Jackson leaped forward, moving far faster than Lucky thought possible, faster, in fact, than any human could track. Jackson pulled back at the last moment, not wanting to actually kill the man if he could help it. Of the three idiots, this one was, evidently, the brains of the outfit. It would be best to keep him alive long enough to get some information from him.
Instead of biting the man’s head off, he bumped him in the chest with his shoulder. Lucky flew backwards, slamming into the same metal wall Willy had hit. Only Lucky was going much faster than Willy had been, and Lucky was leading with his head.
There was a loud crack, and a splat. Jackson wasn’t sure which of the two heralded the death of the man, and didn’t really care. Either way, it didn’t look as though this was Lucky’s lucky day. He looked toward Willy, still unconscious on the floor, and shrugged his huge, powerful shoulders. Perhaps he would know something helpful.
He shifted back to his human form and knelt down beside the wooden crate. The bay doors opened further and he looked up to see Rob strolling through them, Frank’s skinny body clamped between his massive jaws. Frank’s face was white and, aside from his harsh breathing, he was making no noise at all. Rob dropped him on the floor and shifted back to his human form, grimacing at Frank. “You are one disgusting little maggot,” he growled. Frank just curled into a ball and remained silent.
Jackson returned his attention to the wooden crate which, he noted, was locked shut. The silver case that Lucky had left on top of the crate was empty so Jackson set it aside for the moment. He used air magic to increase the pressure inside the lock until it shattered, and then lifted the lid of the crate and tossed it back. He looked down into the crate and gritted his teeth together hard, fighting back a blood rage. After taking a long moment to calm himself, he reached into the crate and began working to untie the knot at the top of the cloth bag enclosing the form of a woman.
Saige thought she’d been doing pretty good there for awhile. Once she’d connected with Jackson, she’d begun to relax a little. Especially when she felt him getting closer and closer to her.
Then the box had moved. Just a little shift at first. Then another shift and a jerk right before it had been dropped so hard that it had knocked the breath out of her. When she was able to breathe again she heard male voices quite close by though muffled, arguing over her as though she were the last piece of meat in a market.
She frantically reached for the man she had spoken to before, Jackson, but he didn’t answer her this time. She had to focus on her breathing again after that, reminding herself repeatedly that he had practically promised her that he would rescue her.
She was just beginning to get her breathing under control once more when the men stopped talking. There was a short, heavy silence broken by a loud, deep roar that she seemed to feel in her very bones. She could not imagine what sort of monster or beast would make such a sound. It scared her so badly that she decided perhaps a seizure wouldn’t be so bad after all.
“Easy now,” said a new voice in her mind. “I’m Clark, I think my brother mentioned me.”
Saige was breathing heavily through her nose, her chest aching with the need for more air. “Yes,” she sent frantically, “he mentioned you.”
“Just try to relax,” Clark said. “And don’t mind that roaring you hear, that’s just my big brother letting off a little steam. We’re gonna have you out of there in just a minute.”
His big brother? Letting off a little steam? What the heck was he?
“Mind your breathing now,” the voice reminded her.
Saige nodded, and then rolled her eyes at herself. Obviously the man could not see her nod. “Okay,” she thought back.
There were some other noises outside the box but the voice stayed with her, calming her, keeping her focused on staying relaxed. A sudden loud clang sounded very close to her, causing her eyes to open reflexively just as the lid was lifted off of her prison and light poured in. She shut her eyes tightly against the light. Even through the heavy cloth still covering her, the light still hurt.
“You’re safe now,” said a voice just above her. Oddly, she recognized the voice, even though she’d only heard it in her mind before. She was certain it was Jackson.
She felt him working to untie the bag near the top of her head, then lower it slowly to her shoulders. As soon as the cool, fresh air hit her face she realized how hot and uncomfortable she was. She breathed as deeply as she could as she studied the face of the man in front of her.
His eyes were the palest shade of green she had ever seen, his hair blonde, but so light it was nearly white. His face was all planes and angles, with a wide full mouth and strong jaw that was currently clenched so tightly she could see the muscles in his face tremble. The man closed his eyes for a long moment and she wondered why. She was certain she didn’t look her best, but she couldn’t look that bad. Could she?
She felt something touch the back of her head and she turned to see another man that looked exactly like the first one! She whipped her head back and forth between them quickly, but yep, they looked the same.
The only difference was that the man behind her, who was removing the foul gag from her mouth, had pale blue eyes. The man smiled at her as he gently lifted the gag away.
“Thank you so much,” she said, though it was difficult to talk. Her mouth was dry as sand and it hurt from the gag. She had no idea how long the thing had been on her but it felt like a very long time.
“Don’t try to talk,” Jackson said as he began slowly lowering the bag further down her body. Her eyes widened suddenly as she wondered whether or not she was even clothed. A quick glance revealed that she was still wearing her pajamas.
