by Anna Argent
“Orac. Father of Oc.”
“Well, Orac. It seems that you and I have an enemy in common. I don’t know about you, but I’d really like to see Dimas’s severed head mounted on the end of my maulst.”
The Dregorg’s face wrinkled in a deep scowl of anger. “And his son, Korlayan.”
“I’ve never heard of him. Is he here too?”
“He hurts mine and laughs. Forces brother to kill brother. Crushes offspring under rocks to hear them scream as they die.”
Ava’s imagination went wild at the thought, showing her all kinds of grotesque images of these giants fighting and killing one another for the amusement of the Raide. And the thought of them having to hear their children die screaming… it was too horrible.
Radek’s dark face tightened with rage. “Sounds like there are two Raide motherfuckers who need to be killed.”
Again Orac nodded once. “Mine were sent to kill Radek. Bring back Radek’s blood. Proof of death.” The Dregorg pulled out a curved red knife that was easily as long as her forearm.
Ava freaked out. Her body went tense as she realized that doom was swooping down on them.
Radek backed up. The tip of his weapon sparked with blue light. “Whoa. Hold on there just a minute, big guy. I thought we were talking here.”
“Radek’s blood or our mates’ blood. Mine are sorry.”
“I really don’t want to hurt you,” Radek said. A bright blue hammer appeared where her mop had once been.
Orac lifted the blade and took a step forward.
Ava couldn’t let this happen.
She rushed out of the truck and took up a position between them.
Radek’s eyes widened with surprise. “What are you doing? Get out of the way.”
She spun around to keep the Dregorg in sight. “It doesn’t have to be like this,” she told the giant. “You two aren’t enemies. There has to be another way.”
“No more ways,” Orac said. “Dimas will know Radek’s blood from others.”
“Do you want to kill him?” she asked.
“Mine want no killing.”
“Then don’t.”
“Dimas must have proof of death or mine suffer.”
“Blood?” she asked. “He told you to bring back blood, right?”
Orac nodded once.
Radek’s voice was a harsh demand behind her. “What the hell are you doing, Ava?”
“Playing diplomat. It’s not my strong suit, so stop distracting me.” To Orac, she said, “What if Radek gave you some of his blood as proof. You could tell Dimas you killed him, and everyone could walk away from this alive.”
“Lie?” asked Orac, like she’d proposed something as horrendous as murdering newborns.
“Yes. Lie. Is it really that big of a deal to lie to an asshole like Dimas?”
“Mine do not lie.”
“All the better to fool him, my dear,” she said. “He won’t expect it from you.”
Orac turned and looked at his buddy who stood several yards back. No words were spoken, but she had the distinct impression that they’d just carried on some kind of deep and meaningful conversation.
“Well?” she asked. “Do you want to leave an ally alive to fight Dimas?”
“Mine owe Radek a debt. Mine pay now.”
Orac turned the knife around and held it by the blade. He moved forward slowly, watching Radek’s weapon the whole time.
Ava stepped back, out of the giant’s way. She could feel the heat of Radek’s body behind her, guiding her to his side.
Once she was within reach of him, he grabbed her arm and shoved her behind him.
Orac held out the handle of the knife. “Mine need Radek’s blood.”
Radek took the blade and used it to make a shallow cut along his left arm. He smeared his blood across the weapon, being sure to cover it thoroughly.
“Tell Dimas I’m dead,” Radek said. “I’ll keep a low profile so he doesn’t find out you lied.”
Orac bowed his fleshy head.
“Tell us where he is,” Ava said. “If we kill him, then you’ll be free.”
Sadness narrowed Orac’s orange eyes. “Mine are not free until our home is free.”
“I understand,” Radek said. “The Raide have stolen a lot from all of us. And now they plan to do the same here on this world.”
Ava refused to let it play out that way. “Where is he, Orac?”
The Dregorg closed his bright orange eyes in concentration. The giant hovering behind him did the same. After a few seconds, he looked at Ava. “On top of a tall building in a forest of tall buildings.”
“A big city?” Radek asked.
“Which one?’ Ava asked.
“Mine do not know the name. It is colder there. Water lays on one side. Humans are everywhere, taking what is not theirs.”
Ava looked at Radek. “Without a name, there are too many big cities on the water to guess which one he means. And most of them are experiencing the same looting problems as every other big city.”
Radek nodded and took Ava’s hand. “Hang on just a minute. I’ve got something that might help.” He pulled her to the truck. “Stay here.”
Rather than argue, she let him think she’d follow whatever orders what he issued. But if he needed her again, she’d do what it took to defend him, whether or not it was against orders. Radek might well be Earth’s only hope of staving off an alien invasion. She couldn’t let anything happen to him.
He dug in a plastic box in the back of the truck until he found what he wanted. It was a small flat disc about the size of a quarter, but made up of dozens of intricate interlocking pieces. The pieces separated down the middle, leaving a small gap. He took it back to Orac. “Hide this on you. When you figure out the name of the city where Dimas or Korlayan are, spin the two halves like this.” He demonstrated how to operate the device. “That will allow us to speak over a long distance—much like you do with your own kind.”
