Dark Fire (Refuge Book 4)

by Cynthia Sax

  Leaning back, flattening herself as much as possible, she slid underneath it. Jagged metal scraped over her chin. Stone rubbed against her shoulders.

  She made it. Without pausing, she straightened, dashing forward.

  Metal screeched and then rang, echoing in the narrow space. Her pursuer had simply blasted through the barrier.

  Her lips curled upward. He was such a savage.

  She leaped over a deep hole in the pathway, landed on the lip. The surface crumbled under her boot heels. She waved her arms, teetering.

  A force hit her from behind, propelling her forward. The momentum was too powerful for her to absorb on her feet without injury. She dropped into a roll, tumbled until the soles of her boots connected with stone, then continued running.

  “Thanks for the boost.” She panted between each word.

  Dare laughed. There was no strain in that sound. “Even with the boost, I will catch you.”

  He would capture her. Soon. Her chest was tight. Her muscles ached. Sweat streamed between her breasts. She couldn’t run for much longer.

  If she reached the other barrier, she might have a chance. Five strides should—

  Claws curled over her right shoulder. Her pursuer spun her around. Her back hit the side of a structure. Air whooshed out of her lungs.

  He pinned her shoulders to the stone, slid her smaller form upward, elevating her until her gaze met his and her booted feet dangled in the air. His pecs heaved. His scales glistened. Flames blazed in his dark eyes. “You shouldn’t taunt my beast.”

  “I enjoy it.” She lowered her gaze to his mouth and parted her lips.

  “It enjoys you.” He took her offering, smashing his flesh against hers, the impact driving her head against the structure.

  Enthralled by the embrace, she barely felt the pain. Their tongues slapped together, each of them trying to secure a hold on the other.

  Her mate was stronger, more dominant. She submitted to him with a sigh and he growled his approval, the sound felt along her body.

  Wanting him desperately, she wrapped her legs around his waist. His cock was hard, the bulge in his ass coverings pronounced. She rubbed along him.

  “No.” He pressed his hips against hers, stopping her movements. “Not here.”

  She met his gaze, saw the determination in his face, the hard set of his jaw. “Not here.” She reluctantly agreed.

  Her mate didn’t like to lose control in public. He still viewed it as weakness, a vulnerability he showed only her.

  Her warrior trusted in and cared for her. Would he ever love her? Dracheons didn’t speak of that emotion. Did they feel it?

  She didn’t know.

  “We’re going home.” He hefted her over one of his shoulders and strapped one of his arm across her legs, holding her in place.

  She flattened her palms against his back, watched his ass cheeks clench and release as he walked. He was fit all over and he was hers.

  He was also moving quickly. Soon, they joined the throngs of beings occupying the main pathways.

  Males grinned. A couple of females giggled behind their hands. Children pointed and loudly asked embarrassing questions. One of them wanted to know if the girl was naughty, if that was why the big silver male was carrying her.

  Faylee’s cheeks heated. “We’re attracting attention.”

  “I’m covered with silver scales.” He swatted her ass and she quivered, turned on by the rough play. “I always attract attention.”

  “You’ve always attracted my attention.” Her gaze constantly returned to him, wherever he was. He was her favorite mark, her source of heat, her reason for being.

  They approached their domicile, their home. She wiggled, looking forward to setting his beast fully free. They fucked numerous times a planet rotation, unable to get enough of each other.

  Her warrior stopped steps before the door. “The plan was to meet later.” He sighed, slid her over his muscular form until her boots touched the pathway.

  Who was he speaking to? She didn’t see anybody.

  “Your Ruler sent me to bring you to him.” Vicuska stepped out of the shadows, revealing her presence. “It’s time.”

  Dare glanced at Faylee. She knew what he was thinking. Kralj could have summoned them with a thought.

  The all-knowing male must be giving them an opportunity to talk with the Rebel agent, to say their good-byes. Faylee gulped, a ball of emotion forming in her throat.

