedience and loyalty, and all she ever got was cold indifference. Graven had been almost kind to her, maybe because he sought to make up for me, but she’d never cared about him beyond what czens he made for her with his body.

  As for me… I’d always felt she had a bit of an obsession that made my skin crawl. But even showing her hate was giving her too much credit. The only time she’d seen an extreme emotion from me was when she hit Sybil. And that worried me. What would she do to Sybil or Riven to get a rise out of me?

  The guards pushed me down into a chair and then stepped away quickly. I stared straight ahead as Wargo opened a drawer in her desk and pulled out a familiar box. My hands curled into fists and my claws extended to dig into my palms as she opened the lid. The sound of the creaking hinge sent a spike of panic down my spine, but I concealed it as I always did. My cora raced, and I fought not to react as she picked up a small syringe of green liquid.

  There was nothing I hated more in this entire galaxy then the feel of that needle plunging into my skin. That poison in my veins forced my body to do things I didn’t want. Soon my cock would fill and harden, but I wouldn’t feel any desire or pleasure. I would feel nothing but an empty ache.

  Wargo stepped toward me and tapped the syringe on her palm. “Remember this?”

  I stared at the wall over her shoulder.

  She pulled a chair in front of me and gripped my chin to force eye contact, but I refused. Her grip was nothing like Sybil’s. The human’s had been warm and gentle, while Margo’s was cold and cruel.

  “Should I test if you still have the same reaction?” She leaned so close I could feel her breath on my lips.

  I curled them back to reveal my fangs.

  She smiled and let go of my chin with a jerk before leaning back with a sigh. “Are you still mad at me for selling Graven?”

  I hated she even spoke his name. I gritted my teeth.

  “That’s why you came back, right? You knew Kilzer was coming.” She shook her head. “You see yourself as a savior, don’t you, Zecri?”

  My gaze shifted to hers, and her smile grew.

  “You were Graven’s protector. But you had no idea all he did to protect you. That’s why I had to sell him. I thought taking him away would be the last thing I needed to break you. That didn’t work, but that was my mistake.” Her satisfied smile made my stomach churn. “This is different. Now I have a human female who’s willing to sacrifice herself for you and a Drixonian chit you both would die for.” She leaned forward and lowered her voice. “Want to hear my plan? I’m going to kill Kilzer and keep them. I couldn’t control you with Graven, but I can with those females.”

  My lungs tightened. While I was able to keep my face blank, I couldn’t halt the panic growing in my chest like a vine, wrapping around my throat until my chest shuddered as I fought to breathe.

  “This time, I’m keeping you for me,” she whispered as she brushed her fingers along my cheek. “So be good for me, and I’ll be good to you and those females. Be bad to me and…” her hand slapped my cheek with a vicious blow. My head whipped to the side and for a moment my vision went blurry. “And they’ll be the ones to pay. Understand?”

  Stay strong, Z. You can do this.

  I didn’t acknowledge her words, but the thought of her hands on me, the one thing she’d never done, made my gorge rise in my throat. My skin crawled as her hand slid up my thigh. She held up the syringe and drew it toward my neck. “Be good,” she whispered.

  I had to endure for just this rotation. Then I’d form a new plan. I’d get out of here with Sybil and Riven. I tried to imagine it was Sybil’s hand on my thigh, and her breath on my lips.

  So, don’t you have your own dreams?

  No, because this was why. I never got what I wanted. I had been used too many times as a tool to see myself as anything other than that.

  I felt the needle prick my skin just as a loud commotion sounded from the hallway outside. Wargo jerked back, the full syringe still in her hand. “What’s going on?”

  Screams followed, and my eyes jerked open as I pricked u
p my ears. Was that Sybil? Riven? I made to stand, but the guards behind me shoved me back down. Wargo narrowed her eyes at me for a moment before standing. “Let’s go,” she said to the black-haired Pliken. “You two stay with him and make sure he doesn’t move.”

  They ran out the door and slammed it shut behind them. The sound of a full-on fight came from somewhere deep in the bowels of Fisk. I could hear the meaty thuds of fists on flesh and wounded cries. But Sybil’s voice wasn’t there. I’d recognize it. I hoped she knew well enough to stay in the room with Riven.

