3. Jax

3

Jax

“This is bullshit!” Thumping my fists against the door for what feels like the twentieth time. My hands throb, begging for relief. After trying to unlock the door using the pad on the side by pushing as many buttons as I can in a rush of fury and getting nowhere, I’m left panting.

Leaning against the door, my shoulders tense tight like a rope being tugged harsh enough to snap even the thickest of lines. Once the tension breaks, I’m left with a slight tremble.

None of this is right. I shouldn’t be here. Not in some prison.

I should be dead. The moment I stepped off my ship, the freak should’ve wrapped his fingers around my throat and snapped my neck without putting any thought into it.

I didn’t expect him to be so big. Those broad shoulders and thick fists promise a strength I’ve never known a creature to have.

The rest of his kind will kill without a second thought. Not him. He simply played with me like a predator plays with its next meal. Then he walked me about his ship like a pet. From carrying me on one of those strong shoulders to keeping me within his reach even when I did walk on my feet.

Hitting the door again, my body grows exhausted and I slump against the cool metal. As my forehead presses against the surface, my breath steadies with each inhale.

Flora is alive, that’s what matters. As long as she’s breathing, then I can’t throw in the towel just yet. One small hiccup shouldn’t be enough to leave me helpless.

Pushing away from the door, I take in the room I’m stuck inside. For a prison, I’m surprised by how well-kept such a small space is. Despite its bareness, there’s a little living space with a bed and an attached bathroom. It’s somewhat like a studio apartment back on Earth. The only thing it’s lacking is a proper kitchen.

Unless these aliens don’t eat, there must be some sort of common area.

Who knows if I’ll even be able to eat again? Not like I can trust whatever I get my hands on. Soon, my stomach will start rumbling. Whatever liquid comes out of the faucet in the bathroom will have to be enough to keep me sated until I come across something edible.

Coasting across the room, I take in every inch. There aren’t any ways to get out of this room, not as far as I can see. Unlike the last room I was in, there isn’t some large mirror used to spy on me. I’m completely by my lonesome.

Unless they have surveillance hiding in the corners of the walls, I think I’m good.

While I’m touching walls, searching for anything that pops out, I’m distracted by the view outside of the ship.

How many times have I looked out at the stars, secretly begging for peace to last long enough to truly appreciate the beauty? Too many times to count.

Where I am now, I don’t have my crew to disrupt me. All I have is silence and solitude.

Did my crew make it out safely? I hope so. With where I am, all I can see is Nedatere. Hardly an impressive view.

Going over every moment spent with the captain, I try to spot all the openings I missed out on. From the fight in that small room to being tricked into this room, I slipped up more than enough to aim my anger at myself.

Being beaten twice in a row is an insult to my pride. Even when taking on a brute, I thought I’d be able to stand somewhat of a chance.

Despite fighting many of his kind, I’ve never been overpowered with such ease.

Would the outcome have changed if I had my pistol? He didn’t have a weapon on him, completely confident that he wouldn’t need it to begin with.

So frustrating. Insulting.

Taking a seat on the bed, I try to relax. Rolling my shoulders, they feel stiff.

How much longer until that goliath returns? I don’t know how long I can rest. Letting my guard down isn’t an option. Not when I don’t know what my fate will be.

A shower sounds nice on my muscles, but that means making myself vulnerable enough to get attacked. So many things I want to do, but simply can’t.

Leaning back, I discover how soft the bed is. When my body sinks, I realize I’ve made a mistake. The material of the mattress feels like a warm hug, coaxing a yawn from my lips.

All those nights sleeping on cots, it’s no wonder why I’m caving without the will to put up a fight. Too many nights of tossing and turning on sore limbs are easily taken on by the gentle hold of this bed.

With nothing to do to pass the time but stare up at the ceiling, I don’t realize I’m closing my eyes until it’s too late.

When the door glides open without warning some time later, my eyes are snapping open. Unfortunately, thanks to dozing off, my stance isn’t the best it can be when I jump to my feet. Even worse, I stumble a bit.

If I were to be attacked, it would not look good on my part.

Much to my dismay, the same man is here for me. I still don’t know his name, not that it matters.

His golden gaze settles on me. Standing at the entrance, he makes no motion to move closer.

