Khyron's Claim

by Rayna Tyler

  “Nothing.” She raised her head long enough to shoot a glare in his direction, then removed the blade from the sheath. “I wasn’t going to keep it. I just wanted to make sure it was going to fit after I won it.”

  Thrayn snorted and held out his hand. “You assume too much, female. I agree to your terms and look forward to receiving the coins when I win our wager.” He accepted his blade and returned it to his hip.

  “My name is Sloane, not female.” She dropped back in her chair and pointed her knife in his direction. “And I never bet unless I know I’m going to win.”

  “I hope you weren’t fond of that blade.” Burke patted Thrayn on the shoulder as he pushed out of his seat and stretched his injured leg.

  “Thrayn, I believe this trip is going to be good for you,” Zaedon said.

  Thrayn narrowed his eyes. “How so?”

  Zaedon chuckled. “You are going to acquire many lessons on how to deal with humans, specifically the females.”

  “Laria, isn’t that your transport in the road up ahead?” Burke placed a hand on the back of Sloane’s chair and leaned closer to the viewing pane. “It doesn’t look like it’s moving.”

  “What? Where?” She pushed off Jardun’s lap and moved closer to Burke.

  I was up and standing behind Garyck’s seat in seconds. We should not have caught up with them this easily, not unless there was a problem with their transport or something else had caused them to stop. I ignored the wave of nausea battering my body, refusing to believe I had finally found Celeste only to lose her again.

  “There.” Burke pointed at the vehicle sitting at an odd angle on the side of the worn road.

  “It looks like the storm was heavy in this area. Maybe they had trouble with the solars.” Jardun wrapped an arm around Laria’s waist, pulling her back against his chest.

  “Cara can handle almost any engine problem they might have had.” Laria glanced at Jardun over her shoulder, her worried gaze catching mine. “Something about this doesn’t feel right.”

  “Khyron…” Garyck slowed the vehicle’s engine, the use of my name a request on how to proceed.

  “Approach with caution and be prepared for anything,” I answered.

  Chapter Five

  Celeste

  Using the metal panel as a shield had worked better than I’d expected. The only damage it sustained was from a single laser blast, which left a vertical burn mark across the center.

  Cara had been right about Rick bypassing the security. We’d barely gotten into position before the access door opened. As soon as the males moved into view, we’d thrown our blades. Cara caught the guy closest to her in the shoulder, causing him to yelp and stagger backward, then drop his weapon to pull out the knife. I had a much better aim and nailed the other male’s hand, the one gripping his laser weapon, the result a jerky discharge. After that, disarming them had been easy.

  Neither of the male’s injuries was life-threatening. Even though I had a good idea what would have happen to Cara and me if they managed to take us prisoner, I still retrieved a medical kit from an overhead storage unit, then cleaned and bandaged their wounds. Not that they were grateful. I had to listen to their complaints until Cara told them she’d remove male parts if they didn’t stop whining.

  The effort I expended to take care of their injuries might be moot. Life was difficult and dangerous. There were times when survival required doing unpleasant tasks. Whether or not they survived after I turned them over to Burke’s men for interrogation was another matter. Fortunately, it was one of those times when someone else would have to deal with it.

  The worst part of the whole situation was having to leave Trixie behind. I didn’t have a choice, not after Cara informed me the damage to the engine was too extensive and would probably take days to repair. Since the transport Rick and Neil used to ram us wasn’t much larger than ours, we’d have the same difficulty maneuvering it through the sandy mud caused by the storm. Towing our vehicle the remainder of the way to the settlement was not an option.

  The road we were on wasn’t heavily traveled, I still hoped nobody came along and stripped Trixie’s parts before we returned for her. With any luck, I’d be able to persuade one of Burke’s guys to head out first thing in the morning and tow her back to the settlement. I had no idea how long it would be before I saw Laria and Sloane again, but I hoped the transport was working perfectly before then.

  I didn’t want to spend the remainder of the trip worrying about Rick and Neil attempting to overpower us, so I rummaged through the storage units on their transport, looking for something to bind their wrists.

