by Mina Carter
9
“How? When?” Saal demanded, Laarn’s words drilling all the way down to his soul.
“What’s happening?” Fin and T’Raal appeared at Saal’s side, looking down the ramp at the Lord Healer. Even though he was barely a member yet, they had his back already.
“This is Lord Healer Laarn K’Vass,” Saal explained quickly before one of the Warborne did something unwise, like shoot him.
“Our females were taken, kidnapped, during a shopping trip to the market,” Laarn said quickly, looking between Saal and his two companions. For the first time since Saal had met him, Laarn looked worried. He glanced down at his bracer-mounted computer. “They were attacked, all their guards killed. One managed to survive long enough to raise the alarm.”
Fin looked down at Saal in surprise. “You have a female? Why the fuck did you want to sign up with us?”
Saal shook his head, keeping the panic running through his veins down to a dull roar. “I don’t have a female. That’s the problem. I thought I did but after—” He cut himself off and then shrugged. “Afterward she didn’t want anything to do with me. Human females are very different. She wouldn’t even answer my messages.”
“Sorry, man,” Fin clapped a hand down on his shoulder. “That’s really rough. I feel for you.”
“She didn’t get the messages,” Laarn ground out. “The palace systems intercept anything sent to the Earth females. For security reasons.”
“Say what?” Saal blinked, his brain refusing to process Laarn’s words at first. Then… “She never saw them?”
Hope blossomed. She hadn’t answered him because she hadn’t even seen the messages.
Laarn shook his head.
“Never read then. She thought you’d abandoned her.” Guilt crossed his autocratic features. “She was in a state this morning. Broke down in tears. Jess took her shopping while I came here to fetch you.”
T’Raal had been silent during the conversation but now spoke up, looking at the comms-plate on his wrist bracer. “Looks like there was a hell of a fire-fight in the central market.” He angled his bracer so Saal could see the screen. The imperial guards were easy to spot but the other warriors weren’t wearing any insignia. They could have been with anyone. Then he caught sight of a face he recognized and his lip curled back from his teeth.
“A’Raant,” he snarled looking at Laarn. “They attacked Lizzie the night of the ball. I couldn’t say anything because I promised her I wouldn’t.”
“Draanth!” Laarn hissed, shoving a scarred hand through his hair. “And I played right into his hands by exiling you. Now they’re both missing. Palace troops are tearing the city apart to find them but if they’ve been taken out of the city…”
Saal didn’t allow the panic that thought warranted to take root. He shoved it away so he could think.
“Laarn,” he said suddenly. “What was Lizzie wearing when she went to the market?”
“Wearing?” Laarn frowned, obviously confused. “A silver gown and a light wrap. Why?”
“Was she wearing any jewelry?”
Saal held his breath as he waited for the answer, hardly daring to hope.
“Errr… yes!” Laarn exclaimed. “She had on some kind of star pendant.”
Bingo. Saal smiled and turned to T’Raal. “Can the Sprite’s computer isolate the location of an inactive comms crystal?”
T’Raal’s face split into a grin. “If it can’t, then Zero sure as fuck can.”
* * *
“Keep it together. Watch the females. There are palace troops everywhere… we’re only going to get one shot at this.” The rough voice of their head “guard” sounded right behind Lizzie and Jess.
The hoods had been put back over their heads, but no force in the universe had been able to persuade Lizzie to let go of Jess’s hand, even though their wrists were now manacled together.
“Where are they taking us?” she breathed, edging closer to her sister.
“Quiet, females!” the guard hissed, shoving her shoulder.
“Don’t know. Out of the city,” Jess replied, her voice so low Lizzie could barely hear her. Neither could the guard, if his lack of reaction was any indication. “Be ready.”
Lizzie frowned at that, not sure she’d heard right. Be ready? Be ready for what? What could they do? They were tied and blindfolded. The situation was hopeless. They’d be spirited out of the city and forced to marry and bear children to the assholes who had kidnapped them.
