Page 21 of Entangled by the Alien Mercenary (Monster Mercenary Mates #4)
Tasseloris
I had to keep De’tor’s males occupied as long as possible, and I had to draw them away from the grove while I did it. “Nelly, hide,” I urged the little Entling, using my vine to raise her high enough to climb onto a tall branch. She was very good at remaining hidden, and I did not believe that De’tor and his males were even aware of her existence. All the same, I wasn’t taking any chances.
Cyperus was helping me now, but he was only there to guard the grove. It was my duty to lead them away and finish this fight, no matter how hard it was. I took comfort in knowing that Aramon had taken Elyssa and the data to safety. She was out of reach now, and they’d never get hold of what they were after. Even if I lost my life today, I could go peacefully knowing they had lost as well. I was, however, very motivated not to die today; I had way too much to live for.
I was officially a plantist now—I had a reputation to uphold. Baring my teeth, I made sure the next male who came after me paid for it with his life. They had far superior weapons, though, and I couldn’t avoid every lasershot that came my way as I drew them deeper and deeper into the forest. I had a vague plan for how I could survive this, and it involved finding some still-active Takchaw pits.
Ducking behind a tree, I gave Cyperus a nod of assurance before risking a quick closing of my eyes so I could focus. Sensing the ground beneath my feet, I spread my awareness through the roots of the trees, the life that teemed beneath the surface. There—three miles due east. I could make that.
Weaving left and right, I began to tactically withdraw, engaging De’tor and his combatants just enough to keep them interested. Already, a laser shot had scorched my ribs, and another had found a gap between the bark and the metal that protected me. Though it would be safer in some ways, I couldn’t engage my helmet, as it would dull my connection with the planet.
“Big mistake, facing me on a Viridara world. This is my domain,” I hissed under my breath, rolling beneath a low-hanging branch and rising on my knees, hands in the dirt. I gazed back the way I’d come, already unable to see the grove, though it was still within range of my other senses. Cyperus was no longer fighting; he’d withdrawn to the entrance of the grove. De’tor had focused all his forces on chasing me. But to my left, I sensed the Sire silently stalking through the jungle, picking one off with a scream and the crunching of bones.
Focusing the powers that ran through my veins, I grabbed hold of the world and made it shake. This was something I knew I couldn’t do anywhere but here, yet it was immensely satisfying. Everything here was in tune with me, and I with it—the plants, the dirt. Now that I had unlocked the way to reach these powers, it was easier than ever to make them obey.
Screams echoed beneath the canopy of the trees as males fell and tumbled. Roots rose to grasp and delay, sometimes to break and restrain. A wave of exhaustion hit, and I knew I didn’t have another move like that left in me. I had to recharge, but it had rattled my pursuers enough that, when I sprinted deeper into the forest, their laser fire was too unfocused to strike me. Three miles to the Takchaw—I could make that.
How long would it take Aramon to reach the Varakartoom and return for me? I calculated the possibilities as I ran, swerving and dodging, detouring here or there to make things harder on the males on my heels. It was a two-day hike from here to the edge of Bloom, but the hover vehicle would make short work of that. It could move as the Kovar bird flew, taking the shortest path between here and the port. Damn it, I should have paid better attention in math class. Was it an hour or less? Probably less, considering who was piloting the vessel.
The biggest question was whether Aramon could return for me immediately or if the Viridara police would cause a delay. They might still have the Varakartoom on lockdown, and once Aramon had stepped inside, they would not let him leave again. Grimly, I considered my options if I had to spend another night in the jungle. Would I be able to evade De’tor that long? Probably. Already, I’d estimated that enough time had passed for Aramon to have made it to the ship. That meant Elyssa was safe, truly safe.
I tried to picture her reunion with Brace but couldn’t. I didn’t even know what Brace looked like, other than that the male was a Hoxiam. He only communicated with snarls, grunts, and short, oh-so-curt replies through the hatch that separated his galley from the mess hall—that was it. I was pretty sure only the captain saw his face from time to time, but otherwise, the male was a total recluse. Seriously, we had loads of antisocial males on the Varakartoom. It was like the captain went out of his way to collect them. Solear, Thatcher, Brace—and I could probably count the Sineater, too—they were all about as warm and friendly as a block of ice.
