by Gail Koger
Ziyad snapped her jaws at Wulf.
“Surrender is your only option.” Wulf’s menacing tone made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
Talk about cranky. Maybe he had what my brothers called blue balls.
“Surrender now,” Grumpy repeated.
“Not a chance. I can take you,” Ziyad said. She turned and gave the other warriors a toothy grin. “And them.”
Every warrior’s right hand immediately dropped to the hilt of his sword.
I suppressed a smile. Ziyad was such a tease.
An immense power rippled the air. A second later, the biggest, meanest-looking warlord stood there. His black battle suit emphasized his huge frame. He wore large gold warrior’s bracelets with an elaborate design. An etched gold headband held back his gray warrior’s braids.
Holy Goddess! Zarek! The vids didn’t do him justice. He was definitely scarier in person.
Zarek’s ruthless amber eyes surveyed Ziyad and then me. “You will come with us willingly. If Ziyad makes one aggressive move, we kill her, take you, and leave your family here to die.”
Horror rocked me. He meant it.
My crazy best friend jumped in front of me. “I won’t let you hurt her.”
“If I truly wanted to harm Yakira, there is nothing you could do to stop me,” Zarek answered coldly.
Multiple explosions shook the building. The roof buckled, and pieces of obsidian crashed down.
Wulf pushed Ziyad and me to safety. A large chunk of obsidian missed us by inches.
Ziyad’s tentacles danced madly around her head. “Pindick isn’t going to stop until he levels the prison. We surrender now and live to fight another day.”
Now she had common sense?
A growl issued from Voss. “Pindick?”
Kaboom! A fireball rose high into the sky.
I flinched as a laser beam sizzled past my face. “Yes, Pindick. And if he realizes I’m the one who got his brother arrested, it won’t be good. Can we go? Now. Please?”
“Yes.” Wulf grabbed Ziyad and me in a bone-crushing grip. There was a fleeting instant of blackness. The next thing I knew, Wulf had shoved both of us into a holding cell and engaged the energy barrier. Awesome! Now we were trapped on a Coletti warbird.
“Don’t go anywhere.” Wulf smirked and vanished.
“Now that’s just rude.”
Ziyad grinned evilly. “The idiot forgot to search us.”
I grinned back. “Or take our communications devices.”
“If you make any attempt to escape, your family pays the price,” Zarek warned in my head.
“Yes, my lord.” I sagged down on the narrow bed. “They have us right where they want us.”
“For now,” Ziyad said complacently. “We do have a very large ace up our shirt.”
“Sleeve, and is it still tracking us?”
“It is.”
Chapter Three
Wulf teleported in with my brother Colburn slung over one shoulder. Wulf tossed my brother in a cell and vanished.
“Huh? He didn’t even engage the energy barrier.” I ran my gaze over Colburn’s bloody form. Of course, my brother wasn’t in any shape to make a run for it. “Pindick better be responsible for his condition.”
Ziyad sniffed the air. “Pindick’s blood is on Colburn.”
“Good. I hope my brother killed him.”
With a groan, Colburn pushed himself into a sitting position. “The Coletti grabbed Pindick before I could do any serious damage.”
Wulf popped back in again with a loudly cursing Ivar. My brother swung at the warlord. Wulf dodged the blow, banged my brother’s head against the wall, and shoved Ivar in the cell with Colburn.
“Hey! You hurt my brothers, and I’ll let Ziyad eat you.”
Wulf’s left brow rose in disbelief. “You dare to threaten me? I am your mate.” The deranged warlord ran his hand over the control panel. The energy field flared to life.
“No. You’re a complete stranger who I met once when I was ten.”
“I fed you.”
“Whoop de do. You had to. I was a kid,” I retorted, flinching when I felt Wulf slide into my head.
“Once I touched your mind, I knew you were mine.” Mental fingers gently stroked my cheek. “Even then you were a warrior. This pleased me.”
“I remember otherwise. I seriously freaked you out. All because I wanted to see your snake.”
“I’ll be happy to show it to you now.” Wulf’s voice was a low rumble.
“Pass. I’m not into tentacles.”