A tear streaked down her cheek. She felt for Jess. Her sister would never see Laarn or her daughter again. It wasn’t so bad for Lizzie. She’d already come to terms with the fact that Saal didn’t want her.
“Please,” she said, suddenly, letting go of Jess’s hand and turning. “You want me. I’m the unmated one. Let my sister go. She’s the lord healer’s mate.”
“Lizzie!” Jess gasped, horror in her voice. “No! Don’t do this!”
“I have to.”
Lizzie fought back tears and reached up to tear the hood off her head. She met the gaze of their captor and pleaded. “Let my sister go. They’re after her. I’ll go quietly and do what you want.”
The guard looked confused, wary as though he expected it to all be a trap, so she pressed her advantage. “They won’t stop looking for her. You’ll never get out of the city. Leave her here and you can escape with me.”
“Lizzie! No!” Jess argued behind her, her voice thick with tears. “Don’t listen to her. You’ll never get out of the city! You’re dead already for daring to put a hand on either of us!”
“No! You will! Leave her here,” Lizzie begged, not allowing herself to look back at her sister even though it was tearing her apart. Terror and pain flowed through her. She didn’t want to do this. Didn’t want to leave Jess. But if the price for Jess returning home to her family was her own freedom, she was willing to pay that price.
There was no choice.
The guard made up his mind, reaching out to wrap a beefy hand around Lizzie’s upper arm.
“Leave that one here,” he ordered, cutting Lizzie loose and hauling her up against him. She collided with his bigger body, automatically recoiling in disgust. Just being near him, being near any man other than Saal, made her feel sick on a soul-deep level. She closed her eyes and pushed the feeling away. She had to do this.
“Well, well, well…” an amused voice drawled.
Lizzie twisted in her captor’s hold to see a tall Lathar leaning nonchalantly in the doorway. His white hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, the sides of his head shaved to the scalp. It was the least Lathar haircut she’d ever seen, as was his clothing. It appeared more high-tech soldier than the usual combat leathers she’d seen them in.
“I’m sorry, boys, but you seem to have something there that doesn’t belong to you,” the soldier drawled, studying his fingernails. “I’m gonna have to take them back.”
“What the draanth’s this got to do with you, merc? This ain’t your business.” Confusion and annoyance laced the voice of the guard, his companions snapping their weapons up to train them on the newcomer. He didn’t so much as bat an eyelid at the arsenal pointed his way.
“Oh, I think it is,” another voice sounded from behind them. Unlike the mercenary’s, this one was familiar. “Because I’m Warborne, and that’s my female you have there.”
Lizzie gasped as her captor whirled them around, her heart leaping at the handsome warrior behind them. He was dressed differently than before, like the mercenary, and his long hair had been cut short, all his braids gone.
“Saal!” she cried out, reaching for him. She couldn’t believe he was actually here. He’d come for her. Come to rescue her.
“Not so quick,” her captor hissed, yanking her back against him and jamming the muzzle of his pistol under her chin. She froze, eyes wide as she looked at Saal. Fear sent ice down her spine.
“One step closer and I’ll blow her brains out,” her captor warned. “Now you’re going to
step back, and me and the lady here are just going to walk out of the door.”
She saw the fear in the backs of Saal’s eyes as he glanced at the pistol under her chin. She saw the anger and the need to get to her. She swallowed, not wanting to think about what would happen if her captor pulled the trigger.
“Lizzie, look at me,” Saal ordered, catching her attention. “Don’t worry. We’re going to get you out of this. Trust me.”
She nodded, unable to stop the tears coursing down her cheeks. She never thought she’d see him again. Had thought he didn’t want anything to do with her. Yet here he was, calling her his female.
“I do. I trust you,” she whispered, her heart pounding in her chest.
He nodded, and the look of heartbreak and regret in his eyes made more tears spill over. He was saying goodbye. There was no way out of this.
“Close your eyes.”
