by Celeste Raye
Constantine jumped the wife in order to protect Mariana and fighting broke out among the band and the crowd. Guards rushed in exactly as planned.
In the meantime, Aisaak, Irene, and the rest made their way downstairs, deactivating cameras with their weapons as they went. More guards awaited at the bottom and several of the rooms were occupied with customers.
Time was tight, so the rescue became messy. The guards now laid in a bloody heap thanks to Aisaak and Tann. Lolita and Irene put the customers to sleep with the syringes to the accompanying screams of the women.
"Hush now!" Lolita commanded. "These people are friendly. They are here to take you home to your families. Stop screaming and start cooperating."
Three refused to leave, already too brainwashed and indoctrinated into the lifestyle. With no time to convince them otherwise, they had to be left behind.
Irene opened the last door and found Savanah. She was asleep, but tears were running down her much thinner face. She was pale from remaining inside for weeks. Irene's heart pounded in distress for the loss of the woman her sister once was. Yet, she was beyond thrilled to have finally found her.
She sat on the side of the bed and gently placed her hand on Savanah's bony shoulder. Her touch brought a scream from her sister's lips and had her scrambling to the head of the bed, wrapped tightly in a sheet.
"It's okay, Savanah. It's me, Irene. You're safe now."
Savanah was shaking and wide-eyed. "Nnnoo," she stuttered. "Imaginary, not real."
"She's real, child," Lolita told her, coming into the room. "You've no time to doubt her. Come on, get up. We're leaving here, and we have to do it quickly."
"Not dreaming?" Savanah asked.
"Take my hand and feel it. It's solid and very real. Don't hesitate. We have to go right now!" Irene begged. Her senses were screaming with the fear and uncertainty coming from Savanah. She was almost too far gone and close to refusing to leave like the others.
Remembering how Aisaak had once soothed her with a lullaby, Irene began to hum. Savanah stopped shaking and took the offered hand. Continuing to hum, Irene led Savanah out of the room. She shook her head no when Aisaak reached out to lift the frightened woman into his strong arms. She feared a man's touch might cause the spell to be broken.
Four of the captured women, Savanah included, walked up the stairs they hadn't been allowed to go near for weeks. They weren't free yet but were on their way. They were weeping. They stepped over the guards’ bodies, showing no emotion for the men who had often used them. The three who stayed behind taunted them, calling them unmentionable names. It was sad to realize the women they had been before were gone forever and had no idea of the hurt they were causing with their jeering.
Aisaak was aware the fight had just begun. They wouldn't get out of the casino without a battle. He could already hear it by the time they reached the upper hallway. Constantine's men were holding back an army that was desperately trying to reach the rescuers. The only way out was through the battle.
"Irene, when we get to the pirates, take Lolita and the women out through the kitchen the way she left before. Some of the pirates will surround you for safety, and Tann's crew is outside with transportation. Don't wait for us, just go. Be safe, my love," Aisaak ordered.
"Come with us. Let the pirates stay and fight," Irene begged.
"You know I can't. This was my fight from the beginning. The pirates bravely offered their help, and I won't leave them to finish what I started. Please, don't make me have to worry about you. Do as I say."
Chapter Twenty
***Aisaak***
Between Aisaak, Tann, and the pirates, space was opened to allow the women through. Weapons drawn, knives and laser guns, Aisaak and Tann entered the fray. The knives were the most chosen of the weapons making the fight have less chance of harming a bystander, though most had stampeded from the building when the melee started. However, the exit was clogged with hundreds trying to leave at the same time, and some laid injured, having been trampled in the darkness.
A serrated blade ripped easily through the silk shirt Aisaak still wore. He ignored the jagged cut and the blood that made the laser in his hand slick and hard to hold. He used his own serrated blade to stab the back of a man intent on killing Tann.
This fight wasn't something Aisaak had to win in order to be successful. The goal was to get the women out and make it to an exit himself: alive. His eyes, whether he realized it or not, continuously swept the darkness in search of his nightmare, Tuuleuss.
One of the pirates shouted his name, and he swiveled in time to save his head from being severed by a sword. Without thinking, he swung the blood covered laser up and used it to stop the opponent's heart.
***Irene***
Irene never stopped humming to Savanah, even when one of her valiant protectors lost his life, and a stray laser blast nicked her leg. The kitchen staff had disappeared, and the way out was near, but from seemingly nowhere, four large men appeared: aliens she recognized as being clones of Krane, except for their hair color.
She struggled to get past as the pirates met their foes head-on. The fight was an unfair one. It was four on four, but the aliens were twice the size of the pirates and trained in combat. The pirates never had a chance of winning. They gave themselves as targets to allow the women a better chance for freedom. Self-sacrifice was not among the normal traits of a pirate, yet they had sworn to save Savanah and to break their code of honor would be worse than a fate of death.
Irene shoved two of the girls outside and into the waiting arms of Mariana and Constantine, who had gotten out with the first of the tourists. She turned for the third, pushing Savanah behind her. She realized all the pirate guards had lost the battle and Lolita had her arms spread wide, protecting the women behind them.
