Defender (Battle Born Book 4)

by Cyndi Friberg

“Is Kotto still monitoring the Relentless?”

  Garin nodded. “He’ll make damn sure Akim doesn’t slip the noose again.”

  Raylon shook his head. “I can’t believe he’s been out there all this time. I thought for sure he’d left the star system.”

  “I suspect he was about to when he heard a certain announcement from our favorite crown stirate.”

  “Oh, you mean the one offering fifteen million credits for the Nox brothers.”

  “That would be the one,” Garin grumbled.

  “It’s finished, sir,” the lead mechanic called as he ushered his team away.

  Garin acknowledged the statement with a distracted wave, but his mind was already on the mission. “You have Akim’s ident code?”

  “Of course.”

  “And Milanni should be the only female aboard, so you’ll be able to identify her.”

  “Yes, daddy.” Raylon grinned. “The teams have been briefed. Everyone understands their role and we have everything we need to make this happen.”

  “Then why are you still standing here.” Garin shoved him toward the ship.

  Zilor and Lintrel were already seated and halfway through their pre-flight checks by the time Raylon joined them aboard Phantom Five. “Let’s do this thing.” He retracted the stairs and closed the hatch before taking his seat behind the other two. Raylon might be commanding the entire mission, but Zilor had the most experience piloting the Phantom shuttles. Well, Danvier was even more skilled, but he had yet to return from rescuing Haven. Lintrel was young and idealistic, and Raylon liked his drive.

  “Kaden’s in Phantom Two,” Zilor told him.

  Raylon nodded then switched his audiocom to the designated frequency for the mission as he asked for a ready count.

  “Phantom Two ready,” Kaden assured.

  “Phantom Three ready.” Orrin’s voice was the least familiar, which helped Raylon identify him.

  “Phantom Four already in position,” Kotto assured. Raylon had filled him in on what his role in the mission would be before he departed in search of their target.

  “Phantom Five is ready,” Zilor said for the benefit of the other pilots.

  “Triple check your covert shields then follow us out,” Raylon ordered and Zilor set their ship in motion.

  They didn’t have far to go. As promised, Akim had positioned the Relentless at the edge of scanner range. Arrogant bastard. He was close enough to monitor the outpost’s main entrance without risking a collision with one of the ships flying in to or out of Lunar Nine.

  Zilor flew in a wide banked loop, coming up behind the Relentless. The larger ship was still shielded, so they couldn’t see it, but thanks to Haven the Relentless showed up clearly on their scanners.

  Each extraction needed to be fast and focused, which meant the boarding parties had to be small. The second shuttle on each team was basically an armed escort in case the situation turned hostile.

  “Akim is in one of the offices on the command deck,” Lintrel told Raylon. “He’s alone.”

  “Akim is Kaden’s concern. Scan for females.”

  After a moment Lintrel looked back at Raylon, dread in his eyes. “There are seven females on board, sir, but only one is Rodyte.”

  Seven? What the hell? Why would Akim—he pinched off the thought, refusing to be distracted by Akim’s treatment of females. “What species are the other six?”

  “Human.”

  “Shit.” He flipped over to his private link and pinged Garin.

  This is Garin, go ahead.

  We have a complication. Akim has six human females aboard.

  What the fuck for? Can’t any mission involving Akim just go off as planned? After a tense pause, Garin asked, Can they be easily extracted?

  Though Raylon shared Garin’s exasperation, he forced himself to stay calm. “Are the females grouped together?” he asked Lintrel.

  “No, sir. They’re scattered all over the ship.”

  Negative on an easy extraction, he told Garin.

  Get Akim and Milanni as planned. I’ll have the Destroyer standing by for a full-scale intervention. I suspect the crew will be more cooperative once Akim is in custody.

  Copy that.

  “Phantom Five, are you seeing what we’re seeing?” Kaden’s voice came over the mission frequency as Raylon switched back over.

  “Affirmative. GN is working on a solution. We’re to continue with the original plan.”

  “Copy that.”

  Raylon released a frustrated sigh. Garin was right. Nothing ever went as planned when Akim was involved. “Where’s the Rodyte female?”

