Chapter Eight

With Quinn’s Coletti healing abilities, neither Mami or me wanted to risk him waking up early and running amok. Using my berserker strength, I managed to drag the three hundred pounds of unconscious warlord into the holding cell.

Wiping the sweat off my forehead, I found chains and shackles in the small armory and bound him. I smiled as I admired my handiwork. There was no way Quinn was getting loose. Too bad I couldn’t get his communications bracelet off. It was melded to his skin. To make sure Quinn couldn’t escape, I hacked the control pad for the cell’s energy barrier and changed the passcode.

Using Papa’s override program on Mami’s communication bracelet, I unlocked the ship’s command console. While I familiarized myself with the Talon, Mami focused her attention on trying to find Papa’s life signs.

Clio crawled over the floor, cramming any bits of puked up Tai-Kok she could find into her mouth.

The long-range scanner showed Nilus’s spacecraft was still on Qeeturah. Huh, there were only five life-forms left, and all of them were in the ship. What had happened to his warriors? Had a sandstorm hit? Or had the million or so var bugs sucked them dry? Ick.

The comm link blinked. Someone was hailing us. Whoever it was expected Quinn to answer and that wasn’t going to happen. I killed the link.

The comm link blinked again.

I severed the link.

The comm link light turned red and blinked frantically.

Maybe it was Detja, or Goddess forbid, the Overlord.

Mami absentmindedly reached over to tap the link.

“No! Don’t!”

She gave me a puzzled look as she pushed the icon. “Why not? It could be Detja.”

Zarek appeared on the view screen.

Or not.

Mami took one look at him and keeled over.

Drekk.

Clio patted her face. “Geema? Geema?”

The Overlord’s predatory gaze surveyed the command center, pausing for a moment on my mother and Clio before settling on me. “Where’s Quinn?”

“He’s, ah, tied up right now.”

Zarek arched his eyebrows in incredulous disbelief. “Tied up?”

Tentacles sprouting from her toddler body, Clio climbed up on the console. “Who you?”

“I’m Zarek, Overlord of the Coletti clans, and you are?”

I pulled Clio onto my lap. “Her name is Clio. I rescued her from the Tai-Kok on Jandjviles.”

“The Tai-Kok just let you walk in and take a baby Katanic shapeshifter—a rare delicacy that is highly sought after?” The note of skepticism in Zarek’s voice made me want to smack him.

“Not exactly.” I pulled the thermite grenade out of my pocket and placed it on the top of the console. “A couple of these in a warehouse full of explosives, and kablooey. No more slaver stronghold.”

“And their prisoners?”

“I released them, they ran off, and Quinn showed up.”

“Where is Quinn?” Something terrifying flickered in Zarek’s eyes. “Is he dead, or did you leave him on Jandjviles?”

“Quinn is alive and well and on this ship.”

Clio’s tentacles waved wildly. “Him mad ‘cause I spit on him.”

Zarek’s lips twitched. “Spit?”

“Puked,” I inserted.

“I see, and what happened after that?” Zarek settled back in his chair with lazy menace.

“I wanted to return to Qeeturah to look for my father, and Quinn insisted on taking us to Tanith. So, I challenged him to hand-to-hand combat. He lost.”

An unholy smile lit Zarek’s handsome features. “You inherited your father’s berserker powers.”

“You could say that.” And then some.

“And Quinn simply decided to take a nap after his defeat?”

Who knew the Overlord could be so snarky? “There might have been a tranquilizer dart involved.”

“You didn’t defeat me,” Quinn rumbled from behind me.

Drekk. He was awake, and how in the nine hells had he gotten loose? I looked over my shoulder at the very angry warlord who practically bristled with weapons. “Planning on going to war?”

“With the two of you on my ship, I plan on being armed at all times.” Quinn snagged my thermite grenade and stuffed it in a pocket.

“Hey! That’s mine. I stole it fair and square.”

“It’s mine now. Unless you think you can take it from me?”

One look at the merciless line of Quinn’s mouth, and I shrugged. “Keep it. I can always get more.”

“You’re gonna be a handful.” Quinn picked me up and dumped me on the copilot’s chair. “My lord, with your permission, I will return to Qeeturah and search for Lysis.”

