Karos

by Susan Hayes

  “First, we will need to document this and scan the area for any evidence.” He tried to keep his tone matter of fact, but he wasn’t entirely successful. Whoever had done this to her would pay for touching his mate. No, not his mate. His partner.

  “Can you document this? I know it has to be done, but I don’t want…” she trailed off.

  He understood. She was a warrior and didn’t want anyone else to see her vulnerable. “I will do it. No one else needs to be present.”

  The hard lines of her mouth softened a little. “Thank you. Then, we go save our friends and kick the bad guys’ asses, right?”

  “Right.” He rose and removed his hand from her hip, fighting his desire to stroke his fingers over her skin as he did so. She was focused on what needed to be done. He would do the same.

  Megan didn’t let anything distract her from her goals. She got the job done and then moved on to whatever came next – until today. Since Karos had arrived in her life, she’d been nothing but distracted, and it was driving her crazy in more ways than one. She was drawn to the rough timbre of his voice, the way his eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled, and the way his calloused hands felt against her bare skin, which was seven kinds of sinful. She should be focused on getting Hanna and Lily back, but her brain was constantly hijacked by thoughts of the big, magic-wielding alien. My life has reached a new level of weird.

  She remained undressed until Karos finished documenting the writing on her legs. It should have felt strange, or at least a little embarrassing to be partially naked in front of a total stranger, but there was something about the big, gruff man that put her at ease, even when he was trying to tell her what to do. He might be in charge of embassy security, but she was the one responsible for Hanna and Lily. She’d meant what she’d said. They were partners in this investigation, and they were both invested in making sure the outcome was a good one.

  He made a call on the small communicator strapped to his wrist, and a few minutes later a young male in a Pyrosian military uniform arrived at the door. He handed Karos a few items, spoke briefly to him in a language she didn’t understand, thumped a hand to his chest in some kind of salute, and departed.

  She watched the interaction from the comfort of her massive bed. She was sitting on the bed, her feet, back in the soft boots he’d conjured for her, dangling over the edge of the mattress. The room was cold enough she should have felt chilled, but she didn’t. In fact, she felt uncomfortably warm. She glanced down at her legs again.

  She’d been used. Violated. Treated like an object, a way to convey a message to the aliens at the embassy. She didn’t matter to them. They’d used her and then left her unconscious in the open limo, vulnerable and alone.

  She gritted her teeth and resisted the urge to scrub her hands over the writing on her skin. It wouldn’t come off, and she’d destroy any potential evidence if she touched it.

  When she looked up again, Karos was standing a few feet away, holding several items in his big hands. He watched her with concern in his strange golden eyes, and she wanted to reach for him and claim what comfort she could from his arms. Instead, she gave him what she hoped was a confident smile and gestured to the objects he carried. “What are those?”

  He set them down on the bed as he named each one. “An image recorder, a device that will scan for fingerprints or forensic evidence, and something that can process and identify any genetic material we find and compare it to all known databases.”

  She eyed the collection of technology. None of it looked much different than her cell phone. “Those are some interesting toys. I would’ve loved having access to tech like that when I worked as a mountie.”

  “I believe this technology is now being offered to law enforcement departments all over your planet.” He held up the gizmo he’d called an image recorder. “Do I have your permission?”

  She nodded and scooted back on the bed so that her legs were stretched out in front of her. He took more than a dozen pictures, capturing the writing from various angles. He had her part her legs slightly for the last few, and her cheeks were burning by the time he was finished.

  “I know this isn’t pleasant for you, but I will do my best to get this over with as quickly as possible. I have my team identifying the coordinates and determining a safe approach. They should be done by the time we join them.”

  “I’m okay. I know this needs to be done.”

  Next, he set down the imager and picked up the scanner. He flicked a switch, and it emitted a pale green glow. He started to move it up his hand to demonstrate how it worked, then stopped when he realized he was still wearing his jacket. One second it was there, the next it was gone, revealing the dark grey, short-sleeved shirt he wore beneath.

