“You got this, Princess.”
“Alinthia.” Arantu’s commanding voice booms around the cavernous space.
Slowly, I turn and face him. “Let them go and I’ll do whatever you want, but don’t hurt them. Please.”
“No!” Dane shouts, sticking to the script. This needs to go down as they expect. “Don’t try to reason with them, Alinthia. It won’t make any difference. We’re still dead.”
“You always were the voice of reason, Dane,” Alandra purrs. “Pity you didn’t take the opportunity I offered you when you had the chance.”
“I will never join you. Never.” His jaw pops in and out.
“Stupid fool.” Bending down, she grips his chin tightly, and I have to quell the urge to fireball her ass into oblivion. “You’re as gullible as your brothers.” She drops his face and turns to me with a wicked glint in her eye. “And you are the definition of too stupid to live. It was so easy to manipulate you.”
Yeah, think that all you want, bitch.
Throwing back her head, she laughs. As she does, her features transform, and my face slips away, revealing her true form.
She doesn’t know I’m aware she’s been impersonating me or that I’ve already seen her real form, so I plant a suitably shocked expression on my face. Her long, straight silver hair curtains her face as she leans into me. Piercing me with her cold, unforgiving blue eyes, she curls her mouth in a snarl as she looks down her nose at me. “You had a chance to save them back on Earth, but you didn’t take it either. Their deaths will be on your conscience forever.”
“I’m ready,” Coop implants in my mind, and I use Alandra’s aggression as an opportunity to shuffle sideways, until I’m blocking Beck with my body. I stream another thin layer of fire behind me while I keep a neutral expression on my face. “Let’s not play any more games, Alandra. That’s more Zorc’s forte anyway.” I twist my head to the side and smile sweetly at him. “Or shall I just call you Jentarr. Which do you prefer?”
“What?” Alandra spins around to face her lover, momentarily failing to hide her surprise. But she didn’t get to where she is without the ability to recover quickly.
“Go,” Beck whispers in my mind, and I subtly slide a little further right, positioning myself in front of Maddox this time.
“I don’t know what she’s talking about,” Zorc says, stepping up to Alandra and attempting to cup her cheek. She instantly swats his hand away. “I told you Jentarr is on his way, and the control tower has just confirmed his transporter has arrived in Xzanthar airspace.” Zorc sends me a pointed look. “She is messing with you on purpose. Trying to cause conflict between us.”
Arantu’s sharp eyes narrow suspiciously.
“Think about it,” I say, “have you ever seen both of them in the same room at the same time?”
Arantu’s shoulders stiffen, but he doesn’t reply.
“Pfft.” Zorc waves his hands in the air. “That proves nothing. He will be here shortly, and that is all the proof needed.” His cool demeanor makes me wonder if he’s bringing in a decoy. Someone wearing a sheath to look like Jentarr. Zorc seems to leave little to chance so it would make sense.
“And surely you understand that the only reason I’m here today is because he wants me to kill you,” I calmly tell Arantu. “He wants to eliminate you as a threat and assume your position. He’s never been an ally. This has all been working toward his own goal.”
Arantu half smiles. “We have always been aware of that. Everyone has their own agenda. That is no surprise.” As he says this, the four guards at the back of the dais raise their weapons and point them at Zorc. “We’ve always known Jentarr planned to betray us.”
Zorc’s self-assured smile is at odds with his predicament, but he doesn’t seem alarmed which elevates my trepidation to coronary-inducing levels. What other stuff does he have up his sleeve? A shudder works its way through my body.
Arantu leans his hands back on the table, watching me. “This was never about Zorc. This was always about getting to Jentarr. And you.”
“By the way, your little crew of supporters are already settling into their new quarters,” Alandra taunts, rubbing her hands in glee. “And the guards you left on the ship put up a valiant fight, but they really should have come without protest and maybe we would have spared their lives.”
Panic glimmers in my eyes before I’ve had time to mask it.
