For the King

by Reagan Woods

  Lyon laughed out loud. Kiev’s not-so-subtle dig at his piloting skills only made him more determined. He’d been up against fiercer enemies than this. Bobbing and weaving, he managed to put more distance between them and the destroyer.

  “Incoming!” Corey yelled, giving Lyon enough warning that he was able to skate out of the missile’s path.

  “If this ship has other tricks, I vote we use them,” Nora voiced loudly. “Now.”

  “We can always play dead,” Kiev mentioned with a scowl of distaste. War Lords weren’t known for sitting out on a fight.

  “No,” Zocan shook his head, continuing to fire on the destroyer. “Just get us out of range, Lyon.”

  Corey spoke up, “I have an idea. It might not work, but I can draw on Kiev’s energy and try to break through their psychic shield.”

  “No,” Kiev answered with finality. “That’s not happening. There’s too great a risk if you can’t come out of the void.”

  “Have you got a better idea?” She growled.

  “What’s that?” Nora pointed at a sparkling orb in the distance.

  “Siimcoe Station,” Zocan answered. “I think it will fit our needs perfectly.”

  Lyon smiled grimly and piloted them toward the second most dangerous port in this system. The Goddess have mercy. If they had to stop, the CGA would be the least of their worries.

  Chapter 54

  “What’s your plan?” Kiev asked. Nora marveled at his flawless Lyaran. Those dagger teeth should have prevented him from speaking the lilting, flowy language.

  “I think it’s safe to say the CGA has found us,” Zocan answered as he lay down another field of debris in their wake. She was beginning to see the wisdom of his technique. The ship that trailed them was nearly invisible until he’d begun pinging the shields with flotsam.

  Zocan continued, “The destroyer is overkill for the job. So, we use their size against them.”

  Kiev nodded, a frown on his blue brow. “You’ll need more speed if you hope to beat them to Siimcoe.” He shot a barrage of incoming missiles down before they could strike the Nom’magata. The explosions on the screen in front of him seemed far too close for her peace of mind.

  “At this rate,” Kiev observed calmly, “we won’t be able to evade and outmaneuver them forever. They’ll close the distance too quickly.”

  “I’m counting on our size allowing us to slip in close to the station. I’ll use it as cover,” Lyon grunted. “It’s not a great plan, but it’s what we’ve got right now.”

  Corey had been largely silent for several moments. Now, her sigh held palpable relief.

  Nora sent her a questioning look and found the other woman staring back at her. “Nothing good would come of us leaving this ship,” she whispered. “Siimcoe’s meat market is just as fucked up as Xani’s.”

  “Were you on Xani, too?” Nora asked. “I’m still not clear on how you all got aboard the Nom’magata. Or why you were there.” Realizing how ungrateful she sounded, Nora hurried to add, “Not that I don’t appreciate the save. Kiev totally kicked Z’cari and Natar’s asses at the crucial moment, but… why are you here?”

  They both cringed as an explosion rocked the Nom’magata. Nora’s heart pounded in her chest. Forgetting all about her line of questions, she white knuckled her harness straps. Black spots danced around the edges of her vision.

  “Everything is fine,” Zocan called out. “One got through is all. The shields will hold.”

  While Nora knew Zocan wouldn’t lie to her, she didn’t trust the shields. Her whole body tensed, waiting for the next blow.

  Corey locked eyes with Nora. “Keep your eyes on me. There is no reason to panic.”

  A sense of calm began to trickle through Nora. “I – what are you doing?” She asked weakly as Corey’s face filled her eyes.

  “I’m helping you to stay calm and relaxed,” Corey answered steadily. “Focus on me, on my voice, and I will give you the answers you seek.”

  “Okay,” Nora found herself agreeing. Her head felt floaty, but it was better than the terror that squirmed and pressed up from beneath the surface of that false calm.

  “Kiev took me from the dungeons on Opu because Lara – you know of Lara? And Ssszit?” She paused, and Nora nodded drunkenly. “Lara, Ssszit, Lyon and Zocan asked him to. After that, we escaped the VENTIX system, but things haven’t been easy. Ssszit contacted us and asked us to come here, to the Nom’magata, to deliver a message.”

