TALON (RIBUS 7 Book 4) Page 6

  Talon chuckled and shook his head. “You prove my point, little one.”

  Chelan ignored him and lay back, closing her eyes. The buoyant water took all the pressure off her aching muscles and back. She sighed with relief.

  Talon’s eyes never left her. From where he stood, he could just see her face and neck. She was beautiful, he had to admit to himself. But she was alien, and therefore inferior. Why Korba had Letted her eluded him, but then, Korba was also inferior.

  Talon shifted his weight slightly and straightened up. He watched as she began cleaning her long, golden brown hair, the strands shining in the light as they were released from their burden of grease and grime. The water lapped seductively at her swollen breasts, and Talon unexpectedly found his loins warming. Maybe he did know why Korba had possessed her after all; thoughts of the sexual pleasures her body could afford pierced his mind fleetingly. Then he frowned. She was alien, he convinced himself once again—nothing but a contaminant to be eventually disposed of. He sighed and waited patiently while she continued to bathe herself. Then he ordered her out.

  Chelan hesitated, the thought of the frigid air on her wet flesh enough to make her falter. She looked up at him. “It is too cold,” she said.

  Talon rolled his eyes and walked over to a compartment. He pulled out a towel-like wrap and threw it at her. “Hurry up,” he snapped.

  Chelan caught the material before it hit the water and then quickly climbed out of the tub, rubbing herself vigorously and ignoring her inherent shyness. Nearly turning blue, she crouched to retrieve her sheet only to have Talon step on it, denying it to her.

  Chelan hugged the towel, shivering violently. Her eyes locked on his. “Please,” she begged. “It is far too cold for me.”

  Talon remained motionless, staring down at her and feeding off the trembling that racked her small frame. Then he smiled deviously to himself. While he had her, he suddenly wanted to dominate her, to control her, to break her. He watched her quiver before him a while longer, her fear coupled with unprecedented allure beckoning to him. She was so delectably vulnerable, so utterly defenseless. He hesitated. Then he opened his shroud to her.

  Chelan recoiled.

  Talon smiled. “If you want warmth, come to me.”

  She looked into the infinite blackness of his shroud and shivered even more. Then she backed up to the wall and slumped down, her knees finally weakening.

  Talon sneered at her. “You will learn to come to me for everything, little alien. It will only be a matter of time.” And he closed his shroud.

  Chelan stared at the floor. Then something hit her in the head, and she jerked up. Her hands clutched at the T-shirt, the one she had always worn. She glanced up at Talon.

  “I figured you might want that. It has been cleaned, and it is all you need for now.”

  Chelan quickly pulled it over her head and then stood. With her large tummy, the T-shirt reached only down to her upper thighs, but it was enough, and it was certainly better than the alternative.

  Talon grunted at her. “Come on. Back to your room.”

  Chelan followed him, still chilled to the bone but happy to be partially clothed. Once back in the room, she scampered awkwardly up onto the bed and huddled in the corner.

  Talon watched her momentarily and then took a deep breath. “I thought you would like to know, Korba has been informed that you are here, and he is as infuriated as I hoped he would be. Both he and Commander Dar will be within range by tomorrow morning. I am not sure how long it will be before I eliminate them, but the next few weeks or months should be interesting. I would get some sleep if I were you. You never know when I may need you.” He turned in a swirl of ebony and left.

  Chelan felt her stomach lurch, dread combined with panic robbing her of her breath. She had to help Dar and Korba. Jumping to her feet, she ran to the closed doors. Though she had watched Talon and Lakit go through them, their method for opening them had so far eluded her. But there had to be a way.

  Neither of them had held still enough for retinal scans or had removed gloves for palm locks. Yet there were no security pads or panels visible to her. Korba’s tight security included biochemical sensors, but even those were not present. Maybe it was simpler.

  Suddenly, she thought of height, but jumping produced no effect except to cause her burdened stomach to hurt. Catching her breath, she grappled for alternatives. Then she searched the floor. Nothing was obvious, but the concept of weight struck her. Even fully pregnant, Chelan weighed only one hundred forty-five pounds. The men all weighed easily close to three hundred. That left her with a huge deficit to make up for. Chelan looked at the furnishings and realized with disappointment that they, too, would be woefully insufficient.

