Krac's Firebrand (15 page)

“Spread out!” Cooraan ordered the warriors. “Find Violet Jefe and search for anyone else that might be on board the freighter.”

“Krac,” a very faint voice whispered.

Krac took a step forward as the medic moved to the side. He knelt down next to Skeeter as her eyes fluttered as she regained consciousness. He tenderly lifted her hand when she struggled to reach out for him.

“Shush,” he murmured. He ignored those standing around him, watching in disbelief as he tenderly caressed her. “You will get better.”

A faint smile pulled at her lips at his growled order before it died. “Frog,” she whispered as tears filled her eyes and overflowed. “He… killed Frog.”

“I know,” Krac said gently.

“Ask her where Violet is,” Bran ordered from behind him.

“You’d better hurry if you have any questions for her,” Toolas warned, looking at the tablet in her hand. “Her blood pressure is dropping. I need to get her back to the
Conqueror
if you want me to save her.”

Krac’s eyes flashed in anger as he felt Skeeter’s hand tremble violently in his. He briefly closed his eyes and breathed deeply before opening them, knowing Bran was right. They needed to know about Violet. The longer it took, the more danger she could be in. He nodded before focusing down on Skeeter’s pale face.

“Skeeter, where is Violet? Was she taken?” He asked, leaning closer when her lips barely moved to answer him.

He sat back and nodded to Toolas as Skeeter’s hand went limp in his. He heard Toolas call out urgently to the medics to get Skeeter back to the
Conqueror
stat. He rose and moved to the side as they carefully lifted her onto the stretcher. He stood frozen against the wall, pain radiating through him. It felt as if his heart was being ripped out of his body as he watched the small group hurry away.

“Krac. Krac, what did she say?” Bran asked impatiently.

“Magic words,” he murmured, finally turning to look at the Zion Grand Admiral. “We will find Violet if we say the magic words.”

Cooraan looked back and forth between Krac and Bran before shaking his head. “Does anyone know what in the hell that means?”

Krac looked back at Cooraan before he turned to gaze at the twinkling lights in Skeeter’s cabin. He wouldn’t allow Violet to see Froget’s body. He remembered the haunted look in Skeeter’s eyes when she told him about what happened to her when her parents were killed. He would not let that happen to Gracie and Kordon’s daughter.

“I know,” Krac replied quietly. “Clear out the bodies. The amphibian male is to be treated as a warrior. He deserves a warrior’s death rite. I will examine the other body and dispose of it later.”

“What of Kordon and Gracie’s daughter?” Cooraan asked in frustration.

Krac turned and looked at both men with a calm determination. “I will not let her see this. The green male was a friend to her. I will not let her see him like this. Ty and Malik will be here any moment. She knows both of them. I will release her to them once they arrive. Until then, I will stay with her.”

Krac didn’t give either male a chance to argue. He stepped into Skeeter’s cabin and palmed the door control, closing it and sealing him and Violet in the magical world that Skeeter had created.

His eyes swept the area. It seemed impossible that there could be any place for Violet to hide in the small room but he knew she was there. He could feel it.

“Ally, ally in come free,” he called out quietly. “Violet, it is… Uncle Krac. You are safe, little one.”

A panel on the wall behind the small table pushed open. Krac’s expression softened when a faint light peeked out of the narrow gap as it opened further. He crossed the room and moved the chair that was in front of the panel.

Kneeling on one knee, he pulled the panel the rest of the way off. Inside was a large enough area for a small adult to hide inside. Skeeter had placed a thick blanket on the cold metal floor of the compartment to pad it. Violet knelt on the blanket, surrounded by the stuffed creatures that normally littered Skeeter’s bed. Her thin arms were wrapped tightly around the dark red Triterian. A small emergency torch was set up in the corner and lit the inside with a soft glow.

“Hi,” Violet said, looking at Krac with eyes far older than they should. “Where’s Skeeter?”

Krac’s throat worked up and down as he saw the sadness and fear in the crystal clear green depths. He held his arms out and waited until Violet was safely in them before rising. He turned and crossed back over to the bed and sat down, settling Violet on his lap as he tried to think of how much he should tell her.

