Warrior's Pain (Cadi Warriors Book 4)

by Stephanie West

  Suddenly, a dozen bursts of light erupted from the camouflaged orbs, sending laser blasts toward the target, obliterating it in an instant.

  Jesus, Riley jumped in surprise.

  “Even if the controller is destroyed, the spaera will continue on the last programmed assignment. The spaera can be called back at any point by speaking the ancient Wyna word for stop, cosc a chur, into the console.”

  Riley snickered at the odd phrase.

  “Wow. It’s a small army all by itself,” Nomino stated in awe.

  “They are rather impressive. I think my friend is going to be very interested in this. I suppose I better hail him after first meal,” Mave commented.

  Great. Riley shuddered at the thought of these men having such a vile weapon. I don’t know why I’m surprised anymore. They’re demonic warlords.

  Riley shook her head. There wasn’t much she could do, so she concentrated on her food, ignoring the piss poor company.

  Let them kill each other. What do I care.

  Cyprian de Praefectus

  Riley contentedly eating, made Cyprian smile. She was angry with him again, so he was glad she wasn’t refusing food. The only thing keeping him from enjoying the meal, was the disturbing weapon, and the knowledge Mave would soon be contacting his mysterious friend. He hoped Tytus was successful in intercepting it.

  Cyprian glanced at Vintor between bites. With a single pointed look, Vintor communicated he would go ahead with the plan they discussed. Given what they just witnessed it couldn’t be averted.

  “Hey Adeoda,” Vintor said, when he finished eating. “I saw a vendor who was selling this unusual vambrace, that shoots arrows.”

  “I was thinking about getting something to add to my collection,” Adeoda replied as he stood. “Show me.”

  Cyprian silently wished his partner luck, as Vintor and Adeoda headed out of the gallery. He should’ve been the one to question Adeoda, but with Riley by his side it was a little difficult. A part of Cyprian questioned that excuse. Was he avoiding resurrecting the past because of his conviction that it was wrong, or because he feared becoming like his sire?

  A question for another time, he groaned.

  A flash of color captured Cyprian’s attention. He turned and growled when he saw the garish Overseer approaching their table. He was in no mood to deal with the over bloated bastard.

  “Good day, Cadi Warriors,” the tentacled male greeted them. “See anything onstage that you want a better look at?”

  Cyprian repressed a growl when the unctuous male took the seat next to him.

  “These are rather pathetic, even for a slave,” the Overseer commented as one tentacle brushed Riley’s robe. “We have many shop with clothing for females.”

  Cyprian’s lip curled in distaste, and he shifted Riley away from the creature. He didn’t appreciate the Overseer’s critical comment, or that he dared to touch Riley.

  “There are some rather impressive armaments up for auction,” Mave commented. “I have my eye on the small drones.”

  “Ah, yes.”

  The Overseer was cut off by a deafening eruption coming from behind the stage. A blinding light and shockwave followed, making Cyprian’s ears pop. A second eruption rocked the gallery, as screams filled the air. People started fleeing in mass. It was pandemonium.

  “Get down,” Cyprian roared, and pushed Riley to the floor.

  “Guards. Order,” the Overseer yelled, but couldn’t be heard above the din.

  “Mave, the tables.”

  Cyprian and the smugglers flipped several tables over, to hold off the fleeing crowd that threatened to crush them. A hail of disrupter fire rang out, as they ducked behind the makeshift barrier. Cyprian peered over the tables, attempting to get a look at the situation.

  “I can’t see what’s going on. Is it a malfunction, terrorism?” Cyprian yelled.

  “I’m looking into it,” the Overseer replied, while several tentacles frantically ran over a large handheld.

  “We need to know, now,” Cyprian barked.

  I can’t plan an exit strategy without information, he growled under his breath.

  Cyprian turned to pull Riley in closer to the table, then froze.

  “Riley,” he looked around frantically.

  Cyprian stood, ignoring the danger, and scanned the fleeing mob, to see if Riley got swept up somehow.

  “She was just here,” he snarled in rage, when he couldn’t pick her out in the crowd.