  I found several sets of shackles, and by the quality of the metal, I assumed they were made from brugoran, an ore so strong that not even a ketaurran male could break out of them. “What do you think they planned to do with these?” I held one of the shackles up for Cara to see, then gave it a shake and rattled the chain.

  Cara pursed her lips in disgust. “I can only imagine.” She kept one of the laser blasters aimed at the males while I fastened the metal cuffs to their wrists.

  “Take a seat on the floor over there.” I motioned to a spot between the two long benches lining one of the walls.

  “And no talking, or I might decide to follow through on my earlier threat.” Cara aimed her weapon at Rick’s groin.

  Rick moved his hands protectively and shot a malicious glare in Cara’s direction.

  “You can’t…” Neil sputtered, an angry red bursting across his cheeks. An elbow in the ribs from Rick had Neil clamping his mouth shut.

  “Now that they’re taken care of, what do you say we head home?” Cara walked over to the pilot seat.

  “Works for me.” I took the seat next to her, rotating it sideways so I could see Rick and Neil.

  Within minutes Cara had the vehicle moving, then she spent the next hour telling me less than pleasant stories, some bordering on vile, about Rick, Neil, and the other males back at the compound. It was early evening by the time we reached the settlement. I had no sympathy and felt no remorse about what might happen to the males in the near future.

  Once Cara parked in front of the building that served as Burke’s home and a gathering place for the people who worked with him, we jerked Rick and Neil to their feet and led them out of the transport. It was dark outside but there was enough light coming from the room inside the building to see where we were going.

  Rick glanced around as he stepped onto the platform near the building’s entrance. “Where are we?”

  Mercs rarely visited the settlements, preferring to do their business in one of the cities, usually in a run-down bar. Having Burke and his guys living here was a definite deterrent for Doyle and other males like him. None of the mercs I’d met over the years had as nasty a reputation or came close to being as deadly as Doyle.

  “Not a place you want to be.”

  “Yeah, it was either here or take you back to the Quaddrien and feed you to the snakkrils.” Cara had a wicked sense of humor and grinned when Neil shuddered.

  Being reminded of the snakelike creatures with short, clawed legs made me want to shudder too. The last time I’d seen one was during our mission to rescue Vurell, when we’d cut across the wastelands.

  Not long into the trip the chaugwas—an animal that looked like an overgrown iguana—Laria had been riding was attacked by one of the poisonous creatures. If Jardun hadn’t reacted quickly and killed the snakkril, Laria might not have survived the attack.

  Later, during our escape, Doyle and his men chased our vehicle with their solarveyors. We couldn’t outrun them, so we led them near the snakkril nests. At the time, I’d thought Laria was crazy when she’d suggested driving over the nests and been astonished when it actually worked. At the last minute, we’d averted our course, leaving Doyle and his crew to deal with the creatures.

  I already knew Doyle had survived because he’d sent Rick and Neil after us. I assumed by Neil’s reaction to Cara’s statement that he’d als
o been onboard one of the solarveyors and lived through the snakkril attack.

  With all the people coming and going from Burke’s place, knocking wasn’t required. I reached for the door handle and urged Neil inside ahead of me. Logan, Burke’s second-in-command, along with Vince, another member of the so-called rebels, were lounging in two of the chairs scattered around the room and drinking ales. No doubt one of Nayea’s homemade brews.

  The older ketaurran woman had lost her ketiorra during the war and had made the settlement her home years ago. She was the resident doctor and utilized local plant life to concoct anything medicinal, from simple healing salves to birth control. Besides mothering the males and anyone else who worked with Burke, my friends and me included, she made the best alcoholic beverages in the area.

  “Hey, guys,” Cara said as she shoved Rick into the room.

  Logan’s dark gaze locked on the shackles, and he raised an inquiring brow. “New friends?”

