Bloodbound: A space/fantasy F/F romance (Sparkbound Book 2)

by CR Barlow

  "I know your hunting trip didn't go as you had hoped, but while you were gone, I found an abandoned freighter in orbit. There wasn't any atmosphere onboard, but I was able to use the drones to check their cargo."

  Ingrid's brow furrowed. "What was it carrying?"

  "They were a poaching vessel. There was a good ten tones of manticore venom onboard. I'm sure somebody is going to come looking for it, but I only took a couple gallon's worth." Lolita strode across the room and held out a small vial. It glowed green.

  "Why? I thought that you said…" Ingrid let herself trail off. Was Lolita really suggesting what she thought she was suggesting?

  Lolita winced and put the vial back. "I know what I said, Ingrid. And I can't say that I changed my mind, really. I still think it's suicide to go after Jorgenson, but I did make a promise. I'm going to help you take him down, no matter what it takes."

  "Lolita—"

  "Let me finish. I won't say anything else on the matter. You loved Edan, and you're right. Somebody has to avenge him. It might as well be us. With our position when it comes to Earth government, Harper can say we were acting alone, and the economy of Earth won't be harmed. Not that it would anyway, seeing as it's an empire that controls the system, but…" Lolita shook her head and laughed. "Listen to me babbling on. The point is, I made a promise, and I'm going to keep my word."

  Ingrid sucked her lower lip between her teeth. This wasn't exactly what she had been hoping for when she saw it was Lolita who had rescued her. Could she really use the venom to go after Jorgenson, now that she knew how cruelly it was harvested?

  But revenge was her reason for living. Wasn't it? What would she do if she gave it up?

  She opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say. She wanted to tell Lolita she had changed her mind about going after Jorgenson, but had she really? Or was she just feeling the aftereffects of being on that planet with those poachers? In a few days would she change her mind again?

  "Thank you," she managed to force out.

  Lolita nodded and turned away quickly, going to the pilot's chair. "I'm setting in coordinates to get us to Jorgenson's region of space. I hope you have a plan to get us inside."

  "We can say we're selling manticore venom." Ingrid wandered over to her. But not too close. "How long before we arrive?"

  "Three days."

  Three days. Ingrid took the co-pilot's chair, nodding. Three days was plenty of time to decide what she really wanted to do.

  Chapter Nine

  The vast stretch of space between Neptune and Pluto seemed emptier than any of the other empty spots in the system. Perhaps it was because they were so far from the sun that it was only a bright ball, looking small enough that Ingrid could cup it in her hand.

  That was the worst part of being on Pluto all those years ago. The perpetual darkness, feeling her skin grow paler day by day, having to take vitamin D supplements because they were so far from the sun.

  Jorgenson had his base somewhere in this empty region. Nobody knew quite where. Out this far, Earth no longer really cared what was happening, as long as their shipments of lithium from Pluto's moons were not interrupted.

  Nerves fluttered in Ingrid's stomach as they had been doing since leaving Uranus, but she pushed aside her doubts for the moment, concentrating on Lolita. Both their hands blazed with magic as they traded blows. Both their arms and faces were heavily bruised from when their defenses were too slow. Ingrid grinned as she forced the other witch back step by step.

  Lolita grunted, sending out a wave of magic, but Ingrid sensed her actions before she took them, and reflected the wave back at her. Lolita spun across the cargo bay, landing with a thump.

  "Enough," she said, letting the fire around her hands die. "I surrender."

  Ingrid helped her up and ran a finger along her jaw, healing a particularly nasty bruise there. "See what I mean?"

  Lolita nodded. "Yeah. That manticore sting has really kept your magic up. I still think you need to take more before we confront Jorgenson. I ought to take some, too. I don't relish the idea of drugging myself like that, but I like the idea of being killed even less."

  Ingrid flinched, but Lolita was busy healing herself and didn’t notice. They'd be there soon. There was still time to back out of this. She had been struggling with her doubts since they left Uranus. Was it really worth it to go forward with this and try to kill Jorgenson, especially if it meant they were both going to die? But if she didn't, what then? Could she just forget about Edan, forget everything he had meant to her? Would she go back to Earth and face justice there?

  What did the universe have to offer her, to encourage her to stick around and see what else her future might hold?

  Her gaze fell on Lolita. If she gave up this revenge, could she stay with her former lover? Could they find the sparks they had before?

  She opened her mouth, about to voice her questions, but was interrupted by a rapid beeping. A red light from the comm indicating an incoming call.

  "We're being hailed," she mumbled unnecessarily.