  “We’ll see you again.” She wouldn’t lose yet another being she’d grown to care about. “Once your mission is completed, you can return here.” She walked between Vicuska and Dare. “You can tell us about your adventures.”

  “There will be adventures.” An unbearable sadness hung around the female. “But I doubt I will see you again, my friend.”

  “Don’t say that.” Faylee wrapped one of her arms around Vicuska. “Kralj wouldn’t allow you to leave the Refuge if he didn’t believe you would make it.”

  “I’ll make it out of the settlement, but the rest…” The Rebel agent shook her head. “Did you ever have the feeling that everything in your lifespan was preparation for one moment, for one action?”

  Faylee looked at her destined mate, the only being in the universe who could have understood her past, who appreciated her special skills, cared for her. “I’ve experienced that feeling.”

  Dare grasped her free hand and squeezed it.

  “That’s how I feel right now.” Vicuska’s beautiful face darkened. The workings of fate didn’t seem to make her friend as happy as it had made them. “I take on this first part of the mission, a mission I was totally unsuited for, to discover I have the perfect qualifications to see it through to fruition. My sacrifice will save millions of lives.”

  “Sacrifice?” Faylee didn’t like that word. “No. No. No. You will not do anything foolish.”

  “I prefer to think of it as heroic.” Her friend summoned a smile. “Someone has to do it and I have no one who will miss me if I’m gone.”

  “That’s not true.” Faylee straightened. “I’ll miss you. Dare will miss you.”

  Her mate nodded.

  “Thank you.” Vicuska hugged her. “That means a lot to me.”

  But it wouldn’t stop her. Faylee heard that in her voice. She glanced at Dare. He shook his head, communicating there was nothing they could do.

  Damn warriors and their damn sense of honor. “Then we’ll go with you.” She made that decision for both of them.

  “I can’t allow you to do that.” Her friend refused her offer.

  Faylee opened her mouth, prepared to argue.

  “You don’t have the skills needed.” Vicuska squashed her protest. “You’ll be more of a hindrance than a help…like I was during our escape from your settlement.”

  That escape would have been much easier without the Rebel agent’s presence. And if her friend’s mission was as dangerous as she believed, an unnecessary team member could cause deaths…her friend’s death.

  “We’re here if you need us.” They would assist in any way they could. “You will be successful and you will return to us.”

  “We’ve had some experiences, the three of us.” Vicuska’s abrupt change of subject didn’t lessen Faylee’s concerns. “Many of them were smelly.” She wrinkled her nose. “I hope your Ruler’s plans don’t include riding in the back of a hauler.”

  They chattered about nothing while the pauses in their conversation communicated everything. Faylee’s friend was leaving. There wasn’t anything she could do to stop her.

  She curled her fingers inside Dare’s big palm. He rubbed his thumb over her skin, his touch easing some of her pain.

  They would survive this.

  A ridged-faced warrior stood outside the Ruler’s working chambers. Dare nodded at him as they entered.

  The space was crowded. Kralj and Dita sat in their usual places, behind the horizontal support. Orol and Rhea’s winged babies climbed over the scary male, using the lapels
of his long jacket as a teething object, chewing on the leather. The Ruler didn’t appear to notice the three rambunctious infants.

  Orol stood to the couple’s right, his female tucked under one of his wings. Paloma, Rhea’s highly emotional sister, smothered a yawn beside them. Other warriors lined the walls.

  A boy sat in a large chair, his body appearing even smaller than it was, his face covered with dirt. That was one of her boys. Faylee frowned. What was he doing in the chamber?

  “He had intel to share.” Kralj’s voice echoed off the walls.

  “You sent a boy to gather intel for you?” She was outraged. He could have been captured, tortured, killed.

  “Show respect.” The Ruler blasted her with air.

  Dare moved in front of her, his claws extending, and her heart squeezed. Her warrior would battle his leader, a male he admired and revered, to protect her.

  “And he would do that, realizing he would lose that battle.” Kralj contributed. “Think before you place him in that position again.”

