Not him.
Because I have to go home. I have to get back to Earth. I can’t develop feelings after all these years being able to avoid love.
I had enough with my mum. We were a team. We didn’t need anyone else.
I don’t need Dalox.
But I don’t want him harmed by an unhinged female Sarkarnii either.
Above me, there is a rattle, and the cage shakes violently for a moment before it slowly descends towards the ground. I wipe my face and look down between my feet to see three female Sarkarnii staring up at me, one of which is Dyoti and the other Dyris. The third is using some sort of remote which must be operating the cage.
“She’s still here,” Dyoti says. “He hasn’t come for her.”
“We should put her back up,” the unnamed Sarkarnii says. “Bait.”
“No, Dyniis,” Dyris says. “Makes it too easy for the males, and we wouldn’t be able to cover this whole area.” She narrows her eyes at me. “We’ll take her with us instead.”
“Oh dear,” I say through chattering teeth as the Sarkarnii, Dyniis, presses the remote against the bars and one side falls away. “Have you lost something?”
Dyoti reaches in and grabs my arm, wrenching me out of the cage with little resistance as I haven’t got it in me.
“The warlords are going to find out what happens when you nev about with females,” she snarls.
“If they think envenomation is bad…” Dyniis chuckles. “They’re wrong.”
“I wonder what would happen if I envenomated this one.” Dyoti opens her mouth, revealing a set of fangs which wouldn’t be out of place on a viper.
“Venom doesn’t work on females,” Dyris snaps. “You know it doesn’t.” She glares at Dyoti. “You’ve bitten enough of us.”
Dyoti grins at her. “I have, haven’t I?”
Dyniis rubs at her neck. “I wish you wouldn’t too, Dyoti.” She sighs. “Some of us are beginning to feel like sarkarnling teething toys.”
Dyoti releases a snort and some smoke as she continues to grin. My stomach warms a little. I don’t think these Sarkarnii ladies are bad at all. They just have Dyana for a leader.
“My friends have babies…sarkarnlings,” I say out loud.
Three heads snap to me.
“With the other warlords.”
I know this is risky. But I want these females to see me as a being, as one of them, not just achew toy.
“Your species has bred with Sarkarnii?” Dyris says, her mouth falling open.
“Sarkarnii can breed with most species,” Dyoti says. “My mother had mates from across the galaxies.”
“Why does that not surprise me?”
“It gets boring waiting for males to go into rut. It’s the reason we envenomate them if they’re nevers,” Dyniis says. “I should know, I bit a few before we ended up here.”
“But you’re so small.” Dyris circles Dyoti and me. “How?”
“Nature finds a way,” I respond.
“So, you reallyareDalox’s mate,” Dyris breathes. “He does rut for you, and he hopes to fill your belly too.”
“That’s not going to happen,” I say quickly. “But he is in rut for me.”
