2. Runar

2

Runar

“Disable the EMP. Let them leave. If they attempt another attack, fire all cannons and leave nothing behind. Make it quick to ensure no suffering.”

A few curious glances come my way, for good reason. A merciless king suddenly showing mercy is quite odd.

I’m too distracted to be worried about what they’re thinking. My attention is on the human who is currently sitting in one of our interrogation rooms. The one who was radiating confidence during our one and only conversation.

Now she’s been stripped of her weapons, stripped of her decorated jacket to signal she’s their captain. Pacing the room like a caged animal, I watch the way her jaw clenches. She looks like she wants to rip someone’s head off.

For some reason, I find it beyond amusing. A small thing like her, never having lost a fight? She simply hasn’t fought the right being. I find it hard to believe she’d ever find herself in combat with one of my men.

Humans are weak. Despite lacking strength, they’re persistent. Unfortunately, when they have a numbered advantage, they have been able to take out a few of my own.

I’m itching to return the favor, even now. We’ve always had a code amongst my kind. A life for a life. We haven’t caught up with how many deaths and this human can be one more closer to match numbers.

That will be addressed later. Right now, I want to have a conversation with her.

She seeks the healer, demanding her freedom. Well, I have no plans on releasing the woman until she fixes the problems the humans have created.

Will this human cower when I see her up close, or will the same fire burn behind those eyes of hers? Only a fool wouldn’t be able to see there is no point in continuing this fight.

What will I do with her now that I have her within my grasp? Her decision to foolishly attack ended in no deaths. I can’t punish her, not for today.

She will meet the same fate as those who have attacked us.

Before she dies, I need one more conversation. Even if I’ve doused the flame burning within her, I need to see the defeat behind her gaze.

I need her to know that I’m the one who bested her. The captain of this vessel and the king to my people.

Abandoning the glass serving as a see-through mirror, I approach the door intending to head inside.

“Sire, are you sure this is a good idea? We may have disarmed her, but-”

“I can handle a puny human female, Xaphe. Now, please, open the door and leave us.” Staring ahead, I take in my reflection against the metal. I look tired. More than I like.

This fight isn’t just one occurring on different planets. The fight is here as well. The medbay is full of those fighting for their lives. Those who had no choice but to be dragged into this mess.

Not through wounds, but through a mysterious disease. Ones we’ve been plagued with without any hints of a cure.

Slaughtering hundreds who’ve harmed us with nothing but my bare fists, I’m only returning the favor.

That healer, she’s ours until she reverses this plague. If she does it willingly, she’ll be spared. If not, I’ll do whatever it takes to get the information out of her.

But first, I must deal with the one on the opposite side of the door.

Xaphe nods at my order and types the pin into the pad against the wall.

Through our call earlier, I barely got a good look at this woman. I heard the hatred seething through her voice through every word she spat in my direction.

Holding my chin high and my eyes set, the door slides open and I step inside.

Instantly, I’m hit with a wave of sweetness that catches me off guard. My nostrils flare as I inhale the strange smell.

Despite my contact with these beings in the past, I’ve never had one smell like this before. I don’t have more than a couple of seconds to be distracted before I take in the female.

She’s still moving back and forth. Twitching and mumbling to herself as she kicks the wall in hopes it’ll dent, she growls when it doesn’t. Demanding escape, her eyes shift around the bare room before landing on me. If she were an animal, I’m sure she would’ve bared her teeth and nails in an attempt to intimidate me.

The door slides closed behind my back, leaving us alone.

She doesn’t cower back much to my surprise. She stiffens up a bit at the realization of my arrival, but no fear seeps from her face. Most creatures bend at the knee when they’re outmatched by someone much bigger, much stronger than them.

Hell, some of my men flinch and cower by my presence alone. I don’t even have to speak to get my point across.

Not this female. There’s a fire burning behind those green eyes. Despite the height differences, a solid two feet, she hardly makes notice. Instead of cowering, she hunches.

