Chapter Fourteen
“Is your tongue in Casey’s mouth?” Zarek’s peeved voice asked from behind us.
Hothar broke the kiss and through our link he muttered, “Busted.”
“Maybe.” I hurriedly slid down Hothar’s yummy body. “Would you believe mouth-to-mouth resuscitation?”
Zarek did the eyebrow thing.
“Ok, fine. There might have been some tongue action.”
My normally calm and in control uncle stormed down the hallway. He stopped in front of me, literally vibrating with fury. “Where is she?”
The Overlord stared at him in astonishment.
Hothar was equally taken aback.
“Well? Answer me Casey. Where is she?”
“Are you talking about Annie?” I bit my lip to keep from smiling.
“Yes,” Uncle Saul practically shouted.
I shrugged. “Don’t have a clue. Can’t you sense her?”
“No.” My uncle’s eyes burned with suppressed rage.
Zarek studied my uncle for a moment and then inquired, “Who are you hunting?”
“Annie Russell, an unregistered female.” Uncle Saul turned his wrath on me. “I’m now docking your pay a thousand credits, for aiding and abetting a felon.”
Hoo boy, was he pissed. I plastered a placating smile on my face. “Yes, sir. Sorry sir. Won’t happen again, sir.”
“Do you need our assistance in apprehending this “felon”?” Zarek asked with a hint of a smile.
“No! The female is mine.”
“Are you sure you don’t want some help Uncle Saul? I mean, she did knock you out,” I said ever so helpfully.
The look Uncle Saul leveled on me would have sent most seasoned warriors running for their lives. “I was momentarily stunned.”
“Right. Gotcha.” I winked. “You were never face down on the floor.”
Uncle Saul growled deep in his chest and stalked off.
“Annie’s also a crack shot, heavily armed and knows how to deal with aggressive males,” I called after him.
My uncle gave me the one-finger salute and teleported.
Whoa! When my uncle wigged out, he didn’t do it half-assed.
“It seems General Jones will be occupied for a bit,” Zarek commented.
I chortled. “You betcha. Annie won’t be easy to track or capture.”
“It is an excellent opportunity for the General to hone his hunting skills,” Hothar observed.
“I’ll bet you fifty credits, my uncle will never find Annie.”
“I accept your wager,” Hothar said.
A glint of humor in his eyes, Zarek interjected, “A fool’s bet. Even before your uncle became Coletti he was a predator. He will find her.”
“Are you sure about that? They call Annie the Reaper.”
“Her abilities will not save her. The General has marked her and there is no escape.”
“Marked?” I promptly echoed. “When did he do that? There was no mental contact or blood exchanged. All he did was touch Annie.” I gave Hothar the stink eye. “Is that all it takes to mark a female?”
Hothar grinned, displaying his awesome dimples.
“With powerful warlords, yes. The drive to mate is very strong in Coletti warriors,” Zarek confirmed.
I rolled my eyes. “You don’t say.”
A spasm crossed Hothar’s face and he grumbled on our private link, “Did you have to say that?”
“My bad. I’m having a hard time wrapping my mind around Uncle Saul with a mate. I mean he likes women a lot, but none of them have ever kept his interest for more than a month.”
“Those females were nothing more than bed sport. Annie presents a challenge to the General. She is prey.”
“You’re saying it’s a game to him?”
Hothar shook his head. “It is not a game. The General searches for the other half of his soul.”
“It is the most important hunt of our lives. One we cannot fail,” Zarek added solemnly.
“And what happens if Annie isn’t his mate?”
Hothar asked, “Have you ever seen the General act this way before?”
“God no.”
“That is your answer.” Zarek leveled a stern gaze on us. “I have found a suitable task for the two of you. One that will keep you busy and act as a deterrent against any future sexual acts.”
“Task?” Alarm filled Hothar’s voice.
“Deterrent?” A knot of apprehension formed in my gut. “Are you talking about a chastity belt?”
Zarek rubbed a hand over his face as if he was trying to keep from laughing. “No, something much better.”
Hothar queried, “Latrine duty on a remote space station?”
“No, child care. Talree and Kaylee wish to celebrate their anniversary on a small island in the Pacific. You will care for Thor and Haki while they take a much-needed vacation.”
“I am a warrior not a babysitter,” Hothar protested.
I groused at him, “Are you trying to get us dung duty? What are you going to do when we have children?”
“Protect them with my life,” Hothar replied.
I smiled at Zarek. “We’ll do it.” I nudged Hothar.
“It will be an honor to care for Talree’s son and Haki,” he said dutifully.
“Are we going to watch them on Tanith?”
“No, Talree and Kaylee will be arriving shortly with the children. I’ve set up quarters for the four of you on our base. You are to keep them entertained, out of trouble and safe.”
“Gotcha.” Thor was only three years old. How much trouble could he get into? Kaylee said when a baby Tabor got scared, they had the tendency to squirt webbing every which way. So, I’d make sure we had some of Shrek’s pam spray on hand.
“If I catch you engaging in any sexual activities again, you will not like the consequences.”
“Yes, sir. No heavy petting, necking, mental sex or nooky of any kind.”
Zarek growled. “And?”
“No tongue,” Hothar replied.
“Good. Get some sleep and report to your duty station at 0800 hours tomorrow.”
“Yes, sir.”
Hothar clamped an arm to his chest. “As you command, my lord.”
The Overlord teleported away.
I sagged against Hothar. “Food, then we crash?”
“Tacos or a burger?”
“Tacos,” I answered.
