by Anna Hackett
“Unless they have some stealth suits, too,” Raiden said with an edge.
“Or they flew.” Galen shifted, shaking his head. “You’re sure the scanner bot didn’t detect anyone leaving?”
“Yes. I don’t know how they did it, but they did.” Magnus’ neck prickled. “It’s a trap.”
Galen cursed. “You think they knew we’d follow them?”
Magnus gave a grim nod. He jogged back down the sand dune and straight to his tent. He lifted the flap. “Ever. You need to get up.”
“What?” She sat up, pushing her tangled hair out of her face. “What’s going on?”
“Somehow the off-worlders snuck out of their camp. We think it’s a trap.”
She scrambled to her feet and yanked on her boots. “Where the hell did they go?”
Suddenly, the howl of several beasts echoed off the dunes around them.
Magnus straightened, backing out of the tent. Around him, the gladiators pulled their swords, and Jaxer yanked out twin laser pistols.
“Stealth suits?” Raiden asked.
“They won’t hide our weapons,” Magnus said. “But everything helps.”
Ever rushed out of the tent, and Magnus pulled her close. Drak, no. His heart hammered in his chest. He didn’t want her in the middle of the fight.
“Ever, get your stealth suit on.”
She nodded and quickly yanked it over her clothes.
They all raced up to the top of the dune, and instantly he saw the beasts loping toward them. Predators of some kind. The desert beasts interbred often, creating new and varied monsters. There were four big, shaggy creatures running with mighty strides, riders sitting atop them.
A screech reverberated through the air and he lifted his gaze. Several giant flying creatures were also moving in, with large flaps of powerful wings. They also carried riders.
“Drak.” Galen kicked the sand.
“Ever,” Magnus said. “You need to stay down—”
“No.” She lifted a laser pistol he’d given her at the start of the mission. “I’m military trained, Magnus, and I’m a good shot.” There was steely determination in her face. “We all have a better chance of surviving if we all fight.”
“They’re getting closer,” Galen said. “They look like fighters from Zaabha.”
Magnus didn’t care who they were. He would protect Ever against anyone or anything that tried to hurt her.
“Here we go,” Raiden yelled, lifting his sword. He activated his camouflage and his body blinked out of view.
The others did the same. Magnus watched Raiden’s and Nero’s swords as the men raced down the dune, sand kicking up behind them. Scenting them, several beasts leaped in their direction.
Swords flashed, and blood sprayed the sand.
Magnus sensed Ever crouch and start firing. There was the whine of a second laser weapon and he knew Jax was firing as well.
Magnus glanced where he knew his second was standing. “Protect her.”
“With my life.”
Magnus grabbed Ever, feeling until he had a good grip…then he kissed her—hard and quick. “Stay safe.” Drak, he wished he could see her face.
Then he rose and turned his head. He scented Galen nearby.
“Let’s do this,” the imperator said.
Magnus broke into a run and the two of them sprinted down the dune.
A fighter leaped off one of the flying creatures, coming at Magnus with a metal staff. He ducked the weapon, turned, and then grabbed the end of it. The fighter tried to yank it free, but Magnus held it. With one squeeze of his cybernetic hand, he crushed the metal to dust. The fighter’s jaw went slack.
Magnus stepped forward, punching the man in the head, knocking him aside.
He turned to see one of the shaggy beasts rushing at him, teeth bared. Magnus dodged, then grabbed a fistful of fur. He yanked the beast around and heard it yelp. Then he swung the beast and tossed it into the air.
Its rider fell off with a scream. The beast slammed into one of the flying creatures and together the two crashed to the ground, in a tangle of fur, scales, and claws.
His stealth suit flickered and died. Drak.
“Watch out, Magnus!” Ever screamed.
He spun, ducking into a fighting stance.
A flying beast swooped in low. Magnus tried to dodge, but sharp claws raked his shoulder. His pain dampeners moved quickly to block the burning sensation.
Ahead, he watched as Galen, his suit no longer working, grabbed the wing of a second flying creature as it whizzed past. With a show of strength, the imperator leaped onto the beast’s back. He pulled himself up, knocking the rider out of the saddle.
