The two remaining Taoree ducked and the one guy used the dead alien’s body as a shield—smart one, that guy. The other alien lunged for me, so I shot both reelians at him, hoping one of the bullets would stick. I got him in the chest and he started coughing up blood as he fell. He landed right on my lower body, pinning me to the ground.
The only guy left said in Taoree from behind his dead-body-shield, “You shouldn’t have done that.”
I pushed up onto an elbow, dropped one reelian and reached behind myself for a spear. Then I used as much force as I could to sit up and push the spear through the dead body and into the Taoree behind it, making that dickhead cry out. I figured that tactic had worked on bug-bots, so why not?
However, the Taoree wasn’t dead yet, so I pushed the other one off my legs, then shakily got to my feet and walked over to him. I raised my reelian to his head and panted out in Taoree, “You shouldn’t… have killed… my friends.” Then I pulled the trigger.
I scooped my other reelian off the ground and hooked it on my belt as I walked down the hallway toward the room I knew Orr and Wes had to be in. As I walked, I was able to reach behind myself and pull the stupid spikey-ball-thing out of my back. Freaking enkpi. Not the first time I’d been hit with one, but I hated those stupid things.
I finally made it to the large doorway that opened up to some kind of large storage room. Or at least, that’s what it looked like since I could see rows of shelves with boxes stacked on them. I kept one reelian out. I would’ve kept one in each hand, but between my shoulder and being electrocuted, my hands were shaking. Or at least that’s what I told myself the reason was. It couldn’t possibly be from fear.
“Get out of here, Wes,” I heard Orrean roar and I froze.
“I’m not… leaving you,” Wes shouted back, evidently breathing heavily.
Then I heard it… that maniacal laughter that sent chills down my spine and fear through my veins. When he spoke, his voice sounded like snakes and death and terror, making my heart pound so loudly I was sure they’d know I was getting closer to them. The deranged, terrible voice said, “I see you’ve found a loyal pet, little brother.”
“Wes! No!” Orrean’s shout made me run to the end of the aisle.
When I rounded the corner, I could see that Wes had caught up to Emperor Thelonious Serparla and was already in hand-to-hand combat with the disgusting bastard. What the fuck is Wes thinking? He’s going to get himself killed.
Orrean caught my eye. He was on the ground, clearly having been thrown into one of the shelves, and he was covered in even more blood than before. So much blood that he was dripping with it and leaving small puddles on the floor. He looked right at me and said fiercely, “We need to get him out of here.” Whether he had read my mind when I was thinking about Wes, or he was just thinking the same thing, I didn’t know.
Orrean was across the room, but I couldn’t get to him, not with Thelonious between us.
I pulled my other reelian out, so I had one in each hand, at the ready. It was time to kill the fucker responsible for all of this. When I scanned the room for additional threats, I was surprised that we were the only ones in the room. I’d have thought that Thelonious would’ve been surrounded by guards.
Why the hell did they come here by themselves? What were they thinking?
“I’m sorry,” I heard Orrean say, like he’d read my mind again. “I thought I could stop him. End this.” Orrean wiped blood from his mouth and pushed himself to his feet.
But I couldn’t respond because the combat in front of me was going so fast that it was hard to keep track.
Wes punched the emperor in the stomach, but the alien punched him right back in the shoulder. When Wes kicked him in the shin, the emperor landed a blow to Wes’s cheek. For every hit Wes made, Thelonious made one right back. They were moving so quickly, I couldn’t get a shot in for fear I’d hit Wes.
I didn’t know what to do. Orrean and I were not fighters, not the way Wes and Thelonious were. There was no way I could jump in there without hurting my brother and I knew Orrean felt the same. Plus if I were fighting the bastard, I’d be weaponless and I couldn’t kill the emperor without a reelian. Too much could happen if I tried waiting for the bastard to bleed out.
