Parting her lips, she tasted the saltiness of his skin and almost gagged. Instead, she bit down hard. Her incisors pierced his flesh and his hot blood flooded her mouth. He tried to shove her away, but she wrapped her arm tight around his neck and clung while the venom pumped into his system.
As the first spasm hit his body, she brought up the knife, her hand slippery with sweat, and stabbed him in the neck. She hit the jugular and blood spurted from the wound, blinding her for a moment.
Blinking, she stepped back as he fell to his knees, then crashed to the floor. She stood, staring down as a final spasm shook his body and finally, he lay still.
Tannis edged away, snatched the sheet from the bed, and scrubbed her face while she waited to feel some sort of exhilaration. Instead, all she felt was numb.
The thick, cloying scent of blood was heavy on the air, and suddenly she doubled over, retching. After a minute, she swiped her hand across her mouth and sat while she considered her next move. Killing Grady was the easy part. Now, she had to get out of her cell and off the research station, but she had no clue how. Maybe stow away on a ship. In the back of her mind, she knew she was kidding herself. She would never get off this place alive. They would kill her first. But better that than the mines.
After pushing herself to her feet, she crossed the room to study the body. The knife was still lodged deep in his throat. She reached down and tugged it free, wiped the blade on his shirt, and slipped it into her pocket.
The doors were controlled by handprints. Though Grady was big, she was strong, and she managed to drag the body across the room. He was a deadweight. She almost smiled at the thought as she maneuvered him into position and leaned him against the wall as she pressed his palm to the panel. For a moment nothing happened, then the door slid open with a hiss, and she allowed Grady to slump to the tiled floor.
Out in the corridor, all was quiet. Despair threatened to swamp her as she stood, glancing both ways. She needed to get to the docking bay, but she had no clue which direction to take.
“Over here!”
Tannis jumped at the sound of the low voice. Had she been discovered already? She could see no one, but then he spoke again.
“Here.”
The voice came from another of the cells that lined the corridor. She edged forward and peered through the grill in the center of the door. A man stood on the other side, and she gasped. He was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, with high cheekbones, dark eyes, and midnight-black hair that hung loose to his shoulders. But lines of exhaustion etched his face, and his long, lean body propped against the wall as though the effort to stand was too much.
He stared at her through the grill. “Hey, snake-girl, you’ve killed the guard?”
She frowned. “How did you know?”
He breathed in deeply, then licked his lips. “I can smell the blood.”
A shudder ran through her at the hunger in his eyes, and she made to turn away.
“Wait.”
She hesitated, and he spoke quickly. “You’ll never get off this place on your own. They’ll kill you if you try. But I can help you. Trust me.”
“I don’t think so. And how? How can you help me?”
“I have a ship. I can get us both away. Get me out of this cell, and I promise I’ll get you out of this shithole.”
Itching to run, she glanced down the corridor. What choice did she have? On her own, she would fail. But could she put her trust in a stranger? There was a darkness and hunger in his eyes, something not quite human, but despite that, she sensed no evil. Then he smiled and the darkness vanished. She bit her lip and nodded.
His cell looked the same as hers, presumably with the same security. She hoped Grady had access. “Don’t go anywhere.”
Back in her own cell, she looked down at Grady. His open eyes returned her stare, bulging with shock.
No way could she drag his body all that way; he was too big. She took the knife from her pocket and crouched beside him. The blade slid easily through the flesh but stuck at the bone, and she gritted her teeth and sawed. Finally, she wrenched the hand free and lifted it gingerly.
Something caught her eye: Grady’s shirt bore the company’s insignia. She ripped it off and shoved the scrap of material in her pocket to serve as a reminder. One day, if she got away, she was going to make them pay for what they’d done to her. To her sister.
She hurried back to the stranger’s cell and peered inside. Relief flared in his eyes—he’d probably thought her gone. She showed him the severed hand, then pressed it palm down to the panel. The door slid open and she let out a breath. Maybe there was a small chance she would get out of here after all, and a first flicker of hope awoke inside her.
The man stood just inside the door. She was tall, but he was far taller. His nostrils flared, and at the last moment, her mind screamed at her to run. Too late.