The fleshy gray folds of Orac’s face scrunched up in a frown. “Not like speaking with mine, friend of Oc. Very different.”
“Well, it’s as close as we’re going to get. If you feel the disc vibrate, then that means I’m trying to reach you. Spin the halves and you’ll be able to hear me, okay?”
Orac held out his beefy hand. “Mine will return to Dimas and tell you where he hides.” He slid the disc into his mouth, tucking deep down in his jowl.
“Thank you,” Radek said. “I’ll be waiting for your signal.”
The Dregorgs lumbered off with the bloody knife and disappeared into the woods.
Radek came back to her side, his face a mask of rage so fierce, she backed away from him.
“What the fuck was all of that?” he demanded. “You have no right to risk your life like that. People are counting on you.”
“I did what I thought was right.”
“You promised you’d follow orders. I told you to stay in the truck.”
“And if I had, you’d be chopped up into little pieces—or they would have been. My way was better. Admit it.”
“I won’t argue that your plan was solid, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to work with someone who breaks her word the first chance she gets. You’re going home.” He grabbed her arm and bodily lifted her up into her seat.
A sense of betrayal washed over her. “You said you wouldn’t do that.”
His big body blocked her doorway. Rage radiated off of him like heat off of desert sand. “And you said you’d follow orders. Guess we’re both going back on our word.”
*****
Radek wavered between furious, terrified and proud.
That stunt Ava had pulled had been smart, but it could just as easily have gone badly.
He could have lost her.
The idea clogged his brain, preventing any other thought from forming. After several minutes of sitting in the driver’s seat and breathing deeply to calm his emotions, he was finally able to unclench his jaw enough to speak.
“You could h
ave been hurt or killed.”
Ava glowered at him. “So could you.”
She opened her door.
“Where are you going?”
“To get the first aid kit out of your bag. In case you forgot, you’re bleeding all over the place.”
He let her go, tracking her movements by the feel of her heat moving over his bare torso. If she got too far away, he’d know it in time to chase after her. But rather than run, she came around to his side of the truck with his medical box in hand.
She opened it and set it on his lap. From its contents she took the Imonite salve. “This is what you used on me, right?”
He nodded. “Don’t waste that on me. Just disinfect it.”
“Waste it? Are you kidding me? If something happens to you, there is no one else here who has a clue as to what’s going on or how to stop it. If we were smart, we’d drive out to D.C., demand a meeting with some admirals or something, and tell them how to kill these assholes.”
“I’m forbidden from making my presence known to anyone who isn’t from our world.”
“I won’t tell if you won’t.” She dabbed the precious salve on his cut, despite his protests.
Apparently, Ava was not the obedient sort.
“What do you think would happen if I indulged you and told the leaders of your world that I was from a different one?”
Her fingers gently stroked his skin, and the thrill of her touch helped dull his pain.
“At least you look human,” she said.
He turned in his seat so that he was facing her in the doorway. “But I’m not. Neither are you. And if they got their hands on me, they’d mistrust me. Maybe even lock me up. I won’t let that happen. I’d kill myself first.”
“We have to do something,” she said. “We can’t just wait for this Dimas dude to do whatever it is he’s going to do.” Ava moved back, almost out of his reach.
He didn’t like it, so he stepped down out of the truck, corralling her against the open door. “What do you suggest?”
“We need to fight. Now, before the bad guys dig in too deep. Before they destroy our homes and people start dying.”
“And just how do you think we should do that? The Raide have advanced technology. If they don’t have superior numbers hidden here already, they will soon. They’re smart enough to let fear do the heavy lifting, so we don’t even know where they are. Just what, exactly, do you think we can do?”
“You said there were weapons on your world that can kill them. Let’s go get one.”
“When you step foot on our world, it will become your new home. Permanently. They won’t let you come back. We need you there too much.”
“So they’d just let the people here die?”
“I’m making it sound worse than it is. We’ve been at war for a long time. If we go down, there’s no chance at all that humans will survive without our help. They need our experience, our tech.”
“Then have your people send it here.”
“I don’t have that kind of power. I’m just a—” he almost said prisoner, but stopped himself. “A nobody.”
“Well, I’m not. I refuse to be. If they want my help, they’re going to have to cooperate. And that begins with sending the weapons we need to stop the invasion here before it starts.”
“They won’t agree to those terms, Ava.”
“I don’t plan on debating the issue with them. I’m simply going to tell them how it is.”
He checked his window tracker. The colors were almost all black now. “You can try. The window will be opening in about three minutes. You’ll have only twice that long to convince them.”
A ripple of nervousness passed through her gaze before disappearing. “Six minutes? What do I say?”
“Whatever you want, but you’re going to have to do it in person.”
The color drained from her face. “I’m not going there. I won’t walk away from my family and not be allowed to come back.”
