Tren didn’t wait for the encroaching enemy to approach. He charged them with silent fury. A gun in one hand, a knife in the other, he took aim as he went after the invaders. He didn’t miss. Nor did he shoot to injure. Each head shot took down an intruder, and those who popped up silently from the rocks and brush met the sharp edge of his blade.
As attacks went, the enemy proved less than impressive. Mindless clones who resembled the slimy skinned goblins of the Pracgudian galaxy, they didn’t even wield any laser pistols. Whoever had sent them to attack had armed them instead with knives and swords. To say he sliced through them in a gruesome swath was an understatement. Actually, the ease with which he dispatched them insulted him. If someone was going to attack me they could have at least made an effort.
Unless these fodders for death served another purpose, such as delay. Tren almost groaned aloud at his stupidity in not recognizing the stalling tactic.
Urgency imbued him as, through his connection to Megan, he sensed her sudden shock, then fear. Her anger swiftly followed, but what worried him most of all was when, like a fire snuffed, he no longer felt anything of her emotions.
Tren roared in fury, the icy chill of fear held at bay by the intact tendril of his mating bond allowing him to know she lived, if incapacitated.
Unacceptable.
Tren broke off the battle with the clones and ran towards his house, then past it, following his ghostly connection to Megan.
At a swift jog, it didn’t take him long to catch up to his brother who strode along in cocky arrogance with Megan slung over his shoulder.
“Drop her, Jaro, before I put an end to our feud once and for all.”
His brother turned with a smirk. “Done with my little surprise already? That must be a record even for you. I’d calculated it would take you at least a few units, enough time for me to get away with the female.”
Tren raised his gun and aimed it at his brother’s head, his hand steady even if his heart quavered at what Jaro forced him to do. “Don’t make me kill you,” he warned.
Jaro scoffed. “You and I both know you won’t break our promise to mother over a female.”
Tren’s felt the coldness of his killer side slip over him. “I will kill anyone who thinks to harm my mate, promise or not.”
Jaro’s eyes widened, and he reeled back a step. “Mate? Surely you didn’t bond with the Earthling? She’s a barbarian.”
“Megan is my mate. The proof of her claiming is visible on her neck. So I am going to ask you one last time to put her down, or make no mistake, I will kill you.”
Before Jaro could comply, a burning pain hit Tren’s back. With a growl, Tren turned and fired on the ranks of a new group of aliens approaching armed with laser pistols. A presence at his side made him snarl, a sound bitten short as he saw his brother shooting at the advancing menace.
“Game over, Jaro. Call your lackeys off,” Tren shouted.
“They’re not mine,” Jaro replied, his expression grim as he aimed and fired.
“Frukx!” Tren didn’t like the sound of that, but then another worry hit him. Megan. He whirled in time to see figures darting toward her prone figure on the ground. Tren roared as he rushed them, shooting them down, but more poured forth from the vegetation as he stood over her body, protecting her unconscious shape with his own.
A few fiery shots struck him, the burning pain making him grit his teeth. It also made him sloppy and he missed the attack from behind which toppled him over to lie face first in the ground.
And this is why I became a mercenary instead of a soldier. Sneak attacks are much better for my general health than full on battle.
The injuries peppering his body would heal if he got to a medtech unit. Tren groaned as he tried to push himself up. He struggled to one knee as the sounds of shouting and renewed firing letting him know the guards that he’d sent away during his courtship of Megan had finally arrived from the outpost.
Frantically, he looked about for Megan. When he didn’t see her he staggered to his feet. The sudden movement made him sway and black spots danced in front of his eyes.
Then he knew nothing.
Tren woke in the healing unit and he bellowed when the frukxn’ thing wouldn’t let him rise as it completed the mending sequence. His shout brought Jaro who sported some colorful bruises.
“Where’s Megan?” Tren could sense her, faintly. His fragile connection to her frightened him like nothing else ever had.
Jaro’s face tightened.
Tren struggled against the invisible bonds that held him while the machine worked, and gave up with a frustrated scream of rage. “This is your fault,” Tren yelled.
“I’m not the one who kidnapped her,” Jaro shouted back.
“But you’re the one who frukxed with my security, are you not?”
Jaro at least had the decency to look sheepish. “I only meant to take your human and copulate with her like you did with Shinja. Show you what it felt like to have a female you cared for tainted.”
Tren growled. “You idiot! How many times do you have to be told I never touched that she-witch?”
Jaro’s lips tightened. “Stop lying. She admitted it to me.”
“Because the whore was mad I rebuffed her advances.”
“Liar. She loved me and you just couldn’t keep your hands off.”
