I’d rescued. Saved. Killed. Maimed. Ambushed. Destroyed. Protected. I’d done so many things in the IC that made me the perfect weapon for Quinn. The perfect shield from harm.
I’d failed. In the most important mission of all.
“Where the fuck is she?” I snarled.
Someone cleared her throat. I spun on my heel. Ellen. She was wringing her hands again, and her eyes were puffy and red. “There’s a phone call for you, Warlord.”
My eyebrows winged up. I’d never used the human communication tool and knew no one on Earth but—
“Quinn?” I asked, stalking over to her. I loomed over her, which made me realize how small she was.
She shook her head. “No… no. It’s a woman from the Brides Program. A warden, I think she said.”
I looked to Tane. “There’s no fucking way she was matched.” It wasn’t a question, and Tane didn’t reply. What could he say?
“Where is this phone call?” I asked.
Ellen pointed to the makeup room, and she led us within—the door was propped open and the knob had been tested for fingerprints—and handed me a plastic device attached to a cord.
I put it to my ear, and Ellen nodded, giving me a weak smile. I could tell she was a close friend of Quinn’s, afraid for my mate’s life.
“Warlord Bahre,” I said, not sure how to communicate properly, so I introduced myself. Tane stood at my side, hands on hips.
“Warlord, this is Warden Egara from the Interstellar Brides Program.”
I didn’t respond.
“I have information about your mate.”
My beast perked up. “Tell me.”
Tane stilled, having recognized this was data we needed to find Quinn.
“This is not something to be shared with human law enforcement nor given over the phone. I am sending one of the center’s Atlan guards to retrieve you and bring you to me.”
“Yes.”
“I will end this call now. Please proceed to the lobby and wait for him.” Her instructions were clear and succinct. I had to assume because she knew I was unfamiliar with their communications system.
“I must know,” I replied.
“I will tell you. Just get here. Goodbye.”
After I heard a click, I pulled the device away from my ear and stared at it. Then I howled and ripped the cord from the communication device and flung the handset against the wall.
Ellen started to cry.
I took a deep breath, exhaled out my mouth. Clenching my hands into fists, I attempted to even my voice. Humans were easily fearful, and Ellen was not the enemy. “I will find your friend. I will find my mate,” I vowed.
She nodded, tears sliding down her cheeks. I practically ran out the room, taking the stairwell to the lobby. My footsteps, along with Tane’s, echoed off the concrete.
“The warden has news,” I said, updating him although he followed me regardless of what the call had been about. He would see me through this. This was a battle I had to fight. And win. There was no other option.
When I burst out the building’s front doors, a white vehicle honked a horn, drawing my attention. It was the one that had brought the five of us from the transport room to the program’s building when we first arrived. Behind the wheel was an Atlan, and he waved us over. I took the front seat, Tane settling into the back. The Atlan drove off before we even had our doors closed. I was pleased with his haste.
“I am Velik. I will take you to the warden.” His eyes were focused on the road in front of us. I didn’t pay attention to the bright blue sky or the intense sunshine. Humans were driving vehicles without roofs. Things called bicycles. Even stranger, wheels on their feet. They were happy. Carefree. Their mate hadn’t disappeared.
“Can this thing go faster?” I asked.
Immediately, the vehicle sped up, and the Atlan weaved through the Florida traffic.
Not ten minutes later, the guard at the gate to the testing center hastily raised the gate, and the Atlan didn’t slow. Not until we were directly in front of the entrance to the building, and then he slammed on the brakes, the vehicle squealing to a stop.
“Many thanks,” I said, climbing from the vehicle.
“I shall assist in any way I can to find your mate. Good—” I didn’t hear the rest of his words as I was already yanking open the door. The planet’s heat had sweat dripping from my brow.
There, within the lobby, waited a small woman in the Brides Program uniform. She looked efficient and tidy. And not happy.
“Warlord Bahre. Follow me.”
I followed her down several hallways, Tane behind me. She walked quickly but seemed slow since my legs had to be twice the length of hers.
