by Rayna Tyler
As she’d predicted, both males stared at her chest. One even licked his lips. Voices carried in the clearing. I could hear their conversation as I quickly slipped around the transport.
“Depends on what you had in mind,” one of the males said.
The males had shifted their positions and had their backs to me by the time I reached the opposite end of the vehicle.
“Wait, Jeff, it could be a trap.” The male placed a warning hand on his friend’s arm. “What about the ketaurran? You know how protective they are of females. I don’t think he would have left her alone.”
“Well, that’s where you’re wrong,” Cara said. “He was afraid you’d shock him again and took off. So I’m all alone.”
I had never seen Cara pout, but she managed it quite nicely, making me wonder how often she had used similar performances.
“Sooo, who wants to go first?” Cara inched a little closer to the males, keeping their attention on her and away from me.
“I’ll go,” Jeff said as he returned his blade to the sheath on his belt and walked over to the transport’s access door. He turned to the other male. “You can stay out here and keep watch.”
“What about the others? What do I tell Lloyd if he shows up and asks where you are?”
Jeff swiped his hand through his hair, pausing briefly on his nape. “Damn, Evan, you worry too much. By the time he realizes the ketaurran is long gone and gets back, I’ll be done. Then you can have your turn.”
Cara walked up to Jeff and slipped her hands across his shoulders. “You should have listened to your friend.” A well-placed hit with her knee had the male doubling over and grabbing his groin. If not for the circumstances, I might have empathized with his moan of excruciating pain.
“You little bitch.” Evan lunged for Cara, but before he could get near her, I grabbed his arm, careful to keep the blade away from my body, then spun him around and slammed him headfirst into the vehicle. With a loud thump and a groan, he dropped to ground next to his friend.
Satisfied he would not be getting back up anytime soon, I glanced in Cara’s direction. She was flexing the fingers on her right hand and hovering over Jeff, who was also lying on the ground unconscious. “Two down, three to go.”
“I heard voices.” The female from the group picked that moment to come sauntering into view. “Any sign of them yet?” With a gasp, she skidded to a stop, then glanced from the two downed males to Cara and me.
It took only a second for her to realize what had happened, then back up a few steps and turn to run. “Lloyd!” she screeched. “They’re over…”
Cara was closer and reacted quickly. She launched herself at the female, locking an arm tightly around her neck and bringing her to her knees. The female made a muffled squeak. Her clawing and flailing attempts to remove Cara’s arm were futile. Within seconds, the loss of air hastened her trip into darkness. “Make that two to go,” Cara said as she released her hold and carefully lowered the female to the ground.
“That was most impressive.” I held out my hand and helped Cara to her feet.
She grinned. “Just something I picked up from Logan.”
I had learned from Celeste that all her female friends had received a great deal of training from Burke’s second-in-command. It was my understanding he did not hold back during their workouts and could be quite vicious.
Cara knelt on the ground next to Jeff, unhooking his sheath and blade.
I did the same with Evan, tucking the weapon into the back of my pants.
She tucked the knife into her boot and said, “We should get the shackles for these three before we go look for the others.”
“Bev!” Lloyd’s concerned voice boomed from the other side of the vehicle. “Where are you?”
“Looks like the shackles will have to wait.” She patted my cheek. “Do me a favor and don’t get zapped again.” Then she was off, circling around the closest solarveyor and moving toward the other males.
“Cara,” I growled through gritted teeth, swishing my tail and chasing after her. If I could shed scales, her continual need to rush into danger would surely cost me many.
I moved to the edge of the clearing. The glow emitters were activated, lighting the surrounding area and casting shadows. The males stood several feet apart and were glaring into the wooded area beyond the nearest transport.
“Where’d she go?” the male whose name I had yet to learn asked Lloyd.
Cara must have shown herself long enough to get their attention, then disappeared again. A smart tactic if her goal was to separate them.
“It is not the female you should be concerned with.” I walked into the clearing, making sure to keep plenty of distance between me and the two males.
“Go after her.” Lloyd motioned to the other male with a tip of his head.
Lloyd waited for the other male to comply, then said, “So, you decided to come back for more, did ya?” He tightened his grip on the stick, warily easing toward me.
“It is not me who will be feeling the effects of your weapon,” I said.
Uncertainty flashed in Lloyd’s dark eyes. His faltering led to a glance around the abandoned clearing before he shouted, “Jeff, Evan, get your asses over here.”
I tried not to think about the other male going after Cara, the possibility of something going wrong and her getting hurt. Instead, I concentrated on Lloyd. I mimicked his steps, flexing my fingers and looking forward to our upcoming battle. “Your friends will not be able to help you.”
Lloyd’s glare turned feral. “What about Bev? If she’s hurt, I’ll do more than stun you.”
“The female is unharmed, only sleeping with the others.”
Lloyd growled and lunged at me, the shocking end of the stick aimed at my chest.
I had been ready for his attack, calculating the seconds before impact. Anger led to mistakes, and Lloyd realized his too late when I sidestepped, then grabbed the same end of the stick he held. Strength was my advantage, and I used it to twist the weapon until the point touched his midsection.
