Hyperspeed Dreams by Anna Carven

Chapter Twenty-Two

After they saw everyone off,Lodan brought Tasha to a large chamber that was lined with rows and rows of precisely arranged Kordolian weapons. A soft gasp escaped her lips as she took in the seemingly endless stash of high-tech guns and armor and lord knew what else. It was enough to equip a sizable army, surely.

Her old Praetorian bosses could only dream of getting their hands on this kind of stash.

“Now I understand why you don’t seem fazed by anything we humans can throw at you.” She stood beside him, her hand clasped loosely in his. Tasha wasn’t a touchy-feely person by nature, but she didn’t mind Lodan’s occasional possessive little gestures—a hand on the small of her back, an arm around her waist, his fingers brushing against hers…

As if he’d only just discovered her and couldn’t get enough of her.

And now they were standing in a room full of impossibly advanced plasma weapons.

How romantic.

That reminds me… I’d better come clean.By now, she was convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that Lodan and his people weren’t working with The Praetorian. From what she’d seen of them… they just couldn’t.

It wouldn’t make sense.

It wasn’t their style.

Despite all the terrible things she’d heard about Kordolians—some of which were undoubtedly true—they were kind of… honorable.

So Tasha took a deep breath and looked Lodan straight in the eye.

“There’s something important I should have told you earlier.”

“What is it, Tasha?” Lodan was the epitome of patience, which was a little strange, considering he was wearing his obsidian battle-armor again.

“The Praetorian… before I left, they’d managed to get their hands on guns like yours… plasma.”

His expression didn’t change. “Yes, I know.”

“You know?”

“We pay close attention to these things,” Lodan said calmly. “Aside from getting the Enqua, it’s one of the reasons we’re about to raid your old workplace. Humans shouldn’t have plasma. They’re not ready for it. Ordinary human bodies can’t handle it.”

“Then why did you bring me here? I’m human, just in case you’ve forgotten.”

“You’re the exception.” Lodan smiled, baring his fangs. “A human with the strength and skill of a Kordolian warrior. My mate. And someone with inside knowledge of our target’s activities.”

“Strength and skill?” Tasha rolled her eyes. “You beat me too easily.”

“I did,” Lodan said matter-of-factly, without even a hint of arrogance, “but don’t feel too bad about it. I’m not normal.”

“I kind-of figured that. Anyway, thanks for not letting me win. I would have hated that.” Her gaze traveled over his sharp, elegant features. Burnished by the blue background lighting, he could have been a statue or a sculpture, if not for the tenderness of his expression.

“I know.”

How do you understand me so well, even though we’ve only just met?

“It’s actually a relief to know that there’s someone far stronger than me out there… especially if it’s you.” The realization that Tasha could be so easily controlled by The Praetorian, despite all her strength—it had always depressed her.

Now she was so close to breaking free of them… for good.

She could hardly believe it.

Lodan twined his fingers through hers. “My body might be stronger than yours, but I’m not stronger than you, Tasha.”

As she stood in the silence, amidst the blue glow, in a room full of weapons that could bring total chaos and destruction to Earth, a warm glow spread through her.

Somehow, Lodan understood.

An alien understood her better than her own people.

She didn’t know how.

He just did.

A trickle of emotion flowed through her, like water from a crack in a dam wall. The crack widened, and the trickle turned into a torrent.

Tears pricked her eyes.

The fuck? Am I… crying?

She thought she’d forgotten how.

“Did you bring me all the way down here just so I could get all emotional?” she grumbled, trying to blink away the tears.

“Not quite.” Lodan gently squeezed her hand. “We’re meeting someone. What’s going to happen next… we need to explain it to you, because you are very much a part of it. As you know, we’ve been making preparations to raid this Praetorian of yours ever since Zharek discovered the Enqua in your bloodstream.” His voice softened. “We don’t have much time now, Tasha. We’re going to execute this mission as soon as we have all the necessary information. And don’t worry. We will get the Enqua. This kind of mission… it’s like children’s play compared to what we are used to. I will not allow some infernal drug to cause you any more suffering.”

“No. We are not going to allow that to happen.” A deep voice from behind startled her. Tasha froze in shock as another Kordolian stepped into view.

She hadn’t detected his presence at all. Hadn’t heard a thing.

How long had he been here, watching them? Had Lodan been aware?

Who the hell is this guy?

“Boss.” Lodan greeted the newcomer with a deferential little nod.

Boss?So he outranks… Lodan?

Looking at the guy, it made perfect sense. This Kordolian wore the same fluid black space-armor as Lodan, but where her Kordolian was lean and powerful and almost—almost, but not quite—delicate-looking, this guy was all hard, brutal lines and carved muscle.

Nothing about him was delicate looking.

With his dark crimson eyes and that cold, calculating expression, he was more than a little intimidating.

