Chapter Thirty-Five

Chapter Thirty-Five

Dragon to the Rescue?

Tallie's eyes shot to Lauren. She wasn't bleeding. It looked like she'd been in a little tussle, but no bruises were showing. Her eyes were clear, and Lauren winked at Tallie. Okay. She could breathe again.

Turning her attention to her idiot ex, Tallie asked, "What are you doing here, Bashad?"

Bashad rolled his eyes at her. "That is a stupid question, Tallie. But then you are a stupid bitch, aren't you?"

When she just stood there with her arms crossed, not speaking, he finally gave her something else. "I got here before you. Where the hell did you go that took so long?"

She didn't think she wanted to escalate this yet. There wasn't a lot of room to move in the hallway. She needed to get him to take this outside. "How did you get in here?" she asked. She wanted to know what he was up to.

"You stupid women. When you were around all those men, I didn't have any idea how I'd get to you. But all you cunts left the safety of that village. I followed you to the ship. Again, so stupid. All of you moving around, checking the rooms to see if anyone remained on board the ship, but you didn't think to leave a guard at the entrance? It was simple for me to follow you. To hang back until everyone got busy so I could find you when you were alone. Instead, I found this bitch sleeping, which just makes my job easier. I'll slit her throat if you try anything," he promised.

Tallie believed him. The man was bat shit crazy . Another one of the Earth-girl sayings that she loved. "You didn't answer me, Bashad. What the hell are you doing here?"

Anger filled his face. Tallie hated his small beady little eyes and that nose that hooked downward. He cut his dark pink hair super short and always looked a little greasy. He was not an attractive man.

Her thoughts turned to Zandhor. She acknowledged to herself that she thought he was good-looking, and then squashed any other thoughts of the gladiator. Tallie needed to concentrate on the idiot in front of her.

Before she could try again, Bashad grinned evilly and said, "I have a surprise for you, Tallie. But you are going to have to go outside to get it."

Oh, good. Since outside was where she wanted to be, Tallie didn't argue with him. Instead, she moved forward.

Bashad shrieked and backed up with Lauren, tightening his grip on her friend. "Stop! Throw down your weapons. Then you are going to wait until I move back into this doorway." He pointed with his elbow. "Once I'm in the doorway, you can slowly move past and head to the elevator."

There was no way to do anything but what he said. She slowly dropped the Siloth canes and the laser to the floor and kicked them into the room so Bashad couldn't get them. She noticed Lauren was still wearing her gun. He probably didn't know what it was. But the fact that he was being smart about how he handled her concerned Tallie. She began to get worried.

All the way down the elevator and while they were moving to the outside, she hoped someone would see them. She didn't want them to interfere. Bashad didn't need more hostages and right now, he had the upper hand. She needed more room to get Lauren away from him. But it would be nice if someone saw them. She'd like backup.

Tallie walked outside and followed Bashad's directions until they were a little way from the ship. There was a depression in the ground where the land sloped a bit, leading down to an area hidden from above. She could see a few boulders down there, and several men were standing side to side, facing them. Hiding something behind their backs. Oh, hell. She didn't think she'd like the surprise.

Following Bashad's orders, Tallie carefully worked her way down the slope. She held her breath, hoping that both Lauren and Bashad kept their feet. With his knife to her friend's throat, a stumble could be deadly.

When they all reached the bottom, Bashad moved Lauren closer to Tallie and adjusted their position so he could see her face. She took a deep breath. No… she wasn't going to like this at all. He barked a command… and the men parted enough she could see what was behind them.

She sucked in a breath and steeled her spine. Remembering that he did this for her reaction, Tallie refused to give him one. But oh, it was hard.

He had tied her parents to a pole and beaten them. She could see at least a dozen little cuts on their bodies. Damn Bashad. She never realized he had a thing for knives. Her parents also looked as if they were dehydrated and had been starved.

She was going to kill this man. She struck a pose, going for maximum effect, trying to make Bashad crazy mad. She winked at her parents and sighed. "So, now do you see why I ran away… twice… to escape marrying him? He is a lunatic!" she drawled.

Her parents' eyes widened and Tallie whipped around.

Bashad screamed and threw Lauren to the ground. Then he dove for Tallie, putting his hands around her neck, attempting to choke the life out of her. She didn't resist. Lauren still had her gun…

There was a loud, primal screech, and Bashad was torn off her and thrown against the rocks. His head cracked. Tallie looked up and saw her friend. Lauren looked a little confused. She had been the one to pick up Bashad and throw him a good ten feet. But the confusion didn't stop Lauren from drawing her gun, making sure Tallie's never-fiancé didn't move. He didn't.

Tallie frowned and looked around. Her "alien crew" had captured every one of Bashad's men and taken away their weapons. Many looked worse for wear, as if there had been a fight.

Daxter swooped down and scooped Lauren up in his arms. He was muttering something about, "It wasn't my dragon that saved the day… it was yours, little dragon momma. Those baby-dragon hormones make you stronger and more protective. I forgot to tell you that."

Ah, Tallie thought. That explained the roar and how Lauren threw Bashad so far. Well, Tallie was happy that no matter what form she had—Lauren still managed to save the day.

Just then, Makayla and Kaitlyn started down the slope toward her, but Falcon and Viktal intercepted them. Scooping them up just as Daxter had Lauren.

Before she could blink, Zandhor pulled Tallie to him and found her mouth with his. She wrapped her arms around his neck and didn't let go.