by S. E. Smith
Dropping to one knee, he swung around and fired in the direction of the blast. The gun blasts lit up the area. His eyes widened when he saw a small figure with a white halo of long hair cautiously enter through the gate. He pulled back, pressed his back against the wall, and drew in a deep breath. The silky white hair could only belong to one person – Sula.
Behind him, he could hear a burst of laser fire. Razor was trapped between the trees and the wall. In his mind, Destin mapped out the covered patio area. There was a table and chairs set up to the side and a brick planter along one edge. He could use it as cover, but he would be limited. If he went through the house and back around the way he had originally come, he could use the wall to access the roof and come from above.
Deciding that was the best way, he pushed away from the door and took off at a fast jog through the house. He pushed open the front door, staying to the side in case there were more unwelcome visitors waiting out front. When nothing happened, he swung out of the entrance and along the covered porch until he reached the end. He jumped up on the railing, braced a foot against the wall, and pulled himself up onto the roof.
In seconds, he was crossing the roof to the back section. From this angle, he had a vantage point. He kept low to the roof since there wouldn’t be much coverage. Once he gave away his position, he would have very little chance of escaping.
Destin lay down and took aim at one of the men. He could barely see him through the branches of the tree. His finger was pressed against the trigger and then he saw a wave of light shoot out of the long rod Sula carried as she stalked toward the man. The light actually looked like a wave of miniature, blue and white transparent stingrays swarming toward the man.
The intruder turned toward the wave of energy. The moment he did, Destin fired. The laser blast struck the man in the center of his back and he collapsed.
His partner, realizing that he was now outnumbered, tossed a charge with each hand, one toward Sula and the other toward Razor. Destin saw Razor dive behind a large decorative stone planter.
Turning his attention back to Sula, he saw that there was nowhere for her to seek protection from the explosive. Horror gripped him and he started to rise until he saw her kneel down and slam the rod into the ground. There was a flash of white then the repercussion of the blast knocked him backwards on the roof. He slid down several feet before his feet caught in a gap between the tiles. Dazed from the impact, he shook his head and rolled to his side before he pushed up into a sitting position.
Almost immediately, he had to shield his eyes from the bright lights that suddenly appeared overhead. He twisted, covering his eyes to preserve a small amount of his night vision. Above him, he could hear the hum of several transports.
Destin kept his head bent and his eyes shielded as he searched the back courtyard for Sula and Razor. He blinked when he saw Razor stagger from behind the large stone planter. His gaze immediately swept across the yard again. Relief flooded him when Sula slowly rose from the ground.
“Remain still,” a voice ordered from the transport above him.
Destin lay back against the roof and released his grip on the laser gun. It clattered down along the slant of the roof before it caught on the edge of a tile. Staring upward, he saw the transport that contained Kali and Ami coming in to land out front. A smile curved his lips. She had that fierce, determined look on her face that she got when she was ready to kick some ass. Kali was probably pissed that she had missed out on all the action.
“And I thought I was finally done with all this shit,” he murmured, wincing when two Trivator warriors landed on a section of the roof a foot above him. “Hey, guys. Nice night for a fight. Too bad you missed it,” he joked, grimacing when he sat up and lifted his hands into the air to show he was unarmed. “Oh, yeah, that burns.”
“Razor!”
Destin’s gaze found Kali rushing into the back courtyard. She was holding Ami tightly against her. His gut clenched when he thought of what could have happened if Razor had not sensed that something was off. He pushed back farther onto the roof to give himself a better footing and rose to his feet. Now came the fun part… getting down off the roof. He glanced up when a large transport flew over with a ladder hanging from it. The two warriors motioned for him to grab it.
Destin reached out, wrapped his hands around the bar, and stepped onto a lower rung. A minute later, he was being lowered to the ground. Four warriors immediately surrounded him. Destin stepped off the rungs and released the bar, keeping his hands raised. He glanced around and raised an eyebrow when he saw Razor standing with his arms wrapped around Kali and Ami.
