Chapter Ten
Thev
The Widians did have the upper hand. They were many, and they were heavily armed. I looked over at my sister, and she nodded. She was ready, and so was I. I looked over my shoulder and saw that the Nakkoni were behind me, and Angie was safe. I was surprised they were still here, determined to fight. I would’ve expected them to give up on the treasure and bargain for their lives. But apparently, they wanted the pirate’s riches badly. It could’ve been for credits, or for something else. Angie knew, but she hadn’t had the chance to tell me the Nakkoni’ true story. Not that it mattered to me. What was important was that they were here, and if they couldn’t make much of a difference in the fight with the Widians, they could at least keep Angie out of harm’s way.
Ta’sha and I stepped forward and away from each other. We both needed space for what we were about to do. The pirates advanced, weapons and daggers at the ready. My sister and I didn’t bother to reach for our weapons. Not yet.
I took a deep breath, and as I released it, I reached inside myself and searched for the beast that was there. My chest expanded, and with it, my arms and legs grew longer and wider. My whole body grew until it was three times its normal size. Beside me, Ta’sha did the same – reached for her inner beast and allowed it to take over.
I heard gasps of surprise and saw the pirate captain’s eyes dilate. Not many knew what Zokunians could do. We turned into beasts when we had to, and even though it took a toll on us, we never lost a battle.
I saw red. When the beast took over, I lost a piece of myself, if only for a few minutes. I was unstoppable and untamable.
Bullets started flying, but neither I, nor Ta’sha cared. They couldn’t pierce our skin. The captain threw a dagger at my face, and I easily blocked it with my arm. It clattered to the ground like a toy. I let out a growl and lunged at him. He’d hurt my sister, and he wanted my mate. I couldn’t let him live.
None of them could live.
And there was no escape for them, because when the beast was in control, it wanted blood. It didn’t stop until the enemy was obliterated.
I threw myself at the captain, and we tumbled to the ground. He tried to fight me, and he was strong and determined, I had to give him that. He pulled out two other daggers and started stabbing me, but the blades barely did any damage.
Meanwhile, Ta’sha was throwing pirates against the walls left and right. She yelled and howled with every victory, and when they got up and attacked her again, she grinned in delight. She was playing with them. She had always been like a big, feral feline when she turned beastly.
Me... I was different. I saw no point in playing with my prey. Just as I was about to snap the captain’s neck, two of his men jumped on my back and tried to pull me off him. I stood up, flexed my biceps, howled, and turned to get rid of them in one swift swoop. Blood splattered on the ground and the precious metals and stones nearby. The captain managed to scramble to his feet.
“Stop! Stop this, and we can make a bargain. A fair one.”
I furrowed my brows, squeezed my hands into fists, and started walking toward him. He started walking backwards.
His men were still fighting Ta’sha, and I could tell she’d gotten bored of them, because they were starting to fall and not get up. There was blood everywhere.
Farther away, I saw the Nakkoni fight, too. One of them was wounded and on the ground, on his knees, while the other one was shooting at the pirates and trying to protect his brother.
Angie was in a corner, eyes wide and mouth agape. She looked like she was in shock, but what truly mattered to me was that she was safe. The pirates had tried to get to her. Now they all knew she was my mate, and they knew that getting their hands on her was the only way to stop me. Too bad I wasn’t going to let them do that.
Ta’sha was done with her attackers, and the Nakkoni managed to kill the pirate that had stabbed his brother. Only the captain remained. And he was mine.
The Widian looked around him, at the horror and bloodshed. He then looked back at me and held up the only dagger he had left.
“Let’s talk about this, Prince Thev’rar.”
But I wasn’t Prince Thev’rar anymore. I was the beast. And the beast did not negotiate.
I lunged at him. He yelled as I knocked the dagger out of his hand, and looked up at me with wide, shocked eyes as I grabbed him by the throat and lifted him up. His legs kicked helplessly, and he tried to pry my hand away as he was choking. I squeezed once, and his neck snapped. His eyes bulged out of his head, and then he gave his last breath. I dropped him in a heap on the stone floor.
It was over. I looked around me, and all our enemies were dead.
I started taking deep breaths, and soon, the beast began to retreat in the depths of my soul. My body returned to normal, and I could finally feel all the places where the pirates had shot me or tried to stab me. My skin was intact, but my muscles had registered the blows. A weakness seeped into my bones as a result of giving the beast control. It had sapped me of energy, and I was this close to collapsing and falling into a deep sleep. But I couldn’t afford to do that. I would rest later.
Ta’sha looked just as exhausted. With a sigh, she sat down with her back against a statue of some alien god.
I turned to the Nakkoni. One of them was lying on the ground, and the other was hovering above him, trying to wake him up.
“Brother,” he said. “No, no...”
I knew his brother was dead.
I locked eyes with Angie, and she cowered in her corner, pressing herself against the wall and hugging her bag to her chest. I smiled and walked to her.