A gift. The offering Ivy had been waiting for.
I’d assumed things would happen fast, but this was surely a record. Cerberus wanted this over.
Barek walked to Astra’s side and nodded at Rhord to stand guard at the door. Ivy took two steps into the room, glanced at her quarry and froze.
She’d spent months for this moment, to get the one responsible for her unit’s deaths. Now he was here, on his knees, restrained. Cerberus may have delivered him, but she’d done it.
But it wasn’t over. Not yet.
Cerberus looked Ivy over, shock clearly evident in his wide eyes as he took in the small female who had single-handedly killed so many of his best fighters. No doubt the stories he’d heard had been epic. “So you are the bounty hunter I’ve been hearing so much about.”
“I am.” Ivy answered him but looked at Jillela. The female wasn’t still marked by her time with Ivy and her trip through the glass window, but I saw fear there. Trepidation. She looked like she’d been kicked by more than just Ivy’s boot. She was no longer the fearless fighter I knew. “Jillela.”
“Ivy.”
That was quite civilized, but I didn’t expect Ivy to leap across the table and beat Jillela up. There weren’t rules, but there were rules. Ivy seemed to know how to behave in a setting like this. In this moment when everything she’d been working toward was kneeling before her. She was too smart to blow it now.
Cerberus cleared his throat. “I don’t normally respond to demands like yours, bounty hunter, but to be honest I was fascinated and had to meet you.” “Should I be flattered?” Ivy asked, clearly not.
“Yes.”
That was a surprise. I doubted Cerberus ever dealt out praise, even to his own.
Cerberus rose and I stepped between him and my female. He was not a Forsian hybrid, but he was large. Fast. More Hyperion than male, or so I’d heard. He was a brutal and efficient killer, and I did not want him anywhere near Ivy. Fuck that, I didn’t want them in the same room. Yet here we were.
Ivy ignored his comment and moved around me so she could see Cerberus once more. I wanted to growl at her but held my tongue. Barely, and only because I knew now how ruthless she was. If anyone could match him in a fight, it was her. That didn’t mean I wanted it to occur.
“Did you bring me a gift?” she asked, staring down at the prisoner.
“I did.” Cerberus flicked his gaze at Gerian Eozara as if he were a pest.
At last Astra joined the conversation. “What do you want in return for this gift, Cerberus?”
Cerberus looked at my leader. “From you? Nothing. From her?” He moved closer to Ivy and I growled this time, but Cerberus raised his hands, palms out, and stopped moving. “Easy, Zenos. I came to offer Ivy a deal, nothing more.”
Cerberus didn’t deal with anyone.
“Then state your business and get out of my territory.” That was Astra, and she was losing patience with Cerberus and his games.
“I want the name of your maker, Ivy. That is all. I want to know who worked on your body. Who made you?”
He spoke as if Ivy weren’t real, as if she were a cyborg, a fully integrated Hive machine. She was human. She was flesh and bone. She had emotion. Feelings. Regrets. Hive tech, definitely, but that didn’t define her.
Cerberus didn’t see her that way. He saw power. Strength beyond normal abilities. A weapon.
Ivy crossed her arms over her chest, a calculating look in her eyes. “To be clear, if I tell you where I got my integrations and who did them, you’ll hand over Gerian and walk away?”
He nodded in agreement, which was stunning in itself. “Yes.” There was an almost fanatical fervor in his eyes. He wanted to be what she was. Stronger. Faster. Hive. Integrated.
Contaminated. And he’d just hand over one of his own in trade. A life for a name.
Fuck, Ivy wasn’t contaminated. She was perfect.
“The Coalition will hunt you if they discover the truth,” she warned.
“Clearly they have yet to learn the truth about you.” Cerberus shrugged. “Besides, they hunt me already. I am not afraid of the Coalition.”
That was true. No legion leader was afraid of the Coalition. None of us on Rogue 5 were. Ivy turned to Astra. “Is there any reason you would not wish me to reveal this information to him?”
