Hyperspeed Dreams by Anna Carven

Chapter Seven

“That’sfor sneaking up on me earlier and pinning me down. You didn’t have to do that.” And because you scared me just now… if only you could see yourself… the look on your face. What else was I supposed to do?

“You are just fortunate that you’re important to my brother’s mate. Otherwise I would…”

“What?”

“Leave you to your own devices,” he said coldly. “But since you’re here now, you will give me that infernal number.”

“Fine.” From memory, Tasha quickly rattled off the eighteen-digit number of Isla Tran’s salvage freighter, Iojojo, in perfect Universal. Thanks to her training, committing the long code to memory was no big deal. “If you know how to use that to find them, then you don’t need anything else. Oh, one other thing. You do anything to upset the old lady, and I’ll kill you.”

The alien laughed; a cold, harsh sound.

“Is something funny to you?”

“I’m not going to thank you, but I probably needed that.”

“You needed a kick in the nuts?” Does he have some sort of masochistic streak, or is he just insane?

“Something like that. But you try anything like that again, and I will make you regret it.”

Oh yeah? How?

Before Tasha could say a word, he turned and stalked off into the darkness, leaving her standing in the entryway of the portal… or hatch, or whatever the hell it was. As Tasha glanced over her shoulder at the jungle behind her, the opening began to close.

It didn’t close like any ordinary door. Of course it didn’t. Thousands of obsidian tendrils emerged from the edges, knitting together in an instant to form a solid barrier that obliterated any last trace of light from outside.

Suddenly, she was engulfed in near-darkness. The only illumination came from tiny blue indicator lights in the walls of the ship. Any other human might have found the absence of light unnerving, but to Tasha, with her enhanced vision, it was soothing, giving her a momentary reprieve against the creeping madness of withdrawal.

Savoring it, she took a deep, shuddering breath.

What the hell was she supposed to do now?

Think.Be rational. She was a damn Helborg. She should be able to handle this.

But the situation was different to anything she’d ever encountered before.

Firstly, she was dealing with the most feared aliens in the Nine Galaxies.

Secondly, her family were involved—people she deeply cared for but barely knew anymore, who would be horrified if they understood what she truly was.

Thirdly, Tasha was used to being somebody else’s instrument. She was a tool; a trained killer, used to following orders.

Following orders was easy.

Figuring shit out on your own…

That was hard.

Harder than she’d expected.

“I’m coming with you,” she yelled into the darkness. “When you go to retrieve my Mama, I’m coming.”

She received nothing but silence in response.

Then a howl reached her ears. It was definitely human, laced with pain and fury and fear.

Tasha knew that voice. Felix?

The howl was followed by a string of vicious cursing in creole; something about silver-skinned demons and alien invasions and how stupid he’d been to listen to her—after all, it was impossible that his sister Tasha, who had disappeared all those years ago, would just show up alive and well, and they’d been fools to buy into her story…

Yep, it was definitely Felix.

Lodan said something to Felix, his voice much colder and harsher than when he’d spoken to her.

“Hey!” she snapped, her enhanced legs propelling her down the dark, narrow corridor at inhuman speed. “Don’t you do anything to—” She stopped dead in her tracks as she entered a small chamber that looked like some sort of cockpit.

A curved window stretched across the front of the cockpit, revealing the dense jungle outside through a lens of darkly filtered light. Tiny blue indicators winked back at her, casting a soft glow across dozens of instrument panels. Indecipherable holos floated above the controls, displaying data in strange alien characters.

The Kordolian sat in a dark, throne-like chair in the center of all the instruments. His back was to her, so she couldn’t see what he was doing. All she could see were his hands and forearms on the armrests. He was eerily still.

“I’m busy, Tasha. Deal with them. He does not seem to want to listen to me. You’re human. They know you. Make them understand.” He gestured toward the corner.

Tasha’s eyes widened as she caught sight of her brothers.

They lay side by side on the floor, their wrists and ankles bound. Felix was awake, but Kylian was out cold.

Felix’s once-perfectly defined curls were a tousled mess. His face was shiny with sweat and marked with dirt. An angry purple bruise was blossoming across his left cheek.

“Bâtard,” she muttered, switching to French. “Did he hurt you?”

Felix shook his head, but didn’t say a word. His brown eyes were full of suspicion—directed at her.

Why did that look cause a little twinge of tightness inside her chest?

Ignoring the feeling, she moved to Felix’s side and hooked her hand through the restraint at his wrists, easily lifting all one-hundred-and-eighty-odd pounds of him to his feet.

