Page 67 of Uncovered By the Alien Commander
I scoff, annoyance now mixing with my anger. “That’s ridiculous. You’re the one who keeps following me!”
“Is it?” Xandor demands, his voice now booming. “You aim that gun at me, because you know I’ll not harm you—an abuse of trust to threaten the one person who means to protect you,” he pauses, taking a breath. “Though such concepts are as foreign to you as water is in the deserts of Nardune. But like a mad fool, I persist because the Gods compel me—my curse, for some unknown offense,” he asserts.
His initial words strike close to the heart, yet the rest makes little sense.
“Are you a religious frantic? Did yourgodsask you to hunt me? Do they speak to you now?” I ask, my voice dripping with contempt, disappointed learning the mystery behind Xandor’s unending pursuits is simple cultish madness.
Xandor sneers, folding his massive arms. “You’re infuriating.” It’s all he offers.
An unusual sense of confidence and influence surge through me, finally feeling like I have the upper hand for once. “What would happen if I pulled this trigger?”
“I’d die,” Xandor states, lacking emotion.
His simple, frank answer catches me off guard. I assumed he’d boast about his super Klendathian strength. “Aren’t you afraid?” I question, still pointing the gun at him.
“No.”
“Why?”
Xandor sighs, his tone now carrying a hint of impatience. “Because I don’t fear death, and I don’t fear you.”
“Why not? I could pull this trigger. It’d be easy, just a slight touch,” I state, loosening and tightening my fingers on the grip for emphasis.
“As easy as pulling the trigger against Kaanus?” he asks levelly, a contrast to the crushing meaning behind his words. “I knew you couldn’t do it, like you can’t now. You might as well be pointing your tiny fingers at me,” he adds.
My resolve weakens at his words as doubt creeps inside, trembling my hands. “Oh, you know me so well, do you?” I reply, suppressing the growing hesitation. “That’s where you’re mistaken Xandor, you know void all about me. Kaanus is a slaving bastard, but he still practically raised me. That’s why I spared him.”
Xandor steps closer, lining the gun to where I think his heart would be. “Then show me the strength in your words,” he challenges.
I sigh in exasperation, lowering the gun in an instant, fully aware I could never kill anyone in cold blood. Yet, annoyance still clings to me, that I can’t gain any leverage over Xandor, knowing he doesn’t take me seriously. “Xandor, when we reach Nebia, I’ll be going my own way. I want you to stop—”
“I’m done wasting my breath.” Anger flashes across Xandor’s face—a rare and unsettling sight. “Keep running, then. I’ve no time for a confused, frightened female who changes her mind like a brain-addled scoomer addict,” his heated voice cuts through mine. “You want to go your own way? Then go. I’m finished hunting your chaos.”
I stand in stunned silence as he turns his back and strides away. “I expected too much from you,” he calls over his shoulder, giving a dismissive wave. “Keep the gun... consider it my final parting gift.”
Good, maybe he’ll finally leave me alone.
As he leaves the room, an unease churns in the pit of my stomach, replacing a secret fluttering excitement that I’d suppressed, its absence now a gaping wound. Rubbing my eyes, I notice tears glistening on the back of my hand.
Strange, isn’t this what I wanted?
Chapter 26
Xandor
Turnabout
Rising from my bed,I realize it has been days since I last spoke to Tyrxie, though the exact time is difficult to discern in this stifling heap of space junk. My sleep is always brief and plagued with troubled nightmares promising great pain, giving me no respite. How I miss the soothing sun of Klendathor—Gods, any planet would be a welcome balm at this point. Reaching Nebia can’t come soon enough.
Tyrxie haunts my thoughts. Even now, if I concentrate, I can feel her. She’s in the munitions store, where she spends most of her time now. Despite my best efforts, I cannot shake her from my mind. No meditations, no distractions—nothing gives me relief. The bond is satisfied enough with our close proximity, yetit still torments me, urging me to seek her out, like an incessant itch that demands to be scratched.
But with gritted teeth and clenched fists, I refuse. The human female is infuriating. I’ve never encountered someone who knows so little of their own mind, like a tangled web of contradicting thoughts and emotions. It’s exhausting trying to unravel it all, yet no number of reassuring words, heroic rescues, gifts worth a fortune sway her. I’ve given her everything I can, and still, she rejects me.
Yesterday, we even crossed paths in the mess hall, but I couldn’t bring myself to look at the female, fearing what the treacherous bond would compel me to do. Perhaps have me groveling, begging forgiveness for some perceived transgression I never committed, leaving me not a shred of dignity nor pride. No, I refuse to be controlled.
She’s not my problem anymore, the bond be damned.
The human female is the least of my worries as far as the missions concerned. The crew are unraveling, the Captain and his co-pilot to be exact. I’ve spoken to Kaanus numerous times, urging him to remain steadfast. He agrees with his words, yet I can smell the alcohol on his breath, the lies and defeat stamped in his demeanor. He’s a broken male and I lack the luxury of time of piecing him back together. Perhaps if I could convince the fierce Hyanxa to return to him?...No, it’s Tyrxie he wants!The troubling truth kills my plan in its infancy.