Zaedon's Kiss: Sci-fi Alien Romance (Ketaurran Warriors Book 3)

by Rayna Tyler

  “Let’s go.” Gordon turned to head toward the building.

  “I think we’ll wait for Doyle out here.” Logan grabbed my arm again, signaling me to stay where I was.

  We had no idea how many males we’d be dealing with inside. Things would go a lot easier, with fewer casualties, if we could lure him outside.

  “I’m afraid it doesn’t work that way. If you want to get paid, you follow us inside.” Gordon held up his hand, and four other males appeared in the walkway. “Otherwise, we take the female anyway, and you get nothing.”

  Logan’s bluff had been worth a try. On the upside, we now knew how many males were standing guard. If Zaedon and the others stuck to the plan, they’d be close enough to hear our conversation. Once we entered the building, they’d incapacitate the other males, then come in after us.

  Logan shrugged off the newcomers with a snort. “Guess we’ll be going inside.”

  “Smart choice.” Gordon took the lead while the other male waited for us to follow, then brought up the rear.

  The inside of the bar was no different from the others I’d visited. The wooden walls were bare, decor not an important commodity. Round tables were scattered across the room on my right, several of them occupied by a handful of human males and a couple of females. Judging by their clothes, their cautious stares, and the blades strapped to their hips, they were all mercs. Whether or not they worked for Doyle or someone else, I had no way of knowing.

  The only ketaurrans in the room were the male behind the bar and a young female, possibly in her late twenties, who was serving drinks. Both had earthy sienna-colored scales and dark hair with red highlights, the female’s a more vibrant shade of crimson. They had similar facial features, making it apparent they were related, with the male a year or so older than her.

  We were halfway across the room, headed for a corridor in the back, when the female squealed. One of the male patrons had grabbed her around the waist with her arms pinned against her sides, and was pulling her onto his lap. The male sitting across from him laughed and leered, ready to join in on whatever fun the first one had planned for her. Even Gordon and the other male had stopped to watch what was happening.

  It might ruin all our plans, but there was no way I was going to stand by and let the males do whatever they wanted to her. Logan must have felt the same way. His grip on my arm tightened, and the muscles along his jaw twitched.

  Thankfully, neither of us had to do anything, because the male preparing drinks beat us to it.

  His enraged snarl echoed through the room. “Let. Her. Go.” He enunciated each word, following up his ominous threat by pulling out a short blade and aiming it at the male accosting the female.

  The male quickly released her, keeping his hands in the air until she’d reached the bar. “Sorry, Vaden. I was just having a little fun.”

  Vaden kept his dark green eyes leveled at the male and tapped the blade against his palm. “Touch my sister again, and you will not have any parts left to have fun with.”

  After a few laughs and guffaws, the patrons returned to their conversations and drinking, acting as if nothing had happened.

  Vaden walked around the bar, still gripping the blade, and placed a comforting hand on the female’s shoulder. “Cianna, are you all right?”

  “Fine, but…” Cianna glanced at the binding on my wrists, probably assuming the worst, then gave Vaden what appeared to be a silent plea for him to intercede on my behalf.

  If Vaden was like the other ketaurran males I knew, he’d be honor-bound to help me because I was a female. The last thing Logan and I needed was for Vaden and his sister to get involved. It could cost them their lives and ruin our plans to get Doyle. When his gaze locked with mine, I shook my head, hoping he understood.

  Several seconds passed before he finally acknowledged my request with a brief nod. “It is none of our concern,” he said to his sister, then returned to manning the bar.

  Gordon had also been paying attention to the sibling’s conversation. “This way,” he said once he realized Vaden wasn’t going to cause him any problems.

  After taking a shorter corridor that branched off the main hallway, he stopped in front of a door, then briefly pressed his ear against the wood to listen before knocking.

  “What?” The bellow from inside the room belonged to Doyle, reminding me that he was a bad combination of unpredictable and ruthless, neither of which I looked forward to dealing with.

