“I'd say it worked.”
“We're still faster than them,” he muttered, pushing down on a lever. “Especially now.”
I felt the ship lurch forward. It was as if we were on a roller coaster that suddenly took off. The stars outside were spiraling out of control, or rather, we were the ones spiraling as we sped through space. Jendrish was pleased with himself as he continued watching for any sign of the ship in his sensors.
“Ozul, are you picking anything up on the long range sensors?”
“You appear to have outrun them,” he said. “And avoided colliding with anything. Congratulations.”
“We outran them, this time,” he said, growing more serious. “But there will be more where that came from. Especially the closer we get to Optorio.”
“So what you're saying is this is only the beginning?” I said. “And more people will be trying to shoot us down?”
“Exactly,” he said. “Sorry you came along now?”
“Hell no,” I said.
Great. Just great. I was screaming and tearing my hair out – on the inside. I would never let Jendrish see that. Especially after I'd made such a monumental production out of coming to begin with. I knew we were likely going into a war zone, but I guessed that I never realized exactly what that meant or that we'd literally be chased down and shot at by our enemies. Suddenly, I found myself very afraid.
Jendrish sat down next to me, his hair sticking to his face from a layer of sweat – both from making love to me and from the excitement of the chase.
“I'm sorry we were so rudely interrupted,” he said, kissing my hand.
“Shit happens. There will always be a next time.”
“I sure hope so, Riley. I really, really hope so.”
Chapter Three
Jendrish
The ship that had followed us was one from my planet – a bounty hunter. Probably a bounty hunter sent out by the Regent Council. It was far out there, meaning they were searching far and wide for me. They were afraid, and were on notice. Even worse, they seemed to have an idea that I was coming. Which meant the closer we got, the more likely we'd run into even more danger – ships that were larger, faster and armed with heavier weapons.
I glanced over at Riley who'd fallen asleep in her seat. I should sleep, but every time I thought about it, I'd remember that we could be attacked at any time. I needed to be alert to keep us out of harm's way because it wasn't just my life on the line there, but also Riley's. And there was no way I'd let anything happen to her if I could help it. She was my responsibility now.
What I found a little unsettling was that they knew my ship and they were possibly expecting me to come back. It made me wonder if one of my brothers had informed the Regents to betray me. It also meant that the war was already started.
I decided to reach out to Vink again, to see how things were going on the ground. I brought up the communication panel and hailed him.
“Hey there,” I said, leaning back in my seat as Vink's face appeared on-screen. “So I was just shot at by a bounty hunter. So, I'm guessing they're out in full force and the Regents know I'm on my way, huh?”
“Oh yeah,” Vink laughed. “I was a little concerned with how you were going to get into the air space around Optorio. They're screening it, but I have some contacts in air traffic control that are going to look the other way when your ship nears. Not that it'll keep the others from attacking once they recognize you, but hopefully that'll buy you some more time.”
“I appreciate it, Vink.”
“I appreciate you risking your life to come back and fight for this. You know you could have just told us and left it to us, right?”
I sighed. “No, I couldn't. I started this, I need to finish it. It's my responsibility to take down the Regent Council. Besides, I'll relish the feeling of seeing those pieces of filth handcuffed and taken away to their cells. After what I saw – I just can't sit out. I need to do something about it.”
“And that's why you're a great leader, Jendrish. Always have been.”
Hearing Vink give me such glowing praise meant a lot – especially considering the fact that he outranked me. He was my mentor, but eventually he'd retired from active service and let me take over his position – a position many thought I was too young for. But he'd believed in me, always had. And that's why he was the first person I'd called.
I knew him well enough to know that he'd help me fight this battle, that he'd listen and take what I said seriously. And once I had him, I knew the others would follow. He was one of the most respected members of the Guard – ever. He was held in high esteem by everybody. And what he said carried a lot of weight.
At one time, being a member of the Royal Guard was such an honor, one bestowed upon only those with a strong moral compass, one who'd fight for what was right even when everyone else in the universe was doing it wrong. Once Baz stepped down, we were disbanded, but it didn't mean we weren't still brothers or that our mission to do the right thing had been pushed aside. We merely stepped back until we were needed again, I realized.
And this time, I was the one leading. Vink was listening and working with me, following my commands. Something I never thought possible, even after he'd retired and I'd taken up his post.
“Thank you,” I said. “I learned from the best.”
And I meant it too.
ooo000ooo
Vink promised that he'd do everything he could to keep us off the radars on Optorio and allow us a free run in to land. And he'd done an amazing job at it. I didn't know how he'd done it or how many favors he'd had to call in, but we were able to get closer to the planet than I thought we would before someone noticed us and recognized my ship – and then attempt to blow us out of the sky.
I noticed that we'd picked up a tail. He was a little ways behind us, so I tried to speed up to lose him. But as we approached Optorio, air traffic got to be heavier and we could only move so fast.
Trying to blend into the heavy air traffic was also a benefit though. As the Regent Council wouldn't want to accidentally shoot down cargo ships or those carrying passengers into Optorio. It was risky, sure, because it meant that I was hiding in plain sight, and if there was any chance they could get my ship away from the others, they were going to blow us into a million little pieces.
