by Smith, S. E.
“But…” Derik began.
“It is for Terra, Derik. If father or the council feels she is in danger or is not protected here they will insist she return. If she does, she will be sent to the Isle of the Chosen. Is this what you want for her?” Mak asked his younger brother quietly.
Derik paled at the thought of his beautiful sister being sent to such a place. Even he knew it was little better than a prison. He saw a few of the females that had been sent there at the mating rite’s ceremony that he snuck into the previous cycle. Their eyes had been empty and they appeared lifeless.
“No, I do not want that for Terra,” Derik replied solemnly.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Cosmos’ growled out standing up. “No one is taking Terra anywhere! She stays right here! Where the hell is this Isle of the Chosen?”
Mak looked at Cosmos with a satisfied smile while Derik looked puzzled. “It is an island fortress off the coast. It is a place where the unmated females are sent. It takes the life from them. I’ve seen the females from there and it is not a good place,” Derik said with a frown. “I would never let them send Terra there. She is too fragile to survive such a place.”
Cosmos’ eyes narrow and he could feel a rage unlike anything he ever felt before building inside him. “She stays here. I’ll kill any asshole who tries to take her away from me.”
“Good. She will stay under your care,” Mak said forcefully. “Now, tell me what I need to know to save Tansy.”
Over the next four hours, Cosmos and Mak worked out details of what Mak could expect. They went over how to use the modified portable gateway device and what Mak should NOT do when he encountered Tansy. Cosmos had RITA work out several coordinates for them to test the gateway before he felt comfortable enough to do a human test.
“So far most of the fruit we have thrown through the portal has survived. I am going to go through it before I open a gateway to Tansy. I want to do a human trial first,” Cosmos said setting up the gateway again. “I am concerned with the way the energy level keeps dropping off the gateway as soon as the fruit passed through it. Those items are small compared to a human. It may not be able to handle having something of our size.”
“But, why does it not have issues going between our worlds then?” Derik asked.
Cosmos shook his head. “I don’t know. I know we don’t have a lot of power output like your crystals do. Tink’s modifications to the generators helped but it is impossible for us to keep the amps up for any length of time. There is also some interference of some kind I am trying to work out. I need more time!” Cosmos said in frustration.
“You do not have more time. Tansy could be hurt. Each test you do means more time she is in danger. Open the gateway to her. I will take the chance of finding out if it can handle a larger being,” Mak said determinedly.
Cosmos opened his mouth to argue but the look in Mak’s eyes stopped him. He nodded instead. Moving back to the console he programmed the location showing on the tracking device in Tansy.
“I can’t keep the power up for long. You’ll have to move as soon as the gateway opens. I’ll need at least an hour to get the power levels back up. The fruit has been off by about 10 meters. You’ll need to compensate for that as well. Make sure you see an open space before you move through the gateway. I don’t want you walking inside a wall or over water. From what I can see, Tansy is inside an abandoned warehouse near the riverfront. Keep the satellite phone on you and call as soon as the two of you are safe. I have a couple of friends who live in the area. I’ll notify them you need help. I trust them with my life. They will help hide you and get you out safely. Natasha and Helene will do everything they can to help you,” Cosmos said as he finished the programming.
He turned and pulled a necklace out of his shirt pocket. Tansy had given it to his last Christmas. It was a miniature spaceship with stars around it made out of platinum and semi-precious jewels.
“Give this to Tansy. She’ll know it came from me. Tell her I expect her to return it to me in person,” Cosmos said gruffly as he handed the chain and pendant to Mak.
Mak took the offering and placed it in the front pouch of his vest. “I will. I will protect her with my life, Cosmos. You do not need to fear. I will do whatever is necessary to bring her back safely to her family.”
“I know,” Cosmos grunted out. “If what you feel is half as bad as what I’m feeling toward your sister, I definitely know.”
“That is why I am not concerned with leaving her in your care. But be warned, if you hurt her I will enjoy killing you slowly,” Mak said with a grin that didn’t soften his threat in the least.
