Chapter 15
Maya
Everything happened so fast that Maya couldn’t react.
One moment Ranek and the scarred pirate were in the cell with her and she barely had room to move, and the next, Ranek was charging at the remaining pirate in full bloodlust. The blaster that had been in Ranek’s hand clattered to the ground.
There was red everywhere, and the iron-rich tang stung her nostrils.
Her stomach clenched, torn between horror and a surge of adrenaline.
The two large bodies collided with brutal force, and snarls vibrated through the air.
Her skin prickled and a small voice told her to run, but everything seemed so surreal, like she was witnessing it all from behind a screen.
And that alone had her watching, her attention rapt.
The fight was fast and furious, and she couldn’t look away as the two clawed at each other with the talons on their feet and threw punches that would cave a man’s head in.
It was bloody and violent, and she should be terrified at the feral form that was Ranek.
She should be running, especially after what she’d just learned about him.
A murderer who’d escaped from prison? She’d known there was more to his story, but it was still a lot to take in.
Murder? Theft? Okay, so maybe she’d had an inkling, a suspicion that the ship wasn’t really his, but murder? And years in prison? How long had he planned on keeping that from her?
She shook her head. They hadn’t been close. He didn’t owe her the truth, not yet. But it still hurt.
So why was it that her heart kept telling her that she was safest by his side?
She hadn’t missed the surprise on Ranek’s face either. The news had been just as much of a shock to him as it had been for her. He really did not remember anything. So at least she knew that he was telling her the honest truth there.
Did that mean he truly believed she was his mate?
She inhaled sharply as a hard punch landed across Ranek’s face. But he acted like he didn’t even feel it. He fought back, beating the male to the ground. One swift kick ended it all as a sharp talon sliced across a soft jugular.
Ripping the pirate’s head free of his body and holding it up like a trophy, Ranek roared his victory, looking for all the galaxy like the feral beast he was. He tossed the head aside. Then, canines still descended and with his jaws terrifyingly wide, he turned to Maya.
“Mine!” he snarled as he rounded on her.
He was a monster, but right now, he was her monster.
She quickly grabbed the blaster on the ground, then urged herself to move, not away, but toward him.
No matter how terrifying he looked, he was on her side, and they were getting out of here.
The moment she was free of the cell, he caught her and hauled her to him.
He bent and pressed his face to her neck like he needed her scent to survive.
When he lifted his head again, he looked just a fraction more in control, but he was still stuck in bloodlust.
Perhaps it was for the best. There were others living here, and they would find out what happened soon. They might come better armed.
Ranek started through the grounded ship’s hallways at a quick pace, his hand firmly in hers, half pulling her along. She didn’t mind. She knew that she had to move, but they were forgetting one thing.
“Wait! We need to find Commander Chaos.”
Ranek grunted, but slowed. He tilted his head like he was listening.
Maya tried as well but couldn’t pick out anything discernible.
Ranek seemed to know exactly where to go though.
He went back the way they came, passed the door to the brig and opened the next door.
It was a small office. A very destroyed small office.
A blur of brown, gray, and white leaped at them teeth bared, but fell short once the little pup realized who had opened the door. Instead of biting, the pup crashed into Ranek and Maya, bouncing with joy at the return of his pack.
The pirates had tried to tether the pup to the desk, which was bolted to the ship’s floor, but Commander Chaos had long since chewed through the leather tether at the source.
Maya grabbed it and formed a quick loop with the end, making a makeshift leash.
Then, with Commander Chaos secured and following behind, they started back into the hallway.
It wasn’t long before they encountered their first pirate. The male glared at them wide-eyed. Ranek was in front of Maya in a heartbeat, putting himself between them. Commander Chaos lunged at the pirate as well, pulling on his new leash.
But unlike the other two, this pirate was not ready to fight. He took one look at Ranek, who was still covered in the blood of the two he’d slain. Not stupid, the new male backed away, showing that he was unarmed, and said, “Go, I won’t fight you.”
Ranek gestured for Maya to bring Commander Chaos through first, so she gave the command to heel, praying that the little pup would obey despite all the distractions.
He did, and she continued down the hall with Ranek a step behind, keeping his eyes on the pirate.
What were the chances he planned to attack them using the element of surprise to his advantage?
But no surprise attack came, and soon they were stepping out into the warm, humid air of an alien jungle. It was already late in the day. Maya squinted, wondering how many hours had passed.
Ranek took her hand in his and hurried toward one of the transports. But just as she surmised, the vehicle was locked.
“They entered a code to make it work,” Maya said. “I don’t think we can drive it.”
“Then we will go on foot.”
Behind them, there was a sound of sirens. The male who had let them through must have sounded the alarm.
“Fuck!” Ranek looked back the way they’d come and then into the jungle. Then he took the leash from her and slipped it over his wrist. “Can you keep up, pup?”
Commander Chaos seemed to know that Ranek was speaking to him and let out an enthusiastic yip.
“Good.” Ranek met Maya’s eyes. The bloodlust was mostly gone, and he looked like himself again; his fangs were hidden behind his lips, and his cheek creases were back to normal. “Hang on tight, my love.”
It was the only warning she got before she found herself tossed over his shoulder. She let out a surprised yelp and reached her arms around his body, trying her best to hold onto him.
Then they were moving. Well, this was one way to travel!
The ground passed by quickly under them in a blur, the decaying leaves under Ranek’s booted feet forming a mass of green, yellow, and brown.
The sun that had blinded her when they’d first stepped out of the grounded ship soon gave way to shadows as the canopy of leaves above them thickened, blocking out the light.
There was an occasional flash of bright blue, and the whiff of something intoxicatingly beautiful reached her nose every time they passed. Commander Chaos ran beside them, and several times, he’d tried to stop by the blue patches and was urged forward by the big Tallean male.
This wasn’t the way they’d come. She didn’t recognize any of it. They had to get back to the mining station. Ranek’s comm unit was still sitting in the supervisor’s quarters, and his shuttle was there too.
There hadn’t been any blue flowers on her way here, but there was a chance that the flowers only bloomed in the evening. But she didn’t remember the closed buds either. Not to mention, this just felt… wrong.
“Stop, Ranek.” She patted his body, trying to get his attention. “You don’t even know where you’re going.”
But Ranek continued tromping forward, jostling her on his wide shoulder.
“Stop!”
And when he failed to do so, she took matters into her own hands.
Literally. She slapped him as hard as she could on the ass, one of the only places on him she could reach in her precarious position.
His glutes were thick and muscular, and much harder than she’d anticipated, definitely deserving of the Buns of Steel moniker. But she didn’t stop until Ranek did.
He lowered her to the ground. “What is wrong, my love?”
His love? Okay, there was a time to deal with that, and it wasn’t now. She ignored the endearment.
“Where are you going?” she asked.
He frowned. “As far from the pirates’ hideout as possible,” he said, like that was clearly the only correct answer.
“I don’t think this is the way back. I didn’t see these flowers on the way in, and I was trying my best to remember the scene.”
Ranek looked at her, confusion plain on his face. “The way back to where?”