…
“You know, you’re pretty sexy when you go all Lord of the Universy.” Tannis spoke the words into his neck, her soft breath tickling his skin.
He glanced down and forced a smile. “Hold that thought.”
The master cabin had been designed with wings in mind. It was huge and decorated in scarlet and black. Holding her with one arm, he stripped back the coverlet and placed her in the center of the mattress, then removed her boots and pulled the sheet up to cover her. Sinking down beside her, he took her hand.
“Go to sleep,” he said. “When you wake up, I’ll be back.
Her eyes drifted closed and her breathing evened out.
Would she wake up? Or would she be one of the lucky ones and die a relatively peaceful death in her sleep? Part of him hoped so; the other part wanted her to live as long as possible. That little hope niggled at his mind again and he leaned in close.
“Hold on,” he whispered. “Don’t leave me.”
He sat and waited until he was sure she was asleep. She looked small and tired in the enormous bed, propped up on the pillows so she wouldn’t choke on her own blood, black rings around her eyes. He wanted to stay, but he needed to spend some time with Daisy, make sure she could handle The Endeavor in case they were all captured or killed, and she had to take the ship up on her own. Still, he waited until the ragged sound of Tannis’s breathing had smoothed, then he gently tugged free of her hand and rose to his feet.
Would he ever see her again? He hoped so.
He kissed her forehead, then turned and left without looking back.
Chapter 24
The Endeavor set down on a landing pad just outside of the Church’s main headquarters. Callum had considered taking her inside, but she’d have been seen as soon as they got close, and they’d lose the element of surprise. They could go for a quick extraction but as they had no clue where Alex was being kept that was unlikely to succeed. The place was a warren, expanding over the years as the Church grew.
In the distance, the sound of guns rumbled. Darkness had fallen, and up in the sky to the north, he could see the flashes of the ongoing firefight, hopefully drawing the Church’s attention away from The Endeavor’s approach.
The plan was to find Alex first and then go after Hatcher.
Jon growled and pawed at the door impatient to be off. Callum hoped he would be sufficiently in control not to be too conspicuous and give them all away. He knew little about werewolves but he suspected control wasn’t one of their stronger points. Rico would have known.
The Endeavor was equipped with her own speeders, and they took one for the short distance to Church Headquarters, pulling up at the rear entrance. There was a single guard on the small gate at the back of the compound. Skylar took him out easily and they slipped through the gate and found themselves in a deserted courtyard. Callum presumed that everyone was concentrating on the full frontal attack by El Cazador. No doubt, they would have recognized the ship.
Jon padded out to the center of the courtyard and sat on his haunches, his eyes closed, his nose raised to the air.
“Can he scent her from here?” Callum asked.
“I don’t think so,” Skylar replied. “But they have an almost telepathic bond, not like we do, more sensory, but if she’s anywhere close, he’ll feel it.”
Jon’s eyes opened, glowing amber. He peered back of his shoulders and nodded his huge, shaggy head.
“We’re on,” Skylar said.
They followed the wolf to a door, set in the far wall. He stood to the side as Skylar pressed her palm to the wood. The door didn’t budge, and she stepped back and kicked out. The lock splintered, the door swung open, and Jon pushed past her. Skylar went after him, Callum squeezed through after her, and Devlin followed behind.
It took a moment for Callum’s eyes to adjust to the dim light. They were in a narrow corridor with walls of bare stone, and a rock floor, which slanted downward. He guessed they were heading toward the dungeons. Obviously, they’d decided their little priestess wasn’t to be trusted.
Metal doors lined the corridor, each with a small grill in the front. Callum peered into a few of the cells, but they were empty.
Then Jon gave a small yip of excitement and he was off, still heading downward, deeper underground.
Up ahead, he came to an abrupt halt outside one of the doors.
The fur on his back stood on end; his ears were pricked, his hind legs trembling. He released a low whine and then frantically scratched at the metal.
Callum caught up, pushed past the wolf, and peered through the grill. Alex huddled on a small cot, but she was staring toward the door, her eyes wide. Beside him, Jon let out a low, impatient growl.
Callum studied the door. A palm panel was built into the wall to the side—no way would they kick this one open—so it looked like they were going to have to blow the door in.
Skylar must have come to the same conclusion. “Stand back,”
she said.
The wolf peered up at her, then back at the door, finally he stalked a little distance away and turned to watch. Callum and Devlin moved to stand beside him as Skylar aimed her laser at the locking device.
The air filled with the acrid scent of burning metal, and above their heads, the high pitched pulse of an alarm sounded.
Callum cursed—they didn’t have long—someone would be sure to investigate.
Skylar pressed her fingers to the door and pushed it open as Jon leapt forward and was through the door before anyone else could move.
“Stay here and keep watch,” Callum told Devlin, and the other man nodded.
By the time Callum stepped into the small cell, Jon was on the cot, his huge body engulfing Alex. She sat with her arms around his neck, her face burrowed in his thick fur.
“We have to move,” Callum said.
She raised her head, her huge grey eyes brimming with tears.
“Thank you.”
“Our pleasure, now let’s go.”
