by Tana Stone
He grabbed Dakar’s arm and bellowed over the wind. “Not yours?”
Dakar shook his head vigorously. Torven looked at the vessel again. Had the Drexian hunting parties found him already? It would explain why Trista was with them.
His heart sank as he watched her walk onto the ship. She wasn’t being dragged or forced. She was leaving voluntarily. Leaving him voluntarily.
You gave her no reason to stay, he told himself.
He expected her to be upset, but he couldn’t help feeling hurt that she had been so eager to abandon him. Maybe she hadn’t felt what he had when they’d been together. Perhaps her anger at him was greater than anything else.
Dakar stopped, and Torven almost ran into him. “If they are here to bring you both back, we shouldn’t let them see you. Not unless you want to find yourself in custody again.”
Torven nodded, although he hated the thought of letting Trista leave without trying to talk to her. But going on the ship to confront her would be the same as turning himself in, and until he was sure that Dorn had evidence proving his innocence, doing that meant he would be convicted of treason.
Dak rested a hand on his arm. “You okay?” he mouthed.
Torven nodded as relief overtook his sadness. At least Trista was going back with Drexians, and would no doubt be returned to the Boat. She hadn’t been captured by Kronock or frozen to death. She was safe.
He tried to force the thought that he may never see her again from his mind. As much as he wanted her to stay with him, he knew this was the best thing for her. It was what she wanted. He choked down his disappointment that she hadn’t wanted to stay with him. But after how he’d behaved, who could blame her? Torven only hoped he would get the chance to explain what had happened when he was proven innocent.
He held onto his hope of being free again, imagining being reunited with Trista on the Boat. At the moment, it was all he had.
Dakar nudged him. “You ready to go back to the cave, Torv? It looks like she’s safe.”
Torven nodded but didn’t move. He couldn’t tear his eyes from the ship she’d vanished into. Knowing she was so close but out of reach was maddening. He knew he was foolish to hope for her to come back out of the ship so he could get a final glimpse, but his feet felt rooted to the ground.
“Did you see other Drexian ships when you arrived?” Torven asked, cupping his hand over his mouth so his friend could hear him.
Another shake of the head from Dak. “Only Kronock. I’m surprised we haven’t run into any of them.”
Torven peered around him but could see no evidence of his enemy. Had they left the planet and given up their hunt? He doubted it.
The ramp to the Drexian ship lowered again, suddenly, and Dak pulled him down. The two men huddled low to the ground as they watched the other Drexian warrior reappear and stride out of the ship. He looked around, spoke into something on his wrist, and appeared to wait.
“What’s he doing?” Dakar asked.
“Waiting for the rest of his team?” Torven suggested. He couldn’t imagine the Drexians sending only one warrior in such a large ship.
The wind died down as they waited, the sharp, freezing rain becoming thick flakes of snow that swirled from the sky. Torven’s breath was warm as he blew into his hands and kept his eyes trained on the dark hull and the warrior standing outside it.
After a few minutes, a pair of figures appeared from the far side of the ship, approaching from the behind a ridge on the opposite side. Torven inhaled sharply. Even though they were far away, he knew instantly they were Kronock from the gray hue of their scaly skin, and the thick legs with clawed feet scraping across the ice.
“Our Drexian brother is going to be ambushed,” Torven said, starting to surge to his feet.
Dakar put a warning hand on his shoulder and held him down. “I don’t think so.”
Both warriors watched in shock as the Drexian walked to greet the two Kronock soldiers. He gave them an abrupt bow before the group conversed for several minutes.
“I don’t understand,” Torven said in a low voice that shook with anger. “What would a Drexian be doing talking to our sworn enemy?”
They watched as the Kronock walked back in the direction they’d come from, and the Drexian disappeared into the ship, the ramp closing behind him.
Dak turned toward, him his expression grave. “Isn’t it obvious? We’ve found the real traitor.”
