His father raised an eyebrow. “You have a better idea?”
Tygor nodded. “You just keep them contained without them knowing what’s going on. Leave the rescue to me and Posh.”
“And how do you intend to track her?” The question caught Tygor off guard, but he didn’t think too much about it.
“I can follow her magical signature.”
“She’s not using magic,” Singin pointed out calmly.
“Doesn’t matter.” Tygor shrugged into his shirt. “I could find her a quadrant away.”
“I see.” Before Tygor could delve into that, his father said, “Well, good luck then. I’ll inform the others of the plan.” He stepped to his son and gripped Tygor’s shoulder firmly. “You be careful. Believe it or not, I don’t want either of you getting hurt.” Singin turned then, and strode out the door.
“Here.” Posh held two repulser guns, one decidedly bigger than the other. He held the smaller one to Tygor.
“Compensating?” Tygor asked with a raised eyebrow.
Posh snorted. “Hardly. I just figure with your magic you have a decided advantage over me.”
“Would it make you feel better if I told you I hadn’t used it in years before last night?”
“Not in the least. And you’re not getting my gun.” Posh gave him a lopsided grin. “Move it.” And they headed out the door.
Chapter Seven
It was so dark, at first Starla thought she’d gone blind. Her face hurt horribly, and her whole body ached. She could barely breathe. There was some kind of cloth over her head, a gag in her mouth, and her hands were tied behind her. There were people moving somewhere above her. She could hear the clamor loudly so she had to be close to them. But being bound and gagged and unable to make a sound, no one knew she needed help. Even if she did, the people on this station weren’t going to put themselves at risk to help a stranger.
Concentrating hard, she tried to form a spell -- any spell -- that would alert others to her presence, but her head hurt too much to form it. She took a breath and tried again.
Nothing.
Tears started to leak from her eyes but she blinked them back. She’d work her way out of this. She could do it. Using all those exercises to calm herself she’d learned from the teachers in the Vastus, she focused on controlling her breathing. Slow and even. In and out. Deep and cleansing. Oxygen clears the lungs and the blood. The blood flows to the brain, cleansing it as well. Cleansing the brain helps one to think rationally.
It worked. She was surprised how much better she felt. She was still frightened, but controlling that one element of this scene eased the weight on her chest a little. Panic no longer gripped her as it had, though she was acutely aware of the danger she was in. Not only from whoever had kidnapped her, but the Vastus as well. She knew they’d rather kill her themselves than see her in the hands of terrorists, and she couldn’t really blame them.
Just as she’d gotten a hold on herself, her captors grabbed her roughly and dragged her across the floor for several minutes.
“Damned bitch is heavier than she looks,” one grumbled.
“No, she’s not, you’re just a fat ass who spends too much time in blowjob booths. Suck it up or get out of my fucking way and I’ll keep the profits.”
Her captor readjusted his grip on her and caught a handful of hair in the process. Starla bit back a whimper, squeezed her eyes tightly shut, and focused again on breathing. In and out. Again. Again. Again. When she relaxed her eyelids and opened them slightly, she noticed her blindfold had slipped. It now left one eye uncovered and gave her one tiny victory over her fear.
“Is she alive? She hasn’t moved since you hit her.”
“She’s breathing. That’s enough for me.”
They were men. One had a whiny, nasally voice, while the other one had a high, tenor pitch with a slight squeak. Neither seemed the type to care that she didn’t want to be with them.
“She’s breathing for now. It will be our heads if she dies,” Mr. Whiny complained.
“You’re welcome to back out now if you want. I’ll take full responsibility if she dies.”
“Yeah. I just bet you would,” Mr. Whiny snorted. “More likely, you’d say I’d killed her and fled afterward.”
Mr. Squeaky Voice only chuckled.