“And we don’t need your cooperation, Alinthia.” She spits out my name with the usual venom, and not for the first time I wonder where her deep-seated loathing for me came from. It’s not like I did anything personally to her to deserve it. “There’s no way you’re getting out of here. You are ours now. To do with as we like.” Her eyes glint wickedly as she saunters toward Dane, gripping his chin firmly. “Ask your precious Dane all about it. Him and I have intimate knowledge of one another now, don’t we darling?”
He growls at the base of his throat, and she eyeballs me with malicious intent.
“What a pity you’ll never get to experience that.” Her smile expands, and her eyes darken, and in this moment, she’s the stereotypical image of evil incarnate. “With him at least.” Without warning, she presses her mouth to his, and I lose my shit, all good intentions tossed aside as I throw myself at her, wrestling her to the ground.
Coop and Maddox seize the opportunity to jump to their feet. No one is expecting them to be free of their cuff bands, so the element of surprise works to their advantage. Maddox tackles Zorc to the ground while Coop shoves his fist in one of the guard’s faces. The door to the room crashes open, and Glennev, Denzil, Daniel, and Donovan rush inside, instantly engaging the guards at the door in hand-to-hand combat. Fists swing, punches are thrown, and weapons go off.
Arantu lifts his hand into the air, flipping his wrist, and a gust of wind barrels into the men at the end of the room—my backup crew and his guards—knocking them to their feet. I’m distracted, watching the action unfold at the door, and Alandra uses it to her advantage, slamming her fist in my face and shoving me off her. I fly backward, landing painfully on my butt. Shooting pain zips up my spine, and I have to smother an automatic moan.
“No!” Dane roars, charging at her. Flames flicker at the tips of her fingers, and I’m horrified when they hit the ground in a tangle of limbs. Dane is the only one still wearing his cuff bands so he’s at an immediate disadvantage.
Power rips through my limbs, igniting my body and focusing my mind. I fly to their side, grabbing Alandra by the hair and yanking her up off Dane.
We lift off the ground as she swats at me with her hands, but I keep a firm hold on her until we’ve moved away from the dais. Then I swing her around, flinging her off to one side, hoping she’s down but not out.
There will be no easy death for that bitch.
I want to enjoy inflicting pain when the time comes.
She soars through the air, limbs flailing, panic etched on her face and underscoring the shrieks pouring from her mouth.
Flying is the only ability I seem to have that she doesn’t, and I can’t help feeling a smug sense of satisfaction.
But it doesn’t last long.
More guards pile into the room from a side door and things are about to head south. Fireballs erupt in my palms and I blow on them, sending a steady stream of heat in their direction, picking off the men one at a time. Anguished screams reverberate off the walls, and the crackling of guns rips through the air as shots are fired. I dart up and down to avoid the incoming firepower, quickly surveying the scene from this height, and working out what my next move will be.
Coop and Maddox are fighting some of the guards, Beck is trying to get Dane’s cuffs off, Glennev is going head to head with Arantu, and the others are inching toward the side door, taking guards out the minute they appear in the room. Bodies and charred remains litter the floors, and an acrid, clawing smell burns the back of my throat and assaults my nostrils.
I lower myself to the ground alongside Beck and Dane. “Let me.” I lase
r Dane’s cuffs off, and he struggles to his feet, gulping as his eyes meet mine for the first time in weeks.
Memories of the last time I saw him spring forth in my mind. The pain of witnessing that kissing scene between him and Alandra won’t go away even though I know it was all part of the strategy to make her think he was coming around to her way of thinking. The image of his lips on hers is imprinted on my mind, and I wish I could erase it. To never think of it again. To be able to look at him without any obstacle between us.
All this runs through my mind in the seconds we stare at one another. His face betrays equal quantities of pain and conflict and the same knowledge that we’ll have to fight for our relationship, harder than I’ve ever had to fight for anything before.
But I’ll do that for him.
I’m prepared to fight.
Because there’s no alternative.
Dane is mine as I am his.
I wonder if he’s hearing my thoughts. Or if he can read them from the torrent of emotions flashing in my eyes, because when he stares back at me, I see it all.
The same turmoil and the same fighting spirit.
