Page 71 of Taken to Voraxia
“Change us both. Now,” I say loudly, hoping to high hell she has my hologenerator as well as her own.
Rhorkanterannu turns to face me and his silver eyes flash as he glances across the room to Svera first and then me. We’re both me though now.
“What is this?” He says firmly.
“You can’t kill us,” I blurt, “And you can’t rape us. You don’t know which of us is which and you could be harming the Rakukanna who you want to use for your bargaining chip. And you can be as sure as the sector’s seven suns that you would be starting an intergalactic war if you hurt her even more than you already have.”
I grip my ankle and gesture feverishly to Svera. Her mauled face is covered by the hologram, which flickers as it adapts to her cheek.Technology, please don’t crap out on me and Svera, hold on!
The Niahhorru king’s diamond eyes slit and all four of his arms and his legs swell and steel. He looks terrifying. Only a few times have I seen Raku look this way. Solethal.
“Is this what you think? That I wouldkilla female? Let alone female royalty of another federation? Let alone one who may be with kit? Do you knownothingof the Niahhorru?”
No, I don’t. But I don’t cop to it. All I can think about is Svera.And the baby inside of me. Holy stars. Xok! Is that what the guy with the wand said? I’m pregnant. I’m pregnant…My job just became harder by half. Now I’ve got to keepall three of usamong the living.
I swallow hard and my hand covers my stomach, as if on instinct. “Well you’re about to. Kill a human, I mean. My fr…the Rakukanna is about to bleed out. She’s half-human and we don’t have the plates you do. Look at her face…”
He turns and I am a little surprised by the abject horror that crosses his steely features. I’m so used to the colors in the Voraxians’ ridges…and I haven’t actually seen a human but Svera in so long. But these Niahhorru do seem to have more humanoid expressions than the Voraxians do because when his eyes widen and his mouth parts and his four arms roll back in their sockets and he uses one of those enormous hands to grip his bottom jaw…he staggers and he looks…he looks gutted.
“Where is Quintenanrret? We need the healer herenow.” His voice is a roar that seems to shake the whole room. I shudder and grip my leg with renewed vigor. His gaze falls to it and I see his chest swell even fuller.
“Quintenanrret!” He takes two swift strides towards me, arriving at my side so quickly, I jolt out of my skin.Or rather, out of Svera’s.
“How long do humans have before they bleed out?”
“I…” I don’t know, but I don’t need to tell him that. “Not long. Our blood is thin, so we bleed out very quickly. We needurgentmedical care. Even these small cuts can be enough to kill us. You need to take us back down to the planet. You need to return us to Voraxia where they are experienced in healing us.”
He’s breathing hard, his plates pulling and pushing against one another. He licks his lips as looks down at my ankle, then at my face.
And then he says in a voice that is low and meant only for me, “It does not matter to me if you are the Rakukanna, if you are with kit, or if you do not want to be here. The survival of my species is the only thing that matters. Your survival, your being here, is linked to that. And for that, I need you alive. Do not move. I will be back momentarily with the healer.”
His hard voice slashes through two more names as he commands them to follow. He passes through the blackened doors and the rest of the Niahhorru crowd closer to us as the doors crank shut loudly behind their king, the body of the one who hurt us, entirely forgotten.
I look to Svera as one of them reaches for her. All four of his arms seem to move with a gentleness reserved for a much softer being. Like a dancer. A giant, four-armed silver-colored dancer.
“Don’t touch her,” I rasp. He might look like he’s trying to be soft, but I don’t know what their skin is made of and it looks harsh and hard and unfriendly.
I’m surprised when the brute responds immediately, hands jerking back to his sides in unison. He crouches instead at her side, silvery shimmery gaze switching to me constantly, as if seeking confirmation that he’s doing the right thing.
“Human,” he barks, voice gravelly and deep. “Will she survive?”
I nod and watch Svera’s face, but I can’t tell how bad it is through the holo. It flickers, and then flickers again. The Niahhorru nearest her rears back in shock, and I curse the flawed contraption.
Another Niahhorru charges into the center of the room, severing my line of sight to Svera. “This one is not the Voraxian Rakukanna and she is not with kit. We should perform shekurr now.” Not just his words, but his itchy, twitchy demeanor lead me to believe he is a much younger Niahhorru.
“What in the comets is shekurr?” I mutter, half under my breath because the truth is that I don’t care to know. I hope only that it’s not what I think.
The Niahhorru at Svera’s side frowns up at the young one. “We do nothing to the females without Rhorkanterannu present. It was his genius that led us to them, and gave us the bridge to bring them off of Voraxia.This ishismission. We are here because of him.”
The young one flinches wildly and takes another step towards Svera, his hand on his stumpy cock. “This…this one should be punished for her deception!”
“Get away from her!” I shout, “Svera, change me now.”
The Niahhorru close to me take a half step back and I judge by their surprise that they don’t like my holographic display — or the fact that I displayed holographically at all.
The young one’s head swivels on his neck. He hisses, “Give up this infuriating machine and reveal yourselves!”
I notice that the spikes growing out of his back aren’t as long or as thick as some of the others. The king’s looked particularly violent. I don't know why, but that comforts me.I can take him.Maybe.If I have to.“No.”