  Then her eyes shone: Lakit would be her liberator. She did not relish getting him in trouble, but this was life and death, and she had to do whatever it took to save her men. She just hoped the doctor would come alone. Taking a deep breath, she tucked herself in by the doors and pressed the small pager he had given her.

  Her heart banged in her ears. She would only have one shot, and she would have to be fast. Suddenly, the doors parted. Chelan did not take the time to ID the person who entered. She simply ducked by the shroud, deftly relieving him of one of his knives as she passed.

  Lakit turned like a cat but was drawn up short by his own blade. He froze as Chelan backed away from him, her arm raised and poised to throw. “Hands away from your sides,” she ordered.

  Lakit complied, his face betraying his surprise.

  She backed right up to the main control panels and glanced fleetingly at them. The symbols were foreign, but she would try anyway. She was intimately familiar with the layouts on the RIBUSes. They were fast and efficient workspaces, and she knew that this console should be logically laid out as well.

  She looked at Lakit. She realized that he could sink a blade into her so fast, she would be dead before she knew it, but she trusted he would not. His role was caregiver, not executioner. And besides, he dared not harm Talon’s insurance policy.

  Chelan’s fingers felt their way over the panel. Then, with unexpected ease, she activated the main screen and what she hoped was the primary communications system.

  Lakit took a step toward her, but she coiled to throw. He stopped. “Chelan,” he called sternly. “You will only get hurt!”

  “I don’t care!” she shot back. “You just shut up, and you won’t get hurt.”

  Chelan reached for what looked like the switch for the main hailing frequency and hit it. She heard the characteristic sound that accompanied an external link, and she sighed to herself.

  Lakit stepped forward again, and Chelan glared at him. “I like you, Lakit. You have been kind. But my allegiance is to Korba and the Empire.”

  “Soon, there will be a new Empire, Chelan. Your allegiance is a moot point.”

  “To you, maybe. But my love for the Warlords your Commander seeks to destroy is not.”

  “Soon, they, too, will be gone,” he countered.

  “I will deal with that later, if it occurs. But right now, I am willing to risk all for them.”

  Chelan had no sooner spoken when the main Command doors slid open, and Talon stepped in. His eyes were ablaze. He took several deep and restrained breaths. “Drop the knife, little alien,” he seethed.

  Chelan glanced at Lakit and then settled her gaze on Talon. She stepped back and felt her way along the panels until she came to the keyboard for sending coded messages.

  Talon took a step forward. “Drop the knife!” he ordered harshly.

  He took one more step, but suddenly, she turned the blade on herself. She held it firmly with both fists as she directed it to her midsection, just above her pregnant belly. “You may still need your insurance policy, Talon, so I would stop if I were you.” She pressed the knife into her flesh, feeling its tip break her skin. “Don’t think I won’t. You may have to show proof to Korba that you still have me. You can’t do that if I am dead. And with m
y death comes yours,” she hissed.

  Talon glared at her. “What do you want?”

  “I want you to make sure that there is a direct visual link to both RIBUS 8 and RIBUS 10. I want the visuals connected to their main Command Centers, and then I want to be left alone.”

  “There is no sensitive information you can relay to them that would compromise me or my ship in any way,” Talon snarled.

  Chelan nodded slowly. “I know.”

  Talon squinted at her and cocked his head. “What do you plan to do?”

  Up until this point, Chelan had really had no plan. But now desperation had cleared her senses. It was plain what she had to do. With a direct visual link to Korba and Dar, she would take her own life. They would be horrified by her act, but it would render Talon and his ship ripe for the taking. The Warlords would no longer be compromised by her presence. They would be able to act directly, blowing Talon and his ship to oblivion.

  She edged away from the panels. “Just get on with it,” she ordered. “And don’t try anything funny. I will be able to tell if what you do is right.”