  The male was right. Her words not only put her at risk, they endangered her mate. “Yes, sir.”

  “Ain’t no need for a fuss.” The boy they were discussing mumbled to the floor. “I ain’t gathered nothing for dat scary male.”

  “You were helping me.” Dare blew out his breath. “I told you we had the situation handled.”

  “Dat I’m here says you ain’t.” The boy was defiant. “Some of dem Humanoid Alliance scum left deir posts, chasing dem Rebel pain-in-deir-asses.”

  “That would be me.” Vicuska grinned. “I’m the pain in their asses. They took the bait and followed the being pretending to be me.”

  “You gave us valuable information.” Kralj addressed his young source. “That deserves a reward. A warrior is waiting outside the chamber. He’ll take you to the market to pick out your new pair of boots.”

  “Dis ain’t no trick?” The boy lowered his eyebrows, distrust radiating from him.

  “Are you questioning my honor?” Kralj roared at the little thief.

  “No, sir.” He scrambled out of his chair and hurried out the door.

  “Respect is all I ask for.” The Ruler peeled a winged baby off the top of his head and plopped the squirming infant onto his lap. “The Humanoid Alliance forces have been split. We will split them again. Orol will fly a decoy shuttle craft.”

  The winged warrior’s head dipped.

  “That shuttle craft will be accompanied by other ships and warriors on the ground. We’ll make it appear as though it is being protected.” Kralj didn’t ask for input. Faylee suspected he already had all the information he needed. “The ships will be coordinated by Orol. Dare, you will lead the ground assault.”

  Her mate’s spine straightened. The honor awarded to him filled her with both pride and trepidation. He would seek to be at the front of that assault, putting himself in danger.

  Her shoulders squared. She would be by his side, would protect him as best as she could.

  “The ground assault team’s primary mission is to be a distraction. Your second mission is to eliminate the Humanoid Alliance’s commander.”

  An image of a gray-haired male appeared in Faylee’s mind. He was the same being who had tried to kill Dare during the attack on the Rebel headquarters in Mirage.

  Rhea, Orol’s mate, gasped. “It’s him.”

  Everyone looked toward the brunette. Faylee frowned. How did she know the commander?

  Rhea clasped her sister’s hand. “He’s the male who killed our parents.” She explained his connection to them. “He gave the orders.”

  The grief in her friend’s eyes made Faylee hate the commander even more. No one hurt the beings she cared about.

  Or attempted to hurt them. She caught Dare’s gaze.

  “Distracting them is the primary mission.” Kralj stressed that point. “The Humanoid Alliance, if they are predictable, and they are often predictable”—his tone held disdain—“will divert their forces to assist with that battle. Vicuska will then leave the Refuge, gaining as much speed as possible before exiting my terrain. It should take her mere moments after that to leave the planet.”

  Vicuska had mentioned a ship was being modified specifically for the mission. The former captain had been excited about that detail.

  “My mate and I will guard the settlement.” Kralj clasped Dita’s hand. “Any warriors wishing to participate in the ground assault team may do so.”

  Hulagu stepped forward.

  “Refuge residents and visitors can volunteer also.” The Ruler added.

  “Yes.” The kid punched the air with his fists. His brother and the other Chamele warriors remained in the settlement. Those males loved battle, would no doubt participate in the ground assault.

  Faylee didn’t look forward to fighting. Fear for her mate, for her newfound friends, for the beings she was beginning to view as family gripped her. But she would take part in the ground assault.

  She linked her fingers with Dare’s and waited as modified humanoids and other beings volunteered. Many of them had clearly fought together in the past. They claimed tasks before her warrior assigned them, knew each other’s strengths, taunted friends about past mistakes.

  This would be her first battle. She ran the fingertips of her free hand over the hilt of her brand new dagger. Her goal was to stay out of everyone else’s way and safeguard her mate.

  She had to protect him. There was no future for her without her Dracheon warrior. He was the only being in the universe she loved.

  Her place was with him.

  Always.