“I am Warden Egara.” She took us directly to the transport room, and I stopped, Tane bumping into me.
“I will not leave Earth without my mate,” I said, my beast emerging. There was no fucking way I was being expelled from the planet.
Three other humans were in the room, and they stopped what they were doing to stare at me in wide-eyed surprise.
“No, Warlord,” the warden said, holding up a hand as if to stop me. “That is not my intention in bringing you here. Please, calm your beast, and I will tell you what I know.”
Tane set his hand on my shoulder. “Listen,” he murmured.
I nodded, willed my beast back.
“I have heard of the disappearance of your mate. I understand the police are focusing their search on a human named Jeff Randall.”
“That is correct, Warden,” Tane said for me.
I was trying to remain calm and I wasn’t sure how my voice would sound so I just gave a stifled growl in agreement.
“I believe the search is inaccurate.” She looked to a transport tech and nodded. The screen on the wall went black, and then data appeared. “So far today we have transported two females to their mates. One to Viken, the other to Atlan. You can see on the screen that those transports were scheduled.” She pointed to the display. “We have not sent anyone else since. There have been no incoming or outgoing transports, to the Brides Program or through the Coalition Fleet’s military processing center.”
I knew what she was saying. My beast understood. Processed. It was what she wasn’t saying that had me troubled. “Go on.”
“At three twenty-seven this afternoon, there was an unscheduled transport into Earth’s atmosphere.”
“I assume from your tone that the transport did not arrive here or at one of the other transport centers around the world?”
She glanced at Tane as he asked the question. She shook her head but said, “Negative.”
There was only one other possibility.
“A transport beacon,” I replied. I felt like I had just graduated from the Academy and was on my first mission. The feeling of fear. Dread. Panic.
“Correct. I believe someone transported to Earth using one. It has never been allowed, but after the latest diplomatic issues, using one is especially forbidden.”
“You didn’t bring me here because you believe something, Warden.”
She tipped up her chin. “The coordinates for the transport were the exact location of the building where you have been residing. It could have been seen as any one of the Atlans who were in your group. Perhaps someone joining you.”
Both Tane and I said, “No,” at the same time.
She crossed her arms and nodded. “As I thought. It does not indicate where in the building the transport ultimately arrived, but I believe it was on your mate’s floor.” She cleared her throat. “There was a record of a second transport, leaving Earth, seven minutes later.”
I looked to Tane, whose jaw was clenched. He was thinking the same thing. “Someone came to Earth and kidnapped my mate.”
Tane’s eyes narrowed. This wasn’t some meddling human we had to find and destroy. This wasn’t a human problem. This was my problem. My enemy, not Quinn’s.
There was a long list of them. Working for the IC, the Hive wasn’t the o
nly enemy I had killed.
“Yes.”
“Is there a record of where the transport originated?”
“Transport Station Zenith.”
“Did they return to the same location?”
“Yes.”
Gods, Zenith was a gathering place for every kind of criminal imaginable. Rogue 5 factions had a shaky agreement with the Coalition that allowed everyone to pass through the station most of the time. The only enforced rule was no killing while on the station. However, shoving someone out an airlock technically did not count, as the body was in space.
If Quinn had been transported there, she could have been taken by Cerberus or one of the other legions, by gun runners, smugglers. The list was long, and none of the possibilities were good.
I tugged at my hair, paced the small space; then I spun and faced the warden.
“Open a comms call to IC. I want to speak with Helion directly. Now.”
She nodded, then waved a hand in one of the tech’s direction.
Behind her, the Prillon warrior and Intelligence Core Commander, Dr. Helion, appeared on the screen.
“What can I do for you, Warden?” He wasn’t even looking up as he spoke, instead shuffling data files on the large tablet in his hands.
“You can get your fucking ass out of that chair and help me.” My voice was deep, the beast speaking to the commander.
