She growled.Strike one, asshole.
“I do hope the formula works on you, Wren.I find your hair unusual.”
Just her hair?She seethed, curling her fingers into fists.“Formula?”Oh, yes, an anti-venom to survive the cytotoxins in his saliva.“Like a vaccination or a chemical to trigger a drastic transformation?”Superhero powers right about now wouldn’t go to waste.
“I do not know.”He whipped her off his shoulder and shoved her against a bulkhead.
The shuttle’s compartment was tiny, made crushing by the six Yithians crowding the space.The women were dumped on the metal floor though the Yithians had been gentler than she’d expected.With what she knew about this species, they were anything but considerate.They must not have wanted to damage the test subjects.
“Sedate her,” a shark hissed, glaring at her through one scarred eye.
Lizu stiffened and faced the man.“The kuliriji said nothing about keeping them asleep.”
One Eye smirked, adding a diabolical twist to his features, especially when venom dripped onto his sleeveless shirt.“He did say—”
“On the journey, which I did.”Lizu stood firm.
“We will let him decide.I will not stop him when he kills you.”One Eye settled in the cockpit and slapped a button.
The door shut, trapping her.Staying in her old cell or stealing their ship wasn’t an option.Not anymore.Besides, she didn’t know how many were on the crew.Though, taking it would have been ideal.Commandeer their ship and fly home.
Sounded easy.
She scoffed then lowered her head when a few sharks glanced at her.Now, if she could ‘seduce’ Lizu without dying from his spit, maybe he could be the pilot.Right, seduce a venomed alien who might not know how to fly anything, even this stupid shuttle?
She rubbed her nose to hide where she looked.His blocklike gun was within reach.Pickpocketing that without his notice would be damn hard, not to mention that it would focus all their attention onto her.No.She needed a knife—dagger, paring, butter—she didn’t care.Yet none had such a weapon holstered to their belts.
In their boots?
She faked a sneeze, bending over to do so.There.Something glinted in Lizu’s chunky boot.She smothered a smile.For all she knew, it was a buckle.No need to get too excited just yet.Rubbing a heel across her ankle brought the ring on the ankle harness to the forefront.It was all she could do without being too obvious.
She squared her shoulders then touched Lizu’s arm.When he focused on her, she leaned in.“May I fix my boot?”She pointed down and waited, praying he didn’t do it for her.He’d find out for sure she was lying.She clenched her jaw and kept her body lax.
“Yes.”
With a slow exhale, she crouched and fiddled with the metal ring, her gaze on the glint in his boot.Itwasa knife.She chewed on her lip.He’d feel it if she tried to inch it free.
Think.
She made to rise.Faking a cry, she ‘fell’ forward, catching herself on his impressive calves.It took a second to wrap her fingers around the hilt.But to slide it ou—
He hoisted her up and pushed her against the bulkhead.“We are about to land.”
“Oh,” she said.“Thank you.”
With the dagger between her forearm and thigh, she tried to tuck it out of sight.Where to stick it was the next dilemma.In her boot made sense, but when and how?Soon, he’d carry her over his shoulder again.
Had he said land?She ducked, slipped the dagger into her boot, then danced from side to side as if she wanted to ‘see’ through the windshield.Her heartbeat thundered in her ears while she ‘misbehaved’ like a child.She chanced a glance when he remained silent.
He scowled at her.“What are you doing?”
“What color is your sky?The land?Oceans?Let me see,” she whined.
“It is good that you are curious.”He grabbed her by her waist and lifted her, holding her like an offering to some nameless god.
But it gave her an unhindered view of his homeworld.She gaped at the pale-yellow sky with three suns.The ground was gray to black and the oceans an exquisite aquamarine to emerald green.
“It’s pretty,” she said, her voice breathless.She eyed the tiny island they were careening toward.Shit.She was running out of time.
