Heart of a Commander [Daughters of Lyra Series]

by Felicity Heaton

Before Van could retaliate, the Wraith had struck him hard in the stomach. Van doubled up, choking as he tried to breathe and winded from the punch. The Wraith hit him again and he shut his feelings down, taking the beating without making a sound. The Wraith could hit him all he wanted, could rip him apart, but he wouldn't give him what he wanted. He would show no weakness. No matter what happened to him. He would not give the Wraith the satisfaction of seeing him weak.

  His senses receded, the bloodlust fading as he started to lose consciousness.

  Tired and throbbing with pain, Van slumped against the dusty floor, saving the remaining shreds of his strength. If they captured Amerii, he would need the last of his strength to save her. He would find a way to protect her.

  The Wraith released his neck and kicked him in the side so he rolled onto his front. He grimaced as the Wraith took hold of his wrists and pulled his arms behind his back, locking something cold and solid around his wrists. Varkan steel. Van smiled at the irony of that. The Wraith commander must have found the cuffs in the facility. What Van had once used on his enemies was now being used on him. It was what he deserved for his weakness. The Wraith pulled him up so he was kneeling.

  Van hung his head forwards.

  He should have been on his guard. He shouldn't have let Amerii distract him. By allowing her to do so, by pandering to his desire for her attention, he had placed her at great risk. He was weak. Shameful.

  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw one of the other Wraiths return.

  His head felt heavy.

  His body felt broken.

  But his heart held on, unwavering, strong, even as he feared he would never see Amerii again.

  "Commander,” the new Wraith said. “Three Heavy Armours are coming this way."

  The last thing Van saw was the Wraith commander's grin. The last thing he felt was his forehead slamming into the ground. The last thing he heard was gunfire.

  Darkness swallowed him.

  * * * *

  Amerii screamed as she blasted her way through the small dusty settlement, her Heavy Armour pounding the dirt. This hadn't looked like a particularly dangerous area when they had been approaching but her two Varkan friends had immediately begun firing their laser rifles. The moment the shots had hit the buildings, white shimmering beings had appeared and attacked them. She remained sandwiched between the two Varkans, shooting at any Wraith that dared get into her line of fire.

  When she hit one, it shrieked and seemed to destabilise, falling apart before her eyes. She shot another and moved forwards, intent on reaching Van. More Wraiths crowded the passages ahead of her. He had to be that way. They were protecting it.

  "This way,” she said and motioned to the Varkans. One caught the arm of her Heavy Armour and held her back.

  "Cover yourself, your highness,” he said and she frowned at him.

  She turned in time to see the other Varkan step forward and shoulder his rifle. It built up a charge, whining high as the end of it glowed red. The moment he released the shot, she fell backwards into the Varkan behind her, the blast knocking her off her feet. She stared in amazement as it tore through the Wraiths, killing most of them in an instant and leaving the rest missing limbs.

  She hadn't realised that she could do that with her weapon.

  Her comrade behind her pushed her back onto her feet and she followed the first Varkan into the building.

  He collapsed in front of her eyes and she barely had time to leap to the side and avoid the green blast that had ripped through him. The other Varkan landed heavily with her, covering her. He fired at the Wraith, disintegrating it and then stood, pulling her up off the floor. She ran to the other Varkan and pulled the Heavy Armour over.

  Blood covered the inside of the visor.

  Amerii swallowed hard.

  "He is gone, your highness. We must move fast,” the other one said.

  She had never seen anyone die. Before she could take it in, the remaining Varkan was forcing her to run. She gathered herself and shouldered her gun again, intent on reaching Van even though she was petrified. Suddenly she was frighteningly aware of how fragile she was compared to her enemy and how much danger Van was in. She had to get to him before it was too late. A part of her said to ask her comrade what the Wraiths would do to Van but she couldn't find her voice. Fear stole it. What if he said that they would kill him? She didn't think that she would have the strength to continue if those words left his lips. And she had to keep going. Even though her legs were tiring, becoming tense from the adrenaline turning to fear, and her heart was missing beats as it pounded hard against her ribs, she had to keep going.

