Talia Jager

by Without Hesitation

  My heart thudded roughly against my chest. “How did you get here?”

  Again, she didn’t answer.

  Using her legs, she bucked up, throwing me onto my hands and knees. She kicked me down and sat on my back.

  “What do you want?” I asked, face to the ground.

  “Looking for you, Empress Sparks. I have to say I’m surprised to have found you so easily.”

  I froze.

  “Even if your marking didn’t give you away, I would still have known who you were.” She pulled my hair up and examined the back of my neck where the two inverted V-shaped symbols, one under the other. Malou had worn the same mark and so had every eldest child since.

  “I’m not afraid of you.”

  “You should be.”

  I grabbed the knife from my scabbard and stabbed it in her leg, careful not to let it go too deep. She let out a muffled groan and rolled to the side. I sprang back on her and put my knife to her throat noticing the long jagged scar that stretched from her left ear almost to her chin.

  “Why are you doing this?” I pressed the blade against her throat, nearly breaking the skin.

  She hissed. “I do not have a choice.”

  Looking into her eyes, I saw so much more than hate. “If you jump back to your ship, I’ll let you live.”

  Her eyes widened and the smirk on her face turned to a hard line. “You’re stronger than I realized, but that decision makes you weak.”

  Fury tore through me and I pressed down on the blade. “You want me to kill you?”

  “You should kill me.”

  Just then, Bristow charged into the clearing with his gun raised. I stood up and stuck my knife back in its scabbard. “Get up. You’re coming with us. And you…” he said, directed at me. “What the hell are you doing running off like that?”

  My eyes never left hers. Using the device she was holding in her hand when I first saw her in the clearing, she tapped the screen and disappeared.

  I sank to the ground and gasped for air, terror taking the place of adrenaline that had dumped into my system. I’d been in fights before. Why was my body reacting this way? Was it her? No one had ever made me question myself or challenged me the way she just did. Who was she? And why did I want to see her again?

  Chapter Two

  Everleigh

  NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES I did it, jumping would always feel strange to me. The feeling of all your cells breaking apart and reforming in another place was unsettling to me even though I’ve been jumping over long distances since before I was a teenager. This time, like every time, I feared that I would reappear with my arms and legs in the wrong place. So like always, I waited until my feet were firmly planted on a solid surface before I opened my eyes.

  I appeared on the bridge of my spaceship—a large room with windows, computers, and our workstations. My crew looked over expecting to see the empress with me.

  “Where the hell is she?” Huxley Keenum, my second-in-command, asked.

  “Couldn’t find her,” I lied.

  “You weren’t down there very long,” Huxley accused.

  “Someone saw me.”

  “Wait… You got caught? You? Everleigh Marsden, great commander of the Nirvana, got caught?” Huxley teased. Mischief sparkled in his green eyes.

  “Shut up!” I shot him a look, my fist pounding down on the counter. “We’ll go back, but right now we need to get out of here. Give me some time to think.”

  They all looked at me like I had lost my mind and honestly I considered the possibility. What the hell had happened down there? Why didn’t I capture her when I clearly had the chance and why had she let me go? These questions spun in my head as I made my way to the medical bay.

  Bypassing the two exam beds in the middle of the room, I went straight to the shelves of equipment and supplies lining the walls. I found the sterilizing and cleansing solution and after spraying the cut, I rolled glue over it, sealing the wound and protecting it all at once. I rummaged through a drawer until I found a roll of gauze and wrapped that around the wound, too. It was a shallow cut and I had the feeling that she’d done that purposefully. A few inches deeper and she could’ve nicked my femoral artery and I would’ve bled out before I could even think of jumping back to my ship.

  None of this made any sense. Why did she let me live?

  Back on the bridge, I stood over the table studying the map of Valinor. I had to go back and try again.

  “Hey boss,” Briar said, tapping her long fingers on the table.

  “What is it?” I asked without looking up.

