by Stacy Jones
Tirox boomed a laugh, the sound wet, like he was choking on blood.
“You will die now, fools. You should not have made her angry,” he rasped thickly, still laughing.
At that, she glanced at him. It was only for a split second before she looked away, half a heartbeat, but the impression of blood and twisted limbs was enough.
Something in her mind snapped.
That other part—the dark, animal part, forged during her years in the arena—surged upward, but this time, Aria didn’t fight it. She welcomed it, embraced it, let it rid her of the mercy she might have otherwise tried to employ.
The guards weren’t the ones responsible for what had been done, but they’d stood by and let Zhrovni do… that to her Red. They’d let him maim her playful, gentle barbarian.
So they would die, horribly.
That other part flowed through her limbs, offering strength and speed the likes of which she hadn’t known she possessed. Her senses sharpened until she could hear the heartbeat of the guard ahead of her, could see his pupils swell with fear from fifteen feet away.
Sprinting toward him, she ducked to avoid the shot he fired, then pushed off the ground, springing into the air. She flew over his head, landed in a crouch behind him, then spun around and leapt onto his back.
Having fought his kind before, she knew their weaknesses. She anchored herself by gripping his waist with her knees, pinned his head to her chest with one hand, then reached around and dug her fingers into the soft spot in his throat.
The thin skin split with a wet pop. Lips curled in a snarl, she shoved her hand past the meat and tendons until she felt his windpipe. Seizing it in her fist, she ripped it free.
The guard clawed at his throat, bubbling sounds wheezing out as his lungs tried to draw breath through the gaping hole in his neck, and slowly collapsed to his knees.
Aria used his dying body to push herself up and was already lunging for the next guard by the time he hit the floor.
The scent of burning flesh from Kix’s acid, blood, and fear was thick in the air by the time the last guard fell.
Zeroing in on Zhrovni, huddled and shaking against the side wall, Aria smiled.
As though that was the most monstrous thing he’d ever seen, he keened and tried to shove himself backward through the wall, scrambling at the surface as though a door would magically appear to save him from his fate.
“Your turn,” she whispered, slowly prowling toward him, savoring the terror on his hideous face.
Crouching, she picked up one of the guard’s guns, never taking her eyes from Zhrovni, then strolled forward until they were standing less than a foot apart.
For a second, she considered not killing him. She could imprison him in the cave below, leave him down there to rot like he had Thrasin. She could let him experience just a hint of the torture he’d inflicted on so many others.
But, this wasn’t Earth, with its prisons and laws, and she was no longer Aria Taylor, Special Agent for the FBI.
She was Vhraress.
And he needed to die.
Raising the gun, she clicked the setting up to high with her thumb, and set the barrel against his forehead.
“You really shouldn’t have hurt my mate.”
The gunshot echoed off the walls as a fist-sized hole appeared in Zhrovni’s head. Face slack, he slid bonelessly to the floor, leaving a streak of green blood and grey matter behind.
Aria stepped back, then calmly shot him twice more in the chest, just to be sure he wouldn’t get back up, no matter what technology was used on his corpse.
A grunt behind her had her whipping around in time to see Tirox struggling to sit up on the gurney.
“Moons-damned magic,” he growled, relaxing back with a groan. “Kix, command this thing to release me!”
“You shouldn’t be trying to move anyway, you stubborn man!” she chastised, darting to him to lay a hand on his chest, the only part of him that didn’t appear to be injured.
Kix sprinted to the wall and tapped on a console. A faint hum she hadn’t really noticed abruptly cut off, and Tirox sighed in relief.
Scanning his body, she drew in a shuddering breath at the extent of his wounds. His legs, arms, and fingers were clearly broken, and almost every inch of his body was covered in cuts and slashes.
“Fucking bastard,” she choked. Bending over, she gently cupped Tirox’s cheeks and called, “Kix, do something!” More softly, she demanded, “Tell me you’re okay.”
His golden eyes were dark and still with pain, but a lopsided smile curled his full, red lips as he murmured, “I will live, my heart. It will take far more than a few scratches to pry me away from you.”
“Aessa,” Kix called softly.
Glancing at him, she saw him wave her over, his other hand hovering over the console on the wall. She nodded and reluctantly backed away, understanding he needed her to move in order to initiate the healing.
A buzzing sound, deeper than the earlier hum, started up as soon as she stepped away. Tirox threw his head back and bellowed behind gritted teeth as his bones cracked and shifted back into place, his skin knitting together before her very eyes.
His screams of pain were like knives in her chest. Aria had to curl her hands into fists, clenching them until her fingers ached, to stop herself from reaching for him, but she couldn’t stop the tears from spilling down her cheeks.
She felt warmth at her back and knew instantly it was Thrasin. How he’d managed to get so close without her hearing him she didn’t know, and didn’t care.
Swaying backward, she leaned against him, letting his heat chase away some of the coldness in her bones. Kix and Rellik closed in on either side, offering their comfort, as well. She blindly reached for their hands, using their touch to steady herself as she watched Tirox’s body reform.
The healing only lasted maybe five minutes, but it was the longest five minutes of her life. Thankfully, Tirox passed out after the first.
