by Juno Wells
A pang of guilt shot through her when she recalled Azaria had been trying to rescue her, which was how her friend had been taken as well. Unlike Azaria, Daisy was relatively useless when it came to self-defense, and she no longer found that acceptable. She also couldn’t stand the fact that her inability to take care of herself had led to Azaria’s kidnapping and being sold to someone else, and she owed it to her friend to save her if they could.
4
Ryder passed through the airlock of his ship a while later, finding himself even more credits lighter, though he still had enough to maintain expenses for a couple of months. He’d acquired the information he needed from the auctioneer’s bursar, who seemed to think he was wanting to pillage someone else’s Omega to keep a harem. The bursar hadn’t cared his reason for wanting to know who bought the other female. He’d been content with counting the credits he’d accepted in exchange for the frequency of the ship’s beacon and speculated final destination.
He had barely exited the cargo hold when she came to meet him, her gaze expectant. It disconcerted him how much he wanted to please her, to wipe away the anxiety from her expression and have it replaced with joy instead. He stiffened his resolve, pushing aside his Alpha impulses to take care of her, and did his best to keep his expression neutral. He didn’t want to reveal too much yet, since the news was a mix of good and bad.
She was practically hopping in place. “Well?”
“Your friend was purchased by a known criminal mastermind with his own little empire. Have you heard of Aldrich Garros?”
She blinked, but didn’t show a flicker of recognition. “I haven’t.”
He frowned. “You must not spend much time in this sector of the galaxy then. He’s notorious.”
She hesitated for a moment before saying, “Aside from this misadventure, I’ve never really left Paladin once I was taken there.”
He frowned, searching his memory for any mention of the planet name. “I don’t believe I’ve heard of that planet. Where is it?”
Her silence spoke volumes, indicating she had no plans to tell him. Instead, she said, “There’s a convent for Omegas there. We can take refuge from your kind.”
He frowned. “You’ve grown up in a convent?” He couldn’t help his scowl of disapproval while imagining what kind of nonsense had been stuffed into her head by a bunch of matronly Omegas who were too afraid of Alphas to live among them. It was true there were too many selfish Alphas, but there were just as many good ones, or at least he liked to think so, who responded to their biological imperative to protect and safeguard their Omegas and anyone else weaker than them. “That explains a lot.”
She frowned at him but didn’t pursue the topic of conversation. Instead she said, “You know how to find her.” She spoke it as a statement of fact.
His poker face must’ve revealed more than he planned. With a small sigh, he nodded once. “I do, but I don’t think it’s a good idea. These guys will be heavily armed, and if we can’t intercept the ship before it reaches his planet, we have no chance of getting her out.”
Her rigid posture and stiff expression indicated she wasn’t going to be open to logic, at least not when it came to this. “I’m going with or without you. I’ll find a way if you’ll just drop me at the next planet.”
He didn’t bother to remind her what kind of risk she would take as an unmated Omega. Instead, he said, “I didn’t tell you I wouldn’t help you. I’m just telling you the odds are significantly against us.” His breath caught in his throat, and he grinned at her. “I might have a way to even them though. If Quinn is close…” He trailed off as he moved to the lift to go to the command deck, entering the command room a few minutes later.
“Who’s Quinn?” she asked, following right behind him.
“My brother. I believe I mentioned him earlier. If he’s in the area, I know he’ll help us.” He could also help Azaria if they actually managed to rescue her. He doubted she had been compromised already, since she was likely purchased strictly for Aldrich’s pleasure, and he suspected none of his men, even Alphas among them, would have wanted to risk the gangster’s fury at stealing his prize.
When they rescued her, she was going to be in a similar state, if not worse, than Daisy had been, and he couldn’t even recall what her friend looked like. He’d had eyes only for Daisy, and if he’d seen Azaria at all, it hadn’t registered. The idea of satisfying her need felt repulsive to him, unlike the pull he’d had the moment he saw Daisy.
“You should call him then.”
He stifled a grin as he turned away from her, deciding she was a bossy little thing for an Omega. He quite liked that about her. So far, there wasn’t much he didn’t like about her. Even her obstinate streak had its charms, despite the fact it was placing them in danger.
He soon hailed Quinn’s ship, the computer bringing up an image of his brother on the screen. He heard her gasp and realized she must’ve seen the resemblance between them. Quinn was two years older, and he had harder features and looked a little more like their father while he resembled their mother.
Despite different shades of eyes, they had the same shade of hair. Where Ryder wore his short, Quinn allowed it to grow long and free, falling down his back. He looked like a barbarian warrior even in his flight suit, and his beard was shaggier than the last time he’d seen his brother a few weeks before.
“What’s up, Spud?”
He flushed as she giggled at the nickname. “I’ve told you not to call me that.”
“Of course, Spud,” said his brother with a wicked gleam in his eye. She giggled again, and his expression changed. “Is that a feminine laugh I hear?” His brother seemed intrigued.
His hackles rose, and he couldn’t resist the urge to growl at his brother.
“Easy.” Quinn’s eyes widened, and it was obvious he was reading more into the reaction than he should have. “Have you claimed an Omega?”
