Taking advantage of the distraction, I snuck up behind him and slit his throat, my hand covering his mouth so no noise was made. He crumpled to the ground soundlessly. There was no way I could hide the blood, so a war it was. I would just have to work smartly, and I reminded myself of that as I snuck around the camp, circling towards the other sentry.
The fight to free Dana had begun.
10
Dana
“Where is that idiot?” I murmured under my breath, far too aware that the Caterri could understand me with their translators. While I was grateful for being able to understand them, them being able to understand me was a snare I hadn’t been prepared for. Instead, I sat there, chained to the hovercraft as I watched the soldiers gather around the fire, bickering as they shared dinner. Leering glances were shot my way, several of them detailing exactly what they planned to do to me once their healer cleared me.
I gave them a 0/10 on the rating scale, mostly because they lacked imagination.
My gaze searched the darkness, although I kept turning my attention back to the fire. I could see Squire and the others working in the shadows, doing whatever it was they needed to do to keep the camp running.
“I wonder how good alien cunt feels,” C drawled from where he sat closest to me, eating whatever dried meat they apparently had brought with them. “Bet it’s better than N’Akron.”
I twitched. I was a fucking diplomat, chosen for an intergalactic diplomatic mission, and these assholes were reducing me to my vagina. I was used to it, don’t get me wrong. God knew you didn’t make it anywhere in any sort of political environment without being a woman being a problem at some point. But I’d thought more advanced cultures would have been beyond it all.
Too bad I was wrong.
Then his words registered and I frowned, staring in their direction. I knew N’Ashtar had been taking a N’Akron female to tithe, but he hadn’t talked about what the Caterri did with their tributes. Not that it took a genius to realize it wasn’t good. Apparently they were used as sex slaves, which further made me hate them.
Not that it took much effort on their part, really.
“Here’s some food, little alien,” B taunted, tossing some just out of my reach. I tried to ignore it, tried desperately to pretend it didn’t exist, but it was the first scrap of food they had offered me all day and I was hungry as hell. No matter what I did, how I twisted myself or tried to reach out, I couldn’t reach it. Each attempt made the aliens laugh harder.
“Stupid fucking assholes,” I snarled at them, torn between hungrily eyeing the food and shooting them death glares. That just made them laugh harder, the creepy fuckers. “Tough when you just have a defenseless human, aren’t you?”
A rose, the narrowing of his black eyes telling me that even if they didn’t share the same swear words, the gist of what I was saying was getting through and that wasn’t a good thing. “What did you say, little alien?” His voice was low, like it was scraping against something, and it sent bad shivers down my spine.
I flinched back, hating my weakness but hating the Caterri even more. His pale hands were balled into fists, his dark eyes glittering with a hunger for violence. I couldn’t show vulnerability to him, I couldn’t. The moment I did, I was fucked. I wasn’t sure how much longer my period would last, either. That was the advantage of an IUD. Light and quick, it was only an excuse I could use for a few more days.
Slowly, oh, so slowly, A unlocked the cuffs that kept me tied to the hovercraft, but I didn’t move a fraction. Instead I just stared at him like I wasn’t afraid, like I wasn’t borderline hyperventilating and about ready to run screaming. Not that it would get me anywhere, because they were obviously bigger and faster, but it was the thought that counted. I wouldn’t even stand, because that would make me a larger target.
Not that it stopped A from grabbing my hair and pulling me up. I winced but forced myself to glare at him, to not flinch otherwise. Vulnerability was dangerous, I had to remind myself. He pulled his other hand back, the one curled into a fist, and was clearly about to beat the crap out of me when a shout rang out.
Immediately he dropped me, his attention turning to the camp. “What is it?” A demanded.
“Vredek is dead,” D stammered, looking like he would have rather been anywhere but bringing A that information. “His throat was slit.”
A tensed, then stared down at me, suspicious, so I tried to look innocent. It was true that I didn’t really know what was going on. I could definitely guess, that was true. But I didn’t know for sure, and that made it easier to look innocent.
The Caterri started spreading out, and someone’s sharp shout at Squire had him running to my side. He helped remove some supplies from the hovercraft I was chained to, not looking at me. It wasn’t until the rest of the Caterri had run off that I faced him.
“What’s going on?” I whispered, not knowing if he would have much more information than I would.
Squire grimaced, something that looked oddly out of place on his beautiful face. “A sentry has been killed. We believe there’s a tribe attacking the camp.”
Well, he was partially right, although from what N’Ashtar had said, he was on his own. I couldn’t help but wonder what the Caterri thought
