Lynx rubbed his flat belly. “I don’t know. If they had food, I might consider their invitation.”
“I saw the ship,” Kelvin boomed from behind them. “We are in a trap.”
“We’re not surrendering without a fight,” Lynx stated facts.
Jannike scanned the sky. Empty. Scowling, she studied the flat, endless stretch of sand in front of them. As she watched, the sand worm made a passing sweep, sticking its ugly head above the sand, tentacles twisting. It let out a roar. “The motor-skids are still there.”
“They haven’t moved off the rocky strip since the sand worm took some of their men,” Shiloh said.
“They’re gonna capture us again.” Lynx verbalized what they were all thinking.
Jannike wanted to dispute his words, but he spoke the truth. While they had water—thanks to Kelvin—and shelter from the worst of the elements, the lack of food would begin to tell.
“What’s wrong with your skin?” Shiloh asked.
“Nothing.” Jannike glanced at her stomach and saw the cursed black splotches. She swallowed. “I must have bruised when I hit the ground. It’s not important.” A lie, and one that almost choked her. She cleared her throat. “We need a plan.”
“We split up and take our chances,” Kelvin said. “They can’t chase us all at once. And if we do it under cover of blacklight, we increase our chances.”
* * * * *
Jannike kept away from the two men. She ignored the knifelike intensity of the prickles beneath her skin. She wrapped up to stave off the chills and dunked her clammy body in the pool to alleviate the sweats that came more frequently. A cycle passed and fear morphed into an ugly beast, attempting to derail her from her chosen path.
Shiloh and Lynx might be her destined mates, but she couldn’t tell them, couldn’t put herself in the position of begging for their attentions, couldn’t put them in any more danger than they were already.
Besides, they didn’t have time.
Jannike stood and packed up her blanket. She pulled her ripped tunic over her head. It was better than nothing.
“They’re coming,” Kelvin said.
“It seems they’re smarter than we gave them credit for.”
Lynx and Shiloh slid out of the blacklight to join them.
“I can’t see them yet.” Jannike scanned the sky.
“Doesn’t matter. Let’s move out,” Shiloh said.
“A last drink,” Kelvin urged.
None of them argued. Jannike winced at Kelvin’s hiss when her mouth drew on his branch. Each time seemed more painful for him, yet he never complained.
When they’d finished drinking, Kelvin bowed his head. “May the goddess smile upon ye with favor.”
“Good luck.” Jannike strode away.
“Wait.” Shiloh grabbed her, hauling her into his embrace.
“What—”
He stopped her question with a quick, hard kiss that was over almost as soon as it began. Shiloh handed her to Lynx who kissed her with a passion that left the prickles beneath her skin singing.
Then the two men faded into the gloom, leaving as silently as they’d arrived.
Jannike took a breath to calm her trepidation, then nodded at Kelvin and forced herself to walk away, not stopping even when she came to the edge of the haven.
She hustled, every sense trained for movement to indicate the presence of the sand worm or the motor-skids.
The drone of the ship’s engine became more audible. The pilot circled the haven then headed in her direction. Phrull it all. They must have heat-seeking equipment.
She increased her pace, following the mental path she’d planned after they’d decided splitting up was necessary. Damn if they’d catch her without a fight.
* * * * *
When the ship veered off its circular path, Shiloh halted to study its progress. He and Lynx had decided to walk together until they ascertained the pilot’s plan, and they’d talked Kelvin into staying at the haven with the markowls and the calibore.
“Why did you kiss Jannike?” Lynx asked.
“Jealous?”
“That’s not an answer.”
“I wanted to,” Shiloh said, a trifle defensive. “She looked alone and defenseless when Kelvin wished us good fortune. I’ve been thinking about kissing her ever since we woke with her rubbing against my leg.”
“Those aren’t bruises on her torso. They’ve moved since we first saw them. They’re the same as the ones we had.”
Shiloh nodded. “Sleeping next to her felt right.”
“Something to consider. Damn, the ship is going after Jannike.” Lynx took half a step before Shiloh grabbed his arm.
