Chapter 10
CristOF followed the two males as they dragged a kicking, screaming Tera toward the other side of the camp. Every scream was like a knife in his gut, but he had to remain calm and steady so that he could get her free.
He could smell the cabin of death before he got there, and growled in fury realizing they were dragging his Tera inside—and they weren’t being gentle about it. Those males would die by his hands for daring to treat his female in such a manner. He didn’t question calling Tera his female; that would be something he would address at a later time. She was his priority right now.
He waited in the shadows at the base of the trees nearest to the buildings, watching until the males appeared again, without Tera. The males walked off toward the training area on the opposite side of the camp. He examined the outside of the building trying to detect any kind of security system. Nothing. Why would they have no way of detecting intruders except for a few warriors that patrolled the inner sanctum of the camp? He watched and waited, getting the routine of the patrolling warriors.
Feeling more secure, he approached the wired fencing, which was about five feet tall. He jumped it easily and landed silently. He was good at that: moving as silently as the night. Moving to the back of the nearest building, he used all his senses to move, wait, breathe, hold his breath and then move again. All the time, he paid close attention to the sounds of nature and the camp around him.
He was one building away from where Tera was being held. If he used the front entrance, he would be too easily spotted. The cabins he passed by were built with thick, sturdy wood for the walls. However, the roof looked weak, and there was no telling how substantial the wood was under the straw thatch. He needed to be careful with his weight or he could fall through.
Once he finally made it to the back of the cabin where Tera was being held, he looked for a tree with an overhanging limb that reached over the rooftop. He leaned the side of his head against the outside wall and was able to discern two voices inside, one female and one male. He couldn’t tell exactly what they were saying, but the note of fear in Tera’s voice pulled at his heart. Had they injured her as well as frightened her? A low growl passed his lips. His female was scared and possibly hurt. That was truly unacceptable.
Going to the nearby tree, he climbed up and straddled the limb that went over the rooftop. Only then did he question whether the limb would be able to hold his weight, but was too late to change his actions now. Reaching inside his coat he pulled out a rope—one of many supplies that he’d brought with him. He tied one end of the rope to the limb of the tree and lowered himself to the roof, careful to stand on the wooden support beams and not the thatch.
Bending down, he peeled back the thatch and lowered the rope inside the cabin. He heard a feminine gasp.
Then the male she had been talking to asked in a low tone, clearly confused, “What in Kitana is going on here?”
He used the rope to climb down inside the cabin, ready to fight this male, whoever he was. CristOF’s eyes took in the scene in one fell swoop. Tera was tied to a post, along with five males who were similarly restrained. Only one of the males was awake; the other four seemed to be sleeping. He inhaled, and wished he hadn’t. No, at least one of these males had passed on. From his scent the male had been dead for hours, maybe even days.
“CristOF, is that you?” Tera whispered in surprise.
Moving to her he cupped her face between his large hands gently. Even in the darkness he could see a bruise on her delicate skin. Which male did that to her? Which male was he going to kill?
“Are you injured anywhere else?” He feared that she had been abused in the worst possible way for a female. None of the warriors he trained with would ever do such a thing, but he saw firsthand what the Morins had done, and it was…horrific.
She shook her head. “I’m just tired, scared, and furious.”
He couldn’t stop the smile that escaped him. Tera was gentle, but she had a fire inside of her. She would have to have, in order to move to a foreign planet surrounded by aliens and make her own way. Looking at the rope holding her, he pulled out a blade from his boot and cut it easily.
“Why did they take you?” CristOF asked.
“I think the guys that grabbed me had been at the prime city spying or something. Their leader’s name is LazarUS. They had seen us together on our picnic and thought I might know what your mission was. I told them I didn’t know anything, but they took me anyway.”
She was taken and injured because of him. “I am so sorry that you are in this situation because of me.”
Tera shook her head. “It wasn’t your fault. I can’t believe you’re here. I thought for sure I would die in this cabin.”
As soon as she was free she jumped into his arms, and he held her tightly to him. Nothing felt as right as holding her against him, but they weren’t out of danger yet. He had to get her to the boat and back with his team. Pulling her with him, he took hold of the rope.
“Hold on to me and I will lift us up out of here.”
Tera stepped back. “Wait, we have to help these men.”
“Tera, you’re my only concern right now.”
“They’re innocent, CristOF.”
“How do you know that? Who are they and how did they come to be here?”
“These are the elders of a mining colony, maybe a Kiljorn mining colony. The rebel leader and his men took the males hostage threatening to kill the women and children if they didn’t obey. The elders refused and were brought here to punish them as examples. We can’t let them die.”
CristOF noticed that the other males were now awake and had managed to stand up—apart from the dead one. He looked at the older male across from where Tera had been tied. “Is this true?”
“Yes, we have been taken from our village against our wishes, and forced to fight for the rebel cause or die. We don’t expect you to help us—you need to get your female out of here. This is no place for her.”
CristOF bit the inside of his cheek. Everything male in him wanted to take Tera to safety, but his honor as a warrior pulled at him to help a fellow Kiljorn. “If I take her and leave you here, you will not live past tonight. The rebels have no honor and will take out their anger over her loss on you and your males. However, if I free you, what would you do without assistance? You can’t take on the rebels on your own.”