  Someone had Riley. Otherwise, her trampled body would be lying on the floor, with several unfortunate patrons.

  “I’ll have my people keep an eye out for your female,” the Overseer yelled to him.

  Cyprian burned with rage and fear for Riley, as he turned and looked at the doors. They were all inundated. Only the employee exits were relatively clear.

  “We can make it out over there.” Cyprian pointed to the side door.

  He needed to get ahead of whoever took Riley.

  “I have an access band, but I,” the Overseer paused as he looked at the panicked crowd in concern.

  Cyprian studied the tentacled male. He wouldn’t be able to slither fast enough on his own.

  Mother of Kali, Cyprian groaned.

  The last thing he wanted to do was help the Overseer.

  “Hold onto my back,” Cyprian growled. “Come on,” he said to the other Cadi.

  As they ran for the exit, Cyprian kept an eye out for Riley. They had to push past several patrons, while avoiding the stray disrupter fire coming from the stage. As they made it to the exit, several patrons noticed, and tried to swarm the door. Mave fired on them indiscriminately.

  “Son of a metcor,” Cyprian growled. The smuggler didn’t have to use the highest setting, wracking carnage on the frightened guests. “Get that door open,” Cyprian urged the Overseer toward the door.

  They entered the hall and sealed the exit.

  “What’s the quickest way to the grand hall?” Cyprian insisted.

  “Down the corridor. The blue door on the right,” the Overseer said. “And, thank you.”

  Cyprian ran, not caring if Mave and his crew followed or not. His only focus was finding Riley. Duty and honor demanded he find her. But his instincts also drove him. Cyprian focused his rage into hunting her down.

  He burst through the exit into the esplanade, and turned left automatically. It felt like the right direction. Riley’s subtle scent seemed stronger as he sprinted, while panning the crowd.

  “Where are you, Little Manx?”

  Chapter 9. Stolen

  Riley

  Riley’s scream of distress didn’t make it out of her mouth, as she was plucked from behind Cyprian. The gloved hand wrapped around her mouth, then suddenly she found herself tucked into a large coat.

  What the hell?

  Riley struggled but could get free. She could feel and hear the press of screaming people all around, as her abductor ran. Riley stopped struggling when she realized she’d be crushed if her assailant dropped her in the middle of the melee.

  They ran for a bit, then slowed, when the sounds of panic died down.

  “You are safe,” a deep voice said.

  Aculus? Riley pushed against the man’s chest, and felt Aculus’ bony armor.

  “What are you doing? Let me out of here,” she demanded when he released her mouth.

  Riley shoved at the coat shrouding her, but Aculus gripped her tighter.

  “Wait. One of those males is exiting the washroom I was about to enter.”

  Riley peeked through the gap in his coat to see Vintor, Cyprian’s friend, walking away from the bathroom. She didn’t know what Aculus was up to, if she should call out to Vintor, or not. In her hesitance, the moment passed. Aculus entered the washroom and shut the door, barring them in.

  “What are you doing?” she hissed at the large bony man, when he set her on her feet.

  “Rescuing you from servitude.”

  “What?”

  Riley was sudde
nly very confused.

  “I’m not on Distraho to buy or sell anything,” Aculus said. “There was a very dangerous weapon in that room. I couldn’t let it go up for sale.”

  A lump formed in Riley’s throat as she pictured Cyprian trapped in the middle of all that carnage.

  “Oh Jesus. You caused all of that? Do you know how many people you hurt?”

  “It was a very bad weapon. It has the ability to decimate countless lives.”

  It was surprising learning the reason Aculus was at Distraho. He wasn’t a reprobate after all.

  “Well, I hope you succeeded then.”

  Aculus grimaced.

  “You didn’t succeed?” Riley threw her hands up in exasperation. He’d created absolute carnage, only to fail.

  “I did, in part,” Aculus replied.

  “What does that mean?”

  “I sabotaged the physical weapon, but it’s data chip was missing. It must be destroyed too. It holds the location of the defense systems for the Osivoire, their allies, and enemies. I bet the Overseer has the chip in his office.”

