Well, out of inorganic matter.
What I also appreciated was knowing he hadn’t gone far. While Micah’s inherent helpfulness had been taken advantage of by his parents, I tried not to make him feel as if his only worth was what he could offer me. However, at the moment, I needed mypartnerto capture the creature before it escaped.
Strategy in place, I called out to Micah again, explaining I was going to open the grate above the range and that he needed to be ready with an impenetrable cage of some kind.
His reply of affirmation hadourprey cocking its head, almost curiously, but then the movement of my tendrils sliding toward the grate caused it to growl and crouch lower, clearly preparing to pounce—or make a break for it again.
Fuck. This.
I wasn’t what you’d call nurturing on a good day, and with how thin my patience was, I honestly didn’t care to make this entrapment easier on the source of my irritation.
Striking before it could, I wrapped a tendril around my prey, pinning its front limbs against its body, holding the writhing, snarling creature in place as I turned my attention to removing the grate.
A rapid grinding filled the cramped space—like an engine attempting to turn over in an Earth-based automobile—and I could only watch in amazement as the house cat transformed into something incomprehensible.
The fur hanging from its face parted as thick tentacles emerged, and the end of its flicking tail ballooned before a ring of spikes appeared, like a medieval morning star.
Then, it opened its mouth, its jaw hinging wide like a snake swallowing its prey whole, the tiny fangs extending to enormous canines nestled in two rows of equally deadly teeth.
By Stellaria…
I snatched my tendrils away and unleashed a dozen more, sharpening the ends for battle as I debated how to best subdue my opponent.
Unsurprisingly, the creature in question didn’t wait for me to decide. It took one look at my weapons and dove downward, slicing clear through the metal surrounding the range hood grate and disappearing to the kitchen below.
Where my mate is…
Witha battle cry that shook the shredded metal surrounding me, I flew after it, my essence freezing in my proverbial veins to find Micah backed against the wall with the extremely angry asset stalking toward him.
Maybe Iwillkill it after all.
5
MICAH
What the hellisthat thing?
And why is it so cuuuuute?
While my brainknewit was an alien of some kind, I quickly decided it was also a cuddly kitty—albeit, the anime version, able to transform into a deadly monster at any moment.
What else is new around here?
After departing Marox and setting a course for Stellaria, I’d switched to autopilot and taken a closer look at what Ziggy was up to. Yes, he’d mentioned a “vermin” problem, but to a bad bitch like Zig, that could’ve meant anything from a single rat to a horde of Maroxians.
Once I’d determined the only heat signatures were coming from the ventilation system—and just what my man was doing in there was anyone’s guess—I checked on the egg through the live feed of our closed circuit security system.
That’s when I realized I needed to step in.
It wasn’t that I thought Zig couldn’t handle himself—even if I would prefer him to take me onallhis missions—but stalking a helpless baby through the ductwork was not part of the assignment.
That man needs to shape up if we’re ever going to have space babies together!
Ignoring the delulu vision of my Space Daddy becoming arealdaddy, I’d refocused on reality—specifically on the immediate need to stop Zig from killing anyone he shouldn’t.
After disengaging the lockdown doors, I’d hustled along the gangway, following the truly terrifying sounds of pursuit until I reached the kitchen. Picking my way through the various piles of weaponry, I’d tracked the situation to just above the stove’s new range hood, which meant Ziggy had successfully trapped the newborn.
And that went about as well as expected.