“She was copulating with the whole regiment. I was the only one who said no. Don’t believe me? Fine, then call up some of the others from the rank. I’m sure now that all this time has passed, they might finally have the courage to admit their part.”
Jaro’s face stiffened for a moment, then went slack with resignation. “Some already have confessed.”
“And?” Tren growled.
“I killed them instead of believing them.”
Tren snorted. “They probably deserved it. So are you going to keep believing that good for nothing whore or your own brother and common sense?”
“What? And give up our competition for greatest mercenary?” Jaro grinned.
“Ha. What competition? We both know I’m the better one.”
“Says the male who had his security system cracked and didn’t notice until I intentionally set off an alarm.” Jaro smirked in triumph and Tren scowled.
“I was distracted.” And still was with worry about his mate. “How much longer before this blasted thing is done? I need to go after Megan.”
“You still have a few units to go, but don’t worry, we’ve almost caught up to the idiot who took her.”
Tren laid his head back and closed his eyes in relief. “Good.”
“Not really. Z’nistakn is the one who kidnapped her, and he’s taking her back to his planet which is virtually impregnable.”
Tren allowed a ghost of a smile to tilt his lips. “No, it’s not. I bribed the engineer who designed his system.”
“You mean tortured?” Jaro replied wryly.
“Either way, he gave me some backdoor codes to get in.”
“How do you know he’d didn’t change them?”
“I killed him right after, of course.” Tren chuckled and Jaro joined him.
“Fine, that gives you a possible way in, but it does nothing to help us with the troops he has on hand to throw at us both on land and in space.”
“I’ll worry about penetrating his fortress, it is after all my specialty. As for space, I think it’s time I called in some favors. I will get her back, Jaro, even if my actions start a war with the entire galactic council.” Tren couldn’t care less about Z’nistakn’s position on the council. He’d frukxed with the wrong male when he took their mutual dislike to a personal level.
Jaro sighed. “Great, reunited for not even a galactic unit and already you’re dragging me into trouble.” He laughed. “Just like the old days.”
Tren joined him in chuckling, but his was a darker sound. Where Megan was concerned, he’d do and kill anything to get her back. Woe to anyone who stood in his way.
In what rapidly was becoming a tedious pattern, Megan blinked her eyes open, sighed and kept them open. Not that the view really appealed, but she’d learned playing opossum simply didn’t seem to work. Besides, the situation warranted her using her wits, because standing in front of her was a cross between an alligator and a human. In other words, something butt ugly. Unlike her other abductions, this time she sat in a chair with only her hands bound in front of her which left her feet free. What a mistake.
“Finally, she awakes,” hissed the creature, flicking out a forked tongue.
She crinkled her nose. “What are you, Voldemort’s cousin?”
Slitted yellow eyes narrowed. “Silence female. I am galactic councilor Z’nistakn, but you may call me Master.”
A snicker escaped her. “I don’t think so. Although, I can see calling you my new pair of boots if you don’t take me back to Tren, like, yesterday.” Megan made the threat even as she didn’t hold out hope Tren would rescue her again. Ridiculous as her new captor appeared and spoke, she recognized the signs of wealth from the well-armed guards at his back to the more opulent surroundings around her. Anyhow, it wasn’t as if her pirate truly cared for her. He simply enjoyed using her body. It didn’t stop her from hoping, though, that he’d come sweeping in, guns blazing to rescue her like Han Solo and Luke had with Princess Leia.
The lizard, whose name she couldn’t pronounce, just about went postal at her words. “Insolent whore. I will teach you to mock those superior to you.” Its clawed fingers grappled with the robe it wore and spread it open to reveal a stubby penis.
Megan laughed. “Ooh, make me shake in teeny, tiny fear, why don’t you? My god, are all your kind so poorly endowed? No wonder you need to kidnap women. Your own probably keep laughing you out of the bedroom.”
The titters she heard didn’t come from Mr. Lizard, but his guards. And it made him snap. He drew back and slapped her, rocking her head to the side.
Turning back to face him, she smirked. “Lovely, another alien coward who can only hit a woman when she’s tied up. Is Tren the only alien in the galaxy man enough to handle a real woman?” She really should learn to shut up, she thought, as Mr. Lizard smacked her again and again, but honestly, she’d rather die than let the alligator freak touch her.
A beeping sounded and a computer generated voice announced, “Request for teleconference from Trenkaluan for galactic councilor Z’nistakn.”
The upright crocodile stopped slapping her, and his slitted eyes lit with pleasure. “About time. I was beginning to wonder if my troops had killed him during your extraction.”
Megan’s heart almost stopped at those words. Was Tren hurt? Oh, my god.
The lizard turned away from her and faced a large blank wall. “Put him onscreen.”