Nearby, Raiden and Nero were still camouflaged blurs, battling the other fighters and ground beasts. Laser fire pulsed through the air from the top of the dune. Magnus turned his head, tracking the creature that had scratched him. He saw it wheel around, coming back for another attack.
As the beast flew closer, Magnus held up his cybernetic arm. A shadow blocked the morning sun just as claws clamped on his arm. He was yanked off his feet.
Flying into the air, Magnus swung his body in a smooth arc. He jerked free of the claws and climbed on top of the beast. An elbow to the face sent the rider tumbling off. The man screamed, arms flailing, as he fell the long way down to the sand below.
Magnus settled into the leather saddle, the beast letting out a displeased screech. He grabbed the reins, pulling on them gently. It only took a few moves to work out what the animal responded to. He leveled the creature out, air rushing into his face. A moment later, Galen appeared beside him, with a flap of the wings of his own flying beast.
“This should be fun,” the imperator said with a faint smile.
Magnus nodded. All he cared about was getting back to Ever.
Together, he and Galen swooped in over the fight. Magnus directed his beast to a fighter jogging up the dune toward Ever.
The creature snagged the man, and Magnus lifted them back up, high into the air. The fighter fell with a sharp scream.
Magnus wheeled the flying beast around again. As they came in close to the fight, Magnus patted the beast’s neck, then grabbed the rope reins and broke them off with a hard tug. “Fly free.”
He leaped off. When his boots hit the sand, he rolled.
As he stood, he saw he was right by the empty off-worlder camp. Galen stood beside a tent, his creature sitting quietly nearby with its wings tucked back. Raiden stood nearby, the hood of his stealth suit thrown back, smiling darkly. Nero crouched not far away, cleaning blood off his blade.
“Nice flying,” Raiden said.
Magnus nodded, looking back toward the dune where Ever and Jax had been firing from. There was no sign of them. He scanned the sand, ice sliding into his veins. Something was wrong.
Magnus broke into a jog. Maybe they were hiding somewhere, keeping themselves safe.
He reached the base of the dune. “Ever!”
The gladiators were right behind him. They crested the dune, and there was nothing before him, other than more sand. Where was she?
Nero crouched, studying some marks in the sand. Then the man stood and followed some sort of trail that Magnus couldn’t see.
“Drak. Over there.” Nero pointed.
Jax’s body was lying face down in the shadow of the dune. His stealth suit was shredded and a spear pinned his shoulder to the sand.
Panic like he’d never known filled Magnus. He raced forward, quicker than the others, skidding down the dune toward his friend.
“Jaxer.” He dropped to his knees. He gripped the spear and ripped it out, resulting in a faint moan coming from his friend.
Magnus gently rolled the man over. Jax opened pain-filled eyes. The wound on his shoulder was gory, and there was blood all over him.
“Strengthen your pain dampeners,” Magnus said.
Jax managed a wan nod. “Wound…already healing.”
Magnus knew Jax, like him, could direct t
he blood flow away from the wound, and increase his rate of healing. “Ever?”
Something flickered through Jax’s eyes. “I’m so sorry, Magnus. There were several Thraxians. They came out of the damn sand and attacked me. They took her.”
Magnus looked up, staring blindly at the dunes. Ever. Then he let out a chilling, feral roar.
Chapter Thirteen
As Ever stumbled in the sand, a hard hand jerked her upright. Claws bit through her now-not-operational stealth suit and into her skin.
The Thraxian turned, black eyes zeroing in on her. A horrible rush of nausea rolled through her belly. For a second, she was back on the Fortuna Space Station, screams echoing around her.
She hated the sight of him. She hated the fact that he terrified her.
The Thraxian leaned forward and jabbed his knife against her belly. It made her wince. The thought of something happening to her baby terrified her more than anything else. Hang tight, peanut.
There had been other Thraxians, but they’d peeled off to ambush anyone who followed them. She swallowed. Be okay, Magnus. “You’ve made a big mistake.”
