Page 68 of Fathom

"Leija, if the robot wants to steal from them, we should stay out of its way," Eun said. "This isn't our fight. You could get hurt."

"We can just hold them here and call the cops," the MECH said, even as it lifted its guns, pointing them at the hyenas.

I knew I was on the dark side on this one. This wasn't a moment where Eun was triggered by bloodlust, fighting for me because of the rage of his addiction and desire. This MECH thought that the rule of law would win here, that killing the hyena aliens in cold blood, just because they said they likedeating humans, was too much. I was trying to make two people do the dirty work for me, to rid the world of a small patch of evil. I shouldn't try to force others to do what I wouldn't do myself.

I picked up one of the cargo box lids. It was heavy, made out of metal, but I could heft it.

What I was going to do was insane and unfair.

I couldn't fight these aliens on my own.

But I knew Eun would protect me.

A thread of guilt snaked through me, but it was only a small thread, and it couldn't stand up against the wave of hatred and disgust I felt when I looked at the hyena aliens, when I thought about the corpses hanging from hooks, about the other woman who had woken up cold and shivering, coughing goo from their lungs only to have their bodies be torn apart and devoured.

I couldn't let these hyenas walk away.

There was a numbness in my heart, built out of fear and suffering, out of the terror that I would never be able to get home and would be stranded here on this planet, unable to fully fend for myself, always dependent on the whims of those around me. In that numbness, the part of me that would do anything to survive had flourished, grown strong and steady, until it didn't matter what my words and actions could do to those around me.

All that mattered was I needed a ship, and these hyenas needed to die.

"Eun," I said. "I am carrying our child."

I didn't know if it was true or not, but I said it anyway, because I knew that the sharp contrast of his shock would be like a blow to his mind, stunning the part of him that didn't want to be that feral beast dripping in blood. He would protect me, but I didn't need him to protect me.

I needed him to kill for me.

The hyena laughed as I swung the crate lid at him, his arms already outstretched to grab it and snatch it away. He was delighted to be attacked by someone so weak, and as his hands reached for me, I knew all he could think about was how soon he could taste my soft flesh.

His delight turned to horror as Eun's tail burst through his chest, lifting him up in the air.

Blood splattered my face.

It dripped down my skin, coating the edges of my dress with its heat, and I licked the edges of my lips, tasting it, a warmth filling me.

I smiled.

TWENTY-TWO

EUN

"Eun," a soft voice called my name.

The flesh was sour and tough, but I was hungry. I needed to eat and eat, to devour and grow. I was too small. I needed to be larger.

"Eun," the voice said again, and there was a warm hand on my shoulder, a familiar hand. My mate, my wife... Leija.

Her name swam through my mind as I found her face swimming into view. I sucked in a sharp breath, the smell of death and blood rising up around me. The hunger was raw and real, but my mate was more important. I had to keep her safe. My hands were covered in blood. My mouth tasted like meat.

I'd lost it again.

She wasn't safe from me. I needed to be restrained, held back, until the hunger faded to the background.

"My uncle," I said. "Need to call him."

"We've already left the planet," Leija said. "The MECH'sshuttle is automated, and it was able to fly this ship, so we took off while you were... eating. We're going to dock with its main ship soon."

"Taking you home?" I asked, the hunger rising up in me, the smell of meat was too strong.