Alien Savior (Zerconian Warriors Book 5) (2 page)

He’d left.

Darac shook his head. “It is too late, old friend. I am too far gone.”

“You do not seem out of control,” Koran countered.

Every iota of control he possessed was being utilised to keep himself sane. Anger gnawed away at him. Had he stayed on Zerconia, he would have been a risk to all those around him.

The honorable thing, the
only
thing he could do was leave before he was completely lost. For nearly a hundred years he had lived without his mate. He could no longer go on without his other half.

Darac wanted to end this without hurting anyone, with his dignity and self-respect still intact.

“Darac? Darac, go home.” Mila popped up in front of Koran. The tiny human didn’t even reach Koran’s shoulders.

“I cannot, small human.”

She scowled, a stubborn look crossing her face. “Yes, you can. Just turn your little spaceship around and go home. Or wait for us to come get you.”

“Mila,” Koran placed his hands on her shoulders, giving Darac an understanding look, “Darac has to do this.”

“No, he doesn’t. I know what’s happening here. You’ve left because you’ve given up hope of finding your mate. You think you’re being all self-sacrificing and other kinds of bullshit. But you’re not. You’re being selfish.”

Darac’s eyes widened and his temper stirred. Lately, it felt as though he were two people in one body. “You call me selfish for wanting to protect others?”

“Selfish and a coward!” she told him.

Koran placed his hand over her mouth. “She does not know what she says, Darac.”

“I think she does. Let her speak.” Rage filled him. This was it. This was what would send him over the edge.

Koran lifted his hand.

Tears dripped down Mila’s face. “You’re a coward because you’re not fighting it, Darac. You need to fight. We’ll find your mate. You just need to fight.”

Only the utter sorrow in her gaze gave him the ability to claw the beast back. “I am lost, little one.”

She shook her head, sobbing. Her pain stabbed at him. “No, no, please.”

Koran turned her, holding her close. His gaze met Darac’s. “Be at one with the stars, old friend.”

Darac nodded. “Take care of your mate.” The image of Koran and Mila disappeared, leaving a deep well of sadness.

Switching the autopilot off, he aimed his small spacecraft towards the space rubbish he had spotted. Perfect.

It was time to end this.

***

They were five hours away from Lilan—and certain death.

Willa checked her hands. Was she shaking? Yep, her hands were trembling slightly. She quickly hid them under her thighs before anyone could notice.

“What the hell is that crazy bastard doing?” Zuma asked.

She stared out the large viewing portal as she sat on the bridge, spotting the small ship Zuma had seen. It was headed straight towards a pile of space rubbish.

“That’s a Zerconian spaceship,” Deacon said. The coms expert was a quiet man. Willa would guess his age at around late forties, but it was hard to know. His tanned face was heavily lined and there was more salt than pepper in his hair, but he moved like a much younger man.

“Why doesn’t the pilot pull up?” Zuma asked.

They watched the smaller ship head closer to certain death. Space rubbish was a hazard, especially to small ships.

“Try to contact the ship,” Rye ordered.

Deacon spun back to his screen. “They’ve turned their coms system off.”

“Zerconians have got some nice tech on their ships.” Zuma turned to look at her. “Could be useful, huh, Willa?”

She nodded. “You think we can pull it on board? What about the crew?”

“They’re a wealthy race,” Steele said. “We could ransom the crew.”

Rye nodded. “Bring it in.”

***

Willa stepped into the cargo bay, studying the Zerconian spaceship. It was small, designed to only hold two people, but it looked almost brand new. Excited by the idea of getting her hands on it, she stepped forward.

A hand clasped her arm and she turned to look up into Steele’s stern face. “Wait.”

She sighed impatiently. “For what?”

“For me. Let the big boys handle this.”

She smirked. “Big boy? Think a lot of yourself, don’t you?”

Steele’s gaze grew cold and she wisely shut her mouth.

He drew his blaster as Deacon and Zuma moved towards the ship. Zuma slammed his hand down on the door three times.

“Open up,” Zuma demanded.

Nothing.

“Willa, run and get your laser cutter,” Rye ordered.

As she turned, the door suddenly rose and a roar of fury filled the cargo bay. Willa froze, watching in shock as a huge beast of a man jumped from the ship. He looked wild, furious. Eyes glowing red, his chest heaved, sweat pouring from his skin as he glared around him.

Zuma raised his weapon.

“Stun only!” Rye yelled out. “We need him alive.”

The beast grabbed Zuma, throwing him backward. He stalked towards him. Steele quickly shot him with a stunner, and Willa held her breath, waiting for him to fall. Were all Zerconians this terrifying? This animal-like?

But instead of collapsing, the Zerconian turned, his dark hair flowing out behind him, his anger directed at Steele. He leaped across the room in a flash of movement that stole her breath. One moment he’d been stalking Zuma and the next he stood two feet from Steele.

Steele shot him again. Then again. Nothing. Holy shit balls. A snarl erupted from the beast. He was going to kill Steele.

The others were across the cargo bay. Only she was close enough to help. While she and Steele didn’t always see eye-to-eye, she wasn’t about to stand here and do nothing.

Raising her stunner, she shot the Zerconian. He didn’t even glance her way. What was up with that?

“Hey! Hey you, stink breath!” She glanced around, looking for something to draw his attention. The only thing within hand’s reach was a small box. Picking it up, she threw it at him. It slammed against him, and packets of dehydrated food fluttered around him.

Turning, he roared at her. She swore the floor beneath her rattled.

Uh-oh.

“Willa, run!” Rye yelled. Around her chaos reigned. People ran. Yelled. But everything moved in slow motion. Noise around her faded until all she could hear was her own breathing, air rattling in and out of her mouth.