Ziyad’s yellow eyes flashed with hurt. “What?”
Great. I had offended her. “Not yours. His.” I shoved at Wulf’s presence. “Get out of my head.”
“Our minds are linked. A link that can never be broken.”
“What? Never?”
“Never,” Wulf declared, laughter dancing in his eyes.
He thought this was funny? Out of sheer desperation, I spat, “Wasn’t I a little young for you?”
“You were worth the wait.”
Part of me was flattered. Part of me thought Wulf was a creepy old pervert.
Another massive Coletti warrior appeared, holding my brother Loki by the throat. “Where do you want him?”
One look at Loki’s purple face, and I commanded, “Put him with us.”
“Bossy little female,” the warrior commented.
Wulf pointed to an empty cell. “She’s a Jones.”
“They are a handful.” The warrior dragged Loki to the cell and pushed him inside. With a flick of his hand, he engaged the energy barrier.
Ziyad eyed the warrior longingly. “Can I eat him?”
“No! You cannot eat Lothel,” Wulf snapped.
“If you don’t want it getting very bloody in here, you’ll bring Ziyad some food and fast,” I said urgently.
A look of complete horror on his face, Loki rasped, “How long has it been since she ate?”
“Too long,” I answered.
Colburn and Ivar exchanged worried looks.
Lothel examined Ziyad from head to toe. “She’s half Rodan?”
“She is,” I confirmed.
“I’ll get the food.” Poof! Lothel vanished.
Wulf rubbed his jaw. “Does Sariel, the Askole high commander, know about her?”
“Ziyad is considered an abomination by the Askole. Her own grandfather tried to kill her. I put a stop to that nonsense.” I wrapped an arm around Ziyad. “She is the sister of my heart.”
Ziyad raised her chin defiantly. “We are family.”
Lothel reappeared with a haunch of meat.
“That won’t be enough,” I stated.
Lothel disengaged the energy barrier and carefully handed the haunch to Ziyad.
My best friend tore into the meat like she hadn’t eaten in the past century.
Wulf watched in fascination. “How often does she have to eat?”
“Every four hours, or it gets bloody.”
“Good to know. I’ll get more.” Lothel teleported away.
Voss was suddenly standing next to Wulf. “And how do the Rodans feel about Ziyad?”
“They think she’s food,” I replied. A shudder shook me as I remembered how close we’d come to being the main course at a feast a Rodan commander was throwing.
A low growl escaped Wulf. “You approached the Rodan alone?”
“It wasn’t one of our better plans.”
“But we blew up their battle cruiser,” Ziyad added proudly between bites.
Ivar snorted. “By accident.”
“Whatever. It went boom. No more nasty Rodan,” I retorted.
Wulf stared at me for a long moment. “When did this happen?”
I didn’t like the look in his eyes. “Does it matter?”
“It does,” Voss interjected. “We had been tracking the Rodan’s battle cruiser Lakshmi when it detonated unexpectedly.”
The Coletti had been hunting someone very important. “The onl
y life forms on the Lakshmi were Rodan.”
“The Overlord has agreed to grant Ziyad sanctuary,” Voss announced out of the blue.
I shot him a suspicious look. “Why?”
“With the proper training, she will be a valuable asset.”
Ziyad didn’t need their training. She already was one hell of a warrior, but we would have to play along for now.
Lothel popped in with more meat.
There was a flash of black, and the food vanished from Lothel’s hands. Ziyad moaned in pleasure. “Bendeer. My favorite.”
A horrific scream echoed down the corridor.
A jolt of raw fear shook me, and I looked at Wulf. “Who?”
“Pindick.”
Voss tilted his head as if he was listening to someone. “Lothel, the Overlord needs the bartock beetles.”
Lothel disappeared.
Voss followed a second later.
The terrorist deserved everything they did to him. He was responsible for the destruction of an entire planet. I sucked in a horrified breath as I suddenly realized we were missing an important member of our family. “Where’s my father?”
“Your father is getting needed medical care,” Wulf replied.
“What? How badly is he hurt?”
“He will live,” Wulf answered.
