“Salena?” Fiora asked. This time she did push up from the cot to peer between the monitors.
“Safe,” Payton said, “but she aggravated her ankle. Grier is sneaking her out of the city and is flying her to a medical booth.”
“I told her to watch where she landed.” Fiora closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Maybe laying down was better. Her head throbbed.
“Payton, grab the handheld medic. It should be in the pack we brought with us,” Jaxx said.
“What happened? What did you see?” Payton asked as she went to retrieve the bag. She sat on the floor and began digging through it.
“It’s Dulla’s husband.” Fiora eased back down on the cot. It wasn’t the most comfortable of beds, but she was in no position to be picky.
“What is Dulla’s husband?” Jaxx asked.
“The cause of the disaster,” Fiora answered, again closing her eyes. She draped a hand over her eyelids to make it even darker. Her head pounded less in the black. “The one scenario we didn’t consider, Jaxx, was sending Dulla back to Shelter City. If we had, we might have stopped this without realizing it. With his pregnant wife abandoning him and everyone knowing about it, the man will fall into bitterness. There is no one here to temper his actions.”
“I would have placed a thousand space credits on it being Doyen,” Payton admitted. She sighed as she closed the pack and stood to drop it to the side out of the way. “I don’t see the handheld in here.”
Jaxx frowned. “Maybe they left it by the watchtower before we entered the city. Or maybe Grier needed it for Salena.”
Fiora flinched, remembering Doyen’s timeline. She ignored the missing handheld because she didn’t have an answer as to its location. Doyen’s story continued to flow out of her. “Doyen is evil, pure evil, but not the cause of the destruction. I saw him at the time of the explosion. He was in the forest with some of his men killing cat-shifters as they slept. I think they were going to steal their still.”
“Marsh farmers,” Payton said. “You were talking about that in the alley before you fainted.”
“Liquor would be like liquid currency,” Jaxx said. “It’s no wonder they want a way to produce it.”
“And food,” Fiora whispered, trying not to remember the intent she’d felt in Doyen. She dropped her hand away from her eyes. “The shifters were in their cat forms.”
Payton made a strange choking noise and covered her mouth. She turned away from them and took several deep breaths. After a moment, she said, “Some of the marsh farmers can be real space cadets to deal with, but they don’t deserve that.”
Fiora nodded. “I recognized some of the men with him in the forest. After people escape the destroyed city, they will be responsible for many of the murders I see happening afterward.”
“We have time to stop it now, thanks to you,” Jaxx said. “None of that is going to happen.”
“So this husband blows up the city as revenge against people laughing at him for his wife leaving?” Payton asked.
“No, as a mistake. He has that old still. I think he’s selling liquor or trying to. He tries to repair it, but he’s drunk and angry, and instead…boom.” Unable to get comfortable, Fiora tried to sit up. Again it was a mistake, and she had to settle back down.
“Do we even know his name?” Payton asked.
This time Fiora laid on her side. “I didn’t even know what he looked like until I saw him today. When we found Dulla in the forest with her brother the husband was in her past, not her future. I had no way of seeing him.”
“Dulla’s husband is named Lorman,” Yevgen called, signifying he was eavesdropping. “Local drunk. Violent tendencies.”
“Are you sure it’s him?” Payton asked.
“Yes, fairly. He was mumbling about her leaving him right before the accident.” Fiora pressed her fingers to her temple.
Jaxx stroked back her hair while keeping hold of her hand. “We’ll take care of this. I promise. For now, you just need to rest.”
“Wait a minute…” Payton went around to the other side of the partition. “Yevgen, where is it?”
“Where is what, my love?” Yevgen answered from the other side of the screens.
“The handheld. Where is it?” she demanded.
“Nothing in Shelter City is free,” Yevgen said. “I gave you the information.”
Fiora could see Payton at the edge of the monitors. “So you stole from the pack? That’s not trading. That’s thievery.”
“It made such a beautiful little humming noise, calling to me,” Yevgen protested.
“Yevgen, I will gladly let you keep it as an information trade if you let me use it to help Fiora,” Jaxx said.