Helion lifted his head to actually look at his comm screen. He leaned forward, his eyes narrowing as he squinted to see me, I assumed, on another screen behind Warden Egara. “Well, this is unusual.” He lifted a brow as if he were not amused. I had rarely seen him wear any other expression.
“I found my mate,” I told him. “She is human. She has been abducted and taken to Transport Station Zenith.”
“I see.” Helion set the tablet aside and leaned forward. “Is Cerberus behind the abduction?”
I gritted my teeth. “I don’t know, and I don’t fucking care. Call in the Hunters and meet me on Zenith. You have ten minutes or I’m going to tear that fucking station apart.”
Dr. Helion actually sighed. “Very well. Do not engage before we arrive. Understood?”
Fuck that. If he was one minute late, I was not waiting. “Ten minutes. Starting now.”
I nodded at Warden Egara to end the comm call, which she did immediately. Her quick action made me think she approved of my handling of the doctor. He was difficult to deal with on a good day, and today was not a good day.
“I am ready.” I stepped up onto the transport pad. “Send me—”
“Us,” Tane corrected, moving to stand on the raised platform beside me. I nodded in thanks. He was a fine fighter, a cyborg. A warlord. I would not dishonor him by refusing his offer of help.
“To Transport Station Zenith.”
She nodded and went to stand beside the transport tech. “The transport codes have already been entered for that location. I’ve kept the transport clear for you.”
She was swift, efficient, and helpful. Thank fuck.
Warlord Velik came into the room, stopped at the base of the transport platform’s steps. He held up an ion rifle, then tossed it to me. An ion pistol followed, which he tossed to Tane. “You will need these.” I wasn’t sure why they had Coalition weapons on Earth, but I wasn’t going to ask.
“Many thanks,” Tane said.
I checked my rifle, then looked to the transport tech. I did not need the rifle, but I would not refuse the weapon. I fully intended to tear Quinn’s abductor apart with my bare hands. Maybe, once she was safe, I would shoot anyone else involved with this puny rifle, for sport. “Transport now.”
“Goodbye, Warlords. Good lu—”
The warden’s words were cut off by the sizzle and pull of the transport. We were gone from Earth, headed to Transport Station Zenith. My mate was there. I would find her, and then I would never let her go. This was one mission I would not fail.
8
Bahre, Transport Room, Transport Station Zenith, Sector 437
The second we arrived, I stormed down the steps, only to be blocked by Dr. Helion and two Elite Hunters from Everis. One I recognized. He was well-known in the IC, one of Helion’s most trusted and skilled operatives. He was mated, however, and only answered the call when Helion was in a hurry or the stakes were very high.
The other Elite Hunter was new to Helion’s service. I didn't care who they were. They were in my way.
“You’re early.”
“You were insistent.” Dr. Helion knew his presence would prevent me from tearing down every closed door on the station to find my mate. She was here. I didn’t scent her, but the warden’s transport data was accurate.
I had enemies. Plenty of them. I hadn’t been subtle about the discovery of my mate. According to the human police officers who had questioned me, the comm of me kneeling before my female during her news program had been viewed by millions within just a few hours. I had to assume every Rogue 5 legion, criminal faction, and black-market trader had spies on Earth. Dr. Helion did. My actions, looking back, had been stupid. I’d made Quinn McCaffrey from Earth an immediate target for any and all who wished to harm me. They would torture and torment her to get to me. I’d remain whole and unharmed while unspeakable horrors happened to her. My mate.
I would not survive if she was not rescued.
“Out of my way,” I snarled.
We were all the best at what we did. The Elite Hunters were ruthless. Cunning. Fast. Tane was a warlord with deadly fighting skills and Hive integrations. And then there was me, integrated by Helion to be his most dangerous weapon.
“We are your friends, Bahre. I am Elite Hunter Rett. This is Elite Hunter Quinn.” The Everian Hunter I did not recognize spoke to me. “We are here to help you find your mate, but we have our orders. We have a plan—”
The hair-raising sizzle of an incoming transport had us turning. The leader of Styx Legion and his second in command appeared, gave one assessing sweep of the room, and came down the steps.
