“I’m betting he’s heading to our ship,” Volund stated once he joined Jaxxon at the window. We have to trans-shift and meet them there!”
“Surely he can’t get into the ship,” said Jaxxon.
“I wouldn’t count on it. When I went back for fresh clothes earlier, I noticed my Trans Shifter was missing. I thought I had left it here in these quarters, but a quick look around the room has not revealed it.”
“Schizma!” He whirled on Volund. “If he leaves with Venus, there’s no telling what he’ll do to her or the world he travels to!”
“Even worse,” Volund stated, “Randle could alter time to become something more disastrous than what’s already happened, so we better move fast.”
The anxiety in Volund’s voice shot a spear of white-hot fear through Jaxxon’s gut.
***
The sun was setting, and shadows loomed over the streets. Worried about other Bone Eaters, Venus glanced around as they landed on Broad Street with a thud.
The homemade parachute swished across the pavement behind them. Randle detached the chute, unsnapping it from his harness, then hefted Venus over his shoulder. A heavy mist filled the air, indicating the night would soon be bombarded with vicious thunderstorms. Venus could kick herself for not having her weapons with her. She still couldn’t believe Randle had gotten the jump on her. The look on Volund’s and Jaxxon’s faces when they’d appeared in her quarters would’ve scared any normal man, but not Randle. Insanity and arrogance powered his psyche.
Little pieces of glass had peppered her arms, legs and face, and Randle’s arm around her ribcage must have cracked at least one rib when he’d hit the glass pane with her. She was in considerable pain and serious trouble. There had to be a way to get to one of her weapons stashes—but how?
“Just wait until we’re alone.” Heading to Volund and Jaxxon’s ship, Randle jogged with her over his shoulder. His jarring movements drove pain through her ribs. She moved in acute discomfort as Randle’s hard shoulder knocked the air out of her lungs with each bounce. Venus tried to concentrate on a method of escape, but all she could do was hang on and pray for him to stop and put her down.
Sweat rolled down her face, blood smeared her body, and she smelled like she’d been rolling around in sour rags.
Finally, Randle halted for a minute to rest. A rumble shook the ground as a lighting strike hit in the city’s main square close to where they stood. Venus jerked and knew instantly it was a mistake as more pain tore through her.
Randle cupped the cheek of her ass. “Did you think cutting one of my balls off would stop me from fucking you? Well, you’re mistaken, my sweet Venus. Now my cock is hard all the time because all I can think about is you and how you’ll feel when I finally take you as my woman. And since you punctured the other one with that scalpel, I may not be able to have children, but I sure can fuck as long as I want, and I’m going to fuck you until you forget any other man. You’re my woman and no one else’s.”
Venus noticed the slender rod Volund and Jaxxon used to shift from one point to another. It now hung by a clip attached to a belt loop next to the big knife. A cold chill swept up her spine. What else had Randle stolen from her men? She didn’t have time to check as Randle took off jogging again.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Volund’s pets tracing Randle’s every step. He tensed as he noticed them, too.
Venus reached down and unsnapped the teleportation device without Randle noticing. Glancing around, she saw her target and threw the Trans Shifter into an empty cement water fountain as they passed it.
A loud humming sound issued from above them. She craned her neck to see a ship, similar to the one Jaxxon and Volund’s came in hovering a couple hundred yards above the street. Randle stopped suddenly, his foul, angry words sprinkling the air, and reached for his hip.
“What the fuck?” He threw her to the ground and then searched for the device she’d chucked into the crumbling fountain.
As Venus hit the ground, her back made contact with a sharp metal edge of what was left of a park bench. A piece jutting from the rusty frame punctured the muscle above her buttock. She felt blood trickling from the spot as she screamed.
Every part of her protested in pain. Never had she been in so much agony. Venus grabbed her back, rolling face first into the grit strewn over the asphalt. She lay there panting, trying to quell the misery plaguing her. Black boots stepped in front of her.
“What did you do with it, bitch?” One of Randle’s boots made contact with her cheek, and Venus slapped both hands over her face, curling up in a ball as she tried to roll away from him.
