by S. E. Smith
Terra looked at her mother. Tears glimmered in her eyes before she looked down at her palm. “I have found my bond mate,” she replied quietly. “He is a human male. Father was not happy. I worry that he will not accept Cosmos’ claim on me because he is a human. What will I do if father refuses?” She asked, a beseeching look clouding her silver eyes.
Tresa rose and walked over to where her daughter was standing near the window. She gently grasped her hands and turned them palm up so she could see the bonding mark. A tender smile curved her lips. She looked into Terra’s seeking gaze and lightly touched her cheek.
“He will not refuse him,” Tresa assured her with a look of determination coming into her own eyes.
“But…..” Terra whispered. “But…. What if he does?”
Tresa’s right eyebrow rose. “Then he will discover the true meaning of war,” she vowed.
*.*.*
It was early the next morning when RITA2 informed Tilly and Angus about what Teriff had done. Tilly and Angus had hurried to Teriff and Tresa’s living quarters to confront him. Tilly had been worried about Terra since she had not been able to locate her and the young girl’s bed had not been slept in. She had promised Cosmos that she would look after Terra, and by damn, she would not break that promise! Angus had suggested that perhaps she had gone to visit her parents as she would want to know what happened at the warehouse after they left. It had been while they were on their way there that RITA2 had let slip that Terra had been taken away.
Now they stood in the middle of Tresa and Teriff’s living quarters. Tilly was shaking with fury as Teriff told her that he had sent Terra away. He would never let his daughter mate with a weak human male, even if he was her bond mate.
“You sent her where?” Tilly screeched drawing a pained look from Angus.
“Now dear,” Angus began trying to pull his tiny wife back into his arms.
“Don’t you ‘now dear’ me, Angus Bell,” Tilly growled in a low voice. “Teriff, have you lost your ever-loving mind? You have to bring Terra back right now! I promised Cosmos I would watch over her until he came for her.”
“I told you, I will not allow her to be mated with a human male!” Teriff snapped out in anger.
Teriff’s face was tight with annoyance and determination. He had returned from battle with adrenaline pulsing through his body. He had decided it was in Terra’s best interest and safety if she was secure within the Isle of the Chosen’s fortress. It was the only place he could think of to send her until he could decide what to do with her.
After what had happened at both warehouses, he would not take a chance of anything happening to his beautiful daughter. He did not want to give her to the Northern clan leader but if it was a choice between Hendrik and the human male, he would. He needed time to review the agreement the huge warrior had presented him first.
It didn’t help that he had returned from battle with his body fueled by adrenaline, making him hard and horny for his very beautiful and stunningly passionate bond mate. Since Tink had appeared on his world and talked with his bond mate, his life had exploded into never-ending bouts of fulfillment. He and Tresa had been together for years but never had she responded with the unprovoked passion that now consumed her since she discovered the power she held with just her touch.
The women of Prime were raised to tolerate the touch of their mates. He would like to find the ancients who decided that the women of his world should be taught to hold their passions back. He would personally kill them! He understood part of the reason was to make the lack of having a bond mate more tolerable for the males. If they knew how passionate a female could be there would have been war among all of the surviving men.
Now that new females who were compatible with their kind had been found, he could only hope that war could still be avoided. Already the Eastern Clan had tried to kidnap one of the human females. His son, Borj’s mate had been kidnapped by Core, Merrick’s second in command. Merrick ruled the Eastern Clan. It was only the fact the men of Merrick’s clan were so desperate for information that such females existed that prevented Teriff from killing the entire bunch. Well, that and the fact that his new daughter had done a pretty good job of letting the males know she was not going to be cooperative.
In truth, Teriff could not blame the other clans for demanding information. Even now, he fought to protect his only daughter from being taken against her will by a Northern Clan who wanted to use her to force Teriff to give them access to where the females had come from. Hendrik was a bear of a warrior who would do whatever was necessary to bring hope back to his clan. The Northern area of Baade was a harsh world that few could survive in. The icy tundra and fierce storms made the men strong but few women could handle such an environment. Hendrik had recently inherited the duty of Clan leader after his own father was killed in an avalanche just six months before.
