Chapter 7: Alexis & Drake

DRAKE

Drake turned away from his patient with a start. It was Captain Ream. Drake twisted his mouth, both surprised and annoyed.

He respected the captain and his desire to be involved, but Drake was too busy saving his patients to care about filling him in.

Thankfully, Miktar took him aside to explain. “It is as you see it, Captain. Minor injuries. No deaths. Fifteen are in stasis.”

“How are their vitals?”

“We’ve stabilized their core temperatures at 39.2 degrees Celsius. Enough to slow the Wriling ingestion as much as possible.”

“But not eliminate it.”

“Not without killing the hosts. Any hotter and we risk denaturing their cells.”

“How much time do they have?”

“Indeterminate. Every host is different depending on their metabolism, size, and the individual Wriling’s consumption projection.”

“Give me an estimate. Is it worth an attempt to journey back to Zibon 8 for further treatment?”

Miktar sighed. “No chance.”

“So, what are our options?”

“At this point, there are no options.”

Captain Ream rounded his shoulders. “I want you to keep me updated on their condition. Try anything—experimental or otherwise.”

He trailed his gaze over the fifteen capsules, his eyes coming to rest upon the male Rictorian, then onto Roco’s female and Drake’s own.

“What are they doing here? Why are they not in their allotted rooms?” he said.

Drake straightened, stepping in front of Alexis. “They are with their bonded or to-be-bonded Zibon counterparts.”

Captain Ream swiveled his deep yellow eyes to Drake. “They can’t be here. They’ll get in the way. Remove them.”

He flicked his hand dismissively, then turned and left the room.

“Is it true?” came Alexis’s voice. “Is it true what he said?”

Drake turned. “Which part?”

“That there is no chance?” She was looking over at her two Rictorian companions, frowning.

“I don’t know.”

She turned her dark eyes back to his, and he saw they were filled with tears.

“Alexis.” He took her hand.

“That could have been you.”

“But it’s not.”

“When are we going back to our room?” Her hand gripped fiercely onto his. “I can’t take this anymore.”

Her eyes darted around the room, her gaze falling upon the nearest capsule. “I don’t want them to die. I don’t want ~you~ to die.”

“I’m not going to die.”

“It’s dangerous. It’s dangerous for you. I can sense it. I can sense your unease.” She lifted her chin as her eyes flashed. “I want you outta here. Come with me.”

She tried to tug him toward the door.

“I cannot. And like Captain Ream said, you shouldn’t be here. You shouldn’t be seeing this.”

“I’m glad I saw it. I’m glad!” She was raising her voice, making heads turn.

He hadn’t been able to keep her away. Not since the moment she’d unexpectedly stepped into the infirmary, looking whole and perfect and desperate, her dark gaze latching onto Drake’s like a magnet.

It seemed that all the Rictorians had escaped from the shuttle—somehow. Clint was right: they were intelligent and resourceful and much more than what the Zibons gave them credit for.

It was a mistake. One that could have been grave. They couldn’t make the same mistake again.

“You risked everything,” he told her, flushing with anger. “You risked our bond. You risked your life. You ~all~ did.”

The Rictorian hardened her mouth. “No more than you.” She tried to yank him toward the door. “Leave. You must leave.”

“I cannot. You know I cannot. I’m needed.”

“~I~ need you!” She grabbed at his wrist with both her hands and tried to pull him, her face screwed up with the effort. She was strong for a Rictorian, particularly a Rictorian female, but no match for Drake.

“Moose,” he called. The nearby Zibon turned. “Take her to my room. Room 618. Lock her in and leave her there.”

“No!” she screamed. “Can’t you feel it?!” She kicked out as the Zibon seized onto her shoulders. “Doesn’t ~it~ hurt?”

Drake didn’t answer. His hands were trembling as he turned to the nearest capsule. Only once the door slid shut and her screaming snapped off could he breathe again.

ALEXIS

“Let go!” Alexis cried.

She tried to bite at the Zibon’s arm, but he yanked it away, spun her around with stunning strength, and hoisted her over his shoulder. He walked quickly down the corridor.

“I can’t leave him!”

The Zibon didn’t speak. His arm was wrapped tightly around her hips. It was painful. Each foot away from Drake was more painful than the last.

She should have kissed him. She should have clung onto him more tightly. She shouldn’t have sucked his cock at all. How the hell did she get into this mess?

And then she started weeping. What the fuck was wrong with her?

They reached their quarters, and the Zibon lowered her to her feet. She tried to rush around him, but he shoved her back inside, so forcefully that she stumbled into the bed, slid down the side, and fell to the floor.

With unnatural speed, he was gone.

“Goddamn you!”

She needed to see him. She needed to be with him. She needed to make sure he was all right. Her hips were aching. Her heart was beating in her throat.

Never in her life had she felt like this about a man. About ~any~one.

Agitated was a poor word to describe what she was feeling. It felt like insects were crawling all over her. It felt like hundreds of tiny electric shocks were zapping around her body.

And her mind—she gripped her head. Oh, her ~mind~! It didn’t feel like hers at all.

Her hands trembled. Her body began to shake. It was like she was withdrawing from a drug.

Leaping to her feet, she threw herself at the door, wrenching at the handle, kicking at the metal. Useless though it was, it helped vent her emotions.

But it did nothing except wreck their room.

~Their~ room. The thought made the tears drip down her face.

Minutes ticked by. Then hours. She went and had a long shower, sitting on the floor as the hot water beat upon her head and shoulders.

She wished she’d done more than suck him. She wished she hadn’t done it at all. Why did she have to be so stubborn?

Closing her eyes, she dug her fingers into her kneecaps, trying to get control of her emotions. But it was impossible. The thoughts, her ~urges~, just kept coming.

If this bond was supposed to go both ways, how the heck was ~he~ dealing with it? Clearly she liked him more than he did her. Alexis winced.

~That~ hurt like hell.

“Stop it! Go away!” she shouted. She didn’t want these feelings. She’d give anything to go back to hating him.

Hating was much easier. It made her feel powerful. This was weak.

She felt as powerless as a child. ~He~ had power over her. No man had power over her!

Clawing her way back to her feet, she shut off the water and left the bathroom without bothering to dry or dress herself. Hair plastered to her head, dripping water all over the floor, she prowled the room.

She pushed things off shelves. She ripped the sheets off the bed. She bashed her fists against the window.

What did it matter if she was sucked out into space? Anything was better than feeling like this.

“I hate you. I hate you!” she screamed.

And she wasn’t sure if she was referring to herself or stupid Drake.

She pressed her fists to her eyes with a sob.

After some time, she found herself lying on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, dry and naked. She was tired, but there was no way she could sleep.

She felt like she was burning up inside. She felt like her blood was humming.

The insects continued to crawl. Every few seconds, she looked toward the door, as though she could simply will him there.

She turned back to the ceiling.

~Swallow any more and you’ll be stuck. Trapped. With me.~

No shit.

She turned her head, her breath catching in her throat at the sound of a click. Before the door had fully opened, her feet were pounding the floor.

It felt like she’d left her brain behind. Running full pelt, she charged into him.

Any normal man would have fallen backward, at the very least staggered, but he was like a wall of rock. His yellow eyes widened as he caught her.

“You can’t treat me like this!” she yelled.

“I won’t have it! I won’t have it from any man!”