Take Me

by Stevens, Shelli

  Talia jerked her gaze away from the knives. He stared at her and then looked at the knives.

  “What are you thinking, baby?” Franklin crossed the room and gripped her arm, jerking her to her feet. “That you would take one of the knives and use it on me?”

  Yes . She didn’t answer, just lifted her chin and met his gaze stoically.

  “You little bitch. I would have broken your wrist before you could get within an inch of me.” His grip on her arm tightened and she winced. Would he break her arm anyway?

  “Gods, it is true.” A voice called from the doorway at the other side of the room. “You have recovered our precious Rosabelle.”

  Without looking, her gaze still locked on Franklin’s, Talia knew Ramirez and Victor would be in the doorway.

  Franklin’s gaze lit up with what looked like excitement and he released her, turning toward the door.

  “Gentlemen, you made it. Where is Ines?” His tone sharpened on the last question.

  “I have no idea, quite honestly.” Ramirez offered a small shrug. “She said she would return in a bit.”

  “I see.” Franklin did not sound pleased, and Talia looked over to see his jaw was tight.

  “Natalia, my darling. Gods, how we have missed you.” Victor crossed the room toward her.

  No. No. No. Talia took a step backward, her pulse jumped and her stomach knotted. Gods, she could not handle their attentions any longer.

  “Your state of dress is completely inappropriate, though as always you are beautiful.” Victor seemed to not notice her distress. He closed the distance between them and reached out to touch her hair.

  “No!” The word exploded from her and she jerked away. “Do not touch me. Any of you!”

  Ramirez froze and Victor’s gaze jerked to her, his eyes widened in surprise. Only Franklin gave a soft laugh of amusement.

  “Natalia, you are confused.” Victor’s voice soothed as if he spoke to a child as he approached her. “All will be well shortly. All too soon we will take control of Belton and relocate our headquarters—”

  His words ended in a gasp as Franklin’s arm slid around his neck. The flash of a knife was a blur, but the line of crimson that appeared at Victor’s neck was all too real.

  Talia lurched back with a scream, blinking in horror, as Victor fell limp to the ground at her feet.

  “Actually, Victor, there’s been a change of plans.” Franklin muttered and then spun around and leapt after Ramirez, who had run toward the door.

  The older man did not stand a chance against Franklin, and his scream was cut short as Franklin slit the man’s throat.

  He’d gone mad! Nausea swept through Talia. She groaned and ran toward the knives, determined to defend herself before she took her last breath.

  She reached the knives, lifted out her hand to grab one, and was pushed harshly to the floor. Franklin straddled her and pinned her wrists above her head.

  She flinched and then let out a long whimper, making a poor attempt to prepare herself for death.

  “You have nothing to fear, Natalia.” His breath was hot on her neck. “I had to kill them. There was no reason to keep them any longer.”

  Had to kill them . He had just killed two men without provocation!

  “Don’t you see, baby?” His gaze softened and he drew the flat side of the knife across her cheek. “It will be just you and me now.”

  You and me? A shudder ripped through her body. Oh gods. His obsession with her had taken a sick turn. All his violent tendencies toward her and obsessive behavior made sense now.

  “Once this war is over—and it will not be long before the troops are successful—then you will sit beside me as my empress.”

  He believed himself to be the future emperor of Belton? Gods, he was beyond mad.

  “Franklin, you must cease now,” she pleaded. “Please, you will not succeed. Ryder has—”

  “Do not mention that man’s name again. Ever , Natalia.” His jaw clenched and he rolled the knife on her cheek, the movement light enough that she only felt pressure, but not the sting of a cut. “You will soon forget him. I know that you love me, baby. I know—”

  “How foolish do you take me to be?” A calm female voice said above them.

  Talia jerked her gaze up and saw the moment Ines brought the clublike weapon down onto Franklin’s back. His head reared back as he gasped in pain.

  Talia whimpered and thrust him off her, rolling to the side.

  Franklin’s body began to spasm and he fell onto his back. His head rolled to the side and his gaze locked on hers. Disbelief and pain was clear in his eyes, and then they went flat and his body stilled.

  “You killed him,” Talia muttered, disbelief freezing her limbs.

  Talia closed her eyes and let out a ragged breath. The Council members were dead—all three of them.

  “Thank you,” she whispered and pressed her hand to her chest.

  “Now why would you be so silly as to thank me before I take your life, Natalia?”

  Talia opened her eyes to find Ines staring down at her, gripping the club in front of her in both hands.

  Ice invaded her veins and Talia realized the stupidity of her assumption. Ines had not rescued her; she was obviously a woman intent on her own vengeance.

  Would pleading for her own life gain her any ground? Not likely. Talia licked her lips as her brain raced to form a plan.

