Page 28

Garnet

G arnet thought the Humility was huge when she was trying to clean it. But when she helped the rest of the crew search for something that might be tracking them, she realized just how many cracks and crevices and corners it really had.

They absolutely scoured the storage room that once held the casket they came in. The idea was that maybe something had fallen out or attached itself to the ship when Tanin initially opened the sarcophagus. And if that were the case, it might still be in there.

Once they finished looking inside the ship, someone was going to go outside and do a sweep of the ship’s hull. Which was crazy to Garnet, because they were still traveling at stupid speeds through space. And someone was just going to willingly go out there. Sure, the guys said they were going slow, but that just meant they were going slower than light while they waited for the subspace generator to recharge. There wasn’t anything ‘slow’ about it.

But that was for the guys to worry about. Garnet and Goldie had neither the skills necessary to brave the vacuum of space, nor the experience necessary to even know what they were looking for in the first place.

That was also why the two of them weren’t directly helping with the search. It was the guys doing all of that. Garnet and Goldie were serving more of a support role. Garnet brought water and towels as the guys got sweaty. Goldie helped coordinate with Alred. Both of them assisted in moving things around or helping in sorting through things. At one point, Garnet’s entire purpose boiled down to holding ‘cleared’ wires while Vytln dug through the ship’s internals, searching for anything that shouldn’t be there.

It was as he was doing that she stopped feeling disgruntled that she wasn’t allowed to do more. She had absolutely no idea what she was looking at there. And it wasn’t even a matter of trying to find something that looked different, everything looked different. Vytln had been slowly patching the ship together for years at this point. And even before they got the Humility, it hadn’t been new. There were decades, over a hundred years, of repairs on this vessel. Layers of old and new were all smashed together in the circuits and components that she couldn’t hope to separate.

A few possible items were found. And whenever something was, it was brought to Alred for him to scan directly. All of them were cleared eventually and, a couple days later, they were all tired from combing through the entire ship with nothing to show for it.

When Garnet woke up on the third day, she lingered a bit in the shower. Sure, the mist wasn’t water, but it was warm and the closest thing she had. What she wouldn’t give for a nice, long, hot bath to soak away the fatigue.

Goldie showered the night before, so she had already gone to join the guys. If they didn’t find anything today, someone really would have to go outside the ship. And it looked like that person would be either Tanin or Trove or both. Vytln knew the ship best, but he was, apparently, adapted to the extreme heat, not extreme cold. The space suits they had weren’t good enough to keep out all the freezing temperatures of space.

Garnet was nervous about Tanin going out there. Because they admitted that their space suits, like everything else, were bare minimum, cheap, and used. What if one of them popped a leak? Or the life support was too weak and he froze? Or any other number of terrible things that could happen because space was terrifying.

And he was her pseudo-situationship, so, like, she didn’t want anything to happen to him. And maybe she’d feel better about it if everything on this ship wasn’t cheap, busted, overly repaired, and second-, third-, even fourth-hand.

Maybe she could convince him not to go out there. Okay, yes, she accepted that someone had to go out there. But couldn’t he, like, pull rank or something? The leader doesn’t have to put himself in the line of fire, or something like that?

But even as she had that thought, she knew it wouldn’t happen. Tanin would absolutely put himself in the line of fire first. He didn’t shy away from any task on this ship. The other guys wouldn’t respect and follow him the way they did if he was the kind to hide behind them.

It was frustrating, but she’d be lying if she said she didn’t-

“ Beginning evasive maneuvers. Everyone, to their stations. ”

“Huh?”

Garnet looked up at the ceiling. Confused. Alred sounded super calm. Not overly robotic, more like he was announcing that dinner was served, and everyone should come to the galley. His tone was so at odds with the meaning of his words, Garnet wasn’t sure if she was supposed to panic or not.

She turned off the mister and stepped out, grabbing for her towel. As she was running it over her body, Alred spoke again.