The big guy’s jaw dropped open. “You—”

“I told you, I’m not normal.” Tasha dropped him to his feet, analyzing the restraints that bound his ankles. They appeared to be made of similar stuff to the ship itself; black fibers that she suspected were impossible to break or cut through.

Felix tottered on his feet, looking dazed.

She dropped to her haunches beside the unconscious Kylian and quickly checked him over, feeling for a pulse, making sure he was breathing, searching for any sign of injury.

He didn’t seem hurt. He was just out cold… she hoped.

Why did you come back here? I told you to stay away. The words were on the tip of her tongue, but she held them back, because that wouldn’t be helpful right now.

Felix’s eyes were wild. “What is this, Tasha? What is going on?”

Shit.She didn’t know how to deliver news like this. Her training hadn’t included communication skills—unless it was in the art of seducing hapless billionaires or politicians before the kill.

“Alexis is alive,” she blurted.

“What?” Felix strained against the alien restraints. “Are you crazy, Tasha?” he whispered. “She… she’s dead. The Malachi was hit by a micrometeorite storm. It was all over the Networks. The Federation Broadcast even reported it. Nobody could survive that.”

Tasha leaned in close, grabbing Felix’s upper arm to steady him. “You think? With Kordolians involved? Anything is possible. And I’m telling you, Alexis is alive.”

“This is insane. I-I don’t believe you.”

“You’ll see pretty soon. But a warning. She’s different now.”

“Aren’t we all?” Felix muttered. “We’re fucking dead. Only Mama is safe. We got her to Isla’s ship. Isla is cunning. She’s been doing this a long time, and she’s very good at hiding.”

About that…

Tasha felt a twinge of guilt for giving up Mama’s location so easily. Doubt swirled inside her. What if her instincts were totally off? What if Lodan’s über-serious declarations of intent were all just fucking lies?

But the cold, logical part of her had taken a calculated risk. Right now, these Kordolians were a better option than being found by Praetorian assassins.

By now, word of her defection would have reverberated throughout the organization. They would stop at nothing to make an example of her.

The founder and CEO of Praetorian, Maximilian Fonseca, was totally batshit insane.

Tasha knew. She’d met him once or twice.

He’d made her feel uncomfortable in a way that nobody else ever had, not even Gage.

She suspected he would issue an order to take her alive, so she could be used for research purposes.

“Felix,” she said quietly, urgently, wondering if this was her last chance to say something lucid and rational to her brother, “I don’t know what these Kordolians want, but they could have easily killed us all and tossed our bodies into the jungle. Considering what they’re capable of, they’re being very restrained right now. I don’t know why, but I think it has something to do with Alexis having some influence with them.” She spread her hands wide. “Look at me. I’m not even in restraints, because I co-operated.” Well, to an extent. I kneed a guy in the balls and he didn’t strike back; didn’t even restrain me. That was weird. “I’m going to try and get him to release you from those restraints. When Kylian comes to, you need to talk to him right away; make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid or reckless. One thing you have to understand, Felix.” She looked him straight in the eye, willing him to believe her. “We have no power here. Whatever happens from now on… it is out of our hands.” And in a few days, I might be dead.

She really had to do something about that.

But right now, there were more pressing issues.

“Lo-dan,” she growled, uttering the alien’s name for the first time in her life. “Remove the restraints from their wrists and ankles. They aren’t necessary. There is no way they’re going to be able to do anything while you’re here.”

For a moment, there was just resounding silence.

Then the Kordolian was at her side.

A chill went through her. She’d seen him move before, but not this fast.

Had he been holding back on her the whole time?

“That’s true,” the warrior said mildly. She caught a tendril of his scent again; crisp, wintry musk. It did strange things to her, sending a cold but not unpleasant ripple down her back and over her scalp.

As if an angel had just walked across her grave.

What the hell?

Her enhanced nervous system was malfunctioning. Yeah. That’s what it had to be.

“What do you want with us, Kordolian?” Felix demanded in passable Universal. A low, bitter laugh escaped his lips. “I don’t know what’s happened with Alexis—if she is truly alive, it is a miracle—but we are not the people you want. We have nothing to do with your intergalactic wars or any of that bullshit.”

“I know.” Lodan locked eyes with Felix. “I’m going to take your restraints off now, and they will stay off as long as you don’t do anything stupid. Your brother will be awake soon. You will keep him under control and be patient.”

Felix opened his mouth to say something, but Tasha shot him a stern look. Shut it, Felix. Now isn’t the time.

The big man huffed.