“Stick with the plan. Some of us escape and use our resources to save those captured.” Shiloh stood his ground when Lynx attempted to free himself.
“You’re right. It’s just—phrull, I’ve been thinking about fucking her. It felt disloyal, so I didn’t tell you.”
“Come on. Let’s move and give these phrullin creeps a run for their currency.”
Lynx hurried to catch him. “I thought you’d be angry.”
Shiloh snorted. “How can I gripe at you when the exact thoughts marched through my mind all of yester-cycle?”
The two felines increased their pace to a ground-eating lope, intent on putting as much distance between them and the haven as possible.
The blacklight fell away and the heat from the solar-star began to shimmer across the wide expanse of desert.
A second ship appeared on the horizon, and they halted to take stock. The ship was black with silver.
Shiloh scratched his back, watched the blue ship maneuver over Jannike, a silver net come down, hampering her movements and allowing easy capture.
“They’ve got Jannike,” Lynx said.
“Looks like they’ll get one of us too. Good luck.” Shiloh took off running.
The hum of the ship became louder. Sand blew in his face, his eyes. He kept his legs pumping despite the uneven surface and the threat of the sand worm. Part of him expected a net to descend, just like the one they’d used on Jannike.
Didn’t happen.
The ship zipped past him—a tender from a bigger ship. Phrull, he didn’t stand a chance. About to change direction and at least give himself a fighting chance, he pulled up when the tender landed.
The door slid open and a large male appeared in the entrance. A smaller feminine figure, squeezed into a gap beside him. Jannike’s friends? He sniffed and relaxed at the hint of feline on the air.
Without warning, the ground began to tremble beneath his feet. Phrull! He started to run. “Hurry. Phrull, hurry,” he bellowed as he threw himself at tender ramp.
A woman with blue hair elbowed her way past the woman. “Fukk, what is that thing?”
“Sand worm,” Shiloh gasped. “Take off now.”
“He smells like Jannike,” the feline woman said.
The feline man and the blue-haired woman reached for him, dragged him up the last of the ramp as the tender lifted off. The sand worm thrust upward, snapping its large jaws and howling at missing its prey.
Before Shiloh could regain his breath, the big male grabbed him by his tunic and thrust his face close. “Where is Jannike? What have you done with her?”
“Other ship.” Shiloh had trouble talking. He was trying to catch his breath and breathe around the feline male’s chokehold.
The feline woman tapped the male’s shoulder. “Ry, let the man breathe. He can’t talk with you choking him.”
“Bad tidings on the clouds.” A new voice and doom invested every syllable.
Shiloh turned his head a fraction and gawked. It was a him—he was sure of that—but black swirled across his features turning them from white—no gray—to a deep black. “I…ah…are you Jannike’s friends?”
The grip at his neck loosened.
“Where is she?” the man demanded.
“They’ve recaptured her. We split up so some of us would escape.”<
br />
“We,” the feline snapped.
“Ry, this isn’t an interrogation.” The feline woman offered an apologetic smile and rubbed her rounded belly.
“Damn straight it is,” the blue-haired one declared. “Tell us what you know.”
The feline woman pushed past the male and shoved him back two steps. “I will extract the necessary information. I’m pregnant and I get to have my own way. You promised.”
Shiloh listened in bemusement. The male’s jaw tightened but he allowed his female to take the lead. Shiloh wasn’t fooled though. This Ry was poised to leap if he sensed a threat. Phrull, they were just as confusing as Jannike. He swallowed and slipped back into the safety of bodyguard mode. Much less puzzling. “You must be Camryn and Ry. Jannike mentioned you.”
“And you are?” Camryn prompted.
“Shiloh. I’m from Viros and they captured us like Jannike. We escaped when the ship crashed in the desert.”
“We?” Ry asked in a sharp voice.
“Lynx, my mate, and Kelvin, a tremin. Kelvin remained on the haven with the creatures, and Jannike, Lynx and I split up, so they couldn’t recapture us all.”
“Where is this haven?” Camryn asked.
