Kieran

by Allyson James

  Katarina took her time making her way to the docks. She pretended to shop in the garish markets, as though she were slumming. She’d pick up something from a vendor’s stall, look at it, then put it back and dust off her gloved hands. Or she’d gesture at it, and have Felice pick it up. Katarina was careful not to actually buy anything, because then she’d have to use her credit slip, which would announce her identity.

  Felice saw no Shareem on the way, but when they finally slipped inside the dockyards, Shareem were there. Not Kieran, but Rees and the one called Brandt.

  Felice and Katarina melded into the shadows with them. “Calder?” Katarina whispered.

  Rees shook his head, and Katarina and Felice shared an anxious squeeze of hands.

  One by one, more Shareem materialized. As Felice knew by now with Kieran, they could move swiftly and silently—hunters who’d never been allowed to hunt, at least not in the strictest sense.

  “First transport is over there,” Rees said, pointing across the dark docks.

  The sun was well down, the dockyards flooded with artificial light, but the glaring spotlights only touched the most important ships. Captains of smaller cargo transports had to make do with less security, but that suited the Shareem’s purpose tonight. Only smaller ships were able to leave directly from the dockyards—the huge liners and massive cargo transports docked in orbit, shuttles moving from them to the surface.

  “Brandt,” Rees whispered. Brandt, who was minus his lady at the moment, flashed Rees a smile, shook his hand, and slipped away. Felice tried to track his progress to the ship, but lost him in the darkness. “Lady Ursula is already there,” Rees said, explaining Brandt’s lady’s absence. “Katarina? You’re next. You’re the most important one to get out of here.”

  “Disagree slightly, but not entirely,” Katarina said, touching her abdomen. She quickly enfolded Rees in a hug. “Thanks, Rees. For everything. Get Calder’s ass on board fast as you can, all right?”

  She hugged Felice in a flurry of robes and a faint scent of antiseptic, then faded into the shadows in the direction Brandt had gone.

  “Go,” Rees said to Felice.

  Felice shook her head. “Waiting for Kieran.”

  Rees let out the barest sigh, but he must have recognized the stubbornness in her voice. He said nothing more, and they waited.

  A few more Shareem appeared here and there, alone, directed by Rees to the first ship. Felice didn’t know them, had only seen them in the last meeting in the warehouse—they didn’t have lifemates circling them like satellites. They each gave Rees a grin or a quiet high five and made for the ship.

  “A couple more,” Rees whispered. “Then we start loading ship two.”

  “Talan?” Felice whispered back.

  “Already on board. Trust me, that took some doing.”

  Felice imagined it had. The fiery little woman, the only one able to make Rees soften, would be furious if Rees didn’t make it onto the ship. And heartbroken.

  Calder loomed out of the darkness so quickly that Felice jumped and stifled a gasp. Calder was huge and frightening looking, more so than the others.

  “Kieran?” Felice asked quietly, looking behind Calder for sight of the man she needed to see.

  Calder shook his head. “We split up. Too many patrollers. He’s coming.”

  Rees gave him a nod. “Go to Katarina.”

  Calder gave Rees a long look, the two men sharing something without words. At last Calder gripped Rees’s hand, pulled him into a brief, tight hug, and faded silently into the shadows.

  Now for Kieran . . .

  Time passed. No others came. Rees, who’d been like a stoic boulder, started to look around, restless.

  “Something’s wrong.”

  “Don’t say that,” Felice said quickly. “Nothing’s wrong.”

  But she felt it too, that itch between her shoulder blades, her fighter’s instincts firing up. Kieran, where are you?

  “Get on board,” Rees said, his voice hardening. “That transport needs to get out of here.”

  “I’m not leaving without Kieran.”

  Rees made an exasperated noise. “Gods, why are women so damned stubborn?”

  “Because we love you,” Felice said, folding her arms. The air was hot, the chill that darkness brought still hours away. “Kieran’s not just a quick fuck to me, all right?”

  Rees looked at her for a long time, his eyes glittering. “Mmm,” he said finally, but stopped arguing.

