Soul of Eon (Eon Warriors Book 8)

by Anna Hackett

  Then they heard buzzing below, and they both tensed.

  Chapter Two

  Kaira heard the Kantos below.

  “Quiet.” Thane’s near-soundless whisper.

  She didn’t dare move. She prayed the soldiers didn’t notice the grate.

  Thane’s big body pressed into hers. All solid muscle.

  Despite the horrible circumstances, it felt damn good to have the man’s weight on her.

  Shit. She closed her eyes. How about you focus on surviving the enemy aliens, Chand, and not jumping the hot alien warrior?

  “They’re leaving.” Thane finally shifted off her. “Now, we search for the labs.”

  She turned onto her hands and knees to crawl. “Gotcha.”

  Behind her, she heard him stifle a small groan.

  She looked back. “You okay?”

  “Fine,” he said, in an odd tone.

  That’s when Kaira realized that her ass was inches from his face.

  Jeez. She started crawling, trying to focus on the mission. The ductwork was quite large, so they had room to move. As they crawled along, the smell was not pleasant—it stank of bugs and rotting things.

  “Stop.” He was looking down through a grate, then shook his head.

  They kept moving, checking each room that they passed.

  “This one,” Thane said.

  Through the grate, Kaira saw vats of fluid. There were also cocoon-like objects that pulsed gently.

  “This is going to be gross, isn’t it?” she muttered.

  “Highly likely.” He carefully opened the grate and peered into the room. “Clear.”

  He jumped down, landing in a crouch. He rose and held his arms open. “Jump. I’ll catch you.”

  The thought of jumping into Thane’s arms made her pulse speed up. She climbed to the edge of the hole, and dropped.

  Strong, muscular arms closed around her.

  “I’ve got you.” His warm breath puffed against her cheek.

  She felt the rumble of his words and licked her lips. “Thanks.”

  His gaze dropped to her mouth. The green filaments flared brighter.

  Then he set her down. “Let’s look for the antidote.”

  They separated. The long benches were covered in…she wasn’t sure what. There were small containers bubbling with thick fluids. Everything smelled like month-old garbage mixed with raw sewage. So disgusting.

  “What the hell are they doing in here?” she mused.

  “Concocting new bugs.” Thane crouched to look at a white cocoon. As he neared it, it pulsed, something moving inside it.

  Kaira grimaced.

  “They conduct tests on their enemies,” he said. “Find ways to exploit their weaknesses.”

  “Just when you think they can’t get any worse.”

  Suddenly, Thane froze.

  She frowned. “Thane?”

  He strode across the lab with barely suppressed fury.

  “Thane!” She rushed after him.

  Several long, narrow, clear vessels were attached to the wall. Gases swirled around inside, of all different colors.

  In the center of each vessel was some sort of crystal.

  Most of the crystals were covered in what looked like mold spots and furry growth. The crystals were twisted and black.

  “Hey.” She grabbed his arm. “Talk to me.”

  “They’re helians.” He looked away, muscle ticking in his jaw. “Helians may not have bodies like ours, but they’re sentient. They live. They want to use their abilities. That’s why they bond with the Eon. The Kantos are experimenting on them. Killing them.”

  God. She looked at the vessels. “Can you tell what they’re doing to them?”

  “No. I need my helian.”

  “Let’s find the antidote.” Determination filling her, she strode through the lab.

  They checked boxes, looked on every surface.

  Dammit. Where the hell would the bugs keep this?

  Then she spotted a small container with a heavy lock. “Thane?” She lifted the box.

  He hurried over and smashed the lock. He flipped open the lid. Relief crossed his hard features. “This is it.”

  He pulled out a small vial and tipped the fluid onto his helian band. It ate away at the black ooze.

  He dragged in a breath and she saw the way he straightened.

  “Okay?” she asked.

  He nodded. His black-scale armor formed. It flowed up his arm and across his broad chest. Amazing.

