“Fuck me! You. Me. Firing Range. You little Sonuvabitch!”
The fact the child was a girl, and my words were likely to insult ally and enemy alike never even crossed my mind. Four wolves reached for me as I flipped away from the She’s line of fire.
Little brat! Someone needed to put her over their knee...and...
“Rennet’s World wolves!” Mack reminded me.
Like I needed to be reminded...
I landed in a crouch with two angry wolves leveling their blasters at me.
Well. Fuck.
I hit the floor and solids chewed chunks out of the wall. Problem was, I had nowhere to roll, and I couldn’t get to my feet. All these bastards had to do was lower their aim, and my goose was well and truly cooked.
One of the bastards lost the top of his head and the helmet, and the other shuddered under the impact of more rounds than I cared to think about.
Just who, in all the stars had thought it was a good idea to put fully automatic blasters anywhere near where the little ferals could get a hold of them. There was no way in all the worlds I wanted to be getting to my feet in these circumstances.
I did it anyway, Mack’s response an unwelcome noise in my head.
“You, Cutter, when you dropped several fully-armed Rennet’s World wolves right at their feet.”
Like that was my fault. I mean, where the fuck else was I supposed to drop them?
“Out an airlock would have been wiser.”
Smart arse!
He snickered. “I’m on my way.”
“Have we nearly cleared the ship?”
“Our wolfish friend took a squad through the bits the rest of us couldn’t cover,” Mack told me.
“And Doc and Tens?”
Mack’s “They’re fine,” formed a chorus with “Right here, kid,” and “We’re fine.”
There was also another “We’re fine,” from Case, but this one was attached to a “thanks for asking,” and I rolled my eyes.
Whatever, right?
I scrambled to my feet, and hit the floor again, just as fast.
“I’m a friend, you little shits!”
“Not sure you should be cussing out the children,” Mack said from the doorway.
I noticed he didn’t come into the room, the coward.
He snickered, and did a quick peek and duck. It was a good thing, too. The cub’s She was quick on the draw and getting more accurate by the second.
I lost my temper...or maybe it was just the fright of seeing Mack nearly lose his head.
“Will you stop shooting your fucking friends, you total shit-for-brains menace!”
She snarled at me, and the blaster swung in my direction.
I’d had enough, and coiled my legs under me, getting ready to cover the distance between us in a single leap. This juiced, the distance was nothing.
“Cutter, down!” Mack roared, just as I started to launch.
The result must have been spectacularly comical because I went from going vertical and long, to going horizontal in a damned hurry. The She tracked every movement with the blaster, but she didn’t fire.
I was considering cussing every single one of them out, when the captain’s cub gently pushed the blaster’s muzzle down, and Mack called out, again.
“Can I come in, now?”
The cub exchanged glances with his She, and she ducked her head, clearly giving in to an unspoken demand. He patted her on the shoulder, and replied.
“Yes, Captain Star, and you may collect your She from the floor.”
‘That means stay down until I get there,” Mack told me, as if I couldn’t have worked it out for myself.
“You could,” he acknowledged, ‘but this way I know you’ll stay down’.
“Stay down,” the words echoed through my limbs like a program for obedience, and I groaned.
I couldn’t even lift my head until his boots stopped beside me. I felt his hand curl over the collar of my armor, just before he hauled me to my feet.
“We’ve got in-coming,” he informed me, and I saw the cub’s ears prick.
Mack caught the movement and turned his attention to the youngster. “Your father is taking the Rennet’s World ship. He wishes to see you on my command deck, when he returns.”
Mack set me on my feet, but the stims had worn off and I was wilting. The second his hand wasn’t holding me up, my knees started to fold. His grip tightened and he pulled me under the curve of his arm and tight against his side before shifting his grip and sliding his arm across my back and around my waist.
“You right, girl? Not going to fall over on me?”
“Can’t... promise,” I managed, fighting an overwhelming need to sleep.
“Do your best,” he told me, and I wrapped an arm around his waist, wedging my hand in between his belt and his side.
It was gonna be harder to fall over that way.
The cub watched me, his ears cocked in puzzlement. “What is wrong with her?”
“The stim pack’s wearing off,” Mack told him, and the kid jerked his head in a single nod.
“Is that what makes her such a warrior?” he asked, admiration making his She frown.
“No. She is already that. The stims just make her faster and stronger for a little while.” Mack grunted as he pulled me more upright and closer to his side. “But they take a toll.”
“So, I see,” the cub observed.
His She wound her arm through his and leant into him. “Can I have some?” she whispered, her eyes alight with curiosity.
“No,” Mack told her, and she curled her lip at him, frowning as he went on to explain. “They don’t have dosage that’s safe for a ch...someone your size.”
The correction was fast, but the girl still pouted. I wondered how we were ever going to integrate her into human society.
“You’re not,” Mack told me, bleakly. “She is lupar in all but genome, and that can be changed.’
“Will she sleep?” the cub asked, walking up close enough to watch me fighting to keep my eyes open.
“Unfortunately,” Mack told him.
