Beastly-looking Gnaw glanced back, seeming to make sure she followed him, and then picked up his pace. She jogged to keep up. It was still shocking to see him this way, even though she’d learned from the news that they were a shifter alien race. They hadn’t shown what Veslors looked like, though, with their huge cat bodies.
There were slight noises ahead, ones she identified. It was the same sound she’d heard when the Elth fired their weapons. Gnaw suddenly roared and rushed around a corner, leaving her behind.
Darla froze when high-pitched shrieks followed. Then she forced herself to creep forward, peeking around the curve of the wall.
Gnaw had two of the aliens on the ground, batting at them brutally with his huge paws. His claws tore them apart and their white blood sprayed everywhere.
She silently swore to never drink milk again. Ever.
A third Elth came out of a door that suddenly opened near where she was hiding. Gnaw seemed so focused on finishing off his alien pray that he must not have heard the hiss. He didn’t even glance over his shoulder to indicate he knew the other Elth had entered the hallway.
Outrage filled her as the Elth raised one of its tentacles, revealing a weapon he aimed toward Gnaw.
She reacted on instinct, rushing around the corner, and throwing herself at the tall alien.
Her intention had been to tackle him and take him to the floor. Instead, it felt as if she’d slammed into a clammy, slightly squishy pillar. Neither of them went down.
The Elth twisted his gelatinous body her way, loosening her hold on the part of his body just above where his tentacles started. His three eyes widened, probably surprised by her attack. Then something wrapped around one of her thighs, squeezing painfully. It felt as if her bones were being broken. She screamed and managed to raise her arms, clawing at the white skin of what should be his face. It was near his mouth, since he was too tall for her to reach his eyes.
She was suddenly falling when the tentacle holding her gave a sharp jerk. She hit the floor hard, the air knocked from her. The Elth pointed the weapon and she braced for searing.
It never happened.
Gnaw launched through the air and slammed into the Elth before he could shoot. They both crashed out of sight into the room the alien had just come from. Terrifyingly deep snarls and high-pitched shrieks sounded next.
Darla sucked in air and knew she was hurt. Her head throbbed from where it had slammed into the floor, her back too, but her thigh worried her the most.
Motion from the corner of her eye had her turning her head.
White-suited bodies, at least a dozen of them, rushed around a corner of another turn in the wide hallway. It terrified her when she saw the large rifle-like weapons they held, but the clear helmet masks revealed them to be humans.
“Don’t shoot the cat!” she yelled, hoping none of them would mistake Gnaw for a hostile alien.
One of the men in the lead reached her first. He bent, grabbed her arm, and she gasped as he yanked her hard enough to cause more pain. He dragged her along the floor, taking her around the corner she’d peeked from behind earlier. Then he released her and dropped to his knees, bending over her.
“Don’t shoot the cat,” she repeated. “It’s Gnaw. He’s a Veslor. Tell them so they know not to shoot him!”
“We know who he is. Let’s worry about you.” He touched her outer thigh, and she protested.
“Ouch!”
“It looks like one of those bastards got you with his suckers. They have little hooks on them, and it tore open your skin where he attached to your leg.”
It took her seconds to realize he must have meant the small rounded parts on the tentacle legs of the Elth. She wiggled her toes and bent her knee a little. A few spots on her leg now burned a bit, but she doubted any bones were actually broken.
“He squeezed me and yanked me off my feet.”
“Well, he cut you, but it’s not bad. Medics are on their way. What’s your name?”
The pain in her head and back dulled and she tried to sit up to look at her leg, but the human put his gloved hand on her chest and gently pushed her flat.
“Stay down.”
“What about Gnaw?”
“He’ll be fine. The rest of the team is assisting him in eliminating the threat. Tell me your name and rank.”
She figured out then that he had to be a fleet member. “I’m Darla Mitt, a civilian. Are you from Defcon Red?”
“Yes, Miss Mitt. Don’t worry about a thing. We’ve taken control of the ship and are eradicating the threats onboard.”
“My sister and other women are being held together in a room. We were kidnapped from a shuttle. I think I can lead you ba―”
“We found them.” He turned his helmet to peer behind him. “Over here!”
Two more outfitted men came around the corner. One of them carried a bag. He went to her other side, dropped to his knees, and twisted to place the bag on the floor.
“Civilian,” the first man stated. “Injuries to her left leg so far. I’ll leave her to your care.” Then he rose to his feet and walked out of her view.
Something pressed against her leg, and she startled. It was the other man. He held a fist-sized device against her skin. There was a sharp
