Retracting her blades into her arms, she managed to make enough room to slip her left arm free. As she did so she re-extended that arm's blade, impaling the stunned bald hunter through the throat before he could react. Gasping and gurgling, he slumped to the floor dying as she pulled the blade out of his neck and slid the loosened chains off of herself.

“Damn it Jarvis!" Theron cursed, drawing the swords on his back.

Without touching the chains he couldn't make them move on their own again and he knew not to risk making a grab for them. The rookie didn't know how to use them either. So he faced her down, “guess we have to do this the hard way."

Taki didn't hesitate, taking a running leap at the tree nearest to her and rebounding off of it, her blades meeting his in a mighty clash.

They proceeded to parry several of each other's strikes in a deadly dance that had the rookie scrambling to get out of the way.

Taki was astounded by his talent. She felt as though she was fighting another mantis because Theron was almost as quick as her and had dual-wielded blades. But instead of the steely, cold gaze of a mantis in battle, this man's eyes showed a ferocious joy.

He mocked, "It's too bad you're not human. We have many similarities, so I think you'd make a better companion than Jarvis ever did.

When Taki remained silent, he pressed her more firmly, locking his blades against hers and advancing toward her. "You can understand that we both kill to survive, can't you?"

He was trying to distract her, Taki knew this. However, her awakened emotions still compelled her to give an answer this time. It was true that in some respects this man was the ideal mate she had often imagined for herself, but his bloodlust was a real deal breaker, and with Carter's safety to consider all she could feel toward this man was hatred. Further, there was something she wanted to confirm. "I kill animals to survive, you will kill anyone for profit and pleasure. Weak men like you disgust me."

At this Theron lost his own cool. Their blades still locked, he slammed her against a tree. "Self righteous bitch! ALL you monsters really care about is cock and you know it!"

Taki suppressed a smile at turning the man's taunt back at him. She could tell that calling him weak had hit a nerve. It seemed her hunch was right. "She rejected you, didn't she?"

Theron's eyes widened in shock, then narrowed in anger. "What- What do you think you know about me?"

Taki remained impassive, even as she strained to hold him back. "Many of the lizardman race seek out my kind during their journeys in order to learn from our skills. I've come to recognize their energy. It is very faint, but still present in you, and there is only one thing those prideful warriors do when they find themselves bound to men with weak hearts unfitting of being warriors."

Theron trembled in rage, his arrogant and mocking tone surrendering to a hidden madness and bloodlust. "Weak... she dared to call ME WEAK?! I

DEFEATED HER! SHE CAME ONTO ME! PROPOSED TO ME! THEN DARED TO CALL ME

WEAK!"

Flashback

“Good work as usual Theron," the aristocratic-Looking man in the doorway remarked as he handed a jingling bag of gold to the mercenary.

“A pleasure doing business with you as well, sir," he replied as he closed the door, only to turn and come face to face with a Lizardman, a pair of swords in sheaths behind her much like the ones he carried.

“Lacerta,” he remarked casually, "trying to sneak up on me? Figured you'd stop that now that we're mates."