The Warrior's Bride (Warriors 0f Valkred Book 3)

by Roxie Ray

  Torqa's face appeared on the view screen, and for a horrible moment, it felt like my heart had stopped beating in my chest. The last time I'd seen those cruel eyes and high cheekbones, she had just exterminated most of the population of Macur and teleported me to her ship. The rational part of my mind knew this was just a holographic projection of her… but there was still a part of me that was somehow convinced she'd find a way to reach through the screen, grab me by the throat, and yank me back onto her vessel before Dhimurs or anyone else could stop her.

  If anyone in the galaxy could figure out a way to do exactly that, it would be her.

  I knew why Dhimurs had withdrawn his arm from me – he couldn't afford to show any weakness in front of Torqa.

  Still, I wished he hadn't.

  “Dhimurs,” she sneered. “How nice to see you again. And my, what have we here? The wayward Macurian princess! You know, it's not every day a prisoner escapes my grasp, as your parents can attest. I hope you know just how lucky you are.”

  I wanted to answer – to tell her what a grotesque, ice-blooded fiend she was, to demand to see my parents so I could verify that they were still alive – but my words froze and died in my throat.

  “I must congratulate you on finding a way to contact me,” she went on. “That said, I suggest we keep this as brief as possible. I have no intention of allowing you to track this transmission to my location, and I imagine you'll want to get this parlay over with as quickly as you can so you can retreat from the plasma storms before they incinerate you.”

  “We want to offer an exchange,” Dhimurs said briskly. If the sight of Torqa had rattled him at all, he gave no sign. “Meet us on Cexiea, release Ekaid and Lidea, and Judy and I will take their place.”

  “I expected it would be something like that,” Torqa replied. “After all, Macurians are in rather short supply these days, aren't they? And these two are quite valuable specimens, crucial to the rebuilding of that pitiful little planet. Besides, no doubt you feel guilty for being the reason they're in this situation to begin with… or is a hardened soldier like you incapable of such sentimentality?”

  From off screen, I heard something that nearly paralyzed me with sheer terror – the voices of my parents, panicked and desperate.

  “Judy!” Ekaid called out. “Don’t do this – you can’t!”

  “It’s not a worthy sacrifice,” Lidea insisted.

  Torqa looked in their direction, baring her fangs. “I will not tolerate any interruptions! Silence those two vermin at once!”

  There was a loud crackle of electricity, followed by their screams. I felt like I might be sick, but tried to hold it in. There was too much at stake for me to lose control of myself now.

  Torqa returned her attention to us. “Very well. The chief general of the Valkredian military would make a fine prize, and I am eager to punish the girl for her escape. But I have one further condition: surrender the Angel's Wrath to me.”

  “What? Why?” Dhimurs sounded genuinely confused. “You already have a formidable warship, and with a cloaking device, no less. What use would you have for the Wrath?”

  “Because when I conquer Valkred – and I will, make no mistake about that – I want the last thing Akzun sees to be his own damn flagship firing on him and his people. I want the Valkredians to see their greatest weapon of war descending from the clouds with its guns blazing, and know deep in their hearts that all hope is truly lost. So: you, Judy, and the Wrath. That's my price. Take it or leave it, but I advise you to decide quickly.”

  “All right,” Dhimurs agreed. “You win. We'll hand over the Wrath, too.”

  “Excellent,” Torqa hissed. “I will meet you on Cexiea in three hours, on the observation deck in front of The Vein. That's where this entire fiasco started with the Mana peace talks, so it seems only fitting that it should end there. And before you rush to enlist the aid of the Valkredian fleet in an attempt to trap me, Dhimurs, you should know that I will be following you closely under cover of cloak and monitoring all of your transmissions from this point forward. Any outgoing comms, and I will cut these Macurians' throats without hesitation.”

  Her image disappeared from the screen before Dhimurs could answer.

  Dhimurs put his hands on my shoulders, looking into my eyes intently. “I know how much that must have frightened you,” he said quietly. “But you comported yourself well. And we will rescue them from her, Judy. I promise you that.”

