by Sadie Carter
He’d cared.
“Yes, I am. But I will give you a choice.” He reached out and ran a finger down her face. A chill raced up her spine as her stomach dropped. “There is an easy way and hard way to do this. Give in to me, and this will be easy. Make me force you, and it will be painful and long.”
She scowled at him. “I would rather die.”
“Oh no, that’s not an option. Too bad, this could have been so painless for you. Eat. Drink. You’ll need your strength.”
As soon as he left, she slumped in her chair, tears racing down her face.
Oh, Rye.
***
“It feels too easy,” Rye said as he paced across the room.
“Sometimes things are just that easy,” Deacon replied. Steele and Zuma had returned twenty minutes ago. Deacon and Darac had quickly joined them in the rec room to learn what they’d found.
“One of her regulars told Caris that he saw a dark-haired male carrying a slightly-built, unconscious female aboard a ship headed to Rius,” Zuma reiterated.
“Why would Pnir take a transport? He’s rich, he has to have his own ship,” Rye replied. His instincts were screaming at him that something was wrong.
“Maybe this was spur of the moment?” Steele offered. “He didn’t have time to gather his crew for his own ship?”
Rye shook his head. “No, this doesn’t feel right. He knew this was the perfect opportunity to take her. He had this planned.”
“You think he set up a diversion?” Zuma asked.
“He’s smart. And he’s a planner. I think he’s still here. Who was the regular she got the story from?” Rye asked.
“I’ll find out.”
***
“The Luskian?” Temper stirred and Rye had to work hard to keep himself from exploding. “He’s your client?”
Caris shrugged. “Yes. Why? You know him?”
“Pnir set that up,” Zuma said. “He had to have set the Luskian on us in the bar, but why?”
“Probably so he could swoop in and take Elika while we were busy with that big beast,” Deacon replied. “So, Rye was right, he planned all of this.”
“Which means he’s still here,” Rye said. She was still on the planet. Close enough for him to reach and he would find her.
“But where?” Willa asked. “You searched his house.”
“Did you search the tunnels below?” Caris asked.
“Tunnels?” he asked.
No way would she just sit by and let him win. Not again. Last time, she’d waited around to be rescued until she reached the point of losing all hope. By then she hadn’t had the energy or willpower to free herself.
This time was different. Her magic stores might be deleted, but that didn’t mean she didn’t have other options open to her. She paced back and forth, her stomach still growling. She glanced over at the heavy silver tray. Pulling off the pot of tea and cups, she lifted the tray.
Perfect.
A rumble filled the room and the earth beneath her tilted. Letting out a terrified cried, she dropped to her knees and placed her hands over her head.
Eventually, the rumbling ceased, and taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, she stood. She could do this. Pnir might think he had the upper hand, but he had one big weakness. His ego. He probably thought she was too scared of him to do anything, especially after being kidnapped before.
What he didn’t know is that just made her more determined to free herself.
Next time Pnir came in, she would hit him over the head and make a break for it. Moving to the wall next to the door, she waited, silver tray in hand.
“There is no way of knowing where there might be another exit point or if there even is one, so we’re going to have to storm his place and find the entrance to the tunnels,” Rye told everyone as they crouched behind a large rocky outcropping, staring down at Pnir’s compound which lay about a mile away. There wasn’t much cover leading up to the stone wall surrounding the place, so they’d waited for night to fall to move forward with the plan to rescue Elika.
“Are both ships turning back?” Willa asked.
He shook his head. “Just one of our ships. The Coizil ship we took over will continue to Zerconia with our other ship. Kyle’s cloaking device is still working well.”
“We can’t wait until then,” Rye said. “There’s no telling what he’s doing to her.”
He couldn’t think about that or fury would cloud his judgment. But he would make certain Pnir paid for taking what Rye held most precious.
“What about the wards?” Zuma asked.
“There has to be a way in,” Rye countered, glaring down at the compound. The main building was at least four stories high, made of stone, and had twin towers. There were a handful of outbuildings all encircled in a stone wall.
It looked cold and impenetrable, but he wasn’t about to let that deter him.
“Anyone else think this feels like déjà vu?” Willa commented. “Do you think Pnir forced Elika to erect some wards around the place?”
“I think that Pnir isn’t exactly who we thought he was,” Zuma replied. Even he looked grim.
“So, what are we going to do?” Steele asked.
“We go under like we did last time,” Rye answered.
“Except we don’t have any way of digging a tunnel or of knowing where to dig to,” Zuma replied.
Rye ground his teeth together, nearly jumping as Willa placed her hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry, once the others get here, we’ll sort something out. We’ll get her out.”
He would. Or he knew he’d damn well die trying.
The door rattled, and she caught her breath. It made a lot of noise as the key turned. The door opened, and Pnir swept in, moving with such confidence.
He didn’t suspect a thing.
She stepped up quietly behind him, raised the tray above her head and swung hard. He stood still for a moment, and she grew terrified that it hadn’t worked. Should she just make a run for it?
Then he dropped to his knees.
