by Lee Savino
I run my eyes over every hard, muscled, golden inch of his chest, ogling shamelessly. I don’t even try to hide it, why would I? I’m alone in my quarters, slightly buzzed, and Fourth has no idea I’m spying on him.
Then his hands move to the waistband of his pants, and my throat goes dry. My pulse starts to hammer. A thrum of anticipation snakes down my body and settles in my core.
My comm beeps. “Hello, Diana,” Fourth says, his lips curling into a wicked smile, his voice low and intimate. “This attention is… flattering. But you know, if you want to see me naked, all you have to do is ask. You’re a very beautiful woman. I’d be happy to oblige you.”
Damn it. He’s onto us.
And he called you beautiful.
“How did you find the tracker?” I demand, not really expecting an answer.
“One of my brothers, Ruhan, is a tech genius,” he replies. “He set up a continuous scanner on the Isad.”
“Why haven’t you disabled it?”
“And miss the fact that you’re watching me get naked?” His voice is a warm caress. “Like what you see, spitfire?”
I clench my hands into fists. “Why do you call me that?” Rather belatedly, I realize that Soren will be monitoring Fourth’s end of this conversation. “Never mind, I don’t want an answer.”
He gives me a full, amused smile. “Because your Venan hacker is listening? I’ve blocked the audio on your tracker, Diana. He can’t hear us.” He shrugs disarmingly. “For the moment, at least. My tech skills aren’t good enough for a long conversation.”
“Is that what this is? A conversation?”
“This can be whatever you want it to be, spitfire.” His eyes rest on me. “Call me Mirak.”
Mirak. I like the sound of it. It suits him much better than Fourth. “Is that your name?”
“Sure.”
Does he ever just answer a question? Grr. He’s so unbearably sexy and so completely infuriating. “Why do you call me spitfire?” I ask again.
“You threw a knife at me the first time I met you,” he replies with a grin. “The name seems to fit.”
“You shut down our engines and invaded our ship,” I bite out. “Under the circumstances, I’d say I was perfectly justified.”
“A valid point.” He settles on his bed, leaning against the headboard, his legs stretched on the mattress. “The real reason I call you that is because you remind me of a flame.”
“Because I will burn you if I get a chance? You know I will, don’t you? You stole seventeen billion credits from me. I will find you, and I will make you regret it.”
“Technically, I didn’t steal from you. I stole from Docarro.” He waves away my threat. “You’re warm,” he murmurs. “Passionate. A man could lose himself in your heat, Diana.”
I feel a blush creep up my face. “Stop flirting with me.”
“You’re the one watching me undress.”
He’s got me there. “Where are you going?” I ask hurriedly. “And how are you using an unmapped wormhole?”
“So many questions. Do you think I’m going to answer them?”
“You tell me. You’re the one who’s disabled the tracker’s audio to have a private conversation with me.”
He chuckles, and there’s an admiring gleam in his eyes. “Another valid point. To answer your second question, I have a gift. An ability, very much like the Ektons. I can sense wormholes. I know where they go, I know how long they’ll be stable, I know when they’re going to form.”
“The Zorahn can’t do that.”
“No, they can’t,” he agrees. “Do you still think I’m Zorahn?”
“Aren’t you?”
His lips twitch. “A question for a question, spitfire. Did you really think I tried to kill you when I blew up Neiptiun?”
I could lie, but that doesn’t seem right. “No, I don’t,” I admit. “You did wait until we were out of the blast radius. Why’d you blow it up?”
His expression turns amused. “Is that the question you want to ask?”
Argh. “No,” I say hastily. “What are you, if you’re not Zorahn?”
“I’m Draekon,” he replies. “This can’t be a surprise, Diana. Don’t tell me you didn’t notice the lack of testing tattoos?”
“I wondered, yes. I’ve also never met a Draekon who didn’t have any testing tattoos at all.”
“Is that a question?” He gives me a slow, lazy smile. “I don’t have testing tattoos because I was never tested.”
“Because you grew up in the Rebellion?”
