“Oh, my damn,” she muttered, realizing that she’d stumbled into a battle of some sort. No wonder Kol hadn’t com’d her back. He was in the midst of whatever was happening here. Just as she began to look around for something to get behind or under, she took note of a very large, very dark male, charging toward her, with a smaller male behind him. He was shouting her name, and waving his arms at her. Ada Jane stopped in place and watched him, unsure of what he was trying to say. Then she recognized him.
“Ba Re’?” she said, beginning to move toward him again.
“Go!” Ba Re’ shouted at her again when he was only a few feet from her. “You need to leave, now. Go and take Elisher with you. He’ll be a target if he’s located. I have to go find Kol,” Ba Re’ ordered as he shouted at her.
“We can’t! We can’t go back with…” she tried to explain about Jason and the extent of his derangement.
“Get back on that transport and go!” Ba Re’ ordered, grabbing Elisher and shoving her toward Ada Jane. “I do not care who is piloting it! Leave this place now! The Consul had additional troops stationed outside the base in the surrounding area. We have no idea where he is now, but his forces are not surrendering. Get out of here!”
“But, Kol?” Ada Jane said, her eyes filling with tears.
“He’s here somewhere. He’s leading his own team. Just go, now! Stop wasting time! And take Elisher with you!” Ba Re’ said again, pushing both of them toward the transport that was docked so far away from them that they’d have to run back to it, and it would still take them at least four minutes to get there at a full run.
“I’ll keep her safe,” Ada Jane said, finally giving in and just doing what Ba Re’ asked.
Ba Re’ nodded and turned from them, running back into the melee, firing his own weapon as he ran.
Ada Jane linked hands with Elisher, and together they ran toward Jason’s transport in the distance.
<<<<<<<>>>>>>>
Diskastes watched a lone, private transport fly over the base before hovering over the landing pad, then eventually docking. He watched a lone female get out of the transport and approach the base.
“That’s it,” he said to the males surrounding him where he hid a short distance from the base. “That’s how we’re escaping Base 28. Once we’re away, I’ll contact my father and he’ll bring us all home. The Consortium can’t touch us on Quisles.”
As one group, Diskastes and his males began to move toward the transport. He slowed their advance and waited while one of the Cruestace warriors ran out to greet the female that had arrived on the transport. Then he snarled when he saw that warrior shove Elisher toward the female and run back toward the battle while the female and Elisher made their return to the transport.
“Take him!” Diskastes demanded. “Take Elisher into custody! He is a traitor to me and to our base! And take the female with him!”
<<<<<<<>>>>>>>
Kol and his team stepped out of the passageway, emerging above ground and behind one of the storage buildings, the one furthest away from the base in fact. Before he even had a chance to look for tracks and begin to follow them, he was fired on from a point off in the distance just over a small hill. He and his team dove for cover and thus the true battle started. Not only were they fighting with the main attackers in the distance, being held down by their unrelenting attacks, but Kol could also hear smaller skirmishes still taking place around the compound. Gradually they began to get the upper hand, picking off their attackers one at a time, until it was safer to move from the position they’d been forced into.
Kol watched as a transport approached the base from the north, skirting the eastern side of the base before disappearing from sight. “Unbelievable,” he muttered to himself, wondering what kind of idiot would land a transport in the middle of a battle.
The constant fire they’d been taking was dying off as he and his males took out those intent on killing them. He was preparing to move his team when his enhanced Psi hearing picked up a sound that was familiar to him. A couple of his males spoke, urging him to relocate them all. He raised his hand to indicate he needed them quiet. His team immediately fell quiet, watching him, waiting. Then he heard it again.
“Fuck!” he shouted, getting to his feet and running as quickly as he could toward the voice he recognized as Ba Re’s shouting Ada Jane’s name. His team didn’t know what was happening, but he was on the move and aggressively so, so they followed.
Chapter 26
Ba Re’ was halfway back to the base when Ada Jane’s words registered in his mind. Her. Ada Jane said she’d protect ‘her’ when referring to Elisher. He turned back toward them just in time to see a team of males surround them, taking them into custody only steps away from the transport.