Astra’s eyes widened in surprise, but it was clear she was pleased that Ivy had asked. Had deferred to her in this. In her own way Ivy was already protecting us. Serving Astra. Her secret was a bargaining piece, and she was giving it to Astra to use, not to hoard for herself.
“No. Tell him if you wish.” Astra’s gaze narrowed, and she tilted her head in an angle meant to mock the other leader. “Hive tech will not be enough to help him rule Rogue 5.”
Cerberus laughed, but there was no humor in the sound. “I am not so ambitious, Astra.”
“Liar.” The word slipped from me before I thought to sensor it, but I did not care whether I insulted the evil male before me. Everyone looked to me but remained silent. Cerberus could have struck out for the insolence, but what I spoke was the truth and he knew it. He had a bargaining piece on his knees, but he was not the one in control. Ivy was.
Ivy looked from Astra, who nodded, to Barek, who stood without expression, to me. Her gaze locked with mine. Lingered. She wanted something from me, but I could not fathom what that might be. When she released me from her gaze to face Cerberus again, I nearly growled aloud in frustration.
Females. I did not understand them. I protected her. I held her. I made her scream with pleasure and cared for her as she slept. I had fought beside her and killed for her. I let her run wild among the deadliest members of Cerberus Legion. And yet in that moment, I knew that somehow I had failed her.
“His name is Levenagen. You’ll find him at a trading outpost on a planet called Xerima.”
Cerberus grinned, clearly pleased with himself. He’d gotten what he wanted at no expense to him. Gerian Eozara meant nothing more to him than a mere pawn to trade.
“I have heard of this place, the people there are as wild as pure Hyperions.”
“So I’ve heard,” Ivy said.
“The trade is complete.” Cerberus tipped his chin to the prisoner. “He is yours.”
She looked down at Gerian, where he remained on his knees, looking like a beaten animal. “Astra, may I ask a favor?”
“Another?”
Ivy grinned. “Yes. Can you please have that piece of shit dragged to some kind of holding cell while I make transport arrangements? I have a bounty to collect.”
“Of course.” Astra rose. “Rhord. Nev. See our guests to the exit.”
Guests was used so courteously yet meant anything but. While a deal had been made, peacefully, Cerberus was still the enemy.
“Yes, Astra.” Nev stepped forward, Rhord on his heels, but Cerberus still stared at my female. He wanted her. Sexually, I had no doubt, which made me want to rip his head off, but she also intrigued him. She was the most ruthless tool he knew. She was alive, breathing… here. He wanted her as his own.
Over my fucking dead body. “You need to leave.” I glared at the male, eager for an excuse to hurt him. Kill him.
Cerberus looked my way, then to Ivy. “Turning in Gerian will not change a thing, Lieutenant Ivy Birkeland of Earth.” Cerberus lifted his chin to signal Jillela, and she moved toward the exit, to where Nev and Rhord stood waiting to take them back through the tunnels.
Ivy’s back went ramrod straight. “It will stop him from selling more Quell.”
Cerberus laughed. The bastard laughed in Ivy’s face. “I have dozens more where he came from. This changes nothing. You came all the way out here to stop the flow of Quell?” His laughter turned mocking. “You are a fool after all. So disappointing. I had high hopes for you, Ivy. I even entertained the idea of recruiting you, my dear. You are an excellent killer.”
I hated his words, the taunt behind them, but I remained silent. He was leaving, and that was w
hat I wanted more than anything.
Cerberus followed Jillela out of the room. The moment the door slid closed behind him, Astra came around the table. Barek grabbed Gerian and pulled the prisoner to his feet as my leader approached Ivy. “You have what you came for, Ivy. You kept your end of the bargain, and I have kept mine.”
Ivy bowed in respect. “Agreed. Thank you.”
Astra nodded. “Good. Now, you have twenty-four hours to get out of my territory. If you aren’t mine, you can’t stay. Understand?”
“Yes. I’ll be gone long before that. I’ll be out of here in twelve.”
“Excellent.” Astra turned to Gerian, eyed him like he was a scum. “Learned your lesson too late, didn’t you?”
“What lesson is that?” he snarled. In Barek’s tight hold, that was all he could do. “That Cerberus is a backstabbing bastard?”
