Rykhan (Book 1 of Mate Search Series)

by J. A. Hornbuckle

  Leah stopped the movement of her thumb as she cycled through Pam’s meaning. “You think they intend to actually kill us?”

  “I don’t think this is the Picari version of a dinner invitation,” was the snarky rejoinder. “Wyst is telling me we need to smoke their asses.”

  Leah didn’t hide her smile as she zeroed in on the next male and pressed the lighted circle, causing him to collapse to the floor in an instant. She knew Pam and Wyst had gotten together and her friend’s words proved it!

  “Take that, dickhead!” Pam yelled as her cellphone took out the last of their wardens. “Oh god, my power is only at fifty-percent!”

  “I’m at seventy-five. According to Arbrynt, you only need a few seconds to re-charge.” Leah looked around corridor. “So you and Wyst, huh?”

  “Stop. Just stop.” Pam’s voice sounded tired and more than confused. “He’s not my Rykhan, okay? And these freaking units are solar-powered! Do you actually see any sunshine nearby?”

  With the full weight of her friend against her legs and the peace Rykhan sent her to hold her steady, Leah chuckled. “Yeah, right. And denial is not just a river in Egypt.”

  Sighting movement from one of the downed men, Leah aimed and fired again. She smiled as he slipped back down to the floor. Why did she view the males on the ship as aliens when Rykhan and his group seemed to so…human?

  “I think you’re just prevaricating in order not to the face the truth,” Leah countered into the silence. She wondered how long the Picaris would be out because the thought of them coming around when she walked around them...she involuntarily shivered without even completing the thought.

  “I hate when you use twenty-five cent words,” Pam sighed, but Leah was quick to note that the small blonde leaning against her legs hadn’t negated her claim out of hand.

  “I think you need to simply accept your fate, pretty girl,” Leah finally said after ascertaining none of the men on the floor were moving. Yet. Yeah, yet was the operative word. “You could and have done worse than Wyst.”

  The other woman sagged against her thighs. Leah felt Pam take in a long breath before releasing it. “I know, Ley. I do. But he doesn’t want me.”

  “How’s your charge?”

  Pam looked down to her phone as Leah peered out into the dark hallway only lit by the strobing lights. “I’m at eighty.”

  “Then I think we need to move, don’t you?” Surprised by her own badass instructions, Leah glanced down at the mop of blonde curls. “I don’t know how many guys are after us on this bucket of bolts but we’re working a mission of our own, right?”

  “Mission: Outta Here. Absolutely!” Pam mumbled as she gained her feet and again took point as the two females made their way forward.

  *.*.*.*.*

  “What are the females facing?” Bronsyn called out and Rykhan waited a beat to allow Wyst to answer. When the other man only hung his head, Rykhan answered.

  “I can only read my blay’s emotions.” He did not want to say the rest but it had to come out sometime. “Wyst and his mate appear to be able to thought-share along their Mycalyte connection.”

  Rykhan half-expected Wyst to start bellowing his ‘not mated’ speech but surprisingly Wyst simply sat down and covered his face with his hands.

  “How many did you say were on the med-staff?”

  Even the statue-like Wyst turned towards Laxon as if anxious for his reply.

  “Only ten including Jyrl,” the young warrior murmured.

  “Frack! That is too many,” Wyst complained, shifting his weight in his chair. “The females are holding their own, succeeding even. But they have only dropped four. And their tresls are losing power.”

  “They only need a brief amount of time to recharge,” Arbrynt was quick to add. “No more than ten lesps will take them to full power!”

  “I’m more concerned with their strategy,” Gyard complained, his voice dark with worry. “If they cannot find a safe place, they will not have the time to allow their tresls to obtain more energy.”

  Rykhan’s hearts sank as he recognized his mate only had access for their assigned quarters, not for any other rooms on the rest of the vessel.

  As his eyes met Wyst’s, Rykhan knew his own reflected the same bleakness.