“Thanks! I think,” Cosmos muttered under his breath. “Are you ready?”
Cosmos looked at Mak and thought that was right up there with the dumbest questions he ever asked. The man in front of him was the largest son-of-a-bitch he had ever seen. On top of that, he was carrying two long swords, two short swords, a CZ 75b semi-automatic 9mm pistol Cosmos had, and a variety of other weapons Cosmos didn’t even bother asking about. Cosmos wouldn’t let him take his laser pistol stating it was too dangerous should it fall into enemy hands.
Mak grunted his response. He wanted his bond mate. He needed to know she was safe. She had not called back and his gut twisted that he might be too late to save her. Cosmos took a deep breath, gave a sharp nod, and opened the gateway. A burst of light formed before the gateway stabilized and Mak rushed through it. Almost immediately the gateway disintegrated leaving empty space where Mak had stood moments ago. Cosmos turned and checked the tracking device he had inserted into Mak, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw it was moving. Mak was at least alive and in one piece.
“He will save her,” Derik said from behind him. “He is the strongest warrior I know. He will save her.”
“Yeah, but who is going to save him if Tansy doesn’t believe him?” Cosmos said staring at the moving dots on his screen.
Chapter 5
Mak rolled as he felt the punch of energy push him. He lay still for a moment absorbing what was around him. A sound to the right caused him to shift and move into a crouch, one short sword in his left hand while he pulled several small explosive silver balls into his right. Two old men, dressed in layers of coats with dirty woolen caps on their heads stood around a large burning barrel. Mak could smell the alcohol on them even from ten feet away. One of the men backed up and fell over the curb while the other man just stood frozen as Mak stood to his full height.
“Where is my female?” Mak growled out in a quiet, menacing voice.
The men shook their heads not understanding. Mak growled low again before remembering the small scanner Cosmos had given him. He pulled it out and looked down to see the signal pointing to the left. Mak snarled a warning to the men and pressed his fingers against his lips before he ran one along his throat letting them know what would happen if they betrayed him. Both men nodding vigorously at Mak to let him know they would be silent.
Mak turned and looked at the signal again. It was coming from further down the street. He moved along the narrow, dirty street keeping to the shadows. His eyes searched the darkness for the ones who were after his mate. He had moved about halfway down along one empty warehouse when he caught a slight movement. He paused and watched as a light flared for a few seconds before dimming. He sniffed. He smelled the acidic scent of smoke. Moving silently, he came up behind the figure leaning against a transport. He listened carefully. He needed to make sure there was no one else hiding nearby who could either surprise him or warn others.
Moving up behind the man leaning against the dark transport, he gripped him around his neck pulling him up over the hood of it and back into the darkness. He held the man up by his throat against the building ignoring the man’s struggles or frantic efforts to breathe. Pulling a device from his belt he held it up to the man’s head for a moment.
“You understand me?” Mak asked in a cool voice.
The man nodded in terror. �
�с. Да.” Yes.
Karloff stared into the flaming silver eyes of the man holding him with one hand. He knew what he was looking at was not human. He was huge, over seven feet tall and was too strong to be human. Long canines slowly extended from his mouth as he stared at Karloff as if he were nothing more than an insect.
“Where is my female?” Mak asked.
“What female….?” Karloff choked off as the fingers gripping his throat tightened and the huge man holding him pulled out a sharp, curved knife.
“I will not ask a question twice. Each time you do not answer, I will remove a part of your body,” Mak said letting the blade slice through Karloff’s shirt at the shoulder.
He ignored Karloff’s jerk as the blade slid through the man’s skin almost to the bone. His hand squeezed enough no sound could escape. He pulled the blade out and wiped it on the front of Karloff’s shirt.
“Do not make a sound except to answer my questions or I will cut out your tongue and let you write the answers out with your blood. Where is my female?” Mak asked as if he was having a conversation with a friend.
“In the warehouse,” Karloff whispered hoarsely.
“How many search for her?” Mak asked coolly.
