Taken by Surprise

by Anna Argent

  The moment Reece laid eyes on his son, they overflowed with tears. He started to move forward, but Radek’s sharp tone made him stop. “Don’t. Go straight outside the way we came in. Don’t touch anything.”

  Radek hurried over the crumpled bodies of both Dregorgs and Cyturs, tucking his chin against Davy’s head to make sure he kept it down.

  The boy had already been through enough tonight. He didn’t need this pile of alien bodies to add to his nightmares.

  “You can open your eyes now, but don’t open your hand.”

  Keeping his fist around Davy’s, he handed the child into the waiting arms of his father. His hold was awkward as if he were injured, but he didn’t let go of his boy.

  Watching their tear-filled reunion made something in Radek’s chest shift out of place. A hot, strange feeling settled right behind his heart and expanded until it was hard to breathe. What was it like to love like that? To be loved like that?

  “Thank you,” said Reece into his son’s hair. His wet eyes lifted until he was looking at Radek. “Thank you for saving my boy.”

  Radek nodded and swallowed through the tightness in his throat. “We need to move away from the house. Then I need to get that device out of his hand.”

  He started walking, keeping the child’s tiny fist in his own the whole time, so that Reece had no choice but to follow. When they were out of range of any Raide devices he knew existed, he eased the trigger from the boy’s fingers. They were clenched so hard, he had to peel the tiny digits away, one by one, but he managed to keep the lever depressed while he transferred it to his grip.

  “Leave now,” Radek said. “Don’t go home. Leave the state for a few days. Give me your number, and I’ll call you when it’s safe to come back home.”

  “How will you know it’s safe?” Reece asked.

  Radek glanced meaningfully at the boy, then met the father’s gaze. “Because I’m going to eliminate the threat. Permanently.”

  Reece nodded his understanding. “Good. He deserves whatever he gets for stealing my baby.”

  “Go now. I have to clean up here before I can leave.”

  “The bodies?”

  “Just go,” said Radek. “The less you know, the better.”

  From the front of the house came the sound of Talan’s voice lifted in a bellow of rage and denial.

  Radek gathered a burst of heat from deep in his core and channeled it to his fingertip. He melted the metal hinge on the triggering device so that the lever stayed pressed against the dull gray housing. Once that was done and he was sure he wouldn’t trigger the explosives, he turned and ran to help his friend.

  *****

  Talan screamed as the Raide flung Zoe to the ground. She rolled, leaving behind a streak of red in the snow. Krotian disappeared as he fled, but his footsteps were clearly visible. Talan had to pick between following the Raide or stopping Zoe’s bleeding.

  It wasn’t even a choice.

  He sprinted to Zoe’s side and pressed his hand over the wound. Her skin was slick with blood.

  Panic lit her eyes. She tried to bat his hands away, but he gathered her against him and held on tight. “It’s okay. I’ve got you,” he said, hoping to soothe her. “Krotian is gone.”

  And he was. He’d hit the plowed pavement of the street and disappeared out of sight, not even leaving footprints behind.

  Zoe was a target out here in the open, but the only shelter to be had was the house stocked with explosive traps, or the open cab of his truck covered in shattered chunks of glass.

  She looked at him, and he saw a flare of recognition. “Talan.” His name came out in a rush of relief, and she clung to him with more strength than he would have thought possible.

  “Hold still. You’re bleeding.”

  “Bleeding?” She sounded confused and groggy, though that wasn’t surprising after being subjected to a Raide’s gaze.

  “You’re going to be fine. I can fix it, but we need your heart to slow down.”

  Her pulse was racing under his palm, and he feared that his hand was the only thing keeping her from bleeding out.

  Footsteps sounded behind him. Talan lifted her, and spun around to face the new threat.

  It was only Radek hurrying toward them. “Is she okay?”

  Talan shook his head slightly. “The Raide got away, but not before slitting her throat.”

  Radek’s brow furrowed in confusion. “It doesn’t look that bad. She’s not bleeding much.”

