by S. E. Smith
Trisha frowned. Damn! That little spark was getting bigger fast, she thought in wonder.
No thanks to you! I take care of our baby! You too rough! Her dragon snapped right before the little spark popped her dragon in the nose. See! You teach bad habit!
Trisha felt warmth flood through her at the fight in her little spark. That’s it, baby. I’ll show you all the really cool things my dad showed me when you get a little bigger. Just wait until we get grandpa here. He’ll have you out swinging from the trees and playing tag before you know it.
Terac looked at Trisha funny when he heard her peal of laughter as her dragon groaned at having both Trisha and her dad corrupting the little spark she was trying so hard to protect. Yes, her dragon thought sourly, Trisha mate need to whip her ass.
Chapter 20
“Do you have anything?”
Kelan looked at his younger brother’s face. Trelon’s face reflected his determination to get his mate back. Kelan nodded. He would remain focused on saving his brother’s mate. He could only pray to the gods and goddesses his would be with her.
“A cloaked ship appeared on our surveillance a few moments ago. They had to uncloak to transport. It was N’tasha, Trelon. Abby says that N’tasha and six men killed two of her guards before taking them hostage. Symba and Goldie killed two in Zoran’s living quarters and the guards were able to kill the one holding Abby. She is fine.” Kelan didn’t mention the fact Zoran went ballistic when he saw the blood staining the front of Abby’s tunic. Zoran was beside himself until the healers and his symbiosis assured him she was unharmed.
“According to Abby, they have Trisha, as well as, Cara.” Kelan choked out. “Abby says N’tasha plans to slit Cara’s throat as soon as the ‘True King’ is done with her. She said N’tasha wants to leave Cara where you can find her. She didn’t know anything else about Trisha. N’tasha didn’t say where she had been taken.”
Trelon paled and let out a curse. “Cara must have some of Symba’s symbiosis on her since she seems to know where to go. I will find them, Kelan.”
“I’m leaving now. I have the V’ager ready to go. Send me constant updates so we can intercept.” Kelan said. His eyes flashed in rage at the idea of Trisha being held captive. If she or the baby were harmed in any way he would destroy every man and woman responsible before he joined her. There would not be a place in any galaxy they could hide. He would track them down and slit every one of the bastards’ throats.
“I will. Trelon out.” Trelon knew the pain his brother was feeling as it flashed across his eyes. N’tasha signed her own death warrant when she threatened their mates.
Kelan instructed his crew to keep him posted on any transmissions they intercepted. His best crew was aboard and ready for a fight. To harm one Valdier was to harm them all. By now, all the warriors and their respective symbiotic were aware of what happened outside of Kelan’s living quarters. The fury and passion of both the warriors and their symbiosis could be felt throughout the entire warship. They wanted revenge and Kelan would let them have it. Kelan turned when his helmsman reported he was receiving a signal from an old Curizan warship.
“Sir, it is the same as the one the tiny human used when she sent Lord Trelon’s PVC out.” The helmsman said with a grin. He remembered being on duty when they started receiving all the incoming requests for that particular piece of data. He and the other crew members laughed when they found out what she was sending. What made it even better was when Jarak told them she thought it was a plumbing video. After that, the crew started making bets on what she would get into next and how long it would take before she got caught.
Kelan nodded stoically at the helmsman and told him to get Trelon on the view screen. “We have a visual of the warship. We have also been receiving a continuous signal from the warship. It looks suspiciously like the one your mate sent out before. I have a feeling they are having as much trouble keeping her locked up as we did.” Kelan said with a strained smile before continuing. “I’ve instructed the crew to send a disruption pulse to knock the engines off line. The new system you installed should work at bypassing their shield briefly. It is a good thing the cloaking device only works when the ship is stationary. We need to find out how it bypassed our defense system, though. I have a feeling N’tasha’s hand might have been in that or we have more spies among our ranks.” Kelan finished harshly.
“It is something we’ll have to look at after this is over. Right now, I just want to get our mates back. It won’t take them long to realize we are here. Those aboard better hope they have not harmed a hair on either of our mates or there will be nothing left of that warship.” Trelon snarled.
Kelan responded with a cold smile. “Once I have my mate back there will be no mercy for any of them.” Kelan turned as one of the men called out on the bridge of the V’ager. Nodding he turned to Trelon, “No mercy.”
Trelon nodded to Kelan. “No mercy.”
Kelan ordered four energy bursts to be directed at the Curizan warship on the view screen. Kelan and his symbiosis were already heading for the transporter room. They would be among the first to board as soon as the shields were knocked offline. The V’ager was over five times the size and more than ten times more powerful than the Curizan warship. Personally, he didn’t give a damn what happened to the warship once their mates were safely back at their sides. He forced himself to think logically. Zoran was right. They needed to find out what type of weapon could kill their symbiosis. Their essences and the essences of their dragons and symbiosis were entwined; to destroy one would destroy all three.