Alex lifted her arm, to reveal the cuff around her right wrist.
It was attached to a metal loop built into the stone wall.
“We’ll have to shoot it off,” Skylar said. “Stand as far away from the cot as you can.”
Alex extricated herself from the wolf’s embrace with difficulty.
When she finally managed to stand, she kept one hand on the shaggy head, her fingers digging into his fur. She moved until her arm was outstretched then closed her eyes against the glare of the laser. The chain gave in seconds, and she fell to her knees and hugged Jon. The cuff was still attached to her wrist, but she was free.
“We need to be out of here,” Callum said.
Alex raised her head and nodded. She got to her feet and looked past him as though searching for someone.
“Have you got Rico?”
“Rico’s dead.” Skylar tone was harsh.
Alex’s gaze flew to her face, her brows drawing together. “No, he isn’t. Skylar, really he isn’t. He’s alive.”
“What are you talking about? Hatcher told us he’d been executed, his body burned.”
“If he told you that—he lied. That’s what they plan to do, but they’re going to have a public execution. I know because they want me to light the pyre as proof that I’m loyal. I told them to go to hell—which is why I’m down in the dungeons.”
Skylar stepped up close to her. “Where is he?”
“Here somewhere. There’s nowhere else secure enough to keep him, he has to be close.”
Skylar was shaking. She bit her lip and Callum could see her consciously pulling herself together. She turned to the wolf. “Jon, can you find him?”
The wolf lowered his head.
“I’ll shift as well,” Alex said. “Just give me a second.”
“Quickly, then.”
Callum turned away as she stripped off her clothes, when he looked back two wolves stood side by side. The smaller lifted one foot and the cuff slid off easily. Then she he
aded for the door.
Callum followed them out and watched as they crisscrossed the corridor, noses to the ground as they tried to pick up the scent. He was hardly daring to hope. His mind reeling with the implications. Could Rico still be alive? And why had Hatcher lied? It had to be some effort to pre-empt a rescue mission. He didn’t care. All he cared about was there was a chance.
He just prayed Tannis was still clinging to life. She was tenacious; she wouldn’t give in until she knew Alex was safe.
Should he call her? But he didn’t want to raise her hopes if this came to nothing. And would Rico be able to change her? Would he agree?
The alarm had stopped. Devlin was at the corner watching, he glanced at Callum and shook his head. Nothing yet.
Alex gave out a low yip, then she was loping down the corridor.
Skylar raced after her with Callum close behind. Alex skidded to a halt in front of one of the cells and went up on her hind legs so she could see through the small window. She turned to Skylar and yipped again, then dropped down to all fours and backed away.
This time Skylar didn’t hesitate; she blasted the door, kicked it down in seconds, and rushed inside. For a second, Callum hovered outside, unwilling to let his hope die so soon. Then he stepped into the cell.
Rico was chained with both arms fastened to loops in the wall. Skylar had stopped just inside the door and was staring at him as though she couldn’t convince herself he was real.
“About fucking time,” Rico said, but he was grinning.
Skylar dove toward him, wrapped her arms around his middle, and held on tight.
“Oh God, oh God.” She was muttering under her breath.
Then she raised her head. “I thought you were goddamned dead,” she snarled.
“Why the hell would you think that?”
“Because that bastard Hatcher told us he’d executed you.”
“Well, he was a little premature, but I’m sure he would have got around to it, given time.”
Rico looked a mess. He was naked from the waist up, his chest a mass of bruises burns and cuts. Callum knew he healed quickly, so the wounds must be recent.
Rico met his gaze. “Where’s Tannis?”
“She’s dying. Of the Meridian poisoning.”
Shock flared on the vampire’s face. “What? You were on planet, why didn’t she get the treatment?”
“We aborted when they killed Janey.” Callum was almost scared to ask, but he forced the question out. “Can you save her?”
Rico stared at him for long moments. Then he nodded. “But I won’t do it unless she asks. I’ve offered in the past and she didn’t want it.”
“She’ll want it.” Callum prayed he was telling the truth.
“And I need to feed. I’m too weak right now.”
“Let’s get out of here first. You can feed in the speeder on the way back to the ship.”
“El Cazador is here?”
“Not exactly. We’ll explain on the way.”
Devlin peered in through the open cell door. He glanced at Rico. “Nice to see you back from the dead, but we have to move— we’ll have company any second now,”
Skylar raised her pistol, aimed it at the shackles that held Rico to the wall. “This might sting a little.”
“Darling, I don’t really care. Do it.”
Skylar blasted the chains close to the wall, even so, Rico winced, and the stench of scorched flesh filled the room.
“Sorry,” she muttered.
“Don’t be.” Rico grabbed her around the waist and kissed her hard. “Let’s get the fuck out of this shithole. Hey, have I mentioned how much I hate the Church?”
“Not recently. But feel free. I don’t think anyone here will argue with you.”
They left the cell and headed back the way they had come, the two wolves stalking at front, Skylar and Rico in the middle, Callum and Devlin at the rear. They were almost back to the door into the rear courtyard when a noise behind them made Callum whirl around.
