by Sadie Carter
Shouts followed but soon quietened. Dude might be huge but he was fast. Gradually, they found themselves in the cargo bay and he slowed, looking around him. He pushed the button to shut the door then smashed his fist against the panel to dismantle it.
“Well, what’s the plan now, big guy?” she asked, trying desperately not to show how shaken she was. The adrenaline rush that had seen her through the confrontation with Mitch was dying, leaving her shaking and jittery. “That won’t hold them for long.”
All they’d need was one of her lasers to slice an opening in the door.
“My ship.” He headed towards his ship.
“Your ship isn’t going to help. Rye isn’t going to open the cargo door and let you fly out,” she pointed out, trying not to think too much about how right it felt in his arms.
“You come with me.”
“Oh no, no way. I am not going anywhere with you.” Not even if he were acting sane.
“We go. Home.”
“Please don’t tell me you’re going to talk in short sentences forever, that’s going to get old fast. Kind of hard to argue with you when you can barely talk.”
Darac closed his eyes for a long moment, his face strained. When he opened them again, they had bled back to dark brown. The others would be here soon. Darac had longer legs and he was fast. But it wouldn’t take them long to get here. She had to figure out what to do.
“Darac, put me down. We have to hide you.” She knew her brothers. Normally, Rye thought everything through thoroughly. Unlike Zuma, who was a shoot first, apologize later sort of guy. But in these circumstances Rye would be firmly in Zuma’s camp.
Not because she was his sister, but because she was crew.
“He hurt you.”
“He didn’t hurt me. Seriously, put me down.” She searched the cargo bay. Where could she hide him? It was nearly completely empty now that the crates of weapons had been unloaded. “Hide behind those crates over there while I talk them down from killing you.”
“Hide? Behind a female? What sort of male do you believe I am? I am no coward.”
“You’re going to be a dead male if you don’t do what I say. Darac, you could have killed Mitch.” Still might have, Mitch had been very still. “You broke out of that room.” She’d seen the door, it looked as though it had been torn in two. Had he actually pulled a steel door apart with his bare hands?
Darac moved to his ship and barked out a command. Nothing happened. With a scowl he said something else in Zerconian.
“Now will you put me down?”
He wasn’t showing the slightest bit of strain from carrying her around.
“Your access to your ship has been blocked. Not that it matters because no one will open the door for you. They’ll be here soon. What is the plan?”
“I will hide you somewhere safe. Then I will fight them.”
“Right. Because you’re not seriously out-numbered. Not to mention unarmed. You still trying to commit suicide?” she asked, her stomach clenching with worry.
“No.”
If any other man had picked her up and carried her around like a child, she’d have separated his balls from his body. But being close to him, feeling his arms around her, his scent surrounding her. It felt almost right. It was surreal. She didn’t understand her feelings at all. She didn’t know him, and he was crazy. Scary crazy. Only she wasn’t scared that he would hurt her.
Hell. She really was trying to win a stupid award today.
“Hide and I will talk to them.” If she were smart she would just let them kill him. Except the thought of him dying left a sick feeling in her stomach. Was she going soft? He was a ransom, that was all. He meant nothing more than an injection of credits into her account.
Yep, and maybe if she kept telling herself that she would start to believe it.
“I can take five human males on,” he scoffed. “They are no match for me.”
He had broken out of hover cuffs. And out of the room. How had he done that?
“I didn’t know Zerconians had super strength.”
“We do not. I did warn you about those cuffs.”
“But you ripped that door into bits, how did you do that?”
“I was furious at the idea of him hurting you. It gave me added strength.”
“Yeah, you went psycho. Again. Would you have killed Mitch?” Her stomach rolled. “You didn’t have to interfere.”
“He hurt you.”
“Please. I had everything under control.”
A noise came from the direction of the cargo doors. A hole appeared in the door, sparks firing off the metal. They were cutting through the door with a laser. They only had seconds. “They’re coming. Hide.”
He clasped her hand and tugged them both behind some crates. “Wait here.”
“Like hell.” She grabbed his wrist, knowing he only stopped because he wanted to. Her strength was in no way a match for his. “You cannot hurt them. They are my brothers. My friends.”
A muscle jumped in his cheek. His chest heaved.
“Put your hands up and surrender.” Rye’s voice reverberated around the cargo bay.
“I’m okay,” she called out.
“Let my sister go.” She could hear death in Zuma’s voice. Time to calm things down. Great, when had she ever been a calming influence? She didn’t have a diplomatic bone in her body. And right now, she had to convince a bunch of testosterone-driven, armed mercenaries not to shoot someone who had nearly killed one of their own.
Well, she hoped just nearly killed. If Mitch was dead, she didn’t know if she could save Darac and no matter what he thought, Darac couldn’t fight against men armed with blasters. Steele was an excellent shot and Zuma, for all his clowning around, was deadly—especially when his family was threatened.
“Darac, let me past,” she insisted.
“No.”
“They’re not going to harm me. But if they don’t see that I’m safe then this is all going to go to shit rather quickly. I love my brothers and I’d never forgive you if one of them got hurt.”