“Human-”

Jolting directly at me without warning, she wastes no time eliminating the space between us. Fast and nimble, moving without hardly a sound, her fist comes only an inch away from my cheek.

Tilting away just in time, it’s obvious I’m not going to be able to talk to her while she is attempting to harm my life. If looks could kill, my heart would have stopped beating ages ago.

She may be fast, but I’m faster. My endurance can last longer. Despite all the odds being stacked against her, she growls and manages to hit my chest. Hardly leaves a sting, if at all, she remains hopeful.

I play this game with her, stepping back with each swing of her twig arms. Knowing I’ll harm her if I fight back, I act on defense until she runs out of stamina.

She slings a string of words at me, but my translator doesn’t understand. If I have to guess, she’s cursing me with whatever threats she can think of. Insulting me to the best of her ability.

A laugh ripples out of me, half-humor, half-mocking. Then without warning, she spins around and my cheek is met with the bottom of her boot. With a swift kick, I’m left stumbling back a step as I’m caught off guard.

With a growl rumbling through my chest and my amusement disappears in a flash, I catch her next punch.

“ Enough .” With the squeeze of my fingers and the grunt that leaves her lips, I feel the sharp sting of her nails as they try to pry open my grip. Any scratches she leaves are healed in a matter of seconds. Hardly takes much energy with how little damage is made.

She’s panting, flushed. Her eyes are wild, adrenaline filling them with every second passing. She stops for only a moment, taking long enough to look me over. Her scowl grows when she sees I have no weapons on my body either. Nothing she can try to snatch and use against me.

Even now, she continues to fight. Her spirit is strong, and I’d be impressed if I weren’t so disgusted by her race.

“I don’t want to hurt you, Human.” Not right now, anyway. “I’ve called you here to talk.”

“I don’t talk to monsters.” Spitting her insult, she kicks my thigh. “Give me back my sister!”

Interesting. Understanding her desperation a bit more, I think back to the healer. If she puts up as much of a fight as this one does, then I might have to use this woman to my advantage. Remind them both of their situation. We’ll have to see what is necessary when the time comes.

“Let me go!” Going as far as trying to bite my grip, I give her a little yank to throw her off balance. Another unregistered curse is sent in my direction.

This spitfire isn’t going to calm down until she’s out of energy.

With my hold on her wrist remaining tight, I pick her up. She’s light as a feather, easy to break with one jerk of a motion. If I wanted to teach her a lesson through pain, I could easily shatter her wrist. Instead, I don’t cause any harm. Throwing her over my shoulder, her gasp fills the empty room.

“We are getting nowhere in here.” Stating the obvious, I turn toward the door. Motioning with my hand for it to open, I feel the thump of her balled fists against my back with every step.

“Put me down!” Snarling and growling, the human doesn’t care too much for the scene she’s stirring up. More incoherent words leave her lips and I make a note to learn what she’s calling me in front of my crew.

Making the mistake of breathing in, I inhale deeply. Discovering how much I enjoy this sweetness makes our situation less bothersome.

Everyone is sending curious looks in our direction. Most are confused. Besides the healing human Varrum brought with him, there’s never been another of their kind aboard this vessel. None seek such a death wish after everything they’ve done.

“I can not risk you harming one of the innocents.” My arm holds her wiggling legs. “This is how I will carry you until I know you can control yourself.”

Hearing a grunt, I’m satisfied when she goes limp. Good. About time.

I continue to walk, my steps heavy. Not even sure where I want to take her, my feet carry me with every step. I should’ve kept her in the interrogation room, gotten some cuffs, and properly questioned her.

Instead, I’m listening to the murmurs of passing crewmates. They’re concerned about why I’m carrying around the enemy.

“Is she alive, the doctor you kidnapped?” Her breath warms my back as she catches her breath. “Don’t think about lying to me.”

“Yes. No harm has been aimed her way.” Admitting the truth, I can’t help but notice the way she relaxes against my frame. Unwilling to let my guard down in the slightest, I try not to notice. “We need her to undo the damage she’s done. Once my people are healed, I’ll let you both go.”

