Chapter 7

Yanna

I plastered my face to the door at the back of the container where two-inch vents gave me a view of the dusty road behind us. There, pulled behind our container in a cage surrounded by those fucking armored aliens, was a motionless Lynix.

Just the sight of him laying so still had me nearly breaking down into uncontrollable sobs. He was alive—I could see the rise and fall of his chest—but his beautiful mane was crusted with blood. His tail hung at a crooked angle, like it'd been broken, and his breathing was a raspy wheeze. Naked and vulnerable, he was a shell of the powerful male I'd come to know. Like. Care for deeply.

"Lynix," I whispered through dry and cracked lips. I tugged at the rope tying my bound hands to the side of the container. Blood dripped down my wrists as I'd rubbed my skin raw, but I barely felt the pain. All I wanted to do was get to Lynix. I had to make sure he was okay.

This was all my fault. If it wasn't for me, Lynix wouldn't be caged. He'd be free with his queen and his brothers who loved him. That was where he deserved to be. Not with me. Not beaten and broken and imprisoned. I didn't want to see him like that. It hurt too much, but I forced myself to watch over him. It was the least I could do after all he'd done for me.

I longed to see his fanged smile at me as he flexed his biceps. I ached to tangle my fingers in his fur. But all those wants were selfish. What I wanted most of all was to see him striding away from me. Free. Safe. Unburdened by my shitty luck.

What had I been doing? What had I thought was going to happen? I wasn't going to live happily ever after on some alien planet with a beautiful lion man. I should never have let myself be deluded that happiness was in my future. Now I'd drawn Lynix into my doom.

After beating myself up in my head, I directed my anger at the armored alien in the container with me. It was just him and I, and I could barely make out his beady eyes in the darkness. I hated him. I hated all of these assholes. I glared at him until my eyes crossed, but he pointedly ignored me like I was nothing but a mouse in a trap. I was still naked, and my body was covered in dirt, bloody scrapes, and bruises. I couldn't be sure how long that gas had put me out. My stomach growled terribly, like I hadn't even for days. They'd given me some water when I woke up, but that was it.

I turned back to Lynix, hoping he'd at least stir, but he remained still. So very still. "Open your eyes," I whispered as I willed his eyelids to peel back. But that didn't happen. His body rocked with the motion of the wheeled cart. Every once in a while, one of the armored aliens would reach through the cage and prod at him. Each time, I bared my teeth in a growl. I channeled Lynix, wishing I had claws. Teeth. Forearm blades. I'd tear them apart one by one. Bathe in their blood. I'd never been a violent person, but the sheer need to cut these aliens into pieces for what they'd done to Lynix was like a living breathing thing beneath my skin.

I used to love the sun, but now that it'd been light for what felt like a thousand days, I longed for the cool darkness.

I couldn't be sure how long our journey was. They tossed me food after a while, I ate the tasteless meal bars only to keep my strength up. I tried to keep my eyes open so I could watch Lynix, but sleep caught up to me eventually.

It might have been days later when I woke up with a jolt to find Lynix's cage no longer behind the container. Full blown panic had me stumbling to my feet and shoving my shoulder at the back door of the container. "Hey!" I screamed. "Hey! Where is he? Where did you take him?"

Oh no, what if they… no, he had to be alive. If they planned to kill him, they would have done it long ago. Right?

"Lynix!" I screamed. I yelled. I cried. I hollered until my voice went hoarse and until the armored alien at the back of the container raised his fist and landed a crushing blow to the back of my head. I went down like a rock.

I woke up some time later with a pounding headache and the taste of blood in my mouth. I no longer felt the cold metal of the container on my knees. I was outside, tied to a tree trunk while half a dozen armored aliens sat around a fire eating.

Panic set in when I didn't see Lynix. The cage was nowhere in sight. The container sat off to the side, and I was about to dismiss it when a shadow passed inside across the vents. I held my breath as a familiar tuft of blue and black fur brushed along the vent. But even I could tell the movements were weak. Sluggish. Had they drugged him again? When was the last time they fed him? Given him something to drink?

Food sat in front of me—a slice of dried meat and some sort of whole grain bread. Something with actual flavor. Except I didn't enjoy it, not one bit knowing that Lynix was suffering. I only gnawed on it for energy as I took in my surroundings. I was out of the container, which meant maybe I had a chance to find a way to free Lynix.

