Every step that took him farther away from Lara made the pain spike higher than anything he’d ever felt before.
Chapter Sixteen
Lara wanted to scream. She was trapped, she couldn’t move, and as air sawed in and out of her lungs, she realized that it was getting harder and harder to breathe.
She still fought. That was all she knew—keep fighting until things got better. She fought with everything she had until she screamed in frustration.
She couldn’t move. She was helpless.
The spider moved, lifting her. She gasped, trying to imagine what was happening. Then she was jerked to a stop.
Then…nothing.
Nothing but the sound of her own harsh breathing. A tear slipped down her cheek. Fucking Kantos. They stole everything, killed everything, destroyed everything.
Lara had found Caze. A magnificent warrior. A man who was so good, a man she was falling for.
Dammit, it wasn’t fair that she had to die here.
But he’d gotten the gems. It was the last thing she’d seen—him snatching up the backpack.
He’d complete the mission. And he’d make sure that her sisters were safe.
Her death would not be in vain. She knew that her warrior would make the Kantos pay.
She pulled in a jerky breath. Her lungs were starting to burn.
Lara wanted to curl her fingers into her palms, but she couldn’t even do that. Her heart stuttered.
So alone. Always alone.
As her oxygen-deprived mind wandered, she wished Caze hadn’t left her. Like her dad had left her. Like her mother had abandoned her.
Except for her sisters, all the people she loved left her.
Love. Oh, God, she loved the big, bad warrior.
She heard a sound and sensed movement through the web. Her heart thudded. Was the spider back? Maybe now to finally eat her?
Lara squeezed her eyes closed harder. What did it matter? She was alone. So terribly alone. And she’d die soon anyway. Her lungs were burning, and she knew that she’d run out of air before much longer.
But she couldn’t just stand there doing nothing. Even though it hurt, she struggled against the web.
Then she screamed as loudly as she could.
* * *
Cren. Caze spotted where the spider had slapped the freshly-made cocoon with Lara inside against the wall.
The creature had scuttled off into the darkness and, as he scanned the space, he counted dozens of other cocoons attached to the wall.
He barely controlled a shudder and forced himself to wait, even though every muscle in his body demanded he leap into action and tear her down. He had no idea how much time Lara had left.
But he couldn’t help her if he was dead. He needed to make sure the spider had lost interest.
His broken arm throbbed. He’d aligned the bone as best he could and his helian was working overtime to repair it. It would hold for now, but another hit would shatter it.
Surrender. Give us the gems.
The guttural mental voice of an elite echoed in his head.
We are coming for you, warrior. You cannot escape.
The voice was the echo of several elites. By Alqin’s axe, how many elites were on the station?
He gritted his teeth. It didn’t matter if there were one or a hundred of them directing the soldiers and bugs. He didn’t care. His mission be damned. He was saving Lara.
Caze moved. He couldn’t see the spider. He snuck along the wall. He’d fight the entire hive station, every single Kantos they threw at him, to save Lara.
He’d fight as many elites as it took.
Her cocoon was well above the ground and he eyed the wall. It was rough, with small cavities and nooks peppered across it. He stuck a boot in one hole and climbed up.
Soon, he was level with Lara’s cocoon. He connected with his helian and formed a knife.
Then Caze started cutting.
The web substance was sticky and tough, he locked his jaw and kept hacking, cutting, and slicing.
It was hard work and soon sweat dripped down his face. Did she still have air? He kept working, his heart thudding painfully.
He managed to make a small hole and he shoved his hand into it, gripping the edge of the cocoon. He heaved, tearing a chunk off.
He uncovered her face.
She was pale and she wasn’t breathing. His pulse spiked. His helian didn’t detect any life signs.
No, no, no.
“No, Lara.” Wildly, he tore the cocoon. He got his knife inside and split the cren-cursed thing right down the middle.
Lara pitched forward and he caught her before she fell.
Holding her tightly to his chest, he climbed down. When his boots hit the floor, he swung her up and quickly carried her out of the spider’s room. He wanted to get out of there before the monster realized one of its victims was missing.
The corridor was empty, and his throat was tight as he hurried to find a shadowed alcove.
He laid her flat on her back and pressed a palm to her chest. No movement.
Desperately, he pressed his mouth to hers, breathing air into her.
“Lara, please. Don’t leave me.” He kept breathing for her. He wanted her to sit up, curse the Kantos, demand retribution.
But she was so still. Lara being so still was wrong.
Caze kept breathing and pushing on her chest. Agony and despair chewed at him like acid. He couldn’t lose her.
She’d become vital to him in just a few days.
The tough Terran never let anything stop her. She loved her sisters, and was a loyal, brilliant fighter, a generous lover.
And his. She was his.
“Breathe, Lara.” He pressed his lips to hers and breathed. “By Eschar, breathe.”
He thumped her chest.
“Breathe. Fight. You always fight.”
He felt his helian flare and his palms warmed. He felt the jolt of the electric shock through his own body and Lara’s.