  “It won’t hurt at all.” He said, running it up his newly bared and nicely muscled arm.

  “Did you just magic away your jacket?” she asked, her eyes still on his perfectly sculpted forearm.

  “It was in my way.” He held the device over her legs. “May I scan you?”

  She nodded affirmatively. “You may. And remind me to never get in your way, Big Red.”

  His brows rose. “What did you call me?”

  “Big Red. It just kind of slipped out.”

  “It is not inaccurate. I am both big, and red-haired.” He smiled a little as he activated the device and ran it slowly over her legs. There was nothing but a faint tingling sensation as it passed over her.

  She wasn’t sure what to say to that without getting herself in trouble. Did aliens do double entendres?

  It didn’t take him long to finish scanning her. Once he was done, she returned to the bathroom, turned the hot water on, and took a few minutes to try and scrub off the writing on her skin. She knew it wouldn’t all come off, but she felt better for having tried. Her skin stung by the time she was done, the lines slightly faded on her now reddened skin. She finished dressing, finger combed her hair back into place, picked her skirt up, and re-entered the main room.

  “We should scan this, too,” she said.

  Karos raised his head and accepted the item with a nod. “Good thinking. The scan detected several traces of cellular residue on your legs.”

  “What are the odds of the suspect being in a database?”

  “If they are staff, the odds are very good. If not…” He shrugged.

  “You think Kyle wasn’t the only traitor?”

  “I think it would be best not to make any assumptions. Kyle fooled us. There might be others.” He held her skirt by the waistband and started sweeping the fabric in slow, deliberate motions.

  “You said this place would be safe. If there are others, none of us are safe.”

  He looked up, his golden eyes bright as they stared into hers. “Once we are done here, we will make a stop at the armoury before we go to the command center. If this place is not safe, then we will make it so.”

  She grinned. “Did you just offer to arm me? You keep sweet-talking me like this Big Red, you and I might have to grab a drink when this is all over.”

  He dropped his gaze back to the device in his hand without speaking, but she thought she heard him growl under his breath. The barely-there sound made her tingle in all the right places. She’d never had a thing for alpha types before. And I don’t have one now. Get your head in the game.

  Chapter Four

  Karos led Megan to the lower floors of the embassy. Down here, the elegant tile and artwork had been replaced with simple flooring and a labyrinth of non-descript hallways that stretched out in all directions. They walked in silence, both of them deep in thought about what came next.

  The scan of the human female’s garment produced a fingerprint. It only took a few seconds to identify it as Kyle McLeod’s. Once he knew that, he compared the other samples he’d recovered to Kyle’s profile and got a hit. He’d been planning on making Kyle pay for his treachery, but now he would make sure the lying traxyn suffered for what he’d done to Megan.

  “We hu
rt him,” his dragon declared.

  ”We will,” he promised the beast.

  “Unless she finds him first. Our mate is fierce,” the dragon’s words were full of approval.

  As promised, they’d stopped at the armoury along the way, and Megan was now outfitted with a mixture of human and Romaki weaponry. She would have taken one of everything in inventory if she could have found a way to carry it all. She’d asked for the specifications of every weapon she didn’t recognize and made her preliminary choices, setting the items aside until they filled an entire table. He’d watched in amusement as she’d made her final selections and put the rest back with obvious reluctance.

  She was fierce. Loyal, too. With courage and strength that rivalled that of any Romaki warrior.

  “Tali would have liked her,” his dragon said softly.

  “She would have.” Tali. He didn’t think about her often. It hurt less that way. To remember her, he had to remember the fact he hadn’t been there the day she’d died. After a lifetime of guarding each other’s backs, he’d failed her. The scars on his back ached, reminding him of the day it happened. If he’d been with her, she’d still be alive.

  “Or we’d be buried beside her.”

