I’d left it mostly unguarded. Vulnerable.
Nina.
Fuck. I was going to kill him. Tear him apart and feed his limbs to the monsters that swam beneath the vast oceans on the surface of Nassarc. I was going to put his head on a pike and leave him for the birds to pluck out his eyes from their sockets.
“Back to the ship. Prepare yourselves, men, this battle isn’t over,” I snarled.
They didn’t say a word. They knew I was pissed.
I abandoned the battlefield and rushed back to the Black Ranger as quickly as I could. It appeared untouched, but I knew better. Greyburne could still be inside. Just as I turned the corner and jumped into the entry hatch though, I was met with a number of human faces staring up at me. Human faces that should still be secured behind bars in my cargo hold. I sneered with displeasure.
How the fuck had they gotten out?
“See to it that all of the Aberrants are detained back where I left them,” I ordered. The humans didn’t fight and went back inside without showing even a hint of defiance. There was a slender male with green eyes that had the audacity to glare at me, but I didn’t respond to his challenge. Now was not the time.
I didn’t see Nina anywhere.
“Search the ship immediately. Find Nina. I want every square inch examined. I want to ensure Greyburne and his men aren’t on board. I also want to know exactly how these humans got out of their cages,” I demanded, and my crew scattered, rushing to fulfill my orders. With a sneer, I walked onto my ship and headed toward the helm.
Heaving an aggravated sigh, I went back inside directly to the helm, and I saw that everything seemed to be in working order. Our fuel systems indicated that we were at full capacity and I took some time to ensure that all other systems were in top condition, including air and ventilation. After I was positive that we were prepared to make the rest of the journey to Nassarc, I looked out the front window and watched as a single ship flew off. When I looked closer, I realized it was the Shadow Star.
Fucking hell.
I was missing something.
I hurried down to the cargo hold and observed my men as they put the humans back where they belonged. Only something was different.
That’s when I realized what had changed.
There was at least a dozen female Aberrants missing. Not only that, but my own beautiful little human was nowhere to be seen.
Nina was gone and I had a sneaking suspicion that Greyburne had taken her.
This meant war. If he touched a single hair on her head, I was going to fucking tear him to pieces.
A flash of pain tore across my chest and I staggered at its intensity. With an angry swiftness, I ripped my shirt open to look at the mark on my chest.
It was fiery red again and it had progressed faster than I had ever seen it before. From my estimation, I didn’t have much time left before I went mad. I should have had years left of my life, but now it looked like it was going to be over in a matter of days. My crew would have no choice but to end my life before I took one of theirs.
I was convinced that it had everything to do with the fact that Nina was gone. She was the reason the virus had halted and without her, it would only get worse.
“Where’s Nina?” I roared.
The boy with green eyes came forward.
“I can tell you where she is,” he answered with an unexpected boldness.
These humans were quickly proving to be more than I had anticipated. No wonder Earth had wanted to get them off the planet. Every single one of them was a threat. It was clear now that I had underestimated them all. It was also clear that I had made a great number of mistakes today. Those green eyes hardened, and I met them back just as fiercely.
“Speak,” I growled.
He didn’t back down.
Instead, he started to tell me what had occurred in my absence, about how Nina had been brave enough to try to free them all and had been taken by Greyburne and his men because of it.
She’d acted on her own. On my ship. Of her own volition.
Fucking smart little temptress. To be brutally honest, I was impressed. I’d thought she was nothing but a weak little human female, a trophy to be kept by my side, but she’d proven me wrong. She’d shown that she was so much more.