by Anna Hackett
This will be the downfall of the Eon.
Thane glared at the elite.
We haven’t yet finished our tests. The elite’s eyes flashed. And you will be the perfect test subject, warrior.
No! Kaira’s heart literally stopped. She watched the color drain from Thane’s face.
She surged up.
An elite caught her throat in its claw. It lifted her off her feet and she kicked. She tried desperately to get free.
She choked. She couldn’t draw a breath. She felt the tips of the claws cutting into her skin, blood sliding down her neck.
There is nothing you can do, Terran, except witness the might of the Kantos.
“Kaira!” Thane yelled. “Let her go.”
Her lungs were burning, the strength leaking out of her body.
Then the elite tossed her and she crashed to the ground. She sucked in some deep breaths.
“Kaira.” Thane reached out an arm.
“I’m…okay,” she croaked.
Their fingers brushed.
Then they were both yanked apart by the soldiers.
Kaira resisted the urge to fight.
Take them to the lab. Prepare him for the test.
She was shoved forward. Ahead of her, several soldiers pushed Thane roughly out of the council chamber.
A raw sense of helplessness rose in her, choking her worse than the elite had.
She stared at Thane. His face was stoic and he stood tall. She knew that he would never give up. Her strong mate, her passionate lover, the man she loved, would fight until he couldn’t anymore.
To watch him ripped apart from his symbiont…
She bit her lip so hard she tasted blood.
She had to find a way to stop this.
But they were alone, beaten, and Kaira was afraid that their luck had run out.
Thane yanked against his captors, but they held him fast.
Another one landed a hard blow to his lower back.
Pain rocketed through his body and he stifled a groan. He felt warmth pulse from his helian, as it tried to help.
His helian.
Panic and fear were an ugly mix in his gut. The Kantos were going to try and tear him and his helian apart.
They’d been bonded since he was a child. His mouth went dry. Without his helian, his mating bond with Kaira would also be destroyed.
He shook his head. He had to focus. He had to find a way to get free.
He wouldn’t let the Kantos hurt Kaira.
Finally, they reached the lab where they’d found the pathogen. One elite swept forward. Strap the Eon down.
Soldiers shoved him toward a bench with heavy-duty straps on it.
“Leave him alone.” Kaira elbowed the soldier guarding her. She sprang toward Thane.
An elite hit her in the back of the head and she dropped to the floor like a rock.
His gut churned. “Kaira.” Cren. He was powerless. He couldn’t protect his mate.
She pushed up on her hands and knees, and gently shook her head.
Their gazes met.
Cren, he loved her. He loved this woman to the depths of his soul.
Then he was shoved hard and rammed into the bench.
Get on, Eon, or your Terran will pay.
He dragged in a breath and sat on the bench.
“Thane, no,” Kaira cried.
“It’s all right, Kaira.”
She shook her head wildly. “No. None of this is right. I don’t…I don’t want to lose you.”
His heart squeezed, and then he was shoved onto his back by two soldiers. They strapped his arms down, then his legs.
The bindings are reinforced with ingola. The elite’s voice rang in his head.
A muscle ticked in Thane’s jaw. He was well aware how strong ingola metal was. He couldn’t break free.
The Eon will regret their arrogant meddling.
“For the love of God, quit grandstanding,” Kaira muttered.
The elite glared at her.
Once again, despite the dire circumstances, Thane felt the urge to laugh.
The group of elite moved closer, and one held up its bony arm, the vial in its claw.
The pathogen swirled with so many colors. Thane kept his face blank. He had no idea what would happen. The best case, the pathogen didn’t work. But the memory of those dying helians was etched in his head.
He likely wouldn’t survive being torn apart from his helian. His symbiont would die.
He had no idea the effect on Kaira. If he survived, he could be left a wrecked shell.
“Thane.”
He turned his head. She struggled with her captor and ripped free.
She sprinted for him and gripped his arm. “I wanted to tell you…I’m falling in love with you.”
Warmth punched through his chest. “My Starlight…”
“Whatever happens, remember that.” She pressed a quick kiss to his lips.
Then she was wrenched away. Cursing, she kicked and struggled against the soldier.
Enough. The elite stepped into view, holding the pathogen vial high. It’s time.
Kaira loved him.
Thane felt a surge of emotion. His gorgeous smart, strong Terran mate loved him.
It was then he realized that she’d loosened the strap on his wrist while she’d kissed him.
By Alqin’s axe, his little Terran was so amazing.
As the elite moved closer, Thane surreptitiously worked on the loose binding. He felt it loosen even more.
He tried not to tense up and give himself away.
The elite stood right beside him now. The pathogen vial looked so delicate in its sharp claws.
Suddenly, a crash sounded behind him. Buzzing filled the air. There was another crash.
Stop them. The elite spun. Kill them all.
Thane had no idea what was going on, but he formed a short sword on his free arm and stabbed the elite in the neck.
The alien made a choked noise. Thane shoved with all his strength through the Kantos’ hard shell. Green blood ran down the elite’s torso. It made another choked, dying sound.
