Page 8

There were the sounds of a scuffle and one yelping in pain.

"Let's just forget it. Tell Hendrik we fed him. He won't check, he'll be too drunk."

"Those on the tower—"

"They don't give a shit either. As long as that thing doesn't get out. I'll give them extra drops and tell them it gets fed by one of us at some point if it makes you feel better."

There was a pause. "Fine. But if Hendrik finds out, it’s your ass, not mine.”

The footsteps grew distant. Another day and no food. Xeda wondered when was the last meal he’d had. Vrisha could go many cycles without it if they had to. But he had a feeling his time was running thin. He could feel the pangs of hunger beginning to settle in his stomach, and his throat was sore with the need for liquid. He hadn't had nourishment since his time on that other planet. Where his queen had died.

How long ago had that been? A few cycles? Hundreds?

It didn't matter now.

Failure.

Pathetic fool.

Night approached. He watched the last bit of light slink away before he was once more drowned in darkness. Then the little red heat light above flickered on. When the cold seeped in, he wanted to rip that light out from the top and hug it to him.

He didn't sleep. Again, the waking dreams came.

This time, he tried to keep them at bay. He tried instead to think about how he might escape. How he might break that burly human's neck.

Over and over, he imagined ways he would destroy those around him. Eventually, they would let their guard down. He loathed the idea of submitting to them just to have that happen quicker. But he knew they weren't completely stupid either. To have him fight meant eventually they would have to let him out. Perhaps then...

He had also heard the distant roar of ships several times in the day. Meaning ships came and went regularly. If he could get aboard one...

Patience. All you need is patience.

He'd kill anyone in his way. That was for certain.

Over and over, he tried to make a plan.

Before he realized it, the light was creeping back in again. And the heat with it. There was also a curious scent in the air. Dark and rich. He looked over to the window and only saw little insects floating by.

He didn't hear the usual voices of men. Instead, he caught the sound of soft footfalls passing by, then a strange shifting and scraping noise outside his window. He stared, watching and waiting, until he saw a head pop over and look down at him.

"Hey, there,” said a soft, almost silky voice.

He blinked, and the first thing he noticed was their eyes. One deep blue, the other metallic grey. It was a human.

His first instinct was to snarl. He bared his teeth, even if they couldn't see them, and let out a low hiss.

The human only looked at him. They didn't back away or even look entirely frightened which baffled him. Though there was a hint of fear-scent in the air, it didn't choke his senses like the others’ had. Still, this human was cautious and aware. He growled and saw them grow more tense, but they didn’t move away.

“Hold on,” they said, as if he could stop himself from waiting. Their head disappeared, then returned a moment later. This time, they gripped something in their hand. It looked almost like a rod, twin claws at its end clenching something dark.

He jerked toward them and snarled again, this time louder. Expecting them to fall back and stay away. They flinched but that was all. This one understood he couldn't get to them.

"Easy, easy," they said. They carefully slipped the rod between the bars. There was a loud hiss and pop before the rod broke past the shield and was within his reach. He swiped at it, knocking the dark mound off its end. The human cursed and brought the rod out, twin claws now empty.

It was then he realized it was not like the kind that burly human had used. It was just a long metal stick. He looked down at the ground and saw what had been attached to it. He picked up what had clearly once been the carcass of an animal but had been slowly cooked. The odor caught in his nostrils, making them flare. He stared at the meat in his hand, then flicked his gaze back to the human.

They watched him and smiled. "You can eat it. It's safe." They brushed back a lock of deep black hair.

He stared back at them. Back ather. Studying her, he could see the traits of a female. And if not that, he could tell by the scent alone which was different compared to the males. He'd learned how to differentiate them.