Claimed: Unchartered Territory

by Nia K. Foxx

  “What does she say,” Nola asked, reminding once again that only Kala understood her. Kala’s reply was cut off by the whirring sound of an approaching transport. The vessel came into view hovering above the opening before touching down with a soft thud. From the size of the vessel it would be a tight squeeze but she wasn’t complaining.

  One door panel raised to allow a giant Chezarian to exit.

  Delak gave the man a friendly arm grab. From their look and build either the men were related or there was a pumpkin patch somewhere on the planet that turned out behemoths. Nola took Dallas’ hand again and moved in closer. It may have provided comfort for the girl but it was just as soothing for Dallas. The new arrivals gave a long curious look in Nola and Dallas’ direction.

  Too late, she remembered her hood was off and afforded him full view of her face. The man pulled Kala and Delak closer to the ship for a private conversation.

  “I wish I knew what he was saying to them,” Nola mumbled what Dallas was thinking.

  Kala cast a glance in their direction before turning back to her comrades. Her speech was animated but the distance was too far to yield any understanding. Finally, Kala broke away from the males and Delak moved toward the ships opening. He paused and the look he gave them set Dallas’ heart to racing. Kala walked towards them purposefully.

  “There is news,” Kala started. “It appears your bond mate has taken Voren’s manor.”

  Remar here, her heart soared at the news but Kala’s next words quickly zapped it.

  “He should find this hiding spot soon.”

  “But you are preparing to leave?” Dallas nodded towards the ship as the stranger reboarded.

  “Yes.”

  “Without me,” Dallas added when it was clear Kala wasn’t going to follow up on her one word answer.

  “Yes, with your bond mate so close the men are afraid of being discovered with you.”

  “I’ll explain they were… you all were helping me to escape.”

  Kala shook her head slowly. “It is not a risk they are willing to take.”

  “So you’re going to leave me here, what if those guys we roughed up come looking for us?”

  “Take this,” Kala said handing over a taser like weapon she recognized. “Stay hidden in here and you will be fine.”

  During the exchange Nola stared between the both of them obviously piecing their conversation together.

  “You cannot just leave us here.”

  Kala sighed. “You, little annoying one, will be coming with us.”

  Nola’s wide eyed stare fixed on Kala. “I will not go with you.”

  “But you have to,” Dallas said quickly but realized her error. To Kala she said, “Tell her I said she has to go with you, it’s safer.”

  “Hey did I not warn you I will not play translator.”

  “Count this as your one last good deed before you abandon the woman you abducted in a condemned building in the middle of the night,” she didn’t try to hide her sarcasm.

  “All right, consider this my parting gift.” Kala quickly repeated Dallas’ statement.

  Nola’s eyes pleaded with her. “I will not go and leave you alone. What about those men who were after us?”

  “Kala has weaponized me,” Dallas answered and Kala translated.

  “Well I am staying. I do not trust her. She wished to abandon me first and is now doing so to you. How do I know she will not drop me somewhere in the Forgotten Valley?”

  “That doesn’t sound like such a bad idea,” Kala warned.

  “Go without me too,” Nola said sidling even closer to Dallas.

  Dallas wanted to argue, convince Nola the safer course might be with Kala but doubted Kala would wait around for her to do so.

  “Okay, fine she can stay with me.”

  Kala rubbed her brow ridges in a way Dallas had seen Remar do when he battled a headache. “I wish you ladies safe passage back to sector two but hope to never see either of you again.”

  “And here I thought we’d exchange holo com codes. I would thank you for your help this far but seeing as you’re responsible for my being here anyway I’ll just say good journey.”

  “We will send an anonymous com once we are safely out of Voren’s sector,” she offered solemnly.

  “You’re going into hiding?”

  “With three angry High Commanders wanting to take my head what do you think? And please save me your promise of a pardon. The news my friend brought about Voren is not promising. I do not think he will be in a forgiving mood in the foreseeable future and really have no desire to see how creative he will be with my punishment,” Kala said before turning on her heels and moving towards the ship with an easy swagger.

  Dallas and Nola watched as she boarded without so much as a backwards glance.

  “Her backside is the best side,” Nola commented.

  It wasn’t quite how she would have phrased it but Dallas understood the sentiment.

  ***

  Because a trained warrior could resist the effects of the Q’ema root for a certain length of time. Remar ordered a higher dosage administered to the leader. Still, after a grueling interrogation Voren appeared unaffected. The cold, dead eyed stare he fixed Remar with would unnerve most but he was familiar with the inner workings of the sadistic sociopath. As a child he experienced firsthand the level of patience and restraint Voren used in executing his torture on subordinates and smaller sentient creatures. There was for sure a defect in the mind of the male. He was cruel for no reason and possessed a wickedness which ran deep.

  “Nothing you say or do will make my answer change. I do not know your bond mate’s location but it seems that something of great value to me has gone missing too. Perhaps the two are together. If that is the reality I would like what is mine returned to me. I am sure you can understand.”