Early this morning, Tresa had demanded to know if it were true that he had sent their daughter to the Isle of the Chosen. He reluctantly admitted he had sent her there late last night. A shiver of foreboding ran through him. The feeling had increased when he had taken his shower alone this morning. The damn thing had been like ice and Tresa had refused to join him. In fact, she had told him that she had a ‘headache’ and would not be joining him until it went away. Teriff looked over to where Tresa was standing stiffly by the windows with her arms crossed and a fierce expression on her frowning face. He had a feeling her headache was going to last a very long time.
He tried to explain he had not wanted to send Terra away but felt he had no choice. His guards had reported members from different clans had been trying to breach the walls as news of the human females had spread. Copies of a vidcom of J’kar’s mate telling about the pleasures of the ‘birds and the bees’, the strength and cunning of his son Borj’s mate at having escaped the clutches of the men who would harm her, and the unusual beauty of his newest daughter, Mak’s mate, were exploding like a wild fire out of control. One of his security specialists informed him that communication lines were filled with tales of the women. On top of that, even the council had come to question him about Tilly and Angus and even Tresa’s passionate responses to him.
Now Tresa was glaring at him, Tilly looked like she was about to explode, and RITA2 was being uncooperative. He finally discovered that little bit when every door he came to refuse to open. When he had commanded a computer override, RITA2 had laughed and said ‘Not bloody likely, dumbass’. He was forced to manually override every door.
Teriff walked over to where his mate was standing. “Tresa, I had to send Terra away for her own safety,” Teriff murmured. “The guards are having problems containing the men trying to seek an audience with the council and myself.”
Tresa glared at Teriff with a grim look on her face. “You sent her to that horrible place,” she whispered back, her voice trembling as she fought for control. “She has a mate! Terra showed me the mark of her bonding. You sentenced her to death!” She choked out turning her face away as tears gathered in her eyes.
“I sent her there only for a short period until her brothers could help protect her,” Teriff tried to explain. “Mak needs to focus on Tansy. She was gravely injured by those human males. As were Hannah and Tink. Human males have tried to kill all three of our sons’ bond mates. How could I entrust our daughter to one?”
“Cosmos is not like other human males,” Tilly argued. “Cosmos would never hurt a woman! I would trust him with any of my daughters. I have on numerous occasions.”
Angus pulled Tilly into his arms when she stomped her foot. “Teriff, Tilly is right. Cosmos is a good man. He would do everything he could to protect Terra,” Angus said, running a calming hand up and down Tilly’s back as she turned into him.
Teriff opened his mouth to argue but was cut off by shouts coming from outside their quarters. Teriff pulled the short sword he carried from the sheath on his hip. Striding to the door, he flung it open. Two of his guards were positioned in front of i
t with weapons raised. Teriff recognized the huge warriors of five different clans walking down the long corridor toward them.
“What is the meaning of this?” Teriff demanded, pushing through the guards. “Hendrik, you dare to invade my personal quarters?”
“It is not what I would prefer, My Lord,” Hendrik said formally. “A situation has arisen that demands an audience,” he growled out in a low voice.
Teriff’s eyes swept over the other men standing beside and behind Hendrik. Core, who ruled the Eastern Mountain Clan until Merrick’s return stood next to the huge Northern Leader. Brawn, leader of the Desert Clan, stood slightly off to Core’s left. Bullet, Leader of the Southern Clan, and Gant, Leader of the Western Plains Clan stood slightly to the right. Each man was an arduous opponent, together they could possibly overpower Teriff and the council’s rule if they were to rebel.
“What situation?” Teriff asked harshly.
Core stepped forward. “A large group of warriors have attacked the Isle of the Chosen. The defenses are failing,” he said quietly.