A roar sounded in the distance, and Ba Re’ had no doubt it was Kol’s, but he didn’t dare turn around to see if Kol was on his way or not. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from Elisher, now in Diskastes’s grip — literally. Diskastes was standing behind Elisher with a weapon pointed at Elisher’s head as he screamed and rambled at her from behind. The forces with Diskastes had surrounded both Elisher and Ada Jane, and both were being physically held from behind.
Three of Diskastes’s team moved toward the transport in what was an attempt to commandeer it to whisk them all away, but the transport lifted into the air leaving them all, including Ada Jane, on the ground to deal with their own fates. The transport lifting into the air was a good thing, though. It provided cover for Kol and his team to arrive, as well as Kron, who'd left the remainder of the clean up and the managing of those they’d arrested to Buchanan and Zhuxi.
As the dust cleared, Diskastes whipped his head around frantically trying to come up with another idea to save his own ass.
“Release them, Diskastes,” Ba Re’ demanded, his Psi making him scarier and growlier than usual.
“Release them now or die!” Kol snarled, leveling his weapon at Diskastes’s head as he came to a stop beside Ba Re’.
“Never! This male is a traitor! He has betrayed his superior officer and the very base he was assigned to,” Diskastes screamed at Kol. “He is sentenced to die!” Diskastes shrieked. “As are you! You will pay for the blemish you’ve wrought upon my record and my reputation!” Diskastes threatened. “You will all die!”
“By which court?” Ba Re’ asked. “Is it not the Consortium’s law that every warrior taken into custody is provided the judicial right of a court of his peers to decide their fate?” Ba Re’ asked, doing his best to distract Diskastes as he sensed Kron taking up position right beside him, and heard the movements of the team that had been assigned to Kron assembling behind him. “These two are certainly not warriors, and I see no court here to decide their fate. Release them, they have no place in this,” Ba Re’ said calmly, trying to defuse the situation, to at least get Diskastes to talk instead of just beginning to shoot.
“By me! I do not need a court. This is my base, my people, and my laws!” Diskastes spat. “You will either move from my path, or you will die with them.”
“You have no path. Your transport has left. You are out of options and this is most certainly no longer a place you have any power. Surrender, and you will not be killed this day,” Ba Re’ said, trying to talk down the obviously insane former Consul.
“You surrender! Or I kill this traitor here and now!” Diskastes insisted, pressing his weapon against Elisher’s head. “You! You trade places with this female,” he said, sneering at Kol, using his elbow to indicate he meant Ada Jane.
“Gladly, release her and I’ll take her place,” Kol snarled, stepping forward.
“Do you think me dim-witted?” Diskastes screamed. “You will not approach us. You will lie on the ground and make your males retreat!”
Ada Jane couldn’t let Kol trade himself for her. She had to do something and she had to do it now. She was being held with her hands behind her back by one of Diskastes’s men. She needed to find a way to get herself free, and to
get the attention off Elisher and Kol and onto herself. She knew she could take Diskastes if she could just get her hand into her front pocket where her weapon was waiting for her.
Ada Jane stared at Kol until his eyes flicked quickly to hers once again. She focused on him and flicked her own gaze toward the lower half of her body. But there was no way to tell him she had her weapon without telling him she had her weapon. She’d just have to have faith that when she shot Diskastes, Kol would shoot as many as he could while she grabbed Elisher, and they went straight to the ground to get out of the way of what she hoped was a rain of weapons firing. Because this was the day she fully took her life back. No more victim. No more feeling sorry for herself. No more trying to find herself. She’d found herself here in this moment, and she was pissed off that this male would dare to use herself, Elisher, or any other woman in his bid to get away from the justice that was coming his way.
