“Who?” Torrin and Greig shouted simultaneously.
“Who do you think all this blood is for? This meat? The A’nua Na-KI have returned.”
Torrin didn’t wait to hear more. If the A’nua Na-KI were coming, there was only one place the Cappran fool would take Juliette; as far away as he could get from them. They were killers. Unwavering in their path. Undead. Nearly impossible to kill.
He raced toward the space port, uncaring if the other Knights had chosen to follow him. Uncaring if the Vilitos lived or died. He had to reach Juliette. Failure was not an option.
Once out in the open, he kicked into high gear. He was bigger, stronger, and faster even than Falden, his mentor. Nothing was going to stop him. Nothing was going to slow him down. Then he felt it happen. A tingling. A slight sensation of coming apart. He was being transported; he recognized the feeling.
A split second later he materialized on board an ancient Lumerian warship. Torrin eased his helmet back to he could see naturally instead of through the special lens and peered around in disbelief. He’d never seen a Lumerian ship that could hold more than two or three people at a time, but this was clearly of Lumerian design. The warship could easily transport a few thousand warriors, although he saw only a dozen or so at the controls. Taeger, Greig, another he recognized as Seth, and a few others. The rest were strangers to him, but they all wore Lumerian armor. All had blue markings similar to his.
Torrin frowned, uncertain if this was a rescue mission or a kidnapping. Taeger and his unit were Lumerians, he had no doubt, but they walked with a wild, rebellious spirit that couldn’t be denied. Wild. Untamed. Unpredictable. “I have to get to the space port.”
Taeger sat in the commander’s chair and nodded. “I know.” His lips quirked as if he knew what Torrin was thinking, and found it amusing. “My way’s faster.”
Within the blink of an eye the large warship traversed the distance from the Ambassador’s residence back to the space port. The large vessel hovered unseen and silent above the docking bay. Using view screens and the ship’s A.I. system, they searched for a ship with Cappra’s official emblem. Torrin had no doubt a Council Member’s son wouldn’t ride around in anything but the best, most expensive ship on the market.
A disembodied female A.I. voice announced, “Target acquired. Docking Bay Nine.”
Torrin pulled his helmet up, “Thank you for your assistance. I can handle it from here. Ready for transport.”
Seth, Greig, and two others stepped forward, each loading him up with a different weapon, then raised their own helmets, disappearing next to Torrin.
Looking at his newly stocked personal arsenal, nodded his thanks again and looked at their leader. Taeger stepped forward, ignoring Torrin’s thanks and ordered, “Transport six to Docking Bay Nine. Go.”
Torrin anticipated the tingle this time, the sense of coming apart. He remained steady. Alert. Ready. As a single unit, they transported directly in front of the ship.
Torrin took the lead, motioning two warriors toward either side of the ship’s closed portal, his laser pistol at the ready. If they were determined to accompany him, he may as well make use of them. Taeger stood shoulder to shoulder with Torrin as they prepared to enter.
Seth took out a tube of black goop and drew a large circle on the door, then counted down from three, two, one.
The interior of the circle fell toward the ground. Seth caught the large piece and set it to the side. In twos they entered, weapons hot. Silent. Invisible.
The ship was full of Vilitos. Mercenaries by the look of them, with only a handful of others. Torrin made short work of them. This was what he knew. What he’d been trained to do. Assess the danger. Take out the enemy. He was a killing machine. Lethal. Deadly. The guard at the Ambassador’s residence had as much as confirmed that the Vilitos, and the Council Member’s son, were in league with the A’nua Na-KI. That was all the confirmation he needed to take down every single one of the guards on board the ship. Nothing was going to stop him from reaching Juliette.
At last they reached the master suite. A glance behind him showed him what he already knew; all the guards were down. Taeger and his unit were right behind him.
Torrin waved a hand over the door panel. As soon as the door slid open, he and Taeger stepped through, followed by Seth and Greig. The other two, Elduin and Lyari, stayed back to maintain security in the hallway.
