by Anna Hackett
The beasts threw their heads back and she could only imagine their fierce roars. They leaped at Mace.
He looked so cool and in charge. He gripped one animal and tossed it to the side. The next one took him to the floor and she saw several of the spectators leaped to their feet, cheering.
Get up, Mace. Her nails bit into her palms. Get up.
He rolled, got behind the creature, and with a powerful twist of his arms, broke the cat’s neck. The second feline came at him again, and with several hits, he took it down.
For a second he paused, chest heaving, then his head lifted.
His eyes boiled with rage and pain. Jayna tried to stay calm but tears pricked her eyes.
Then another fighter entered the cage. Mace roared and turned to meet his next opponent. He fought like a wild thunderstorm—hard, vicious, and unforgiving.
The sludge reached Jayna’s neck and she swallowed the lump in her throat. Life was so fucking unfair. Even to save her, she didn’t want Mace to suffer like this.
Suddenly, Mace tossed his foe at the cage side again. Then he strode over, purpose in his walk.
Jayna blinked. Damn, she hadn’t noticed before. Mace had been throwing each fighter at the same spot on the cage. She saw the metal had weakened. Mace punched his fist through the small hole and ripped the cage wall open.
The crowd all leaped to their feet and started running.
Mace jumped through the gap, then moved straight toward the female leader. The woman lifted a weapon, but an enraged Mace kicked it out of her hand. He grabbed the woman by the hair.
The sludge covered Jayna’s chin and she went onto her toes. She saw Mace drag the woman closer to Jayna’s cell.
His mouth was moving, but the woman shook her head. Then Mace slammed her against the glass and a second later, the woman awkwardly waved a hand. The front of Jayna’s cell swung open.
The sludge poured out and Jayna went with it, almost slipping over.
Strong arms grabbed her, pulling her up against a hard body.
“Mace,” she choked out.
He held her close, his arms tight enough to cut off her air.
“I’m okay. I’m okay.” She chanted the words. Strangely, the black crud didn’t stain. Her skin felt damp, but there was no staining on her skin.
Then she felt Mace’s muscles lock and he stepped back. Without his arms around her, she felt herself waver. His assessing gaze moved over her, then he turned to the female leader on her knees in front of them.
“Tell me the quickest way out,” he demanded.
The woman jerked her head toward a nearby tunnel. Then her hot gaze traveled over Mace. “I knew you’d be magnificent in the cage. I can pick a fighter with the heart of a beast with just one look.”
A muscle ticked in Mace’s jaw. Jayna took a step toward him.
“So brutal,” the woman continued. “So vicious.”
“Shut up.” Jayna stepped between the woman and Mace, glaring. “You don’t the first thing about him.”
The woman smirked, and driven to the limit, Jayna kicked her. With a groan, the woman doubled over.
Voices echoed from a side tunnel.
The leader looked up, pale eyes glittering, and smiled. “My people are coming. I can’t wait to see you fight again, cyborg.” Her gaze flicked to Jayna, her smile twisting. “And see her die.”
Jayna lunged at the woman again, but Mace grabbed her. “Come on.”
He tugged her toward the exit tunnel. They jogged, moving at a pace that had Jayna panting.
“Mace—”
“Not safe yet.”
They took so many twists and turns that she was completely lost. But suddenly, Mace pointed at some rock-cut handholds gouged into the wall. She climbed up and saw the opening above. A second later, she hauled herself out into the desert night.
Mace pulled himself out of the hole and stood beside her. Night had fallen, draping the desert in darkness. She couldn’t see any sign of the ship.
But a second later, he pointed. “That way.”
He marched through the sand like a man on a mission. She tried desperately to match his pace.
“I can’t keep up,” she said breathlessly.
He slowed, but didn’t look at her. She felt a chill run over her skin.
Jayna licked her lips, glancing back over her shoulder. “Do you think they’ll come after us?”
“No.”
She pulled a face. “Queen Bitch seemed to like you.”
