Hyperspeed Dreams by Anna Carven

Chapter Twenty-Three

“It still feels strange.”Tasha frowned as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat beside Lodan, who was in the process of checking and rechecking his guns. He pressed a tiny button or something on the side of his plasma gun, and suddenly the whole thing changed shape… then went back to normal. With a satisfied grunt, he returned the damn thing to the holster at his side.

“What’s strange about it? Is the fit not to your liking?” Lodan said absentmindedly as he pulled his long obsidian sword from the sheath at his back. He proceeded to run his fingers over the beautiful curved blade… not once, not twice, but exactly three times. Then he slid it back into its sheath.

What was that all about? Some sort of pre-mission ritual?

Questions hovered on the tip of her tongue, but Tasha held back. Now was not the time. Some of her questions were too intimate; too personal for this dark, silent cabin, especially when Tarak and another hard-faced warrior called Jeral were sitting nearby.

Lodan’s boss was intimidating enough, but this other guy; this Jeral… what the hell was up with him? He radiated a dark, seething fury that set Tasha on edge.

And although he gave off a similar vibe to Tarak and Lodan—the unmistakable self-assuredness and quiet grace of highly trained killers—something about him was different.

Maybe it was the fact that his left eye was completely black—pupil, iris, sclera and all—in contrast to his right eye, which was a brilliant shade of ruby red.

Maybe it was the fact that he hadn’t said a word all trip. At least Tarak spoke to her, but now the two Kordolians were silent, their expressions grim, their thoughts indecipherable.

Almost as if they were in a trance-like state.

What went through an alien’s mind during a situation like this?

Tasha couldn’t fathom it.

Soon they would be entering Earth’s orbit, bound for Geneva. This Kordolian stealth-cruiser was apparently undetectable to The Federation’s flight-tracking system stems. From below, it would appear invisible to the naked eye; just a faint shimmer in the air as it descended toward Earth’s surface.

How frightening.

These Kordolians could have taken over Earth at any time.

Why hadn’t they? Alexis seemed to think they were good and noble and honorable, but Tasha wasn’t so sure.

Lodan glanced up. His forehead creased as he raised his eyebrows. Tasha’s heart skipped a beat. Her hands started to tremble. Damn. The man really was a good looking bastard. And the withdrawals were starting to kick in again. Before they left Silence, Zharek had given her a warning. Six hours. That was all the time she had left before the Enqua in her bloodstream got so low that her life would be in danger.

Six hours.

Tasha ran her hands over her forearms, which were covered in the armor—obsidian and seamless, light but flexible, ridiculously comfortable.

“It’s too light for how strong it supposedly is. You’re telling me that if someone shot me point-blank in the chest with plasma while I’m wearing this damn armor, I’d actually survive?” Before they’d left Silence, Lodan had arranged for Tasha to have her own custom-fitted suit of Kordolian armor, complete with a helm that protected her face. She’d been surprised at how perfectly it fit her.

“Technically, our standard-issue grunt suits can withstand three close-range plasma blasts before they start to weaken, so you will be safe… not that I’m going to let anyone hit you with any kind of plasma. Don’t worry. I’m not going to let you out of my sight.”

“That might be for the best.” She closed her eyes and ran her armor-gloved fingers through her hair. “I don’t know what I might do if you’re not there to keep me in check. There are a lot of people in that place that I’d be tempted to shoot on sight.”

Lodan bared his fangs. “I wouldn’t stop you, you know.”

“I believe you.” Tasha let out a deep sigh. “But not all Praetorian employees are bad people. Some are there because they have no choice—once you enter the organization, you don’t leave. A lot of people didn’t understand that until they started working there. Some of them were even kind to me… when they could get away with it.”

“Well, we’ll just try not to kill those ones, won’t we? I can’t promise anything, though.”

Tasha lightly punched Lodan in the arm. “Don’t be so blasé. I mean it. I’m trying to turn a corner here. It would just be so easy to kill everyone, but…” She hesitated, trying to find the right words. “It sounds naive and idealistic, but I feel like this is my last chance to become a decent person.”

Lodan placed his hand on her thigh. Even though her leg was encased in that hard-but-supple obsidian armor, his touch sent a thrill of anticipation through her.

He was gentle but firm; tough but reassuring, just like he always was with her. For Tasha, it was pure catnip. “Nothing wrong with being idealistic,” Lodan murmured, his golden eyes burning right into her. “Even if it’s madness for creatures like us… we kinda need it, don’t we?”

“Well, aren’t you quite the philosopher?” Tasha marveled, a whisper of a smile tugging at her lips. Somehow, this lethal, armed-to-the-teeth Kordolian warrior made her feel like sunshine inside. “Thanks. I needed that. Coming from you... I can accept that.”

She was shocked when he leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. In contrast to his usual kisses, which were fierce and searing, this kiss was fond and tender.

Nobody had kissed her like that since she was a child.

A pleasant tingle ran through her from her head to her toes.

“Guess you could say I’ve had a revelation or two.” He brushed aside a stray lock of her hair. “Don’t fear what comes next, Tasha. This is our problem now.”

“You mean I’m your problem.”

He smiled; a brilliant ray of sunlight amidst the darkness. “Yes. A good problem.”

“There’s no such thing.”

“There is now.” He was still smiling, his fangs like tiny gleaming daggers.

“You’re relishing this, aren’t you?”

Lodan’s smile evaporated, replaced with a look of dark earnestness—a look that could only ever be held by an alien. “Tasha, I’m Kordolian. You are mine now. If there is someone that wishes you harm… someone that has caused you suffering in the past, then I cannot help but look forward to spilling blood for you.”

Tasha gave him a long, hard look. The desire for revenge rolled off him like morning steam from a lake. It wasn’t just her imagination; it was so strong, so palpable that she could she could almost touch it.

A feeling of unease slithered around in her gut.

Hisneed for revenge was stronger than even her own.

Actually, she didn’t really want revenge.

She just wanted to survive… and escape for good.

She just wanted to become human again.

Funny how it had taken an alien to make her feel that way.

And now she wondered if she would end up being the one to rein him in.