They dragged her for a long way and struggled to get her down several ladders. Starla closed her mind to the outside world. She was aware of what was happening, but it was like she wasn’t a part of it. She could see the inner bulkheads of the ventilation system, but it only vaguely registered. She knew the only chance she had for survival was to center herself enough to call on the magic she’d always taken for granted. She definitely wasn’t used to having to work for it.
Her body was battered and bruised but she barely noticed. She opened herself, calling on an exercise she hadn’t used since she was a small child. A mage’s magic came from within the mind. Hurt and scared as she was, her mind was vulnerable. That made it almost impossible to find the strength she needed to help herself.
Starla crawled deep inside her mind. Away from fear. Away from pain. She had to get a grip, control her fear and channel her magic if she was going to get out of this.
As a girl, there had been a garden with a pool in the Vastus sanctuary she always went to when she had a problem. The quiet tinkling of the water always soothed her and helped her find her center again. Mentally, she took herself back now. What she found there surprised her.
I’ve been looking for you.
Tygor? How did you get here?
I followed you.
But I left you in your room.
I know. We’ll discuss it later. For now, I need you to concentrate on me. Can you do that?
Tygor’s gruff, husky voice whispered in her mind. Starla wasn’t sure if this was a dream or not, but she was so glad to have a friend she didn’t care. Please don’t leave me, Tygor.
Never, Starla. Never. Now, hang on to me, but open your eyes. I need to see where you are.
Slowly, Starla did what he asked. She didn’t want to risk her captors knowing she wasn’t unconscious but she knew this was important. Fortunately, they had their backs to her, peering out a ventilation duct.
That’s good, Starla. Tygor’s praise washed over her in a flush of heat. Just his presence in her mind warmed her chilled body. Strange he’d come to mean something to her in such a short time. Her throat tightened when she thought of how she’d left him. Which was strange. She’d known him for two weeks. Sexual tension between them had been high at times, but they had no commitment to each other. It still felt wrong.
I’m sorry about before, Tygor. She wasn’t sure why she felt the need to apologize, especially now, but she meant it with all her heart.
It’s OK. I’m sure you had your reasons.
Did you mean it when you said you wanted the real me instead of the fantasy girl you made me into?
You’re perfect just the way you are, baby. But now’s not the time for this. We’ll talk about it later. Right now, just let me find you.
Starla had no idea what he meant, but she certainly hoped he could find her. She and her captors were in one of the many duct systems snaking through ’Port Adana. The space they were in was small, dark and cramped. Even now, having pulled herself tightly into a ball, she brushed the sides of the wall. The men who’d taken her were bigger than she was, and she had no idea how they managed to fit in the small tunnel at all.
At the moment, both men were staring out a vent opening, studying the room outside. Neither had said a word for a long time.
“You think it’s safe to move her to the ship?”
“It’s gonna have to be. We’re on a timetable, and we’re already late.”
The men whispered, but it was easy for Starla to pick up on their apprehension. Whoever they worked for, they feared his displeasure.
“Then let’s get on with it.”
Starla narrowed her eyes to slits, but kept them op
en. Her heart raced, but she tried every calming technique she knew to control her breathing. It was next to impossible. She felt like she was suffocating.
Just a little longer, Starla. Hold on just a little longer.
She heard the clang of the security grate hitting the deck floor, and one of the men grabbed her arm, pulling her out of the duct tunnel. Once outside, he hefted her over his shoulder, not unlike Tygor had done. Starla was beginning to hate being tossed around.
They were in the hangar area. Ships from small to mid-size were scattered around in a very efficient way, allowing the most “parking” space available. Most were quiet, but some had pilots doing preflight checks. During the night cycle of Spaceport Adana, though, there were few people around.
Starla wasn’t sure exactly what she expected Tygor to do, but the flash of one of his magical gateways appearing in front of her wasn’t it. The singer stepped sure and strong from the arch, armed with a wicked looking repulser rifle. Behind him, Posh also emerged, carrying an even more impressive weapon.