We continue looking at one another as if we’re someplace else. As if the fighting going on around us ceases to exist. All that remains is the inner fight. The battle I see waging in his eyes. Tears pool in my eyes and emotion bears down on my chest as I see directly into his soul. His emotions slam into me, and I’m instantly winded. It’s fierce and unyielding and I have to do something about this. I take a step toward him, needing to touch him, to make him see it’s okay. “Dane, —”
“Watch out!” he yells, throwing himself on top of me. We slam into the ground, and a stream of scorching-hot fire whizzes over our heads, narrowly avoiding its target—namely me.
Powerful hatred swirls with potent vengeance inside me, and I switch off, tapping into dark emotions when I know better. Flipping Dane to the side, I jump up, racing toward Alandra, pumped full of aggression and a bloodthirsty need to kill. I duck and dive while she sends fireball after fireball at me. The assault is relentless, but she underestimates my rage. Fury churns in my gut as I reach her. I swing my fist out, but she sidesteps me, throwing flames at me that I barely avoid. Instinct kicks in, in the nick of time, and I jump up into the air. Returning the favor, I blast her with balls of fire as she darts around the room to avoid being hit.
I fly overhead, dropping down in front of her before she’s gauged the movement. “Surprise!” I ram my fist into her face, enjoying the sharp click as her neck jerks back. Lifting my leg, I shove my booted foot into her stomach, throwing every ounce of hate in my heart into it. She soars backward through the air, narrowing her eyes at me and yelling. I drop flat on my tummy as she sends more beams of fire at me. I break out in a coughing fit as streams of dark, smoky fumes swirl around me.
“Fuck no!” Maddox hollers, his anguished cry somehow reaching me over on the other side of the Chamber.
Alandra is instantly forgotten.
I fly to his side, gasping as I spot Beck laid out on the floor, eyes shut and unmoving.
“Oh my God!” I kneel beside him, covering my hand with my mouth. I place my shaking fingers to the pulse point at his neck, almost collapsing in relief at the welcome thrumming of blood flowing through his veins.
A split second later, Beck groans, his eyes flicker open, and he pushes off the floor. “I’m okay.”
My eyes flit to the trickle of purple blood seeping from under his ribs. “You’re not okay.”
Maddox helps him to his feet, but he pushes him off. “It’s nothing serious. Don’t fuss.”
I stiffen as the click of a weapon rings in my ear. The butt of a gun is pressed against the back of my skull, and a hand reaches around, grabbing my elbow. “Get up,” Zorc demands. “You and me are going on a little trip.” I’d wondered where he’d disappeared to, and now I know he was hiding, lying in wait for the perfect moment to seize me.
“Oh, I don’t think so.” Alandra wipes blood from her nose as she stands in front of us. “She is not leaving with you.”
“Get out of my way or I’ll end her.”
“Do it. You’ll save me a job.” Alandra plants her hands on her hips, and I’d really rather she wasn’t trying to goad Zorc into killing me.
“Where does he have exposed skin I can touch?” I ask the guys, because if I turn my head to look he’ll catch on to what I’m about to do.
“He’s wearing gloves and long sleeves but go for the hand holding the weapon to your head. The skin at his wrist is exposed. I’ll distract him. Move slowly and carefully so neither of them notice,” Maddox says.
“Let her go,” Maddox demands, stepping in front of Beck and shielding him. Sounds of fighting and killing continue all around us. “Take me instead.”
Alandra laughs in his face. “Did no one teach you the fine art of negotiation Maddox? You can’t bargain if you’ve nothing to bargain with. Your life is worthless, meaningless.” She scoffs, looking at him like he’s dirt under her shoe, and I’m even more determined to end her now.
I’m sliding my hand upward, slowly and carefully as Maddox suggested, when Zorc starts walking backward, keeping hold of my other arm and dragging me with him. Alandra whips her head around. “And where do you think you’re going?” She lifts her palm, flames jumping up and down. “I’ll take you both out. A two for one deal.” She glances briefly at her father, but he’s too preoccupied fighting Glennev to notice what’s going down. “Daddy will be cross, but, oh well.” Her eyes glimmer with satisfaction. “I’m going to enjoy this. More than you could ever know.” She moves to blow on the flames, and I bridge the last of the gap, grabbing Zorc’s wrist and instantly channeling my supertouch.