Randle let out a startled cry and jumped away. Venus’s ears still rang from the vicious kick to her head, but she heard the growls of Ino and Ka coming from somewhere behind Randle.
“This isn’t over, bitch,” he snarled. “I’ll still have you. That’s a promise you can bet money I’ll keep.”
Chapter Eleven
Soft fur brushed against Venus. She cringed. Snuffling and the whimpering of animals permeated the pain clouding her mind. Finally, she realized Ino and Ka had chased Randle away and were now trying to comfort her. Her body ached everywhere, but thank God Randle was gone…for now.
“Oshki, contact Volund and tell him we have their mate,” a male voice rumbled next to her. “We need to get the female to our ship to repair her physical damage. Her life signs are not good. Her vitals are distressed.”
A large man knelt next to Venus and brushed the hair out of her face. He peered down at her with deep-set fuchsia eyes, his long hair a soft pink that heightened his odd and vibrant eye color. If Venus hadn’t been in so much misery, the stranger’s appearance would’ve startled her. Gulping for air and simultaneously trying not to throw up, she shut her eyes.
“Hello, Venus. My name is Miln and I’m here to help.” He gently lifted her into his arms.
Venus cringed as the sensation of teleporting assailed her. The visitor transported them into a bright, sterile-looking room. Miln placed her on a hard, cold table that smelled of alcohol. It looked like a hospital room. The only sounds were the faint hum of the ship’s engine and the movements of the men around her.
“It’s cold in here,” she whispered, shivering. Venus tried to breathe, but with each breath, more pain flowed through her.
“You’ve lost too much blood. Volund and Jaxxon are here now. They will heal you.” Miln stepped back as Volund’s worried face moved into her line of vision.
Venus tried to smile and reach for him, but pain incapacitated her. Never had she been so glad to see their faces. In that moment, she realized she couldn’t live without her two men, no matter how different they seemed from Earth people. Somehow, some way, if she survived, she would make their life together a happy one.
“We are so sorry we didn’t protect you better, Venus.” Volund moved a long, clear instrument over her body and frowned.
“It appears that when her captor leapt through the window with her,” said another stranger, who stepped alongside the table, “that he literally used your female as a shield, and a battering ram. Our sensors detected very little damage to the assailant’s body.”
Volund’s face clouded with anger. “One way or another we’re going to kill Randle!” He closed his eyes, obviously struggling to calm his wrath. Finally, he opened his eyes again and stared into Venus’s. He continued passing the glowing instrument over her body. “Jaxxon, we don’t have long. She’s losing too much blood and is laboring to breathe. One of her broken ribs has punctured a lung.
There is glass sticking out everywhere over her skin, and one shard has cut into her femoral artery, so most of her blood loss is from that particular wound.” He set the clear medical tool aside and grabbed a syringe from Miln’s outstretched hand. He shook his head. “Venus’s left cheekbone is also fractured.”
Jaxxon twined his hand with Venus’s and squeezed gently. “I know you’re hurting, Venus, and that you don’t like the l
ittle environite barbs—or what you call needles—but an environite strip will help the healing process. Also…well…we need to change you in order to save your life.” He reached up with his other hand and picked several pieces of glass from her face. “Not only will the change cement our bonding, but it will help aid you in healing faster once you’re restored to normal. Do you understand? Just squeeze my hand if you do.”
Pain, terror, and love collided together inside her. Venus wanted to live her life with her men, but hidden deep inside was her fear they would tire of her after so many years of living. Closing her eyes, Venus squeezed his hand, knowing she had no choice.
Movement drew her attention, and she saw Miln hand a much larger version of a glowing jelly-like strip to Volund. This one pulsed with rainbow colors and had at least fifty fine needles on one side. Fear gripped Venus, and she gulped.
“Maybe dying isn’t so bad after all,” she whispered and closed her eyes.
Chuckling sympathetically, Jaxxon looked down at her. “Even when she’s hanging by a thread to life, our little warrior still has enough fire to voice her opinion.”