  I nodded, grateful for his words. If anyone could help us, it was Dhimurs.

  Dhimurs let go of me and returned his attention to the rest of the crew. “Vahmi, set a course for the Cexiea station, maximum speed –”

  A klaxon alarm started blaring without warning.

  “Oh no.” Vahmi's voice was tiny, and his snow-white skin was turning green.

  “What?” Surge snapped. “What is it now?”

  Vahmi turned to look at us, his eyes wide and stricken. “One of those storms up ahead just released a plasma spike! It's headed right for us!”

  21

  Dhimurs

  On the view screen, the plasma spike was hurtling toward us with lethal speed, like a huge glowing arrow released from the bow of some cosmic giant. It was so wide that it filled the screen within seconds.

  “Shield generators up!” I yelled. “Take evasive action at once!”

  “I can't!” Vahmi moaned pitifully. “It's too big, and it's coming in too fast! There's no way to get out of its course in time!”

  “All hands, brace for impact!” Surge announced grimly. From his voice, it sounded like he was convinced they were the last words he'd ever say.

  I saw the fear and helplessness in Judy's eyes, and my mind raced. I couldn't allow this to end here – not with her on board, not after everything we'd been through, not when I'd finally found and bonded with my destined mate.

  Not when Torqa was still free to menace the whole damn galaxy.

  No.

  There had to be some way out of this – and I silently swore by all the Succubi that I was either going to find it, or spend my last moments alive trying.

  “If we can't get around it,” I called out over the noise of the alarm, “then bring us hard about, and match our propulsion systems to its speed and trajectory. Maybe we can ride its momentum to minimize the damage and save the ship!”

  “That's crazy!” Vahmi squeaked. “It won't work!”

  I grabbed him by the hair, snarling in his face. “You had better make it work, or if there is an afterlife, I swear I will spend an eternity inflicting my anger upon you! Now do it!”

  Vahmi's long fingers flew over the keys on his console, and the ship lurched, reversing course. The pitch of the engines rose to a whine so loud it made my fangs ache. I lunged toward Judy and folded myself around her to protect her, bringing us both down to the floor and spreading my wings wide for additional coverage. She squeezed her eyes shut and buried her face in my chest, gripping me so tightly that her nails nearly pierced my flesh.

  A split-second later, we were hit by a force so massive and relentless that it felt as though some colossal child had seized the Wrath and was shaking it around like a toy.

  Sparks flew and sizzled from the control panels, and the crew were thrown around the command deck like rag dolls. Surge's head slammed against the view screen so hard that a long crack appeared down the center of the glass. Vahmi was tossed out of his seat and rolled across the floor, screeching and cursing and praying all at once. Respen ricocheted from one wall to another, unable to get his footing.

  The only member of the crew who was able to hold fast to his station was Thezis. He gripped his console hard enough for his claws to sink into the metal, his eyes locked on his readouts. “Shields down to twelve percent… we've lost aft plasma cannons… six percent… starboard thrusters gone… two percent… hull breach on decks four and five… shields gone… this is it…”

  “I love you,” I whispered in Judy's ear.

  “I've always loved y
ou.” Her voice was oddly calm, as though she were prepared to accept her fate.

  Now that we'd reached the moment of truth, I could see that she truly was a warrior. Perhaps the most courageous I'd ever known.

  I shut my eyes, waiting for the Wrath to come apart all around us – but instead, the shaking and pounding stopped.

  Vahmi pulled himself off the floor and ran back to his console, letting out a scream of sheer relief. “We did it! We did it! The plasma spike has dissipated! I can't believe it! We're alive, ahaha!”

  Judy hugged me tight, laughing. “Dhimurs, you saved us!”

  I kissed her, and then I stood up, brushed off my uniform, marched over to Vahmi, and punched him hard enough to knock him out of his seat again. He sprawled on the floor and looked up at me, blood pouring from his nose.