Feeling ill, but knowing she had to be sure he was unconscious, she swung the tray again. There was a sickening crunching noise as the tray came into contact with his skull. He dropped to the ground, and she slipped to her knees, dropping the tray before she leaned over and emptied her stomach.
Finally, she stopped vomiting and ran her hand across her mouth with a grimace. Her body shaking, she stared down at his prone body.
Move. Move.
She couldn’t do it. She was too weak.
Stupid. Unloved.
No. That was Husan talking. She wasn’t weak. She was strong. She could do this.
Forcing herself to get to her feet, she moved out through the door. Now, she just needed to find her way out of this God-awful place. She had to force herself to keep moving. If she stopped and thought too hard, then she knew she’d spiral into panic, and she couldn’t panic.
Keep it together, Elika. You can do this.
But she had no idea where she was, other than inside some sort of underground tunnel. She had no idea where the exit was. She didn’t even know if she was still on Pikus.
“Oh Goddess, help me.”
Suddenly the tunnel split into two. Which way to go? She paused, leaning against the wall, trying to catch her breath. It felt like she’d be running for hours, even though it had to be minutes.
“Stay calm. Don’t panic,” she whispered.
There had to be a way out, she just had to find it. First, she had to make certain she wasn’t walking around in circles. How to do that? Looking down at her calf-length negligee, she shrugged. Not like she ever wanted to wear it again. Creating a tear in the bottom, she tore it into strips. She’d leave these along the way then if she wanted to make her way back here and take the other tunnel she could.
Goddess, help her find the right way to go.
“We can’t just stand here and wait.” Impatience filled him. She needed him, and he was failing her.
&nbs
p; “Maybe we can go in from above?” Willa suggested. “The wards might not reach all the way over.”
“Let’s do it,” Rye agreed. “We’ll fly above, open the cargo bay, and I’ll jump out.”
“What? And break your damn legs?” Steele growled. “What if there are wards in place? You’ll fall to your death.”
Better than doing nothing.
No. He took a deep breath. He wasn’t thinking properly.
“I wonder if—”
“Jesus, can anyone see what I can?” Zuma asked.
Rye moved to where he lay with his high-powered binoculars, grabbed them, then peered through, immediately spotting the slight figure moving slowly down the front steps of Pnir’s house.
“Elika!”
“She freed herself! Go girl!” Willa cheered.
“But does she know about the guards?” Steele asked, using his own binoculars. “She’s headed towards the main gate. There’s no way she can get past them.”
“Wait, I think she’s seen them,” Darac added. “She’s stopped and hidden. Good girl.”
“We need to provide a distraction,” Rye said.
Zuma whooped. “My favorite thing. Let’s go get our girl.”
No. Let’s go get my girl.
How was she going to get past the guards? She crouched behind a smaller building and tried desperately to think. She needed to create a distraction. Her heart beat rapidly. How much more time did she have? Would Pnir be coming after her? She cursed the fact that it had taken her so long to find those stairs that led her up out of the tunnels and into a large library. Thankfully, no one had been in the room at the time.
She’d soon found her way out of the house, surprised that she hadn’t encountered anyone. But those guards at the gate weren’t going to let her just walk out of here. Now that she was outside she did have one advantage in her favor.
Time for a bit of magic.
As she gathered magic to her, there was a sudden bang. Were those fireworks? The sky lit in bright colors. Blue, red, yellow.
Zuma.
Tears filled her eyes, threatening to spill over. They’d come for her.
And she was just standing here like an idiot. Run, Elika.
Glancing up, she saw the guards were facing away. But just to be safe, she used her magic to draw the shadows to her. She raced to the gates but found them locked.
Fuck.
She glanced around. She didn’t have time to find another opening. She was going to have to go up. This was really going to be a strain.
“Alik moton.” She leaped into the air, biting her lip to stop herself from crying out as she was suddenly propelled upwards. Reaching out she grasped hold of the top of the wall to stop herself. She was rusty. She really needed to practice that one or she would have kept going up and up.
Positioning herself so she was straddling the top of the wall, she glanced around her, hoping to see someone running to her rescue.
Hoping to see Rye. He couldn’t be dead, he just couldn’t.
The fireworks boomed away, but no one appeared. Looked like she was on her own. It wasn’t that far to the ground, about six or seven feet. She pushed herself over, still holding onto the side then let herself drop.
“Colorn!” A pillow appeared, cushioning her fall. Just as well, since she landed on her ass. That could have been painful. Rolling off the pillow, exhaustion pulling her down, she paused for a moment. Too many spells in such a short space of time when she was already weak and out of practice had really taken it out of her. Her legs felt like rubber, and her head was full of cotton wool. But she had to keep going.
Standing, she started to run.
Where was she? He’d lost track of her after Zuma started up his fireworks display. Thank god for his obsession with those stupid rockets. It had definitely drawn the guards’ attention, hopefully giving Elika the chance she needed to get past them. But where was she?
He needed to help her. Just waiting around was killing him.
“I’m going down there.”
“But what about the wards?” Willa grabbed his arm.