  Talan wanted to snarl in rage at his friend. Of course it was bad. Krotian had sliced her neck open. Her blood was all over the snow, seeping between his fingers as he struggled to keep the wound sealed.

  He knew what that felt like—that deep, searing pain of having flesh torn open by one of those sharp claws. He remembered the way it scraped against his skull, digging deep enough to hit bone.

  Americans frequently said that the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard was bad. Clearly they had never heard the sound of their own skull being scored by claws. Even now he could still hear that noise, and the mere memory was enough to lock up every muscle in his body.

  “Talan,” came Radek’s voice from far away. “Pull it together, man.”

  Talan snapped back to reality, only now realizing that he’d almost slipped into that cool, dark space that had saved his sanity when he’d been tortured. As much as he wanted to go back there and linger in the calm blackness, he couldn’t drift off yet. Zoe still needed him.

  Her eyes didn’t seem to focus. Her body clenched hard as a shivering chill hit her. Her arms tightened around him, and he couldn’t tell if that was some kind of muscle convulsion, or if she was trying to get closer to his warmth.

  He couldn’t bring himself to let her go, not even long enough to grab the vial he needed from his vest. Setting her back in the snow wasn’t an option. She was already freezing.

  “I need the pink vial,” he told Talan. “Left side of my vest, just above my heart.”

  Radek found the right one and pulled the stopper. “How much?”

  “All of it. Pour it right over the wound. When I move my hand, you need to be fast.”

  “I will be.”

  “I hope so, because if you’re not, she’s going to bleed to death.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Talan jerked his hand away, expecting her blood to come spurting out. Instead, he saw that the cut wasn’t as deep as he’d thought. Just as Radek had said.

  The liquid skin mixed with her blood, solidifying into a barrier that would stop the bleeding and speed her healing. She hissed at the slight burn the liquid caused, but at least that meant she was still coherent enough to feel pain.

  Talan’s panic faded enough that he was able to relax his bruising hold on her body. He didn’t let her go—that wasn’t an option yet—but he was able to think past something beyond watching her die in the snow.

  He scanned the area, looking for any sign that Krotian was still lingering about. It wasn’t like the Raide to stay near danger if there was any other option. And right now, Talan was definitely a danger to the fucker who’d hurt Zoe.

  “He obviously didn’t want her dead,” said Radek.

  “Maybe he slipped, or knew if he killed her, nothing would stop me from coming after him.”

  “Maybe.” Radek’s dark skin wrinkled in a frown as if he didn’t quite believe that.

  Zoe shivered again, her whole body tightening as the chill shook her.

  Talan unzipped his jacket all the way and pulled her against him. “I need to get her warm, but the truck’s windshield is shot.”

  “I already sent Reece away in his car, so we can’t use that.”

  “And the boy?” asked Talan.

  “Safe with his father. They’re fleeing the city.”

  “Good.” At least one thing had gone right tonight.

  “All I’ve got is the bike. Windshield or not, the truck is our only option, unless you want me to steal you a ride.”

  Talan sur
veyed the area. There were no cars nearby. The people who still lived here had garages. “Sweep the glass out of the truck. We’ll find the closest shelter and decide what to do from there.”

  Radek easily lifted the motorcycle into the bed of the truck, and cleaned the debris away to make a space on the seat for Zoe.

  Talan carried her to the truck and settled her in his lap. She was conscious, but incoherent. She kept mumbling about some treasure.

  “How long did he have her?” asked Radek as he drove.

  Wind poured through the huge, gaping hole. Talan did what he could to shield Zoe from the cold, but she was still shivering.

  He never should have given her that tracking liquid. He’d thought it would be safe, but she was smaller than a normal Loriahan adult, and who knew what kind of chemicals she had running through her system from living on this world all her life. He should have considered she might have a bad reaction to it. The fact that he hadn’t—that she was suffering because of his actions tonight—left him furious with himself.

  “I don’t know,” he said. “A few seconds. It felt like hours.”