  “Anything else you want to tell us?”

  “About?”

  “What happened down there?” Briar Ladetto was our navigations expert, but she was by far the smartest person on our crew. She knew something about everything and if she didn’t, she would hack any computer to figure it out.

  Rolling my eyes, I said, “Nothing, Briar.”

  “That’s bull,” Huxley challenged.

  “What’s your problem?” I challenged.

  “No problem. Just curious as to how a legendary warrior such as yourself didn’t get the job done on the very first try. I mean, this might be a first.”

  “Are you trying to piss me off?” I growled.

  He put up his hands and backed away, but kept the smirk on his face. “Nope.”

  “Concentrate on your jobs,” I spat.

  Frustrated, I took off to the weapons training room. Each of the walls was lined with weapons. Guns such as simple handguns to laser guns to grenade launchers hung on one wall. Swords of all sizes hung from the wall opposite the guns. The third wall consisted of a variety of weapons: fighting sticks, battle-axes, daggers, and bombs. I ran my fingers over the hilt of my favorite double-edged sword—a type of claymore with a jeweled cross-guard and grip. Turning from those, I grabbed a pair of hand wraps. This level of frustration required some impact. Not even a minute later, I’d worked up a good sweat while punching the heavy bag.

  “Want someone to spar with?” Briar asked from the doorway.

  The wound in my thigh hurt, but not so much that I would opt out of a good sparing match. Besides, I was agitated and I had to find a way to work off this energy so I could think straight. “Sure. Wrap up.”

  Briar pushed her pink hair back with a headband and wrapped her hands, securing the ends nice and tight before she turned to me and squared her stance. A thrill of anticipation, not unlike the one that had coursed through me when I faced off with the empress, rushed through my body. Briar and I were about the same size and weight and she was good at hand to hand. Just not as good as me.

  We circled each other for a moment, shifted into combat stance, and then she came at me. We grappled for a few tense moments, each of us straining to throw the other to the floor, but eventually I got the best of her. I threw her down on her back, face up, and mimed a killing blow before I let her up.

  “Go again?” I asked.

  “Sure.”

  I held out my hand, offering to help her up. She took it hesitantly and I hauled her to her feet.

  I took a step forward and threw a right cross. She sidestepped, twisted her body, brought her leg up, and kicked me in the stomach. Grabbing her foot, I pushed back hard, and she went flying. She had barely hit the ground before I pounced on her. Knees pinning her arms to the floor and sitting on her chest, I had her pinned in a position for another killing blow. I still had it. I could still do it. How in the world had the Empress gotten the better of me?

  After the sparing session I went to my room and showered. Lying in bed attempting to sleep, the Empress’ face kept appearing in my mind’s eye. I flipped over and buried my head in the pillow, which only made it worse. I had to be honest with myself. The Empress had a weapon I had never encountered before. She was beautiful. Yes, I’d encountered beautiful women before, but I’d never been charged with kidnapping or killing them. But so what? Why did that matter? There were plenty of attractive people in the uni
verse. Why had I let that affect me?

  A low beep told me someone from the bridge was trying to contact me. “What is it?” I asked.

  “Caspar is calling,” Huxley said.

  I cursed under my breath. “On my way.”

  The moment I stalked back into the room everyone’s eyes were on me. “Put him onscreen.”

  The man who had destroyed my life appeared onscreen. When I was a kid, Caspar Regnier abducted my family along with almost a hundred others from our home. He dumped us on a planet that was barely survivable. Then, a couple years later, he took the kids from their parents—myself included—and raised us on his ship, training us to become the lethal warriors we were today. He gave us the ship and forced us to do things for him by threatening the lives of our families.

  Caspar was twice my age, with a full head of black, spiked hair. His upper lip was perpetually curled up like he smelled something rotten, but that was how he always looked when we spoke. He hated the sight of me. “I don’t like to be kept waiting, Everleigh.”