He studied her, his eyes still glowing red. “I will walk out with you.”
“Fine, but put your hands up.”
He frowned.
“It will make you look more harmless.” If you were half-blind and deaf.
“If any of them put you in harm’s way, I will not be able to control myself.”
“Yeah, I kind of figured that out when you tossed Mitch around.”
“Zerconian, come out with your hands up,” Rye called out.
Darac took a step out from behind the crates and she quickly followed, stepping in front of him.
With a low noise, he pushed her behind him.
“Damn it, Darac. I’m not some helpless heroine and you don’t get to treat me like one.” She stepped out to his side. He matched her movements. Didn’t he get that he was the one in danger? But, oh no, his ego couldn’t take the blow of having to have a woman protect him.
Idiot.
“I give my life for yours.”
She snorted. “Bit over-dramatic don’t you think? We just met. I usually expect someone to buy me a beer before they declare their undying devotion.”
“Willa, you want to explain what’s going on here?” Rye asked in a silken voice.
Not good.
“Rye, you can’t kill him.”
“Of course he cannot kill me. I am the far superior warrior.” Arrogance filled Darac’s voice as he stared at her brother.
“And he has a blaster aimed at your over-inflated head. Now shut up and let me handle this.” He frowned at her but was blessedly quiet. “Umm.” Okay, what to say to defuse this situation? Rye stood straight ahead of them. To the left she spotted Zuma. At their right, Deacon crouched behind a crate. All of them were armed.
Steele, Nolan and Mitch were missing. She guessed Nolan and Mitch were in medical. So Steele was probably hidden somewhere. And if he didn’t want to be found, she wouldn’t find him.
“Wow, this is a weird situation to be in,” she muttered.
“You’re surrounded, there is no way out of this. But if you let Willa go, we’ll let you live,” Zuma stated.
He was lying. She could always tell when he lied.
“Just chill,” she ordered. “I get that you’re all mad. But you need to listen to me.”
“What exactly do you have to say, Willa?” Rye purred. “He tried to kill Mitch. He broke out of hover cuffs. He ripped a steel door apart. Then he kidnapped you.”
“He didn’t kidnap me,” she protested. Even though he pretty much had. “It’s not like he could take me anywhere.”
“He’s dangerous. He needs to be taken out. I don’t understand why you’re defending him. He is the enemy.” Zuma gave her an incredulous look.
Guilt filled her. She didn’t deserve that look. She wasn’t betraying her brothers and her crew. Was she?
Maybe she should step away from Darac, let them kill him. But that thought filled her with terror. She couldn’t do it. She was torn between her family and a man she barely knew.
“Willa? Are you hurt?” Darac stared down at her in concern.
“I’m fine. Just a headache.” She rubbed at her temples.
“A migraine,” Zuma clarified. “You’re not thinking clearly, Willa. Step away.”
Zuma was right. It was the beginning of a migraine. Her stomach rolled and her hands grew sweaty. “Everyone calm down. Could we put the blasters away? Makes me nervous having them aimed my way.”
She knew no one would shoot her, but figured that was the fastest way of getting them to comply. For a long moment, Rye stared at her.
“Rye, the only reason Darac snapped was because Mitch was attacking me. You can’t tell me you wouldn’t feel the same way.”
“He’s a maniac.” Zuma nodded at Darac.
“Yeah, he’s a bit crazy.” Completely and utterly bonkers. “Apparently if a Zerconian male lives too long without finding their mate, they go a bit insane. That’s what happened to him. He doesn’t even remember what he did when we first bought him on board.”
“But he’s fine now,” Deacon said skeptically. “Sounds like he’s been selling you some magic beans.”
“Because I have found my mate,” Darac said proudly.
“Better not be me,” Zuma added, showing a glimmer of his usual humor. “My ass is not up for negotiation.”
“You are very pretty but I am not interested in males.”
“Pretty? Pretty?” Zuma gaped at the large Zerconian. “Is he for real? I’m not pretty.”
Darac drew her against him. “Willa is my mate.”
“Over my dead body.” Rye raised his blaster. “Willa, down!”
Oh crap.
Chapter Four
Fear threatened to paralyze him as his tiny mate threw herself in front of him.
What was she doing? Did she not realize the danger she placed herself in?
“Do not fire!” he roared.
Rye tilted his blaster at the last moment, his shot going wild.
Darac roared, fear fuelling his fury. His vision blurred and his breath heaved in and out of his chest as he fought for control. Grabbing his mate, he swung her around behind the crates.
Kill.
Must kill.
Threat to mate.
Kill.
He leapt out, grabbing Rye and flinging him through the air. To his credit, the other man didn’t drop his blaster as he flew back, landing in a pile of crates.
Something stung his arm. He swung around, lunging for Zuma.
Destroy.
“Darac, no!” Willa screamed.
Darac paused, holding the smaller male in the air, his hands around Zuma’s throat.
“I can’t get a clear hit!” A voice called out.
Kill. Destroy.
“Darac, put my brother down. You’re killing him.” Willa grabbed his arm and immediately, he could think more clearly.