He stretches. His abs ripple, and sudden, unexpected desire punches me in the gut and almost takes my breath away. You can’t be attracted to him. You don’t like him. You find him smug, secretive, and annoying.
He doesn’t answer. “Okay, fine,” I say grudgingly. “An answer for an answer. I’ll trade. What do you want to know?”
“Has Theldre put a bounty on my head?”
“Afraid? Perhaps you should have thought of the consequences before you stole from us.”
“I’m not afraid,” he replies calmly. “I’m wondering how much damage control I’m going to need to do.”
“That doesn’t make any sense.”
“I’m being inscrutable, spitfire. You’ll find out soon enough. Yes or no on the bounty?”
“No,” I admit. “No bounty.” I don’t add that Thel seems to be amused by Fourth. Amusement bordering on admiration. “Leaving a billion credits behind buys a certain amount of goodwill.”
“It’s not Theldre’s goodwill I’m concerned about, spitfire, it’s yours.”
My head jerks up, and I stare at him. What is that supposed to mean?
He doesn’t elaborate on his cryptic comment. “To answer your earlier question,” he continues. “No, I didn’t grow up in the Rebellion. More than a thousand years ago, the High Empire set out to create the perfect soldier race, the Draekons. They made six of us. I am an experiment, made in a laboratory. I’ve been in stasis for a thousand years. I am what you might call a throwback.”
My mouth falls open in shock. Words strangle on my tongue as I struggle to process Mirak’s revelation. I have so many questions. “Why were you in stasis?”
His eyes harden. “The High Empire made us,” he says. “When our performance exceeded their expectations, they started to mass-produce Draekons. For a decade or two, everything went according to plan. Then, the perfect soldier race decided that they didn’t want to be soldiers anymore. The scientists lost control of us. Some Draekons rebelled. Cities burned, and people died. The High Empire responded by ordering us killed. My creator, the Supreme Mother, defied that order. We were her greatest accomplishments, and so she put us in stasis, loaded us on a ship, and tried to flee the High Empire. A thousand years later, the Rebellion pulled us out of stasis.”
I just stare at him. He’s not lying. He’s telling me everything I want to know.
A light flashes in Mirak’s periphery. “Ah,” he says, his voice threaded with regret. “Your friend is about to break through again. I’m afraid I must bid you farewell now, Diana.” He gives me a grin. “I can’t have you know where I’m going, I’m afraid.”
He swings off the bed and strides forward. I watch him near the screen. Closer and closer, he stalks like the predator that he is, and then he looms in front of me. His smile is like the first glimpse of sunlight after a week of rain. “See you soon, spitfire.”
Then my screen goes dark.
Mirak’s destroyed the tracker. Before we can figure out where he’s going.
He said he’d see you soon. Admit it, Diana. You’re looking forward to it.
I wipe my palms on the front of my pants. My cheeks feel flushed. My nipples are hard. I groan in frustration and pour myself another drink. The universe has a sick, twisted sense of humor, because I’m attracted to an aggravating Draekon, one who boarded our ship, stole from us, drives me nuts, and makes me look incompetent at every turn.
There’s a knock on my door.
It’s Soren again, his expression distraught. “Chief Officer, the signal…”
“I know,” I tell him. “Fourth found the tracker. Never mind, you did the best that you could. Let’s worry about finding him after we’re done in Besep 3.”
7
Mirak
I can’t stop thinking of Diana. No matter where I am or what I’m doing, she’s never far from my mind. I visit a healer to keep my promise to Alice, and her no-nonsense attitude reminds me of the fiery human woman. Her lovely face is wedged in my thoughts and refuses to be dislodged.
After Neiptiun, the Ekton pirates head in the direction of the Heca Exchange., I had planned on intercepting them there, but before I can set my course toward that sector, we finally receive word from Ruhan. He’s alive, but he’s stranded in Nestri along with one of the humans he was sent to find, and the planet is about to turn into a war zone.
Fifth and Sixth are nowhere nearby. Kadir volunteers to go, but I’m closer, and so I put my plans of contacting Theldre on hold and head to Nestri.