  More time passed. The triple moons of the world floated across the sky, two close together, the third lagging behind. A sign that Kieran was following, would catch up to Rees and her soon? Or was Felice just fantasizing?

  Rees left his place so quickly that Felice almost missed it. He approached two Shareem walking together—Aiden and Ky? She couldn’t see. Had they let Brianne make her own way here, alone but safe in her highborn status as she walked through the streets?

  Felice followed Rees, staying in the shadow of a small freighter that looked as though it had been abandoned. Likely hadn’t, because Bor Narga was good at shoveling away old junk to let new, better moneymakers in. But it had been parked here a while if the buildup of sand around its resting struts was any indication.

  Felice reached the three Shareem, who were deep in another shadow. The newcomers were indeed Aiden and Ky—Aiden for once not grinning and joking, Ky his usual frowning self in black leather.

  “Fucking patrollers everywhere,” Aiden was saying. “We got stopped.”

  “Brianne’s safe,” Ky said. “She wasn’t with us. Patrollers let us go, but they’re watching. They’re looking for Kieran still, and they’re talking about a missing patroller.”

  Felice stopped herself saying, Shit, in case the sibilant carried.

  “First ship is loaded and ready,” Rees said.

  As he spoke, a rumble filled the darkness, the ship firing up. It would keep its engines subdued until it rose out of the gigantic bowl that was the dockyards. After it was a safe distance above the surface, it would ignite all engines and take itself out of atmosphere, on its way.

  Felice imagined Katarina and Calder, Brandt and Lady Ursula, smiling at each other in excitement as they felt the ship vibrate, knowing they were leaving for freedom.

  Felice wanted that with Kieran. Where the hell was he?

  “Did you see Kieran?” she asked.

  Aiden shook his head, and Rees turned a scowl on her. “No,” Aiden whispered. “He must be lying low.”

  “Damn it.” Felice wondered if he’d gone back to Dr. Laas’s hideaway. In that case, he’d be safe, but she wanted to know.

  A few more Shareem came to join them as the ship increased its engine power. Searchlights shot to it, making sure other ships saw it rising, even though no one else seemed to be waiting to take off.

  Felice and the Shareem watched the little freighter move upward, floating, trembling in the air. Aiden let out a quiet breath. “May the gods keep them safe.”

  Ky watched with an intense look, and Rees lifted his hand in farewell.

  “Calder make it?” Braden asked, coming up behind his friends.

  Aiden nodded and pointed to the ship. His black chain gleamed faintly in the darkness.

  “Second ship’s ready,” Rees said. “Go, while everyone’s watching that one.” He pointed at two of the newly arrived Shareem, who slipped away.

  Felice’s heart squeezed and pounded. Aiden, Ky, and Braden waited, tense.

  Rees opened his mouth to direct one or all of them to go, when another man jogged out of the darkness—Mitch, the human pilot.

  “Get out,” he said fiercely. “Patrollers. A shitload of them coming. I think they were tipped off somehow that Shareem are on that ship. They’re trying to stop it.”

  “The fuck they will,” Rees snapped.

  “I’ve got my transport,” Mitch said. “I can take a couple of you.”

  “What about Judith?” Aiden asked.

  “She’s s
tuck at the bar, being questioned. She knows what she’s doing—she kicked me out to warn you.”

  “Screw this.” Rees left the knot of men and marched out toward the middle of the dockyard, more lights coming on.

  Rees walked right into the light, stood, and waited.

  “What the holy fuck is he doing?” Braden asked fiercely.

  Felice felt sick. Any second now, patrollers would charge in, take aim at Rees, kill him. Or at the very best, arrest him and drag him away to kill him later.

  But no patrollers came. Even Rees was surprised by that. He gave up waiting for attack and made for the dockyards’ entrance. Mitch growled something and followed him.

  Ky said, “The assholes,” and charged after them, Aiden right behind him. Braden followed, and Felice sure wasn’t going to stand there and wait.

  Behind them, the little ship rose higher, testing its engines, making sure that when it blasted out, everything worked instead of blowing them up. The time it took to do flight checks had never seemed so long or maddening.

  Felice heard yelling. First, shrill-voice patrollers, then an answering male voice that she’d come to know very well.