“Ah, Razor, a little help here would be greatly appreciated,” Destin dryly called out.
“He is a guest,” Razor snapped, glancing up over Kali’s head toward Sula. “Councilor Ikera as well.”
“There was a transport on the beach,” Sula informed Razor. Her expression darkened when she saw the torn, scorched material of Destin’s jacket. “You are hurt!”
Razor’s gaze turned toward Destin before he glanced at one of the warriors. “Get a medic and send out search teams. One of the intruders escaped. Check the beach and monitor the transports in the area. No one leaves the planet without first being cleared,” he ordered.
“Yes, sir. We’ve received reports of another attack on Lord Hunter’s residence,” one of the warriors stated.
Destin heard Kali’s shocked hiss. “Are they alright?” she asked.
“The last report I received stated there were minor injuries,” the warrior replied with a bow.
“If you would step inside, I will examine your wound,” another warrior stated.
Destin gazed at the man. The warrior was dressed like the other warriors, but he was holding a gunmetal gray case. Destin nodded and turned on his heel. He paused when he saw Sula’s concerned gaze. He jerked his head for her to follow him. He wanted to ask her a few questions – starting with what in the hell was she thinking stepping into the middle of a battle!
“Come with me,” he requested in a soft voice.
Sula nodded and followed Destin and the medic up onto the patio. They paused when two warriors came out carrying the body of a dead intruder. He didn’t miss Sula glancing away from the man’s ripped and bloody chest or the fact that her face appeared paler than he remembered.
“That is an interesting weapon,” he remarked, trying to distract her as they entered the house and made their way to the kitchen. He noticed her bare feet and his lips quirked in amusement. ”Did you lose your shoes?”
Sula glanced at the baton in her hand before glancing down at her feet. Her cheeks darkened slightly and she wiggled her toes. Her eyes were uncertain when she looked at him and gave him a half smile.
“I detest wearing foot coverings,” she admitted ruefully. “I took them off while I was waiting for you. I forgot to put them back on when I heard the explosions.”
“Sir, if you could remove your jacket and shirt, I will evaluate your wound,” the medic politely interrupted.
“Oh, yeah, sorry. I don’t think it’s that bad. It just stings a little,” Destin muttered, carefully peeling his jacket off and tossing it on the kitchen table. He quickly unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off. Once he saw the rip in it, he knew it was trashed. He tossed it on top of his jacket. “At least when you get hit by those lasers you don’t bleed as much.”
“It looks painful,” Sula whispered, the blush that darkened her face moments ago faded, leaving her pale again.
Destin shook his head and sat down in the chair the medic indicated. He pulled out the chair next to him and grasped Sula’s hand, pulling her down onto it. He leaned forward, holding her hand while the medic worked on his shoulder.
“Tell me about the weapon, and why you entered the garden,” Destin murmured, stroking his thumb over the back of her hand.
“I… This is a Mylio-batoidei, Mylio baton for short. It is a weapon that is commonly used by royalty for centuries on my planet. W
e are taught from a young age how to control the energy waves inside it,” she whispered, her gaze moving to the medic cleaning Destin’s wound, then back to his face when he stopped stroking her hand. “There are pressure points on the weapon that allow me to create different patterns of energy.”
“How were you able to protect yourself when the intruder tossed the explosive?” Destin asked, hiding his discomfort when the medic began sealing the wound.
“I… Did you give him something for the pain?” Sula demanded, looking at the medic with a frown.
“The sealant has an anesthetic that will numb the area,” the medic assured her.
“Sula, how did you protect yourself?” Destin asked, lifting his other hand and caressing her cheek.
“I formed an energy shield around myself. This is a smaller weapon, so it was more difficult. The larger Mylio staffs are much easier to use, but more difficult to carry around,” she answered, reluctantly pulling her gaze from his shoulder to his face.