Suddenly, her eyes opened, and she dragged in a breath. Then another. She sat up, coughing, and Caze tore her free from the last of the web stuck to her legs. He yanked her into his arms.
“Lara?” His pulse was racing and he felt lightheaded.
She sucked in more air, then her hands patted his cheeks. “Caze?”
Her voice was rough.
“I’m here.”
“You…didn’t leave me.” She frowned. “The mission—”
“To borrow a phrase you’ve taught me, fuck the mission.”
He saw a flicker of a smile on her face. Her hand moved, stroking along his jaw. “You’re real?”
“Yes.”
“We’re alive?”
“Yes. For now. But we have to get to the ship.”
“Right.” She gave a fierce nod. “Well, help me up.”
He did as ordered, but she was unsteady on her feet. Of course, her face was set to determined and stubborn, even as she wobbled. He knew she’d keep moving, no matter what.
Keeping one arm wrapped around her, Caze watched as she wavered, then locked her legs.
“Okay?” he asked.
“I am now. Anything is better than being in that cocoon.” She shuddered.
He leaned down and kissed her. A soft, gentle kiss.
Her hand moved into his hair, tugging gently. She deepened the kiss and he savored the taste of her. She made a tiny sound in her throat.
She pressed her other palm to his chest, right over his heart. “Thanks for rescuing me, Caze.”
“I’ll always come for you, Lara.”
You will die here.
The Kantos voice in their heads made them both stiffen.
We will pull out your entrails and feed them to our bugs.
“Yadda, yadda, yadda.” Lara shook her head. “You think they get training to teach them to be assholes?”
“I suspect they come like that. We need to go.” He helped her down the hall. “Are you okay to walk? I can carry you
.”
She snorted. “I’ll walk.” There was grit in her voice.
Caze couldn’t help but smile. They walked down the corridor, and he knew that they’d have to fight their way out.
Clicking echoed behind them. He heard the Kantos soldiers coming.
Find them. Kill them.
Cren. He was agonizingly aware that Lara had no weapon. Still, she was Lara. Her body was a weapon.
“When they attack us, you stay behind me,” he said.
“No.”
He growled. “You’re still unsteady and you don’t have a weapon.”
“No.”
He wanted to roar with frustration. When your woman was a warrior, caring for her was hard.
Suddenly, she reached down and stroked his helian. He felt a throb of warmth, like it was focusing on her.
Then the black scales on his arm flowed over to her arm. Scale armor rolled up her arm and then spilled down her body.
“Oh, wow.” Her eyes went wide.
The armor matched his—black scales with touches of silver. A sword, smaller than his but perfect for Lara, formed on her arm.
Caze felt a surge of fierce satisfaction. He liked seeing her in his armor. He liked knowing that his helian accepted her.
Together, they would keep her safe.
“Come on,” he urged. “The ship’s close.”
They rounded a corner…and came upon a wall of soldiers.
Cren. Their luck had run out.
There wasn’t one, but six elites, flowing toward them on four legs.
Hand over the gems.
“No,” Caze said.
“He means, hell no, bug face,” Lara said.
Caze’s lips quirked and he shook his head.
Give them to us. We are losing patience.
Lara cocked a hip. “Do we look like we care?”
The faces of the Kantos elites didn’t change, but Caze got the impression the aliens were angry.
“Time to fight, hot stuff.” She threw her arms out and her sword lengthened. She laughed, a deep, throaty sound. “Oh yeah, I like this.” She fell into a fighting stance, and lifted her weapon. “Come on, bug boy. Let’s dance.”
Chapter Seventeen
Lara and Caze tore through the Kantos soldiers.
Oh, she loved this armor and this sword. Lara spun and green blood flowed.
Caze fought like an avalanche—strong, powerful, and leaving a trail of destruction behind him.
She yanked her sword free of a bug and spun. She ended up back-to-back with Caze, slashing and stabbing.
“Lara.”
He jerked his head. She saw the bug incoming. Caze leaned forward and she rolled over his back, and kicked the Kantos creature in the head.
She rolled back to her feet. They needed to get back to the ship. Get themselves and the gems to safety.
Caze slashed a gap through the line of soldiers. “Lara. Here!”
She dived, rolled, and knocked two soldiers over. She jumped up, skewering one through the gut with a grunt.
Caze’s fingers closed over hers and they ran.
She hated leaving a fight, but she wanted off this hive station. They dodged a bug and ran down another corridor.
All of a sudden, two flying bugs appeared, hovering in front of them. The damned things had huge, sharp stingers on their asses. The high-pitched buzzing sound they emitted made her ears ring.
One darted forward, jabbing its stinger at Lara.
She dodged to the side. Damn, she wished she had some of her throwing stars.
Like magic, two sharp, circular blades morphed on her sword arm. She grabbed them and held them up with a smile. They were perfectly formed and balanced.
Thank you, sweet helian. She threw the first, shifted, and threw the second one.
The first blade sliced off the tip of the stinger of the closest flying bug. Its buzzing went crazy, and it flew into the wall.
The second star sliced into the second bug’s side. It darted sideways, buzzing madly.
“In here,” Caze called out.