  Lolita frowned. They two hurried to the nearest vid comm. There was no indication of who was hailing them, and Lolita gestured Ingrid to one side, out of view. "In case it's an Earth ship."

  Ingrid nodded and stepped back.

  Lolita brushed her blonde hair back from her face, straightened her shoulders, and answered the call. From where she was, Ingrid couldn't see the being on the other end, but the deep, gravelly voice that spoke reminded her of the jinns of Mercury. She shivered. Jorgenson was half-jinn.

  "You are encroaching upon the space of the United Free Species. State who you are and what you are doing."

  The United Free Species. Ingrid had never heard of them. Her heart began to pound. Had they stumbled onto a plot to rebel against Earth? Another criminal group?

  Lolita's expression remained cool and calm. "My name is Lolita. You may have heard of me, in connection to the massacre on Luna?"

  There was a pause and then a slow rumble answered her. It sounded like thunder. Was it anger, or laughter? It was impossible to tell with jinns. Ingrid clenched her hands, wishing she hadn't ever decided to come after Jorgenson. It was a mistake. It had all been a mistake.

  "Lolita. I do know you. What brings you to your space? Have you come to pledge your allegiance to the United Free Species?"

  "I don't know what that is. I was under the impression that Jorgenson controlled his space."

  "Who do you think I am?"

  Lolita's eyes widened. "You?"

  "Surprised? I would be, too. Harper likes to pretend I am nothing more than a warlord, but I am a visionary. I will reset the balance of power… now why have you sought me out?"

  "I have manticore venom for sale. I figured you would have a use for it."

  There was a pause. Ingrid stared at Lolita's face, desperately searching for some sort of give in her expression, something that would tell her what was going through the other woman's mind. But Lolita's expression remained calm, giving away nothing. Ingrid had to fight the urge to leap forward and shake her. She would get answers soon enough.

  "Manticore venom? Well, I must say I didn't expect a human to be bringing me manticore venom. Your species is generally too soft for such pursuits."

  "I'm a witch."

  "A witch." A pause. "And you're not alone. My ship's sensors indicate you have a second lifeform on board your ship."

  "My lover," Lolita replied swiftly.

  Ingrid tried not to think of how she felt in response to that. She knew she shouldn’t, but she liked the sound. She twisted the hem of her tunic in her hands, thinking once more of her dream–could she be happy with Lolita? Could the two of them take to the stars, hop on an exploration ship to another system, escape from Earth's sphere of control? It would take years to reach the nearest system, but could that be worth it?

  "Come to my ship," Jorgenson said, breaking into her thoughts. "We will negotiate the sale of your venom."

  Lolita nodded. S
he pressed a button and there was a distinctive click of the call being disconnected. The blonde witch didn't look at Ingrid, striding past her.

  "This is it," she said as Ingrid followed. "What we've been waiting for."

  "Lolita, I…" Ingrid didn't know what to say. "That was really Jorgenson?"

  "Yes. He's smaller than I thought. After all the stories about him, I expected somebody as tall as a jotunn with a permanent scowl on his face. But he wasn't like that at all. But I suppose he's half-jinn, and they can change their appearances. You'll see soon. But if we're going to do this, we need to take the venom now. You prep the needles, I'll set a course following his ship."

  Chapter Ten

  "Wait." Ingrid ran after Lolita. "Wait. We don't have to do this."

  Lolita froze. She turned back to Ingrid, a hard expression on her face. "What are you saying, Ginny? If we don't take the venom, then we won't stand a chance against Jorgenson and his men. They'll kill us."

  "We don’t have to try to kill him," Ingrid took Lolita's hands in her own. On impulse, she lifted one and kissed her knuckles. "What I'm saying is I've changed my mind. Revenge isn't worth dying for. Not when… not when I have the chance to love you again. I know I have no right to ask this, but please, Lolita. Please."

  Lolita's eyes widened, her chest heaving. Her hands in Ingrid's trembled, and for a long moment it seemed like she wasn't going to say anything. But then a wide smile broke across her face and she stepped forward, bringing her body close to Ingrid's.

  "You mean it? You're willing to give up revenge for me? For us?"

  Ingrid nodded. "I'm sorry for everything I've done. I'm sorry for the way I treated you. I should never have believed you were responsible for the massacre, and I should never have turned my back on you."

  "Oh, Ginny." The smile widened, if that was possible. Lolita stroked Ingrid's face, and a feeling like sparks exploded throughout her blood. "You have no idea how happy that makes me. You're the only one I've ever loved. I know how that sounds, but it's true."

