raise my head, following the silent command until I’m face-to-face with him.
“It depends,” he murmurs.
I match his tone, dropping my voice to just above a whisper. My heart beats so loudly in my chest that I wonder if it will drown out my words. “Depends on what?”
“On what you’re willing to risk.”
“Not much.”
He raises his eyebrows in surprise just before he lets out a bark of laughter. However, I do not join him. There is nothing funny about this situation. Maybe I’d find it amusing if I weren’t involved, but I am and this is serious to me. Never mind the fact I didn’t choose to be in this situation.
“Your honesty is refreshing,” he says, a smile still on his handsome face. “I prefer that above all else.”
No, you don’t. If you only knew the truths running through my mind, you’d think I was…well, a whore, for starters. And that would be followed by a coward, since my desire to stay alive overrides any need to help you.
“And the risks?” I ask in an attempt to bring his focus back to the matter at hand. “I can’t agree to something without knowing all the facts.”
He cocks his head, studying me. “What do you know of my kind?” At my shrug, he continues. “As I told you before, we thrive on the energy of the people we have sex with, but that comes at a cost to them. It has a draining effect, which can leave them exhausted.”
“Is that why you asked me if I was tired?”
“Yes.”
I scrunch my face in confusion. “But we didn’t have sex.”
“More’s the pity,” he mutters with a shake of his head. “No, we didn’t, but we can still siphon another’s energy just by mere touch.”
“Motherfucker!”
Niya’s sunken features and dull skin color were a direct result of Ezarith repeatedly touching her. And that happened to me as well. I knew something was wrong, but I would’ve never guessed it could be the result of an alien’s DNA.
I inhale deep, more than ready to give Bravik a piece of my mind, but all my thoughts scatter when he shoots across the bed and slams into me. His body lands on top of mine, pressing me to the mattress, and with one swift movement, he pins my wrists on either side of my head. I stare up at him with my eyes wide, restrained and unable to move.
“What did you call me?” he asks. His voice, although calm and even, fails to hide the threat of danger lying just beneath. Maybe he always sounds this way, but it’s more apparent now than ever before. “As much as I enjoy seeing the fiery side of you, this type of behavior is not something I will tolerate.” He pauses and then lowers his head. “Well, not without punishment anyway.”
If possible, my eyes widen further. “That was meant for Ezarith, not you.”
Bravik’s entire demeanor shifts after he hears my confession. “In that case, please continue.”
I wait for him to get off me, but his gaze is unwavering and doesn’t leave my face. With a sigh, I proceed to explain but only because I can’t reach the gun underneath the pillow I’m lying on. And because he hasn’t hurt me. Intimidate me? Absolutely. Scare me? Affirmative. Will that prevent me from shooting him in order to get me to my destination? Nope.
The rebellion may not have turned me into a traditional soldier, but I’ve learned enough to be confident with a weapon in my hand.
“The female I worked with at the cantina grew ill-looking after coming into contact with Ezarith,” I say. “And when he touched me, I felt the effects of it as well, along with a type of compulsion. It was like being pulled to him by an invisible force.” I shudder at the memory, the entire event a violation of sorts.
“And me?” Bravik strokes my wrist with his thumb and uses his hips to press me deeper into the mattress. “How does my touch make you feel?”
This time when I shake, it’s from shivers born of sexual awareness. I’m not sure if this is a trick question or if he really wants to know, but I highly suspect my answer means a lot to him. Is it because I’m the key to his benediction or due to something else entirely?
“It’s different with you,” I whisper.
He scoffs. “I’m not sure whether that is a good or bad thing. It would seem you are immune to my charms.”
I wish.
This male has