“ Enemy vessel incoming. Prepare to be boarded. ”

“Boarded? Alred, what does that mean?” She yelled up at the ceiling.

But she got no response. Alred purposefully didn’t look or listen into the private rooms without being given prior permission. It was rude and a breach of privacy. This was a heck of a time for him to be proven honest!

Garnet ran back to her bed and rushed to grab her clothes.

Stations. Alred said to get to stations. That meant the twins and Trove would be at weapons, Rok would be taking Goldie to the shelter room, and Sway would be on the bridge. Garnet didn’t really have an official position yet, but she was quick to grab her pretty, purple shock stick after shoving her feet into her shoes. She made sure to twist it on before she hit the button on the console beside the door, sending it sliding open.

The ship was oddly calm considering they were actively taking evasive maneuvers against an enemy vessel. But the gravity and g-force stabilizers meant that, unlike in a traditional vehicle, she couldn’t actually feel it moving.

She ran to the weapons room, but the twins were already gone. Trove was the only one left and he was frowning at his displays without doing anything.

“Hey, what’s going on?” She asked, coming up behind him. She couldn’t see any enemy ship on his displays. Or even the targeting data.

“That ship is better than ours,” Trove shrugged, leaning back, putting his arms behind his head, like it wasn’t of any consequence. “Their defenses won’t even let me lock on. I’m pretty much just monitoring at this point.

“Monitoring what? Who is it? More pirates?”

“Doubtful. Unless these are some massively wealthy pirates. The tech needed to make you invisible to weapon scanners is stupid expensive. Almost as expensive as the tech it would take to target despite that tech. Which we definitely cannot afford. The twins already left to meet up with Tanin in rear stowage.”

“If it’s not pirates, then…”

Trove sent her a fangy grin. “Yeah, I’d say so. I think it’s that Gissrn fool again. Or bounty hunters taking him up on his offer, anyway. Only, he hasn’t sent just one bounty hunter after us this time. We’ve got a whole crew trying to fight their way in. Someone really wants that offer on our heads, I guess.”

“So, if they caught up to us already, we haven’t managed to find that tracker yet?”

“No, but this pretty much proves we have one on us. Sway and Alred have had us going in nonsense directions ever since we left the lab station. No way to guess it because it was completely random. At least we know there’s definitely something to find. You going to fight or you going to the shelter?”

Garnet scoffed. “You even have to ask? Of course, I’m going to fight.”

Trove laughed. “That’s why I like you, little lady. You remind me of the captain. Never willing to step back from a challenge.”

“You better believe it, buster,” she said, leveling the shock stick at him. “Are they coming in through rear stowage again?”

“Naturally. It’s the only way in without ripping a hole in the ship. Which they can’t do because it might kill you, and that would rather ruin the point of coming here. Don’t worry. Cap and the twins wouldn’t let them get any further than that.”

“Are you going to fight?”

He held up his hands, wiggling his clawless fingers. “I don’t really do hand to hand anymore. Not since I lost my claws. All the weapons I mastered aren’t allowed to be used on a ship. But you can bet if I get a chance on my display, I’ll fire on their ship without hesitation.”

Garnet hesitated as she turned to leave. “How does one lose their claws?”

He smirked. “One at a time. With pliers. Now, go on. Get to fighting. I can’t wait to see how you do this time. I love watching that vid of you beating that last guy’s face in.”

Garnet still didn’t leave, not quite able to hide her horror. He was smiling as he said it, but that didn’t disguise the fact that he just described literal torture. But this was neither the time nor the place to get into it.

Giving him one last look, Garnet turned and ran down the hall. She knew the ship better now than last time. Her movements were unerring; her determination hardened. She tightened her grip on the shock stick that fit perfectly in her hand as she rushed into rear stowage.

Only to be greeted with the pained cries of too many people to count. The meaty thuds of fists on bodies. The coppery scent of blood, just similar enough to human blood that it made her nauseated. A reflex she pushed down as she rushed forward to run to the balcony of the second floor.

