Zylott Wars 3: Rescue

by Aubrey Ross

  “And how will this one help?”

  “The male wants to play hero. He wants to protect the female. Adara will want to protect her sister and this one is expendable.”

  “Not until I’ve fucked them both!” Jarek crossed his arms over his chest. He didn’t spare Felise so much as a glance. “Be specific. What will you do?”

  “I’ll bring my breeders in here and explain the situation. Neither one of them will bend to save themselves, but they will sacrifice themselves to save their loved ones. Most peculiar.”

  “So you’ll threaten this one to make her sister cooperate?”

  “We’ll start with threats. If they refuse to cooperate, I’ll let my guards rape that one in progressively more violent ways until Adara convinces the Terran to relent.”

  Felise had heard enough. They were here to cause a diversion, not get her raped or worse. She tugged against the chain and tried to reach the pistol.

  Patience, firebird. We don’t have to go find them if she brings them to us. Keep struggling, just don’t use the gun.

  “She doesn’t seem happy with my plan.”

  “I’m not sure I am either. Will there be enough left of her for me to enjoy after your guards finish with her?”

  “I doubt Adara will let it go very far. Besides, this is my only offer.”

  “Then, let’s get started.”

  Curses and shuffling feet preceded the captives’ entrance. A muscular Setti wrestled with the male. Felise tried not to gawk, but he was naked, his blue-black hair whipping around his chest as he struggled with his handler. The handler smacked him on the side of the head and used his momentary daze to force him to his knees. He secured the captive’s restrained wrists to his crossed ankles, effectively immobilizing him.

  Is this Xenos’ son? How can we be sure?

  The captive looked right at her and blue light ignited in his gaze. The same blue light that flashed through the room right before Xenos appeared. Had he heard her or guessed her thoughts from the confusion on her face.

  Before she could decide, Adara was dragged into the room. Naked, she put up just as much of a fight, thrashing and twisting, shouting obscenities. Her handler took it all in stride.

  That’s Tilden, or at least that’s his body. I think the wraith controls him now.

  “Felise. No! Why is she here?” Cef forced Adara to her knees and secured her in the same position as Rhys.

  “That’s up to you, little princess,” Odele began. “You said you’d die before you’d cooperate with me. Well, how about your sister? Will you watch Cef rape her every way a woman can be raped? How many violations will it take for you to be reasonable?”

  Blue light flashed through the room with blinding intensity. By the time Felise’s eyes cleared, Rhys stood over the broken body of his handler. Xenos surrounded Tilden in a cloud of glittering light. Nyx reinforced the containment, feeding energy to the Guardian.

  “Kill him!” Rhys ordered. “You must destroy the body before the wraith escapes.”

  Jarek hesitated with his hands at his sides. Felise grabbed the pulse pistol and fired at the middle of Tilden’s chest. The Death Master crumpled to the floor. Turquoise light flared in his eyes and Felise fired a blast directly at his head.

  She turned and found Jarek and Nyx wrestling Odele to the floor. They secured her arms behind her back, then pulled her upright again. Rhys flew across the room and tangled his fingers in her hair. “You vicious, perverted bitch!”

  “Don’t kill her yet,” Xenos cautioned. “We need her to get to Hakon.”

  The Guardian took on shape, but still radiated blue light.

  “It’s good to see you, Father. What the hell took you so long?”

  Stepping over Tilden’s body, Felise knelt behind Adara. Her hands trembled so badly she could barely release the restraints. As soon as she was free, Adara turned and collapsed into Felise’s arms. Felise was afraid to ask if Adara was all right. Whatever she had suffered was over now. They would get through it together.

  “He never touched me,” Adara whispered. “I still can’t believe no one touched me.”

  “Why was she so bent on breeding us?” Rhys asked.

  “Adara is Gibrath’s daughter and you are my son. Could there be a more powerful hybrid than your child?” Xenos told him. “Besides, through your progeny, Cef would have had a distant claim to the throne.”

  “Why is that?” Felise understood the rest, but what connected the wraith to the captives?