Opulence and excess reigned supreme inside the suite, but Juliette was decidedly absent. Diamonds and emeralds sparkled in the chandelier hanging over the large table at the center of the room. Gold chair backs glowed warmly, set against the dancing flames in the fireplace. Every luxury, every desire within reach. And all forbidden, planetary natural resources purchased from the black market. Torrin looked around in disgust.
“C’bor Ubrion,” he called out, decloaking. He wanted the bastard to see him. Know what death looked like when it came for him. “You have taken what does not belong to you. Where is Juliette?”
The side door slid open and C’bor walked through, a look of supreme confidence on his red face. “I’m afraid you’re mistaken. My wife is resting and does not wish to be disturbed. She’s feeling a bit under the weather, you see. I’m not sure how you got in here, but you must leave immediately, or I will be forced to call my father’s guard. He’s a member of the Intergalactic Council.”
“And you are mistaken if you think your guard can help you.” Torrin responded in kind, reaching for his rune covered sword. “They’re all dead. Now move aside,” he snarled.
“Fine,” C’bor shrugged. “See for yourself. I was telling the truth. My wife isn’t feeling well.”
Torrin walked through the side door as C’bor stepped aside. There, curled into the fetal position on top of an extra-large bed, was Juliette. She appeared to be sleeping. There were no chains. No torture devices. For the first time, Torrin hesitated. Could he have been so wrong? Was she there willingly? Had she been so angry with him that she’d sought another?
“Juliette.”
She didn’t respond. “Juliette,” he said again, concern furrowing his brow. With shaking hands, he put his sword back in its scabbard, then reached out to wake her, only to yank his hand back in pain. She was scalding hot. “Juliette!” he shouted. “Wake up!”
Juliette moaned. Opened her eyes slightly. “Torrin?” she croaked.
Torrin sank to one knee next to the bed in relief. She was alive. “Juliette,” he whispered. “You are not well. Why haven’t you been treated by a doctor? Do you want to be here? Is this what you want? Did he speak the truth? You’re married?”
“I-I don’t know if we’re really married,” she whispered, happy to see Torrin yet too weak to raise her hand in comfort. “I agreed to marry him. I was trying to buy time.”
Torrin shook his head in confusion. “Time for what?”
A tear slid from the corner of her eye as she whispered brokenly. “Time for you to find me. I tried to follow you. Then everything went wrong. He’s an awful, depraved man. A butcher. Now my friend Balinora is dead,” she cried softly. “He killed her. Or had her killed. And I think I’m dying.”
Torrin sat on the bed and gathered her to him, wrapping a blanket protectively around her. Her eyes were glazed. She was burning with fever, and while he could withstand the blistering heat temporarily, her temperature was rising alarmingly. “I’m going to get you out of here,” he vowed.
C’bor, who’d been watching the exchange, sneered, “That’s where you’re wrong. She isn’t going anywhere with you. She is my bride, and wears my chains of obedience, which could only be placed upon her if she willingly agreed to be mine. She. Belongs. To me.”
Torrin lifted Juliette, cradling her securely in his arms. “Then I’ll just have to steal her from you.” He pulled out his laser pistol and shot a hole in the side of the ship. Holding Juliette tightly, he ran for the opening and leaped through.
C’bor stiffened as he watched them drop to the ground unharme
d. “Never! Juliette Rosen,” he shouted in the same commanding tone he’d used to force her obedience earlier, “you will die before leaving me!”
C’bor turned from the window, straight into the path of Taeger’s waiting blade.
“My young friend may not fully understand the destructive power of obedience chains, but I do. You just sentenced the woman he loves, whom he asked to light his markings and presumably carry his children, to die.” Taeger shoved his blade deeper into C’bor’s chest. “And that is unacceptable. So, I’m going to help my friend, my king, steal her away from you. Do you know how to break obedience chains?”
C’bor looked down at the blade protruding from his chest, blood soaking through his silk shirt in an ever-widening path, then back to Taeger, unable to speak, pain and fear in his eyes.
“That’s right. I see you understand,” Taeger murmured into his ear, shoving the blade all the way through skin and bone to his beating heart. “Obedience chains can only be broken in death, which is why they were banned centuries ago.”
