“Nev,” Darax growls. “Go get Driok. It would seem we have a rescue mission to mount after all.” He turns to Kerra and me. “I should have never doubted my brother, or you, little female.”
“Don’t let Deus hear you.” Kerra laughs. “I doubt he’ll take kindly to you calling his matelittle female.”
“I’m sure he won’t mind,” I say.
“And that is why you are too good for my brother,” Darax rasps.
We wind our way through the various passages in Darax’s sector to his well-stocked hangar which is a hive of activity. It looks like he really is going to send out multiple ships.
I’m led onto one of the larger ones. Kerra gives me a wave.
“You’re not coming?”
“I can’t leave Cestapal holding the babies,” she says. “And I trust you to look after Deus and Darax.” She pulls me in for a hug. “You’ve always been stronger than you thought you were, Lydia. Deus is a very lucky Sarkarnii.”
“I hope so.” I smile, knowing it’s not the best smile I’ve ever done. “I guess we’ll find out when we get him back.”
“If it helps at all, from what I’ve seen of Sarkarnii in rut, he worships you,” Kerra says. “You have no worries about whether he wants you or not.”
I swallow back a sob.
“He was mated before.”
“And now he’s with you. It is possible, Lydia. No one should ever be unhappy forever, not when there’s a chance they can be whole once more. And that includes you.”
She lets me go and gives me a gentle push.
“Now go get your big bad warrior, and try not to let the brothers kill each other.”
“No promises.” I laugh as I hear Darax’s growl in the distance. “But I’ll do my best.”
“Then that’s good enough for me. Good luck!”
As I follow Darax onto his ship, I find I’m crossing my fingers behind my back, like I did when I was a child. I am going to need all the luck I can get.
And so, it would seem, is Deus.
DEUS
With the Ntahal in the hold, and with a vague grip on how to pilot their ship, I believe I’m heading in the direction of Vorostor. I can, at least, read a star map, and the Ntahal are well supplied when it comes to their tech.
But I’ve never been a good pilot, which means if I encounter anything hostile, this is going to be an interesting journey.
I have been able to obtain the co-ordinates of the small moon circling a large gas giant where the Ulep have their base.
For the time being, while I could destroy them, I need to be sure my Lydia isn’t in danger before returning. The Ulep will pay for everything they have done to the Sarkarnii. I will be sure of that.
The extraction of my mating mix has done nothing to assuage my desire to be with my mate. I need Lydia like I need my blood, bones, and shift. She is the center of my universe.
And speaking of my shift. I’m having a hard time containing it. Since the collar was removed, my wings and tail have been fully in evidence with no desire to leave me in my biped form. The tail is manageable, but the wings keep getting caught on things.
However, as I’m feeling a constant need to become my full Sarkarnii, and it is something I need to resist. I can only just about fly this thing as it is. As a Sarkarnii, I’d crush the controls before I was able to maneuver them.
Smoke clouds my vision for an instant before clearing. Ahead of me are a cohort of ships, a collection of all different ones which can only mean one thing.
“Darax,” I growl under my breath before I start the search for the comm.
My brother will certainly shoot first and ask questions later, and as this is the first ship I’ve pirated in a long time, I’d like to keep it.
