Page 18 of Slavic

BeforeIcan respond, the shuttle accelerates so quicklyIam pinned against the seat.Somethingwarm running down my side has me pulling my precious package away from me slightly.Onlyto be horrified whenIsee her inner essence running freely down her chest onto mine.Lookingup through the viewer,Idon’t see theZenithon the horizon anywhere.

“Bikar,Ineed to get back to theZenithas quickly as possible.Whereare you taking me?”

“Ifyou had been paying attention, you would be aware that several large, andImean big ass swarm ships appeared out of thin air.Ihad to separate us in order to deflect their fighters.However,Iam holding theZenithback just a little bit trying to get them slightly closer to us beforeIblow theVelgriddixship we just relieved of its cargo and crew.”

BeforeIcan say a word one way or another, a bright flash appears all around the shuttle, and for a moment,Iam blinded.Whenthe ship starts to tilt,Irealize thatBikarhas lost remote control.Grabbinghold of the console,Iimmediately switch it to manual.Theinner area of the shuttle is only set up for one person, so this makes it awkward to reach everything with my little human in my arms.

“Bikar, can you hear me?”

“Yes, head toward the asteroid belt and find a place to hang out.Iam kind of busy back here.”

“Confirmed.”

Ashuddered breath has me looking down at the female in my lap, my heart breaking at the shape she is in.Ineed to get this shuttle somewhere safe and see if the medical aids were restocked.

Takingone hand,Ipull her up closer to my neck so thatIcan feel her breathing asImaneuver us through the asteroids.Mythoughts are chaotic asIam being torn in two.Everythingin me demandsIstop whatIam doing and tend to my mate.Butthe rational part, the one that is barely hanging on knows that is not possible right now.

“LittlefemaleIneed you to survive.Upuntil the moment you were placed in front of me,Iwas willing to go into the afterlife at any time, but now allIwant is a future with you.”

Herfingers twitch where they are laying on my chest andInuzzle the top of her head, hating the smell of those bugs on her.Neverin all my existence didIever dreamIwould be excited to see a random group of asteroids appear, butIsteer toward them likeIam headed home. ‘Home’,Iam not sure where that is now.

Ittakes me longer thanIwanted to find one that is stable and not spinning wildly through the open space around us.Iping my location toBikarasInotice he has blocked all conversations in or out for reasons unknown to me right now.

ThemomentIset the shuttle down and anchor it securely,Ihit the lever for the chair to move as far back as possible.Makingsure not to jostle her around too much,Istart going through the compartments.Reliefhits me full force whenIsee the medical container tucked safely in its assigned spot.

“ThankyouEinar, for being so organized.”

Yankingit open,Isuddenly stop asIrealizeIhave no real knowledge on how to treat her.WhatifIend up doing more harm than good?Ialmost hit the communicator, only to stop myself short before hitting the button.Icannot risk my brothers just becauseIam scared.That’swhenIrealizeIam shaking allover.Ican only imagine the amount of teasingIwould be getting right now if they could see me.

Asmall groan pops me out of my wandering thoughts, but what canIdo?Pushingeverything around inside the case,Idiscard most of it, until the only things left are a few bandages and some cleansing foam.Glancingdown at her,Isurely will not hurt her worse by cleaning the woundsIcan see.Thishelps motivate me asIpush through all the emotionsIam feeling right now.

WhatIwould prefer to be doing is annihilating every being that has ever harmed her.Ragea war and destroy their entire race with her name bursting from my lips, so they would know who was avenging her.Instead,Iam struggling to find a way to save her.BecauseifIlose her, they will have to put me down as well.Mysoul is now tethered to this fragile female, andIdo not even know her name.

Findingsome antiseptic wipes and a few bandages,Istart on her shoulder, as it seems to be the one leaking the most.Sheis so smallIam terrified just the slightest pressure will break her.Gently,Itry to remove the leaf from her skin, but part of it is dried and sticking to her.Ihave never felt so helpless, ever, and even thoughIwill deny it if asked,Ialmost cry out in relief whenBikar’svoice sounds throughout the shuttle.

“Slavic,Ihave your location.Releaseyour anchors and strap in.Iam going to grab you on the way through.”

“ThanktheGods,”Imumble before gathering her close again. “Bikar, didEinarreturn to the ship safely?”

“Hedid, and has been in medical, ranting and raging, unlike anythingIhave ever witnessed before from him.Ihave tried to speak to him several times, but whoever is in there with him hasall his attention.Hisassistance could have helped me evade the swarm ships quicker, but he would not leave the med bay.”

“Iam assuming you were effective in evading them?”

“Doyou doubt me, brother?”

“Notin the slightest.”

“Iam coming in hot, so make sure you are secure.”

“Weare.”

“We?Frack,Ican tell things are no longer going to be boring around here.Justto give you a heads up,FalonandMurgulbrought more on board than just cargo.”

Chapter Fourteen

SLAVIC

Bikarnever ceasesto amaze me with his ability to multitask as he lands the shuttle effortlessly inside theZenith.Themoment the engine’s power down,Islap the lever for the hatch to open.Beforeit can slide all the way back,Iam trying to squeeze my way out.

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