  “Kaira, you should form armor, too. It’ll offer you protection.” His face was unreadable. “I’m able to share my armor with my mate.”

  She stiffened. “I’m not interested in mating.”

  He stayed silent.

  “My husband—”

  Thane sucked in a breath. “You’re married?”

  “Widowed. My husband died two years ago.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  She heard the sincerity in his voice. She looked at her boots, fighting the emotions churning around in her gut. “It nearly broke me. Losing the man I loved.” She met Thane’s gaze. “I will never love again. I’m fine, just as I am.”

  Thane inclined his head. “We can discuss this after we escape.”

  Right. Escape had to come first. She nodded.

  “But it makes sense to take the protection of my armor.”

  Damn. He was right. She gave him another nod.

  A second later, black scales flowed off his armor and over her body. The armor covered her, snug and tight. She stroked it, feeling how flexible and strong it was.

  Thane was already back at the helian testing tanks. He pressed his palm to the first container and sucked in a breath.

  “How bad is it?” she asked.

  He shook his head and moved to the next one. Inside, the crystal was withered and an ugly brown color.

  “These helians are dying.” Anger and sorrow mixed in his voice.

  He was a doctor. It must cut him deep to see this. To see a living life form, like the one he was bonded with, suffer.

  “It looks like the Kantos are developing some sort of pathogen that targets helians,” he said. “That’s what is in the gas.”

  Kaira gasped, and eyed his helian band.

  His jaw worked. “The Kantos came after Airen, the second commander of the Rengard. They believed that something about her female physiology would make it easier to disrupt the bond between warrior and helian.” He glared at the testing tanks. “It looks like they are closer than ever to succeeding. We need to get off the ship.”

  “How do we do that?”

  “We steal a swarm ship. We need to get to the main hangar.”

  “Oh, okay, let’s get—”

  The doors to the lab opened.

  They both dropped down behind a bench.

  A bug entered. It was large and took up the entire doorway.

  The alien was bright green, with spikes covering its legs. Two large, purple eyes topped its head.

  The creature lifted its head, sniffed, then screeched.

  The sound was loud, battering Kaira’s eardrums. She winced and saw Thane grimace.

  Then the bug charged into the lab.

  The bug crashed through the room, knocking benches over.

  Cren. Thane’s fingers curled into his palm. They needed to get out.

  Objects tumbled to the floor, and a nostril-searing smell filled the room. Beside him, Kaira gagged. He grabbed her arm and tugged her along the bench.

  The bug lifted its front legs and screeched again. Thane morphed his sword, relishing the renewed connection to his helian.

  “Stay down.” Then he leaped over the bench and landed in front of the bug.

  It skittered forward and Thane slashed. The creature screeched. He dropped down, slid under the body of the bug, and ran the sword into the creature’s soft underbelly.

  The alien went wild, its thorn-covered legs slamming down.

  Thane rolled, and a leg caught him, wi
nding him. The spikes tore against his armor.

  “Hey!”

  Kaira. He looked up.

  She’d managed to morph a sword as well. “Come on!”

  Cren. He’d told her to stay down.

  The bug charged. She grabbed a small, empty vat off a bench and threw it at the alien. It smashed into its head.

  The creature skidded, shaking its head wildly. Without pause, Kaira rushed at it, and stabbed it with her sword.

  The alien made a deafening noise and slashed out with its front legs. One of its legs hit Kaira, sending her flying

  No. Thane leaped up.

  He jumped onto the back of the bug. It tried to buck him off, but he held on, and raised his sword high, then he rammed it down.

  It connected with a crack, and he worked it through the hard, green shell. Darker green blood dripped down the bug’s side.

  Grunting, he kept pushing. He had to keep Kaira safe. Finally, his sword hit something vital.

  With another wild noise, the bug collapsed beneath him and he leaped off. “Kaira!”

  She leaned against a bench, holding her side. “I’m okay.”

  “Let me see.” He strode toward her.

