by T. J. Quinn
“I thought you were with the Borzan female,” Ethan pointed out.
“There’s nothing special between us. We’re just making the best of a bad situation,” he assured his friend.
“Are you sure of that? Are you sure she feels the same way? I heard she was quite innocent before she was kidnapped by the Sherlaacs,” Ethan warned him.
Kenyon sighed, squirming uncomfortably on his chair. “You know me, I never make promises I know I can’t fulfill.”
“Yes, I know, but females’ brains don’t work like ours, believe me. Perhaps, it would be a good idea for you to clear things up with her,” Ethan suggested.
Kenyon remembered the disappointment on Sharian’s face when he told her he was sleeping in another room. Perhaps, Ethan was right, and she was flirting with dreams and hopes that would never come true.
“You might be right,” he admitted.
“Are you sure she’s not the one? You seemed quite possessive when you arrived, keeping her at your side all the time. I have never seen you act like that before,” Ethan insisted.
“You imagine things. I’m not cut out to mate, believe me, I’ve tried and failed miserably,” he assured his friend.
“Then, she wasn’t the right one for you.”
Yes, he now knew that. Kenyon remembered the sweet female his parents had introduced him to. She was perfect, the most beautiful female he had known, and as sweet as an angel. Of course, she had his parents’ approval, something he had never had before and that was probably what encouraged him to accept mating her. He convinced himself she was the one meant for him and did his best to be the best mate possible.
However, it all crumbled horrendously when he tried to kiss her for the first time. It felt like kissing a dead sea animal, cold and truly unpleasant. Yes, Aslorans lived on a frozen planet all their lives, but inside them, there was fire and passion, and his future mate had nothing of that.
She endured his kiss, but it was obvious she hated it and wanted it to be over as soon as possible. He canceled the ceremony, and his parents considered that the final straw, especially when his decision threw away months of negotiations between Aslora and the female’s home planet.
He had been politely invited to leave Aslora and to stay away. He learned later that his younger brother had taken his place in the mating ceremony, so he was sure he had no place to go back to on Aslora. He had come to terms with that, but he was still convinced he wasn’t born to mate anyone, and much less to find his anchor, something most Aslorans were starting to consider a myth.
“I’m quite fine as I am. I really enjoy my life, and I need nothing else,” he assured Ethan.
His friend sighed. “I hope you know what you’re doing,” he finally said, with a sad smile.
A knock on the door interrupted them, and Kenyon thanked all gods in the universe. He was done discussing his relationship with Sharian.
“Boss, I believe we have a situation. You need to see this,” Jameson said, with worry written all over his face.
Both men jumped from their seats and followed Jameson to the security room. The building had cameras all over the place, and Ethan had instructed his men to take shifts at controlling those cameras, especially those that covered the gates. And there it was, at the main entrance, what had set Jameson and Robin’s alarms.
“What the hell?” Ethan burst out, astounded at the scene.
There were at least six large vehicles parked just outside the main gate.
“Can you zoom into the vehicles? Who are they?” Kenyon asked, taking over the situation. This couldn’t be good.
“Yes, the windows are tinted, but these cameras can see right through them. There’s a small army of Eflorians out there,” Robin informed, pulling out the images for the newcomers to see. “They’re also heavily armed,” he added, signaling the weapons the men were carrying and others on the back of the vehicle.
“Have you pissed off these people in any way?” Kenyon asked Ethan. “They’re after us, and they came prepared.”
Ethan’s expression became somber and stern. “No, at least, not that I know,” he assured them.
“Call your men, we need to prepare for a battle,” Kenyon warned them, his eyes locked on the screens, knowing Ethan would use his private channel to inform his men.
The Eflorians were still in the vehicles as if waiting for a signal of some sort, but he knew they were going to attack soon.
One of the men came out of the first vehicle, looking through the main gate, covered by a tree that grew just outside the gate.
