Mind made up, Maggie stood and kicked a couple items on the debris pile of what she assumed was once an operating shuttle. Whatever she chose to lug back and forth, for her ruse had to be light enough for her to carry without it being too bulky. Unfortunately, many of the lighter pieces of metal had sharp edges which discouraged her from even attempting to pick them up. The last thing she needed was to catch some weird case of space tetanus.
Space tetanus.
Maggie held back a hysterical giggle at the thought.
“You’re losing it, Mags.” Hefting up a scuffed wedge of metal from what she assumed was once a wing, Maggie made sure to keep her fingers away from one obviously jagged edge.
Turning it over in her hands, she was as happy with her choice as she could be in a situation like this. It was light enough to carry but also big enough that it should be able to provide at least a little protection if needed. She had no idea if it was thick enough to protect her if shots were fired but it was better than nothing.
Maggie’s eyes went wide at her internal line of thinking. Not long ago she was just an ordinary nobody with a handmade jewelry business. Her knowledge of space came from her love of movies and the fictional characters they contained. Now, she was literally scrounging through a pile of space shuttle parts and rating the level of protection they could provide if she were to be shot at.
How did something like this happen to a nobody like me?
Her new reality was so far beyond what she could have ever imagined that she was tempted to pinch herself.
Knowing she was stalling, Maggie drew in a steady breath as she prepared to mosey closer to the crates and the men loading them. “You got this.”
Holding the wing piece in front of her like a shield, Maggie walked in the direction of the nearby shuttle. The closer she got, the more sweat began to bead on her forehead. Maggie’s heart raced with every single step forward. Her brain screamed that they were going to see through her disguise at any moment.
“I want to take off as soon as the last crate is strapped down.” The order came from the man she assumed was K’hor as he yelled at the men following his instructions. “Be careful with those!” he yelled loud enough to startle her when two of his men stumbled while carrying a biocrate up the shuttle ramp.
“Yes, sir.” The simultaneous answer from the pair was delivered with a heavy dose of apology. With one of the men adding, “We will protect them with our lives, sir.”
“See that you do,” K’hor answered, his expression grim.
As Maggie watched and listened, another warrior approached the leader. Watching them out of the corner of her eye, she noticed he was carrying a tablet like the one that Hix had shown her. Slowing her steps, she strained to listen to the conversation from where she was positioned.
“What happened?” the man questioned as he passed the electronic device over. “I thought the plan was to pick them up a few at a time to avoid detection.”
K’hor tapped his finger roughly against the screen and shook his head. The long hair surrounding his face brushed his shoulders with the movement. “Plans change.”
“Is that all?”
“I had no choice, Saber. My contact let it slip that the guards were increasing security to ensure the shipment was protected.” K’hor let out a heavy sigh as he passed the tablet back. “I was not willing to take that chance. If they increased security or moved the shipment, it would have ruined our plans. As it is, I still have to explain to the others that some of them managed to slip through our fingers.”
“How many are unaccounted for?” the man referred to as Saber asked in concern. His expression matched his tone.
“One shell was opened and three bios are missing, according to the manifest the guards had posted,” K’hor answered sharply. “We are lucky I arrived earlier than we had planned; otherwise, there would be more out of our reach.”
“What happened?”
“I triggered the alarm and the Traccorians arrived just as I was loading the wagons.”
Judging by the gasp of air Saber sucked in, Maggie could only assume that wasn’t a good thing.
“Is the storage facility still there?”
“Somewhat.” With K’hor’s vague answer, Maggie stumbled while distracted by a new flood of concern for Hix. If he was not here, she assumed he still be scouting the storage facility. Now, she had no idea what to think.
“And the Traccorians?” Saber asked as he continued with his line of questioning.
“They scattered like the selfish cowards they are. Those that were able to walk off the field most likely went to gather more to help fight the battle they will surely bring our way.”
“And if they arrive before we are loaded and prepared to take off?” Saber cast a slightly anxious look at the last cart yet to be unloaded.
“Then we will deal with it.” K’hor shrugged as if the answer was more than obvious. “I have confidence our men can handle the Traccorians with no problem.”
“And the fallout with those in this sector?”
“Once we have these crates back to Djaromir, there will be no need to ever visit this planet again.”
“Faster!” K’hor yelled to the men approaching the last wagon. “I need the last three bios loaded on the double.”
At K’hor’s shout, Maggie felt panic seep into her bones. With the muscle she had seen in action, it would take them only a minute or two to get the last few crates loaded. Flustered at the news, she stumbled again when her foot caught on a rock buried in the red sand. The combination of tripping while wearing the heavy cloak was too much for her to recover from. Letting go of the metal wing before she could land on it and impale herself, she turned as she fell, hoping to protect the front of her body. Somehow, she had been able to spin just enough to take the brunt of the impact with her side and roll onto her back. The hard impact made her grunt loudly and sent up a cloud of dust around her sprawled form. Blinking up at the odd view of four moons high in the sky above her, Maggie struggled to breathe.
