Chapter 20

20

B reanna, Undisclosed Location, Rogue 5

My neck hurt. I lifted my hands to rub the bruises, wincing as I swallowed the bile rising in the back of my throat.

Slomak Trach was pure evil. Vile. Disgusting.

It was just him and me now. He'd murdered the two guards for not watching me closely, for allowing me to activate the Officiant. He was in a rage, stabbing the titan stick into their remains over and over, a twisted smile spreading across his face each time the disgusting sizzle of burning tissue filled the small room.

I assumed, when he carried me off that stage, that he'd take me to his ship. I assumed he would want to get off Rogue 5 as quickly as possible, especially with my mate hunting him.

I'd been wrong. Or he'd gone mad, all rational decision making burned from his mind by rage. Or terror.

Mikos of Astra Legion hunted him. I'd be terrified, if I were him. Wouldn't matter if Mikos found me dead or alive, Slomak was finished either way. D-E-A-D.

I huddled on the floor where Slomak left me, my back braced against the unforgiving wall of what had to be some kind of storage room. I didn't make a sound. Didn't move. Tried not to breathe. I didn't want his attention on me, not when he was like this.

I searched the space for something I could use as a weapon. Something sharp. Long. Heavy. Anything at all. Unfortunately, the only things I could see were stacks of shipping containers, each one half my height. They were piled on top of one another like Legos. They all appeared to be sealed, so I had no idea what was inside. Could be food, clothing, blasters. I had no clue and no way to open them. The boxes had some type of coded locks on the side. I didn't know if they required a number sequence, a frequency key, retinal scan or DNA to open. Even if I could try to open one of them, Slomak would be on top of me before I could get a good look at what I was dealing with.

Nothing in the containers would help me. Which left me with my bare hands, my teeth, and my brain.

My mind struggled, if I was being honest with myself. Watching Slomak stomp open the Scion guards' skulls and sizzle their brain tissues with the titan stick was freaking me the fuck out. I'd believed the members of the cartel that tortured and killed Robbie were monsters. Then I'd discovered the Hive Integration Units. I'd truly believed nothing could be more evil. Holy shit, was I wrong. The Hive appeared to do what they did without emotion, without malice.

Slomak Trach was a true monster. He enjoyed what he was doing.

Where was Mikos? What was taking him so long? I had no choice. I had to believe he would find me. My faith in him was the only thing keeping me sane. I didn't know how long I'd been locked in this room. Probably less than ten minutes, but it felt like an eternity.

I wanted my mate. I wanted him to tear the door off its hinges, stomp in here like an avenging angel, and rip Slomak's head off his shoulders. Then I wanted him to come over here and lift me up, cradle me against his chest, and take me home.

Where we went, I didn't care. Wherever he wanted to go. He was my home now.

I closed my eyes so I wouldn't have to see the little puffs of smoke coming from the dead guards' skulls. Not seeing didn't help with the smell.

The sizzling noises stopped. Terrified I would see Slomak coming toward me, I opened my eyes to find him pacing, mumbling to himself.

"Drakdak's dead. It's all mine now. All mine. I kill Mikos and it's all mine. How do I kill him? How? How? How? He'll come for her. Oh, yes. He'll come." As if the thought of me reminded him I was here, his gaze snapped to my face.

I looked down immediately. Away. Didn't challenge him or run my mouth. I'd pushed him before, defied him, tried to make him angry. Seemed I'd succeeded all too well. Pushing him now would probably get me killed. There was no one home inside that head of his. No one rational, anyway. I'd seen people lose it before, on the battlefield, in shootouts, panicked when they took a bullet. Humans called this the ‘fight or flight' response. I had no idea what the equivalent was in alien biology, but Slomak was not calm, not thinking clearly. He was volatile, restless and dangerous. A stick of dynamite with a lit fuse. A grenade whose pin had already been pulled.

I really didn't want to be around to witness the explosion.

"He will come for you." It wasn't a question, so I didn't dare respond. I kept my head turned, my gaze averted. "I'll set a trap. Yes. A trap."

Frozen in place, I pictured my body as a marble statue, willed Slomak to ignore me as he grabbed one container after another, opened it, rummaged through its contents, and tossed it aside. I moved slowly, hoped he wouldn't notice, and inspected the items that spilled on the floor.

As I'd suspected, they were filled with common goods. Clothing. Food. Boots. Armor. I knew not all worlds had S-Gen technology. Ivy and Zenos had explained to me that several of Astra's trade routes involved delivering goods to non-Coalition worlds, planets without Coalition technology. Planets like Earth. We were protected by the Coalition, but not a full member. We were kind of on probation, at least that's the way I'd understood things to be.

Slomak's hyena laugh snapped me to attention and I turned to see him lifting a large ion cannon from the open container in front of him. "Oh, yes. This will do. This will do nicely."

Shit.