“Why unfortunately?” The youngster stumbled over the words, and Mack frowned.
“Because I might need her, and she will not be able to answer.”
Before he could carry that thought any further, Tens’ voice came over the comms.
“We have incoming.”
He sounded tired, and I felt Mack tense.
“How many?”
“Just one.” Tens paused, and Mack started leading us toward the door and the corridor leading to the bridge.
The children and cubs followed without being asked. As they passed one of the fallen wolf warriors, he stirred.
The She had brought her blaster around and shot him before Mack had time to respond. I swallowed hard as the warrior’s head exploded. The kid just didn’t miss.
“No, she doesn’t,” Mack agreed.
It was enough to make me realize I’d been more than lucky to live.
“Face it, Cutter. I kept you alive...again. You keep this up, and you’re gonna start owing me more’n you can repay.”
I wanted to argue, but couldn’t pull two words together, let alone a single coherent thought.
“Odyssey! It’s Odyssey,” Tens’ voice cut through my attempt, and I found myself wondering why he sounded both relieved and completely dismayed.
“Because now’s when shit gets interesting,” Mack informed me.
He unhooked my hand at the same time as he tightened his grip on my waist. “And you need to sleep.”
“I...” was as far as I got before my mind took the hint and sent me into oblivion.
Damn, that suggestibility sucked!
30—Penance
This time I didn’t wake up in a regen tank, but I did wake up in my own bunk with Mack looking down at me. Of course, I didn’t register it was him. I just saw the shape of an armed man, and was moving to put some distance between us before my eyes were fully open.<
br />
Which was when I ran right into Delight.
“Oof, kid. I’m not even threatening you and you’re already getting rough,” Delight snarked, as my vision cleared and I registered Mack.
The sound of Delight’s voice was enough to send me right back towards the good captain, and he chuckled making sure I hit the floor on my feet and facing the right direction.
“What’d I miss?” I managed, registering Pritchard’s presence against the wall behind Delight.
His lips quirked in an expression that I knew was his version of a grin.
Delight gave me a slow smile. “There was one Hell of a fight on a wolf ship that you didn’t show up for,” she murmured.
She tapped a forefinger against her chin. “Oh, yes, and some negotiations with a few wolves and some human rebels regarding the ownership of a world. Now, that was interesting. I think your name came up more than once.”
“All good things, I hope,” I said, and she smirked.
“Most of it.”
I decided I didn’t want to know, and backed up a step. Mack caught me around the bicep and I glared at him.
“I stink and I need a shower,” I told him, yanking my arm out of his grasp.
I watched as he exchanged a glance with Delight. She shrugged.
“Girl has a point. She does stink.”
Pritchard rolled his eyes behind her back, and I looked down at the floor to hide my smile. There were days I really liked Pritchard.
Delight gave an exasperated sigh and she glared over her shoulder at him...which meant she was back in my head, again. Bitch.
Now she glared at me. “You should mind your manners.”
Mack snorted. “You’ve known her how long, now?”
I stepped around him and made for my closet, pulling out a clean combat suit. The state of the one I was in...
I glanced down and realized I was in a nightshirt. That earned Mack another glare, and his jaw dropped.
“What? You wanted to be put to bed covered in blood and spider guts?”
Ugh! Spider guts... Man just had to remind me.”
I rolled my eyes, grabbed some clean underwear and headed for the shower. Delight’s voice rang through my head as I closed the door behind me.
“That’s not a night shirt...”
It wasn’t? And why was she using that sing-song tone of voice, anyway?
I looked down at the shirt and felt my face go bright red.
Because she was teasing me... Because this really wasn’t a night shirt; it was one of Mack’s shirts. I hauled it over my head and dropped it in the laundry chute, the scent of it making me sigh.
Mack.
Surprisingly enough, he didn’t answer...and I couldn’t hear Delight anymore...and none of them were waiting for me when I finished my shower and went looking for my boots.
Damned man had been mighty thorough when he’d tucked me in.
I looked around the room. No boots.
If he’d thrown them out...
A note on the closet door caught my eye.
In the bottom drawer...with all the rest.
My boots? I wondered.
My boots, I discovered when I pulled the drawer open. And they’d been cleaned and polished... And there was a pair of socks tucked into the top...
It was like the damn man thought he could read my mind.
I toyed with the idea of wearing an entirely different pair of boots and an entirely different pair of socks...and then decided that opting for boots that weren’t my current favorites was more childish than I had a need to be.
Besides, I liked these boots, dammit!
“We’re in the caf.” Mack’s voice, in my head, startled me, and I dropped the boot I was putting on.
“Dammit, Mack!”
“Just thought you should know,” he explained, sounding a little hurt.
“Uh huh...” No way known was I going to admit just how much those boots had touched me...not that he couldn’t read my mind.
Not surprising, he stayed quiet and I got my boots on in peace. He even stayed quiet while I made it to the caf—where he, Delight, Pritchard, Tens and Rohan were sitting in the small dining room at the back.