  “What message?” Nora wondered aloud. She was vaguely aware that the ship was banking hard, that they’d taken more hits, but every time her mind tried to focus on what was happening around her, the idea slid from her mind like soap through slippery fingers.

  “You’re doing very well,” Corey praised, her calm voice going tense for a moment as the lights flickered. “I never dreamed you’d be so susceptible to suggestion. To answer your question: Ssszit asks that you take the Nom’magata and make your way to Opu. There are those that need your help. They will be allies in the fight against Hash-Han.”

  Nora fought against the confusion to process that. “I think Zocan and Lyon are too concerned about their colony to go anywhere else right now.”

  “Colony?” Corey’s green eyes narrowed.

  It felt like fingertips were running over Nora’s brain, flipping through her thoughts with rough disregard. “Ouch! What are you doing?” On a sudden burst of anger, she pooled her resources and kicked Corey out of her head.

  “Well, well, well,” Corey said, her face pale and slicked with sweat. “You’re a latent. Interesting.”

  “Why did you do that?” Nora groused, her panic back and in full force.

  The Nom’magata took another hit, the ship shaking and lights going dark once more. Red emergency lighting popped on. She heard shouting. With supreme effort, she tuned in to what was going on at the helm.

  The bright lights of Siimcoe station filled the view screens. The dark metal was spotted with floodlights and with mechanical arms that waited to pinch ships and pull them into the docks. They were so close Nora could make out the hydraulic joints on each individual docking arm.

  “I need more speed!” Lyon shouted, his legs braced, broad back rippling with effort. “We’re going to have to divert power from the shields.”

  “We’re almost there,” Kiev yelled, his four arms a blur of constant motion. The holoscreen in front of him was filled with the red dots of enemy missiles. “Just do what you have to!”

  “Dive, dive, dive!” Zocan chanted, his holoscreen showing another barrage of missiles flying at them from the pursuing ship.

  They dropped down, flying so close to the station that Nora could have sworn sparks flew between the ship’s hull and the station. Then, the screens went white, the air vibrating with heat as they hurtled forward blindly.

  “What was that?” She shrieked. She felt death breathing down the back of her neck.

  “They followed us very close to the station,” Kiev answered calmly, batting his weapon controls to the side. Zocan followed suit and they both began pushing through a series of holographic icons that appeared as Lyon focused on flying the ship. “They weren’t able to pull up. The explosion caused by their ship hitting the station took our relay screens down.”

  “If I can get us safely out of here, we’re home free,” Lyon gritted, sweat rolling down his face.

  Somehow, she pulled that blanket of calm Corey had pressed on her earlier back down to smother her emotions. She needed to think.

  In the pulsing, ruddy light, her eyes focused on Corey’s pale face. “What’s a latent?”

  “You have some – very limited right now - innate psychic abilities,” Corey answered. “Mostly the ability to police your own mind. Once you had time to analyze what I was doing, you booted me and threw up a psychic block in short order. It was quite impressive.”

  Abruptly, the overhead lights flashed back on.

  “I didn’t like what you were doing,” Nora said defensivel
y as she noted a thin line of blood trickling from Corey’s nose. Had she done that? The thought horrified and fascinated. Something inside her shifted and fluttered before settling in like a bird come home to roost.

  “I’m sorry.” Corey swiped absently at the blood. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I was just thrown off.”

  “Okay,” Nora replied cautiously. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, either. I didn’t even know I could do that.”

  “I’ve had worse,” Corey sniffed, brushing Nora’s apology aside. “I’m more interested in the security of this colony. You see, I’m pregnant and I need a haven.”

  “You’re…wow,” Nora’s guilt multiplied as she realized she’d attacked a pregnant woman. In self-defense, she reminded herself. Still. “Wait. Where is the father?” There was a lull in the conversation and her words were translated into Lyaran for all to hear. Nora winced. “Sorry,” she muttered to Corey.

  “Here,” Kiev growled.

