by Anna Argent
“The Raide already know you’re here. Why do you think those Cyturs attacked the place where you work? They know who you are and where you live. They won’t stop until they find you. Do you really want to be here, standing next to your family, when that happens? Or would you rather lead them away from the people you love?”
He was right. She hadn’t thought about it enough yet to follow events to their logical conclusion.
Radek cradled her face in his hands. Despite the urgency of the situation, his touch was gentle. “They’ll be safer without you. Your place is home—your birthplace. That’s where you can do the most good.”
He was wrong. “I get that I can’t be near Mom and Emily, but I’ll be damned if I travel to some other fucking planet where there’s no hope I’ll be able to help if they need me.”
His expression hardened and the fires of determination sparked in his bronze eyes. “I’ll force you through the window if I have to.”
She grabbed him by the collar, fury slamming through her. “If you do, I swear I’ll sit on my hands and refuse to lift a finger to help. If you’re the kind of people who rip a woman away from her defenseless family, then I’ll be glad to see you destroyed. You might as well send them my corpse.”
Anger burned just beneath his dark skin. She could see the deep flush sweep through him like wildfire. “You have to go back. I don’t make the rules, but we’re both bound by them.”
“Well, when it comes to me and mine, I do what I think is right. I mean it, Radek. Do whatever you have to do, tell whatever lie you have to tell to the people back on your world, but you can’t send me back. My place is here.”
He shook his head in disgust. “We don’t have time to argue. If I promise not to send you back until you’re ready, will you do as I say?”
“If it’s what’s best for Mom and Emily, yes.”
“Then I promise. I’ll help you protect your family if you swear to obey.”
“That’s a loaded word, Radek.”
“It’s also a one-time offer. I’m almost certain that if I force you through the window you’ll see what’s at stake and do the right thing. The only difference is that there you’ll be following the orders of people you’ve never met.”
“You’re wrong. I’m not going to lift a finger on your world if you don’t let me ensure the safety of my family on this one.”
A harsh Soric curse slipped past his lips. “Your stubborn streak is as wide as I’ve ever seen. If there is a woman out there who would let herself be killed just to prove a point, it’s you.”
“At least you’re smart enough to understand that much.”
“Will you obey orders in exchange for me not forcing you to go home?” he asked, holding out his hand to shake, in civilized human fashion. “Do we have a deal?”
She took his hand. “We do.”
“Now go pack while I start making preparations. As soon as your mother is home, we’re leaving immediately.”
*****
Dimas surveyed his son’s work. “I see no flaws.”
Korlayan bowed his head. “That’s as close to a compliment as you’ve ever come. Thank you, Father.”
“Are you letting our emotional conquests rub off on you?”
“Of course not. I’m simply pleased that you’re satisfied with my work.”
Dimas slid his hand inside the fitted pocket on his ship’s console. A steady stream of information filtered through the glove, directly into his brain. After a few seconds of studying the reaction these new creatures had to news that they weren’t alone in the universe, he formed a plan.
“Humans seem to be doing most of our work for us—spreading fear and panic,” Dimas said.
“There are still parts of the planet that have yet to see our troops.”
Dimas dismissed them with a snort. “Nomads, barbarians. They’ll wait until we deal with those who pose a threat.”
“Word is beginning to spread among the human kind that what they are seeing is some kind of trick. Do you want me to destroy their communications network to stop the lies?”
“No. Leave it. Send out more of your troops. Have them begin toying with the natives. We’ll let the humans use their own means of communication to work themselves into a frenzy.”
“And then?” Korlayan asked.
“Once they are worked into a froth of chaos and terror, once their social fabric has torn, we will begin the invasion in earnest.”
Chapter Fourteen
By the time Radek had made sure that Ava’s family was provided with supplies, makeshift weapons, instructions and a means of communicating with him, the highways were packed with people fleeing larger cities.
As if there was any safe place to hide from the impending invasion.
It had taken hours to go only a few miles, and because of that, he and Ava had missed one window and had to wait for the next one to open, several hours from now.
Fortunately, the two hotspots hadn’t been far away from each other, giving them plenty of time for travel.
They’d taken his truck, which was already packed with supplies and enough fuel to get them wherever they needed to go.
“I don’t get it,” Ava said. “If you can talk to your people once the window opens, then why do we have to get so close? Are you planning on going back against your word and throwing me in?”
Radek had thought about it, but he’d dismissed the idea within seconds of its birth. “Raide have the technology to eavesdrop on our conversations. The closer we are to the window, the harder it is for them to listen to the call.”
“I don’t see how telling your people anything is going to help us here. Are they going to send troops?”
“No,” he said. “We don’t have enough troops of our own left to fight. That’s why we were desperate enough to come here in the hopes that one of the Taken could help.”
“The Taken?”
