Starfall (BOOK 1)

Chapter 31

NYRA

I can't move! Fuck! Nyra tried to detach herself from the wall, but it never let her escape its gravitational, magnetic grasp. Aaron stood between her, the Elite straight out of her past, and Rayan Falae, who knelt against the ground and kept his head down, breathing hard.

Nyra squirmed, but flames crawled up her limbs as she slumped against the ground with her back to the wall. Aaron twirled edevic daggers out of his belt, where they thrummed with energy when the Elite switched its attention between her and Aaron. Emotionless. Blank. Apathy. Nyra swallowed on bile and blood at the rocking sounds of heavy boots against creaking floorboards.

It took each step forward, careful and sure as Aaron stiffened.

Everyone feared the Elite.

Rayan stumbled onto his legs with a heavy grunt, clutching onto the other wall. Nyra tried to find a way to free herself, but all she could manage was to slide across the wall, unable to detach herself.

"Let's finish this." Aaron's daggers hissed and locked into their pistol form.

It continued to move forward, uncaring of anything it trampled underneath its heel. Slow and steady, unwavering with its blocked path.

"What are you doing fighting it?" Nyra screamed. "That's a death sentence!" She squirmed against the wall as the Elite came to a sudden stop, feet away from Aaron who held both the pistols up. "You're going to get the rest of them called on us!"

Rayan slid against the wall, head tipped forward.

Aaron glanced at her with a scowl, then switched on his heel. "Elites aren't invincible," he remarked as the Elite continued forward. "We're not finished here." White mist surrounded the Elite as they sped up their pace, and Nyra tried to tear herself off the wall. "Let's show them what you are first!" He brought up one pistol, locked and loaded with sparkling energy as the Elite rushed straight for her.

In a blast of color and scattered barrier particles, the Elite stumbled away from Aaron who loaded up another explosive shot. Arm up to their dirty blonde hair, they released a soft huff. One more click, and crimson irides tightened the vertical slits as they ducked out of the other blast, which hit a wall.

It clanged across the pipes.

"If you want to get your crewmember, you're going to have to humour me for a little while," Aaron growled and pointed his extra blaster at her. "Captain James Ranier."

Air strangled her throat as Captain James lifted his head, brushing off pixels while his mask locked around his collar, where the jaws of apathy slid into place.

"I'm not interested," her captain's voice came out taut and irritated. "I don't care. I don't care what you believed, what you planned. None of it." His gloved fists clenched, and doors broke down when feet and fists sent them crashing onto the ground. "I'm here for one reason, and one reason only." He glanced at Rayan, then scowled at Aaron. "I'm here to take my crewmember back, and if you don't get out of my way, Lexin, I won't be afraid to finish what you started. So. Get out of my way." White hushes of embers shook off his every movement as he sped forward.

Aaron readied another shot, but when he went to take the lethal hit, James scooted off to the side as it bounced, and Nyra flinched when he brought his foot up, where his shock boots pressed into Aaron's chest, and sent him flying across the arena with a pulse of energy.

One more shift, and he bounced his way to her and slammed his fist into the side panels. Pressure unlocked her arms as she stumbled onto the ground. He reached forward, but ice crawled on her skin. Shadows danced and sprang, and she gasped when Aaron rushed forward. "Cap'n!"