“Deal.” Yevgen’s sling slid on the metal casters as he zoomed past them, forcing Jaxx to lean back so he didn’t get smacked by the man’s hanging backside. He went to the wall and lifted a square piece of metal. When he glided back to them, he held the medic unit. “Here you go.”
“We’re going to have a talk about stealing,” Payton told him sternly.
Yevgen gave the handheld to Jaxx before spinning around to face Payton. He reached for her. “You know my circuits can’t tolerate it when you’re mad at me.”
Jaxx ignored the cyborg as he turned on the unit. “Touch my arm.”
“I’m sorry I’m so tired.” Fiora slipped her fingers from his grasp and moved them down his arm to maintain contact. “There are so many timelines here.”
Jaxx programmed the device and then held it to her temple. “This should help you sleep. You’ll be safe here. Payton and I will take care of that still. Everything is going to be all right.”
Fiora opened her mouth to answer but was no match for the medicine as it lulled her into darkness.
18
“If anything happens to her…” Jaxx let his words trail off as he pointed at Yevgen. When he found out he’d been hiding the handheld while Fiora was in pain, Jaxx had wanted to throw the rolling cyborg into the nearest wall.
“I’ll guard her with my life,” Yevgen promised. “No one will touch her.”
“See that you do,” Jaxx said, “because your life depends on it.”
“Yevgen is on our side, Jaxx,” Payton soothed. “Fiora is safe here. And, thanks to her, the people of Shelter City will live to escape another day. She did an amazing thing.”
Jaxx gazed at Fiora, afraid to let go of her. With his shifted eyesight, he saw her face clearly. Blood still stained her face. It had dried on her shirt but he could detect its scent. He didn’t want the evil she had seen to invade her dreams. Still, he knew he couldn’t keep touching her and take care of the exploding still at the same time. He’d promised her that he’d help the people of Shelter City, and that was what he intended to do.
“She is an amazing woman,” Jaxx answered at length. “I could not survive without her.”
He placed Fiora’s hand next to her and let go. She didn’t stir, and he hoped the medicine he’d given her helped her to rest dreamlessly.
“I am pleased to see you have found your mate,” Payton said. “For all that you do for others, you deserve some happiness for yourself, Jaxx.”
“As do you,” Jaxx answered. He gave one last glance at Fiora before following Payton out of the cyborg’s secret hideaway.
“The way my life is going, I doubt marriage is in my future. As we speak an alien dignitary is trying to negotiate with my father for my hand in marriage to some prince.” Payton chuckled. “When I snuck away from the place, Uncle Quinn was doing his best to keep my father from tearing off the man’s head for daring to suggest it.”
“Again?” Jaxx chuckled. “I feel a little sorry for the man you fall in love with. I would not want to face Commander Falke in such a capacity.”
“I hope destroying the still works.” Payton’s voice became serious once more as she turned to the side to pass through the narrow opening. “I didn’t want to say anything in front of Fiora, but I don’t think she should ever come ba
ck here. The look on her face when she stared at me, the horror in her expression, the blood streaming down her chin… Jaxx, it was terrifying. When she fainted, I thought she’d died. I’ve never seen anyone look at me the way she did. It was as if she couldn’t see me. I didn’t know what to do to help her.”
“I know.” Jaxx had seen Fiora’s reactions for himself. His connection to her was such that he felt the deep pain radiating off her. “When this is over, I’m taking her somewhere safe and secluded, away from the world. She’s sacrificed enough for others, and I worry at what cost to herself.”
“I think that’s a good idea. I’ll do whatever I can to help.” Payton stopped at the entrance to Yevgen’s passageway. “I’ll bring you supplies as you get settled with her, so you don’t have to leave her. We have to keep her away from people.”
“Thank you.” Jaxx hadn’t fully formulated his plan and wouldn’t until he had a chance to talk to Fiora about it first. He would give her whatever life she chose.
“Try not to draw attention,” Payton said. “After that tiny brawl, I’m sure Doyen and his men will be looking for you. I’m not going to be the one to drag your dragon ass back to Fiora if two dozen men decide to overtake us.”