I made the stupid mistake of getting too lost in my thoughts and paid for it by nearly losing my foot when I reached the Takchaws. One of them must have been hungry and had risen dangerously close to the surface. I would have sensed it if I hadn’t been more focused on what Elyssa was doing at that moment. As its maw snapped around my foot, I managed to launch myself through the air just in time to avoid the sharp teeth. My vines caught a tree branch and swung me higher, moving instinctively to get out of range.
It was late afternoon now, but the rush of the first battle was beginning to fade, and I was tired. I’d used my plantist skills so much over the past few days that I wasn’t used to it. My body had been healing, replenished by Cyperus’s skillful hands, but I was not in top fighting form. Who would be after a shuttle crash of that magnitude, followed by the fights and the injuries I’d sustained? But Elyssa was safe—that was all that mattered—and I just had to stall for as long as I could.
When the first males reached the edge of the terrain where the Takchaw lay in wait, I held my breath and watched. I’d left an obvious trail for them to follow, but I’d only stay as long as needed to see how effective this trap was. After that, I’d disappear into the forest and hide, and I’d make sure they never found me.
The screams of the first victim were loud and horrible, followed by the whiz of laser fire as they tried to either kill the Takchaw or end the suffering of their comrade. I did not want to see the carnivorous plants come to harm, but they were plentiful in this area, and it was either them or me. The Kovar had nested in a nearby tree, and they roused with squeaks and squawks to investigate the possible prey, divebombing down onto the unfortunate souls that had wandered into their territory.
It was working, so I turned and, with the aid of my vines, left the scene through the tops of the trees. Behind me, I still heard the sounds of a fight, but they weren’t as numerous as I would have liked. I made the mistake of wanting to find out if Tahirel was among them, because that was a male I very much wanted to see dead. He wasn’t there, and when I located a second group searching the forest, I noticed he was not among them either. Swearing, I focused my senses and searched, certain he’d be there, unable to avoid the hunt after he’d failed to keep hold of Elyssa in the first place.
It was time to turn the tables and hunt them instead. Starting with that bastard. Too bad for him that I was an excellent tracker. Even if he was hanging back like a coward, I would find him. It was a challenge that filled me with excitement, but before I could start, I needed to check on Nelly. I had not been able to sense her through the earth before, as if she had no warmth and created no vibrations. But I knew her much better now, and when I closed my eyes and gripped the tree I perched in, I knew how to search for her signature.
There she was, not far away, also up in a tree. When I found her, it felt like a current of electricity came to life between us—not with a shock or pain, but a gentle hum. I was willing to bet good money that she’d aimed her face my way as soon as I located her and that her green eyes had flared wide with happiness. We met each other halfway, and, as always, it surprised me just how versatile the tiny Entling was and how fast she could move. Knowing her made me understand better the incredible beings the Sires became, and also why Cyperus and Nelly’s Sire had been letting her out of their sight even before I was there to protect her.
She scrambled all over me to check my latest wounds, but the laser burns weren’t bad. They ached nastily, but that was the nature of a burn. She made a few mewling sounds and then began pulling berries from beneath her vines to apply to the injuries. I stifled a laugh and petted the soft crown of pink flowers on her head. “You’ve just taken to carrying those around for me, haven’t you? I swear I’m not usually this injury-prone.” She made a sound that closely approached a disparaging tsking, as if she did not believe me.
“We just need to stall and slowly make our way toward Bloom and the Varakartoom. I’m going to hunt down Tahirel, and then we’ll be on the move. I don’t have to worry that you won’t keep up, do I?” It was a rhetorical question more than anything, and the green-eyed glare I received made me smile widely. “I figured, sweet one. You’re tiny, but you pack a punch.” I stroked the leafy fingers on her tiny hand, and they curled around the tip of my finger and gently pulsed. I felt stronger, rejuvenated from her presence, her support. “Let’s get to work—I have to get back to my mate.” And my crew, but in the grand scheme of things, I found that Elyssa was really the only one who mattered.
