Rosalie checks it over. The mating mix courses higher. I think I might explode at the sight of my mate handing her weapon.
“Okay, so what the hell is going on?” she asks.
“It’s a trap.”
“Obviously.” She lifts her shoulders. “How do we get out of it, and how do we get your crew back?”
“We need to get back to the scout ship and not suffer the same fate as my crew.” I scan the bridge carefully.
“You mean we’re leaving them?”
“Whoever or whatever set this trap wants them, and us, alive.” I spot what I need and stride across to the cabinet, pulling it open and pulling out the contents. “They will not do anything to my crew, probably, other than leave them with headaches.”
“What about…the other thing?” Rosalie says, joining me as she watches the items coming out, hooked on my claws. “The Kursarkarnii thing.”
I look at her and grin.
“While we might need to keep ourselves as ourselves on Vorostor, anyone who thinks they can control a Sarkarnii is sure to get a significant surprise taking my crew.”
I find what I’m looking for, pulling out the grav-suit and holding it up against Rosalie.
“Not going to fit,” I grumble, peering inside the now empty container.
“I’ll make it fit.” It’s her turn to grin at me. “I’m good at that.”
I am already stuffed with mating mix, but even so, it would appear my glands can make more and my cock is already unpouched. It is not a distraction I need, but the more my sweet mate becomes my feral mate, the more I want to bite her…again.
Rosalie pulls the suit on, pulling the straps tight around her. It makes the thing lumpy, but it should still work. I hand her the helmet.
“My apologies, my sweet mate. I do not know what species used this last.”
“What exactly is the plan?” She peers inside and wrinkles her pretty nose.
“I am going to make a new exit. We can get back to the scout ship that way.”
“A new exit?” Her gorgeous eyebrows knit together. “How?”
“The Dante way.” I pop the helmet onto her head, hearing the hiss as it seals itself with the suit moments before I get my two star-pulsar pistols from their holsters.
The first bolt cracks the bulkhead and atmosphere vents violently. The second bolt blows a hole in the side of the ship, instantly sucking both Rosalie and me out into space. I shift to my Sarkarnii form, spinning around in order to capture my mate in my claws. It appears the suit is doing what it needs to do, although her eyes are so large, I think she might not have realized what the plan was.
As ice begins to form on me, I use the momentum from the venting atmosphere to propel us down the side of the pirate ship, back towards ours. Using my accelerant, I release bursts of it in order to get us to the airlock, where I quickly shove Rosalie inside. As I close it up, I nod at her. Rosalie slams her hands on the window, and this time her eyes are filled with anger.
I want to tell her I will never leave her, like she refused to leave me, but without comms, it isn’t possible. All I can do is prove it to her.
As I pull myself along the outside of the ship to where we’re tethered to the pirate ship, there is a strange shimmer in space immediately above me. If I wasn’t sure there are no wormholes in this galaxy, I’d be certain what I’ve seen is the aftermath of one.
A pulsar bolt singes the shoulder of my wing. It would seem we are not as alone as it seemed. Diving down below the ships, I find the manual release catch and, with some difficulty due to my claws, I pull it into the open position. With a tremendous venting of atmosphere, the two ships slowly pull apart. Paw over paw, I climb up to the airlock and attempt to get inside.
Sarkarnii are able to survive in the emptiness of space, for a while. I am pushing myself to my very limits as I slam my head against the airlock.
But it doesn’t open.
Instead, the lights inside flicker off.
What is in the ship with my mate?
The feeling is starting to go in my wings and tail as more and more ice forms on me. My accelerant will keep my core going for longer, but I have to find another way inside before I shut down completely.
