by Gail Koger
Charred metal superstructures of the once-vibrant downtown Phoenix rose like freakish skeletons against the turquoise sky. A few dying palm trees offered meager shade from the sweltering sun.
Navigating around the bomb craters littering the road, I wondered if Central Command was ever going to get their act together and start rebuilding Phoenix. It had been two years since the last Tai-Kok attack, and the downtown area was still a mess.
Sweat trickled down my back as my wheezing air-conditioner blew warm air around my stifling hot car. Detroit made new cars, but only the very rich could afford them. It made me wonder how the general got that fancy red sports car he drove.
Was he the traitor? Maybe. I knew he was getting kickbacks from somewhere, but I couldn’t pin down the money trail. A grim smile touched my mouth. If he was responsible for Mom’s murder, I would put a bullet in him.
I brought my beat-up piece of crap to a stop and carefully scanned the few dilapidated houses still standing. Heat waves quivered across the empty street like restless spirits.
Skeletal trees surrounded Jose Chavez’s tiny weather-beaten house. A brand-new red monster truck was parked in the tumbleweed-filled front yard. Who knew working as a day laborer at a chicken farm paid so well?
“I have captured Marie and Alejandro Vega,” Voss announced in my head.
Shoving my car door open, I hissed, “So much for the esteemed Coletti honor.”
“I cannot allow you to continue on this foolish path. Drop your shields.”
“Not happening. You hurt my friends, and I will kill you.” Horror knotted my stomach, and I gave myself a mental head smack. I was turning into a motormouth with suicidal tendencies.
Voss’s voice was a purr of menace. “You issue another challenge?”
“No. I’m merely stating the facts.” I practically ran up the cracked sidewalk. Dear God, it was like my evil twin had taken over my brain and was deliberately trying to piss off Voss.
I eyed the faded picture of the Virgin of Guadalupe taped to a cracked window. It’d take a miracle to escape the Battle Commander.
Pounding frantically on the door, I shouted, “Hey! I accidentally hit your truck.”
The door flew open, and the real Jose Chavez stood there. His eyes widened in shock. “What the fuck?”
“Hola,” I said and shot him with my handy-dandy tranquilizer gun.
Jose’s eyes rolled back in his head, and down he went.
Grabbing his legs, I dragged him inside the house and shut the door. My radar went on red alert, and I instinctively ducked.
A black cast-iron skillet missed my skull by an inch.
I spun around, and this tiny Hispanic grandmother dressed like a hooker took another swing at me. “Te voy a matar!”
I jumped back. The skillet whizzed by my nose and took out a lamp. I think she said she was going to kill me. Now was that nice? I hadn’t hurt her son.
“Me cago en la madre que te pario,” she snarled as she came at me again.
Did she really say, “I shit on the mother who gave birth to you?” I backed away, tripped over an end table, and fell.
The old biddy raised the skillet over her head. “Die, puta!”
Power rippled around the stuffy room.
Shit! He had found me. I scuttled backward as Granny tried to bash my head in again.
The Battle Commander appeared, yanked the skillet away from her, and pointed to a chair. “Sit!”
Her eyes glassy and unfocused, Granny obediently sat.
I shot to my feet and eyed the door.
“Go ahead, I love a good chase,” he said with an evil grin.
“You mean a very short chase,” I retorted.
Voss shrugged and surveyed me from head to toe. “Another excellent disguise.”
“I won’t let you stop me.”
A smile touched his hard mouth. “You have two choices. Either you drop your shields and accept me as your mate, or I take you back to my ship and lock you up.”
My stomach knotted in dismay. “I know this is a difficult concept for a Coletti to grasp, but I have no desire to become your broodmare.”
Voss cocked an eyebrow. “Broodmare? Explain.”
“You know, you take me back to Tanith, and every year I pop out a little warrior for you.”
“You find having my children unappealing?”
“If that’s my only purpose in life, you bet your ass I would find it unappealing.”