For a while, Nelly rode my shoulder as I stalked the jungle for any sign of my prey. I could sense how the males hunting me had broken into smaller groups, fanning out, but they had not gone far from each other. That was a clever search tactic; it would allow the next group over to quickly rush to the aid of the first, and so on. This was why only a small group had fallen prey to the Takchaw and Kovar—they had not trusted my obvious trail. With good reason, obviously.
Though my senses allowed me to find each party, I had to check each of them with my eyes to find the male I was after. So far, neither De’tor nor Tahirel had made an appearance. The search parties had put some good distance between the shuttle they’d rappelled down from and the grove, their heading conveniently working in my favor by going toward Bloom. Maybe they hoped they could still find Elyssa, or maybe they knew that’s the direction I would eventually go.
It was Nelly who suddenly hissed and pulled on a strand of my hair. It fluffed and raised in response, each strand unfurling like leaves to puff up in size. “I see him,” I agreed as I followed the direction in which she’d pointed with a pink vine. It was the next search party I’d been heading for, and it was composed of three males, like all the others so far. Tahirel was one of them, his pale hair making him stand out between the burly pair of Rhico males. He had fallen back a little, and it was satisfying to see the fear stamped on his face. He was not a male confident and filled with a sense of power; this male knew he'd dropped to the bottom of the food chain and had everything to fear. Good. That was right.
Circling the three of them, I contemplated the best angle of attack. There was a fissure in the ground not far from here, a chasm that had split the earth in two—wide enough that even the big Rhico would not be able to touch both sides. I could drive them to it, corner them, and then strike them down one by one. I'd have to move fast so the nearest reinforcements would not be able to help them in time. Honestly, I would not even care if the Rhico guards escaped; all I wanted was to end Tahirel.
“Hide, sweet one. You are my backup if needed. I'm counting on you,” I said to Nelly, urging her off my shoulder and into the crook of a pair of branches. She huffed and undulated her vines uneasily, but she went. The look in her eyes warned me that she wasn't going to be pleased if I managed to get myself shot again. “I’ll try, I swear.” Then I lowered myself quietly with my vines, my feet touching the damp, loamy earth and connecting me with all the raw power it contained. It was tempting to make another small quake do the work for me, but I did not think I had sufficiently recuperated from the last one.
I stalked them silently, my remaining throwing knife my only weapon, other than my body. I made that knife work, hurling it through the air with precision and striking the closest Rhico in his small, beady eye. He dropped like a brick, crashing loudly through the underbrush and landing on his back. His fellow Rhico whirled to face me, but with his nearsightedness, did not spot me in the bushes. My vines caught him around his thick neck before he could shout for help, twisting his neck with a snap.
That left Tahirel, and the male knew he was trapped. Frozen in place not far from where his two companions had fallen in mere seconds, his sharp eyes zeroed in on me with precision. Unlike Rhico eyes, an Elrohirian had fantastic sight—better than many. He saw me, and he knew that death was coming. Smirking widely, I rose from my hiding spot and began to stalk him. Let him see me coming; there was nothing he could do. Backing up step by step, he was soon going to run out of solid ground to stand on. Would he notice the ravine in time, or would he plummet to his death?
Baring my teeth in a feral grin, I enjoyed the rough swallow as he struggled to speak. “Please, can’t we talk about this? I can pay you. You’re a mercenary—name your price!” I did not answer as he pleaded, enjoying it a little too much to put him through the same fear that he’d put my mate through. Of course, I knew he wasn’t down and out. There was a pistol holstered at his hip, and if he had a chance, I knew he’d take it.