“Helion,” Styx said. The Rogue 5 leader was covered in tattoos and was mean as fuck. His second was no better. I had dealt with the duo more than once in the past.
“Why are they here?” I had no problem with Styx Legion. Last I’d known, Styx himself supplied information to the Intelligence Core—when it suited him.
Dr. Helion was in full battle armor, which pleased me. However, he did not respond to my question, instead speaking to the transport tech. “Erase all records of transports from the past ten minutes. We are not here. Do you understand?”
The Viken transport tech stared at Helion with a look that said the request was not a new one. “It’ll cost you.”
Helion scoffed, walked to the tech, and showed him a figure on his small data pad. “Will this suffice?”
“Yes.”
“If you betray me, we will find you.”
The Viken transport tech looked at the two Elite Hunters standing behind Helion and nodded. “I understand. You were never here.”
“Good.” Helion was pleased with himself. He always seemed to be pleased with himself. It was fucking annoying.
The tech went busily to work, then nodded. “Done, sir.”
Helion paid the tech no more attention, shifting his gaze to me. “Stand down, Warlord,” he said, coming my way.
Helion was not friendly. He was not nice. Anyone who’d met the Prillon would say he was seven feet of asshole. I hadn’t cared before because he was my commander, nothing more. I didn’t have to like him.
Now? He was the only one keeping me from my mate.
“No.”
“Warlord,” he warned. “Don’t make me stun you.”
“They took my mate.”
Helion looked down at my wrists, and his eyebrows rose. “Really? Then where are your mating cuffs, Warlord?”
My roar would have terrified any normal living creature. Helion was far from normal. “I was simply asking a question, Bahre. No need to get upset. She is not being h
armed. Not yet.”
Not yet? How the fuck did he know? “Where. Is. She?”
He shrugged, an action I was familiar with; however, it hadn’t irritated me until now. “I will not discuss the plan out in the open. This station is literally crawling with surveillance tech. All of you, shut the fuck up and follow me.”
We followed in silence. I was directly behind Helion. Tane behind me. The two Hunters, Quinn and Rett, were followed by Styx and his second, bringing up the rear. Using my advanced implants, I scanned the walls as we walked. The doctor had not been diminishing the facts. Within the walls, insect-sized devices crawled and jostled for position. Some attacked others. None were biological in origin. They were all broadcasting to someone. Somewhere. Data on everything seen, heard. Everyone who passed.
“We’re too fucking close to Rogue 5,” Tane complained. “This place is disgusting. No offense.” He looked over his shoulder at Styx.
“I agree. This station is a fucking cesspool.” Helion’s words held a bit too much excitement for my tastes. He loved the chase. The hunt. He thrived on tracing the untraceable. Bringing down the most powerful killers and criminals. An assassin who hunted other assassins. He was bored if he wasn’t knocking on death’s door. I’d followed right behind him for years. Now I was done. Done with that life. Done guarding his back. Done killing. Done fighting. Done.
I had a beautiful, soft mate. A mate to protect and care for. I had a new purpose. If I never saw Dr. Helion after this day, that would be fine with me.
* * *
Quinn, Transport Station Zenith
The fanged asshole who had walked into my dressing room on Earth now paced the small space like he was the prisoner instead of me.
I had no idea how long I’d been asleep or how I’d gotten to this strange room or on this uncomfortable bed. The last thing I remembered was being in the makeup room and him slapping something onto my skirt. I must have passed out during transport and only woke up in this room. I had my clothes on, but my blouse was wrinkled as if I’d been wearing it all day while wrestling alligators. Clean alligators. My heels were on the strange, metallic floor beside me. I was tired even though I’d obviously been out for a while. My head hurt like I had the mother of all hangovers, and I had a sore spot behind my ear. I touched it and winced. Since I was still dressed and hadn’t been beaten or worse, I was going to count this one a win as far as kidnappings went. So far.
Beauty and the Beast: Interstellar Brides® Program: The Beasts - 3 Page 7