  It was not the first time they’d had this conversation. While the dragon spirit was part of him, it wasn’t all of him. It was the more primal part of his nature, a creature driven by instincts, including survival. It didn’t understand guilt or remorse.

  He envied its ignorance.

  They reached the door of the command center. They were deep underground in an area that was more bunker than office building. This area was prone to earthquakes, and the embassy had been built to withstand anything that the planet, or the beings that inhabited it, could throw at it.

  As the doors opened on a large room full of uniformed staff and a wide array of technology, Megan uttered a low whistle. “I feel like I’m on the bridge of the USS Enterprise.”

  He had been encouraged to view a large amount of the human’s entertainment programming and recognized her Star Trek reference. He didn’t mention that the bridge of an actual spaceship was far more cramped and utilitarian than the room they entered. Everything here was still relatively new, and they had ample space for a generous layout. “This place houses a combination of Pyrosian and Romaki technology, far more advanced than what your species has.”

  “For now. With help from both of your species, we’re catching up fast.”

  He reached out and tapped the grip of the sidearm she’d selected from the armoury. “There are some technologies your species isn’t ready for yet. I believe you are the first human to carry that weapon.” He gave her a small smile. “Just remember that unlike Star Trek’s weaponry, that one does not have a stun setting.”

  She bared her teeth in a feral smile and lowered her voice so only he could hear her response. “Good. The ones I plan on shooting don’t deserve to be stunned.”

  They entered, and everyone inside turned to look their way before returning to their tasks. There were more than half a dozen beings present, most of them viewing monitors or three-dimensional displays of the city. They’d been tasked with the daunting job of locating Jet, Vykor, and the two missing humans in a city of over two million beings. While there were some humans on the embassy staff, only one of them had access to this area: Eva Amarin.

  Eva’s normally sunny smile was missing as she crossed the room to meet them, but even the small smile she offered Megan was enough to show her dimples.

  “You must be Megan. I’m Eva. I’m sorry about what happened to your companions. We’re doing all we can to find them, and our friends,” she said in English.

  “Thank you. I wasn’t sure at first, but now I believe that your people are the best chance Hanna and Lily have of being rescued.” Megan smiled back and relaxed slightly.

  Eva had that effect on everyone. The small blonde female exuded kindness and acceptance, along with a dizzying amount of energy when the situation required it.

  “You had doubts?” Eva’s gold eyes widened. “About us?”

  “It was your driver who gassed us. And Vykor didn’t do anything to help.” Megan shrugged apologetically. “Karos explained to me about Vykor. I understand now, but when I first came to I was disoriented, upset, and…” She glanced up at him and smiled. “Then there was this big, bossy jerk standing outside the limo barking orders at me.”

  Eva giggled and lowered her voice to a stage whisper. “He does that a lot.”

  Keth joined them, his arm sliding around his mate’s waist. “What have I told you about teasing the dragon, seska?”

  Eva looked up at her mate with an expression of adoration so pure it made Karos’ heart ache. “You said I shouldn’t mess in the affairs of dragons, because humans are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.”

  Megan snickered.

  “I do not eat beings. That would be disgusting.” Karos grumbled. “Nor would I ever consider doing you harm, Eva. You know this, which is why you know it is safe to tease me.”

  “Wait. Dragons don’t eat people? What about all the legends about dragons snacking on knights and flying off with virgins?” Megan asked.

  “If I were hungry, I’d conjure food. I have no need to eat my enemies. It’s easier to simply turn them to ash.” He grinned, deliberately flashing his fangs.

  “And the virgins?” Megan asked, her lips curved in a bare hint of a smile.

  “Company, of course. Even the grumpiest of dragons likes someone to uh…talk to.” Keth held out his hand to Megan in greeting. “I’m Keth. Eva and I manage the embassy, which means that what happened today is my fault. I am truly sorry.”