A sharp pinch to her thigh snapped her eyes open. She glared at Volund. “Sorry, loved one. If I could heal you any other way, I would.” Regret filled his
words, his hand trembling as he surrounded her other hand with his. “We’ll hunt Randle down, Venus, and destroy him for what he’s done to you. As long as we live, no one will ever hurt you again. Neither myself nor Jaxxon can bear to lose you.” Volund glanced over at his brother and nodded. Both men lowered their heads, kissing her neck softly and whispering their love for her.
At the stroke of their tongues, her neck numbed a second before both Volund and Jaxxon sank their fangs into her neck, releasing something warm into her blood.
“Volund,” Venus cried as they held her down. She could actually feel the hot liquid move through her body, heating every organ it infused. Sweat trickled down her face and into her ears, small tremors shook her body, and it was if a stream of volcanic lava traveled through her system instead of blood.
Venus tried to focus on her surroundings as Miln and the other giant of a man stepped forward. They began plucking glass fragments from her skin.
“She is healing,” the other man said, smiling at her. His bright silver eyes held sympathy. “Her indicators have improved.” As he monitored the readings on the transparent instrument they used to track her vital signs, he tucked a lock of long, blond hair behind one pointed ear. “The change is taking place, Jaxxon, so you can release her now.”
Her mates released their hold on her neck and kissed where their fangs had been. “How do you feel, Venus? Any better?” Jaxxon asked, kissing her lips softly.
“It burns my whole body,” she hissed. Volund and Jaxxon frowned down at her.
“It’s not supposed to be painful—at least that is what we’ve been told. Miln, Oshki, do you know anything about the process?” Jaxxon asked.
“It’s most likely different with every species. No one can be sure.” The man name Oshki shrugged. “Her internal injuries are almost healed, and her body is done changing. It’s returning to a normal temperature for Earth people.”
“Warning! Brace for impact in three, two, one,” a high-pitched voice announced as the ship rocked to one side.
Volund grabbed the table and tried to cover Venus, but he flew backward with Jaxxon. Both of them hit the wall with a thud. Miln and Oshki fell to the floor and rolled with the ship as it creaked and rocked back and forth. Small explosions reverberated around Venus as she was tossed off the table and landed against Volund.
“What the hell was that?” Venus asked, glancing up at Volund.
“Something just hit the ship. Miln, report.” He stood and helped her to her feet as the ship leveled out.
Miln and Oshki ran to a screen hovering in midair. Jaxxon rushed over to a clear panel that abruptly appeared in one wall and glanced out. “This Randle person is becoming more and more of a threat. Volund was worried the man had stolen a Trans Shifter, and it appears to be true. Randle has injected himself so he can teleport, has commandeered our ship, and is now flying it!”
Stunned by the news, Venus swallowed hard, her mind racing. What was Randle thinking? He couldn’t operate Volund and Jaxxon’s ship, could he? “Don’t worry. He doesn’t have that thing you use to teleport. It’s in the old fountain in the town square up the street. I took it off him and threw it into the fountain when he carried me by it.”
Volund looked down at her and smiled. “You amaze me more and more each moment.”
“We’ve got to find him, though,” said Jaxxon. “The Trans Shifter solution is only good for six or so teleportations before another injection is needed.”
Offering Volund a worried look, she said, “But you need your ship to go back in time to choose extractees.”
Nodding, Volund drew in a deep breath and then let it out slowly. “True, little warrior, but Oshki and Miln still have this ship, so we’re not without alternative methods.” He sighed and patted Jaxxon on the shoulder as his brother joined them again at the examination table. “Let’s go back to headquarters. I’m sure
Venus wants to clean up, and we can figure out our next step for the manhunt. Miln, Oshki, camouflage the ship once you land it and meet us at the coordinates we gave you. Jaxxon, grab what you need to update the security at our headquarters. I don’t want another surprise like this, and since Randle knows about Venus’s security system, we have to update it so it’s integrated with ours.”
