Taken by Surprise

by Anna Argent

  “Like a cast?” asked Zoe.

  “Exactly.”

  Reece looked up at Talan like he was some kind of genius. “Thank you.”

  “Don’t thank me yet. We still need to find Davy.”

  Talan was taking two civilians into a dangerous situation in order to save a third. If Radek didn’t meet them in time, this was going to be the last stupid thing Talan ever did.

  Chapter Five

  Zoe was freezing to death. Whatever Talan had made her drink was sucking the warmth from her a little bit more with every passing second.

  She gritted her teeth to keep them from chattering and huddled inside her coat, hugging herself. Talan drove fast, seemingly unfazed by the icy streets. His truck moved easily, not skidding once as they hurried across town.

  “The chill will pass,” he told her without even casting her a glance. He must have been able to see out of his ears or something, because she had been utterly silent in her suffering.

  “So you’ll be able to find me anywhere now, huh?” He’d told her as much, and she wasn’t yet sure if the idea pissed her off, unsettled her, or gave her a small measure of comfort.

  “The range on the receiver is only a few miles, but I don’t plan on letting you get that far away from my side. At least not until we reach Imonite soil.”

  That sent a chill along her spine that had nothing to do with the goop he’d made her drink. There was a strange quality in his tone—one that stroked over her senses, reminding her that he was not like the quiet, tame men she was used to.

  “You say that like it’s a foregone conclusion that I’m going with you.”

  That earned her a look. He barely took his eyes off the road for a second, but it was long enough to convey his determination. “You promised. Besides, it’s what your father would have wanted.”

  A sharp surge of anger cut through her, making her forget all about her chattering teeth. “You didn’t know my father. Don’t you dare speak for him.”

  “Fine. Then you tell me. What would he have wanted?”

  Rather than answering Talan’s question, she curled her legs against her chest and hugged them close. She turned her face away from him and stared out of the window, watching as the homes became larger and more spread out.

  This had once been the rich part of town. But it was too old to attract buyers with real money anymore. These houses had no built-in home theaters, and they sure as hell didn’t have enough bathrooms to suit the modern buyer. So as the houses aged, they were passed down to people with less and less money for upkeep and maintenance until they looked more like the beginnings of haunted houses than they did welcoming homes. Many of them were vacant, their sidewalks and driveways covered in the last three snowfalls.

  “Are you thinking or ignoring me?” he asked.

  “Both.”

  “Unless you’re going back on your word to be cooperative, you may as well answer my question. What did your father want for you?”

  Dad had been specific. He hadn’t left his wishes vague. When the time comes, you will go home and do as you were born to do. You will make me proud.

  Zoe wasn’t completely sure she had been born to do anything, but she knew her father had always hoped that she would be able to return to the country of Imon, where she’d been born. “So the war is over? It’s safe to go back?”

  Talan shifted slightly, but the small movement stood out in the midst of his usual stillness. His hands tightened on the wheel. “Is that why your father fled with you—to protect you from the war?”

  “Of course,” she said, though she knew there was more to the story than that. Her father had been running from something. He’d never told her what, but she had a feeling it had something to do with the treasure—the one she would not leave this planet without.

  He’d given her the riddle on his deathbed. He wouldn’t have done that if he hadn’t meant for her to solve it, if it wasn’t important that she do so.

  The key is in balance.

  She had no clue what he meant.

  Something tickled the back of her mind, and she suddenly realized that Talan had evaded her question, distracting her with one of his own.

  She turned in her seat so she could watch him carefully. “The war isn’t over, is it?”

  Shadows slid over his face as they passed under a series of streetlights. He really was an attractive man, even with the tattoos and scars. Not handsome—far from that—but appealing in a way that reached some instinctive place inside of her. He’d taken a beating and lived through it. In fact, if her guess was right based on the variety of colors of the scars lining his skin, he’d taken more than one, and at least one of them had been enough to kill most men. That he was still here, alive and well, was a testament to his strength and resilience.

  Zoe’s body recognized the rare trait and responded to it. Unlike her father, Talan seemed indestructible. There wasn’t a single frail thing about him. He radiated power, and for some reason, that reassured her, even though she wasn’t sure just how much of an ally he was.

  His jaw clenched like he didn’t want to open his mouth and answer her question. She waited, letting the silence pile up on him, pressuring him to speak.

  “No,” he finally said. “The war isn’t over.”

  “Then why come back for me?”

  “We need you. We need all the Builders working toward ending the war.”

  Zoe had heard her father use the term Builder before. He was one himself. From what she could gather, they were a group of super-nerds with a knack for invention. He’d always said that Zoe was one of them, but the reverence in his voice when he talked about it made her wonder if he was wrong. She’d come up with a few cool toys, but nothing on the scale Talan was talking—nothing that could end a war.

  “You’ve got the wrong person. If you’ve got a broken toaster, I’m your girl. But my father hardly ever let me play with Imonite tech. He said it was too dangerous.”

  “You’ll learn, then.”

  “Seems to me that you’re wasting a lot of resources on one person. If my father was here, I could understand all the fuss. But I’m not my father.”