He groaned, his body spasming, his grip on the stick loosening. His death was not my intention, so as soon as he dropped to his knees, I yanked the stick out of his hands and away from his body. The dose he received was strong, and he crumpled to the ground unconscious.
Cara was an excellent fighter, but it did not prevent me from being concerned for her safety. While I had been busy with Lloyd, she had lured the other male back into the clearing. I turned to find her easily dodging the other male’s attempt to stun her.
“Do you require assistance?” I asked, but did not move to help her.
“Nope, I’ve got this.” She spun to the right, the next swipe barely missing her chest.
The male must have been worried I would interfere anyway and made the mistake of glancing in my direction. It was the opening Cara needed to avoid being shocked and land a hard blow to the male’s midsection with her foot.
With an expulsion of air, he lost his balance and staggered backward. The stick went flying, clanking off the transport’s metal exterior. Cara finished what she started with another kick, this one more centered, the force sending the male to the ground. Temporarily winded, the male grabbed his chest and gasped for air. “You b…” He rolled on his side, attempting to get up.
I did not give him the chance to finish insulting Cara and used the stick I had taken from Lloyd to jab him in the leg, sending him into a deep sleep like the others.
Cara moved next to me, brushing my shoulder with hers. “And you thought I had a vicious side.”
“I thought it only fair the male know what others felt when he used his weapon on them,” I said.
“Lucky for us they didn’t think I was much of a threat and hadn’t bothered to knock me out after they zapped you.”
“A mistake I am sure they will regret once they awaken.” I chuckled.
“Probably so.” She smugly smiled at the unconscious males. “Anyway, I got a good look ou
t of the viewing pane, and I’m pretty sure I know where we are.” Cara knelt beside the closest solarveyor, then rolled on her back and scooted underneath.
“What are you doing?”
“Making sure they can’t follow us.” She reappeared, taking my offered hand to get back on her feet. “Unless one of them is a good mechanic, it will take them some time to figure out that I disconnected the solars.” She walked over to their other vehicle and did the same thing.
“Now we can go.” She grabbed the other stick off the ground on her way to Laria’s transport. “This might come in handy. I’ll have Josh take a look at it. Maybe he can make some more for Burke and the guys. Who knows, maybe I might need to keep one for myself.” She winked. “They seem to work well on overbearing ketaurrans.”
I gave her teasing comment the snort it deserved and clutched the stick I held to my chest rather than give it to her.
She quirked a brow. “Worried?”
“You can be rather intimidating.” Her laughter and the enticing view I got of her backside as I followed her to our transport made my tail tingle.
Chapter Eight
Cara
I was glad I’d had the foresight to stick the bag containing the repaired part in one of the transport’s upper storage units. When Bev searched Trixie looking for anything of value after she’d shackled Zaedon and me, she’d assumed the part was a spare and had ignored it.
With decent weather and the drive to my grandparents’ home about an hour away from the clearing where we’d left the bandits, we’d arrived after they’d retired for the night. If Ellie and Isaac followed their usual preharvesting routine, they’d gone to bed early.
It had been a good thing, because after the adventurous day I’d had, I wasn’t in the mood for answering questions. And Ellie was notorious for conjuring up a few. Not that I’d avoided her questioning altogether. She had plenty of them ready to go by the time I returned to the house after getting up early to install the repaired part in the harvester. The installation had gone quicker than I’d expected, giving me time to start cooking breakfast before Ellie joined me and took over.
I sat at the table in the kitchen, sipping a fresh cup of freegea. “Did your visit with Erin and Torrlun go well?” my grandmother asked.
My friends had stayed here the few times they’d visited the community. “They’re doing great. Rajak has grown quite a bit, and Erin looks like she’s going to pop any minute.”
“I’ve heard ketaurrans can tell the sex of their children before they’re born.” Ellie crossed her arms and bobbed her head as if the information she’d shared was more of a fact than a rumor.
“Really? I’d never heard that before,” I scoffed.
Ellie crinkled her nose. “What did Torrlun have to say about it?”
“He’s convinced the baby is a female.” I took another sip.
“There you have it, then.”
“There you have what?” Zaedon strolled into the kitchen, his shoulder-length hair damp from a recent shower, his glistening blue scales begging to be touched.
Warmth spread throughout my body, and I raised my cup to my lips to hide any possible drooling.
“Let me.” Ellie took the mug he’d been reaching for and filled it with freegea before setting it on the table and encouraging Zaedon to take the empty seat next to me.
“Thank you.” Zaedon sat in the chair, scooting it just enough to invade my personal space. He lifted the cup to his lips, then eyed me expectantly over the rim, waiting for me to answer his question.
Once the flutter in my stomach from being this close to him calmed, I glanced at my grandmother, expecting her to say something, and got nothing more than a shrug. With a sigh, I finally said, “Ellie’s convinced ketaurran males can predict the sex of a child before it’s born.”
“She is correct.” Zaedon shared a grin with Ellie.
“Seriously?” Besides being curious, it irritated me that the two of them always seemed like they were conspiring against me. “Could you tell the baby was going to be a female too?”