Panicking when she was unable to draw in a breath, Maggie thrust the hood away from her face as she gasped for air. Turning her head to the side toward the ship and men she had been spying on, she realized two things simultaneously.
The fall had not only managed to knock the air from her lungs, but it also drew the attention of the men she had been watching.
Waving the dust out of her face with one hand, she frantically reached for the hood and feebly hoped in vain that they hadn’t seen her human form.
“Is that—” Saber asked, his voice filled with awe as he stared at her.
“Yes,” K’hor answered abruptly.
Maggie pulled the hood back down even though she knew it was too late.
“Come here, human,” Saber ordered, pointing at the ground before him, prompting her to scoot back on her ass where she’d fallen.
Maggie could only shake her head no. The fall managed to knock the air out of her, leaving her completely out of breath to speak. Combined with the panic she was feeling at their attention, she was physically unable to do anything but stay quiet.
Pure panic filled her as she watched K’hor take a step in her direction, his hand out as if reaching for her despite the feet that separated them.
“What is a beauty like you doing out of stasis already?” K’hor asked softly before turning slightly back to Saber. “Find out which one of the men opened a crate and bring them to me immediately!”
Maggie took the opportunity she had been given and scrambled to her feet the moment K’hor’s attention had turned to the other man. It had only been a second or two, but it had been enough for her to pull out the knife hidden in her cloak pocket.
“Stay back!” she yelled and waved the blade in front of her. Tightening her fingers on the handle, she was more than aware of the dampness of her palm making her grip seem more unsure than she would like. The smooth handle offered her no steady grip and the knife slipped slightly in her hand as she adj
usted her hold.
“Do not worry, pretty human.” Saber dropped down into a crouch as he spoke to her.
Maggie couldn’t tell if he was about to pounce or trying to make himself seem less threatening. She didn’t care either way. She’d never let him get close enough to touch her.
“I said stay back!” Maggie yelled when K’hor began to edge away from where Saber was kneeling and moved to flank her. If he thought she was going to let him sneak to the other side of her, he had another think coming. “Stay where you are!”
“Shhh…” K’hor held out a calming hand. “We mean you no harm, female.”
Maggie barely stopped herself from rolling her eyes at his lame attempt to calm her.
Did these guys think she was an idiot?
“Sir!” A group of warriors ran close with their guns drawn and pointed her way.
“No!” K’hor shouted and swept out his hand in their direction as if to hold the men back. “She is scared! Do not come any closer.”
Maggie counted the warriors quickly and grimaced as her odds seemed to dwindle before her eyes.
“How did you get out, female? Did any of my men hurt you?” K’hor glared behind him at the men as they waited for further instruction.
If she hadn’t seen that they were kidnappers with her own eyes, she would have assumed Saber and K’hor were truly concerned for her welfare.
With careful moves, Maggie shuffled back. As more warriors joined the group in front of her, she couldn’t help but feel as if they were closing in. Regardless of the distance still separating them, they were way too many and way too close for comfort. It only took Maggie six steps back before K’hor tried to edge forward again. He stopped advancing when she waved her knife in his direction and gave her a small smile.
What the hell was that grin for?
“She is amazing, is she not?” K’hor asked, shooting a glance at Saber where he was still positioned.
“She is.” Saber nodded in agreement, which pissed her off even more. “It makes me wonder if the rest are like her.”
“She has ears and suggests you shut the fuck up,” Maggie snapped, biting back the automatic apology on the tip of her tongue when the men looked at her in shock.
She hated being rude but now was a silly time to worry about politeness.
“What do you plan, little human?” K’hor stepped forward once more, making her stomach jump with nerves. “I can see your hand shaking from here. You are not ready to hurt anyone, are you?”
Maggie glanced at her shaking hand and was surprised that she couldn’t feel the tremor moving up her arm. Licking her dry lips, she swallowed hard when Saber and the group behind him stepped slightly closer.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“I wonder if Rowe and Paine have found your human yet…”
Hix chose not to reply. His annoyance with Axis was climbing higher the longer he was in the warrior’s presence. The man had done nothing but voice his doubts over and over again regarding Maggie. Hix knew that he may be hoping for too much but thinking any different was not an option. Plus, Axis didn’t know his Maggie. He couldn’t blame the warrior for his thoughts considering Hix himself had not completely anticipated the fire his female had burning deep inside. If she was an example of the human females on Earth, the Phaeton race would do nothing but become stronger with the addition of their genes into their race. There was no warrior braver than his bride. Axis just hadn’t been shown the truth yet.
As they approached their destination, Hix searched the figures moving about for the familiar shape of his female. When he caught sight of a recognizable robe, his gaze locked on the form wearing it.
Whatever Hix had expected to find at the landing field was far from the scene that was actually playing out before his eyes.
As he and Axis had quickly made their way to the landing field, mostly due to Hix hurrying the pair along, he had played out multiple scenarios in his mind. His favorite one was where he easily spotted Maggie and she ran into the safety of his arms with no trouble. A vison of her glorious smile filled his head as he imagined how it would light up her face when she saw him. Her beautiful curves would bounce deliciously with each step in his direction…
That dream had dissolved the moment he spotted her robes across the field. What he saw was far from his fantasy. It was more like a nightmare.