  “It’s Gordon and Paul, and we’ve got a surprise for you.”

  The door flew open. “I hate sur…” Doyle’s glare landed on me, and his lips curled into a malicious grin, making it hard not to cringe.

  The left side of his face now had two long scars resembling claw marks running from his cheekbone to his jaw. They were more than likely the result of his encounter with the snakkrils that attacked his solarveyor during our escape from the Quaddrien.

  It was too bad the snakelike creature hadn’t sunk its poison-laced fangs into his flesh. It would have made life a whole lot easier for my friends and me, not to mention anyone else he decided to terrorize.

  “Cara, you’re one surprise I don’t mind getting.” Doyle stepped out of the way.

  When I didn’t move, Gordon shoved me into the room, leaving Logan and Paul standing near the doorway.

  The room was a little larger than I’d expected. To the right was an unmade bed, the blankets tossed haphazardly across the middle. A ketaurran male sat at a table adjacent to a shuttered windowpane on the left. Pale orange scales spread across the portion of his broad chest not covered by his vest. Seemingly annoyed by our intrusion, he tapped the side of a mug that was partially filled with a golden liquid.

  Whatever we’d interrupted must have been important. When I continued to stare, he quickly adjusted the edge of his long coat to cover his hip, but not before I got a glimpse of what looked like a laser blaster.

  He glared at me with dark amber eyes the entire time it took him to down the last of his drink and get to his feet. “Doyle, I will be leaving now.”

  Doyle snapped his head toward the male. “You don’t need to go. You might even enjoy what comes next.”

  “I am not interested in your plans for this female. Contact me tomorrow. We can finish our business then.” The male dismissed Doyle by heading for the door and not bothering to give him another glance.

  When he walked past Logan, his gaze lingered longer than necessary. I expected him to say something to Doyle that might expose us. Once he left the room and closed the door without saying another word, I released the breath I’d been holding.

  For whatever reason, Doyle hadn’t noticed Logan and wasn’t paying any attention to Gordon or Paul. I took a few steps farther into the room, hoping to keep it that way.

  “There’s a penalty for people who cross me, Cara. Not only did you spy on me, but you destroyed my lab and stole from me.” Doyle leaned forward, inches from my face, lips curled into a threatening sneer. “I want my property back.”

  I fought the urge not to back away. “Sorry, but I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Antagonizing him was never a smart thing, but with him standing this close, it gave me the opportunity to slip the rope off one wrist without drawing attention.

  My mind anticipated the pain that was coming a second before his hand connected with my cheek. It was a good thing he hadn’t used his fist; otherwise, I’d be on my knees, and the painful sting radiating along my jaw would hurt a lot worse.

  “The weapons, Cara. Where are they?” He raised his hand, fingers curled into a tight fist.

  I was ready for the punch, would use it to my advantage to disable him. Out of my periphery, I could see Logan inching toward Gordon and Paul. I knew the minute I grabbed Doyle that Logan would keep them away from me and work on disarming them.

  Doyle and I continued to glare at each other. The instant he’d changed his mind, the angry flicker disappeared from his dark eyes.

  “I have a better
idea.” Doyle lowered his arm. “My males and I haven’t had a female to pass around in quite a while. By the time we’re finished with you, you’ll tell me what I want to know.”

  The thought of Doyle touching me was revolting enough, but the chuckle I heard from the other males made me nauseous.

  “Hell, you’ll probably even beg me to kill you.” Doyle undid his belt and placed it, along with his sword, on the table.

  I had a sarcastic remark on the tip of my tongue, but Logan picked that moment to make his presence known.

  “Hey,” Logan snapped. “The female belongs to me, and until I get paid, no one is laying a finger on her.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Zaedon

  Khyron had us split up into teams. Celeste and Raytan would accompany him. Laria went with Jardun, leaving Garyck and Sloane to work with me. Vurell was not a warrior, but refused to be left behind. Rather than increase the odds of encountering more mercs if we tried to get Doyle through Aztrashar on foot, Vurell became our decoy. It was his job to take a solarveyor, drive around the perimeter until he was certain no one was following him, then meet us at a designated location for extraction.

