Warrior (Breeder Book 3)

by Cara Bristol

  * * * *

  Anika stumbled from the anteroom into Qalin’s inner sanctum on a shove. “Get in there, female!” Urazi barked.

  As before, Qalin lounged on the elaborately adorned platform. To her relief, he had no alpha or Veronian guards with him; however, a couple of betas knelt at his feet, and another stood to his left side. Would the betas defend Qalin? They were not trained fighters, but they outnumbered her and Urazi. Two she had not seen before, but she recognized one of those who knelt from his broken nose. It had doubled in size, and though it no longer bled profusely, a rusty crust remained around his nostrils.

  “I expected to receive the female sooner.” Qalin scowled with irritation.

  “My apologies, Commander,” Urazi replied. “After first one proved herself unsuitable, we subjected the others to increased scrutiny.

  “I do not know you.” Qalin tilted his head to study Urazi. Anika had trimmed his hair, and he wore a gray fair-weather uniform to enable him to prominently display Qalin’s insignia. He appeared every centimeter an alpha guard except for a lack of personal armament. He’d left his weapons behind upon Perce’s advisement they would be confiscated. Perce had been correct. Anika had sweated as the guards outside the anteroom gave Urazi a thorough once-over, but they paid her scant attention. For the first time, she was grateful for a lack of status that enabled her to move almost unnoticed.

  Perce then dispatched the guards to the Chamber of Familiars, some distance away from the breeding room. They’d questioned his orders, at first, but he’d produced a written directive forged with Qalin’s seal, and they’d left.

  “Honor to the brave,” Perce had saluted them.

  Urazi saluted Qalin now. “It is my greatest honor to have been initiated into service, Commander.”

  Qalin did not reply, but accepted Urazi’s statement as his due, and jerked his head to the stout wooden frame in the middle of the room. “Put her in position.” A plank, perhaps a half a meter in length and half again as wide slanted upwards, supported by four sturdy legs. The posts on the high end of the plank ran perpendicular to the floor, but the back two angled spreading to nearly a meter at the bottom. Two leather cuffs were attached near the base of the angled legs.

  The apparatus was a mating bench. Her torso would rest on the plank while her legs would be spread and immobilized. Why hadn’t she paid more attention when she’d been here before! She’d focused so much on Qalin and her fear, she’d ignored the room and its accoutrements. They’d never factored into their plan she might be restrained. She would have to go through with the breeding!

  But she couldn’t! As soon as Qalin spotted her uniform beneath the robe, their scheme would be revealed. Panicked, she sought Urazi’s gaze. He gave no indication he was aware of the impending disaster. His expression appeared as hard as a statue, as if he had transformed into one of Qalin’s guards.

  He shoved her toward the bench. “Move!”

  She wobbled to the apparatus and slowly bent over the plank.

  “Spread your legs, breeder!” Urazi kicked at her heel.

  This is Urazi. Urazi. He is acting for show. Her legs shook like reeds.

  “Wider!”

  Carefully to avoid displaying her boots beneath the floor-dragging robe, she broadened her stance. They hadn’t discussed any of this.

  Urazi moved to her side, his body blocking Qalin’s view. As he bent to secure her leg to the bench, his mouth brushed over her ear. “Trust me,” he whispered.

  She appreciated his effort to comfort her, but words could not solve their predicament. Urazi was weaponless; she would be rendered immobile. Qalin would either kill her when he discovered her uniform and weapons—or follow through and mate with her. Her heart stopped pumping. What if impregnation occurred, and she were forced to bear the monster’s offspring? Why hadn’t she thought to drink a contraceptive tea?

  Because she’d never expected this scenario. Anika grabbed ahold of the front legs of the apparatus and squeezed until her knuckles blanched.

  Urazi knelt at her feet, reached under her robe, and shifted her foot so that her ankle touched the leg of the stand—then rustled the buckles of the restraint as if attaching them, but left them loose. He scooted around to the other side and repeated the action. “There!” he said. “That should hold her.”

  They had a chance. Slim. But a chance.