  She had to save Van.

  She wouldn't let them take her mate from her.

  A galaxy without him was one she wanted no part of.

  Setting her jaw, she straightened up, raised her gun and locked it tight against her shoulder, and stormed forwards. Van was in that building. She knew it. There she would find him and she would save him.

  The Wraiths would pay for what they had done.

  As they entered the building, she blasted any Wraith that appeared in her field of view, her eyes darting about the screen as she struggled to understand the readings. In the bottom right corner was an image of what was happening behind her. The Varkan officer was bringing up the rear, his aim impeccable compared to hers. Her gun shook in the Heavy Armour's hands, a reflection of her own trembling. She fought against it, but her fear was overwhelming. Now was a time to be strong. Her blood was strong, her lineage that of kings and generals. She was strong. It was time that she proved that to the world, even if no one saw it. It was time she proved it to herself.

  She broke through into a new area and fired off several rounds, holding the trigger to build a stronger charge than normal. The bolts tore through the Wraiths, clearing her path, and she pounded on.

  An alarm flashed in the corner of her screen. Two fighter ships were outside. A sonar image of them came back. She breathed a sigh of relief when she recognised them as Lyran. She would have to thank her captain when she returned. He must have called for the fighters the moment she had left. It would have taken them some time to enter the atmosphere from the Nebuz-Lyra VIII.

  She frowned when she saw that the path behind her was empty. Turning, her eyes widened when she realised that she was alone. She couldn't see the Varkan officer. She turned on the spot, scanning for him. They must have been split up. There was no time to go back to find him. She had to keep going.

  She had to find Van.

  She moved through room after room, sometimes having to shoulder her way through the doors. The Heavy Armour was too wide for some of the corridors so she had to find another way around. The building was a maze, half of it collapsed into nothing but rubble. Most of the ceiling was missing. The bright sun blazed down, blinding her sometimes in the seconds that it took the visor of the Heavy Armour to react and darken.

  A heat signature appeared on her screen and she moved towards the red blip, her gun at the ready.

  Turning a corner and entering a room, her heart leapt into her throat when she saw the owner of the heat signature.

  Van.

  He knelt on the floor, his arms restrained behind his back and his head hung forwards. Bright light shone down on him. On the floor beside him were pieces of his visor. The screen of the Heavy Armour assessed his vitals and she was relieved to see that while his injuries were severe they weren't life threatening. She moved towards him, intent on rousing him and getting him away before more Wraiths appeared.

  Just as she was about to bend down to break his restraints, something slammed into her and she flew across the room. The Heavy Armour hit the wall, knocking it down. She landed in a heap on top of the splintered blocks, her heart thundering and her breathing fast. Lifting her head, she scoured the room.

  Only Van.

  That couldn't be right. Something had hit her. She was sure of it.

  The red screen of the Heavy Armour said different. There wa
s nothing there except Van, and he was still unconscious.

  Besides, she didn't think he was strong enough to throw a Heavy Armour across the room. There was something else here. Something phenomenally strong.

  Getting to her feet, Amerii slowly scanned the room again. The diagnostic showed nothing out of the ordinary. Walls, ceilings, doorways, and Van. Everything she could see was apparently everything there was.

  Not even the sonar was showing anything different. The corridors around them were empty.

  She stepped down from the broken wall and began towards Van again.

  "You certainly are persistent,” a voice said, deep and menacing, straight into her head.

  She turned as quickly as she could in all directions. Nothing.

  "I dare you to try again."

  Ignoring the threat in the voice's tone, she walked towards Van. She lifted the gun, locking it tight into her shoulder and moving with it the way she had seen Van move with his rifle. Wherever her head turned, she turned the gun.

  Still nothing on her screen.

  Her breathing was loud inside the helmet, hot too. Her heartbeat pounded in her skull. Her left arm ached from where she had hit the wall.

  Although the Heavy Armour had taken the brunt of the impact, it had still hurt her.

