Page 24 of Warrior Enchanted

I scowled back at my brother for different reasons, but pissed off all the same. If Fierce had known our location well enough to smuggle himself aboard this ship, he probably tried to call authorities down on them there and was rebuffed. Fucking politics. Whoever this ship belonged to, they had diplomatic status, and the Kertinal Military wasn’t going to do jack shit to help us out here. That they’d warned the Vagabond not to board this ship until they were out of Kertinal space… That meant they’d even try to stop our friends from helping us if they did.

Angry at the situation, I felt the rush of blood through my body, energy returning to my numb limbs. Yeah, that helped to get me back in the game. Get me angry and I was all ready to go. My mind flashed to the Kertinal, Dar’kol, and that stuck-up rich guy, Firxyrran. They wanted to hurt my mate? Not on my watch.

We were getting out of here, with Fierce to help us, with our successful breakout to start with… The tables had definitely turned. I’d take my vengeance on that sicko first, and then I’d take my time with the Kertinal murderer, let him know that I could beat him even when I was injured like this.

Fierce knew where he was headed, jogging with purpose down one hallway after another, his sharp ears probably hearing things I couldn’t even imagine right now. Shifting my arm from around Meena, I folded one around her small fingers to keep contact. Increasing our pace to keep up with my brother’s long strides now that I was feeling a little more energetic again.

Of course, that was the moment when our sudden good luck turned. Fierce turned a corner and then staggered back from a hard blow to the jaw he hadn’t seen coming, and evidently, hadn’t heard either. “I knew I had a stowaway!” Dar’kol said triumphantly, following Fierce, a gun leveled at my friend’s chest. The big Kertinal looked furious and decked out in weapons this time.

He hadn’t seen Meena and me yet, his focus on Fierce, but that wouldn’t last more than a second. Leaping without thinking, I tackled the male into the nearest wall. I curled one hand around the wrist holding the weapon and slammed it into the metal panel as hard as I could, so he dropped it. Snarling in his face, I made sure he knew it was me and then I headbutted him in the nose; the sound of crunching bone and cartilage echoing in the hallway.

Dropping like a ton of bricks, the male didn’t move again, lying in an ungainly heap at my feet. Meena gasped, rushing around my side to drop to her knees next to the asshole, almost as if she was concerned for him. “Bastard had my knife!” she said indignantly, and she started yanking the knife and sheath free from his hip that I’d crafted for her. My chest filled with warmth that she liked that gift so much. I knew it was a good choice; I’d seen her shuffle around with a knife in her coat pocket far too much.

“Okay, that’s not good,” Fierce said behind me, a bruise blooming in deep purple along his jaw. I didn’t think he was talking about that, and following his line of sight, he was eyeing the cluster of green-clad males standing at the end of the corridor, gaping at us. They were surprised to see us, so whatever their boss had been up to, he hadn’t warned anyone. Sadly, they didn't hesitate to level their rifles our way, despite their shock at our presence..

“Go, hide,” I hissed at Fierce while I urged Meena to back away. I could see the wheels turning in my brother’s head, but we stood a better chance if he ran and tried to free us a second time. His skin shimmered a little and then he was just… not there… Only if I looked really hard could I still see the outline of his leather kilt. Then he darted off, and I instantly lost track of him.

Covering my mate with my body, I made sure they couldn’t hit her should they decide to start shooting. Backing away wasn’t enough; there were more of them coming from the other direction now. At least Meena and I knew we just had to stall, and I’d gotten in a good hit on that bastard. Too bad he wasn’t dead yet.

We found ourselves being escorted through the ship, which was probably bigger than the Vagabond, considering the many turns we took before we arrived at our destination. Things had gotten progressively more decked out with fancy decorations and obvious signs of wealth, like carpet and gold trim. Art lined walls that were just functional corridors and once we walked past an open doorway with hot steam wafting out. Some kind of spa area.

At least nobody had taken the knife back from Meena, and she’d been smart enough to tuck it into her pants beneath her shirt out of sight. With the tip of a rifle poking me in the small of my back, I only dared to drag my feet so much until we reached wherever it was they were taking us. I hoped the rich asshole wasn’t going to just shoot us with his pistol, but if he had plans like that, I felt confident I could stall him. Maybe he’d be interested in watching me fight Dar’kol, punish the male for failing him, again. I’d be down for that.

The room they escorted us to was probably a lounge, but the seating was all arranged to face one couch-like thing on a raised platform. This was, for all intents and purposes, a throne room. How freaking conceited could a male get? How was it fair that he was still embraced by his own kind while a good male like Thorin had been banished? I wanted to get up there and pummel the guy for that injustice alone, not to mention the sick things he wanted my female for.

When the Vagabond got here, I had some business to take care of. I didn’t care if that meant outlawing myself on a few planets in the process. One look at Meena told me it was more than worth it. She was pale, with a grim look on her face. She didn’t look scared exactly; mostly she looked as angry as I felt, but all of this was taking a toll on her. I didn’t like it.