  “I told you—”

  He touched her side. “I’m the doctor.” He probed.

  She hissed.

  “You might have some broken ribs.”

  “Just bruised. I’ve broken ribs before, and it felt worse than this. Thane, we can’t stop now.”

  Cren, she was right. He nodded. By the warriors, the urge to see her safe was overwhelming.

  A buzzing noise filled the corridor.

  They both stiffened.

  “Kantos soldiers are coming,” she said.

  “We need to barricade the door.”

  “The bench,” she suggested.

  They both pressed their hands to one of the long workbenches, and together they pushed.

  Thane gritted his teeth. “Harder.”

  The bench screeched as it moved across the floor, sliding and ramming against the door.

  He spun. “We need a way out.”

  “Back into the ducts?”

  He scanned the lab. “Agreed.”

  They pushed another bench right beneath the open grate. Kaira climbed up and was about to jump, then she stilled.

  “Kaira?”

  “Wait. I hear something.”

  Thane heard it, too. A skittering sound in the vent.

  He circled Kaira’s waist and yanked her off the bench.

  Tiny bugs poured out of the vent opening, like a dark waterfall.

  “Fuck,” she breathed.

  “Back up.”

  They retreated, and watched as insects flowed into the room. They landed on one of the experiments, and instantly devoured it.

  “Double fuck,” she breathed.

  Thane gritted his teeth. He formed a flamethrower and waved flames across the sea of bugs. They shriveled and died, but more continued to pour out of the vent.

  “Thane, the door?”

  There was a heavy pounding on the doors. They vibrated under the force. The Kantos would break through soon.

  Cren.

  “We need another way out,” he said.

  “I’m looking.”

  There was no fear in her voice. No hysteria. Just quiet competence.

  “Here! There’s a grate in the wall.” She crouched.

  Thane kept pouring flames onto the bugs.

  Kaira kicked the vent. “Come on.” She kicked again. Then she dropped down, and kicked the grate with both feet.

  Some bugs flew onto Thane. They were tiny, but they nipped at his arm, hair, and skin with sharp teeth. It felt like knives. He batted them off.

  “Got it!” Kaira yelled.

  Thane sprayed fire again.

  He glanced back and saw the grate bent inward.

  With a giant crash, Kantos soldiers smashed through the door.

  “Go!” Thane yelled.

  Kaira leaped in, feetfirst.

  Thane did one more spray of fire, then dived after her.

  The vent was near vertical. He slid fast.

  Cren. Was Kaira okay?

  He picked up speed. He hoped to the warriors that the bugs were not pouring in after them.

  Suddenly, he shot out of the vent.

  He sailed through the air, then landed with a splash. Sitting up, he saw he was in a square room with smooth, metallic walls. Faint light filtered down from some lights above.

  “Thane.” Kaira sloshed over to him.

  The space was filled with trash and knee-deep liquid. The rancid, rotting smell was near overpowering.

  “Are you all right?” he asked.

  She nodded, then gagged. “The smell—” She turned and retched.

  The trash had a lot of organics in it. “This looks like waste, along with refuse from the lab experiments.”

  She gagged again.

  Thane commanded his helian to form helmets for both of them.

  Once they’d formed, he watched Kaira breathe deeply. “Thank God.”

  He took a deep breath of clean air and grabbed her arms. “Better?”

  She smiled at him. “Much. Thanks.”

  He stroked his hands up her arms. She sucked in a breath, then she was in his arms. Her helmet pressed against his chest.

  He wrapped his arms around her. “You’re all right now.”

  She gave a hiccupping laugh and held onto him. “How is standing knee-deep in God knows what okay?”

  “Well, the bugs didn’t follow us.”

  She lifted her head. Her beautiful dark eyes gleamed through the helmet. “That just worries me more.”

  Hmm, it worried him, too. He pulled her close again. But right there, in that second, they were both alive, and that was what he wanted to celebrate.

