Talon’s people often saw or felt things that others didn’t. They weren’t psychic exactly, but Garret had learned never to disregard his mate’s gut feelings, they’d gotten them out of more than one tricky situation.
“I don’t like having someone I know nothing about on my ship, close to my mate.”
“I know.” Talon patted his arm, as if trying to soothe him. Garret rolled his eyes. “But she’s meant to be here. She’s meant to be with us, Garret.”
Talon’s words were slurring.
“What do you mean?” Garret asked.
Talon’s only answer was a soft snore.
Talon’s people usually mated with more than one person. Talon’s mother had two mates. Talon knew which one was his biological father, but that didn’t matter to him, he viewed them all as his parents.
But Garret didn’t want to add anyone else to their mating. There was no room in his life for someone else.
He must have misunderstood. Talon must have meant that she had to be with them so they could keep her safe. His mate was always trying to look out for others. It was Garret’s job to look out for him. So he’d be keeping a close eye on Kalia.
Kissing his mate’s head, he took one last look at him before carefully getting off the bed. Not that Talon would notice—the man could sleep through most things, even when he wasn’t exhausted.
“Missed you, mate,” Garret whispered before moving into the bathroom. There was no way he could go back to the ship’s bridge without taking care of his pounding erection first.
Chapter Three
Kalia came awake with a gasp, wondering what had woken her. Suddenly the ship rocked sharply to one side, nearly landing her on her ass beside the bed. She held onto the mattress in shock.
“What the hell was that?”
Her door opened and she let out a startled yelp.
“Just me, darlin’,” Talon told her, stepping into the room. He smiled down at her reassuringly. “You okay?”
“Ahh, yes, I guess so.” The ship tilted sharply to the right, slamming her over to the other side of the bed. “Gods, what’s happening?”
“I’d say we’re under attack,” Talon said. “Come on, I want to get to the bridge and see what’s going on.”
“Why? So we can all be together when we die?”
“We’re not going to die.” Talon reached into a tall cupboard and brought out a one-piece uniform. “Here, put this on. I’ll even turn around like a good boy.” As he turned, the ship rocked again. “Just hurry.”
Kalia quickly put on the uniform which looked way too large for her. But as she zipped it up, it quickly shrunk down to mold against her skin.
“Umm, do you have a jacket or something?” she asked, looking down in dismay at the way the suit stuck to every curve.
Talon turned, giving her an approving look. “Nope. No time. Come on.” He held out his hand and she took it, letting him pull her from the room and down the corridor.
“You seem a lot better,” she said as she followed him.
“I am. A shower, some food and sleep and I’m as good as new.”
Better than new, he exuded happiness, self-confidence. Kalia felt a surge of jealousy. Had she ever felt so secure? Sure, she’d been given everything she could ever want, her every whim catered for, but she’d never really been that happy or felt loved.
“Does Garret know you’ve let me out of my room?” she asked worriedly.
Talon turned to look at her. His bright blue eyes were piercing as he studied her. Talon was gorgeous, one of the most breath-taking men she’d ever met. His dark hair, which curled at the ends, brushed the top of his shoulders. He hadn’t shaved yet, but his facial hair only added to his appeal.
“You’re allowed out of your room, darlin’, you’re not a prisoner,” he said with a laugh.
Right, obviously Talon hadn’t gotten that message yet.
“What has Garret been saying to you?”
The ship tilted to the left and she stumbled against the wall. Talon, who somehow managed to keep his balance, reached out to grab her. He helped steady her.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Ahh, yeah,” she said shakily. “I guess.”
“Come on, let’s find out what’s going on.”
He led her around the corner toward a closed door and held his palm up against the pad beside the door. The door immediately opened and they walked onto the bridge.
Garret turned around, his gaze immediately settling on Talon. She saw a mix of relief and love in his gaze before he turned to look at her. All that warm heat disappeared, leaving his eyes cold and assessing.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” he barked.
Garret almost wished he’d tempered his voice as the girl shrank back. He hadn’t meant to frighten her. Well, maybe just a little bit. But the glare Talon sent him, as well as the way he protectively stepped between the two of them, meant it wasn’t worth it.
He could feel the rest of his crew staring at him in disapproval. They’d agreed with his command that she not be allowed to go anywhere alone, but he knew the fact that she was female and pregnant would stir most of their protective instincts.
Damn it. This is why he was against allowing women on board. They just got in the way.
“What’s going on?” Talon asked, holding out his hand to the girl who took it reluctantly, her wary gaze centered on Garret.
“Your captors are chasing us. They’ve fired on us a few times, gotten in a few good hits.”
Kalia gasped. She paled, swaying.
“No fainting on the bridge,” he snapped. “If you can’t handle this get back to your room.”
Griz swore quietly and turned to look at him.
“You got something to say, you say it out loud and to my face,” Garret snarled, glaring at him.
Griz glared back at him, but before he could speak a loud, blaring noise interrupted them. Garret hit the com to the engine room.
“Siren? What’s going on?”
“That last blast they got in hit our boosters. We haven’t got enough power to keep outrunning them. We need to land or take a stance and fight them.”