“There… there are twenty men. Twenty men after her,” Karloff whispered back.
“You have served your purpose,” Mak said as he squeezed his hand crushing Karloff’s throat.
Mak removed the translator he attached to the side of Karloff’s head and pocketed it. He tossed the body into the dark alley. Moving across the open area between the warehouses rapidly, he noticed a set of windows opened on the second level. Mak looked around and noticed piping attached to the side of the warehouse. Running, he hit the side of the brick building and jumped up reaching for the piping about twelve feet off the ground. Pulling himself up, he grabbed the edge of an open window and pulled himself up. Mak slipped his leg over the sill and moved silently inside. He dropped down into a crouch listening as whispered voices moved outside the open doorway. Mak straightened along the wall and moved around to stand behind the door. Two men came in. Mak quickly slit both of their throats and disappeared out the door. He worked his way through the level, coming up behind the men and taking them out stealthily. He had dispatched with ten before he heard a shout of warning. The men thought his mate was behind the killings.
*.*.*
Tansy pulled back as far as she could. She had killed five of the sons-of-bitches so far and taken one of the mics so she could listen in but the number of men crawling through the building seemed to be more copious than the rats living in it. She sucked in a sharp breath as she dropped down onto a lower floor. The last bastard had sliced her across her stomach. It wasn’t more than a deep scratch but it still hurt like hell. Her leg and side was throbbing as well. Over the past week plus, she had lost weight. Her pants had a draw string inside but the sides were bunching up so much it was making it hard to keep them on. Tansy leaned down and drew in slow, deep breaths in the hope of pushing away the exhaustion through her mind and body long enough to take as many of these assholes with her as possible. She was out of time, energy, and resources. This was her last holdout. When the men came for her at the last abandon warehouse she hid at, she escaped down the elevator shaft and made it out using an old coal delivery chute.
They had hounded her every step for the past week and she was working on an hour of sleep here or there, no food to speak of, and rain water. Her body had hit empty and was sucking the bottom of a dry tank. She was down to nine rounds of ammo, eight if she didn’t count the one for her. Her only solace is that Cosmos would know where to find her body and bring her home.
Tansy stood up and moved to the door on the middle level of the warehouse. She was done with this shit. She had sent the information to not only her bosses but to RITA and to a friend who worked at the New York Times. Matt would get it two weeks from the time she sent it. Something smelled about this assignment. It twisted in her gut and pulled at her since she was first sent out. If her boss or anyone along the path upward was involved with Boris, she would not be the only one going down. She was about to charge out when she heard some of the men shouting in anger and fear.
“Где она? Найдите ее. Сейчас! Отсчитайте!” Where is she? Find her. Now! Count off! A deep voice yelled.
“We are missing teams one, three, five, eight, nine, and ten. What the hell is happening? I can’t believe that bitch has taken out over half of our men!” A different voice said.
Tansy paused. Over half their men were dead? Who the hell was here? She didn’t believe Cosmos when he said he was sending help. Hell, even if he did there was no way someone could have killed another ten men this quickly. Tansy listened as gunfire erupted on the same level as her. A loud roar sent a chill down her spine. That had not been human! Screams filled the air before silence took over. Tansy heard frantic whispers over the mic she was wearing. They were down to three men from the sound of it. Maybe she would make it out after all.
*.*.*
Mak moved through the level. His shoulder burned where one of the weapons had sliced through but it was a minor wound that would heal within a couple of hours. He had surprised the two men as they were talking to someone through a device in their ear. He could smell the other three men and was about to go after them when a new scent struck him so hard it almost brought him to his knees. He smelled blood but it was sweet and tangy. He knew it was his mate’s blood and a dark rage filled him at the thought of her being wounded and hunted. He lifted his head and drew in a deep breath. She was on this level but he could not be exactly sure where. The device he had that tracked her was good to within fifty feet. He was closer than that. He moved out of the room he was in and onto an open platform. He hadn’t taken more than a dozen steps when he saw a beam of red light focus on the center of his chest. Cursing at letting his guard down, Mak froze and waited.
