Page 5

A lone Aurelian is a rare sight. If he’s got a triad, they aren’t with him. The Aurelian strides down the stairs with an embellished swagger that makes me want to slap him. If I could reach his head, at least. He’s at least seven foot tall, without an ounce of fat on his body. He’s got on light power armor, but the egotistical bastard had it designed more to highlight his biceps than for protection.

I make a mental note of the weak chinks in his arm where a sharp blade will end him. I’d have one chance, but I’ll make it count.

Beauty is pain for you, bastard.

His Orb-Blade dangles at his hip, dormant and waiting to be brought to life. He could activate it in a second to cut through our shields and armor, making short work of our ship. Instead of a metal helmet to protect what little brains the alien captain has, he prefers to go bareheaded, to show off his wavy brown hair that falls to his shoulders.

TheWayward Scythegroans as it settles against the metal floor. The bastard strides towards us, stopping twenty feet in front of us. He’s got his hands behind his back, his massive chest puffed outwards.

Tasha glances down to the controls. If she’s thinking what I’m thinking, I have to hope she restrains herself from blasting the cocky smirk off his face.

Cocky pretty boys. Good for one thing. They talk a big game, but you never know if they can back it up, so the trick is to make them prove their tongue is useful for something other than bragging before you let them into bed.

This one is brave, at least. He knows we can turn him to dust, but he stares us down.

The Aurelian captain lifts his hand and curls his finger like he’s beckoning to a pet.

“Is this guy for real?” I scoff, less tense now that my survival timeline has gone from thinking I could be blasted out of the air by a missile within seconds. Now I’ve got minutes, at least, and while it doesn’t sound like much, not facing instant death every second does wonders for a girl.

“Everyone out!” Tasha barks the command, pressing the button to open the hatch. She steps out first without hesitation. Her head is high, but I can tell she’s nervous. Hell, I’m nervous too. Whoever this arrogant bastard is, our future is in his palms.

Up close I remember just how big the species are. It’s not just that they’re seven foot tall. They’re wide, with broad shoulders and muscled bodies that every woman has fantasized about at least once in their lives.

It’s the eyes that unnerve me.

Slate grey, utterly inhuman. This one’s handsome, but a touch too pretty for my liking. Give me a good, strong, honest face any day.

“Well, well, well,” the Aurelian purrs, his lips curling in a cruel grin. He’s got perfect teeth. That means he can fight. You don’t get away with being an asshole with perfect teeth unless you can block a punch. “I was expecting a little more from the big, bad captain behind the biggest heist of the century.”

Shit. He knows.

The Aurelian leans forward towards Tasha. To her credit, she doesn’t step back. I hope she can feel my presence behind her. I’m not the focus of the Aurelian’s intense gaze, but he makes me want to melt into the shadows and hide.

“Aren’t you a little young for a life of crime?” He towers over my best friend, using his bulk as an intimidation tactic.

I can’t keep up a strong front. I slump, hope leaving me. If he knows what we’ve got in our cargo, he knows who we stole it from. If he’s Rogue? I’ll die fighting him.

If he’s Independent?

Then he’s duty bound to report us to the Aurelian Empire. We’ll be hauled off to Colossus to face trial and punishment.

Tasha draws in a huge breath. She’s stronger than me, because she manages to stand up straight and proud in front of him. I get a little surge of defiance, bolstered by her confidence. “What do you want from us?” She says the words as a demand, as if we have the captain handcuffed in our brig.

My spirits lift though the situation is dire. If we’ve got a one in a million chance to break free, Tasha’s the one to beat the odds. I’d dive into the depths of hell with her. The other members of our crew—Chris, Zander, Tom, Felix, and Theme, have varying levels of loyalty. Felix is my favorite. He’s got the kind of honest, broad, almost ugly face that floats my boat. A few times in the loneliness of space we’ve kept each other company, and he’s never once bragged of his conquest to the others.

There’s a slow drip that turns to a firehose. The captain’s gaze homes in on Theme. “That one’s pissing himself,” he says, cocking his head towards our twenty-three-year-old recruit. He might only be two years younger than me, but he’s a baby.

I wince at the loud thud. I don’t need to turn around to know he fainted from fear.

“What do you want from us?” Tasha stands her ground.

I feel more than hear the shift behind me, and in the corner of my eye I see Chris reaching down towards his belt.

Does he have a hidden knife?

I give him a hard glance and a quick shake of the head. His hand freezes.

“I think you know exactly what I want from you,” the Aurelian says slowly, his eyes devouring Tasha. It makes my hackles rise. The Aurelian snaps his fingers, a loud crack like breaking bone, and two more Aurelians step out from behind a Reaver, marching past us.