“Fasten your seat belt, Riley,” I said, doing the same. “It's about to get a little bit ugly.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?' she asked after buckling up.
“Not really. Just keep an eye out and let me know if you see any big guns pointed our way.”
It was meant to be a joke, but Riley's eyes widened and she turned her head this way and that, keeping a tight lookout for big guns. She watched out the window, even though I knew she was deathly afraid of heights and flying. But she was a fighter, that one. And I admired that a lot. More than I could accurately convey.
Our ship shook.
“Were we shot?” Riley asked.
“Shot? No. The ship following us – they rear ended us.” I murmured and shook my head. “But we should be fine, just need to keep a good distance away – Get that piece of garbage out of the way already!”
There was a ship moving at a snail's pace in front of us, giving the ship behind us ample opportunity to rear end us again. If I thought the first bump had been an accident or coincidental, that was immediately thrown out after the second. It was intentional.
Riley laughed. Yes, in the middle of all this, she managed to laugh.
“What's so funny?” I asked her.
“I never knew road rage was an intergalactic problem.”
The ship in front of us stopped, letting other ships travel past us. That's when I saw it and realized what was happening.
The ship in front of us wasn't just a slow mover. The pilot in that lead ship was doing it on purpose just to slow me down. We were trapped between two larger ships and the roadway was clearing out.
“Dammit,” I said, swerving fast to th
e right, around the ship and into the oncoming flight path. I accelerated quickly, but there were fewer ships around us now. And that's when the sirens went off. Sirens alerting people to leave the air space. Which meant we were in big trouble.
I pushed down on the wheel and we rushed downward, toward Optorio, with ships still tailing us. We shook again, this time the lights flickered as I cursed.
So close. So fucking close.
Another vibration shook the ship and the lights around us flickered ominously. The control panel lit up, beeping and screaming at me, as if I didn't already know we were shot and damaged. Cameras showed the repair mechanism getting to work, but a blast blew it sky high, taking out any chance of getting the damage fixed. We'd have to land, and fast.
I sped up, plunging downward toward the ground. Riley was screeching, a sound of fear I never wanted to hear from her lips – but this was going to keep us alive hopefully. So I continued falling toward the planet, barely missing several more shots as we continued to dive straight toward the ground.
“Jendrish, are you okay up there?” That was Vink, hailing me on the communication screen.
“We're being shot at,” I said through gritted teeth. “Just trying to land as quickly as possible.”
The line cracked before going out. I never heard what else he had to say.
But Optorio was in sight, and I hurried and straightened out my ship, aiming for a landing strip that Vink had mentioned in an earlier call. It's the area his friends worked at, and any friend of Vink was a friend of mine right that moment. The ships behind us were still on our tail, but I was a Royal Guard. I knew how to outfly most people – including those employed by the Regent Council obviously.
“Prepare for landing,” I screeched, pulling on the lever to help us touch ground. As we did so, the entire ship shook violently and there were some sounds like metal grinding on metal that didn't sound good. Not at all.
I pulled the brakes and we stopped, suddenly. I set the ship down with a hard thud and we hurried to exit the ship, and I tossed Riley a weapon. “Just worry about protecting yourself. And don't you dare try to be a hero,” I said. 'There's time for that later.”
She nodded, and I opened the hatch to leave the ship, looking around as I exited. I didn't let Riley come out at first, not before I checked for enemies. And that's when I saw them.
An army of men, marching toward us. Weapons drawn. My blood ran cold for a moment thinking the worst. But then I saw the ray of sunlight streaming through the dark clouds that hung over my head.
“Alright. We're in business,” I said, feeling my heart race. “He did it. Vink did it.”
“What? What is it?” Riley asked, coming out of the ship against my orders.
“It's them,” I said, tears forming in my eyes.
“It's who?” she asked.
“My brothers. They're here, Riley. They're here to help us.”
Chapter Four
Riley
As Jendrish's men approached, so did the enemy. And a pitched, raging battle broke out in front of my very eyes.
“Get back in the ship, Riley,” Jendrish yelled at me as he ran toward the battle raging on in front of him. I turned, ready to retreat as he'd told me to, but that was when I realized where we were at.
We were near where I'd escaped. The building where I – and so many others – had been held captive. I recognized the back entry of the building, just barely. And better yet, everyone was distracted and running around fighting with one another. Nobody noticed me – or if they had, they'd decided that I wasn't worth the time or energy to fight. Which was just fine with me. Better than fine, actually.
I decided to make a run for it. I rushed away from the battle, giving one last worried look back at Jendrish. He was locked in a fight with a large man who had red and black hair, muscles bulging out from everywhere, and a face that looked – mean.
“Please, keep him safe,” I prayed to myself. Please, just please let him be okay.
The door to where I had been kept opened and I made a quick dash for it. Someone had stepped out to join the fight, and I hit them over the head with my weapon, knocking them out. His body slumped to the ground and I had to resist the urge to kill him right then and there. Taking a deep breath, I rushed inside and found that the cages were still full of women. Even more than the last time. Women of all races and species. And yet, the all had one thing in common – they looked terrified. My heart broke for them.