Garret swore. “They’re in a bigger ship with more guns and power.” Which meant they needed somewhere safe to land, somewhere they wouldn’t be followed.
“Sit down and buckle up, both of you,” Garret barked at Talon and Kalia. He turned back around, not bothering to check that his orders would be carried out.
“Tripp? Closest planets?”
“Three choices. Monden, Eden and Zebular.”
“Eden’s out,” Garret said immediately. Going there would be a death sentence. “They won’t follow us, but we’re not going to be any more welcome than they are. They’ll have no problem following us to Monden, that place is as lawless as they come.”
“That leaves Zebular,” Tripp said.
Garret nodded, thinking. Last time he’d been on Zebular they’d run into a bit of trouble with the authorities but he knew the slavers wouldn’t follow them and there were a couple of people that owed him favors.
“Set course for Zebular, Ace.”
“You sure about that? Last time they told us not to show our faces again.”
Garret nodded. “It’s our only choice, we’re about to run out of power for the boosters meaning their ship will have us back within firing range soon. It will be fine.”
He spoke with more confidence that he felt.
“Ahh, Cap, we’ve got someone trying to contact us,” said Lucan, his communications expert.
“Who?”
“The other ship.”
Garret paced. “How far behind us are they?”
“Nearly within firing range again,” Ace, his pilot, replied with a wince. “You need to stall them so we actually have a chance of getting into Zebular airspace.”
“Fine, fuck, put them through.” He turned to look at Talon and Kalia. “You two keep out of sight and don’t make a sound. Go sit o
ver there.” He indicated to the side of the bridge where they’d be well hidden.
Once they were safely tucked away he nodded at Lucan. A tall, angry-looking male filled the screen. The gills on the side of his neck were open, indicating his temper.
“Garret St Jonas, so nice to see you,” he said in a high-pitched voice.
“I wish I could say the same, Roxan,” Garret replied. “You kidnapped my mate.”
Roxan laughed. It wasn’t a happy sound. “And you got in the way of a business transaction.”
“You kidnapped those people. You intended to sell them.”
Roxan snarled. “It was business. Business you interrupted. And now you’re getting in the way again.”
“You took my mate. Did you really think I wouldn’t come for him?”
Roxan hissed, his eyes flashing bright green.
“You know, you’d be a hopeless poker player, Roxan,” Garret said.
“What?” Roxan asked, looking confused.
“Nothing. What do you want?”
“I am willing to forgive you for the destruction you caused to my property, not to mention all the property you set free.”
“And what do you want in return? My first born?” Garret didn’t believe him for a second. Roxan would destroy them the minute he got what he wanted. Garret just needed to figure out what it was that he wanted.
“The girl. Give me the girl and all will be forgiven. You and I can go our separate ways, no hard feelings.”
“What girl?” Garret asked, injecting a note of boredom into his voice.
“Don’t play games with me, St Jonas, I know you took her.”
“Oh, you mean the girl you’d locked up with my mate? My mate who you had beaten and starved? Is that the same girl you’re talking about?”
“Yesss,” he hissed.
“I don’t have her.”
“You lie. You took her.”
“What use would I have for some girl?”
“My guards tell me that your mate and the girl were very close.” Roxan smiled suggestively and Garret nearly rolled his eyes at the obvious ploy to make him jealous. He knew Talon wouldn’t do anything without him.
“My mate might have taken her under his wing. I did not. I left her behind. Why is she so important to you?”
That was something Garret was very interested in knowing and he intended to ask Kalia that same question. Once he got all of them out of this alive.
“I know she’s there, St Jonas. You have five minutes to agree to hand her over before I blast you.”
The screen shut off.
“He’s gone,” Lucan said.
Garret strode over to where Kalia was huddled next to Talon. Reaching down, he pulled her up.
“Do you want to explain what the fuck is going on?” he snarled.
Kalia cringed back in the face of all that fury. She couldn’t help it. She wished she could stand up to him, tell him to get lost. But right at this moment he was the only thing standing between her and the slavers. And as scary as Garret might be, anything was better than being thrown back into that dungeon.
This time she wouldn’t have Talon to keep her company. She trembled at the thought. No, being handed back to the slavers was out of the question, she knew she wouldn’t survive.
“Why the hell do they have such a hard-on for you?” Garret snapped, shaking her slightly. She blushed a little at his crude words.
“Garret—” Talon began.
“No.” Garret let go of her with one hand and pointed at Talon. “You, be quiet. I brought her with us against my better judgment and now we’re this close to being blown to bits. Tell me, princess, why I shouldn’t hand you over to them?”
Kalia swallowed. Her mouth had gone dry with terror. “B-because they’ll probably kill you anyway?”
Garret stared down at her for a long moment.
“She’s right,” a tall, attractive man said. She thought Garret had called him Tripp. “They’re going to kill us either way.”
“We’re getting closer to Zebular. It’ll be close, but I think we’d have a better shot of reaching it that believing what that rat bastard has to say,” Ace said. He studied her, his dark green eyes taking in every inch of her. His red hair was cut closely against his head.
“I say we make a run for it. The girl’s right. We can’t trust Roxan; the bastard would sell his own mother for a dollar.”