She didn’t want to, shaking her head. If she was going to die, she wanted the last thing she saw to be him. The man she loved. She blinked, his image in front of her watery. She loved him. She loved Saal and had since the moment she’d heard his voice in her dreams.
“I said weapons down!” the guard snarled when neither Saal nor his mercenary companion moved to obey. “Or I’ll blow her pretty little head off.”
“Close your eyes, kelarris,” Saal repeated softly. “I don’t want you to see this.”
She nodded, tears now spilling down her cheeks unchecked as she did as he ordered. She held his image in her mind instead. If she couldn’t look at him when… the end came, she could at least be thinking about him.
“You’ll never leave this place alive,” Jess hissed. “No one lays a hand on a K’Vass woman and lives to tell the tale.”
Shots rang out, deafening her. Lizzie jumped, squeaking as something warm and wet splattered across her face. The gun under her jaw fell away, and a loud thud right behind her made her jump.
She gasped, her eyes snapping open. Saal stood there, pistol in hand and a hard look on his face. The expression made her shiver, a tremor of fear rolling through her. He looked lethal and ruthless. He was so gentle with her, but she knew he could be dangerous. Had always known he could be dangerous…
Before she could track the movement, he holstered the weapon and was across the space between them to haul her into his arms.
“Ohmigod, ohmigod, I thought that was it,” she whispered, shuddering as she burrowed closer against his chest. “That he would…”
“Shhh, it’s okay, my love. He’s gone. He can’t hurt you anymore.” Saal held her close, pressing a kiss against her temple. “I’m here. I’ve got you. You’re safe.”
She shuddered, his touch easing something deep in her chest she’d thought was shattered beyond repair. “I thought I’d lost you. That you didn’t want anything to do with me after…”
Her words dried up. She couldn’t bring herself to say it. That she’d thought he’d gotten what he wanted and was done with her.
“Hey.” He cupped her face, leaning back to look into her eyes. “Look at me. I’m right here, love. And there is no reality where I do not want you. I promise you that.”
She searched his face anxiously. “You didn’t contact me. Never came to see me. I went to the healer’s hall and they said you’d resigned.”
His jaw worked, sudden anger in his eyes, but before he could answer her, another voice broke in.
“That was my fault, I’m afraid.”
She turned in surprise to find Laarn behind them, Jess wrapped in his arms. His expression was contrite, and his gaze steady on the two of them.
“Ohmygod, Lizzie!” As though Laarn’s words had broken a spell that held her in place, Jess raced toward Lizzie. A moment later her sister crashed into her, enfolding her in a tight hug.
“Why did you do that?” she demanded, tears to match Lizzie’s streaming down her face. Her expression fierce, she pulled back to grab Lizzie’s upper arms, shaking her. “Never sacrifice yourself for me. Never!”
Lizzie smiled sadly, tears overflowing again. Seriously… she was like a bloody broken tap at the moment. “How could I not? You have a mate, a daughter. I couldn’t let them take you away from that. Not if I could stop it.”
“Oh, Lizzie…” Jess’s eyes filled with fresh tears and she just wrapped her arms around Lizzie in an embrace that needed no words.
Gently Laarn disentangled the two sisters, pulling Jess back against his chest.
“Laarn, what did you mean, it was your fault?” she asked, as Saal pulled her into his arms. The restrained anger was easy to feel in the stiffness of his frame. Automatically she smoothed her hands over his shoulders, trying to ease some of the tension there.
“I inadvertently kept you and Saal apart,” Laarn admitted haltingly, as if the words were dragged from him. “There was an incident at the healer’s hall. He was accused of assaulting two males. I used it as an excuse to remove him from the hall but didn’t realize he had no way to contact you.”
Some of Saal’s anger transferred to Lizzie as she looked at her sister’s mate. “You what now?”
“There’s a lock on all communications coming into the palace addressed to any of the human females,” he explained. “I didn’t realize Saal’s name would be removed from the allowed list when he was banned from the hall.”
She blinked. “You sent his messages to fucking spam?”
