SEVEN
BIG, MONSTROUS NAGA
Sabrina
With a screamon my part and a quick burst of movement on his, the naga catches me mid-air by the material across my shoulders, ending my escape attempt as swiftly as it began. I jerk backward, and my shirt bunches and pulls in his hands as I slide toward the ground, the cloth tugging at me, ripping in his claws. I scream again, kicking my legs backward, but he twists his tail out of the way, throwing me away from him before I can deal any damage.
I land on my feet. Stumbling forward several steps, I catch my balance and pivot to face him, shaking out my hair and body to regain some shred of dignity. I wince from the pain in my head but try not to let it show, flattening my features as I widen my stance and brace for his next move.
The naga grabs the rope dangling from my wrists with his tailtip and hauls me upward before I even have time to notice him move, yanking my arms above my head. Istruggle to catch the rope with my fingers and hold on before my feet leave the ground.
“Oww!” I yell, trying not to sway and hurt my wrists further. Rubbed raw from all my struggling earlier, the pain is far from pleasant.
The naga lowers the rope enough to let my feet touch the ground. Tugging my arms, I ignore the chafing sting as I try to regain control of them, but he keeps the rope pulled taut. Growling, I pull harder, hoping to make him work for it.
He doesn’t have to work at all. There’s not even a wrinkle of effort lining his otherwise smooth features. It looks like subduing me takes no effort whatsoever on his part.
This is the one thing I hate most about males of my species, and now his—it’s not biologically fair that they get to be bigger than their female counterparts. It’s such a scam.
“I see trying to best you won’t be easy,” I say, huffing out another breath, breaking the silence first.
He peers down, eyeing me curiously. “Besssst me?”
“Beat you in a fight, big guy. How did you learn to speak the common tongue?” I grit, holding back the moan of pain that wants to leave my lips every time the rope jerks my wrists.
He nods at something to his left, and I crane my neck to see what’s there, spotting a white ball that was hidden behind a boulder upon my first perusal. I also see one of my knives on the ground near it. Good to know. “The ball…” I narrow my eyes at it, “taught you?”
“Yessss.”
Is the ball a radio? Is he speaking to someone through it? An AI?
Whatever it is, I want it. If he has old technology that still works and he knows where more of it is... That could beThe Wreck’sticket off this planet and back to civilization. Finding a silver lining to my capture, I flick my eyes back to him. “Please release me. The rope is hurting my wrists. I promise I won’t run or attack you…” I lie, knowing now that he’s intelligent enough to be reasoned with.
His gaze lifts to my hands and to the red skin starting to bead with blood in some parts. He grunts and lets the rope go slack, freeing my arms to drop in front of me. “You are hurt.”
“Yeah. Itreallyhurts,” I lie again, emphasizing the discomfort. Sure, I’m in pain, but it isn’t anything I can’t deal with until I’m somewhere safe. I’ve had worse. Way worse.
Slithering forward, he cuts the rope off of me with his claws. The rough material slips from my skin to the floor, and I immediately pull my hands to my chest to protect the wounds. “You’re going to let me go?” I take a step back.
He tenses, and I go still again.
“Do not try anything and I will not have to restrain you.”
I cock my head toward the tunnel he emerged from. “And if I try to run?”
“I will stop you.”
Eyeing him warily, I ask, “So, what are you going to do to me then? If you won’t let me go?”
I might as well know what I’m in for…Because who knows what he wants? Although I’ve been captured and hurt before, it’s an alien being, not a human, who has me this time.
The naga’s ears move like an animal’s, pricking up as if he hears something, and he turns his head slightly to theside. A moment later, the distant sound of a spaceship, followed by several others, can be heard. We’re both quiet as we listen to them fly far overhead.
An idea forms when he looks back at me after the ships pass out of earshot.
“I do not know yet,” he answers. “But I will ssssoon enough.”
I nod and lower to my knees on the ground, making my body as small as possible. “How long?” I ask when he doesn’t elaborate.
