Warrior's Plight (Cadi Warriors Book 6)

by Stephanie West

  “I wouldn’t do that!” Maya snapped when Frank reached for his communicator.

  “I underestimated you, Doctor Roberts.” Emil sneered the words but Vintor could tell he was impressed.

  “More than a few people have made that mistake,” Gary chuckled.

  “Where is your research?” Emil demanded, ignoring Gary.

  “And where do you think you’re going?” Frank added.

  “I destroyed it,” Maya spat back.

  Vintor glanced behind him as they bantered. The doors to the hangar weren’t that far away.

  “We are close,” Vintor informed them and began backing up with his two prisoners in tow.

  “Don’t let them get to the ship. Shoot them, dammit!” Emil barked at the general as they reached the doors.

  Thunder echoed in the hall as Maya and Gary opened up on their pursuers. Emil attempted to duck behind Frank, while the general returned fire. One of the males went limp in Vintor’s grasp, bathing him in a spray of blood, but Vintor didn’t release him. Emil screamed in pain and staggered, then slumped against the wall. He left a smear of red behind as he slid down the wall and collapsed on the floor. Perverse satisfaction filled Vintor seeing the bastard mortally wounded. Unfortunately, the general seemed to be wearing some sort of body armor beneath his clothes and evaded their attempts to take him down. Frank, even one-armed, was an accurate shot. The human warrior holding the sleeping female dropped to the ground, leaving Maya vulnerable.

  “Get back!” Vintor roared at his overly brave mate.

  He was relieved she listened to him, and not a moment too soon. A cadre of uniformed humans came barreling down the hall.

  “Come on, Gary!” Maya screamed as she backed through the double doors.

  “I’m not leaving the girl,” Gary replied. He grabbed the female’s leg and tugged her through the doors while still firing on their enemy.

  Vintor tossed the bodies he was holding and followed Maya and Gary. He held the door shut, hoping they’d withstand the projectiles ricocheting off them.

  “We need to secure the doors.” Maya frantically looked around the large hangar.

  “Here.” Gary ripped a cable from a nearby machine, raced over and tied it around the door handles.

  “It won’t hold them long. Can you open that ship?” Maya asked over the banging on the door.

  “Yes.” Vintor nodded and ran to the hatch.

  “Hurry.” Gary picked up the unconscious female and joined them.

  Vintor slid open the concealed panel and placed his hand on the sensor. The hatch opened, and they swiftly entered the cruiser.

  Vintor stormed through the holding bay to the control room. He maneuvered Maya to a seat when he noticed one of the bloody spots on her shoulder was growing larger.

  “Oh goddess, you’re bleeding.”

  He tore back her lapel and ripped open the collar on her shirt. Panic overwhelmed him as he stared at the wound, her life’s blood pouring out of it.

  “Dammit, sis.” Gary set the female into a seat and rushed to Maya’s side.

  Maya reached up with shaky hands and felt her injury. “It’s a through and through. Your leg doesn’t look any better, Gary. I’ll use my jacket for bandages. Meanwhile, get us out of here, Vintor.”

  “You are too small to lose so much blood.” Vintor rushed to a recessed storage cabinet and grabbed the medic’s kit. “Here.” He pointed to the dermal patches.

  “I’ve got this. Sadly, I’ve dealt with a gunshot wound or two.” Gary peeled open the patch and applied it to Maya’s shoulder. He grabbed another for the exit wound on her back and paused. “Vintor, get this contraption in the air.”

  Vintor nodded, took his seat and started up the cruiser. He aimed the disrupters and obliterated the hangar doors. With a swipe of his hand on the console, the cruiser wrenched free of the moorings strapping it to the floor and shot through the hole in the building.

  “So, what do we do now?” Gary asked.

  Yes, what?

  Their fight for freedom had been an unending marathon. And now that the finish line was within sight, he feared more than the struggle was coming to its end. Vintor glanced back at Maya, his brows knit together in concern.

  13 Under Pressure

  Maya

  “I don’t really know,” Maya replied to her brother.

