Page 19 of Entangled by the Alien Mercenary (Monster Mercenary Mates #4)
Tasseloris
After that parting, I was a mess on the inside. Affirmed as a plantist officially? Even if there was no ceremony, Cyperus had submitted the paperwork—he had made it real. I knew intellectually that the ability to grow both sails and vines was the final test, and I’d done that. By their rules, I had passed, but I still couldn’t wrap my head around that kind of acknowledgment. And then there was little Nelly, still riding on my shoulder, at my side. To be trusted with her well-being was the biggest acknowledgment of all.
Elyssa’s warm, understanding smile was like an arrow to my heart. She knew exactly what was going through my head; that look said it all. She knew I had found the acceptance for that part of me at long last, and as I considered her sapphire eyes, I wondered how I could help her find her place in the universe. My eyes darted to the Caratan chain on her cheek, where the family medallion hid data that could strike a beautiful blow to Jalima’s operations. It was all about family for my female, and I hoped that she would find it with me—and maybe with the crew that had become my family over the years.
Thinking of family made my senses tingle. We had only walked a short distance, and I’d stretched them wide as we went, sensing what passed through the forest in ways only a plantist could. There they were, a pair standing beside a warmth source that could only come from a vehicle idling. With a hand on the small of Elyssa’s back, I began guiding her in the right direction. In seconds, we were close, and I did not need to temper our approach—I recognized that voice.
“I could never live here—too wet,” Aramon loudly complained. “Not that the desert you grew up in is any better—too dry. Nope, give me the nicely temperature-controlled halls of the Varakartoom any day.” I should not be surprised that this was the ‘undercover’ backup that Asmoded had sent for Elyssa and me. If the entire ship was on lockdown by the authorities, with a plantist guard to keep them in, they were the only option. Evie and Aramon had been in the city to ‘honeymoon,’ an Earth custom Aramon had been very keen to experience.
“That’s our backup,” I whispered to Elyssa. “Don’t mind Aramon; he’s all bark, no bite.” We stepped from behind a bush and came face-to-face with the pair. They were standing beside a hover vehicle barely big enough to fit all of us. Both of them were wearing a black set of armor, custom-made by Ysa for the Varakartoom crew. Evie’s long hair was up in a ponytail, shimmering coppery orange, while her eyes were a mossy green that matched the jungle. Aramon, an Asrai, looked as sinister and deadly as always, his image only softened by the way he had his mate tucked in his arms.
“All bark, no bite?” he drawled, sounding mightily offended. “Come here, and I’ll prove you wrong, Tass.” He snapped his teeth my way and then grinned, red eyes dancing with amusement as he cackled a laugh. The twin to Solear, he was the silent male’s polar opposite—always talking, always laughing, and the king of gossip aboard the ship. “You’re one to talk. We’re here to rescue your sorry ass.” Like flipping a switch, he turned his ghoulish face on Elyssa and winked. “At your service. I’m Aramon, and this is my mate, Evie.”
“I never thought I’d say this, Aramon, but I’m glad to see you. Also, can you please explain to me why your brother has been stalking me all week?” I said as I appraised how Evie and Elyssa responded to each other. Females were always a little baffling to me, especially when they were talking with each other. Evie was trained to be the body double to a now-dead Xurtal princess; she was as refined as Aramon was coarse. It was not surprising that she had good manners—the type even my mother could be jealous of.
They had stepped forward to shake hands and were politely exchanging names and greetings. It appeared to be going just fine, so I pierced Aramon with a stare that meant business. I really wanted to know what Solear had been up to while Aramon was planetside with his mate the week preceding this mission. He was the only one who could know.
The male laughed, bouncing on the toes of his boots as if he could not contain his energy. “I told Solear he needed to make some friends now that I have a mate. I told him to start with you—you’re friendly. You make friends easily.” I winced because I’d been doing anything but reciprocating Solear’s odd attempts. At the same time, I felt a rush of warmth for the Asrai twins, members of Asmoded’s crew who had been around almost as long as the captain himself. Aramon had trusted me with his brother’s feelings—how had that happened?
“Well, I guess it’s working,” I offered, my eyes darting from the talkative Asrai to the parked but silently idling hover vehicle. “He helped me pack for this mission—sort of—and he said thanks when I gave him some of my maps.” Aramon beamed and reached out to roughly slap me on the shoulder. “Please tell me you didn’t steal that hover vehicle.”
The maniacal grin I received told me that he absolutely had stolen that vehicle and I began to groan even as Aramon said proudly that he had not stolen it. A lie, and one that his mate refuted with a laugh. “We did steal it, but we’re about ninety percent certain we stole it from De’tor’s men.” She pointed at the dash on the vehicle, where some wires and screens had been damaged, “But we disabled the tracking on it. Don’t worry.”
Okay, that was something at least. If De’tor was a vehicle down, that would help us, and this hover machine would get us out of the jungle in a matter of hours. I did not want to force Elyssa to endure a two-day hike back to the outskirts of Bloom; she had already been through enough. Picking her up in my arms, I smiled as she yelped in surprise, then laughed when I settled her on the seat of the vehicle. “Let’s go. No time to waste. My arrival at the Varakartoom should help clear things up with the authorities. My paperwork should have been processed by then.”