Kelan nodded to the other men who were already in position and waiting with their symbiosis by their side. He looked at the view screen mounted to the wall of the transporter room watching for the signal to know when it was safe to transport. The powerful energy bursts struck the smaller warship in strategic places, one near the bridge knocking out their top energy cannons, two at the stern, knocking the engines offline, and one to the starboard side cannons. Kelan watched as the Curizan warship seemed to glow for a moment as the energy bursts hit the outer hull. Seconds later, lights began to flicker and die as the engines were taken offline.
Kelan gave the command for the golden Valdier fighters to proceed to attack. With a nod to the warrior at the controls of the transporter, Kelan and a group of elite warriors were beamed into the docking bay of the Curizan warship. Kelan rolled as soon as his feet hit the solid flooring of the docking bay. He heard shouts of surprise from the warriors inside. Two of his team members quickly secured the doors leading into it. Kelan returned laser fire with one Curizan warrior, shooting him in the head while rolling for cover as three more began firing at him. The warriors on the Curizan were no match for the fury of the Valdier warriors and their symbioses, many of which had transformed into Werecats and Bear Beasts. Blood soaked the docking bay floor as one by one each warrior who did not surrender immediately was killed without mercy.
Kelan turned as one of his warriors blew the hatch opening it to allow more Valdier warriors to board. Trelon was the first face Kelan saw. Kelan was having a difficult time trying to keep control of his dragon as he was too agitated.
Need my mate. Need hold my mate. Find my mate. His dragon roared pushing against his skin. Jade green and silver scales rolled over his arms, chest, and neck as he fought for control. He knew his eyes were already changed as everything was sharper and clearer.
Kelan reminded his dragon he was not made for fighting on warships. You are too large to maneuver in the tight confines of the rooms and corridors of the warship to find her and you know what happens when dragon fire is used in space. It does not go well with the oxygen mixture on a warship. Kelan said trying to calm his dragon enough it would not be a hazard to their mission. Dragons and warships usually meant an explosion where nothing survived, not even the dragon. Patience…we will find her. She must be on board. We will find her and take her home.
Kelan moved back so his brother could step aboard the w
arship. He tried to clear his throat but the words still came out gruffly, his voice deeper and harsher with his dragon so near. “Your mate has been very busy. Our team has detected multiple random shutdowns of the systems aboard. Since they are still occurring, I believe we can safely say they have not caught her yet.”
Kelan listened as Trelon let out a sharp chuckle as he thought of the mischief his little mate was causing for her captors. Kelan moved away heading for the docking bay doors which were reopened. Valdier warriors and their symbioses were swarming the warship. Kelan ordered any man who fought at all to be executed without mercy. The only one he wanted alive was N’tasha. He would be the one to kill her…but, only after she told him where his mate was. He did not care if their enemy was a female. She committed treason when she acted against the royal family. The penalty was death.
Kelan moved stealthily through the corridors fighting beside the warriors who would lay their lives down for their people. They took the ship one level at a time. Kelan was surprised to find many of the levels were already under control; by the warriors on board. The crew of the warship was at a crucially low level to start with and the surrender of almost half the warriors came as a surprise until he was informed many were there as prisoners themselves. The only warriors who fought back were members of Raffvin’s elite force.
N’tasha let out a long string of expletives as the lights dimmed before going out. The eerie glow of the emergency lights kicked in as all power to the warship was knocked offline. A short time later, N’tasha screamed out in frustration as all the men on the bridge walked off. The tiny human bitch had escaped her cell and was causing malfunctions through the warship’s systems. She should have killed the bitch when she had the chance.
Nothing was going as she planned. Raffvin left me to rot in space with a bunch of idiots! She fumed. She was in command of this ship. She told them what to do! She was the one who organized everything over the past year and gathered information on the defense systems Trelon was working on. If Ben’qumain hadn’t let Zoran escape none of this would be happening! Zoran Reykill brought back those foul alien women, one of which captured Trelon’s heart. She was the reason her warship was now dead in space. N’tasha muttered insanely under her breath.
N’tasha pulled a laser pistol out of the storage compartment in the officer’s conference room off of the bridge and checked the charge. Zoran killed her lover, Ben’qumain. Ben’qumain promised her royalty, power, a chance to rule Valdier as his queen if she helped him kill the royal family. Now, it was all in ruins. The only thing left was to find Trelon’s tiny bitch and kill her. With her and the other one Raffvin ordered taken dead, at least two of the brothers would be sentenced to a slow, agonizing death. It was the beginning of the end for the royal family. If she was lucky, she would be able to use one of the escape pods to get out of this mess. Raffvin would not be happy but he never was anyway.
N’tasha was exiting the conference room when some sixth sense warned her she wasn’t alone anymore. Her eyes jerked around the dim interior of the bridge. She started to raise the arm holding the laser pistol when she felt a huge, clawed hand wrap around her throat.
Kelan leaned forward and whispered in her ear. “Where is my mate?” Kelan asked softly letting one of the tips of his transformed hand pierce the soft skin of N’tasha’s throat.
N’tasha whimpered. “I don’t know.”
Kelan’s grip tightened enough N’tasha gasped as she could feel the claw sink deeper into her flesh. “I won’t ask again.”
