“It’s not your fault that Sleeja is an asshole, Nebu.” She noticed the scavenger was up in his seat at the front of the cart, getting the beast ready for them to leave. She glared at the back of his head.
“Asshole.” Nebu gave her a watery grin. “I like that word from your homeworld.”
“Yeah, me too.”
In her head, she imagined getting her revenge. Then she imagined tracking down every single member of her crew. It fueled her, gave her hope.
She wanted to find some wire and take her frustration out on the metal, and make Nebu something to make him smile. But she didn’t think the pain would let her.
The cart jerked as they set off. She took one last glance at the trading post as they left out a different set of gates. She hoped to catch a glimpse of the cyborg gladiators again.
But the only thing she saw were dusty buildings. Then the rough jolting of the cart set all her injuries alight with pain. With a groan, she curled into a ball.
“Going to rest,” she murmured to Nebu.
She pulled her scarf over her face and closed her eyes. As she drifted, she didn’t think of her family, even though she missed them so much it hurt to think about them. She was close to her metal artist father, her singer mother, and her sweet, super-smart brother.
They were all so creative, while she’d been the sensible, sporty one. As a teen, she’d taken on the role of ensuring they had food in the fridge and her brother made it to school on time. Her parents could get so absorbed in their art that they’d forget the day-to-day stuff. But she loved them and the wonderful things they produced. Her mother had the voice of an angel, and her father’s art sold for crazy amounts of money. She was proud of them.
Her thoughts drifted to the Helios. The faces of all the crew members scrolled through her head. Pain sliced through her. She’d failed them. She’d been there to ensure their safety and now they were either dead or prisoners.
The guilt was a heavy, heavy weight on her shoulders.
Instead of thinking of them, she thought of cobalt-blue eyes and that handsome face. She’d even managed to get a glimpse of that interesting tattoo up close. It was black ink of circuits and wires.
A cyborg tattoo for a cyborg. Appropriate.
Quinn let herself daydream about the sexy cyborg as they headed back into the desert.
Chapter Four
Back on the ship, Jax scowled out the window as Rillian’s pilot flew them back to Kor Magna. He watched the sand stream by beneath them.
But he wasn’t thinking about the outpost.
He was thinking about the woman.
He glanced at the pilot. “The ship holding up?”
The older man nodded. “We’ve managed to increase the engine’s desert capabilities. Soon, we might even eliminate the engine problems for good.”
Which would open the desert up. There would be plenty of people who’d welcome it, and some—the ones who liked to hide—who wouldn’t.
Jax nodded. “Good. When we get back, I want to refuel and then head straight back out.”
The pilot nodded, his fingers moving over the controls. “Rillian has put the ship at your disposal.”
Jax tapped his fingers against the console. The woman’s dirt-streaked face was etched in his mind. He hadn’t gotten a clear enough look under her robes to be certain if she was human or not.
But his gut told him to help her.
Rising, he moved back to join his fellow cyborgs. Acton stood by the side window, scanning the desert. Mace was sprawled in a chair.
Mace had come from a lawless planet covered in criminal gangs. He’d grown up fighting, then been forced into death-match cage fights. He’d been brought to Kor Magna to fight in the underground fight rings.
His uncaring masters had forced him to fight for weeks on end, battle after battle. He’d protected weaker fighters, and kept fighting, even when he’d been broken and battered. He’d been injured and dying from massive internal injuries when Magnus had found him. Mace had needed synthetic organs to replace his own damaged ones. Most of Mace’s enhancements were under the skin, and gave him a deadly strength, and abilities that he wasn’t afraid to use.
He was also a master at brooding and had a nasty temper when riled.
Acton, on the other hand, was the result of a military program much like Jaxer’s. Perhaps one that was even more brutal than the Orionix program. Acton was heavily enhanced, and as cold as ice. But the cyborg’s loyalty was never in doubt. He never smiled, he didn’t feel, but he would protect any member of the House of Rone with his life.
“We’ll refuel and return to the desert. I want to scan around the trading post.”
