Page 55 of Sawoots Story

The hulking green space ship is an affront to my senses. Powered by massive Orbs and conventional engines, it is contorted and bulky, looking like it was designed by an architect on a heavy dose of psychedelics. Inside will be even worse. Toads like humidity, and it’ll be a swamp, a wet, oppressive jungle of despair.

Hundreds of little dots circle it, Toad attack ships buzzing like flies.

This isn’t just some raiding party. This is war. They came for Aelon with overwhelming numbers, and no matter how good his ambush is, he won’t be able to do anything about it. If Aelon can even strategize right now. The angry bastard was probably in a rage when he learned his Fated Mate escaped.

Garrick’s triad is still on the ship.

Tasha seems like she’s in a trance. She hasn’t turned the ship around. “Holy shit. Tasha! What are youdoing?” I can hear the fear in my voice. Any second now, and they’re going to notice us. If we can see the tiny shapes of attack ships floating around the mothership, then they might be able to see us. “Quick, turn! Left, right, anywhere! They’re going for the Aurelians. They’ll ignore us if they don’t pick us up on sensors!”

They’ll ignore us…

And go straight forTheInstigator. But right now, we need to get out of their sight if we want to be alive to warn them. The three of us blasted out of space helps no one. The Toads are homed in onTheInstigator, not expecting a random Reaver, but pretty soon they’ll spot us.

“Captain?” I’ve never seen Tasha lost in thought when she needs to be focused.

“I just need to get a little closer, so I can see their numbers,” she says, her voice distracted and distant.

Theme coughs nervously. “I’d…I’d recommendagainstthat, Captain.Stronglyagainst that. They haven’t noticed us—yet. But, when they do, they’ll see a Reaver. AnAurelianReaver.”

I nod in agreement. “A Reaver they’ll assume will warn Captain Aelon of their approach.”

We don’t need to get any closer. We can see, plain as day, that the enemy force is overwhelming. It’ll swarm overTheInstigatorand leave nothing behind.

“We’re going back.” Tasha states the words with grim certainty, and my hope surges.

We’re not leaving Garrick and his triad to die.

They’ll have a chance to run. They might take me captive again, but it’ll be worth it to keep them safe. I’ll suffer whatever punishment Garrick metes out if it means he’s alive.

Theme clutches his chest like he’s having a heart attack. “Are youcrazy? That bloodthirsty captainwantedto pick a fight with the Toads! Let him get what he wished for! If we go back, we won’t be able to do anything except be held captive and die alongside him!”

“Theme,” Tasha snaps. “I trusted you to get us out ofThe Instigator. Now, you have to trustme. I can convince Aelon to turn away—I know I can. I’m his Bonded Mate. Hewillchange for me, but I need you to trust me right now. Can you do that?”

I wish I could believe her. I know the truth. Aelon’s got a death wish, and he’s going toe to toe against the overwhelming odds. Garrick and his triad are different. They’ll run, I know it, if I beg them to. They aren’t suicidal. They’ll see reason…right?

Unease gnaws at me. The three of them are too honorable for their own good.

What if their sense of duty outweighs whatever they feel towards me?

Tears come to Theme’s eyes but he clenches his jaw tight. “Okay—I trust you, Captain.”

We turn in a quick maneuver and roar away at full speed. We’re going right back where we just escaped from. I’ve never done anything so crazy in my life, but I don’t argue with Tasha.

Because I was just about to ask her to turn around and drop me off back with my triad. I need to find out if there’s something real between us.

I keep looking over at the HUD and coms-link as we dart away. We’re faster than the mothership and it grows smaller in our rear-windows, but we can’t make enough distance to get away from whatever technology they are using to disrupt our systems. It’s an easy guess that whatever they are using also stops Tasha from telepathically communicating with her triad, or we’d be able to send a message and be on our way.

Tasha’s hands are white knuckled on the controls. I get a wave of gratitude and respect to my best friend and the woman who has saved my life a hundred times over. “Dammit, I was scared you wouldn’t do this, Tasha. I wasn’t going to be able to let you just leave them. I couldn’t let Garrick die for nothing. When we warn him, he’ll take his triad and escape.”

These could be some of the last words I say to her, if this goes bad. We’ve been lucky one time too many. I don’t want to die with secrets from her. I don’t want to die with anything left unsaid.

“You know he won’t. That man is loyal, Sawoot.” She’s matter-of-fact, spelling out my worst fears.

I shrug, but my skin crawls. “He is loyal. He even thought he might be Bonded to me.”

All I can do is pray to the Gods I’m not sure are watching that Garrick and his triad are loyal to me, a woman they’ve barely met, over the captain who they pledged their services to.

Every moment we flew away from him, I couldn’t shake the feeling I was going the wrong way.

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