Page 64 of Taken to Voraxia
Krisxox rises and I notice distantly that his feet instinctively seem to move themselves into a position that mirrors my own — slightly apart, ready to battle, but most importantly, ready to defend the human who stands so slight behind him.
Krisxox snarls, “Who?”
“Pe’ixal,” I sneer.
But the xcleranx shake their heads. The first of them — a male I do not know by name — spits, “Rhorkanterannu. He prolonged his departure, as you well know, and was supposed to be leaving within the solar. He said he needed access to the docks, but instead was found tampering with the docking station. He has disabled it so none of the flyers or ships can leave.”
What is his plan? What is he playing at? If none of the ships can leave, then he has no exit strategy.It doesn’t matter.
“Roth, gather the xcleranx and meet me at the docks. You three remain with Krisxox, Svera and our Rakukanna. Krisxox, I am placing my M…my Rakukanna entirely in your care. Take her back to our werro. Do not let anything happen to her.”
Krisxox looks like he will argue, until he glances at the human behind him. He nods abruptly then. That is enough. I turn to Miari and take either side of her face. I stare deeply into her human eyes, even as her Voraxian lids blink over them.
“You will remain with Krisxox in your lab.”
“The guest house?” Her lower lip trembles and brings a shaking, burning rage to my limbs. I want to tear Rhorkanterannu apart and hear him scream, feel his hot black blood pour from his shattered spikes. Bathe in it.
“You will wait for me there and you will do every single thing Krisxox says. Do not anger me in this. You must keep yourself safe at all costs. No other life is more valuable than yours.”
“Yes, they are…”
“Not to me,” I growl and I press my mouth to hers in a display of affection never publicly shown by a Raku before his people. And I do not care at all. “Do not disobey me.”
Miari’s warm breath mixes with mine. I devour her jujji berry taste for too long a moment before I force myself to break away. “Stay safe, my Raku,” she says just as I reach the open doorway.
My hearts stutter at the possessiveness of her words. I inhale a deep breath. Memorize every detail of her face, hating the fear scrawled upon it and vowing to end Rhorkanterannu for putting it there.
“As you command, my Rakukanna.”
18
Miari
“So, this is your guest house? Looks more like a pile of rubble,” Svera says with a shrug in an attempt to tease me. It’s a poor attempt. She’s too kind for teasing, but she’s doing her best to distract me. Maybe distract us both.
For the past eons —or has it been mere moments?— I’ve been staring at the xamxin windows, trying to see movement through their murky panes, and when that yields absolutely nothing at all, I glare daggers at the curved wooden doorway.
I feel sick. The slightest movement would be enough to make my fragile stomach revolt. I want to vomit everywhere. The door hasn’t opened since we walked through it, and now Krisxox and half a dozen xcleranx stand on its other side.
What is that crazy four-armed maniac up to? Do I want to know? Nox. No, I don’t. I just want him to leave.
“Miari?”
“Hmm?”
“I asked you what this does?”
I glance over my shoulder a couple times, debating whether or not to answer her. Finally, I determine that sitting cross-legged in front of the door, working myself up into a lather as Svera’s mother always says, is probably not the best start.
Unfurling from where I sit waitingdesperatelyfor Raku to come back through the door and tell me it was an accident and that the Niahhorru pirate king just mistakenly tripped the wire that shut down the ports and that as he fell his gun just happened to go off and Ixria happened to be standing there but really it’s all just a mistake and she’s fine and they’re all on the docks now having a good laugh. A real good laugh…
“So how does it work, Miari?”
I turn in time to see Svera lifting a random patchwork solar charger I was tinkering with and lurch towards her with a yelp. “Universe, no! Put that down. It’s an experiment and so far it’s burned the tips off my fingers three times.
“I tried using something they have here called krenite powder to line the foil conductor. It holds charge longer than just using foil by itself but if you get it wet — and I mean, even the moisture on your fingertips is enough — it sparks. Or explodes.”I learned that one the hard way…
“Oh. Sorry.”