Mace shifted. “You believe that woman was human?”
“I don’t know, but my gut says yes.”
Acton’s green eyes flashed. “Your gut is not reliable evidence, Jax. We need facts.”
Jax smiled. He’d been trying to get Acton to loosen up, but it was proving a challenge. “She was human, Acton, I know it. Regardless, we’ll find her, help her, and we’ll check if she is this Quinn Bennett that Mina mentioned.”
Regardless of her species, Jax was going to free her.
The ship landed at the spaceport. As the pilot went to organize the refueling, Jax spotted the imposing forms of two imperators waiting for him—Magnus and Galen.
Both men were tall, with powerful, muscled bodies, and radiated an air of command. Magnus’ cyborg background was proclaimed by his cybernetic arm and metal implants, while Galen had a rugged face and a black eye patch over one eye. His black cloak flapped around his body.
Galen and his gladiators had rescued the human survivors of the Fortuna Space Station one by one, and ended the Thraxians’ insidious grasp on Carthago. He was a man Jax respected.
“Jax,” Magnus said. “Anything to report?”
“A possible sighting.”
Both men straightened. Jax gave them a brief rundown of the events at the trading post.
“You’re sure she was human?” Magnus asked.
“I don’t have proof, but there’s a good chance. I’ll find her and confirm.” Anticipation licked at him. This was the first real break he’d had during the investigation into the stolen humans from the Helios. He was so close that he could taste it. “She helped me in the fight.”
“Sounds like something a human woman would do,” Galen said, dryly. His own mate from Earth was a formidable fighter, and had become Champion of the Zaabha desert arena before her rescue.
“I’ll bring the woman back,” Jax said.
“Be careful,” Magnus said.
His best friend’s tone was cool, but Jax knew there was emotion buried under it. Magnus was just better at hiding his feelings, but Jax had always seen the man beneath the metal. They’d formed a bond when Jax had been an awestruck recruit following around the crowning glory of the cyborg program. Magnus had tried to ignore him, but Jax had managed to get under the man’s enhancements. The older cyborg had always protected Jax, and in return, Jax had ensured his friend never forgot that he was more than just a killing machine.
He nodded at Magnus and Galen and re-boarded the ship.
Once the refueling was complete, the ship lifted off. Jax sat in the co-pilot’s chair as the pilot headed back to the trading outpost.
“Circle around the outpost,” Jax said.
The pilot obeyed, and Jax pressed a hand to the ship’s console. His systems meshed with the ship’s, and he connected with the ship’s scanners.
“I see some desert travelers ahead,” the pilot said.
The man had the eyesight of a cyborg. A second later, Jax spotted them. A small convoy with carts pulled by tarnids. He initiated a scan.
The results flickered in front of his left eye as well as on the console screen. “Three traals, the rest native Carthagoans.” There were no indeterminate species. “Widen the search radius.”
They passed some small groups of travelers riding various animals. The sca
ns showed no one who might be human.
“They could be anywhere.” Mace moved to stand behind Jax, gripping the back of Jax’s seat.
Mace was right. Carthago’s deserts were vast, and filled with all kinds of travelers, residents, and beasts.
“Where are you, human?” Jax murmured under his breath.
“There,” the pilot said. “There’s another blip on the screen.”
Jax leaned forward, looking out the viewscreen. He spotted a long, black cart, drawn by a tandu. It was moving slowly through the deep sand.
He studied the scan results. “A mixed-species individual and a chandi.” Another piece of information flickered on the screen and his pulse spiked. “And an indeterminate.”
“Let’s check it out,” Mace said.
“It’s too dangerous for me to land the ship here,” the pilot said. “The sand’s too thick.”
“Get low enough.” Jax looked to the others. “I’ll go alone to investigate. I want you on standby if I need you.”
Acton and Mace nodded.
Once the pilot was in position, Jax opened the side door. The wind whipped in his face, forcing his red cloak out behind him. Then he leaped out.
* * *
Quinn watched the ship circling overhead. Her heart thumped like a wild animal in her chest.