Down below, in main stowage, Tanin and the twins were kicking ass .

They were outnumbered far greater than when they took on the pirates. And unlike that ragtag group of lethal misfits, the group facing them now were obviously well trained and well equipped. The fact that they were all in matching, shiny black armor was evidence of that.

It was like an entire platoon of soldiers had come rushing in. They filled the space, making her little shock stick, pretty in purple, feel like a joke. But none of them were even looking up. They were all too focused on the trio in the center of the room.

With good reason. They were cleaning house in the absolute worst way.

The twins were ruthless. They moved as a single entity, taking on multiple people with their twin blades, creating a whole ass knife tornado that effortlessly cut through the people charging at them. It was unnerving just how fast, how seamless, their movements were. And maybe things would be different if the bad guys could use guns, but they were just as constrained by the walls of the Humility as the crew. So, it was blades and sticks vs blades and sticks.

And the twins absolutely dominated with blades. She watched the two of them literally cut a path of blood and bodies through their enemies. They fought with and around each other with the sort of well-practiced perfection that couldn’t be achieved by normal people.

And then, there was Tanin.

He was easily the shortest guy down there. And it was easy for her to forget since he was taller than her, but s’skree were short by alien standards. He was a bright dot of gray in a sea of black that looked like it should be swallowed up any moment.

But unlike the twins, he wasn’t cutting his way through. He was staying in one spot, accumulating bodies like he was trying to build himself a throne on top of their defeat. His ribbon flashed, the bright color remarkable in the monochrome sea of bodies. It whipped around, catching limbs, circling necks, acting as a weapon and a shield. Tanin was able to catch blades on the silk, and they couldn’t cut through. The silk it was made of was like Kevlar, but somehow stronger and softer at the same time

As she watched, he whipped it around someone’s neck, jerked them to the ground, put a foot on their back, and pulled. Essentially hanging the man with one hand as he grabbed the next opponent’s wrist. He slammed forward, forcing the guy to punch himself. As he was reeling, Tanin yanked him close, grabbed him by his chest armor, and used his body to block the others.

S’skree were the shortest species in the Coalition – but pound for pound, they were also the strongest.

And he was no slouch in a fight either. Not to say that he hadn’t gotten hit. There was a cut along his chest that made the top part of his jumpsuit slip down, showing the black, short sleeved shirt he wore underneath and the whirling designs on his arms. He’d also been cut across his arm and part of his chest, but the bleeding wasn’t too bad, and it didn’t seem to be affecting his ability to fight.

Garnet leaned on the railing, looking down. Shamelessly enjoying the show. The way his muscles bunched and moved with each powerful strike. His quills were all sticking up, a thorny crown that set him apart from the others. And they were definitely sharp, as some fool found out when he tried to jump on him from behind and all Tanin had to do was slam his head backward. He didn’t even have to do it hard. The guy immediately released his grip, screaming and reaching for his face. Three of his five white eyes were bleeding profusely, along with the multitude of slices over his lips, cheeks, nose, and jaw.

That was kind of hot.

Tanin pulled back his fist, knuckle claws dulled with the blood already staining them, and slammed it into someone’s chest, sending him flying. He knocked down two others, four huge gashes dug right into their armor.

That was kind of hot too.

Garnet bit her lip, shifting her thighs together, shamelessly enjoying watching her male absolutely wreck their collective shit.

What was really impressive to her, however, was that no one was dying. His control was absolutely impeccable. He knew just how long to tighten the noose of his ribbon around someone’s throat until they passed out without strangling them to death or breaking their neck. He knew exactly how hard to hit in order to hurt, even maim, but not kill.

Absolute and total control. And that was the hottest part of all.

In all the times he’d touched her, moved her, male-handed her, he was holding back. Maintaining strict control. He knew exactly how much force to apply. He knew how to be gentle. He wouldn’t let her get hurt, especially not because of him.

If he said she didn’t need to be afraid of his barbs, she believed him.

