Chapter 62: Keeping secrets.

Chapter 62: Keeping secrets.

PETE DROVE NIGEL back against the wall with a sickening thud that rattled his teeth. They became a tangled knot of limbs and fury, twisting and flipping, each vying for the upper hand. Pete, for the first time, fought with primal ferocity, every one of his tentacles lashing out, seeking to take Nigel down.

They crashed into the center console, the metal groaning under their combined weight. Nigel blocked a sweeping tentacle, parried another, pushing back, but Pete’s raw power forced him steadily toward the wall. Still, the royal lacked Nigel’s refined technique. With a swift twist of his body, Nigel used his legs. He swept Pete’s legs out from under him and slammed the alien to the floor. He pounced, pinning Pete beneath him, straddling his chest.