“You have my consent.” There was a note of satisfaction in Zarek’s voice.

I stared at Quinn in surprise. “What made you change your mind?”

“You didn’t defeat me, but technically, you did keep the grenade from me.”

“True, and we only cheated a little.”

“You cheated a lot, but you did it out of concern for your father. Believe me, I do understand the need to protect family members.” Quinn turned his head and glared at my mother, who was raising the blowgun to her mouth. “I wouldn’t. I’m your only chance of finding Lysis.”

Mami lowered the gun.

Quinn held out his hand. “Give me the necklace. Now! Or do you want to spend more time in the holding cell?”

Tears running down Mami’s face, she removed the necklace and handed it to him. “Please find my Lysis. Please.”

“We will find him, Eleni, but the next time you shoot me in the back, I won’t be so forgiving.”

Mami eyes rolled back and down she went.

The berserker in me raised its ugly head. A tingling sensation grew in my eyes, and I bared my teeth in a snarl. “Frighten my mother again, and you’ll answer to me.”

“The glowy-eyed thing is new,” Quinn responded with an amused smile.

“The more they glow, the stronger I get.”

“Good to know,” Zarek said.

I gave myself a mental head smack. My temper was getting the best of me.

Clio wailed, “Me hungry.”

“I know you are, sweetie.” I looked at Quinn. “Do you have anything to eat?”

“Only space rations.”

Detja popped in next to Zarek. “I’m sending Adan to you. He will care for the child.”

I queried, “Does this Adan know anything about baby shapeshifters?” Clio was under my protection now.

“He’s a Katanic shapeshifter and my adopted father,” Detja answered.

I gaped at her. That Adan! He was the stuff of nightmares. “Is that a good idea?”

Every ounce the ice queen, Detja queried, “Do you doubt me?”

“No, my lady.”

“You’re not as stupid as you look,” Quinn muttered sarcastically.

I gave him the stink eye.

A brilliant orange glow popped into existence and spun rapidly. I shielded my eyes. “What in the nine hells is that?”

“Adan is opening a teleportation portal,” Zarek answered.

The spinning light accelerated until a vortex formed. Bolts of green lightning crackled wildly around the growing opening.

A huge, heaving silky black mass rolled out.

Clio bounced up and down in my lap. “Momma.”

“Not Momma.” I tightened my grip as an enormous mouth edged with hundreds of serrated teeth appeared in the mass. A long tongue held out a chunk of raw meat to Clio.

Squeaking happily, she grabbed it and stuffed it in her maw.

Adan’s two burning yellow eyes stared at me. “Where is her mother?”

“I found Clio on the loading ramp of a Tai-Kok slaughter ship. She said the Tai-Kok had taken her mother inside and were hurting her. More security forces showed up before we could check the ship. I’m not sure if—”I broke off and bit my lip as Clio smiled up at me. How could anyone hurt someone so adorable?

“I scanned the area and couldn’t sense another Katanic,” Quinn added. “The enforcers were notified of the situation.”

When had Quinn had the time to notify everyone?

“Are the Tai-Kok still on Jandjviles?” The rage in Adan’s voice was terrifying.

“They were there five hours ago.” I flashed Adan a mental image of the slaughter ship. “It wasn’t badly damaged in the blast, and it’s possible they fled.”

“They won’t leave with an empty cargo hold,” Quinn interjected.

Zarek nodded. “Once the security forces round up the escaped prisoners, the auction will begin.”

“No. It will not.” Dozens of long ropy tentacles shot from Adan’s body; one snagged Clio and dumped her in Quinn’s lap.

Alarm flashed across Quinn’s face, and he gingerly held the baby out from him. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“What is necessary.” Adan’s tentacles abruptly wrapped around me and pinned me against his slimy hide. “You will accompany me.”

“Wait! What?” Adan was suddenly in my mind, going through my memories of the slavers’ outpost. “Get out of my head!”

Quinn jumped to his feet with a roar. “No! You’re not taking Xenia.”

Clio wailed in fright and clamped her tentacles around his arms.

“I must. She is my witness,” Adan responded.

I struggled desperately to break Adan’s grip. “Witness to what?”

“Vengeance.”