Tren’s face filled the wall, his blue eyes almost opaque in his fury. “Z’nistakn,” he snarled. “You’ve crossed the line.”
The alien crowed. “Ah, has the mighty mercenary suffered a loss? So much for your reputation of always prevailing.”
Mercenary? Megan’s brow furrowed. Tren was a space pirate, or was he? Suddenly some of the things he’d said and done came together and she wanted to laugh at her naivety. Mercenary or not, she still loved the stupid, purple lug.
“You will return Megan to me this instance of suffer the consequences,” Tren ordered.
“I think not. Well, not until you’ve done a few tasks for me, then we can talk about a possible exchange.”
“You sign your death warrant then.”
“It will take more than threats to frighten me,” scoffed the lizard.
Tren’s lips curled into a sadistic smile that made her shiver, not in fear for herself, but satisfaction. The idiot who’d kidnapped her didn’t seem to realize he played with fire. “That wasn’t a threat. It was a promise.”
The alien laughed. “You seem to forget, I have an army at my disposal. Actually, as we speak, I’ve already dispatched my squadrons to take care of your vessel if you refuse to cooperate.”
Tren’s smile widened. “Who says I came alone?” The view on the screen switched to show one tiny ship hovering in space and then suddenly, there were dozens of vessels of varying sizes.
A stink permeated the room as Mr. Lizard almost shit himself in sudden fear. His voice quavered when he spoke again. “You wouldn’t dare! The council won’t sit back and allow you to kill me. It would mean a declaration of war against your kind if you did.”
Tren’s eyes narrowed becoming flat and cold. Megan could almost feel the chill creeping from them. “If it takes a war to get my mate back, then bring it on. I am coming for her. And when I do, you and anyone one else in my way will die.”
The communication cut off and the scaly alien went into panic mode, screeching orders. Megan, however, couldn’t lift her jaw up off the ground.
Mate? Did he just refer to me as his mate? A grin spread across her face. He’d not only come for her, he loved her enough to start a galactic war. How cool was that? Nothing says I love you like bloodshed and violence.
Nearby explosions sent vibrations through the room and Megan jumped up from the chair and moved to put her back against a wall just as the lizard turned to face her.
“You! Come here, female. Since you mean so much to him, then I’ll need you to escape. He won’t dare harm me if you’re in my possession.”
“If you want me, come and get me,” she taunted. The lizard advanced on her just as the door to the room blew open. Megan, though, didn’t dare let her eyes stray from the advancing alien, even as the wails of dying creatures filled the air. Along with the screams came the acrid smell of burning flesh and plastic which made her nose twitch and her eyes water.
A roar of pure fury swept through the room, but Megan didn’t have time to grin or look as her purple marauder arrived to the rescue. The lizard freak reached her and made to grab her. Megan dodged the claws and pumped her foot up hard. With a squeal of pain, the lizard bent over double. Then he went sailing across the room as Tren arrived and tossed him aside like rubbish.
A second later, he crushed her to his chest-one armed because the other hand was still busy firing. He planted a quick bruising kiss on her lips and then tucked her behind him. A gun in each hand, he picked off the remaining troops until the only groaning body left belonged to Mr. Lizard.
Tren holstered one pistol before tucking her under his arm, tight against him. “Are you injured?” he asked gruffly.
“Just a few bruises. You got here just in time.”
“I would have arrived sooner, but Jaro forced me to wait for backup.” His disgruntled tone warmed Megan as they strode over to the councilor who tried to crawl away. Tren planted a black boot on his back and flattened him.
“I’m glad he made you wait; otherwise, your chance of succeeding would have ended up a lot slimmer. Besides, what matters is you came to save me in the first place.”
Almost opaque blue eyes swiveled to meet hers. “I will always come for you.” He turned away as he pointed his gun at the lizard’s head.
Megan grabbed his arm. “Wait. Should you do that? What if it starts a war with your people?”
Tren fired and the alien’s head disappeared in a splatter of things best left unmentioned. “Your safety is worth more than any blood or mayhem that emerges from my actions this day.”
Megan gaped up at him. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
Tren turned and shot over her head at something that squealed. “Can this conversation not wait until we’ve made it back to safety?”
“Oh, fine. Change the subject. Isn’t that just like you,” she ranted. “Here, do something useful then since you won’t admit the obvious.” She held up her bound hands. Tren yanked a knife from a sheath and sliced through the restraints. Freed, Megan stooped and grabbed a gun.
“What are you doing?” he barked.
“Helping of course,” she replied.
“You can help by staying out of the way.”
Megan grinned. “Make me.”
Upended over his shoulder, her breath left her in a whoosh. She watched the play of the muscles in his buttocks as he carried her to safety. And to make sure he hurried, she stroked them.