He stared down at Zuma. His face was pale, almost lifeless. He dropped him. The male slumped to the floor. He coughed, struggling to take a decent breath.
“Zuma!” Willa tried to take a step towards the fallen male, but Darac held her back.
“Let me go! You could have killed him!”
The distress in her voice ate at him, filling him with guilt. What had he done?
“I was angry.” He bit the words out through a clenched jaw.
“No kidding.”
“Let my sister go,” the male’s voice was low. Deadly.
Darac looked up into Rye’s face. He had a gash on his arm from where Darac had thrown him into the crates. He could see death written on the other man’s face.
“Rye, calm down,” Willa cried out. He could feel her shaking.
“He just tried to choke Zuma to death and you want me to calm down?” Rye asked in disbelief.
Darac snarled at the other male. He had no right to use that tone on his mate.
Could he take them all? Without Willa to worry about, yes, probably. But she was unpredictable. He couldn’t trust her to take orders, and she obviously had no sense of self-preservation.
“Damn it, will the two of you stop it! Darac, what the hell were you doing? You can’t attack my family. You could have killed Zuma.”
“He nearly shot you.” He nodded at Rye.
“He was aiming at you.”
“You could have been killed.”
“Wait, you’re upset because Rye could have hit me? I got in the way. If it was anyone’s fault it was mine.”
Darac turned to scowl at her. “You should have stayed where I put you.”
“Woof woof, not a dog. Hate to tell you this, but I don’t live to obey you.”
“You will when it comes to safety.”
Her eyes flared with fury but he would not back down.
“The two of you are fighting like an old married couple,” Zuma said hoarsely.
“Zuma, are you all right?” Willa tugged at Darac’s hold on her. “Let me go to him.”
“Not until I am certain you are safe.” And he wasn’t sure he could keep his sanity without her touch right at the moment.
“She’s not the one who is at risk here, warrior,” Rye told him.
Willa stared back and forth between her brother and Darac. “Rye, it was my fault he just went psycho.” She cleared her throat. “Seems to be that when he feels I’m threatened he loses his shit. Rather like a two-year-old having a tantrum.” She glared up at him.
Zuma snorted. “A three-hundred-pound toddler who tosses people around like candy bars.”
“He’s calm now, aren’t you, Darac?”
He took a deep breath. Then another. Calm wasn’t the word he would use. But he had control.
For the moment.
“As long as you do not place yourself in danger again. Why did you jump in front of me like that?” He turned her to face him, shaking her gently. He could never hurt his mate. He was born to protect her. And yet when he lost himself to the madness he had no idea what would happen. What he was capable of.
Darac strained to keep himself sane. It lingered, a painful, roiling mass inside him. But he could think more clearly.
“She wasn’t thinking,” Rye stated angrily. “If you cannot follow orders, Willa, then you cannot be on this crew.”
His mate grew pale and for a moment she almost appeared afraid. She was brave and reckless. Yet her brother threatening to remove her from his crew almost had her shaking. Darac’s anger diverted from his mate—not that he would forget what she had done, they would most definitely be having a discussion about that—to the male who had hurt her. Pushing Willa behind him, he took a menacing step towards her brother. Bracing himself, Rye aimed his blaster at his chest.
“Rye!”
“Willa, stay out of this,” Rye snapped.
“You will not use that tone of voice with my mate.”
“I am not your mate!”
He hadn’t intended
to tell her, but they needed to know he was serious when it came to her protection. He did not intend to fully mate her until he had talked to an Elder about his condition. Perhaps he would gain full control once they were truly mated.
But what if it didn’t? He could not tie her to him until he knew.
“When you are not around, I struggle to for control. It is only when you are close that I can think clearly. I was too far gone and you should not have been able to pull me back. Now I am caught in the middle between madness and sanity.”
Rye, glared at him. “I don’t know why you think you have some claim over her, but you are mistaken.”
“You do not care for her properly. You do not deserve her. She is mine to protect. To care for.”
“Sheesh, chill out all of you.” Willa moved out from behind him.
He prepared to protect her at the slightest threat. But while the tension in the room was high, the other males had all lowered their blasters.
“He’s infatuated with her,” Rye stated.
“Don’t know why.” Zuma grinned. Darac didn’t trust his smile. It didn’t reach his eyes. Darac had the feeling the other male’s relaxed demeanour was supposed to lull him into a sense of security, into believing Zuma was harmless.
He would not fall for that ruse.
“Hey!” Willa glared at Zuma.
“You’re my sister,” he replied. “You’re not supposed to be attractive. You’re supposed to run around with pigtails and skinned knees.”
She snorted. “When have you ever seen me wear pigtails, Zuma?”
“Enough,” Rye ordered. “We do not have time for this.”
Darac hadn’t forgotten that there was another male, hidden. He’d heard his voice earlier.
He scanned the room. There. The right corner of the room had some high-stacked crates that would provide perfect cover and give the shooter an excellent line of sight.
He shifted around Willa, placing himself between her and that corner of the room.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
He nodded toward the corner. “We are being watched.”
She studied the crates. “I can’t see anyone.”