He choked, gargling on his own blood as he clung to his throat, but it was already too late. He was losing far too much. It wouldn’t be long now.
With a cry, he fell to his knees, trying to stem the flow of blood but his fingers were too slippery. I’d cut him deep, nicking his jugular just right. It was a killing blow. There was no surviving a gash like that.
Two guards. Two human men I’d taken down all by myself. All for him.
I watched as the brown-haired guard slumped to the side, saw the life dim from his eyes and then I turned back around, returning to Bane’s cell as quickly as I could. I turned the key in the lock, hearing the metal pieces click and then it popped open. I saw Bane lying on the floor and he groaned, as though he was waking up from whatever poison had been in that gas. I rushed to his side and knelt down, pressing my fingers to his throat.
Thank god, he still had a pulse.
“Bane. Wake up,” I whispered, jostling him gently as he lay on the floor. He groaned once more and opened his eyes then and I nearly cried out with relief.
“You’re alright,” I whispered.
“What are you doing here, little human?” he asked, clearly surprised by my presence.
“You promised me a good fucking later and I aim to collect,” I teased, smiling as he gained his senses once more. I felt so relieved. He was going to be okay.
“What you really need is my belt whipping that tight little ass for even thinking to come after me,” he threatened, but it lacked the usual weight of his threats.
“Promises, promises,” I answered with a wink.
“I’m proud of you, little human,” he said, and my heart pulsed with adoration.
I loved this man.
“Where are we?” he asked groggily next, shaking his head as he did so. “Fuck. I’ve got a hell of a headache.”
“You’ll get over it,” I smirked, and he glared back at me.
“You’re going to pay for that, little one,” he warned, and I chuckled.
“We should probably figure out how to get out of here,” I said, keeping an eye on the prison door entrance. I should think of moving that dead, bloody guard out of the hallway or something too. I grimaced when I thought about it. I didn’t enjoy killing anyone, but it was just something I had to do from time to time during my life.
“Where are we?” he muttered, still struggling to emerge from the effects of the gas.
“The ship’s left Dryac, but we can’t be far. It’s been less than an hour and the ship has given no indication of hyperdrive travel,” I replied, listening intently for any signs of a patrol or extra guards. I heard none.
“That’s good. The two of us against the Association then?” he responded with a grin.
“We can take them,” I said, laughing softly as I did so.
He shook his head once more and then pushed himself up off the floor, up to his feet. I rose with him and his hand wound around the back of my neck as he pulled me close to him. I lifted my head to gaze back at him and his lips met mine, devouring me in a kiss so deep that it left me reeling. His tongue grazed against my lips, urgent in its path and I opened myself to him. His tongue danced with mine. His kiss devoured me whole and I moaned softly as I pressed my body flush against his.
I pulled away then, whimpering softly as desire rushed through my body.
“I thought I’d lost you,” I whispered, my voice catching with emotion.
“No. It’ll take a lot more than just some Jellein sleeping gas to take me down,” he murmured. I sighed. I should have known. It was essentially an essence developed from the skin oil of a reptilian alien with a known antidote that rendered it useless when taken before exposure.
I hid my face in his chest, still grateful that I was here with him and that he was alright.
“Don’t worry, little one. I’m here for you,” he said softly, his voice full of soft adoration and I melted into his embrace.
“I wish we were back on Dryac,” I replied.
“Me too, but first, we’ve got to get this ship to turn around, don’t we?”
I nodded. He was right.