The Battle Commander stalked closer and closer. “You are not nor will you ever be just a breeder. I chose you because you are a warrior. I need a mate who is fearless, powerful, and cunning. I want you, Zoey Jones. No other.”
I backed into the tiny kitchen. Cunning? Fearless? Really? He scared the piss out of me. “So you won’t stop me from going after the traitors?”
“You agree to finish the mating bond now, and we will hunt them together.”
I gaped at him in horror. “You want to do the nasty here? In front of them?”
“Refuse, and you will never find your mother’s killer.”
For a brief moment I considered filling him full of lead, but the bastard was wearing his battle armor. I had no choice but to surrender, and he knew it. “I have your word that we are full partners in the hunt for the traitors?”
“Yes.”
“Then we have a deal, but if you break it, I will kill you,” my evil twin spat.
Voss threw back his head and roared with laughter.
“I’m glad you find me so amusing.”
“Your defiance is a refreshing change.”
“I guess you are used to scaring the snot out of people. Maybe if you stopped stealing women, you’d make a few more friends, and everyone would stop trying to kill you.”
“We do what we must to survive.”
“What a load of crap.”
His face hardened, and he commanded, “Drop your shields.”
God, I hoped I was doing the right thing. I had to find Mom’s killers and stop the traitors, no matter what the consequences. I lowered my shields, flinching as he slid into my mind and made himself at home. I could feel him sifting through my memories of Paul.
I hissed, “Jealous?”
His big hand stroked my neck possessively. “He was your only lover, and as a warrior should, he died protecting you.”
I bristled as the old pain swept through me. “Those memories are private. Stay the hell out of them.”
His hand tightened. “Take off your pants.”
Say what? No foreplay? Not even a kiss? “You want to have sex with me looking like a guy?”
“I will have you no matter what you look or smell like,” Voss growled.
I had used the antidote cream after my escape, but the faint scent of skunk still clung to me. It took every ounce of courage I had to remove my gun belt and drop it on the counter. “We really don’t have time for this.”
Implacable resolve filled Voss’s eyes, and he drawled ominously, “There is no going back. Take off your pants.”
Nervously I chewed on my lower lip. I could do this. So their penises were different from humans. How bad could it be?
“I don’t have any pubic hair either,” Voss added.
That I could live with. I slowly toed off my boots. “And how about balls? You got any of those?”
“No.”
“Paul had nice big ones.”
A dangerous light glittering in his eyes, Voss queried, “Do you think I care?”
“Probably not.” I sucked in a deep breath and removed my jeans, revealing the Askole armor.
Voss shook his head in disbelief. “You were the one who ordered the child-sized armor?”
“Yep, you should have seen the general’s face when he got the bill.” I smiled at the memory of his tirade.
Something thrashed wildly against the front of Voss’s pants.
Okay, that was a bit freaky. “You got a critter in your pants?”
“No,” he growled throu
gh gritted teeth.
Then it hit me. It was his snake penis thingy. “Is it supposed to do that?”
“The drive to complete the mating bond is very strong.”
No kidding. It was almost as if the thing was trying to eat its way out. I backed away from him. “Kinda like the salmon swimming upstream, huh?”
“It’s not quite the same.” The Battle Commander pounced with a ferocity that startled me, and with one quick movement had my armor off.
Panic bubbled up. “Wait! Can I see it first?”
Voss sat me on the counter. “See it?”
“You know, your snake penis thingy.”
He stared at me for a long moment and then nodded. “Yes, you may examine my thingy.” He removed his weapons belt, boots, and battle suit.
Wowzers, that was one fine ass. Tight. Muscled.
Voss turned.
His chest was so ripped, and I wanted to lick every inch of it. My eyes bugged out. Holy guacamole! A slit had opened in his abdomen, and out it slid. His penis was snakelike with a frill of tentacles around the top. Kinda freaky.
“Freaky?” The Battle Commander’s voice was a low growl.
Oh hell! I had forgotten the cardinal rule. Never, ever make fun of a guy’s penis. “No need to get all snarky. I was just a little…uh…surprised. Can I touch it?”