He shot her an unreadable look. “They’re desert dwellers. Survivors. They won’t come after us unless the odds are in their favor.”
“They’re assholes,” Jayna muttered. The cool desert breeze brushed over her bare skin and she shivered.
Mace was keeping a lot of space between them. She eyed the hard line of his jaw. He wasn’t looking at her or touching her, and she felt a sharp sting under her heart.
“Mace?”
“What?” He still didn’t look at her.
She stopped. “Mace.”
When he turned toward her, his eyes were dead, his face blank.
“You did what you had to do back there. I’m sorry you were forced into fighting.”
He lifted on broad shoulder. “It’s what I do.”
She made a small sound. “You used to fight. Now you’re House of Rone. A protector, a defender.”
He blew out a breath. “Jayna… What you saw, that’s me. The core of me.”
She hissed. “Bullshit.”
His brow creased. “What?”
“It’s an Earth saying.” She grabbed his arms. “You protected me. Saved me. You are not a man who fights because he gets off on it.”
“I used to.”
“Used to because you had to. Listen, I’ve seen ugly and cruel up close.” Her own nightmares rose up like specters and the pressure in her chest increased.
“Jayna.” Mace’s callused fingers brushed her jaw.
“I’m okay.” She looked into his beautiful eyes. “I see you, Mace. The man who makes me feel safe.”
His big body shuddered. She touched his hand and lifted it, pressing a kiss to his bruised knuckles.
Another shudder. “Jayna.”
“Thank you for doing everything you could to protect me.”
His brawny arms shot out, wrapping around her. She pressed her cheek to his chest and slid her arms around him. Somewhere in the distance, a beast howled.
Then he lifted his head. “The Rone cyborgs are here.”
Jayna didn’t see or hear a thing, but a few seconds later, she saw several forms melt out of the darkness.
Magnus’ cybernetic eye glowed in the dark. “Are you both okay?”
Mace nodded. “We are now. We got nabbed by some desert dwellers.”
“We need to teach them a lesson?” Jax asked.
Mace looked down at Jayna. “They threatened Jayna—”
“They made him fight.” The words burst out of her. “They were horrible and I want to rip them apart with my bare hands.”
Turning, she saw Mace’s lips quirk.
“It isn’t funny,” she hissed.
“It wasn’t, but it is now.” He tugged her closer. “I wanted to shut them down, but now…” He looked at Magnus. “I just want to get back to ship and get Jayna safe. We need to stay focused on our mission.”
“And I need a new outfit.” She grimaced. “I don’t think this look suits me.”
“You’ll have time to bathe and change, and to rest,” Magnus said. “Dachard hit a problem repairing the engines. We won’t be able to leave until the morning.”
Jayna sucked in a breath. “Sage.”
Mace’s arms tightened. “She has time.”
But not much. Jayna leaned into him. They all knew the clock was ticking.
Chapter Sixteen
“I don’t believe it,” the pilot said, his voice full of surprise.
Frowning, Mace clicked off his harness. Magnus was already pushing into
the cockpit. Jayna slid her harness free and followed.
“What the—?” Mace murmured.
Clouds. There were huge, white clouds filling the viewscreen.
“Where are they coming from?” Jax asked.
Magnus stared ahead, scowling. “I don’t know.”
“No idea,” Dachard said. “There are no bodies of water on scanners, but there must be water somewhere.”
“I didn’t imagine them,” Jayna murmured.
Mace tugged her to his side. That’s where he’d kept her all night. After she’d washed and changed clothes, they’d spent the night in the ship, Jayna curled into him.
She’d seem unaffected by their time with the desert dwellers. So drakking tough and resilient. Every minute he spent with her, the more in awe of her he was. She’d slept against him, holding him tight, completely unfazed by what she’d watched him do in that cage.
Jayna liked him, just as he was, rough, harsh edges and all.
“The clouds are obscuring visibility,” Magnus noted.
“I’ll take us lower.” The pilot touched the controls.