“I don’t care. I can’t just stand here.”
He started moving forward, trying to stick to the shadows, even though there wasn’t much cover. As he got closer to where Zuma said the wards were, his stomach tightened, and he caught a scent.
Peaches and cream.
“Rye. Rye.”
And suddenly, she was there.
His girl.
He engulfed her, holding her tightly against him. She shivered in his arms, and he realized she was only dressed in a small nightgown. He pulled off his coat and wrapped her in it, fury biting at him. What had that asshole done to her? Sudden shouts caught his attention, and he heard Zuma yell. He must have followed him.
“Rye! Down.”
He dropped and rolled, carrying her with him as blaster fire rained down on them. The guards had spotted them. “See that rock outcropping up there. That’s where we’re headed. I’ll cover you, just try to stick to the shadows and run fast.”
“Wait.” She grabbed his hand. “I can hide us. Just stay close to me, I’ll draw the shadows to us. If you trust me.”
“Of course, I damn well trust you. Let’s go.” He grabbed hold of her hand, and they raced up the hill.
Elika sat with a thump as they reached the rocks they’d been aiming for, trying to catch her breath. She was exhausted, shaky, and nearly at the end of her endurance. She stared around at the others.
“You all came.” They’d all come. For her.
“Of course, we did,” Willa said, embracing her quickly.
“You’re one of us now,” Zuma added.
“God, help you,” Steele told her.
“Ours.” Rye pulled her against him, and she couldn’t stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks.
“Oh Goddess, I thought you were dead,” she sobbed, her whole body shaking. “He told me you were dead.”
“Never. I’d never leave you. Ever. Now let’s get the fuck out of here.”
“Language,” she teased him.
“What about Pnir?” Zuma asked. “Do you want us to go in after him?”
She leaned back, wiping at her cheeks with shaky hands. “I think maybe he’s still unconscious. I knocked him out.”
“You did?” Rye asked. “That’s my girl.”
She grinned at him. “It took me a while to find my way out. He was holding me underground. Eventually, I found the stairs up, but then I had to get out of the house unseen. I kept expecting him to stop me. Find me.”
She shuddered.
“Can you take down the wards surrounding the place?” Rye asked.
“What wards?” she asked.
“The place has some wards around it,” Zuma said. “When I scouted earlier, I couldn’t get closer than five hundred feet.”
She frowned. “I didn’t feel anything. I would have felt them coming through.”
“Then what was it I felt?” Zuma asked. “I didn’t imagine it.”
“No.” She shook her head. “He would have set wards.” She turned to Rye. “He was Alain’s first ward. Before me. He killed him. Pnir killed Alain when he came to him. Alain thought that Pnir might have had something to do with my disappearance. He was searching for me.”
Rye ran his hand over her hair. “So, he did care.”
“Yes. I feel so bad for thinking otherwise.” She frowned.
“Would the wards have gone down when you knocked him out?” Willa asked.
“Maybe. Although normally that’s not the way it works. In order for them to disappear, he would have to be dead.”
Had she killed him?
“Which means we can now get inside.” Steele looked over at Rye. “What’s the call, Cap?”
Rye was quiet for a long moment. “Steele, Deacon, Zuma, and Darac go in. Find him. I’m taking Elika and Willa back to the ship.”
Chapter Eleven
“Eat this,” Rye ordered.
Elika stared down at the bowl of steaming soup and her stomach growled. She reached for the spoon he held then realized how badly her hands shook and placed them back on her lap.
“I’m okay.”
Rye frowned at her. They were in his room on Betsy. Nolan had already given her a thorough examination and declared her fine, just exhausted and dehydrated. So, she was now stuck on a drip for the next few hours, and he’d ordered her to rest.
Like she could rest right now. Her mind was working on overdrive, the last few hours playing over and over. Sitting next to her, Rye grabbed the spoon and started to slowly feed her. Having him feed her felt a little odd but she wasn’t about to complain.
“Have the others returned yet?” she asked
“I just heard from them. They’ve secured all the buildings, and now they’re going searching for Pnir.”
She pushed herself up off the bed then swayed as dark spots entered her vision. Rye grabbed her, pushing her gently back onto the bed. “What are you doing?”
“What if he’s not dead? What if it’s a trap? He’s too powerful. He—”
“Shh. They’ll be fine. You’re in no condition to go anywhere. You heard Nolan, you need rest.”
She glared at him. “I’m not resting and eating soup while they’re out there risking their lives for me.”
“Yes. You can. You’ve been through enough. The way I feel right now, you’ll be lucky to leave this room ever again.”
She snorted. “Yeah? How do you intend to manage that?” She knew he was only acting this way because he’d been worried about her. But still, it wouldn’t pay to let him think he could get away with dictating to her.
“Won’t be too hard once I put a pair of hovercuffs on you.”
She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “Do you think I killed him?” That thought had been plaguing her. He wasn’t a good person. He’d tried to kill Rye, but could she live with having killed him?
“If you did, it was no less than he deserved. Thank God I didn’t fall for his diversion.”