  “Your hesitation and cowardice almost got us all killed, and if you ever dare to disobey my orders again,” I said, lethally quiet, “I will tear off your head and use your craven skull as a commode. Then I will do the same to every member of your family, if only to prevent them from ever spawning another spineless leech like you! Do you understand me?”

  “Yes, sir.” Vahmi's words were barely audible. He got up slowly, wiping his face on his sleeve. There were tears in the corners of his eyes.

  What an embarrassment. I made a mental note to make sure he was discharged from the military the moment we got back to Valkred. He might have been smart enough to find a way for us to contact Torqa, but he had no business being in a position where other soldiers' lives depended on his actions or his ability to maintain his composure under fire.

  But one thing at a time.

  “Thezis, what's our status?” I asked. “Can we still make it to Cexiea in time?”

  “We might be able to limp along,” he rasped. “We'll need to make a few repairs to the engines first – that impact taxed the hell out of them, and we don't want to risk a crack in the containment units. We'd all be dead from radiation poisoning by the time we got there. Before we start on the repairs, though,” he said, shooting Vahmi a look of disgust, “our intrepid navigator may need to change his trousers. And I'll need a moment or two as well, to bandage my hands.”

  I glanced at his fingers, and saw that they were streaked with blood – most of his nails had been ripped loose by the metal on his console when he was hanging onto it.

  Another mental note: recommend Thezis for a medal and a promotion upon our return. He was the kind of hero who did honor to the Valkred fleet, and he deserved recognition.

  “Even if we can fix the propulsion systems,” Surge remarked, dabbing at the blood trickling from his forehead, “we're still going to be cruising into a fight with Torqa with no functional shield generators and half our weapons systems torn apart. Which means if it comes to a ship-to-ship conflict, we'll be relying almost entirely on the Sives.”

  “I don't like it any more than you do,” I said, “but it doesn't look like we have much choice. Do what you can to help Thezis and Vahmi make repairs so we can get underway.”

  “Sure,” Surge agreed, sneering at Vahmi. “As long as this wriggling little worm stays out of my way.”

  “Is there anything I can do to make myself useful?” Respen asked.

  I glanced down at the amulet around his neck, and an idea occurred to me. “As a matter of fact, Respen, I believe there might be.”

  22

  Judy

  Dhimurs outlined his plan to Respen, and I had to admit, it was pretty damn clever. Respen agreed, and went to his quarters to implement it as soon as possible. Dhimurs and I returned to the cabin we'd just been in before the transmissions with Umel and Torqa – the air was still heavy and musky with the scent of our passion.

  “I hope it works,” I said, sitting down on the bunk.

  “So do I,” Dhimurs agreed, joining me. “At any rate, there's too much at stake not to at least try. Are you all right? Did you sustain any injuries from the plasma wave?”

  I took a deep breath, exhaling shakily. “I'm a bit bruised and banged up, but it doesn't feel like anything's broken. Mostly, I'm just shaken up. That was close, Dhimurs. Too close.”

  “I know. If anything had happened to you…”

  “If anything had happened to me,” I joked, “it probably would have happened to you, too, so you wouldn't be in a position to feel all that bad about it.”

  “Even so.” His tone was deadly serious. “I should not have brought you along on this mission. I should have insisted that you remain behind.”

  “You did insist, remember? I came along anyway. And even after that little brush with death, I still don't regret it one bit. If I'm going to die, at least I'll have gotten to be your mate first. That would make it all worthwhile.”

  “Does it?” He sounded genuinely curious.

  I took his hand. “Dhimurs, do you know how many years I spent worrying that I'd never see you again? That I'd have to settle for some loveless mating with a Macurian from another tribe? Of course it's worth it. Even if we don't succeed – even if we die trying to stop Torqa – at least I'll spend my last moments knowing that you're part of me, and that I'm a part of you. I honestly wouldn't trade that for anything in the universe.”

  He stared deep into my eyes. “I am… relieved to hear you say that.”

  “Is there anything we should be doing to prepare for the hand-off, while the others are repairing the damage to the ship?”