  “No, but you could be the one who will create some kind of technology that will drive the Raide away or kill them. It’s not my place to question your ability, only to bring you home.”

  “And if I refuse to go?”

  “You won’t. We made a deal.”

  “You seem to be sure that I won’t just go back on my word once Davy is safe.”

  He turned his head just enough that she could see his eyes. They were hard. Cold. A clear warning that if she refused to uphold her end of the deal, he wouldn’t be forgiving about it.

  Zoe shivered, understanding his silent message loud and clear.

  Talan reached over and turned the heat up higher. “I’m sorry for the chill. I didn’t think the tracing liquid would affect you so much.”

  “I’ll manage. Do we have a plan?”

  “Yes. Your part is to stay in the truck and not move until I return. If anything scary comes your way, drive away.”

  She wanted to argue, but she’d already given her word to cooperate. So instead, she clenched her jaw in frustration and nodded her head. “Don’t worry. I’ll be a good girl.”

  “Yes, you will.” The brief, hot look he gave her nearly drove away the bone-rattling chill that gripped her. It was the kind of look men gave supermodels or porn stars—one filled with naked hunger and want. The look was gone so fast she had to assume she’d imagined it, or that it was an insane side effect of the liquid she’d consumed.

  Ahead, Reece slowed his car. Talan braked. She saw Reece point to the right, to a house that was dimly lit inside with a strange pinkish glow. A rusted FOR SALE sign sat in the yard. Hanging from the one hook was a crooked plaque indicating the price had been reduced.

  Based on the length of the dead grass poking up beneath the snow, it hadn’t been reduced enough.

  “That’s the p
lace,” said Talan. He zoomed ahead of Reece and parked a block down, barely out of sight of the house.

  “Are you sure?”

  “That pink glow is from Imonite lamps. My guess is the power is off in the house, so they had to resort to lanterns.”

  She shivered at the thought of getting out of the warm truck. Talan had stripped down to just his shirt and vest, and even then he was still sweating. No matter how much heat poured into the cab, it wasn’t enough for her.

  Reece got out of his car and climbed in the back seat of the truck. He was pale and sweaty, shaking with anxiety. “Are we ready?”

  “Not yet. We wait for Radek. He’s better at finding and disarming Raide traps than anyone I’ve ever known. Without him, we won’t make it in alive, much less back out again.”

  Reece started to argue, but before he could, a half-naked man with dark skin rolled up on a motorcycle. He wore no helmet. His dark hair was windblown, and his bare chest gleamed under the street light. One of his shoulders had been cut recently enough that there was still dried blood on his skin. Thick leather bands wrapped around his wrists, as though they were the only part of him that felt the cold. She had no idea how he wasn’t frozen solid to the bike, but he seemed perfectly comfortable, dismounting smoothly.

  She, on the other hand, was freezing to death, her entire core a solid block of ice.

  “That’s Radek,” said Talan. He glanced at Reece sitting in the back seat of the truck. “We can go now. Do you remember the plan?”

  Reece gave a shaky nod. “Yeah.”

  Talan rolled down the window as Radek approached. A cold gust of wind swept through the truck’s cab, sucking away all the heat that had built up.

  Zoe clenched her jaw against a shiver and hugged herself tighter.

  Radek reached through the open window, clasping Talan’s hand in his.

  “This is Zoe Last.” Talan introduced her. “Zoe, this is Radek.”

  She pried her frozen arm from her knees and extended her hand in greeting. Radek’s touch was careful, but his strength was unmistakable. Like Talan, Radek was big, layered in muscles that were easy to spot even in the dim light.

  Radek looked at her for a moment, his gaze lingering on her hand before he let go. “You’re right,” he said to Talan. “Definitely House Imon.”

  Talan eyed his wound. “Are you okay?”

  “Fine. They didn’t hit anything important. I can do the job.”

  “Good.” Talan pointed his thumb back toward Davy’s father. “Reece. His son is inside.”

  “Right, then,” Radek said. “Guess we should get to it. Anyone scout the area yet?”

  Talan shook his head. “No. Find yourself the best entrance you can, and then clear us an exit.”

  Radek’s dark brows furrowed. “And how are you getting in?”

  Talan’s face lightened with a hint of a grin. “Through the front door.”

  Chapter Six

  Krotian hated this planet. Its inhabitants were violent and unpredictable, with access to just enough technology to make them dangerous. And there were so many of them.

  Trying to conquer this world was stupid. His brother Kemp had died proving that point. Still, Krotian, Battle Lord of the Second Arm of Force Dimas, had an obligation to follow orders. His father Dimas would kill him for anything less.

  Children of Loriah had been hidden here for long enough to grow into adults, and at least one of them had dangerous information. As soon as Krotian found the data sphere and destroyed it, he could leave this cold world and its violent, unpredictable inhabitants behind.

  His goals reached farther than Earth or even Loriah. His sights were set on another world—one filled with a more primitive people who would worship him as a god. Taking control of their tiny lives would be easy. Just the way he liked it. And that world was warm, unlike this frosty winter slum.

  Homes everywhere were left vacant and rotting, their previous owners gone. Finding shelter and places to hide had never been easier on any world than it was here. Even without the aid of electrical power, the basement of this house was a welcome refuge from the cold.

