Page 26 of Stone Awakened

Sunder laughed roughly, his words a taunt. “No, you Rummicaron just can’t read people worth a damn.” It made Carator snarl angrily and his Xurtal companion hissed like an angry cat from between her clenched teeth. “What, truth hurts?” Sunder said, he seemed to be trying to rile them up on purpose and I hoped he knew what he was doing. I didn’t think making them angry was going to be a good idea, Carator was still holding a shiny, silver gun.

“Shut your mouth, you insolent asshole,” the Xurtal female demanded, pushing past Carator in her sleek black catsuit. Her hands yanked two short blades free from holsters on her back, an eager glint glowing in her red eyes.

Sunder shook his horned head, “Can’t stand it if I badmouth your owner can you?” He shifted on his clawed lion-like feet, tail suddenly growing deceptively calm behind his back, he seemed to become a smaller target, without having moved much at all. I blinked my eyes, certain I was seeing some kind of illusion.

The female screamed, “I am not a slave!” While her master tried to order her to stand down, too late realizing what trap the female had fallen into with his calmer head. The Xurtal woman launched herself at Sunder, her silvery blades flashing in the overhead lights. Sunder seemed to just slide to the side, the move quick and agile, the knife from his belt suddenly in his hand. He blocked the sweep of both weapons, and his wing swept out beneath their arms, hitting the woman in the stomach.

She flew back, flying through the air and colliding with the Crimelord so the both of them skidded back along the floor in an undignified heap. Sunder had no space in this cellblock to spread his wings fully but he moved with a blast of air, landing on top of both of them. The silver laser pistol went spinning along the ground from a well-aimed kick, disappearing between the locked bars of one of the empty cells.

After that, things were a blur as I searched for a way to help, watching the fight anxiously unfold from the corner of my eye. Sunder was fighting them both and it was a surprise, at least to me, to realize that Carator was no dummy in a fight, he was holding his own. One of the woman’s short blades came hurling through the air, I ducked just in time, a few strands of my hair fluttering down around my face, severed by the sharp knife.

Seeing my chance, I grabbed the still-warm handle of the knife, but it had embedded itself deeply into one of the wooden posts that held up the ceiling. Struggling to free the weapon, I flinched with each scream, thud, or grunt that echoed through the cells. With a yelp, it came free from the post, sending me sprawling backward onto the ground from the force.

Somehow, I’d landed right behind the Xurtal woman and with an angry yell, I slashed at her legs with the blade. The razor-sharp knife cut through her sleek leather pants like it was butter, opening up a large gash in her leg. Blood sprayed from the wound and into my face, salty and metallic. I rolled away, clutching the blade, and dodging kicking feet.

The distraction was the opening Sunder needed, his clawed wing tips raking across her body when she turned her back. The woman collapsed without making another sound. Her body thudding to the ground, I scrambled out of the way and climbed to my feet with my back pressed to the nearest cell bars.

I could see the Crimelord in his suit, which was not nearly as neat and crisp as before. He staggered to his feet from somewhere, his face pulled into this vicious snarl, displaying the rows upon rows of sharp, hooked teeth in his mouth. Launching himself at Sunder, just as he whirled to face him, the two males collided, wrestling for dominance.

“Watch out!” I yelled as the shark maw snapped closed around one of Sunder’s thick biceps. I pushed myself off the bars, intending to circle around the males, seeking an opening to slide my stolen knife into that bastard’s back. Only I never got the chance, two clawed hands appeared, two razor-sharp horns arching above the Crimelord, and with a snapping sound, the criminal’s head wrenched to the side at an unnatural angle.

The new arrival helped pry those jaws from Sunder’s arm and the body dropped to the ground, it was only then that I realized it was Or’tal. The Kertinal male stood in front of Sunder with a mild expression on his face, his uniform as neat as always. “So about that favor,” he said, directing his words at Sunder, “I’m going to need a ride off this shit hole.”

Sunder had his hand clasped around the bite site, but he was grinning, “Don’t tell me, you’re an intelligence officer? Third class? First?” There was a look of recognition shared between the two of them as if they’d suddenly become best buddies. “Sure, you can get a ride, it should be here any minute now.”

I ducked under Sunder’s wing, pulling at his hand to look at his latest injury and was gratified to see dozens of deep scratch marks but no blood. Somehow, again, his stone-like skin had protected him from the worst of the injury. He was getting better somehow, but from the deeper lines bracketing his mouth I could also tell he was in pain, so maybe he wasn’t cut open, but maybe he was bruised.

“First, thank you very much,” Or’tal said. “I didn’t think the Tarkan military had any interest in this corner of the quadrant…” Then he tilted his head, his bright green eyes sliding over Sunder, darting to me as if I was part of the equation, “No. They really don’t do they? So who’s picking you up?”

