under the light sheet, makes a groaning sound, and her eyes open. I let out the breath I didn’t know I had been holding.
“You’re still here,” she whimpers breathlessly.
I don’t want to show weakness or kindness, so I simply nod.
Her eyes widen and focus on me, her face taking on an expression of gratitude even through the haze of her illness.
“You’re guarding me. You freed me. What do you want me to do for you…”
She has been trained to serve at all costs. They have taken her individuality, her spirit, maybe even her soul and they have turned her into a perfectly submissive animal willing to give herself at the cost of her heath.
“Sleep,” I tell her. “Sleep and get well.”
She nods and curls up, rubbing her face against the pillow with a happy, sleepy expression which tells me she has not experienced much in the way of comfort in her life.
As soon as she is well and safe, I am going to take a contingent of ships, form an alliance with some other broods, and destroy the Human Pet Farm. We will liberate the humans, and Galactor will pay for their hubris.
Hermes has her hooked up to multiple monitors. One plays a constant visualisation of her heartbeat. The other displays a second heartbeat. The one inside her. The baby dependent on her body and my mercy for its survival.
I knew from the very beginning that I couldn’t kill this human, but I thought I would be able to at least hurt her a little. I never anticipated being prepared to destroy anyone who tried to hurt her. I never thought I would give up sustence and sleep to stand, as she says, guard over her and plan bloody brutality on those who harmed her.
“Still here? Scizzor, you need to sleep.”
Hermes’ voice draws me out of my fixed rage. I look up at him and scowl at his suggestion.
“I don’t need to sleep.”
“You’ve been here for three straight days. You need to sleep, and you need to eat.”
“I’m not leaving her until I know she’s safe, and I can take her to my own quarters.”
“I’m not having her moved from this bay,” Hermes says firmly. I could try to disagree with him, but there’s no point. We both know that the medical officer holds rank over everybody in the brood when it comes to medical matters.
“Well, I’m staying.”
“At least get some sleep if you’re going to stay. I’ve got her. I can give you something to help you rest…” he comes toward me with a heavy needle. I stand up, brushing him away.
“Why are you so keen to get me out of here, and preferably unconscious? Are you trying to steal her for yourself?”
“I’m not trying to do anything but…”
He keeps talking, but I just heard something that makes his words fade into further irrelevance. A heavy clunk. A deep vibration.
“What was that?”
“What was what?” Hermes feigns ignorance, but we both know what I am talking about. There was a judder which ran across the ship. I know what that means. It means something just docked. Without telling me.
I curse and move as quickly as I can out of the medical bay without waking Ella. As soon as I am clear of the bay, I run toward the bridge, knowing in my gut that something has just gone very, very wrong.
“What is going on here? What ship is docking?”
I burst into the bridge with questions and fury. Tusk doesn’t answer me. He just keeps manning the controls silently, tappy tapping away as if I am an irrelevance. Nothing could make me angrier.
“ANSWER ME!” I slam my fist into the control panel, making it spark and fizz.
Tusk looks at me way too calmly. “You know that doesn’t do anything to stop a ship being inside the bay.”
“Who, or what, is on that fucking ship!?” I am resorting to human speech in my anger. The truth is, I already know who is on it. I can feel him. I can sense him in the way the others are acting.
“He’s back. Isn’t he. You just opened the bay doors for him.”
“He did.”
I forget how quickly one can get from the bay to the bridge. I have not forgotten that voice, though. I truly never thought I would hear it again in person. I thought it would forever come through the speakers as we gave chase to the traitor and his human waste.
I swing around, every blade of my body extended. Warden is standing