Jaxx wasn’t worried. He’d seen Payton fight many times. She was quite deadly when forced to bare her claws.
“Please,” he drawled. “Everyone knows that dragons are always bailing cats out of danger.”
She smirked at his teasing.
Cysgodians moved through the city, each with individual purpose and completely unaware of the peril that unfolded amongst them. They didn’t pay attention as Payton and Jaxx slipped from the narrow walkway. If anyone cared to look, they’d probably assume they had ducked away for a sexual encounter, which was common amongst the citizens.
They fell into silence as they moved into the flow of the city streets. He let Payton take the lead as she knew where the still was located. It gave him the chance to keep an eye on her while searching for threats.
A pair of sweeper borgs walked along the street. Payton changed course and stopped to look at a pile of scrap metal for trade. Jaxx joined her. She pointed toward a jagged piece. The sound of the borgs passed behind them.
“You like what you see?” A woman moved to lift the scrap so they could get a better look.
“Wrong size,” Payton dismissed, moving away.
“How about you?” the shopkeeper asked.
“She’s the boss.” Jaxx followed Payton.
She led him to another narrow passage between buildings. Jaxx frowned. The city’s secret byways were not made for a man of his size but this one was a little wider than the one they just came from. The dirt on the ground appeared less traveled the deeper they walked. The metal walls create an effective barricade on each side. There were no doors in which to escape. His foot bumped into a bottle on the ground, sending it rolling.
“Shh,” Payton scolded with a flick of her hand.
At first, he thought she scolded him over the bottle, but then he detected the murmur of hushed voices coming from ahead.
“Did you get it?”
“Almost.”
“Lorman won’t know what hit him.”
“Nice and roasty. Filet of traitor.”
“Let this be a warning to those who would cross us. There’s only one supplier in town.”
Payton’s eyes flashed as she looked at him. She mouthed, “Doyen.”
Jaxx nodded. The space was too small for a fully shifted dragon and cat, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t half shift. City eyes wouldn’t see them here.
Fur sprouted on Payton’s face and arms. The silver-white covered every inch of flesh. Her mouth pulled forward, and her pupils became vertical slits. Sharp claws grew from her fingertips. She stood as a woman-cat, caught between a full cat-shift and human.
Jaxx let the hard armor of the dragon cover his flesh. He too half shifted and stood as a man-dragon. Talons extended from his hands, and his teeth sharpened.
The passageway came to a dead end. The only way out was the direction they’d come or straight up into the sky. Since Jaxx was the only one who could grow wings, there was no escape for Doyen and his men.
Doyen and two of his followers stood beside a rusted still. A barrel-chested thug had his arms crossed over his chest. Burn scars covered the neck and face of the other, with the variegated flesh changing the shape of his nose and left eye.
A third follower laid on his back, working to sabotage the device. Liquor dripped on the ground next to his muddy red boots. “Pass me the wrench.”
At their entrance, Doyen stepped back and pulled two blades from his waist. Barrel instantly dropped his arms and hulked his way toward Jaxx. Burn grabbed the laser wrench from on top of the still and charged Payton.
Barrel swept his arms inward to pound Jaxx’s shoulders from both directions. The movement carried with it the sound of landcraft hydraulics. Jaxx grunted as pain shot through him at the man’s inhuman strength. If not for the dragon armor, his bones would have cracked under the impact. He drew his hands upward and thrust out, reversing Barrel’s attack.
Payton inhaled sharply. The unmistakable smell of blood hit Jaxx. He saw Payton move in the corner of his vision and didn’t take his attention away from the brute before him. She was still standing and would call out if she needed him.
Barrel’s long-sleeve shirt made it difficult to tell, but as they exchanged blows, Jaxx quickly began to suspect the man’s arms were bionic with tubes and metal replacing bone and muscle beneath synthetic skin. Barrel’s chest felt like punching stone, and each swing of the man’s fist crashed into Jaxx like the blast from a spaceship.
Payton roared and slashed her claws.
“Kill them,” Doyen ordered.