  “My daughter was forced by the Setti to give birth to three hybrids. Cef was the last. Now she can rest in peace.” Xenos glided toward Odele. “We have one task left undone.”

  Odele laughed. “You’ll never get near Hakon.”

  Xenos transformed into light and sank into Odele’s body. Rhys smiled, understanding his father’s intentions. “We can’t get near Hakon, but you can.”

  Odele fought, twisting and yelling as Xenos took over. “No! I will not transform.” Despite her protest, her body elongated, her face narrowed, and her secondary legs extended. With a final shove, Xenos rendered her unconscious and took complete control. “I’ll flash out as soon as I’ve killed Hakon, and his guards will take care of Odele. You should leave now.”

  Jarek pulled his shirt off over his head and handed it to Adara. Rhys seemed less concerned with his nudity, but Nyx offered him a cloak. “Meet us in the Nexus Chamber. We’ve still some things to sort out.”

  “I’ll be there directly,” Xenos assured him. “Don’t tarry here.” He left the room, locking the door behind him.

  Jarek stood over Tilden’s body, grief shining in his eyes.

  “Should we take him back with us?” Nyx asked.

  “No.” Jarek shook his head. “All that was Tilden died back on Zylott. This is an empty husk, tainted by a Setti wraith.”

  “You must incinerate him.” Rhys’ tone was hushed and respectful. “Wraiths are incredibly hard to kill.”

  Jarek nodded, but Nyx hesitated. “Are you sure?”

  “My friend is dead. Nothing can change that. Do what must be done.”

  Chapter Nine

  “So this is a Nexus Chamber,” Felise said with a smile. They’d been waiting for nearly an hour for Xenos to arrive. “I expected something more grandiose.”

  Rhys smiled. He’d pulled his long black hair away from his face, revealing the masculine beauty of his features. His sapphire eyes occasionally sparked with incandescent light. He was half Guardian and half Terran, a term Felise hadn’t heard before.

  “I’ve heard a lot about you, Lord Rhys,” Nyx said. “I wish we had met under better circumstances.”

  “As do I, and let’s dispense with the lord business. Titles are all but obsolete in my dimension.”

  “Where is your dimension?” Felise asked.

  “The Keepers have been there. The planet is called Earth. Most travelers refer to it as dimension 939-3.”

  “What is taking so long?” Adara rubbed her arms, her gaze darting repeatedly to Rhys.

  “Let’s find out.” Rhys turned to one section of the wall and made an intricate gesture with his hands. The reflective surface rippled and an image formed.

  Felise moved closer. Rhys had opened a window into the Setti realm. The room was long and narrow, with an elaborate throne at the far end. A full-blooded Setti sat upon the throne. Its muscular, primary legs braced wide apart, while its secondary legs draped the arms of the throne. Gray-green skin covered its entire body, but across its torso the membrane was transparent, displaying its internal organs.

  “The Setti communicate telepathically.” Rhys’ deep voice drew her attention away from her revulsion. “I’ll transmit their conversation if I can.”

  Until Odele converts Gibrath’s daughter, we have nothing more to discuss. Send her away! As the words erupted in her mind, Felise realized the creature had no mouth.

  A guard knelt before the throne, its narrow head lowered nearly to the floor. She is most insistent, s
ire. I’ve already tried to dissuade her.

  Admit her. He made an impatient gesture with one of his gnarled claws. Then prepare my training room. I’ve had enough of Odele’s demands!

  The guard scurried backward, exiting the room without turning around.

  “That creature is the Setti king?” Adara asked.

  “The title they use is Supreme Midox, but it is essentially the same.” Rhys glanced at Adara, blue light flashing in his eyes. “Is this where Odele took you before she brought you to me?”

  Adara nodded, her expression tense. Felise slipped her arm around Adara’s shoulders and gave her a little squeeze.

  Odele entered a moment later, once again in her Setti form. Her thicker skin and sleeker build revealed her mixed heritage. Felise studied her face, detecting no hint of Xenos.

  State your business! Hakon scooted to the edge of his throne. My patience is wearing thin.