“No, Adan. They’ll kill you,” Detja cried.

An incandescent orange light formed around us.

“No!” I kicked Adan as hard as I could. “Let go of me.”

The light spun faster and faster and faster until it became a vortex. Slurppp! We were sucked inside. It was like going from zero to warp drive in ten seconds flat. The horrific, twisting funnel of energy rocketed us across a weird black void.

“Holy Goddess. Don’t drop me! Don’t drop me!”

Adan’s tentacles tightened painfully. “Be quiet. I need to attract the Executioners’ attention.”

“Are you nuts?”

“I’ve been told I’m quite mad.”

A hysterical laugh escaped me. “Why in the nine hells would you want to draw the Executioners’ notice? Detja said they have a death warrant on you.”

“Females and children are precious to us. I cannot allow the mother’s murder to go unpunished. If you hadn’t stepped in, the Tai-Kok would have slaughtered her child too.”

Strange shapes emerged out of the blackness. The shapes turned into dark, wraithlike creatures.

“Uh, are those creepy things the Executioners?”

“Yes. They are our law givers.”

“So, Executioners are like enforcers?”

“They are much more than that,” Adan replied.

What do you need them for?”

“To help me destroy every living thing on Jandjviles,” Adan answered.

“Whoa! What about the slaves? You can’t kill them too. They’ve done nothing to deserve death.”

“You are very much like Detja.”

“We are blood relatives. I want your promise you won’t harm any of the slaves.”

“You have my word.”

I gestured to the Executioners who were dangerously close. “What about them?”

“I make no promises.”

“What!” I ducked one of the Executioner’s flailing tentacles. “They act like they want to eat me.”

“They do.”

Quinn’s mind touched mine. “Have you been harmed?”

I could feel his concern and impotent fury. “Not yet.” I showed Quinn the Executioners following us. “But they want to gobble me up.”

“Protect Xenia with your life, Adan. If she dies, you die.” Quinn’s words were filled with a quiet, deadly rage.

“I will do all I can to protect your mate.”

Mate? The idea of belonging to Quinn was both horrifying and fascinating. “I’m not his mate.”

Adan countered, “Are you sure of that?”

The violent rotating walls abruptly began to collapse. I gulped. “Is that supposed to happen?”

“We are arriving. Prepare yourself for battle.”

“Wait! Wouldn’t it be smarter to sneak onto the base and do a little recon?”

“Katanic males do not sneak.”

Typical male logic.

The vortex spat us out on the tarmac of the badly damaged spaceport. Bolts of lightning danced and pulsed over the wreckage.

I shuddered as the world spun wildly around me. It was hard to breathe, I couldn’t feel my face, and I was covered in goopy green slime

Adan shook me. “Fight, little female.”

Fight? I could barely stand. My legs buckled, and I painfully hit the tarmac. “Dizzy. Need a second.”

“Get up, Xenia. Now!” Quinn snarled; his power penetrated me like an electric shock. Adrenaline rushed through me, and I shot to my feet. Drekk! There were Tai-Kok warriors everywhere. Adan was so dead.

Quacking like a demented duck, a Tai-Kok seized me. I slipped out of his grip like a greased Kaleo pig. No matter how many times he grabbed me, he couldn’t hang on to me.

“Unbelievable,” Quinn groused in my head. “Instead of playing slip and slide, how about you kick his ass?”

“Yes, my lord. Right away, my lord.” I fell to the ground, rolled on my back, and kicked the Tai-Kok warrior in the nuts.

The warrior doubled over, and I drove my boot into his nasty face. A satisfied smile curved my mouth as his teeth made a cracking noise and he toppled over.

Another Tai-Kok lunged for me. I dodged his metal talons.

One of Adan’s tentacles encircled the Tai-Kok warrior’s neck and snapped it like a twig.

“I need his weapons!” I yelled.

Adan’s busy tentacles yanked the sword out of the dead Tai-Kok warrior’s scabbard before hurling him at a hairy slaver. Smack! They went down in a tangle of arms and legs.

Boom! A dazzling green ball shot toward me.

Which idiot had fired the stun net? In my mind’s eye, I saw where it would hit me and quickly ducked behind a fat security guard. Five seconds later, the net deployed. It wrapped around the guard, and he crashed to the ground, jerking convulsively.

