Chapter Nineteen
Except for Bree and Zoey, all of us Jones girls look alike. We were petite with snub noses, pointy chins, and green eyes. Once we were in our warrior aka berserker mode, nothing scared us. Which drove our family nuts. Bad things happened when you got us mad. People blame it on our red hair. Wrong! Zoey had black hair, and she was all Jones. Bree was half Coletti, but the Jones’ chaos gene ruled her behavior. We were warriors and would fight to the death to protect those we love.
Case in point was Yakira. Even though she hadn’t been raised with us, she was a card-carrying Jones. She had our talent for mayhem, and her bionics made her strong enough to take on a warlord like Wulf. The poor guy discovered Yakira was his mate when she was only ten years old. Wulf had needed all his patience to track and keep her safe. The men in our lives always sucked it up and dealt with whatever trouble found us. Just like Yakira’s adopted family and Wulf had done.
The silly goose thought we would reject her because of her bionics. We quickly set her straight. The only thing that mattered was she had survived, and as a bonus, she had our talent for killing the Tai-Kok.
Eve kept touching Yakira as if she was afraid her daughter would disappear again. When Bui, Yakira’s baby Tabor, popped out her hair, Eve shrieked and tried to smack her with a tray.
“No, Mom!” Yakira jumped back. “Bui is family.”
“Family?”
“Yes, and my friend.”
“But she’s a spider,” Eve sputtered.
“Mom, the one thing I’ve learned, is family comes in all sizes, shapes, and species.
Tae and a herd of Tabors scurried into the room, ready to defend Bui.
All the color drained out of Eve’s face.
“They’re family, Mom,” Yakira said firmly.
“Uh-huh.”
I took the tray away from Eve. “Let’s get you a drink.”
“You got whiskey?” She followed me over to the bar.
“Yep.” I poured a generous portion in a glass and handed it to her.
Eve drained it and held her glass out for more. I filled it again. She tossed the whiskey back like it was water and sucked in a shuddering breath. “I hate spiders.”
“Yeah, I kinda noticed.”
“Did they have to be psychic spiders?” Eve grabbed the bottle out of my hand and took a swig.
“They’re called Tabors. They’re very intelligent, loyal, and great in a fight. Bui helped get Yakira and Ziyad, her partner in crime, off a Tai-Kok ship.”
“Really?”
I placed my hand over my heart. “Scout’s honor.”
“Don’t tell me, you have one too?”
“I do and a baby Draconic. Want to meet them?”
“Okay. I guess. Sure.”
“Come to Momma, KeeKee.” I frowned. A pot of Earth daisies was now sitting on the bar. Adan was up to his old tricks. I smacked the pot and whispered, “Behave.”
A tiny tentacle gave me the one finger salute.
I saluted Adan back.
Eve shot me a worried look.
Musa flew into the room with KeeKee perched on her back. I held out my left arm, and Musa landed it. “This is Eve, Yakira’s mother. Say hello.”
KeeKee courteously waved a leg. “Hello.”
Musa jabbered politely.
Eve smiled reluctantly. “They are cuties.” She shrieked when a gout of flames escaped from Musa’s mouth.
“Sorry, she’s a bit of a show-off.”
“Damn, fire-breathing dragons are real too.” Eve took another slug of whiskey.
Yakira laughed in delight. “Can I hold them?”
“Go say hi to Yakira.”
Musa hopped on Yakira’s shoulder and chirped.
“Hello. Me KeeKee.”
“You are such pretty babies.” As Yakira petted them, Bui scurried down and perched on her ear. “This is Bui.”
Bui peered down at them. “How zoom?”
“Musa has wings.” KeeKee wiggled in excitement. “Wanna fly?”
Bui hopped up and down on Yakira’s face. “Want go. Can me?”
“Wait a minute. You need to have Sarah’s permission.” In English, Yakira asked, “Has KeeKee ever fallen off?”
“Not once.”
“You can go with them, Bui, but be careful,” Yakira said.
Bui scurried up behind KeeKee. “Fly!”
Musa launched herself into the air and off they went.
