by Gail Koger
Jarok’s mouth moved, but nothing came out.
I watched Hothar and Uncle Saul search Jarok. He had a shit load of weapons on him. Damn, was it hot. Rivulets of sweat ran down my body. Not only was the fat suit suffocating me, my face was itching badly. Ugh. The stench of decayed and rotting vegetation made me want to puke. This island was more of a scummy swamp than lush paradise. Dozens of enormous banyan trees rose out of the water-logged terrain. Debris from a shipwreck littered part of the beach.
Uncle Saul pulled his boot knife and cut off Jarok’s warrior braids. “You have been stripped of your warrior status. You are dead to the Overlord. You are dead to the clan.”
Fear leaked into Jarok’s eyes.
“You will face the rite.” Hothar added and landed a single blow to the base of Jarok’s skull. The traitor’s knees buckled and down he went.
I rubbed my now burning face. “How do Lilkee and Waewae inspire such devotion? A drug? Brainwashing? Or simple greed?”
“I do not know,” Hothar responded grimly.
Uncle Saul advised, “Another Rodan mother ship has joined the space battle and we might be stuck here awhile. Find a sturdy root and chain Jarok to it.”
“As you command.” Hothar hoisted Jarok over his shoulder and carried him over to the tangled network of banyan tree. Pulling shackles off his belt, Hothar cuffed Jarok to a thick root.
A shimmering veil of silk sparkled in the sun. My eyes widened in horror. “Please tell me that’s not a gigantic spider web.”
Uncle Saul grabbed my elbow and hustled me away. “It’s not important.”
“Not important?” I reached for the laser pistols I had stuffed in my waistband. They were gone. My eyes narrowed when I saw them on Hothar’s weapons belt. Sneaky bastard.
Uncle Saul asked, “Were you able to gather any intel before the C130 went down?”
“Some. I tapped into the administrative aide’s mind. He also belongs to Earth First and helped Governor-General Dovers disable the planetary defensive systems in May.”
Uncle Saul ran a hand through his thick hair. “Damn. Earth First infiltration is worse than we thought.”
“The Overlord will not be pleased,” Hothar commented from behind us.
Clouds of buzzing, biting insects swarmed me. I slapped frantically at them. “Got any bug spray.”
Hothar tapped his bracelet and presto. The insects vanished.
“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.” I tugged at my mask. “Can you help me get this thing off. It’s irritating the hell out of my skin.
“Assisting my mate, is an honor and a privilege,” Hothar responded.
I gave him my best “you’re so full of it” glare. “A couple of hours ago I was an annoying female.”
“You still are,’ Hothar stated blandly and tried to peel off the mask.
“Ow. Hold on. The friggin’ thing is stuck to my skin.” I winced when Hothar managed to peel a small section back. “And the even worse news is, my fat suit soaked up a bunch of salt water and I’m literally cooking.”
Hothar’s fingers danced over his warrior’s bracelet. “Your skin is covered in a raised rash and your body temperature is elevated.”
“We need to get you cooled down before you get heat stroke.” Uncle Saul pulled a healing wand out of his hip pocket and ran it over my face. “Try removing the mask now.”
I gave it a tug and half of the mask came off easily. “Whew! It worked!”
Hothar carefully eased the rest of the mask off and alarm filled his eyes.
“Dang! How bad is my face?”
Uncle Saul’s eyes widened slightly as he examined my skin. “Let me run the wand over your face again, and you’ll be as good as new. Nothing to worry about, sweetheart. Nothing at all.”
“That bad, huh?” I sighed in relief as the pain and itching faded away. “All healed up?”
“Yes, sweetheart, all better.”
Uncle Saul hadn’t used the “don’t worry, daddy will fix you up” tone on me since I was twelve and fell into a hornet’s nest. I flinched at the image I snagged from his mind. Between the hideous red blisters and my badly swollen lips, I looked like someone out of a horror movie. Had the stupid mask left me disfigured for life? I turned to Hothar. “Would your blood help fix this mess?”
“Couldn’t hurt,” Uncle Saul muttered.
