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“They’re trying to access our comm queue,” Cylex told Kern. “Should I activate the link?”
“Why not.”
Cylex established the connection and Telias’ image appeared in the lower left corner of the main display.
“Those shots were a warning. Lower your shields so we can transport the female onto our ship.”
“Yourship?” Cylex scoffed. “That’smyship, you insubordinate piece of shit. I’ve already informed Zevon of the part you played in Laidon’s failed mutiny.” It was a bluff. He hadn’t submitted the report yet, but he fully intended to do so. “Return to the Citadel immediately and it might save your life. If Zevon has to hunt you down, there will be no mercy.”
Telias shifted sharply to the side so the camera revealed the scene behind him. Bodies were scattered all over the fuselage. There were only two crewmembers still alive. Two including Telias. “I want that female, and no price is too high.”
“You murderous bastard,” Cylex snarled. “I will—”
Kern deactivated the connection. “You’re wasting your breath. There is no reasoning with someone like that.” He spun the ship around and headed for open space. They couldn’t initiate a hyperspace jump this close to the planet.
Telias surged ahead and blocked their path. His stolen ship was larger and faster. Kern compensated by swinging sharply to the right. Telias fired, most of the pulses striking Kern’s ship. “Fuck, someone aboard that ship knows how to shoot.”
“So does someone aboard this ship,” Cylex said as he returned fire. Each of his shots connected, but their shields absorbed the pulses.
Kern continued to change course, darting left, then right, then left again.
Telias matched each maneuver, keeping his ship directly in the path of Kern’s.
Raina sat quietly, but Cylex could feel her anxiety, her fear. He wanted to comfort her, reassure her that everything was going to be all right. But the best way to protect her right now was to focus on the fight. So he shielded his mind completely and launched another barrage of energy pulses.
A blinking icon suddenly appeared on Cylex’s panel. He didn’t recognize the Pyronese symbol.
“Plasma cannon,” Kern told him. “You’ll only get three shots before it requires recharging and that take six minutes. So make each one count.”
“Understood.” Targeting the weapon carefully, Cylex launched the first concentrated blast. It arched across space and connected with the other ship, rocking it violently. Cylex immediately fired again, aiming for the same spot. The first should have weakened the shields so the second blast should do more damage.
Telias’ ship rolled sideways three times before the crew managed to stabilize their position. Cylex launched the final shot. The blast hit farther back than the other two and the ship exploded.
“Oh, God,” Raina gasped. “Is that what you were trying to do?”
Cylex pivoted to face her. “It wasn’t, but I do not regret the outcome. Anyone who threatens you is risking their life.”
Kern activated the hyperspace jump before he allowed his attention to shift from the master control panel. “Something about that felt off. Was Telias still working for Laidon? Laidon was incapacitated. It seems unlikely that Telias would continue with a failed mission.”
“I agree, but who was calling the shots if it wasn’t Laidon? Jevara? Someone from outside our star system?”
“The Wraiths would not have bothered with a mercenary. They would have Flowed onto the ship and tried to take her themselves,” Kern reasoned.
“What about Houkdi? A move this aggressive would be unusual for them, but not unprecedented.”
“It does not matter,” Kern said firmly. “Let them try. No one will ever come near our mate again.”
“And if I decide not to be your mate?” Raina asked, her voice tremulous. “Am I on my own?”
Cylex looked at her and sucked in a deep breath. Unshed tears shone in her eyes and her lower lip was trembling. He went to her, kneeling in the aisle beside her seat. “I’m your bodyguard,” he reminded as he pressed her against his chest. “I want to be much more than that, but I will protect you regardless.”
“As will I,” Kern vowed. “Until you are permanently bonded with your mates, your safety is our top priority. No one will ever harm you again.”
* * *
Still weak from her partial awakening and stressed from the back-to-back attacks, Raina slept during the voyage to Altor. She wasn’t sure what she expected Cylex’s safehouse to look like but the charming woodland cottage was not it. The walls were constructed of roughhewn stone, the roof had a steep pitch and was shingled in wood. Each window was framed by functional shutters and someone had recently tended the flowerbeds and vegetable gardens.
“This place is yours?” Everything about Cylex screamed military. It was hard to picture him in this tranquil setting.