  “In one of the officer’s cabins,” Lintrel told him.

  “Which one?” Lintrel sent a diagram to the main viewscreen and pointed out the cabin. Raylon quickly programed the bio-stream navigator. “Lintrel, you’re with me. Zilor monitor our progress and be ready to pull us out if this goes sideways.”

  Raylon stood and drew his flexblade, but left it in dagger form as Lintrel moved to stand beside him. Lintrel had a pulse pistol in one hand and a knife in the other. Apparently, he’d yet to earn his flexblade. Raylon looked at the young officer and asked, “Ready?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Send us in,” Raylon told Zilor and Zilor activated the bio-stream engine.

  The shuttle blurred and sensation faded until Raylon was enfolded in black. For one disorienting instant he felt as if his life blinked out then sensation returned and his new surroundings came into view.

  Raylon looked around in confusion. The cabin was empty. “Did she leave, Z? There’s no one here,” he snapped into his audiocom.

  “She’s there. Check the—”

  The door to the utility room parted and a female staggered to a stop. Her eyes rounded and she quickly turned around, darting back into the utility room.

  Raylon lunged for her, barely catching her arm before the doors slid shut. He yanked her toward him, ignoring the fact that she wore only a man’s button-up shirt. Lintrel covered them with his handgun as Raylon dragged her into the middle of the room. She yanked against his hold and twisted her arm, her teeth bared and her phitons flashing.

  “Extract us now,” Raylon ordered.

  Zilor obeyed but Milanni jerked free of Raylon’s grasp as the bio-stream engine engaged. Raylon felt the beam’s pull, but frantically wrestled himself free. Lintrel transported back to the Phantom Five, leaving Raylon alone with Milanni.

  Raylon put his flexblade away. Obviously this bitch was going to require both hands. “I don’t want to hurt you but I will.”

  Milanni rolled her eyes. “Surely you can come up with a more original line.” Her gaze darted toward the door leading to the corridor. Raylon quickly blocked her path. Her expression calmed, speculation replacing panic. “Who sent you? Javin or Tandori Tribe?”

  “Javin’s dead, as I’m sure you know.” He wasn’t interested in conversation, so he lunged for her again. She agilely avoided him, staying just out of reach. He faced her and widened his stance. He had to get her relatively still before Zilor could try again.

  The door opened and a tall Rodyte strode into the cabin. The officer, more than likely. Raylon glanced at the male without completely losing sight of Milanni. The intruder drew his pulse pistol, so Raylon unsheathed his flexblade. If the fool wanted to fight, Raylon would be happy to oblige him.

  “You’re to come with me,” the intruder told Milanni, motioning her forward with his free hand.

  “Where’s Fyran?” she sounded confused.

  Okay, so maybe this wasn’t the officer. Raylon kept his flexblade pointed toward the intruder and reached for Milanni with his other hand. His fingers had just about encircled her arm when he felt the unmistakable pull of the bio-stream engine.

  “Abort! Abort!” He shouted into his audiocom. “I don’t have her yet!”

  His echoing curses followed him into the void.

  He materialized on the Phantom Five just in time to watch the Relentless jum
p into hyperspace.

  “I’m sorry, sir.” Zilor turned his seat around so he could look Raylon in the eyes. “If I hadn’t pulled you out, you’d be their prisoner right now.”

  Raylon knew he was right, but it didn’t make the failure any more bearable. “Please tell me Kaden has Akim.”

  “He does,” Zilor stressed. “The first officer ordered the jump. We have Akim.”

  Raylon raked his hair with both hands and sank onto the nearest chair. They’d lost the human females too. Another cluster fuck! “Everyone back to Lunar Nine,” he ordered over the mission frequency. “Good job, red team. Looks like we’re going to have to settle for a partial victory.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Pyre moved her legs farther apart and locked her elbows as Arrix thrust his thick cock deep into her core. He had her bent over a chair in her office with her robes thrown up around her waist. His fingers dug into her flesh as the wet slap of their bodies accented the rhythm of his hips.

