Page 21

Nirrn

The world blurred red at the edges of Nirrn’s vision. Islae lay pinned beneath the large Jorvlen guard, her clothes torn, blood trickling from her split lip. The sight ignited something deep and primal inside of him—a force that shattered his healer’s restraint completely.

“You dare touch her?” His voice emerged as a guttural snarl. The larger guard stood up, startled by the deadly promise in those words.

“Back off, healer. This bitch needs to learn her place.”

Nirrn coiled his massive tail, his muscles rippling beneath the orange and gold scales. “I’ll show you your place.” He struck with devastating speed, wrapping around the guard’s throat and yanking him off the ground.

“The cervical vertebrae.” Nirrn squeezed the guard’s throat tighter, his clinical knowledge merging with savage intent. “They’re so delicate. Shall I demonstrate exactly how much pressure it takes to paralyze you?”

The second guard picked up his weapon and fired it wildly. Nirrn twisted, using the larger guard as a shield. The plasma bolt seared through his captive’s chest. The acrid stench of burned flesh filled the air.

“You should have studied anatomy.” Nirrn dropped the lifeless body. “Now you’ll learn the hard way.”

He lashed his long tail out, sweeping the second guard’s legs again. As the Jorvlen crashed down, Nirrn’s hand closed around his throat. Knowledge of pressure points and nerve clusters became a roadmap for inflicting agony.

“The brachial plexus.” He dug his fingers in, eliciting a scream. “Fascinating how much pain can radiate from such a small cluster of nerves.”

“Please…” the guard choked out.

“Did you stop when she begged?” Nirrn’s golden eyes blazed with deadly fury. “When your partner tore her clothes? When you both held her down and threatened to do vile things to her?”

Each question was punctuated by precise, devastating strikes. Bones snapped. Tendons tore. The guard’s screams echoed off the stone walls until a final, savage twist silenced him forever.

Nirrn turned to Islae, his chest heaving. Blood dripped from his scaled arms, but his touch was achingly gentle as he reached for her. “No one will ever harm you again. You are mine to protect now and forever.”

Nirrn gathered Islae into his arms, cradling her against his chest with utmost care.

Her shallow breathing and the way she curled into him, protecting her left side, confirmed his diagnosis—cracked ribs, likely internal bleeding.

The metallic scent of her blood made his scales darken to a burnt orange hue.

“Stay with me,” he murmured, one hand cupping her head where a nasty gash still oozed. “I need to check your pupils.”

“M’fine,” Islae slurred, but her unfocused gaze told a different story. Definite concussion.

His mighty tail propelled them swiftly through the dim corridor of the prison level.

The stone walls amplified every sound—heavy boots hitting metal grates above, distant shouts, and the hum of plasma weapons.

A small group of Nirrn’s human rogue and Niri warrior allies emerged from the shadows, unexpectedly but pleasantly falling into protective formation around them.

“Main access is compromised now,” Mikal, one of the human rogues, reported in hushed tones. “They’ve doubled the guards at the exits.”

Nirrn’s muscles tightened. “Then we make our own exit.” He adjusted his grip on Islae’s injured body, keeping her head steady against his shoulder. “Cover our six. Anyone who threatens her dies.”

The small band moved as one unit through the stronghold’s maze-like passages. Nirrn’s tail left crimson smears on the smooth floor—both his blood and that of the guards he had killed. He felt no remorse. They harmed his mate.

“Stay awake, Islae,” he ordered when her eyes started to flutter shut. “Tell me about the medical supplies you need to restock your clinic.”

“Need everything,” she mumbled against his scales. “They burned it all, remember?” She tried to smile up at him, but her eyes started rolling back into her head.

“I’ll build you a new one. Better. Safer.” His voice dropped lower, meant only for her. “No one will ever take you from me again.”

They reached the second level side access point. Alarms blared overhead, bathing everything in pulsing red light. Nirrn’s allies immediately took defensive positions.

“Multiple hostiles approaching from the east corridor,” one of the Niri warriors warned.

Nirrn’s eyes narrowed as he peered down the corridor at the looming threat.

His tail curled protectively around Islae’s unconscious body as he pressed them against the wall, shielding her with his larger frame.

“Well then, let’s give them something to remember us by. ”

Smoke soon filled the corridor as Nirrn’s allies engaged the Jorvlen guards. His powerful tail pushed him forward with Islae tucked securely in his arms. Her shallow breathing drove him to move faster and more aggressively. Two guards blocked their path. Nirrn didn’t hesitate.

“Clear me a path,” he commanded, his voice resonating with authority. His allies responded instantly, plasma bolts lighting up the smoky corridor.

The acrid smell of burning metal and flesh filled his nostrils as they fought their way up through the next level. His scales rippled with tension, darkening to a deep red orange. The stronghold groaned around them, the support beams cracking from the heat of the earlier explosions.

“The building is coming down!” Mikal shouted, firing another round at the pursuing guards. “We need to move!”