I shouldn’t promise something like this, not when there are plenty of others who would rather see the human race perish.

“When can I see her? As much as I’d love to believe you, I can’t say I’m willing to put my complete trust in you.”

“Soon.” Grunting, I don’t recall seeing Varrum after we were hit with the first blast from her ship. I’m sure he has no intention of letting that red-haired healer out of his sight. Not when she’s got such a purpose when it comes to saving our people.

First things first, I need to find them. Before I set this female off by telling her that I don’t know where the healer is, I do a little looking around.

After a few minutes, she sighs. “Put me down. I’ll be good. This is humiliating.”

If her words don’t prove the fact, her flushed cheeks do the trick. Not looking in my direction, she has no choice but to stare at my stomach or the floor.

“I find that hard to believe.” I take a few more steps and enjoy the frustration blowing out of her in the form of a sigh. “There are children, Human. If you think death is the answer to all of your problems, just know, there are plenty of innocent species here. Some who have never touched a blade or have ever needed to fight for survival.”

Not just my kind, but others who fight for survival. Everyone here wants to live.

Releasing her, my shoulder grows cool without her radiating warmth. Expecting her to attempt a last-ditch effort to be free, I’m surprised when she straightens her shoulders and takes in our surroundings. The way those green eyes scan and search, my mouth twitches.

“If you’re looking for any means of escape, you’ll be wasting your time. You’re not going anywhere, Human.”

“Jax.” Jerking to look at me, her nose crinkles. “You will refer to me as my name.”

Lifting a brow, amusement begins to fill my chest once more. To think she believes she has the power to start throwing demands is laughable. For now, I’ll cave and call her whatever she pleases.

“My sister, I want to see her.” Thin arms cross at her chest as she straightens up. “I need to know she’s not being experimented on.”

What will happen to the human, Jax , once I satisfy her demands? Will she continue to prickle up, or will she let down her guard?

With the fire behind her gaze, a look owned only by a warrior like myself, it’ll be a long while before she loses the stiffness in her shoulders.

“You think so ruthlessly of us.” Humans may be a mystery to us, but I’d never order the dissection of one. Though I’ll admit, I’m growing more and more curious about this one in particular.

My words seem to upset her as another wave of anger flashes across her eyes. A disagreement in the truth, I’m sure.

Waiting for another moment of attack, I watch her breathe in slowly before exhaling. Instead of acknowledging me, she urges me to continue walking with the swoop of her hand.

Without realizing where I’m leading her, we find ourselves on the other end of the ship. Members of my crew walk about with clipboards, their attention too glued to their own work to notice my arrival.

Those who do notice shift to bow, stumbling only slightly when taking notice of Jax.

The ones closest to me, the ones who bear the same blood that runs through our veins, look like they want to curl their fingers around her throat and squeeze until she can no longer take in another breath.

The Sixth, those who are my best in combat in their own ways, pause their conversation when they spot us.

I don’t like the look in their eyes. Wanting to keep her all to myself, I fight the urge to curl an arm around her and lay out the demand for no harm to come her way.

Confusion seeps in with the need to keep her at my side where she’s the safest. Rather than caving to the sensation, I dismiss anyone with a questioning glance.

Spotting Dariun on a call with a hologram figure, I head in his direction. Once I’m noticed, the call is dismissed before a nervous apology comes out for the small distraction.

With enough on my plate, I hardly have room to start worrying about what each crew member is doing during their free time. As Jax continues looking around, be it for her sibling or for a way to sneak off, I urge for an answer to where Varrum had run off to.

“Varrum and the healer.” I look toward the logs on the screen and my frown grows as I read the constant flow of activity happening between my people and those who seek to harm us. “They headed in this direction before our little disturbance. Have you seen where they went off to?”

Jax scoffs under her breath but doesn’t bother denying my words.

Dariun grimaces as he scrolls up through the logs. One in particular catches my attention. A mention of failure to launch makes my chest tighten.

