The other three humans had managed to get their hands on some surgical equipment: blades, clamps, and long needles. They advanced on him, and Rykal grinned, his fangs protruding from his lipless mouth.
He was the perfect embodiment of a monster right now, and for once, he embraced it.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Screams bounced off the cold white walls of her cubicle. Blood splattered against the clear glass of the window that separated them, obscuring her vision somewhat.
In a flash, all four humans were dead. Rykal had killed them with his bare hands.
He wasback.
Her fierce, terrifying warrior was back.
Strangely, she didn’t feel any regret for the humans he’d killed. A weird stillness had settled over her. She didn’t feel much of anything. She was cold all over, and she was willing Rykal on.
Arin watched the terrible tableau play out before her. She could do nothing but watch, even as Rykal dropped to his knees beside one of the corpses, facing away from her.
She couldn’t quite see what he was doing anymore; he was below her line of sight.
She heard crunching and squelching, as if he were tearing through flesh and bone.
At last, Arin turned away, staring up at the ceiling as she granted Rykal a brief moment of privacy, because whatever he was doing, she suspected he wouldn’t want her to see it.
Not that she cared. Survival wasn’t always pretty.
Arin closed her eyes and thought about Earth. The brief time she’d spent on Nova Terra before returning to theHendrix IIhad reminded her how good it felt to be on home soil. The sunshine and the salty sea air had evoked a strong sense of nostalgia.
Just a few minutes ago, she’d thought she’d never see Earth again.
She began to shiver. It was more than just the cold air brushing against her bare skin. Arin wasn’t the sort to cry easily or give in to her vulnerabilities; she’d been the leader of a squad on a remote mining station, she’d done her job damn well, and she could hold her own against any soldier.
But the way she’d been treated just now had evoked some powerful memories, memories she’d tried so hard to bury.
“Arin.” A soft, familiar voice dragged her back into the present, and it was the best thing she’d heard in her entire life.
“Rykal?” Her voice trembled. She sounded so weak; so vulnerable, and she hated that, but her body wouldn’t stop shaking.
“I’m here.”
She hesitated, not wanting to open her eyes just yet. She didn’t know what she’d see. It wasn’t that she was afraid;neverthat. It was just that she didn’t want to see the full extent of Rykal’s suffering.
He didn’t speak again, but she could feel his presence, even though he was as silent as ever. The first thing he did was pull down the thin gown she wore so it covered her groin and thighs, preserving her modesty.
Then his hands, bare and smooth and intact, were sliding over her wrists.
He grunted and snapped the restraint over her right wrist as if it were nothing more than brittle plastic. He brushed his fingers over the tender area where the restraint had dug into her skin, a low growl issuing from his throat.
He did the same with her left wrist, before moving to her ankles. Arin moved her arms experimentally. She was a little stiff, but otherwise okay.
After her legs were freed, he moved to her side, wiping the tracks of her tears with the soft pads of his thumbs. His gentle movements were in stark contrast to the room full of bodies he’d left behind.
“Open your eyes, Arin. It’s only me.”
Slowly, she did just that, blinking against the harsh light.
Rykal’s face swam into view, the bright white light forming a halo around his moonlight-crowned head.
She gasped.