Taeger pulled the blade out and watched as C’bor crumpled to the floor.
Chapter Thirteen
Torrin raced away from the ship he’d just blasted as fast as he could, Juliette’s small frame never slowing him down. She was light as air. Fragile. Human.
Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Greig, Seth, and Taeger hot on his heels. Flipping his helmet back up, he shouted into the comms, “Transport two to medical.” He was nothing if not a fast learner, mimicking Taeger’s previous order to transport them exactly where they wanted to go.
Torrin held Juliette tighter as he waited for the transport process to begin, her face nestled in the crook of his neck. Nuzzling her hair, he was unprepared when the blanket he’d cocooned her in burst into flame.
Ignoring his singed eyebrows and blistering cheeks, he put her down as gently as possible, rolling her out of the blanket to get her away from the flames. “Cancel transport!” he bellowed, “and get medical down here. Now!”
Taeger, Seth, and Greig caught up to Torrin moments later as he was trying desperately to snuff out the flames emanating from Juliette.
Seth frowned as he bent down to help. “I didn’t know humans could do this.”
Taeger looked at Juliette, his expression thoughtful. “As far as I know, they can’t. But this,” he waved at the spreading flames, “I’ve seen Lumerian women manifest their powers like this.”
“So how do we help her?” Torrin demanded.
“If she were Lumerian, I’d say she needed an anchor; someone to help her channel her gifts. Preferably through a Yielding. I don’t know what to do with a human.”
“Then let’s try the Lumerian way,” Torrin yelled over the growing blaze. “We’re out of options.”
“I’ll need that orb you tucked away somewhere,” Taeger shouted back, holding out his hand.
Before Torrin could retrieve the orb from its hidden location, out of the sky, falling like an avenging angel with a blood curdling yell, came Falden, his mentor and friend, spectral cloaking armor flickering in and out of sight. Falden. Leader of the Lumerian Knights. Above and slightly to the side fell Vander, then Gareth and Cassiel. His unit. His friends.
Sword pointed up, ancient runes glowing an electric blue, Falden dropped in between Torrin and Juliette, straight into the fire. He gripped the hilt and raised his sword straight up. The blue runes flashed and electricity blasted outward from the ancient blade.
Dark storm clouds formed where there had been none. Thunder cracked. Wind whipped the fire into a frenzy before a torrential downpour soaked the surrounding ground with welcome rain, dowsing the fire before it could spread any farther. Only she remained alight, burning now with a low, otherworldly intensity, the flame so hot it burned blue at the center, orange flames licking at the wet ground.
For the first time, Torrin could see that below the flame, Juliette was perfectly healthy, her skin untouched by the fire encasing her entire body. Delicate red crystalline markings glowed with inner fire across one bare shoulder. He was dumbstruck by her beauty all over again. She was fire and ice. His everything. He didn’t know what was going on, but it was obvious to him that Falden did.
Taeger, Seth, and Greig drew their swords, semi-liquid blades swirling like smoke around ancient runes engraved with laser precision down the center. They formed a semicircle of protection around Torrin, ready to defend him with their lives.
Taeger shouted to Torrin above the storm, “Friends of yours?”
Torrin grinned. “Something like that,” he shouted, wiping the rain from his eyes.
Falden cursed long and loud in ancient Lumerian. Long enough to let Torrin knew he was really mad. Finally he shouted, “You had to do it, didn’t you?”
Torrin frowned in confusion before shouting back, “Good to see you, too. Do what, exactly?”
Falden ground out, “You used maju paste on her, didn’t you? After Dr. Jorvin told her to get rid of it, you had her light your markings, then spread the paste all over her. A human!”
Torrin looked at Juliette, then back at Falden, guilt riding him hard. “I’ll apologize later. Can you heal her?”
“Not while you’re here.” Falden shook his head. “It’s too dangerous and I can’t let you take the risk. Get out of here. King Dagan and his queen are waiting to transport you out.”
Torrin shook his head angrily, his shoulders rigid with tension. “No! I’m not leaving her!”