  “Well that sucks. You need to take me back to Cyprian. If you’re caught with me, you’ll never get that chip.”

  Riley grimaced at what came out of her mouth. She couldn’t believe she was giving up an opportunity at freedom.

  But if I go with Aculus, I’ll never see June, or be able to tell Ion what happened to Exo.

  That’s what she told herself. Riley wasn’t willing to admit that she had to see Cyprian again. Something she refused to name or dwell on, demanded she make sure he was safe. The sanguine feeling crept into dangerous territory, particularly considering the dynamics of their relationship. Riley already hated the fact the overbearing man rocked her world. It would be foolish to acknowledge the insidious sentiment rearing its head, or give it free reign of her thoughts.

  As Riley shook her head at her own stupidity, she noticed blood on the floor.

  “Aculus!” She pointed to the growing stain on the stone floor.

  “Wait here,” Aculus insisted as he moved toward the cubicle at the end of the washroom. “It’s one of the red males,” he growled as he peered into the stall.

  Riley looked past the parted curtain, and blanched. Adeoda, the scarred, long haired, creepy Cadi was laying on the floor with a gaping hole in his chest.

  “I told you to wait by the door.”

  “Don’t get bossy,” Riley shook loose of the horrific sight.

  “The other male must’ve done this. Is this what you want me to take you back to?” Aculus asked, his red eyes assessing her sanity.

  Why would Vintor kill Adeoda? He seemed the least smarmy of Cyprian’s companions. Maybe he was leaving to get help. No, Vintor was moving slow and calm as he left the bathroom. Riley’s mind turned over this new discovery. Cyprian said he doesn’t condone senseless killing, and he trusts Vintor. So, maybe there was a reason. That bastard, Adeoda seems like the type to attack his friends.

  Riley weighed the risk to herself and stuck with her assuredly foolish decision.

  “Aculus, I have to go back. I have friends on Cyprian’s planet. I have to tell one of them that her mate died trying to protect me.” The words caught in Riley’s throat as she thought about Ion.

  “You mean the pale skinny male who was up for auction with you?”

  “Yes.”

  “I saw the Jurou Biljana leading you off the pale one’s unusual vessel. I’ve been following them. I believe the reptiles were planning to buy the weapon I destroyed. I’m worried the Overseer still plans to cut a deal with Jyk for the data chip.”

  “Let me go then, and go get it back. I’ll only slow you down.”

  Riley tried to head for the door, but Aculus stopped her.

  “Wait.” Aculus grabbed something small from his pocket. “Take this. If you change your mind, or get into trouble, depress the sensor.”

  Riley watched as Aculus grabbed her pendant and adhered the device to the back of it. The gray disk was smaller than a nicotine patch, and didn’t look too odd stuck to the skull shaped thumb drive.

  “Fine. We need to get out of here.”

  “You go out first. I will follow you, till you find that male,” Aculus groused.

  He looked out the door then sent her into the grand hall. The esplanade was still crowded but the people weren’t acting like a crazed mob anymore. Riley headed back toward the scene of destruction, since Cyprian’s suite was on the far side of the giant complex. She kept her head low, hiding her face in her borrowed cape, as she walked casually. The last thing she wanted was to be scooped up again.

  Aculus said he’s watching out for you, and now you have a panic button.

  Riley snorted as she thought about those medical alert commercials she used to see on TV back home. It was sweet of Aculus to be concerned, if she could believe him. Aculus seemed sincere. But so did Cyprian, then a switch would flip, and he’d remind her of her place.

  The only one you can really trust, is yourself.

  Riley frowned as she realized she was again wearing clandestine jewelry around her neck. If Aculus was telling the truth, then she couldn’t betray his trust. Aculus seemed genuinely worried about the welfare of both his enemies, as well as his allies. That was telling. And he didn’t strike her as a man that rattled easily or without reason.

  Those scaly bastards don’t need anything else to wreak havoc on the universe.

  Cyprian de Praefectus

  Cyprian ran into Vintor as he sprinted down the grand hall.

  “What happened in there?” Vintor asked.