The black-hulled ship shuddered as its engines roared to life, snow scattering behind it as it lifted off the ground.
Torven stared at the departing ship, his heart racing. “And he has my mate.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Her head pounded as she came to. Where was she? Trista tried to move her hand up to rub her aching head, but found her wrists were bound behind her back. She swallowed and tasted blood, running her tongue over a cut in her lip.
Panic fluttered in her stomach as she tried to remember what had happened. She’d been on the ship with the other Drexian. What was his name again? Her memories were hazy, but were slowly coming back to her. He’d shot her. She remembered hearing the blaster power up before feeling a blast of heat and collapsing to the floor. That bastard had actually shot her. She touched the tip of her tongue to the tear in her mouth and flinched. That must have been how she’d split her lip.
Anger overtook her panic. She didn’t know what was going on, but she knew she had to get out of there. She managed to heave herself upright so she was sitting up with her back against something cold and hard. Swiveling her head, Trista could see that she was sitting in a storage closet of some kind. Metal shelving was soldered to the walls on each side of her with bins stacked high behind steel mesh doors. It looked like someone had stocked the ship for a long trip.
Her stomach churned as she realized the ship was moving. She heard the hum of the engine, and could tell they were flying at a steady speed. Since this ship was larger than the shuttle she’d flown on with Torven, the engines gave off heavier vibrations.
Stay calm, Trista told herself. If he wanted you dead, he would have killed you instead of stunning you.
She opened and closed her fists, tugging against her bindings. She wished she could get her hands on a blaster and have a go at the jerk who’d shot her. And kidnapped her. She shook her head. She couldn’t believe she’d been kidnapped. Again.
“This is getting a little old,” she muttered to herself.
Karsh. That was the name of the Drexian who’d convinced her he was saving her. She could have kicked herself. She’d walked right on board his ship and into his trap, although to be fair to herself, he’d been very convincing. Nothing about his story had seemed off. That is, until she’d happened to find the dead body of a Drexian stashed away in this ship.
Trista felt another stab of panic. She was being held captive by someone who’d killed his own crewmate. That wasn’t good. What was to stop him from killing her? She didn’t know why he’d taken her, but she now knew it wasn’t to rescue her and get her back to the space station. If that had been the case, he wouldn’t have needed to get rid of the other guy and subdue her.
She looked around the storage closet more intently now. She had to free herself. No way was she going to go quietly to wherever the hell this guy planned on taking her.
Trista thought of Torven back on the freezing planet and choked back a sob. By now, he and Dakar must have discovered her missing. Had Torven been upset to find her gone? She’d wanted him to feel the sting of her leaving him, but now that seemed terribly petty. All she wanted was to throw herself in his arms and have him tell her he wouldn’t let anything happen to her.
She blinked hard, her eyes stinging. Torven wasn’t there to save her. She’d made sure of that. The only way she’d probably ever see him again was to get away from Karsh.
Gritting her teeth, she scooted her hands up under herself. She might not be super athletic, but she’d always been flexible. You didn’t have to be stick-skinny to be
able to do the splits or touch your toes, and she’d spent her childhood mimicking the girls in her neighborhood whose main goal in life was to be a cheerleader. She pulled her bent legs close into her chest, while extending her bound arms. Her wrist bindings dug into her flesh, and she pressed her lips together to keep from crying out in pain. When she’d finally tucked her feet under wrists, she pulled her arms out in front of her.
She was breathing hard and blood trickled down her arms, but she was pleased with herself. It was definitely easier to move this way. Trista grabbed one of the shelving units and pulled herself up to standing. Scanning the room, she didn’t see any way to remove or cut through the hard, plastic ties slicing into her wrists.
Trista pushed against the door and it opened easily. Karsh must not have expected her to wake up or manage to get up. His fault for underestimating her.
She crept out into the central area of the ship. It was empty, so she assumed Karsh had put the dead body back into the closet. She gave an involuntary shudder as she thought about the wide, unseeing eyes of the dead Drexian. That was not going to be her.