I was about to leave these two to their military talk, while I went back to grab some of that moss for Sunder’s pain, but as soon as I turned, Sunder’s arms snatched me around my waist, holding me close. “Aggy, stay with me, my Fire,” he said, his warm body heating my still-cold skin. The adrenaline of the fight and the smoking hot kiss from before had kick-started my system, but I was already coming down from that. Now that he held me, my body started to shake again.

He started to vigorously rub my back with his hands, trying to get me to warm up, his wings cupping my lower body against his legs. “Is she alright?” Or’tal asked, and I was surprised to hear the real concern in his voice this time. Here I’d been thinking he was the scariest guy around, besides maybe the Crimelord himself, but he’d been a spy all along. At least, that’s what I thought that conversation had meant.

“My brothers are coming,” Sunder said, just as a light on his com blinked green. “Correction, they are landing right now. We need to open the gate for them.” I felt a thrill shoot through me, they were here, there was an end to this miserable journey at last. No, it wasn’t so miserable with Sunder at my side. I also didn’t forget that he’d started to say something really important to me just as we were attacked.

“Leave that to me, I’ll head for the command center and disable what I can,” Or’tal said, though he still looked puzzled. Sunder’s answer hardly explained who was about to arrive on Arakon. He turned around and trotted from the cell block without a backward glance.

Alone again with Sunder, and two dead bodies which was not the most romantic location, I cupped his face. “I love you,” I said, “And I’m glad you came for me. But where the fuck are the kids?”

Chapter 17

Sunder

My shoulder ached, and my arm was one throbbing mess, but I had my Aggy in my arms and she’d just declared that she loved me. Me, despite being stuck in battle-form, my least attractive appearance. It had been so long since I’d seen my peace-form that I couldn’t be sure if it was any kind of improvement.

“I love you too, my Fire,” I said, and I tried to claim her mouth but she pulled back. A frown on her face. Oh, right. The kids. “I hid them in the planetary defense tower, Jett has got your datapad and last I saw them, the two were playing games. They are safe.” She broke out in a radiant smile, threw her arms around my neck, and finally she let me kiss her until I was throbbing in entirely different places.

When we pulled back, I was panting, and she had this lovely flush over her soft, round cheeks. “I’ve got something that should help with the pain,” she said, and she ducked out of my arms, and scurried back into the cell I’d broken open. I bent down to clean my knife, located the laser pistol that the Crimelord had dropped, and tucked both into my belt. Shit was about to get rough out there and I needed to find a safe, warm place for my female to ride it out.

I straightened, rotating my shoulder and marveling at the fact that my battle-form had performed almost entirely as it should. What had changed? Why had it not crumbled like sand? From the way my body had reacted during the fight with the Jukjuk, I was so certain of the progression. Stars, even Or’tal had recognized the signs of the Crumbling and had used it to level a threat at me. What a bastard that guy, but I couldn’t deny that I was impressed, if he was indeed a First Class Infiltrator, he had earned that rank.

Aggy returned with some kind of green sludge wiped on the edge of her skirt, a frown on her face as she instructed me to turn around so she could check my shoulder. I wasn’t sure what she was planning with that weird goo, but I trusted her. The moment the stuff touched my shoulder, a blessed numbness spread through the deep bruise. I let out a sigh and stuck out my torn-up bicep for more of the same treatment, that this meant she lifted up her skirts high enough for me to get a good look at her thighs… Definitely an added bonus.

Once she was done, she pulled the short-blade holsters from the Xurtal female's back with a disgusted look on her face. She strapped them on awkwardly so I hurried to help out, I wasn’t sure if she thought she was joining me in this battle, but I did approve of arming her. Back on the Vagabond, I’d make sure I’d start a mandatory training session for all the females. Except for Camila, Thorin’s mate already trained with my brothers.

Holding her by the hand, we left the cellblock, “I think you’ll be safest if I hide you in the armory.” She was shaking her head, her mouth set in a grim line and her eyes determined. I knew that look, I was pretty sure she wasn’t going to do as I said. Nothing seemed to go according to plan during this mission. I should have remembered that it was always like that, there were always unpredictable elements, like another agent, a guard who wanted to reform. Or a woman who thought she could rescue her friend’s son on her own.

Resigned, I urged her to stay behind me as I lead us to the front of the palace. Beyond that was a short manicured lawn, a wall with a gate, and two defensive towers, to the left and right of the palace were the outbuildings and barracks. None of those mattered as the guards that had to protect this place were all gathered on the wall around the gate and on the towers. Some were standing back on the cleared space just beyond the gate, where two defensive structures winged out around two big laser canons.