  She needed this so badly after the last few days. First Quinton refused to react the way she’d expected him to, forcing her to negotiate with the guild masters. Then Haven was snatched right out from under her roof. The rescuer flashed in and out so fast, he was just a blur on the surveillance feed. He had to have been a technomage. No one else could move that fast or teleport with such ease. And if the IG was willing to rescue Haven, it was less likely she’d kept Javin’s death from them.

  Lights burst in front of her eyes, sparkling like miniature stars. She thought it was the start of an incredible orgasm, but instead a trance claimed her, consuming reality.

  Akim Farmon wrestled with two uniformed guards as they forced him down on an interrogation chair. His arms were strapped down and then his legs while he cursed and struggled to no avail. A mean-looking soldier stepped into view, his uniform slightly different from the guards.

  “This won’t be over quickly and you won’t survive, so there’s no reason left to fight.” A wicked scar ran from his forehead to the corner of his mouth, distorting the rugged angles of his face. She had no idea who he was, but it was highly probable that he was one of the rebels.

  The guards left the room and a second man moved closer to Akim. He turned slowly and Pyre saw his face. Shock jolted her nearly out of the trance. What in hells rings was Vox doing with a rebel and how had they captured Akim. “Shall we begin?”

  The vision faded and Pyre awakened with a gasp. She was kneeling now, her chest pressed against the seat of the chair. Arrix pressed against her back. His arm was wrapped around her waist and he was still inside her.

  “Seriously?” She shoved him back and scrambled to her feet, tossing down her skirts. “How long was I out?”

  “Not long.”

  “I was basically unconscious,” she snapped. “You didn’t see a reason to stop screwing me?”

  “I did stop, mistress.” He righted his pants with some difficulty, his handsome features tense.

  “Our position said otherwise.”

  Rather than continue the debate, he asked, “What did you see?”

  “The rebels have Akim. He was about to be interrogated by a Bilarrian named Vox, which means he’ll be dead before sunrise tomorrow.”

  “Is this good or bad for you?”

  “I’m not sure.” She smoothed her hair back from her face. “Akim is little more than an annoyance. I guess it depends on who takes his place. But what was Vox doing there?”

  “Who is Vox?”

  “One of Chandar’s tutors. He’s a Bilarrian prince, extremely powerful.”

  “Perhaps he’s helping with Chandar’s recovery.”

  She let out her breath in a long, ragged sigh. “I think it’s time to find out. Have my ship prepared. We’re going to Earth.”

  * * * * *

  “Where is he?” Chandar asked, her voice cold and clipped. She glared at Akim’s image on the datapad Raylon was holding and crossed her arms to minimize their shaking. She’d known this day would come, had tried to prepare herself for it. She needed to look into Akim’s eyes so he would see that he hadn’t broken her, that despite everything she’d endured on the Relentless, she was going to live a full and happy life. But how did she face down her demon without reopening all the wounds she’d worked so hard to heal?

  “He’s aboard the Destroyer,” Raylon told her. “The detention cells there are more secure than on the other ships.”

  A detention cell was too good for Akim. Breathing was too good for Akim. Garin and Raylon had walked into the Pavilion’s courtyard a few minutes ago to assure her that her tormentor had been captured. The news should have pleased her. She should have felt relief. Instead, her being was consumed with frigid hatred and the overwhelming need to end him. But the reaction lasted only a moment and then reason returned. She’d come too far, and fought too hard, to be ruled by hate. “I need to speak with him.”

  “Absolutely not.” There was no negotiation in Garin’s tone. “If you’re expecting an apology from that bastard, you’d be wasting your breath.” His demeanor softened as he added, “And I can’t let you kill him.”

  “Why not?” Vox asked the question but it was echoed in Raylon’s expression.

  “Quinton sent reinforcements to this star system,” Garin explained. “I need to know how many and where they’re hiding. I also want to know about the females. When were they taken and why?”

  “You know why,” Raylon snapped. “And when is irrelevant. One hour on that ship is too long for any female.”