“Yes.” The snake stopped, and the copper-colored frill opened and closed almost as if it was scenting the air.
I reached down and wrapped a hand around it. It was velvety to touch, but I could feel a steel-like hardness beneath the skin.
The tentacles petted my hand.
An amazed laugh broke from me. “I think he likes me.” The snake grew in size. “A lot.”
A shudder shook Voss, and he barked, “Spread your legs.”
“But…” I pointed at his now enormous penis. “That’s never gonna fit.”
He bared his fangs in a vicious snarl. “Do it.”
I quickly obeyed. Someone was being a cranky butt.
Voss dropped his shields, and his overwhelming need slammed into my mind. It was a wild, out-of-control rush of hunger only I could satisfy.
My body suddenly burned, ached for him. I needed him inside me. I needed to touch him. I wanted his possession.
Voss was everywhere. The gentle brush of his mind against mine was incredibly intimate. He slid a calloused palm under the elastic bandage wrapped around my chest and stroked my breasts, sending pleasure cascading over me.
I licked and suckled his right nipple. God, I loved his spicy taste, the way his muscles danced beneath my fingers.
His greedy mouth fastened on mine, branding me, claiming me.
“You are mine,” Voss rumbled in my head.
My body convulsed as his engorged penis thrust into me and penetrated my womb. I screamed as the tentacles pulsed and vibrated wildly. Hooboy. Who needed sex toys? Even better—no batteries.
I wriggled and squirmed as the vibrations intensified. “Oh God. That’s incredible.”
“Mine,” Voss shouted again. His penis seesawed across my clit.
Nearly helpless with desire, I grabbed his buttocks and hung on. The fiery mating of our mouths was almost primal. Voss filled that empty void inside my heart, and I knew he would never leave me. I was his for all eternity. I felt the mating bond snap in as a brain-jelling orgasm hit. Boneless, I slumped across the counter as spasm after spasm shook me. Oh my God! Sex with a warlord was an incredible, mind-blowing rush.
Voss put his uniform back on. “Get dressed. We hunt now.”
I struggled into a sitting position and glared at him. “So much for coital bliss.”
Pure male satisfaction flashed in his eyes as he tossed me my armor. “I made you a promise.”
“True, but next time I expect more than a slam, bam, thank you, ma’am.”
A wicked smile pulled at Voss’s mouth. “You are going to be a very demanding mate.”
“Very.” My body craved his touch. I wanted to rub myself all over him. I… Crap. What I had read about the mating bond was true. There would be no divorce or separation. Only death would part us. I hurriedly dressed and fished the car keys out of Jose’s pocket.
The Battle Commander held out his hand and announced arrogantly, “I will drive the vehicle.”
“You know how to drive?”
“I know how to pilot many vehicles.”
“Yeah, but cars aren’t quite like spaceships.”
“You doubt my skills?” His tone was more than a bit testy as he snatched the keys away from me.
Smothering a groan, I grabbed my bag of tricks and followed him out the door. Male pride was such a fragile thing.
Voss picked me up, gently put me in the truck, and climbed in.
I slid over, fighting back a laugh. The big guy barely fit behind the steering wheel.
He inserted the key into the ignition. “Machine on.”
A giggle escaped me.
With a puzzled frown, Voss asked, “That is not the correct command?”
“Nope.” I turned the key, and the engine roared to life. “You know, it might be a really good idea if I drive.”
“I am the Overlord’s Battle Commander. There is not a machine I cannot operate.”
“Okey dokey, then.” I quickly fastened my seat belt. This should be fun.
He studied the gearshift for a moment, put the truck in reverse, and gunned it.
Bam! The rear bumper slammed into the passenger side of my car, smashing the door in.
“Oh my God! Look what you did to my car.”
“You have no further need of it,” Voss replied callously and put the truck into drive, plowing over a dead bush.
“Oh hell no, you are not getting off that easy. You’re going to buy me a new car, buster.”