  Karos shook his head. “The fault was mine. I’m in charge of security.” The guilt he felt would only ease once this ordeal was over and everyone was returned safely.

  “And I should have done more to protect everyone when the attack started.” Megan straightened up and squared her shoulders. “Now that we’ve established that we’re all feeling guilty, how are we going to get them back?”

  “By any means necessary,” Karos stated.

  “Good attitude, Big Red, but maybe a few more details?” she retorted.

  Keth chuckled. “Big Red? Really?”

  “It is accurate enough.” Karos ignored the Pyrosian’s amusement and held out his hand to Megan. “Your device had a tracking program. What was it tracking? Perhaps we can replicate it and amplify the signal.”

  She pulled out her phone and handed it to him. “It can track their phones or the tracking devices they wear as jewellery. It’s been scanning for a signal since the limo, though, and so far, nothing.”

  “Your people are wearing trackers? That’s ingenious. I should implement a similar protocol for the embassy staff.”

  “Hanna’s is built into a pendant, and Lily’s is a charm on her bracelet. I had them made for trips to some of the more dangerous areas we travel in.”

  Karos handed the phone to Eva, who took it over one of the Pyrosian computer techs. Then, he turned to Keth. “How far away are the coordinates we were given? How long will it take to get there?”

  Keth grimaced. “Not long. In fact, I’ve already dispatched a team to retrieve it.”

  “What? No? I want to be part of this, damn it,” Megan interjected.

  Karos agreed with her. “Security is my job, not yours.”

  “Which is why I want you both here. I’m not risking either of you on what should be a delivery run.” Keth pointed to a massive monitor that took up most of one wall. “Attin, Bring up the live feed.”

  One of the Pyrosian males nodded in acknowledgment. “Yes, sir.”

  Video feeds appeared on the monitor in neat rows. Karos recognized the area immediately. “Why are we looking at security footage from the camera by the side gate?” he asked.

  “Because those coordinates are for a spot just north of the gate.” Keth leaned over Attin, touched the monitor, and the image on the large screen zoomed i
n on a small box set on the ground on the far side of the alley.

  “That wasn’t there before.” Karos took a long look at the object. It wasn’t large, maybe thirty centimetres long with a fitted lid. The cardboard appeared to be damp, but not soaking wet. It hadn’t been out in the rain for long.

  “It was dropped forty-two minutes ago, while you were on your way back here,” Keth said.

  “Dropped?” Megan asked. “Who dropped it off? Are you running facial recognition?”

  “It was delivered via drone.” Keth’s tone turned sour and he called up another feed, adding it to the large monitor. This one clearly showed a small drone flying into the alley and releasing the box, letting it fall several meters to the ground before zipping off again.

  “I’m getting tired of being three steps behind these jerks,” Megan muttered.

  “As am I.” Karos rumbled in agreement. “Where is the security team?”

  “They are standing by near the gate. They’ve scanned the container and done what we could to ensure there’s nothing dangerous inside.”

  “What about biological matter?” Megan’s voice held a sharp edge.

  “There were no weapons present. Biological, chemical, or otherwise,” Keth said.

  “That’s not what I meant. Sometimes humans deliver a body part, a finger or an ear, for example, to convey the seriousness of the threat to the ones who were taken.”

  Eva made a small, horrified sound. “They wouldn’t do that. Would they?”

  Keth drew his mate in closer to his side. “There was nothing like that inside the container.”

  Megan exhaled softly. “Good.”

  “I want to know what is in that box.” Karos glanced over at Attin. “Open a channel to the security team for me?”

  “Yes, sir.” Attin nodded when the link was established.

  “Security team. This is Karos Zattar, your commanding officer. Identify yourselves.”

  One by one, the six members of the team announced themselves. Keth had chosen well. The six were all steadfast males with good instincts and advanced training. He was still getting used to overseeing teams that had little or no females. His species had their share of problems, but at least they didn’t have to deal with the prospect of dying out because of a lack of mates.