  Anika peeked at Qalin. His eyes were closed, his pants were undone, and the beta with the broken nose fellated him. She winced in sympathy for the beta as Qalin thrust his hips, driving his manhood deeper into the beta’s mouth and ramming his nose in the process. The beta never broke a stroke, but tears of pain streamed from his eyes.

  Urazi pretended to adjust her position in front. Another quick whisper. “Keep in place until he is in close proximity.” He straightened.

  Qalin’s eyes popped open.

  Had he heard Urazi’s murmured instruction?

  The Alpha shoved the beta away and rolled off the platform. His erection curved like a sickle, its overlarge head reminding her of the crown of a toxic fungus.

  Urazi waited at attention a few meters away. He might well have been on the opposite side of Parseon, the distance seemed so vast.

  Qalin motioned to him. “Lift her robe.”

  No. no. no. Not yet! The Alpha was still too far away. Keeping her legs motionless, she twisted her head to watch his approach.

  Urazi shuffled toward her, delaying.

  “Never mind!” Qalin snapped, closed the distance and yanked up her robe.

  Silence enveloped the room for a second until it was cleaved by his roar. “Guards! Guards!”

  Anika grabbed for her dagger strapped to her thigh, but her hand caught in the voluminous folds of the fabric, and she fumbled. Urazi lunged at Qalin, but the Alpha’s powerful defensive blow sent him crashing into the wall.

  Anika tore the dagger from its sheath and dove at their nemesis. He twisted out of reach, so that she only nicked his ribs. With a chop, Qalin knocked the weapon from her hand. It clattered onto the stone and slid away.

  He rammed his fist into the side of her head. She flew like the knife and hit the floor. Her ears rang.

  Betas scattered. The one standing fled out a rear exit. The one with the broken nose cowered behind the lounging divan, while the last one hovered close to the fray, as if he would jump in. Urazi had risen to his feet, and Qalin advanced on him in a crouch, his dagger drawn. The Alpha’s manhood was still exposed, but flaccid again now that vengeance overrode lust. Rage vibrated off him in waves, his misshapen features unrecognizable as anything Parseonoid.

  A drum banged inside Anika’s skull, in her face.

  We must not fail. We cannot. Anika pushed through the pain, yanked off her robe, and unsheated another dagger.

  “Urazi!” She tossed him the knife.

  He caught it by the hilt and circled the fiercest Alpha of Parseon. Anika scanned the room for the first dagger. She spotted it near the wall at the same time the beta did. He dove for it. Anika tackled him, and they both went down.

  Metal clanged against metal, but, wrestling with her opponent, Anika could not help Urazi battle Qalin. The beta outweighed her, but she’d learned about leverage in her guerilla training and turned his weight against him. She caught him in a choke hold, pinching arteries to cut circulation to his brain. His body went limp as he passed out. Anika turned her attention back to the duel.

  Qalin’s torso bore several oozing slashes, but Urazi’s chest and biceps ran scarlet, the blood pouring over his hands so that Anika could hardly discern where the knife hilt ended and Urazi’s hand began. Locked in combat, the warriors lunged and feinted. She watched as Qalin danced Urazi into a corner.

  His back against solid stone, Urazi was trapped.

  She had to help him! Anika snatched up the knife.

  Boom! Boom! Boom!

  The chamber shook under a percussive reverberation, and Anika slipped in blood and fell to her knees as a startled Qal
in faltered. Undistracted, Urazi dove forward and sliced Qalin’s throat from ear to ear. Blood sprayed. Qalin jerked, his eyes bulging.

  Gurgling, Qalin raised his dagger—and toppled into a heap.

  Boom! Boom! Boom!

  Anika stumbled again. “What’s happening?” she cried.

  “I do not know!” Urazi shouted. “Come on. Let us get out of here.”

  Perce burst into the chamber yelling, “Run! The domicile may collapse.” He faltered then, his face paling at the sight at his sire’s body.

  Boom! The massive stone walls shuddered. A shower of fine rubble rained upon their heads. “Hurry!” Perce regained his focus and motioned for them to follow.

  “What about the guards outside?” Anika asked.

  “They ran when the domicile began to shake,” Perce said. “It is chaos. I’ll show you a secret passage out. Follow me.” He darted into the anteroom.

