Gravity (Dark Anomaly #1) - Marina Simcoe Page 0,73

shoulder, making him stagger back several paces.

I gasped, my heart speeding up with worry. My attention on the fight, I nearly missed a kreer creeping my way along the wall. His hands and feet splayed flat on the surface for a better grip, he snaked one skinny tail my way. A smirk slanted his lipless mouth, drool dripping to the floor from both corners of it.

“Back off.” I pointed my gun at him, stepping over the pile of weapons Vrateus had left for me to guard. One of the kreer’s tails twitched that way, too, and I fired, shooting it off.

He wailed, scurrying away and up the wall. No blood dripped from the stump of his tail, the small wound fully cauterized by the laser blast.

With a loud roar, Crux launched at Vrateus who rolled out of his way at the last second. Following the momentum, Crux slammed into the wall, crashing into the kreer who’d tried to attack me.

Enraged by his failure, the errock pivoted on his heel, searching for Vrateus with blood-shot eyes.

The night of drinking obviously slowed his movements. I was glad now that Vrateus had been wise enough to get some rest. His moves remained quick and efficient.

Lowering himself into a crouch, his tail swaying to aid his balance, Vrateus met Crux’s next attack with a well-placed kick in the groin.

No rules. It worked both ways.

Howling in pain, Crux doubled over, both hands pressed between his legs.

Not giving him a chance to recover, Vrateus leaped onto the errock’s back, hooking his arm around Crux’s massive neck.

The errock growled. Clawing at Vrateus’s arm, he arched his back, attempting to toss him off. Vrateus grabbed his wrist, squeezing his arm harder and crushing the errock’s windpipe.

Crux’s face turned deep burgundy. The veins in his forehead bulged as if ready to burst. His legs shook. With a strangled grunt, he collapsed to his side, crushing Vrateus’s leg under his bulk.

A wave of shouts, growls, and roars rolled throughout the room. It was impossible to tell if it was the noise of approval or aggression. Either way, the crowd obviously appreciated the fight, whether or not they cared about its outcome.

Eyes glistening with aggression, a dimo moved toward Vrateus and Crux as they wrestled on the floor. He obviously intended to join in the violence.

“Back!” I yelled at him, raising my gun.

He paid me no attention. Cracking his knuckles and licking his lips, he hungrily eyed the fight.

“I said back!” I yelled louder. A surge of adrenaline rushed through me with heat and cold.

Getting no reaction from him, I pulled the trigger. The laser blast seared through the plated layer on the dimo’s shoulder.

Turning his attention to me, his eyes glowing red with rage, the male rushed my way.

“Stay back,” I gritted through my teeth, aiming at his face where his plated armour was thinner.

He didn’t slow down, and I pulled the trigger again.

The laser blast burned through his eye, incredibly hardly slowing his advancement on me. I kept pressing on the trigger, holding the gun steady until the ray worked its way through the dimo’s brain and he crashed to the floor.

“Anyone else?” I pointed my gun at the room, trying hard to stop my hands from shaking. Everything inside me vibrated with tension. No matter how many I’d killed, it didn’t seem to get easier.

Thankfully, not that many of those present were paying attention to me, the focus of most was on Crux and Vrateus.

Holding his opponent in the headlock, Vrateus kept squeezing.

The errock’s eyes finally closed, and he croaked, “Mercy...”

Vrateus released Crux from his grip, freeing his leg then climbing to his feet.

My heart fluttered with relief and gratitude at seeing him standing tall.

Victorious.

He faced his crew.

“I am your one true captain,” he said, slowly moving his gaze across the room. “You live under my rules, or you don’t live at all.”

One thing this bunch of criminals and degenerates seemed to understand better than anything was the pure power of dominance.

Vrateus had no weapons on him. They could rush him, crush him, destroy him—had they had the will to act together. Instead, they remained where they were, held in place by the authority in his voice. Submitting to the winner of the fight.

He knew his people well. He had already made them submit once before. And he had just done it again.

“Now, clean up this mess.” He tipped his chin at the garbage littering the floor. “And bring me the key to the wine storage, this instant.”

Shifting