Hothar cut his palm and held his hand out to me. “Drink.”
I took it and lapped at his blood. A gentle warmth engulfed my body and I could feel his strength pouring into me. I touched my face. Thank the Lord, my blisters were fading away. I suddenly realized his blood was starting to taste pretty good. Crap. That was bad on so many levels.
“That should do it,” Uncle Saul said, pulling me away from Hothar. “How much touchy-feely stuff has been going on between the two of you?”
“The only time Hothar has touched me was to teleport,” I assured my uncle.
Hothar added, “I would never dishonor Casey.”
“See that you don’t.” A frown creased Uncle Saul’s forehead. “Both of you are too young for that type of shenanigans.”
“Shenanigans? Us? I wasn’t the one playing tonsil hockey with Commander Torrez’s underaged daughter. Did you forget what happened when her daddy walked into the cantina with his men?”
A smile touched my uncle’s mouth. “One hell of a brawl.”
“And who had to save your sorry ass?”
“You girls did.” Uncle Saul grinned at Hothar’s astonished expression. “Never piss Casey off. She’s got a mean right hook.”
“I enjoy a good fight,” I told Hothar and waited for his reaction.
“A mate that can fight at my side is a gift from the Goddess,” he answered smoothly.
My uncle laughed. “Be careful what you ask for. Casey is a one-woman demolition crew.”
“Har. Har. All of us Jones girls are.” I wiped the sweat out of my eyes. God, it was so friggin’ hot.
Hothar glanced down at his warrior’s bracelet. “You body temperature is still elevated.”
I surveyed the tiny island and a shudder shook me. Except for the trees full of cane spiders there wasn’t any place for me to change. I jerked my thumb at the warriors. “I don’t want to strip down in front of all of them.”
Uncle Saul turned to the five Coletti warriors who had been following our conversations with great interest. “Check the island for any signs of the Rodan.”
“As you command,” they said in unison, clamped their right arms against their chests and vanished.
I smacked Hothar’s hands as he tried to unbutton my shirt. “I don’t need your help to undress. If you’ll both turn around, I’ll get out of my fat suit.”
“As my lady wishes.” He obediently turned to face the ocean.
As soon as my uncle had his back to me, I kicked my boots off and stripped down. I tugged and tugged on the fat suit’s zipper. The friggin’ thing was glued shut. I yanked and yanked and yanked some more. Since Uncle Saul didn’t like me cussing, I went with, “Son of a monkey. Mothersmucker!”
Hothar asked casually. “Do you need help?”
“I do, but don’t you dare laugh at me.”
“We wouldn’t think of it,” Uncle Saul promised solemnly.
“Fine. Get me out of this.”
Both men turned around. There wasn’t a trace of emotion on their faces as they studied the fat suit.
“A very effective disguise.” Hothar glanced at my uncle. “Cut it off?”
Uncle Saul bobbed his head. “I agree.”
They pulled their knives and went to work.
I heard a muffled snicker and looked over my shoulder. Uncle Saul was grinning like a loon. “You promised.”
“Sorry sweetheart, but you gotta admit this is pretty damn funny,” Uncle Saul said. “You resemble the marshmallow man from that silly ghost movie.”
“How was I to know the suit ballooned up
in salt water?” I expelled a long breath when the foam rubber concoction fell away. The ocean breeze was pure heaven. “Thank you.”
“You are truly beautiful,” Hothar stated.
The naked desire in Hothar’s eyes had me blushing. “And you win the grand prize for awesome dimples.”
“Knock it off you two.” Uncle Saul’s mouth tightened into a hard line. “Get dressed. The Overlord will be here shortly. He’s anxious to interrogate Jarok.”
My eyes widened in horror. “Do I still look like I have the plague?”
“The Overlord won’t even notice,” Uncle Saul promised, refusing to meet my gaze.
Seriously? My skin was the color of a boiled lobster with pieces of white foam still stuck to it. “What happened with the horrendous space battle?”
“The Overlord,” Hothar said and handed me my clothes.
“Right. The big scary came, saw, and blew them all to hell.”
Guttural screams rent the air.
