Theirs to Tame, page 15
Fanaris hurried toward them, his aura pulsing with each step. He looked at Tori and winked then let out another savage roar. She fought back a grin. He was laying it on a bit thick, but he clearly needed the release for his emotions.
A second group of soldiers ambushed him from an adjacent hallway. Fanaris batted one away then snatched the weapon from another and clubbed the side of his head with it. They needed to hurry. Obviously the original guards had called for assistance before Fanaris incapacitated them. Tori was about to call out to him, when his aura brightened.
Doorway. The word blared in Tori’s mind and she realized what Fanaris was about to do. She grabbed Emily’s arm and dragged her into the nearest doorway.
A rumbling boom sounded and then a bright light sped along the corridor. When the beam passed, everyone in the corridor, except Fanaris, was unconscious. He jogged toward the women looking content with the outcome.
Fanaris had nearly reached the women when a stray soldier stepped into the corridor. Had he been cowering in the other hallway?
“Fanaris.” Tori motioned toward the soldier. “There’s one more.”
The soldier raised a pulse rifle to his shoulder and fired half a second before the energy ball Fanaris flung reached him. The fool was shaking and his shot went wide, missing Fanaris entirely.
Tori heard a sharp cry and spun toward Emily just in time to see her legs collapse. What the fuck? She rushed to her friend and crouched down beside her. “Did he hit you? Oh, my God.”
“I’ll survive,” Emily groaned. “The pulse… hit my leg.”
“Fanaris will have to carry you.”
Emily shook her head and lowered her voice. “Too suspicious. He has to take you.” Pain twisted her expression. “Go.”
Fanaris must have heard her. He grabbed Tori by the back of the dress and dragged her to her feet. “Move,” he snarled, propelling her toward the shuttle bay.
She started struggling, partly for show and partly out of dread of how this would be perceived. “They’ll think I’m running away,” she lamented as Fanaris picked her up and shoved her through the hatch on Emily’s shuttle.
“You can do this without a hostage,” she pleaded, tugging against his hold.
“They’ll shoot me dead the second I launch,” he predicted gruffly and activated the hatch.
She let out a sound of pure exasperation. This was not what she’d intended, not what she wanted.
“Tori!” Xoktal shouted.
She looked back and saw his disbelieving expression as the hatch closed behind her.
Her heart lurched and tears blurred her vision. He’ll think I betrayed him. This is a disaster.
“Sit down,” Fanaris urged. “This is an escape, remember?”
Yes, but she was not supposed to be involved!
She sank onto the nearest seat and Fanaris set the shuttle in motion. It launched with breath-stealing acceleration then banked sharply upward, throwing Tori back into her seat. A gradual roll brought the shuttle level again and then it sped even faster.
Energy pulses flew all around them, not one hitting the shuttle.
“Return to the ship immediately,” Xoktal yelled over audio-comm.
“She will not be harmed. Call off your fighters,” Fanaris responded.
“What is your destination?” Xoktal demanded angrily. “That is a short-range shuttle. It does not have hyperspace capabilities.”
What was he talking about? Why had he brought up hyperspace?
The display transitioned, the vast expanse of space replacing the image of Earth. Fanaris had flown over the ship and was heading away from the planet.
“Fanaris, where are you going? This was not the plan.”
His features hardened and hate filled his gaze. “You might trust the Kobar, but I do not. I made my own escape plans.”
It was the only warning she got before a sickening rush swept reality away.
When she regained her senses a moment later, she was on a different ship, a much larger ship from the look of it. She sat in a chair along the perimeter wall of an unfamiliar command center. An IMAX-size display spread out in front of her and she could see the shuttle as well as Xoktal’s ship in the distance. The previous ship seemed focused on the shuttle as if they had no idea another warship was in the area. Was this new ship cloaked or something?
“What the fuck, Fanaris?” Thank God she was sitting down. Her head was spinning and her stomach was twisted in knots.