Nirrn’s tail whipped out, sending a Jorvlen guard flying into a wall. “Through here!” He led them up a maintenance shaft, the heat intensifying as they climbed. Islae stirred weakly in his arms, her face pressed against his scaled chest.

They soon burst onto the main level into utter chaos. Flames licked up the walls, and black smoke billowed across the ceiling. Nirrn’s medical knowledge screamed about smoke inhalation, about Islae’s already compromised breathing.

“Cover our exit!” His tail swept debris aside as they made for the nearest window. Glass shattered, and fresh evening air rushed in. Without hesitation, Nirrn launched them through the opening, his tail absorbing the impact of their landing.

They emerged into the purple dusk, the stronghold burning behind them. Nirrn immediately moved them away from the thick smoke, finding shelter behind a low wall. His hands, steady despite the adrenaline, began checking Islae’s vital signs.

“Get me those medical supplies,” he ordered, his eyes never leaving Islae’s face. One of the human rogues produced a stolen medkit. Nirrn’s fingers moved with practiced precision, cleaning wounds, and applying pressure bandages.

“Stay with me, my mate,” he murmured, injecting her with a pain suppressant. His scales rippled with protective fury as he worked quickly and diligently. The stronghold’s destruction painted the sky orange behind them, but Nirrn focused solely on healing the woman in his arms. His woman. His mate.

Nirrn curled his tail protectively around Islae as he applied another healing patch to the gash on her temple. Her breathing had steadied, but the bruises blooming across her skin made his scales bristle with rage.

“The safe house isn’t far,” Mikal said, crouching beside them. “We’ve got lookouts posted. No Jorvlen patrols in sight.”

Nirrn’s eyes narrowed at him. “Lead the way.” His tail propelled him forward, cradling Islae against his chest. Her small form felt fragile in his arms, igniting every protective instinct he possessed.

“You fought well back there,” Mikal commented as they wound through narrow alleys. “Never seen a healer move like that.”

“I am more than just a healer now.” Nirrn’s voice rumbled deep in his chest. “Anyone who threatens her will learn that lesson quickly.”

The safe house turned out to be an abandoned warehouse, cleverly disguised beneath layers of decay. Inside, the space had been converted into a makeshift medical bay and living quarters. The stolen supplies from the stronghold were already being sorted by efficient hands.

“Set her here,” a human healer gestured to a clean cot, but Nirrn shook his head.

“No one touches her but me.” He moved to a private corner, laying Islae down with care. “Bring me fresh bandages and antiseptic.”

The humans exchanged glances but complied. Nirrn’s hands moved with practiced skill over Islae’s injuries, his touch gentle despite the deadly strength he’d displayed earlier. The mate bond sang with satisfaction as her vital signs continued to improve under his care over the next several hours.

“The Jorvlens will definitely think twice about hunting you down after that attack,” Mikal said, approaching with extra medical supplies.

“But you’ve earned our protection here on Jorvla should you ever need it.

The supplies you helped us acquire will save many lives here.

The extras will provide our operation with much-needed profits on the black market as well. ”

“Let the Jorvlens dare come find me.” Nirrn’s tail twitched, remembering the satisfying crunch of bones beneath his coils. “They won’t live long if they do.”

Nirrn coiled protectively around the small cot where Islae lay recovering in a private room in the safe house.

The dim light cast shadows across her bruised face, but her color had improved significantly in the past few hours.

His hands moved with practiced precision as he changed her bandages, his eyes constantly monitoring her vital signs.

A soft moan escaped her lips, and Nirrn’s scales rippled with anticipation. Her eyelids fluttered open, those deep brown eyes finding his immediately. Despite her injuries, she managed a weak smile that made his heart clench.

“I knew you’d come for me,” she whispered, her voice hoarse but steady. “I felt you. In my blood. In my mind.”

Nirrn’s hands stilled on her bandages. His tail tightened reflexively around the cot.

“When I was in that cell,” Islae continued, reaching up to touch his forearm, “I swore I could hear your voice inside my head. Telling me to hold on. To fight.”

A deep primal instinct stirred in Nirrn’s chest. A human shouldn’t be able to sense the mate bond without being made aware of it.

And his mate, human or Niri, definitely shouldn’t be able to hear his mental calls.

Yet she had. His scales darkened as the implications washed over him.

A true mate bond—pure and rare even among his own kind.

“Rest now,” he rumbled, his large hand engulfing hers. “You’re safe.”

“You’re different somehow,” she observed, studying his face. “Stronger. Deadlier.”

“I became what you needed me to be.”

Her fingers traced the scales along his shoulder, and Nirrn had to suppress a shudder. Later, he would explain everything—the mate bond, what it meant, and why she could sense him. But for now, he simply watched over her, his tail wrapped securely around them both as she drifted back to sleep.

The bond hummed between them, stronger than he’d ever dared to hope possible.