It was the same ship from the trading post. The cyborgs.
Downdraft from the ship sent sand whipping over the cart. Sleeja started shouting.
This was her chance.
Quinn slipped a small length of wire from her sleeve. It dropped into her hand and she started working on the lock on the chain.
The lock clicked open.
Yes! She scrambled over to Nebu. Sleeja never bothered to chain the man, knowing he’d never take on the desert alone.
“Come on. We need to run.” She tugged the young man to his feet.
“Sleeja will catch us.” Fear was etched on Nebu’s face.
“He’s too busy worrying about that ship.” She pulled him to the edge of the cart.
Nebu’s slender tail flicked nervously behind him.
“Ready?” she asked.
He gave her an unenthusiastic nod.
She grabbed his hand and together they leaped off the cart. They hit the sand and rolled. Quinn pushed to her feet. Damn, the sand was thick, and she sank to mid-calf. She helped Nebu up.
“Run.”
They started moving, but it was hard with the deep sand. She felt like she was jogging on the spot.
She looked back and saw that the ship was flying low over the cart. Then she saw a figure jump from the ship.
Oh. My. God.
Her throat closed as she saw the man drop. He was too high! He’d kill himself.
The man hit the sand near Sleeja. Then miraculously, she watched him rise up, unharmed.
Even from a distance, Quinn felt the raw power pumping off him. His red cloak flapped in the wind behind his tall silhouette.
Her pulse jumped. It was him. The handsome cyborg from the trading post.
He started striding toward Sleeja.
“Nebu, come on,” she urged. “Go!”
Together, they clumsily ran up a sand dune. She saw the ship circling around again, but it either hadn’t spotted them, or wasn’t interested in her and Nebu.
She heard Sleeja shouting, then the sound of a blaster. Her stomach clenched. Shit. Sleeja was shooting at the cyborg…who continued striding toward Sleeja, holding up some sort of energy shield.
Then she heard a sound right behind her.
Before she could turn, Nebu fell and cried out. He started getting dragged backward.
Cursing, Quinn turned.
Her stomach hit her toes. Sleeja’s fucking robotic cat snarled. It released Nebu’s robes and leaped at them with a clank of metal. The robo-cat clamped its mouth around Nebu’s arm.
The young man screamed.
“No!” Quinn charged at the cat.
She rammed into it and it released Nebu. The man tumbled down the other side of the dune.
Shit. Fuck. Quinn sprang up and followed. She slid down the slope. Ahead, at the base of the dune, she saw rock formations that looked like fat toads, crouched and ready to jump.
The cat followed, metal parts clanking. It lunged at her and she kicked it, saw its eyes glow brightly.
She punched it right in the center of its body. Her hand rammed through the metal pieces and they broke apart. Then the cat yowled, and the magnets inside it pulled all the parts back together. They reformed with Quinn’s arm clamped between them.
Pain ran up her arm and she grimaced, biting back a cry.
“Quinn?”
Nebu was stumbling in the sand.
“Run.”
The young man hesitated.
“Run!” she screamed.
Nebu turned and ran. She watched until he disappeared into the rock formations. She smiled, some tension leaving her shoulders. He was free.
Quinn rolled onto her back and wrenched on her arm. But she couldn’t pull it free of the cat’s middle.
The robot stared down at her. Its jaws snapped together near her face, and she dodged her head to the side.
Then the robot-cat moved, leaping upward. Quinn felt her arm break. Pain speared through her like fire, and she screamed through gritted teeth.
The cat’s parts shifted, releasing her arm. She landed flat on her belly, her broken arm beneath her. She sucked in air, blinking through the agony, and trying to stay conscious.
Then the cat clamped its jaws in her robes and started dragging her back toward Sleeja.
“No. No.” Her working hand scrabbled for something to grab onto but there was only sand. She wouldn’t go back. She had to find her crew, even if she died trying.
Then the robo-cat stopped. It let out a low, feral sound. Quinn swiveled to look over her shoulder.
Above them on the dune, she spotted the silhouette of the cyborg gladiator. He was just meters away, his cloak flying out to the side of his powerful body.