  He wanted to assure his warrior-brother. Wanted to say words of comfort that would allay both their fears of what their mates were facing.

  Rykhan could not do it, could not offer even one reassurance.

  Because it would have been an out and out lie.

  *.*.*.*.*

  “C’mon,” Pam urged on a whisper as she duck-walked forward, out and away from the protection Leah’s body offered.

  Leah took a step out and away from their position, holding her cell out in front of her. It was such a tiny rectangle of technology, but one that made her feel protected with the enhancement Arbrynt had added. The women had only taken two steps forward before the lights cut out, leaving them both in utter darkness as the bleating of the ship’s internal alarms ceased.

  Leah began carefully navigating her way, stepping over the sprawled limbs of the downed Picari as she vigilantly made her way forward on shaking legs and ears that rang in the abrupt silence. The total dark of the hallway found the heels of her feet sliding against the fallen Picari limbs as she stumbled through the mass of inert bodies.

  Men who had only been following orders, rendered unconscious because her and her girl’s actions in protecting themselves as they tried to escape.

  She didn’t want to cause any harm to anyone, she just wanted to go home. And her adversaries were only stunned at the most, according to what Pam said. Even so, the feel of her full weight stepping on their slack limbs made her wince.

  But they had fired first! From the marks on the hallway walls, the crewmember’s tresls had been set a helluva lot higher than hers.

  That’s how you need to think of it, she told herself as she and Pam slipped and slid as they clamored barefoot over the various prone bodies in the dark.

  We only reacted to the threat of capture, to the danger of being held again our will, she assured herself. We didn’t actually hurt anyone.

  “How much further?” Asking into the dark seemed strange, even though Leah could sense the movements of her tiny friend.

  “Like I know? I can’t see shit,” the other woman grumped. “Tell you what, why don’t you turn on your flashlight app while I stick with the stun-gun portion?”

  “What’s your charge?,” Leah demanded as her bare feet again slid around the bodies she couldn’t see but only feel as she tried to step carefully. Her foot caught on the sleeve of the man on the floor and she fell to her knees.

  Or would have if her hair hadn’t snagged and held on something behind her. She quickly shifted her weight and got her feet beneath her as she reached a hand behind to unhook her hair from whatever was holding it so tightly.

  When her fingers encountered warm skin instead of the metal she’d expected, it took her brain more time to realize what her body had already processed.

  It wasn’t something that had kept her up by her hair, but a someone.

  A hard yank on her hair only emphasized the cold plastic bore down on her neck, just underneath her earlobe and ensured she stopped all movement.

  “No one cares about your friend’s charge,” was the oily reply as a hard physique pressed into her back. “She only needs to know I have you and both of you will do exactly as I demand.”

  When Leah aligned the cadence of that particular voice to the Picari male she’d seen everyday she’d been aboard the star-ship, she knew her and her girl were up to their armpits in deep shit.

  “Leah!” Pam called out. “What the hell is happening?”

  Her response to him, the only one Leah could allow herself, was a nod of acquiescence.

  “Dr. Jyrl has me,” she called out, her voice reedy thin with the fear she tried to hide.

  Pam’s flashlight app came on and as it did, Leah’s feet
left the floor as Jyrl yanked her higher. She was sure he’d ripped out pieces of her scalp with his renewed grip. Leah couldn’t see him since he was behind her but by the expression on Pam’s face, she knew her friend was as terrified as she was.

  “Do you know how much I’ve come to hate you and the other females of your species?”

  Leah rolled up on her toes as she instinctively tried to ease the hurt he inflicted. Whatever device he held had already bruised her but he shoved it in even further.

  “Fracking humans!” Dr Jyrl’s words exploded in the dark, dank air.

  He pressed his face next to hers, so close she could feel the spittle of his speech on her cheek. “I hate you! Have always hated the very thought of your gender!. Especially human females who believe themselves better than a male.”