Astra laughed. “No. Everyone knows that. If you didn’t, you’re more a fool than I thought.” Her gaze flitted to Ivy, then back to Gerian. “You never turn your back on a powerful woman, especially after you kill her family.”
“I didn’t—”
“Shut up and move.” Barek shoved Gerian forward, the smaller male stumbling through the doorway. Astra followed. The door slid closed, and I was alone with Ivy.
She paced like a caged tiger in the small space. “He’s right. Cerberus was right. I killed all those people last night for nothing.”
“They were Cerberus.” That was all the justification I, or anyone on Rogue 5, needed for what had happened. For the carnage she’d caused.
She eyed me. “Are you telling me that Cerberus Legion doesn’t have children? Innocents?”
“Of course they do, but none of them were at the fight. They were home, asleep. Their mothers safe taking care of their children. We killed no innocents, Ivy. Do not torture yourself with guilt.”
She exhaled harshly. “But I failed.”
“You caught Gerian. You will receive your reward. You will be wealthy, Ivy. And you have avenged your loved ones.”
“Have I?” She shook her head, almost as if defeated. As if she realized that even though she’d captured Gerian Eozara, it wouldn’t bring her teammates back. “I don’t think so. He’s right. The Quell will keep coming. I need to take it out at the source. I need to kill Cerberus and blow up the lab.”
What? Surely I was hearing things. Kill Cerberus? Was she fucking insane?
“Ivy, no. Our spies reported that their labs are deep within Cerberus Legion’s territory here. We would never make it alive.” I moved closer, reached for her shoulder. I wanted nothing more than to pull her into my arms, comfort her, convince her to stay. “You should take Gerian and collect your bounty. Live in peace. That is what your friends would want for you.”
“It’s too late for that.” Her eyelids dropped, and her body seemed to lose all its energy. “No. I have twelve hours. I’m going to take him out, him and his lab.” She jerked away from my touch and stepped back, her blue eyes lifting to mine. “If I don’t come back, take Gerian to Zenith and ask a Coalition officer there to connect you with Elite Hunter Sabir. He works with the Intelligence Core. He’ll tell you what you need to do to collect the bounty.”
This wasn’t what I expected. She wasn’t done? Gerian wasn’t enough? When would it end? Would destroying the lab truly finish it? They’d build another, but I wasn’t going to tell her that. Instead I reminded her, “He is worth a small fortune, Ivy. You should have the reward.”
“It’s not about the fucking money. Don’t you get that yet?” She paced, tugged at her braid. “It was never about the money.”
I straightened my spine. “You will not go back to Cerberus Legion. I forbid it.”
Her blue eyes were cold once more. Ice fucking cold. “I gave you my word I would not go anywhere without informing you. That I wouldn’t go anywhere that put me in danger. You saw me last night, I was never in danger. And that was only while you were responsible for me. That is no longer the case. I’m truly rogue now. I’m informing you anyway, as a courtesy. I’m going. If I don’t come back, take Gerian in. Collect the reward. If you don’t want it, give it to Scylla and Nero’s parents.”
“I forbid it.” Stepping forward, I backed her into the wall, blocking her exit. “You will not go back there. I will tie you to my bed, Lieutenant. I will strip you naked and fuck you so hard you won’t remember how to get to Cerberus.”
She glared, her chest heaving. Nipples hard. I could smell her arousal. Her welcoming heat. “Yeah? And then what?”
I frowned. “I do not understand.”
She looked away. “That’s what I thought.” She shoved her way past me, and I let her go, unsure of what to do next. Unsure of what she meant.
I followed her into the corridor, unwilling to let her out of my sight. She was volatile. Dangerous. And I knew she meant what she’d said. Yet I could not allow her to risk her life by returning to Cerberus Legion.
She moved like a shadow, making no sound as we worked our way back toward my quarters. When we arrived, she stripped off the uniform Astra had given her and put her own Coalition uniform back on. I did nothing but watch. I was at a loss, confused by her new drive. By her words. Something had shifted between us, but I didn’t know what it was. When she rose to leave, I stood as well, blocking the door. “I cannot allow this, Ivy. I’m sorry.”
