Dylan screamed. “Letty!”
The bug took another step toward Aletta, and whatever bravery she had felt fled. What was she thinking? They’d seenthe evidence of what this thing could do, and she wasn’t armed. She had no idea what it was.
Stupid. So fucking stupid.
Aletta turned and started to run toward Dylan, who had sensibly retreated until she was almost at that strange black ship.
They say that time slows when death nears. Aletta had always scoffed at that, but now? She felt like she was running through mud. Like one of those awful dreams where you can’t move and some unknown terror is bearing down on you.
But this terror was real.
“Letty!”
Dylan had been grabbed from behind by one of the goons, her feet kicking as she struggled in his grasp. She had to get to her.
Aletta’s feet pounded on the hard ground of the parking lot, she leaped over a concrete barrier that had once kept shopping carts from careening into customers' cars, and stumbled, landing on one knee.
“Fuck!” She wasted no time getting back to her feet.
“Help!”
Dylan was being dragged backward up the ramp onto the ship. Aletta wasn’t stupid. They were bigger and stronger, but they also weren’t facing down this monster that was chasing after Aletta. They were running from it.
And taking Dylan with them. Well, they could take Aletta, too. No way was she going to be separated from her sister.
There were at least ten yards to go when the monstrous cockroach landed with a loud thump, blocking her way to the ship.
Aletta skidded to a stop, her chest heaving. The monster screeched again, so close its fetid breath blew Aletta’s hair back from her face.
A grinding of cogs in need of oil sounded as the ship’s ramp began to close. The dragonfly wings pumped harder, the fog swirling around the ship like water on the surface of a bath.
“Letty!” Dylan’s terrified cries were barely audible over the engines.
“I’ll find you, Dee! I promise!”
The ramp slammed shut, blocking Dylan from view as the black ship lifted off the ground and shot into the sky with a deafening whoosh that pushed the fog in swirls around her and her would-be predator.
The monster staggered sideways, turning to look at the ship. Taking advantage of the distraction, Aletta turned and ran.
CHAPTER 2
GARK
One more scavenger mission and he’d have the credits to sort out the mess that was his life. Finally.
He rested a hand on the doorframe, tapping it twice before entering the bridge of The Honorable Lady. It wasn’t as big as the battleships he’d been stationed on in his time in the Taurean military, nor was it as small as the cruisers and stealth ships he’d piloted on his many reconnaissance missions.
He stopped behind the captain’s chair—his chair—gripping the headrest in both hands and squeezing the leather that was soft from years of use.
“Status?”
The pilot’s chair swung around silently on well-oiled bearings, revealing the cocky grin of Vox, his pilot. Blond hair flopped over his forehead, shaved at the sides in the usual Taurean military style—though Vox had been out for close to ten years—and his flight suit was opened almost to the navel, showing a broad expanse of bronzed skin.
“She’s performing great, Captain.” He might be a cocky asshole, but it was for good reason. He was the best pilot Gark had ever worked with. “No issues from me.”
The seat next to the pilot turned slightly. Jarden, stocky and muscular, was the opposite of Vox in many ways. Quiet when Vox was talkative and loud. His dark brown skin and hair were unusual for an off-worlder, where the suns were weak. Most of his kind were pale, but not Jarden. His eyes were the same color as most of his kin, though, a pale blue so icy they reminded Gark of the first winter snows he’d seen after leaving his own desert planet. But it was rare to see Jarden without the tinted shield he wore over his eyes to protect them from the light.
“Nav is good. Backup too.” Jarden’s reply was typical. Very few words and delivered softly.