“Wow. That’s it? Does he have a broken leg? A head wound?”
“Both.”
I scowled. “Gee, a chatty Coletti. How did I get so fortunate?”
Wulf parried with a grin. “Do your brothers know you hunted Gulog the Mad by yourself?
“Blabbermouth.”
“You went after Gulog the Mad!” my brothers yelled in unison.
“Yeah, what did you expect me to do? He was the only one with a three-million-credit bounty on his head.”
Loki eyed my itty-bitty barmaid outfit. “Wearing that?”
“It is what the barmaids wear.”
“Gulog could have killed you,” Ivar snarled.
I countered. “But he didn’t.”
“Our plan worked perfectly,” Ziyad added, giving them a big toothy smile.
Wulf eyed my skimpy outfit. “You spent one million credits bailing your family out. Where is the rest of the bounty?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” I crossed my arms and tried to look intimidating.
Wulf chortled. “You look like a small, fluffy petka trying to imitate a Gourman.”
“My lips are sealed.”
“You will tell me. One way or another. The credits belong to me,” Wulf said with the unwavering stare of a predator.
I matched his stare with one I hoped was equally menacing. “You didn’t capture and deliver Gulog the Mad to the magistrate. We did.”
“You are juveniles in my custody. Therefore, the credits are mine,” Wulf replied smugly.
I gave Wulf the stink eye. I wasn’t considered an adult until I hit twenty-one. “Ziyad isn’t a juvenile.”
“By Askole standards she is.”
“Fine!” I threw up my hands in disgust. “Steal from kids. It’s what you Coletti do best.”
Wulf actually laughed. “Life with you will never be boring.”
“You better learn to sleep with one eye open.”
“You can’t hurt me.”
“Wanna bet?”
Wulf pulled his laser pistol out, disarmed the safety feature, and handed it to me. “Go ahead. Shoot me.”
I gaped at him in disbelief. Had he lost his mind? “I can’t kill you in cold blood.”
“But I can.” Ziyad charged him.
Wulf teleported out of the way, and Ziyad slammed face-first into the wall.
Ouch. That had to hurt. I quickly wrapped my arms around her. “Please. Think of what Zarek will do if you harm Wulf. I can’t lose you.”
Ziyad exhaled a long breath. “You’re right.” She calmly walked back into our cell and sat on the bunk.
Giving me a weapon wasn’t a smart move. It was the perfect opportunity to start our escape plan. All I had to do was take down the containment field surrounding the cells. I raised the laser pistol and shot out the control panel for our cell. Bright yellow sparks spewed in every direction. Before I could destroy the other panels, Wulf took the pistol away from me. “You are dangerous.”
“You have no idea,” Ivar said drily.
Colburn put in blithely, “She looked so small and helpless the Chi-Rho pirates ignored her when they attacked our ship. Big mistake.”
“Hey, they wanted our cargo, and I gave it to them,” I said modestly.
Wulf let out a low whistle. “You’re the one who released the bot bugs.”
“It was the least I could do. Who knew they were allergic to the bugs?” I gave Wulf my best innocent look.
He pointed to an empty cell. “In. Now.”
“You’re afraid of little ol’ me?”
“Only a fool would allow you to roam freely.”
I obediently walked into the cell. Stage one complete.
“Behave yourself. You do not want to anger the Overlord.”
“Really? He’s seems like such a nice man,” I said a tad bit sarcastically. A sharp pain zapped me in the butt. “Ouch!”
Wulf shook his head. “I did warn you. The Overlord hears everything.”
“Good to know.” I took a hasty step back as the energy barrier crackled to life.
Wulf teleported away.
I sighed. “If Pindick hadn’t shown up when he did, we would all be free now.”
“The Coletti wanted Gulog the Mad because he knows where Pindick’s hideout is,” Loki advised hoarsely.
“What did Pindick do to anger the Coletti?”
Colburn laughed. “He attacked the base where Malik was imprisoned and freed him.”
The breath left my lungs in an involuntary gasp of surprise. “Malik, the Overlord’s murderous, back-stabbing son? The same son who teamed up with the Tai-Kok and has tried to kill Talree, his brother, several times?”