  I didn’t respond. Didn’t apologize. Nothing.

  He pursed his lips. “Where is the Empress?”

  “I’ll have her soon.”

  “Soon? Why don’t you have her yet?” he demanded.

  “She’s very protected.”

  His nostrils flared. “Do I need to remind you that I hold your family in the palm of my hand? I could crush them.” He brought his hands together like he was smashing something in them. “Maybe they won’t have any food to eat for a few days? Maybe a sickness will spread through the community?”

  My hands balled into fists. “Let them be. You’ll have her soon.” I hit the end button and marched over to the map of Valinor.

  Why did he need to have her? It didn’t matter. I had to get her and turn her over. I had to do it for my family. For the families of my crew.

  “Do we know where she lives? Is there a castle?”

  “There’s no castle. We’re not sure where she lives,” Zabe stated. Zabrador “Zabe” Torpey was the fourth member of our crew. He was the mission specialist, took care of the Nirvana, and us.

  “So actually jumping into her home won’t work.” I paced the floor. “I’ll just go back again.”

  “She’s not there,” Briar reported.

  “Not on Valinor? I just left there.”

  “She’s heading to a summit meeting for Alliance members that’s taking place tomorrow on Caipra. The leaders of twenty worlds will be there, Valinor included.”

  “A summit? What kind of summit? Were we invited?”

  “No, Ever. Did you not hear her? It’s a meeting for those in the Alliance. We neither have a home planet to rule nor are we part of the Alliance.” Huxley rolled his eyes.

  “You’re lucky I like you or I’d lock you up for your sarcasm.”

  Huxley scoffed. “I appreciate your leniency.”

  I punched him on the shoulder. “Get us there. Use the cloaking device.”

  Grabbing her at the summit would be easier than trying to take her on her home planet. At most she would travel with a small detachment, but I could handle that. It was the Empress herself that had me worried. I tried not to think about her. Tried not to think of her hair and how it caught the light of their setting sunstar. Those bright, blue eyes of hers. The way my heart sped up when she had me pinned to the ground.

  “What’s on your mind, Ever?”

  “Just plotting.”

  “Like the evil villain you are.”

  Laughing, I nodded, and picked up a deck of cards. “Dealer’s choice.”

  I dealt a game of Loaded. Zabe and Briar sat down at the table to play, too. Hux passed around a bottle of Temptation, a colorless ninety-five proof alcohol.

  Caipra, the planet they were meeting on, was discovered a hundred years ago. A battle took place between the warring occupants of the planet and destroyed so much of the land that only a few could live there now. Over time, Caipra became a sort of neutral zone for planetary meetings and discussions. A building was erected a few earthyears ago and became a neutral place for intergalactic meetings.

  “I wonder what’s going on down there.”

  “I could hack in,” Briar offered.

  A quick nod from me was all she needed before her hands were flying over the keyboard. A few minutes later, she smiled proudly.

  “You’re in?”

  Huxley and I surveyed the room and took note of who was present from the video feed that Briar had patched us into. The conference room was a large and circular with a hallway that ran around it. Four corridors stemmed from it. Attached were a hotel, cafeteria, and lounge. The fourth corridor led to the docking bay.

  “Any suggestions on the best way to do this?” I wished I could send one of the others, but this was my responsibility and I had never left a job incomplete.

  “Lie in wait. When she’s alone, grab her and jump back. The only difference here is there’s a lot of others around,” Huxley said.

  “They’re announcing everyone,” Briar said.

  “Can you put it on speaker?”

  With a tap of a button, a male voice filled the room as he read off names. “President Ava Debold of Naweth, King Hesh Sekoni of Tured, Empress Akacia Sparks of Valinor.”

  When he finally finished, they called the meeting to order. “The first item on our agenda is to welcome Queen Elodie Maas of Treasa. They have joined the Alliance.” There was applause. “Queen Mass, please sign your name here.”

