Damaged (Planet Alpha) by Erin M. Leaf Page A

Kyuk’s ear. “I will drown him slowly. If he harms Cori, I will skin him first and then drown him. You may assist me.”
    Kyuk shivered as the softly spoken words warmed his soul with a fierce joy. “Spoken like a true warrior.” He smiled grimly. “He is Lord Friktor now, leader of his tribe.”
    “He will die at our feet.” Reiyn said, his words short and sharp. “Like his slaves, who have lost all hope.” His eyes went to the displays. “But first, we will need to repair the fuel cell. The hull breach damaged the socket.”
    “With both of us working together, it should not take long,” Kyuk said.
    Reiyn’s eyes glittered with resolve as they met his. “No. It will not.” He smiled. “We will bathe in their blood. Corazon will not be a captive for long.”
     

Chapter Nine
     
    Cori moaned. Her head hurt like crazy. When she tried to move, she discovered that her hands and feet were bound. Her eyes flew open as fear shot through her, and she jerked against the ties until her skin stung. She couldn’t see anything, not even the cold metal floor beneath her. That was what finally calmed her down. She’d been in this precise position before, many years ago. The Xyrans had her. There was nothing she could do, at least not until she had more information.
    “If you struggle, it will go badly for you,” a harsh voice said.
    Cori froze as her captor turned on a single light. She looked around, squinting until her eyes adjusted. The moment she saw where she was, her heart sank. The bare cell had no furniture except a ceramic pot in the corner. The walls were of metal. The largest Xyran she’d ever seen stood near the door, hand on the remote control device he’d used to turn on the light. It shone down from above the doorway; so bright and piercing she winced. The other weird thing about the cell was the door: it was made of wood.
    Who uses wood on a spaceship? she wondered, trying to control her breathing. She wasn’t doing a great job of it, but if she kept freaking out, she’d hyperventilate. A ceramic pot and a wooden door? You’re not in Kansas anymore, she realized, panicking even more. Shit, this isn’t a spaceship. She was on Xyran.
    “I see you have, hmm, how do you humans put it?” He smiled malevolently. “Worked it out, yes?” He slipped the remote into his pocket and leaned back against the wall, hands crossed over his chest. His skin was a horrible shade of green, highlighting the spiral of yellow gems set into his left pectoral muscle. Scars covered his right bicep, though the thick tissue didn’t seem to bother him.
    He probably picked that skin color to frighten me, she thought, trying not to shudder. And it’s working, but at least it’s not red. Cori remembered the countless beatings her captors would give to the older women, the ones who could no longer bear children. The Xyrans often shaded toward crimson during the violence, almost as if their anger over the women’s aging made them lose control. Or possibly they just enjoyed it , she thought. She couldn’t hide a shiver as the old fear she thought she’d banished rolled through her like a tsunami.
    “Welcome to Xyran, little female,” he said, clearly enjoying her despair.
    She took a deep breath. “If you’ve brought me here to breed me, you can forget it. I can’t have children.” She lifted her chin a little, wishing she could sit up. “The barbarians who captured me before saw to that.”
    He frowned. “Impossible. No one would damage a valuable breeder.”
    Cori snorted. “I took care of it myself after I escaped the first time.”
    He stood up and walked over, anger chasing its way across his face. “You are fortunate that I took you for other reasons,” he said, looming over her.
    Cori said nothing as she stared defiantly up at him. She was bound, on the floor, and half his size. He could stomp on her head if he wanted to, and there was nothing she could do about it. If this is it for me, at least I’ll