“Thelonious,” Orrean suddenly yelled, causing the other Taoree to look at him. Orrean shot his reelian, but the emperor was quick enough to jump out of the way, so the shot went right past him.
“Wes,” I tried to yell when I saw Thelonious’s intention, but my shout caused more harm than good.
Wes was distracted, looking at me, so he didn’t see it coming.
Thelonious grabbed my brother, pulling a struggling Wes against his chest as he pulled Wes’s reelian out of his belt and put it to Wes’s chin. Wes was fighting him, struggling to break free, but the Taoree pushed the weapon even farther into Wes’s chin. Then Thelonious pulled a reelian out of his own belt and pointed it at Orrean. Orrean hesitated and Thelonious pulled the trigger, hitting Orr right in the chest and causing him to drop his weapon and fall to the ground, holding the oozing wound.
“Orr,” I shouted without moving. I had both of my guns aimed at Thelonious’s head, but he was so close to my brother. I didn’t trust my aim, not when my muscles kept freezing up from residual electricity. I took a chance and glanced at my Balu, seeing that he was bleeding and in pain, but that he would be okay. The bullet didn’t hit his heart, so I’d be able to heal him once I got to him. I refocused on the threat in the room, even if shooting was a moot point with the emperor using Wes as a shield.
I stared into my little brother’s eyes, trying to convey the attitude that I had this under control, even though I sure as fuck didn’t. Wes looked pissed, a little scared, but he mostly looked determined. His jaw was clenched in controlled anger, and he was staring at me, right in the eyes, showing me that he was okay. That we were going to be okay.
“Ah, ah, ah,” Thelonious said with a laugh in his snake-voice, “I wouldn’t touch that reelian if I were you, little brother. Not if you want this one to live.”
I saw Orrean stand up out of the corner of my eye and I knew he didn’t go for his weapon. Fucking dammit. I knew Orr wouldn’t take the chance and risk my brother.
“Okay, Thelonious, what do you want?” Orrean asked in a deep voice.
Thelonious laughed loudly and I looked him over. He was very similar-looking to Orrean, so much so that it was a little unnerving. They were nearly the same size, though Thelonious was thicker and his braid was longer. But what was most eerie was looking into Thelonious’s dark-purple eyes, because you could easily see how unhinged he was. His crazed eyes looked at my Balu as he said, “I want you dead. You’ve always been my biggest pain-in-the-ass sibling.”
“More like your biggest threat,” I accidentally mumbled out loud.
Thelonious cackled as he looked me over in amusement. “So you’re the human I’ve been hearing about, huh? The Balu to my brother, who can conjure an onghu. You’re nothing special. I’m surprised my spy even thought to mention you.”
My eyes widened in shock as he so easily admitted to having a spy. That didn’t bode well for our survival.
Thelonious laughed again at my reaction before turning to Orrean with a serious expression. “Kick the reelian toward me now.”
Orrean didn’t move.
Thelonious tilted his head. “Have it your way, little brother.” Then he holstered the reelian he’d pointed at Orrean and pulled out a knife. Without any warning, he dug the knife into Wesley’s chest right under his collarbone, making my brother cry out in pain as blood started pouring out.
“Wes,” I shouted as I took a step forward, but stopped when I saw Thelonious grin and shake his head.
“Don’t worry, I didn’t hit any major arteries,” Thelonious said, before adding, “yet.”
Wes was crying in pain as he tried to cover his bleeding wound with his hand, but he was still looking at me with determination in his gaze. Fuck, he wouldn’
t be in this position if I hadn’t yelled for him. What the hell had I been thinking?
“What do you want, Thelonious?” I ground out angrily.
He considered me for a moment before a sinister smile spread across his lips. “I want Orrean dead.”
I blanched.
Thelonious’s smile grew. “You get to choose, Jeremy David Ettner. Your brother or your Balu. You pick, but know that you’re only getting one of them out alive.”