Hix swallowed back the nausea that threatened to surge up and out of his mouth.
“Is that?” Axis asked, his eyes wide and mouth open.
“Yes,” Hix clipped and tried to assess the situation as quickly as possible.
Directly in front of them, surrounded by at least fifteen Djaromir warriors, was his Maggie. Wearing a dirt-covered robe, she swung out an arm in the warriors’ direction, calling Hix’s attention to the knife she was wielding. The vision she created was one so striking he would have appreciated it in any other circumstance. With her hood thrown back and her blonde hair blowing in the breeze, the red dust that covered the planet swirled around her figure as she held the men back.
The sight filled him with a heavy dose of both awe and fear. Awe that she was showing such courage, especially when outnumbered. And fear that he would be too late to protect her.
“Look!” Axis pointed to a shuttle landing not too far away from the group. Recognizing it as a class of security shuttle often used by the Phaetons, Hix felt a slight bit of relief that help was almost there. He quickly transferred his attention back to Maggie and the men threatening her. Others moved about the field as if nothing out of the ordinary were happening right in the center of various ships landing and taking off. The bystanders offered no threat to her or the ones she was holding off. Eyeing the Djaromir miners starting to spread out around his bride, he knew that it wouldn’t be long before she was completely surrounded.
“You let them know what is happening while I see if I can get close enough to help Maggie,” Hix ordered, knowing he had no choice but to try to reach her as fast as possible.
He was torn. The last thing he wanted to do was distract her. If she dropped her guard, the men could overcome her before he reached them. At the same time, he wanted to reassure her that he was here, anxious to let her know she was no longer fighting alone. Although, by the look of the situation, she had it fairly under control…except for the large group of warriors closing in on her.
A large group of warriors he was about to make sure understood they had no business looking at, much less threatening, his bride.
Even though he had never met the man, Hix was able to easily pick out the Djaromir warlord from the group in front of Maggie. Wearing gold bands along his upper biceps, the man stood at least a foot taller than the others at his side. Identified by the row of braids framing a swirl of tattoos on his left temple, the man shook his head at something Maggie said before smiling at her.
The tender look he had directed at Hix’s bride was not an action that would be welcomed nor tolerated. No. Hix didn’t want the warrior even looking at his woman much less smiling at her. With anger filling his gut like acid, Hix gritted his teeth. Striding forward, he had no care for his own welfare as long as he could insert himself between the interloper and Maggie.
Hix knew the exact moment the warlord spotted him approaching.
When the warlord dropped the smile and reached for the weapon strapped to his thigh, Hix did the same. Maggie, who had yet to notice his presence behind her, let out a squeak at the threatening motion from the Djaromir in front of her. Slowly moving forward, Hix prepared himself for what was to come. When only a short distance separated him from reaching her, he heard a rumble behind him.
Slowing his stride, Hix frowned at the odd yet familiar noise as it grew louder. The sound of distant thunder became almost deafening as whatever was making the noise approached. His first hint that the noise was trouble came from the warriors that Maggie was facing. As they all reached for their weapons, their collective gaze shifted from his bride to the area behind her.
/> Looking past Maggie, the men braced themselves as if a threat was heading their direction…leading Hix to believe that he should be doing the same.
That revelation came too late.
Within seconds, they were under fire. With wide eyes, he watched as shot after shot zipped past him with his bride standing in the middle of the firefight. Shouting at Maggie to get down, Hix narrowed his focus on the warlord who began running toward her. Pulling out the weapon Paine had given him earlier, Hix aimed but did not fire, too worried for Maggie’s safety to take the risk of accidently catching her in the crossfire.
“Maggie! Get down!” Hix yelled. The laser blasts rained down heavily on the Djaromir who were beginning to fire back.
His warning came too late.
As he watched, she was hit by one of the many blasts fired in her direction. Spinning with the impact, Maggie twirled as she clutched her right shoulder. Hix screamed her name just as her eyes met his, and the distance between them closed quickly as he ran as fast as possible, intent on reaching her.
He watched as her trembling lips formed his name, but he was too far away to hear her voice.
His chest ached as he watched her fall, and her cloak puddled around her body as she dropped roughly to the ground. It was only a matter of seconds before he was crouched beside her and gently scooped her into his arms. Even wounded, the feel of her in his arms calmed a small piece of his soul.
“Maggie…please.” Hix blinked rapidly as his eyes stung with the wetness filling them. Cradling her collapsed form, he watched as the warlord she had been holding at bay skidded to a stop only a few feet away.
“Is she?” the leader asked roughly even as he ducked to avoid taking a laser blast.
Holding her as close as he was, Hix could feel Maggie struggling to breathe. With each gasping breath from her lips, his own became uneven. Without answering, he tried to cover her body the best he was able. He would gladly take a shot for her if it meant she would not be harmed any further. In the distance, he could see Axis and the newly arrived Phaetons approaching. Their advancement was slow as they fired their own weapons against the unknown group still attacking.
Warriors of Phaeton: Hix Page 18
