Yolanda Sfetsos: Alex Wales: Promise

Levi nodded. “We fixed all the mechanical and electrical problems, but you do have some cosmetic issues. We’re not equipped to fix them.”

“That’s okay. I’ve got a bodywork guy who can help.” She wondered how Damon would be affected while travelling with her, as she randomly ran into the string of ex-lovers she’d left scattered along the way. Still, she hadn’t committed to anything but offering him a place on the ship.

Besides, she’d probably have to build new contacts so Sackor wouldn’t find her.

“Damn!” She scratched her hand.

“You two better get going,” Damon said. “It’s already getting dark.”

Milo looked overhead.

“Are you guys sure you don’t want me to seal the fortress completely?”

“No, Damon. We don’t need to.” Levi shook his head. “We can’t get out without you, anyway.”

Alex watched him hand over the dreadlock he’d cut off, as well as the small canister of his blood. She’d watched him cut his forearm and hair before they left Eden.

Damon shrugged. “Either way, this should be enough for you to get in and out of the barrier whenever you need to. I’ve put some of my magic into both. If you change your mind about not sealing the village off, you still have time to pour the blood into the hole.”

“Thank you.” Levi took the offerings and shoved both things into his pocket.

The sun’s rays seemed to draw down faster. A definite trace of twilight already surrounded them.

“Come on, Milo.” Levi held out his hand, and the other man took it. They made a cute couple. It was good to see them being liberal with their mutual affection.

“We need to go, too.” Damon wrapped his hand around her wrist and yanked her forward.

“Don’t move!”

The slimy voice poured over her body and left behind the trails of disgust it always roused inside her. She looked at her hand and yanked off the bandage, wishing he hadn’t had a way of tracking her down.

She gasped when a tiny eye stared back at her from inside the crook of her hand. The yellow eye had a green slit in the middle, and blinked continuously.

Damon followed her gaze. His frown deepened.

“Is this the first time you noticed my surveillance on you, dear Alex Wales?” Sackor stalked out from the thick foliage with a blaster in his dark right hand, and a smile on his hard face. Two of his goons followed close behind, with their own blasters pointed. One stood on each side of their leader.

“What the hell do you want?” Alex tried to ignore the eye staring back at her. There wasn’t enough soap in the galaxy capable of making her feel clean after this.

Sackor sniffed the air between them. “You didn’t deliver the goods I entrusted you with.”

“Cut the bullshit. You did this to me back on Anteris.” Alex took a step forward. The horror of what was beneath her skin pushed her bravado to the surface. This piece of crap wasn’t going to get away with implanting her with some disgusting thing so he could keep tabs on her.

He laughed. It was more noise than anything else, an echo deep within his throat. She wanted to cut off his circulation.

“I knew about your boyfriend’s origins, if that’s what you mean.” Sackor shook his head in obvious disgust. Those goggle-shaped eyes were shiny. “The poor sucker had no idea. All these years, and he didn’t know his home planet was where I’d been collecting my greatest weapon of mass destruction. With those little worms under my belt, I can overrun anywhere. Your boyfriend’s space station is next.”

“He’s not my boyfriend.”

Sackor sniffed the air. “Yes, I can smell this other guy on you. Why must you taunt me this way? You’ll lie in everyone’s bed but mine. Why?”

“Yes, I would,” she spat the words out. “I wouldn’t touch you if you were the last creature in the galaxy…or even the universe.”

Sackor lifted a hand and slapped her cheek. The ends of his spiked claws pierced her skin, tearing it.

He’s going to pay for this.

Damon stepped forward, but she held him back.

“Too bad the option is no longer yours.” Sackor eyed Damon with suspicion.

“There’s no way I’ll let you touch me!”

Damon attempted to take another step, but one of Sackor’s goons cut in front of him, pressing the blaster into his midsection. Levi and Milo held their positions to the side.

“Like I said, the choice is mine.” Sackor reached for her arm, but she dodged him.

The light of the sun was almost completely gone, and the screeching from above began, sounding like a terrifying symphony.

Sackor lifted his head to scan the trees, but he seemed satisfied enough to turn his attention back to her. “I’ll forgive that you didn’t deliver the last cargo if you agree to stand beside me.” The offer hung between them as his beady, dark eyes peered into hers. “It doesn’t have to be forever. Just long enough for you to claim what’s on this.” He held up the bracelet Ulric had told her to find.

“Hey, give that to me, you bastard. It’s mine!”

Sackor held it out of reach. “You can have it…after we go back to Anteris and you legally sign the contents of the microchip over to me.”

“What?” What the hell was he talking about? She was about to ask when one of the bird monsters swooped down from between the trees.

One of the goons lost his face when the bird’s claws swiped it off. A second bird grabbed the other one and took him into the trees. Their screams echoed around them, only to stop as soon as a shower of blood dribbled over them like rain.

Sackor stepped forward, but his bony shoulders were already seized. He struggled to break free. Both the blaster and bracelet slid from his hands as the bird dug its claws deeper into his harsh flesh. Sackor met her eyes one last time-the fear so evident, she couldn’t help but smile. The creature’s large beak dug a gaping hole into the top of Sackor’s insect-like head, as easily as if it were a giant egg.

The bird-creature spread its tendon-laced wings out wide, screeched, and took off into the night, with Sackor in tow.

“We need to move, now! ” Levi yelled.

Alex leaned over and scooped up both the bracelet and blaster, when she noticed Sackor’s crown. She took that too and stuck everything deep into her bag.

Sackor was dead, and she couldn’t be happier. His death meant that a lot of secrets had died with him-including this planet, the worms, and Ulric’s fate. There was no way that piece of crap would have shared something as powerful and profitable-as what he hoped to gain from here-with anyone else.

Now, I don’t have to hide from him or seek new clients.

“Levi’s right. They’ll come down for more.” Damon slapped the two men affectionately on their backs. “Be safe and take care of the people. You’re all they’ve got.”

“I’m sorry about our part in all the trouble,” Levi said.

Damon took a step back. “Farewell.”

Alex didn’t wait for him. Instead, she was already climbing the tree trunk when another round of frenzied screeching began. It wasn’t as hard as she thought it would be to get to the top. It was either the skill she’d picked up during her stay on her mother’s planet or the urgency of trying to get away from the birds. Either way, she was inside Promise within minutes, Damon following close behind. She shut and sealed the door behind him.

She ran to the back of the ship, to make sure Levi and Milo had removed every one of those damned barrels like they said they would. She hadn’t noticed them in the jungle, but they weren’t in her cargo area, and that’s all that mattered.

“Alex!” Damon called from the front of the ship.