Coletti Warlords: Vexing Voss

by Gail Koger

  “Wait! Shit!” Gritting my teeth against the pain, I sucked in a long breath. “What’s your name?”

  “Kunwar. I am the king’s Battle Commander.”

  “Oh, like my Voss.”

  “Yes, your mate chose well.”

  “Um…thanks. I take it you’ve met Voss?”

  His amusement evident, Kunwar answered, “Many times.”

  “The Overlord and I would be honored to discuss battle strategies with you,” Voss said.

  “The Tai-Kok must be exterminated,” Kunwar stated, his voice flat and cold.

  “On that we agree,” Zarek responded. His words were filled with a quiet, deadly venom.

  Aw, how sweet. The boys were bonding.

  Bedan crawled up on my shoulder. “Wanna go home.”

  “Me too, sweetie.” A jangling sense of alarm knotted my stomach. I quickly surveyed the sea of crescent-shaped sand dunes. Nothing moved across the mirage-haunted surface. The only sound was the faint never-ending moan of the wind.

  The sensation of danger grew. Dropping my shields, I scanned the area, aware I had everyone’s attention. An image formed in my mind’s eye. A long snakelike body with armored spines and a cobra’s head.

  “Sand sharks,” Raj snarled.

  “Their hunger equals ours,” Kunwar growled.

  A scarlet spine cut the surface of the sand, and I had this silly urge to hum the theme song to Jaws.

  Bedan wrapped his tentacles in my hair and shivered. “Me scared.”

  I stroked his rubbery little body. “It’ll be okay.”

  “Sand sharks are very difficult to kill. When they break the surface, shoot them between the eyes,” Voss stated.

  “Yes, sir.” I pulled the laser rifle off my back and held it ready.

  Horrific jaws erupted from the sand, and the creature rose up and up and up. The thing was huge with pink eyes, a broad snout, and needle-sharp teeth. Emitting a tremendous roar, it spread its hood to attack.

  I shot the sand shark between the eyes. The head instantly vaporized.

  The enormous body convulsed violently, whipping up a mini sandstorm before flopping limply on the hot dirt.

  A dozen spines glided through the sand and attacked the body in a feeding frenzy.

  “We need to get out of here,” I gasped as hundreds more broke the surface.

  “Gorum do not run,” Kunwar hissed.

  “We stay, we die.”

  “There are too many of them to fight, and our king needs us,” Raj concurred.

  “The battle cruiser just launched a dozen marauders. That mountain range twenty clicks north of you is filled with iridium. If you can make it in time, they won’t be able to track you,” Voss advised.

  “Head for the mountains,” Raj commanded, and a swirling yellow vortex opened up and swallowed us.

  The tornado of death suddenly spat us out on the searing hot sand. A scant second later, the other Gorum appeared next to us.

  I frowned. We were still a good five miles from the mountains. “What happened?”

  “We need to eat,” Raj answered, his tentacle caressing my back hungrily.

  Holy Mary, mother of God! I was gonna die.

  “If you had bothered to scan the area, you would have known there are two immature sand sharks a click away. It should be enough to sustain them,” Voss snapped.

  Gritting my teeth, I snapped back, “Sorry, sir, it won’t happen again, sir. Raj there’s—”

  The Gorum shot forward, slithering across the dunes at an incredible speed. I hung on for dear life.

  Two scarlet spines broke through the sand.

  Raj abruptly dumped me on an oven-hot protrusion of rock and charged the sharks. The others were right behind him.

  The instant the sharks erupted from the sand, the Gorum were on them like a pack of starving wolves. Pink blood sprayed in every direction as they literally tore the sharks to pieces. Ewww.

  A severed head rolled to a stop by my perch.

  Bedan wiggled excitedly on my shoulder. “I eat eyes.”

  “Okeydokey.” I sat him on the head. To my horrified disgust Bedan popped the eyes out and ate them like they were chocolate. Ick.

  Four Tai-Kok Marauders appeared in the distance. The air streaming off their wings, they flew straight at us.

  This day just kept getting worse and worse. Dropping my shields, I reached out and took over a pilot’s mind. “They are the enemy; kill them.”

  The pilot obediently rolled his ship, came up behind the others, and unleashed a barrage of missiles.

