Page 6 of Hunter's Moon
A section of the corridor ahead was sealed off, forcing her to change direction. She hesitated, giving me a clear view of her face. Even twisted with fear and exhaustion, she was beautiful.
I shook off the feeling, focusing on the chase. This was business, nothing more. I repeated it like a mantra, trying to convince myself.
As we entered a more open area of the station, conversations swirled around me.
“Heard the Crag-Worm races are fixed,” a shrill voice said excitedly.
“Nah, that’s old news,” his companion replied. “The real money’s in - hey, watch it!”
I brushed past them, my eyes locked on my target. She was slowing down, fatigue evident in every movement. Just a little further, and she’d be mine.
Suddenly, a golden light flashed across my vision. The human female cried out in shock as an energy net enveloped her, sending her crashing to the ground. Fury erupted within me, a roar tearing from my throat.
“Who dares?” I snarled, rushing to her side. The net crackled with energy, pinning her to the floor. Her eyes met mine, filled with terror.
I reached out to free her, my mind racing. Who would dare interfere with my hunt? As my fingers touched the net, pain exploded through my body. Another net, this one crackling with blue energy, wrapped around me.
I struggled against it, my strength straining against the bonds. But before I could break free, a third net hit me, then a fourth. The world began to spin, and the last thing I saw before losing consciousness was the human female’s face, her expression unreadable.
As blackness claimed me, one thought echoed through my mind:
This wasn’t over.
Someone would pay for this.
I woke with a pounding headache and a mouth that tasted like recycled garbage. The cold, hard surface beneath me did nothing to improve my mood. As awareness returned, memories flooded back - the chase, the nets, the ambush. Fury coursed through my veins, hot and potent.
My eyes snapped open, taking in the dim cell. Bare metal walls, a single flickering light, and the faint hum of energy fields. No windows, no obvious weak points. Whoever had captured us knew what they were doing.
Us. The human female. Lina.
I sat up, ignoring the protest of sore muscles, and scanned the small space. There, crumpled in the corner, lay her still form. My breath caught as I took in her torn clothing, the bruises forming on her exposed skin.
Rage, white-hot and all-consuming, threatened to overwhelm me. How dare they harm her? She was mine to hunt, mine to... protect?
The thought gave me pause.
I’d obviously hit my head when we were captured.
I just needed to assess her condition.
I moved to her side, my senses picking up her steady heartbeat and shallow breathing. Relief flooded through me, followed quickly by confusion at my own reaction. Why should I care about her well-being? She was just a job, nothing more.
But as I looked down at her fragile form, something stirred within me. An unfamiliar urge to gather her close, to shield her from further harm. I shook my head, trying to clear these foreign thoughts.
A soft groan escaped her lips as she began to stir. Her eyelids fluttered, then snapped open. Fear flooded her gaze as she took in my looming presence.
“Stay back!” she cried, scrambling away until her back hit the wall.
Her fear... it bothered me. More than it should have. I’d reveled in inspiring terror before, but now it left a sour taste in my mouth.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” I said, my voice low and as gentle as I could manage.
She eyed me warily, clearly not believing me. “Where are we? What happened?”
I clenched my jaw, struggling to piece together the fragmented memories of our capture. The throbbing in my head made it difficult to focus, but I forced myself to concentrate.
“I don’t know,” I admitted, my voice rougher than usual. “We were ambushed. Energy nets. Professional job.”