The only noises came from the cockpit, so she tiptoed closer. Karsh sat at the pilot’s console with his back to her. A loud beep sounded, and he tapped his fingers on the touch screen.
“Incoming transmission,” the computer said, the voice female and only slightly stilted.
Karsh let out a huff of breath as he tapped again. “Identify yourself.”
“I am Dakar, a warrior of the Drexian Empire and a member of Inferno Force. Who are you, traitor?”
Trista nearly wept at the sound of Dakar’s voice. He’d tracked her ship. That meant he and Torven knew she’d been taken and had come after her. Well, she assumed Torven was with him. It could just be his friend who’d come for her. That thought dampened her excitement.
Karsh twitched, clearly not pleased by being called a traitor. “I am not the one wanted by the Empire. That’s your friend.”
“I saw you talking with the Kronock,” Dakar said. “I know it was you who conspired with our enemy, and my Inferno Force brothers will prove it.”
Karsh growled and slammed a fist onto the arm of his chair. “It is your word against the mine. I am the son of Terk, a member of the High Command. No one will believe you.”
Trista watched out the front glass as several Drexian ships materialized in front of the ship, flanking them. They were not as sleek as the one she was in, but they’d obviously been outfitted with stealth technology. Karsh cursed and slowed the engines.
“Tell that to Inferno Force,” Dakar said.
Karsh scraped a hand roughly through his short hair. “I have the Earth female. If you want to see her alive, you’ll back off.”
“You wouldn’t dare harm a tribute bride.” This voice was not Dakar’s. If Trista wasn’t mistaken, it was Dorn’s. He must be on one of the Inferno Force ships blocking their way.
“Why do I care?” Karsh said. “She isn’t my bride. I was denied my bride, or don’t you remember, Dorn?’
So Karsh recognized the voice, as well.
“Your own brother stole my bride from me,” Karsh continued. “But maybe I should take this one as compensation. I’m sure she’d much rather be mated to me than to a fugitive.”
“You will not touch her.” Torven’s voice was a dangerous rumble as it was projected into the cockpit.
Karsh laughed. “Is that the criminal himself? Perhaps I should summon High Command and claim my bounty.”
“You will claim nothing but a jail cell,” Torven said.
“Unless I claim your female. I don’t suppose you’d like that, would you? She’s tied up and unconscious right now, and I can do anything I want with her.”
“I would not recommend that,” Dakar said, “unless you wish to spend the rest of your life being chased across the galaxy.”
Karsh drummed his fingers on the console. “I will give you your precious female, if you give me safe passage away from here.”
“You know we cannot let a traitor—” Dorn began.
“Done,” Torven’s voice cut across his.
Karsh turned his head slightly, and Trista saw the edges of his mouth curl up. “You seem very attached to this female. Maybe I should have a taste of her before I return her. Just to see what all the fuss is about.”
The console emitted a series of high-pitched beeps, and Karsh glanced down. “You’ve locked torpedoes on me? You Inferno Force warriors never could take a joke.”
“Prepare to be boarded and prepare to hand over the tribute bride,” Dorn said.
“How do I know you won’t go back on your part of the bargain?” Karsh asked. “How do I know you’ll let me go once you have the female?”
“Are you questioning our honor?” Dakar asked.
“I require an exchange. One of your Inferno Force warriors in place of the female. I will release him on an outpost when I have gotten far enough away.”
“You are in no position to bargain,” Dorn said.
“I am if you want your female back alive and—” Karsh paused and gave a low laugh “—untouched.”
“I will be your hostage,” Torven said. “You can take me in her place.”
Karsh’s smile widened. “This just gets better and better.”
Trista’s pulse quickened. Torven cared for her enough to sacrifice himself. How could she have ever thought he didn’t have feelings for her? But there was no way she was letting him be taken while she went free. She knew there was no point to her being free and returning to the Boat without him.
