Chapter 12

The roar of powerful engines woke Irina from her nap.

She sat up slowly, the hard dirt not nearly as comfortable as Yelzin's nest had been.

Yelzin.

It had been over a day since she left him, and it felt like her heart had broken in two. She had cried herself to sleep last night, curled up on the hard floor of the damaged Cyclone .

A shuttlejet pierced through the atmosphere and was approaching, its trajectory unmistakable as thrusters slowed it to a hover. No, it wasn't a freelance pilot looking to pick up some extra money by ferrying her to Athea. She had gotten through to the city, but could find no one to retrieve her, not with the bounty on her head and without payment up front.

No, this wasn't her savior, it was her captors.

The Coalition insignia was clear as the shuttlejet landed, and Irina heaved herself up with a groan. She crossed her arms over her chest, accepting her fate.

This was how it had to be. It was dangerous to stay here, dangerous to Yelzin and all the Strinee.

The Coalition had taken everything from her, would take her life, but she wouldn't let them take Strine.

Two figures exited the jet and made their way over to her, donning midnight blue flight suits and helmets. The late afternoon sun glinted off their visors as both raised their laser guns.

"Irina Eriadnus."

The harsh voice sent a shiver of fear through her, but she tried to steel herself.

"You found me," Irina said with a smirk, raising her hands in the air as the guns trained on her, red dots illuminating her chest.

Though her heart raced, she tried to still her mind. There was something freeing about having your worst nightmare finally be here, standing right in front of you.

It was all over.

"They've been forcing us to search all the planets in the damned sector for weeks now! All because of you ."

The man's voice was full of vitriol, so unlike the sweet lilt of Yelzin's. He stalked over to Irina while the other kept his gun trained on her, stopping just a few feet away. She kept her hands in the air, not wanting to move, to give them any excuse to kill her.

That would happen soon enough back on Oblivion.

In a flash of movement, the man grabbed Irina's chin, pulling her up to look at him, though all she saw was her own reflection in the sheen of his helmet.

"Just think how grateful the Coalition will be if we return you."

The other one laughed as Irina glared at them. What did he mean by if ?

"We could bring you back to the satellite, could let the Coalition punish you accordingly," he said, sliding his gloved hand down her chin to settle at her throat. "That's definitely an option."

The man's laughter interrupted the serenity of the approaching dusk, a shiver of fear threatening to turn into full-blown panic. Icy terror shot through her veins as he tightened his grip around her neck.

"Or…" the leader said, cutting off the flow of air to her lungs. "We could have our fun with you first."

Irina tried to pull away, scratching against his armored flightsuit, but his hand was a vice grip. The other man holstered his weapon, stalking over to her and running a gloved hand through her hair in a horrible mockery of Yelzin's gentle touch.

"She is quite pretty, isn't she? I'm sure we could get a hefty sum for her on Thesunus." He moved his hand to her right shoulder. "Would have to do something about this transmitter, but a laser blast should be able to handle it."

Shooting her to disable the transmitter? Without a surgeon, a blast would certainly sever the function in her arm, would very likely end her life.

More mocking laughter from the leader as he loosened his grip on her throat and Irina gasped in a breath. Fear bubbled through her and she knew she was trembling, though the initial shock of Coalition agents discussing selling her on Thesunus transformed to disappointed resignation.

Of course they had black market contacts. That would explain the prisoners disappearing in the middle of lights out. The implication disgusted Irina, but at this point, how could she be surprised?

The leader twisted his helmeted head, and she assumed he was glancing at his partner. He exhaled a deep breath, as if pondering his options, before turning back to Irina.

"Shit. The money would be good. So good for a pretty girl like you."

"Just… take me back to Oblivion," Irina hissed, the hand at her throat straining her voice.

That same horrible laughter from both of them before the leader spoke.

"To be executed? Such a waste. All we'd have to say is that we found your shuttle incinerated, your scorched body inside. No one knows we're here. The Coalition doesn't care as long as you're dead. Well, dead to them, at least."