The bastard who’d caused all of this was draped on his ‘throne’ all casually, completely unrepentant for the lives he was trying to destroy. From the vials and flasks openly visible on the table next to him, I could tell he was a drug user too, and he wasn’t hiding it. Not from his guards and from us. His green eyes were wide open, glinting with greed as they escorted us in, tweaking out of his mind. I hoped I could use that to our advantage, but it would make him even more unpredictable.

He didn’t get up, just watched us for a while. The guards had moved us to a spot right in front of him but far enough away that I couldn’t just reach out and grab the guy. Pity, with him as my hostage, they wouldn’t dare to shoot us.

“So, you escaped, almost…” he said eventually, his eyes not even on Meena yet. He was focusing on the damaged pain collar around my neck, the wires visibly broken since the cover of the electronic little box was gone. “You’re a tough one, going through all that pain to get free.” He was contemplating his options, thinking about what that meant for him to own a gladiator like that. Was I worth the trouble to keep? Would I make him money on the sands? He had to know too that I was once owned by Drameil. He risked crossing the Crimelord if he kept me.

“That your mate?” he asked, jerking his chin in Meena’s direction. She was partially behind me, but I was sure she wasn’t hiding; she was hiding the male’s view of the knife she had. To him, the way we stood obviously meant I was protective of my female, which I was, I just knew what her strengths were.

Not answering him, I just kept on glaring at his face, hating how beautiful and even each of his features was. How he was dripping with wealth that he so abused when he could be doing good with it. The male frowned at my disobedience but then the greed was back, his eyes going over my body with what was almost a hint of desire. I felt dirty from the way he ogled me, appraising my strengths and my weaknesses. Like I was nothing but meat to him that he could use. It wasn’t a new feeling; I could handle this. I could handle this when I knew that my brothers weren’t far away, ready to retrieve us from this shit hole.

“Sir Firxyrran, we’ve found the other one,” a male voice announced. I jerked my head around that time, worry rushing through me at the sight of Fierce being dragged into the room by his arms. He was out cold and blood coated his nose and the bottom half of his face. While unconscious like this, his skin was blue with minor color variations all over. He hung completely limp between the two guards, and both males, Asrai by the looks of them, were struggling to carry him in. Yeah, Fierce was nearly seven feet tall. He was a heavy fucker.

“Oh no,” Meena whispered, horror on her face at the sight of Fierce, bloody and beaten. They threw him down on the ground at our feet roughly, his skull bouncing on the deck. At least this thick, luscious carpet covered it. Cream, though, tough to get the bloodstains out.

“Yeah, you thought you were getting out of here, weren’t you?” the Elrohirian little lord grinned gleefully. He was finally moving, gracefully getting up from his soft pillows to stand over us on the edge of the dais. He looked smug, but I had faith in my brothers. Fierce said he’d warned them they’d be here even if Fierce couldn’t help right now.

I shrugged with my upper shoulders, grinning when that made the male narrow his eyes at me in anger. He didn’t like it when he didn’t get the response he was hoping for. His hand was dropping to his belt beneath the silk robe he was still wearing, touching that little gun of his. When his eyes swung from me to my mate, I knew I had to offer up something, and fast. “I want payback,” I said. “Let me fight that asshole who caught us.”

Chapter 18

Meena

Everything had gone to hell in a handbasket in a matter of moments. I’d been feeling elated that a friend of Jakar’s had rescued us. When Jakar started moving on his own, I felt relieved and fully convinced that we were about to get out of this place.. Now we were standing in some pompously decked-out lounge and the man I loved was about to fight that Kertinal giant for a third time.

They said that the third time was the charm, but I couldn’t see the silver lining right now. I was stuck on the sidelines, my arms gripped by guards, while I watched Jakar circle Dar’kol opposite him. That alien, Fierce, was on the ground at my feet. He was bleeding from several cuts on his body, his blue face covered with blood and purple blemishes, and one arm at a terrible angle.

Jakar wasn’t limping, but I could tell he was moving slowly. Each time his arms moved, the skin pulled tight along the long diagonal burn on his back. He might not act like it hurt, but I sure felt sympathy pains for him. At least his opponent didn’t look much better this time; he’d definitely had received a few good hits in from Jakar. His nose was crooked, a horn chipped off at the tip, and he was definitely limping. My money was on my guy. I knew he’d take care of this, just like he had the last three times, and this time, Dar’kol wasn’t getting up again.

I was fine with that. I was starting to think that in this galaxy, this strange alien world I’d ended up in, that kind of thinking was alright. Some people were just bad, like the guy who’d bought me, like this rich asshole, and like the Kertinal Jakar was currently fighting. They deserved what was coming for them, and I shouldn’t feel bad about doing what I’d done to get through it. I didn’t think Jakar needed to feel bad about it, so why should I?

When the fighting started, I cheered him on as loudly as I could. I still had my knife; if I had an opening, I would take it. I loved this guy, how he was always so full of optimism, I could see it in him even now. He didn’t think all ways lost so I could do nothing less. We’d keep on fighting, and we’d freaking win in the end.