Looking around her, she spotted Karsh’s environmental suit in a pile on the bench seat that ran along the wall behind him. Tucked into the belt of that suit was a blaster.
Moving slowly, Trista picked up the blaster and pointed it at the back of Karsh’s head. She checked the settings, considering for a moment if she should move it from stun to kill, but quickly decided she didn’t want to add killer to her resume.
“Do you agree to my terms?” Torven asked.
Trista fired before Karsh could answer, and she watched him twitch before collapsing in his seat. She didn’t lower the blaster as she stepped closer to the console.
“No deal,” she said. “I’m not going anywhere without you.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Torven hovered above the hatch as the Inferno Force shuttle latched on to the Drexian traitor’s ship, the sound of the metal clamping to metal making him almost weep with relief. Having to listen to Karsh bargain with his mate’s life had been almost too much to withstand, and he’d nearly collapsed when he’d heard the blaster fire.
He knew Trista was fine, she’d told him so over the comms link, but he wouldn’t be able to breathe easy until he saw her for himself. The fact that she’d shot Karsh hadn’t surprised him, but a part of him wished she had done more than stun him. A traitor who would deign to betray his people to the Kronock deserved nothing less than death.
“Lock complete,” Dakar called back from the cockpit.
Torven put his hand to the panel and the round hatch slid open, revealing a smooth black hatch below it. He pounded his hand on the metal, and it opened with a whoosh to reveal Trista peering up at him.
Torven dropped down into her ship and gathered her in his arms in a single motion, clutching her tightly.
“Whoa.” She wiggled in his grasp. “What are you doing?”
“You’re really all right.” He held her out at arm’s length, giving her a quick once-over to be sure she was truly unhurt.
She tried to shake him off, but he didn’t let go. Her expression was fierce, and she still held the blaster he assumed she’d used to incapacitate Karsh.
Torven was so happy she was safe, he didn’t care that the look she gave him was murderous. If it was possible, her anger made her even prettier, giving her cheeks a delicate flush and making her eyes flash.
He reached a hand out to stroke her hair, and she slapped it away. “If you think you
can waltz on here and act like nothing happened, then think again, buddy.”
“You’re upset that I was an idiot,” he said.
She stopped struggling. “So, you admit you were a colossal jackass?”
He nodded, bringing a hand to her face and tracing his thumb along her jawline. “Yes. I was so concerned with preserving my honor that I acted stupidly and hurt you. Can you forgive me?”
Her mouth fell open. “I’m not used to guys admitting they were wrong.”
“Maybe that’s because they didn’t love you like I do.”
Her mouth dropped even more. “You…you…do?” She met his eyes, blinking away tears. “I thought you didn’t care about me.”
He bent and brushed his lips over hers. “You are all I care about. You are all that matters to me.”
“As crazy as it is, I love you, too.” She choked back a sob. “When I heard you volunteer to take my place, the thought of losing you made me crazy. I knew he’d kill you, and I couldn’t bear that.”
Torven tangled his hand in her hair and pulled her mouth to his, his heart pounding as she kissed him back just as fiercely.
She slapped his chest when he pulled away. “Don’t ever do that again.”
“Kiss you?” he asked.
“No,” she swatted him again. “Sacrifice yourself. No more doing boneheaded things because of your Drexian honor.”
“You think saving you was…” he hesitated as he said the word slowly, “boneheaded?”
Trista held up her blaster. “To be clear, I didn’t need saving.”
He held up his hands in mock surrender. “You are right. Karsh underestimated how formidable you are. Something I plan to never do again. But I can’t promise I won’t do everything in my power to keep you safe.”
She frowned. “I guess that protective thing is baked into your DNA, right?”
Torven swept a loose hair off her forehead. “I know you have been hurt before. I hurt you once. I will spend the rest of my life making sure you’re never hurt again.”
She let out a shaky breath. “You make it really hard to stay mad at you.”