Barrel laughed and brought his fist down to crush Jaxx’s skull. Jaxx darted to the side and stabbed his talons into the man’s neck. He ripped wiring, slicing the synthetic flesh. The man’s arm dropped as blood and bionic fluid flowed from the wound. Soon Barrel was on both knees, appearing stunned that he’d been beaten.
Payton had Burn on his back, claws extended. The third follower had scrambled to his feet and leaped for Payton’s arm to stop her.
Doyen came at Jaxx with both blades, keeping him from helping Payton. Jaxx’s arms were heavy from Barrel’s heavy blows. His shoulder popped when he lifted his arm but he ignored the pain. Doyen’s knife sliced into Jaxx’s forearm.
Jaxx grunted as he grabbed the man’s wrist and flung him over his head. Doyen crashed into the metal wall. The sound he made reverberated over the small enclosure.
Jaxx surged toward Payton, sweeping his leg to kick Burn in the stomach to stop his advance as she handled Red Boots. Burn fell against the still, knocking it over. Both Jaxx and Payton gasped as it fell, freezing for a second as it hit the ground. Thankfully, there was no explosion.
“Finish it,” Jaxx told her.
Red Boots grabbed a metal plate he’d taken from the still’s control panel and flung it toward Payton like a weapon. She jerked her head to the side. It whizzed past her and embedded into the wall. As she started to right herself, Red Boots lunged. She again ducked to the side. The man flew right past her to skewer himself on the lodged panel. It severed an artery, and he dropped to the ground but not before spraying Payton with blood.
Doyen pushed up and came up at Jaxx with both weapons. Jaxx grabbed the man’s wrists, feeling the bones snap as he turned the blades toward their owner. Doyen’s inertia threw his body into his weapons. He gurgled in surprise.
Payton and Jaxx turned in unison to fight off Burn only to find he remained where he had fallen. His neck was at an odd angle, and he gasped a couple of times before wheezing a last breath.
For a long moment, they stood, hearts beating hard as they waited to make sure the fight was over.
“Are you all right?” Jaxx asked, holding the cut on his arm.
“That cursed black hole hit me with a wrench.” Payton r
ubbed her forehead. “You?”
“Don’t suppose you can tie this up for me?” Jaxx lifted his arm.
Payton reached for the bottom of his tunic shirt and used her claw to tear off a jagged strip. She quickly wrapped it around his forearm to stop the bleeding.
“Thanks.” Jaxx flexed his hand.
“Where the hell did Doyen find a bionic soldier?” Payton frowned. She leaned over Barrel and sliced his shirt to look at the muscles beneath. She pressed at his chest and moved toward his shoulder. “Both arms it looks like.”
“Probably legs too,” Jaxx assumed.
“You can pull off his pants and look, but I’m good.” Payton stood. She frowned, not enjoying the thought as she added, “I hate to suggest it, but we should bring the bionic pieces to Yevgen. He can use them for parts. Maybe he can make himself a new pair of legs and we can get future credits on information trades.”
“Good idea.” Jaxx did not look forward to lugging the large man through the city. “We’ll need a cart if we’re going to move him. And a shovel. This looks like as good of a resting place as any.”
“Agreed.” She nudged Doyen with her foot. “You know someone is only going to take over where this one left off.”
“That’s a battle for another day,” Jaxx said. “For now, let’s get rid of this mess. I’m ready for this to be over so I can take my bride home.”
19
Fiora stood with Jaxx at the top of the watchtower, looking over Shelter City from an opening that served as a perch for the dragons to enter. There was a stack of clothing for the dragons to use so that they could dress if they did not have clothes with them. He told her Olena had constructed such towers all over the Draig kingdom for the flying dragons. Thankfully so, since Fiora now wore one of the shirts to replace her bloody one.
The Federation building seemed so close, and yet so far, on the other side of the cliff. Below them was the place they had first met—she had been dressed like a morphed pleasure droid, and he had been completely naked after a shift. It felt so long ago. So much had happened since the night of her escape.
Marked Prince: A Qurilixen World Novel (Qurilixen Lords Book 2) Page 17
