Page 32 of Stolen By the Alien Mercenary

It appeared the Rummicaron was bleeding badly from a deep wound on his shoulder, and the Kertinal charged him with his horns, striking him in the belly. Then Nick was on him, and with an awful crunch, he snapped the guy’s neck. The gray Rummicaron had gone all pale and white around his shark mouth. His small black eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he thudded to his knees and collapsed.

Then we were left with the sound of fists hitting flesh, over and over. I didn’t really want to look, but it was instinct to turn and face the threat. Ouch, that wasn’t good. The gargoyle male was kneeling on top of one of the Krektar, raising his fists over and over to punch him in the face. If I had to guess, I’d say the guy was working out some unresolved issues.

Nick ignored him, dropped his opponent to the ground, and rushed to sweep me into his arms. “Are you harmed anywhere? I didn’t mean for you to get into a physical altercation…” He ran his hands over my skin and then hissed in anger when he discovered the red ring of abraded skin around my wrist. He glared over his shoulder at the already dead Rummicaron who had caused the injury, and for a moment I wondered if he contemplated kicking the corpse.

“I’m fine. It’s nothing. And it worked, didn’t it?” My words brought his attention back to me, and I took the opportunity to cup his chin so I could pull him down for a kiss. He came immediately, his mouth meshing with mine, his tongue sweeping between my lips, tangling, stroking. I felt my body respond as it always did, eagerly, and with immediate arousal.

“It did, marvelously,” he agreed when he drew back and pressed his forehead to mine. I hadn’t even realized it, but he’d drawn his wings around me and cupped me close. Always sheltering me. “And now we need to secure our escape route.” He didn’t pull back far but kept me tucked under one arm as he guided me around the still-raging Tarkan to the exit.

His visor was already glowing, or rather, it still glowed. He’d been working on something since the moment this fight started. “The Varakartoom is nearby and engaged in talk with Batok right now. They’re serving as a distraction while we make our escape. We’ll have to steal a shuttle, but I’ve got a path plotted to the hangar bay. I’m clearing it now.”

I didn’t know what he meant by that, but it was soon obvious. We encountered absolutely no one. Our path was literally clear. Since he’d confiscated a com device from one of the dead guards, he was also in constant contact with his ship; conferring in low tones with his captain or the second-in-command, the creepy Sineater. I didn’t understand how Nick could casually talk with that male after the last time he’d seen him. He’d been the one pummeling that creep’s face into a pulp then.

When it was silent for a minute, I ventured to ask what I really wanted to know. “We are making sure Batok can’t ever eat anyone again, aren’t we? We’re turning that information over to all the authorities in the quadrant?” I needed to know that this guy couldn’t lock up any more unsuspecting people in vaults and that he wouldn’t eat that pretty green-skinned girl that had been sitting next to him earlier. Even if that gargoyle guy had gone on a little mental back there, I didn’t want to see him eaten either. He had helped us in a way.

Nick tilted his head and his eyes took on a feral cast, his mouth pulling into a silent snarl that displayed all his sharp canine teeth. “That male is going down. But we have to do it in a way that doesn’t tarnish the Varakartoom’s reputation.” He grumbled the last words with obvious annoyance, but I understood. The ship and its crew meant everything to Nick, they were his family in this quadrant. That’s why he’d tried to remove the danger to them, to the Captain’s mate, by sneaking away with me.

“How?” I asked him, but I hushed when I heard the sound of voices from around the corner. I heard the shuffling of many footsteps and the clink and clang of metal chains. Boots thudded more heavily in the lead, and it came from around the nearby corner.

“This is weird. Don’t you think this is weird, Hak?” a deep voice grumbled. Someone answered, but that voice was too muffled for me to understand what was said. Nick pressed me to the wall and covered me with his wing, and now I couldn’t see a single thing. The footsteps passed quickly, but I got the impression there were at least a dozen of them. “Why would Batok order us to take all the slaves to the hold?” the deep voice demanded even more loudly, but his words trailed off as they turned another corner.

“You’re going to take him down,” Nick said as he lifted his wing and let me away from the wall. “You’re going to write the best article ever and expose all his secrets to the quadrant. Then I’ll put the evidence in the hands of every single authority, including a pretty map to his location.” He grinned as he pointed his finger to the floor, indicating the ship we were on. “Not as satisfying as ripping him to shreds myself, but you deserve the honors.”

The pen was going to be mightier than the sword this time. I liked that idea very much. It made me feel all warm inside to know that Nick trusted my ability to write a good story. Of course, he already knew exactly what was in that encrypted data source we’d stolen, he knew what power we held. The power to destroy the entire empire of a crimelord.

“You know, Nick. I love you so much for that. It’s going to be awesome!” My fingers already itched for my tablet so I could get started. We shouldn’t stand around in this hallway, but when Nick swung me in his arms for another kiss, I gladly went. It wasn’t every day I told a guy I loved him, the moment deserved to be marked with a little passion. Sealed with the tangling of our tongues and the mixing of our breaths.