Behind me, Aramon muttered, “What paperwork?” but Evie, sharp and insightful human that she was, asked, “Don’t tell me—Elyssa and you are mates? Congratulations, Tasseloris! I’m so happy for you!” She glided across the soft dirt to my side and hugged first me, then Elyssa. “Welcome to the family! You’re not going to regret living with this crazy bunch for a minute, I promise!” It was exactly the right thing to say to my mate—that instant, warm welcome when Evie realized how important this female was to me. Honestly, it was like a balm to my soul, too, to know that this crew was my home, even these newer additions ever since the captain had rescinded his no-mate rule.
“Ah, bro, that’s fucking awesome.” Aramon slapped me on the shoulder again, and I stumbled forward, briefly distracted. Nelly yelped, indignantly raising her pink-crowned head to glare at Aramon. This was probably when the pair finally noticed that Elyssa was not the only newcomer. Evie awed, fanning her hand in front of her face, while Aramon twisted his mouth in distaste. “A pink flower thing? Really, Tass?”
I caught him by his shoulder with my vine, squeezing tight so he knew I meant business. “You got a problem with that, Aramon?” I snarled at him. “One bad word about Nelly, and I’ll snap your skinny neck.” He instantly raised his hands, grinning wildly as if he loved that I’d just done that rather than taking offense, nodding his head in a quick bob before winking at his mate like it was all a big joke. To him, it probably was. The truth was, Aramon was as loyal as they came, and if I asked him to commit a murder for me, he would in a heartbeat. He’d make sure to bring the shovels too—not that we needed those, considering my abilities.
“Fine, fine, no bad words about your pink flower girl,” he chuckled, eyes sparkling with mirth. “Let’s get moving. We’re losing daylight, and I plan to fuck my mate in a bed tonight.” Evie squeaked a startled, “Aramon!” her face growing as pink as Nelly’s crown. But she was laughing when her mate picked her up and set her on the vehicle in front of Elyssa. Then he hopped on and grabbed hold of the handlebars, his hands expertly flicking over the controls to ready it for flight. As he was the best pilot this side of the galaxy, I had faith that he’d get us safely out from beneath the dense jungle canopy.
Grabbing hold of the tail end of the vehicle, my first foot had just left the dirt when I sensed the vibrations. The rumbling as a vehicle approached—bigger than the one Aramon had arrived on. That was a land vehicle, but more worrisome were the sounds coming from above that indicated a shuttle. It could either be the government, chasing after Aramon to repatriate him and Evie to the Varakartom, or it was De’tor. I had a feeling it was the latter, and the sound of those vehicles indicated large amounts of reinforcements.
I placed my boot back on the ground and turned to Aramon. “Get her out of here. I’ll hold them off to give you time.” The Asrai male was deadly serious, his eyes dark with understanding when he gave me a nod. Then I reached for Elyssa, catching her by the back of her neck to pull her down for a quick kiss. “I’ll catch up. Don’t worry about me.” I reached over my shoulder to grab Nelly, but the Entling stubbornly clung to my hair. I didn’t have time to struggle with her, so I gave up and stepped back, waving at Aramon to take off. Elyssa loudly protested, but away they flew, and I turned to brace myself for a fight. A grin spread across my face at the prospect, and I allowed my Iredese to glow brightly on my temples. This was my chance to punish that Elrohirian for hurting my mate, and killing De’tor would greatly please the captain, too. It was another blow at Jalima’s activities.
The land vehicle arrived first, careening to a stop beneath a large tree a couple dozen feet away but in plain sight. On it, three males sat—one of them a local Viridara with a glum expression on his face. I could hazard a guess as to his presence: he’d been willing to function as a guide to the grove’s entrance. De’tor must have correctly guessed that that was where we’d gone to hide from him. It was the only way they could have found us this quickly and this accurately; they sure as the blazing stars hadn’t been able to follow our tracks.
The two males who were part of De’tor’s crew dismounted, cradling laser rifles in their arms, though they did not approach. I had a feeling I’d encountered these two before, and they clearly did not want to engage me in combat without backup. Then the shuttle came to hover overhead. They could not land it here—not without destroying trees and damaging their hull. But when the hatch opened, males rappelled down—dozens of them.
Shifting, I dug my feet into the dirt and drew in a deep breath; my senses centered easily this time. I did not need a calm that always eluded me—I did not try to reach for that. Blooming in my mind, my powers came easily, quickly, and they made the earth tremble beneath my feet. Roots shifted and coiled, branches swayed and snapped, and vines curled like snakes around the unsuspecting. They fought fire with fire this time, setting things ablaze until pain recoiled through my senses.
This fight was going to be tough, but all I needed was to buy Aramon time to get Elyssa to safety. Then, I sensed movement from the direction of the grove, and I knew I was not alone. Cyperus and the Sire had slipped from the safety of the grove’s shielding to help me.