Page 4 of Guardian's Soul (Space Guardian's Mate #2)

THARAAX

I glowered into my glass, swirling the amber liquid inside. I was well on my way to getting drunk, and I didn't give a shit. Possedion and his new mission could go freeze to death on Kellam—an ice planet. Since when had Space Guardians become rescuers? We were assassins and bounty hunters, not some glorified nanny.

Frygg.

I had just delivered my first—and I swore last—batch of humans to Astrionis. Never in my life had I known a more quarrelsome, needy species than them. I had to teach them how to use the frygging food dispenser and the cleansing chamber! Then they had whined about needing clothes.

Taking a long swig, I closed my eyes. When I asked Possedion how much longer I would have to catch and release humans, he didn't have an answer for me other than that Emperor Daryus of the Pandraxian Empire was paying handsomely. I grunted. As if that mattered to me. I never saw as much as one credit of the billions I brought in for the Ohrurs. Not that I needed it. They provided me with plenty. Still, it was the principle of it that bugged me. Had been bugging me since… I shook my head, unable to recall, while a brewing headache spread through my brain. I emptied the glass and waved it into the air to catch the waitress's attention.

She had barely refilled it when a Cryon entered, prodding forward one of the querulous species that had just been on my mind. She was a looker, that much was clear, and from the silence going over the crowd in the pleasure house, I wasn't the only one who noticed.

She held herself with a fragile grace that touched my heart. For the split of a tick, our eyes met. I read her desperation in them and downed the barely refilled glass in one swallow. No, no way.

I had enough of humans.

I ground my jaw, unable to look away from her scantily clad form. Her long, bare legs, her ass as it alluringly swayed with every step she took. The tiny waist in stark contrast to her wide hips and large breasts. Breasts that spilled out of the covering beguilingly light and rosy. Dark brown hair cascaded down to her shoulder blades, framing a heart-shaped face with a stunningly strong chin jutting forward in a desperate attempt to appear strong.

When a Pronex slapped her ass, a sudden urge to slam his ugly mug into the table seared through me so hard I nearly stood up.

Can you dim the lights? They're way too bright.

Can you make the ship warmer? It's freezing.

I need to call my mom. She's going to freak if she doesn't hear from me.

Can we turn on some music?

How do you know which button to press? They all look the same to me.

Do you have any coffee? I need coffee.

Are we traveling faster than light? Is that bad for my skin ?

Can I drive the spaceship for, like, five minutes? I swear I won't crash it.

Do we need seat belts? I feel like we should be wearing seat belts.

All the stupid demands and requests of my previous guests came back to me. By the comets, there was no way I was going to take another one of them on.

I held up my glass for a refill, but even the waitress seemed frozen at the sight of the human female.

"Competition?" I asked, nodding at the barely clad form making her way to the stairs.

"More of a relief for me," the Pandraxian filled my glass. "A new and exotic plaything will keep me off my back for a few days."

"Are you here against your will?" I inquired, drawing my brows together. I was a Space Guardian, sworn to protect the innocent and punish the guilty. It might not have been in my direct job description, but whenever I crossed paths with someone needing my help, I felt compelled to give it. I would help this Pandraxian female if she asked me to.

She shook her head. "Nocc—no. Why, would you be my savior?" She purred the last part.

I grunted in response, pushing thoughts of the human female out of my mind. I would not take on more humans. That wasn't going to happen. No. Not a chance.

Relieved that when I looked up, the human was gone, I motioned my comm for the waitress to pay my bill. I wasn't in the mood to get drunk any longer.

Your orders are to free as many humans as you can and bring them to Astrionis , Possedion's voice nagged in the back of my mind. Frygg. I was born and raised to serve as a Space Guardian, obeying the orders of the Ohrur as they were given to me through my minder, who in this instance was Possedion. Possedion had replaced my previous minder to make it easier to keep track of several guardians, all assigned to the same mission. Since we operated independently, the Ohrurs must have thought it wiser to have one minder oversee us. It was highly unusual for multiple Space Guardians to work on the same mission, but we were still working independently.

A mission I was failing.

Frygg.

I paid my bill, drank the last drop of the brew they served as spirits here, and brought the empty glass down hard enough on the table to smash it and have the crystal cut my hand. Frygg. Frygging humans.

My gaze moved up beyond the stairs to where the human had vanished down one of the hallways. I closed my eyes, aware that I couldn't let this go. I took a deep breath, stealing myself. All right , I compromised. This one. Just this one . I'll take her straight to Astrionis. I'll lock her into one of the cabins. I won't have to interact with her. The drones can see to her needs.