  “Lock him away. I want two guards on him at all time.”

  “You do not have the authority,” Voren spat.

  Remar chose to ignore Voren as he was practically dragged from the room. Either he was truly unaware of Dal’las’ location or he had somehow become immune to the effects of the Q’ema root. It was a curious matter indeed but something to be queried over at another time instead Remar mentally revisited what Voren had revealed. Dallas was gone from the manor of her own volition or with help, and whomever she was in the company of was someone of importance to Voren. His two bond mates and infant sons were accounted for…

  “Have his bond mates brought here.” Remar commanded one of the remaining guards.

  It wasn’t long before twin females entered the room hesitantly, their gazes scanning expectantly when they approached the dais.

  “Do not worry Voren is not here,” Remar said trying to sound far more patient than he felt.

  The mere mention of the former leader’s name seemed to have the women ready to cower. They shared a look before turning uneasy gazes at him.

  “My bond mate is missing and I know she was here.” It was obvious from their skittish mannerisms that the women had suffered some trauma in Voren’s care and he wanted to be easy with them, but time did not permit him to coax slowly. “It is my understanding she left here with someone?”

  They both nodded hesitantly.

  “Can you tell me who with?”

  They exchanged looks once more, but remained silent.

  “You can speak freely,” he said softly.

  “The concubine took her,” one twin said so softly he could barely hear her.

  “Do you mean Kala?”

  The female who had spoken nodded slowly.

  His former concubine was surely going to have a lot to answer for when he caught up with her.

  “There is someone else,” the other woman spoke up, her voice sounding stronger but he could see the scared uncertainty in her eyes.

  What had Voren done to them?

  “Go on,” he encouraged.

  “They took the child with them.”

  He frowned but quic
kly wiped away the expression when both women visibly blanched.

  “Your child?” he asked her.

  “No… the female youthling Voren has taken as his third bond mate, our niece.”

  Was the woman mistaken? He looked between the two as if the answer to his question was etched in their faces. But he did not need either of them to confirm, Voren’s own admission was confirmation enough. Kala was not the something of importance, it was the child mate. Obviously, Voren’s depravity went far deeper than Remar wanted to explore. It was widely known that females were treated no better than chattel in the sector but to take a youthling as a bond mate. Remar mentally shook off the thought. Change was coming to the sector, he would see to it personally and knowing his bond mate she would insist on it.

  He could not focus on the future until he had Dallas back safely. His brain grappled with the new information.

  The three had left together? How? What did it mean?

  His ear com emitted a low pitched tone alerting him of an incoming missive.

  “High Commander, we discovered a refuse transport that did not report to its secondary check point.”

  “Is the directional beacon operational?”

  “Yes, and we have locked onto its location.”

  Hope budded inside him.

  “Life signs?”

  “There are none.”

  The transport could be empty, he would told himself. “Prepare a vessel.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  “We are too late. You saw the transport launch,” The male voice complained. “We are affording too much time to a futile effort. When we could be seeking other opportunities.”

  “What other opportunities? This town has been picked clean. Plus did you not see how those females were adorned they are not just commoners,” a different voice responded.

  Across the wide expanse Dallas could hear the conversation clearly even from their hiding place behind wooden boards they propped against one wall for concealment. When Nola suggested creating the hiding space Dallas thought it was a little silly, but helped with making the structure a little sturdier while disguising it to look like just another pile of debris.

  “Do you think them capable of invisibility too,” another voice chimed in and Dallas recognized it as the first man she engaged in battle with before making her way to the rendezvous site. “There is no one here. They left in the transport.”

  “Then it will not take us long to search inside to discover the truth of it for ourselves.”

  Obviously the man must have been the leader of the posse of thugs because the next sound to be heard was them kicking around the building’s wreckage.

  “Try over there,” the leader shouted. “It looks big enough to conceal one of the smaller females.”

  A singular set of feet moved towards them. “Once we are done with this you owe me the tallest mug of riff,” the man shouted back. “As if a female would be left behind,” he mumbled under his breath as he shuffled closer kicking trash out of his way as he went.

  Dallas gripped the weapon in her hand trying not to think about the fact that she really didn’t know how to use the thing. How had she not thought of the important detail before Kala abandoned them?

  Giving Nola a light nudge she nodded towards the device.

  The young woman bobbed her head in understanding and whispered, “I know how to operate it.”

  Her fingers were steady as she took the weapon leaving Dallas to wonder how familiar she was with the instrument.

  The man’s approach stopped as the whirring sound of a transport filled the air above the building. At first Dallas thought Kala had a change of heart but as the sound grew closer she realized it was different, louder.

  “That is a warrior transport, you can remain here if you want but I am not staying for an inquisition,” the man who was only a few feet away said.

  They could hear the sound of his heavy run back in the direction of the door along with those of his comrades. Outside the building the faint sound of scuffling could be heard. Dallas put a restraining hand on Nola’s arm when she shifted to move from their hiding space.