  All the vryndarr were trained to be experts at stealth and staying hidden. The dark colors we wore helped us blend into our surroundings. Even Laria, Celeste, and Sloane were adept at not being seen.

  I had chosen a location where I could remain in the shadows and not lose sight of Cara. I had to keep telling myself that Logan and Cara knew what they were doing, that every time I saw the male roughly jerk her around it was part of the roles they played. That I should not entertain thoughts of hurting the male later.

  Cara had good judgment. She had known Logan a lot longer than me, trusted him with her life, and expected me to do the same. It was difficult to wait in the darkness and listen to their conversation with Doyle’s males. Even more difficult when one of them ripped the hood from Cara’s head and she flinched to hide the pain it caused.

  “Zaedon, we’re back.” Sloane announced her and Garyck’s return with a whisper.

  They went to check out the perimeter of the adjoining building and had been gone less than five minutes.

  “What did we miss?” she asked.

  “It appears Logan’s attempt to lure Doyle outside has failed.” I motioned toward the additional males who had appeared from various locations along the walkway.

  “Yeah, but now we know how many males he had watching the building,” Sloane said.

  It did not matter that Logan was going with Cara, I was not happy about her entering the building, and Sloane’s attempt to be positive did little to alter my feelings.

  “Draeck, there are more mercs inside.” From my vantage point, I’d gotten a partial glimpse of the bar’s interior.

  Garyck must have seen them too, because he placed his hand on my shoulder. “We will not let anything happen to your ketiorra.”

  As soon as the door closed behind the male following Logan, Garyck motioned for Sloane and me to follow him toward the narrow walkway that led to the back of the building.

  “Where are we going?” Sloane kept her voice low as she raced to keep up with our longer strides. “I thought we were supposed to help the others take out the guards.”

  “Our help is not necessary,” Garyck said, then stopped to peer at the rear of the building.

  When Sloane wrinkled her nose in confusion, I explained, “There are more males inside, which will make it difficult for Logan and Cara to get Doyle out without being seen.” Most structures in the city had a back entrance. If one was not available, we would find another way to enter.

  With only two small glow emitters attached to the exterior wall, the area surrounding the walkway was cast in shadows. “One male guards the entrance.” Garyck pointed toward the human leaning against the building. His average height and build posed no threat. Other than the blade on his hip, he did not appear heavily armed.

  “I’ve got this.” She squeezed past Garyck and me.

  He snarled when she dodged his grasp and moved toward the center of the walkway. “Little one, do not…”

  She winked, ignoring his command, and kept walking. I knew all too well what frustrating thoughts Garyck was currently entertaining. I had experienced similar emotions when Cara had engaged the two male bandits.

  Garyck never openly discussed his feelings, yet by his actions, I suspected Sloane might be his ketiorra. It was unclear why he had not attempted to claim her, but unless he wanted to talk about what was going on with the female, I would not ask.

  To interfere now might get Sloane harmed or cause the male to alert the others. All we could do was wait and let her execute her plan.

  Sloane sauntered closer to the male. “Hey, there.”

  “Sweetheart, you shouldn’t be back here.” The male pushed away from the wall, his gaze traveling along her body, then returning to her face.

  “I guess I got lost.” She stopped in front of him, turning so we could see her profile. “I don’t suppose you know where I could get a drink?”

  “There’s a bar around front.” He ran a finger along her arm. “But I wouldn’t be opposed to you staying so we could get to know each other better.”

  “Really?” Sloane eased closer, then placed her hands on his shoulders.

  “Oh yeah.” The male gripped her hips, his dark gaze dropping to her breasts.

  Garyck growled, and I grabbed his arm, hoping I would not have to restrain him.