Nervous, the other patrons turned their heads in my direction as I stood. The brew in this establishment was strong but no match for my willpower, which kept me moving straight without weaving despite my head spinning slightly. The other guests ducked away from me, avoiding eye contact as I shoved my hood back. Anyone familiar with Space Guardians recognized that I was all business now, not just enjoying the pleasures of the pleasure house. As most of the patrons recoiled from me, I felt their vibes and knew without a doubt which one was a criminal and which one wasn't. I could even tell by what degree. Usually, when I tried to relax, I could turn my sense of people off, but not when I was in mission mode, as I was now. And this place wasn't a place where normal civilians found a drink after work. I could have killed at least half of the men here, and it would have been justified.

Once I set my mind on something, though, there was no deviation, and my mind was now firmly set on rescuing that little human female, who, for some reason, wouldn't stop entering my mind uninvited.

I found the owner near the entrance, deeply involved in a discussion with six customers. I took another deep inhale. I had no doubt that all these males were haggling over who would be the first up the stairs to taste the human.

A Pronex shoved two Pandraxians out of the way, causing a swift wave of anger inside me at the thought of his filthy hands on the human female. Most likely, she wouldn't survive an hour with the monster. Pronex were known for their evil temper, zero conscience, and muscular build. They also cultivated a taste for other people's pain. This Pronex was a head taller than me and built like a storage unit.

"You can't have her yet. You'll kill her, and I'll lose out on all these sales," the proprietor, a small Morrakbarr, protested, supported by the other males trying to buy time with the human female.

"I don't take seconds," the Pronex snarled, his already ugly face contorted into a mask designed to infuse terror, showing off his elongated fangs, which he had sharpened as some others of his species favored.

"I will have her cleansed for you," the Morrakbarr begged. "Please."

"Enough," I interfered, unwilling to listen to this exchange another tick.

Wisely, the six males and the proprietor moved out of my way. Not the Pronex, of course. Driven by an endless need to procreate, Pronex lost what little sense their minds contained at the whiff of a female. A fight then?

I wasn't averse to the idea.

"Space Guardian scum," the Pronex antagonized.

I took a grunting inhale. "Pronex."

"You can pick up the pieces when I'm done with her." He boasted .

I shrugged my cape off and pivoted in the same instance, not giving him any time to prepare before my fist landed in his hard stomach. The hit would have felled a lesser male, but the Pronex barely registered the pain. Another one of their advantages was that their pain levels were nothing to joke about. I had seen Pronex fight with a split open head, too dumb to realize they were dead.

He grabbed my wrist on my arm's retreat after slamming it into the wall and twisting it. I kicked out right into his abs, and he staggered back, not letting go of my wrist, forcing me to follow him.

I brought the arm he was holding up, bent it, and rammed it into his side. With an oomph, he let go of my wrist. His foot connected with my hip, staggering me back. That brute had strength.

I landed a few jabs on his jaw, and he got a painful punch to my right kidney. With every one of his hits, I was getting angrier. I hadn't wanted the damn female in the first place, and now I was fighting with a frygging Pronex for her.

He intercepted my next kick aimed straight for his groin, twisting my ankle painfully, probably breaking it, and that was the last grain of sand running my patience out. My blows at him came so fast that I forced him, limping, into a corner. I picked up a chair and slammed it straight into his face.

He brought both arms up to block the blow, and I heard the sickening crunch of his bones breaking. No matter how high his pain tolerance was, both arms breaking at the same time made him howl. He charged forward, blinded by hate and fury. I used the same chair to whip him across the face, making him stumble to his knees. Then I brought the chair down on his head one more time, and he was out.

"The female?" I turned to the proprietor, spitting blood running down my throat from my broken nose to the ground.

"I— "

He didn't get to answer. A scream that would have stopped a supernova arose from upstairs. A door flung open, and the female in question came running out. Her entire face was spattered with blue blood, and so was her chest. Her eyes were wild as she raced down the stairs.

A wailing scream followed her in the form of a Rnnyer. I drew my brows together as I glared at the proprietor, who raised his arms. "I didn't allow anybody up there yet."

Although the proprietor may not have known, the Rnnyer must have snuck into her room, and it seemed like she had either bitten off his cock or severely injured it. Suddenly, the female rose in my estimation.

I limped over to the stairs to catch her, realizing my ankle was definitely broken. Each step was pure agony. But a Space Guardian didn't show pain, especially not in public, so I hid my limp as much as possible before the other patrons might get some ideas about my prowess. I caught the human female right around her waist, pulling her around just as her feet hit the floor, and swung her through the air.

"Not so fast."