I glanced at Orrean in a panic, but he was already looking at me, smiling sadly, but very clearly giving me permission to pick Wesley. But I couldn’t pick. I couldn’t let my little brother die, and I sure as hell couldn’t let my Balu—my mate, my partner—die, especially not when I’d only just gotten my head out of my ass and decided to be with him.
I shook my head at Orrean before turning back to my brother… my brother whose eyes were starting to fill with terror, my brother that had tears in his eyes as he bled from his chest and had an alien holding a deadly weapon to his chin. My little brother that I’d promised to always love and protect, even when he was annoying the shit out of me.
“Your brother or mine, Jeremy. Or I will kill little Wesley here, then shoot my brother, and kill you… slowly as I force you to stare into their dead eyes.” Thelonious’s sinister smile grew as he continued toying with me. I stared into his manic eyes. The eyes of a madman, the eyes of someone that held all the power in this situation, and instead of just killing all of us, he wanted to watch as we all slowly suffered. He was playing with us… and I didn’t know how to win the game.
I swallowed thickly. “Both. I choose both.”
His smiled turned impossibly crueler. “You have ten seconds to shoot Orrean before I decide to take your brother with me as a toy. I’ve never been with a human before, but I’d be willing to make an exception… he is rather pretty.” Thelonious brushed the hair off of Wes’s forehead, making his intentions clear.
Wes’s nostrils flared in fear and disgust.
I looked back at Orrean, who said, “Don’t let him take Wes, J. He’ll torture him and use him until there’s nothing left.” Orrean’s voice broke and I could tell how terrified he was for my brother. Not for himself.
I stared at my lover for a moment before a memory came through, a memory of Orrean being pissy at me because I was being an ass. Orrean had rolled his eyes and said, “We will always be connected. Deny it all you want, it doesn’t change a thing. We are Balu. I will be with you always, everywhere, no matter what. Even in death a part of me will stay with you, just like a part of Colt has stayed with you.”
I felt tears prick my eyes at the thought. I couldn’t lose him, but I couldn’t lose Wes either, and I sure as hell didn’t want Wes to be tortured and raped by that motherfucker hiding behind him.
I looked at Orrean and whispered, “I’m not losing you. I can’t.” Then I looked at Thelonious and I aimed my gun at his head and pulled the trigger, but he ducked behind Wes.
“Try that again and your brother dies.” The fucker took his knife and ran it across Wesley’s cheek, ending so close to his eye that my breath hitched, thinking he was going to carve his eye out.
Wes had tear tracks on his cheeks. I knew he was scared and hurting.
“Last chance, Jeremy,” Thelonious called out before he started counting, “Five… four…”
“It’s okay, Jer, we need to save Wes,” Orrean said quietly to me, then he picked up his braid, pulled out a knife and held it to his own hair. He looked at Thelonious and said, “You will return Wes, alive, to Jeremy immediately.”
“No, don’t do it, Orr,” my brother ground out before Thelonious pulled Wes’s hair back, making him groan in pain.
Thelonious almost looked gleeful. “You have my word.”
“No, Orrean,” I cried out, finally catching up on the conversation.
But he looked at me and said, “Thelonious may be a lot of things, but he is true to his word.” He smiled sadly at me, his purple eyes glinting. “You’ll be okay, my Balu.” Then the idiot sliced through his braid, screaming at the top of his lungs.
His scream of agony tore through me like a part of my soul was being frayed. When he dropped to the floor and I saw his blood pouring out, every fiber of my existence wanted to go to him, to heal him and stop the bleeding. But I forced myself to turn away and look at my brother and Thelonious through my blurry, tear-filled eyes as my heart felt like it was being ripped out of my chest again. I’d already lost Colt, I wouldn’t survive it if I lost Orrean too.
Thelonious had the gall to start laughing at his brother’s pain, then he demanded, “Throw down the reelian, and I’ll let Wes go.”
“You got what you wanted,” I said, my voice watery. “Let my brother go.” I fought my instinct to drop to the ground and save Orrean.