  “Yes,” he said, stroking the side of my face with his cool fingers. “There is a chance that even if my plan for Respen works, we will not win the day. A great many things could still go wrong.”

  “For the last time,” I cut in, “I'm not going to let you face her without me.”

  “I know. You've made that clear, and I wouldn't dream of asking you again. Especially not after the courage you showed on the command deck when it looked like the plasma spike would destroy us all. But just in case the worst should happen and we do not prevail against her, I would like one more memory with you, to cherish to the very end. A final note of passion.”

  “No,” I answered firmly.

  He raised his eyebrows. “You refuse to lie with me one last time? You would deny me that?”

  I cupped his face in my hands, smiling at him. “You misunderstand me, darling. I will lie with you… but not 'one last time.' I refuse to believe that. Because I know we will win, Dhimurs. There isn't a doubt in my mind. I want to feel you inside me and know that there will be many, many more times to come. And I want this time to be something that fuels and fortifies us for the challenge ahead. Something that reminds us exactly what we're fighting for. Agree to believe in that with me, and I'll do it, absolutely.”

  I wasn't being entirely truthful – I had no such certainty that we'd best Torqa at all. But I didn't want him to know that. I knew the wars he'd been through had made him pragmatic, perhaps even cynical, but I didn't want him to enter this battle with the mentality of a condemned man who had eaten his last meal.

  I wanted to be his armor. His strength. His reason to charge into the fight hungry for triumph and victory.

  Because that was what he was for me.

  He grinned. “You are a fierce woman, Judy. I am grateful to the universe for bringing us together. All right. Not 'one last time,' then… but a prelude to many more nights of romance and lovemaking. We owe that to each other.”

  Our mouths came together, our breath mingling in the back of my throat like an intoxicating mist. He embraced me tightly, and I reached behind him and stroked his feathery wings, feeling them shift and rustle at my touch. My tongue probed his fangs and pressed on them, drawing a single drop of my blood that we both tasted at once. It was a heady flavor that I hoped we'd share many times over.

  Dhimurs reached down, unfastening my trousers and sliding them down my legs before shucking them off along with my boots. Then he pushed me down on the bunk tenderly, reaching between my legs and tugging them apart again. I was wet for him, eager, ready for him
to take me however he wanted.

  He lowered his head between my knees, delivering a series of soft kisses up my inner thigh. I leaned back and closed my eyes, sighing happily. His mouth slipped over my pussy and he gently took my clit between his fangs, making me moan.

  I was thrilled by the danger of knowing he could bring his teeth together and bite me – and the certainty that he wouldn't, that he would never hurt me, that he would do anything to keep me from harm.

  The tip of his tongue flicked against my sensitive skin, tickling it. As he did, he slipped a finger inside me, and then another, pressing against the spongy area of tissue toward the front that made my toes curl. I ran my hands through the locks of his reddish-brown hair, wrapping the curls around my fingers and feeling them spring back into place when I released them.

  He was so beautiful, so perfect; I couldn't believe he was mine at last.

  His teeth parted and he released my clit, running his tongue up the lips of my pussy and back down again, over and over, until my juices were frothing like ocean waves lapping the shore, and I was so consumed with desire that I almost couldn't breathe.

  Dhimurs withdrew, swiftly removing his own boots and trousers and preparing to get on top of me. But before he could, I drew myself up and grabbed him, reversing our positions and pinning him to the mattress. He looked surprised by my sudden show of strength – and for that matter, so was I.

  Then again, thanks to the bonding ritual, it was partially his strength flowing through me now, wasn't it?

  I straddled him, keeping him trapped beneath me and raising my crotch tantalizingly out of reach of his erect cock, just barely brushing the tip.

  “What are you doing?” he asked breathlessly.

  I smirked. “I'm a warrior now, remember? Warriors take what they want. And I… want… you.”

  With each word, I swiveled my hips, taunting him.

  “Then go on,” he said with a smile. “Take me, if you will.”