Zaedon’s cheeks flushed, and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat as if he needed to carefully select his words before answering. “No, only Torrlun could tell, because Erin is his ketiorra.”
“I see.” I wasn’t sure why he continued to squirm, but I found myself enjoying it. “So if…”
“Did you know Cara already fixed the harvester?” Ellie interrupted, then set a plate of pyteinnas in front of Zaedon.
“Why did you not wake me to help?” I hated hearing the hint of rejection in his voice.
“Today’s going to be a long day. I thought you might like to sleep in, maybe get a little extra rest.” I remembered my restless night of sleep, my thoughts continually drifting to Zaedon. The stun from the stick had caused him more pain than he admitted. He’d tried to hide it, but I’d seen him wince a couple of times when he disarmed Lloyd.
I quickly glanced at his ribs, then held his gaze, hoping he’d know I was referring to his injured side without asking me to give any details in front of Ellie. I had no intention of telling her about our adventure with the bandits and needed Zaedon’s silence on the subject to keep it that way.
Zaedon’s injury wasn’t the only reason I had for wanting to get up early and work on the harvester alone. The other had to do with what Des told me about someone paying to get rid of the vryndarr. I couldn’t stop wondering if Zaedon, I, or both of us had been targeted by whoever had sabotaged the part for the harvester.
I didn’t want to take a chance that something else had been done while we were gone. After I’d installed the part, I did a thorough examination of the engine and was relieved that nothing else had been tampered with.
“I didn’t expect you to help with the harvest, so it’s okay if you want to hang out here with Ellie.” After yesterday, things had changed between us, into what I wasn’t sure, but I’d actually looked forward to spending the day with him and was going to be disappointed if he decided to stay behind.
“After all the preparations I have assisted with, I would not miss it.” He flashed me a beaming smile, reached for a flat cake, then devoured it in seconds.
“Okay, then.” I downed the last of my freegea, then walked over to the counter and began filling a container with the remaining pyteinnas.
A few seconds later, Zaedon moved in behind me and snatched a pyteinna out of the container before I closed it. After taking a bite, he made a happy rumbling noise. “Ellie, these are very good, possibly the best you have made since I arrived.”
“It’s not me you should be complimenting.” Ellie grinned, the wrinkles around her eyes deepening. “Cara made them.”
Zaedon coughed, nearly spitting out the cake. “You know how to prepare food?”
“I have many talents.” I crossed my arms and glared. “One of which is being able to kick your butt if you don’t stop looking so surprised.”
“There will be no kicking of anyone’s backside in the house.” Ellie picked up the container and shoved it into Zaedon’s arms. “Now go. No doubt Isaac is already waiting for you two.”
Zaedon grabbed two more of the flat cakes off a plate on our way out of the kitchen, quickly eating them before we reached the door. I didn’t think I’d ever get over how much the male consumed. Maybe it was the reason he had such a ripped body, not that I was going to ask.
I grabbed a large bag I’d filled with water cylinders earlier, strapping it over my shoulder on my way out the door. Once we were outside and had cleared the platform, I held out my hand. “I’ll take that.”
He groaned, his frown the adorable kind I’d seen Rajak make. After he reluctantly released the container, I stuffed it inside my bag. “You can have as many as you want later when we stop for lunch.”
We were halfway to the area where the harvester was parked when Ellie called Zaedon’s name. We both stopped and turned to see my grandmother standing in the doorway, holding up another container. “In case you nee
d a snack,” she said.
Zaedon grinned, swished his tail, and called, “I will catch up” over his shoulder as he hurried back to the house.
I shook my head and continued walking without him. When I rounded the corner of the building, I found Derrick sitting next to my grandfather on the bench mounted to the floor in front of the harvester’s control panel.
“Morning, Cara.” Derrick was the first to acknowledge my arrival with a once-over glance at my entire body. I covered my nausea and disappointment with a fake smile. I could tolerate Derrick, easily ignore him if he bothered me, but his dislike of Zaedon grated along every one of my nerves. Putting them together for more than a few minutes was asking for trouble.
“Morning.” I aimed the greeting at my grandfather.
“Morning, sweetheart. How’s my little girl?” It didn’t matter how old I got, Isaac always addressed me the same as he had when I was a child.
Other than the silver sprinkling the dark hair along his temples and a few wrinkles around his mouth and eyes, Isaac was fit and could pass for a male ten years younger.
“Your little girl is fine, thanks.” I reached for the bars mounted on each side of the opening and hoisted myself inside. “Where’s Josh? I thought he was riding with us today.”
The interior design of the partially enclosed space wasn’t anything fancy, mostly constructed to protect the control unit and anyone sitting inside from the weather. It resembled a large metal box sitting on a platform above the harvester unit. It was open on both sides and had a viewing pane running along the front above the controls.
Derrick scooted closer to Isaac, making room on the bench for me to sit next to him.
“That’s okay, I’ll sit back here.” I slid across the additional bench until I was sitting behind my grandfather.
Isaac shifted sideways to face me. “Zaedon coming?”
“He’s on his way.” I slipped the strap to my bag off my shoulder, placing it on the floor between my feet. “Apparently, Ellie is under the impression he might starve if she doesn’t keep him fed.”