Teriff reared back in surprise. “Those defenses are some of the best on our world! How could they fail?” He asked knowing that Brock, Lan and Mak had all helped with the development of the systems.
“A traitor from within,” Bullet said, standing straight. “Fifteen of the warriors are from my clan. One of my warriors infiltrated the fortress earlier this morning in an attempt to rescue one of the women inside.”
“Who?” Teriff demanded.
Bullet flushed but he never took his eyes from Teriff’s blazing glare. “My younger sister, Vita,” he replied quietly. “She was unaware that others had been planning to attack the fortress. A group of warriors, working together from each of our clans, convinced my younger sister she could rescue our older sister who had been sent there three years before. Darain has reached the age of thirty with no bond mate. She was taken there to protect her after several warriors tried to bond with her against her will. Vita was to go through her first bonding ceremony in a few months. She swore that she would never accept a mate as long as her older sister was without.”
“Good for her!” A feminine voice from behind Teriff crowed. “She should have a right to decide and so should her sister! It is barbaric to send them to a prison just because they haven’t fallen in love. I can’t believe you think human males are so bad when you guys have just as many issues!”
Teriff groaned silently as the five men in front of him glanced down at the small face peeking out from behind him. Tilly Bell’s determined face showed she was not done. All five men watched in amazement as the tiny figure ducked under Teriff’s outstretched arm as he tried to stop her from being seen.
“RITA2 darling,” Tilly called out. “Do you have any information about what is going on at that dreadful place?”
“As the fortress’ security system goes down I am able to guide the sensors further into it. I can see that at least two of the girls there are trying to kick some ass. The men are trying to break into the sealed level where the other women are. I have to tell you Tilly, they have a pretty good security system going. I think you and Cosmos might need to take a look at it. It is almost as adaptive as I am. Oh!” RITA2’s voice suddenly faded.
“RITA2…. Honey? Are you there?” Tilly asked anxiously.
“Oh my,” RITA2 responded in a hushed voice. “I think I’m in love! DAR just zapped me.”
“DAR?” Tilly asked.
“Defense, Armament, and Response system,” RITA2 breathed out. “He is an AI programming system just like me and he just gave me a jolt to let me know that he was there, the bad boy. Mm, I think I might just need to kidnap his little coding.”
“Oh my,” Tilly said looking up at Teriff before looking at Angus who was shaking his head.
“Oh shit!” Teriff growled out as he felt the situation growing worse by the minute.
Chapter 8
Cosmos stood near the edge of the water looking out at the breaking swells. Garrett was behind him, changing into another one of the prototype suits. Garrett was one of his most trusted men and probably one of his deadliest. The man had no background, no fingerprints, nothing. It was as if he was a ghost. Cosmos knew that came from his time in the French Foreign Legion. A tattoo on his arm was the only mark that distinguished that Garrett had a life before. He had called to inform Cosmos that he and Lan, the Prime palace’s head of security, had recovered Helene Baskov less than an hour before Cosmos planned to leave. She was seriously injured when the van she was being transported in crashed and rolled into a river. Lan had transported her to Baade for immediate medical attention.
“I’m coming with you,” Garrett had told Cosmos in a tone that said there would be no arguing after he had relayed the information. “I’ve seen how strong and fast those bastards are. You need someone to cover your back.”
“I have someone,” Cosmos responded.
“Let me clarify that. You need someone with a pulse to cover your back. RITA doesn’t count,” Garrett said dryly. “Have the gear ready for me. I’ll be there within two hours.”
Cosmos thought about leaving anyway but realized that Terra’s safety was too important to chance failure. With Garrett at his side and covering his back, he would have a better chance of making it out not only with her, but alive. He just didn’t plan on the other last minute addition to his team.
“Hey Cosmos, me siento un poco vulnerable aquí. ¿No podrías haber hecho estas malditas cosas un poco más grande? Creo que tengo un wedgie,” Hey Cosmos, I feel a little vulnerable here. Couldn’t you have made these damn things a little bigger? I think I have a wedgie. Rico called out as he pulled at the back of the prototype suit he had put on.