He hated seeing her fear, but once she was back home, where she belonged, she’d see it was for the best. “It’s going to be okay. They’re your people too. They would never do anything to hurt you.”
She bowed her head and nodded as she slid out from where he had her caged. “If there’s no other choice, then I guess that’s it, huh?”
He wanted to hug her and offer her some kind of comfort, but it wasn’t his place. And if he got his hands on her again, he’d have her half naked by the time the window opened.
“Where will it be?” she asked.
“The window?” He pointed to a fallen tree a few feet in front of the truck. “Right there.”
She moved toward the spot, her head hanging low.
He should have suspected something was wrong when she gave in so easily, but he was too lulled by her submission to see the danger.
The second he was out of her reach, she took off at a dead sprint and disappeared into the woods.
The window began to open, filling the area with flickering light.
He could make out the sound of voices as the transmission from home began to come through. He was almost certain he heard his name.
Radek had two choices. He could either stay here, report to his superiors and likely be commanded to return home, leaving Ava alone to deal with the shit-storm that had broken out on this world. Or, he could take off after her, track her down and hope there was enough time left to haul her ass back and toss her through the opening.
There was really no choice. One option left Ava alone here to fend for herself. The second got her in his arms again, even if it was only for a few seconds.
With the light of the window solidifying behind him, Radek took off after her.
Chapter Sixteen
Ava tripped for the third time.
The woods were thick and black. Even with the moon bright overhead, no light filtered down through the dense canopy of leaves overhead.
Footsteps sounded behind her. Radek was talking to someone in a language she didn’t understand. His voice grew louder by the second. The other voice—a man whose tone was laced with authority—came through with a kind of tinny echo cast over it.
Radek was only a few yards behind her now. Any second, he’d pounce, and the chase would be over.
What would he do then? Send her through that window, leaving her family here to fend without her?
Worry bore down on Ava, nearly crushing the air from her lungs.
She couldn’t leave them. Mom and Emily needed her too much for her to let Radek send her anywhere without a fight. The world was going to hell, and neither of the women she loved was equipped to handle that kind of chaos. She had to stay here and protect them.
Mom was weak from chemo. Emily hadn’t even been able to handle one man who wanted to do bad things to her. How were they going to cope when a whole army of starving, desperate people were on their doorstep?
They couldn’t. Ava had been a fool to ever think she could leave them.
Another fallen tree branch caught her toe. She started to go down, grabbing for whatever she could in order to stop her fall.
Her fingers hit something hard and warm. She grasped onto it, realizing too late that it was Radek’s hand.
His arm came around her, cushioning her fall even as he forced her to the ground.
It was too dark to make out his features, but she didn’t need to see his face to know he was furious.
“Caught her,” he told whoever was listening.
A voice sounded from his pocket, muffled by the way his hips had hers pinned to the ground.
“Don’t move,” he growled at her.
The rough edges of his voice vibrated in her chest, tickling her nipples until they hardened painfully.
“Like I could.” She shoved against him, but he was freakishly strong and way too heavy to move.
He gathered her hands in his and held them hard against her chest. “Hold still!”
She did as he ordered, not because he’d ordered i
t, but because she was already beginning her efforts to lull him into believing she was compliant. It had worked before. It might work again.
He used his free hand to pull a communication device from his pocket. A watery glow of light spilled from it, casting a cozy net of illumination around them.
“What do you want me to do with her?” he asked in English, staring at her with the promise of violence in his bronze eyes.
“Send her home.”
“I’ll fight you every step of the way,” she promised.
Radek tightened his hold. “There’s not time. We’re too far away from the window.”
“Do you know who she is?” asked the man on the other world. “She’s Avalia, daughter of Amorant and Framain, two of the most gifted strategists of the last one hundred years. Their skills lie in her blood and bone. We need her.”
“And I need to save my family here!” she yelled, hoping the man could hear her.
Radek kept his gaze on her while he spoke, giving her a strange look. “She’s stubborn as hell, sir.”
“Then take her by force if you must, but send her home.”
“Send me wherever you like,” Ava said. “I won’t cooperate. Not if you don’t let me save my family here first.”
Silence filled the line, leaving only the sound of insects humming.
After a moment, the man’s voice came back. “What is it you want, Avalia?”
“Ava,” she corrected. “And I want weapons that will kill every Raide on this planet. I want you to arm our military.”
“Impossible. We can’t spare that kind of machinery. And even if we could, you’d have to find Dimas first.”
Something tickled the back of her mind. “We’ll do it,” she offered.
“Do what?” Radek asked.
“We’ll find this Dimas dude and kill him.”
“We can’t promise—” The connection started to break up, leaving gaps in his words.
“I didn’t hear that,” she said. “Repeat what you just said.”
More clicks and static filled the line.
“Find Dimas,” the warden ordered.
The line went silent as the connection ended.
“Exactly how are you going to make good on that promise?” asked Radek.