  Ines took a step toward her and Talia acted on instinct. She kicked out her leg, knocking the club from Ines’s hands. The club dropped to the ground with a loud bang and then rolled jaggedly across the floor.

  Ines gave a shriek of fury and dove after it. Unwilling to let the other woman gain the upper hand, Talia jumped on her back and grabbed a handful of hair.

  They rolled on the cold marble floor of the kitchen. Talia drew blood as her nails dragged down Ines’s cheek.

  “Cease at once!”

  The shouts rang out as men charged into the room. Talia raised her head and saw the soldiers of Belton rushing into the kitchen.

  She went limp and rolled off of Ines. Thank gods they had arrived just in time.

  Ines leapt to her feet, blood dripping down her cheek while chunks of hair lay on the ground. She glanced at Talia and then at the soldiers.

  “This woman is an escaped prisoner,” Ines yelled, pointing a trembling finger at her. “She has been on a rampage killing three men, and just now tried to kill me. Lock her up at once.”

  “No!” Talia gasped, her eyes widening, her heart pounding. “She is a traitor, she—”

  “This prisoner was one of the people behind the plot to assassinate the emperor,” Ines cut her off. Grabbing her arm, she thrust her to a soldier who immediately restrained her.

  “No! She is lying.” Talia shook her head. Gods, this looked terrible. Ines wore the uniform of her planet, and yet only Talia—a prisoner!—knew that she had turned traitor. Of course they would not believe her.

  Ines seemed to realize she had won. The tension in her body visibly eased and her lips almost curled into a smile as she stepped forward. “Arrange for her immediate execution.”

  Talia froze,
the breath in her throat locking.

  The soldier holding her hesitated. “Are you quite sure, ma’am? That seems—”

  “Her immediate execution,” Ines interrupted. “By the orders of Colonel Jacobs just before he died by her hand.”

  The room went quiet, save for Talia’s choked sob. Her heart nearly ripped from her chest and tears sprang to her eyes. Ryder was dead. Oh gods. She had known it was a possibility, yet in her heart she had held out hope.

  There was a roar in her ears and the room began to spin. Dead. The man she loved, the man who had given her reason to live was now dead himself.

  Every muscle in her body seemed to go lax at once and then the nausea took over, closing her into a sea of blackness.

  18

  T here were voices talking above him. Ryder tried to open his eyes but the movement was impossible. He opened his mouth to speak and only a groan came out.

  “Ryder?” His sister’s voice rang clear in his ears. “Dillon! I think he is awakening!”

  Hurried footsteps sounded, and then a strong hand grasped his shoulder.

  “Ryder, can you hear me?”

  Ryder groaned again.

  “I have administered the first shot in a series of three for the anecdote to the poison you were given,” Dillon told him just as Ryder felt the pinch of the needle go into his arm. “And there was your second. Give it a few minutes and you will gain some strength back.”

  Ryder lay still. Gods, his head felt as if it were in the midst of a whirlpool. Gradually it eased and he attempted to open his eyes again, this time with less difficulty.

  He glanced around the room. He was not in his chambers. It was cold and dark, the smell of soil heavy. Krystal and Dillon hovered nearby, watching him with obvious concern.

  “Where am I?”

  “We moved you to a bunker thirty feet beneath the earth.” Dillon loaded up another injection. “We saw the troops from Zortou preparing to attack and came back to warn everyone. It was only then did we find you near death.”

  “Have the troops been activated?”

  “Yes.” Dillon plunged the third shot into Ryder’s arm. “The planet is under attack and has been for nearly an hour. The troops are rallied and doing what they can.”

  The third shot eased away whatever ill effects remained. Ryder stood, a bit unsteady on his feet, and blinked. Taking a deep breath, he crossed the room to pour himself some water.

  He downed the cup, struggling to place the memory of what had happened. He’d been in his room, making love to Talia…and then… No .

  He tossed the cup back into the sink. “Where is she?”

  “She?” Krystal repeated, biting her lip.

  “Talia. Do not be dim. You know whom I refer to.”

  “Have more respect for your sister,” Dillon said harshly. “And why you would care where that traitorous prisoner is makes little sense to me.”

  “She is not—”

  “Likely she is on a pod back to Zortou after she stuck a poisoned dart in your ass,” Dillon finished with a roar. “Fleeing with her lover as the attack on the planet got under way.”

  With her lover? No . “Talia would not have done that. She hated her life on Zortou.”

  “I saw them, Ryder,” Krystal blurted and then shook her head and looked away, the devastation on her face blatant. “They were running through the grounds together, obviously fleeing.”

  “No…” Ryder clenched his teeth and took a ragged breath in. Something wasn’t right.

  “You cannot be serious.” Dillon slapped his fist against the wall. “The planned attack was not scheduled until the fifteenth. Nearly two weeks from this date, my friend,” He pointed out harshly. “She has been gaining your trust under false pretenses.”

