The Alien's Equal (Drixonian Warrior #7) - Ella Maven Page 0,32
me,” I hissed, kicking and punching. I expected to feel the clang of Kulk armor, but my fists and feet only connected with what felt like soft flesh. Grunts filled the dark space as I fought like a crazy thing until one set of hands grabbed my wrists while another grabbed my feet. I arched my back and opened my mouth to yell for Nero when a hand clamped over my lips, muffling me.
Something heavy hit the ground in front of me, and then a door slammed followed by grunts and the meaty sound of flesh hitting flesh. A lantern light flickered on and for a moment I couldn’t see a damn thing. When my eyes adjusted, I found Nero standing over me, his feet braced on either side of my body with his tail curled protectively around my head. His machets were out on his forearms, head, and all down his back. I craned my neck from my position on the floor to see a dozen Uldani standing in a circle around us. All held makeshift weapons, such as sections of metal piping or crude blades, in their three-fingered hands. Clothes hung off their bodies like rags, many were dirty, and some were a little too thin.
I’d never seen an Uldani in person before, although the girls who’d met them had described them. They weren’t ugly, and if anything, they seemed a little fragile. They walked upright on two legs which reminded me of horses. While their arms were muscles, their silver skin looked as fragile as mine, not the thick-scaled hides of the Drixonians. Their faces were more in line with the drawing of the alien I had on my wall—their ears and noses were slits, and they had large round eyes with sharp cheekbones that cast a sharp shadow on the lower half of their faces.
I scrambled onto my knees, but Nero placed a hand on the top of my head in a silent urge to remain down. I followed his instructions, my nerves making me tremble as I anticipated a bloodbath. Why weren’t they advancing on us? Or calling out the Kulks who searched for us right outside these walls?
One Uldani stepped forward, and Nero braced. The Uldani held up his hands, palms out. He had no weapon and looked mildly cleaner and well-fed than the rest of the bunch. “We don’t want to hurt you or the human, Drix. Please hear me out before you attack. You already laid out my friend Jolo.”
I glanced over to see two males standing over a slumped body of another. He was breathing, but he had a wicked slice under his eye from what I assumed was Nero’s machets.
“What do you want?” Nero growled.
“I want to help you. And in turn, you’ll help us.”
Nero didn’t lower his machets, but his body lost some of his tension. He let out a dry laugh. “Is that so, Uldani?”
He nodded. “My name’s Gram.”
That name meant something to Nero. Probably no one else in the room noticed, but Nero’s tail flexed imperceptibly near my head. He didn’t give himself away yet though. With a dismissive snarl, he said, “Why should that name mean anything to me?”
The Uldani didn’t back down from Nero’s tone. “Because I helped your brother Sax escape with his Val human.”
I gasped as I leapt to my feet. “You’re Gram?”
Nero pulled me back against him with an arm across my chest, his machets nearly poking through my shirt. “Careful, Justine.”
I knew about Gram. Val told us that if it wasn’t for him, they wouldn’t have gotten free. Sax would likely be dead, and she’d still be under this hellhole… a breeder for these shitheads… “Prove it,” I said. “Prove you’re Gram.”
“I was there when they escaped. I gave them a key to his collar. I saw when their mating bands appeared on their wrists.” He swallowed and looked me straight in the eye. “I know he calls her his lioness.”
My eyes went wide. This had to be him. “Gram,” I whispered.
He smiled and nodded. “That’s me. How is Val and that big Drix of hers?”
“They’re good,” I said excitedly. “In fact, she’s—”
“What do you want?” Nero cut me off. A flash of irritation hit me, but I let it go. Nero didn’t want Gram to know more than he had to, which was probably a good thing.
Suddenly, a fist pounded the door and a Kulk called out through the thin wood. “Search!”