LYK
He let out a groan as he picked himself up off the ground.If I weren’t a Vartik, that last burst would have killed me.
Lyk spoke into the comm pin fastened to his shoulder. “Celdrake, do you read?”
It was a few moments before he got an answer. “I’m here, Captain. What’s up?”
“I want all the men on alert. One of Rigellus’s crewman just tried to kill me.”
Celdrake let out a surprised whistle. “Orders to capture?”
“Take him down. He went after the females once he incapacitated me.”
“He incapacitated you?You?” The disbelief in Celdrake’s tone was a testament to Lyk’s strength.
“He used an electro-stick on its highest setting.”
“Fuuuuck.”
“I want the women protected. Now.”
“I’ll put everyone on it. We’ll find them.”
Lyk scanned the market, looking for any sign of the women. There was none. The outpost wasn’t large by space station standards, but it did consist of several levels and perhaps a mileof surface area, measured together. His brain screamed at him for action.
She’s in danger! If he hits her with that electro-stick, she doesn’t have legendary Vartik strength and resilience. She’ll die!
Lyk closed his eyes, trying to calm the torrent of emotion inside him. As the noise of the market faded away, he could sense powerful emotion, a loss so profound, somewhere inside the station.
It’s her. Although he was nowhere near the empath his sister was, he could sense that Ally was in the throes of extreme grief. Opening his eyes, he set about letting the emotion guide him. Making his way briskly through the crowds, he finally managed to find a stairway. He rushed down them, coming out in the entertainment area.
His blood turned cold. She was close. He could sense her.
Lyk climbed over the velvet rope and entered the dimness. He hurried past the lumps covered in canvas, back to an area that was too dark to see through, even for him. “Ally,” he called out, then heard a wordless moan in reply.
Following the sound of her sniffles, he managed to locate his female lying in a heap on the floor. As gently as he could, he lifted her up into his arms. “Where’s Evie?”
“Gone,” she finally managed to say between sobs. Cradling her gently, he carried her out of the darkness, setting her down gently on a canvas-covered counter.
“What happened?” Lyk asked, cupping her face and gently wiping away her tears with his thumbs. “Where is your sister?”
“Took her.”
“Where?” Lyk’s adrenaline had been kicking him in the organs ever since he pulled himself off the floor earlier. He assumed she was talking about Rigellus’s crewman. “Where did he take her?”
His comm suddenly crackled to life. “We found him, the one who hit you.” Celdrake’s voice thrummed with energy. “He was boarding a transport to Territh. Our guys pulled him out of line and are holding him on the ship.”
“Find out what he did with Evie,” Lyk said. “He may blame her and Ally for what happened to Rigellus.”
Ally started shaking her head. “Not him,” she said, sucking in short panicked breaths.
“He’s saying he didn’t find the girls,” Celdrake said over the comm.
“Rigellus’s man doesn’t have Evie?” Lyk asked Ally.
“No, it was strangers.” She swallowed, her voice evening out. “Three of them. One female and two males.” Her eyes met his and they were filled with confusion. “They teleported.”
Lyk’s eyes narrowed. Celdrake’s voice rang over the comm again. “What do you want us to do with him, Captain?”