I must have made a sound because Slomak's crazed eyes focused on me. "Move, little slave, and the only thing Mikos will find is your burned corpse." He tapped the tip of the titan stick on the ground to prove his point. Sparks shot off the floor as the activated tip made contact. "I wonder what human brain smells like when it's burning?"

I gagged. He laughed and began stacking the containers into a defensible position, away from the door.

Someone pounded on the closed door.

Mikos. He was here. He found me. Thank god.

Slomak froze for a moment, then marched over, grabbed me by the arm, and half-dragged, half-carried me with him until we were both behind his new fort. He dropped me on the floor and kicked me in the gut to make sure I'd stay down. Or for fun.

Asshole.

"Make a sound, and I'll rip your tongue from your mouth. Understand me?"

I nodded and tried my best to allow the terror clogging my throat to shine from my eyes. Slomak would never know, never understand, the terror wasn't for me. It was for Mikos.

Slomak positioned himself behind the stack of containers, the ion cannon on his shoulder, aimed and ready to fire. At my mate.

Mikos was strong, but not that strong.

I scooted away to get a better angle. Let Slomak believe I was terrified of him, that being next to him caused such a panic in my body that I would literally crawl away.

The pounding resumed. Intensified.

I heard Astra's voice, not clearly, not the words, just the tone of calm. Of command.

Seconds later I heard the door slide open.

"Breanna!" Mikos shouted into the open space.

Slomak tensed, his complete attention on aiming his weapon, on killing my mate.

I kicked with every ounce of strength I possessed, my foot connecting with the side of Slomak's knee just as he pulled the trigger.

The ion cannon fired, the blast angled at the ceiling instead of the door, as Slomak's leg gave out and his body tumbled to one side. He caught himself. Lifted the ion cannon for a second shot.

Mikos roared, his body flying over the top of the containers to slam into Slomak.

I rolled away from the fight, put as much distance between me and Slomak as possible.

My back hit the wall. I watched the male I loved tear out the side of Slomak's neck with his fangs. Watched him wrench Slomak's arm from its socket, pull the arm free from the body as Slomak screamed.

Enough. I closed my eyes and waited for Mikos's rage to play out. I should have been disgusted, sickened. Maybe something was wrong with me because the only thing I felt in that moment was relief that Mikos had found me.

Joy when the screaming stopped and Mikos lifted me into his arms.

Love when I opened my eyes to see his big, beautiful face hovering over mine.

"Mate, are you well?"

"I am now." I leaned in and kissed his cheek. I would have kissed his lips, but Slomak's blood coated most of my mate's face, and I had no desire to taste that dead fucker. When I kissed Mikos, I only wanted his flavor on my lips. His scent in my head. "I knew you would come for me."

"Always."

He stood, immobile, as Astra and what had to be the rest of the Forsians in his Legion filed into the room. Astra looked around, shaking her head. "Cerberus is going to be angry."

What? "Why?" I asked.

"These goods were hers." She shrugged, clearly not too concerned, and looked down at the two dead, half-cooked Scion guards' corpses. She kicked them in apparent frustration. She lifted her hand to the side of her head, where I assumed her comm was imbedded in her skull. "Barek? Answer me. You better be dead, or I'm going to kill you for making me worry. Barek?!"

Mikos looked at the others and nodded his head, as if thanking them. "Go. Find Barek. There is no danger here."

Astra followed the others as all but two of the Forsians left.

They watched as Mikos moved to stand over Slomak's dead body. My mate held out his hand. "Blaster."

One of them handed Mikos his blaster. Mikos stood over Slomak and fired several shots into the dead alien's head. "Always double tap, right mate?"

God, I loved him. So much. "Always."

Mikos handed the blaster back to its owner and reached down to the pile of garments that had spilled out of one of the containers. He lifted a large brown tunic from the pile and draped it over me, covered the translucent excuse for clothing Slomak had forced me to wear. "Now you may speak to my mate."

The Forsian who'd loaned his weapon to Mikos lowered his head and smiled at me, all fangs. He looked young, much younger than Mikos. Handsome, but lacking the wisdom I saw on my mate's face, the lines of experience around his eyes. He was a child, nowhere near as sexy as Mikos. Not. Even. Close. "Welcome to Astra Legion, Breanna. I am your brother, Nevuh. I am the youngest and most handsome Forsian on Rogue 5. You may call me Nev."

"Hi. You can call me Bree." My vocal cords had swelled, my words came out hoarse as a frog's croak.

Mikos closed his eyes, covered the flash of rage I saw there. "You will go directly into a ReGen pod the moment we are back in Astra territory." He opened his eyes, his gaze sliding down to inspect my bruised throat. "I want to kill him again. Slowly, this time."

"I'm fine. I promise."

"No." He growled in frustration. "I cannot give you my essence mate, not with his filth on my fangs. I will not allow his blood to touch you."