Ada Jane knew who Diskastes was and that he was at odds with Kol from the things Kol had told her when he’d spent time with her away from the base. She suspected Kol was behind this entire coup, and she was banking on Diskastes dropping his hold on Elisher and reaching for her instead. All she needed was the male holding her wrists to let go for just one second, so she could slip her hand into her front pocket and take hold of her weapon.
“Kol,” Ada Jane said, making her voice sound weak and whiny, and interrupting him just as he moved to lie prone on the ground, so that he was on his knees. “Please, remember I love you. No matter what happens I love you. And this isn’t your fault. I’m so sorry I didn’t just stay away and wait for you,” Ada Jane said.
“Shut up, female!” Diskastes screamed.
Kol snapped his gaze to her and it clearly said, ‘shut up!’.
But she couldn’t. She had a plan — no way in hell was she anybody’s victim anymore. “I’m sorry I didn’t spend more time with you. I’m sorry it took me so long to trust you. You are my mate. I love you, Kol,” Ada Jane said.
Diskastes turned his head and looked incredulously at the tall, blonde female pouring her heart out to his nemesis. “You are his mate?” Diskastes screeched disbelievingly.
“Yes! Yes, and you’d better let me go, or you’ll pay for holding me like this!” Ada Jane threatened, the whole while her eyes were pinned to Kol as she kept glancing down at the ground, trying to prepare him for the fact that she and Elisher would momentarily be on the ground — or at least she hoped so.
Diskastes shoved Elisher to the left and reached for Ada Jane’s hair. She was taller than Diskastes was, and he yanked her head back to snarl in her ear. “You have just signed your own death warrant, worthless female!”
But Ada Jane didn’t care, because in his unhinged state, he didn’t think to control her arms and hands when his male released her as Diskastes grabbed her, all he did was grip her hair to yank her head back to his, and place his arm around her throat. Ada Jane slipped her hand into her front pocket and pressed her thumb down on the activation lines on her weapon at the same time she withdrew it from her pocket, and without hesitation in one fluid movement she slipped her own arm behind herself and held her weapon so that it was pointing directly behind herself and fired her weapon.
Diskastes screamed and let Ada Jane go.
Ada lunged for Elisher and together they went to the ground while the deafening sound of weapons firing overhead made their ears ring.
Kol watched as Ada Jane locked her gaze with his. It was almost as though she’d intentionally drawn attention from Elisher to herself and identified herself as his mate. And now, she kept glancing at the ground, then back up at him. Then he watched as she slipped her hand into her pocket at almost the same time Diskastes had grabbed her in place of Elisher.
Kol’s eyes widened as he saw her remove her disintegrater from her pocket and move her hand behind herself all in one motion. In that split second he knew her plan. She was going to shoot Diskastes and go to the ground. As her hand slipped behind her own body, the disintegrater ready to fire from the looks of the green lights glowing on top of it, he fired his own weapon, hitting one of the males standing closest to Ada Jane.
At the same time Ba Re’ and Kron began to fire as did the rest of the team behind them.
When there was no male left standing, Kol began to shout for the firing to end. He got to his feet and rushed to Ada Jane, grabbing her up off the ground while roaring his fear to the skies. Kol turned her to face him and on finding her smiling at him through her tears, he wrapped her in his arms and held her tightly against his chest.
“I thought you were dead,” he said over and over again. “I thought you were dead.”
“I’m okay,” she said. “Look, I’m not even hurt,” she told him, holding her arms out and taking a step back so he could see there was no injury on her.
Kol glanced quickly down her body, then his face became a mask of rage as he grabbed her and shoved her roughly toward his left while moving forward without warning. Kol bellowed his intent to kill when he saw Diskastes lying on the ground, half his pelvis missing, but his wound cauterized from the laser in Ada Jane’s disintegrater. She’d obviously not had it set on full strength or there’d be nothing left of the male.
All Kol saw was the male that had only moments before been holding Ada Jane and threatening to kill her. The same male who was one of those responsible for the torture Vivi had endured — and he was holding a weapon weakly in his hand, aiming it at Ada Jane. The male needed to die.