He nodded. “That’s what we call those of you who were taken to Earth as children for your protection. Not everyone was convinced it was a good idea to send away such vast natural resources, so propaganda engines spun and made it sound like you were stolen. The truth was that most of the Taken were brought here by their parents or guardians.”
“Whatever you call us, how are we supposed to help fight a war we didn’t even know was happening?”
“Well, my friend Warrian found a woman who was able to activate a machine that can be used to hold off an invading army.”
“Activate it how?”
They were out in the middle of an untouched piece of land that had once had a gravel road going through it. That path had been mostly reclaimed by nature, but there was enough of it left that he was able to drive the truck into the trees to hide it from sight.
“Genetic compatibility. She’s descended from royalty, and her forebears didn’t want just any peon sitting on the throne and blowing everyone to hell. So, they built in a genetic sensor that only allows those of a certain genetic line to activate the weapon.”
“Wow. Okay. So we all go back and operate weapons?”
“No. There was another woman who had an uncanny understanding of Imonite technology. Like you, she was born with her knowledge.”
“I don’t know anything about technology. I can barely operate a microwave without a mishap.”
He cracked the windows to let in the night air and the sound of insects singing. “It’s not your knowledge of tech that brought us here.”
“Then what is it?”
How to explain? Radek turned in his seat to face her.
Moonlight spilled across her cheek, highlighting the beautiful curve of her face. The blues and greens in her eyes lit up like stained glass. Her full bottom lip was caught in the nervous grip of her teeth, and lines of worry creased the skin between her brows.
He’d never seen a woman as beautiful as her before. Not here or at home. Ava was a rare treasure made even more precious by her gifts.
“We are from House Soric, you
and I. We’re fighters. Warriors.”
“If that’s the case, then I’m really out of practice. I barely survived last night.”
“You’re still thinking in human terms—that skills are learned, not inherited.”
“Even if I was born knowing how to use a sword, I’d still suck at it until I practiced.”
“It would take you time to build up your strength and speed, but the knowledge of how to use it would be here, from birth.” He tapped his temple.
“How is that possible?”
“It’s the way we’re made. And once we find out who your parents were, it will give us a much better idea of which skills you might already have and not know it.”
“So it’s like hidden knowledge?” she asked.
“Yes. It will become obvious once we know where to look. That’s why I wanted you to go home. Once you’re there and you can be set on the right path, our leaders will be able to use you to your fullest potential.”
“You promised not to send me back until I was ready,” she said, her tone heavy with warning.
He held up his hands. “I know. And I won’t send you back without your consent, but you also made a promise.”
She let out a grunt of displeasure. “To obey orders. I remember. How could I forget? It’s like some kind of medieval wedding vow. Very passé.”
He wasn’t sure what all of that meant, but he caught the wedding part.
The idea of having a woman like her to call his own… it was the stuff of pure fantasy. She was beautiful, sexy, smart, loyal to her family. Their time together would be short, but he knew in his gut that once it was over, she’d be the woman he dreamed about every night. She’d be the one he compared all others to. It wasn’t fair, but it was honest.
And a man alone on an alien world would die if he wasn’t completely honest with himself.
“As long as you uphold the deal,” he said, “so will I.”
“How much longer until the window opens?” she asked.
He pulled out a small device that looked like the mutated offspring of a makeup compact and a cell phone. The display panel swirled in a vortex of colors, growing darker with each passing minute. “Three more hours. You might as well get some sleep.”
She leaned her seat back until it was nearly flat and laid on her side, pillowing her face on her hands. “Tell me that everything is going to be okay.”
He studied her for a second, enjoying the mere sight of her so close to him. He could get used to having her around—a little too easily for his peace of mind.
“You want me to lie to you?” he asked gently.
“No. I want you to tell me that we’re all going to survive and be happy. And I want it to be the truth.”
“I can tell you that I’ll do everything in my power to keep you and your family safe. I would fight for you. I would die for you. But I won’t lie to you, Ava.”
“So, we’re not going to be okay, then?”
He shrugged. “No one knows yet. But I can predict that if we go down, we’ll go down swinging.”
“You’re not much for pep talks, are you?”
No, he wasn’t, but he’d never lived in a time without war and death and fear. But rather than admit that, he frowned at her. “I thought that’s what that was.”
She laughed and swatted his thigh. “Are all the people up there like you?”
“No. Some of them are pessimists.”
Ava rolled her eyes, but her lips were lifted in a grin. “Well, if I had to get stuck with someone, I’m glad it was you.”
“Why? Because I’m fearless, strong and honest?”
“Pfft. No. Because you’re hot. If I’m going down, I want it to be with a bit of eye candy, damn it. It will take a little of the sting out of dying a virgin.”
At those words, something in his brain sparked and snapped, causing a complete disconnect between his body and his good intentions.
One second he was on his side of the truck, being a good little boy, and the next, he was hovering over her, practically in her seat with her. His hands were pressed into the seat on either side of her shoulders, pinning her down.