“What’s he looking at?” Kenyon asked Jameson.
Jameson pinched a few keys, and soon he had the footage of the camera pointing to the entrance displayed on the screen.
“It’s the Borzan female,” Jameson announced, but Kenyon had already stormed out of the room.
‘What was she doing out there? Hadn’t she learned anything from Samantha’s experience? How could she expose herself to such danger?’ The questions popped into his mind while he ran as fast as he could towards the main gate, hoping he was in time to prevent a disaster.
He caught sight of her right when she was walking out of the garden, unaware of what waited for her. He opened his mouth to warn her, but he was still too far away, and she wouldn’t hear him but the Eflorians might and it would be a mistake letting them know he was on his way.
Never did such short distance feel so long as he ran to get Sharian. His mind worked frantically, trying to make sense of what was happening and all he could think of was of Sharian telling him her last suitor had been an Eflorian. He had completely forgotten about that when he was asked to name all the people on board his vessel.
Could it be possible he had put her in danger? Was the Eflorian that important he would be warned of her presence on the planet? The questions continued as he quickly reached the gate, but he was too late.
The vehicles were leaving the area by the time he ran out. He had missed them by a few seconds.
Cursing his luck, he turned to go back to look for a vehicle when Ethan and Jaffar reached him.
“What happened?” Ethan asked, surprised to see the Eflorians were gone.
“They took her. I need to go after them,” Kenyon explained, rushing through them towards the building, but Ethan pulled him back, probably not a wise thing to do, considering Kenyon’s agitation, but someone had to.
Kenyon wasn’t thinking straight.
“Why would they take her?” Ethan asked, tightening his grip around Kenyon’s strong arm when he struggled to get free.
“Her last suitor, before the abduction, was an Eflorian,” he roared, furious with Ethan’s questions. “Let me go, Ethan, I’m wasting time.”
“You can’t go after them, Kenyon, not without a plan. It would be suicidal,” Ethan pointed out, doing his best to keep Kenyon from running away. “How the hell did he know she was here?”
The question took away some of Kenyon’s rage, replacing it with bitter regret. “I notified the authorities she was on board before we landed. It never occurred to me this could happen,” he explained, with a harsh tone.
“No one would have guessed that,” Ethan tried to comfort him. “But, if he was her suitor, then, he might have the right to take her,” he added, what brought back Kenyon’s rage.
“She wanted nothing to do with him. She would have rejected him if she hadn’t been abducted,” he shouted, finally freeing himself from Ethan’s grip. “I have to get her back.”
Ethan used his private channel to send Jaffar back to the building. He needed privacy to talk to Kenyon.
“You’re not thinking straight,” Ethan said in a cold tone. “Considering how important the Eflorians are in this part of the universe, I doubt she would have been able to turn down the Eflorian. If he went through all this trouble to get her, it’s obvious he wants her, so why would you go looking for her?” he asked, playing the role of the Devil’s advocate.
“I assured her I would prot
ect her no matter what. Leaving her with a man, she wants nothing to do with breaks that promise. How would you feel if we were talking about Neela?” Kenyon ranted, starting to walk to the building.
Though he hated to admit, Ethan was right about something. Rushing after them would be suicidal. He needed a plan to get her back, and that started with finding out who her suitor was.
“You can’t compare them. Neela is my soulmate, and you told me yourself she means nothing to you. Are you willing to start a war over a woman you barely know?” Ethan asked, in an ice-cold tone as he followed Kenyon inside.
“She’s my responsibility. I can’t leave her with him when I know she didn’t want this,” he insisted, too troubled to analyze his feelings, his mind focused on getting Sharian back.
“She might have changed her mind. After all, she has nothing, no home, no mate, no credits. She depended on the goodwill of other people to eat. That can’t be easy for anyone,” Ethan continued, trying to make him see the whole situation.
“She had my full support,” he grumbled.
“Did she know that?” Ethan insisted.
