My eyes closed. I didn’t know if I could do this. I couldn’t leave him. I couldn’t. But if I stayed, I’d be a fucking selfish bastard. Don deserved someone better than me. I wasn’t sure I would ever be able to function independently. I wasn’t sure I could return to who I remembered myself being. But maybe I didn’t need to. I was still… me. Both versions.
Someone grabbed my arm so fast that I had no chance to act. They wrenched it behind my back. I thrashed, heart pounding. “Let me go, you bastard.”
“Fucking xoi. I knew they cheated me of all my property,” the gravelly voice said, grip tightening.
Panic like lightning sparked through my veins. No. Not again. Never again. I tried to yank away, making my shoulder pop sickeningly, and ripped a scream from my throat. The alien kept hold of me, dragging me by my damaged arm.
“No. Help!” I shouted.
The massive alien slapped me across my face and stars danced before my eyes and blood filled my mouth.
The alien grabbed my biceps and picked me up off the ground with ease. He was huge, at least seven feet tall. He had four arms, red cracked skin, and twelve black beady eyes. His face was utterly flat, except for a set of sharp mandibles coming out of his mouth.
“Shut up. Unless you would like me to kill you now,” he ordered, mandibles clicking.
Don!I screamed. Not again. Never again. I would rather die.
Chapter 41
Broken promise.
Vince was anxious. I could feel him from here on the station, which was odd, but I’d left him upset. I hadn’t wanted to leave him, but I had responsibilities. I did my best to focus on my meetings, arranging rooms, security, and food for the humans and my brothers until theAdmiral Vencame for them. Talvax and her ship, as well as Monqilcolnen, should be here in a handful of weeks, and they would take my brothers and the humans to Tamkolvanloknol.
For now, the humans would remain in their quarters as much as possible, even with the extra security I was hiring and the station security. This station was under the Drakcol Empire and run by drakcol, but other aliens were very populous here andthis station bordered unfriendly space. I didn’t trust anyone to keep the humans, let alone my mate, safe.
Don!Vince shrieked.
I staggered. Commander Hyn of the station reached out to stabilize me, but I waved them off. Vince. Something was wrong with Vince. I ran out of the room, ignoring the calls that followed me. I didn’t care about my meeting or anything else. My mate needed me.
I wove through the crowd, snarling when people blocked my way. Vince kept screaming for me. He was here on the station, and I had no idea why. He was supposed to stay in our quarters. What could’ve drawn him here not long after I’d left him?
His cries filled my mind, and he was getting further away. I didn't know where he was, but I could feel him and I would find him. I would track him to the end of known space and further to find him. Nothing in this universe would keep me from my mate.
I ripped down a corridor. He had to be here. Somewhere. This was the docking ring. Whoever had him was trying to take him away. I growled. That would never happen.
Don, Vince called out.
Now that I was racing around the docking ring, his voice was getting closer. My feet pounded on the metal floors and flowers and vines on the walls flew past me as I tried to hone in on Vince. I skidded to a stop when I came to a fork in the docking ring. One path continued along the ring, and the spoke went off to docking for several different ships.
Vince screamed, and I turned down the spoke, hearing him in my mind and with my ears. I was close.
“Shut up,” a deep voice snarled, followed by a harsh slap and a subsequent yelp.
Anger unlike anything I’d ever known surged through me. There was Vince in the hands of an alien. Blood dribbled out of Vince’s mouth and the entire left side of his face was bruised. Iroared and was across the corridor without thought. I ripped the alien away and threw him toward the wall. He collided with a thud, and a haze of flowers erupted off the damaged vines.
I put myself between Vince and the alien. Panting, I growled, wings out and tail thrashing. I would kill this person for hurting Vince.
“Don,” I whispered.
He didn’t react.
The alien got to his feet and yanked out a blaster. I screamed, terrified that Don would be injured, but Don didn’t flinch. He slapped the blaster away and punched my would-be kidnapper straight in the face. Don’s tail latched around the alien, throwing them. Crouching, Don snarled. The alien growled, and they collided in a mass of limbs.
My heart pounded. I couldn’t help. Fighting wasn’t my thing, and the alien was huge, though Don wasn’t much smaller. With my good hand, I grabbed my touchstone.
“Kalvoxrencol,” I called. As much as I would rather talk to Seth, I needed help, and no one was a better fighter than Kal.
“Vince, where are you?” he snarled, sounding as angry as Don.