  Rees charged to the entrance, Felice sprinting to be right behind him.

  Blocking the way into the dockyards was Kieran, huge and formidable, a stun gun in his hands. He’d already picked off a couple of the patrollers, and others were trying to flank him.

  Felice knew from the looks in their eyes the patrollers wouldn’t bother arresting him. They had shock rods ready, the weapons buzzing with deadly intent. They could, legally, shock him until he died.

  “Do I have to say it again?” Kieran was shouting. “No one’s stopping that ship.”

  “Too late, Shareem!” one of the patrollers yelled. Overhead, a small transport buzzed by, making for the freighter, lights flashing.

  The patrollers advanced on Kieran. “No!” Felice heard herself scream. She tore off her robes, did a running handspring, and ended up in a crouch in front of Kieran. “Don’t you touch him.”

  “Nice.” One of the patrollers grinned. “The missing fighter. I smell a reward.”

  “And more Shareem,” another said. “You’re all under arrest for violating codes 489234 and 289032. It will be a pleasure to see you terminated.”

  “Not that we’ll come quietly,” Braden said. He flashed a Shareem smile. “In fact, we’re pretty noisy when we come.”

  “Filth,” one of the patrollers spat.

  “Felice, get out of here,” Kieran growled behind her.

  “Not gonna happen.” Felice whirled and kicked the shock rod out of one woman’s hands.

  The rod stung Felice as it made contact with her leather-clad foot, slowing her down slightly, and she saw another rod coming for her. Stun guns went off as she rolled out of reach, their buzzing like angry insects, missing her but making her skin tingle.

  Felice sprang to her feet, whirled, kicked, jabbed. More patrollers ran to join the fight, another patrol vehicle whizzed overhead. More lights. Shareem shouting and fighting, Kieran telling Felice she was in for it when he got her alone.

  Felice kept fighting. Her heart was breaking at the same time, because she knew the odds. She could only fight so many, they had weapons, and more patrollers were coming. She saw Braden fall, taken by a stun weapon. Ky shoved a patroller away from Aiden, then let out a stream of profanity when a shock rod bit into his thigh.

  Felice couldn’t see what the hell happened to Rees, but Kieran was at her side, shooting the stun gun, or kicking and punching, as though having the time of his life.

  Felice kicked away from another shock rod, but it got her leg, making her stumble and go down. Kieran stood over her, snarling in fury.

  Felice lay in the dirt, willing herself to rise and fight, but the only thing that came to her was dust. Lots and lots of dust.

  Around them, over the yelling, the firing weapons, and the roar of the freighter’s engines, came the blare of sirens. Warning, terrifying sirens that cut through every other sound. On top of that was a whirling, shrieking noise.

  From her place on the ground, Felice saw the patrollers’ boots dart every which way, then vanish into a cloud of yellow that poured down on the dockyards and everything in it.

  This was what they meant, Felice realized, as her breath cut off, when Bor Nargans said sandstorm.

  The freighter above was buffeted in the wind and spun around once, twice. It abruptly righted itself, and then Felice felt the full force of a takeoff blast burning down from the sky. The freighter pilot must have decided to stop waiting for his safety window and get the hell out of there. Felice bade the Shareem inside the ship a silent farewell.

  The next moment, she was crushed by the weight of Kieran, the man she loved, and then sand obliterated everything.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Air forced its way into Felice’s lungs. She gasped, then fought, as whatever monster clung to her face tried to strangle her with its merciless tentacles.

  A hand grabbed her hair and the tentacles held tighter. Felice kicked out, hitting someone who made an oof noise, but the hand in her hair didn’t let go. She snapped alert, ready to fight.

  She couldn’t see much of anything beyond the dirty windows over her eyes. The hand in her hair was giant, strong, and felt familiar.

  “Kieran!” she tried to shout, but the air whooshing into her lungs choked her.

  The hand released her hair and pulled off the mask. Felice dragged in more air—foul-smelling, dust-coated air, but it was free of the sand grains that had tried to drown her.

