Kaelith

The engines hummed beneath my feet as I strode onto the bridge, shedding my outer armor and letting it clatter to the deck.

I should be focused on this supposed treasure that the little human claimed Landar possessed. Instead, my thoughts kept drifting back to Gemma herself.

Snarling under my breath, I raked my claws through my thick black hair. What was it about her that had me so...distracted? She was just another weak, soft human. Easily broken if I wasn"t careful.

Yet her spirit, that defiant fire in her hazel eyes as she"d stared me down...it stirred something primal within me. She didn"t cower or flinch from my intimidating presence like most lesser beings.

The fact that she might dare to lie about the treasure irked me, a challenge I couldn"t resist putting to the test. But it was more than that driving my interest, my hunger to unravel her mysteries.

Muttering a vile curse, I stalked out of the bridge towards her quarters. I needed answers, even if I had to take them by force. The door slid open with a hiss and I stepped through, my crimson gaze immediately finding her huddled form on the bunk.

Gemma started at my abrupt entrance, her delicate features paling. My sharp senses drank in the accelerated pounding of her heart, the subtle shift in her scent laced with a hint of fear. Prey recognizing the predator.

"Before we go any further down this path you"ve set us on, I need more details," I demanded, looming over her. "What exactly did you overhear about this treasure?"

Gemma swallowed hard, her throat bobbing. "L-Landar used to boast about hiding a massive treasure in a place called Stanica Maglina. He called it his biggest score ever, something that would set him up for life."

My lips peeled back in a feral grin, revealing my jagged fangs. So the little human wasn"t lying after all.

"Go on," I said, leaning closer. Her scent, a tantalizing blend of fear and something softer, sweeter, filled my senses.

"He said something happened there that made it hard for him to get back to the treasure," she continued, her voice steadier now. "Like he was waiting for the right opportunity."

"The right opportunity would never come." I snorted derisively. "During the War of Shifting Orbits that station became a battleground, eventually overrun by battlebots. And they left plenty of damage. Collapsed floors, leaks, hull breaches - even a Zhyx would have trouble navigating that wasteland now."

Her hazel eyes flashed with determination. "But would a Vinduthi have as much trouble? I"m sure I know enough about where on the station Landar stashed his prize. If we can get there..."

My gaze raked over her slight form, taking in the swell of her breasts rising and falling with each breath. A shiver of anticipation rippled through me at the thought of having her all to myself on that derelict station, isolated from prying eyes.

No distractions, no interruptions as I slowly unraveled the mysteries surrounding this human female. Peeled away her layers until I discovered what made her essence burn so bright, so defiant in the face of one as powerful and dangerous as I.

"Very well, little human," I purred, unable to resist reaching out to trail a claw along the delicate line of her jaw. She tensed but didn"t pull away. "Lead me to this fabled treasure, and then we"ll revisit the matter of your...freedom."

Her soft lips parted as if to protest, but then pressed together in a tight line. A wise decision - any objection would only spur my instincts to utterly dominate her until she yielded completely.

If she proved truthful about the location of Landar"s hoard, I would be extraordinarily...generous with her rewards. The thought of her naked form, swathed in jewels and riches befitting a queen, made my blood burn hotter.

But if this was another elaborate deception, I would make the little liar beg for the mercy of death before I was through with her.

She lifted her chin. "I"ll find it for you. Landar played his games with me for years. No one knows as much about him as I do."

A cruel smirk tugged at the corner of my mouth as understanding bloomed. The Zhyx were a sadistic race, torturing their victims with mental anguish rather than physical pain. Landar must have plucked this girl to be his plaything long ago.

"You"d better hope this treasure is everything you claim, little human," I snarled, baring my fangs a hairsbreadth from her face. "Because if not, I"ll make you wish Landar had killed you."

The words hung heavy between us, her shallow breaths caressing my face. Up close, I could see the different flecks of color in her wide eyes. See the tiny freckles dusting her cheeks and the fullness of her lips parted ever so slightly.

An unfamiliar ache blossomed in my gut. This close, surrounded by her scent and warmth, it was maddening. I wanted...needed...

Releasing her with a snarl, I turned on my heel and stormed out, her whimper following me like the cry of a wounded animal.

Once back on the bridge, I slammed my fist into the side of the comm panel. "Arana!" I shouted, oddly agitated. "Get Servus on the line."

"At once," the ship"s AI responded in its eternally calm tones. "Please hold."

I fought to regain my temper, pacing while awaiting a response to my signal.

"Sevrus, you blasted icicle-spined son of a harpy, answer your damned comm!"

The screen flickered to life, revealing the visage of my fellow Vinduthi hunter. "Is that any way to greet your closest friend and confidant, Kaelith? Tsk tsk."

I bared my teeth. "Cut the kanda piss. I need you to send me the complete schematics for Stanica Maglina."

One thick brow arched over Sevrus" crimson eyes. "Planning a little larceny, are we? What"s the target this time?"

"Potentially a treasure trove," I growled. "I"m...pursuing a lead."

The bastard had the gall to laugh, his deep chuckle like shattering glass. "You? On a wild hartha chase? This I have to hear."

Grinding my fangs, I quickly laid out the details Gemma had provided about Landar"s final score. By the time I finished, Sevrus was grinning like a decrepit knarloc.

"And you actually believe this little tale your new human pet is spinning? She has you chasing shadows and whispers, my friend."

"She"s not my damned pet, she"s a means to an end," I snapped. "A small one that I"ll discard once I"ve wrung her dry of every scrap of usefulness."

The words felt like acid on my tongue. When had I started thinking of the girl as mine? As anything more than a source to be exploited then eliminated?

Sevrus held up his hands in mock surrender. "Of course, of course. My mistake." His grin turned sly. "I"ll send over the station schematics. Just don"t get your hopes up too high over this treasure. You know how unreliable human females can be with that incessant prattling of theirs."

"I"ll be the judge of that." I cut the transmission with a vicious stab of my claw against the console. Exhaling a long breath, I pulled up the newly transmitted schematics, studying every nook and cranny of the massive orbital station.

Just what insane gambit did my little human have up her sleeve? And why in the seven hells did that thought fill me with eager anticipation rather than dread?