by Pixie Moon
Fluttering fills the air then a loud chirping draws near. “Help.”
Three camleons fly around us and one dives for Yellow Eyes’ head. He stumbles and releases me when a second bird flies down and lands on his back.
I whirl around and run like Satan is after me.
A big hand lands on my shoulder before I get ten feet. “Flipping fuck. I hate you.”
“I don’t care. You won’t be my problem for long, human.” He drags me into a path and my heart sinks to my aching toes.
I dig my heels in when I see a vehicle, the one he was in at the club. As he forces me along, I see a blue feather on his shirt. I look up and see all three of the camleons. One is flying with a limp but it’s alive.
I have to distract him. “What do you mean I won’t be your problem for long?” Is this fucker going to kill me?
He shoves me into the vehicle. “You’ll see.”
“No. I’m not going with you.” I slap his face but he doesn’t even flinch. I hit him and he snarls. I get the warning but I can’t heed it. I hit him again.
He pins me to the seat with one arm and smirks. I feel his other hand land on the junction of my neck and shoulder. His fingers and thumb apply pressure.
My eyes widen. “Not the Vulcan Pinch. That shit is real.”
As darkness descends, I hear his cruel laughter.
Tairin, find me.
~ Din Tairin ~
I frown into my cup of stros.
Zairin nudges my shoulder. “What’s wrong?”
Zar and Von snap to attention.
“I don’t know. I feel like something is wrong, off.”
“Let us know if there is anything we can do,” Von says.
“Will do.”
The conversation goes back to the grounfos problem but I can’t shake the bad feeling I have.
We finish our drinks and then head out of the breakroom. We don’t get far before our coms go off. I read the message. My chest vibrates violently as I roar in rage.
“Check your house, Tairin. It could be a lie to rile you.”
My twin is right. Shaking hands link to my home. No answer. “Think,” I say more to myself than anyone else.
Von touches his com unit. “Your house is set up to check vital signs, isn’t it?”
“Yes.” Living alone, I’ve never had to use that before. I run the scan. No vitals. Daggers dig and cut into my heart.
Zar holds up a hand. He’s talking fast to someone. Fire licks at my skin. Kinsey Lea had better be fine or someone is going to pay.
Zar grins. It’s not a nice one. Hope spikes through me.
“The Commander was able to trace the link of the caller who said the grounfos have declared war and that Tairin is the first warrior to pay.”
“Let’s go.” Soon I’ll know where my kesdy is and if this rumor of war is true.
It doesn’t take us long to get to Ban LoMer’s house. The prelling fool even comes to the door when we knock.
I slam my fist into his jaw. He goes down. As I bind his hands, the others check the house. They come back with a snarling zaphinian female. Since she’s so pissed at Ban we keep them bound in the same room. She’s on her side on the floor and he’s in a chair. That really lights her up.
Von does a scan of her face. Even though she’s yelling to be freed, we get a match.
“Lin FaLe,” Zairin announces.
“What do you prelling warriors want? This is private property,” she spits the words nastily. She stares hard at us.
The rage in her eyes can’t match mine. It takes all of my training not to torture them.
Zar squats a few feet from her. “To know if the grounfos have declared war and where Din GyRol’s kesdy is.”
Her gaze shoots daggers through Ban. “What did you do? I knew they were here because of you.”
Ban smirks.
I long to hit him again.
Ban raises a shoulder. “I just told the truth.”
She struggles against her bounds for a long moment and then gives up. “You prelling idiot. What exactly did you tell them?”
Ban keeps his smug look. “That the grounfos have declared war against the warriors and that Din GyRol is the first to pay for his status.”
Her scream of pure rage fills the entire room. “That was not your job. Nof HabTe is going to kill you for that.” Ban laughs and Lin quivers in rage. “This is war but you are on your own. I’m not staying anywhere near you. You die alone, you idiot.” Her gaze turns to each of us. It’s pleading. “I have to get out of here. You warriors are supposed to help people, right? I need to get far away from Ban.”
I drop into a crouch near her. “Where is my kesdy?”
“I don’t know.”
Zairin looks at his com unit and touches the screen, then he grins. “Commander just sent word to Nof that Ban and Lin have been very helpful.”
Lin’s eyes widen. “I’ll help you if you’ll help me.”
I glare at her. “How can you help me? You said you don’t know where my kesdy is.” Patience. I have to use patience as a weapon. Killing these two will not get my kesdy back.
She licks her lips. “I don’t know where she is but I know who took her.”
“Tell me.” My fists ache to beat the information out of them. But that’s not our way. They are not warriors. They are dumb followers.
“Don’t tell them yet,” Ban snaps.
“Now or no help,” Von states with a menacing stare. A look that promises death. I give her the same look.