“Xenia!” Adan tossed the sword to me.

I caught it and noticed the all-powerful Executioners, aka the riot squad, had arrived in a dazzling display of pyrotechnics. Slashes of incandescent green shot from the vortexes, disintegrating anything they touched.

A terrified scream had me spinning around. A Tai-Kok with spikes embedded in his skull was ripping the clothing off a struggling human female.

A fierce rage bubbled up in me. The sick freak had to be one of my uncle’s special friends. I prayed to the Goddess they had eaten Dolon. I beheaded the monster.

The sobbing female grabbed the Tai-Kok warrior’s laser pistol. “Die, you motherfucker.” She blasted him. The body disintegrated into a million fireflies.

He was already dead, but I could understand where she was coming from. I said in English, “My name is Xenia. What’s yours?”

“DeeDee.” Her hand was shaking so badly she could barely hold the pistol.

“I need you to free the other prisoners and stay far away from the Katanic shapeshifters. Can you do that?”

She nodded. “But I want to kill those fucking Tai-Kok.”

“Any one of them comes near you, feel free, but no shooting the Katanic. Laser fire doesn’t hurt them. It only makes them angry.”

“Sure. Okay. Good.” DeeDee hurried toward the cells.

I took a quick look around. The shapeshifters were taking multiple laser hits and fighting off a horde of Tai-Kok. Adan’s arrogance had landed us in a heap of trouble.

Quinn grumbled, “Trouble doesn’t come close to describing this mess. Even with your berserker abilities there are too many enemy warriors for you to handle. I can augment your power. We need to merge.”

I knew if I didn’t merge with Quinn, my chances of survival weren’t good. Mami couldn’t live without my father, and if I was killed, who would search for him? I had to protect my parents, no matter what the cost. If I was going to end up with a Coletti mate for the rest of my life, why not Quinn? He could handle my mother. My father I wasn’t too sure about. I liked the way Quinn kissed, and he was smoking hot. Scooping up a laser pistol, I joined my mind to the warlord’s.

With a shocking ease, our powers combined, and we became one psychic entity. Fate had brought us together, and nothing would stand in the way of our victory. Bellowing a truly scary Coletti battle cry, we hacked, sliced, and shot our way through the Tai-Kok, base security forces, and slavers. We were unstoppable.

A heavily tattooed slaver dodged our sword thrust and shouted, “What are you?”

“Death,” we answered and shot him.

The Overlord’s stern voice intruded on our killing frenzy. “Enough. The Alliance enforcers have arrived. They will assume control of Jandjviles.”

We stopped instantly. When the Overlord issued a direct command, you obeyed. A part of me stared at the sword in my right hand, the laser pistol in my left, and the bodies surrounding us in amazement. We did this. Together. It was a bit scary and totally awesome at the same time.

Quinn’s ghostly mouth brushed my lips. “You’re sure you can’t cook?”

“Positive, but I can learn.”

“Break your mind meld,” Zarek ordered sharply in our heads.

Quinn reluctantly slid out of my mind. “Yes, my lord.”

The loss of Quinn’s mental touch was devastating. I felt alone and empty. I ached for his touch. My eyes widened in horror. Goddess, we had bonded. Quinn was my mate. What would my father think? Who cared? I wanted to kiss every inch of Quinn’s hard, muscular body.

“No kissing or touching until you are twenty-one,” Zarek stated firmly.

What! Was he kidding?

“I do not joke about such matters,” Zarek replied.

Why was the Overlord still in my head? “But we’re mated.”

“The bond is not completed until you join in mind and body,” Zarek corrected.

Desire beat inside me. “That’s an easy fix.”

“If the law is not followed, other warriors can challenge Quinn for you. Because of your unique abilities, many would demand the rite of combat. If they win, you would be forced to mate with them,” Zarek stated.

Cold horror swept over me. “I would kill them first.”

Quinn’s big, callused hands psychically rubbed my shoulders. “We wait. It’s only a few weeks until you come of age.”

“True.” The question was: could I keep my hands off Quinn?

An enforcer in full battle gear approached me cautiously. “I am Captain Cole.” His gaze darted over the pile of bodies. “My lady, we need your assistance with the Katanic shapeshifters. I was told you can communicate with them.”