“Is she with her mommy and daddy now?” Violet asked quietly, looking down at the stuffed Triterian in her arms. “She said if she didn’t come and get me not to worry. She said… she might have to go see her mommy and daddy and I shouldn’t be sad if she did.”

Unfamiliar dampness blinded Krac at the soft words. His arms tightened around the tiny body in his arms and he wished desperately for the ice that had protected his heart to come back because the pain he was feeling right now was overwhelming his nervous system. He cleared his throat so he could answer Violet’s softly spoken question.

“No,” he responded hoarsely. “No, she is not with her mommy and daddy. She is being cared for. She… was hurt.”

Violet sat quietly on his lap before she picked up his left hand in hers. She pushed at his fingers to let him know she wanted him to open them. When he did, she carefully laid the small sculpture that Skeeter had also given her in his palm.

“Skeeter gave this to me,” Violet whispered. “She said you are like her daddy and it would keep me safe. I think she needs it more than me.”

Krac looked at the small sculpture of Bulldog and swallowed. He remembered Skeeter’s words as she tenderly held the small figurine of her ‘father’.

“Most people think of him as a monster,”
Skeeter had softly reflected.

“But you didn’t?”
He remembered asking her quietly.

Her tender smile had spoken as much as her words had.
“No, never. While others saw his scary teeth and sharp claws, I saw my own personal dragon come to save and protect me. He was larger than life and the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. He still is. He’s my hero and he always will be.”

His hand tightened around the figurine and he looked up at the twinkling lights as the impact of her meaning swept through him. A shudder shook his body as he fought to keep from roaring out his pain.

A knock on the door sounded to let him know that it was safe to leave the cabin. He rose stiffly with Violet quietly tucked in his arms. He carefully slipped the figurine into the pocket of his pants before palming the door open. Ty and Malik Jefe stood outside the door, waiting. They nodded to him even as they smiled at Violet, who smiled back at them.

“Hey little britches,” Ty said affectionately. “Are you ready to go see your mommy and daddy?”

Krac handed Violet over when she reached for her uncle. He frowned when she turned in Ty’s arms and held out the stuffed Triterian. He reached out automatically, taking it as she let go.

“This is Skeeter’s,” Violet said with a smile. “She likes to sleep with it. She says it keeps the bad dreams away.”

Krac nodded tightly as he held it to his chest. He ignored the confused and amused glances from Ty and Malik as he did. It was a part of Skeeter.

He knew he should find out where Bran had taken Harden and the other male’s bodies so he could see if there was anything he could use to identify the last intruder. He knew he should contact Roarrk and Anastasia to get an update on their end. He had already given the information about Tillman’s personal starship to Roarrk. There was a hundred and one other things he knew he should be doing, but there was only one thing he was going to do.

“I will be on the
Conqueror
if you need me,” Krac stated as he turned away. “Tell Kordon the next time there is a known threat to his family to have the damn healer come to his compound. I will not be saving his ass again.”

Ty chuckled when Violet’s face screwed up and her lips form an ‘O’. “I know, little britches,” Ty laughed. “Your mommy is going to find a bar of soap.”

Malik turned to his brother with a frown. “What the hell just happened? I swear he was acting almost human!”

“Ohhhh, Uncle Malik said a bad word,” Violet giggled before she yawned and laid her curly head on Ty’s shoulder. “I want my mommy.”

Ty rubbed Violet’s back affectionately as he started after Krac. “Your mommy wants you too, little britches. We’ll have you home safe and sound in no time.”

Chapter 20

Krac sat next to the bed reading the information Roarrk had sent him. Every few minutes his eyes would wander over the still, pale figure quietly sleeping. He nodded when Toolas came in and walked over to the bed. He watched as the healer checked the monitor hooked up to Skeeter. He already knew what it said as he had tapped into it and received minute by minute updates.

He ignored the amused smile on Toolas’ face as she noted the stuffed Triterian carefully tucked under the covers next to Skeeter, one of her slender arms carefully wrapped around it. Instead, he focused on the changes as she adjusted the medication. He noted that she had shut off the medication that was keeping Skeeter in a deep sleep.

“She is well enough to wake?” He asked.