“Captain?” a voice called.
The pilot, Shiloh saw when he glanced in the direction of the voice.
“That creature is after someone. What do you want to do?”
“Lynx.” Shiloh stood and brushed past the strangers to peer out the view screen. Lynx sprinted across the sand. As he watched, his friend shifted, his leopard form streaking ahead of the burrowing sand worm. “Please. You have to save him. Please.”
“Of course we’re gonna save him,” Camryn promised.
“Your mate?” Ry asked.
Shiloh met the male’s gaze without shame. “Yes.”
“We’ll fly over the top of him and lift him into the ship. He’ll need to shift back to humanoid otherwise we won’t be able to grab him. Tell him to change.”
Shiloh gaped at Ry. “How?”
“Can you communicate mind-to-mind?”
“No.”
“Fukk,” Ry muttered. “Okay. Wait by the ramp. I’ll let my pilot know what we’re going to do.”
Shiloh waited impatiently, his gut writhing. He didn’t like relying on strangers.
“You ready?” Ry asked.
Phrull, Shiloh hoped so. They had one shot at this. “Ready.”
The ramp whirred open just as the tender sped to a spot in front of Lynx.
“Lynx!” Shiloh roared. “Up here.”
Lynx pulled up, limbs skidding in the sand because of his rapid halt.
“Shift,” Shiloh hollered. “We’ll pull you up. Phrull, the sand worm is still coming.”
“Who are the dudes on the bikes?” Camryn asked.
Shiloh guessed she meant the motor-skids. “Hurry,” he hollered at Lynx.
Lynx’s shift was slower than normal, and he reached for them, his head and arms still covered with black fur. Shiloh gripped his forearm, ignoring the jab of partially transformed claws. At his side, Ry grunted as they took Lynx’s weight.
“They’ve got him. Gain altitude,” the blue-haired one ordered the pilot.
The ship shot upward just as the sand worm thrust from the sand.
Adrenaline and fear gave Shiloh extra strength, and Lynx popped through the tender’s entrance. Shiloh’s arms came around his lover’s body and he buried his face in Lynx’s shoulder, breathing through his residual fear. Phrull, that had been close.
“Can’t breathe.” Lynx struggled in his embrace.
“Sorry.” Shiloh gentled his hold but was unable to remove his arms. His brain wouldn’t let him as it chanted mine, mine, mine in a long, determined litany.
“Ah-hum!” A pointed feminine cough came from behind them.
Shiloh lifted his head. The laughter and understanding within Camryn’s gaze brought tightness to his throat. His. Lynx belonged to him.
“Jannike,” Ry prompted.
“They will take her to the dome.” Lynx ran a soothing hand down his back, calming some of Shiloh’s lingering fear.
“I thought Jannike said she wore a tracker,” Shiloh said.
“She does.” Ry grimaced in disgust. “We thought it was faulty. Ours aren’t so hers should work. Something keeps interfering with the signal. Sometimes we can track and at other times, she blinks off our system.”
“It’s slowed us down.” Camryn scowled. “We didn’t expect to take a third of a rotation to find you.”
“Can we collect our friend from the haven before we go after Jannike?” Lynx asked. “And if it isn’t too much trouble we could do with some food.”
“Kaya has chocolate,” a young woman said from a seat next to the pilot.
Another feline and unmated, judging by the cat tattoo on her cheek. Pretty, but young.
“Do not,” the blue-haired one denied immediately.
“I smell chocolate.” Camryn glowered at the female and rubbed her stomach again. “It’s been driving me crazy. Damn hormones.”
“I have snacks in my bag.” The black-and-white man glided toward a doorway. “I’ll get them.”
“Which way to this haven?” Ry asked, and Shiloh noticed he kept close to his mate, touching her often.
Shiloh met his gaze and dipped his head in a nod of recognition. He felt the same way about Lynx and it was beginning to look as if Jannike resided in the same region of his heart.
“They won’t hurt her,” Lynx murmured, although he didn’t sound too sure.