  “Don’t let him find the treasure,” mumbled Zoe, clutching his arm with frantic desperation.

  “What treasure?” asked Talan. He pulled the hood of her coat aside just enough to peer at her face, which was pressed against his chest.

  “My father’s treasure. He wants it. Don’t let him take it.”

  “I won’t let him take it. I promise. It’s okay, Zoe.”

  She relaxed fractionally, just in time for another spasm of shivers to rack her slender body.

  “Any idea what that treasure stuff is about?” asked Radek.

  “None,” Talan lied. As much as he liked the other man, he didn’t have permission to share Imonite intelligence with him. Not unless there was no other option. And as far as he knew, this treasure was the data sphere. “How far to shelter?”

  “There’s a motel up ahead, or I can drive you out to the closest camp. That’s over an hour.”

  She wouldn’t last that long. He had to get her warm. “Motel.”

  Radek nodded. “This treasure? I think it’s why Krotian didn’t kill her.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He was in her head just long enough to poke around, but probably not long enough to find out everything he wanted to know.”

  “That’s why he didn’t cut her deeper,” said Talan, finally catching up to what Radek had already figured out. “He wants to come back to learn the rest. If she’s dead, she can’t give up her secrets.”

  “That’s what I was thinking.” Radek pulled up out of sight of the motel attendant. “She’s from House Imon, which makes this your mission. How do you want to handle it?”

  “Can you get us a functional vehicle?”

  “I can, but I’ve got to go back and clean up the mess we left. We can’t leave those bodies lying around for someone to find. And I’m sure there are still some traps we didn’t disable. Someone could get hurt, maybe even kids.”

  He was right. “You do that. I’ll stay with her until her head clears and she can tell me about this treasure.”

  Zoe clutched his jacket, her dark eyes wide with panic. The dim light glittered off little flecks of rose gold in her irises. “No one can know. I promised not to tell.”

  Talan shoved his rage at himself deep down, where she couldn’t see it. She was still confused from the Raide’s attack. She wouldn’t understand that his anger wasn’t directed at her. And right now, more than anything, she needed to feel safe so she could relax enough to get blood flowing through her body.

  He glanced at Radek. “Get us a room. She needs heat.”

  Radek nodded and hurried into the motel.

  The band holding her hair up was now pulled loose and lopsided by her coat’s hood. Talan brushed her glossy hair away from her pale face. Her skin was cold and smooth. “It’s okay, honey.” He’d never used the strange human endearment before tonight, but it seemed to ease some of the fear holding her eyes wide. “You’re safe now. Your secrets are safe.”

  “He tried to rip them out. I fought him.” A shudder shook her body. Seated on his lap like she was, he felt the powerful movement course through her. “He wants the treasure.”

  “It’s okay. We won’t let him have it. We’ll keep it safe.”

  She stared at him for a long time, searching his eyes for something. He had no idea what, so he simply sat there, hoping she’d find what she needed. Finally, some of the panic straining her features melted away, as if she’d seen what she’d been looking for. She tucked her head under his chin, clinging to him with the kind of desperate trust only the helpless can summon.

  Talan’s chest ached. Something within him shifted uncomfortably. He didn’t like the idea of her feeling helpless, not even if it made her press her lovely body against his. He wanted her to feel strong and fearless. Happy.

  The Raide had taken something from her tonight, and Talan was going to get it back for her, no matter what it cost him.

  He told himself that his need to ease her was simply because she could only do her best work if her mind was a calm, peaceful place. That his people needed her to do her best work if there was to be any hope of defeating the Raide. But deep down, he knew there was more to it than that. This woman intrigued him too much. She was like a puzzle he needed to solve. And while he wasn’t a Builder, his parents were. Their blood ran through his veins, shaping his essence.

  He couldn’t walk away from that part of him any more than he could walk away from Zoe now. One way or another, he would see to her comfort before returning her home to Imon. And if that meant slaying the Raide who had touched her mind, then that’s what he’d do. She needed to feel safe.