Laarn nodded, for once not asking for clarification on the human phrase. Figured that even out here in outer space, they had spam. It was the herpes of the communications world, no matter the planet.
“I’m not proud of my actions and I apologize unreservedly,” he continued, somehow managing to pull off a small courtly bow with Jess still in his arms. “I hope you and your mate will find it in your hearts to forgive me.”
The look in his eyes was so miserable and concerned that all the anger drained from her in a deep sigh. Exchanging a glance with Saal, she nodded. “A word to the wise, though. Stay out of other people’s relationships… okay?”
He nodded with a graceful inclination of his head, but she wasn’t paying attention to him anymore. Instead, she turned to face Saal. For some reason she was a little shy. He’d seen her cry and fall apart… while he’d been so calm and collected, putting a bullet right between her captor’s eyes without batting so much as an eyelid.
He made a sound deep in the center of his chest and hooked a strong finger under her chin, making her look up at him. She had no more words, but he smiled and spoke.
“I thought I’d lost you. Thought you didn’t want me and I was leaving…” He indicated his new attire and haircut. “I thought getting as far away from you as possible would help with the ragged hole in my chest.”
“Hole?” she managed, looking puzzled. Her hands flitted over his broad chest as panic surged. “Were you hurt? Wounded?”
“No, I’m not wounded,” he murmured as he placed her hand palm down in the center of his chest. “I’m talking about the hole where my heart used to be because leaving you meant I had to leave it behind. It’s yours. It’s always been yours, since before the first moment I met you.”
“Oh…” She bit her lip as his words sank in.
“And,” he leaned closer to whisper against her lips, “if that still isn’t clear enough for you, my beautiful, amazing, brave and selfless little mate, how about this? I love you.”
And then he kissed her.
It wasn’t heated or torrid. He didn’t try to deepen the kiss or touch her other than his hands at her waist. Instead, it was the sweetest, most heartfelt kiss she’d ever been given and it blew her away. It was a promise of love and commitment all rolled into one single caress—the sort of kiss that came straight from the heart and went right down to the soul. By the time he pulled away, she had her hands wrapped around the straps of his tactical vest and her breathing was definitely compromised.
He grinned as she looked up at him, feeling more than a little stunned.
; “That clear enough for you, my love?”
She nodded and pulled him down for another quick, hard kiss. Behind them a voice whooped and catcalled. “That’s what I’m talking about!”
Saal chuckled as he broke the kiss, grinning as the white-haired mercenary joined them. His pale eyes swept over Lizzie and he winked.
“She’s as pretty as you are, Talent. Sure I can’t convince you both into my bed?” he asked, waggling his eyebrows comically.
Saal barked a laugh and pulled her closer. “Not a chance, Fin-boy. You get your own mate. This one’s mine. Aren’t you?”
She nodded, smiling as she looked up at him. “I am. Now and forever. And Saal?”
“Yes, beautiful?”
“I love you,” she murmured. “Now, please… take me home? I don’t care where that is. Wherever you are… that’s my home.”
He smiled and scooped her up against his broad chest.
“My lady, your wish is my command. It always will be.”
10
“It’s so tiny!”
“Thanks kelarris, that’s exactly what a male wants to hear from his mate.”
Lizzie grinned as she turned from her perusal of Saal’s… their… new home to find her handsome man leaning one shoulder in the doorway.
“Sounds like she’s got your measure, Talent!” The voice of Fin, the big mercenary who’d helped Saal rescue her floated to them from along the hallway. “Darlin’ if you need a little ‘extra’ my door is always open. You can even bring your mate…”
She laughed in delight, mostly at Saal’s pained expression and called out. “No, thank you, Fin. We’re all good here. He’s all the male I need.”
“I should draanthing hope so.” Saal punched the button at the side of the door. It slid shut behind him as he advanced on her. Her heart hammered in her chest, butterflies in her stomach at the look in his eyes. This wasn’t the gentle healer’s apprentice she remembered. Now he was someone else.
“And just so you know?” he growled. “I don’t share.”