This was what death looked like. There was nothing humane in those red eyes staring down at her. Nothing that gave her a flicker of hope, a chance that she might survive.

Swallowing heavily, she stood frozen as the Zerconian thundered towards her, his mouth caught up in a snarl. She half-expected fire to flow from his mouth and scorch her.

“Willa move!” Rye’s voice finally infiltrated the fog, but it was too late. The beast reached for her, his hands closing painfully around her bare arms. “Shoot him! Shoot to kill!” Rye screamed.

Then nothing.

***

He wasn’t dead.

Darac stared around the windowless room he lay in, confused. Where was he? Was this the afterlife? But he was breathing. He wouldn’t need to breathe if he were dead.

Sitting, he gave his surroundings a closer inspection. The room was brightly lit, almost painfully so. It highlighted the stark white walls. Boxes lined the walls. He sat on a hard bunk.

Where was he? What had happened? Why wasn’t he dead?

The last thing he remembered was shutting off his coms. No wait, soon afterwards, there had been a jolt. His ship had been locked into the tractor beam of a larger ship. Then he’d lost it.

And somehow between now and then he’d ended up here. Only where was here? And why was he relatively calm? He had no memory of what had occurred. He wasn’t even sure of how much time had passed. The madness was still there, but it was subdued, controlled. He could breathe without it pushing down on his chest, demanding release.

He moved around the room, investigating any avenue of escape. But with no windows and one door that wasn’t budging, he was stuck.

“Hello? Are you there? Let me out.” He banged on the door. “Let me out.”

Willa glared up at Nolan, their healer. “I’m fine.”

“You passed out. I need to run some checks,” Nolan told her calmly.

“I don’t know what happened, but I feel fine. It was that Zerconian. He must have done something to me.”

“He grabbed hold of you, then you both passed out,” Zuma stated. “The stunner must have finally worked on him.”

“I shot him enough times to fell an elephant,” Steele said. He leaned against the wall next to the door, his arms crossed over his wide chest, a scowl on his face.

Did they all have to be in here? It was embarrassing enough that she’d passed out like some weakling, now they were all looming over her, watching her as though she was fragile.

Well, stuff that shit. She wasn’t putting up with them treating her like she was delicate or ill.

This was all that damn Zerconian’s fault.

She sat up. “Where is he?”

“Lie back down,” Steele said, his voice filled with command.

“No. Where is he? Is he awake?”

“Why do you care?” Zuma asked. “He could have killed you.”

“But he didn’t.” She studied Zuma with surprise as he paced back and forth. She’d never seen him like this. He almost seemed worried. About her. But his concern was misplaced. She didn’t need him fussing over her.

The door to medical swished open and Rye stepped in. He ran his gaze around the room, taking everything in. His gaze stopped on her. “You’re all right?”

She lifted her chin, folding her arms over her chest. “Ready to roll, Cap.”

He raised an eyebrow and turned to Nolan, who nodded. “She’s got a couple of bruises on her arms from where he grabbed her, but otherwise everything seems normal.”

“See? Now, will you all stop hovering around me, it’s annoying,” she huffed, jumping off the bench and striding towards Rye. “Is he conscious?”

“Yep.”

“Is he trying to tear up the ship?”

Rye frowned. “No, he’s calmed down. I’m going to talk to him.”

“I’ll come with you.” She wanted to see him for herself. Her oldest brother studied her for a moment then nodded.

“Sure that’s a good idea?” Steele asked. “He could go for her again.”

“Like he went for you?” she countered.

“I had it under control.”

“Uh-huh, sure looked like it.”

Steele stepped forward. “You froze when you should have run.”

Willa glared at him. He was right, but that didn’t mean he had to remind everyone she’d acted like a greenhorn on her first mission.

This was her third mission, for goodness sake.

“Excuse me for trying to save your large ass. Next time I’ll just stand there and watch some crazed maniac tear you to pieces.”

Steele leaned down, his gray eyes piercing and cold. “I can take care of myself, little girl.”

She ground her teeth together. Condescending, arrogant asshole.

“You two finished bickering like two-years-olds over the last cupcake yet?” She turned to scowl at Zuma, who grinned. “You want to know what your problem is?”

No, but she knew that wouldn’t stop him. She placed her hands on her hips. “What?”

“You’re too alike. It’s like looking at twins.” Zuma stared back and forth between her and Steele.

“Okay, now you have lost your mind!” She threw her hands into the air. “There is no way I am anything like that tightly-wound, condescending, giant ass.”

“And I do not resemble a thoughtless, impulsive child.” Steele stormed over to the door, pausing to look back at her. “And my ass isn’t as large as yours.”

Willa gasped, glaring after him, then sniffed. “He’s deluding himself. His ass is twice as wide as mine.”

“Willa, you coming or not?” Rye asked impatiently. “I don’t have time for games. We’ve got to figure out whether this guy can be ransomed or if I’ll have to kill him.”

She raced after Rye. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Zuma following her, a cocky grin on his face.

“What are you laughing at?” she snapped.

“The magnificent Steele is self-conscious about his ass.” He snickered and her lips curved up.

“He is, isn’t he?” Feeling happier, she moved faster until she was beside Rye. She still had to jog to keep up with his longer legs. “Is the Zerconian really calm?” It seemed unlikely given how crazed he’d been.

“Come see for yourself.”

They stopped outside one of the ships spare bunkrooms. They mainly used it for storage.

“Oh hell, you put him in there?” Zuma asked.

Rye raised an eyebrow. “Would you prefer to have him in the cargo bay with all the weapons?”