With a jolt, the man pushed Irina square in the chest. There was a moment of weightlessness before she slammed to the ground, banging her head against the compacted dirt. All the air knocked from her lungs and gray dotted the corners of her eyes, the tree branches above her spinning wildly. She pressed her palms to the ground in an attempt to sit up, but the leader was on top of her in a second.

He ground into her pelvis as she gasped for air, trying to push his hands away from the zipper of her jumpsuit. The other man got to his knees, fumbling with her flailing arms before pressing them into the dirt above her head.

"Fuuuuck," the leader groaned as he unzipped her suit, exposing her small breasts and continuing to rut against her.

The other adjusted to restrain both her arms in a large hand, reaching down to cup a breast.

"It's been too fucking long. Coalition had us making rounds for weeks to find you, you fucking bitch."

Memories flooded through her, horrible long-suppressed images bubbling up with the unwanted touches. Back then, she had been silent, her only form of defense, but now Irina chose to fight. She had someone to fight for, someone who would fight for her.

When she had just enough air in her lungs, she let out a bloodcurdling scream. Maybe Yelzin would hear, would come for her, would save her like he had done so many times already.

The leader slammed his gloved hand against her mouth, using his other to unzip her down to her crotch, revealing her underwear.

There was a hiss in her ear. "Just stop struggling. It will be easier for you."

His words only inflamed Irina further, and as the leader moved his hands to unzip his own flightsuit, she used the remaining moisture in her mouth to spit at his gilded helmet. The liquid dripped down the shield and he slapped her hard, rocking her head to the side and intensifying the dizziness all over again. Nausea bubbled in her stomach as he reached a hand into her suit, running his fingers over her underwear.

Irina screamed again, and this time they didn't bother to shut her up.

The one at her head kneeled on her restrained arms, freeing himself to unzip his suit, while the leader stroked her with one hand. Tears rolled down her cheeks as the last of her energy dissolved, her struggles useless against their combined strength.

A dark shadow shaded them suddenly, a new presence diving through the sky to land next to the group.

Yelzin!

Irina's heart leaped at the sight of her beautiful Strinee, his ruby eyes ablaze with shock and fury, his fangs bared and wings extended in a show of fearsome aggression.

Before either Coalition agent could react, he slammed into the leader with the full force of his body, knocking him off Irina with a loud thud. Yelzin tore into the man's neck with his fangs, the vulnerable spot right below his helmet, and the sound of screams and shredding flesh made her wince.

In an instant, he dove for the other agent, who was fumbling with his laser gun. Yelzin's wings fluttered through the air before he reached forward to slash the man across the chest. Pinning him to the ground, Yelzin assailed him with claws and fangs, shredding the man's flightsuit until his mangled screams went silent, the metallic scent of gore carried by the breeze.

Irina pushed herself up, watching the unfolding scene in horror.

The leader was weakly reaching for his gun and she crawled over to him, grabbing it before he had a chance. The wound at his neck pulsed, blood spurting out as gurgled moans emitted from behind the helmet. She lay on the ground next to him, groans mixing with the sounds of tearing flesh as her eyes closed. Her head throbbed, nausea still bubbling in her stomach, and she would be shocked if she didn't have a concussion.

Suddenly, Irina sensed a presence over her and her eyes jolted open, but it was just Yelzin.

"Beloved," he murmured, reaching down and pulling her into his chest.

Irina sobbed as she pressed her face against him, feeling the sticky blood mix with her salty tears.

She was safe.

With a single claw, he tilted her chin up to face him, the anguish clear on his batlike features.

"Who were those people?"

"C-Coalition agents. They were supposed to return me to Oblivion, but…" Irina trailed off, blinking rapidly to stop the tears. "They were talking about taking me to Thesunus, a planet for trafficking Cognizants, even species that have been granted personhood."

"Trafficking?" Yelzin asked and again, she was jealous of his innocence.

"They sell people… for sex and labor. It's horrible, Yelzin… oh, God, I'm so glad you came."

Irina stifled another sob, though the pressure in her chest was close to unbearable.

Yelzin brushed a hand through her hair, blood slicking against her raven locks. She got a good look at him now, the sticky redness coating his snout and chest, his eyes still ablaze with something? Fury? Blood lust? His body was trembling, but his eyes softened as he spoke.

