Draekon Pirate

by Lee Savino

  Azeer comes in, and he shuts the door. As soon as he’s seated, Thel leans forward. “We have another alert about Blood Heart,” he says somberly. “This one… it’s bad.”

  A chill creeps down my spine. “Who is First targeting now?”

  “A refugee colony,” he replies. “There are ten thousand Draekons on it. They were evacuated from—”

  “Nestri,” Mirak cuts in harshly. “They were evacuated from the city of Cintra on the planet of Nestri. Am I right?”

  “Yes,” Thel confirms. “They’re in a temporary shelter in the city of Estovya, on the planet of Hetov. You remember Hetov? It was the planet that Neiptiun KZP-71 was orbiting. First is three days away.”

  How can I forget Neiptiun? The colony ship set everything in motion. If we hadn’t tried to rob them, I would have never run into Mirak after that first time. Neiptiun is the seed from which everything else grew.

  Hang on. I frown at Mirak. “How did you know about the refugee colony?”

  “Because this is a trap, Diana.” Mirak’s face looks like it’s carved from a block of ice. “This is a trap designed for me. Ruhan was in Nestri. He defended Cintra and drove First away. I loaded people on transports myself. Women, children, unshifted, defenseless Draekons. First knows that if they’re threatened, I will react.” He gazes at me urgently. “You cannot respond to this. This is between First and me. You must not intervene.”

  Ten thousand people. The sheer horror of it threatens to overwhelm me. And the thought of Mirak taking on First alone makes me want to retch. If he were hurt, if he dies… I swallow hard. I don’t think I could deal with it.

  I have to go with him. This is an emergency. We need to mobilize every resource we can to save these people. “Mirak, if we don’t help, they will die. We can’t stand on the sidelines. If we do, we will all have blood on our hands.”

  “Diana, you have already been passing on messages from Blood Heart to the Rebellion. That’s bad enough. If First finds out…” His voice trails away, and then he straightens his shoulders. “Can I talk to you alone?”

  “Okay.” I get up, and the two of us go outside. He activates his cone of silence. He looks stressed, and I put my hand on his arm. “Hey,” I say softly. “We’ll get there on time, okay? We won’t let First win. I’m somewhat in charge of a crew of fearsome pirates, and you’re the most amazing navigator in the world. We’ve got this.”

  He pulls away from my touch. “I cannot allow you to expose yourself to more danger. You cannot go.”

  “Cannot?”

  “You heard me,” he says implacably.

  I stare at him in shock. He said he trusted me. I think you’re amazing, he said. But when the chips are down, he’s forbidding me to go.

  If he truly saw me as an equal, he wouldn’t order me around. If he truly thought I was capable, he wouldn’t make decisions for me.

  The scales fall from my eyes. The rose-tinted glasses shatter into a thousand pieces. “You don’t think I know what I’m doing,” I whisper. “Is that what this is about? You don’t think I should be in charge.”

  For a long second, he says nothing. Then he draws himself to his full height. Regret flashes across his face before he wipes his expression blank. “No,” he says coldly. “I don’t. Let’s go over your failures, shall we? I was able to shut down the Mahala’s engines and board this ship. You were the ranking officer on the bridge. I hacked into your files and stole seventeen billion credits in Neiptiun KZP-71. You couldn’t stop me. Zabek defied your orders and murdered four people in cold blood, and yet he’s sitting in that conference room as if he has a right to be there. So no, I don’t think you should be in charge. You want to know what I think? That Theldre has a soft spot for a sweet smile, and that’s the real reason you’re the Second-in-Command.”

  Each cruel, hateful word slices into me like a blade and draws blood. I gasp in shock. “Mirak…”

  This can’t be the man I slept with. The man with who I shared my fondest dreams, my darkest secrets, the innermost workings of my heart.

  “This isn’t a game, Diana. This is not the right time for you to playact being a pirate. Too many lives are at stake. Let the real soldiers handle this.”

  He walks away from me.

  My mind is trapped in a fog of hurt and shock, and I can’t breathe. I can’t think. My knees give way, and I sink to the floor.