The Thraxian let out a harsh laugh and yanked her forward.
“Do you know Magnus Rone?”
Now, the Thraxian shot her a curious glance. He grunted.
Ever took that as a yes. “He’s coming for you. With Imperator Galen and their gladiators by their sides.”
The alien laughed, but Ever thought she heard a faint tremor in it.
“They are already dead on the desert sand,” the Thraxian said in a guttural voice.
The man’s words made another wave of nausea wash over her. No. She didn’t believe it. Not for a second.
But the thought of Magnus lying lifeless on the sand made her stumble.
This time, when the Thraxian jerked her upright, his claws broke her skin. Blood oozed down her arms.
She knew, deep in her gut, that Magnus wasn’t dead, but she also knew there wasn’t much time. She couldn’t wait for him. She needed to protect their baby.
Ever surreptitiously studied her captor, taking stock of the Thraxian. He was big and strong, with the same dark, cracked skin all his species had. Underneath, the faint golden glow of his veins shone through, and his set of horns were large, sweeping back from his forehead. She was going to take this bastard down. She just had to wait for the right opportunity.
As they moved along, Ever kept stumbling on purpose, trying to slow their pace.
“Please slow down.” She panted, putting on a good show.
The alien growled.
“Why did you take me?” she asked, stalling.
He shot her an ugly smile. “You’re bait.”
God. Her stomach rolled over. To lure Magnus and the others. “I thought you said they were dead.”
He growled. “The Zaabha Fightmaster will reward me very well for bringing in Rone and Galen’s dead bodies.” He pushed her roughly. “He’ll also be happy to see you. Our scientists have been anxiously waiting to get you back. You adapted well to our experimental implants, and helped us perfect them for use on more fighters.” He scowled at her now-healed eye. “If you survive, you’ll go back to the lab.”
Not fucking likely. She spat at him. “Your time is coming. Zaabha will be destroyed.”
“Be quiet.” He jerked her forward and she tripped, slamming into his body. His rough skin snagged on her clothes.
She felt the outline of the laser pistol strapped to his belt. This was her chance. She whipped her hand up, grabbed the hilt of the pistol, and yanked it toward her.
With a shout, he swung a clawed hand at her. She dodged and fell to the sand. She quickly tried to aim and fire, but the burst of laser went wild.
Ever turned, trying to get to her feet in the unstable sand. Suddenly, one of those big hands clamped on her wrist. Pain shot up her arm.
She kicked at his legs, and they both went down, rolling across the sand. The pistol flew out of her grip.
Breaking free of him, Ever scrambled for the weapon. She felt him behind her, a hand sinking into her hair. She jabbed out with her elbow, catching his throat. He let out a roar, and she turned, stabbing her fingers toward his black eyes.
But he still wasn’t down.
He swung at her again, smacking her in the side of the head. Dazed, she staggered and tried to stay conscious. His harsh breathing echoed deafeningly in her ears.
Can’t. Give. Up.
Pushing for more energy, she yanked away from him. Her gaze fell on the pistol in the sand, and she dived for it.
But the Thraxian’s arm was longer. He slammed her out of the way, and his hand closed on the weapon.
He rolled, turning the weapon on her.
Ever froze. She was on her knees, the hot sand burning through her trousers. She tasted acid in her throat.
He lowered the weapon so it pointed at her belly. When he laughed, she fought the urge to launch herself at him.
But she stayed still, instead, and waited for him to pull the trigger.
“Now you die,” he growled. “I’ll use your dead body as bait, instead.”
She lifted her chin, fighting back the wave of helplessness.
There was no sound as a big body barreled out of nowhere.
Ever cried out, falling back as she watched Magnus slam into the Thraxian. There was the sound of grunts and the thud of blows, then the two of them rolled down the giant sand dune, sending up a spray of grit behind them.
Magnus was living and breathing rage.
Every second of watching Nero follow the faint trail through the desert had worn on Magnus’ nerves. Finding several Thraxians lying in wait for them had left him incandescent with fury. It had taken him seconds to take them all out.