She saw him standing in the doorway to a side room. She jogged over and darted past him. He followed right behind her.
They didn’t get far before they both jerked to a halt.
Oh, shit. There was a giant-ass centipede in the center of the room, with its hundreds of legs curled around a pile of purple eggs.
Caze held a finger to his lips. She nodded. Right, don’t wake the ugly creepy-crawly.
They moved slowly, trying not to make a sound. The centipede moved, its legs twitching.
She froze and held her breath. They waited a beat, and then Caze waved his fingers.
Taking slow, deliberate steps, they neared the doorway on the far side of the room. Then, one of Lara’s boots hit something on the floor, making a scraping noise.
The centipede’s head shot up.
“Go!” Caze shoved her out the door.
She sprinted down the hall, Caze right behind her.
“I am so sick of bugs,” she yelled.
“There are no bugs on the Desteron.”
She glanced his way. “You inviting me to visit?”
Those black-and-silver eyes were unreadable, but she knew him well enough now to sense the emotion from him.
“Maybe. I’m sure your sister would like to see you.”
Lara smiled. She could see straight through her warrior. “I think I’d like a visit to the premier Eon warship. As long as I don’t end up in the brig.”
“I know the head of security.”
God, he made her want to laugh.
“Through there.” He pointed through an archway. “We’re close to our ship.”
Yes. Elation burst inside her. They ducked through the narrow opening.
“Just down there.” He nodded. “We’re at the outer wall of the station.”
They stopped and Caze touched the screen on his wrist. He moved a few steps, then pressed his palm to the wall. She watched the wall glow silver under his hand, the hole forming.
Then shock washed over Lara.
The helian had left the silver force field over the hole, but she could see through it clearly. Caze was silent a beat before he let out some vicious curses. He turned and slammed his boot into the wall.
The stealth ship was still there, but it was just a burned-out shell. One side of it was blown off, pieces floating in space.
“They found it,” he said.
“Bastards.” She turned to look at him. “We’ll find a swarm ship. Escape that way.”
“The swarm hangars are on the upper levels.”
Every muscle in her body tensed. Right. And every bug and soldier on the station was between them and the swarm ships.
“We can’t let them get the gems,” he said quietly.
Lara nodded. That was unthinkable.
The distant echo of clicking and footsteps reached them. The Kantos were coming. A lot of them.
Caze pulled out the small pack. It bulged with the gems. Together, they checked the gems were secure. Then she saw something morph from his helian. It was a circular disc that glowed bright silver.
“What is it?”
“A tracker. The Desteron will be able to find it.”
He set the tracker in the pack, ensured it was closed securely, then he tossed it through the force field covering the hole.
The field shimmered as the bag crossed it. Together, they stood, watching the pack float away into space.
“So, fancy a fight?” she asked.
He turned to her, the ends of his mouth tipping up. “Perhaps.”
She lifted her sword arm. “Be a shame not to use this awesome armor and kick-ass sword some more.”
“And you use them so well. You’re unlike any woman I’ve ever known, Lara.” He cupped the side of her face.
She savored the warmth of him and wished he wasn’t wearing gloves. “I thought I was infuriating?”
“You’re that, too.”
Something flickered in his eyes. “Love?”
God, she finally dredged up the courage to tell the man, to take a risk and he looked…confused.
“Forget it—”
He gripped her shoulders. “I don’t know anything about love.” He slid his hand up into her hair. “I wish I did. I…feel so many confusing, amazing things when I’m with you.”
The air rushed out of her. He’d been raised by a hard, warrior father and devoted himself to being the perfect warrior.
“I’m no expert either,” she whispered. “I wish we had more time.”
“As do I.” He pressed his lips to hers, his tongue delving into her mouth.
The kiss was over too quickly.
She gripped him. “I’m glad they sent you to hunt me down, Caze Vann-Jad.”
“Me too, Lara Traynor.”
Then, Kantos soldiers streamed into the corridor.
* * *
Caze turned and lifted his weapon.
He didn’t know anything about love, but there was a fierce mix of emotions storming through him. Lara was his, and he would do anything to protect her.
She gave him a bold smile, then together they charged into the approaching Kantos.
They fought. Their swords sliced and swung. Despite the tight confines of the tunnel, they cut through the first wave of soldiers.
But Caze knew they wouldn’t leave the hive station alive.
“Fuck you.” Lara sliced an arm off a soldier. She snatched the severed limb and threw it at the staggering alien.
All fighters, converge on the intruders.
Caze ignored the rasping voices in his head and kept fighting. But as more Kantos—of all shapes and sizes—poured into the corridor, he knew that they couldn’t fight all of them.
They couldn’t keep this up forever.
Do not kill them. I want them as prisoners.
Caze’s chest tightened. If the Kantos captured them, he knew they’d torture Lara endlessly to get him to tell them where the gems were.
He wouldn’t let that happen.
Ever.
“Lara.”
“What?” She swung her sword out to the side, her feet spread for balance. Then she thrust a leg forward and kicked a bug away.
Touch of Eon: Eon Warriors #2 Page 14