  Talon walked, catlike, ever so slowly toward the controls as Chelan backed up the stairs, well away from any action he might take. Her eyes never left his.

  “Okay,” he whispered. “There is nothing you can say or do anyway.” And he reached for the panels.

  Chelan felt her tears well. She squared her shoulders and hardened her resolve. She could do it; that she knew for sure. She had to press deep and hard, up at a slant. She had to pierce her heart directly so that they could not save her. And she had to do it as soon as the link was established. If she had the time to see either of the men she loved so completely, she would falter. And she could not bear to see the look in Korba’s eyes as he discovered her pregnancy.

  She watched as Talon hit a few switches and then stared at her. She tilted the knife slightly and took a deep breath. Suddenly, a hand struck her across her midsection, hurling the knife across the Command Center. She gasped and tried to turn but was hit forcefully from the back. The next sensation was that of two strong arms surrounding her, nearly crushing the life from her.

  She struggled but to no avail. Then she glanced around her as Talon’s security fanned out on all sides. She collapsed against her captor. Her mission had failed miserably.

  Talon’s head slumped forward momentarily as he collected himself. Then he stared at her hard. “You impress me, little alien. I saw your intent. You are a formidable and honorable opponent.” He glanced at Lakit. “The doctor here is one of my best warriors. What you accomplished here is nothing short of astonishing.”

  Chelan labored to catch her breath and then watched as Talon signaled for her release. She straightened herself and then glared up into the offending shroud. She looked back at Talon.

  He smiled at her and raised his brows. “I shut the Center down. I guess I should have locked it. Despite our foreign language and codes, you did indeed hit all the right buttons. In fact, if I had not arrived, I have no doubt you would have succeeded in your quest. I genuinely commend you, little alien.” And he bowed to her.

  Then Talon sauntered over to where the knife had fallen and picked it up. He tossed it at Lakit, who skillfully snatched it from the air and sheathed it. Finally, Talon walked up to Chelan. He placed a finger under her chin and raised her face to his. “Now, what do I do with you? You need to be punished, you know.”

  Chelan shrank from his touch but did not speak. Talon grinned. He slid a gloved hand down her neck to a point between her heaving breasts. “I cannot kill you. That is what you seek. Maybe I should have left you with just your sheet. You would have been more manageable.”

  Chelan met his stare and tried to control her trembling. Then she flinched as he made an abrupt hand motion and all the guards left. With another signal, Lakit took his leave.

  Talon’s grin spread. “Now, you deal with me alone, little one.”

  “I would rather die,” she mumbled coolly.

  Talon’s eyes widened. “That will be arranged soon. But let us not be too hasty.” He took a step back. “Now, shall we have a chat in your room?”

  Chelan began to walk slowly, on unsure legs. She glanced back at him as he shut down the Command Center. Then he followed her into the dimly lit chambers. There she hugged herself tightly, keeping her back to him. She heard the doors shut, and she closed her eyes, ready to accept whatever fate he had in store for her. She just prayed he did not hurt the baby.

  Talon stepped in front of her. “Now,” he began coolly, “another stunt like that, and I will dispatch tiny pieces of you out to space through the garbage chute. Do you understand?”

  Chelan remained defiantly quiet.

  Talon took a step back. “Off with the shirt.”

  Chelan’s eyes opened wide. “What are you going to do?”

  Talon continued to stare at her. “Take it off, or I will rip it from your body!”

  Chelan jumped at his vile tone but set her jaw. “Just get your punishment over with!”

  Talon became enraged. He grabbed her by the shoulders and flung her onto her back upon the bed. Chelan shrieked with terror and tried to scramble away from him, but he grabbed her ankles and yanked her to him. She began to roll over, but he forced her legs apart and moved between them.

  “No!” she screamed.

  Talon grabbed her arms in one hand and pinned them above her head. Then he glared down at her. “Do not worry, little alien. I would not dare to contaminate myself by indulging in your depths!”

  “Get away from me!” she cried.

  Talon grabbed her face with his free hand and held her still. “Nor would I allow you the pleasure of experiencing me,” he hissed.

