Chapter 21

Havik:

The details were minimal. Mais left the animal rescue yesterday evening. She never arrived at the clan’s settlement. That morning, her vehicle was discovered, along with the devices used to disable the vehicle.

Someone laid a trap for his mother. He did not have to ponder long. “Poachers,” he said. “I had dealings with them before.”

“The same guys who stole the kumakre egg?” his mate asked.

“Potentially, or another.” There seemed to be no shortage of the unscrupulous willing to sacrifice endangered animals for credit. “They will pay for this.”

* * *

Havik cursed the clumsy ship. He needed speed but landing on shifting sands required patience. His haste would cause the landing gear to snap.

Snarling, he jabbed buttons on the console a touch harsher than necessary. The ship landed with a noticeable jerk. He did not care about potential damage. Mais had been missing for twelve hours already. The likelihood of her surviving in the desert without shelter and water diminished by the hour.

He donned his armor. If Mais had encountered poachers, they were to be regarded as hostile. It would be foolish to rush in without protective gear.

“Are you ready?” Thalia asked, dressed in her armor. She held the helmet under one arm.

“You will remain on the ship,” he said.

“I want to talk to the people. I’m not fighting.”

“Unacceptable. We do not know if the rescue staff have been compromised. It is unsafe for you.” He refused to put his mate in harm’s way. She had a distressing habit of rushing in and worrying about the repercussions of her actions later. It made his heart hurt. If Thalia set foot off the ship, she’d find her way into the search party, and he could not imagine the danger into which she’d foolishly wander. No, it was better for her to remain on the ship.

“Fair enough,” she said at length, “but if someone was in on it, you’ll never know. You’re far too good to spot a liar.”

“I am perfectly capable of detecting lies. I am incapable of telling them,” he said.

She searched his face; for what, he had no clue. “That’s true. Fine. I’ll sit here and twiddle my thumbs. I hate being useless.”

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Not useless. Stay on the comms. Listen for any communications from the poachers.”

She scowled but agreed. “Fine. I’ll take notes when the bad guys start discussing their plans in detail over the phone.”

He smiled fondly at her attitude. “I do not expect the poachers to boast of their plots. Listen for their position, the size of their force, and their weapons capability. Carry this.” He took a small pistol from his side and pressed it into her hands.

She blinked at the weapon. “I thought you said no guns on the ship.”

“Aim carefully. I would rather have to make repairs than have you unarmed.”

“Ah, you say the sweetest things, Danger B.”

He ran through the pertinent information: safety, power, and trigger. She took aim with the pistol, making pew-pew noises.

“The Stinger is not a toy,” he cautioned. She smirked, as if she thought the diminutive pistol was adorable. “Size is deceptive. Use caution.”

“I will. Come back to me,” she said, stretching up to plant a kiss at the corner of his mouth.

“Always.”

The lights turned red and blinked. Thalia gasped, grabbing his hand.

“Do not be alarmed. That is a standard alert that means someone is outside the ship,” he said, pleased to the core that she reached for his hand for comfort.

“Be careful,” she said, before heading to the communication station.

He hurried through the airlock and down the ramp.

A cluster of Mahdfel males waited for him, each dressed in armor and equipped with a variety of weapons. He recognized them as his father’s most trusted warriors and was struck by their age. In the intervening years, they had grown old. Or he had matured.

Havik did not see the warriors he tried to emulate when he was a youth. He saw tired males. At the heart of their cluster stood Kaos.

Kaos clasped Havik on each arm. “My son! I knew you would come.”

Of course he came. Mais was important to him. He could not sit idly by while she was missing.

“Father,” Havik said.

A wide grin broke across Kaos’ face, displaying far too many teeth. The corners of his eyes wrinkled. Had Kaos always had so much white in his hair or was it a trick of the light?

“We can use another male in our search. Come. There is no time to waste,” the warlord said.

Thalia:

The blinking red lights gave a disconcerting strobe effect to the helm, like the tiniest, saddest club in the universe.

Setting the glass of not-tomato juice on the console, she flung herself into the navigator’s seat and turned on the external cameras.

Nothing.

Not even dirt, which meant the cameras were broken or disabled. Her money was on disabled. She grabbed the tiny pistol and wished Stabs were there. The kumakre was pint-sized, but terrifying in all the ways she wanted a guard dog to be.

“Computer, turn off the lights.”

The ship plunged into darkness. Fuck. It did exactly as she said but not what she wanted.

“Computer, restore the lights. Turn off the alarm.” The overhead lighting returned, minus the flashing red light. “Has the ship been compromised?”

“Negative.”

So, the red lights were for fun? Thalia didn’t think so. “Run a diagnostic on external cameras.”

Lights flickered before staying dark.

Fan-fucking-tastic. Someone strong-armed their way into the ship, hacking the security system. Poacher? Did they know Havik returned with a juvenile kumakre and egg? Did they hope to find more on the ship?

Thalia didn’t care. This was her home and she didn’t take kindly to unwelcome guests.

With the safety off and the pistol humming as it powered up, she crept from the helm toward the airlock. In the other hand, she carried her glass of juice. Don’t judge. She needed a distraction. The intruders would expect a pistol, but they would not expect her to lob glasses of juice.

Safety strips embedded into the flooring provided the only illumination. Thalia was at a serious disadvantage, not just from the darkness but because the intruders went out of their way to cause the blackout.

They knew she was on board.

Treading lightly, she hugged the walls. Thankfully she still wore the armor, more out of laziness than any foresight.

The bright light shone directly in her face, blinding her. Hands grabbed her. The juice flew. A man cursed. Using the sound to guide her, she squeezed the trigger on the pistol. A different male voice cursed.

Good. She got one of the fuckers. She faced terrible odds with however-many-the-fuck against one.

Arms wrapped under her armpits and lifted her. The pistol clattered to the floor. She kicked and howled. “Hold still, female.”

Unseen hands peeled the armor off her, leaving her in only her undershirt and shorts.

“Frek, she’s ugly,” a different male commented.

Completely stripped, the male tossed her to the ground. The fist slammed into her lower back, sending her directly to her knees. Still blinded, she raised her arms and tucked her head down. The blows continued. Distantly she was aware of being dragged forward.

Daylight spilled through the open airlock.

“No,” she cried, continuing to struggle as her feet slid across the floor.

Her assailants hauled her into the sunshine and uncompromising heat.