My usual seat in the corner closest Mack and furthest from the door was free...and it even had food! I eyed the wolfish hound sitting on the floor beside Rohan and he gave me a happy grin, thumping his tail on the floor in greeting.
“No,” I told him, curling one forearm around my plate as I picked up a fork with the other. “This is mine.”
The dog’s ears drooped and he whined. I looked at Mack.
“So, where are we at?”
Mack cocked his head and jerked his chin at Delight. “You need to talk to her.”
I took a slow deliberate bite of my pie and eyed the Odyssey agent. “What?”
“Well, aren’t we all attitude and bullshit, this morning?”
Mack’s boot nudged me in the calf, and I frowned.
“I take it that means you have something else you want us to do, then,” I snarked, not caring that Mack’s next nudge was more like a small kick.
Delight sat back in her chair. “Don’t you want to know what happened?”
I shrugged. “Sure. Why don’t you tell me what happened?”
I made it sound more like a command than a question and she smiled.
“Nice to see some things don’t change.”
I took another bite of my pie and started chewing. No way I could say anything that might get me into trouble that way.
Wanta make a bet? Rohan asked, and I shot him a sharp glance.
The little shit was smirking.
“Rohan...” Mack’s warning rumble showed the kid’s comment hadn’t gone unnoticed, and it was my turn to smirk.
Delight ignored us all, and got down to her briefing.
“First of all, good job. You won the war.”
It was her tone of voice more than her words that got my attention, and I snapped my head up to watch her. That tone always meant trouble.
She caught the look and her lips twitched.
Yeah.... We were in a world of hurt.
“Not yet, you’re not,” and wasn’t Pritchard just a bundle of joy, right now?
Delight continued as if neither of us had interrupted. “Unfortunately, since the wolves were the ones behind the revolution, we’ve had to ratify their right to rule it.”
“Motherfuck...” Rohan wasn’t happy.
I snorted. At least I knew the little turd didn’t know that much more than I did. He nudged me in the ribs, a not-so-subtle reminder that he wasn’t that little anymore.
As if I didn’t know it. He topped me by more than a foot...and somewhere along the line had gotten old enough for both alcohol and girlfriends.
He’d come a long way from the frightened twelve-year-old I’d been put in charge of babysitting. I snuck a sideways look at him and caught sight of the stubble shadowing his chin.
It almost made me feel old.
“When you’ve done with your little trip down Memory Lane...” Delight was glaring at me, again.
I mean, when wasn’t she?
She chose not to answer that, but went on.
“Because of your involvement, we were able to place a few caveats such as humans not being harmed, enslaved or made second-class citizens...”
Pritchard snorted, showing exactly what he thought the chances of that were. “Now tell her what the wolf captain’s answer was for those conditions.”
Delight focused on me, as though that would block her partner from view.
“The captain said that any human not happy with the way things were run would be given safe passage off world to a human colony of their choice and seed money to set themselves up.”
That made me sit up. “And you believed him?”
“Given the repercussions if he doesn’t follow through with it?” Delight’s mouth tightened. “Yes, I do.”
“And the rest...” Pritchard prod
ded.
This time, Delight shot him a short glare before turning back to me.
“He said it was the least he could do for your retrieval of his people and his pup.”
I subsided, studying Delight’s face for any sign of a catch. She answered my next question before I had time to ask it.
“And, no, I don’t know how he intends to make it happen. I just believe he can.”
I subsided. That made sense.
My guess was that he knew the value of the artefacts he was living in and that several colonies were going to have a few unannounced arrivals...with full citizenship. Personally, I didn’t want to know how he was going to achieve that.
Like Delight, I just knew he would.
“You have that much faith in him?” she asked, and I was startled to hear the surprise edging her tones.
“Yup,” I told her. From what I’d seen of the wolf, he’d do exactly what he said he would...unlike some others that sprang to mind.
Which reminded me...
“What happened to the Rennet’s World wolves?”
The smirk came back.
“We took their ship,” Delight replied, and her smirk became a grin. “There wasn’t a single survivor. Oops.”
Oops’ my ass, I thought, and she raised her eyebrows at me.
“Your lack of faith is disturbing,” she mocked, and every trace of amusement vanished. “Their world swore revenge, but that’s the least of our current problems.”
Here it comes, I thought, but out loud I said, “What happened?”
“We lost the cub.”
As a show-stopper, those words had pretty much everything else beat. I swallowed against the sudden dryness in my mouth.
“How?”
“We returned the cub to his father, and then the arach teleported in, grabbed the boy and teleported out.”
“What were you doing? Sleeping?” The words were out before I registered exactly how undiplomatic they were.
Delight shot a sharp glance at Mack. I followed it in time to see him roll his eyes. Pritchard snickered and raised his coffee cup in salute.
“Ever heard of a teleport snatch?” Delight asked, her voice full of sarcasm. “Well, this one consisted of four heavily armored arach warriors and a rapid port in and out. We couldn’t shoot because of the kid, and they didn’t stay long enough for us to block the signal.”
Mack 'n' Me: The Wolves of Alpha 9 Page 26