  Then began the most boring earthhour of my life. I didn’t know how anyone could sit through meetings like these. People trading with each other, negotiating with one another, and discussing where the space pirates had last been seen.

  “Empress Sparks.”

  My ears perked up at the sound of her name.

  “I am Captain Reeve of The Authority. I’d like to ask you to reconsider your decision to let us have a station on Valinor. It would be very beneficial to us.”

  “I’m sure it would.”

  Hearing her voice made my heart beat faster.

  “I’m sorry. I must stick with the original decision. Valinor was discovered by a privately owned spacecraft, as you know. My great-great-grandmother was the commander of that spacecraft. Valinor is not obligated to let you build there, nor do we want you to. We are a simple people and would like to keep it that way.”

  “Very well,” Reeve replied. “We will respect your decision.”

  I snorted. “I’m sure they’re fuming.”

  “I can’t imagine they get turned down often,” Briar added. “The empress has some guts.”

  That she did.

  “Is there a schedule of events? I don’t want to sit around and wait, but I can’t exactly just jump in there and grab her.”

  Briar’s eyes scanned the screen. “There’s a break coming up.”

  “Alright. Stay cloaked. I’ll be back as soon as possible.” I centered myself in the jump circle and pressed the button.

  Landing in a closet, I stepped around cleaning supplies and crept down to the meeting hall. I counted twenty world leaders in attendance sitting around a large, circular table from where I stood, a few that I detested, and wished I could grab instead of the Empress, but she was who Casper wanted.

  My eyes searched the room and when my eyes land on her, my breath caught. She was even more beautiful in this setting. Her blonde hair was braided to the side. A small, delicate crown sat on her head. Those stunning blue eyes of hers were outlined in the same hue as the form-fitting, blue and silver outfit she wore. It seemed to be some sort of armor, but it was one that hugged her every dip, curve, and slope.

  Stop thinking of her like that. She was a target. That’s it. That’s all.

  I stayed hidden as the moderator announced the break and the leaders stood. Each had a guard that followed them. A few others approached the Empress. Her lips were pulled tight as if she couldn’t wait to get out of there. Finally, she broke free and hurried out of the ro
om. A tall, buff man followed close behind with his hand on the gun holstered on his side.

  Outside the bathroom door, she turned to him. “Thank you, Dieter. Why don’t you take a few minutes?”

  “I’m supposed to guard you, Empress.”

  “I need to go to the bathroom. I’m sure you could use the break as well.”

  He gave a slight nod and they went their separate ways. But before I could go in after her, a few of the leaders walked past where I was hidden.

  “This meeting is going to last for hours,” one whined.

  “At least we get breaks.”

  “When do you suppose the food will be served?”

  As I waited, my eyes surveyed the area for the best way to grab her and go. She came out of the bathroom and walked over to a window. Motioning for her guard to return to the conference room, she stared out at the orange-red sky. Now was my chance. I slipped out of my hiding spot and walked toward her. She turned and our eyes met. Surprise and recognition flickered across her face, but before I could grab her, a loud explosion threw me backward. My head hit the wall and everything went black.

  A burnt smell lingered in the air. Someone shook me and yelled things I couldn’t understand. My head was pounding. Without opening my eyes, I slapped whoever it was away.

  “Come on! We need to get out of here!”

  I knew that voice, but getting my eyes to open was a problem.

  “I can’t carry you.”

  I forced my eyes open. Everything was blurry.

  “Can you stand?” the voice asked.

  I didn’t know. My head hurt so much, I had no clue how the rest of my body was.

  Hands pulled at me, helping me to my feet. Finally my body got with it and I was able to stand on my own.

  I looked at the person who helped me. There she was with a slight smile on her face. Her crown was gone and her blonde curls were streaked with red—wait. That was blood. Did she have a head wound? Was she hurt? And how did she manage to make that look sexy? Oh, God. There I went again with the whole sexy thing.

  “Let’s go.” She started walking and I hobbled after her.