  By decree of the Council of Elders, the Guardians have deemed you unworthy of life! Blue streams of energy burst from both Odele’s palms, catching Hakon in the chest. The Setti ruler shrieked. Writhing uncontrollably, Hakon jerked from his throne, tumbled off the dais, and landed on the floor. His twin hearts ceased beating. Life faded from his eyes. With a final burst of blue light, Xenos reduced the corpse to ash.

  The Guardian flashed into the Nexus Chamber, looking rather harrowed. “I’m getting too old for this.”

  Hakon’s guards descended on Odele, rending her limb from limb in a repulsive display of brutality. Rhys closed the portal and faced his father. “Do you need energy? That had to be taxing.”

  “I’m fine. I just need a moment to stabilize.”

  “What happens now?” Felise asked. The images of the slave market wouldn’t leave her mind. “Won’t another take Hakon’s place?”

  “The Setti’s one weakness is the fact that they cannot exist anywhere but in their dimension. I’m going to propose to the elders that we seal the Setti realm. I believe I have enough evidence of their atrocities to win the vote this time.”

  “You’ve made the proposal before?” The discovery shocked Felise. “Why did the Guardians allow the devastation to continue?”

  “When my daughter was captured by the Setti and forced to bear the wraiths, I petitioned the elders to seal the dimension, but they refused. The Guardians like to offer guidance, not impose our will on others. That’s why we use the Chosen ones. I contacted Nyx and he helped me uncover the full extent of their depravity. It no longer looks like a personal vendetta.”

  “What about the slaves? We can’t just leave them there?”

  Xenos nodded. “They will be returned to their home dimensions before we seal the Setti realm.”

  “You can do this? The Guardians have that much power?” It sounded a bit fantastic.

  Rhys grinned. “You obviously know little about the Guardians.”

  “Rhys is my eyes and ears. He is my number one recruiter. He spotted Nyx and convinced me to give him a chance.” Paternal pride rang in each word.

  Felise looked at Rhys with growing admiration, then confusion knitted her brow. “How did they capture you?”

  His handsome face flushed and his gaze darted in the other direction. “That Setti bitch was persuasive in a way I wasn’t expecting. I thought she was a Flame Keeper. I realized my mistake too late.”

  He strolled over to Adara and raised her hand to his lips. “I was impressed by your courage. We’re always looking for dynamic members to join the Chosen team.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “I suspect we’ll meet again.”

  She flashed a flirtatious smile.

  “Take care of each other,” Xenos said to the group at large. “The Setti crisis is ended, but there are threats all over the galaxy that —”

  “My mate and I are soon to have our first child,” Nyx interrupted with a grin. “I am more than ready for peace and quiet.”

  Xenos inclined his head. “If you need me, you know how to contact me. I believe you’ve a festival to attend.”

  *

  Felise and Jarek faced each other on the ceremonial platform, surrounded by the rowdy assembly. The crowd had been disappointed when they learned it was not to be a traditional joining. The same robed cleric guided them through their vows. At the end of the cleric’s pronouncement, Jarek pulled Felise into his arms and gave her a long, lingering kiss.

  The crowd applauded and cried out for more than a kiss, but Jarek waved them away. Felise tuned out the laughter and catcalls, focused entirely on her heart’s Master. Jarek swept her into his arms and carried her from the ballroom. “Can we make love in the palace or do you want to run away again?”

  “I want to be where you are.” She stroked the side of his face. “That’s all that matters to me.”

  He paused in the corridor and kissed her with all of the tenderness in his heart. “I know this was all rather sudden, but we’ve the rest of our lives to explore.”

  She smiled into his eyes and kissed his lips. “I look forward to every day.”

  Aubrey Ross

  Multi-award winning author Aubrey Ross writes an eclectic assortment of erotic fiction. From sinister power struggles between demonic clans to adventurous Mystic Keepers, her books are filled with passion and imagination. Release your inhibitions and let her stories take you where only dreamers dare to soar.

  Visit her website at: http://www.aubreyross.com or join Aubrey’s news group at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Anything-but-Ordinary.