Her blue eyes met mine. Held. “So am I.”
She lifted her hand to reveal an ion blaster. Too late I realized exactly how far she would go to destroy her enemies. The blast hit me square in the chest and threw my body back against the wall. I fell, snarling as I fought to rise, but the weapon had been set to stun and it had worked. I couldn’t move.
“I am going to spank your ass until you beg my forgiveness, female,” I warned, struggling against the stun to get up. It was impossible. “Then I’m going to make you ride my cock until you scream.”
It seemed that wasn’t much of a threat because she fired again and I slid to the ground, a red haze of burning agony stealing my consciousness as she bent over me. The stun setting had been high.
I fought to stay with her, to protect her. I could not pass out, could not fall. She would leave. She would go to Cerberus Legion alone. She would be in danger.
She leaned close and kissed me, gently, on the cheek. “You would spank me and make me scream, but you wouldn’t bite me, would you, Zenos?”
I growled, still fighting. Barely. “Cannot. Dangerous.” The two words slurred together, sounded like one long jumble. I fought against the stun, against her words. Against what she wanted from me.
“Right.” With that, she fired one more stun blast and everything went black.
12
Ivy, Cerberus Territory, Canteen
* * *
“Canteen, my ass.” The muttered thought slipped from my lips on a whisper that would not carry. I only had a few hours remaining of my bargain with Astra, and so I spent my time like every minute was made of gold. It took me eighty-three minutes from the moment I left Zenos behind to steal some explosives from Astra’s storerooms and make my way back to the canteen I’d been to the night before. I had to hurry also because the stun on Zenos would only last so long. When he recovered, I had to be gone. Long gone.
A huge smile lit my face when I saw the specialty grenades. They were ReCon ordinance, designed to blow a compact hole through a wall. Just one wall, and just large enough to allow us to pass one fighter at a time. I had much experience with them. They were stolen, no doubt, from a Coalition ship so I felt no guilt whatsoever stealing them back. They were mine first, and I knew exactly how to use them.
I did want to take down Cerberus. I did not want to blow a hole in the airtight structures that protected the people living on this moon base above planet Hyperion. I’d learned much about the culture here, the people. They weren’t wild like everyone thought. They were trying to live, to raise children, to be happy, just like everyone else in the universe. I would not mess
with that.
I was only after one male now. One villain. One more bad guy. As I watched the canteen from the rooftop Zenos had pointed out last night, I realized something, or rather remembered something.
“Thought you had me fooled, didn’t you, Cerberus?” Looking through the specially enhanced visor on my bounty hunting helmet, I watched with interest as the heated outlines of five workers moved about in an underground lab. The visor was one of my favorite toys. It made me feel like Superman, X-ray vision and all, even seeing below the ground.
“Thought I wouldn’t notice?” I said to myself. “Too covered in the stench of Cerberus Legion blood?” Talking out loud to no one was the best indicator of my mental state, but I was beyond caring now. The night before, not one of the Cerberus Legion members that I’d taken down had smelled of alcohol nor behaved as if they were drunk, out to get lit and party hard. I’d been around enough dirty bars and backward canteens on the outskirts of Coalition-controlled space to know what the drink of choice smelled like on just about every planet. Here? Nothing.
But I had smelled something else.
Quell. Not on their breath, as I had with my unit, but on their clothing. In their hair.
Last night with Zenos, I’d been standing outside the bar—and then been inside. I wasn’t so hyper-focused now and realized where I’d been—a huge Quell production laboratory—and had no idea.
I checked my uniform data. Midday. Several blocks away, the sounds of children playing and an active trading plaza drifted to me under the tall dome overhead. Over here at the canteen? It was like I was doing ReCon on a morgue. It was quiet, almost dead. The whole area was shut down.
Seemed even Cerberus didn’t want to do what they did in front of their children.
Maybe a few of them were human, after all. Well, not human exactly, but perhaps not monsters either. I had to hope all of that meant that while Cerberus Legion was awful, their code extended to children. Left them out of it.
The Rebel and the Rogue Page 11