  “Sabotage, theft, I don’t know. Someone took Riley in the chaos. Help me search.”

  “I didn’t get the information out of Adeoda. I hustled him into a washroom when the vestibule started to fill with panicked guests. The stubborn bastard refused to speak. He grabbed my disrupter as we struggled.”

  “Son of a metcor,” Cyprian cursed. He shouldn’t have left the job to Vintor, but there was nothing he could do about it now. “We find Riley, then salvage what we can.”

  “What about Adeoda’s body?”

  “With all the casualties during the incident, it’s doubtful anyone will get suspicious when they find a body in the washroom. We’ll discuss the rest later,” he snarled.

  “I’ll search the wing heading to our suite.” Vintor nodded, then took off.

  Cyprian let the male go even though he knew Riley wasn’t that direction. He’d given Riley the conjugo mark. It bonded them, making his senses heightened where she was concerned. It was a distracting almost dizzying shift, primarily in his sense of smell.

  The burning need to find Riley had his inner beast clawing to get free. The possessive, fearful, rage was overwhelming, pumping large amounts of adrenalin into his body. In all his battles, Cyprian had never felt an intensity like this. He’d been reared to stay calm under pressure. The tunnel vision focused on Riley was unnerving. His inability to concentrate on anything but her, could get him killed.

  No wonder Tytus nearly removed my head when I caught him with June.

  The Cadi engineer committed several serious infractions while hiding his mate. It seemed unfathomable at the time, but now Cyprian understood how strong the conjugo bond was. He wanted to level everything in his path.

  How do males deal with this? Cyprian griped as he searched for Riley.

  His handheld pinged.

  “What now?” he growled as he looked at the communicator strapped to his wrist. “Tytus, you have uncanny timing. Be quick,” he snarled.

  “I intercepted a message. Mave was trying to reach the traitor. I blocked the transmission and sent him a reply, to proceed with buying the weapon. It’ll take me time to determine who the message was intended for.”

  “Hail me when you know. I have to go.”

  Cyprian ended the transmission. Tytus was a genius. He would trace the message to the traitor. But if he couldn’t, then at least Mave was still in the dark.

  Cy
prian paused when he realized he no longer scented a trace of Riley’s sweet perfume lingering in the broad hall.

  She wasn’t taken this far.

  He spun and headed back toward the weapons viewing gallery. He paused at the staircase leading to more guestrooms, but didn’t catch her scent.

  “Where are you?” he growled as he moved on.

  A shape ahead caught his eye. A small lone figure was winding through the esplanade, avoiding large crowds. Cyprian didn’t need to recognize his cloak to know it was Riley. The distinctive way her hips swayed as she walked, gave her away.

  Cyprian jogged to her and scooped her up.

  “What? Oh, it’s you,” Riley squeaked in surprise then relaxed in his arm. “Thank Jesus you made it out of there.”

  Cyprian stared down at Riley, as her hands ran over his chest looking for injuries. The feel of her delicate fingers on his overheated skin, soothed the deranged beast gnawing at his gut.

  “What happened? Are you injured?”

  He didn’t think Riley had run from the viewing gallery in fear, but seeing her walking alone made him wonder.

  “No. I’m fine. I got snatched up and shoved into someone’s coat.”

  No wonder I couldn’t see her.

  “Who?” Cyprian demanded.

  “He let me go. Either he didn’t mean me harm, or got cold feet. Can we get out of here? Please.”

  Riley was pale, as she looked around the vestibule in distress. Cyprian glanced at all the activity to see what was bothering her. The guards had secured the viewing gallery and were letting patrons remove their injured from the wrecked room. The scene was rather grisly.

  “Riley what species was this male. If he hid you, he wasn’t rescuing you out of the kindness of his heart. He meant to keep you.”

  Cyprian wanted to find the bastard, and have a little discussion about taking things that didn’t belong to him

  “I was smuggled in a coat,” Riley replied tersely. “It’s over. I don’t want to think about it anymore,” she pleaded with wide dark eyes.

  “It’s okay. You are safe now,” Cyprian said soothingly as he brushed a violet tendril of hair back from her face.