  Chapter Seventeen

  There was only one thing more unnerving than going into battle alone.

  That was to enter a fight with his precious female by his side.

  Dare’s Drache snarled and slashed his insides, unhappy with the situation. Its sole focus was to safeguard its mate. It didn’t care about honor or responsibility or missions.

  “The other mates are staying in the Refuge.” He ignored his beast as he checked Faylee’s guns for the third time, gazing down their barrels, ensuring they were set to kill.

  The wall of vibrating sand before them concealed his voice from the enemy. The Humanoid Alliance wouldn’t know of their presence

  “Dita is guarding the settlement with Kralj.” His mate peered up at him, her form tiny compared to his. “Azalea hasn’t left the Refuge since she was attacked. Rhea is distracting the triplets.” The winged babies wanted to follow their father. “Elyce is caring for the girls. Paloma is…”

  He lifted his eyebrows.

  Faylee pressed her lips together. “Paloma is scarily incompetent with a gun. Do not tell her I said that.” She held up one of her index fingers. “But it’s the unfortunate truth.”

  It was the unfortunate truth. The girl was more likely to shoot herself than the enemy. “We have enough warriors.”

  He had been stunned by the willingness of the males and females to follow him into battle. No one had questioned his abilities. Many of the modified humanoids, beings genetically designed for war, had voiced their agreement with Kralj’s decision, declaring him the right being to lead the dangerous mission.

  He’d fought with those warriors for mere solar cycles and they trusted him with their lives. He’d spent his entire lifespan trying to prove his worth to his fellow Dracheons yet his kind shunned him.

  Dare slid his mate’s guns back into her holsters. He wouldn’t subject her to that type of judgment. His decision about their future was made.

  That left the present to be negotiated. “You don’t have to fight.”

  “Vicuska is our friend. We have to help her.” Faylee covered his hands with hers. “And where you are, I am. We’re a team.”

  They were a team. He wouldn’t have agreed to leave her side if their positions were reversed. He shouldn’t expect her to behave differently. “You’ll stay behind me at all times.”

  “I’ll have your back.” Her beautiful face was
adorably solemn.

  His mate sought to protect him and he sought to protect her.

  She’d be tucked between him and Balvan. He looked over her head, nodded to his friend. The huge green warrior had already agreed to guard her.

  Warriors, take position. Kralj was coordinating the assault while they were in his terrain.

  “Fight with honor, mate.” He softened the formality of the traditional Dracheon saying with a kiss, capturing her lips, surging into her mouth.

  She moaned and clung to him. He delved deeper, striving to convey everything he felt for her, relaying a devotion without limits, a fire that could never be extinguished, a caring that exceeded any word in existence.

  The human concept of love wasn’t sufficient to describe his feelings. His little thief had stolen his heart and his soul, had meshed the two parts of him, his Drache and his humanoid side, together, making him more than whole. He was stronger, wiser, better with her.

  Without her…he couldn’t contemplate what he’d be.

  “You will not do anything foolish.” He echoed the words she’d told Vicuska.

  “I prefer to think of it as heroic.” Faylee smiled. “Fight with honor, mate.”

  For once in his lifespan, honor was a secondary concern for Dare. He gazed at her, imprinting her face in his mind and on his heart. She was the first.

  His beast screeched in protest as he turned around. Sensing danger, it didn’t want to take its gaze off his female.

  He had to look away from her. The threat was in front of them. He clenched his jaw and approached the wall of sand separating Kralj’s terrain from the rest of Carinae E.

  Ships hovered overhead. Orol’s shuttle craft was situated in the middle of the fleet.

  He drew his guns, looked to his right. Oghul, Hulagu’s brother, grinned at him. The Chamele had weapons in both of his hands. His warriors surrounded him.

  Dare looked to his left. Libor, a genetically enhanced Silan, hefted his huge missile launcher onto his ridged right shoulder. Other modified humanoids braced for battle.

  He couldn’t resist glancing behind him once more. His mate held her guns, her lips set in a flat white line, her expression determined.