My back was against the canyon wall as I got to my feet. The vorpyr that I’d seen first stood before me. Terror choked me. How had I thought he was beautiful? Now mere feet from me, I could see his fangs as his lips curled back in a snarl, the sharp claws that adorned his powerful hands. I now knew how terrifying it must be for our military fighting them.
It only took me one look to know everything I needed to about the vorpyr male. He was a predator. Powerful, and used to being obeyed. And I was his prey.
“Jacqueline,” Jaron choked the word out and I jerked my head to look in his direction. The blood was now dripping off his chin, and the vorpyr had him pressed tight against the canyon wall, but other than that he still seemed ok.For now.
I racked my brain. There must be something I knew about them that could work as leverage here. Anything.
Too late. Cold, sharp claws gripped my face and I gasped, trying to jerk back and only succeeding in smacking my head against the canyon wall. I didn’t even feel the pain as I stared up into those green eyes. Cold, harsh, judging. I knew without a doubt that he wanted us dead. My only thought was how to get Jaron away from them. The vorpyr’s claws bit into my jaw, his grip painfully tight as he lifted my chin to look at me, but I refuse to allow the whimper that sprung to my lips to pass. I met his eyes, holding his gaze despite my trepidation.
“You thought you would violate our sacred grounds?” His eyes glinted dangerously and his grip tightened painfully on my jaw. “You thought you wouldn’t be caught?”
A low growl came from the other one and while I couldn’t move my face, my gaze darted in that direction. Jaron stared at us with wide eyes, his chest heaving. The vorpyr holding him had his attention on us as well.
The vorpyr was speaking in the intergalactic tongue. It was designed to accommodate all shapes of vocal cords and when a beta program came out on Earth right after humans had made contact with the Intergalactic Oversight Commission, I had been one of the first to sign up. I hadn’t practiced it in a while, ever since the group who’d graduated from the class in my city had given up hope of being able to go out into the galaxy themselves and had stopped meeting. Swallowing, I forced myself to focus.
“We didn’t—” I started, but his grip tightened and I cried out. Could he break my jaw with one hand? Yes, I knew.
“Let her go!” Jaron yelled, thrashing against the beast holding him. But this male wouldn’t know what he was saying.
Tears pricked the back of my eyes. “Jaron don’t…”
The vorpyr holding Jaron curled his lips back in a malicious grin. “Is this your mate, foolish human?” he spit the last two words.
Jaron glared at him. The vorpyr shook him like a rag doll. My six-foot-two-inch broad shouldered brother.
I brought my hands up, pressing on the chest of the vorpyr in front of me. “He doesn’t understand!” I cried. “He didn’t get the language training. But he’s my brother. Please don’t hurt him. Let me explain.”
The male tilted his head down, bending low so we were barely a breath away. His fangs were too close for comfort as he smiled. It was a cruel smile, one that promised there were horrible things to come. He leaned forward even more, so that his lips brushed against my ear. I tensed and a shiver raced up and down my spine at the contact. His warm breath fanned across my neck and my stomach tightened at the terrible intimacy of it.
“There is nothing to explain.” his voice was soft, a gravelly whisper. “You, our enemy, thought to desecrate our sacred grounds. And you will pay for that with your lives.”
He straightened, and two other vorpyr landed behind him. How they moved so gracefully and silently with their large, muscled bodies and grand wings, I didn’t know. And I likely wouldn’t get the chance to find out. I shouldn’t have felt disappointed at that thought. Denial was creeping in, likely accompanied by shock.
He removed his painful grip from my jaw but placed it at my collarbone, pinning me against the rock. He turned so he was sideways and could see the newcomers.
They said something in their language.
Emerald Eyes turned back to me. “How does it feel, little human? Your companions are gone. You’ve been abandoned. We chased them as far as we could go, they engaged their engine core and left the planet.”
My heart sank. The ship had left the planet? Yes, they must have realized they couldn’t take these vorpyr on alone and were calling for reinforcements. I hoped it would arrive soon. At least Tatiana was safe.
“Cowards.” the vorpyr holding Jaron snarled.
“There’s more.” the one reporting changed to the intergalactic tongue and moved his gaze from the leader to me, derision covering his face. “An entire pack of nolykhwere found dead and piled on top of one another like filth. They were killed with bullets and laser strikes.”
A deep growl rumbled in his chest so hard I felt it through his hand against my collarbone. I took a shaky breath, ready to explain.
The sounds of movement, something scraping against rock, wrenched my attention back to Jaron. Whatever had happened was getting him punched in the stomach and slammed against the canyon wall again.
“Stop that!” I cried.
I twisted, rolling under the arm pinning me and breaking free. I rushed at the monster hurting my brother.
A burst of pain lanced through my skull as someone grabbed a fistful of hair. I cried out as I was yanked backwards. My back hit unyielding muscle and a powerful arm wrapped around my waist, caging me as surely as iron bars. The grip on my hair tightened and forced my head back so I looked up at him, neck arching painfully.
A new voice sounded. “Stop hurting them!”
Fresh horror filled me as Tatiana ran out, brandishing a pointed branch.