  Nora looked up to see Kiev and Zocan had restored the visual relay to the screens. Currently, they showed a huge destroyer embedded in Siimcoe Station’s docks. Malfunctioning cloaking shields made the destroyer flicker in and out of visibility.

  “Congratulations.” Nora smiled nervously, her eyes flicking between the two parents-to-be. They had Kiev and Zocan’s undivided attention. Oops.

  “I’ve never heard of Novink reproducing naturally.”

  Zocan had obviously thrown diplomacy to the wind, Nora thought, her mouth dropping open in astonishment.

  “Corey and the child must not be separated from me,” Kiev revealed, his face grave. “Ssszit said that if we sent you to him on Opu, you would provide a safe place.”

  “Why didn’t he come himself?” Lyon threw the question over his shoulder proving he could both pilot and listen simultaneously.

  “Hash-Han is sniffing out psychic powers. He’s had to lock his down,” Corey answered. “My little War Lord has amped up my abilities and I couldn’t hide effectively there. I need to be someplace far, far away from the Emperor until I’ve had a chance to safely deliver and reassess my abilities. Kiev and I don’t agree on much, but the child is our priority. Right?”

  Kiev’s freaky eyes narrowed on Corey’s face for several long moments. “The child is a priority.”

  “The colony,” Nora breathed, her eyes flying to Zocan’s. Lyon’s shoulders were stiff as he flew, his back to them. She’d have to apologize and explain what happened with Corey to them later. “We need to go to Ssszit, but someone has to make sure everyone there remains…uncompromised.”

  “Perhaps you would be willing to do us a favor?” Zocan invited smoothly. “We have such a place, but we need to scout it, make sure it remains safe and in friendly hands.”

  Nora could see by the tightness around his eyes that he wasn’t happy she’d forced his hand. Internally, she cringed. If she was going to be their mate, the third in their trinepact, they were just going to have to learn to trust her, she thought as she squared her shoulders.

  “Ssszit said you would,” Corey nodded.

  “We will need details.” Kiev folded both sets of thick arms across his massive chest looking like some forgotten god as he surveyed his supplicants. Nora shivered. The dude was just scary.

  “Let’s get out of here, first,” Lyon broke in without turning around. “The destroyer should have carried several small fighters. Yet, I’m not seeing anything exiting the ship. They haven’t sent anyone after us.”

  Chapter 55

  When it became apparent that the CGA destroyer didn’t have the crew to hunt them, Zocan had suggested Kiev and the female, Corey, retire. Whatever they’d done to sneak aboard the Nom’magata had to have been rigorous. Corey yawned repeatedly and Lyon spotted dried blood beneath her dainty nose.

  Per his mate’s request, Lyon had showed the couple to Lara’s old quarters while Zocan saw to the bridge. Now that they were back aboard the Nom’magata with its superior technology, the translation software could be fine-tuned. Since Corey would need it, Lyon knew Zocan would be busily keying the software to her voice pattern and her bio signature. In that way, they could be sure Corey could communicate with anyone on ship.

  The curvaceous Earther hadn’t batted an eye at the physicality required to get around on the Nom’magata, but she was clearly flagging when he left her and Kiev in their quaters. He didn’t know if that kind of fatigue was normal for a gestating female or not, but he hoped she would recover quickly.

  Now, Lyonogged back up the ramps and clambered up the ladders to return to his own mates. A hard ball of dread knotted his stomach.He’d hoped to avoid any outright confrontation until they had attempted to complete the trinepact with their lovely Nora.

  There was no guarantee that the relationship would work between the three of them as it would have with three Lyarans. However, that emotional bond on his and Zocan’s part would have prevented Zocan from becoming too angry with Nora. Probably.

  Lyon didn’t know why she’d volunteered the information about the colony to Corey. He’d been frozen with disbelief when she’d casually mentioned her plan without discussing it with him and Zocan first. At this point, though, he was willing to listen to an explanation. There had to be one for why she’d blurted out their second most guarded secret like that. Didn’t there?