  She lay back on Kieran’s lap, his blue eyes intent on her. Another Shareem—Justin—sat nearby, rubbing his leg and giving Felice an annoyed look. It must have been him she kicked.

  “Where are we?” Felice croaked. Water would be nice, but by the expressions on Kieran’s and Justin’s faces, there wasn’t any.

  “Back at the warehouse,” Kieran said.

  Felice let out her breath. “Good. Safe.”

  “I wouldn’t say that,” Justin said.

  Felice tried to see what was around her, but her eyes hurt. The only thing comfortable was Kieran’s thigh under her head—she liked his lap. “Did the first ship get away?”

  “Blasted out of atmosphere,” Kieran said. “Blowing more sand on the rest of us, but anyway. They got off planet. After that . . .” He shrugged, trying to look nonchalant, but Felice felt his tension.

  “Is the sandstorm over?” Felice asked. Sounded like it—no wind making that horrible screaming noise. They were underground, but she had the feeling they’d be able to hear the storm anyway.

  “Yes,” Kieran said. “Over.”

  “We should get to the next transports then. Where’s Rees? Did he get away?”

  “Nope.”

  Kieran’s subdued answers were starting to concern her. Felice pushed herself up, finding her hands bloody, and looked around.

  The warehouse was full of patrollers. The Shareem stood or sat in small knots, with armed patrollers surrounding them, watching them. Small spherical bots roamed the room as well, out of reach of the Shareem, but hovering, likely recording every sound and movement.

  “Holy crap,” Felice whispered.

  “Calder and Katarina got away,” Kieran said quietly. “That’s the best thing. They made it.”

  Justin nodded. “Even if the Bor Nargans chase them, Calder and the rest of the Shareem on that ship are out of their jurisdiction now.” He grinned. “They can suck on it.”

  Kieran grinned. “Yeah. Bet it bites.”

  They seemed very cheerful for men who would likely be terminated. But Felice too was glad the pregnant Katarina and glowering Calder were out of reach of the patrollers, along with Talan and the others.

  “You.” A tall patroller, armed with a stun rifle that crackled at full charge, glared down at Felice. “Get up and come with me.”

  Felice let out a groan. “What for? So you can arrest me? That makes me wan
t to leap up and follow you anywhere.”

  Kieran chuckled. He smoothed her hair—oh, if she could lie here forever and enjoy his comforting touch, life would be perfect.

  “To process you,” the patroller said without missing a beat. “Your case has come to the attention of higher-ups. You will not be given back to TGH Corp. Their indenture policy is illegal on Bor Narga, and in fact, their ship has already departed.”

  The relief that flowed through Felice at the statement made her body go limp. She felt herself falling, but the hard floor was beneath her, Kieran solidly supporting her. She was warm and loose, tension from years of torment gone. Tears filled her eyes and spilled unchecked down her cheeks.

  “Come on,” the patroller said.

  No way could Felice move now. Her reaction scared her—she should be dancing around, calling TGH Corp bad names, punching the air. Instead, she lay in a helpless heap and cried. She was such a wuss.

  Kieran’s strong arms levered Felice up and to her feet. The patroller reached for her, but Kieran shouldered himself between them. “I’ll help her.”

  The patroller didn’t like it, but she gave a resigned nod and led the way across the warehouse, past the other patrollers and Shareem. The Shareem stood or sat against walls, separated from each other, waiting. They knew what would happen to them, and they were taking it. She read the same attitude she’d seen in Justin and even Kieran. They might be screwed, but at least some of them had made it to freedom.

  Felice didn’t see Rees anywhere.

  She kept that observation to herself as Kieran helped her walk to a folding table the patrollers had dragged beside the door. Two hard chairs rested in front of the table, and three patrollers sat behind it.

  No matter where in the galaxies she traveled, Felice thought as the patroller pushed her down into one of the seats, government officials would find the hardest and most unappealing chairs in existence to use for their meetings.

  “You are Felice Henderson,” the patroller in the middle said. Her uniform held a badge that the others didn’t have, and Felice guessed this meant she was in charge.

  “I know my name,” Felice said. Kieran stood behind her, his hands on her shoulders, and all the stern looks and patroller weapons couldn’t change that.