“No,” said Ryder roughly. “I have taken one aboard to help her though. I need your help as well. We’re trying to rescue her friend, who was sold by the Klinoks.”
Quinn frowned. “You want to go up against the Klinoks? They have a huge fleet, and even the Coalition enforcers avoid them whenever possible.” His brother’s shoulder stiffened. “Of course, if you’re in, I’m in.”
Ryder shook his head. “She’s already been sold, though it’s almost as bad. Aldrich Garros is her new owner.”
Quinn’s eyes widened, and he shook his head. “You can’t think to invade Garros’s planet? There’s just the two of us and our two ships. It’ll never happen, Spud.”
This time, Daisy didn’t giggle at the nickname. Instead, she surged forward to confront his brother, shoving him out of the way. “She hasn’t been taken there yet. She’s still en route, which means it’s just one ship. Ryder has already agreed to help me. Will you please do the same? Azaria needs to be rescued before it’s too late.”
His brother hesitated for only a moment before nodding. “I’ll help you however I can, miss. Are you there, Ryder?”
Ryder gently moved her aside again so he could step in front of the camera. “I’m here. Where are you?”
“I’m sending you my coordinates now. I suggest we meet up about halfway. That should be roughly close to the planet.”
“I think so. We just want to make sure we get to them before they get to Garros.”
“Agreed.”
After his brother had signed off, Daisy turned to him. “Thank you for helping me, and for getting him to help us too.”
He shrugged a shoulder as he eased back into his chair. “If things go well, he can serve more than one function today. Your friend’s likely to be in a similar state to what you were earlier. Unless she can ride it out until she can get a suppressant, she’ll need an Alpha to help her.”
Daisy’s expression turned cold. “I’m surprised you don’t plan to be that Alpha. You could get lucky twice in one day.”
He scowled up at her, clenching hi
s hands around the armrests to keep from surging to his feet. “I think you’ve underestimated me, Omega.” He used the word deliberately, watching her shudder with a combination of pleasure and irritation, likely at her response to the word. “I have no wish to claim any Omega, and certainly not a second one today.”
For a second, her expression was full of wounded pain, but it was gone a moment later as she blinked and nodded at him just once. Her gaze drifted over his shoulder, carefully averted from his. “It still surprises me. Alphas take what they want or can get.”
“Some Alphas take whatever they want, but I’m not among them.” He spoke the words firmly as he turned away from her. “Why don’t you try to get some more rest?”
With a sniff in his direction, she turned and exited the command room. He waited a few minutes to ensure she wasn’t going to return before he called Quinn once again.
“What’s the plan, Spud?”
He gritted his teeth at the nickname, but he ignored it. “I don’t really have one yet, other than intercepting the ship, getting it to stop somehow, and freeing Azaria. You need to know she’ll be in estrus.” He quickly explained how Daisy had crossed his path.
His brother shook his head. “You spent a whole year’s worth of credits to buy an Omega? That isn’t like you at all.”
Ryder flushed. “I realize that, but she was in such clear pain that I couldn’t deny the need to help her. You know how it is as an Alpha.”
His brother snorted. “I try not to be that Alpha.”
He held his tongue, knowing Quinn had good reason for rejecting his role as Alpha, which made it more difficult to broach the subject he’d called about. “About Azaria… If she doesn’t have the fortitude to wait ‘til we can find a suppressant, will you be able to help her?”
Quinn frowned. “Why can’t you? You didn’t claim Daisy.”
He flushed again. “I can’t explain it, but the idea of being with another Omega makes me physically ill.”
Quinn’s eyes widened for a moment, the dark-brown depths filled with a gleam of interest. “I see. I’m sure you’ve heard the fairytale that every Alpha has an ideal Omega, one who is perfect for him and vice versa?”
Ryder shrugged. “Who hasn’t heard that nonsense?” He was pleased by the conviction in his tone, which hid the fact that once upon a time as a younger man, he’d actually bought into it. He’d spent a while looking for his Omega only to never find one at all who wasn’t already attached to someone else. He’d seen more than one Omega trapped in a relationship with an Alpha who mistreated her, but it had been out of his power to help her in any fashion. Once the bond was sealed, it was only breakable by death. Even then, some Alphas clung to the bond with their deceased Omegas.
“Just be careful of your heart. The last thing you want to do is claim an Omega and be responsible for her.” Quinn swiped his hand down his face. “I can’t promise anything, but maybe I can try to help her. If not, we can always sedate her until we can find some suppressant.”
“You have sedative on your ship, ‘cause I’m out?” It had been a lean few months for him, especially as Garros started to take over the sector. He refused to work for a criminal like that, not wanting to owe anyone that kind of loyalty or be involved that deeply in illegal activities. A scarcity of jobs had left his medical supplies dwindled down to nothing as well as a lot of his other things, including fuel and maintenance. Even food was getting critically low. He was glad to have some of the rathium credits remaining, and despite the dire circumstances, he couldn’t regret having spent the rest to rescue Daisy.
“I do. I had a successful salvage operation recently. Do you need to borrow some money?”