Kenyon stopped and faced his friend, his expression showing a lot more than his words confessed. Ethan knew he was looking at a man that had just had his world crushed into millions of pieces.
“She should, but if she doesn’t I’ll make sure she does,” he assured him, rubbing his hand over his face. “Listen, I know what you mean, alright, and believe me I won’t drag you into this mess. I failed to protect her, and I’ll be the one getting her back.”
“I know you don’t really mean what you have just said. Otherwise, I would punch you in the face to knock some sense into your stubborn head,” Ethan grumbled. “We’re not leaving you alone to get yourself killed.”
“The women are here. You can’t risk their safety over my mistakes. I’ll find a way to get her back.”
“We’ll find a way, together, be sure of that. Now, let’s see if we can identify the bastard behind this,” Ethan insisted, as he walked towards the building ignoring Kenyon.
Kenyon stared at his boss for a few moments. He still had a hard time understanding the bonds of friendship humans and cyborgs created. Most times, they proved to be stronger than any family bonds he knew of and Ethan’s reaction to his predicament was further proof of that.
When they reached the security room, Robin, Fitzgerald, and Jameson were already working to identify the Eflorian that had abducted Sharian.
“Do we have the footage of her abduction?” Kenyon asked, pacing the room.
“Yes, we do. We guess that he hacked into the surveillance system of the property and found her strolling alone in the gardens. He must have lured her to go out because he was waiting for her the moment she stepped out of the property,” Jameson explained, pulling up the video.
“She struggled at first to free herself, but then he clearly says something to her that kills the fight in her,” Fitzgerald signaled the part he was talking about.
“Can we hear what they’re saying?” Kenyon asked, feeling a rage roaring inside him as he watched the way the Eflorian grabbed Sharian.
“We’re still working on it. Remember they hacked into our systems and did considerable damage,” Robin explained.
“Will we be able to identify this bastard? They all look alike to me,” Kenyon said, making a tremendous effort, not to let out his beast.
“Yes can. His clothing will help us, and though they look alike to us there are subtle differences the computer will pick up to identify him,” Fitzgerald explained. “We can also rule out commoners. This guy is powerful. Not only did he find out she was here, but he had also gathered a small heavily armed army.”
“Yes, I’ve never even seen some of the weapons they were carrying,” Jameson pointed out. “Though I’m not saying we wouldn’t be able to beat them, we would have had a lot of trouble, especially considering they would have taken us by surprise.”
“I guess they keep the best weapons for themselves,” Ethan ranted, not very pleased.
“Of course, they do.”
“I think I got him,” Fitzgerald shouted from the other side of the room. “He’s one of the ruling council members. His name is Ethor, and as we guessed, he is indeed a very powerful man.”
“Are you sure you want to go up against this man, Kenyon?” Ethan asked, in a stern tone. He raised a hand to keep Kenyon in silence. “Just remember she is a Borzan female. She grew up knowing she would mate a man she had never seen before. Her parents were considering this guy to be her mate, and she has nothing else in the whole universe,” he stated the cold facts.
“She has me,” Kenyon replied, with a loud roar.
“Does she really? If you’re doing this because of a misguided instinct of protection, you’ll be doing her more harm than good,” Ethan warned him.
Kenyon closed his eyes, making a considerable effort to keep his emotions under control. He had no idea what she felt for him. He didn’t know if she wanted him to fight for her.
Her abduction had been a powerful kick to his guts, forcing him to admit his feelings for her, and just how important she was to him. However, knowing how much she meant to him didn’t mean she felt the same for him. It wasn’t as if he had treated her any different from how he had treated all females that had crossed their paths with his.
He rubbed his face pulling himself together. “Yes, she has me. And unless I hear from her own lips, she is pleased with this situation, I’ll do all I can to get her back or die trying,” he said, in a calm, matter of fact tone. “I also understand this isn’t your fight and that I mustn’t drag you into it, so, I’ll proceed alone.”