  Long moments passed, and the fight seemed to escalate with crashing furniture and the clashing of glass breaking. The guards behind me shifted uneasily. “What do you think’s going on?” asked one.

  “Should we go see?”

  “Wargo told us to stay with him.”

  “He’s chained to the floor. What can he do?”

  A snort followed. “You weren’t here when he showed up a few rotations ago. He can do a fleck of a lot, so shut up and stay alert.”

  As quietly and with as little movements as I could, I tested how much give was in the chains. My wrists were locked together, but I could lift my elbows just enough I’d be able to slam my machets in their guts. But then what? I’d still be chained to this flecking floor—

  The door flew open, and in flew a whirlwind of yellow hair. The guards behind me went stiff, and the figure came to a skidding halt, panting as if she’d just run from the moon. In one hand, she clutched a ring of keys. Sybil stared at me and then the guards behind me before muttering in a harsh whisper. “Oh shit.”

  * * *

  Sybil

  Creating a distraction was easier than I thought. This entire place was full of toxic masculinity so pitting two males against each other was a piece of cake. As soon as Zecri left, I sprang into action. I’d never left Riven alone, not even for a moment, but this was an emergency. I told her to hide in the cleanser and I’d be back as soon as I could.

  “Sibbie, are you going to save Zecri?” she asked, clutching my hand. “Can I help?”

  “You’ll help by staying safe,” I said. “Now go.”

  “Are you helping him?” she called after me as I dashed toward the door.

  I gave her a firm nod over my shoulder. “I’m sure as hell going to try.” I made a shooing motion toward the cleanser. “Go!”

  She hurried over to the cleanser and shut the door behind her. They hadn’t bothered to lock the door now that Zecri was gone.

  I turned the knob and opened the door a crack. The hallway was clear, so I exited and shut it behind me. Creeping down the hall, I made my way to the set of stairs.

  The main room downstairs was full of clients and pleasure slaves. Females of all kinds and some males lined the walls in slinky clothing, and I had to shake my head to get the image of Zecri and Graven standing amongst them out of my mind. I would have loved to save them all, but my priority was Riven and Zecri.

  I brushed my hair over my face to hide my human features as much as I could, so I didn’t draw attention to myself. Hiding behind a large alien with yellow skin, I descended the stairs and eyed my targets. There were two large groups of aliens sitting at tables near each other.

  I vaguely knew of the aliens. At one table sat a few Polix, a prideful species who could be vicious when needed. The other was a table Dujzer, a species with a low IQ and a whole lot of aggression. They would be my targets.

  I grabbed a tray leaning on the wall and began to circle the room, clearing tables of empty bottles and food. I snuck a few untouched leftovers into my pocket for Riven and shoved a tein bar in my mouth. As I reached the table of Dujzer, they were visibly affected by the sloshing spirits in their mugs.

  I smiled behind my hair. One Dujzer stood up, announcing loudly he had to take a piss. As he walked by the table full of drunk Polix, I discreetly gave him a little shove with my shoulder. One of his back spikes slammed into the head of a Polix and blood spurted.

  I clapped my hand over my mouth to stifle my gasp. Okay, I hadn’t meant for that to happen. I just wanted a little fight. As the Dujzer whirled around to find who’d bumped into him, I quickly ducked into a dark alcove in the wall.

  “I’m bleeding!” Howled the Polix.

  “What’s this for?” One of his mates jumped to his four feet.

  The Dujzer shook his head in confusion. “I didn’t—”

  “Fleck you, that was a cheap shot. Who punches from behind?”

  “I said—”

  A Polix stood up next to his bleeding friend. “Fight me face to face!”

  The Dujzer, not one to back down to a challenge, raised his clawed hands. “It’s on.”

  And that was how the fight started. And what a fight it was. Both tables went at it, and before I knew it, almost the whole room joined in.

  Wargo and her black-haired Pliken guard tore down the stairs, and as they walked by my hidden alcove, I reached out and tore the key ring from the guard’s belt. Clutching it in my hand, I crept unnoticed from the room amid the massive bar fight and raced upstairs to find Zecri.

  I ignored most of the rooms on the second floor, as they were used for clients. A large double door at the end of the hallway drew my attention. Was that where Wargo had taken Zecri? There weren’t many rooms in this place. Hauling ass, I burst through the doors, my hair flying in my face, and came to an abrupt stop.