  His own personal security detail roamed the floor above—equal parts strong, lumbering Dregorg and tough, violent Cytur. He’d laid traps at all the entry points. Even if he was unlucky enough to be discovered by one of the few Loriahan warriors who roamed this world, they would kill themselves gaining entrance.

  Krotian settled in front of a glowing orb, holding his hands out to the heat emanating from it. The human child he’d locked in a small closet whimpered loudly enough to be heard through the sturdy door.

  Waiting was a waste of valuable time, but Krotian didn’t dare go hunt the Imonite woman himself. There were too many dangers on this world—too many people to see him.

  The last thing he wanted was to draw attention to his presence here. One story on their vast news networks and every Loriahan warrior on this small planet would come for him. Even with a force of Dregorgs and Cyturs guarding him, he’d be dead before sunrise.

  Better to use the humans’ weakness for their offspring against them and let the boy’s father do all the work. No one would look twice at the human, and if he was caught in the act of kidnapping the Imonite woman, Krotian could simply find another human tool to use.

  All he needed was the sphere. The woman would be an extra bonus, but she too was expendable. Once he had the sphere, the rest of this planet could go up in flames for all he cared. At least that would make it warmer.

  A noise from upstairs drew his attention. Movement. A shift of heavy Dregorg feet and the scrape of Cytur claws—all moving toward the front of the house.

  The basement door opened and a thick Dregorg voice called down, “The human is here. He carries someone.”

  The woman.

  Krotian smiled. He could almost feel the warmth of the tropical sun on his face. “Let them in.”

  *****

  Talan waited until the attention of the Dregorgs and Cyturs was focused on the diversion he’d created before he signaled Radek. The other warrior was hidden along the eastern side of the house, disabling the traps protecting one of the windows.

  Reece shifted where he was draped over Talan’s shoulder.

  “Hold still,” Talan whispered.

  The man went still. So far he’d obeyed every order Talan had given him, right down to pretending to be Zoe. Not that Reece and he could have switched places. There was no way the human could have carried him, not even to save his son’s life.

  Talan moved slowly, as if the weight was a huge burden. His knit cap hid his tattoos fairly well, and he’d removed his glittering earring chains that would identify him as an Imonite warrior, but as soon as he got close enough to the house, the Dregorgs would recognize him.

  He’d fought them before, and it seemed like what one of them knew, all of them knew. His only chance of not being discovered was to buy Radek enough time to slip inside and grab the boy.

  Talan’s shadow stretched out ahead of him, long and stringy in the glaring headlights. He was backlit, making it harder for the Dregorgs to see his face. His movements were awkward and not his own, giving them one less thing to recognize him by.

  The phone in his pocket buzzed—the signal indicating Radek was inside.

  Talan intentionally stumbled and dropped the man to the ground. Reece stayed limp as he’d been told to do, hiding his face from sight.

  Wind rose from the north, sweeping away from the house and taking Talan’s scent with it. They’d chosen their approach specifically for that reason, knowing how keen the Dregorg sense of smell was. They relied on it as much as their sight, and Talan had no illusions that his scent hadn’t been catalogued and shared with all of Dregorg kind.

  “Inside,” called one of the creatures. “Faster.”

  Talan panted like he was out of breath and pretended to struggle to lift the man back over his shoulder. A little closer and the headlights would no longer obscure the enemies’ vision.<
br />
  Suddenly, there was a loud hiss and a cloud of mist filled the doorway. Cyturs and Dregorgs began to topple over like felled trees, crashing into each other.

  As the wind pushed the poisonous cloud toward Talan, he ran to the side, keeping the frail human out of harm’s way.

  The phone in Talan’s pocket vibrated again. All clear.

  “Stay here out of the poison,” he ordered Reece, setting him on his feet. “I’m going in after your child.”

  *****

  Krotian heard the heavy bodies of his guards tumble on the floor above. He didn’t know what had happened, but it hardly mattered. Anything that could fell ten beasts of war was not something he was going to stay and face. Better to leave and let the traps placed throughout this house take out the threat.

  He’d find another way to attain the data sphere—one that posed no risk to him.

  The human boy was going to be too much trouble to bring with him, so instead, Krotian activated the trigger on the explosives tucked inside the closet with the child. Whoever found him was going to face the last surprise of their life.

  Krotian deactivated the trap on the cellar doors, which were hidden inside a lightless alcove. He pushed them open a crack. Snow tumbled down on his face. It had completely obscured the presence of the doorway, making it an excellent emergency escape.

  He always had an emergency escape.

  With a silent command, his suit hummed for a moment before the sound was beyond his hearing. He looked down to make sure that his presence was hidden, and through his invisible arm, he saw the stone steps leading up.

  Perfect.

  Heavy footsteps sounded upstairs. Slow, careful. Two men. Heavy.

  The indicator on his belt buzzed. At least one of the intruders was Loriahan, which meant they were far more dangerous than some stray human.

  Krotian didn’t wait to see who they were. He slipped out through the cellar doors and ran toward where his vehicle was parked along the street.