N’tasha nodded her head. As the grip loosened, she jerked her arm around firing wildly with the laser pistol. Kelan roared in outrage as the blast scored his lower leg. He used his grip on N’tasha’s neck to pick her up and toss her across the room watching dispassionately as her body hit the far wall with a loud thump. His dragon was beyond furious. Kelan let it surface, shifting as he moved towards N’tasha who was moaning on the floor. Kelan’s symbiosis divided into two forming gold armor over Kelan’s dragon while a smaller section changed into a smaller version of a Werecat. It moved silently to N’tasha, its body shimmering in aggravation as she tried to crawl to where the laser pistol landed several feet away from her.
Kelan’s dragon moved swiftly, grabbing the pistol with his tail and launching it in the opposite direction. N’tasha, realizing she was doomed, whimpered as she scooted back against the wall. She was surrounded by a furious dragon on one side and his Werecat shaped symbiosis on the other. She knew there would be no mercy. Her thoughts flew to Raffvin and her hatred towards him and all men blossomed as her insanity finally overtook the last rational thoughts from her diseased brain.
It was Raffvin who convinced Ben’qumain to attack Zoran. Raffvin who insisted he was the ‘True King’ of Valdier. Ben’qumain, was the step-brother of the King of the Curizans. He was too stupid to realize Raffvin was just using him and his resources. It was Raffvin who convince Ben’gumain to use N’tasha. She should have killed them both months ago! Instead, she made plans of her own to destroy Raffvin and the Valdier royal family. She wanted to show Ben’qumain that she was a powerful force who would hand delivered Valdier to the Curizans. She should have made sure the poison she gave the tiny bitch killed her! The bitch should have been dead after she blasted a ton of rocks on her. Now, not only would N’tasha be the one to die but the human females were all still alive unless Raffvin managed to kill the one he took. It wasn’t fair! She was the one who was supposed to rule!
“My lord…” Gunnar’s voice broke through the haze of red covering Kelan’s mind as he moved towards N’tasha who sat rocking on the floor muttering to herself.
Kelan’s head swung around and he let out a roar at Gunnar who stood inside the door to the bridge, Palto and Kor next to him. All three men stood their ground, studying the furious dragon as if waiting to see if Kelan could get control back. He let his gaze shift back to the figure on the floor again and he snarled in a deep, low rumble letting the heat of his breath roll over her.
Calm, Kelan repeated over and over to his dragon, calm. We need to know where Trisha is. We cannot do that if you eat her.
I don’t eat filth. His dragon snarled back. Where my mate?!
Let me shift back and I will find our mates. Kelan promised gently. I promise, my friend. I need her too.
Gunnar let out a deep breath as Kelan’s form shifted back to his two-legged form. “Sir, the warship is secure. All warriors who surrendered have been taken to the docking bay. Do you want us to escort the female down there?”
Kelan continued to stare at N’tasha as she muttered incoherently on the floor. “No, I will escort her myself. Make sure all data records have been uploaded to the V’ager. I want to know everything that was ever recorded, sent, or received from this ship.”
“Yes, sir.” Palto said barking out the orders in his comlink.
Kelan reached down and jerked N’tasha up. He felt his symbiosis moving over the wound on his leg and felt it as the tissue resealed itself. Wrapping one hand around her neck and gripping her wrists tightly in his other hand, Kelan ignored N’tasha’s cry of pain as he pulled her in front of him.
“Move.” He growled in a low voice. “Either on your own two feet or I drag you by your arms.”
N’tasha whimpered and continued to talk in disjointed sentences as she moved in the direction of the docking bay. It took a few minutes before he finally understood what she kept repeated under her breath. ‘At least one bitch is dead. At least one bitch is dead.’ She kept saying under her breath. Kelan didn’t know who she was talking about, Cara or Trisha. The closer they got to the docking bay the colder it seemed his heart turned.
“Where is my mate? Where is Trisha?” Kelan snarled as he jerked on N’tasha’s arms.
Kelan’s eyes flew across to where his brother was standing. In his arms was his tiny mate. Unable to stand it any longer, Kelan jerked brutally on the wrists he was holding pulling N’tasha’s arms far enough back he could hear the joints
protest at the strain.
“Where is she?” Kelan thundered, ignoring N’tasha’s screams of pain. “I will show you no mercy unless you tell me where she is.”
N’tasha head came up and she stared at Cara and Trelon with hatred in her eyes. She gave an insane cackle before replying, “She’s dead! She’s dead and so are you! At least I killed one of you. Do you want to know how I killed her? I made sure she screamed as I cut her into little pieces.” N’tasha said with a snarl.
Kelan roared out in pain. The hand he wrapped around her neck tightened as his rage and grief overwhelmed him and his dragon. With a quick twist, he snapped N’tasha’s neck letting her lifeless body fall to the docking bay floor. He vaguely heard Cara’s cry of horror before she buried her face in Trelon’s neck with a wild sob. He took two steps before his knees gave out and he sank to the floor with his head hanging and his breaths coming in harsh gasps. Kelan could hear his dragon’s howl of despair and feel the icy chill from his symbiosis; both testament to their grief at the loss of their mate. Kelan drew in a shuddering breath wondering how his heart still beat when it felt so shattered.