“No,” Shiloh agreed. “Not if they want to sell her for a profit.”
Camryn’s brows shot upward. “They’re selling her?”
“Yeah, we ended up in the same cell as Jannike. They wanted a breeding pair.”
“Nanu, put the accelerator on,” Camryn said.
“Is there a clearing large enough to land?” Nanu called, the beads at the end of his braids clacking together as he turned his head.
“A flat area of sand at the edge of the haven.” Lynx replied. “The ground is rocky and the sand worm doesn’t like it.”
“Show me,” Nanu said, with a jerk of his head.
Shiloh climbed to his feet and offered a hand to Lynx. They stood behind the pilot, and Lynx gave directions.
“We’re going to Viros,” Ry said to Shiloh. “My parents came from there.”
“What are their names?”
“Coppersmith.”
Shiloh shook his head. “Lynx might know the name but it’s not familiar to me.”
“The family left before I was born, I think.”
“Lynx and I don’t spend much time there. We run a trading and cargo business off planet.”
Ry nodded, and Shiloh couldn’t tell if the man was pleased or not.
“I see the spot. We’re landing,” Nanu said.
“It won’t take long,” Lynx promised. “It’s just Kelvin, a calibore and the two markowls.”
“Nothing dangerous?” Ry asked in a sharp voice.
“No.” Lynx grinned. “We’re the dangerous ones.”
Camryn gave a grim chuckle. “That’s good. Jannike’s captors won’t know what hit them.”
* * * * *
Jannike struggled even as the net closed around her, trapping her arms and legs. Strong hands hauled her aboard the ship and thrust her into a cage. With her movement restricted, she could do nothing except glare at her captors. The six burly soldiers, all dressed in form-fitting black and sporting tattoo script on their faces stared back in interest.
“Boss woman want you bad,” one said finally.
Jannike’s gut bucked with foreboding. A reunion she’d rather dodge. She didn’t bother replying. Instead, she forced herself to study her surroundings, to search for weaknesses in security. The cage bars consisted of thick synmetal, and with her space limited, she couldn’t stretch from her crouch.
The flight back to the dome didn’t take long. Frustrating that t
hey’d managed to get so close without getting captured. At least Shiloh and Lynx remained free.
Yes, this was the best outcome.
If she died—no, when because the widow wouldn’t go easy on her this time. At least she wouldn’t take anyone else down with her.
And there was still an outside chance Ry and the crew would arrive before the widow exerted payback. He’d promised and he never broke his promises. Yeah, all she needed to do was hang on.
The ship landed, and Jannike tensed, ready to take any chance to escape.
But they didn’t release her from the cage. Instead, they covered it and wheeled the entire thing off the ship.
“Lift it onto the glide,” someone said.
Jannike felt the cage lift. Nearby, someone grunted.
“Cursed thing weighs a ton.”
Jannike muffled a grunt. It wasn’t her. She’d been on an enforced diet and had lost weight.
Her cage bumped and swayed as workers placed it on a transporter of some sort. A whir of sound captured her attention, but she had no idea what it was or which direction she was traveling, the cage cover foiling her attempts to gain information.
“The boss lady wants her in the private high-security cage,” a male ordered, his brutish voice making Jannike picture someone huge.
Her chances of escape weren’t looking good.
At least it was cooler here. Depending on what they intended to do with her, they might feed her. Her stomach grumbled at the idea of food.
The cage stopped moving, and someone pulled the cover off. Jannike took in her surroundings in one quick sweep. She was inside another cage. Larger. This one had a feeding station and cleansing facilities. Luxuries, but still a prison. Part of one wall propelled her reflection back at her. An observation window.
No escape from this prison.
Her gaze tracked back to her guards. All held weapons and they pointed in her direction.
“Out.” A rail-thin guard, in urgent need of sanitizing, gestured with his weapon.
Jannike stepped from the portable prison, taking her sweet time, watching, assessing her options again, not willing to accept defeat.
One by one, they backed from the cell, taking her temporary cage with them. Finally, the door closed after them, the locks sliding home.
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