Page 27 of Einar

IknowIam not thinking logically but instead, panicking andIam not sure why.AllIneed to do is break the chain where it is connected to the wall, but that would mean moving away from the little female.Thatis not somethingIam capable of at this time.Finally,Ilocate the rusty chain amongst the filth covering the bottom of the nest she’s in.Grabbingthe chain,Igrip the links in my hands and rip them apart as close to her ankle asIcan get.

Theedge of my pinky finger brushes her ankle asIjerk the links apart and the second our skin touches, my breath is sucked from my lungs as my mating mark burns its way across my body, and my soul lights up from deep within.Itscorches a path from my neck down across my chest and continues further down where it pools in my groin.Thefact that my cock is on fire should be concerning, butIam too overwhelmed with the fact thatIjust found myStarshine.Ican feel the spines on my back lifting from where they have lain hidden amongst the armor-plated scales that line my back.Thetingling emanating from them tells me that they are changing colors to match the gamut of emotions filtering through my mind.

Leaningdown,Ilift my mate into my arms, being as gentle asIcan with her fragile body.Onceshe’s safely in my arms, the gravity of her condition becomes apparent.Shehas almost no body fat to speak of, her cheeks are sunken in, andIcan see almost every bone because of her thinness.Whatconcerns me the most is the blue hue to her lips and the rasping wheeze that is rattling within her chest as she gasps for every tiny breath.Sheis suffocating to death right in front of me.

Turningon my heel,Isprint toward the door.

“Iwill meet you on theZenith,”Icall out toSlavicasIpass him where he kneels next to aRukuhkfemale that looks eerily likeKallen, butIdo not stop to double check.Ruarcappears in the door just beforeIreach it, and he jumps out of the way to avoid being run over asIhurriedly exit this hellish place.

Mymate is dying in my arms, andIrefuse to let her go beforeIhave even met her.Lookingdown into her battered face,Inote the multitude of wounds, both old and new, before my eyes land on a tiny silver chain held together by the smallest lockIhave ever seen, suspended there between her breasts, swaying with every stepItake.

MypoorStarshine… what has happened to you?

ChapterNineteen

EINAR

Urgencyfillsme asIsprint back to the shuttle, my heavy footfalls nearly shaking the ship around me with the impact they make upon the filth ridden floors asImake my way down the ramp and into the lower cargo bay.

Suddenly,Bikar’svoice booms across the speakers and icy dread fills me.

“Getyour frackin’ hind ends back on the ship,NOW!Ifwe do not leave in the next tic, we will not get to leave!Slavic,Iknow not what has your attention on that deck but wrap it up.”

Iam not known for my speed, considering my larger size, butIforce myself to move faster asIrace across the cargo bay to the waiting door of my shuttle.Thealarm inBikar’svoice is very real … which means something we cannot fight or win against is incoming.Glancingdown at the precious bundle in my arms,Iam alarmed to see that she’s barely clinging to life.

“Weare almost there, little one.Please… please do not leave me.NotwhenIhave just found you!”

Myimpassioned plea falls on deaf ears as her head lolls to the side, her dirty, red hair falling across her face haphazardly as a soft huff of air escapes her cracked lips.TerrifiedIjust watched my mate die in my arms,Istop just in front of the shuttle door, ignoring it as it reads my biosignature and soundlessly slides open to check her pulse.She’ssmall enough that allIneed to do is curl her closer to my chest and the tips of my fingers easily find the pulse point in her neck.

Please, please,PLEASE!

There!Ifinally find a weak, thready pulse.Atiny ray of relief fills me, andIdart into the shuttle.Quickly,Istomp over to the pilot’s seat and sit down asIgently lower her onto my lap.Runningmy eyes over her, it does not take me long to assess her.Makinga quick decision,Ireach for the medical container thatIkeep stocked.Ihave never been more grateful thatIharassedSlavicto have these installed thanIam right now.Havingmedical supplies, no matter how limited, can be the difference between life and death.

Rightnow, is a specific example.

Ifmy memory is correct, which it almost always is thanks to the frackinfairies, there is a shot of adrenaline in here which is somethingIdesperately need right now.IfIcannot get her airways open, even minutely, she is e going to die beforeIcan get her to theZenith, and my advanced med- bay.Reachingover,Igently pull my mate closer to me with my left arm asIdig around in the medical container until my fingers find the tube the adrenaline syringe is in.Grabbingit,Ijerk it out of the container and flick the protective cap off, exposing the very large, sharp needle.Themedic in me knows this will help, but the mate in me saysIcannot cause her anymore pain and essentially stabbing her in the thigh,will hurt her.

Significantly.

Steelingmyself,Igrasp her firmly against the hard expanse of my chest and force myself to stab the needle deep into her thigh while simultaneously pressing down on the end of the syringe to deliver the chemical compound into her weakened body.Nano-tics pass and dread begins to pool in my belly, when suddenly,Iwatch her take a slightly deeper breath as her body tenses and then relaxes into the effects of the shotIadministered.Herbreathing settles, if only slightly, into a more normal cadence.

Theharsh creases of suffering on her face ease slightly andIknow she’s stable, at least for now.Focusingon the controls in front of me,Ibegin to initiate the launch sequence to return to theZenithwhenIam caught off guard by the jerking of the shuttle beneath my feet.Iwatch as the yoke in front of me moves with a life of its own asIam detached from theVelgriddixship and turned toward theZenithat a speed this model of shuttle should not be capable of.Falonmust have been tinkering with them in his spare time.Itis a good thingIam sitting, orIwould have been knocked on my rear.

Myeyes glance down and over my mate, terrified that the jarring motion of the shuttle somehow dislodged her from my arms … even thoughIlogically know that is not possible.However,Iam not necessarily functioning within the realms of logic at the moment.Iam more instinct and emotion, than intelligent being.

Irritationfills me and just asIam about to commBikarto ask him what the frack is going on,Icatch the chatter between him andSlavicasIam being pulled back to theZenithin an increasingly erratic manner.Myhold on my mate tightens to ensure she isn’t thrown to the floor.Mypatience with whateverBikaris doing is about to snap.

“Bikar,Ihave my hands full, get me the frack out of here.”

Concernfills me.Ihave never heardSlavicsound quite like that.

Whatdoes he mean he has his hands full?

Ido not even realize thatIunconsciously tightened my arms around my littleStarshineuntil she emits a soft squeak at being squeezed too tight.Regretfills me.Sheis damaged enough;Ineed not make it worse by being an oaf.

“Neitheryou norEinarare making this easy on me.Doyou have any idea how hard it is to fly both shuttles and theZenithat once while we are on the run?Ibetter not hear you complaining later about how rough the ride was.”

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

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