Rumbling laughter made her look to her right. Fanaris stood beside Hefftos. She wasn’t sure which of them had laughed. Hefftos was a mountain of a man, with graying dark hair and rugged features. She’d liked him when they met the first time, but she wanted to punch his smirking face right now.
“Nice to see you again, Vixen,” Hefftos greeted, his smirk widening into a friendly smile. “Sorry to spoil your plans, but this made more sense for Fanaris.” Then he turned back to his crew and ordered, “Cut all ties and get us out of here.”
Two things happened simultaneously. Someone fired a shot that vaporized the shuttle and a hyperspace portal opened in front of Hefftos’ ship. All Tori could do was shake her head in helpless disbelief as the ship sped through the portal, leaving the Milky Way far behind.
CHAPTER 6
Blinded by a red haze, Xoktal slammed his fist into the alloy bulkhead. Pain shot through his hand and he released a cry of rage. “That lying, deceitful, heartless bitch! I could strangle her with my bare hands.”
“Not at the moment you couldn’t,” Cassik said facetiously. “You just shattered your knuckles.”
As the rush of fury gradually subsided, Xoktal shook his throbbing hand and fought back a groan. He had to agree with his third. Something in there was definitely broken. “One more infraction I can add to her list.” They stood in the empty shuttle bay, too shocked at the unexpected developments to leave. He could still see the pleading look in Tori’s eyes as the hatch closed in front of her. But the shuttle didn’t fly off to Earth so Fanaris could deliver their message. Some sort of teleportation device transported them to another ship, a ship the Exlotiss had not detected. If they had not seen the ship briefly as it flew into the hyperspace portal they would have thought Fanaris and Tori perished in the explosion.
Is that what she wanted him to believe? Was that her way of saying, do not follow?
Pain threaded through his anger, twisting inside him until he could hardly breathe.
“Are you sure she ran away?” Rytez asked. He had just arrived so he hadn’t seen what transpired. “This doesn’t make sense. She was starting to respond to us. We need to talk to Emily.”
Rytez was usually the last person to defend anyone. Xoktal tried to reason through his anger. Was it possible that Fanaris acted alone?
“They took her up to medical,” Cassik told Rytez, his expression troubled.
Without further comment, Rytez walked from the shuttle bay. Xoktal fell in behind him. It wouldn’t hurt to hear what Emily had to say. Xoktal hadn’t actually seen who shot her or how Tori ended up on the shuttle. He knew there would be a disturbance when Fanaris escaped and he hadn’t wanted to arrive too soon.
The clinic was overflowing with victims of Fanaris’ power. There wasn’t room for them inside the small room, so Dr. Orlin stepped out into the corridor to update them. “No one was badly injured,” he began. “Lots of burns and contusions, but nothing too serious.”
“What about the female?” Rytez prompted.
The physician shrugged. “There was a flesh wound in the human’s leg, easy to mend. She has been moved to a cabin.”
“Which one?” Rytez asked.
Orlin told him. “I gave her a sedative. She might not respond.”
Xoktal held out his hand, swollen knuckles up. “I need this resolved immediately.”
Orlin looked at the injury more closely then muttered, “Wait here.” He returned to the clinic, but sent out a technician with a handheld regenerator.
“I’ll go see if Emily is awake,” Rytez volunteered impatiently as the technician went to work.
“Fine, but do not question her until I join you. I want to hear her answers.”
With a stiff nod, Rytez headed off down the hallway. Cassik went with him.
The technician glanced at Xoktal as he passed the healing beam back and forth across his knuckles. “The fight-bots work better than the bulkheads, sir. Gowarra alloy is unforgiving.”
“And why do you presume that is how I injured my hand? There could have been hundreds of causes.”
Unconcerned with his commander’s grumpiness, the technician chuckled. “I’ve treated injuries just like this one numerous times and the cause is always the same. Besides, I’m dealing with the aftermath of the mutant’s escape, and I was told he took your female with him.”
When the technician finished and returned to the clinic, Xoktal flexed his hand. There was some residual stiffness, but the pain was gone.
