Page 68

Hoan looked along the corridor. “You’d better hurry. There are plenty more cells. I bet they’re all full of prisoners.”

Loka dragged his claws through the cables, gritting his teeth at the surge of power sliding through his veins.

The light died on the panel, and the door slid open. A dozen wide-eyed aliens were inside. Most of them injured and bruised.

After checking Heather wasn’t with them, Loka gestured for them to leave. “Get out of here while you can. Reinforcements will be here soon. Find a safe place and arm yourselves.”

The aliens needed no prompting as they fled from the cell.

Loka and Hoan discovered three more cells full of aliens. They released them all.

Worry gnawed at Loka’s stomach. “Where are the humans?” The Banti couldn’t have taken Heather already. Was he too late to find her?

“This cell is empty of prisoners.” Hoan was investigating the next cell.

Loka tilted his head as he joined him by the open door. “It looks like they had the same idea as us.” Two disabled cyborgs were flat on their backs inside the cell.

Hoan inched closer. “They’re barely damaged. Maybe they malfunctioned?”

Loka peered down at the cyborgs. “Somebody put up a fight in here.” There were several smears of blood on the floor. He scraped his claws down his horns. Had Heather been in here? Was that her blood he was staring at?

“What’s going on in here?” A black-clad Banti appeared in the doorway.

Loka charged without thinking, his head down. His horns slammed straight through the alien’s middle.

The Banti gave a single gurgle before dying.

“Wow!” Hoan patted Loka’s shoulder as he stepped back. The Banti slid to the floor. “Maybe there is some warrior in you after all.”

Loka shook his head. His ears rang from the impact with the Banti. “If there is, I don’t want it.”

Hoan grinned. “The things we do for love.”

Loka rubbed his throbbing horns. “Agreed. Let’s go find Heather.”

Chapter 18

Heather limped as she struggled to keep up with the group of fleeing women. When the cyborg’s fist had made contact with her thigh, she’d barely noticed it, she’d been so pumped up on adrenaline. Now that had gone, the throbbing ache was so bad she could barely walk. Her leg was numb and heavy as she hobbled along.

Ivy remained by her side, despite the fact they were being left behind by the others. “Put your arm around my shoulder. You don’t need to play the hero with me.”

Heather willingly wrapped an arm around Ivy and let her take some of her weight. “Thanks for helping me. It’s nice of you.”

“If you ever tell me I’m nice again, I’ll make you disappear.”

Heather chuckled. “It will be our secret.” Ivy had surprised her by sticking by her side. Maybe she wasn’t as poisonous as everyone made her out to be.

“Can you keep walking?”

“I’ll hop if I have to, but I’m not giving up. I need to find Loka.” She looked over her shoulder. “We should return to the cells. He might be in one.”

“If he’s there, he won’t want you risking yourself by breaking him out.”

“He was hurt. I need to make sure he’s okay.”

“He’s a big, bad alien with horns and claws. He’ll know how to take care of himself.”

Heather reluctantly agreed.