arms. He held her up, but she pushed away. “I have to get to the bridge. He’s never flown this ship before. He doesn’t know all the—”
A sudden explosion threw them both into the ceiling. Air rushed past her in a huge wave. Cori frantically grabbed for the rails along the walls, but her fingers missed them by millimeters. Her knife tumbled past her, heading into the horrible dark of space. She saw Kyuk’s outstretched arm, and he lunged for her, swimming through the debris rushing out of the hull breach, but she was too far away. Everything happened so fast.
This is how I’m going to die? she wondered, angry as hell, and then a hard claw clamped down on her arm, nearly ripping it from the socket. She tried to scream, but there was no air left, just the jagged side of her ship and the vast dark of space slowly spinning beyond her field of view. She turned her head and met the hostile black eyes of a Xyran raider. His hand descended to her face, breather mask at the ready. It was too late. Stars exploded across her vision. Everything went quiet.
****
“Cori!” Kyuk screamed with the last of the air in his lungs, but she was already gone, dragged into space by the raiders. If he was going to have any hope of saving her, first he had to survive the next few minutes. He rolled towards the hatch to see if he could open it, but before he could try, it swung wide and Reiyn hauled him in, away from the shorn hull of the ship. He wore an old, worn EV suit.
Kyuk fought instinctively as his lungs burned for lack of air, but his bondmate shoved a breather at him. Kyuk let him fit the plastic around his face. Cori was gone. Reiyn must surely know it, too, or he would not look like that, he thought, sucking in oxygen with harsh spasms.
“I have sealed the breach, but we cannot stay here. It will only hold for a short time,” Reiyn said, pressing his plastic helmet up against Kyuk’s ear.
Kyuk looked at the hole in the ship. A shimmering temporary force field stretched across the jagged tear. He nodded and let Reiyn tow him into the corridor. The door to the bridge was shut. He helped Reiyn close the hatch to the sleeping quarters. As soon as it sealed, air hissed into the small space. The door to the bridge slid open, and Kyuk let the breather fall to the floor. “We need to go after them.”
“We cannot. We are dead in the darkness.” Reiyn slammed his fist against the wall. “They took her.”
Kyuk pushed past him and headed to the bridge. Once there, he began to tap commands into the astrogator’s display.
“What are you doing?” Reiyn asked, anger still threading through his voice. He stripped off his gloves and pulled his helmet free of the seals.
“There,” Kyuk said, stabbing a finger at the cool plastic. “They are taking her to Xyran.”
Reiyn leaned closer. “How do you know this?”
“I know that ship,” Kyuk replied bitterly, watching the icon grow smaller and smaller.
“Whose is it?”
“Friktor. Surely you remember him,” he answered. Reiyn put a hand to his shoulder, and Kyuk suddenly realized he was still nude as the touch sent a frisson of heat through him.
“He was the one who nearly drowned you.” Reiyn sounded even angrier now. He tossed his helmet into the pilot’s chair and watched the display intently.
“Yes. He is worse now than he was as a child,” Kyuk leaned into his blood-kin. “And he carries his grudges with him like old friends. He must have been the one behind all this.”
“The mutiny on your ship? The rumor of gems on Sarton?” Reiyn asked.
“Yes,” Kyuk replied, rage in his heart. “He has our mate.”
Reiyn slipped his arm around Kyuk’s waist. “I apologize for not killing him properly when I was still on Xyran.”
Kyuk laughed shortly. “You were half his size. The lashing his father gave you for dragging him off me nearly killed you. ”
Reiyn shrugged. “I am not half his size now.” He leaned closer and put his mouth next to
A sudden explosion threw them both into the ceiling. Air rushed past her in a huge wave. Cori frantically grabbed for the rails along the walls, but her fingers missed them by millimeters. Her knife tumbled past her, heading into the horrible dark of space. She saw Kyuk’s outstretched arm, and he lunged for her, swimming through the debris rushing out of the hull breach, but she was too far away. Everything happened so fast.
This is how I’m going to die? she wondered, angry as hell, and then a hard claw clamped down on her arm, nearly ripping it from the socket. She tried to scream, but there was no air left, just the jagged side of her ship and the vast dark of space slowly spinning beyond her field of view. She turned her head and met the hostile black eyes of a Xyran raider. His hand descended to her face, breather mask at the ready. It was too late. Stars exploded across her vision. Everything went quiet.
****
“Cori!” Kyuk screamed with the last of the air in his lungs, but she was already gone, dragged into space by the raiders. If he was going to have any hope of saving her, first he had to survive the next few minutes. He rolled towards the hatch to see if he could open it, but before he could try, it swung wide and Reiyn hauled him in, away from the shorn hull of the ship. He wore an old, worn EV suit.
Kyuk fought instinctively as his lungs burned for lack of air, but his bondmate shoved a breather at him. Kyuk let him fit the plastic around his face. Cori was gone. Reiyn must surely know it, too, or he would not look like that, he thought, sucking in oxygen with harsh spasms.
“I have sealed the breach, but we cannot stay here. It will only hold for a short time,” Reiyn said, pressing his plastic helmet up against Kyuk’s ear.
Kyuk looked at the hole in the ship. A shimmering temporary force field stretched across the jagged tear. He nodded and let Reiyn tow him into the corridor. The door to the bridge was shut. He helped Reiyn close the hatch to the sleeping quarters. As soon as it sealed, air hissed into the small space. The door to the bridge slid open, and Kyuk let the breather fall to the floor. “We need to go after them.”
“We cannot. We are dead in the darkness.” Reiyn slammed his fist against the wall. “They took her.”
Kyuk pushed past him and headed to the bridge. Once there, he began to tap commands into the astrogator’s display.
“What are you doing?” Reiyn asked, anger still threading through his voice. He stripped off his gloves and pulled his helmet free of the seals.
“There,” Kyuk said, stabbing a finger at the cool plastic. “They are taking her to Xyran.”
Reiyn leaned closer. “How do you know this?”
“I know that ship,” Kyuk replied bitterly, watching the icon grow smaller and smaller.
“Whose is it?”
“Friktor. Surely you remember him,” he answered. Reiyn put a hand to his shoulder, and Kyuk suddenly realized he was still nude as the touch sent a frisson of heat through him.
“He was the one who nearly drowned you.” Reiyn sounded even angrier now. He tossed his helmet into the pilot’s chair and watched the display intently.
“Yes. He is worse now than he was as a child,” Kyuk leaned into his blood-kin. “And he carries his grudges with him like old friends. He must have been the one behind all this.”
“The mutiny on your ship? The rumor of gems on Sarton?” Reiyn asked.
“Yes,” Kyuk replied, rage in his heart. “He has our mate.”
Reiyn slipped his arm around Kyuk’s waist. “I apologize for not killing him properly when I was still on Xyran.”
Kyuk laughed shortly. “You were half his size. The lashing his father gave you for dragging him off me nearly killed you. ”
Reiyn shrugged. “I am not half his size now.” He leaned closer and put his mouth next to
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