I grip his wrist tight and push the energy from my body to his, willing it to hurry up. The gun flies out of his hand, he yelps in pain, and I spin us around just as Alandra lets the flame loose. Zorc howls, the sound sending chills up my spine, and I let go of him as heat emanates from his body. I fly up high into the air, dodging the incoming attack. Alandra shoots more fireballs at me, and I’m twisting and turning, contorting my body into awkward angles to avoid a direct hit.
“Get away from her!” I fling the thought at Maddox and Beck. I have a pretty good read on Alandra by now, and if she can’t get to me, she’ll use the guys to bait me. I only relax a little when the guys have put some distance between them and her. Quickly, I scan the room for the others. Coop and Dane are in the thick of fighting, sporting new injuries and cuts but they are holding their own.
I wonder if the group have reached the tech sector yet and if they’ve had any success disabling the server. I really wouldn’t mind retreating right about now.
The fireballs die off as Alandra gives up the fight, knowing she can’t get to me up here. I straighten up, still hovering above the room, examining the lay of the land.
Zorc’s hideous screaming reaches me over the sea of shouts and screams below. His entire body is engulfed in flames, and he’s on his hands and knees, crawling in Alandra’s direction. She’s backing away, looking at him in fascination. There is no hint of regret or grief on her features. No apparent upset at the loss of her former ally and lover. I wonder if she’s capable of feeling anything other than hate or disdain.
I widen my search of the room, seeking out Donovan. It’s utter mayhem in the Chamber of Worship. More of our guys have arrived, and they are locked in vicious battle with Arantu’s guards. Glennev is still keeping Arantu occupied; neither one of them is able to get the upper hand. I spot Donovan at the back of the room, facing off with two guards, as a red flashing light streams through the room and a wailing siren blasts my eardrums. For a few quick seconds, the fighting stops as everyone considers what it means.
I hope it means what I think it means.
Donovan finds my gaze, and he gives me a thumbs-up.
“Start moving toward the main entrance doors,” I tell the guys. “Our team has disabled the server, and we need to
make tracks before the emergency shield is activated. There is no time to lose. Herd as many of the guards as you can into the one area so it’s easier for me to deal with them.”
Despite the swirling darkness rejoicing in my gut, a pang of unease slithers through my veins at the thought of inflicting more death. But it’s kill or be killed. And I’ll find some way of making peace with my conscience after this is over and done with.
Zorc emits one last anguished wail, and I watch as his fire-ridden body crumples into a charred pile at Alandra’s feet. She turns her back on him without a second thought, her eyes narrowing and palms lifting when she spots her next target.
“Get down, Dane!” I scream into his head as she sends a steady stream of fire at his back.
He drops to the floor impressively fast, and a sob escapes my mouth as I fly toward that bitch. She won’t rest until she’s killed him. Killed all of them.
This ends now.
Sensing my presence, she spins around, assuming a fighting stance, ready to settle this the old-fashioned way.
Bring. It. On.
My fingers twitch with the need to pummel that arrogant, superior look off her face. I lower to the floor, and we instantly get into it. Not using our gifts this time, we go at one another like two wild animals finally set free. I jab my fist into her nose, and blood gushes everywhere. With a savage roar, she takes my legs out with a flying kick, and I sprawl on the ground. We wrestle in a tangle of limbs, punches flying, hair pulled, ribs pummeled. She’s on top of me, and then I’m flipping her on her back, pounding my fists into her face. Fiery rage is consuming me from the inside. A red layer coats my eyes, and I could laser her butt and finish this quickly, but I need to beat her.
To feel pain when she hits me back.
I want to claw at her and to be clawed at.
I can’t explain where this is coming from—this primal need to act like a ruthless savage.
To beat and be beaten.
To inflict and bear pain.
But it’s there. Urging me to give into my instincts.
The surroundings fade, and it’s just me and her. I imagine my face is a mask of loathsome rage, just like hers. She’s on top of me again, preparing to level another hit, when my name is shouted across the room, and I’m sucked out of the void I’m trapped in.
The Warrior Princess: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance (Alinthia Book 3) Page 22