Attacking him is not in my best interest at the moment. Not when my stomach is clenching from hunger and exhaustion is still prickling at the back of my eyes.

“Let’s go.”

Moving forward, I leave my prison cell and join him once more. “My sister?”

“Is on another planet,” he explains as the door slides closed at my back. “We’re in the process of retrieving her. You’ll see her soon as long as there aren’t any complications.”

He plants a hand on my shoulder, catching me off guard.

“She’s unharmed as far as I’m aware. That, and she’s paired with one of my best warriors. You have nothing to fear.” Reading my face like an open book, he can see the fear hiding deep behind my gaze.

Even though I don’t want to look down on us, humans are weak when it comes to the unknown. Where we are, everything is unfamiliar. Flora being on some random planet is like me being here without my gun. It’s not a good combo.

“Have you talked to them?” Stopping in the middle of the walkway, I step closer to him. Needing the reassurance more than I care to admit, I leave my pride at the door. “You’re positive she isn’t injured?”

After my day, I don’t have the fight in me to demand answers. Demanding for anything hasn’t gotten me anywhere with this man.

He doesn’t flinch when I close the space between us. His nostrils flare as his eyes narrow. “We have not had direct communications. Their pod is in critical condition. However, my people can survive-”

Even when I think I’m all out of fuel, all it takes is a little spark to get me going again.

I’m flattening my hands against his chest and attempting to shove him to exhaust the sudden rage forming in my chest. The fact that he doesn’t budge in the slightest, unmoved like a brick wall, hardly helps me overcome all of these emotions.

“We aren’t built like you!” I don’t want to spell out our differences. This moment between the both of us is enough proof. “She could be dead for all you know. I can’t…”

I’m choking on my words, inhaling harshly enough to stutter.

Black fingers wrap around my wrists and easily pluck them away from his chest. Tilting his head, he continues to watch me ever so carefully. Despite my constant fight, he’s yet to send a single blow in my direction. Instead of being amused like before, he’s showing patience.

“We need her alive. Varrum would not have let her be harmed.” His thumbs brush my wrists, right above my pulse. “Relax, Jax.”

Regretting telling him my name, I hate how the rumble of his tone makes my stomach tighten. What I’m feeling isn’t delusion or fear. Despite our differences, he’s trying to soothe me.

“She is alive.” His words are confident. He truly believes she’s unharmed. The way he speaks makes me want to believe him as well.

My shoulders sink and the lack of fight aids my release. Nodding my head, I run my fingers through my hair.

“Is there a time limit on their rescue?” Forcing my shoulders back, I brush this moment of weakness away and harden my expression.

“There is no telling.” Not hiding the truth, he pauses, waiting for my reaction.

I don’t try to hit him, not this time. Instead, I nod my head. “How long am I your prisoner? Why am I here?”

Other beings continuously pass by. In such a large living space, it’s no surprise how many bodies move about. From their stares, the obvious is made. I should not be here. Never in my life have I ever felt like such an outsider.

“If you plan on killing me, are you waiting until I get to see her before you strike?”

“I have not decided what to do with you. Depending on your behavior, you may make it out of this alive.”

I scoff under my breath, shaking my head. We keep walking endlessly, with no final destination set.

“Be honest with me, did you allow my crew to leave?” Keeping my face straight, I refuse to let my concern slip. My brows narrow when he chuckles.

“I will admit, Jax. You must be one hell of a commander. Despite letting them go, they’ve refused to leave. Not to encourage your escape, but they have docked. They’re in no rush to leave.”

My chest swells with pesky emotions. Damn them all. Even when I put their lives in danger, they stay stubborn. For a brief moment, I have to look away to avoid letting him see the emotions behind my eyes.

“They’re just scared of me, that’s all.” Feeling like that should be the truth, I clear my throat. “So, what now?”

If I’m not walking toward my death sentence, and we’re playing the waiting for Flora’s return, what in the world am I meant to do to help pass the time?

“I don’t know much about your kind. I’m sure you have needs.” Runar shoots a glance in my direction. “You must be hungry.”

The thought of food is instant and I want to punch my stomach when it threatens to growl. “You expect me to trust you enough to eat whatever you put in front of me?”

Trust aside, I know if something mouth-watering is put in front of me, I’m not going to have the strength to turn my nose up at it.