“Do I really have to tell you to let the girl go and put your hands in the air?”
Her captors whirled around, the one holding her aloft dropping her to the floor. The pain forced out a small whimper from Starla behind her gag, which she quickly silenced. Her captors didn’t waste time. The men ducked and ran in different directions.
“Told you.” Posh raised an eyebrow and grinned at Tygor.
“I’ll pay you later.” Tygor glanced at her, but followed the man who went right, while Posh went after the one who went left. Starla was left in a heap on the floor, but she was alive.
She heard Posh mutter something then the staccato zap zap zap of his weapon. Shouts and screams followed, and soon after the wail of the security sirens filled the air. The dim lighting of the night cycle was replaced by the brighter day cycle illumination, making it easier for ’Port Security to see what was happening. More shouts, more shots, and Starla gritted through her pain to stand and try to find either Posh or Tygor. They might need help, though what she could do with her hands tied behind her she had no idea. She’d think of something if it was necessary.
She found Posh only a few hundred yards away standing over the prostrate form of one of her captors. He dug in his back pocket for something, then pulled out a set of restrictor cuffs and pinned the man’s hands behind his back. When he looked up, he winked at Starla before approaching her and freeing her hands and removing her gag.
“Where’d you get restrictor cuffs?” Not the most intelligent question, but given the fact that she didn’t sound nearly as wimpy as she felt, she didn’t care.
“Never know what you might need.”
“You need restrictor cuffs on a daily basis?” Starla knew her mouth was open. She couldn’t help it. A flush heated her neck and face when the obvious answer dawned on her. When he started to reply, Starla held up a hand. “Never mind. I don’t want to know.”
“No.” Posh smirked. “I don’t imagine you would.” He grabbed her arm, directing her in a different direction. “This guy’s secure. Let’s go find Tygor.”
It sounded easy, but it wasn’t. There were security personnel all over the place, talking to each other quietly through their implants. This was a rather large gathering of spaceport security for such a small disturbance.
Starla had a growing sense of dread building in her. She could hear gunfire in the general direction Tygor had gone, but she couldn’t see either him or the other man. Posh was somewhere behind her, yelling at her to stop and wait for him. She couldn’t. Tygor needed her. She was sure of it. The connection they’d built earlier still tickled the back of her mind.
Fury unlike anything she’d ever known built in Starla. These people would not take her magic from her again, and she wouldn’t let them take Tygor, either.
Starla ran toward the gunfire, oblivious to anything else around her. Just as it had since she began her training with the Vastus, her magic filled her. The spells that had been such a part of her for a very long time flooded her mind, and she knew exactly what she needed to do. She rounded the corner just as her remaining attacker brought a small crate down on Tygor’s back.
“No!” she screamed.
The man looked up at her in shock, but quickly recovered. He stood where he knelt by Tygor’s still form and advanced on her. “Now I got you, bitch,” he growled. “I bet I can get double the money for you, given the trouble you’ve caused.”
He opened his mouth to say something else, but Starla wasn’t interested in hearing more. She fixed him with a penetrating stare, and he stopped. Dead.
It was the most powerful Paralyzer spell she’d ever used. He was dead seconds after she gripped him, and for the life of her, she couldn’t be sorry for what she’d done.
Chapter Eight
Tygor managed to get the heavy crate off him and roll over just as his attacker crumpled to the deck. Starla nearly glowed with the aura of her power. The air seemed to sizzle and stood her cropped hair up on her head. She turned to him and as she walked toward him, he couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. And it wasn’t any mystic spell she’d placed on him either. Tygor felt like everything was moving in slow motion.
Her hips swayed seductively with each step she took, and her small breasts bounced gently beneath her shirt. She was truly breathtaking and touched him on more levels than he was comfortable admitting. Like an avenging angel, she slew his enemy and came to his rescue…
Tygor shook his head. What the fuck was this all about? Avenging angel? Oh, hell no. He scrambled to his feet, closed the distance between them. “’Bout damned time.”