  Her gaze shifted to find Vintor staring at her. His expression was pensive. Quietly, he returned to piloting the ship. No doubt the adrenaline let down was to blame for the somber mood that descended, when they should be thrilled they escaped without anyone getting killed.

  That’s not entirely true, Maya thought morosely, her brow furrowing. At least two of the guards had died being their unwitting shields. That she regretted deeply. The only one she didn’t mourn was Emil. The rounds he took to the gut looked bad, and yet somehow, she had a feeling he’d survive. The man was like a cockroach. A nuclear explosion could level all of creation and he’d find some way to scurry out of the ashes. Fucking bastard!

  Maya distracted herself looking out the large screen ahead. The deep blue ocean off the coast of Florida was obscured by a dusting of cottony clouds. In the distance she could make out lush islands. It was an amazing view. Abruptly, the lights in the cockpit flickered then went out. Maya screamed and clamored for the armrest as the ship tipped forward. She tumbled headlong out of her seat and slammed into the glass screen up front.

  “What the…” Maya started to say as she shook her head to clear the stars from her vision. “Oh God,” she screamed in horror, seeing the swiftly encroaching ocean beneath her.

  Her heart was in her throat as she shoved against the glass, desperate to get away from the looming watery grave.

  “I’ve got you.” Vintor’s steely arm wrapped around her waist.

  As the ship nosedived toward the ocean, Vintor clawed his way to the nearest seat and managed to strap her in.

  “Gary!” Her gaze swung to her brother.

  “I’m okay but I don’t know if she is.” Gary pointed a shaky hand toward the unconscious woman.

  Maya looked at the poor girl. Her arm was at a funny angle.

  “I’ll get her. Climb to a seat,” Vintor instructed her brother.

  As the ship rattled from its rapid descent, Vintor climbed down to the woman and draped her over his shoulder. He used the console like a step to reach another seat. Maya blanched as he buckled the brunette in. The way the woman’s limbs flopped around as the ship careened through the air, made her look like a lifeless ragdoll.

  “I got it,” Gary hollered when he successfully made it to a chair.

  “Vintor, hurry, get to your seat,” she begged.

  Her gaze darted from the rapidly approaching water to Vintor as he struggled to a seat.

  Please. Please. Please, she prayed. Why did he always have to play the hero?

  Maya thought she heard a click, but it was overshadowed by the deafening crash as they slammed into the great big blue.

  “Maya!” Vintor roared.

  Maya blinked upon hearing him, wondering if she’d blacked out or was still trying to lose consciousness, only to realize everything was so dark because they were sinking into the depths of the ocean. She winced as she picked her head up. Whiplash was an understatement. It felt like every joint in her body was sprained. And the way her chest hurt with each breath, she probably had several broken ribs. But at the moment she didn’t care about any of that.

  “Maya!” Vintor repeated, sounding panicked.

  “Thank God!” He got strapped in in time. She let out a ragged sigh. “I’m okay.” Maya propped her head against the headrest.

  He’s okay. She repressed a sob of relief and directed a watery smile his way.

  “Fuck me,” Gary groaned, sounding the way she felt.

  “Are you guys okay?” Maya had trouble seeing them in the growing darkness.

  “Yes,” Vintor replied.

  “What happened?” Gary frantically asked, readin
g her mind.

  “They must have tampered with the cruiser,” Vintor growled in frustration.

  Her gaze returned to the clear screen. The ship had righted itself, but the murky water kept getting blacker by the moment. They were sinking deeper.

  “We need to get out of here before it’s too late.” Maya summoned her strength as she grabbed for the harness.

  “Maya.” The way Vintor said her name, so calm and yet laced with sadness, she knew instantly that getting out wasn’t an option.

  No! Her eyes widened at the implication.

  She heard movement beside her and felt Vintor remove her harness. Gingerly, he pulled her into his lap and took her seat. “The speed we were going, we’re already too deep,” he said quietly, his voice raspy.

  “So, we got out of there just to wind up like this,” she choked past the lump in her throat as she clutched at his chest. “I refuse to believe God is so cruel to let me fight for so long for things to end this way,” she ended with a vehement cry, shaking her head in angry denial.