  Chelan’s mouth fell open. She ceased her struggles and stared up at him through wide eyes. “Pleasure!” she shouted. “You fucking barbarian! You don’t know the meaning of the word!”

  Talon suddenly released her and stood, looming over her like a giant black bird of prey. “I know pleasure, little one. It is what I will feel the day I inform you that your precious Emperor and the sire of your bastard child are no more! That, little alien, will be pleasure.” And he whirled from her and headed to the door.

  Chelan was sick with fear and rage. Unthinking, she sprang to her feet and lunged at him, reaching for his face and clawing at him.

  Talon lurched to the side, unhinged her death grip, and hurled her to the floor. “You bitch!” he spat as he grabbed for her. But Chelan did not respond. Instead, she curled up on her side and hugged her belly.

  Talon stopped abruptly. He dropped to his knees and reached for her shoulders, turning her to him. She was ashen, her breath stolen. “What is it?” he demanded.

  Chelan finally caught her wind, her eyes wide with fright. “The baby,” she gasped. “It is coming!”

  Talon bolted to his feet and ran from the room. Chelan finally got hold of herself, the painful contraction subsiding. She tried to relax on the icy floor and rubbed a hand soothingly over her distended belly. “Not yet. Not yet,” she cooed. “Please, not yet.”

  She looked up just as Talon ran back in with Lakit on his heels. Both men slumped to the floor beside her. Lakit felt her forehead and then drew out his monitor. He raised her shirt up and placed his hand on her belly.

  Chelan panted for air. “Help me. It is too soon,” she whimpered.

  Lakit nodded. “We will handle this, Chelan.”

  Chelan shook her head. “I don’t want this baby to die.”

  Lakit suddenly became very still. “Chelan, have you been pregnant before?”

  Chelan simply nodded.

  Lakit and Talon’s eyes met. Then Talon spoke, his voice low and calm. “Chelan, what happened to the baby?”

  Chelan stopped breathing and looked up at the Warlord in astonishment. It was the first time he had talked to her in a civil tone and the first time he had used her name. She winced. “I lost it.”

  Lakit drew her attention to him b
y touching her shoulder. “How?”

  “It was too big. The labor lasted too long.”

  Lakit settled down beside her. He shook his head in confusion. “Who attended you?”

  “I was alone in the Dead Zone of Iceanea.”

  Talon’s face registered his surprise. “Why were you there?”

  Chelan stared up at him. “You knew that Ticees raped me!” she challenged.

  Talon nodded. “Yes. And I knew that the Empire fell at Korba’s hand because of it. We have talked of this. But I knew not what happened in the interim. Why did you retreat to the Dead Zone?”

  Chelan closed her eyes as another cramp hit her. She clenched her jaw and moaned.

  Lakit placed his hands on her, holding her still as he watched the monitor. “Breathe, Chelan.”

  “It hurts!” she cried.

  “I know, but I can give you nothing. I do not know your body. You must feel everything and tell me all. You will be okay. But you have to relax and breathe.”

  Chelan let her head drop back as she panted for air.

  Lakit cleared her hair from her face. “That is good. Keep breathing.”

  Talon leaned over her. “Continue with your story. Tell me what happened.”

  Chelan licked her dry lips. “I did not know if Ticees had succeeded or not, so to protect Korba, I left for the Dead Zone.”

  Talon shook his head. “Succeeded at what?”

  “At impregnating me,” she whispered.

  Talon recoiled. “What?”

  Chelan nodded. “He wanted me for his own, and he wanted me to bear his heir. He sent Korba, Dar, and Fremma away on long missions. Then he secretly enlisted the services of the Guild to help him accomplish his goal.”

  Talon shook his head in disbelief. “But he could not force you. By Imperial decree, rape is punishable by death.”

  Chelan glared up at him. “Yes, a law with which you would undoubtedly take issue.”

  Talon frowned and lowered his voice. “I have never raped, little one. Our culture does not condone it either.”

  “You threaten.”

  Talon shook his head. “You are making assumptions, attaching significance to my words out of fear and past events.”