Toolas glanced in surprise at the strange male who had been a constant presence in her medical unit for the past three days. Her eyes moved to where his fingers were entwined with the pale hand of the female. While a part of her itched to study the unusual male, another part understood that desire could be her last if she were to pursue it.

“Yes, she is well enough. She will be a little tender for a few days in the shoulder and chest area. If she takes it easy, she will be fine. The tissue regrowth is almost complete and there is no indication of leakage or additional blood loss where the wound was sealed. A few days of rest and she should be back to normal,” Toolas assured him. “I’ll inform the Grand Admiral that she should be well enough to transfer back to her freighter by tomorrow. I understand she lost her co-pilot. I’m sure the Grand Admiral will assign a warrior to help her return to the nearest Spaceport given what she has done for Councilman Jefe and his family.”

“I will go with her,” Krac said dismissively.

“Very well,” Toolas replied. “I need to file my report. Is there anything else you need?”

“No,” Krac said, shaking his head.

“I… very well,” Toolas replied with a sigh of regret.

Krac nodded again. He could feel the curiosity pulling at the healer. He could see it in her eyes. He was used to it when he was around others, especially those who studied medicine. He knew she wanted to ask him questions and study him, but he’d had enough of that in his life.

He turned in his seat to stare down at the slender fingers in his hand. Now, he wanted more. For the past three days, he had thought long and hard about what he wanted. Before, he merely existed. First as a laboratory experiment then as a protector to the descendants of the Freedom Five. Never before had he thought of his own needs and desires. That had changed since he met Skeeter.

A ghost of a smile curled his lips as he remembered the first time he saw her standing in the corridor growling and clawing to get at Violet. He recalled his amazement when her slender arm came out of the sleeve of what he now knew was one of many strange articles of clothing that she liked to collect.

He chuckled softly as he remembered his shock when the head of the creature rolled across the floor. He realized now he was doomed the minute Skeeter’s brilliant blue eyes connected with his. Sadness, a very unfamiliar feeling before he met Skeeter, tugged at him as he remembered Froget’s demands to either kill them or help him get her to her cabin after she fainted at the sight of his blood.

He bowed his head as he remembered the funeral rite the Zion warriors had given the little amphibian male. Froget had received a full salute from the crews in honor of his sacrifice to protect the daughter of their former Grand Admiral and his human mate.

He looked up when the slender fingers in his hand tightened slightly. The blue eyes that he had fallen in love with stared back at him. Tears shimmered in the dim light as she gazed at him with a silent plea for comfort. He rose from the chair and slid his arms around her, pulling her close.

“It will be alright,” he murmured as her body shook with her sobs. “I will protect you. I swear, Skeeter.”

“Poor Frog,” she whispered in a broken, husky whisper.

“He was a true warrior,” Krac replied, rocking her back and forth in an attempt to comfort her. “He was given a warrior’s funeral.”

Krac didn’t know what else to say or do. He just knew that each quiet sob, each tear she shed, tore at his heart. This, he realized, is what it meant to feel. This is what it meant to… love someone. He could feel her pain and grief as if it were his own.

After several minutes, he felt the fragile body in his arms began to wilt as exhaustion from her injuries and her tears pulled at her. He gently laid her back against the covers, soothingly brushing her hair away from her face. His thumb gently wiped at the stray tears that continued to fall even as her eyelids began to droop.

“Krac,” her soft voice echoed in the quiet room.

“What, my beautiful red bird?” He whispered.

Her eyelashes fluttered open and she looked at him with a solemn expression. “Can I keep you for a few decades, maybe more?”

A smile tugged at his lips as he leaned forward to brush a light kiss across her forehead. “Maybe more,” he answered near her ear. “I think I am in love with you, Lulu Belle Mann,” he admitted before he pulled away.

A beautiful smile curved her pink lips even as her eyelashes lay like delicate crescents against her tear-stained cheeks. He continued to brush one hand soothingly over her hair. His other was entwined with hers. Her breathing evened out after several minutes and he knew she had fallen back asleep. He gently tucked the stuffed Triterian protectively against her before slipping his fingers from hers with regret. He nodded to Toolas who had been observing them. Instead of feeling resentful, he nodded his appreciation for her care and concern for his female.