Kol allowed his Psi to take over. He snatched Diskastes from the ground and literally tore him limb from limb, as Diskastes shrieked in pain, before Kol finally tore into the male’s neck with his multiple rows of razor sharp teeth and ripped his throat out. Then he proceeded to destroy the male’s torso so badly that there was little left of him. His adrenalin was pumping at the thought that Diskastes almost took his Ehlealah from him not once, but twice today. The second time while she’d been assuring him she was okay, and he just couldn’t stop there. He looked around for anyone else that needed killing, and found one of Diskastes’s males — still alive, but injured. Kol roared his battle cry as he advanced on the male lying helplessly on the ground.
The terrified male put his hands up in surrender at the same time he tried to roll into a ball to protect himself from Kol’s onslaught.
“Kol!” Kron shouted, moving quickly to get between Kol and the now unarmed male. “Kol! Stop! He is not armed!”
Kol snarled at Kron and made to move past him, but Kron kept speaking to him. “Elite Commander!”
Kol stopped at his formal title and glared at Kron with his lip raised.
“He’s no longer a threat. He is unarmed. Back down, Kol. Your Ehlealah needs you,” Kron said, hoping Kol would listen since they were all being videoed and the last thing any of the Cruestaci needed was confirmation that they were as the rest of the Consortium believed, brutal at best.
Kol hesitated, but ended up moving back to Ada Jane instead of killing the unarmed male who immediately began murmuring thanks to Kron.
Kol lifted his arms, intent on pulling Ada Jane to him again, until he saw his own bloodied hands as they reached for her. He froze as he looked at them. There was no way he’d touch his Ehlealah covered in blood as he was.
Ba Re’ stripped his shirt off and tossed it to Kol, who caught it and started wiping his hands.
Ba Re’ stared at Elisher who’d gotten up off the ground and stood off to the side, tears silently slipping down her face. He stalked over to her. “You are female,” he said accusatorily.
Elisher looked up at the magnificent male before her. She’d been wrong to ever think that Kol was the perfect male. This one, right here, snarls and all, was the perfect male.
“Answer me,” Ba Re’ growled.
Elisher gave a single nod.
That was all Ba Re’ needed. He descended on her, placing his hand on her throat to turn her face up to his so he could ravage her lips while his other hand kept her body
pressed tightly against him. He kissed her, until they were both practically dizzy from it. When he finally released her lips, he went in for another kiss, this one gentle and soft.
“You are mine,” Ba Re’ said.
Elisher didn’t answer, but she eagerly welcomed Ba Re’s kisses.
“Elisher…” Ba Re’ said, a warning growl in his voice.
“Elisha,” she corrected. “My name is Elisha.”
“You are mine, Elisha,” Ba Re’ insisted.
Elisha nodded. “I don’t suppose there’s any way around it?” she said.
Ba Re’ shook his head. “There is not. But you will not regret me. You will be happy. I vow it.” Then he pulled her closer.
After all she’d been through, it was a relief to know the lies were finally over. She allowed Ba Re’ to hold her to his chest and gave in to the relief of Kol’s mate saving them both, and the fatigue of trying for so long to be someone she wasn’t. Her dream was over now, she’d never be able to qualify for intergalactic travel and representation as a liaison, but, she had a growly, argumentative male on her side now. Elisha slipped her hands around Ba Re’s naked waist and held him as the tears of so many reasons streamed down her face.
Ba Re’ smoothed his hands over her short hair and down her back. “Shh, all is well. I am here, now.”
Kol, still covered in blood, watched Ba Re’ kissing his assistant. He looked confusedly down at Ada Jane who watched them with a smile on her face. “Why is Ba Re’ kissing my assistant?” Kol asked.
“Because she’s a girl,” Ada Jane answered. “And she’s his.”
Kol looked over at Kron, then back at Elisher, then to Ada Jane. “Nooooo,” he said.
“Yes,” she answered. “How could you not have seen that?” she asked.
“I saw it,” Kron said.
“Me, too,” Ada Jane said.
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