At the same time, I desperately want him to survive. Not only have I grown fond of him, but he might be the only person here who has the ability to save the other nurses. Sure, I might be able to kill the Magistrate, but that’s as far as I’ll get. The second that bastard’s bleeding out, the guards will make sure I’m right behind him. But Vexar has a much better chance of survival. He might just be my HailMary.
I clear my throat and take a deep breath, knowing that what I’m about to say will kick off a series of events entirely out of my control. Meeting his gaze, I ask, “Even if those repercussions are my immediate execution?”
He stiffens. Brows drop. And a ghost of rage crosses his face. “What do you mean?”
The tension drains from me.
He doesn’t know.
13
MAKE HIM BLEED
VEXAR
ISIT UP, gritting my teeth against the pain as I try to remain calm, but the rapid hammering of Amara’s heart has me on edge. Wide brown eyes lock on mine. Fear pulses in the air between us. But she is not afraid ofme.
“Who wants to execute you?” I ask.
She doesn’t answer, but I need to know. I need to knowwho. I feel like little more than an arrow, waiting to be aimed. I feel dangerous. Deadly. Entirely out of control and very unlike myself. When I learned about theZhyrrak, a loss of control was never mentioned. It was always said to be the opposite. And yet I feel less in control now than I ever have before.
Realizing I may be overwhelming her, I adjust my tone and say gently, “I am sorry. Please, tell me what you meant.”
She takes a deep breath and shifts slightly, gripping her hands together and resting them on the edge of the bed. “I never told you how I got here,” she whispers. Her eyes are glassy and distant, and her anxiety is palpable. It lingers in the air like electricity, tingling across my tongue and drying my mouth.
“How did you get here?” I ask.
She swallows. “I was on Earth, staying in a little apartmentwhile I figured out what to do after leaving the military, and one night, I went to bed and woke up … on a ship. A spaceship.”
My blood chills as her words sink in.
“The ship was full of people—or aliens? No one was there because they wanted to be.”
My claws bite into my palms, but the pain is so distant I hardly notice.
“They took them … uh, us. And sold—” She chokes on the words as her eyes well with tears. “We were…”
She cannot say it, but she does not have to. My mind spins, thoughts colliding and clashing in a swirl of utter chaos.
Theytookher.
“Vok, Amara,” I say, sliding a hand over my mouth. “You are not here by choice?”
“No.” Her eyes drift over my face, and I can feel her gauging my response. “I was sold to the Coliseum and I can’t leave.”
The metallic taste of blood coats my tongue. I must have bitten it. Both my hearts pound violently, twin hammers against an anvil. How could this have happened? There are laws to prevent this; laws that should have protected her. But theytookher.Soldher. How? Who?
“What did they look like?” I ask, fearing her answer. “The people who took you.”
Her eyes drop to the edge of the mattress as her hands squeeze together. “They were humanoid. Grayish skin.”
No.
“Slim bodies, and big, dark eyes.”
No.
“That’s all I really remember.”