  Fireballs mushroomed in the pale red sky. Pieces of flaming debris rained down over the endless sand.

  His ship damaged by the flying metal, my pilot instinctively fought to keep his ship aloft.

  “Go to sleep,” I commanded. A few seconds later, the remaining Marauder began spinning and twisting violently in a rapid vertical descent. It hit the sand and exploded in a brilliant ball of orange flames.

  “Well done, sugar tits, but there are eight more Marauders heading your way.”

  “I live for excitement.”

  Bedan scurried up my body and clung to my neck. “Big boom.”

  A feral smile touched my mouth. “Wanna make more go boom?”

  “That won’t be necessary.” Raj growled, wrapped a tentacle around my waist, and threw me on his gore-covered back. Oh gross!

  We fell into the vortex from hell, and an eternity later, it dumped us among eroded towers of crimson rock.

  I sucked in a horrified breath when something that looked like a giant mosquito landed on my arm.

  Before I could smack it, Bedan stuffed it in his mouth. “More, more, more.”

  “More?” Dear God, I hoped not. My eyes bugged out as a swarm of the repulsive critters suddenly descended on me. Shrieking bloody blue murder, I whacked frantically at them. “Get them off! Get them off!”

  All the Gorum crowded around me, and dozens of tentacles snatched up the bugs.

  A shudder shook me. I really hated this planet.

  Energy bolts ricocheted off the rocks.

  Raj tossed me behind a boulder.

  Something soft and squishy broke my fall. Scorm! Hundreds of Scorm!

  “Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!” Jumping around like a crazy person, I yanked out my laser pistol and started firing while my own personal bug zapper ate the ones crawling on me.

  A laser bolt zinged over my head.

  Voss bellowed furiously, “Take cover.”

  “Gotta kill ’em. Gotta kill ’em.”

  A tentacle latched on to my right ankle and yanked me off my feet. A salvo of red laser beams missed me by several inches.

  Kunwar hissed, “Do you have a death wish, female?”

  “I hate bugs, okay?”

  “It is not okay,” Voss roared. “You need to focus on killing the Tai-Kok.”

  “Fine.” Rage vibrating through every cell of my body, I unleashed my powers and started destroying the monsters’ minds.

  Marauder after Marauder after Marauder after Marauder fell from the sky.

  The earth trembled from the multiple impacts, and flames danced over the rocks.

  “Enough,” Voss snarled.

  “Just following your orders, sir.”

  Another Tai-Kok Marauder slammed into the ground. Smoke and flames belched from the wreckage.

  Every inch the merciless Battle Commander, Voss growled, “Stop it, Zoey.”

  The world spun dizzily around me, and my knees hit the hot sand. My energy reserves were gone. “As you command, my lord.”

  A squadron of Talon fighters rocketed overhead and shot down the remaining Marauders.

  A pair of armored boots appeared in front of me.

  “Your honey bunny has arrived.” Kunwar snickered.

  Voss’s furious gaze fastened on me.

  If looks could kill, I’d be stone-cold dead.

  Bedan crawled into my bra. “Me hide.”

  Chapter Fifteen


  Too bad I couldn’t pull a disappearing act. Giving Voss my best woebegone look, I let the tears roll. “I’ve been kidnapped, beat up, stung a zillion times, catapulted through the vortex from hell and—”

  “I am aware of everything that has happened to you,” he responded without an ounce of sympathy.

  Bastard. I let my voice wobble pathetically. “Everything? How about the attack of those creepy critters? They were crawling all over me.”

  A deep-throated chuckle sounded.

  That prick had the gall to laugh at me? I threw a furious look at him.

  Hands planted on his hips, Voss watched me with amused interest.

  Glad he found me so freaking entertaining. Narrowing my eyes at him, I snapped, “All I want is a hug. Is that too much to ask for?”

  “A hug?”

  “Aren’t you a tiny bit happy to see me?”

  My Battle Commander snorted rudely. “Happy is not quite the word I would use. Relieved and irritated come to mind.”

  Damn. “One little ‘honey bunny,’ and you would lock me up at the breeders compound?”

  “No. You would have it reduced to a pile of smoldering rubble within a day,” the big guy answered, picking me up. “From now on, you never leave my side.”