Its claws loosened and the vial started to fall.
Cren.
Thane quickly dissolved his sword and caught the vial, just in time. He shoved it onto his belt.
He half turned, trying to see what was going on.
And spotted Nisid and several of his rogues fighting the Kantos.
Yes. Thane started to work on freeing his other wrist. The sound of the brutal fight echoed through the lab.
Where was Kaira? He couldn’t see her in the chaos.
A soldier rushed at him. Cren.
Thane abandoned the binding and morphed a sword. He fought one-handed, slashing at the Kantos.
The soldier fell, but another leaped at him. It landed on the bench on top of Thane.
He grunted back a curse. The alien was heavy. He jerked his sword upward and the soldier fell off with a harsh buzzing sound.
He had to get free. He had to find Kaira.
He yanked on the binding. Come on.
Another soldier charged, its arm held up like a spear.
Thane’s heart pounded and he raised his arm. But he knew he wouldn’t have time to create a shield. The soldier would skewer him.
Then the soldier jerked to a halt, like it had hit an invisible wall.
Thane sucked in a breath.
The soldier collapsed.
Behind it stood Kaira, her sword dripping green blood.
Chapter Seventeen
Kaira raced to Thane and cut his bindings.
Then she was yanked against him, his mouth taking hers in a hard, breathless kiss.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“Fine, thanks to you.” He swung his legs off the bench.
“Nisid found us.”
“He has excellent timing.”
Her gaze dropped to the vial on his belt. “The pathogen?”
“I’ve got it. Now, let’s get o
ut of here.”
Together, they ducked past fighting Kantos. Several soldiers rushed at them, and they both formed their swords.
Kaira fell into the fight. She wanted to fucking live. A burst of energy filled her.
She slashed across a soldier’s torso, a diagonal cut opening up. As the soldier spun to evade, she followed, and did the same to its back.
Beside her, Thane lunged low and rammed his sword into the gut of another soldier.
They passed each other, their swords up. On the next swing, her sword slammed against a soldier’s sharp arm. The force of the blow vibrated through her body.
Gritting her teeth, she attacked again. Hit. Hit. Slash.
“Kaira.” Thane came in low, and she stepped out of his way. He cut across the soldier’s legs with a powerful blow. She struck again, green blood spraying across her armor.
The soldier collapsed.
“We need to get out of here,” Thane barked. “Now.”
They ran for the door.
Stop the Eon and Terran.
The elite’s voice boomed through her head. Kaira glanced back. Several elites were pushing through the fighting to get to them.
A large, dog-sized bug with large mandibles leaped onto a bench beside them. It snarled and jumped at them.
Thane’s sword flashed. With a yelp, the bug crashed to the floor.
Go. Nisid’s voice. Get out.
Kaira’s pulse spiked. Thank you, Nisid.
Another bug flew through the air, and Thane shoved Kaira out of the way.
The bug slammed into him.
No way. She watched Thane and the bug roll around on the floor. She morphed her sword into an axe.
“Thane, clear!”
Her warrior rolled free. She swung the axe down, severing the bug’s ugly head.
Thane rolled to his feet and grabbed her hand.
They raced out the door, then barreled down the hall.
“Which way?” she yelled.
“Whichever way’s clear.”
They turned a corner, only to find a massive bug with a bulbous body covered in yellow stripes blocking the way.
It lifted its head and screeched.
“Not this way.” Thane backed up.
They swiveled. As they headed back into the first corridor, soldiers were rushing out of the lab.
Kaira frantically scanned around. “There.”
There was another door farther down. They sprinted into another corridor. A skittering noise, followed by a strange hiss, echoed ahead.
They both slowed.
A bug came around the corner. And kept coming.
It had a long, segmented body in deep brown, with lots of orange legs.
It reared up and hissed. Two long antennas waved wildly, and its serrated mandibles were tipped with jagged barbs.
“Oh, shit.” Kaira backed up.
Thane stepped back too. “Back. Now.”
They turned and sprinted.
The centipede chased them, rushing down the corridor with blinding speed.
“Faster!” Kaira screamed.
Thane grabbed her, lifted her off her feet, and threw her ahead of him.
She sailed through the air and hit the ground. She rolled and came up on one knee.
The centipede rose up above Thane.
“Thane!”
He pumped his arms and legs, then dove.
The alien creature struck like a cobra. It smashed into the floor, narrowly missing Thane.
Kaira darted to him, and grabbed his arm. “Come on.”
They raced back down the original hall.
A group of soldiers and an elite blocked the way.
When they saw Thane and Kaira, they stiffened.
When they saw the centipede, they all stumbled back.
“In here.” Kaira did a sharp left and shoved through another doorway.
Thane slammed the door closed behind them. Then he formed a flamethrower and welded it shut. “It won’t hold for long.”
They were in another lab, similar to the previous one, except there was a huge, glass box in the center of it.
She walked over and touched the transparent walls.