It takes me eight long days to get there. Halfway through my journey, Tarish receives word from his mysterious informant that First is in Nestri as well. Dariux comms me to tell me about the tip. “We need Theldre’s spy network,” he says. “Desperately.”
He’s frustrated that he’s blind to Blood Heart’s movements. Logically, I can understand his tension, but as is often the case, the Rebellion’s priorities don’t line up with mine. “I’m aware of the urgency, Dariux,” I bite out. “Ruhan’s on Nestri. First is there too. Right now, I’m less concerned about your lack of spies and more concerned about my brother’s safety.”
Thankfully, Ruhan and his mate Lani are both alive when I arrive on Nestri, though a little worse for wear after encounters with First and a pair of Okaki pirates. “I had First in my grasp,” Ruhan says regretfully as we fly back. “Unfortunately, he got away.”
“Unfortunate, but unavoidable. First isn’t the priority, your mate is.” My voice hardens. “First needs our genes for his so-called master plan. We’ll run into him again, of that I have no doubt.”
And we will kill him.
Kadir and Ruhan have both found mates. They’ve found causes they believe in. I’m not like them. I don’t care about very much. But First tried to kill Kadir in Consalas. He attacked Ruhan in Nestri. He has forfeited the right to live.
Even with favorable wormholes, it takes us ten more days to get back to the Rebellion headquarters in Bestea. After almost walking in on Ruhan and Lani having sex in the rec room, I spend most of my time in the cockpit, monitoring the trackers I planted on the Ekton pirates. The information they transmit isn’t reassuring. Instead of stopping in the Heca Exchange, as I thought they might, the pirates appear to be headed into the Sarkanon sector.
The Uncharted Reaches are vast. They have a reputation for lawlessness, but that’s mostly unjustified. Not so the Sarkanon sector. It’s violent, unstable, and just flat out dangerous. Why is the Mahala going there? Theldre is putting not just himself, but every member of his crew at risk. For what?
Ruhan finds me staring into space. “You’re preoccupied,” he says. “What’s bothering you?”
“The Ekton pirates are headed to Besep 3,” I respond. “I don’t like it.” I fiddle with Diana’s knife, flipping it in the air and catching it. “The planet is a deathtrap. It’s poised on the brink of violence. Three major factions are embroiled in a constant turf war on its surface. Theldre is wealthy, but his money can’t protect him from a stray shot. There are a thousand safer targets to raid. Why go there? It doesn’t make any sense.”
“Why is it a deathtrap?”
“The planets in the Sarkanon sector contain the only known deposits of chaote,” I reply. “The mind-wipe that the Zoraken are subject to? Chaote is a key ingredient. Without it—”
“The Empire’s soldiers would be significantly less powerful.”
“Exactly. The High Empire would love to take over the sector entirely, but the last time they tried, the three factions united and blew up mine after mine until the High Empire retreated.”
“You’ve been researching this, I see.” Ruhan gives me a sly look. “Whose safety are you really worried about? The Ekton pirate? Or…” He pauses significantly. “Or the human?”
Huh. I hadn’t realized he was paying attention; I thought he’d been too busy with Lani. “Which human?” I ask blandly. “There are two of them on the Mahala. Ruhan, I told you. The Rebellion needs Theldre’s spy network. If the Ekton pirates get killed on Besep 3, then we’re screwed.”
“Of course,” he says. “That’s your primary concern.” He grins evilly. “Oh, by the way, I promised Lani I’d teach her to fight. Do you mind if I use the knife you’re playing with?”
Diana’s knife. I stiffen instantly, and he laughs out loud. “Fourth,” he says cheerfully. “You walked into that one.” His expression turns serious. “You got Lani out of Nestri. I will always be in your debt. If you need any help saving your human, I’m here for you.”
I drop Ruhan and Lani off at the Rebellion headquarters and immediately set my course for Besep 3.
The Ekton pirates aren't the only ones that can deploy trackers. Mine are from Ashara, which makes them, as far as I can tell, the most advanced technology in the galaxy. They are completely undetectable. When I’d boarded the Mahala to rescue the human women, I’d turned a handful of them loose.