  The moment she was within arm's reach of Van, she was struck again and sent skidding across the floor.

  "Foolish,” the voice said, taunting her. “Did you think I would allow you to free him? I am not finished with him."

  Amerii got to her feet again. Still nothing on the screen. She was beginning to get annoyed now. Whoever owned the voice should have the guts to show his face. She ran over his words in her head. Not finished with Van? He damn well was. There wasn't a chance in Madjar that she was about to let anyone hurt him now that she was here.

  Her eyes widened when a bright shape shimmered across the screen of her helmet and disappeared.

  A Wraith?

  "Very perceptive,” the voice said in her head. It had an amused ring to it. “For a Lyran."

  She gasped. How did it know that?

  "You think in Lyran ... a female? Let me see ... the princess dear Commander Aeris was so worried about ... his mate."

  Amerii tried hard not to think anything but it was impossible. Her thoughts flashed back to that moment in Van's bedroom when he had claimed her as his mate and bonded with her.

  "Disgusting,” the Wraith said and shimmered into being right next to her.

  Before she could look up at its full height, it had backhanded her, sending her crashing to the ground again. Her legs twisted in the suit and she cried out when the muscle in her calf burned with pain. Gritting her teeth, she pushed herself back up quicker this time. She raised her gun and aimed at the Wraith. With a roar, she fired round after round at it, tracking it around the room as it appeared and disappeared, dodging her.

  This Wraith wasn't like the others. Instinct told her that it was in command, that it had been the one to take Van from the compound. She lifted her laser rifle higher, looking down the sight at the room. The moment the Wraith appeared, she aimed for its right hand side and just as she pulled the trigger moved her aim across it to its left. The Wraith moved straight into the path of the round and let out an unholy scream as it tore through its arm. Amerii grinned.

  Her victory was short lived as the Wraith appeared in front of her, grabbed the arm of the Heavy Armour and hurled her towards the far wall. She hit it face first, cracking her head against the inside of the helmet. A warm liquid trickled down from a throbbing hot patch on her right temple. She screwed her eyes shut as her mind spun, waiting for it to come to a halt. The blood reached her cheek. It tickled but she couldn't wipe it away with her hands inside the suit.

  When her mind had stopped spinning, Amerii picked herself up and then picked up her laser rifle. The heavy gun had taken a beating, but it still seemed to be functioning. The sensors on the Heavy Armour showed that the Wraith had disappeared. Was it waiting for her to try to reach Van again?

  It seemed to enjoy hurting her.

  She turned to face Van where he still knelt on the floor. He looked terrible. She could barely recognise him through the blood that coated his face and neck. It seemed the Wraith had enjoyed hurting him too. Her mate.

  She shouldered her rifle again.

  The Wraith would pay for that.

  Just as she took a step towards Van, the Wraith appeared in front of him. It seemed more real this time, more than just a drifting cloud of white. It had form, shaped like a humanoid but at least twice as tall as any species she knew. It had eyes, hollow holes that held no emotion, and a smile that set her teeth on edge.

  It bent towards Van and grabbed his hair, hauling his head up.

  "No!” Amerii shouted and ran at the Wraith, the Heavy Armour's steps like thunder on the dusty ground. She took aim. Her finger closed around the trigger. Her heart missed a beat.

  Before she could release the round, the Wraith was in front of her, past the muzzle of the rifle. She could only watch in horror as it reached towards her, everything moving in slow motion, and its hand moved straight through her visor and into the helmet. Hot burning fingers closed around her throat.

  Amerii stared up into its hollow eyes.

  As it squeezed her throat, she brought the gun back and fired.

  A dark smile crossed the Wraith's face and then faded. Amerii's breathing quickened as she blinked and stared up at it. The hand disappeared from her throat. Its face turned elusive and began to disintegrate, drifting away in the breeze. She stared into its eyes as they narrowed and then blinked out of existence.

  She still stared long after it had gone.

  Her heart beat hard.

  Her breathing was shallow.

