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I've never loathed confinement more than at this very moment. The cold, metallic walls of the cargo hold seem to close in on me as I pace back and forth like a caged beast. My skin prickles with rage, electrified by the intensity of my emotions.
Or it could be the result of how many times those five bliking Ziarians who stole my ship have blasted me with a stunner.
My situation is as embarrassing as it is infuriating. Star Mavericks don't have their ships stolen by common criminals and become imprisoned within their own bliking cargo holds. I've faced countless obstacles during my time as an elite space pirate, but this feels different. More personal. More enraging.
I slam my fist into the nano barrier holding me captive. The solidified nanite particles simply shimmer back at me like an ethereal curtain, their transparency taunting me with the illusion of freedom just beyond my reach.
"Bliking dund!" I growl, rubbing the sting from my fist. The desire for escape burns within me, igniting a fire that refuses to be extinguished.
I've gotten myself out of worse situations than this. And when I get out of here, I'll make those Ziarians rue the day they ever tangled with me. There must be a way to break through the barrier. Maybe penetrate or disrupt the weave of energy somehow. I pace my transparent cage, testing the nanite wall for weaknesses. I just need to hit it with something big?—
I smirk and look behind me at the hauler. The large, heavy conveyance is still clamped to the floor by its tracks.
"Let's see how well the barrier holds up against a direct hit," I mutter and settle behind the controls.
I start the engine and disengage the clamps, unlocking the hauler's tracks, then maneuver into a position where I can gain the most momentum.
Seat straps locked over my shoulders. Hands on the controls. Foot slamming the accelerator to the floor. I crash into the barrier at full force with a resounding boom. The impact jolts me forward and pain shoots up my spine as the seat's straps tighten and sling me back into the seat.
The barrier shudders, shimmering outward from the point of impact. It holds strong, yet the disruption to the nanite weave is promising. I reverse the hauler, preparing for another attempt. If I keep hitting it in the same spot, maybe I can weaken it enough to break through.
But I must hurry. My captors would have to be deaf not to have heard the collision.
I grit my teeth, punch the accelerator, and brace for the next impact. My heart pounds mercilessly in my chest, fueled by a potent mix of frustration and determination as I slam into the barrier with another bone-jarring collision.
My cage ripples outward, warping for an instant before solidifying. A triumphant smile creases my face. A few more hard hits are all it will take to punch through the barrier, and then freedom!
I ignore the shooting pain in my back and the hot sting of the friction burns scoring my chest from the straps as I reverse the hauler for yet another attempt, but before I can continue my furious assault, two Ziarian males appear at the barrier's controls.
It's the bliker with purple hair and the green-haired one who stunned me into unconsciousness in the storage room on Zune. His emerald gaze is cold and calculating, a predatory gleam shines in its depths. He exudes an air of danger and power that the purple-haired male does not. He's more than just a mere criminal— a warrior perhaps.
The warrior raises his stunner, pointing it at me through the nanite weave. I smirk over his hollow threat. Even if he fired, the energy of the solidified light would absorb the stunner blast, the nanite wall protecting me from electrification.
"Going somewhere in that hauler, Star Maverick?" the warrior sneers.
"Eventually," I retort with a huff. "A few more hits, and you'll be the first bliker I run over before I reclaim my ship."
The Ziarian's emerald eyes narrow, his lips curling into a snarl. "You think I'm going to let you get that far?"
With a bob of his chin, both Ziarians move faster than I anticipate; the purple-haired one drops the nano wall while the warrior fires on me without hesitation. The stunner blast is sudden and brutal, knocking the wind from my lungs. Pain explodes throughout my body, my vision dims before blurring, my muscles seizing up tight. I grind my teeth and try to fight off the effects, but darkness quickly claims me.
When I finally regain consciousness, I'm no longer seated in the hauler but laying on the cool, metal floor of the cargo hold. The hauler is gone, and my surroundings have taken on an eerie stillness.
I close my eyes against the aches plaguing my body from the stunner's onslaught, though my rage burns hotter than ever. Awareness of another's presence lifts the hairs on the back of my neck. I turn my head, expecting to find one of my Ziarian jailers.
Instead, a female figure stands just beyond the barrier, her fiery hair cascading around her shoulders like a waterfall of flames. She is a human like Navik's mate, Cora, and I find myself utterly captivated by her alien beauty. Despite the shapeless garment she wears, her lush curves are painfully obvious.
Luminous green eyes bore straight into my soul, stirring something deep within me—an awakening of something ancient and primal.
My sivot.
And in that instant, I know two things without a doubt. One, this human is my fated mate. Her mere presence breathes life into my beast, surging just beneath the surface. And two, I have to have her! Claim her as mine. She is too lovely to resist, a captivating flame I can't let slip through my fingers.
As I struggle to sit up, my eyes never leave her mesmerizing gaze. The pain from the stunner blast still lingers, but my longing for this female overrides any physical discomfort.
"You're hurt?" she whispers, her eyes widening with concern.
I say nothing, hypnotized by her magnificence. She is a beacon which propels me forward, a force I cannot resist.
