“I’ve got this.” My mate smoothly released me and entrapped the now fleeing Hydrassian before it could escape. “Just let me handle it.”
Commander Babygirl is reporting for duty I see…
To my immense disappointment, Micah didn’t reel in our prey to finish him off. I was partially appeased when, instead, he swung his tendrils and slammed the Hydrassian into a nearby metal wall so hard, it bent.
Hot.
“Whoops!” My mate winced before clearing his throat and rallying. “Who are you working for? Tell us, and maybe we won’t kill you.”
Slightly less hot.
“Micah…” I sighed. “I already told you. They were hired by?—”
“The Irathians,” our captive croaked before one of their heads swiveled to the last one I killed. “We are unsure who sent the others.”
WHAT?!
The Irathians may have terrified lesser species, but they were barely a blip on Stellaria’s radar. They also had never struck me as intelligent enough for strategic thinking, so the idea of them attacking my planet while simultaneously sending a mercenary after us…
No.
This mercenary was already here.
They all were.
They’re everywhere…
“We need to leave, Micah.” I kept my tone calm while unleashing dozens of tendrils to search the area for more lurking opportunists. “Now.”
My mate froze before nodding hurriedly. “Okay, so what do I…” His gaze drifted to the trapped Hydrassian before he swallowed hard.
Oh, sunshine.
One of things I respected most about Micah was his natural affinity tohelpinstead ofharm.It wasn’t an ideal trait for a mercenary to possess, but I had no intention of making him change who he was.
I’m happy to be the cold-blooded killer in this partnership.
Secure in our roles, I neatly ended our final opponent then grabbed my sputtering—and blood-covered—mate in one tendril, snatched the golden ‘nanny bot’ in another, and star hopped us back to our ship.
14
ZIGGY
“What is the point of me saying we might let them live if you just kill everyone we interrogate?”
I finished rinsing shampoo from my Earthling hair before peering around the frosted partition of the Lodger’s single occupancy shower stall.
Single occupancy despite my best efforts.
“The point is that they tell us more if they think they might be released.” When Micah’s pinched expression told me it had been a rhetorical question, I sighed. “I allowed the lone survivor of Theo’s massacre to live.”
And Theo, let’s not forget.
It was Micah’s turn to sigh as he refocused on bathing Pedro in the large basin we’d apparently bought for this purpose.
I thought it was to hold my weapons.
My mate had handed me the baby sling upon arrival before practically throwing himself in the shower, muttering about “itchy trigger fingers” while he aggressively scrubbed himself clean.