Tanin took someone down, slamming his elbow into the back of their neck, sending them crashing to the floor in a groaning pile. He turned, ready, but there was no one left around. He and the twins had beaten so many, those who were left unharmed had already run, leaving their maimed and beaten comrades behind, abandoned.

Tanin looked up then, catching sight of her. His eyes were blazing. His ribbon was loosely circled around his wrist, the end trailing to the ground. He was a bloody mess. Quills still standing up. Muscles pulsing with blood and effort from the fight.

She wanted to fuck him. Right now. Exactly how he was. And that was absolutely crazy, because he was covered in sweat and blood, but she didn’t care. She wanted him so badly, she didn’t care if his dick barbs did stab her a little bit. She just had to hold him tight and not let go until they went down again, right?

Tanin turned his gaze back down, focusing on the twins. “Get this trash off of my ship. Alred, what’s your status?”

“ I switched the air flow on their ship, taking their fresh oxygen. Everyone is unconscious now. I’ve got a course charted that will take them far from us when we disconnect.”

“Good,” Tanin grunted. “Wait until we get all of them back on board.”

“ Aye, captain, ” Alred responded, his voice stiff as his attention was split in too many different ways. He didn’t seem concerned about anyone overhearing. Or even still capable of overhearing. It looked like the twins had cut off at least one person’s ear. And Garnet didn’t know if that was a deliberate choice they made or just an accident.

Regardless, there was no one dead as the twins and Tanin worked together to drag their victims to the other ship and throw them inside.

It actually didn’t take that long. The twins could each drag one person at a time, but Tanin could haul two. They worked together to quickly clear the room of bodies – plus or minus a few parts that Garnet was choosing not to focus on.

And the moment they finished, Alred finally let the door slide shut. The other ship was detached quickly, and the other side went totally quiet. The vacuum of space didn’t carry sound, but she could picture the unknown ship on the other side, following whatever course Alred had plotted for it. She imagined Alred had to have switched the air back to normal before he left since, otherwise, he would have just killed an entire ship.

But if he didn’t, he could have killed a lot of people, she realized. He had the ability to, with almost no effort, end so many lives just like that. No chance for them to fight back. And the only reason he didn’t was because Tanin told him not to. It was crazy to think that happy-go-lucky yellow guy could so effortlessly become a ruthless killer.

Or maybe he already was. She didn’t know anything specific about their past, just that it was bad.

And just like that, the room was silent again, the scent of blood still acrid in the air. The twins were stretching, like they’d just finished a good workout.

Tanin was coming to her.

Garnet stood straight, mouth watering, nipples tingling, pussy burning, as he climbed the steep ladder like stairs to the second level. This must be what a princess felt like when she saw her knight returning from slaying the dragon.

Tanin came to a halt in front of her. His quills slowly coming down. There was a scrape across his high cheekbone she hadn’t seen before, and three long scratches on his neck, like someone had tried to grab him there but was ripped away.

Tanin tilted his head, staring down at her before saying softly, “You keep looking at me like that, and I won’t hold back anymore.”

Garnet, smirking, reached for him. She hooked her fingers right there in the opening of his ruined jumpsuit. She pulled with just a little pressure. Obligingly, he stepped forward, caging her in against the railing, filling her space with the spicy scent of him. His sweat, the blood, the heat coming off his body fogged her brain and made her heart race.

“Stop holding back,” she said, belly dipping with a mix of nervousness and excitement that was as thrilling as it was frightening.

His eyes narrowed, the bright red shining. That was her only warning before he wrapped her in his arms and picked her up, one arm under her butt, the other holding her to his chest as he turned and left the stowage room.

From her vantage point high over his head, Garnet could see the twins looking up, both of them smirking as Tanin carried her away. Her face burned with embarrassment, but she actually didn’t mind it so much.

She bit her lip, squeezing her fingers into his shoulders, as she giggled. Excited about what was about to come. A little scared, but mostly eager.