A few crated supplies sat near me, the lids askew. One held more food, and I helped myself to some dried nuts before I dug further to the bottom. My hand closed over a small square object, and I lifted it out to see what it was. I had hoped it was some sort of weapon, but instead it was an innocent-looking black box. Although, something about it struck me as familiar. Where had I seen this before?

And then it hit me. Lynix had one of these behind his left ear. A translator. My lungs tightened as I curled my fingers around the box. If I could understand the armored aliens, maybe I could find a way to get free. As of now, they talked around me often because they knew I couldn't understand them.

But how did I use this translator? Why hadn't I asked Lynix how it worked?

I fiddled around with it, pressing a few buttons until the box made a whirring sound. Alarmed, I glanced up at the armored aliens, but they paid me no mind as they spoke to each other in gruff grunts.

Did I dare try to use this thing? What if I pressed it to my head, and it sucked my brain out? What if it cracked my skull?

But I was helpless as I was. Something had to give. Something had to change. And a knowledge of their language was like gold. So I took a deep breath, braced for death, and pressed the box behind my left ear. The whirring continued, and then four points of sharp pain pierced my skin and scratched my skull. My vision went dark, as I clapped my hand over my mouth to keep myself from crying out. Pain radiated across my face. Down my neck. My heart stuttered. My lungs seized. Was I dying? I whimpered behind my hand, blinking rapidly as I forced myself to breathe. Don't pass out. Don't pass out.

And then, just as suddenly as the pain had come…it dissipated. My lungs expanded. My heart's rhythm steadied, and voices began to float by my ears. At first, the language remained foreign, but the words were changing, becoming something more like English. The device made a strange noise and suddenly…I could hear. I could understand.

"If we're not back before the dark, Morquet will have our heads," groused one armored alien.

"We can't move on until we do something about the Beast," another said. "He's waking up."

"Just gas him again."

"And risk killing him? After the last dose, he stopped breathing. Morquet wants him alive."

"We use her as leverage," one bobbed his head at me, and I stared at the ground, looking sufficiently cowed, as several heads turned to me. "Morquet plans to use the Beasts' protectiveness over females against them, so we can learn from that. If this Beast acts out, we'll beat her. That'll show him."

I squeezed my eyes shut, not because I was scared of pain, but because I knew that would be extremely effective as well as killing Lynix's morale. He wouldn't be able to see me hurt. They'd called him a Beast, but what did they mean about using other Beasts? How many more were out there? Did they have any now? And why were they using humans and not Drixonian females?

It all made sense now how Lynix had acted since we first met. I couldn't be sure what he saw in me, but he saw something. Something he wanted and desired to protect. He'd nearly killed that pink alien for hitting me with a can. What would he do if these armored aliens beat me? It would crush him.

"We still can't risk the Beast at full strength," one alien said.

"We could maim him. Cut off a leg. Morquet only needs his seed."

His seed? I nearly screamed. What was going on? I had to act fast. I had thought I was the target for these aliens, but now I wasn't so sure I mattered much anymore. It was Lynix they wanted. Without a leg. Hurt. Maimed. Used only for breeding? My stomach churned, and I nearly threw up. My kind, soft Lynix, so full of life. Humor. Love.

I wouldn't let these assholes get near him. I'd risk it all for Lynix so he could get home to his brothers and his queen. This planet wasn't my home. I didn't matter here. But he did. In reality, no one would miss me much on Earth either. But damnit, Lynix was likable. Loveable even.

I wished for the cover of darkness, but the sun shone down on my skin without a cloud in sight. The armored aliens continued to talk, but I knew we would be on our way soon. I didn't have much time. I had to get Lynix out of that container.

I dug through the supply crates near me, but they were only full of food, a few translators, and blankets. Nothing I could use to cut through my bonds. I cast my gaze around the ground, looking for anything sharp, anything that could cut through these thick ropes. A rock with a sharp point caught my eye, and I immediately went to work sawing through the ropes. I hid behind one of the crates so the armored aliens wouldn't see me working. The ropes were tight from my struggles, but they were also slick with my blood, and as the rope began to fray, I began to work the strands over the meat of my palm and over my fingers. When the rope fell away, frayed and darkened with blood, I felt a surge of strength. Courage.

I could do this. I could free Lynix. It didn't matter what they did to me after. But first, I needed a plan. The doors at the back of the container were secured with a large lock and chain. Still crouched beside the supply crates, I eyed the armored aliens. Their guards were down with Lynix subdued inside the container. Several had taken off their weapon belts, and a few lay behind them. I spied a laser gun that had fallen from its holster and lay in the dirt.