She glanced up in time to see relief on Jackson’s face and she hid her smile. He had been nervous about her state of dress as well. If she hadn’t hurt so much all over from being in the same position and unable to move, she might have laughed.
“As I told you earlier, my name is Jackson,” he said. “Jackson Bearen. The man behind you is my brother Clarkson, and my other brother Robson is just coming over.”
Saige’s eyes widened as another man who looked exactly like the first two stepped into her field of vision, just behind Jackson. He had silver eyes, but otherwise was no different from the first two brothers.
“Pleased to meet you Miss,” he said politely.
Saige swallowed painfully. “My name is Saige Taylor,” she said.
All three men froze for a moment. “Saige Taylor.” Jackson repeated. “The same Saige Taylor who was due to arrive this morning to visit Lariah?”
Saige opened her mouth, then changed her mind about trying to talk any more just yet. She settled for nodding her head. These men knew Lariah? And she had been due to arrive this morning?
Suddenly her hands were free and she felt the tension on her shoulders ease a fraction. She was lying on her left arm, but tried to move her right one forward she found that it would not cooperate. Clarkson slowly moved it for her as Robson bent down and began working on the bonds at her ankles. As her shoulder moved she felt an intense burning sensation that caused her to gasp.
“Sorry, Miss Taylor” Clarkson said with a regretful frown.
She could only smile ruefully at him, but that seemed to be enough.
Jackson rose to his feet and looked around as though searching for something. “I’ll be right back,” he said before taking off at what sounded like a run.
Robson finished removing the bonds on her ankles and very carefully straightened her legs, easing the tension on her knees. Saige felt the blood rush through the joints and gasped again. She realized that just getting out of the box was going to take a little time.
Jackson returned with a large glass of cold water and a long straw. He lowered it into the crate and placed the straw where she could reach it, and she drank her fill. She was fairly certain she had never tasted anything as good as that water at that moment.
“Better?” Jackson asked.
Jackson smiled and removed the glass, setting down on the floor beside the crate. “Just let us know if you want more.”
Jackson reached for the small silver case that he had set nearby and examined it. The inside of the case was filled with a soft spongy material with an odd shape cut into it that Jackson guessed would exactly match the shape of the silver object Lucky had removed from it. Whatever the object was, it must be special to require such careful packaging.
Jackson stood and walked across the cargo bay toward Lucky. He walked past Frank where he still lay huddled on the concrete floor without a glance, but took a moment to determine that Willy was still out cold before kneeling down next to the unlucky Lucky’s remains.
He reached into the man’s pocket and carefully removed the silver object. Now that he had it in is hand he could see that it appeared to be some sort of an injector, much like the kind used to inject medications or serums by medical personnel. The difference was that there was a sort of “needle” on this which was long, thick and had a large opening on the end. Lucky had called it a ‘prime controller’, and the connotations of that made Jackson feel ill.
Jackson set the object down on the floor and quickly searched the rest of Lucky’s pockets but found nothing else, not even a wallet or an ident card. He picked up the silver object and took it back to the case. He placed it carefully into its bed of foam material and closed the lid, snapping the catch securely.
Saige was sitting up now but Jackson knew it would still be a while before she was ready to be removed from the crate. He paced away from them, tapping the vox in his ear to activate it. A few moments later he heard his Prince’s voice in his ear.
“Highness, I apologize for calling you so late, but I thought you’d want me to under the circumstances,” he said.
“What is it? Have you found Saige Taylor?” Garen asked.
“Yes, we have,” Jackson replied. He gave his Prince a rapid but thorough version of the night’s events.
When he was finished he waited patiently for his Prince to assimilate everything he’d told him.
“Do you know where the Lobos are at this moment?”
“They are on the skyport waiting for the Cosmic Glory to dock,” Jackson replied. He checked his watch. “It should dock in the next few minutes.”
“If you can take care of Miss Taylor until they finish, they can escort her to the ranch. Have them bring the two detainees as well,” Garen said. “I have a strange feeling about all of this.”
Jackson smiled grimly. He too had a strange feeling about all of this.
“It is going to take us a little while to get Miss Taylor out of this crate. From the appearance of her limbs, she has been in there for no less than 48 hours, probably more like 72.”
“Permanent damage?” Garen asked.
“I don’t think so,” Jackson replied. "We’ll be able to tell more when we get her out.”
“If she seems well enough to travel, Riata can check her when she arrives. She’s here now to check on Lariah and doesn’t plan to leave for another day anyway.”
Jackson’s heart skipped a beat. “Is the Princess well?”
Lariah Daniels, the first Arima in over three thousand years, was currently pregnant with triplet daughters. There was not a single member of their race that wasn’t counting the days until the birth. Lariah quite literally carried the future of the Jasani people within her small body.
Garen snorted. “She is fine, Jackson, as are the babes. However, you won’t be if she hears you call her Princess.”