His arm started to glow.
What the hell? Her brow creased. Then, neon-blue light streaked along his tattoo.
Holy hell. His tattoo was electrified.
Then he moved. He strode forward, and the robo-cat released her with a clank. The cat sprung, jumping at the gladiator.
The cyborg dodged, and then she watched a deadly dance between man and machine.
The cat lunged, the cyborg kicked. He swung his deadly, glowing arm. The cat slunk low, avoiding contact. But the cyborg moved so fast he blurred. His arm touched the cat’s side.
Electricity skated over the cat and it yowled. The scent of burning metal filled the air. Then the cat leaped away and opened its mouth. Several jagged, metal projectiles flew at the cyborg.
The cyborg dodged them—left, right, left. Then one hit his shoulder, cutting deep with a spurt of blood.
Quinn gasped, but the cyborg didn’t even show any reaction.
Fighting her pain and cradling her broken arm, she pushed to her feet. The robo-cat was ignoring her now, but moved close to her as it assessed how to make its next attack.
Fuck that. She jumped on the cat’s back.
It bucked, trying to shake her off. Pain made her vision blur, but she held on.
She looked at the cyborg. “Magnets. It’s held together by—”
The cyborg nodded, and in the blink of an eye he was right beside the robo-cat. Damn, he moved fast.
Their eyes met, and then he rammed his electric, glowing arm into the cat’s guts. Energy flared, raising the hairs on her arms.
The cat let out a yowl and its parts fell apart. They crashed to the sand, Quinn landing on top of them. She’d gone beyond pain now and couldn’t feel a thing.
Panting, she rolled onto her back, clutching her arm to her chest.
Then she looked up into the face of the cyborg gladiator staring down at her. She saw a flicker on his face as his gaze dropped down her body.
&n
bsp; Quinn looked down.
Oh, God. She sucked in a breath. Near her stomach, her robes were soaked with rich, red blood. A large piece of steel was protruding out of her belly. Not good.
Then, her head dropped back onto the sand, and she fought to stay conscious.
The cyborg knelt. His lips were moving, she guessed he was talking, but she couldn’t hear anything.
“Free.” The word rasped out of her. At least she was free.
She tried her best to stay awake, but as the cyborg leaned over her, she passed out.
Chapter Five
Jax lifted the woman into his arms. She was tall and solid for an Earth woman, but she still barely weighed a thing to him.
He utilized his cyborg systems. “Acton?”
“Coming.” The cyborg’s cool, crisp voice sounded in Jax’s ears through his systems.
A moment later, the ship flew in and hovered overhead. A platform lowered down.
As he walked toward it, Jax kicked parts of the robotic cat out of his way. Then he glanced toward the now-abandoned cart. He’d untied the tandu beast, but it hadn’t embraced its freedom yet. The junker’s broken body lay twisted on the sand.
The scavenger had fired on Jax and during the fight, he’d fallen under the tandu’s hooves. Jax couldn’t say he felt much sympathy for the man.
Jax stepped onto the platform and it rose upward. He tightened his hold on the woman. She’d lost a lot of blood and her arm was broken. Mace’s stony face met him at the door, helping to pull Jax aboard.
“Back to Kor Magna,” he called to the pilot. “Fast.”
Jax sat on one of the generous seats and cradled the woman in his lap. “Medical kit.”
“She’s injured,” Acton said.
“And she smells,” Mace noted.
“Hurry,” Jax barked.
Acton appeared with the medical kit. Jax quickly injected a painkiller into her neck. She stirred, her long lashes fluttering against her cheeks. Her face was streaked with dirt, but he could see the strong bone structure beneath it.
“Acton, remove the metal from her abdomen.”
The cyborg gripped the metal and pulled it out with one fast yank. Jax pressed some absorbent cloths from the kit to her stomach, staunching the flow of blood. She stirred, making a small, pained sound. Then she pressed her face against his chest.
Sentinel: Galactic Gladiators: House of Rone #1 Page 4