“You said the members of royalty are trained to use such weapons. Does this mean you are royalty?” Destin asked.
“Yes…,” Sula replied with a nod. “I am Princess Jersula Ikera, only daughter of the Royal House of Usoleum, Councilor Select for the Alliance representative to Earth.”
“Councilor Select for…,” Destin started to repeat with a frown when he saw Razor and Kali enter the house.
“I’m going to go lay Ami down,” Kali murmured. She paused when she saw Destin without his shirt on and the medic standing over him. “How bad is it?”
“A minor wound, Lady Kali,” the medic assured her. “It will heal within a few days.”
“Good,” Kali replied, giving Destin a small smile of relief. “I can’t even begin to tell you how scared I was when I saw what was happening. I swear they need to add weapons to the transports.”
“We have weapons on the transports that need them,” Razor chuckled, brushing a kiss across her lips.
“It won’t take me long to pack,” Kali murmured, pulling away and walking through the kitchen.
“Where is she going?” Destin asked suspiciously, glancing at Razor.
“I am moving Kali and Ami to a safer location,” Razor stated. “This was a coordinated attack against our family.”
Destin murmured his thanks to the medic and stood up. He grabbed his ruined shirt off the table and pulled it on. He buttoned it up while he waited for Razor to continue. It took a moment to realize that Razor was hesitant to speak in front of Sula.
“What happened?” Destin asked in a grim tone.
“Hunter’s residence was attacked as well,” Razor finally said. “It was obvious the Waxians thought the women would be unprotected.”
“Why do you think that?” Destin asked with a frown.
“They didn’t have enough men with them,” Razor stated.
“There may be information on the transport that was left on the beach,” Sula suggested, standing up and looking at Razor.
“It is probably gone,” Razor replied.
Sula shook her head and smiled. “No, it will still be there,” she said.
“How do you know?” Razor asked with a slightly suspicious expression.
Sula lifted her chin and returned Razor’s stare with a calm one of her own. “I assumed the transport must belong to those attacking you. Once I made sure there was no one else inside, I short circuited the main control panel. It would take even the most skilled mechanic at least an hour to bypass it,” she stated coolly.
Destin couldn’t contain the chuckle that escaped at her rather smug statement. This was the fire he had seen on the beach. Once again, he felt his body react to it and a curious feeling came over him. He wanted to know more about this royal princess from an alien world who liked to lie under the water, walk around barefoot, and could fight like a warrior. Destin reluctantly turned his attention back to Razor. He ignored the questioning look in Razor’s eyes. Destin had given up answering to anyone a long, long time ago.
“What happened at Hunter’s place?” Destin asked.
“Several men entered the compound. Ajaska and Father were still awake, talking,” Razor explained. “Father received a minor wound when the men fired at them. The battle was short-lived. I do not have any additional information at this time.”
“Chancellor Razor,” one of the warriors murmured, stepping into the room. “Two transports were discovered on the beach. One is a long range vessel.”
“One of the vessels belongs to me,” Sula quickly interjected.
“The moment the remaining attacker is located, notify me. Also, make sure the main control panel is repaired on the transport and all information, including transportation logs, are sent to me,” Razor ordered.
“Yes, sir,” the warrior replied, turning on his heel.
“I need to meet with the Alliance council,” Razor said. “This attack is unprecedented. They attacked the leading heads of the Trivator military and it was clearly a direct threat to the Alliance.”
“What will you do?” Destin asked uneasily, noting Razor’s cold expression.
“Eliminate them,” Razor replied.
6
It was well into the early hours of the morning before Destin and Sula slipped out of the house. Search teams and guards still patrolled the area. They nodded to two guards near the back gate and passed at least another six before they made it to the stairs carved into the cliff.