"I'll wait for the ReGen pod. While I'm in there, you can take a shower. Bite me when you get out." I wiggled my eyebrows at him as the expression behind his gray eyes shifted from rage to something even more powerful, desire. Soon, I'd have his cock filling me up, his hands all over me, erasing the memory of Slomak's evil touch. He'd sink his fangs deep, fill me with his essence as my body had one orgasm after another. I had yet to ask, but I was sure there had to be something in his bite designed to make a woman lose her damn mind. Every time.

Nev interrupted my naughty thoughts, slapping Mikos on the shoulder. "Do not worry about this mess, ancient one. You take care of your mate. Once we are home, I will alert Cerberus, so their people can clean up."

Mikos's blood-stained grin was downright savage. "No. Leave the bodies to rot. Those fuckers voted to execute me. Would serve them right if they did not discover the bodies for weeks."

Gross.

"Excellent idea." Nev grinned and closed the door behind us. He led the way down the corridor, Mikos following. The other Forsian—I didn't know his name yet—fell into step behind us, covered Mikos's back as my mate carried me away from Slomak, away from the past, toward my new life. With him.

I clung to my mate —god, I loved that word—and willed him to feel how much I loved him, how he consumed my every thought, fulfilled my every desire. I needed him to know he was everything I wanted. Everything. My only thing. "I love you, Mikos. I want to stay with you. I'll figure out a way to get out of my contract with the Coalition. I don't want to go back to ReCon. I don't want to leave you. Ever. Please. Don't make me leave you."

A shudder passed through him as he carried me. "I love you, Breanna Parks. There is no power in this universe that can keep me from you. I will always come for you. If your commander is foolish enough to try to keep you from me, I will kill him, as I promised. No one will ever take you from me again. No one will ever hurt you. You are mine."

I'd heard him say the words before, but this time they sank into my bones. My heart. My dreams. "How did you find me so quickly? Slomak didn't go to his ship. He received a message from one of his guards that the ship was being watched. So, how did you know where I was?"

"I put a tracker in your rib, female. When you were in the ReGen pod." He looked down, his eyes locked on mine with an intensity that made it nearly impossible to breathe. "The signal is unique, programmed to activate my NPU. There is nowhere you can go that I won't find you."

That was why I'd felt so sore on that side. Jeez. My mate had no boundaries, no shame. He stated the fact as if placing a tracking device in my bones was totally normal. Stalkerish, but after what I just went through, I couldn't work up even a hint of outrage at the idea. Instead, all I felt was relieved. Protected. Cherished.

Maybe that was crazy. I didn't give a damn. I wanted him to be able to find me. Anywhere. Everywhere. No matter what. "Thank you. I'm glad you did."

"As am I." His arms tightened and he took a deep breath, as if nervous. "I owe you an apology, mate. I should have been more careful, should have known Slomak had arrived and was a threat to you. I was distracted, too focused on pleasure when I should have been most vigilant. I should have trusted you with my plans."

"Why didn't you tell me that I was your mate?" The rest I didn't care about. Well, not that much. But why didn't he admit he wanted me? Did he not want a mate, after all? Did he regret biting me? I didn't think so, but that stupid voice inside my head wouldn't shut up. Wouldn't stop worrying. Wondering if the only reason he bit me was because he was forced to do so to save my life. I waited for the other shoe to drop. Waited to be rejected. Again.

"I hoped to spare you from worry, from suffering. If all had gone according to my plan, I would have eliminated Drakdak and returned to you unharmed. I didn't admit you were mine because I was not certain I would survive. Drakdak could have come to the hearing with two guards or a hundred. If I failed, I did not want you to mourn me."

"You're an idiot. It wouldn't have mattered if you told me I was your mate or not. I was already in love with you. It was too late." I nuzzled his neck and melted against him. He wanted me. In his weird, illogical way, he'd been trying to protect me. "Don't ever lie to me again. Promise me."

"You have my word, mate. My most solemn vow."

One promise, and I forgave him. I didn't have the strength to hold a grudge. Didn't want to. I could either accept that he loved me, that he spoke the truth, or worry forever. I was tired of worrying, of being lonely. Alone. He felt so good. So right. So mine. "It's a good thing you didn't die. I would have been mad enough to hunt you down in the afterlife and kick your ass."

His chest rumbled under my ear as he chuckled at my ridiculous threat. "I do not deserve you, mate. But I will never let you go. I cannot."

"Good." Exhaustion settled over me like a heavy blanket as my mate's words soothed the frightened little girl inside. Mikos would never leave me, never abandon me, never choose another. Contentment like nothing I'd never known soothed my frazzled nerves.

Mikos would follow through on his promises to me. He was not human, would never play by human rules. I would never return to the Coalition Fleet. That was fact. Not that I wanted Commander Karter dead. Not at all. He was one of the good guys. But the knowledge the Mikos would not hesitate to carry out his threat, for me, made my heart beat a little faster. He loved me. He was going to keep me. He was brutal, powerful, and a monster others feared. My monster. He was all mine.

Nothing else mattered.