“I love you, my little Novi. My bright, beautiful mate. I love you so very much,” Nick said when we pulled apart. I was breathing rapidly, my entire body tingling with desire. I vowed I would drag him to the nearest bed as soon as we were safe, this called for all the sexy celebrating. For more of that honeymoon magic I’d experienced with him in the shelter of that tiny little tent.

Chapter 24

Mitnick

We got to the hangar bay without incident, and once there, the chaos I’d caused ruled. Only a handful of guards tried to herd several dozen slaves into a corner while sharing baffled looks with each other. The slaves themselves proved such a distraction that they didn’t even notice Harper and me arrive. “Stay here for a minute,” I said, and I carefully urged her to huddle behind the shelter of some crates.

I made short work of the guards with my pilfered laser pistol. They dropped like flies, but it caused the group of alien slaves to scream and cry as they tried to run for cover. That was when another of Batok’s guards entered the hangar bay with a pile of things in his arms, just as I’d ordered him to do via his com device. The male stared in shock, dropped what he was holding, and fumbled for his weapon.

I turned to aim my gun, but I didn’t need to. Harper rose like a vengeful goddess from behind him and struck the male in the back of the head with a large socket wrench. A quick check of his pulse told me he was out but not dead, but that was all we needed. Pulling my weapons from the pile, I also located Harper’s precious tablet and pressed it into her hands. “There you go, sweet Novi. Completely intact. They tried, but they could not break my security.”

She squealed as she snatched it from my hands and pressed it to her chest; her grateful eyes, all the reward I could ever ask for. “Now let’s get out of here. I’ve disabled the engines. Batok has been locked up in his fancy room, alone. He’s not going anywhere.” It was too bad that a well-fed Hoxiam like him could go without food for a very long time. He wouldn’t starve to death like he’d almost caused Harper to do. But he would suffer from terrible hunger by the time the nearest ship picked him up. I hoped it would be the Kertinal, they were close by. The Kertinal would not go soft on this bastard.

It took a little doing to convince the slaves that Harper and I wanted to free them and send them on their merry way. They didn’t trust easily, and in their vulnerable position, I knew they wouldn’t want to board a ship full of mercenaries without some cajoling. They probably thought we were stealing them so we could sell them for profit.

Aramon’s impatient calls on my stolen com device didn’t make matters any easier, but Harper had a way with words. She knew how to set them at ease with some gentle promises, some curious and kind questions. She fearlessly went around to take off chains and unlock slave collars. I didn’t like how much time that took, but it worked to convince them to board the shuttle I’d prepped for us.

The flight was going to be very crowded, but thankfully very short. Nobody complained when the hatches closed, they were probably used to much worse. Harper settled in my lap when I piloted the small shuttle out of the hangar bay and turned it toward the Varakartoom. Batok’s flagship was already dead and adrift after I’d finished with my sabotage, and I smirked at the sight of its powerless engines.

“What about the gladiator?” Harper asked. “We left him behind… Shouldn’t we rescue him, too?” Such a kind heart, my mate. I shook my head and pointed to the viewscreen on my left, where readings showed the locations of the planet, the orbiting station, and the ships. Ours was just a tiny blip, the Varakartoom a much larger one, and Batok’s ship a long oblong shape. From it, another dot shot, and it arrowed into space, away from the Varakartoom.

“I’m pretty sure our Tarkan friend made his own escape,” I told her. “I’m going to vent the air in most of the ship’s hallways now. Should make it harder for them to repair anything and regain control.” My fingers flew as I used this shuttle as an extension of my implant and visor to do the work, and then I settled them back on the yoke and flew us into the Varakartoom’s waiting hangar bay.

I had stolen my mate from a crimelord, twice, and once if we were really counting, from a notorious mercenary captain. This time it felt like a triumphant hero’s return as I settled the shuttle inside the Varakartoom’s familiar bay. I was returning with my mate, and she was truly mine now, courted and won. I had repaired the threat to the Varakartoom, and I’d even set our vengeance on Batok into motion. Nothing could be better, except maybe the approval of my captain over the union between Harper and me.

When the shuttle hatch opened, the two of us were the first to stride out of the ship. We were greeted by a motley crew of people. I saw Mandy and Asmoded, but it was Aramon who rushed, moaning, to the shuttle and shook his head. “What did you do? You got our shuttle blown up and came back with this piece of wreckage? You’re gonna pay for this, Mitnick! And we didn’t even get to fight…”

He moaned melodramatically and then abruptly straightened and dropped his hands to his side. His gaze locked on one slave that stepped out of the shuttle behind us with a regal tilt to her head. Her small green nose turned up. I’d never seen the expression on Aramon’s face that he wore now, but I was certain I couldn’t wait to find out what it meant.

“Harper!” Mandy shouted, and she ducked around Asmoded’s protective arm, then leaped over the coil Saisir raised equally protectively. “You’re back! Look at you! You’re even glowing, am I congratulating you on mating Mitnick?” Harper’s eager greetings were drowned out when the two hugged and my attention was yanked to my captain.