“Damn Rico, what have you been doing?” Garrett said as he came up behind his friend. “The Buns of Steel videos again?”
“Ah man, you are creeping me out,” Rico said in a slightly accented voice before he grinned and tried to twist so he could look at his ass. “But I have to admit, this suit makes my ass look good, mi amigo.”
Cosmos glanced back, feeling his lips pull up in an amused smile. Rico had turned over the search for Natasha Baskov to his sister Maria. She was working with Brock to find Natasha. Lan had rejoined them after the healers told him that Helene would recover. Garrett said Lan freaked out when he found out it was Helene and not Natasha in the van but knew he needed to get her help before he could go meet up with Brock and Rico to search for the female he claimed was his mate. Garrett had notified Rico of the recovery immediately and told him to expect Lan. When Rico heard that Garrett was pulling out to help Cosmos, he had handed over the search for Natasha to his sister. Maria was a tenacious little thing that had a way of seeing things others missed. Rico said it was from their time living on the streets in Madrid. Maria wouldn’t stop until she had recovered Natasha. This left him to cover Cosmos’ other side.
“I’m telling you, Cosmos,” Rico said as he walked up to stand next to Cosmos who had turned back to look out at the ocean in front of them again. “When I first met Mak, I was scared shitless. He is one huge hombre but I liked him, even with those scary silver eyes and weird fang thing. After seeing him and the others fight, I was glad they were on our side. Have you thought that kidnapping one of their women might piss them off just a little? I mean, after the way Brock and Lan reacted to Natasha and Helene getting kidnapped, they seem a little on the – I don’t know….”
“Deadly side,” Garrett suggested as he sat on one of the two prototype flying vehicles Cosmos had on the beach.
“Unforgiving comes to mind,” Rico said as he walked over and frowned down at Garrett. “Why do you get to drive? You suck at driving,” he grumbled reaching for one of the helmets on the seat.
“I do not suck at driving,” Garrett retorted with a raised eyebrow before he slid his helmet over his head.
“Yes, you do,” Rico snorted. “Avery is always complaining about having to clean up after you. She was bitching about how har
d it was to make the EC655 you crashed look like it was part of a movie set. She said the next time you crashed a multi-million dollar helicopter into a building she was going to take it out of your ass.”
“I didn’t crash it into a building,” Garrett replied as he fired up the vehicle. “I set it down on top of it. It just sort of fell apart when I did.”
Rico just snorted in disbelief as he slid onto the seat behind Garrett and grabbed the hand grips on the sides. “Don’t think this is an invitation, dude. You are too hairy for my tastes.”
“Damn, just my luck,” Garrett replied into the mic built into his helmet. “Hey, Cosmos! Are you going to stand there all day or are we going to go get your girl?”
Cosmos turned toward his own vehicle without saying a word. He had been listening to the other two men as they ribbed with each other but he was also focusing on the unusual feelings that were bombarding him. The mark on his left palm was burning and tingling. He thought he vaguely felt another presence in his mind, as if something was brushing against him trying to get in. He remembered Tink, Hannah and Tansy all complaining that the Prime warriors wouldn’t give them any peace at first. Each one claimed the men could talk to them telepathically. If it was possible for him and Terra to communicate that way, it would help him locate her.
Cosmos slipped the helmet on and brought RITA2 online. The hum of the vehicle under him was deceptive of the power it contained. He brought up a three-dimensional map of the fortress. Within moments, the MFV smoothly lifted off the ground hovering for a moment before Cosmos twisted the handgrip. The vehicle shot forward, skimming several feet above the waves as it headed out to sea and the island fortress RITA had informed him that Terra had been taken to the night before.
A moment later, Garrett twisted the handgrip on the MFV he and Rico were riding on. A huge grin lit up Garrett’s face when he heard Rico’s muttered curse as he was thrown backwards. It was only his tight hold on the hand grips that kept him from flying off.