  I sit there for what seems like forever.

  Finally, Thel limps out. He takes one look at my bleak stare, and his face fills with alarm. “Child, what is it?”

  “I trusted him,” I whisper. “I fell in love with him. And he broke my heart.”

  “Diana,” Thel begins, but before he can continue, the conference door opens once again, and Zabek comes out.

  Not him. Not now. It’s just all too much. I clamber to my feet, ignoring Zabek’s curious stare. “I need to be alone.”

  I make my way to my quarters and lock the door, and then I finally let the tears fall.

  29

  Mirak

  Emotion is something I’ve always been able to lock down when I’m on a mission.

  Not this time. My dragon whimpers in pain and anguish. When I think of the expression on Diana’s face when I told her to stop playacting at being a pirate, it hurts to breathe. I want to smash something. I want to wrap my hands around First’s neck and squeeze. I want to crumple to the ground and allow myself to shatter.

  I can’t focus on this now. I can’t think about Diana, because it will destroy me. Saying those words to her was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. Every lie had been torn from my lips, fueled by desperation, fueled by fear and panic.

  I knew what I was doing. Every word was cruel. Every word was hurtful. Every word was designed to shatter her courage and destroy her confidence. I knew that she would be devastated. I knew it would destroy her, and I did it anyway.

  Diana is never going to talk to me again. I will never again wrap my arms around her. Never kiss her sweet lips. She will never again snuggle next to me, her head on my shoulder, the strands of her hair tickling my nose.

  I had everything, and I destroyed it.

  But if it means that she stays away from Hetov, it will have been worthwhile.

  This is a trap. First lies in wait, and the moment I charge to the rescue, he will attack. The others warned me that he holds a grudge, and I knew it too, and now, it’s time to pay the price.

  I will pay it. But no matter what happens, I will not let First find out about Diana.

  She is my mate. If this is the only way to protect her, then I will bear the consequences. My heart feels like it’s been flayed alive, scoured with acid, and dipped in fire, and that’s okay. I will sacrifice anything—everything—to keep her safe.

  The Isad is on the flight deck. I run at full speed toward it. I need to get off the Mahala now. As I run, my fingers fly over my screen, and I enter the code that will cripple the Mahala’s nav computer. It won’t stop them for long—Soren is an extremely talented hacker, and he’ll be able to reverse what I’ve done—but with any luck, it’ll be enough.

  First shouldn’t know the location of the refugee colony, but he appears to anyway. Tarish knows he has a traitor, and so, only four people in the Rebellion knew where the Draekon refugee camp is located. Tarish, Dariux, Zunix, and Kadir. None of them are traitors.

  Nobody in the Rebellion told First about the Draekon camp. No, this informant must be among the refugees.

  I have to get to Estovya, find the traitor and stop him or her, and then evacuate the refugees before First shows up.

  I slide into the cockpit, fire up the Isad’s engines, and punch the code that will open the rear doors. Plasteel panels slide into place, sealing the ship’s atmosphere. The giant bay doors open, and then, I’m gone.

  Leaving my mate behind.

  I comm Kadir, and he tears into existence. I open my mouth to tell him what’s going on, but he takes one look at my face, and he knows something’s wro
ng. Probably doesn’t even need to read my emotions. “What happened?”

  “First is threatening the refugee colony on Hetov. According to Theldre’s spy in Blood Heart, First will arrive there in three days’ time.”

  He holds up his hand. “Fourth,” he says. “Forget the refugees for the moment. You’re shaking like a leaf. You look broken. What really happened?”

  The concern in his voice threatens to undo me. “I left Diana.”

  I tell him everything. I tell him that Diana’s my mate. The first person I told when I chose a name. “It’s Mirak, by the way. Not Fourth.”

  He nods.

  “From the start, I knew I had to leave her,” I continue. “She was passing on information from Theldre’s spy network to the Rebellion. I couldn’t risk drawing more attention to her. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but First is obsessed with the five of us.”