Hothar wrapped his arms around me and teleported. Poof! We appeared at Hilberto’s my favorite Mexican food joint. The old shop was painted a glow-in-the-dark orange. The interior walls were covered with awful velvet paintings of matadors, tigers and Elvis. The Mariachi music was always a tad too loud, but the food was to die for.
We were pigging out on tacos and chocolate smothered fried ice cream when the Battle Commander popped in. I raised my eyes heavenward. “Whatever I did, I’m sorry.”
Voss surveyed us from head-to-toe, then casually walked over to the counter to order food.
I leaned over and whispered in Hothar’s ear, “What’s he doing here?”
“Sharing a meal with my nephew and his mate,” Voss said in my head.
Oh fuck! “How nice.” I switched to our private link. “Did Zarek send him to keep an eye on us?”
Hothar shrugged.
“Well, ask him,” I murmured.
Voss picked up his order of beef fajitas and sat down at our table. “To answer your question, yes, he did. You will spend the night in our quarters under my watchful eye.”
“It’s not necessary.” I yawned widely. “We’re too tired to have sex.”
“I see. Is that true Hothar?”
He shook his head. “I’m never too tired for sex.”
I kicked him under the table. “Blabbermouth.”
“It is the truth,” Hothar said with an unrepentant grin.
Voss sniffed. “Did Casey use skunk perfume on you?”
“No, I would never do that.”
Hothar cocked an eyebrow. “You were planning on dousing me with it.”
“That was before, when you were being such a prick. Get out of hand again, and I still might.” I flashed Voss the image of Adan in skunk form. “The smell is courtesy of Adan.”
“Skunk bombs have little effect on the Rodan,” Voss stated and rolled pieces of steak and jalapenos in a flour tortilla.
“Good to know. Were you able to interrogate Mary Beth?” I licked the chocolate off my spoon.
Voss took a bite before answering psychically, “Zarek is searching her memories. Mary Beth has never seen the leader of Earth First without his battle suit.” The picture of a large person in black storm trooper like armor formed in our minds. “He uses some type of voice modulator and they must address him as the Supreme One.”
Hmm. A villain with self-esteem issues or delusions of godhood. “What makes you so sure it’s a guy?”
“The rather large codpiece on the armor,” Voss replied.
“Or she’s a clever woman with one hell of a disguise.” Prickles ran up my spine and I glanced out the window. A storm trooper stared back at me. I pointed at him. “Does the Supreme One look something like that?”
Without any kind of acknowledge, Hothar and Voss teleported. Poof! They appeared on the sidewalk and pounced on the Supreme One. One minute they had him in custody and the next, the Supreme One was lobbing them across the street. Crash! They smashed through a nail salon’s plate glass window. The security alarm began to wail.
Dang! The Supreme One had to be wearing strength enhancing armor to be able to toss around three hundred-pound Coletti warriors that easily.
The Supreme One ripped the door to Hilberto’s off its hinges and flung it across the street. It sailed through the nail salon’s broken window.
I winced as pain ripped through Hothar’s shoulder. The Inferior One was gonna pay for that.
In a voice straight out of a horror movie, the Supreme One rasped, “You have interfered with my plans for the last time. I’m going to take great pleasure in killing you.” He stomped toward me.
I rolled my eyes. “Was that supposed to be scary? Cause it’s not. And I’m giving you an F for originality.”
“You mock me?”
“Me? Nah. I just want to know where you got that spiffy armor? Halloween is coming up and my little cousin loves that outer space shoot ’em movie. He’s been pestering us like forever for a storm trooper costume. So where did you get it? Costumes R Us or Shindig City?”
The Supreme Idiot roared in fury and charged.
“Was it something I said?” I dropped my mental shields and punched out with my telekinesis. The shockwave of energy hurled the Supreme One through the wall and out into the street; right in front of a city bus. Thud! Thump. Thump.
The bus skidded to a stop. A moment later, the horrified bus driver bailed out and peered under the front chassis. Hothar and Voss joined him.
Munching on the last taco, I strolled over to the bus. “Is he dead?”
“He is,” Hothar said.
“Piss poor armor.”
Hothar hugged me tightly. “Are you injured?”
The taco crumbled, raining meat, cheese and lettuce down the front of Hothar’s battle suit and my dress. “Uh, nope.” I swiped at the mess. “He never laid a finger on me. How’s your shoulder?”
“A few minor injuries.” He suddenly released me.
Zarek and a shitload of warriors suddenly teleported in. They swarmed around the bus.
Voss motioned to Hothar.
“Duty calls.” He limped over to them.
Minor injuries huh? I brushed a piece of cheese off my chin and glanced down at my dress. It was decorated with salsa, lettuce and bits of shredded beef. Ugh.
A frantic Hispanic man examined the damage done to the taco shop and hurried over to me. “Who pay? Who pay?”
“He pays.” I pointed at Zarek. “El Jefe. Mucho dinero.”
“Gracias.” The Hispanic guy took one look at Zarek and gulped.
I sighed. The Overlord was wearing his scary predator’s face. “Un momento.” I tapped politely at Zarek’s mind. “Sir.”
“Tell him to contact Central Command in the morning. They will take care of the damages,” Zarek said.
“Yes, sir.” I smiled at the worried owner. “Call Central Command in the morning and they’ll arrange for a contractor to come out. Okay?”
“Si. Si.” He rushed back inside.
God was I tired. All I wanted to do was go home and sleep for the next week, but that wasn’t gonna happen. They were going to be at it for hours. I laid down on the bus stop bench and closed my eyes. This had to be the longest day ever.
Sometime later I felt strong arms lifting me. I moaned in protest.
Hothar gently stroked my mind. “Go back to sleep.” I did.