When the buzzing died, Kix pulled her into his chest and wrapped her in a tight hug.
“We need to search the building to ensure there are no enemies left, lying in wait. Stay with him. We will not be long,” he murmured against her hair.
She should go with them, but she nodded instead.
“Be careful.”
“Always, my treasure.”
When they left, Aria climbed up on the gurney, tucking herself into Tirox’s side, and laid her head on his chest, listening to the reassuring sound of his heartbeat as she waited for him to wake up.
There was so much to be done. She needed to gather up and question the ants, search the spaceship for survivors, wake up the slaves in stasis, make sure Skaa and the men below made it out, secure the building, prepare for police or scavengers to show up, and a hundred other things…
But all that would have to wait.
Aria wasn’t going anywhere until Tirox opened his beautiful, hypnotic eyes and gave her that wide, mischievous smile she loved so much.
Chapter 43
An hour later, Aria was grumbling under her breath as Tirox strolled merrily down the halls, carrying her like a princess.
“Damned stubborn, bullheaded alien.”
“Mmm, but I am your stubborn alien, am I not?” he purred in response, boosting her higher to nuzzle his face into her hair.
The moment he woke up, he’d been ready to go, and no matter how insistently she ordered him to lie back down, sure he needed more rest after everything he’d gone through, he wouldn’t listen.
His argument was that if something terrible happened while she was fussing over him like a ‘mother vi’itus with a newborn pup’ she’d blame herself—which she would—and he would blame himself for her being upset. “Besides,” he’d said, “I feel perfectly renewed.”
So, he’d scooped her up and set off to find the other ‘love-starved bastards she’d bewitched.’
They found Kix, Thrasin, and Rellik coming out of an elevator on the other side of the
concourse. When they caught sight of her cradled in Tirox’s arms, her own crossed and a disgruntled look on her face, Kix and Rellik broke out in smiles.
Meeting in the middle, below the atrium, Kix stared down at her, the sparkles in his pupils twinkling with amusement.
“He did not listen to your demands to rest?” Kix guessed.
Aria grumbled and cut her eyes up to Tirox. “Bullheaded. Are you planning to put me down, by the way?”
Tirox just smirked and cocked an eyebrow but made no move to set her on her feet. Hiding her smile, she sighed and glanced back at the men in front of her. She didn’t really want him to put her down, anyway.
“What did you find?”
“We searched the building in its entirety. There were no guards, other than those we killed. We did discover a room in which the Gaelli workers were being held. They are slaves as we suspected. We decided the best course was to leave them locked there.”
“What? Kix, we can’t just—”
“We ensured they have adequate sustenance. We also checked the one that was in the room with Tirox for injuries before leaving it in their care. I thought you might wish to contend with the crashed vessel first, yes?”
She narrowed her eyes, but caved fairly quickly. “I don’t like leaving them locked up like prisoners, but, yeah, you’re right. Triage. Okay, let’s head back to the crash.”
She looked at Thrasin when he rumbled softly and frowned. He appeared eager but, while she more than appreciated his willingness to go through that painful transformation, she wasn’t ready to watch it again. That was another thing she wanted to talk to the ants about: if there was a way to make his shift from one form to the other less excruciating.
Having obviously read her expression, Rellik murmured, “Have no worries, little Queen. We found runners on the highest level. Your growly mate need not go through the change.”
“Runners?”
Kix interjected, “Gravity vehicles, both personal and cargo sizes.”
“Nice. What other goodies did you find?”
The three of them exchanged a speaking glance before Rellik gave her one of those cocky smirks he was so good at and answered cryptically, “A great many things.”
After a quick trip to the weapons fabrication room on the lab level, where everyone armed themselves with their preferred weapons, and a trip to the labs themselves, where everyone used the tubes to get dressed, their next stop was the twelfth floor, where Zhrovni kept storage.
There, they stocked up on healing rings, one for each of them, and a few extras, just in case, as well as food and water that Tirox carried in one of the duffle bags. Last, was the fourteenth floor where the vehicles were located.
From what they’d discovered, the underground levels were used exclusively for gladiator maintenance and storage. That included the warehouse room where the original bodies were kept, the modification suites where he essentially lobotomized people, the labs, clone fabrication rooms, a few healing suites, and the weapons fabrication room.
The ground level was where the masses entered to attend the tournaments, shopped, and ate. More restaurants, shops, and entertainment parlors were located on the second floor, according to Rellik. Something about his tone as he said the last prompted her to question what, exactly, an entertainment parlor was.
His grimace told her she wasn’t going to like the answer.
“Ahh, spas, beautification salons, and massage parlors catering to the varied beings who frequent this place,” he clarified.
He was hiding something from her.
“And?”
His mouth tightened at the corners, but he glanced at her and added flatly, “Pleasure lounges where beings go to… relieve themselves on Veiled slaves. Most only allow their patrons to fuck the slaves, but there are some that specialize in… darker lusts.”
She didn’t question how he knew that, afraid she already knew the answer. Instead, she asked, “Veiled?”
She could see the gratitude in his fiery eyes when he peered down at her and gave him a sad, but understanding smile in return.