But seeing this sandsucker about to kill Ever…had made the last of his control snap.
He and the Thraxian came to a stop, and Magnus leaped to his feet. With his cybernetic arm, he grabbed the alien by the throat and lifted him. The man’s feet dangled wildly off the ground.
With his other hand, Magnus punched him. Head. Chest. Gut. Over and over.
This crudspawn had taken Ever. He’d hurt her.
Magnus’ programming shut down. All he wanted was to end the Thraxian. He tossed the alien to the ground, and the man hit hard. Magnus called up his electric charge and his cybernetic arm sparked. He welcomed the lash of pain.
He jammed his palm down on the alien’s back. The Thraxian screamed, body shuddering.
Magnus cut off the electric shock, staring dispassionately at the Thraxian slumped on the sand. But all Magnus could see in his head was this man with his weapon trained on Ever. He’d never take her again. He’d never hurt her again.
Magnus advanced once more.
“Magnus.”
He turned and saw Ever sliding down the dune. Scratches streaked down her arms, and one side of her face was scraped and bleeding. His jaw tightened. She clutched a Thraxian pistol in her hand.
Vision red with rage, he turned back to the Thraxian. The alien had found his feet, but was wavering. Magnus’ next blow sent the man crashing sideways into the sand.
“Magnus!” Ever flew at him. He caught her, and she pressed herself against him. He wrapped his arms around her, absorbing the warmth of her.
She was alive. He fired up his scanners, assessing all her vitals. Including the tiny second heartbeat inside her.
She was fine. The baby was fine. They were both alive.
Something eased inside him, and suddenly he could breathe again.
“I knew you’d come.” She lifted her head, her hand stroking his chest.
Magnus pulled her up on her toes and kissed her.
When he finally lifted his head, she looked around. “Where are Galen and the others?”
“Coming. At full speed, I can run much faster than they can.”
A soft look crossed her face, but then guttural laughter echoed around them.
Magnus turned to see the Thraxian
on his knees, swaying, but laughing.
Anger surged through Magnus’ dampeners. He felt Ever grab at his arm, her fingers digging into his skin.
The Thraxian spat out blood onto the sand. “You’re a fool, Magnus Rone. Blinded by a woman.”
Magnus stepped closer.
“Don’t let him taunt you,” Ever said.
“You should’ve waited for your allies,” the Thraxian said. “Surely you knew this was a trap? All set in motion by the Fightmaster. He knew you’d questioned a guest of Zaabha. We suspected you’d follow another off-worlder into the desert.” Another laugh.
Magnus frowned, scanning the desert around them. There were no life signs, no signs of any other Thraxians. There were some faint heat signatures behind them, still some distance away, and he knew it was Galen and the others.
“What happened to the off-worlders at the camp?” Magnus demanded.
The Thraxian smiled, his black teeth menacing. “They are already enjoying the entertainments of Zaabha. We have a lovely little invention called the borer. It’s modeled off the norkhoi death borers found in the deserts. We burrowed up right beneath their tents and got them out.” The Thraxian shook his head. “You should never have opposed us. We will never just roll over and give up what is ours.”
“The people at Zaabha are not yours,” Ever shouted. “They are free people you enslaved.”
Magnus remained silent, thinking of the borers. His hand curled into a fist, and he scanned the ground beneath their feet. Drak. He hadn’t thought to scan below the sand.
The ground vibrated and he cursed.
“Magnus?” Ever glanced his way, her eyes wide.
Drak. There were heat signatures directly below them.
Sand sprayed up around them. Ever cried out as metal tips pierced the sand right beside her. He dived into her, knocking her aside, as more boring machines popped up out of the ground.
The boring machines opened, and Thraxians began pulling themselves out of the tunnels.
“No,” Ever whispered.
Magnus tightened his hold on her, fighting to lock down his fear. He had to get Ever out of here alive.
One of the Thraxians advanced, and Magnus exploded forward. With a vicious hit and a kick, he took the alien down. But more were coming.