And he gave off… something. An aura. Something that made the fine hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Lodan had that aura too, but only sometimes… when he was angry.

“Tasha.” The Kordolian gave her a precise little bow. “I am Tarak. Welcome to my ship.” One corner of his mouth quirked upwards in a wry almost-smile. “My apologies for the disturbance earlier. It is under control now, and it will not happen again. I take it you are a lot more at ease now.”

Tasha fought to keep her jaw from dropping open. She’d come onboard as an enemy, and now the big boss, or whatever he was, was greeting her like she were some sort of honored diplomat. “After Lodan… showed me around, yes.”

Lodan gave her a sly, sneaky look that made heat rise in her cheeks. “We didn’t go very far. There’s still a lot more to explore. But yeah, Tasha understands what we’re about. She knows we have no allegiance to anyone but our own.” He gave her a pointed look. Heat swirled in her chest.

“Indeed.” Tarak folded his arms across his broad chest. His expression switched from mild to glacially cold. “Then we will discuss strategy. We have obtained a complete interior analysis of the Praetorian Headquarters in Geneva. Since we need to obtain a specific item without damaging it, we will need to be a lot more considered in our approach. That means a targeted infiltration, rather than a blunt-force entry. Of course, you will lead the mission. We will take Jeral, because he’s angry and needs to take a few heads. Ikriss has enlisted the Second Division for the time being, so we will take the Third. You will retrieve every last trace of Enqua that exists in that building. When the compound is secure, we will retrieve every single Kordolian weapon that is in their possession. We will obtain their entire records database for further analysis. We must act swiftly to prevent them from destroying or sabotaging anything. You have my permission to use lethal force.” Tarak did the tiniest eye-roll ever. “I am starting to grow tired of these human games of deception.”

“Finally.” Lodan flashed a vicious, fang-tipped smile. “I know you have your reasons and your strategy, but we’re all getting a little antsy around here.”

“Patience, Lodan. The time will come. When our true enemy reveals their intentions, we will act accordingly.” Tarak frowned. “The bond with our humans may become strained because of this, but with time, they will start to understand.” Crimson eyes speared through Tasha. “As for you…”

“Sir.” The address escaped her lips before she even realized. This guy radiated authority; so much so that the soldier in her unconsciously fell into line.

“You have elite-level fighting training. You can handle a gun. And you know your way around the Praetorian headquarters. We have mapped the layout and we know how many people are inside, but we have no way of knowing where the Enqua is stored. I presume that you do.”

Tasha nodded. She knew that place like the back of her hand. “I’ll tell you whatever you need to know.”

“Good. You can show me around too, since you’re coming with us,” Lodan said calmly.

“Coming with you…” Trepidation and excitement and dread rose up in her. Tasha was never one to shy away from a fight, but this was the fucking Praetorian HQ, and even though Zharek had given her something to ease the withdrawals, she wasn’t sure she could handle a mission right now. “Lodan, I know you promised to get me the drug before my body gives out on me, but are you sure I’m—”

“There is a time limit on this mission,” Tarak growled. “Your body is burning up its last reserves of Enqua as we speak. We are not going to risk keeping you up here while we waste time trying to locate the substance. It is safer for you to go down with us, just in case of the unexpected. You will be armored and armed, and you will be by Lodan’s side at all times. All you have to do is protect yourself and give us directions. We will do the rest.”

Us?So this Tarak was coming too?

Tasha almost had to pinch herself to snap back into reality. These aliens were talking about raiding Praetorian HQ as if it were nothing more than a Sunday stroll on the beach. They were talking about taking them down.

It almost sounded too good to be true.

Surely there was a catch.

Everythinghad a catch.

Even if she trusted them.

Unease slithered through her. “Even if it’s you, you shouldn’t underestimate them. Strange things go on in there. They’ve managed to get their hands on a lot of alien tech. I don’t really know if it’s anything that could be a threat to you, but I just thought you should be aware.”

“Noted,” Tarak said wryly. “Even humans surprise us on occasion, but we are used to unpredictable things. Don’t be so tense, Tasha of Earth. They might have controlled you once, but that will never happen again.” Suddenly, his expression turned perfectly serious.

Tasha’s breath caught. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but there was just something about Tarak that was scarily compelling.

Lodan watched her with a calm, expectant gaze, as if he’d seen it all before.

This guy…

She began to understand what kind of man could lead a group of warriors as fearsome as Lodan and his brothers.

“That feeling...” Tarak said softly. “The horror when you start to realize what you once were… Over time, it will fade. Soon you will understand that you are only as monstrous as you choose to be.”

A torrent of emotion hit her, threatening to burst forth like water from a crack in a dam, but then Lodan was there beside her, putting a reassuring hand on her waist, applying just enough pressure to make her feel secure.

“We’re on your side now,” he murmured, his voice wrapping around her like a warm cocoon. “Mark my words, Tasha. I will never let anyone make you suffer ever again.”