Venus curled up closer to Volund as he gathered her in his arms and rested her head on his chest. She was tired and dirty, but the pain had slowly gone away. So far, the only changes she noticed were her hearing and vision. Both were vastly improved.
“Let’s get you all cleaned up.” Volund kissed her forehead.
Once again the room spun as they trans-shifted to the bank building.
***
Volund carried Venus directly to the shower. There, he stripped her of clothes and helped her step into the cubicle. The door stood ajar, and in the next room, the sounds of his brother updating the security system punctuated the soothing patter of water.
He reached in to help Venus, but she shooed him away. “I’m fine,” she said. “Let me do this myself. I need a few minutes to process everything that has happened.”
Although disappointed, Volund understood her reasons. His mate had burst through a sixth-floor window, thinking she was about to plummet to her death, only to have a strange, shiny sheet unfold from Randle’s pack and float them to the street. She’d been abused by the monster, and then left there beaten and bleeding, only to suffer through an assault on the bounty hunters’ ship after her rescue. Neither little warrior nor little hellion seemed like strong enough titles for her. She was more of a warrior queen.
“Call out if you need anything, my love,” he said. She nodded and reached for the washcloth.
Volund left the door open and strode into Venus’s quarters.
“How’s she doing?” Jaxxon adjusted the numbers on a tiny glowing chip and slipped it inside the main security system box Venus kept in the storage closet.
“She’s trying to cope with everything.” He looked over his shoulder toward the sound of water. “I think there is more bothering her than just the ordeal with Randle.”
His brother closed the back of the metal box and used an odd tool Venus had showed them to use for inserting the tiny fasteners. “Like what?”
“Like being immortal,” Volund answered and swept one hand through his hair.
He pulled his hand free, and the braids at the sides of his face swung forward again, their beads clicking together. “Earlier, she mentioned her fear we’d grow tired of her and that I’d bring Zi-Ahda back when enough time had passed to do so.”
“It will take her time, brother. Be patient and try not to worry so much.” Standing, Jaxxon stepped back and shut the closet door.
Laug
hing, Volund clapped his brother on the shoulder. “If I didn’t know better, you speak as though you’re the oldest instead of me.”
“You always worry too much, brother. Let our love and time heal our new mate.” He motioned at the dead Bone Eaters. “We need to remove those things and restore Venus’s quarters. The last thing she needs right now is to move into unfamiliar quarters. This is her home, so let’s repair and clean what we can.”
Volund nodded and helped Jaxxon haul the severed bodies—careful not to touch any of the blood or other fluids—to the window and dumped them over the ledge. Jaxxon trans-shifted to their steel room for tools and returned with a square plate that looked like obsidian. Taking it from him, Volund placed it on the floor. Immediately, it began vibrating, and every piece of broken glass slid across the floor or flew from the ledge or rim of the window to stick to the object. The pieces liquefied and became part of the square plate.
Behind him, Jaxxon opened a vial and sprinkled a yellow liquid over the blood, guts, and ichor that stained the floor by the entrance. The disgusting mass began to bubble, followed by combustion, accompanied by yellow smoke. Jaxxon pulled the door open, and the yellow clouds wafted out into the corridor and across the room to flow out the window through which Venus’s body had so recently been thrown.
“Wow, it would have been nice to have had you guys around when I was a kid and Mom gave me household chores to do,” Venus said from the bathroom doorway. “You guys could’ve cut my chore time down to five minutes flat.” She grinned. Naked, her large breasts swaying in time with her hips, she walked to the unmade bed and stretched out.
Instantly, Volund wanted her. Her large, succulent breasts, round hips with a nicely padded ass, long limbs, beautiful pale hair, and eyes the color of a sandy beach were all put together upon a big-boned frame that would intimidate any of the Amazonian women he’d learned about on the journey to Earth. She was a perfect mate for him and Jaxxon. He took one step in her direction, his brother mimicking his movements, but Volund stopped. He looked at Jaxxon and saw his thoughts mirrored in his brother’s eyes.
Lovers of the Galaxy: Book One: Invasion of Her Heart Page 9