  His mate—even if she didn’t want to be his mate—was in his arms.

  Chapter Three

  This place was gross.

  Kaira eyed the debris floating in the brown water and grimaced. At least the smell had reduced now, thanks to the helmet. She pressed harder to Thane’s strong body.

  Just a few seconds longer. He made her feel less alone.

  Finally, she made herself pull back and straighten.

  He shot her a warm look, and it made her insides tingle. It also set off alarm bells. She liked it. Too much.

  She wasn’t getting in deep with a man again. Especially a gorgeous alien warrior.

  “So,” she said, “what now?”

  Thane eyed the vent they’d dropped out of. “I’m not sure.”

  Kaira sloshed across the space. The stench still burned in the back of her nostrils. “There are other vents. Maybe we can climb up a different one?” She turned and eyed the water again. “Let’s just hope there isn’t some creature living in here, and that the walls don’t start contracting.”

  Thane’s brows rose.

  She smiled. “Old, classic, sci-fi movie on Earth. Intrepid heroes and heroines caught in a ship’s trash compactor.”

  He moved to the wall, running a gloved hand over it. “I don’t think this is a compactor.”

  “So how do the Kantos get rid of all this?”

  “I believe they dump it into space.”

  Great. She had to ask. Kaira checked the walls as well. All the vents were too high for them to reach.

  She saw something move in the water and she stiffened. “Thane, there’s something down here.”

  “I’m detecting a few life signs.”

  Her stomach clenched. Just wonderful.

  “They aren’t large,” he added.

  She saw the back of a creature slide through the water, then disappear in the murk. It reminded her of a small crocodile.

  She sloshed over to Thane. A sense of hopelessness washed over her.

  She didn’t want to die.

  Especially not in this horrible place.

  “Kaira?”

  She blinked. “Sorry, just having
a moment.”

  He gripped her arm and squeezed. “That’s perfectly normal.”

  She gave a laugh that wasn’t filled with any humor. “You know, when my husband died, a part of me wanted to die, too.”

  “Kaira.” Thane’s voice was laced with sympathy.

  “All our dreams, everything we’d planned, our life together was just…gone.” She closed her eyes. “I figured my life should be over, too.”

  He pulled her against his chest and she grabbed onto him.

  “But right now, I don’t want to die, Thane. I want to live.”

  She didn’t die with Ryan. She’d thrown herself into her work the last year to the exclusion of everything else. It was an uncomfortable realization that she’d stopped living and had just barely been getting by.

  “You aren’t going to die.” Thane’s voice was fierce. “I won’t let that happen.”

  “I’m glad you’re with me,” she murmured.

  He touched her helmet. The man had beautiful hands—strong, with long fingers.

  “Now, let’s get out of here,” he said.

  She gave a firm nod.

  Something splashed in the water. They both swiveled and formed swords.

  Well, she was never going to get used to this helian thing, but it was starting to get easier.

  The scaled creature rose again, then launched through the water, lightning-fast.

  Thane cursed and Kaira lifted her sword.

  All she could see was an open mouth, full of needle-sharp teeth. She slashed.

  The creature screeched and thrashed. Thane’s long sword speared down through the creature.

  It went still, floating in the dirty water.

  “Back up,” Thane warned, pulling his sword free.

  They backed up.

  Suddenly, the water started to churn. Drawn by blood, other things attacked the dead creature.

  “Oh, God.” Kaira grimaced as the feeding frenzy began.

  Thane pulled her back farther. She really, really wanted off this ship.

  “I’ll see if I can scale the wall up to one of the vents.” He pointed to the closest one. “We need to get to the hangar. Stealing a swarm ship is still our best bet.” He gave her a faint smile that lit up his handsome face. “Or we can try the escape pods, like Sabin and Finley did.”

  Kaira made a sound. “Float around space in the equivalent of a coffin? No, thanks.”

  “Like I said, a swarm ship would be better.”