“I still want to know why they want you so badly. Who are you?”
Kalia opened her mouth, not sure what she was going to say when Lucan spoke up. “Incoming communication.”
“Fine. Ace, get hold of Siren. Tell him to give us all the power he can. On my signal head for Zebular atmosphere. Fast.”
Ace nodded. “On it.”
“Sit back down,” Garret snarled.
Talon tugged her down, holding her close as she shook. He kissed her forehead. “It’ll be okay, darlin’. Garret will keep you safe.”
Somehow she didn’t think Garret would see it as any great loss if something were to happen to her.
“Well?” The slaver’s slimy voice slid over her skin, making her feel dirty. “Have you come to your senses?”
“I believe I have,” Garret replied.
“Very good. You’ll allow us to board, we’ll take the girl and then you can be on your way.”
“Yeah, I don’t think so,” Garret replied.
“What?” The slaver’s outraged yell made her jump in fright. She bit down on her lip to stop herself from crying out.
“You heard me. No deal. And you can go fuck yourself. Ace, now!”
There was a pause and then the whole ship shuddered as it sped up.
“Talon, buckle down!” Garret yelled.
Talon buckled them both in quickly.
“They’re following close behind,” Tripp yelled.
The whole crew was tense. A blast rocked the ship, far harder than before. She guessed the slavers really were trying to blast them into pieces.
“Nearly there,” Ace yelled. “Hold on!”
Kalia gripped the arms of her seat, scrunching her eyes closed, certain she was about to disintegrate into a thousand pieces at any moment. But nothing happened.
Slowly, she opened her eyes. Around her, some of the crew let out loud whoops of relief. Talon drew her close, hugging her.
“We made it.”
She let out a low breath.
“Fuck,” Lucan said. “We’ve got a communication coming in, Captain. Zebular officials are hailing us.”
“What does the message say?”
“That we’re to land immediately and surrender.”
Chapter Four
Talon watched Garret pace across the large room they’d been locked in. At least they’d kept them all together and it was clean and warm. Compared to where he’d spent the last ten days this was luxurious.
He knew better than to voice that thought though. Garret was very close to his breaking point, and reminding him of the reason they were here wouldn’t be wise.
“Wonder where they’ve taken the little bit,” Griz asked as he leaned back against the wall, his eyes half-closed, looking totally relaxed.
Talon sent him an incredulous look as Garret stopped pacing and glared at the other man. Griz just shrugged.
“Just wondering why she’s not down here with us.”
Talon had been thinking the same thing, but he wasn’t stupid enough to say it. Griz wasn’t a stupid man, either. What was he up to?
“Wherever she is, I hope she stays there. She’s done enough damage.” Garret resumed his pacing.
“That’s not fair, she didn’t ask for any of this,” Talon defended her. He loved Garret, but sometimes the other man tested his patience.
Garret spun around, pointing his finger at Talon. “Don’t you defend her to me. She’s the reason we’re in this mess and she won’t even tell us the fucking truth about who she is.”
“And what if the tables were reversed? What
if someone had come to rescue her, would you have wanted them to leave me there?”
“We weren’t going to leave her in the dungeon; she’d have been set free like everyone else.”
“She’s not like everyone else, Garret. She wouldn’t have lasted five minutes on her own and you know it.”
“She is not my problem,” Garret said.
“She is now,” Griz interrupted. “Way I see it, if we ever get off this rock, Roxan is still gonna be waiting for us.”
“Then I’ll fucking hand her over to them.”
“No you won’t,” Ace interjected. “We all know you’re not going to do that.”
“She’s a danger to us all,” Garret snarled.
“So we get rid of the danger,” Griz said with a shrug. Talon glared at him, he’d thought the other man was on his side.
“Exactly what I’ve been saying,” Garret said with satisfaction.
“Yep, I’ve always wanted to kill Roxan,” Griz said, stretching. “Bastard has been asking for it for years.”
Garret gaped at the larger man. “Seriously? That’s your solution?”
“No matter what you do with her, Roxan is still going to think we have her. The only way to get him off our backs is to get rid of him. Besides, don’t tell me you don’t want his blood for taking Talon.”
“None of this really matters if we don’t get out of here,” Siren pointed out.
Garret ran his hand over the back of his head. “They’re not going to just let us go, not after the mess we left last time.”
“Do we have enough credits to pay them?” Ace asked.
“Barely,” Garret said. “It will pretty much wipe us out. We’ll need another job quick.”
“Not to mention some parts to fix the boosters,” Siren added, tapping his foot. Siren was constantly moving. He had more energy than the rest of them put together.
Footsteps came down the corridor and a small, official-looking man appeared. Behind him were six guards.
“Garret St Jonas?” he asked in a nasally voice, not bothering to look up from the tablet he held.
“That’s me,” Garret said gruffly.
The man briefly glanced up. His glasses remained perched at the end of his nose. Laser surgery would quickly have taken care of his eyesight problem, so Talon guessed he kept them for appearances sake. Even though he was shorter than Lucan, the smallest man on their crew, he still managed to look down his nose at them.
Worlds Apart (Men of Orion Book 1) Page 4
