Page 15 of Veras (Nozaroc Alien Warrior #2)

“H ighly- ly unusual.” The Supreme squawked in front of me. “Giving- ing a pet my Glrtsstlllloroggg ? It is unheard of!”

Strapped in a chair with my arms, legs, and head weighted down, I ignored the idiot alien. A mi no me importa nada, didn’t care at all, about making the Aavvee supreme feel better.

How freeing. I bared my teeth at him, and his head feathers snapped up. That selfish pendejo didn’t want to share his stash? Too bad. He was no longer in charge, so he was beneath me.

“I’ve explained this. We don’t have time to find more. We will use yours,” Inkonexo said as he grabbed a vial of Oro.

The amount loaded into the injector was astronomical. “Hey! That’s too much.”

“How would you know?” He didn’t pause and added even more of the glistening liquid.

Something in me jumped, drawn to the alien elixir. Powerful, alluring, irresistible. Maybe the small amount I’d exchanged with Veras recognized itself.

“I know because I’m the one who used to give him his shots.

” I glared at the tittering supreme. What if it killed me on the spot?

“You’re doubling the amount the supreme usually takes.

You have no idea how this will affect me.

” Appealing to common decency wasn’t working, so I tried something new.

“If you kill me, you’ll never get past the Guardians. We’ll all be dead in days.”

“Truena!” Veras’ deep voice boomed through the mountain. Answering chirps and squawks from the Aavvee accompanied the roar. “Do not do it. He cannot be trusted. Anything he tells you is a lie. I can’t lose you! Come back to me.”

I steeled myself against his pain, unable to respond in any way, instead focusing on my hatred. I sensed Inkonexo couldn’t read me unless we were touching, but in case he felt any residue, I kept the surface thoughts loud. Just like Veras had taught me.

“Go take care of him. Make sure your people keep him contained.” Inkonexo barked at the supreme, who jumped and reluctantly left the room.

He locked the dispenser and approached. “Veras always was a sentimental fool. Encouraging our people to expand their reach. Go beyond the inner planet. I made sure he was sent away so he didn’t ruin my plans. ”

“But you got sent away as well.” I flinched from the needle that was way too close to my eyeball. “What was it? The real reason you betrayed your whole race?”

Inkonexo paused and stared, and I sensed he actually saw me for the first time.

The heat of his gaze was so terrifying, I could feel it down to my bones.

His eyes were dead. I’d never encountered this kind of person before.

An utter psychopath. Which meant he would do anything to get what he wanted.

“You expect an explanation?”

Focus on the hustle. He’ll understand that.

“The hustle?”

Shit . I went deep and hid behind the anger. “It means I want to know what’s in it for me. If I’m going to risk my life and stop the Guardians, I want to know what’s beyond that portal. It must be incredible if you were willing to kill every Nozarocan on this planet for it.”

“Not everyone.” He sighed and narrowed his dead-eyed gaze.

The orange swirl of his eyes should have looked identical to Veras.

It did not. “You seem to have marginal intelligence, tiny Earther. But even you cannot comprehend the riches of the Glrtsstlllloroggg beyond that portal. And I will take it and find a way to expand it beyond this puny planet.”

“Really? Greed? That’s it? And the urge to travel ? Why not just jump a portal and not take everyone you love with you?”

He jammed the last of the Oro in the dispenser and approached. “Silence.”

As his toxic emotions bombarded me, I decided to take control. “You’re small-minded and pathetic.”

“You dare judge me! You are nothing.”

And just as I’d planned, because I needed the Oro but couldn’t take the wait, he jabbed me in the eye.

“Aaaaagggghhhhh!” The Oro rushed my system in a wave of agony, flowing through my veins, penetrating every cell, every atom of my being. I slumped in the chair, helpless as it flooded and then changed every part of me.

Please, please, slow down. At this moment, my mind was pushed to its capacity.

Knowledge flowed through me. I understood now that the Oro was truly alive, and how it was the lifeblood of this planet.

It connected everything and everyone. Knowledge flooded me, including my body’s inability to make it through the change.

It couldn’t process the massive swarm of energy all at once.

The Oro suffered. I comprehended the golden liquid’s pain. It had been raped, abused, used for the Aavvee’s bidding. It wanted us all gone. Every single lifeform foreign to this planet. I had to connect with it. Make it understand that I’d been hurt as well.

Please. I have to help Veras. The Oro blew through me, as damaging as jet fuel in my veins . I want to save the planet. For him. For the other captured humans. I was kidnapped from my home. The Aavvee destroyed my whole life. I hate them, but there are other innocents here.

The Oro paused for the briefest of seconds before flooding my brain. It sifted through memories, immersing itself in my feelings for Veras, my need to survive, everything. Then it saw my years as a captive, how I was enslaved and taken from my home planet.

I thought about Veras, hoped he could hear me somehow. I’m sorry, my love. I tried to help. I swear I did , I whispered through the pain. I’m sorry I wasn’t strong enough.

The transformation resumed, bathing me on a cellular level, but the pain lessened. Damaged bones were rebroken, realigned, and made better. Stronger.

The Oro slowed as much as it could, but we were running out of time.

After a lifetime of pain, or maybe it was only minutes, I understood that with power came knowledge.

I know what I have to do.