The ship swooped lower, passing through the mountains of clouds. Mace forced himself to focus on the mission.
“Look,” Jayna cried.
A tower made of scrap metal pierced the clouds, just the very top of it visible. Mace tensed. They’d found their prey.
“Don’t get too close to the tower,” Magnus murmured.
Dachard veered away, and soon they were flying down below the clouds, the sand visible again.
“There’s a flat plain close by. We’ll land there.”
Mace urged Jayna back to her seat and the others followed. Moments later, they touched down.
She reached over and grabbed Mace’s hand. He squeezed it and saw the determination on her face.
“Let’s bring home your friend.”
She nodded. “And make some Edull very unhappy.”
Mace resisted the urge to crack his knuckles. Oh, he wanted to do more than that.
When the ship’s door opened, Mace checked his sword. He wanted this done. Then he could get Jayna back to the House of Rone, back safe and secure.
When they stepped out of the ship, a hot desert breeze swept over them—harsh and dry. Above, fluffy, white clouds filled the air.
They moved away from the ship, Magnus raising a hand to the pilot.
“I’ll work on any new damage to the engines,” Dachard assured them. “It’s minor, and shouldn’t take me long. I’ll be ready to go when you get back.”
“You’ll be out here alone.” Magnus frowned. “A ship like this is a big target.”
A smile lifted the corners of Dachard’s mouth. “Oh, my baby has a very nice security system. I can electrify the hull. Anyone tries to get close, they’ll end up fried and crispy.”
The Rone cyborgs set off into the desert, the sand loose under their boots. They headed toward where they’d seen the tower of scrap metal. On the positive side, the clouds provided some relief from Carthago’s hot suns.
Jayna jerked to a halt and Mace watched a patterned garda slither away from them. The serpents were harmless.
She shuddered. “I hate snakes.”
The sand here was different from what he was used to around Kor Magna, as well. It was made up of lots of different colors—beige, yellow, brown, red. The dunes ahead were banded with the colors.
“Let’s get to the top of the dune.” Magnus pointed.
They clambered up the large mound. The sand was deep, and after watching Jayna struggle for several minutes, Mace lifted her into his arms.
“I should tell you to put me down, but I’m not going to.” She nuzzled her face against his chin. “I kinda like it when you haul me around.”
And he’d happily hold her like this forever, if she’d let him.
At the top of the dune, they lay down on their bellies. Mace pulled out some binocs from his small pack and handed them to Jayna.
“What about you?” she asked.
“We all have enhanced vision.” He showed her how to zoom in, and then he turned his gaze toward the tower.
The structure was made of different types of metal—some rusted, some shiny and new. There were large sheets, as well as smaller, salvaged parts. The tower was wider at the base, moving up to a narrow tip. Defensive, metal walls surrounded the base.
“Drak,” Jax said. “Look at the base.”
Mace looked lower and sucked in a breath.
“What is it?” Jayna zoomed in her binocs. “Wait. Is that—?”
There was a huge hole beneath the tower. The tower was floating over the hole.
Jayna gasped. “It’s like a defensive moat.”
“What?” Magnus said.
“On Earth, centuries ago, people built castles and forts, and they protected them with a large ditch around them, often filled with water.”
“How the drak is the tower floating there like that?” Toren muttered.
Mace could only see one walkway across the hole, leading to the base of the tower.
Only one way in and one way out.
Magnus frowned, staring at the structure. “We know the Edull use a lot of magnetic tech in their creations. It’s possible they’re using some sort of magnetic force.”
“How deep is the hole?” Mace asked.
The imperator shook his head. “I can’t tell from here.”
“My guess?” Jax said. “Really deep.”
“We’ll wait for the suns to set, then go in under the cover of darkness,” Magnus said.
“There’s only one way in.” Jayna bit her lip. “That’s bad, right?”
Mace nodded. The entrance would be heavily guarded. If they got trapped in there, then there was only one way out.
“This can’t be Bari Batu,” Jax mused. “It’s only one tower.”