The aliens laughed at the older woman and raised their lasers to fire. From the kitchen doorway, Constantine let out a blood-curdling scream and more pirates, Tann's crew this time, aimed and fired. The aliens fell, surprise showing on their faces, but their weapons deployed anyway. The last woman died instantly, and Lolita was badly injured. Strong hands lifted her and carried her to the waiting transportation. Silently, Irene and Savanah followed.
***Aisaak***
Aisaak and Tann were the last ones out the entry door. In order to protect the remaining pirates and get the transports outside the city without being followed it was necessary to use their weredragon beasts.
The purple weredragon that was Tann's lifted into the sky knocking whoever dared to stand in his way into the water beneath the bridge. He was already sending out dragon fire, burning opponents to the ground, and zigzagging his way over the crowd to avoid laser blasts, before Aisaak transformed. He had been delayed by a numbing hallucination: at least he prayed it was. The upper floor, where the walls were made of opaque glass, had suddenly become clear. Inside the open floor, he saw a tail: an enormous, spiked, jet-black dragon's tail. It was a tail befitting a legend: Tuuleuss the wind snake.
He shook off the chills running up his spine and turned into the majestic golden dragon whose form gave him courage. As he rose, he saw the pirates scatter in an attempt to elude being followed. They would spend long hours taking winding routes to their sanctuary so that it wouldn't be found. To aid in the effort, Aisaak used dragon fire to block all passageways behind them. He and Tann would continually circle the city to stop all of the big boss's troops so the transports containing the escapees could go straight to the encampment undetected.
He comforted himself with the fact that no fierce, otherworldly, black dragon rose into the sky to challenge him. It solidified the idea that he had imagined the tail due to his own fears. His brain chose to believe him; however, his heart wasn't in agreement.
Hours later, exhausted and fretful, he returned safely to the encampment. There he found a mixture of emotional turmoil. Happiness and triumph over finding Savanah warred with anger and sorrow over losing so many pirates on both sides and not retrieving all
the captive women.
Irene was nowhere in sight, but Tann held tight to Mariana, thankful that she was unharmed. She explained to them what had occurred in the casino kitchen and how they had lost one of the women. She told of Lolita's heroic efforts and the fact that she'd been the one who had given them time to save Irene and Savanah.
"She's in rough shape and may never be able to use her left arm. We believe she'll survive, unless she simply chooses not to," Mariana told them. "You'll find Irene with Savanah in the cabin across from yours, Aisaak. They go from laughter to tears and back again every few minutes. The other two women are resting. I promised we would find a way to inform their families they are alive soon. They're confused by their feelings, wanting to be reunited yet fearing their families will reject them because they are soiled. I'm hoping they will be willing to wait a week or so. Their families need to leave the way station, or the girls will be taken again. The big boss considers them his property. We may have to use our ship to take them somewhere else.
Aisaak winced when she referred to the big boss. He would eventually have to tell them he had a name or allow Irene to do the honors. After all, she had been the one to earn that right. But, he wouldn't let it happen today. Away from the city, it didn't seem so important, especially with so many deaths, Savanah being reunited with Irene, Lolita fighting to live, and a victory for their side that needed to be celebrated. Maybe next week, or the one after would be the time to mention it.
He needed Irene's arms to hold him and relieve him of his misery. He found her with her sister just as Mariana promised, but they weren't laughing or weeping. They were arguing vehemently.
"You're not listening, Irene. I'm not stupid. There are others you didn't see."
"Savanah, we saw them. I told you all three refused to leave. We would have carried them out by force if we could have, but to save you and the ones who wanted out we couldn't fight that particular battle. I'm sorry we had to leave them," Irene explained.
"Not them," Savanah argued. "The ones Lolita didn't know about. The men talked a lot. They compared stories and women. They spoke of alien females taken from their home planets and brought here. You have to get them out too!"
"We looked in all the rooms. If they are here, they aren't being kept at the casino."
"Yes, they are! Please, go back."
"It's not the time for that, Savanah," Aisaak said, pulling Irene into his arms. "We need specific information as to their location and more men to help us. We've turned the city into a war zone, the second one in just a few days. There are tourists to consider and businesses that aren't owned by the big boss that need income from the tourists. We've angered him, and he'll be searching for us. The city will be an impenetrable fortress. Only new transports of tourists will get in. We will go back for those you say are there, just not now."
"You don't care! None of you understand or believe me!" Savanah was hysterical.
Aisaak got down on his knees in front of her, took her hands, and swore, "I believe you, and I'll follow through with finding them. For now, we must be patient. Too many died in this battle, and large numbers were injured. Attempting another attack could cause the women to be moved or sacrificed. I know you don't want that. Today is for honoring the ones we lost and celebrating your return to Irene. The pirates out there did the unimaginable. They fought a battle not their own and did so alongside men who were once considered enemies. They deserve this time."
His sincere demeanor seemed to get through to Savanah. She calmed and her eyes focused on the room around her. She finally saw the bandage on Irene's leg and the dried blood crusted on Aisaak's arm.
"Oh, you're both hurt," she gasped. "I'm so sorry I didn't notice. You got injured because of me. Let me fix it." She rose and frantically searched for medical supplies.