I took one look at the horde of hairy spiders covering Jarok and scrambled up Hothar’s back like it was the Matterhorn. Once I was perched on his shoulder, I cried, “You said cane spiders were harmless.”
“Those are not cane spiders,” Hothar replied, endeavoring to loosen my death grip on his head.
“No shit!”
“Language, young lady,” Uncle Saul warned as he reached up to pull me off Hothar’s shoulders.
Immense power rippled the air around us as the Overlord teleported in.
We all froze.
Zarek’s cold amber gaze examined us and the pieces of my fat suit. He cocked a dark brow. “I cannot wait to hear your explanation.”
“Spiders frighten my mate,” Hothar clarified.
“Mate?”
I smacked the top of Hothar’s head. “Am not.”
Letting out a sigh, my uncle pointed at Jarok. “Spiders.”
As if on cue, Jarok uttered a bone-chilling shriek.
Zarek took it all in and tapped his warrior’s bracelet. Ten seconds later, the spiders scurried back into the monstrous web.
“You don’t think they ate the other warriors, do you?”
“They did not. I had them teleport back to the ship.” Zarek replied.
“Oh, that’s good.” I released my death grip on Hothar’s head and smoothed his hair down. “Sorry.”
Uncle Saul plucked me off Hothar’s shoulders. “You should be.”
“Before you return Casey to the ship, make sure she is dressed. My crew knows she is your daughter General, and Jones females are highly sought after.”
“Casey is mine,” Hothar growled, a hand on his sword.
An aura of sheer menace radiated from Zarek. “Are you challenging me?”
Wazzock’s piss! I jumped in front of Hothar. “No! He’s not. He’s annoyed that Waewae got away. We all are. Annoyed. That is.” There was no way in hell I wanted the two of them fighting. It would get messy. Really messy and for some darn reason I couldn’t let Zarek hurt or kill Hothar. What was up with that?
All the Overlord’s terrifying power was suddenly wrapped around me and I flinched when he started mucking about in my head. How had he gotten through my shields? Using every trick Quinn had taught me I tried to evict him, but nothing worked.
Zarek’s deadly voice sounded in my mind. “You wouldn’t let me harm Hothar?”
“No, sir.”
“How did you plan on stopping me?”
“I’d keep dumping you in the ocean until you cooled down.”
Zarek leaned down and whispered in my ear. “It wouldn’t have worked.”
“Probably not, but your attention would be on me and not Hothar.”
Uncle Saul gaped at me in horror. “Casey is suffering from heat stroke, my lord. She doesn’t know what she’s saying.”
“I do not need you to defend me,” Hothar groused.
“Ever since you decided I was your mate, you’ve become nuttier than a squirrel turd.”
“A what?”
“A turd. Or in other words, you’re full of shit.”
Zarek started laughing. “You have met your match Hothar.”
“Casey is difficult to control,” Hothar admitted.
“Gee, ya think?” I gasped when Zarek’s mental hold became very painful.
“Have you forgotten your manners?”
“No, sir. Sorry, sir. The heat is making me a tad cranky.”
“Your psychic abilities have grown considerably, little one. You are now a force to be reckoned with. You need a mate strong enough to keep you in check. Hothar also needs a mate who will temper his sometimes-rash behavior. You two are perfect for each other,” Zarek said out loud.
“Uh, thanks, but no thanks. I’m very happy being single.”
“This isn’t open to debate.” The Overlord released my mind and gestured to Hothar. “Take her blood.”
“What?” I backed away. After getting two aircrafts shot out from under me, having to deal with a bunch of murderous Rodan, blood-thirsty traitors and a horde of spiders, just color me done. “The only way you’re getting my blood is over my dead body.” I went into a combat stance.
“Stand down, Casey,” my uncle bellowed.
I bellowed back, “Yuck Fou.”
“You think you can beat Hothar in a fight?” Zarek’s mouth quirked in amusement.
“Yeah. I cheat.”
Hothar grinned and cracked his knuckles. “So, do I.”
“Go suck a duck.” Grabbing him with my telekinesis, I tossed him at the ocean.