If I could grab it, I could shoot the lock off the container. Risky, but I wasn't sure I had another option. I couldn't break into that container with my bare hands. I inhaled slowly and exhaled. Again. I let the sun warm my face. I flexed my fingers. I thought of Lynix's smile. I remembered the crude drawings of his family he'd drawn in the dirt. "I'm sending him home to you," I whispered into the pink sky. "Take care of him for me." Then I shut everything off in my mind but the task ahead.

I slipped away from the tree, sliding behind bushes that hid my form as I jogged in a low crouch. A noise came from the container, and I swore it rocked a bit with the force of Lynix moving inside, but I couldn't focus on that now.

I kept running in my low crouch until I reached the backside of where the armored aliens sat. I shimmied my way into the brush and extended a hand through the leaves. I couldn't see much, and my fingernails scraped the ground until they closed around a cool metal handle. I smiled as I slid it along the ground under the bush until I clutched the laser gun in my lap. I'd seen the armored aliens use it, and although I never thought I'd hold one in my hand, I was confident I could make the thing work. It was now or never.

Once again using the foliage as cover, I continued around the grouping of armored aliens until I was as close to the container as I could get while still hidden.

The container rocked again. Lynix was awake inside. Moving. He would be able to run free as long as I held off the armored aliens long enough. They'd be caught off guard, and I'd fire as many shots into their stupid bodies as I could if it meant Lynix would be free.

I gripped the gun in my sweaty palm. Finger on the trigger. Eye on the chain that I planned to blast into oblivion.

Then I took off on a run.

I was five feet away from the container when I planted my feet and aimed. That was the same moment the armored aliens noticed me. A shout went up, but I ignored everything as my focus narrowed to one task and one task only. The world fell silent around me. My breaths left my lips in even gusts. My heart pounded in my head. A stray hair blew on the breeze and tickled my neck. I closed one eye, aimed, and fired.

My shoulder wrenched back with the force of the laser fire, and I stumbled back with a cry. Pain shot through my arm, and I gripped it as my vision went wonky. Holy shit, that had hurt.

And with the pain, sound returned. The outraged snarls of the armored aliens. The pounding of their feet. They were near the head of the truck, racing toward the back with weapons in hand…

The doors flew open, and I met light purple eyes in the darkness. I swallowed, my heart aching, my shoulder screaming, as I spoke one word. "Run."

Then I limped to the side of the truck and lifted my arm again to fire at the oncoming armored aliens. But my muscles weren't working right. Something was wrong. My entire arm shook with the effort as I squeezed off a shot. Another. Each one felt like I was the one who'd been shot. Pain was everywhere. And it took me a moment to realize I had, in fact, been shot in the meat of my thigh as my left leg buckled.

On my knees, I squeezed off another shot, sending the armored aliens scattering slightly before they regrouped.

Lynix had to be gone now. He'd run, right? I couldn't be sure I'd hold them off much longer. Tears slipped down my cheeks as the scene in front of me seemed to wind down in slow motion. The wind whipping the grasses. The armored aliens with deadly sneers as they raced toward me. The shadow of something flying overhead. As much as I wanted to run with Lynix, I refused to slow him down again. I was too needy with my need to eat and sleep. He'd be better on his own. His brothers would take care of him. I'd be a memory.

Then a roar sounded behind me, and I turned in horror to find that Lynix had not listened to me. He had not run. He stood naked, yet now he was anything but vulnerable. His bladed forearms cut a deadly shadow on the ground. Sharp black blades rose from the top of his head and down his back as his form seemed to swell in size. He bared his teeth as the muscles in his neck corded, and he roared again, spit flying from his mouth as the sound cut through the air like a knife.

He moved so fast, he was a black and white blur. He dropped to a crouch before leaping in the air like the king of the pride. He landed among the armored aliens with deadly accuracy, bladed forearms cutting through their plated body armor like butter. Blood flew. Body parts thudded to the ground. A severed head rolled near me.

I'd seen Lynix angry. I thought I'd seen him in fight mode. But this was…this was something else. This was arcade Mortal Kombat on steroids. All traces of the injured battered Lynix were gone and in his place was a killing machine.

We still can't risk the Beast at full strength, one of them had said.

And now I understood.