Which means I have a location on Diana.
I keep an eye on my screen all the way to Besep 3. I’ve made good time; despite my detour, the pirates are only an hour ahead of me. They’ve touched down in the sparsely populated settlement of Borgan, and as I enter the atmosphere, a strike team composed of Diana, Theldre, and five others are preparing to enter a mine shaft.
In Neiptiun, Theldre had stayed behind. This time around, he’s elected to throw himself into danger. That’s not good. In fact, that’s very, very bad. I’ve read Diana’s file. She was brought up by her father, who died under tragic circumstances. On the Mahala, Theldre called her family. She probably loves the Ekton pirate. Probably thinks of him as a father figure.
And that love makes her vulnerable.
Dread eats at me as I land my cloakship in the middle of the Oceans of Thunder. The mine shafts of Borgan are controlled by the Pajeon Gang, a motley collection of some of the most cutthroat thieves and thugs in this corner of space. Why is Diana going there? Why is she throwing herself heedlessly into danger?
Worry gnaws at me as I shift to dragon and fly there as quickly as I can.
Borgan is only a knur away. I arrive in the main square and touch down. No one is in sight, but this is the Sarkanon sector. There are hidden eyes everywhere. Normally, I’d be concerned about being seen in my dragon form, but right now, I don’t care.
I shift back into my two-legged form and check my screen again. From the life-form readings in front of me, Diana and her team are moving fast. Running toward an octagonal chamber in the middle of the tunnels.
They’re being relentlessly herded into a trap.
Panic sinks its icy claws into me. I run at full speed toward the nearest mine shaft. At the same time, I’m tapping on my comm for Ruhan, the best hacker among us. He answers immediately. “I’m sharing my screen,” I grit out, sliding down the shaft and landing on the ground with a thud. “I need the quickest way to Diana’s location.”
There’s a pause as he assesses the situation. “Got it. I’m in their systems. I’m clearing a path for you.”
Doors slide open as I race to the central chamber. I run through tunnels lit by phosphorescent walls. The air around me is stale and smells of sweat and desperation. Nobody wants to become a chaote miner. The work is hard. Backbreaking. In its raw, unprocessed form, chaote is toxic to Zorahn. You become a miner, and your life expectancy gets dramatically shortened. Nobody survives more than ten years in Borgan. Only the truly desperate sign up for a stint in the mines.
The dots on the screen are
still moving. They’re clustered around another life form. From the heat signature, the person they're protecting is Ekton.
It’s not Theldre—I have a tracker on him. It’s not any of the other crew members either. Did they come to Besep 3 to break someone out? I’m wondering who it is when a voice crackles through the tunnels. “Surrender Zabek,” a man snarls. “Give up the thief, and we will let you go.”
I’m close enough to the underground chamber now that I can hear Diana’s reply. “I understand that you are angry,” she says steadily. At the sound of her voice, the tight fist of terror squeezing my heart eases slightly. She's alive, and she sounds unhurt. “Zabek leaves with us. I will pay compensation for his theft.”
“He will compensate for his theft with his life,” the Pajeon gang member growls. “You can die with him, or you can leave. It’s your choice.”
“We’re not going anywhere. Do your worst.”
I don’t care who this Zabek is. I don’t care why he’s so important. I wish Diana would leave him behind, but of course, that’s not an option. The Ekton pirates never leave their crew behind. They live together, or they die together.
It’s up to me to make sure she lives.
Eight tunnels lead to the octagonal chamber. Eight tunnels, eight doors. “Your woman has jammed the locking mechanism,” Ruhan mutters as I skid to a halt in front of a closed metal door. “I can’t open the doors remotely, but neither can anyone else.”
“For the moment.” That’ll buy them a few extra minutes. “How long do they have?”
“Not long,” he replies. “They’re going to blow up the doors.”
“Get her an escape route,” I tell him. “I’ll hold off the Pajeon.”
“Will do.” This is Ruhan; he doesn't waste time telling me to be careful. “I'm here if you need anything else.”