Irene exchanged a sad and concerned look with Aisaak. It was a plea for his continued aid to reach into Savanah and find the woman she had once been. The only idea he could come up with in his exhausted state was a distraction and something that would make them all happy.
"I'll fetch some warm water, clean cloths, and medicine for you, Savanah. You can bandage my arm, but then you need to put on a pretty dress and help Irene fix herself up fancy. We are going to have a party if I get the right answer from her," he explained.
He turned to Irene, smiled, and dropped to his knee once again. "I'll likely stumble over my words, and my tongue will become tangled, but I want you to know how drastically you've changed my life. I was a sad, sorry excuse of a man when I arrived on Delti Utopia 6. I was in pain, angry, and feeling sorry for myself. You heard what I wasn't able to say, felt what I tried to hide, and cut out all the bad pieces rotting my soul. You are my miracle, the perfect match for me. You taught me the difference between a child's love and the deeper, abiding love of soul mates. I realize this is an odd time and place for these proclamations. It's not the romantic setting most men would have chosen. Yet, for me, it's when I feel the necessity of it. What I'm asking, my precious Irene, is will you marry me? Today? I think it's the perfect end to this adventure."
Irene had begun trembling the moment Aisaak had lowered to the floor. His emotions had swung into high gear and sent her heart racing. His speech, which was not tangled as he'd professed it would be, filled all the empty places inside her. His love was almost overwhelming.
She placed her palms on his hair-roughened cheeks, looked into his amazing eyes, and replied, "I gave my heart to you on the very first night you walked into the bar. You were so sad and defeated, and I wanted nothing more than to repair what was broken. I was so busy rescuing your soul that I never saw how mine was aching. I spent all my life using my powers to feel other's emotion, not experiencing my own. You changed that for me. We seemed to have saved each other. There will be more battles and with them more deaths, but during this time of peace where we honor those we've lost and celebrate a victory, a wedding is exactly what is required. I love you, dear Aisaak."
Savanah's eyes sparkled for the first time since her escape. She blushed when Aisaak raised his large body from the floor, swung Irene into the air, and kissed her enthusiastically. He'd forgotten there was an audience.
Yes, a wedding was the perfect way to end the adventure and solidify the joining of not only Aisaak and Irene, but the pirate crew, the derelicts, and the undercover cop. Their unity would be a necessity in the future, for evil remained on Delti Utopia 6.
Talonian Warriors Collection (Sneak Preview)
(A Collection of Weredragon Romances)
KELAN - BOOK 1
By Celeste Raye
Chapter One
Michelle
Michelle carefully applied her makeup. She needed to hide the bruises from last night's argument with Jackson. Concealer covered the blue spot next to her left eye. She chose a bright eyeshadow to draw people's gazes away from that area and into her deep brown eyes. The swelling of her lip was a little more difficult to disguise. Maybe if she added enough layers of lipstick, it would appear as if she had received lip augmentation instead of a slap to the face. Nobody commented on cosmetic enhancements, whereas bruises and a split lip would be questioned. Her long black hair was arranged to hide the small mark beside her ear.
Her boss, Kelan Rankin, had a keen eye. Michelle felt the need to hide her situation from him the most. The man had made speeches against abuse at colleges and high schools. He encouraged the girls to get out of abusive relationships and believe in themselves. There was no way he would tolerate it happening to his personal assistant. He was adamant that a woman should learn to depend on herself and not be forced to rely on a man, especially a cruel one. Michelle knew he would be frustrated by her inability to leave Jackson. Kelan would tell her to find the courage hidden deep inside her. She wished it wasn't so hard to find.
Michelle admired Kelan's forthright and courageous attitude. His ideals were straightforward, and he never second-guessed his choices. How wonderful it would be to always have an answer to every
problem, and have no fear of what others thought about your decisions. You would think that such an opinionated man would be intimidating. To other businessmen, he was, but not to Michelle. He made himself approachable to his staff at all times. Kelan was a rich and powerful man. However, he never failed to show kindness and understanding to those in need. His speeches against abuse were just the tip of the iceberg. He had a strange obsession with supporting a clean atmosphere. She found it quite odd in a man who dealt in weapons.
A noise from the bedroom brought Michelle's thoughts of Kelan to a quick halt. Jackson was waking up from his drunken stupor of the previous night. A flash of fear went over Michelle's face. He would either be apologetic for the abuse he had rained down on her, or he would be angrier than ever when he saw the bruises. She never knew what he was thinking or what his reaction would be from moment to moment. Sometimes, he even forgot there had been an argument. Those were the times she preferred.
Jackson entered the bathroom with just a grunt as a greeting. He was rubbing a hand over his shaved head and scruffy, brown beard. The piercings in his eyebrow and ears sparkled in the bright lights. They were the only thing sparkling so early in the morning. His blue eyes showed anger, though whether at her or himself, Michelle had no idea. In a gruff and gravelly voice, he demanded, "Get out of my way, Chelle. In fact, get out of the room. I don't want to see your sorry, sad face this morning. I have other things to deal with. Get your ass to work and make some money. You know I don't have a job anymore."