  My excitement at seeing Zecri quickly diminished as the two Pliken guards at his back dropped their jaws in surprise at my entrance.

  “Oh shit,” I mumbled. In my desperation to the get the key to free him from the chains, I hadn’t considered he’d be guarded. And I’d have to get through this guards first.

  I swallowed and reached for the nearest weapon I could find, which was a fire poker. Brandishing it in front of me, I tried to set my face to scary mode.

  The Plikens looked amused and drew long sabers from their belts.

  The light of the fire glinted off the metal.

  My bravery fled.

  Then a quiet murmur drew my attention. “Just stay out of the way.”

  I glanced at Zecri, who sat with his wrists cuffed together and a chain bolting them to the floor. “What?”

  Suddenly he was a blue blur of motion. His black machets unleashed from his forearms as he slammed back one arm into the stomach of the Pliken behind him, then the other. Blood flowed from their wounds as they stumbled backward. Sabers clattered to the ground. “Quick,” he yanked on his wrist cuffs. “Unlock me.”

  While the Plikens tried to hold in their guts, I slid to the floor in front of Zecri on my knees. The ring was full of keys, all different shapes and sizes. I had no idea which one would free him.

  Fumbling, I began trying one key after another, keeping one eye on the gasping Plikens. One managed to find his feet again and stumbled toward a saber.

  Zecri kicked it out of the way before sending his boot into the Pliken’s face. The other Pliken grabbed for his saber, but his blood-slick hands kept slipping on the handle.

  My palms were damp with sweat, and my heart felt like it was going to explode out of my chest. “Shit, shit,” I cursed as the key ring slipped from my fingers.

  “Focus,” Zecri said, his dark purple eyes catching my gaze. “You can do this.”

  Right, I could do this. I jammed a long dingy key into the lock at his wrists and nearly wept when I heard a tell-tale click. The lock fell to the floor with a thunk, and Zecri rose from the chair to his full height, every inch the avenging Drixonian warrior.

  He turned, his hair swirling like something out of a movie and grabbed a Pliken saber from the ground. He slashed at the neck of one before plunging it into the chest of the other. Rattling death gasps filled the room as he reached for my hand and hauled me toward the door.

  “So much for a quiet exit,” I murmured.

  “Where’s Riven?”

  “I had her hide in the cleanser.”

  “You left her?” he asked as we took of
f down the hallway.

  “I didn’t have a choice. Don’t judge how I managed to get you free. I didn’t hear a thank you, by the way.”

  A muscle in his jaw ticked. “Thank you.”

  I grunted. “You’re welcome.”

  The sounds of the fighting had somewhat dimmed. “What happened down there?” he asked.

  My chest puffed out. “Never underestimate the power of spirits and testosterone.”

  He raised a nubbed brow over his shoulder at me before shoving open the door to our room.

  “Riven!” I called out.

  She burst out of the cleanser door in a flail of limbs and dark hair. “Sibbie! I heard the noise downstairs and worried.” She skidded to a halt when she saw Zecri. Grabbing his hand, she beamed up into his face. “You got him free.”

  “And now it’s time for all of us to get free,” he said.

  “Do I need to create another diversion?” I glanced at the door to our room. It would be risky, but I was sure I could cause another fight somehow.

  He shook his head and grabbed a few supplies and leftover food from our room before piling them into the center of the bedding furs. After tying the four corners in a makeshift pack, he hauled it over his shoulder. “We’re going out that way.” He pointed to the window.

  I stared at it. “I’m sorry, what?” While we were on the second floor, Pliken buildings consisted of ten-to-twelve-foot floors.

  Covering his hand with a balled-up blanket from the corner of the room, he slammed his fist into the window. The shards shattered to the ground below. He poked his head out before ducking back inside. “I’m going out first. Riven jumps next. Then you.”

  “You want us to jump? Zecri, I’m not a Drixonian and—”

  He let out an annoyed sound in his throat. “I’m going to catch you.”

  “Catch—?”

  Except he wasn’t there to answer my question. Without another word, he leapt out the window like Spider-Man. I rushed over to the ledge to see him landing smoothly in a crouch below before spinning to his feet. He beckoned to me. “Riven now. Quick!”