by S. E. Smith
“So…” Gracie began after wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “…can you tell why you took me?”
Krac’s eyebrow rose at Gracie’s calm question. He was expecting the typical hysterical crying, followed by annoying whining, before more hysterical crying. She just sat there looking at him quietly and waited.
He leaned back across from her and studied her for a moment. “You are different than I expected, Gracie Jones.” Krac said with a frown.
“Why is that?” Gracie asked raising her own eyebrow at him.
“Most humans, much less women, would be reacting differently right about now.” Krac replied with a slight smile curving one side of his mouth. That drew another frown from him. He never smiled.
“Oh.” Gracie responded continuing to look at the huge, dark silver man in front of her. “How should I be reacting?” Gracie asked puzzled.
Krac let out a small chuckle. “You know, screaming, crying, and whining. That’s the typical response for females and all Earthlings.”
Gracie chuckled and shook her head. “I don’t know what females you’ve been meeting or Earthlings, for that matter. Since none of that would help it is pointless to do it. You still haven’t answered my first question. Why did you take me?”
“Because someone paid me a lot of credits for you.” Krac replied.
Gracie stared at Krac for a long moment before she shook her head again. “No…” She began softly. “…there is another reason. You need me for something. I don’t know what or why. But, you need me.”
Krac jerked up to tower over Gracie a deep scowl on his face. “Who are you? Are you really a human? I know there are some species with telepathic powers but I am guarded against them. How do you know this?”
Gracie sat as far back as she could. “I’m Gracie Jones. Yes, I am as human as they come and no, I do not have telepathic powers. I just guessed it. I just get the feeling something else is going on.” Gracie said quietly putting a protective hand over her belly.
Krac noticed her retreat. Kneeling down, he looked into her eyes again. “I am taking you to the moon you were stranded on. I won’t hurt you but there will be others there who want you. I will do everything I can to keep you safe until your mate comes for you but you will do everything I say, when I say, and how I say. Do you understand, Gracie Jones?”
“Jeke.” Gracie nodded. “It’s Gracie Jones-Jeke. I understand.”
Krac felt that unfamiliar twist to his lips again. “Very good, Gracie Jones-Jeke. We will be on the moon in approximately eight hours. I am expecting a…welcoming committee.”
Gracie looked at Krac and nodded. “Can I ask you something?”
Krac raised his eyebrow again. “What?”
“Can you release me? I really need to go to the bathroom. Ever since the baby started getting bigger I have to go frequently.” Gracie practically begged as the water she drank combined with the baby moving seemed to suddenly make her have to go bad.
Krac couldn’t contain the chuckle that burst from his lips. He leaned forward and unlocked the chain around Gracie’s wrist and pointed to the small door. He barely had time to step back before she pushed past him and quickly opened the door with a loud sigh of relief. Krac laughed again at her loud sigh behind the closed door. Shaking his head, he decided he would do everything in his power to make sure the strange, delicate human called Gracie Jones-Jeke was keep safe.
Chapter 24
Kordon glanced down at the report. The new modifications to the scanners and engines done by Bran and Cooraan to the Conqueror gave them an advantage as they approached the moon where Rorrak felt confident Gracie had been taken. Rorrak’s sources reported Proctor was aboard one of the ships orbiting the moon.
Kordon glanced up as his father and brothers entered the conference room along with Bran and Cooraan. His other two brothers were dressed ready for battle. Malik and Ty were as tall as him and Rorrak but they had their father’s darker colored skin and dark eyes.
“My sources say Proctor has purchased a rather large mercenary guard. There are four ships. Proctor is on the largest. If possible, we need to take him alive. There is more than just him. Someone is financing his rise to power and we need to find out who it is. He is not smart enough to have masterminded the assassination attempts against the royal family. He is merely the figure head. It is his own greed at wanting to use Gracie that is his downfall.” Rorrak said as soon as everyone else was seated. “I’ve been working with the Earth government for the past two years on this. Proctor is working on his own on this.”
Kordon sat forward. “I don’t give a damn about him. I want Gracie back safe and sound. I will kill anyone who thinks to use her.” Kordon growled out coldly at his brother.
Rorrak grimaced at the icy tone. He was about to respond when a message came through to Bran. He responded quietly before turning to the group.
“Several shuttles have disembarked from the ships. Three large troop transports and one smaller one. They are headed for the moon.” Bran said quietly. “I’ve requested a squadron of fighters to launch, as well as, eight large troop transports. We will come in on the far side of the moon and proceed to the coordinates we’ve locked onto. It is time to move.”
All the men rose and moved towards the exit. Rorrak paused and placed a hand on Kordon’s arm briefly stopping him. Kordon gave his brother a dark look.
“We’ll get her back. I had no idea until it was too late she would be used.” Rorrak said softly. “I want you to know I’m sorry.”
Kordon nodded briefly before moving ahead of Rorrak. Expressing regret would never be enough if anything happened to Gracie. Kordon would kill every one of the bastards responsible for not only taking Gracie but for using her as bait if Gracie was harmed…even if one of those responsible was his own brother.
