River’s heart almost broke when she heard the man standing in front of her say goodbye to his brother. When she had looked at him after making sure the green scaly creatures were dead she had been horrified at the blood running down his cheek. She had put one of her swords up so she could pull out a tissue to see how bad the cut was. It had shaken her when the man on the wall growled at her. She had looked back at him to make sure he was still chained. She had to make sure her, Jo, and Star would be safe before she released any of them. What she hadn’t expected was the immediate response she felt to him. It was as if her body knew him. She had to fight not to run to him and release him. Shaking her head at the craziness of it, she turned back to the younger man chained in front of her. Gently wiping the blood away she was relieved to see it was just a thin, shallow cut. She had had plenty of cuts to know what a bad one looked like.
The man chained to the wall was watching her intently, following every move she made. She figured he was the leader of the group since the one-armed creature had been addressing him and not the others. It also seemed the other men looked to him as well and she remembered him being next to the man in the shuttle bay who was killed. She needed to know if she could trust him enough to help them. If not, she didn’t know what they would do. She sent up a silent prayer she was making the right choice.
Calling out softly, she motioned Star and Jo to come into the room.
“Star, see if you can stop the bleeding and make sure it isn’t too bad. Jo, see if you can figure out how to open the locking devices on the chains but don’t unlock them until I ask you too.” River said as she turned toward the man who had growled at her.
Torak heard a murmur ripple through his men as two other females walked out of the shadows. The smaller female was carrying a small crossbow. She held it tight in front of her moving it back and forth as she surveyed the room. The other female was slightly taller than the other two females, but not by much. She was carrying a double-bladed staff which she held out in front of her. Torak was shocked. The first was nodding to the other two who took up positions in different parts of the room. He again felt the overwhelming need to rip the chains holding him loose and drag her to him. She was his. When she had reached to touch his brother he had growled out of primal reaction to his female touching another male, not fear of what she might do to his brother. It shook him to feel so possessive and protective of a creature he had never seen before until now.
He watched through narrowed eyes as the female came closer to him, “Do you understand me?” She asked softly, studying his face intently.
He nodded, not trusting his voice to work right with her so close. He wanted to growl at her for putting herself in danger. He wanted to drag her to him and hold her close. But most of all he wanted to take her right then, right there, so no other male could claim her. Instead, he contented himself with a brief nod and an intense stare.
“My name is River. The one standing in front of your brother is Star and the one over by the console is Jo. We need your help to get away from these creatures. Can you help us?” River asked. She couldn’t resist reaching up and gently pushing a strand of thick, black hair away from his face as she waited for his answer. There was something about him that drew her to him. Frowning, she looked up into his eyes waiting for his answer.
Torak’s breath caught in his throat as the female reached over and touched his face gently with the tips of her fingers. He turned slightly so he could breathe in her scent. His eyes shimmered with a strange light as she jerked her hand back flushing at doing something so intimate with someone she didn’t know. He could not control the soft growl that escaped his throat at her withdrawal.
“I am Torak. Release us and we will help you.” Torak answered softly, almost mesmerizing. He looked deep into River’s eyes, drowning in their intense deep blue. He silently demanded she obey him.
River shook her head. “I need your word you will help us get home and won’t hurt me or my sisters. We will kill you if you try to hurt us. If you give me your word, we’ll release you.”
Torak looked at River with an amused look on his face. She fascinated him. She asked for his help while threatening to kill him and his men if they tried to harm her or her sisters. He glanced at the other two females who stood waiting for his answer. Frowning, he wondered who these females were and why they were there. How had they come to know how to use weapons the way they did? He had never seen their species before so he knew it was from a galaxy they were unfamiliar with, but where? He looked at his younger brother who had not taken his eyes off the female in front of him. It appeared Jazin felt the same effect for her as Torak had for the female standing in front of him.