Chapter Fourteen

"But…" Our molecules whizzed about crazily and we appeared on an icy cold platform.

"Me no like. No do again,"Esme complained.

I stroked her fur. "I don't like transporter beams either."

"Who dat?"

My attention focused on the female at the control console. She was a few years older than me, and she looked like she belonged in a pleasure house. Her skimpy outfit left little to the imagination. She wore her long red hair in a simple braid and her bright green eyes surveyed me from head to toe. "That is Yakira, my guardian." I gave a slight bow. "It is a pleasure to meet you, my lady, and my friend is called Esme."

"She pretty."

Yakira grinned. "Thank you and just call me Yakira. I want us to be friends."

"I've been stuck on a battle cruiser with a bunch of smelly, battle-crazed males for the last four years. I would love to have some female friends who don't grunt at me."

"I bet you would,"Yakira laughed. "Ziyad is on the bridge and before you meet her, I thought it would be best if I told you a little about her."

I walked over to her. "Not necessary. Zarek filled me in."

"Oh, good. How do you feel about him being your great-grandfather?"

My jaw dropped. "Great-grandfather? That's impossible. I mean he has hung around a lot but that was because of the war."

"There are biological markers in your DNA that match Zarek's. Didn't he tell you?" Yakira asked in dismay.

Hurt and outrage rolled over me. "No, he did not, nor did Jedrick say anything."

"Zarek was supposed to tell you today."

I fought down the urge to smack the living hell out of Jedrick. He had to know, and he kept it a secret. As soon as the battle was over, they were going to give me an explanation. I rubbed my churning stomach. "Jedrick just located a Rodan battle group."

Yakira hugged me. "That explains it. Don't worry, they'll be okay."

"Yeah, they're two of the deadliest warriors in the galaxy."

Yakira slipped her arm through mine. "Let me introduce you to Ziyad and we'll go over our plans to capture Gulog the Wrathful."

"Gulog the Wrathful?" Sounded like someone you didn't want to meet in a dark alley. "What's he wanted for?"

"Four counts of murder, two counts of armed robbery and twelve counts of aggravated assault."

"Friendly sort, huh?"

Yakira laughed. "His entire family is crazy. I brought in Wrathful's oldest brother Mad a few years back. They kinda remind me of ogres from those old Earth fairy tales."

"Seriously?"The image of a creature the size of a small mountain with a lumpy scalp, burning red eyes, and sharp, pointy teeth formed in my head. Yep, he looked like an ogre.

"Me bite. He die,"Esme exclaimed.

"Sorry, sweetie, but your venom doesn't work on them," Yakira said.

"No bite?"Esme sounded so sad.

I petted her. "I bet your web balls will work just fine and you can glue him to the wall."

"Kay."

Poof! There was a flash of black and we were standing on the bridge. "Holy Goddess, you can teleport!"

Yakira grinned. "Yes, I can and it's so much fun."

"I'm jealous."

"I can teleport too," a melodic voice said in my head.

I turned and was barely able to contain my flinch. In person, Ziyad was downright scary looking. She was more than a match for Gulog the Wrathful.

"Ziyad's mate is Lothel, a Coletti warlord,"Yakira said hastily.

I smiled at Ziyad. "Between your super speed and the ability to teleport, you'll be impossible to defeat in combat."

"I have never been beaten in battle."Ziyad grinned, exposing a mouthful of serrated teeth.

And I believed her. "I'm Zadie and the cutie on my shoulder is Esme."

"It is an honor to meet a female who has earned warlord status and wears a Shani tattoo for bravery. You will be an asset to our team," Ziyad replied formally.

"Thank you. Since I gave up being a thief, I need a way to earn my keep, and bounty hunting sounds like an interesting job."

Yakira frowned. "Jedrick gave Wolf credits for your care."

"As Zarek's granddaughter you will receive a stipend," Ziyad added.

"I don't want their credits. I want to make my own." Since everyone always left me, it seemed like the smart thing to do.

Yakira studied me for a moment, then nodded. "I understand. Your portion of the bounty will be five hundred thousand credits. Our ship is expensive to maintain."

"Since I'm a newbie at bounty hunting, five hundred thousand credits is very generous." I did a mental happy dance. "What's the plan?"