I called after them, “No shooting web balls at the ducks.”
Musa stopped her dive at a duck and flew off over the lake.
I turned around and took a startled leap backward. A creature some mad scientist had dreamed up was standing behind me. She was half Askole and half Rodan. She had the face of a T-Rex, tentacles, and the black armor-plated skin of an Askole. My hand dropped to the butt of my laser pistol.
Yakira quickly announced, “This is Ziyad, sister of my heart and my very best friend.”
Ziyad was equally shocked at my appearance. Her tentacles shot straight up. “You are Askole, yet not.”
“Coletti warlords aren’t the only ones who can change a girl’s DNA. My human genes are being overridden as we speak. Once upon a time I was a kickass Marine lieutenant who made the mistake of falling in love with an Askole. Now, my career is in the crapper, I have a bounty on my head, and I’m under house arrest. Oorah!”
“You left out the part where Sariel and the Overlord signed your bridal contract with Tihar,” Aunt Tess interjected.
Ziyad goggled at me. “Sariel, the Askole High Commander?”
“That’s him.” I grabbed a beer.
“Is Tihar a good mate?” Ziyad’s curiosity was genuine.
“Hard to tell. Haven’t seen much of him. About an hour after we mated, war broke out and he left to fight the rebels. I thought Tihar loved me until he had our bridal contract annulled.”
“Maybe he was injured in battle and doesn’t remember you,” Ziyad said, trying to put a positive spin on his actions.
“Tihar knows exactly what he’s doing, and boy, does he have some explaining to do. Now that the fighting has died down, Tihar isn’t moving around as much, and I have a lock on him. It’s time for us to have a heart-to-heart talk. If I don’t believe him, he’s going to fix my DNA. The easy way or the hard way.”
Yakira asked, “What can we do to help?”
“Glad you asked,” Aunt Tess said. “We heard you have a stealth fighter?”
“We do, but Wulf put tracking sensors in it, and the command controls are locked to his biometrics,” Yakira replied.
“Rats, we were hoping to borrow it for a day or two,” I groused. “All the ships I normally have access to, the Overlord put an inhibitor on the command console. I can only fly to predetermined locations. Any deviations and the computer notifies Zarek. Not a good thing.”
Detja walked over. “The sensors and locked command controls are easy to fix.”
“They are?” Yakira’s shocked surprise mirrored mine.
“I am the most powerful female on this world. The maintenance crew will do what I tell them.”
I gaped at Detja. “Why would you help us?”
“I always pay my debts.”
Detja’s answer surprised me. “When I fought off the naugers, I wasn’t expecting payment. I was saving my family, which includes you.” I hadn’t made up my mind about the Overlord yet.
A warm smile spread across Detja’s face. “I am aware of that, but Tihar’s actions dishonor you, and the western front is still a dangerous place. You will need me to avoid the death satellites and handle the military commanders. Once the Askole has reversed the damage to your DNA, I will help you get a proper Coletti mate. Jand has expressed his interest in mating with you.”
My stomach sank in dismay. “Oh. Wow. How awesome is that?”
“Look on the bright side. He’s hot and has a good job,” Bree said, trying not to laugh.
I gave her the evil eye. “Jand isn’t a warrior.”
“Cedras is,” Detja countered.
Had she lost her freakin’ mind? Cedras was one hell of a fighter jock, but I wasn’t attracted to him. “He’s my squadron commander, ma’am.”
Detja beamed. “Exactly. He would be the perfect mate.”
“Really? He doesn’t even like me.”
“Cedras is very impressed with your combat skills and is strong enough to keep you in line.”
Oh yay. Detja was the Coletti version of a matchmaker. Time to change the subject. I wasn’t interested in another mate. “No one will stop us from leaving Tanith airspace?”
“The only male with the power to stop me is the Overlord.”
The question popped out of me before I could stop it. “Is it true you drugged Zarek, put him in a crate, and had him shipped to the Vesta penal colony?”
“It is.” A smile pulled at Detja’s mouth. “It took Zarek six months to chase me down.”