  “I am sorry, my precious goddess,” he whispered as he nuzzled her hair. It killed her the way her big strong man sounded so bereft.

  “No, I’m sorry. You came here to save us and look what it got you.” Tears streamed down her cheeks.

  “A beautiful mate,” he replied wistfully.

  “Oh, Vintor.”

  “Now I don’t have to fear your refusal when I asked you to come home with me. I guess that’s a blessing.” He gave a sad laugh that broke her heart.

  “I would’ve said yes.” Maya caressed his cheek. “Even if I didn’t have to worry about my government hunting me, I couldn’t have gone on with my life pretending we didn’t meet. I’ve never known a man like you, even before I found myself in that awful place. When I said I loved you, I meant it.”

  Maya leaned in and brushed her lips against his.

  “I love you, too,” Vintor husked against her lips as he held her close.

  “Well, this explains a lot,” Gary interjected, breaking the somber mood with his glib observation.

  She realized her brother had no clue how close she’d grown to Vintor, which felt so weird because he was her world. In fact, the two people who meant the most to her were here, trapped in a damn tin can at the bottom of a watery grave.

  “I’m sorry for involving you, Gary.” She would never forgive herself, however long that was.

  “Don’t apologize for needing your big brother for once,” Gary countered, sounding like he did when he talked to the kids at the community center.

  “But I’ve taken you away from the people who need you.”

  “This is better than getting killed by some meth addict. I don’t regret taking the path less traveled. It’s been quite an adventure, sis.”

  “Robert Frost.” Maya smiled. “Gary’s quoting another of our mother’s favorite poems.”

  Maya jumped when the ship shuddered, tipped, then righted itself again.

  “Easy, goddess.” Vintor soothingly stroked her back.

  “What was that?” Gary asked.

  “We probably just hit a ledge.”

  “We’re going to be crushed in this thing,” her brother fretted.

  “No,” Maya replied as she considered their plight. “I imagine a spaceship like this can withstand the pressure. Without the systems working we’re more likely to suffocate as the ship fills with carbon monoxide.”

  “Forget I asked. You’ve always been too smart for your own good,” her brother groaned.

  “Yeah, sorry.” She tended to get overly clinical. It helped distract her in awful situations. But it was far from comforting for anyone else. “Vintor, tell us about your planet,” she changed the subject.

  “Cadi isn’t much different from your Earth, but the sky has a violet tinge. And we tend to live simply, not using nearly as much technology as you do in our day to day lives.”

  “But you have spaceships?” Gary asked, sounding confused.

  “True. I blame the war. The damn thing lasted so long, we sacrificed so much to prolong that foolishness.”

  She could hear in his voice how deeply it affected him. He wasn’t merely quoting history.

  “You were in the war, weren’t you?” Maya asked him as she stroked his bare chest, hoping to ease his pain.

  “I was.” She felt him nod in the dark. “Then a human arrived, and our world hasn’t been the same since.”

  “There’s another human on your planet?” Gary asked incredulously.

  “Several,” Vintor chuckled.

  “Why am I not surprised it’s a human making waves on your world? We’ve only just met other races and already we’re doing a damn good job trying to make enemies of them,” Maya huffed, disgusted with her race.

  “No, goddess, it was your people who ended the war on our planet. I served under a cruel tyrant, even worse than the general. He had no qualms sacrificing his people to make an example. So, when the final battle came, and we lost to a better army, I was glad, even though it meant my death. But the human female begged her mate for mercy and peace,” he said with admiration and respect. “Your people have helped us rescue a dying race and even hid the location of Earth from the enemy. We owe you so much. That is why I volunteered for this mission.”

  “And that’s why you forgave me, your enemy.” Maya rested her forehead against his chest as she said a prayer of thanks to the people assuring the universe didn’t view humanity as monsters.

  “You were never my enemy,” Vintor husked.

  His lips met hers in a gentle kiss. It took her breath away and made her dizzy. She didn’t try to repress the tears that fell from her eyes.