“You’re not going to die a virgin,” he said.
“You don’t know that. You just told me you couldn’t make any promises that we’ll survive.”
“I could fuck you now.”
Rather than taking offense at his blunt offer, she melted deeper into her seat. The black center of her eyes ate up the color until there was almost none left. Her lips parted, and her breath came out in short, sharp bursts.
“That would be one way to stack the odds against me dying a virgin,” she said.
He needed to kiss her. It wasn’t a want—it ran far too deep for something so frivolous. “Tell me to stop now, before it’s too late.”
Ava grabbed his collar and pulled him down. “Shut up and kiss me.”
His lips met hers, and the world—all of them—ceased to exist. There was only Ava, her sweet, soft mouth, and the taste of freedom and fire.
His body erupted with need, going hard in a mad rush. Sweat beaded along his spine, and there was no longer enough air in the cab of the truck to keep his head from spinning.
Her tongue went on a bold quest to invade his mouth, and all it did was make him burn hotter. Her fingers dug into his back, holding him to her like he might fly away if she didn’t keep a good grip.
He wasn’t going anywhere.
The scent of lust filled the air. His heart pounded overheated blood through his system, demanding that he take what she offered.
He’d never had a virgin before, which made it a first for both of them.
He slid his hand under her shirt until the soft weight of her breast filled his palm. Her nipples were long and hard, thrusting with relentless insistence between his fingers.
With the barrier of her bra between them, he pinched and tugged at her nipples until she was squirming in the seat under him.
“Too many clothes,” she muttered into his mouth.
Radek had never agreed more with any statement ever made.
But rather than go to work shedding his own clothes, he focused on hers.
The button on her jeans was no match for his nimble fingers. Within seconds, he had her zipper down and his fingers gliding over silken panties damp with her need.
As he grazed across her clit, she arched her back and sucked in a surprised breath.
“Never played with yourself?” he asked.
Her answer came from between gritted teeth. “Never felt like that when I did. I need more.”
And he was going to give it to her—all she wanted and more.
Sexual need built in his gut and tightened his balls. The power of it spread out through his limbs in the form of a growing heat. With each passing second, his hands grew hotter and hotter, and Ava’s sweet little noises of pleasure grew louder.
She wriggled out of her jeans. Her shoes hit the floorboards with a thunk. He’d somehow managed to shove her bra and shirt up enough that her bare tits were on prominent display, jiggling with each of her rapid breaths.
He was just about to lower his mouth to feast on her long, pink nipples, when she went stiff in his arms.
“What?” he asked. “Did I hurt you?”
Her eyes were wide, and the effects of lust were swiftly being taken over by fear.
“No,” she said. “But something’s coming. Something bad.”
Radek ripped his eyes away from the stunning sight of her half-naked body and surveyed their surroundings. At first he didn’t see anything. Then, after a few seconds, he noticed motion several yards away in the tree line.
He caught a glimpse of gray skin hanging in folds. A second later, the stench of a Dregorg slipped in through the open window.
Radek disengaged himself from Ava’s body. “Put your pants on, sweetheart. I think we’re under attack.”
Chapter Fifteen
The shift from lust to fear was an unpleasant one.
“What are they?” she asked.
“Dregorgs--creatures forced to fight by the Raide.”
Her nose wrinkled in disgust. “Are they what I’m smelling?”
He nodded. “I suggest you don’t mention it. They think we smell like shit too.”
“How do you know?”
“I’ve talked to them on occasion.”
“Talked? You mean fought, right?”
The pair of giants slowed down, hovering at the edge of the woods.
“No, they’re actually interesting creatures when they stop fighting long enough to engage in conversation. They have some kind of ability to share knowledge—like their brains are linked.”
“Hive mind?”
“Sure. That works. Stay here. I’m going out there to talk to them.”
He got out of the truck, went around to the back, grabbed the weapon he used—the one he’d stolen her thick wooden mop handle to repair—and stepped out into the small natural clearing.
Ava slid in behind the steering wheel, just in case some large, stinky creature needed to be run over with a truck to keep it from hurting Radek.
He planted the butt of his weapon in the dirt, next to his boot. “Hello. Out for a late night stroll?”
“Radek, friend of Oc,” said the Dregorg. Its voice was a low crunching sound somewhere between trees snapping in a hurricane and tectonic plates grinding together.
Radek smiled. “You’ve heard of me. That makes me feel special.”
“Dimas searches for you. He sent mine to kill you.”
“Dimas? As in Head of Force Dimas? As in the leader of the Raide? He’s here?”
The Dregorg nodded once. Its strange orange eyes seemed to catch light from the moon and hold it. “Mine do not wish to kill you.”
“That’s good to know. I’d really rather not hurt you either.”
“Mine are bigger. More.”
“You’ve got me there,” Radek said. “What are you called?”