  Her body felt numb.

  A noise snapped her out of her shock, bringing back the sound of gunfire outside the old building and the bright sunshine that beamed down at her from the hole in the ceiling.

  She turned and lowered her head to look at Van. He was conscious, looking up at her as he knelt on the floor.

  Her heart clenched at the sight of his face so beaten and bloodied. A cut split his lip and it had swollen. His left eye was almost closed from the swelling around it and a nasty gash ran across his eyebrow, over the tender skin of his eyelid. Long strands of his hair had stuck to the blood on his face. She wanted to clear them away and look after him. She wanted to tell him that things would be fine now that they were together again.

  There were cuts on his throat and in the fabric of his suit on his arms and chest. She thanked Iskara that the suit seemed to have sustained the bulk of the damage and protected him. Tears filled her eyes but she fought to hold them back. This wasn't over yet. They still had to get him back to the compound and she had lost the other Varkan soldier.

  Walking towards him, Amerii smiled when he moved so he could continue to look up at her, even though he probably couldn't see her through the darkened visor.

  She knelt down on one knee. It hit the dirt hard, sending a jolt through her. It wasn't easy to perform delicate moves like kneeling in the Heavy Armour.

  Reaching around him, she broke the metal restraints on his arms, the Heavy Armour making them look as brittle as glass.

  "Thank you, soldier,” Van said and gripped the arm of the Heavy Armour, pulling himself up onto his feet.

  She held him steady when he wobbled and frowned.

  "I owe you much,” he said, voice quiet and hoarse. “Give me your rank and I will see to it that Varka hears of your bravery."

  There were bruises on his throat, as though someone had been throttling him. She swallowed, feeling the ache in her own throat. That Wraith had paid for what it had done, but she didn't feel any better. She wanted more. She wanted to bring it back so she could fight it again and make it truly pay for inflicting such terrible injuries on her mate.

  "Soldier?” Van said.

  Amerii smiled to herself when she realised that
he thought she was a Varkan. She pressed the two sides of her helmet and it extended outwards and then opened up to reveal her face. Van stared at her, his eyes wide and his lips parted in shock.

  "Amerii?"

  She nodded, amused that he needed her to confirm that.

  "What are you doing out here?” he said and then frowned. “You are hurt."

  He stepped towards her and she closed her eyes briefly as he wiped the blood from her cheek and temple. The sweep of his fingers was gentle, tender. It filled her with warmth and drew her tears out of her. She sniffed them back and told herself to be strong. The sight of Van so hurt scared her though. She wished she could hold him, could feel his arms around her, but she couldn't in the suit.

  Looking at him, she found he was staring at his fingers and the blood coating them. His eyes brightened to vivid crimson. She could see the battle within him.

  "I'm fine,” she said, wanting to alleviate his anger and soothe him. He looked at her, right into her eyes, and his frown melted away, his irises darkening back to normal. “I'm just glad that you're okay."

  Her brow furrowed as she looked at him, seeing all his injuries and wishing there was something that she could do about them.

  The Varkan officer she had lost came thundering around the corner.

  He walked into the room and kneeled before Van. Amerii noticed that his suit barely made a sound as his knees hit the dirt. He clearly had better control over the Heavy Armour than she did.

  "We came to rescue you,” she said with an affectionate and soft smile, holding her hand out to Van. “If you're ready to go, I really think we should. I could carry you if you wanted."

  Van frowned at her and the Varkan soldier looked up in her direction. She didn't need to see his face to know that he would be scowling too. Insinuating that Van was weak was becoming quite amusing. She liked how he reacted to it. She liked the way he looked when he frowned. It added to his handsomeness.

  He touched the hand of the Heavy Armour, frowned again, and then touched her face instead. His hand was warm against her face, soothing as he held her cheek and looked into her eyes. He nodded.

  "I am sure I can last the journey back to the station.” He glanced up at the sun, his eyes narrowing to slits, and then looked at her and the soldier. “We will need to hurry. The sun is a long time from setting."