  Now who was overreacting? Wrapping my arms around his neck I chirped cheerfully, “I get to go into battle with you, attend all those cool warlord meetings, and watch you torture, maim, and kill people. Won’t that be fun?”

  Implacable resolve stamped on his face, Voss growled, “I will do what is necessary to keep you safe.”

  Whoa! Was my Battle Commander feeling guilty? I had been taken from him twice. I kissed his chin. “It wasn’t your fault. Shit like this happens to me all the time.”

  “It stops now.”

  Noticing the lines of stress etched into his face, I stroked him gently. “I’m okay. Really.”

  A sigh broke from Voss as he sat me on a boulder shaded by a twisted sentinel of rock. “You take too many risks.”

  “I’m a journalist, and it comes with the territory.”

  “You are no longer a journalist. You are my mate.”

  “I’m your partner, and together we’re gonna hunt down Malik and kill the bastard.”

  Voss smiled. “My fierce little warrior.” He pulled a medical scanner from the med kit he had slung over his shoulder and ran it over me. Frowning, he took out two pressure injectors and rapidly triggered them against my neck.

  “Ouch! What were those for?”

  “You’re severely dehydrated, and there is some cellular damage from the sun.”

  Some? I resembled a very well-done lobster. I licked my dry, cracked lips. “You didn’t happen to bring some water with you, did ya? I’m drier than the Sahara desert.”

  The big guy handed me a canteen.

  Popping off the lid, I took a big swallow and promptly spat it out. “Oh my God! You trying to poison me?”

  “Drink it. It will rehydrate you.”

  “It tastes like piss.”

  With an audible snap of his teeth, Voss commanded, “Drink it. Now.”

  Bedan’s head popped out of my bra, and he whispered, “Want me to kill big scary?”

  The Battle Commander growled at him.

  With a panicked yip, the little guy took refuge in my sweat-soaked hair.

  I glared at Voss. “He’s a baby.”

  “Who needs to learn some manners.”

  The Gorum encircled us.

  “Perhaps it is you who needs to learn some manners,” Kunwar said, menace oozing from him.

  Voss bared his fangs in a predatory smile. “Or I can teach you how to die.”

  Testosterone should be outlawed. I grabbed one of Kunwar’s tentacles and gave it a hard yank. “Enough! We don’t have time for all this macho crap. Did you forget there is a ship circling this planet, loaded with Tai-Kok?”

  The Battle Commander snapped irritably. “Zoey!”

  Kunwar’s eyestalks regarded me for a long moment. “Your female has a warrior’s heart.”

  “That she does,” Voss agreed testily.

  “Time’s a wastin’.”

  “Bossy too,” Vishna added.

  “But correct. The Tai-Kok must die,” Raj stated.

  Hundreds of pieces of burning debris suddenly streaked across the sky like a meteor shower.

  “Damn. I think the Overlord already took care of the Tai-Kok ship.”

  “He did,” Voss confirmed.

  An enormous swarm of those funky mosquitoes descended on us. Before I could freak out, dozens of tentacles danced around me, snagging the nasty critters.

  A quick glance at Voss, and I fought back a giggle.

  He had to fend for himself. I’ll admit the big guy did a great job of smacking the nasty bloodsuckers, but he was soon covered with squashed bug guts. Slimy, pus-green bug guts.

  I tried hard not to laugh but the antennas protruding from his hair pushed me over the edge.

  The Gorum joined in. Their laughter sounded like donkeys braying.

  The Battle Commander purred menacingly, “You think this is funny?”

  Giggling helplessly, I gasped, “Very. You’ve got antennas.”

  “Do I?” Voss brushed them off, and an evil glint appeared in his eyes. “I haven’t hugged you yet.” He reached for me.

  I dodged around Raj. “You are not touching me.”

  He popped in behind Raj, grabbed me in a bone-crushing hug, and gave me a long voracious kiss, making sure I was equally covered in slimy bug guts.

  “Bastard!” I shrieked and smacked his shoulder.

  “A proper mate shares everything,” Voss said, a satisfied smile curving his mouth.

  Bedan crawled over me, snagging bug parts and stuffing them in his maw.

