by Nina Croft
Alex wasn’t sure about that, but she had to try. She fumbled with the door, managed to release the lock, and almost fell out of the vehicle. She straightened the headdress and forced her face into her best high priestess expression, and addressed the first of the guards.
“I am the Lady Alexia, High Priestess of the Church of Everlasting Life.”
“Really?”
The guard examined her, his gaze running over her tattered robes. He didn’t appear impressed, and she hurried on. “I apologize for my appearance, but the last few days have been difficult, and there was no time to change. I must see your colonel.”
“Identification?”
“I don’t have any—it was taken from me, but you can check the database. I’ve been missing—the Church has been looking for me.”
“Step forward.”
She moved closer as he flipped on a palm scanner and passed it in front of her face. He read the screen and turned to the other guard. “She’s telling the truth. There’s a flag attached to the file—missing presumed kidnapped. So why do you need to see the colonel?”
“I have information regarding the assassination of Aiden Ross.”
“You do?”
He sounded skeptical, and she nodded. “I think the men who kidnapped me were responsible. These kind people”—she waved a hand at Rico and Tannis, who still sat in the speeder—“saved me from a fate worse than death and brought me here.”
The guard looked from her to the vehicle where Rico and Tannis were both doing their best to look like “kind” people. It couldn’t have been easy for them.
After what seemed like a lifetime, the guard nodded. “Drive through; wait at the gate while we contact the colonel.”
Alex released her breath. They were in. “Thank you.”
She climbed back into the speeder, collapsed on the backseat, and gripped her hands together to stop the shaking.
“You did well,” Rico said quietly as the gates opened.
They followed the guards into the compound. One of them turned and held up a hand for them to halt, and the speeder pulled up beside him. They were in a large open area, surrounded by two-story buildings built of sandy-colored stone. There was no one else in sight, and she searched the doorways for some sign of Jon or Skylar, willing them to miraculously appear.
“Wait here.” The guard headed off across the compound and disappeared inside one of the buildings.
Rico and Tannis climbed out of the speeder. Alex was halfway out when Rico moved. He flew through the air and crashed into the remaining guard, gripping his throat. A second later and the man collapsed the ground.
Alex stared at the body then at Rico. It had been so fast.
“Don’t look at me like that,” Rico snarled. “He’s only un-conscious. Though now is not the time to be squeamish. I have a feeling there are going to be a few casualties before the day is over.”
Alex didn’t answer, just stepped down. Tannis had returned to the vehicle and was pulling the weapons belts from under the seat. She handed one to Rico and a second to Alex. She strapped it around her waist, the heavy weight of the blaster dragging her down. Not for the first time, the enormity of what she was doing hit her. While she’d been concentrating on the idea of saving Jon, she hadn’t thought about the people who might die achieving her goal. Or more likely not achieving it. Even if they failed, people were going to die.
For as long as she could remember, she’d had doubts about her faith. But she knew what was right and wrong, and she’d always believed that killing was wrong.
But maybe people had to have someone they were willing to die for. And kill for.
Rico dragged the body of the guard behind the speeder and stood, surveying the courtyard. “Come on, let’s start looking. This place will be crawling with Corps any second.”
But at that moment, Skylar appeared in one of the open doorways. She was alone, and Alex’s heart stopped beating. Then Jon’s tall figure appeared behind her, and Alex swayed as relief washed over her.
As he stepped out into the open, she ran toward him, skidding to a halt only inches away. For a second, she just stared at him, then she clenched her fist and punched him as hard as she could on the nose. It hurt a lot. Her, at least. Jon didn’t even flinch. “What the hell did you think you were doing?” she asked.
“Protecting you.”
“I don’t want protecting.”
“Then you should never have told me you loved me.”
“You told me first.”
He shook his head. “I wish you hadn’t come.”
She reached up and stroked his cheek. “It’s a two-way deal, this protection thing, and I couldn’t let you die without trying to save you.”
Jon lowered his head and kissed her fleetingly. “I still wish you hadn’t.” He stepped back and turned to Rico. “I’d made my decision. You had no right to come here.”
Rico shrugged. “It wasn’t my choice. And perhaps we could argue about it later. Right now, we need to get out of here.”
“Too late,” Skylar said. “Get back inside.”
Men were spilling out from the door opposite. Men in the black uniforms of the Corps. Jon put his arm around Alex’s shoulder and hustled her inside the building and into a large room. Three men lay unconscious on the floor.
“Good to see you’ve been busy,” Rico said.
Jon crossed the room, stooped over one of the bodies, and pulled the laser pistol from the holster. He studied the room, a frown on his face, then crossed to the table and kicked it over so it lay on its side against the wall.
“Get behind that,” he said to Alex, “and don’t come out.”
Alex opened her mouth to argue but bit back the words. She knew enough about him by now to know he would fight much better if he thought she was safe. And he was a far more valuable fighter than she was.