Gracie pushed her hair back from her damp forehead. They had been walking for what seemed like ever through the dense forest. Gracie wasn’t as familiar with the area they landed in since it was on the outer edge of where she had explored when she lived on the moon. Gracie realized one thing very quickly; though, she did not miss the moon at all.
She didn’t say anything as they moved through the forest. After her request to go to the bathroom, Krac didn’t bother with chaining her back up. She didn’t know who was more surprise, her or him, when she asked him what she should call him and he told her his name. She could tell he didn’t plan on telling her his real name but it just kind-of slipped out. After that, she discovered he wasn’t such a bad guy.
Krac looked back over his shoulder at the tiny, rounded figure following him quietly. He couldn’t suppress his surprise or his respect for her. She never complained or asked him a lot of questions which actually made him more curious about her.
“Is it true you are the Gracie Jones from Earth history? The one who is called the Mother of Freedom?” Krac asked quietly.
Gracie shrugged her slim shoulders. “I don’t know about the Mother of Freedom but I am the Gracie Jones from over eight hundred years ago.” Gracie replied just as quietly.
“How did you end up here?” Krac stopped to look down on Gracie with a frown.
Gracie shrugged her shoulders again. “I’m not sure. Mohan said she thought the force of the explosion from the mother ship combined with being in hyper-space formed some kind of a rip in the fabric of time. I just know that until a few months ago I was stranded on an unknown moon hoping to find a way home.” Gracie added sadly. “Only to find out my home no longer exists. At least not the home I remember and knew.”
Krac handed the water bottle to Gracie and waited as she took a deep drink. “Why were you not afraid of me when you first saw me?” Krac asked suddenly.
“What do you mean?” Gracie asked puzzled. She handed the water bottle back to him.
“Most species fear me. I am not…all organic.” Krac said quietly searching for the right words. “I am an offspring of a human female who was breed with the Alluthan. We…are consi
dered dangerous.”
Gracie stared at the tall figure in front of her with a frown, studying his features closely. “Well, I guess you have their coloring but that is about all from an outward appearance. The Alluthans are short guys like me.” Gracie studied Krac a little closer. “You look like a human except for your coloring and maybe your eyes. You said you are not all organic. What does that mean?”
Krac looked away for a moment before he stared down into Gracie’s eyes. “We are called The Breed. That is what they used our mothers for.” Krac flexed his hands in front of him. “The embryos implanted in the females have living nano-bots in them. As the embryo grows so too does the nano-bots. We are half organic/half bots, like the Alluthans.” Krac said harshly.
Gracie studied Krac for a moment before she smiled and took a step closer to Krac. Laying a hand his arm, she shook her head gently. “You are nothing like the Alluthans, trust me on that. I have met my share of Alluthans so I should know. You may not be all human but that doesn’t mean it is a bad thing. I’ve met a lot of humans, like Proctor, that are just as bad as any Alluthan. You are just different, kind-of like me.” Gracie insisted softly. “You are special.”
Krac looked down at the female he thought he could easily use as collateral damage if necessary and realized there was no way in hell he could follow through with his plan. Tightening his jaw, he looked around the thick forest for a moment before making a decision. He pulled the pack from his back and pulled out a small communication’s device.
“Use this to contact your mate. If I’m not mistaken he should be here shortly. I left enough evidence for him to follow. Let him know where you are and to come get you. Take this as well. There is a rock overhang to the east. It will protect you until he gets here.” Krac said pressing the communication’s device into one of Gracie’s palms and the laser pistol into the other one.
“What about you?” Gracie asked confused.
Krac felt that unfamiliar twist to his lips again. Shaking his head, he reached out to touch Gracie’s cheek as she looked at him with a worried expression. “Don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself, little Gracie Jones-Jeke. Now, go. I’ve got someone to kill and I don’t want to have to worry about you.”
Gracie bit her lip and nodded. “Be safe, Krac.” Gracie said standing on her tiptoes so she could brush as kiss along his jaw. “You are a good man even if you did kidnap me.”
Krac touched the spot Gracie kissed briefly before shaking his head in wonder. If his life wasn’t so dangerous and she wasn’t already taken, he would think seriously about just packing her up and taking her with him. Instead, he gave a jerky nod and took off through the forest moving at a rapid clip. Gracie watched him go, noting he never looked back to make sure she headed to the east.
Kordon moved silently toward the man hidden in the brush. With one swift move, he slit the man’s throat and moved on to his next target. Rorrak, Malik, Ty, Cooraan, and his father were doing the same. The other Zion warriors were moving in on the troop transports which had landed further away. This group was the one guarding Proctor who stood in the middle of a small clearing obviously waiting impatiently for someone. Kordon let out the signal his area was clear. The only ones left were the ten men standing protectively around Proctor who stood still suddenly.
Kordon’s eyes narrowed as a large male stepped confidently into the clearing. The sun reflected off his dark silver skin. Several large scars marred his face which was frozen into a cold mask of indifference.