“The one and the same. Malik is also the most dangerous terrorist in the galaxy,” Colburn confirmed.
“That would definitely get Zarek’s attention. Wait a minute. Wasn’t Malik comatose?”
“He woke up,” Ivar answered.
“And before Malik could face Talree in a highly awaited death match, he escaped,” Loki finished.
“But it gets better,” Colburn declared with a greedy smile. “There’s a ten-million-credit bounty on Malik’s head.”
Loki whooped. “Wine and women. Wine and women.”
“We can get a suite at the Sharqi Pleasure Palace and throw the party of the century.” Ivar hooted.
Ziyad and I exchanged disgusted looks. Males. Only one thought on their tiny little minds. “I hate to rain on your joy, but does anyone have a plan on how to ditch the Coletti?”
“We’ll think of something,” Loki replied.
Ivar nodded. “We always do.”
I wanted to throttle them. They thought they were the masters of the universe. Their grand plans usually ended up with them behind bars. Good thing Ziyad and I were on top of it. I yawned. Goddess, was I tired. I needed a nap. My eyes drifted shut.
Chapter Four
My internal radar screamed a sudden warning. Someone had murder on their mind. I bolted upright on the bunk and looked around in alarm. Where was I?
“We’re prisoners on the Coletti ship,” Ziyad reminded me.
I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. “Right. How could I forget?”
A worried frown creasing Ivar’s forehead, he asked the obvious, “What’s wrong?”
“Gee, let me think. We’re trapped on a Coletti warbird, Wulf thinks I’m his mate, and I’m sensing a psychotic male who is determined to take out Zarek and his command staff with a bomb.”
Loki’s eyes narrowed into a harsh frown. “Zarek has a traitor on board?”
“That would be a yes.”
“Stop him,” Colburn ordered.
“Gee, why did
n’t I think of that?” I reached out mentally, searching for the murderous ass. There. Ugh. What a sick, twisted mind. The male had only one purpose. To destroy Zarek and the ship. I linked with Wulf and showed him the male’s ugly thoughts. “You’ve got a saboteur on your warbird.”
“Kar, our head engineer. It seems Malik bought his loyalty,” Wulf growled. “Where is he?”
“Heading for weapons control.”
I felt Wulf teleport and take Kar down with one punch. “Got him.”
The itchy sensation in my mind wouldn’t go away. We weren’t out of danger yet. “Something bad is heading our way, Wulf.”
“I’ll inform the Overlord. Find out what it is.”
“Yes, my lord, right away,” I said sarcastically. Like I could ignore the sensation of imminent death.
The warbird’s alarm began to wail, and a harsh voice called, “Battle stations. All warriors to battle stations.”
Drawing on my psychic abilities, I scanned the area around the warbird. Well, what do you know? There was a cloaked battle cruiser three thousand kilometers off our port side. I passed the information to Wulf.
The warbird’s laser cannons fired. Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
At the same time, the enemy ship unleashed a barrage of missiles.
The warbird pitched radically as the torpedoes struck. Kaboom! Kaboom! Kaboom! Kaboom! Kaboom!
It was like being on a wild carnival ride. I hung on for dear life. “Who in their right mind would attack a ship with the Overlord in it?”
“My guess would be Jarl Amarok, Pindick’s older brother and the head of their terrorist organization. He knows Zarek will rip his brothers’ minds to shreds and find out all their nasty little secrets. Jarl can’t let that happen,” Ivar remarked.
“How long can the shields hold?” Ziyad paced nervously.
The knot in my stomach got bigger. “A really good question.”
Another salvo shook the warbird.
Ivar was thrown into the wall. He shook his head to clear it. “Let’s hope Jarl doesn’t use the Shivet warhead he stole.”
Oh Goddess. I had forgotten about the theft. My father, desperate for money to pay off his gambling debts, had stolen the security codes from a drunken Alliance captain and sold them to Jarl Amarok. Shivet warheads were the worst. If you knocked out your opponent’s shields, all it took was a direct hit, and the ship was space dust.