By then, the room was full of Ethan’s men, including Conrad and Jared who had just arrived. Their rejection of his idea was loud and clear.
“No way you’re going alone.”
“You’re one of us, and we fight for our people.”
“I already told you, you’re not alone, on this,” Ethan’s voice sounded over the ones of his men. “Fitz, where can we find this man?”
“He has a fortress, not far from here. It won’t be easy to get in,” Fitzgerald replied, pulling up the images of the place he had found online. The place looked unassailable, with its tall, thick walls and the guards posted all over them.
“Then, we need to find another way,” Ethan replied, as calm as ever. “A frontal attack won’t work.”
“He’ll see us coming and send his private army out against us. We’ll never cross those walls like that,” Kenyon admitted. “We need to go over his head. Talk to the planet’s ruler.”
“Do you think he will agree to see us?” Ethan asked, with a slight frown.
“They look arrogant and self-conscious. I’m sure they won’t like being called dishonorable,” Kenyon assured them, as he strode out of the room.
“Conrad, Jaffar, Matthew, come with us. The rest of you, be prepared for the worst. Take the women to the vessels and order them to stay there. Warn the men on the vessels to leave immediately if things go wrong,” Ethan barked the orders as he ran after Kenyon. “Robin send all the videos to my communication device. We need evidence.”
Just seconds later the five men were leaving the premises and heading to the ruler’s palace.
They were stopped at the gate.
“Greetings, citizen, we would like to speak to your Ruler,” Kenyon asked in a menacing tone, his face showing exactly how close he was to losing control over his inner beast, something most people would dread seeing.
The man at the gate must have sensed it because his tone wasn’t as calm as it should be. “Greetings, strangers. Do you have an appointment?” he asked, with a slightly trembling tone.
“No, we don’t, since we had no idea our females wouldn’t be safe on this planet,” Kenyon replied, his tone even colder and his expression way too dangerous.
“Every female stranger is safe on our planet,” the man burst out, sounding offended.
“Is th
at right? Perhaps you would be kind enough to explain why my mate was taken away from the building we’re occupying, a few minutes ago? And before you even try to suggest it, no, she didn’t leave willingly,” Kenyon replied.
The man opened his mouth as if to say something, but then changed his mind and took a step back to call the palace. They couldn’t hear what he was saying, but whatever was said, granted them access to the palace.
“The Ruler’s assistant will receive you,” the man informed them while ordering a guard to guide them to the palace. The assistant was waiting for them in some sort of antechamber, elegantly decorated, that showed all the economic power these people had.
“Greetings, strangers. The guard at the gate notified me you made some very serious accusations,” the assistant said in a cold tone.
“The actions that led to those accusations are far more serious,” Kenyon assured the man in a harsh tone. “My mate was abducted from the building where we’re staying, and I want her back.”
“Do you have proof of this alleged abduction?” the man asked skeptically.
“Of course, we do,” it was Ethan’s turn to talk, as he pulled out his communication device and showed the videos to the man.
The change on the Eflorian’s face was noticeable. He hadn’t been expecting them to have proof, and far less to see one of the Ruler’s most important councilors was the abductor.
After watching the videos, he cleared his throat. “I’ll have to discuss this with our Ruler. Please wait here,” he said, turning around and leaving the room without waiting for their answer.
“Well, he wasn’t expecting to see dear Ethor on the video,” Ethan pointed out.
“Yes, which means he didn’t tell anyone what he was going to do,” Kenyon concluded.
“That might play in your favor,” Conrad said.
“Yes, it might, the only problem is that we’re wasting precious time with all this waiting,” he ranted, clenching and unclenching his hands in a vain effort to keep his emotions under control.
“Keep calm, Kenyon, you’ll get her back.”
The minutes went by with excruciating slowness, and by the time the assistant returned, Kenyon was on the verge of climbing the walls.