A small group of men appeared around the corner, weapons in their hands. Callum heard a growl behind him and the two wolves burst past them, leaping at the first two guards before they had a chance to pull their triggers. The first died quickly, the huge black wolf ripping out the throat. The second was messier. He reckoned it was Alex’s first kill as a wolf, but she got there in the end. Callum and Devlin took out the second two and he stood staring at the bodies. He couldn’t dispel the notion that time was running out for Tannis. They needed out of there. Now.
A second group appeared but backed away when they saw the carnage.
“That was Hatcher,” Devlin said.
He made to follow, but Callum stopped him with a hand on his arm. “Devlin we have to get back.”
“No, we have to get the murdering bastard who killed Tris.”
“Tannis is dying. Rico can save her, but every second might make a difference.”
Devlin’s gaze shifted from Callum to the vampire. “You’re going to change her?”
Rico nodded.
Devlin stared after Hatcher, then he gritted his teeth and nodded. “Let’s go.”
“Thank you. And I promise you, we will come back, and one day he will pay for Janey and for Tris.”
…
The faint vibration of the ship’s engines roused Tannis from a light sleep. They must be back. Either that or something had gone badly wrong and they were leaving without them. She rubbed her forehead, the headache had dulled to a throb, but she felt spaced out and not with it.
She had to hold on. She wanted to know they’d succeeded, and she wanted to see Callum one last time.
But when the door opened, it wasn’t Callum standing there.
For a second, she couldn’t make her head process what she was seeing. Was she hallucinating? No, she couldn’t be. If she had conjured up an image then she was sure Rico wouldn’t have looked quite so bad. His bare chest was crisscrossed with a multiple cuts, and burns.
Which meant he was real.
She swallowed and blinked. No way was she going to break down like some idiot. But, oh, God, he was alive.
“You look like shit,” she said.
Rico grinned. “Yeah, and you look so much better.”
Tannis ignored the sarcasm. “I missed you.”
“Of course you did. That’s why you’re lying in bed instead of out there rescuing me.”
“I thought you were dead.”
“I’ve been dead for a long time, sweetheart.” He moved into the room and stood looking down at her. “You made a right crappy mess of this, didn’t you?”
“Yeah.”
Callum appeared and strode across the room, relief lighting his face as he saw her. He perched on the edge of the bed and grabbed her hand.
“You want this?” He glanced at Rico then back at her.
She followed his gaze and knew what he was asking. She studied the vampire, knowing he could save her and she would live forever.
But this would be the easy way out.
And she had never followed the easy way. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have fallen in love with a man like Callum.
She wanted her dream.
The hope she’d hidden deep in her mind since they’d left Trakis Seven rose to the surface and crystalized into something hard and tangible.
Taking a deep breath, she looked back at Callum and shook her head. “No.”
For a second, shock flashed across his face, then understanding.
And she knew that he’d harbored the same hope.
“I want my dream,” she said.
He stroked her hand, then raised it to his lips and kissed her palm. “We don’t know how long you can last, or how long it will take, or even if we’ll get through alive. I—”
She put a finger to his lips to stop the words. “I trust you.”
“You’re sure?”
“More sure than anything in my whole life. I don’t want to die.
But more than that, I
want to be part of you, in your life and in your mind. All my life I’ve been a loner. Now, I don’t want to be alone anymore. ”
His expression cleared, relief flooding his eyes, and the tension seeped from him. He leaned in close and kissed her. “Good. I’d hoped, but I didn’t want to…” He rose to his feet. “We need to get moving.”
Rico had been watching in silence, now he frowned. “Does someone want to tell me what the fuck is going on?”
“No disrespects, Rico. You’re my best friend, but I still don’t want to be a sex crazed monster. I want to be one of the angels.”
He rolled his eyes. “Not much chance of that, sweetheart. So?
Still in the dark here.”
Callum grinned. “Ever wanted to know what’s on the other side of a black hole?”
“Maybe.” He sounded cautious.
“Well, you’re about to get the opportunity to find out.”
…
It had been three days.
Callum was doing his best not to hover over Tannis. He knew it irritated her. She was weakening, but holding on with a tenacity he would have expected from her.
Callum spent his time irritating Devlin instead, while he tried to get the Endeavor moving a little faster.
They were limping along and trying to get the stealth cloaking device working, but so far—no go. Which was a goddamned shame; because it appeared that half the universe was on their tail, and the other half was coming at them from the sides.
But they were almost there now. If they could just evade their pursuers a little while longer.
“How far away are they?” he asked Daisy who was attempting to track the ships following them. Her fingers moved slowly over the console, a frown forming on her face.
“I don’t know.”
“Well, how about how many?
“I don’t know that either.” She glared at him. “I’m not Janey, and this stupid machine is not cooperating. But a lot, I think.
Maybe all of them. But the good news is, were coming up on Trakis One now.” She leaned across and flicked the monitor over to show a wider area. On their left, he caught his first glimpse of Trakis One. He’d never been before. The planet housed the Collective’s maximum security prison and there was no reason to visit if you had a choice in the matter. The place was a shithole, totally inhospitable including radiation levels that would burn through the hull of an ordinary ship in minutes.
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