Voss shot me an annoyed look. “Once we have found the traitors, we are leaving Earth.”
The bastard expects me to give up everything? “This is my home.”
“You are my mate, and it is your duty to follow me.”
“Even into battle?”
“A tiny female cannot defeat a warrior. “
“Really? I took you, Jaylan, and your goons down.”
“It won’t happen again.
My eyes widened in horror. He wasn’t slowing down for the red light. “Red light!”
“I see it.”
I let out a shriek as he sailed through the intersection, barely missing an old lady in an old battered van. “Red means stop!”
“I do not obey your laws,” the big guy growled.
“I’m not dying in a car accident because you’re a pigheaded moron.” To my dismay, I felt a tear roll down my cheek. I had been in my mother’s mind when she died. I couldn’t shut out the memory of her agony.
Voss shifted through my memories, and the pain faded. “Her death will be avenged.”
“Damn right it will, snookums.” Fire ants suddenly crawled across my mind. My psychic abilities made me Earth’s first line of defense against the alien invaders. A very useful talent. Opening my Siren senses, I reached out, searching for the Tai-Kok raiders. The monsters were close. Too close.
“How many do you sense?”
“Not many. It’s a small raiding party.” I cocked my head. Well, that’s weird. “Why would the Tai-Kok have a Coletti with them?”
The Overlord’s Battle Commander’s presence filled my mind. “Show me.”
I instinctively obeyed.
“Malik,” Voss hissed.
“Sweet Jesus! Malik, the Overlord’s traitorous son?”
“Yes.” Voss severed our link. Ignoring the oncoming traffic, he whipped the truck across three lanes of traffic and brought it to an abrupt stop.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’ll be back,” he growled and teleported.
What? Did he think he was the Terminator? Okay, he kind of was, but if he thought he could pull a vanishing act without any kind of explanation he was sadly mistaken. I scooted
into the driver’s seat and headed for the Latin King’s Family Farm. El Jefe waited.
Chapter Five
The closer I got to the Latin King’s Family Farm, the stronger the burning sensation in my head grew. The meeting was definitely going down there. Big surprise. Malik was in cahoots with the Tai-Kok and the traitors.
Ahead of me, a battered sign with a large egg on it proclaimed LATIN KING’S FAMILY FARM THREE MILES. I turned onto the dirt road.
Lifeless trees from a long-abandoned orange grove rose like blackened specters around me. Ten years of war with the Tai-Kok and Rodan raiders had pretty much destroyed our economy. Arizona’s once-flourishing orange groves were being slowly reclaimed by the desert.
“Go back to the base and wait for me,” Voss commanded. His tone was that of a predator hot on the trail of his prey.
That lying sack of shit was going after the traitors without me. “You promised we would hunt them together.”
The Battle Commander’s anger rolled across my mind. “I hunt a viciously cunning warlord, not weak humans. You will immediately leave the battle area.”
In my best timid-mouse voice, I replied, “As my lord commands.”
“Zoey,” Voss growled in warning.
“Yes, poopsie?”
“It is my duty to protect you.”
“You chose me because I’m a warrior. I can and will fight at your side.”
“You are no match for a warlord.”
How quickly they forget.
My psychic radar went on red alert, and I quickly scanned the area. “Hey, there’s another Coletti warrior coming up behind you.”
I felt Voss’s surprise. “Degan is one of my warriors, but I did not summon him.”
Agony seared through every cell in my body. I fought back the blackness threatening to engulf me and barely managed to pull off to the side of the road. “What the hell was that?”
“Stun ray,” Voss hissed before our link was severed abruptly by another blast of agonizing pain.
I sucked in a shuddering breath and waited for the pain to subside. Being stunned hurt like a sonovabitch. I reached out. “Voss, you okay? Voss? Answer me, dammit!”
His only response was a muted groan.
Cold fear slithered down my spine. We had another fucking traitor. Honor was going the way of the dodo bird. Malik was probably rubbing his hands with glee at the thought of parading the Overlord’s battle commander around in chains.