  Anika shoved her dagger into the sheath.

  Boom! Boom! “Hurry!” Urazi grabbed her hand, and they turned to run.

  “Halt!” came the harsh command from behind them.

  An alpha guard stood there, accompanied by the beta who had run from the room during the attack. He hadn’t fled, she realized—he’d gone for help. The guard took in Qalin’s body and a bloodied Urazi who still clutched the dagger. “You killed Commander Qalin!” He raised his lasered weapon.

  No! We came so close! Anika froze, her gaze glued to the LPD. He is going to kill us.

  A red dot wavered between the guard’s eyes. He slumped to the floor. Hands shaking, the beta with the battered nose clutched an LPD.

  “What have you done?” cried the other beta. He lunged for the fallen guard’s weapon. A dot bounced above his left ear, and he collapsed.

  The beta lowered the weapon and grimaced.

  Anika gawked.

  “Go now.” He motioned. “I will explain how an assassin beat me and knocked me out. When I awakened, I found Commander Qalin and the others…murdered.”

  He handed the LPD to Urazi. “Take this. You may need it.”

  “Thank you.” Urazi secured the bloody knife, took the LPD, and grabbed the guard’s too. He slipped one LPD into the band of his uniform pants and held onto the other.

  “Your bravery honors Parseon,” the beta said. “You have done the world a favor.”

  Another explosive reverberation shook the walls, and Anika ducked. What is happening? Urazi grabbed her hand, and they sprinted into the anteroom. Perce ran toward them. “I thought you were behind me. I got halfway down the corridor when I realized you were gone.”

  “We got waylaid, but we shall talk about it later. Let us get out of here,” Urazi said.

  They’d taken two steps toward the exit when the door from the corridor burst open. Guards poured into the room.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  “Surrender! Throw down your weapons!” a guard shouted.

  Perce and Urazi tossed aside their LPDs, while Anika unbuckled her dagger sheath and let it fall. They were surrounded by a circle of armed alphas. She’d never seen so many LPDs.

  “On the floor!” the guard commanded.

  Anika eased down, but froze when she spotted the insignia emblazoned across the chest of his winter uniform. Five stars. Fifth Province. “You are—”

  “Now!” The lead guard screamed.

  “Anika, do it!” Urazi yelled.

  She dropped to the ground.

  Three guards remained on watch while the leader and the rest swarmed into the next room.

  Moments later, she got the shock of her life when Commander Dak, Alpha of Province Five, swept into the anteroom. Anika lifted her head. “Dak—Alpha?” she corrected herself but gaped. “You’re alive!” A ridiculous joy flooded her.

  “Anika?” Dak blinked. “What are you doing here? Monto! What happened to your face?” He blinked. “And why are you dressed as a male?” He did another double take. “Urazi? Is that you?”

  The lead guard reentered. “All secure, Commander. Alpha Qalin is dead.”

  “Excellent.” His tone changed to brusqueness as Dak returned to command mode.

  “He was already dead when we arrived.”

  Dak acknowledged the information with a nod. “Proceed with the operation. Locate Qalin’s son.”

  Anika exchanged a nervous glance with Urazi. Perce raised his head from the floor. “I am Perce…son of Qalin.”

  The guard leader unsnapped a gene analyzer from his belt and scanned Perce. “He is.”

  “Take him into custody for interrogation.”

  The guard leader yanked Perce upright and attached restraints to his wrists.

  “No!” Anika cried, leaping to her feet. “He didn’t do anything.”

  Another guard charged forward to grab her, but Dak halted him by raising his palm, then gestured for Urazi to stand.

  “She is correct.” Urazi said. “Perce has supported the alliance of Alphas Dak, Marlix, and Ilian.”

  The guard shoved Perce toward the exit.

  “This is not fair!” Anika looked to Dak.

  “It is all right. It is procedure. I understand,” Perce said, before the guard led him away.

  Dak addressed Anika. “He will be treated in accordance with New Protocol, questioned, and if his explanation pans out, released. That you vouch for him works in his favor.”

  New Protocol? Anika frowned, intending to ask about that, but then something else Dak had said dawned. That you vouch for him works in his favor. A female could not vouch for a male because she had no status. But Dak would permit her to corroborate Perce’s account. What did this mean?