“It’s a containment cage.” Thane touched the glass. “It’s made of a diamond-like material. Impossible to break.”
Her belly turned over. “It’s to hold test subjects.”
He gave her a grim nod. “It’s strong enough to hold anything, and the Kantos can watch the results of their experiments.”
She grimaced.
“Let’s find a way out,” he said.
A massive boom echoed and the door shuddered.
“Our centipede friend is hungry,” she said.
They circled the room. Unlike on the ship, the vents here were too small for them to get through.
Another boom.
“We could blow a hole in the wall,” Thane suggested.
Boom.
The door bent inward. The alien centipede stuck its head in and hissed.
Break it down. An enraged elite.
“We’re out of time.” Thane turned to the containment box. “Get inside.”
“And trap ourselves?”
“If we’re in there, they can’t get to us and I have the pathogen. It’ll help keep us alive. Maybe by then, the Rengard, or another Eon ship, will arrive.”
Her stomach was a mass of knots. She didn’t like this.
She blew out a breath and climbed through the door into the box.
Thane followed and slammed the door closed behind them. Then he smashed the lock.
There was no way for it to be opened from the outside.
He took her hand. “We’ve got this.”
The doors to the lab burst open.
Thane watched soldiers fill the room.
Out in the hall, he could see that some soldiers had thrown ropes on the centipede and were pulling it away. It was still hissing.
The elite filed in. There were only seven of them now.
“Looks like you’re missing a few of your council,” he said.
The elite glared.
They will be avenged. The lead elite stepped up to the glass wall. Give us the pathogen.
“No,” he said.
“Go fuck yourself,” Kaira added.
The elite’s eyes glowed. We can kill you. We can pump your prison with poison.
“But you want me as a test subject?”
We will flush you out, Eon. The elite turned and nodded.
Soldiers carried a box over to the containment cage. They held it up to a small experiment hole.
Cren.
Bugs flowed into their containment box. They were the size of his finger. They had six black legs, a sturdy body with a green back end, and a small head with beady, black eyes.
As they crawled across the floor, their green abdomens glowed.
“They look like ants,” Kaira said.
One leaped and hit Thane’s arm. It nipped him and burning pain coursed through his arm.
He flicked the creature off. “They sting.”
Several flew at them and he batted them aside.
“Ow.” Kaira slapped a hand to her neck. She wrenched a bug off and threw it.
Thane slashed with his sword. He cut through the body of one insect, and green glowing liquid splashed his boot.
“God, it burns.” Kaira swung her own sword, and kicked another bug.
Together they swung and kicked. Both of them suffered more stings.
Finally, all the ants were dead. Kaira slumped against Thane, her face coated in perspiration.
“Kaira?”
“I’m okay. Just hurts.”
He felt the burn under his skin and knew his helian would be blunting the worst of it.
And this was just the beginning. No doubt the elites had much more torture planned.
An elite stepped close to the glass, staring through at them. Give us the pathogen.
Kaira trembled. “Screw you. It’l
l take more than a few ants to take us down.”
So brave. Thane stroked her jaw. “I hate that you’re in pain.”
She let out a small groan. “Nothing I can’t handle.” She gave him a faint smile. “With you by my side, I can face anything.” She cupped his cheek. “I’ve been acting tough, protecting myself. But loving someone, having someone you trust at your back, that’s worth everything. Every risk.”
“I love you, Kaira.”
Her smile widened. “Good. I love you too, Thane, and I’m feeling very grateful that you’re my mate.”
Her words flowed through him. They meant everything to him.
His mate.
He grabbed her and kissed her.
If you’re waiting for help from the traitors, it won’t come.
The elite’s voice made them turn. Thane’s gut hardened.
He watched as soldiers dragged in several rogues, then strung them up by ropes.
“No,” Kaira breathed.
The rogues were dead.
Thane gritted his teeth. He didn’t see Nisid among the dead.
“They just wanted to live.” Kaira pressed her hand to the glass. “To be safe and left alone.”
He slid an arm around her.
Come out and give us the pathogen.
“No,” Thane repeated.
We want you alive, Eon, but not the Terran. The elite cocked his head. We possess numerous poisons that won’t hurt you, but will kill her.
Thane tensed.
“Don’t listen to them.” She grabbed his hands. “Whatever happens, we don’t give them the pathogen.”
He met her gaze.
“Thane.”
“I…won’t let them hurt you.”
Her chin jutted. “And I won’t let them hurt you. We fight, my mate. You and I, together. We’ve survived everything that’s been thrown at us. We will not roll over.”
“By the warriors, I love you.”
She smiled. “Good.” She turned to look at the elite. “Flood us with poison, asshole.” She formed a helmet and rapped her knuckles against it.
The elite shifted, looking like it wanted to attack her.
We can wait you out. You have no food or water.
“We got a message out,” Thane said. “We both know the Eon are coming.”
The elite pulled back, and huddled with the others.
Kaira pressed a hand to her hip. “They’re up to something. Some way to mess with us and force us out.”