“No,” Marti said. “They’ve recognized me.” She reached up to stroke the red hair they’d given her with the hope of hiding her identity. “The prince still wants me. They have targeted you all.” Tears streaked down her cheeks. “All of your worlds are defenseless now, because of me.”
“No, love. It’s not because of you. This is not your fault.”
Someone pounded on the door. “We are the palace guards. Open this door immediately!”
Marti dropped the glass she held when they pounded on the door again. It hit the floor, shattering into tiny pieces as one of the guards knocked the door from its hinges.
“You are all under arrest!” The leading guard held his weapon, a look of smug satisfaction on his face. “Since you are all powerless now, you are all our prisoners.”
Grinning, he moved closer to Marti and grabbed her arm. “You will come with me. Prince Valko has been awaiting your return.”
Kyl struggled against his captor, his strength waning, but not failing quite yet. As a defender, he still had superior strength, though it was failing fast.
He shook off the man and drove his fist into his face. He couldn’t help the feeling of immense satisfaction as the man fell to the floor unconscious. One asshole down, a few hundred to go. With luck, he might get to beat the shit out of a lot of the men responsible for mistreating his mate. “We have no choice but to move now. We’re running out of time.” He shook his hand, feeling pain for the first time in his long, long life. “It won’t be long before we all lose our advantage and become next to useless.”
He glanced at Marti. “Maybe you should have stayed on Torus.”
Chapter Eighteen
Marti struggled against the guard who held her. She felt stronger than she had in years. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that she’d had plenty to eat over the last several days. Whatever it was, she felt great.
“Take your stinking hands off me, you goon!” Drawing back, Marti fisted her hand and let it fly. She wasn’t giving up without a fight. Not this time. Not when her happiness was within her reach.
The guard flew backward when her fist connected with his jaw. Eyes wide, she stared at her fist for a moment, and then grinned. “It’s back!”
In a flurry of motion, she jumped into the air, drew back and laid into the men who attempted to subdue her mate. “I don’t know what was wrong, but I guess a few days away from here cured me of it. If we get you all off-world again, maybe we can have your blood tested and see what it is they do to people to capture them.”
“It must be some sort of drug,” Lena said with a frown.
“Or a virus.” Ga’briel drew his sleeve across his forehead. “I’ve been running a fever since we got here.” He glanced at Marti. “And she was ill when she first arrived on Torus. Perhaps her stay here helped her body produce an antibody and that’s why she is no longer affected.”
“Maybe I carried it to you.” Marti covered her mouth with her hand. “Oh, my Gods! This is all my fault.”
“No, love. We’re running fevers and we haven’t lost all of our strength. We’ve only lost some of it.” Kyl took her shoulders in his hands. “I think you gave us a form of virus, perhaps that the people use to keep others under control. Perhaps you gave us a weaker version that our bodies can fight like yours did.”
“I think so, too. I’m running a fever.” Lena reached up and felt her mate’s face. “And so are you, Artu. Whatever this is, it’s a virus that our bodies are making antibodies for. With luck, we’ll be back to our old selves soon.”
“And until then, I get to lead you out of here.” Marti gave another guard a kick that sent him flying. Immeasurable satisfaction filled her as she led her party out of the room and past those who would stop them.
Floor after floor, they worked their way through the hotel, fighting their way out. Each of them grew stronger as they moved through. Soon, it became apparent that others had joined them in their fight.
The palace guard fell quickly against their growing force. The prince and his personal guard hurried aboard a ship, taking off before they could capture them. The rebels who helped them continued to fight the remaining guards until they stood against them no more.
Hands on her hips, Marti smiled at Daruka, one of the women with whom she shared a cell. “We have eradicated your enemies. The world is yours.” She glanced at Kyl, her brother and their other companions. “We shall continue to visit and help you hold this world. Our only stipulation is that all slaves are freed.”
“You know that is our dream,” Daruka replied. She was so excited, she practically jumped up and down. “Is this real? Are you truly setting us all free?”
“Yes, we are.” Ga’briel stepped forward, knelt before her and took her hand. “I am defender of Nardukai, I pledge my allegiance to your world.” He glanced around. “I believe we all do. We shall continue to visit and monitor your world indefinitely.”
“Thank you. I don’t know how to thank you!”
Marti wrapped her arm around the other woman. “Taking care of your people and seeing that this doesn’t happen again is thanks enough.”
Marti watched as the women exited the ship, their families awaiting them. Kyl wrapped an arm around her and drew her close.
“It makes you feel good, doesn’t it?”
“Yes.” She nodded. “It does.”
“Me, too.” He smiled at her and winked. “I have something I would like to show you back at my place.”
“I’ll bet you do,” Marti said with a grin. There was just something about seeing families reunited that put her in a good mood. “I’m not sure you should be getting up to anything too physical. After all, you’re just getting over a nasty virus.”
“Getting up is the operative word, love.” He waggled his brows, tucked her under his arm and led her away from the crowd. “Let me show you how it’s done.”
About the Author
Dear Reader:
If you’re reading this, I hope it means that you’ve just enjoyed reading one of my books. Always a romantic, I started weaving little fantasies for my friends at the tender age of fifteen. Never once did I think that writing would be my dream until around 2002. After complaining to my husband that my favorite authors didn’t write fast enough, my husband asked a fateful question. “Why don’t you write one of your own while you’re waiting?”
Once I started, he couldn’t stop me. Now, I write in the morning before work. I write during my breaks at the day job, I write at night when I should be relaxing. Heck, I’ve even been known to write in my sleep. Every member of my family has had the dubious honor of witnessing my fingers moving over the keys while I’m off in dreamland. Sometimes it even makes sense!
I grew up in Southwest Florida where I met and married. My husband was in the Navy for twenty years, so if you wonder where I have gotten some of my ideas, I blame him. I suggest you do the same. He’s always saying he has wide shoulders. Let’s load them up, shall we?
Currently, I live in a small town in Michigan, seven miles from the nearest grocery store. I love living out here in the country. It gives me the peace and quiet I need to continue to write these stories for you. It also shows me a lot of natural beauty that I try to share with you in my books. While my titles may be dedicated to certain individuals who have touched my life in differing ways, please remember, every one of them is written for you.
My most recent dream is to continue what I do—to share more stories with anyone willing to read them. My new dream is to be able to pursue both my writing and my husband fulltime. Do you think he’ll run?
More of Tianna’s Books
Gate To Fate:
Woman Beware
The Paradise series:
A Stranger in Paradise
Gates of Paradise
Return to Paradise
Trouble in Paradise
Road to Paradise
Another Day in Paradise
Naked in Paradise
Seduction in Paradise
Looking for Paradise
Healing in Paradise
A Summer in Paradise
A Melody in Paradise
Memories of Paradise
Brianna’s Prophecy
Dragon Bound series:
The Golden Dragon
The Ice Dragon
The Fire Dragon
The Earth Dragon
The Water Dragon
The Spirit Dragon
Co-authored series books
Ruby DARE
Emerald DARE
Topaz DARE
Opalite DARE
Solar DARE
Other series by Tianna at eXtasy Books:
The Endowed Series
The Chosen Series
Hidden Breeds
Where to find Tianna:
www.tiannaxander.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TiannaXander/
http://twitter.com/#!/TiannaXander
http://www.myspace.com/tianna_xander
http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=635929605
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
About the Author
Woman Bewitched Page 7