  "I don't know if I can love you. At least, not as much as you love me. But I'll try. You make me feel alive again, and I don't ever want to lose that." Ingrid moved even closer, leaning to press her lips against Lolita's, but to her dismay, the blonde pulled away.

  "Jorgenson still expects us. We can't just leave, he'll know something is up."

  Ingrid nodded. "We'll sell the venom. Or just give it to him. I don't care either way. But we'll get rid of it, and then we'll leave. We can go anywhere we want."

  "Harper will still hunt us."

  "He won't find us. The solar system is huge and the galaxy even bigger. We can find a way to another system. It doesn't matter, as long as you and I are together, we will make it through."

  Lolita brushed a strand of hair from her face, her eyes loving and soft. "You mean it."

  "Of course."

  Ingrid leaned forward, brushing her lips against Lolita's. The other witch responded by wrapped her arms around Ingrid's waist, pulling her in close. With a sigh, Ingrid parted her lips, closing her eyes. Sparks flooded her system, and everywhere Lolita touched felt like a stream of fire.

  Lolita giggled, her tongue flicking into Ingrid's mouth–and both of them were thrown to the floor as the ship rocked.

  "What was that?" Ingrid cried, scrambling to her feet.

  Lolita rushed to the nearest computer consol. She cursed loudly. "Jorgenson caught us with a tractor beam. What is he playing at? We were going to go to his ship willingly."

  Ingrid's heart jumped to her throat and her hands trembled. She followed Lolita as the blonde rushed to the cockpit. A green field surrounded the ship, dragging them towards what appeared to be a blank hole in space. Jorgenson's ship was well camouflaged.

  "Maybe he just got impatient for us to get moving," Ingrid said hopefully.

  "Maybe." Lolita hailed the warlord's ship, tapping her fingers against the console.

  Within seconds, Jorgenson answered. Ingrid stared. She had seen jinns before, but this one defied all expectations. He was smaller than she was, with bright red skin, green eyes and neat black hair that was tied at the back of his head. Other than the slight blurring to his movements, as though he wasn't entirely solid, he didn't look like a jinn at all.

  "What is the meaning of this, Jorgenson?" Lolita demanded, putting her hands on her hips. "We came to you of our own accord, why are you pulling in our ship like it's so much scrap metal?"

  "Because that's what it is. Excuse me, I haven't introduced myself properly to your… lover." Jorgenson's eyes focused on Ingrid. "Lady Ingrid. It's so good to finally meet you. Edan told me a lot about you."

  Ingrid's blood ran cold. Hearing her dead husband's name on the lips of the man who had tortured him sent a surge of anger through her. It was only by thinking of Lolita and how easily Jorgenson would blow them out of existence that she did not reach through the screen and choke the life out of him with her magic.

  She took a deep breath to calm herself and forced her shoulders to relax. "He told me a lot about you as well."

  Jorgenson's eyes gleamed. "I must admit, I didn't expect it to be you that came after me. Edan always was certain that somebody would avenge him, but his tiny little wife? But then, I suppose Harper never did care for his son…"

  Ingrid's hands clenched.

  "I wonder if guilt over the boy's death has caused him to rethink his priorities." Jorgenson eyed her, and Lolita quickly went to her side and put an arm around her.

  "We are not here to avenge Edan," she said quickly. "Ingrid and I are lovers, but my current… situation on Earth means that we can't be there. We have venom to sell so we can escape Harper and his ruthless dictatorship. There is no revenge planned."

  Jorgenson yawned lazily. "I don't believe you."

  Ingrid closed her eyes, concentrating on trying to slow her racing heart. "Edan is dead. I have no future in revenge, but I do have a future with Lolita. Please, just let us go. We'll give you the venom. We won't come onto your ship. Everybody knows you're out here, so it's not like we can reveal your location."

  "That is true. But that's not the reason I am inviting you onto my ship. Tell me, Ingrid… how much do you think Harper will pay for your safe return?"

  BOOK THREE: CHAINBOUND, AVAILABLE FOR PREORDER NOW

  About the Author

  Born in the Okanagan Valley, C.R Barlow grew up hiking mountain trails and splashing in the Okanagan Lake while looking for Ogopogo (and she swears she saw the legendary lake monster once!), and gazing at the stars at night with her two sisters and golden lab Billy.

  C.R. realized that she wanted to be a writer from a very young age, ever since she read her first novel and realized just how much the written word can affect a person. Now married to her best friend from elementary school, she still resides in the Okanagan, still searching for Ogopogo, now accompanied by her three-year old daughter and their pug, Puddles.