Jackson laughed. Lariah was small, delicate and sweet. She also had a temper to match her red hair and emerald eyes. “I’ll keep that in mind,” Jackson replied, relieved at the news that Lariah was well.
“If Saige needs urgent medical care, I’ll have the physician here check her,” Jackson said. He turned to see how far his brothers were progressing with getting the young woman out of the box.
“Thanks for finding her,” Garen said. “I don’t know what we would have told Lariah if she hadn’t been found.”
“Happily that is not now a concern,” Jackson said. “I’ll send a message up to the Lobos, then see to Miss Taylor.”
“Thank you Jackson, we appreciate it,” Garen replied.
Saige was happy to be sitting up and relieved that she could move her arms, though her muscles still seemed slow to respond. She still felt a little numb and very sore, but was feeling better by the minute. When Rob handed her the big glass of water she was able to wrap her hands around it and hold it, which raised her spirits a great deal. Her legs didn’t feel like they were quite ready to jump up and go dancing, but if forced, she thought she might be able to walk a little bit.
Jackson returned and knelt down beside the crate, studying her carefully for a long moment. “Miss Taylor,” he began.
“Please, call me Saige,” she said, her voice still croaky but, like everything else, improving quickly.
Jackson smiled. “Saige, I don’t think you are going to be able to walk comfortably for a while yet, so I want to carry you out of here and into my office.”
“Getting out of here sounds good to me,” she said.
“Do you think you need to see a physician?”
Saige hesitated. “How about I let you know later?” she asked finally. “Right now I’m just stiff, sore and thirsty. Nothing I need a doctor for.”
“Alright, but if you change your mind let me know,” Jackson said. “Right now the plan is to get you to my office where you can rest for a bit. You can even take a shower if you like. The Prime Guardians are investigating your disappearance from the Cosmic Glory but will be back down here as soon as they finish. When they return, they’ll escort you to the ranch. How does that sound to you?”
Saige nodded her head enthusiastically. A lot of what Jackson had said made little sense to her, but the offer of a shower was clear. “I would love a shower,” she said. “Do you think it’s possible that my luggage would still be on the Cosmic Glory?”
“I don’t think so,” Jackson replied. “I think the Cosmic Glory would transfer it to the skyport before leaving dock, but I honestly don’t know the procedure. I will look into it as soon as we get back to my office.” Jackson paused as a new thought occurred to him. “Saige, if I can’t locate your luggage you might have to make do with whatever clothing I can find around here.”
“I’m not proud,” Saige replied easily. “As long as it’s relatively clean and covers me up, I don’t care.”
“I have to say that you are a remarkable woman,” Jackson said. “Especially considering what you’ve been through.”
Saige blushed at the compliment, uncertain how to respond. She’d received very few compliments in her life. “Thanks,” she said finally.
“Take another sip of your water and relax for a minute,” Jackson said. “We need to tend to a couple of issues here, then we’ll get you out of this box.”
Jackson stood and walked away, gesturing to his brothers. Clark smiled at her, and Rob patted her ankle, before they both rose and joined Jackson a few feet away.
“The Princes want to interview these two…people,” Jackson said with obvious distaste as he gestured towards Willy and Frank. “Prince Garen has requested that we personally see to Miss Taylor’s care until the Lobos return from the skyport. They will escort her, and these men, directly to the ranch. I don’t want these guys out of our sight until we hand them over to the Lobos. If they disappear like Landon did, I don’t think I’ll be forgiven so easily again.”
”We should let them use the big ground-car that just came into the rental desk,” Rob suggested. “It’s quite large and comfortable enough for Saige to lay down and sleep if she wants. It also has a large enough trunk for those two.”
“Excellent,” Jackson replied before looking around the large cargo bay. “Let’s move that ground-truck inside, lock up this bay door and call in a forensics team.
I want to know everything there is to know about all three of these men, that vehicle, the crate and the maintenance man who fixed the doors this morning. Quarantine this cargo bay until further notice.”
“Understood,” Clarkson said. They discussed a couple of other matters but it took only a few moments. When they were finished, Jackson went back to Saige and knelt beside the crate again.
“You ready to move?” he asked.
“Very ready,” she replied.
Jackson reached over and carefully lifted Saige into his arms. This woman was a personal friend of Nahoa-Arima Lariah Dracon, and as such, very important. If anything else happened to her, Lariah would be extremely upset, and that was to be avoided at all costs.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Laura Jo lives in the Arizona desert with her loving husband, their two children, one very large dog and two interesting cats. Laura Jo loves to hear from her readers. Visit her website at www.laurajophillips.com to see when the next installment in the Soul-Linked Saga is coming, and sign her guestbook. Or, email her directly at [email protected]
While you are there, take a peek at the ever growing Handbook of the Thousand Worlds which details lots of interesting information about the people, technology, governments, and other interstellar information about the worlds the Soul-Linked Saga takes place in.
The Dracons' Woman: Book 1 of the Soul-Linked Saga Page 35