"Irina, I will always come back for you. I would protect you with my dying breath," Yelzin said, a growl still in his throat.

He looked around at the two dead soldiers, their shuttlejet in the distance.

"Will more come for you?"

"I-I don't know. Probably. I still have the transmitter in my shoulder. And there's one on the shuttlejet. I don't know if they track Coalition agents…"

Irina kept her eyes on Yelzin, refusing to look at the surrounding scene.

"Is your ship coming? Your friend?"

Irina shook her head, tears threatening to spill once more.

"No. No one was willing to come get me, so I just thought I'd wait here until the Coalition found me. I-I wanted to keep you safe, keep all the Strinee safe."

Yelzin squeezed her to his chest, petting her hair and cooing like he did when they first met.

"Oh, Irina…"

They stood in silence for a few minutes, Irina letting the comfort of Yelzin's embrace wash away the fear and disgust. The sun was dipping low, casting eerie shadows across the clearing.

Finally, Yelzin pulled away, zipping her jumpsuit back up before speaking.

"Do you know how to disable the tracker on the jet?"

"I think so. I should be able to."

"Good," he said, grasping her shoulders. "Do it. I will dispose of the bodies. Surely, if I burn them, any potential transmitters would be destroyed."

Irina nodded with a grimace. Yelzin gave her shoulders a final squeeze before releasing her. She ambled towards the shuttlejet, a throbbing pain jolting through her head with every step.

Two hours later and Irina had disabled the jet's tracker, but had no energy to search for supplies. If help wasn't coming, perhaps she could take the shuttle, get off Strine and get to Bora S9 on her own. Unfortunately, with her dizzying vision, she was going nowhere fast.

Yelzin met her outside the shuttlejet, the scent of smoke coating his fur.

"Let us go home," he said, picking her up and cradling her in his arms.

Irina didn't resist.

Back at his hut, panic bubbled at her throat, her head dizzy from the fall.

"I still have my tracker, Yelzin. They're going to come for me!"

Yelzin clasped her waist, and she looked up at him, trying to calm herself. This was too much, reuniting with him just to have to tear herself away again.

"Where is it?" he asked, and she narrowed her eyes.

"Why does that matter? Please. Just heal me, and I'll take the jet and get out of here."

Irina didn't want to think about the tiny emitter, not in her last moments with him.

"Tell me, beloved."

Beloved .

The word stirred her more than she thought possible, warmth replacing some of the icy chill.

"Somewhere in my right shoulder," Irina said, gesturing to the general area she recalled from when she was injected after her sentencing.

"I can attempt to remove it."

Irina blinked rapidly, unsure she heard him correctly.

" Remove it ? Yelzin, that would take a laser scalpel, a doctor, the Coalition sedates us—"

Yelzin shushed her, shaking his head slowly.

"The Coalition does not have Strinee blood."

Irina took in a shocked breath, eyes widening at his implication. He was so certain he could remove her tracker without killing her. Strinee blood was healing. This was true, but this wasn't her drinking from his wrist, but an extremely delicate surgery.

Despite all of that, Irina trusted him. She trusted Yelzin with her life, trusted him to the very end. Besides, she'd rather die here in his arms than alone on a Coalition satellite.

"Lay down, beloved, and I will remove it and destroy it. I cannot promise that there will be no permanent damage, but you will survive."

Yelzin escorted her to his nest, helping her onto the soft fur and twigs. He cleaned himself in the small washbasin, then wiped Irina's face and neck with cool, spongy moss. When he finished, he crouched over, fully encompassing her with his large body and expansive wings.

"I will be as gentle as possible, but there will be pain," he said, his voice hushed. He paused for a long moment before speaking again. "We will need to maintain control until I finish removing it."

He stared at her as she slowly came to understand. The blood frenzy. Yelzin would be cutting her open, giving his blood to her as he scented and dug through hers. He ran clawed fingers through her hair.

"And when you're finished?" Irina asked, her voice cracking with anticipation, that familiar heat flushing her face.

"When it is destroyed, I wish to have you, all of you, if you would have me."