“Poisoning is a coward’s way of killing.” His frown grows and he shoots me a look. Almost like he expects me to understand.

Unfortunately for this guy, I’m clueless.

“I am hungry,” I admit slowly when my stomach clenches. “However, if you’re looking to make me beg for food, then don’t hold your breath. I’d rather starve to death.”

“Such a stubborn one,” he mutters under his breath. Before giving me the chance to return an insult, he guides me in a new direction. He leads me to the common area.

Kind of reminds me of a cafeteria. Plenty of tables are spread out, many of them occupied by families. The smell of food does me in. Even if I don’t know what a single thing is, the scent of cooked meat carries me down the path between the tables.

The conversations happening around us quiet down as we pass. Another reminder that I stick out like a sore thumb compared to these aliens, I keep my attention focused on the food.

Telling myself that I won’t be stuck on this ship forever, I dismiss whatever whispers are made with the word human mentioned.

“I hope all this is safe to eat.” Spotting the trays, I grab one and even hand one toward Runar. I’m not about to fork down a bunch of food by myself.

Every snort that comes from this man feels less and less like an insult. It’s like he’s truly amused by my actions. Am I some form of entertainment to him? His life must be pretty boring if so.

Not recognizing any of the foods served, Runar encourages me to eat whatever I want. If I get sick, their medical team is pretty good at what they do. Because that is what I want to hear before I eat a meal.

Settling at one of the tables, I jab at what looks like a tentacle. The suction cups are wet and covered with seasonings.

Runar doesn’t wait for me to take the first bite. As a man of his size, he shovels in his food without a second thought.

“Why do you all live on this vessel?”

He coughs, surprised by my directness. Am I to be blamed for being curious?

When we discovered this vessel in the first place, we assumed this was nothing but a headquarters for the Medarians. After seeing the inside, now I’m not so sure.

“Why do humans try to live on planets that are not safe for them?” Runar asks the question despite not seeking an answer. “It’s one thing we share in common. We both don’t have a home planet anymore. While your kind continues to hunt, we gave up that fight a long time ago.”

“You know about Earth?” Taking my first bite, I groan at the flavor. While all of this looks disgusting, it beats the packets filling the cabinets in the Inferno .

“We’ve done our research. How many rotations does it have left before it is no longer habitable?”

My body slouches at the reminder of my home. “We were told ten years a year ago. Now, they don’t think it’ll last even half that long.”

All of those colonists who keep getting attacked are simply trying to find a new home for future generations. If we weren’t constantly getting attacked, we might’ve found something by now.

Runar nods, surprisingly sympathetically. Like he understands my pain from his own experiences.

What if we were to do something like this? Rather than trying to colonize an unfamiliar planet like all of our efforts have attempted in the past, why don’t we get a vessel large enough to support our kind?

Even if we can’t get everyone inside, at least humankind won’t be wiped clean from the solar system.

He asks more questions about Earth and I do my best to paint a picture for him.

“We killed our planet in the process of becoming more advanced. Despite trying to save it, we were too late.” I stab a tentacle and bring it to my lips. “The higher-ups are confident we’ll avoid making the same mistakes as our ancestors.”

Runar grunts at that. “I can tell you the same thing I told the other humans. The places you’re trying to invade will lead to your kind’s death.”

Fighting the urge to roll my eyes, I swat my hand to end this conversation before it truly starts. I’m not in the mood to hear him threaten to kill us all again. I’ve heard the same threats from all those I’ve fought over the last few months.

Finishing my meal and feeling far better, I move to stand. With my captor following close to the back of my heels, I walk in the direction of the other dirty trays.

“Now that I’ve gotten some rest and a stomach full of food, I’m ready to go another round.” Ditching the tray, I dust my hands clean. “I want to fight you.”

He lifts a brow and his mouth betrays him when he smirks. There’s no missing the sharpness of his fangs behind that smile of his. “Are you challenging me to a sparring match?”

“Call it whatever you want. I need a rematch.” Feeling like he’d shove me in that bland room for hours again otherwise, I don’t want to risk dying of boredom.

There’s still so much I don’t know about Runar. I want to take advantage and discover whatever weaknesses this captain has.

I need to get the upper hand on him. If he beats me again, I don’t think my pride will survive another blow.