  Most of the males Burke had recruited were big guys, well-muscled from training and deadly with a blade. Logan’s dark hair and eyes, along with the short growth of beard on his upper lip and chin, added to his threatening appearance.

  Vince, on the other hand, was more laid-back. His eyes had more of an amber hue. When combined with his tawny hair and charming smile, the guy was all kinds of hot and had quite a few of the single females in the settlement chasing after him. If I hadn’t lost my heart to Khyron years ago, I might have accepted one of his many offers to be more than good friends.

  “Couple of Doyle’s guys. They thought it would be fun to attack us on the way here.” I gave Neil a nudge. “Do you have a cell available that we can use? I’m sure Burke will want to talk to them when he gets back.”

  “Not a problem.” Vince lowered his half-empty glass, balancing it on his leg, then glancing behind me. “Where’s Burke? Last time I saw him, he said he was heading to Aztrashar to meet with Laria, Sloane, and you.”

  “He found us.” I was exhausted and preferred to keep things brief. Vince could get real chatty depending on how much ale he’d consumed.

  “Speaking of Laria and Sloane? Why aren’t they with you? I thought you three always traveled together.” Logan took another long sip from his drink.

  “Something came up, and they all decided to stay in the city a little longer. I expect them to show up in a few days, and Burke can tell you all about it himself.” Actually, I had no idea how long they’d be waiting for Khyron to wake up or when they’d be coming home. I glanced at Cara, expecting her to correct me, but only received a smile and shrug.

  “These two geniuses battered the back end of Laria’s transport, so I’ll need someone to take a solarveyor out in the morning and tow it back here so I can repair it,” Cara said.

  Logan snorted, pinning Neil and Rick with an empathetic look. “I wouldn’t want to be either of you when Laria finds out what you did to Trixie.”

  “You can’t keep us here.” Rick jerked away from me. “Doyle will come looking for us, and when he does…”

  None of us were intimidated by his threat, least of all Cara. She shook her head. “Do you really think Doyle cares what happens to you?”

  Logan got to his feet and set his drink on a nearby table. “Cara, why don’t you let me help you with them?”

  “Can you also find a secure place to keep this?” Cara handed Logan her laser weapon.

  “This one too.” I handed over the one I was carrying.

  Logan took the weapons and shook his head. “So the rumors were true?”

  I didn’t like the way Rick was suddenly paying close attention to our conversation. “Yeah, but we can talk about it later.” Any discussions we had about the laser weapons needed to stay private. We couldn’t risk any information getting back to Doyle.

  After watching the way Doyle had gone after Burke during the short time we were prisoners in the compound, I believed all the stories I’d heard about the male. Something had happened to the guy’s mind after the crash, his thinking turned crazy and unpredictable.

  We hadn’t been able to prove it, but my friends and I thought Doyle had connections with Sarus during the war. We’d all heard that the old drezdarr’s power-hungry brother had been killed, but Jardun was convinced he hadn’t died. If he was right, then Khyron’s life, as well as those of all humans, was still in danger.

  As much as I agreed with Cara that Doyle didn’t care about his men, there was the possibility he might attack the settlement out of revenge, or if he thought the toxins were here. Rick and Neil might have valuable information that we needed. “Oh, and Logan.” He was halfway across the room helping Cara take Rick and Neil to the back of the building.

  “Yeah.” He stopped and glanced over his shoulder.

  “You might want to have Nayea take a look at their wounds. We wouldn’t want them to die before Burke has a chance to talk to them.”

  ***

  Khyron

  Garyck had barely gotten the solarveyor stopped behind Laria’s transport before I hurried outside.

  “Khyron, wait!” Jardun shouted.

  I heard an exasperated growl and knew if I glanced over my shoulder, he’d be right behind me. When I reached the exterior entrance, I found the door open, the interior empty.

  There was no sign of Celeste or Cara anywhere. I sensed that whatever had transpired wasn’t good, that we were too late. The throbbing in my head and the pressure in my chest were almost unbearable. I wanted to search for Celeste, but the area around us was vast, and looking without knowing what happened here first would do no good and be a waste of valuable time.