  I love you.

  Vintor quo Fortis

  Maya’s breathing had become more labored and the scent of her blood had grown. She was already injured, but the crash made it so much worse. His goddess was strong of heart, but her body was delicate. It was doubtful she’d hang on long enough to suffocate.

  Torment, he cursed. If this was a Cadi ship he might have a hope of fixing whatever the humans managed to sabotage, but it was Aculus’ cruiser and he knew nothing about Osivoire technology. I should’ve immediately tried to reach out to Aculus and Ashtoret. But everything happened so fast.

  Vintor pulled himself together as he cradled Maya against his chest, even as everything inside him was screaming. He could rage about fate, wasting what time they had left together or concentrate on this moment, and find consolation that he’d join her soon.

  “Tell me more about our home,” Maya managed to say.

  Our home. He smiled at the way she phrased it.

  “We live in a little stone dwelling I restored. It’s at the edge of the capital city near the new Toufik neighborhood. The rear lawn backs up to the river.”

  “That sounds wonderful and it’s nice to know you’re handy.”

  Even though it was dark, his vision made it possible to see Maya smiling up at him. He’d never been grateful for such a simple thing as sight, but he was now. She was positively gorgeous.

  “What is that?” Gary exclaimed.

  Vintor followed Gary’s gaze to the display screen and his eyes widened. A blue glowing light was coming toward them, getting bigger by the moment.

  “What is it?” Maya repeated.

  “A vessel.” Vintor tilted his head.

  “The government’s the only one with the resources to reach us,” she said in a panic.

  “I don’t think so.”

  He couldn’t be certain, but the wedge-shaped ship looked too advanced to be human. And it wasn’t one of Aculus’ cruisers. The question was who? It didn’t matter, friend or foe, this was their best chance at salvation and he couldn’t help the growing sense of relief as the vessel pulled alongside theirs.

  “I want you all to stay here,” he said as he stood and placed Maya in the seat. “I’m going to find out who our guests are.”

  By the time he reached the entrance, the hatch was already
open a crack, yet no water flooded in. When it opened wider Vintor was surprised to see no one on the other side. He gaped as the wall of water wavering at the entrance then split forming a tunnel leading to the other vessel. The opposite hatch opened to reveal three pale figures with large almond-shaped eyes—the Miran Sona. He suspected it might be them, but their cruiser was nothing like the collection vessels that brought humans to the colony. The trio held weapons but weren’t pointing them at him.

  That’s a good sign.

  “There are three humans who need your help, please.” He wasn’t above begging, not where Maya was concerned.

  “Are there others of your kind aboard?” the lead male asked, his voice high-pitched like most of his kind.

  “No. I’m the only one and I mean you no harm. Please, they are hurt,” Vintor urged again as he held up his hands to show he was unarmed.

  These Miran Sona had no knowledge of the Cadi. He had to tread carefully.

  “Back away from the entrance,” the male warbled.

  Vintor quickly backed up. The trio stepped into the watery tunnel, and though the floor warbled, it held their weight.

  “This way.” Vintor led them to the control room. “Help is here,” he announced to his companions.

  “Thank God,” Gary exclaimed. “Oh hell, more aliens.” The dark-skinned male gaped at the Miran Sona.

  “I’ve got you,” Vintor crooned to Maya as he lifted her from the seat.

  The Miran Sona picked up the unconscious female and aided Gary. He followed them onto their vessel.

  Their ship was much larger than his wrecked cruiser and it took a while to reach the small medical bay. The two Miran Sona medics in bright yellow jumpsuits were instantly alert. They took one look at the unconscious female and instantly rushed her to a pod similar to the healing capsule on Aculus’ main ship.

  “Please.” The pale, wispy medic pointed to the gurney.

  Vintor gently placed Maya on the gurney. He stayed close, holding her hand as the Miran Sona female looked her over.

  “My shoulder’s injured. I have some broken ribs, sprains, bruises and scrapes everywhere,” Maya gave the female her professional assessment as if she were speaking about a third party.