Starla blinked several times. “What?”
“You’re being paid to protect me. I need protecting.” He scooped her up and opened a gateway to his cabin on the band’s ship. Posh could deal with ’Port Security. Surveillance would show the killing of that man was unavoidable and any remaining mess would be dealt with by the Vastus. Without a glance at anyone or anything, he stepped through the gate and closed it behind him.
“I’m beginning to hate when you do that.” Starla wiggled out of his arms and turned to face him. “Can’t we just walk like normal people?”
He growled and advanced on her. Starla jumped back away from him with a startled yelp.
“Now, what fun would that be?” Tygor launched himself at her, and they both fell screaming and laughing onto the bed. Tygor wasted no time finding her lips with his, and soon her laughter turned to sighs and squeals of pleasure. Tygor found the hem of her shirt and the flesh beneath it easily enough, but when he crept up her delectable body with his hands, she flipped them, straddling his hips. She sat up and batted his hands away when he would have snaked them around her slender waist and pulled her down to him.
“No. We talk first.”
“Sweet stars above! This is hardly the time.”
“Now, Tygor. Something’s happening between us, and I don’t trust it.” She was serious. She wanted him like she’d never wanted another man in her life but it had come on so strong and so sudden it couldn’t be all her feelings.
“It’s our magic, Starla.”
She blinked. It made sense, but she wasn’t sure why. The fierce attraction had started the moment they’d interacted magically. Then it dawned on her. “Harmonics?”
He nodded, smiling. “At least that’s what Dad always said.”
“So we were destined to be together? Don’t you think that’s a little bit cheesy?” She didn’t believe in destiny. She made her own destiny.
“Oh, no.” He reached up to roll a nipple between his thumb and forefinger. “But it does make it hard for you to resist me.”
Starla arched her back, pushing her breasts into his hands. “I’ll say.” She didn’t try to stop her whimpers this time. What was the point? If what he was saying was true, he wanted her as much as she wanted him. It didn’t mean they were in love, but she’d be hard-pressed to tell the difference at the moment.
“Wait. Stop.” Stars, she needed to think! “I can’t, Tygor.”
He sat up, not resisting when she rolled off him and stood to put a few steps between them. Starla wished he’d tried to stop her, or showed any emotion at all. She really wanted to know what he was feeling. Instead, he just looked at her a few moments. The silence stretched on until she fidgeted.
“You can, Starla. You want to.”
“Maybe, but not blindly. Not knowing it’s all just uncontrollable lust driving me. I’m stronger than that.”
“You’re probably the strongest person I’ve ever met, but that doesn’t explain why you’ve suddenly got cold feet. I think it’s deeper than that.” The man totally messed with her mind. From the moment they’d met, he seemed to be a step ahead of her.
Tears threatened to pool in her eyes, but she swallowed the emotion. “Why did you say all those things when we had sex the first time?” She blurted out the question. He had seemed so sincere when he’d said he wanted their first time to be special, that she’d deserved to be wooed and made love to gently. He’d even said he didn’t want to take her in the “costume” of the sex goddess. She had to know why. If it was only the magic, then wasn’t that as false as her other appearance?
“Because they were true.” His answer was anything but simple.
“Are you sure it wasn’t the magic talking? Because I don’t know you. Have no idea what kind of man you are, and I’m not entirely sure I even like you, but I could swear I’m in love with you, and I can’t tell if it’s me or this connection through our magic.”
“How did you feel about me before you tried to Paralyze me?” Tygor raised himself up on an elbow, and Starla watched transfixed as a thick lock of hair fell over one dark eye. He was easily the sexiest man she’d ever seen.
She blinked several times. “I thought you were hot,” she admitted. When he gave her a crooked grin, looking supremely satisfied, she added, “And a pain in the ass.” The grin remained.
Spaceport: Paralyzer Page 5