  Jyrl leaned in further until the side of his face was on hers. She hated the smell of his breath, the feel of his skin against her cheek and the heat of his chest pressed tightly against her back. “You are nothing but a way to incubate our young.”

  He tilted his head downward and out of the corner of her eyes, she could see his gaze move as he looked over her body.

  “What? No words?” Leah felt his perusal as if it were a touch, his mouth canted as it sneered at both her and her human form. “I don’t care that you can carry life! We have engineered methods to recreate that self-same environment. So why do I view you as such a threat?”

  “Step. The. Fuck. Away, you crazy dirt-bag,” Pam called. At the sound of her bestie’s voice, Leah tapped into a level of resolve she wasn’t aware she had. Turning her eyes to the side, she saw her small friend was in a crouched position, arms extended with her cell pointing at the ship’s doctor. Although how Pam was going to shoot in the dark when she changed apps was anybody’s guess.

  In Leah’s opinion, it was do-or-die-trying time.

  *.*.*.*.*

  “I’ve got the head of security heading up to the observation deck while our communications officer is holding the other five med-bay personnel in their quarters.” Captain Pryntal was in constant communication with Bronsyn, reporting as much as he knew at any given moment.

  At the word ‘med-bay’ Rykhan’s entire body tensed. “Where’s Dr. Jyrl?” he demanded.

  “Sensors indicate he is on deck five,” Pryntal replied.

  “Frack!” It was not only Rykhan who yelled the curse word, but every warrior in their group.

  Bronsyn shook his head and glanced at his communication device.

  “The good news is that we found the override for the emergency alarm and are now able to restore full power.”

  Wyst frowned and looked to Rykhan. “What the Frack does that mean?”

  But Pryntal must have overheard Wyst’s question. “When the system senses an emergency, an alarm sounds and the lighting flashes in cycles. It is the signal to all aboard to make their way to the escape pods.”

  Everyone stared at the tresl that sat front and center in the middle of the table.

  “Typically this is done throughout the ship but someone hacked into the system and the emergency alarm was only activated for that particular deck. We found the line of code and my systems engineer rebooted all the systems on that level.” Pryntal’s voice held a note of relief. “We should have full power back up in just a few moments.”

  “How long has the system been down?” Arbrynt obviously had clued in on something the other warriors missed in the captain’s explanation.

  “Only about twenty lesps,” the captain announced proudly.

  Rykhan looked across the table at Arbrynt and saw his frown. “What does that mean, brother?”

  The blonde warrior dragged his eyes up to connect with Rykhan’s face. “It means all lighting and life support were shut off while the system recycled.”

  “They’re fighting for their freedom in the fracking dark?” Gyard exploded, rising up out of his chair while he slammed a fist into his palm.

  Rykhan dragged a hand over his face as he again tried to tap into Leah’s emotions. What he sensed was her determination, mostly. She was in pain but from a mortal or even lethal injury. In fact, the pain sensation was only a light touch compared to the sheer resolve he received from their link. He looked to Wyst wondered at his grin.

  “What is your mate telling you of their situation?” he finally asked.

  Wyst chuckled ruefully. “I still don’t understand all of her words. However, I think I get the spirit of them. And she’s telling me that she’s damn-well done dancing with the doc. That his ass is hers. Not to worry because she and Leah are working their girl-power mojo.”

  “Posket!” Tyshar mumbled. “I shouldn’t be able to understand any of that but I somehow do.”

  Bronsyn’s face was no longer holding a frown but broke into a wide smile. “As do I.”

  Rykhan shook his head because the weird thoughts Leah’s friend sent her mate even made sense to him.

  Her strange, confident words renewed every warriors faith in a successful outcome.

  *.*.*.*.*

  “Do you have a clear shot?” Leah asked, surprised she sounded so calm˗˗what with Jyrl still holding her by her hair and his weapon gouging into her neck.

  “Not yet, but I sure the fuck will find one.” As her eyes connected with her best friend’s, Leah blinked slowly.

  Yeah, it was time to stop messing around and shut this shit down for the last time.