“A wiptronian has her.”
“Who?” I ask. My heart is thundering against my ribs. I have to get Kinsey Lea and the baby back.
Lin sags on the floor. “I don’t know.”
I inhale deeply. She’s telling the truth. My brain races and then pulls up a memory. I turn to the guys. “I might know who has her. We need to check club surveillance.”
“What about me?” Lin yells as we head to the door.
Zairin stops and looks at her. His eyes are as cold as mine feel. “As you two said, this is war. You picked the wrong side.”
Her screams follow us out of the house.
I don’t feel bad about what is going to happen to them when Nof gets to them. They shouldn’t have gone along with a rebel leader’s plans of war. Choices have consequences.
With a little information, Hauk and Ryk are already checking the club’s feed for the wiptronian who approached us outside the club.
We don’t even make it to the club before our coms go off. I grin when the information we need flashes across my screen. Now we have a name and a location. We turn and head toward the spaceport.
My blood fires up. “He’s planning to take her off planet.” My fists curl and ache to beat that prelling fucker up.
“It would be the smartest thing to do. But he won’t make it. He has no idea that all crafts have been grounded,” Zairin says.
“Ban’s need to brag has given us the chance to get Kinsey Lea back and be on alert for war,” Von says.
“Yes, now that we know what the grounfos are up to we can act accordingly,” Zar adds.
“Don’t kill Git Letcern,” Zairin warns. “We need to question him. We know he’s tied to the grounfos but we don’t know how.”
I grunt my understanding. My twin is right. Even if I don’t want him to be.
We pull into the port and scan every vehicle and every person.
Each passing second is pure torture. “We have to find her.”
“We will,” Zairin assures.
“Yes, the spaceport is on alert. All warriors are looking for her,” Zar says.
My pulse quickens when we spot the rental Git Letcern, that prelling wiptronian, drove. We get out and circle the vehicle. Empty and locked. I break the glass and inhale Kinsey Lea’s precious scent.
Zairin leans in. “Kinsey Lea’s scent is still strong. They have to be close.”
We take off, letting nothing escape our notice. The TocGar brothers co
ntinue to search outside as Zairin and I head to the port doors. A flash of silver skin catches my attention before we even get to the doors. The male is walking away. He’s not with my kesdy but I need to see his face. Need to know he’s not the wiptronian from outside the club, Git Letcern.
As we head in his direction, the large bag he’s carrying starts to move. I catch a hint of my kesdy’s scent. My heart kicks my ribs. My skin tightens.
“Git Letcern,” I call out.
He freezes and then slowly turns around. His face is a mask of practiced innocence. “Yes, I’m Git. Can I help you in some way?”
So this is how he’s going to play it. I can lie too. “All wiptronians on this planet are in grave danger. We need you to come with us.” Please fuck up so I can kill you.
Worry replaces his mask of innocence. “What is the source of the danger?”
Me.
Zairin steps forward. “A silver flesh eating parasite.” My twin looks Git over. “We caught you in time but you have to come with us so we can get you to a safe room.”
Zairin and I get within reach of Git and Zairin asks, ”You need some help with your bag?”
Git’s yellow eyes widen. We’ve been busted. Zairin overplayed his hand. Warriors don’t carry luggage. I shoot my twin a look. Regret and determination glow in his eyes.
The bag moves again. Harder this time. My heart lurches along with my body. Git pivots and then drops the bag as he takes off running. I catch the bag just before it hits the stone path.
“Flipping fuck, where am I?”
Music. Her voice is music to my soul. As Zairin tackles Git, I ease the bag to the ground and then open it.
Big green and brown eyes blink twice and then light up. “You found me.” Her lips tremble. “I love you.”
“I’ll always find you, Kinsey Lea GyRol.” I help her from the bag and then look her over. Not a visible scratch on her. There is a bruise around her wrist and she’s dirty but that’s all.
I hug her tightly to me and glory in her precious scent. “I love you, kesdy.”
She says something but I can’t tell what since I’ve got her squashed against my chest. I never want to let her go.
Her squirming makes me loosen my grip and look down.
She’s frowning. “He did the Vulcan Pinch on me.”
What is she talking about? Worry scents the air around her. Her words blur in my mind. I can’t focus on anything except her emotions. I don’t like it when she feels this way. I need her to feel confident and secure. But I can’t bring it up right now. We are on a mission.
Zairin walks past with Git as Zar and Von show up.
As we all head inside Zairin asks, “What’s a Vulcan Pinch?”
“Yes, what is that?” I ask.
Kinsey Lea touches the junction of her neck and shoulder. Her small fingers lightly pinch the flesh.
“Oh, he pinched a pressure point on you that knocked you out. A lot of species have those,” Zairin says.