The first shots bounced off the walls as she crouched down behind the table. She drew her blaster but was scared of hitting the others who were ranged in a row in front of her. Focusing on Jon’s back, she pushed down her fear and guilt. Why had she let him out of her sight earlier? She should have held on to him. They would likely still have all died, but not like this, in a strange place. She wanted to be back on El Cazador so badly it was a pain gnawing at her chest. Out of a window to her left, she could see the courtyard crawling with soldiers, all heading in their direction. This was the end.
In the months since she’d been on the ship, they had come under attack many times, and she’d never experienced fear. Now she was drowning in terror; it coated her mouth and throat, froze her mind, and turned her arms and legs to useless slabs of stone.
She didn’t know how long the fight went on—time lost meaning as the world was reduced to chaos. Jon stood shoulder to shoulder with Tannis, Rico beside Skylar. They were shooting steadily, deflecting the incoming blasts with ease, and shooting down the soldiers as they appeared in the narrow entrance. But every time a man went down, another took his place.
“Brace yourselves,” Tannis shouted. She plucked a gas grenade from her belt and rolled it out through the doorway. Alex gripped onto one of the table legs and a second later, the shock wave washed over her. There was a moment of respite, as the men retreated from the dense cloud of sickly green gas.
Jon turned to her.
“You okay?”
She nodded, though it was a lie.
“I love you,” he said.
“I—” There was no chance to finish the words. The window exploded, raining shards of glass into the room.
She shook her head, clearing her vision, as a shot from behind spun the weapon out of Jon’s hand. A figure stood framed in the window, pistol outstretched, aimed at Jon’s exposed back. Alex didn’t think, just acted on impulse, pushing herself up then diving forward.
The world seemed to slow. From the corner of her eye, she could see Jon twist around, screaming at her.
“No!”
His urgent cry sounded in her
ears but too late. Her momentum carried her onward. She raised her blaster, knowing there was no time. An arc of bright light blinded her as an agonizing pain blossomed in her chest. Strong arms wrapped around her as she fell. And then darkness.
…
Jon collapsed to his knees, Alex’s limp body held tight against his chest. Frantic, he searched her face; her eyes were closed, but a slight pulse fluttered beneath the pale skin of her throat. The blast had hit her in the side, and the scent of scorched flesh rose from her body. But she wasn’t dead.
Yet.
A tortured howl rose up inside him as his wolf awoke and screamed in denial. Jon had done everything he could, given himself up, and this time he thought he’d succeeded, that he’d saved her.
But even as the doubts flashed through his mind, he forced them aside. He’d been ready to die, but his friends hadn’t been ready to let him—Alex hadn’t been ready to let him. They believed in him, and that changed everything.
Maybe they would all die here, but it wouldn’t be because he had given up.
The gas from the stun grenade was dispersing and through the thinning cloud, he could see the soldiers massing outside. Tannis shot a brief glance in his direction, her expression worried as she took in Alex’s small figure clasped in his arms. “They’re coming back.”
Jon nodded. He lowered Alex gently to the floor and tucked her behind the relative safety of the metal table, her back against the wall. Working quickly, he tugged the scorched material away from the wound, and his gut clenched up tight.
He knew then that she was beyond any medical help. There was only one thing that might save her now. His mind veered away from the option, but inside his wolf growled in approval.
Alex’s eyes blinked open, dull with pain. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“There’s nothing to be sorry for,” he said, his tone fierce. “We’re getting out of here. All of us. Just don’t give up.”
A brief smile flickered across her lips. “My hero. You’ll save me, you always do. But whatever happens, I’m glad we came for you.”
He opened his mouth to answer, but Tannis called out a warning from behind, and he pivoted at the urgency in her voice.
“Shit.”
Where was his gun?
He’d lost his pistol just before Alex was hit, and he searched the floor as the first laser shots blazed through into the room. Rico, Skylar, and Tannis stood in a row, returning fire, but there were too many crowding into the open doorway. This time, as soon as one was cut down, two more took his place.
One man took aim at Jon, and without thinking, he hurled himself across the room, his arm shifting as he flew. The man went down beneath the force of the impact, and Jon ripped his clawed hand across his neck, slicing open the jugular vein. Crimson splashed the walls behind them, and the heavy scent of blood mixed with the smell of charred flesh.
He grabbed the man’s pistol from his limp fingers and whirled around as two more came at him from the side. He kicked one in the groin, slashing the second’s throat out in one fluid move. They both collapsed at his feet, and he blasted them in the heads to make sure they wouldn’t be getting up anytime soon. Adrenaline roared through his veins as he stared around, searching for more enemies.
“Get back, Jon.”
Tannis spoke from behind him, and for a moment, the words made no sense. Then they filtered through the killing rage that gripped his mind. Shaking his head, he dived for cover as Tannis rolled another grenade out beyond the open doorway.
The blast shook the room and the thick gas drove their attackers back. They had some respite but he knew it would be fleeting.
“That’s the last of the grenades,” Tannis said, coughing, and holding her hand over her nose as the gas drifted into the room. She cast a glance at Alex, who lay where he’d left her, her hand gripped to her side, face pale, eyes closed. “How is she?”