“Who are you?” One of the deep voices from before called out.
Mak did not reply. They would not understand him anyway so he did not bother with wasting his time. He merely looked at the man in front of him while listening to the two coming up quietly from behind.
Karp moved closer holding his assault rifle up. A wave of cold dread passed through him as he saw the glowing silver eyes of the man standing in front of him. At least, he thought it was a man. He had never seen such a huge bastard in his life. There was a cold calm that belied the fact the man had three weapons aimed at him. It was almost like he knew they could not kill him before he killed them.
“What are you?” Karp asked.
Mak grinned letting his canines lengthen as he did. He watched the human male standing in front of him pale and fall backwards a step. He could feel his muscles tightening. He would take a couple of bullets probably but he would kill the men before they could kill him. Mak watched as Karp opened his mouth. Before he could say a word, a dark figure flew out of the doorway firing at the man in front of him. At the same time, it hit Mak at waist level with such force it knocked him sideways into the railing. Gunfire erupted missing Mak by scant inches. The dark figure rolled and continued firing at the same time. Mak growled out a warning, wrapped one of his beefy arms around the slender waist and rolled so he was on top. The figure lying under him suddenly went limp. Mak raised up enough to see if the female was alright. She quickly shifted the gun from one hand to the other with a flick of her wrist. She grabbed the back of his head and pulled it down against her chest, firing another two rounds to his right just as a bullet whistled by where his head had been.
“Next time, keep your fucking head in the game if you want to keep it attached to your body. Now, if Cosmos sent you, get the fuck off me. If not, I’ve got a round for you,” Tansy growled out pressing the hot tip of her gun against Mak’s temple.
Mak froze as he felt the hot metal against the side of his head press harder the longer he waited. It was difficult for him to move. The body under his was so sligh
t, so fragile he was afraid he would crush her if he put any pressure on her at all.
Mak gingerly rolled off of Tansy. Once he was clear, he rolled to his knees keeping his hands up, palms forward as Cosmos told him. He let his fingers move slowly to the back of his head in a position to show his mate he meant her no harm.
“I will not hurt you,” Mak said softly staring down into the thin, tired face of his mate.
Tansy bit her lip as she sat up never taking her gun off the figure that even on his knees was almost as tall as she was standing up. She was staring at his eyes. They were glowing. They were silver. They were not fucking human. Neither were his teeth if the fangs hanging down were real.
“Who the fuck are you?” Tansy asked cautiously. “What the fuck are you?”
“I am Mak ‘Tag Krell Manok,” Mak replied knowing she couldn’t understand him. He looked down at the platform when she asked her last question. Until he was able to insert the translator, she would not understand anything he said. “I am Mak,” he repeated instead.
In truth, he was afraid to look into his mate’s eyes and see the rejection he had experienced time and time again from the other females as they looked at his massive size and harsh features. He knew this female was his bond mate. She had to be. Even though she had touched him and he did not feel the shock like his brother described, he knew she was his mate. Her voice, her scent, everything about her called to him on a level he had never felt before.
He started when he felt a cool hand under his chin. He slowly lifted his eyes up until he was staring into a pair of dark green ones. It wasn’t until she lifted one of her hands that he noticed she was wearing gloves. She bit the end of the glove on her left hand and pulled it off so she could touch his skin. The moment her hand touched his heated flesh, a shock went through them both. He watched as the pupils in Tansy’s green eyes dilated with surprise and her breath caught as she felt it course through her. Her left hand jerked away from him and she clenched it protectively against her chest. Mak slowly let his left hand move from behind his head so he could gently cup the one she was holding against her body in the palm of his. Her whole hand disappeared as he wrapped his larger one around it. He carefully turned her hand over, letting his gaze drop down to the intricate circles beginning to form in the center. His eyes rose again to meet hers as he slowly brought her hand up to his mouth and pressed his lips to the center of her palm. He would never forget the look in her eyes at that moment. The look in them burned its way down to his soul.