  Was this going to be my punishment for failing her all those years ago? Hoping I would get another chance to make things right only to have the opportunity stolen from me, to have her stolen from me?

  “Khyron.” Zaedon interrupted my thoughts. “This is a laser burn.” Zaedon ran his hand over the darkened area near the door’s exterior frame. “The mark is similar to the ones on the hull of the solarveyor.” He jutted his chin toward our transport.

  “It appears whoever did this rammed them first, which damaged the engine and forced them to stop,” Jardun said as he approached from the other side of the vehicle with Laria walking beside him.

  Laria stood with her arms crossed and studied the transport’s structure. I sensed a controlled anger burning within the depths of her intense green gaze.

  “There is blood.” Garyck scowled, then swiped the metal frame at the base of the door, his fingertip smudged with crimson liquid.

  “I don’t think it belongs to Cara or Celeste.” Sloane appeared in the opening above him from inside the transport.

  “What makes you think the females were unharmed?” The pale green on Thrayn’s face had darkened as soon as Garyck mentioned the blood.

  A female did not need to be a male’s ketiorra for him to feel the overpowering need to protect her. It was an instinct built into our primal nature. All the ketaurran males in the group would be experiencing a similar response.

  Mine was clearly the worst, almost to the point of debilitating. The need to find those responsible for taking Celeste from me sent rage rippling through me.

  “Because someone removed a metal panel from the wall in here.” She hitched her thumb over her shoulder. “My guess is they used it to protect themselves from the lasers. And since there’re no burn marks inside the transport other than the one on the panel, I’m guessing they threw their blades before their attackers could do any shooting.

  “Celeste and Cara wouldn’t have given up without a fight. There’d be signs of a struggle… And way more blood.” She sidestepped Garyck’s bulky frame, then jumped to the ground. “Besides, Celeste never misses when she throws.” She grinned at Thrayn, then gave my arm a pat as she moved to stand next to Laria.

  “And since there aren’t any bodies lying around…” I assumed the nudge Sloane gave Laria with her shoulder was meant to be comforting.

  “Means she didn’t
want whoever did this dead.” A hint of satisfaction spread across Laria’s face.

  I had not known the female long but easily recognized the signs of someone contemplating ways to exact revenge on those who had attacked her friend and damaged her transport.

  The Celeste I remembered was strong-willed and determined to get her way when she wanted something. Based on Sloane’s comment, my ketiorra had acquired numerous fighting skills since the last time I had seen her. The thought of meeting the female she had become had my tail twitching with anticipation. Now if we could only find her long enough for me to observe and admire these traits for myself.

  “I think Sloane is right.” Burke approached with Vurell from investigating the roadway up ahead.

  The male had not healed completely, and I noticed a slight limp in his step.

  “The tracks from the other vehicle head toward the settlement.” Burke tipped his head. “This road is the only safe way to get in and out of the area. If someone had planned to take the girls, they wouldn’t risk heading in that direction, and we would have seen them if they were returning the way they came.”

  In case their suppositions were incorrect, I did not want to waste any more time before going after Celeste. “Then we should follow the tracks and continue on to the settlement.”

  “Wait.” Laria stepped into my path to keep me from returning to the solarveyor. “We can’t just leave Trixie here. We have to take her with us.”

  “It is a transport. I am sure it will be fine until morning,” I said.

  Jardun moved behind Laria and glared at me as if I’d speared him with a blade. It was understandable that he wished to keep her happy, but finding my ketiorra was more important. At least that was my assumption until Sloane appeared next to Laria, arms crossed and silently daring me to disagree with her friend.

  Judging by the narrowed gazes of the other ketaurran males—with the exception of Thrayn—it appeared they agreed with the females. It did not seem to matter that I was the drezdarr, the leader of the planet’s inhabitants, the one whose orders were supposed to be fulfilled without question. Knowing this was a battle I could not win, I sighed. “Do whatever you must to tow your Trixie.”