“Me neither,” I say. “But I think I’m starting to understand it.”
I don’t hate it anymore. I don’t blame myself for the past. There are still things that need to be addressed, but I have to believe things will heal along the way. Without that faith, I have nothing.
He lies back. “You ever stitch up a plasma wound before?” he asks.
I raise a brow. “A what?”
“Thats what I thought,” he mutters, reaching into the drawer next to him. “Well, it’s easy. Just take this gun here. Hold the charge button on the side. Once it heats up, I need you to run it across my wound.”
“Couldn’t you have done this yourself?” I ask.
He chuckles and removes his shirt. The wound is directly in the center of his back. It’s lucky his spine wasn’t impacted.
“Trust me, honey. I’d have done it myself if I could’ve reached it. This here’s a two man job,” he says.
I grip the odd-looking metallic gun. Cautiously, I click the button. The inner core starts to light up. An orange swirl, like a mini sun appears.
“Come on. Just do it,” he says, clenching his mouth tight.
I place the heated barrel against his back and pull the trigger. The flaming ball of energy shoots out and glides across the skin. His wounds heal as I drag it around the flesh.
“Fucking hell,” he cries. “All right, enough!”
I keep it going for a few more seconds, until it’s fully healed.
He exhales and rocks forward. “Son of a bitch,” he curses.
“There. I saved your life,” I say.
He laughs again. “Everyone’s always saying that to me.”
But I’m not laughing.
Outside of the window, I see the slaves marching toward us. It’s not the weapons I’m afraid of. No, it’s something much worse.
Someone in the center is holding a glass vial, no bigger than my thumb. I know what’s inside. Resnyx. Pure energy.
Akron was right. They are out for blood. Seeing their tenacity, I realize negotiating is going to be difficult.
I swallow and
take a step back.
Is this where I die? Is this where I realize our love wasn’t forever?
None of the slaves are female. It doesn’t matter where I go. As long as I’m in the Empire’s jurisdiction, I will always be looked at like a rare piece of meat.
“Are you seeing what I see?” I ask.
He stands, nearly silent. “Told you.”
“Think they’ll want to fix your ship?” I ask, voice full of sarcasm.
It’s not the time to make jokes.
They already have the Resnyx. The gold. The sheer numbers and weapons to back them up. What negotiating can we do?
Akron touches my shoulder, pulling me back. “Okay, Ms. Diplomacy. If you can figure this out, I’ll fight to get your alphas back. And once that’s done, I’ll take you back to Earth.”