  “I’ve noticed,” Kadir says dryly. “What did you do, Mirak?”

  I swallow. “I was an asshole. I knew she was insecure about her role on the Mahala, and I deliberately played on her fears. I told her she was bad at her job. I was cruel, Kadir. She trusted me, and I hurt her. I thought if I crippled her self-esteem, that she would leave this one to me.”

  Kadir just shakes his head.

  “She has no reason to be insecure,” I add. “She’s smart and she’s brave. Theldre chose wisely; she’ll make an amazing captain.”

  He still doesn’t say anything.

  “I screwed up, didn’t I?”

  “Yes, you idiot.” The Second of the Crimson Force looks at me with exasperation mingled with sympathy. “You really did.”

  “What would you have done?” I demand, stung. “If you were in my place, tell me you wouldn’t have done the same exact thing.”

  “Okay, Mirak,” he says patiently. “Pay attention. You screwed up. Diana, your mate, is vulnerable. I get that. Alice is human too, and despite what they like to believe, the humans are fragile.” He fixes me with a stern look. “But it’s not Diana’s vulnerability you need to come to terms with. It’s yours.”

  “Mine?”

  “You’re Draekon. If you are hurt, you will heal. If disease threatens you, you will beat it. Killing you is almost impossible. And now you’ve found your mate. You’re in love. For the first time in your life, you’re vulnerable, and you find that terrifying.” He gives me a sympathetic smile. “I’ve been there. But here’s a question for you. Let’s say you’ve done what you set out to do, and Diana won’t go to the rescue of the Draekons on Hetov. Now what? Are you going to stop worrying about her? Are all your problems solved?”

  There’s a lump in my throat. “No.” I close my eyes and imagine Diana setting off on her own, determined to rescue the Draekons. If it’s not the ten thousand people on the refugee colony, it’ll be someone else. She loves what she does. Saving people is important to her.

  I can’t imprison her. I can’t tie her up to keep her safe. Diana’s heat, her passion, her fire—this is who she is. I can’t take that away, and I don’t want to. I love her because of how caring and passionate she is, not in spite of it.

  “No, you idiot,” Kadir says. “You’re never going to stop worrying about her. You’re just going to have to accept that your love for Diana makes you vulnerable, and you’re going to have to learn to deal with it. Go back. Tell her how you feel and stop pushing her away. Life’s short, Mirak. I never thought that a mate was an option for me, and then I found Alice, and she makes my life better every day.”

  “Diana does that for me.”

  Kadir is right. I will never stop thinking of Diana. I will never stop caring about my mate. Leaving the Mahala doesn’t change how I feel.

  I can either fret from afar or fight at her side.

  “Then tell her,” he advises. “Hold her close. And if she says she can take care of herself, well, she’s not wrong about that, is she? Or has the scar on your palm faded?”

  “It’s too late, Kadir.” My stomach fills with dread. “I hurt her too badly. I can’t come back from this, no matter how much I want to.”

  “If you want her, fight for her,” he says bracingly. “As for Hetov, Fifth, Ruhan, and I will head out as well. We’re only two days away. We’ll get there in time, Mirak.”

  If you want her, fight for her.

  I’ve fought for other people all my life. This time, I’m going to be selfish. I’m going to fight for my mate.

  “You’re right,” I tell Kadir. “It might be too late, but I’m going to—”

  The comm cuts out.

  “Hello, Fourth,” First says, his face filling every screen on the Isad. “Charging off to the rescue, I see.”

  I punch buttons frantically on my comm; it doesn’t work. My signal is being blocked. First smiles. “Did you really think it was going to be that easy?”

  30

  Diana

  I climb into bed, pull my blanket over my head, and cry. Mirak’s gone. He never promised me he’d stay, and even if he did, what kind of relationship could we have if he didn’t respect me? The amazing sex would have disguised the truth for a while, but eventually, the scales would have fallen from my eyes, and I would have seen his contempt, and it would have wrecked me.

  It’s for the best, really.