I silently remind myself not to kill Git.
Shortly after we enter the building embarrassment adds to her scent. She’s trying to hide her breasts. Humans are strange that way. I pull off my shirt and slip it over her head. Her scent gets better but she’s still worried about something.
I have to find out what so I can reassure her. I love her too much not to fix this.
~ Kinsey Lea ~
I drink in Tairin’s scent. His shirt is covered in it. I hug the material to me as we enter a room. It doesn’t take me long to see that the room isn’t empty. Commander Graltin LocMir is here and his dominating presence is filling the space.
Flipping fuck. I was captured. I have to look like a weak wreck to him. Being a weak wreck is bad.
Tairin eyes me with concern but his attention snaps to Git when the commander asks why the wiptronian took a warrior’s kesdy.
Yellow eyes flash. “For money. I was going to sell her on Barpol. Barpolians love humans. The grounfos second in command said it would be easy.”
“Who is their second in command?” LocMir asks. His tone is menacing.
Git jerks and then blows out a harsh breath. “Tob LelPe.”
Greed. I was taken to be sold. Sold. My brain fires up. Red skin, yellow eyes, and white hair. I remember the barpolians who sold me to Tairin. A shudder runs through me. If Git had gotten his way, I was going to be sold at the same place as last time. Only this time Tairin wouldn’t be there to save me.
What if Tairin hadn’t been able to find me in time? Git did make it to the spaceport. What if Tairin had gotten killed coming for me? Shouldn’t kesdies be tough like Din Zima? Am I too much trouble? Do I have one leg in the jungle?
Tairin stiffens. “Commander, I need to take my kesdy home.”
An intense blue and silver gaze swings my way. “Agreed.”
A surprised squeak escapes my lips when he picks me up and stalks away.
“I can walk.” My feet are tender but I would hobble along to show I’m not a flipping wuss.
“I should have picked you up sooner, kesdy. You are not a warrior.” He sniffs my hair and a growl rumbles from his chest. “Rest, you are going to need it.”
Why? He must be tired of having a weak female. My past ruthlessly flashes before my eyes the whole way home. Do I still have a home?
The second we get in the house he goes to the couch and sits down. He has me straddle his hips and stare into his eyes.
“What is the cause of your worry? You’ve been concerned about something since the day I met you?”
I nibble my lip. The truth makes me look bad.
“Tell me, kesdy.” His voice is soft and coaxing.
My heart turns to mush. I spill my guts. “I worry about not being tough and useful enough for you. You’ve already saved me more than once. I’ve never been good enough, except once.” I snort out a harsh breath. “Milo was okay with me. He died though. Then his sister came and kicked me out of his house.”
Understanding lights his eyes. I wish I hadn’t been so honest. Nobody wants to hear the truth.
“Oh, little kesdy. You were never the problem. Except for Milo, all of the people who hurt you were selfish greedy people who didn’t deserve you.”
What? Something moves and changes within me. My soul lightens. I feel good, special. Loved for who I am.
Tairin inhales and his eyes pulse. Approval and pure love shine through the gold and purple strands. “I see you get it, my special one. You are my world. I’ll never willingly leave you and I’ll do whatever it takes to stay alive. Why wouldn’t I when I have you to love?”
“I love you so much.” More than he’ll ever know. Tears well in my eyes and to my horror one slides down my cheek and then another. “I’m sorry.” Flipping fuck, I never wanted him to see me so weak.
He inhales sharply and then hugs me to him. “You never have to be sorry, kesdy. You are perfect.”
A few more tears slip down, dampening his skin. He holds me lovingly through it all. I take a shuddering breath and then get myself under control. Joy springs through me. Tairin GyRol set me free.
I am worthy of love. I just couldn’t see it because I’d never experienced love on this level before. Never had a real family. I look up into his beautiful eyes and smile at him. He’s perfect.
His glowing gaze turns hard. My stomach churns. Why is he looking so severe?
“I love you, kesdy. That’s why you aren’t allowed outside without me or one of my friends.”
“What?” I just got my freedom—in many ways. I’m supposed to be able to shout my happiness anywhere, anytime.
“The grounfos have declared war.”
“Well, flipping fuck.”
Zaphin is where my family is…and it’s unstable as hell.
CHAPTER
23
~ Kinsey Lea ~
♥
Each day the air on Zaphin grows thicker with strife and passion. Passion for a need or a cause.
One step into the cl
ub, I can feel the refreshing vibe. Club Release is the second best place on the planet. Home is the first.
Dins Dran and Grof are guarding the door with sharper eyes. Not something I would have thought was possible. That doesn’t stop Day Ping Pet from standing near Din Grof and flirting with him. Her pink eyes stare up at him with passion.