Destin paused at the top of the steps when he felt more than saw the shiver that escaped Sula. He quickly removed his jacket and held it out for her to slip on. His fingers were slow to release the edges of the brown leather. It was only Sula’s glance over his shoulder, reminding him that they weren’t alone that made him let go.
“Thank you,” she murmured with an amused glint and stepped around him to continue down the steps.
“What’s so funny?” Destin asked, turning and falling into step with her.
Sula shook her head. They continued to descend the staircase in silence. He paused when Sula stopped at the bottom and looked up. Overhead, they had a clear view of the beautiful galaxy that looked like a colorful river weaving drunkenly in and out of the stars above them. The soothing sound of the waves lapping at the shore, the muted voices of the warriors working on the intruders’ transport, and the soft caress of the wind filled the night, making the earlier events seem surreal.
“So much has happened since yesterday morning. When I first came to the beach yesterday, I was angry,” she admitted, enjoying the feel of the sand beneath her feet.
“I could tell,” Destin chuckled. “You looked far different than I remembered.”
Sula glanced at him and scowled before she laughed and shook her head. Destin swore the air warmed around them. He nodded to the warrior standing guard at the narrow opening to the cove where Sula left her transport. The guard looked at both of them before he stepped aside.
“I wasn’t sure that you would remember me. You hardly spoke to me when I was on your planet. You and the Trivator warrior made my position very difficult,” she replied with an indignant sniff.
“Yeah, well, it was a case of bad timing,” Destin replied, shoving his hands in his pockets. “There was a lot of shit going on.”
He vividly remembered his mental state at the time. He had just killed Colbert, and Kali had almost died. He had sacrificed so much, and with Kali gone, he had felt horribly alone. All of those emotions had erupted and left him in a deep, dark place inside his mind. Sula’s sudden appearance had been too much, especially when he was just discovering the true depth of Colbert and Badrick’s atrocities.
On top of everything else, he had been reeling from the monumental task ahead of him, which was to rebuild a city to house nearly a hundred thousand refugees. He had also been dealing with the an overwhelming feeling of relief that the battle he fought for so long was finally over as well as the pain of saying goodbye to Kali. The feelings Sula had awakened in him had confused him, and if he
were brutally honest, scared the shit out of him.
He shook off the memories and pulled a hand from his pocket to touch Sula’s arm. Murmuring for her to wait, he walked ahead through the narrow passage. Even though the beach was being patrolled, he didn’t want to take any chances. As long as there was one attacker still alive and free, there was always a chance of danger. He scanned the area carefully before he turned and motioned that it was safe.
“You are very cautious,” she observed, stepping out of the opening in the rock.
“I’ve had to be,” Destin replied with a slight shrug, wincing when he forgot the wound to his shoulder. “It kept me alive.”
“You are in pain,” Sula murmured in concern, stepping closer to him. She raised her hand to touch his arm. “Your shoulder….”
“I’m fine. It’s just a twinge,” he assured her, pulling his other hand out of his pocket, and sliding it along her waist. “Sula, I’m going to kiss you. If you don’t want that, you’d better tell me now.”
“I was hoping you would,” she admitted, stepping closer and sliding her hands up his chest. “You are different, Destin Parks. I have never met a man like you before.”
Surprise and pleasure hit Destin before he mentally shook his head at his reaction. This woman continued to knock him off balance ever since the first time he met her. Maybe it was time he got used to it.
Desire hit him hard when he slid his other arm along her waist. Her shirt lifted when she slid her right hand upward to his shoulder. His left hand was now caressing soft, silky skin. A throaty moan escaped him and he bent forward, capturing her lips.
Her lips parted in a silent gasp and Destin took advantage. He swept his tongue inside her mouth, stroking the tip across hers, and pulled her closer to him. He tilted his head, sealing their lips more firmly together. Their breath mixed, growing hotter and faster when Destin deepened the kiss. Sula’s response was tentative at first, as if she was unsure of how to respond, but within seconds she was matching him touch for touch, exploration for exploration.