Chapter 19

There was no such thing as a good night"s sleep in a prison.

The cold, hard floor of the cell pressed up against Rhys"s back, sending shivers through the thin material of his clothing. He was surrounded by rock, deep within the heart of the Borraq city. Thick walls lay behind him, and all that was through the bars to his side were other cells.

If he wanted to escape, there was nowhere to go.

Rhys"s body ached, a symphony of protest from his muscles and his skin. His vision was starting to clear from the black spots that had danced in front of it, but the bruises and cuts that covered his form were grim reminders of his attempt to warn the Borraq of the impending attack.

Well, he"d done his best. As he"d been dragged away, he"d shouted everything he knew at anyone who could hear.

Whether any of the Borraq would survive the coming assault was up to them.

Locked up alone, there was no one to judge him for his failure. There was no one to look down on him. There were no sneering faces to mock him for being space trash.

In this moment, right here, right now, as he awaited whatever fate the Borraq had decided for him, there was no one at all.

Despair should have been a heavy weight, pressing down on Rhys. And yet, strangely, it wasn"t. There was a curious lightness to his soul, as if the burden of all his troubles had been lifted from him along with his ability to walk freely.

For a single, stolen moment, he felt… okay.

He"d done the right thing. For once in his life, faced with nothing but bad choices, he"d done the right thing.

And you know what? It felt good.

It was worth it, despite everything.

It was worth it, even if it meant that it was all going to be over soon.

The only thing he wished… was that Taryn hadn"t seen him. He"d brought Taryn down with him.

Rhys shut his eyes tight, squeezing back tears.

The deafening clang of metal reverberated through the cell block, shattering the fragile silence. Rhys jolted upright, his heart pounding as someone was flung into the cell next to his.

Even in the dim light filtering through the bars, he recognized that silhouette. "Taryn!" Rhys scrambled closer, gripping the bars separating them, his eyes frantically searching for signs of life.

"Taryn!" he hissed, his voice a strangled whisper. "Please…"

A pained groan answered him, and Rhys sagged with relief as Taryn stirred. Their eyes met through the bars.

"Rhys..." Taryn rasped, his voice hoarse but laced with tenderness. "You"re alive."

Rhys swallowed hard, his throat constricting with a blend of fear and comfort at Taryn"s presence. "I... I didn"t think I"d see you again."

Taryn"s expression hardened, his jaw clenched with determination. "I won"t let them harm you, Rhys. Not while I still draw breath."

A humorless chuckle escaped Rhys"s lips as he shook his head ruefully. "What does it matter? We"re both as good as dead here."

"No." Taryn"s tone brooked no argument as he dragged himself closer, their faces now inches apart through the bars. "I won"t accept that. Not for you."

Rhys"s gaze fell, his shoulders slumping with resignation. "It"s okay, Taryn. I"m just a human. A nobody. My life holds no value, not even to my own kind. Worry about yourself, not me."

Taryn"s eyes blazed with an intensity that stole Rhys"s breath away. "Your life has value to me, Rhys." His voice dropped to a fierce whisper. "I will fight until my last breath to keep you safe, do you understand?"

The raw conviction in Taryn"s words shattered something within Rhys, the walls he"d erected around his heart crumbling under their weight. He reached through the bars, his fingers trembling as they found Taryn"s face, tracing the sharp angles with a tenderness he scarcely recognized in himself.

"You shouldn"t waste your life on me," Rhys murmured, his thumb caressing Taryn"s cheekbone. "But… I don"t want you to die, either."

Taryn leaned into the touch, his eyes slipping shut as he relished the contact. "Then we fight, Rhys. Together. Because I cannot bear the thought of anything else."

Their foreheads pressed together through the bars, sharing the same breath, the same heartbeat. In that moment, nothing else mattered — not the war raging beyond their prison, not the divide between their species.

All that existed was the warmth between them.

Rhys"s lips curved into a soft, wondering smile. "Together, then, big guy."

The moment was shattered by the sound of approaching footsteps echoing through the hard stone of the corridor outside.

Taryn and Rhys jerked apart, bracing themselves. Rhys"s heart raced, a cocktail of adrenaline and fear bubbling through him.

The newcomer wasn"t one of the guards that had thrown Rhys or Taryn into the cell. This Borraq was bigger than the others. Scars criss-crossed his chest, and one of his horns was broken, its jagged edges catching the low light.

At the sight of him, Taryn"s expression shifted to something too complex for Rhys to understand. "Zarrack."

The older Borraq"s gaze flicked between the two prisoners, and a sneer curled his lip. "I couldn"t believe that the reports were true. Taryn, consorting with a human? You hate them more than I do."

Taryn"s jaw clenched. "I"m acting in accord with my honor."

"And I"m left trying to salvage what"s left of it," Zarrack growled. His eyes bored into Taryn"s. "What could make you lower yourself to this? Humans are nothing but vermin. You know that better than anyone."

Rhys bristled at being talked about as if he was nothing but a piece of furniture. "I"m right here, you know!"

Zarrack didn"t even acknowledge Rhys. His gaze was locked on Taryn. "Tell me, Taryn. Make me understand. What was so important that a man like you would betray us to ally with our enemy?"

Taryn met Zarrack"s steely gaze without flinching. "Rhys is not our enemy. He warned us of the impending attack at great personal risk."

Zarrack scoffed, his disdain evident. "And you believed the word of this… creature?"

"I did," Taryn stated, his voice hard. "Because Rhys has proven himself trustworthy time and again during our journey."

Rhys watched the exchange with bated breath, his heart thundering in his chest.

Taryn continued, his words laced with conviction. "Everything I told you was true. I captured Rhys from the human mining operation that trespassed on our planet. The others fled, but Rhys remained."

He paused, his expression softening as he glanced at Rhys. "Soon after, I learned the other humans had come with the sole intent of bombing our cities. A fact Rhys was completely unaware of."

Zarrack"s brow furrowed, but he remained silent.

"Rhys chose to aid me in tracking down the other humans to stop their attack." Taryn"s gaze bored into Zarrack"s. "And when he finally found out where they were, he risked his life. Knowing that his life was forfeit on sight, he came in here to warn the outpost. All to protect our people — his enemies!"

Rhys felt a lump form in his throat. He had never imagined anyone would champion him so fiercely, let alone a Borraq warrior. Unbidden tears stung his eyes, a swell of feeling threatening to overwhelm him.

For a long moment, Zarrack simply stared at Taryn, his expression unreadable. Then, slowly, he turned his gaze upon Rhys, scrutinizing him with that terrifying coldness.

"Is this true, human?" Zarrack rumbled. "Did you truly seek to warn us, knowing it could mean your death?"

Rhys swallowed hard, meeting the warrior"s penetrating stare. "It"s true," he replied, his voice steady despite the turbulence within him. "I couldn"t let innocent lives be lost. Not when I had the chance to stop it."

An unreadable silence stretched between them, the weight of Rhys"s words hanging heavy in the air. Finally, Zarrack gave a slow nod, his demeanor shifting ever so slightly.

"Your actions speak louder than any words, human," he murmured. "And Taryn"s faith in you is… unexpected." He fixed Rhys with an appraising look. "I would hear more of how this came to pass."

Rhys"s breath caught in his throat. A chance to plead his case...

He glanced at Taryn, who offered the slightest of nods. "Tell him everything, Rhys."

Drawing a steadying breath, Rhys straightened his shoulders. "Okay, here goes…"