Chapter 8

Erhan

Erhan studied the human female in front of him for a second before he offered her his hand. She didn’t even glance at it but instead gripped the knife tighter.

“I told you to stay away! I’ll kill you!”

He had to hold back his laughter. She was no match for him, and a fact they both knew. He had to admire her tenacity, though.

She picked up on the mirth in his eyes and let out a soft growl. She lunged forward with the blade extended, aiming for his neck.

Erhan didn’t expect the attack but his reflexes were far sharper than the blade she so clumsily wielded. His warrior instincts took over, and he deftly caught her wrist, preventing the blade from going anywhere near its mark.

He looked into her eyes, feeling far less friendly toward her now.

“I mean you no harm, human.” Frustration and anger mixed in his voice, which made him sound harsher than he intended.

She continued to glare at him while trying to free herself from his grip.

He let go of her wrist and eased back, holding up his arms to show he wouldn’t attack her. “I’m Prince Erhan from the planet Nirum and the leader of a tactical team. I’ve been sent on a mission to save human females from slavery.”

She looked into his eyes, searching for the truth.

Erhan could see that she didn’t quite believe him, and he sighed. He knew it wouldn’t be easy to convince the females to trust him, but he got the feeling this one was going to be more challenging.

He frowned, suddenly recognizing her. She was the one who had glared at the bidding crowd, the feisty one.

He chuckled, but there was no happiness in the sound. “Just my luck.” He pinned the woman with a stern look. “What’s your name?”

She hesitated for a few moments. “Kleena.”

“I’m not your enemy, Kleena. I’m here to free you.” Erhan held out his hand again, trying to look unimposing and friendly.

“How do I know you’re telling the truth?”

“Well, if I wanted to kill you, I would have done so when you attacked me. Or any time since killing that guard.”

“That doesn’t mean—” Her voice was cut off by the urgent beeping of a detonator, which was shortly followed by the sound of an explosion on the other side of the auction house.

The shock of the explosion rattled the walls, and soft debris rained down on Erhan and Kleena. They briefly made eye contact as the walls started to crack.

Erhan jerked his head toward their left and started rapidly slithering down the hall. Kleena followed him without a word.

They rushed through the corridors, the lights flickering in the aftermath of the explosion.

Erhan glanced behind them, but all he saw were clouds of dust. He led them through the maze of corridors, his jaw clenched tightly.

As they made their way toward an exit, Erhan’s mind was focused on two thoughts—his mission and his team.

He knew his team would be okay. They had the skills and capabilities to survive this turn of events. He had no doubt. He just hoped they could rescue as many females as possible.

He glanced at Kleena, who was surprisingly keeping up with him as he slithered as fast as he could.

She was his main mission now, and he would do whatever it took to ensure her safety.

A part of the ceiling fell just as they ran under it, but Erhan’s reflexes were quick enough to handle the situation. He used his sword to cut the falling piece of debris in such small pieces they no longer posed a threat.

Kleena stared in awe, her eyes wide.

He felt a rush of satisfaction at the way she admired his skill but quickly shook his head to regain focus. “Come, we must hurry!”

He led them further, quickly maneuvering through the debris and danger to ensure he steered Kleena to safety.

As they rounded a corner, a group of auctioneers and guards spotted them.

“There! Capture that woman and kill the thieving Niri!” Three guards stormed toward them, and Kleena froze, panicked.

“Get behind me!” Erhan gestured for her to hide behind his bulk.

She obeyed but lifted the blade she still clutched, her eyes focused on their attackers.

The guards filed into the narrow hallway, forming a row that was eager to kill Erhan. They growled menacingly at him, their weapons drawn.

He sized up the first guard and quickly pinpointed his weak point. He rushed to meet the attacker head-on, using his sword’s pommel to knock him out with a powerful blow to the temple.

When the guard fell heavily to the ground, Erhan was already on top of the next one, slicing through his leather armor with such precision that he cut every artery in the sword’s path.

The third guard halted, looking down at his fallen comrades. Though they were both still alive, he obviously didn’t like how quickly this Naga-like alien had disposed of them.

Erhan grinned at the guard. “You’re next, whether you like it or not.”

Before the guard could respond, Erhan had slithered around him and sliced his neck with his sword, killing him instantly.

The prince turned to Kleena. “Sorry, I didn’t want you to see that.”

She shook her head, grinning widely as her curls bounced. “No, that was fantastic. I wish I could do that!”

Erhan felt his insides grow warm at her praise. He was used to compliments, but this was different. He wasn’t sure how to respond, so instead he returned his focus to the remainder of the group before them.

The two auctioneers held up their hands.

One of them looked like he was about to throw up. “We were just following orders! We’re innocent!”

Erhan growled in anger. “The only innocents in this building are the females you stole from their homelands, you cowards!”

He rushed at them, hissing and fangs bared, venom dripping from the tips.

With just a few slashes, he took care of the auctioneers, who fell to the ground loudly. They didn’t even have time to scream or fight back. Erhan looked back at the unconscious guards, his tongue flicking angrily, keen to end their lives as well.

The building shook again, urging the pair on. He sighed and turned away. On instinct, he chose a direction that felt right to him and led the way once more.

Kleena jumped over and between the bodies, not even flinching when she almost stepped in the blood of the fallen auctioneers.

He gave her a small smile, hoping it would encourage her to keep moving. She smiled back, nodding as she followed him without question.

They moved faster, the rumbling of the walls around them encouraging them to get out as soon as possible. The pair emerged from the wreckage after finally finding an exit, and they stood outside the door, breathing fast. The night air stinging their lungs as they tried to recover.

After a few seconds of rest, Erhan pulled on Kleena’s arm, practically dragging her after him.

“We can’t remain here. We must leave this area immediately.” She didn’t argue but he could tell from her sluggish movements that she was growing tired.

He stopped and studied her. She was covered in dust, her hair tangled, with small cuts and scrapes all over her body. Her breaths were shallow and rapid. This wouldn’t do. Erhan knew she would slow them down, so he scooped her up and slithered away from the auction house at a blinding speed.

Kleena let out a little yelp and clung to him, her arms tightly wrapped around his neck. She buried her face in his chest, her eyes shut tightly.

He rushed away from the building, leaving behind a ruined auction and many pissed-off auctioneers and slavers, if any were still alive.

Erhan looked down at Kleena, something about the vulnerable way she clung to him stirring emotions he didn’t understand.

He couldn’t explain it, but some primal feelings deep within him seemed to awaken. A desire to keep Kleena and every other human female safe and out of the hands of slavers burned in his heart.

It was like he found new determination for his mission. More than he ever had before. It was no longer only about his honor and the honor of his kind. It started to feel like his mission had become far more personal.

He looked around in the alley he was rushing through, focusing on his surroundings with renewed fervor.

Protectively holding the woman closer to him, Erhan silently made a personal oath to protect all human females from now on.

He slithered into the darkness, effectively disappearing into the night.