  Sloane’s next move saved me the trouble. “Sorry, that’s never going to happen. You’re just not my type.” She brought her knee up fast and hard, then took several steps back. I might approve of Sloane’s method, but hearing the male’s pain-filled grunt made my tail twitch. When he grabbed his crotch and dropped to the ground, I glimpsed a hint of admiration in Garyck’s amber gaze.

  Rushing to assist Sloane was not necessary. The next blow with her knee caught the side of the male’s head, knocking him into the building and rendering him unconscious.

  By the time we reached her, she was squatting next to him and removing the knife from his belt.

  She answered Garyck’s inquiring frown. “There’s no such thing as having too many blades.” She grinned as she got to her feet, then tucked the sheath into the back of her pants. “Shall we?”

  She made it two steps before her attempt to reach the rear entrance was blocked by Garyck, who seemed determined to keep her from going first.

  “Seriously?” She groaned, then waited for him to enter.

  The door opened into an empty hallway. I heard the low rumble of voices mixed with occasional laughter coming from the bar on the left. There were two closed doors across from us and one at the end of the corridor on the right. There was also a staircase off to one side that lead to the upper level.

  There was no sign of Cara and Logan, and Doyle’s room could be anywhere in the building. The longer it took us to find it, the more agitated I became.

  “Where do we start looking?” Sloane appeared confident, but I heard the concern in her voice.

  “We need to split up. Garyck and you can take the upper level, and I will search the rooms down here.” I said, reaching for my blade.

  I waited from them to reach the stairs, then silently crept across the hall to the first room. The door was unlocked, making it easy to slip inside. I was greeted by darkness and did not need to activate an emitter to know the room was empty.

  There was always a chance someone from the bar might venture along the corridor, so I held the door open a crack and peered outside. Confident I was still alone, I made my way to the next room. I gripped the handle, ready to enter, when I heard footsteps behind me.

  “What do you think you are doing?” A female’s voice scolded me as if I were a young one.

  I slowly turned to find a young ketaurran female with reddish-brown scales. She glared at me with fierce amber eyes and clutched a tray in front of her as if it were a deadly weapon she would have no pro
blem smacking me with.

  “I am searching for a female,” I said.

  She misunderstood my intent and huffed. “We do not provide that service here.”

  “This female is human, would have been brought in as a prisoner.” I dropped my hands to my sides, hoping I would appear less intimidating. “I mean her no harm. I only want to help,” I added when she continued to scrutinize my intent.

  “Then go quickly.” Her gaze jumped toward the door at the end of the hall, then back to me. “The male who stays in that room is dangerous. Far worse than any of the others.”

  No sooner had she turned and hurried back toward the bar than a loud thud and what sounded like wood shattering erupted from inside the room.

  With my heart threatening to explode from my chest, I tightened the grip on my knife and headed for the door.

  ***

  Cara

  “Who are you?” Doyle glared at Logan as if seeing him for the first time, his eyes getting bigger. “Wait, I know you. You worked on Burke’s security team onboard the Starward Bounty.”

  As far as I knew, Logan hadn’t interacted with Doyle since leaving the ship, but even with his disguise, we knew there was a risk he might be recognized. Logan must have figured there was no point in denying the truth, because he pulled off the eye patch and shoved it in his pocket.

  Now that his identity had been discovered, the only thing that mattered was getting Doyle out of here and finding the rest of the team without either of us getting hurt.

  “You idiots,” Doyle snapped at Gordon and Paul. “Did you bother to find out who he was before you brought him in here?”

  “Well, kind of,” Gordon stammered. “He said his name was Roy, and I knew how badly you wanted the female, so I…” He glanced at Paul looking for support, but the male was smart enough not to say anything.

  Logan always told my friends and me that if we knew a fight was inevitable, it was better to be the first one to attack than to be the one on the receiving end. Following his own advice, Logan didn’t give Paul a chance to draw his sword. He doubled his fist and punched him in the gut, followed by a blow to the jaw.