  “He’s not going to tell you anything.” Chandar dragged her gaze away from the datapad and faced the general. “He spent most of his life as the crown’s interrogator. He thrives on pain. He prefers inflicting it, but there’s no way you’ll break him.”

  “The answer’s still no.” Though his volume remained conversational, Garin’s tone grew brittle again.

  “Let me question him,” Vox offered. “If you’re not worried about damage, I can extract the answers you need in a matter of minutes.”

  Garin crossed his arms, clearly annoyed by the pressure he was receiving from all sides. He looked at Chandar, then Raylon, then Vox. “I’ll observe the entire session and he breathes until I give permission for you to kill him.”

  “Agreed,” Vox said without hesitation.

  Chandar shivered. How could they speak about ending a life so casually? Akim must be stopped, permanently, and the most effective way of doing that was to end his life. Still, harbingers believed that life was sacred, all life, in all its infinite forms.

  Did that concept still apply to a corrupt, malicious life that continually hurt others without remorse? Did someone who reveled in the suffering of others serve any purpose in the universe? Those questions were harder to answer.

  “I’ll guard you,” Raylon offered as he set the datapad on the nearest bench.

  Garin looked as if he’d object, then he just shook his head. “I can’t fight you on this. I want the bastard dead just as much as you do.”

  “Then I want to watch,” Chandar insisted.

  “Of course you do.” Garin threw up his hands and headed for the archway leading out of the courtyard. “Let’s get this over with.”

  Vox followed Garin, but Raylon stopped Chandar. “There are enough horrible memories in your mind already. You don’t need to see this.”

  “I’m coming.” She squared her shoulders and looked deep into his eyes. “It won’t be over until Akim understands that I’m recovering.”

  He pulled her into his arms and pressed her cheek against his heart. “I’ll make sure he understands, but I need you to stay in the security booth with Garin. Do you promise you will?”

  She lifted her head and looked at him again. “I’ll stay with Garin.”

  “Then let’s finish this.”

  The Destroyer was larger and more aggressively styled than the Crusader. The Crusader was built for speed and agility, while the larger ship served only one purpose, to obliterate its enemies. C
handar walked at Raylon’s side, barely noticing the pristine decks or heavy armaments lining every perimeter wall. All she could think of, all she could see, was Akim’s cruel face.

  When they reached the detention area, Raylon tried one last time. “Please, let me take care of this. You’re a creature of light and magic. You shouldn’t be exposed to this sort of evil.”

  “I’ve already been exposed. Nothing will change that, but this will help balance the scales.”

  He sighed, then kissed her forehead and led her to the security booth. “Keep her in here, please.”

  Garin nodded and motioned Chandar to the empty chair on the other side of him. This positioned him between her and the door. Raylon paused for a lingering look then headed off down the corridor toward the cells.

  Chandar folded her hands in her lap and looked at the double row of viewscreens spread before her. There were two soldiers standing behind her, and Garin sat on her right, but she was focused on the second image in the top row. Akim had been positioned in an alloy chair and his arms and legs were restrained. He looked indignant, yet bored.

  She waited for the paralyzing fear he’d triggered so often to creep back into her psyche. All she felt was a cold sense of loss. This man had stolen two years of her life for reasons she would never understand.

  Vox stood in front of Akim, but Chandar couldn’t hear what they were saying. “How do I activate audio?”

  “It’s better if you don’t.” Garin didn’t turn his head or shift his gaze from the viewscreen.

  “People need to stop telling me what to do. I’ll decide what’s ‘better’ for me.” She pivoted toward the two men behind her. “How do I activate audio?”

  With an exasperated growl, Garin made several quick hand gestures and the signal switched from individual audiocoms to the overhead speakers.

  “…how much you’ll suffer before I do,” Vox was saying.

  Akim laughed and Chandar clenched her hands. She despised that laugh. There was no humor in it, no warmth. But then why should she expect warmth from a creature of pure darkness? “Is that supposed to scare me?”

  “I honestly don’t care if you’re afraid or not. The result will be the same.” Vox moved behind Akim and placed his hands on either side of Akim’s head. “How many ships did Quinton send to this star system?”