  As quickly as she could, Leah jerked herself forward. Her move was so sudden, Jyrl’s grasp in her hair slipped as she raised her back foot and kicked out as hard as she could.

  She’d been aiming for the man’s kneecap as her self-defense instructor had taught her, but she somehow managed to score by connecting with Jyrl’s balls instead. His scream found her twisting out and away from him, throwing back an elbow. It was unfortunate that he was bending towards his crotch because her blow landed on his nose, instead of his stomach as she intended.

  As his weapon clattered to the metal floor, Leah wasted no time in her race to freedom.

  “Move to the left, girlie, and let me smoke his ass,” Pam demanded fiercely rising to her feet.

  Leah complied but didn’t stop running even when the flash came from behind her. It was a bisecting wall that stopped her trajectory, sending her on her ass. The lights in the hall began to flicker and then brightened into a steady glow, as a hum grew in the vents overhead.

  “Here,” Pam said as she came up to stand next to her tall friend, calmly holding out Leah’s cellphone while shaking her curls out of her eyes. Leah hadn’t realized she’d dropped it when Jyrl had snatched her. “So you ready to blow this popsicle stand or what?”

  “Just point the way home, honey.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  The reunion of the two human females and the Picari warriors was a joyous one even if it initially started in the dusty garage on the large North Troon estate. Rykhan smiled to himself as he remembered how both his mate and her friend were passed around until every single warrior was given a chance to hug each of the females in welcome.

  However, he had been the first to hold his Leah as well as the last.

  Even then, a couple of hours later, she was still snuggled against him as everyone gathered in the main sitting room of the large house. His eyes drifted over to Wyst and saw his brother who darted glances at his little mate, sitting across the room as she straddled the arm of one of the couches. He only hoped the two of them could work out their differences and put whatever acrimony they had behind them.

  “Now that you have returned,” Bronsyn started, interrupting the various conversations that filled the air. “We needs discuss how to move forward.”

  “Agreed,” Tyshar intoned with a firm head nod. “I don’t think this is a safe place for either of the females any longer.”

  “Wait! What?” Pam cried and quickly turned to Leah before looking at the group of males. “But we’re back on Earth and you guys can protect us, right?”

 
Gyard replied and to Rykhan’s thinking the warrior’s words were offered as an affirmation. “The Committee still wants access to the youngling Rykhan and his mate have created. This will not happen.”

  “They want our baby?” Leah screamed, her eyes seeking Rykhan’s as her hand nervously stroked over the mound of her stomach.

  Rykhan caressed her arm as he sent her feelings of calm and well-being. “We will speak of this later, mica tisha. At the moment, we need to determine our next course of action.”

  “Since we discovered a portion of what our real mission was to be, I’m wondering how we can balance our allegiance to the Protectorate and our quest, while pitting ourselves against Stege and his Committee’s plans.” Bronsyn haggard appearance and voice spoke of his obvious stress. Raising his head, the mission commander speared Rykhan with a stare. “I need to know where your loyalties lie.”

  Rykhan swallowed deeply as he thought. He knew he needed to choose his words carefully so there would be no misunderstanding of his new loyalties.

  “I am a Protector first and foremost,” he began slowly. “But my duty is now to my blay and our youngling. While I’m a Picari, I feel no dedication to Stege’s cause or his machinations. I most heartily object to his plans to reseed our planets.”

  He glanced down at the beautiful human female in his arms. “I am devoted to my plyca as well as to my warrior-brothers, to the well-being and safety of everyone in this room. Much more, so very much more than to the Picarian Protectorate and our former noble quest.”

  Rykhan raised his eyes back to his mission commander’s and he only hoped the resolution in his soul came through in his next words. “If that makes me a traitor, so be it.”

  The ensuing silence lasted for more than a couple of beats and Rykhan wondered if the other warriors were thinking of ways to end him so as to eradicate his treasonous words.

  “Then you must be away, brother,” Arbrynt offered softly.