“She can’t possibly be that good of a lay,” the Elrohirian snarled when his words kept falling on deaf ears. He’d discovered the ravine not far behind him and was not moving back nearly as fast now. His sharp eyes did not leave my face, but I knew his peripheral vision was good enough that he’d spot any sign of backup if it was there anyway. “Name your price, bastard. I’ll pay if you get me out of here. I swear. I put away some good money.” Ah, the way his expression had turned sly, I knew he meant he’d stolen that money from the crimelord. I would have laughed at the stupidity of that plan if not for the fact that he’d insulted my mate right before that.
My vines shot forward, catching him by the throat and arms and restraining him so tightly that he was fighting for breath. “Say that again about my mate, I dare you,” I snarled. His eyes bulged, and despair filled them. With that one declaration, he knew there was no escaping my wrath. No male worth his salt would be bribed out of revenge when it came to his life’s partner. That went for any species that mated in the galaxy, and the Elrohirians were one of them.
Raising him high in the air by his neck, I swung my vines so that he dangled over the deep drop of the ravine. “You’re going to pay for what you did to her—every bruise, every filthy grab of your hands, every drop of fear. You. Will. Pay!” I released him, snapping my vines back as quickly as I’d used them to grab him.
As he began to fall, he flailed wildly with his arms. His reflexes were fast, and he managed to grab hold of roots at the edge of the drop. I approached, placing the toe of my boot on his fingers and grinding down. He’d screamed as he fell, was still screaming in fear, and it would call every reinforcement down on our location. I did not have long. Leaning forward, I looked right into his face as I raised my foot and stomped down on those fingers. I saw him raise the gun with his free hand and knocked it out of his grasp with a vine.
Laser fire went wide as the gun tumbled. Tahirel began to fall in earnest, then grasped my vine with his flailing hands. I jerked forward as his weight abruptly caught. Instinctively, I raised the dirt around my ankles, holding myself anchored. Snarling, I slammed the bastard into the rock wall as hard as I could. Of course, bastards like him refused to die, and he clung tenaciously. Then, something did strike me—laser fire from behind. It glanced along my temple, and the flaring Iredese were probably the only thing that saved me, toughening the skin just enough that the shot did not penetrate.
Blackness flickered across the edges of my vision, and I lost my hold on my powers. Weight jerked me forward, and I slipped across the ground, pulled by Tahirel’s body. There was only one option to save myself: eject the vine, surrender it back to nature—and Tahirel with it. I began to do that, forcing my body down so I could avoid a fatal fall by holding on with my hands and making myself a smaller target. That’s when I saw De’tor and a dozen more men stride out of the bushes toward me, rifles aimed, ready to rain down fire on me. If I stayed up here, I was a dead man just as surely as Tahirel was.
Changing tactics, I rolled myself off the edge, my vine loosening through willpower and the scrape of rock against my back. Tahirel began to fall again, but now so was I. My head ached, my temple burned, and my stomach was up in my throat as I plummeted into the ravine. It was hard to form the sails to catch air, but not nearly as hard as on the day of the shuttle crash. My sails worked like drag chutes, slowing me down, but the ravine was narrow. Below me, Tahirel hit the rocks with a sickening thud—a fate that would be mine if I did not slow down more.
My remaining vine grappled for purchase on the walls. I kicked the nearly depleted boosters to life inside my boots, and then I found a handhold. My whole body flipped against the rock, slamming hard against the unyielding surface. It felt like my arm got wrenched from its socket, but I did not let go. Wrapping the vine around my wrist, then the handhold, I anchored myself in place. It was just enough breathing room, though painful, to get my bearings.
Tilting my head up made the world sway and dance. Black spots dotted my vision, but I could still see up to the edge of the rock wall. Above my head, De’tor’s purple-lined face glowed like a macabre demon. He saw me far down the wall and ordered his men to line up and fire. I could hear those words loud as a bell, but my body felt too sluggish to respond. My thoughts were slowing down, spinning; my head ached, and my vision grew blurry.
I had just enough presence of mind remaining to fold my sails around my body before the barrage of laser fire rained down on me.