Ryder frowned. “No, I’ll find a way to make it work.” He assumed there would be another opportunity to smuggle more of the rathium bars. Just because he’d indicated he was out of the operation didn’t mean he couldn’t get back in if needed. They were always looking for people willing to do it, since the prison sentence was stiff if one was caught with rathium. The Coalition considered it a vital fuel source, so it ran the whole empire, and they didn’t take kindly to their reserves being appropriated and redistributed.
“I’m not promising, but I’ll help her if I can.”
Ryder nodded, knowing he’d have to accept that. Quinn had justification for feeling the way he did, and Ryder hated to ask him, but he also didn’t think he could be the one to help this Azaria through her estrus.
Perhaps the physical imperative would take over, as it was designed to, and he’d be able to get past his squeamish disgust at the idea, but it would haunt him if he did so. He was convinced touching her friend would be a betrayal to Daisy despite their lack of formal bonding.
5
Daisy returned to the command deck when the computer signaled to her they were close to intercepting the Stargazer. She eyed the ship they were planning to attack with a little trepidation as the Remedy’s computer offered a schematic. It was at least three times the size of the two ships put together, and they had more firepower. What they didn’t have was Quinn’s stealth system and Ryder’s flair for strategy.
She listened to the two brothers bicker quietly, but without heat, as they discussed the best way to intercept the ship. Finally, they both agreed they would take out the engine first by combining their firepower, then they would focus on the gun turrets. Their last target would be the artificial gravity system. Once they removed that, it would leave the people on the ship in disarray, and they’d be struggling to maintain their balance and not get disoriented when they boarded.
She realized Ryder was moving his seat from facing his brother to the controls. He was apparently planning to manually target. She might’ve questioned the hubris of another, but he had such confident command she had no doubt he would be just as competent, if not more so, than the A.I. system that helped run the ship.
She held her breath when he and Quinn got into position, coordinating together. Moments later, she held her breath again as Ryder pressed the firing mechanism to open fire on the ship ahead of them. Quinn’s fire was visible from his ship through the starboard window, and she moved over to the other side so she could see the ship itself.
The Stargazer immediately dropped out of ionospace, so their targeting had been true. It stuttered along for a bit, trying to return fire, but Ryder shifted his attention to the gun turrets, taking them out before they became much of a threat either.
She looked over at the starboard window again in time to see Quinn’s ship changing its targeting, to what she assumed was the gravitational mechanism. When his face appeared on the screen a second after that, he was beaming. “All three systems are down.”
“Let’s get aboard and get her friend as quickly as possible.”
“I’ll meet you there.”
Ryder stood up and rushed from the command room. Daisy’s legs were shorter, so she had to run to keep up, but she arrived at the cargo bay with him. As she reached for his spare E-suit, he growled at her and took it out of her hand. She glared at him. “What are you doing? I can’t go without that.”
He scowled as he placed it back on the hook. “You’re not going at all. You’re staying here.”
She put her hands on her hips. “Azaria will try to fight you if I’m not with you. You’ll lose precious time, and you might have to hurt her to get her to come with you. Everyone’s going to be disoriented, and I need to be there to reassure her.”
He scowled again. “It isn’t safe. I won’t risk you.”
There was a fluttering sensation in her chest at his words, and he seemed so determined to protect her, but she was able to stifle the instinctive response with the reminder that was his biological imperative. It didn’t mean he actually felt protective of her or worried about her personally. She swallowed down the lump in her throat and faced him. “I’m coming along. It doesn’t matter if it’s dangerous.”
His eyes widened. “Are you mad? Of course it matters.”
She
allowed a soft smile and fluttered her lashes a little. “It doesn’t matter, because I know you’ll keep me safe. You’re an Alpha, and that’s your job.”
He growled at her, and he looked displeased, but she knew she had him. He couldn’t ignore his nature, and though he might be angry at her for using that against him, he must have decided there was little point in arguing. With a grunt, he lifted the suit and passed it to her again. “Hurry up. Quinn’s no doubt waiting for us already.”
She glared at him as she started to wiggle into the suit. “I’m not the one who wasted time arguing.”
He heaved a sigh that sounded like he was being burdened with all the weight in the galaxy before turning away from her. When he turned back, he handed her a laser pistol. “It’s not much, but it should last you for about ten minutes or a hundred shots. It’s old, and the charging mechanism doesn’t work as well as it should, so keep that in mind. Unless you’re in an active firing situation, keep it flipped off to maintain power for as long as possible.”
She nodded as she slipped it into the holster built into the E-suit and followed him to his skid. She stood with him on it, pressing against him in her fear, though she hated revealing the weakness. She’d never been fond of flying, especially on a skid with nothing enclosing her, and though the E-suit had the ability to lock in with magnets that would keep her from being thrown off, she was still nervous.
As though he sensed that, and he probably did with his Alpha instincts, he put his arm around her waist and held her against him while the airlock opened, and they entered space. He directed the skid toward the ship that was currently floating, and she saw Quinn already had a head start. He was much closer than they were, but he was clearly waiting for them.