Clearing his throat, he faced forward again and explained, “It is what they call the beings under mental inhibitors. The Federation made it illegal to own sentient beings as slaves. In answer, some sick, baseborn mongrel founded Veiling technology. Now, random beings may find themselves slaves, for if their minds are locked behind the veil, they cannot be self-aware and, therefore, are not legally considered sentient.”
Aria stayed silent when he paused, waiting for him to choose whether or not to keep going. She needed this information, but she could get it from someone else. She wasn’t going to make him continue, if he didn’t want to.
After a couple seconds, he blinked and added, “For a time, the Federation tried to implement new laws to hinder the trade, but it is, and was, too widespread. They have all but conceded defeat now. It is still illegal to own an Aware slave,” A snarl curled his hips. “though, that does not stop most pleasure lounges from keeping one or two in the back for their patrons to abuse for an extra handful of credits.”
When he fell silent, Aria moved to walk at his side and reached down to gently clasp his hand. She didn’t know whether he’d accept her offer of comfort, but the moment her hand touched his, he tightened his fingers around hers and held on.
Bit by bit, the tension in his body eased until his grip was relaxed and the flinching around the corners of his eyes went away.
In an effort to tame the rage she felt at what he’d just shared, and distract him from the dark place she’d inadvertently asked him to go to, Aria prompted him to describe the layout of the remaining levels.
Floors three through eleven were lodging, where off-planet attendees stayed. The twelfth floor was for storage and manufacturing all the things it took to run the place. That’s where Zhrovni kept the ants locked up. Levels thirteen and fourteen housed the alien version of a garage and parking levels.
Once they arrived, Aria stopped in her tracks and gaped.
The garage was a massive, open space taking up the entire floor, filled with various-sized vehicles set in tidy rows from smallest to biggest. The runners themselves were like something out of a science fiction movie.
Sleek and shiny, they had long, enclosed, bullet-shaped bodies with no obvious means of propulsion. Rellik assured her that wings would unfurl to stretch out to either side. The tops were covered in what he called converters which, from what she understood, were basically high-tech solar panels, and the bottoms were lined with little, metal bubbles called gravity negators.
She left him and Kix behind to discuss how the technology worked, her firefly always the curious scientist, and started for the closest one. The smallest were roughly the size of a sports car and were made to carry two, while the biggest were the size of a double decker bus.
Running her hand along the side of one, she jumped when a seam appeared out of nowhere, and a door dropped down like the ladder on an airplane.
She started to climb the stairs only to find herself abruptly facing the other direction.
Turning, she saw Thrasin and Tirox disappearing inside the interior.
Aria sighed and shook her head, not surprised, or even upset, they’d crept up behind her and snatched her off her feet so they could check it out first. She was getting used to these overprotective, alien men and their penchant for moving her about like a doll.
Pivoting back around, she climbed up behind them.
The interior was set up similarly to an airplane, with a cockpit in the front and a cargo area in the back. She found Tirox inspecting the forward cabin and Thrasin searching the cargo area.
“Any boogiemen hiding in here?” she asked drolly.
Thrasin glanced back at her and answered seriously, “No.”
Aria smiled and shook her head. “Good.”
Rellik and Kix entered behind her, both their gazes landing on her first, then sweeping the space, before turning to look at Tirox in the cockpi
t. Dual expressions of alarm spread over their faces when they spotted her massive barbarian poking around in there. In lockstep, they moved to intercept Red from touching the button at which he was staring.
She felt her brows slowly rising as she watched them. She hadn’t thought they were all that similar, but observing them now and remembering how they’d nerded out over the mechanics of the runners, she realized they were actually more alike than she realized. They got along well, too, which made her smile for reasons at which she wasn’t willing to look too closely. Because two mates was enough. Plenty. She didn’t need anyone other than Kix and Tirox.
Her gaze flicked to Rellik then Thrasin.
She tried to imagine them with other women and immediately ground her teeth together so hard her jaw ached.
Burying the possessive rage the image inspired, before Kix picked up on it, she rubbed her forehead and sighed.
Save the spaceship people now, deal with feelings later. Good plan.
Chapter 44
After Rellik gave them all a crash course on how to operate the runners, they split up. Each of them was going to fly one of the large, bus-sized ones since they didn’t know how many people they’d need to transport back.
Settling into the pilot’s seat, Aria grinned widely as she felt the runner come to life beneath her and leaned forward to peer out the side of the massive window—or screen, as Rellik called it—that made up the majority of the front, so she could see the wings unfurl. They looked like metallic, dragonfly wings, glittering like prisms in the light of the garage.
Placing her hands on the touchpads set into the armrests, she copied the movements Rellik showed them, prompting the runner to lift off the ground then swinging it around to follow the one he was in to an outer wall.
When they got close enough, the wall lowered until there was a massive opening, revealing open skies and a hell of a drop to the ground below.
“Oh, this is going to be fun,” she breathed.
Aria didn’t pause after Rellik’s runner flew over the ledge. Letting out a loud whoop, she gunned it, sailing over the edge and dropping into a nosedive. Fifty feet from the ground, she slid her hands back to pull up and level out, pressing harder at the same time to increase her speed.