  A hope she’d never dared to reach for glowed within.

  Dak trained his attention on Urazi. Anika saw him taken in his bloodied state and the single-star nipple insignia. “You have pledged your allegiance to Qalin?” His face darkened. “You would betray your Alpha, to whom you were once anointed? Guards, arrest this traitor.”

  They converged on Urazi.

  Urazi held his head high. “I did not betray Alpha Marlix.”

  “He is innocent!” Anika cried. How could this be happening? Dak had to believe her. “Urazi killed Qalin.”

  “You killed Qalin?” Dak fixed his gaze on Urazi.

  Urazi presented his hands, palms up. “I spilled the blood of Qalin. That is why we are here. We infiltrated the Alpha’s province and domicile to assassinate Qalin.”

  “By whose orders?”

  “No orders. By our honor as citizens of Parseon.”

  A guard ran the scanner over Urazi. “The blood is his—and Alpha Qalin’s.”

  “I would never betray Alpha Marlix—or the alliance.” Perhaps Urazi’s unflinching, resolute stare convinced Dak, or maybe it was his bloodstained, slashed uniform and battered state, but the tension drained from the Alpha.

  “Get a med team for him—and for her,” he snapped at one of the guards.

  “Immediately, Commander.”

  Dak turned to Urazi and Anika. “I do not minimize your courage, nor deny your victory, but you had to know the odds were against you. Why would you have undertaken something so risky?”

  “We had heard your province had fallen to Qalin,” Urazi explained.

  “And you had died,” Anika added. “Qalin had proclaimed himself Alpha of Parseon,”

  “Did he now.” Dak glowered at the news. “Qalin’s forces did attack a section of my province and my domicile. We led him to believe he had succeeded in ousting me to cover our plans for invasion. Marlix secured Artom’s province this morning. Artom was arrested and will be tried for crimes against Parseon.”

  “So Omra is safe?” Anika asked.

  “She, Miri, and Berik were relocated to a secure location long before Qalin’s forces struck,” Dak said.

  The war had ended. Right had won. Anika could have shouted for joy if not for the other matter hanging over her head. Perhaps, with order and security restored, Marlix could be reasoned with.

 
“And…Alpha Marlix? He is well?” Anika fidgeted. Her sibling could be so stubborn!

  “He is. Although he has been concerned about both of you.”

  Concerned, worried? Or concerned, angry? Marlix’s rationale for sending her to Ilian was because she’d been targeted by Qalin and only another Alpha could protect her. But with Qalin dead, and peace restored, his reasons did not hold.

  But obstinacy would. Marlix would not tolerate having his will thwarted.

  “He will be very relieved, I am sure,” Dak continued. “He has had his hands full with the war and his first child.”

  “The baby has been born?”

  “That is what I heard.”

  Anika was happy for Marlix and Tara, but with a new son in the household, the slim chance Marlix would relent dwindled further. Though he had been generous in sheltering her after Jergan’s death, with a son to raise and train, he would want to divest himself of his responsibility for her as quickly as possible.

  “That is wonderful news,” she said glumly.

  Dak frowned, but the med tech arrived with his case, and a bustle of activity ensued. She and Urazi were separated and their injuries treated. Though the worst of the burning had attenuated due to Perce’s quick action, she’d been suffering some residual pain.

  Within moments after the tech injected her with some substance, all discomfort disappeared. He handed her a reflective glass. To her astonishment, the blistery red scars were fading already.

  “You are fortunate a neutralizer had been applied so soon,” the tech said. “Otherwise I might not have been able to reverse the damage. The scars should disappear completely.”

  “How long will it take?”

  “About a week. Unless you decide to wrestle another Veronian.” He amended his prognosis with a wry twist to his mouth.

  She recoiled. “I do not ever want to meet a Veronian again.”

  Following treatment, she reunited with Urazi, whose wounds had been healed, too. If not for his slashed, bloodstained shirt, one might never have known he’d been injured. He caught her chin in his hand and gently turned her head from side to side. “Your scars—they are disappearing.” He expelled a long sigh and released her.