  Except my pillow smells like Mirak, smoky and male, like a warm fire on a cold winter night. My sheets are rumpled from our lovemaking this morning. His shirt is carelessly flung over a chair. My knife—the one I threw at him—gleams from the table.

  I weep until I’m numb, and when I’m cried out, I lie on my back and stare into space. I know I should get up, but I can’t make myself renounce the warm cocoon of my bed. If Mirak’s right and I’m shitty at my job, then it’s probably for the best that I stay exactly where I am. Thel’s still the captain. He can make the decisions. I’m done.

  There’s a knock on the door.

  I ignore it.

  “Diana,” Thel’s voice says, layered with steel. “I have an override to every single door on the Mahala. Open up.”

  Fine. Whatever. I slide to my feet, wrap the blanket around my shoulders like a cape, and shuffle to the door. “What?”

  Thel isn’t alone in the corridor. Lisa is there too, her kind face etched with concern, and so is Soren.

  Soren? What is the ship’s hacker doing here?

  They sweep inside. Thel moves Mirak’s shirt aside and settles himself into a chair. Soren sits at the second chair, and Lisa perches on the edge of the bed. Surprisingly, the hacker speaks first. “I was bored last night, Chief Officer,” he begins.

  Do I really want to know what he does alone at night? I do not. “Do I need to hear the rest of this story?”

  “Diana.” Thel’s voice is quelling. “Let the man talk.”

  I shut up.

  “My devices have been running slower than normal,” Soren continues. “I’d been meaning to investigate why. When I did, I realized they were running out of memory. I’d been tapping into the security feeds on Avela, recording everything in the vicinity of the Draekon lab. We pulled out of there in a hurry, and I’d forgotten to cut the line and erase the feeds.”

  As usual, Soren’s good at explaining tech without making me feel like an idiot. I actually understand most of that.

  Thel gives him an encouraging nod, and the Venan resumes his story. “Following procedure, I ran the footage through Recognition. It scans the recordings for matches with people that are on our watchlist. It’s routine protocol. I wasn’t really expecting any hits.”

  “But he got one,” Lisa cuts in, bouncing with impatience. “Soren, just show her the clips.”

  Soren, who has decided that Lisa is the expert on all things human, nods agreeably. “There are two clips. The first was taken just outside the lab, shortly after we took off from the planet.”

  A video plays on my wall screen. The wreckage of Danax’s lab comes into view. As I watch, a man walks up.

  It’s First.

  A j
olt runs through me. “He was on Avela?”

  “Evidently,” Thel replies. “Keep watching.”

  The Draekon bears a superficial resemblance to Mirak. Until you look at his eyes and see the death there. First is cold perfection, as warm as a block of ice.

  He slowly walks around the wreckage. He notices the charred remains of the Blood Heart soldiers, and his lips thin. The air shimmers, and a crimson dragon tears free, roaring fire and screaming in rage.

  Even through the screen, I can feel the fury radiate from him.

  He jumps to the sky. Over and over, his massive trapezoid-shaped head butts into the clear material of the dome until it cracks.

  Then the recording ends.

  He broke the dome. “Avela’s air is toxic if you breathe too much of it,” I whisper.

  Soren nods soberly. “I checked the local news,” he says. “Emergency responders were able to rescue some of the people. A hundred and sixty-three died.”

  My brain feels sluggish. “First was in Avela,” I repeat. “Why didn’t we run into him? Why wasn’t he at the lab? I don’t understand.”

  “Neither did I,” Soren says. “I started reviewing every feed in the vicinity. First approached from the north. I looked at every public feed in that direction. I saw this. This happened shortly before we touched down on Avela.”

  Another video plays. It looks like the outside of a bar. First walks in, and a minute later, people rush out in a stampede, looking terrified, almost trampling each other in their hurry to get away.

  “Nothing much happens for an hour.” The footage jumps forward and then stabilizes. “And then this happens.”

  Mirak walks into the bar.

  I don’t understand. Mirak was there, talking to First, at the same time as we were getting the prisoners out. I stare at the footage, and I note the time stamp when he leaves. He stayed in the bar until we were back at the Mahala.