  “It is Voren and his men! He will not let us escape. I saw a whole that we should be able to get through,” the girl said in a frantic rush. The fear reflected in her eyes plead with Dallas for compliance.

  Dallas shook her head slowly, whishing she could communicate with her to ease her mind. If it were Voren’s men outside they might run right into their arms but if Kala were to be believed it might also be Remar’s men. Sitting in hiding would mean never knowing.

  “Stay here,” Dallas instructed indicating with her hands what she wanted the girl to do.

  Eyes rounding with fear and a grip that threatened to cut off Dallas’ circulation let her know Nola caught her meaning. Dallas pointed to the weapon the girl held in her other hand for reassurance and gestured again for her to remain. Reluctantly Nola let her hand drop, but held on to the device with both hands. At first Dallas contemplated not leaving but knew that she had to take the chance.

  “I’ll be back,” she said unnecessarily, smoothing her hand gently over the girl’s dark hair.

  She edged out of their hiding spot looking up at the hovering transport that looked as if it had no intention landing. True enough she was able to see part of another transport hovering close by.

  How many were there?

  Dallas stayed low and snug to the wall as she made her way through the building. The large door hung open and bright light from outside filtered through. The altercation she’d heard only moments before had ceased and she could hear the men who tracked them being questioned, but by whom? Hoping for a better look she picked away at a corroded piece of wall, grateful when it gave away without too much effort. Outside she could see their attackers on their needs with three guards directly in front of them. Although the guards’ backs were to her there was no mistaking the colors they bore. She recognized them immediately as the House of Falak.

  Remar.

  Of their own volition her legs propelled her forward to the opening. The bright lights from the above transports shone down in a near blinding light and it took her eyes several moments to acclimate to the glare. She used an arm above her head to shield her from the brightness. Several guards were visible on the street and from their determined movements it was obvious they were looking for something. She looked around for her bond mate.

  She caught the eye of one of their attackers who discreetly nudged the companion next to him. Neither spoke as they glared at her between the gap in the guards.

  “Once you fella’s are done here I’m hoping I can hitch a ride home with you,” Dallas said loud enough to be heard over the hovering transports and talking warriors.

  Everyone in ear shot turned to look at her completely emerge from the building but from the looks on their faces few understood what she said. Dallas pushed her hood away from her head in one quick movement. There was an overwhelming silence in chatter followed by a flurry of commotion. Dallas heard one man alert his superior of her presence over a com device and wondered how long it would take to reach up to the High Commander. She didn’t care, the ordeal was over and soon it would all be a distant nightmare. She moved forward in order to see the surprised faces of her attackers.

  Flipping someone the bird might not be universal but it sure was therapeutic.

  “Dal’las!”

  The bellow came from a small grouping of buildings she’d glimpsed a few men entering. Remar’s rough baritone could be recognized anywhere on the planet. She turned in time to see all two hundred and fifty plus pounds of sheer muscle barreling towards her. Anyone who wasn’t smart enough to get out the way would definitely have bruises to show for it in the morning. Her window of opportunity to react faded in an instant because Remar was there lifting her in his arms and into a hug which promised to never end.

  “Did you miss me High Commander? A girl takes a little vacation to see her new home world and yo
u bring the cavalry to take me back,” she said jovially.

  Lavender eyes stared up at her. “I will never let you out of my sight again.”

  “That sounds real promising and all but you do have a sector to run.”

  “You are all that matters in the worlds to me.”

  “How about you save the sweet talk for later and give me a kiss now.”

  He didn’t need to be asked twice.

  Their lips met, hungry, potent. The instant carnal pull served as a reminder of all the things she missed while they were apart and she personally never wanted the kiss to end. It didn’t matter where they were or that his men were all around them. Remar obviously had other thoughts as he stiffened in her arms his head snapped around to look over his shoulder. Her mouth trailed after his for several seconds in the hopes that he would pick up where he’d abruptly left off.

  He didn’t.

  Curious as to what could have caused the reaction Dallas looked around his shoulder to see Nola standing in the doorway of the building they’d hid. The weapon in her hand pointed in their direction.

  Time slowed to a crawl.

  “Nola, no!” Dallas heard herself yelling.

  “I believe you are too late my hearts,” Remar said settling her gently on her feet before dropping to his knees in front of her and collapsing to the ground.

  For long moments no one moved. It all seemed so surreal. Remar crumpled on the ground in front of her and Nola standing several yards away still gripping the weapon that downed the mountain of a man.

  “Remar!” Dallas screamed and the world around them seemed to come to life once more. Guards rushed to them but Dallas shoved their hands out the way as she checked for his vitals.

  He stared up at her with a tender gaze. “I am pleased to have seen your beautiful face again. You will be safe with our people,” he said quietly.

  “I’ll be safe with you Remar. I’m not going to let you get away from me so easily.”

  A smile spread across his lips. “We are soul companions, even in death we will be together.”

  Fear and grief gripped her in a simultaneous bid for control of her emotions. “You can’t die, not now.” Grief won out and Dallas couldn’t hold back the floodgate of tears which erupted.