Xoktal hurried down the corridor, anxious to hear what Emily had to say. The door to her cabin was open and Rytez and Cassik stood just inside the doorway. They moved over, making room for him, which used up nearly all of the floor space. The cabin was tiny. Emily sat on the narrow bunk, her back pressed against the bulkhead. She was dressed in the loose-fitting garments they used for physical conditioning.
“How are you feeling?” Xoktal began before Rytez could dive into less polite questions.
“Fuzzy. You guys have amazing drugs.” She smiled dreamily. “The doctor said my leg would be good as new in the morning.”
“It will be,” Xoktal assured. “We’d like to ask you a few questions. If that’s all right.”
“Sure, but you better hurry.” Her eyelids were starting to droop.
“Who shot you?” Rytez was direct as always.
“The scaredy-cat. Think he was hiding out in the hall.”
Xoktal and Rytez exchanged concerned looks. This was the first they had heard of a crewmember acting without honor. “How was it decided that Tori should take your place?”
“My idea. Sorry. She’ll be back in a jiff. Only takes… I really… sleepy.” Her features went lax and Xoktal knew the conversation was over.
They filed out of the cabin and headed for their quarters.
“If this was Emily’s idea, then who the hell was on that other ship?” Rytez sounded concerned.
“It had to be Hefftos,” Xoktal argued. “We have no enemies, at least none in this star system.”
“That was my conclusion too,” Cassik said, “but there were rumors that—never mind. It had to be Hefftos.”
“You can’t start something like that then not finish it,” Rytez snapped. “There were rumors of what?”
Cassik sighed. “When the Wraith Program ended there were rumors that it didn’t actually end, that it had been moved off world because of the uproar against what they were doing. We all believed that Hefftos was the only survivor until we met Fanaris. What if someone found out that there was another Wraith survivor and decided to take a look?”
“What the fuck am I supposed to do with that information?” Xoktal stopped walking and pivoted to face his third.
“That’s why I decided not to tell you,” Cassik countered.
Xoktal took a deep breath. The last thing they needed was to fight with each other. “We need to find our mate, Alpha Hunter. Where do you suggest we began our search?”
“The Tyllarian Badlands, undoubtedly. Even if the rumors are true, which I do not believe, that is still where I would begin my search.”
Xoktal nodded. “I must trust this to you and Rytez. I cannot leave my ship until the rebels have been shut down entirely.”
“That is why we form cadres,” Cassik reassured. “We’ll bring her back, sir. Without fail.”
“I know you will. Go prepare your ship. Rytez will meet you in the launch bay. I have one last task for him before you two head out.”
“Of course, sir.”
“Stop calling me sir,” Xoktal ordered and then smiled.
Cassik returned his smile then headed back the way they’d come.
“What can I do for you, sir,” Rytez said with a smirk.
Xoktal shook his head. “I don’t have the energy for your sense of humor today. I need you to comm Brydon. He’s aware of what we were attempting, but he needs to know the outcome. Hearing that his mate has been shot might come better from his brother than from me.”
Rytez did not look pleased with the request. “I doubt it, but I’ll make the comm.”
“Thank you. I have to tell my brother that Vixen is no longer in my custody, and I can’t really explain the circumstances because we were attempting an act of insubordination at the time.”
“I hadn’t thought of that. Damn. I’ll happily talk to Brydon. Your conversation with the supreme commander is going to require some serious creativity.”
Xoktal nodded and Rytez turned to leave. “Rytez, if her escape was real, let her go.”
Clearly shocked by the order, Rytez just stared at him for a tense moment.
“She is our mate. I cannot treat her like a prisoner any longer. I would rather let her go.”
“I don’t know if I can.” Conflict twisted his features and emotion roughened his voice. “She was meant to be our mate. Everything inside me senses it.”
“Then it shouldn’t be a problem. Convince her to return, seduce her, but it must be her choice. That is an order.”
Rytez heaved a sigh of frustration as he said, “Understood.”
