The Aljani laughed, sincerely amused. “She is not our target.” The muzzle of his blaster centered on my chest. “You are.”
“No!” Pearl yelled, jumping between me and the Aljani before I could grab her.
“She is brave,” the pale warrior snorted. “No wonder she is important and not to be harmed."
While her bravery was one of the things that made me adore her, I knew Pearl’s importance lay in her skill as a chef. It didn’t take a scholar to figure out that the Baron wanted me gone because he feared I would realize he’d poisoned the stroaig. Like most who condoned the use of slaves, he didn’t think Pearl possessed the intelligence to figure out his scheme. The Baron knew I would protect and defend Pearl to my last breath, and he needed me gone to use her as a scapegoat for the Duke’s death.
“Pearl, you need to run.” I kept my voice low, my movements slow and measured as I stepped in front of her. There was so much that could go wrong when the Aljani pulled the trigger, anything from a ricochet to an explosion that could hurt her. Not to mention one or more of the horrible things he and the Kerzak might do to her once I fell.
“I’m not leaving you.” Pearl stood her ground, glaring at the Aljani.
“Go, find Jala.”
“I’m not leaving you,” she yelled, spinning to face me.
Her sudden movement seemed to take the Aljani off guard for a moment, but it was all the time I needed. Roaring, I pushed Pearl to the side as I lunged, barely knocking the blaster to the side as he fired. The shot slammed into a nearby piece of machinery that whistled and steamed in injury.
I reached for my blade, noticing a flicker of movement from the corner of my eye. I spun, drawing my knife.
I don’t know who looked more surprised... me or the Aljani. Him, I guess, as his fingers clawed at the blade embedded in his throat, dark blood spurting over his fingers. His wide, pale eyes glanced at me, but my knife lay in my hand. The one without her weapon stood by my side, breathing raggedly.
“Pearl!” I sheathed my blade and grabbed her, letting my hands roam over her body to ascertain for myself that she remained unharmed. She trembled, and a wash of tears hovered over her lashes, but she seemed well.
“I couldn’t let him hurt you.” A single tear fell. I kissed it away, pulling her into my arms.
“My brave, wonderful mate,” I murmured, stroking her back as she clung to me. I felt her sobs in the shudder of her breath and the wetness that grew on my shirt. We could have stood there for hours or seconds, I didn’t know, and it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that she was in my arms and unharmed.
When she finally pulled away, her gaze flickered to the Aljani at our feet. She gave one final, deep shutter before squaring her shoulders. The gaze that held mine, while sad, was determined.
“We need to find Jala,” I said, stroking her cheek and wiping away the residual moisture.
She nodded, leaning into me as I cast one last glance at the dead male, a thought occurring that, despite our current circumstances, made me smile.
“You really missed me on purpose.” I remembered the blade slamming into the doorjamb, missing my ear by mere millimeters.
“Of course,” Pearl sniffled, but her voice was cocky.
I opened my mouth to tell her how proud I felt and how amazing and wonderful I thought she was when the sounds of nearby movement hit my ears. Grabbing Pearl, I tucked her behind a piece of machinery and turned to face my opponent.
“You were never good at hide-and-seek,” my sister said, stepping through the steam.
“About time,” I shot back, stepping forward to greet her. Jala frowned as her gaze centered on the blood-soaked bandage on my shoulder.
“Sorry, I’m late. There was the matter of a couple of Kerzak and an Aljani to deal with.” Jala hugged me and Pearl in turn. Watching her hold my mate with such affection made something warm bloom inside my chest.
“You have them in custody?”
“Most of them.” Jala gave a wry smile. “You know the Kerzak. One is dead, but the other two are being taken to interrogation.” Her expression shifted to one of bemused aggravation. “Now I just have to clean up the bodies you’ve left lying around.”
“Not sorry,” I grumbled, noticing Pearl’s faint smile. “I had to protect my mate.”
“Of course.” Jala’s expression softened as she glanced at Pearl. “Humans must be considered a glorious prize. You don’t see Kerzak and Aljani working together... especially as slavers.”
Pearl and I shared a glance, one that my sharp-eyed sister didn’t miss.
“What?”
My mate and I shared another look, and I nodded for her to continue.