  Radek returned with a metal key attached to a ring. “Room 142.”

  He drove to the room at the back of the motel, and opened the door so that Talan could help Zoe inside. She was unsteady on her feet, shivering so hard, her legs hardly worked. Still, if anyone was watching, this was better than carrying her inside and raising questions that might summon the local police.

  He eased her down onto the bed and held his hand out for the key. “How long will you be?”

  “I’ll be back by dawn. If I’m not, something went boom at the house, and you shouldn’t wait.”

  Talan nodded. “Leave the truck in case we need to flee.” He reached into his vest and pulled out a few dissipation rods that would dissolve the bodies they’d left behind. “Take these.”

  Radek did. “Thanks. That’ll make the job faster.” He opened the door and slipped out. “See you by dawn. Or, you know… not.”

  Talan hoped he’d come back. Without Radek he would be alone on this world. And while he’d spent the first year that way, he’d grown close to Radek and Warrian. He’d come to depend on them, and it was nice knowing that someone had his back.

  Warrian was busy with his new life back on Loriah, and his replacement had not yet been named. While Talan was happy for his friend and the joy he’d found with the Loriahan Empress Isa, he missed having Warrian around.

  There was nothing quite as lonely as being the only warrior of his kind on an alien world, stumbling through a strange culture, knowing that if he died, no one would bother even returning his body home.

  Radek and Warrian had changed that—driven away his loneliness—and yet Talan knew how much worse that feeling of isolation would be now if he had to go back to being alone here.

  Not that it mattered. He’d do what he had to do to save his people, even if he hated every second of it.

  He locked the door, engaging the flimsy chain as well. It wasn’t going to even slow down a Dregorg or Cytur, but it might make Zoe feel safer. That was enough reason for him.

  He turned back to her. She was curled in a ball, shaking with cold. Blood was smeared over her clothing. Some of her hair was matted with it. The liquid skin was doing its job, sealing the wound. All that was left now was a thin line of bright
red where the skin would eventually knit back together. That, and a whole lot of blood.

  Talan turned the room’s heating unit to its highest setting, and then ran warm water in the tub. While it was filling, he went back to Zoe.

  When he touched her face, her eyes popped open as if he’d scared her. “Easy,” he said in a soothing tone. “We’re going to get you warm now.”

  She gave a tight nod, but said nothing. Of course her jaw was clenched tight enough that he wondered if she was even able to speak.

  “I’m going to take your coat off so it won’t get wet, okay?”

  Her arms were stiff, making the job of stripping off her coat a delicate, time-consuming task. Her slender muscles were bunched tight, curling inward in an effort to stay warm.

  Talan didn’t bother removing anything else. Her shoes were gone, and everything else she wore was just going to get wet because there was no way he was stripping her naked. As much as the idea made everything male in him perk up, he needed her trust a lot more than he needed to leer at her.

  There was some kind of treasure out there—likely the sphere her father had stolen—and now the Raide knew about it too. His only hope of keeping it out of enemy hands was to convince Zoe to tell him where it was. Fast. That meant gaining her trust.

  Stripping her clothes off, leaving her cold, vulnerable and naked, was not the way to get her on his side. No matter how curious he was to see what lay beneath all those human trappings.

  He eased her into the filling tub. As soon as she hit the water, a groan of delight wove out from between her clenched teeth. She slid down, submerging as much of herself as she could. Talan kept his hand cupped around the base of her neck to make sure she didn’t slip under.

  “Good?” he asked. He needed to hear her voice, to know she was okay—or at least that something he did was making her feel better.

  “Warm,” was all she said, but the word was infused with enough relief to appease him.

  “Look at me.”

  She turned her head and opened her eyes. Even with the smears of blood on her face, she was beautiful. The hot water had started driving the paleness from her cheeks, and the look of satisfaction gleaming within her eyes was enough to make any man’s mind wander to dark, lovely places filled with naked bodies entwined, striving for release.