Chapter 53
Trove
Rinnicks had absolutely lost her composure.
Trove remained reclined – not like he could go anywhere – at his ease.
He watched with no small amount of amusement as Rinnicks beat and raged at the door.
She was making absolutely no progress, of course.
Those were steel bulkhead doors, designed to be completely airtight, able to withstand the force of an explosion.
There was no way she was beating her way through that.
But by the ancestors, she was giving it her all.
She attacked with fists and feet, slamming both against the hard metal with enough force to create a loud, dull bang throughout the room.
She wasn’t even denting it though. Which Trove saw as proof of her physical weakness.
He was pretty sure her species prided itself on physical strength.
They would punch wood and steal to prove how deep they could dent it.
The fact that Rinnicks couldn’t just showed what Trove already suspected. She had come this far away from her home planet because she wasn’t considered powerful there. She bought power with her wealth and pretended that it was all she needed.
But as was the way of her kind, stripping someone of their wealth, taking away her perceived power, drove her insane. She couldn’t handle it. She struck out in the most basic, youngling way possible – with brute violence.
She was no different than an animal trapped in a corner, violently and desperately scratching her way to freedom, even in the impossibility of it.
“I think it’s starting to warp.”
Trove’s comment, which was rather encouraging, he thought, earned a wild glare. Rinnicks threw it his way, eye twitching, teeth bared, expression crazed. She clearly did not appreciate his commentary.
“What have you done?!” She demanded to know.
“Me? I’ve been unconscious or strung up this whole time. What could I do?”
“I know this is because of you!” She bared her claws at him.
He shrugged. “I mean, yeah. Probably. But why does that mean I had anything to do with it?”
“That crew of stupid, barbaric, grotesque, urkuts-”
“Now, that’s not nice,” he frowned. “We’ve been nothing but polite to you.”
“Why are you like this?!” She shrieked rushing for him. She grabbed him by the hair, claws digging into his neck. His unconcerned smile just made her shake. “Why are you not afraid?!”
“Why would I be afraid?” He returned easily.
His flippant attitude made her pause. So confused. So afraid. She wasn’t sure what to do. Because his confidence had to be coming from somewhere. Why wasn’t he scared? Why wasn’t he reacting like a prisoner should? What did he know that she didn’t?
But that was Alred’s voice coming from the console. And those explosions were practically a signature at this point.
His crew was here. He had nothing to fear.
He only had to wait.
And he didn’t have to wait long.
The door slid open. The light from behind cast her front in shadow, but he’d recognize that beautiful silhouette from anywhere.
A smile, genuine this time, tugged at his lips. And warmth spread in his chest as he realized, for the first time in his life, he was being saved.
“Hello, adassi,” he purred as Chee walked in.
Donned in an envirosuit, she had taken off her helmet and was holding it in her hands.
Well, technically, she was holding it in her hand. The other hand was inside the helmet. And he recognized immediately that she was holding something.
Rinnicks, however, did not.
“You,” she sneered, her grip on Trove tightening. “This ugly, fat thing is your mate?”
“I’m not fat. I’m big boned,” she said, cocking out her hip. They were indeed big bones, but they were covered in a delightful layer of fat that he loved to watch jiggle. He didn’t know the difference, personally, and he didn’t really care. She was glorious.
And even more so with that hard, icy look on her face as she looked down on Rinnicks.
She looked like a killer.
Chee had never killed anyone before. But that wasn’t really necessary for someone to have the mindset of a killer.
There were those that had killed dozens but weren’t killers, and similarly, but more rarely, there were those that had killed no one but who were still killers.
Untested ones, to be sure, but the history of killing wasn’t actually what made a killer.
In this moment, looking at Rinnicks, Chee had ruthless, uncaring eyes.
The complete lack of concern for the life of another.
The coldness. The distance. That was the look of someone who genuinely didn’t care if the person they looked at lived or died.
No fiery anger. No passionate righteousness.
Sure, those emotions made people murderers, but it was that absolute blankness, total lack of anything behind her eyes, that made a killer.
“You’re so pretty,” Trove sighed dreamily.
“Not now,” she chastised softly.
Meanwhile, Rinnicks’ head whipped back and forth between them. Insane with rage. Crazed by their lack of concern.
“Are you all fools?!” She shrieked, claws pressing harder into his neck.
“Did she touch you, Trove?” Chee asked quite seriously.
“All over,” Trove confirmed shamelessly, immediately. “Quite against my will. What are you going to do about it?”
He was excited just thinking about the possibilities.
“You won’t do anything!” Rinnicks snarled, twisting so that she was partially behind Trove.
That was as far as she could get with him still cuffed to the bed.
She had to drag him to the side, trying to put him in front of her.
But she couldn’t get very far thanks to both the magcuffs and his own reluctance to be moved.
Still, it was enough that it was obvious she was using him as a barrier. The way she pulled on his hair, the digging of her claws into his neck, hurt.
But he barely felt it, because he was so focused on Chee. On the icy look in her eyes. It made his blood burn with desire. His cock finally came back to life, hardened as he wondered exactly what she was going to do. Just watching her like this was thrilling.
When Rinnicks pulled on his hair, Chee’s eyes flashed with danger. And he thought that he had never loved her more.
“Let him go,” Chee started simply. “And I make this quick.”
No, he lied. Now he had never loved her more.