Page 5 of Stalker
"Let the human go." His voice rumbles like distant thunder.
The claws release my face. I gasp in recycled air that tastes sweeter than the finest champagne. The remaining Grolgath shoves me aside, metal deck biting into my palms as I scramble away.
Steel flashes as he draws a wicked blade. "Reaper scum!"
My rescuer moves faster than thought. Bone-tipped claws rake across the Grolgath's throat in a spray of arterial blood. The knife clatters to the deck as my attacker clutches his ruined neck, gurgling his last breath.
My fingers tremble as I yank the zipper up, face burning. The Reaper towers over me, his bone spurs casting jagged shadows in the emergency lighting. Blood drips from his ebony claws - Grolgath blood, but it could just as easily be mine.
"Thanks, Mr. um..."
"Bruticus." His deep voice echoes off the metal walls. Those crimson eyes study me like I'm a particularly interesting specimen. "Why are you in such a dangerous place? You are a tiny creature."
The words die in my throat. Dad's warnings about Reapers flash through my mind - soulless killing machines, he'd called them. But this one just saved me. Though maybe being tornapart by Grolgath would have been kinder than whatever he has planned.
I press my back against the cold wall, trying to put some distance between us without being obvious about it. The socket wrench digs into my hip, a pitiful defense against someone who just snapped a Grolgath's neck like a twig.
"I... got lost taking a shortcut." My voice comes out steadier than I expect. "The maintenance tunnels looked faster than going around."
His bone spurs flex as he tilts his head. The movement reminds me of a predator sizing up prey. Which, I suppose, is exactly what's happening here.
"I will guide you back to the main concourse." His deep voice resonates through my chest. "But you must be more careful..."
The words trail off as our eyes meet. My breath catches. This close, his crimson irises aren't just red - they shimmer like solar flares captured in crystal. Delicate patterns swirl within, hypnotic and otherworldly.
Sweat breaks out on my body, and not from fear or exertion. His scent fills my nostrils, spurring the hair on my skin to stand on end. This Reaper devours me with his gaze, and makes no pretense about his desire.
The emergency lights cast shadows across the planes of his face, highlighting those dangerous bone spurs. Yet there's an unexpected grace to them, like the elaborate scrollwork on ancient samurai armor. My fingers itch to trace their edges.
His massive frame towers over me, radiating power and raw strength. The kind of strength that just snapped a Grolgath's neck without breaking a sweat. I should be terrified. Instead, heat pools in my belly as I imagine those powerful arms wrapping around me, crushing me against his broad chest.
What would those lips feel like against mine? Would he be gentle, holding back his inhuman strength? Or would he unleash that primal energy I glimpsed during the fight?
Something electric sparks between us as our gazes lock. The sensation shoots straight through my chest, like a tether pulling me toward him. This isn't just attraction - it's deeper, primal, as if some part of my soul recognizes his.
"Come. The concourse is this way." His deep voice breaks the spell.
I follow his broad back through the maze of maintenance tunnels, watching bone spurs flex with each movement. The emergency lighting paints shadows across his ebony skin that make my fingers itch to trace their patterns.
"Left here." He gestures at another junction.
The familiar buzz of the main concourse grows louder with each step. Bruticus moves with lethal grace despite his size, like a predator stalking through his territory. Yet his presence makes me feel safer than I've ever been.
We emerge into the bright lights and bustle of the station's main thoroughfare. The contrast leaves me blinking. Bruticus hesitates at the threshold, one foot still in shadow.
"You are safe now." His words come slow, reluctant.
"Wait." The word bursts from my lips before he can retreat. "Let me buy you dinner. To thank you for saving me."
His crimson eyes widen slightly. "That is not necessary."
"Please. I insist." Heat creeps up my neck but I hold his gaze. "I know a great place that serves synthetic protein. Unless you have somewhere else to be?"
Something softens in his expression. "I... do not."
"Perfect." My heart skips at his acceptance. "Follow me?"
He nods, falling into step beside me. His massive frame draws stares from passing humans, but I find myself leaningcloser rather than away. That invisible tether between us pulls taut with anticipation.