S’skree were the shortest species in the Coalition – but pound for pound, they were also the strongest.
And he was no slouch in a fight either. Not to say that he hadn’t gotten hit. There was a cut along his chest that made the top part of his jumpsuit slip down, showing the black, short sleeved shirt he wore underneath and the whirling designs on his arms. He’d also been cut across his arm and part of his chest, but the bleeding wasn’t too bad, and it didn’t seem to be affecting his ability to fight.
Garnet leaned on the railing, looking down. Shamelessly enjoying the show. The way his muscles bunched and moved with each powerful strike. His quills were all sticking up, a thorny crown that set him apart from the others. And they weredefinitelysharp, as some fool found out when he tried to jump on him from behind and all Tanin had to do was slam his head backward. He didn’t even have to do it hard. The guy immediately released his grip, screaming and reaching for his face. Three of his five white eyes were bleeding profusely, along with the multitude of slices over his lips, cheeks, nose, and jaw.
That was kind of hot.
Tanin pulled back his fist, knuckle claws dulled with the blood already staining them, and slammed it into someone’s chest, sending him flying. He knocked down two others, four huge gashes dug right into their armor.
That was kind of hot too.
Garnet bit her lip, shifting her thighs together, shamelessly enjoying watching her male absolutely wreck their collective shit.
What was really impressive to her, however, was that no one was dying. His control was absolutely impeccable. He knew just how long to tighten the noose of his ribbon around someone’s throat until they passed out without strangling them to death or breaking their neck. He knew exactly how hard to hit in order to hurt, even maim, but not kill.
Absolute and total control. And that was the hottest part of all.
In all the times he’d touched her, moved her, male-handed her, he was holding back. Maintaining strict control. He knew exactly how much force to apply. He knew how to be gentle. He wouldn’t let her get hurt, especially not because of him.
If he said she didn’t need to be afraid of his barbs, she believed him.
Tanin took someone down, slamming his elbow into the back of their neck, sending them crashing to the floor in a groaning pile. He turned, ready, but there was no one left around. He and the twins had beaten so many, those who were left unharmed had already run, leaving their maimed and beaten comrades behind, abandoned.
Tanin looked up then, catching sight of her. His eyes were blazing. His ribbon was loosely circled around his wrist, the end trailing to the ground. He was a bloody mess. Quills still standing up. Muscles pulsing with blood and effort from the fight.
She wanted to fuck him. Right now. Exactly how he was. And that was absolutely crazy, because he was covered in sweat and blood, but she didn’t care. She wanted him so badly, she didn’t care if his dick barbs did stab her a little bit. She just had to hold him tight and not let go until they went down again, right?
Tanin turned his gaze back down, focusing on the twins. “Get this trash off of my ship. Alred, what’s your status?”
“I switched the air flow on their ship, taking their fresh oxygen. Everyone is unconscious now. I’ve got a course charted that will take them far from us when we disconnect.”
“Good,” Tanin grunted. “Wait until we get all of them back on board.”
“Aye, captain,” Alred responded, his voice stiff as his attention was split in too many different ways. He didn’t seem concerned about anyone overhearing. Or even still capable of overhearing. It looked like the twins had cut off at least one person’s ear. And Garnet didn’t know if that was a deliberate choice they made or just an accident.
Regardless, there was no one dead as the twins and Tanin worked together to drag their victims to the other ship and throw them inside.
It actually didn’t take that long. The twins could each drag one person at a time, but Tanin could haul two. They worked together to quickly clear the room of bodies – plus or minus a few parts that Garnet was choosing not to focus on.
And the moment they finished, Alred finally let the door slide shut. The other ship was detached quickly, and the other side went totally quiet. The vacuum of space didn’t carry sound, but she could picture the unknown ship on the other side, following whatever course Alred had plotted for it. She imagined Alred had to have switched the air back to normal before he left since, otherwise, he would have just killed an entire ship.
But if he didn’t, he could have killed a lot of people, she realized. He had the ability to, with almost no effort, end so many lives just like that. No chance for them to fight back. And the only reason he didn’t was because Tanin told him not to. It was crazy to think that happy-go-lucky yellow guy could so effortlessly become a ruthless killer.
Or maybe he already was. She didn’t know anything specific about their past, just that it was bad.
And just like that, the room was silent again, the scent of blood still acrid in the air. The twins were stretching, like they’d just finished a good workout.
Tanin was coming to her.
Garnet stood straight, mouth watering, nipples tingling, pussy burning, as he climbed the steep ladder like stairs to the second level. This must be what a princess felt like when she saw her knight returning from slaying the dragon.
Tanin came to a halt in front of her. His quills slowly coming down. There was a scrape across his high cheekbone she hadn’t seen before, and three long scratches on his neck, like someone had tried to grab him there but was ripped away.
Tanin tilted his head, staring down at her before saying softly, “You keep looking at me like that, and I won’t hold back anymore.”
Garnet, smirking, reached for him. She hooked her fingers right there in the opening of his ruined jumpsuit. She pulled with just a little pressure. Obligingly, he stepped forward, caging her in against the railing, filling her space with the spicy scent of him. His sweat, the blood, the heat coming off his body fogged her brain and made her heart race.
“Stop holding back,” she said, belly dipping with a mix of nervousness and excitement that was as thrilling as it was frightening.