“I can.”

Captain Cole blurted out, “Your battle skills are remarkable for a female.”

And there it was, testosterone at its finest. “Why are you so surprised?”

The enforcer eyed me nervously. “You are a tiny Farin female. It does not seem possible.”

“I could be a shapeshifter. Have you thought of that?”

“Do not provoke him, Xenia,” Zarek snapped.

Captain Cole’s hand dropped to his laser pistol. “Are you?”

“One more word, Xenia, and you will spend the next year on Tanith cleaning the caverns of Tanezumi dung.” A horrific stench hit me. It was a mixture of rotted eggs and ammonia. An instant later, the image of a fat, ratlike creature formed in my mind.

Detja had told me about them. All they did was eat and shit. I gave the captain a reassuring smile. “I’m merely a warrior like you.”

“I think you are much more.”

“Where are the Katanic shapeshifters?”

He pointed to the slaughter ship. “They went inside.”

I blinked in surprise when my handsome warlord walked up to us. No, the brainwaves were all wrong. It was Adan. “You just had to morph into Quinn?”

He totally ignored me. “The Executioners are investigating the murder,” Adan said in Quinn’s voice.

The enforcer stiffened. “Murder?”

“The Tai-Kok captured a female and her child,” I interjected. “Females and children are precious to the Katanic. They will not allow her murderer or murderers to go unpunished.”

“I must confer with my commander. Excuse me for a moment.” The captain hurried off.

Adan cocked his head to one side. “Did you know your eyes are glowing?”

“They get this way right before I kill someone.” I shot him.

Adan transformed back to his true form. “Crazy female. Why are you shooting me?”

“Because you are an idiot, and you almost got me killed.” I shot him again.

“Eeyore. Eeyore. Eeyore.”

What in the nine hells was that? It almost sounded like a donkey braying. I scanned the area for the source and stiffened in alarm.

The Executioners were floating down the slaughter ship’s loading ramp. “Eeyore. Eeyore. Eeyore.”

“Why are they making that noise?”

“They are laughing,” Adan answered.

“At what?”

“Me.” Adan held up a tentacle when I opened my mouth. “Because you shot me. Twice.”

“You deserved it.” Up close, the Executioners were even more frightening. The tremendous power radiating from them made me want to run far, far away. I kept waiting for them to pounce, but all they did was inspect me like I was an interesting but odd specimen.

A deep voice resonated in my head. “You are the female who saved the child?”

Before I could answer, Adan butted in. “Xenia is also a witness to the murder.”

What? I stomped on one of Adan’s tentacles. “Goddess, are you deliberately trying to get me killed?”

He jerked it away, knocking me off balance. Before I could do a face-plant, the bigger Executioner’s tentacle thingy caught me and gently set me on my feet.

“Uh, thanks.”

With a growl of annoyance, the Overlord mentally stepped in and showed the Executioners my memories of rescuing Clio.

Her little voice echoed in my head. “Scared. Momma was crying. Why they hurt her?”

“We found evidence the Tai-Kok are responsible for her death,” the bigger Executioner stated.

“They will be punished,” another Executioner announced.

I had to know. “How?”

“We will destroy their worlds,” they said in unison.

“You can do that?”

“We can. You belong to the Overlord?”

“She is blood of my blood,” Zarek responded.

“We offer safe passage to you and yours.” An incandescent orange light popped into existence. The light spun faster and faster and faster until it became an enormous vortex. “The council has been informed of your actions, Adan. The death order has been lifted for now. It has been decided you will care for the child until the father can be found.”

“I will treat Clio as my own,” Adan assured them.

“Keep her safe or suffer the consequences.”

As one, the Executioners stepped into the vortex. Slurppp! They were gone.

I sagged in relief. They hadn’t eaten me.

Adan said, “I will return you to your mate.”

“No! I’m not riding the vortex again.” I dodged his tentacle. “I’ll see if I can hitch a ride with the enforcers.”

“If you want to find your father, you will go with him, Xenia,” Zarek advised.

Quinn added, “I have chocolate.”

“Fine.” I let Adan wrap me in tentacles. I loved being slimed.