“Reckless..” Falden began swearing in Lumeran again.
Taeger stepped forward, his sword still at the ready, and shouted, “I hate to break up the reunion, but Lyari and Elduin just checked in. I sent them back to the Ambassador’s residence to gather more intel on those blood sucking A’nua Na-KI. Lyari said a ship full of them just landed in the back gardens. They’re loading up the barrels we saw. So, whatever you two are going to do, you’d better do it quick, because it won’t take them long to figure out what’s causing this storm.”
Torrin growled at Falden for the first time in his life. He didn’t care. “Heal her if you can, dammit! I’m not leaving her!”
Taeger looked at Torrin, then turned to Falden with a snarl of his own. “You heard my king. He trusts you to heal his woman, so do it, or I will. I’m pretty sure the yielding will do the trick. It’s obvious he’s chosen her, so what’s stopping you?”
Torrin barked angrily, “What are you talking about? I’m not your king. I’m not even Lumerian!”
“You,” Taeger bowed, “bear a striking resemblance to my late friend, King Torsev. Heir to the First House of Lumeria. You now carry his sword upon your back. I don’t know why this was kept from you, but I serve at your command.”
“And I am Torrin’s guardian,” Falden snarled, “serving at King Torsev’s command to keep his sons safe, hidden, and unaware of their lineage until their mother deemed it safe to tell them. The yielding is too dangerous! Unpredictable and vastly different for every couple. It will bind their life-forces together,” he shouted over the rain. “They could both die if one of them can’t complete the ritual.”
“I don’t care right now about anything but saving Juliette,” Torrin barked.
Falden looked into Torrin’s eyes. They were determined. Unbending. He bowed his head in defeat. “So be it. But hear me well; you both must yield all that you are to each other. Your heart, your mind, your soul, your life must be joined to become something more together. Do you understand? It’s not like a Caldorian Binding Ceremony. Good or bad, it’s forever. You live and die together.”
“I understand,” Torrin agreed.
Falden sighed. “Put the orb you found on the ground between you and Juliette. You will each need a few drops of blood to activate the yielding. You may as well use your own sword now that you’ve chosen one. Mine is currently in use,” he shouted with a bit of his dry humor returning. “Smear the blood on the divot you see there in the pommel, and it will begin,” he instructed.
Tor
rin didn’t waste any more time. Following instructions, he drew his sword, took a small amount of blood from his finger, and smearing the red drops into place.Turning to Juliette, he leaped into her personal space, drew blood as quickly as he could, and smeared it over the top of his. His arms blistered from the heat. He hissed in pain but refused to cry out. He would walk through the fires of hell for her if it meant spending one more day with her.
Juliette opened her eyes just a fraction. It was enough to let him know she still lived.
Torrin looked to Falden when nothing happened, his brows raised in question.
Falden stared back, his face tight with tension. “Do you yield to Juliette Rosen?”
Torrin didn’t hesitate. “I yield.”
One half of the ancient runes on Torrin’s blade began to glow. Lightning arced from the pommel and struck Torrin in the heart, maintaining the connection between his body and the sword. Torrin arched back from the electrical current.
“Juliette Rosen,” Falden said urgently, repeating the ritual words as quickly as he dared. “Do you submit to the yielding? Are you willing to yield all that you are to become something more with Torrin? Do you yield your heart to him? Your mind? Your soul? Your life?”
Juliette whispered, “I do.”
The second half of the ancient runes on the blade began to glow with the same eerie light. A second arc of lightning lashed out from the pommel and struck Juliette in the heart, holding the connection between her body and the sword. She, too, convulsed, arching her back as electrical current race through her body.
A third arc of lightning lashed out from the pommel and struck the top of the orb. Heat waves danced in the air. Deafening thunder cracked, the vibration shaking everything within hearing distance.
Juliette and Torrin were lifted, as if by an unseen hand, to float in midair. Forks of lightning struck Torrin, then passed back through Juliette, wrapping itself like tentacles around their bodies, binding them more and more tightly together.
Alien Knight Steals The Bride Page 12