  “No…”

  “I hate to believe it as well, Ryder.” Krystal’s voice wavered. “But it appears Dillon is right. We were all fooled by the illusion she—”

  “How can you say these things, Krystal?” Ryder demanded, pacing the room. “You were the lone one out of all of us who believed in her goodness. Long before I did.” He shook his head, remembering the horrified look on Talia’s face before he’d succumbed to the poison. “I cannot believe she was a part of this. I won’t.”

  He would fight and then he would find Talia. Gods. The danger she could be in right now. Was she even alive? His gut twisted with sudden fear.

  “Believe what you need to, Ryder. But—” Dillon’s jaw tightened and he glanced toward the tunnel that led to the underground chamber.

  “What?” Krystal gripped his hand, her gaze following his.

  “They come,” Ryder stated and drew his electro-mace. He gripped the clublike weapon between steady hands. If the spiked tip connected with the enemy’s flesh, he could discharge an electro charge that would immediately cause serious harm to the person.

  A roar filled the room as a group of men charged through the door wielding weapons.

  Krystal made a choked sound and took a quick step backward.

  “Stay behind us.” Dillon pushed her to the back of the room and drew his own electro-mace.

  One man carrying a large knife lunged at Ryder, who swung his mace upward, catching the man in the side. The spike sank deep between the attacker’s ribs and Ryder pressed down on the button that would release the electrical charge.

  The man’s eyes widened and his body began to spasm. Ryder jerked the electro-mace from the man’s body and he fell to the floor limp—whether dead or just unconscious, Ryder did not care nor have the time for. He spun around, his blood pounding, ready to face the next attacker.

  This one charged, hunched over with the knife in front. Ryder sidestepped him, bringing the mace down into the man’s back and setting off the electrical charge. The attacker fell to the ground a second later.

  Ryder gripped the mace and spun, seeking the other men. Dillon still fought one, and one lay on the floor.

  A scream from the back of the room rang out, and he turned to see the last attacker grab Krystal by the hair. The man pressed the tip of a knife under her breast, obviously in a panic as his gaze moved between Dillon and Ryder.

  Krystal’s eyes widened, her mouth open as she silently met Ryder’s gaze to beg for help. Dillon glanced over at her, though still preoccupied with the other attacker.

  Gods . Ryder’s jaw clenched. He could not get close enough to swing the mace at the man who held Krystal. The man was not stupid; he used Krystal as a shield. He must have realized their weapons were not as sophisticated as the people of Belton’s.

  “You will come no closer.” The man’s eyes were wild, spittle flew from his lips. “She will die if—”

  The rest of his words ended on a gurgle. A patch of red spread through his uniform from where the knife lay imbedded in his chest.

  “Oh gods,” Krystal gasped and broke free to run to Dillon, whose arm was still raised from throwing the knife. The man he’d been fighting a moment before lay in a heap at his feet.

  Dillon’s arms wrapped around her and then visibly tightened as he squeezed her, his eyes closed, and he murmured something into her ear.

  Ryder watched the couple, his own pulse slowing a bit as he
came down from the adrenaline rush.

  Dillon opened his eyes and his gaze locked on Ryder. Ryder gave a half smile and brief nod.

  Easing Krystal out of his arms, Dillon stepped back and spoke to her. “We need to get you to a safe location. If they found us here once, they will find us again.”

  “I want to stay with you—”

  “Krystal.” His fingers closed over her chin as he stared down at her. “I will not risk your life again. I should have insisted you stayed in the cabin.”

  She was silent for a moment and then sighed. “Fine, I will go where you wish. But if you die, I shall be very upset.”

  Dillon gave a soft laugh and then his mouth lowered to hers.

  Ryder walked to the edge of the tunnel, giving them the moment of intimacy. Relief flooded through him. It appeared that Dillon had managed to persuade Krystal that they were destined to be together.

  Glancing down the tunnel, he listened for any sound of more enemy soldiers, but the tunnel was silent save for the slight dripping of water along the walls.

  His gut twisted. Above ground there was a war going on, his people would be fighting for their lives. And somewhere Talia was in a world of trouble. There wasn’t a part of him that doubted it.

  “Dillon, though I know you would fight strong by my side, I think your destiny lies elsewhere,” he stated gravely and turned to face the other two.

  Dillon’s eye narrowed, but he said nothing.

  “I would ask that you gather as many of the women and children possible and take them to safety with Krystal. Will you do this?”

  “If you feel that best.” Dillon gave a brief nod as he drew Krystal closer to his side. “Then yes. I would be honored.”

  “Thank you.” Ryder looked back down the tunnel. “Then we should go. It is time.”

  “I don’t know, Charles. Ines said Ryder ordered her immediate death.”

  The voice brought Talia out of a thick darkness and she opened her eyes with a wince. The two men were across the room and had yet to notice her awakening.