“A woman after my own heart,” Aunt Tess murmured.
Zoey raised her hand. When Detja acknowledged her, she said, “Count me in, but it won’t take long for our guys to notice we’re missing.”
“Once the bonding ceremonies are completed, Zarek and his warlords will be busy hunting Quain’s second-in-command, Diar, who managed to escape in a one-man scout,” Detja replied smugly. “My plan is well thought out.”
It would have to be to keep the Overlord off our backs.
“Jaylan can be on the other side of the galaxy, but he always knows what I’m doing and who I am doing it with,” Bree stated.
A sigh escaped Detja. “I told the Overlord while they are gone, we will be in the Crystalline Cavern meditating and harvesting the Son Doong.”
I had to know. “Son Doong?”
“It’s a type of mushroom,” Kaylee responded. “Once they’re dried, the Son Doong gives you an energy boost and sharpens your mental abilities during combat.”
Bree grinned. “The Ditrim crystals in the cavern make mental communication very difficult.”
“To add to our illusion, I collected some Ditrim crystals to bring with us,” Detja inserted.
“Great plan. They’ll never know we’re gone.” The thought of putting one over on the Overlord filled me with glee.
“They will not.” Was there a note of gloating in Detja’s voice?
“I’m coming too,” Kaylee stated.
Aunt Tess quickly asked, “What about Thor?”
“I’ll bring him.”
Oh, hell no. I wasn’t risking the kid. “We’re going into a war zone.”
“I had Thor in the middle of a war zone,” Kaylee responded.
She had a valid argument. “If it’s okay with Detja, it’s okay with me.”
“Thor is not a normal baby, and we would all die before we allowed any harm to come to him,” Detja replied.
“True.”
Bree hugged me. “We’re getting your life back.”
“And having some girl time too,” Zoey exclaimed.
Yakira laughed. “Ziyad and I will keep your secret.”
“I will give each of you a body shield ring for added protection,” Ziyad said.
I had heard about the rings. Anyone stupid enough to shoot you got zapped in return. My family was the best. “I love you guys. You know that, don’t ya?”
“We do,” Kaylee answered.
Aunt Tess hollered, “Let us party, for tomorrow we hunt.”
The bachelorette party was an unqualified success. We even had a stripper, sort of. Adan took one look at the pin-the-hose-on-the-fireman poster and transformed into the drool-worthy fireman. We were all disappointed when Detja put a quick stop to his stripping.
It didn’t take me long to figure why Yakira loved Ziyad. She has a great sense of humor, a heart of gold, and a talent for tabletop dancing.
After a few margaritas, we talked Yakira and Ziyad into modeling sexy negligees and edible chocolate underwear.
Before I could stop them, KeeKee, Bui, and Musa ate ale-infused bugs. Giggling madly, they flew off with the giant red pecker from the pin-the-hose-on-the-fireman game.
A shitload of drunken Tabors hung from the ceiling. Tae, KeeKee’s grandmother, was belly-up on the floor after eating a dozen Karakors bugs soaked in vodka.
Just when the party was getting good, Wulf appeared. He seemed a bit taken aback at a room full drunk females in various stages of undress. The total shocker was Detja wearing only edible panties and a bright pink boa draped over her breasts.
The big-mouthed snitch must have contacted the other warlords. Not even ten seconds later, Zarek popped in, and his jaw dropped when he spotted Detja.
Detja waved a boa at him. “Wanna play where’s the snake?”
Zarek grinned, swung her into his arms, and teleported away.
God, I wanted what Detja and Zarek had. Love, commitment, and the knowledge that no matter what, your mate would always be there for you.
Yakira smiled happily at Wulf. “Hiya, honeybun. You’re so pretty.”
“How much have you had to drink?”
“Hmmm. Let me think. A whole lot. So very pretty. Can I keep ya?”
“Yes. You get to keep me.” Wulf picked her up and vanished.
A bunch of irritated warlords walked in, shook their heads in disbelief, and grabbed their mates.
Aunt Tess said, “Praise the Lord and pass the chocolate.”
I tossed her a chocolate bar.