Thelonious tilted his head as he fiddled with his pocket and repeated, “Throw the reelian away from yourself, and he’s free to go.”
I glanced at Orrean, seeing blood gushing from his hair—there’s so much blood—then I glanced at Wes, blood dripping down his arm and cheek, a reelian still under his chin. I didn’t have a fucking choice. I threw my reelian too far for me to lunge for it, no matter how badly I wanted to.
Then I watched in horror as Thelonious started laughing hysterically, pulling a small tube out of his pocket.
“No,” I yelled, though it made no difference.
Thelonious shoved the tube up Wes’s nose forcefully as my brother screamed out in pain, then fell silent as his body started to seize. Thelonious smiled wickedly at me as he dug a finger into Wes’s shoulder wound, then licked the blood off his finger and continued cracking up laughing. He shoved my brother toward me and took off at a run, still fucking laughing. I caught Wes and dragged him to Orrean, then lowered us both to the floor so I could put his head in my lap. A sob tore from my throat as I realized I had no idea what to do for someone having a seizure, especially if they had some alien shit causing it.
I looked over at Orrean again, his skin even paler than usual, his eyes dimmed, but focused on me. He’d lost too much blood, and he was dying right in front of my eyes.
I cradled Wes’s head in my lap with one arm, then put my other hand on Orrean’s chest, trying to stop the never-ending flood of blood. I sent my light to both of them, but immediately started sobbing even harder. There was no doubt in my mind… I didn’t have enough light left to save them both.
“Enimus, favulis nob.”
Holy Deity, help us.
***
End of Book 2
J’s story continues in
Book 3 of the Taoree Trilogy:
Dissolution
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Acknowledgements
As always, I’d like to thank my husband and our two boys. If I didn’t have you three in my life, I don’t know what I would do. I love you with all of my heart and I appreciate all of the support you give me every single day. Dom, you are amazing in every way and I’m beyond lucky to have you in my life. I love you more than I could ever express. My kiddos, you both rock, even when you’re so loud I have to wear my noise-cancelling headphones so I can work ;) haha! I love all three of you so much! Thank you, my lovely family!
!
Next I’d like to thank my friend, Brittany Cournoyer, who has been my own personal cheerleader over the past few months. When my self-doubt was kicking in, you’ve been there to pick me up and encourage me. I can’t thank you enough for that. And you’ve been such an awesome go-to for all things Taoree… including making up alien words with all your typos LOL! I’ve been very grateful to have you there to talk things through with this crazy story. Thank you for all of your help with this book and for being a great friend! Love you lots, Britt!! <3
Mike Harrison, you’ve also been there to help me out when I’ve needed it, and I’m so thankful for it. I’m really glad you encouraged me to pursue this story, and that you’ve liked where all the characters made me go with it. Your encouragement and kind words have been incredibly meaningful to me. You are such a wonderful friend! Love you!! <3
Lynn Van Dorn, holy crap, I don’t even know what to say. You are an awesome beta reader, an amazing author, and I’m so glad I can call you a friend. Thank you so incredibly much for all of your help on this book. Seriously, you were an amazing help and I can’t thank you enough for the amount of time you spent with J and Orr… I will try to include some more awesome hair sex for you in Book 3. LOL! <3
Melinda James Ruetter, you rock! Really, you are such a sweet and awesomely helpful person. Thank you so much for reading this book, giving me very awesome feedback, and then re-reading it after I made changes. I seriously can’t thank you enough for your help. I’m so grateful to have you on my beta team. Thank you for everything! <3
Courtney Bassett, what can I possibly say to the Comma Queen? That you’re amazing, helpful, and you make my books so much better than they could ever be without your help? Yeah, something like that. Lol. Seriously, all those things and more. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I am so freaking grateful and happy to have you proof my books. Thank you, times a million. <3
Independents: Taoree Trilogy #2 Page 29