Lodan uttered a sharp command in Kordolian. In an instant, the restraints fell away from Felix and Kylian’s wrists and ankles. “Alexis and Nythian are here. Time to go. I will take you to Silence, then I will personally go and retrieve your mother. Your intentions were good, but humans can only do so much. When she is on my ship, nothing will be able to touch her.”

A groan echoed from the corner. Kylian. Felix went to him immediately, squatting down beside his brother, whispering in rapid-fire creole. “Relax, brother. This might sound crazy, but I don’t think we’re in any danger right now.”

Kylian gave the big man a salty look as he rubbed his left temple, pushing aside a messy lock of dark hair. “They got any booze on this ship? Because I could really do with a fucking drink right now.”

“You really want to add fuel to that headache you’re nursing, bro?”

“If the world’s about to end, might as well go out in style.”

Tasha let out a silent puff of disbelief. Typical. Kylian hadn’t changed. He still had a hard time taking anything seriously.

She heard a faint sound from the entrance of the ship.

Alexis appeared in the doorway seconds later. “Oh, god,” she groaned, rushing toward the brothers, her hand intentionally brushing against Tasha’s arm as she passed, as if to say: hey, don’t worry. I’m here now.

Bare skin against bare skin. Tasha almost recoiled—she didn’t like being touched—but Alexis’s little gesture evoked long-buried memories.

There had been a time when she didn’t have such an aversion to touch.

Alexis reassured the brothers in creole—Reunionese Creole—cancelling any doubt in Tasha’s mind that it really was her, because how the hell could any impostor know the specific quirks of their island language?

Felix and Kylian were shocked to see her, but they contained it well, even Felix, who was dazed and confused as all hell.

Alexis stood and turned around to glare at the big red-eyed Kordolian called Nythian.

Suddenly, Tasha could see how her sister might be able to wrap this fierce warrior around her little finger.

She frowned disapprovingly. “That was excessive, Nythian.”

The big Kordolian shrugged. “I went easy on them. I didn’t know they were yours at the time. You’re lucky I didn’t kill them.”

Alexis let out an exasperated sigh. “You don’t understand how happy I am that you’re all alive and well. Now let’s go and get Mama.”

“I’m taking you to Silence.” Her mate loomed over her and crossed his arms, managing to look both intimidating and protective. He nodded toward Lodan. “He will go and retrieve your mother. I’m not exposing you to that kind of risk again.”

Tasha watched in fascination as Lodan sat down in the dark chair. Various tendrils emerged from nowhere, attaching themselves to his body; to his hands and arms. A visor extended across his eyes. His expression changed; from icily cold to perfectly calm.

As if connecting with the ship gave him a certain kind of peace.

He was going to fly this thing?

Tasha almost envied it—the damn ship.

“Get into your seats and activate the restraints,” Lodan said. “We’re leaving.”

Nythian motioned toward the outer chamber. “Come on, people. Humans must be seated for take-off.”

Lodan’s swiveled around and pinned Tasha with a piercing golden stare. “She stays here,” he said softly. “She will sit beside me.”

What?

Nythian’s pale eyebrows rose in surprise. “Oh yeah? Why’s that?”

“I have my reasons,” Lodan said cryptically. “And Tasha already knows that I’m nothing to be afraid of.”

Nythian let out a deep belly-laugh.

Alexis appeared at her side, putting a protective hand on her shoulder. Tasha consciously stopped herself from recoiling. Why was Alexis using her left hand for everything? She was right-handed, wasn’t she? Tasha glanced down. Her sister’s right hand hung by her side, covered by a supple black glove.

Strange.

“I’ll stay here with Tasha,” Alexis said, giving Tasha’s shoulder a firm, reassuring squeeze. “We’ve got a lot to catch up on.”

“No,” Nythian growled. “You stay by my side.”

“I’m not some delicate flower. You know that,” Alexis scoffed. “Relax, my love. Lodan will be in here. What could possibly go wrong when we’re sitting next to the greatest warrior-pilot in the Universe? Anyway, it’s only a short flight to Silence, and I think you and Felix and Kylian will get along just fine.”

This time, both Nythian and Lodan snorted in disbelief.

Then the big warrior’s attention turned to his mate.

He actually devoured her with his eyes.

Tasha couldn’t even imagine what it would be like to have some male look at her like that…

Let alone an alien.

“Fine,” Nythian growled reluctantly.

Alexis smiled conspiratorially. “Don’t worry. They can’t understand us when we speak our language either,” she said in creole. “Don’t worry about Nythian. He’s just being protective. It’s a Kordolian thing. They really aren’t as bad as they look.”

Somehow, Tasha found that hard to believe.