Confident that his orders would be followed, Xoktal headed for his office to make the dreaded comm. Cassik’s wild hypothesis didn’t improve Xoktal’s mood. If Tori had been kidnapped by some phantom members of the Wraith Project—he shook away the minuscule possibility. Rytez and Cassik were the best qualified to rescue her regardless of the details.
Xoktal slipped in behind his desk and activated his comm system. Knowing it wouldn’t get any easier, he sent a comm request to his brother.
Jesorax seldom bothered with greetings. He had a planet to run. “I just heard a rumor that a hyperspace portal opened near your ship. What the hell is going on out there?”
He cleared his throat, allowing his discomfort to show. “I seem to have lost my female.”
“Lost?” Jesorax sounded dumbfounded. “Vixen got away from you? Wait, does this have something to do with the portal?”
Xoktal braced for the humiliating lecture. Despite their differences, Xoktal loved and admired his brother. Jesorax’s disapproval always cut deeply. “Her pet mutant must have contacted one of his friends. Fanaris had been downplaying his abilities, waiting for assistance to arrive.”
“And Vixen went with him?” Jesorax asked, speculation narrowing his eyes.
“She was walking to the shuttle bays to say goodbye to Emily Delacroix when Fanaris broke free. He originally grabbed Emily, but one of the crew inadvertently shot her so Fanaris grabbed Tori.”
Jesorax shook his head, but there was a hint of amusement in his expression. “So you don’t actually know if your mate ran off or if she was simply protecting her mutant friend.”
“Exactly,” Xoktal admitted, unsure how to react to his brother’s amusement.
Jesorax paused and his expression hardened. “I’m sorry, Xoktal, I can’t spare the Exlotiss. Recent developments indicate that the rebels are escalating. The hunters have never been more important. I need you here.”
“I sent my cadre after her, sir.” Jesorax accepted the statement with a nod, so Xoktal asked, “What developments? I thought Chris Phaeton had given us all the information we needed to snuff out this threat.”
“So did I. Now I’m not sure what to believe. Most of his information has been accurate, but he insists that he does not know the current location of the lab. I don’t believe him, but threats are no longer effective. We also found an abandoned truck with several bodies, three Kobar and four human. They appear to be the victims of a biological weapon.”
Xoktal’s gut tightened and his mouth went dry. “They’ve begun testing?”
“It could have been an accidental exposure, but I don’t think so.”
Neither did Xoktal. The rebels had only ever had one purpose, the utter destruction of all Kobar. “Where was this truck found?”
“Sector Five near the city once known as Las Vegas. The heat in that desert sped the decay and compromised our investigation. I haven’t received the autopsy reports, but I know this was the rebels.”
“Do you think the lab is nearby or did they move the bodies to shift the focus of our search?”
“That is what I need you to find out.” Jesorax heaved a ragged sigh, looking as frustrated as he sounded. “I know Cassik is off retrieving Vixen, but you have a ship full of hunters. Dispatch them.”
“Understood, sir.” This was an official report to his commanding officer, but Xoktal was worried about his brother. “Are you all right? I haven’t seen you this frustrated since we arrived in this star system.”
“This conflict is wearing me down,” Jesorax admitted. “I’m trying not to overreact, but every time a team misses a check-in I worry that they’ve been snatched by those irrational rebels. I don’t want to find another truck full of dead soldiers.”
It took a lot to upset Jesorax, which added to Xoktal’s anxiety. “Have there been a lot of missed check-ins lately?”
Jesorax nodded. “As of right now, there are eight that sector leaders have been unable to verify.”
“How is that possible? We all have tracker nanites?”
Jesorax scrubbed his jawline, an anxious gesture he’d developed as a teen. “Nanites have been known to malfunction. However, the device was disabled in all three of the victims we found.”
“The rebels have figure out how to disable our trackers?” Xoktal pressed back into his chair, shocked by the revelation. Kobar technology was so advanced compared to anything humans had developed that they could barely understand the basic principles.
“I was shocked as well, but denying the facts is just foolish. These humans are clever and driven. They have also had access to our technology for three years now. They are starting to use it against us.”