Jendrish had given me a device to use to deactivate the electronic security on the cells. I pulled it from my pocket and placed it against the locks. I looked around as the women began chittering excitedly, calling to me, begging to be let out. One-by-one, the cell doors opened. No one had come out yet to stop me – and for that I was relieved and thankful
The women came pouring out of the cells – just a massive wave of humanity. They all clustered in the corridor, unsure of what to do next.
“Come on,” I said, motioning for them to leave.
I wasn't entirely sure where we were going to go, but we had to leave here. We couldn't stay or somebody would eventually find us and then things would get really, really bad. There were just so many women there and I wasn't sure if we could hide everybody or not.
But on the spur of the moment, I decided that at least we could try to board the damaged ship Jendrish and I had gotten there in. Perhaps close it up and keep us there and keep us safe until the battle was over. Because the cold, harsh reality was that if Jendrish and his men didn't win this, we weren't getting home regardless. And if they did, we'd be safe.
The door to the cells opened, and I saw a familiar face that turned my insides to liquid. My hands trembled as he shouted at me.
“Run!” I yelled to the women. “Go outside toward the big ship with the open doors. Climb aboard, now!”
They listened, especially once they saw the guard coming toward me, lurching down the hallway. I held the weapon Jendrish had given me and pointed it at the man. Seeing me with the weapon in my hand, the man's smile faltered slightly, but he stopped dead in his tracks. Which was the desired result.
“You'd think you'd have tightened security since the last time I was here,” I said.
“Oh, we have,” he said, smiling at me. “No one is getting off the planet alive. You can run outside, but you're not going anywhere. Or at least, not very far, anyway. I can promise you that.”
“Maybe you're right,” I said. “But I also know most of us would rather die trying to escape than be stuck here in a goddamn cage a minute longer.”
I held the gun steady, even as I struggled with my nerves. I couldn't tremble. I couldn't show him weakness or fear. And to shoot and be accurate about it, I needed to do it with a steady hand. I looked the man in the face and saw a small, cruel smile touching his lips. Despite the revulsion and hatred that flowed through my body for him, I was finding it difficult to actually pull the trigger. I tried to force myself to just squeeze it, but I couldn't. I was having a hard time making that ultimate decision.
But if I didn't shoot him, he was certain to alert others and bring a lot of armed men down on our heads. I had to remind myself – this was a man who willingly held us against our will and sold us to others for sex. He didn't deserve to live. But still, making that choice was a lot harder than I thought it would be. And the longer I stood there debating with myself, the more I could tell he doubted my ability to actually follow through and pull the trigger.
I remembered Nicole, the first women I'd gotten to know, and the first one I lost as she was dragged from the cell and sold to the highest bidder. She hadn't gone quietly or easily, kicking, hitting, biting, and screaming the entire time. She was a tough lady. As I thought about her, I got to wondering – was she even alive anymore? Would I ever find out? Or would her fate forever be a mystery?
She was gone – possibly even dead – and it was all because of the man standing right before me. Well, him and others like him.
“Oh,
you'll die alright,” he said. “But not before I fuck you personally.”
As his words echoed in my ears, I was suddenly filled with a dark, abiding rage. I hated this man with my entire being and I wanted him dead. Without thinking, the rage took over and I pulled back on the trigger. A loud burst caused a few of the women to scream, but then silence descended over us all. I stared at the remnants of the guard, who now had a big, gaping hole in his head. His hair was singed and a pool of blue blood seeped out all over the floor around him.
“Oh God, I killed him,” I said, trembling as I looked at the fallen man.
“He deserved to die,” a woman said, reaching out to me. “Let's go, sweetie.”
Taking a deep breath, my body still shaking, I followed her and before I knew it, I was in the lead once more, guiding the women to the ship. Outside, chaos reigned. Men were everywhere fighting with each other. Bodies littered the ground and blood seemed to soak the dirt. I tried to find Jendrish in the flurry of battle, but I couldn't make out any faces.
Only a few men remained at all – most had already fallen. Which didn't look good at all.
Once the others were secured on the ship, I ran back out. I screamed for Jendrish, calling out for him over and over again. But there was no answer. Now, only a few men remained, all of them dead or dying. I searched their faces, turning over the dead, afraid of what I might find.
But there was no Jendrish. None whatsoever.
Did that mean he'd captured? Was he chasing somebody else down? Where had he gone?
“JENDRISH!” I screeched, falling to my knees, tears rushing to my eyes.
I knew I shouldn't be yelling – not with the enemy so close by. But my heart was breaking thinking of all the terrible things they might have done to him. I came with him because the idea of never seeing him again hurt too much. And yet, there I was, faced with that same possibility even though I came with him anyway. Not only that, but I had a ship full of women that I was responsible for.
“Are you Riley?” a male's voice called out from behind me.
“Yes, I am,” I said, tightening my grip on my weapons as I turned and stared apprehensively.
Mated to a Bear (Legends of Black Salmon Falls Book 3) Page 42