Jayna nodded. “I didn’t see much of the city, but what I remember is a vast, sprawling city of towers and scrap.”
“Some sort of outpost?” Acton suggested.
“Likely,” Magnus said. “Bari Batu can’t be too far from here.”
“But these are the coordinates Vron had for Sage’s location. She must be in that tower.” Jayna stared at it, worry on her face.
Jax shifted, the desert breeze catching his hair. “Whatever this place is, we’re going in and getting her out.”
“For now, let’s move closer and settle in until dark,” Magnus ordered.
They started back down the dune. At the base, Jayna pointed.
“Oh, look.” Tiny pink flowers were growing out of the sand. She crouched to look at them.
Mace frowned. Something about the flowers was familiar…but he couldn’t think why.
“What the hell?” Jayna jerked upward, throwing her arms out. Her body tilted to the side. Her boots were sinking into the sand.
Now he remembered. The flowers grew in quicksand.
“Jayna!”
He heard the others curse and move closer. She was sinking fast, and struggling to keep herself upright.
“Stop moving,” he growled.
Keeping an eye on the ground, he was careful to keep his boots out of the quicksand. He tried to reach her, but she was just out of reach.
“Mace.” Panic edged her voice. She’d sunk up to her chest.
Then she let out a sharp scream, and suddenly her body was jerked downward.
“Mace! Something wrapped around my leg. It’s pulling me down!”
“We need to get her out. Now!” Magnus yelled.
“Acton,” Mace bellowed.
The cyborg raced over, lifting an arm. Jayna rose up out of the quicksand, crying out as she floated into the air.
A thick tentacle was wrapped around her legs. Mace’s gaze narrowed. No, not a tentacle. The drakking thing was a plant.
He felt the rumble of something large beneath the ground.
“It’s a swarla,” Magnus said. “Flesh-eating plant.”
“What?” Jay
na’s voice was a high-pitched screech. “Get me down.”
She twisted wildly, and the plant vine tightened on her. She cried out.
Drak this. Mace pulled his sword.
He backed up. “Hold her.”
“I have her,” Acton replied.
Mace leaped up, sailing through the air. He swung his sword, slicing through the dense vine.
A muffled screech came from under the sand. He somersaulted and landed on the other side of the quicksand. He spun.
Acton was moving Jayna toward him. Mace reached up and grabbed her out of the air.
“God!” She pressed her face to his neck and he squeezed her tight. Her heart was thundering, and so was his.
“Are you all right?”
She nodded. “I really, really hate the desert.”
“Me too.”
“It can be pretty, but dangerous as well.” She exhaled loudly and kissed him. “Like you.”
He scowled at her. “I am not pretty.”
“Long, pretty eyelashes. Pretty eyes.”
He set her down, but kept her close. He wasn’t letting her step away from him again. Holding her hand, he walked back to the others. “I’m a rough, tough cyborg.”
A smile broke out on her face, her fear fading. “My pretty, tough cyborg.”
Night had fallen, and Jayna was sick of lying still, watching the tower. She wanted something to happen. She was itching to get inside and find Sage.
The woman was almost out of time.
The cyborgs stayed preternaturally still, which she found more than a little disturbing. Still, she couldn’t say that she didn’t feel safe. Mace stayed close, his powerful body pressed against hers. She felt like he was alert and ready to dive in front of her and fight off anything that got close.
Damn, she was so crazy about him.
Finally, Magnus gave the order, lifting his cybernetic hand and waving.
The cyborgs shifted to their feet, gliding through the darkness. They headed toward the entrance leading to the tower, using the night darkness as cover.
The cyborgs kept Jayna surrounded, and she couldn’t help but smile briefly. Protective, every one of them, and especially the one she wanted all to herself.
A wild howl cut through the night, sending a shiver down her spine. Desert night beasts. She’d heard plenty of stories about them. Glancing around, she didn’t see anything, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there. She sensed the predators out there in the dark, waiting and watching.