“Where is the package?” Proctor asked impatiently stepping forward.
Krac looked coldly at Proctor. “Where are my credits?” Krac asked in return.
Proctor pulled several large pouches from under his cloak. He tossed them on the ground in front of Krac. “Now, where is the package?”
Krac looked casually around the clearing noting where each man stood watching him intently. His gaze moved along the edge of the forest pausing occasionally before seeming to freeze on Kordon. Kordon froze. He knew he was hidden but the big bastard seemed to know exactly where he was.
“The package is safe.” Krac said. Kordon could feel his hidden message all the way to his bones.
“I don’t care if she is safe. I want to know where she is. I’ve paid you the credits you demanded. Even for the brat she is carrying. Now, where is she?” Proctor spit out.
Krac tilted his head. “What do you plan to do with her?”
“Not that it is any of your damn business but I plan to claim her.” Proctor snapped out.
Krac’s eyes narrowed briefly. “I don’t think she is going to be too happy about that, especially with her being pregnant by her current mate.” Krac drawled out in an uninterested voice.
“That is what you get for thinking. As soon as I have her I will terminate the brat she is carrying. With a few drugs, she will do whatever I want. By the time I return to Earth, it will be my child in her belly and my claim on her.” Proctor laughed.
Krac’s mouth tightened dangerously. “Are you really so fucking stupid you think her mate, a Zion warrior, will let you get away with this?”
Proctor froze as if noticing a change in Krac’s voice. “It will be too late for him to do anything. Kill the bastard. He is no longer needed.” Proctor said coldly stepping back behind two of his guards as he gave the order.
Krac moved lightning fast pulling his laser pistol and shooting the two guards. Rolling to one side, he ignore the flash of pain that struck his leg as he eliminated two more. Proctor was screaming at the men to kill Krac at the same time as he realized the men behind him were under fire from the forest.
Turning, Proctor pulled one guard in front of him just as Kordon leveled his laser pistol at his chest. The man jerked as the shot meant for Proctor struck him instead. Proctor took off into the forest as his men pulled in a tight circle trying to return fire. Kordon fought back a curse as Proctor disappeared. He ducked for cover behind a tree as laser fire exploded all around him.
“Get Proctor! The bastard is up to something.” Kordon growled out into his comlink.
“More of those bastards are pouring out of the transport.” Cooraan growled back. “Bran, Gracie is on the moon. Blast the damn ships into a million pieces.”
Kordon heard Bran’s command to fire at will on the four ships in space. His father was ordering the troop transports to destroy the ones that had landed. Kordon saw the silver bastard who took Gracie move into the forest out of the corner of his eye.
“He’s mine.” Kordon snarled out to Malik and Ty as they came up next to him. “Cover me.”
Kordon took off knowing his brothers would cover his back. Firing as he wove in and out of the trees he broke into a faster run once he was clear of the firing. He stopped to listen a few times and to check for tracks to make sure he was on the right trail before continuing after the assassin. He jerked around when a large silver arm came out suddenly to grab him. Kordon whipped around locking grips with the huge, silver man.
“Keep quiet.” Krac whispered. “They have her. The bastard hired another assassin.”
Kordon looked into the dark eyes of man in front of him before nodding once. He opened his grip to let Krac know he understood the man was calling a truce. Krac nodded and showed four fingers.
“Damn stubborn female.” Krac growled out softly as he watched Proctor slap Gracie across the face. “She was supposed to hide until you came for her.”
Kordon looked over in surprise at the sound of anger and frustration in Krac’s voice. “You told her to contact me?”
Krac nodded. “I didn’t want her to get hurt. She’s….special.”
Kordon felt a flash of jealousy flare at the sound of affection in the man’s voice. “She is mine.”
“I know. She corrected me when I called her Gracie Jones.” Krac sent a twisted grin at Kordon. “Let’s kill each other later. Right now, we need to kill the bastard who just hit her. I’ll take out Proctor and the two on the left. You take out the three
on the right. Be careful of the one with the green skin. He is a known assassin from the Triblade system.”
Kordon gave a brief nod before moving off to the right. He circled around the group silently. On the far side was a set of rocks. He would need to work his way up them so he would have access to Gracie who was pulled back against the rocks. Sweat ran down his face as he moved. At one time he froze when he heard the assassin call out for the men with him to be quiet. It was several minutes before they started talking quietly again and he could move.
Gracie sat holding her heated cheek in the palm of one hand while the other lay protectively over her belly. She didn’t say anything. She was mad as hell that she had gotten caught. The creature that caught her may have walked on two legs but that is the only resemblance to a human she could see. She guessed it was a male from the way it acted but she couldn’t really be sure. It surprised her as she tried to follow Krac. She wanted to make sure he was okay. She had set the communication’s device to send the signal she used before with the Alluthans. She figured Kordon would recognize it immediately. The creature that caught her had destroyed the device shortly after he captured her.