Poof! Hothar vanished before he hit the water. Ten seconds later, he grabbed me from behind. I flipped him over my shoulder and tried to kick him in the face, but the turd teleported again.
I had practiced hand-to-hand combat with Quinn and he had shown me a few tricks. Like how to track Coletti warriors. In my mind’s eye, I could see where Hothar was going to reappear. The instant he popped back in, I unleashed a series of telekinetic punches into his gut.
Hothar staggered back a step. “Your fighting skills are barely adequate.”
Barely adequate? My temper flared to life. I’d show the jerk adequate. I summoned every bit of power I had and hit him with it. The shocked look on Hothar’s face as he flew down the beach was gratifying. Very gratifying, until Zarek’s hand clamped down on my shoulder. Ow. He had the Vulcan death grip down pat.
“Enough Casey. This foolishness stops now. You do not have the strength, or the will, or the ability to defeat Hothar,” Zarek said harshly.
“Because he has your combat skills?” I snarked and winced when the Overlord tightened his grip.
“You think to challenge me?”
“No, sir. I’m not that crazy, but I choose who I mate with. Not you.”
My uncle groaned.
Hothar appeared in front of me. “Would you settle for a partner? I will always have your back and fight at your side. I will bring you chocolate every day. I can teach you how to fly a Talon and fight like a Coletti.”
A part of me was so very tempted, but if Hothar took my blood, he would know my little secret “You want an annoying, chatterbox of a female who is afraid of spiders?”
“Nothing that can’t be fixed,” Hothar answered.
My blood pressure went up. “You did not just say that?”
“Silence!”
I literally froze.
The Overlord fixed me with the unblinking stare of a predator. “You are afraid Hothar will taste the difference in your blood. I know your birth father was not human.”
I gaped at him. “You know I’m a half-breed?”
“Yes. Your brainwaves are quite unique. We have discovered your father was from the Alliance planet of Nal Rishi. Dreng was a highly decorated Alliance enforcer and a powerful psychic.”
“Holy cow! He was a cop?” Color me horrified. “Are you sure?”
“Very sure.”
Tears welled
in my eyes. “My sperm donor wasn’t heroic, he was a monster. Do you know what he did to momma? How many people he murdered? My mother was the one who stopped his killing rampage.”
Hothar gently rubbed my back. “You have her spirit and determination.”
And I had my father’s DNA too. Which scared the crap out of me. What if I snapped and became a killing machine?
“You might have inherited Dreng’s psychic abilities, but you do not have his dark soul,” Hothar reassured me.
Aw, that was so sweet. Wait a minute. Was he prowling around in my head?
A genuine smile curved Zarek’s mouth. “I have been in your mind, little one. You are not a cold-blooded killer. Dreng was an honorable warrior until he was bitten by a Megal snake. Its venom causes insanity.”
Utter relief flooded through me. I wouldn’t become a raving lunatic.
“Dreng murdered my son Thor and would have killed Bree and her mother, if Liliana hadn’t stopped him. It is a debt that can never be repaid,” Zarek added.
A single tear ran down my cheek. I missed momma so much. “When did you know Uncle Saul?”
“It took a while to get permission from the Alliance to use their database for a DNA search. We got the results back two days ago.”
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“It was decided we would reveal your birth father’s identity at a family meeting.”
Jarok shouted, “Release me. Now! You have no right to hold me.”
The man had a death wish. “If I was you, I’d be very, very quiet,” I told him psychically.
“I do not take instructions from a female.” The color drained from Jarok’s face when he spotted Zarek who was now wearing his scary-ass sociopath expression. Eeek!
“I think it is time to find out what Jarok knows,” Zarek’s voice was full of implacable resolve.
I grabbed my clothes. “Y’all go ahead, do your thing and I’ll just go down the beach a bit and get dressed.” I scurried off.
“Take care of your mate, Hothar.”
“Yes, my lord.” He trotted after me.
“No shenanigans,” Uncle Saul warned and followed the Overlord.
I rolled my eyes. Like that was going to happen.
Chapter Six
