The Breeding Experiment - Laurann Dohner Page 0,27
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 jab…
“What was that?”
“Don’t worry,” the first medic said in a matter-of-fact voice. “Just a little sedative. You’ll wake up feeling much better.”
Darla panicked, trying to fight the blackness. She had to make sure Gnaw was okay! But the sedative worked fast and was far too strong.
Chapter Seven
Gnaw tried to get past the nine fleet tactical members of Team Two and Four. The human males blocked the exit. He snarled at them but all that accomplished was making them seem more nervous. They had stunner weapons trained at his chest.
Craig Treeton had taken the lead. “Just take some deep breaths, Gnaw. Your grouping is on their way. We have no idea what’s been done to you. Don’t attack us. We’re your friends.”
Jasper Cross, another human, nodded behind Craig. “That’s right. We’re on the same side, buddy. Did they drug you? Torture you?”
“Don’t piss him off,” Trenton Burns muttered. “Fuck, look at the size of those claws. He’s got pieces of squid stuck on some of them.”
Gnaw heard a familiar snarl, and the humans moved aside,