“I saw them head inside an escape pod. I’m not sure where their location was set. But from the looks of it-”

I lift my hand to stop him before he reveals the truth. With Jax unknowing, I don’t want her to realize that one of our pods has malfunctioned. The glowing red symbols reveal as much.

“Keep me up to date,” I order as I force my voice to remain even and calm.

If the healer dies, then we are fucked. That’s all there is to it. Varrum will live through whatever accident they’ve run into, but I am not sure about our captive.

“So, she’s not here.” Jax sighs under her breath. Smarter than I realized, she catches on right away. I guess not all of her kind are foolish. “I saw the pod leave. At the time, I figured you were the one on it.”

I snort. “You thought I was escaping?”

Her chin lifts and the fire burning behind her gaze fills me with amusement.

“I am known for many things, but a coward is not one. I am never one to run away from a fight. Especially when my challenger is confident of my downfall.”

Cheeks growing flushed, she huffs and puffs at the reminder of how the tables had turned. Even if she got one hit, she didn’t win this fight.

“If the opportunity comes, I’ll get a rematch. Next time, I’ll show you what I’m capable of.” She looks away and squints at the logs. I’m sure most of the lettering looks like nothing but symbols. “Do you know where they launched off to?”

“I don’t.” Watching the way her eyes grow large, I hum in contemplation. “I’ll take you to the escape pods. Maybe there will be clues to where they’ve gone.”

Play ignorant. That’ll give this vessel a few more minutes of peace.

Her eyes light up and a smile threatens to take over her scowl. One little curve is enough to throw me off.

For a moment, I forget that I’m trying to play her. I forget that my jaw has a small ache from her kick.

What kind of king caves because of a small smile?

She’s getting her hopes up with the idea of escaping again. It’s written all over her face. So obvious.

Without putting up a fight, I lead her in the direction of the living area. With an entire community living on this vessel, it’s an honest surprise Jax thought she could take this place down with one mere battleship. Sure, their cannons had done a bit of damage, but we would’ve had to be hit a hundred times before I’d have to worry about the state of those I take care of.

She looks around confused, hardly hiding the surprise on her expression. Passing by others, she jerks back to look behind us. “It’s not just Medarians here?”

“No. We take in many species, those who require help.” Receiving a snort, I ignore it. “Those who are willing to negotiate and give in, they are allowed to live a life of ease.”

“Well, isn’t that kind of you.” Her face twists up as she glares ahead. “So those who don’t want to become slaves to a ruler, those are the ones you kill?”

Jax doesn’t understand. She’s the same as the rest of her kind. Despite being built to kill, we are one of the most peaceful species here. We don’t want to fight, not unless it’s necessary. When our brothers and sisters are murdered, then it is required.

“Believe what you want, Human. Your feelings are influenced by your beliefs. Nothing I can say will be able to fix that, even if I only speak the truth.”

Our conversation ends there much to my relief. She wants to fight, even now. Be it with her fists or that malicious tongue of hers, she doesn’t know the definition of surrender.

After another minute or two, her steps slow to a stop.

“We have yet to reach any escape pods.” Pointing out the obvious, she slows. Her brows lower and she jerks at the realization that something is not right. “Where are you taking me?”

Well, at least I got her to our next destination before she connected the dots.

“You will not find the chance to escape.” I come to a stop and face a closed door. With a blur of my fingers, I type in a code to make the door slide open.

Gasping in surprise, her brows arch as her hands ball up in fists. “I’ve already told you what I want-”

“When we find the healer and she gives us what we want, I will deal with you then.” I give her a push, hardly with much strength, and she stumbles toward the doorway. “Be good.”

Rage flashes before her eyes and she steps forward just as the door slides shut. Through the metal, her words are muffled. Not that it matters, I don’t understand her when she’s so angry.

Typing in a code to keep the door secured, I run a hand down my face. Breathing in, a groan rumbles at the back of my throat.

Her scent is clinging to my fingertips. No longer filling the air, I should be relieved. Instead, I’m forcing my body away from the door to make some distance.

I’ll deal with her later. Another time, once I can think without the start of an ache forming in the pit of my stomach.