He shook his head. Alex was dying, but he wasn’t about to let that happen. Inside, his wolf clawed at his brain, howling to be free; he’d recognized Alex as his mate and would fight to the death to protect her. But they couldn’t fight their way out of this; they were up against too many—next time they would be overrun, and that would be the end.
Somehow, he needed to convince their attackers that killing them wasn’t a good idea.
This whole thing had been set in motion, at least partly, because the Collective believed Jon had information they didn’t want released into the world. Could he use that information to save them now?
Positioning himself to the side of the window, he peered out. He had an idea, but unless he could make them listen, he wasn’t going to get anywhere. Out in the courtyard, a mass of armed men filled the area, but his gaze settled on a tall, cloaked figure, standing perfectly still and alone in the shadows of the building opposite.
Callum Meridian.
“Skylar?”
“What?” She looked up from where Rico was examining a blaster burn on her left arm.
“Callum Meridian is here.”
“I know.”
“Can you get him to talk to us?”
“Why?”
“I want to make him an offer.”
“Ballsy,” Rico said. “I like it. What are you going to offer him?”
“I haven’t worked that out yet. But get him here.”
“I’ll try.” Skylar closed her eyes for a second, and across the courtyard the cloaked figure glanced up to the window, then headed in their direction, the men parting around him.
Jon crouched down beside Alex and touched her lightly on the cheek. “Just hold on a little while longer.”
Her eyes fluttered open. “Jon, there’s something I need to tell you. Something I did.”
“Later, there will be time later.”
“But I…oh.” Her gazed fixed over his shoulder, and he straightened and turned. Callum Meridian stood in the doorway, easily recognizable with his lean face and short, dark hair. He was tall, though his body looked strangely bulky beneath the long, dark cloak. As he stepped over the bodies into the room, no words were spoken, but the soldiers at his back melted away. The door closed behind him, and the air crackled and thrummed with power.
His gaze swept the room, his lips pursed as he scrutinized each of them in turn. “Can someone tell me”—he spoke softly, his tone almost gentle—“how the hell does one shipload of fucking misfits give me so much goddamn trouble?”
Jon started at the words. They weren’t what he’d been expecting, though he had no real clue what that was; some pompous denouncement for killing Ross, perhaps? It threw him off balance, and he struggled to pull his thoughts together.
“Hey,” Rico said, “I’d watch who you were calling a misfit if I were you.”
Callum ignored the comment. “Today, I’ve had to sit through an extremely boring meeting where you lot”—he waved around the room, encompassing them all—“were the main topic of conversation. My council wants you dead, and to be honest, I think they’ve got a point. I’ve had enough of you all.”
“Well, feel free to piss off,” Rico drawled. “ After all, this whole pile of crap is hardly our fault.”
“Maybe not, but it is hers.” Callum waved a hand in Skylar’s direction.
She’d hunkered down beside Alex, now she shot upright. “Sir?”
“You were given a simple job—hire a crew, break Aiden’s killer out of prison, and allow us to shoot him in the process.”
Skylar’s lips tightened, her hands went to her hips. “Yeah well, it might have worked out that way if someone had informed me about that last bit.” She sounded pissed.
“Any other ship and crew, and the mission would have gone as planned. Why choose this one?”
“They looked…interesting.” Now she sounded defensive.
“Interesting?” Callum repeated the word as though he didn’t quite believe it. He shook his head and turned his attention to Jon. “This has gone on long enough. You were never even supposed t
o get as far as prison. You were to die at the site of the assassination. Another fuckup. Well, it’s over.” He turned to Skylar. “You’re free to leave or stay but I’m giving the order to finish this now.”
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Jon said.
Callum swung back to face him. “Why?”
Jon stared into those glowing violet eyes and a shiver ran through him. No one really knew how Meridian worked. How it changed the human body, rendering it virtually indestructible. At least, if the Collective knew, they weren’t telling. They had always claimed the change was a minor one, a mere matter of chemistry, but now, staring at the first and oldest of their kind, Jon sensed that the changes went far deeper.
He took a deep breath. How he did this would decide whether they all lived or all died. “I assassinated Aiden Ross, one of the ‘indestructible’ Collective. Except you’re not indestructible are you? And I’m the one person who knows how to kill you.”
Callum raised one eyebrow. “But luckily for me, you don’t have the means to do it right here.”
“Maybe not. But if we don’t all leave here safely, a comm will go out to the entire civilized universe telling them exactly how you can be killed. And I’m betting a man in your position has made a few enemies who would love that information.”
Callum seemed unimpressed by the threat. He stepped closer, pulling the cloak tighter around him, and Jon had to fight the urge to back away. The intense violet eyes seemed to suck him in.
“You’re lying,” Callum murmured. “You have no comm set up. The information will die with you.”
The words held such certainty that Jon knew it was over. How Callum was so sure, he didn’t know. Maybe the man could read his thoughts. Whatever the reason—it was finished.
He moved closer to where Alex lay. Now he just wanted to go to her, hold her at the end.
As though she sensed his stare, she opened her eyes. “No, it won’t.”
For a moment, her words made no sense, and it took him a second to realize she was talking to Callum.
His gaze narrowed on her. “The Lady Alexia, I presume.”