  He quickly stepped onto the flight deck, prepared to wade into the battle between Zocan and Nora, only to stumble to a halt in the icy silence. It took a moment for him to adjust his approach. Having two mates to read and appease was going to take some getting used to after it had been just him and Zocan for so long.

  “They’re all settled,” he announced, strolling into the room.

  Nora still sat buckled into her jump seat, a neutral expression on her face. Her eyes had dark circles beneath them. Zocan was scrolling through the system scans that would continuously check and recheck their position, the health and positions of the occupants on board the ship, and any manner of other data he might have thought to check for. He appeared remote and untouchable.

  “I can’t get out of this harness.” Nora gestured Lyon over. As he drew near, she glanced up shyly from beneath her lashes. “That was some flying.”

  Her praise made his pulse hammer as much as the hungry look that crossed over her face when he leaned near to deactivate her harness.

  “I’m forced to admit it was more luck than skill that we survived. If the destroyer had been fully outfitted with staff and equipment, I do not believe the outcome would have been favorable.”

  “Wow,” Nora snorted out a laugh, her deep brown eyes dancing. “That was really humble coming from you, Lyon.” She accepted his help as she rose from her seat, stumbling heavily against him. “Woah.”

  He grabbed her around the waist, steadying her as her hands went to her forehead. She took several deep breaths in through her nose. Her pallor told him the deep breathing wasn’t doing enough.

  “What’s wrong?” Had something happened to her while he was absorbed with spearheading their escape?

  “Sorry. Head rush.” A line of sweat beaded above her full upper lip.

  “You should lie down,” Zocan put in with a frown as he crossed to examine her, concern evidently overriding his frigid anger. “I will take you to our cabin.”

  He moved to scoop her up, but she held up a hand and squeezed her eyes shut. “Just give me a moment,” she requested softly. When he stepped back, she reached for his hand and squeezed tight even as her arm snaked around Lyon’s middle.

  The sight of their female, the soon-to-be third in their trinepact, standing so close between them filled his heart to bursting. Yes, there were many obstacles in their path and much uncertainty, but here was hope for their future. Here was their reward for sacrificing and scraping through life all these many termis.

  Those dark eyes opened, and she looked back and forth between him and Zocan. “I want to apologize while it’s just the three of us,” she blurted. “Corey did some head-thing to calm m
e down, and I accidentally told her about the colony. Then, she hopped into my head to find out more.”

  “What?!?” Zocan pulled back, his long face going steely with anger. “That is unacc-.”

  “Wait,” Nora interrupted. “She is pretty panicked about the baby. She claims she didn’t mean to hurt me. It woke something up inside of me that I don’t fully understand. I-it was like I saw all this light in my body, and I gathered it close and used it to evict her.” She turned worried eyes up to Lyon. “I’ve never experienced anything like that before, and I’m afraid I hurt her.”

  He nodded, his arm tightening around her middle as understanding dawned. “The nosebleed was your doing.”

  She nodded, eyes falling. “I didn’t mean to hurt her so bad. It took a lot out of me.”

  “Let’s see if we can get a restorative in you,” Zocan suggested softly.

  His free hand cupped Nora’s face and she nuzzled into his touch sweetly. “I’m really sorry I spilled your secret.”

  “I’m sorry that I didn’t give you the chance to explain sooner,” Zocan replied, walking to the wall dispenser. “There should be nutrient broth stocked. It should cure what ails you.”

  Lyon took a moment to savor the harmony. Her next words shocked him speechless.

  “I guess you guys probably want to rethink the whole ‘mates’ thing, huh?”

  Zocan didn’t immediately answer. Lyon shifted uneasily from foot to foot and wrapped his free arm around Nora, drawing her so she stood with her back to his front. He wouldn’t let her go. Not now. Not ever.

  Finally, Zocan said, “Nora, the trinepact is a sacred relationship. While for us it is common knowledge, I sometimes forget how little we know of one another’s culture. Neither Lyon nor I would ever back away from you for any reason, ever, now that we’ve chosen, and you’ve agreed.”

  “That doesn’t mean you wouldn’t want to,” she replied. “I understand that you might be frightened of me. Hell, I’m frightened of me, of what I might do.”