  The others joined in, and it was like being groped by a dozen octopi.

  A kaleidoscope of images suddenly spun through my mind: scarlet rocks reached out like sinister thorny fingers from a sea of sand that seemed to stretch to eternity; Scorm scurried up armored boots; a bloody hand raised a laser pistol and fired at an attacking sand shark.

  Every nerve in my body tensed, and the breath left my lungs in an involuntary gasp. Malik! Holy moly, he was so close.

  Dropping my shields, I reached out and flinched. Rage. So much rage and hatred.

  With a low growl, Voss slid into my mind, followed by Raj and Kunwar. Zarek crowded in, strengthening our link, and together we scanned for the traitor. There. Not even ten clicks away, Malik’s dark aura beckoned like a beacon.

  To my astonishment, Malik’s thoughts were simple to read. He held me responsible for the destruction of his bases and Anhui’s ship.

  Really? It wasn’t like I did it all by my lonesome.

  Shock vied with fury over how easy it had been for a tiny female to take over his Tai-Kok warriors’ minds and destroy his squadron of Marauders.

  The murdering bastard was going to be even more surprised when the tiny female killed him.

  Only instinct honed by years of battle had given Malik the ability to teleport as his ship had disintegrated around him. That truly sucked.

  Malik’s taunting laughter sounded in my head. “What is yours, Voss, will soon be mine.”

  “Zoey cannot be owned nor can she be broken. My mate is stronger than you, and make no mistake she will destroy you,” Voss responded calmly.

  My jaw dropped at the respect and approval in the big guy’s voice.

  “I will have her beneath me and screaming as I thrust into her again and again.”

  I let out an amused laugh. “The only one screaming will be you when I rip off your snake penis thingy and feed it to you.”

  All the males in my head flinched.

  “Surrender now or face the Kalafat,” Zarek spat.

  “You wouldn’t dare, old man. The Kalafat hasn’t been used in over ten centuries.”

  “Your crimes warrant it.”

  A shudder shook me. Being tortured
to the point of death for a month did seem a bit extreme until I remembered the screams of the children. Malik absolutely deserved such a fate.

  Malik’s maniacal laugh echoed around my skull. “Once the Destroyer of Worlds is mine, you will kneel at my feet, Father, and beg me not to destroy Tanith.”

  “The Destroyer of Worlds no longer exists,” Raj said smugly.

  “Liar! Desh showed it to me. I have the coordinates.”

  Kunwar snorted derisively. “Why would Desh allow you to possess the Destroyer of Worlds when he wants to rule the universe?”

  “He wouldn’t dare betray me. I left a garrison of warriors behind,” Malik snarled.

  I rolled my eyes. “God, you’re such a maroon. Desh and his buddies have gobbled them all down by now.”

  “I will destroy you all!” Malik bellowed in fury and severed the link.

  “Wow! I think the stress of losing two bases and forty million credits has pushed him over the edge.”

  “Yes it has,” Voss responded with great satisfaction.

  “The explosion drew both the Askole’s and Alliance’s attention. Commander Zan and Sariel insist on joining the search. A team has teleported down and set up a command center. Join me there,” Zarek commanded and left my mind.

  I looked up at Voss. “Sariel the Askole High Commander?”

  “Yes.”

  “Wow! I’ve never met an Askole before.”

  Kunwar added, “Askole warriors are tough to digest.”

  My eyes widened in horror. Oh dear God. “You aren’t planning on eating any of them, are you?”

  “No, he is not,” Raj stated empathically. “We are in no shape to defeat them.”

  “Speak for yourself,” Kunwar snapped.

  I shook my finger at him. “You better behave yourself, buster.”

  Voss groaned.

  Kunwar wrapped a tentacle around my neck. “Or what?”

  I held up a thermite grenade. “You’ll die on this miserable planet, and Bebo will face Desh alone.”

  “You won’t pull that pin.”

  “Try me.”

  Voss’s massive hand closed over mine. “Don’t encourage her.”

  Kunwar’s eyestalks studied me for a moment, and his tentacle cautiously petted my back. “Few dare challenge me.”

  “I want Malik dead, and that won’t happen if you decide to munch on an Askole.”

  “My hunger is great.”