Page 40

Jaz

Thinner was a relative term when it came to asteroid belts.

The tumbling rocks came at us fast, and I was pretty sure Rhodes’s talons had emerged from his fingertips to embed in the arms of the navigator’s seat.

I didn’t have time to verify it. I was flying mostly by instinct, with a healthy dose of my fledgling precog ability.

As well as something else. Being so close to Zyair as he’d flown had altered something substantial within me. My reflexes were sharper, my reactions faster. And I was doing things that I’d never done with a spaceship before.

All of which was fortunate, because, with weakened shields, the Stardrifter couldn’t take a direct hit. But this time, we were flying to get in and out. Not using them for cover.

The two green dots followed as far as the atmosphere and then veered off.

“We had better come out of this at high speed and be ready to defend ourselves,” Rhodes said. “Because they are suspicious enough to have someone waiting to investigate. ”

Xandros disengaged his talons from the floor. “I have got the starboard gun,” he said as he disappeared into the hall. With the way I was ducking and diving the ship, he had to brace himself against the walls, and I heard him curse in Drakonian after a particularly hard “thunk”.

As Rhodes released his own harness, the navcube lit up the space beyond the belt with green dots of various sizes, including one that was huge and moving away—the battleship.

I stared at it. Zyair was on it, and a part of me reached—searching for what had to be there. For just an instant, I thought I felt him… then, he was gone.

“It’s moving out of system,” I said.

Rhodes heard something in my voice. “We cannot get to him, little Draka. Not so long as he is on that ship.”

“Are you sure?”

“We will never get near him,” Rhodes affirmed. “We are better fighters than the Nirzks, but there are only two of us. We must devise another plan.” He eyed me.

“Go,” I said. “I’ve got this.” When he continued to stare, I added, “I’ll stay away from the battlecruiser.”

“That would be best,” he rumbled, before he rose and followed his brother, heading for the port-side gun with slightly better balance.

Until I swerved wildly around an oncoming hunk of rock.

“Sorry!” I yelled as he clutched the doorframe.

“Just keep flying,” he growled as he vanished.

I kept flying. The navcube showed me the outer edge of the belt, and I chose the best path through.

I spotted movement closer in to us. To my dismay, three more small green dots were headed our way.

“We’ve got three incoming,” I shouted into the comm.

Xandros was already in place. “Roger,” he acknowledged.

The guy was almost human .

“What was that?” Rhodes asked a second later.

I repeated it, and he cursed—I think—before saying, “I have the course entered for the nebula. Head for it. They cannot track us once we are in there.”

I swallowed, swerved past another looming asteroid, and punched the throttle to full as the Stardrifter shot out into unrocky space.

The three Nirzk fighters were spread out, clearly hoping to nail us with an EMF containment net. Inspired by Zyair, I stood on the foot pedals and flipped the ship before they could get a lock, spinning it over one of them, then driving hard away.

They came after us.

I accelerated and called up the course for the nebula—it was not far. If Rhodes and Xandros could not nail those Nirzks, we would have to rely on the nebula wiping out their trackers to escape.

“Have you got the shields ready to go?” I asked Yani over the comm.

“As good as they’ll be,” she said. “I will not throw the switch until we’re in, because it will not last long.”

Hopefully it would last long enough. We had to lose the pursuit, and then drive hard for Givnia. And we needed a plan for once we got there.

Which we did not have yet.

One thing at a time. Stardrifter rocked when a blast narrowly missed her. With the state of her shields, a direct hit could be catastrophic.

And this lot didn’t seem interested in taking prisoners.

She shook, but this time it was Xandros and Rhodes firing back. I concentrated on keeping the ship on an unpredictable course, and winced at the number of phaser bolts that shot past us.

Then there was an explosion from our port side.

“Good shot, bro,” Xandros called.

“One coming your way,” Rhodes stated .

The ship shuddered, and Xandros cheered.

“These imbeciles are typical Nirzks. More determined than skilled,” Rhodes growled.

I glanced at the navcube, which had finally decided that the pursuers were less than friendly. The one closest was now a red dot, while three more yellow ones closed in on us.

“Three more coming in,” I told them, and gave the coordinates.

“Get us to that nebula,” Rhodes snapped.

“Just thought I’d go shopping,” I muttered.

I didn’t realize I’d spoken aloud until Xandros snorted a laugh. Right before he started firing at our other pursuer.

But the nebula was just ahead, now. I pushed hard on the throttles as I barrelrolled the Stardrifter. Phaser bolts lit up the space around us.

“Shaftz, Xandros, what are you waiting for?” Rhodes complained.

Another explosion off our starboard side.

“What is it the humans say?” Xandros stated. “Bullseye!”

“Or nailed it. Knocked it out of the park. Crushed it. Smashed it,” I offered, keeping one eye on the approaching yellow dots.

“What park?” Rhodes asked.

“It’s just a phrase,” I said as the Stardrifter entered the nebula.

The gases and debris swirled around the ship, lit with spectacular color by the nearby sun. The navcube immediately went to static mode as it lost signal from the sensors. “Bring the shield online,” I told Yani.

“Got it,” she said.

“Did you nail it out of the park?” Xandros asked.

“You either nailed it, or knocked it out of the park,” Rhodes corrected. He clearly had been paying attention. He’d also left the gun port, as he was now slipping into the navigation seat.

“Hey. You left me all alone out here,” protested Xandros.

“We need to navigate this nebula,” Rhodes said. “Stay there in case those others get close. ”

I heard muttering in Drakonian, but couldn’t understand all of what the big Drake was saying. Something about wanting someone all to himself, I thought.

Rhodes must have caught some of it because his brows dropped, and he said, “Focus, Xandros.”

“I am shaftzing focused,” Xandros snarled.

“On the Nirzks ,” Rhodes countered.

More muttering. Rhodes glanced to me. “My apology. His level of commitment to the cause is admirable.”

“What cause?” I asked.

“You.” Before I could absorb that, he added, “See that blue cloud? We—we are flying straight in. It is our best chance for getting lost.”

“Are we getting lost?” I asked.

His lips twitched. “We are getting lost.”

I took the Stardrifter into the blue cloud. All of our instruments immediately went offline. I was only flying by sight now.

“I will direct you through.” Rhodes’s voice was reassuringly calm as he kept one eye on the navcube’s static display. “Aim for that planetoid, full throttle.”

I aimed, and pushed the throttle forward. Stardrifter plunged through the brightly colored wisps of cosmic dust. The planetoid loomed large…

“Right,” Rhodes directed. “Straight through that hole that is forming. See it?”

Landmarks in a nebula were an ever-changing challenge, but Rhodes somehow managed to guide us. An alarm sounded, and Yani’s voice came over the comm.

“That actuator is burning up,” she said. “I recommend we get out of here.”

“Almost there,” Rhodes stated calmly.

I peered ahead to the swirling gases. “How can you tell?”

“Drakes have an unerring sense of direction. We never get lost.”

A snort sounded behind us, and I glanced to where Xandros now stood in the doorway. I hadn’t even heard him approach. “Well, almost never.”

“Not my fault the navigation software malfunctioned,” Rhodes growled.

“You are the one who said ‘never’,” Xandros pointed out.

Rhodes ignored him as a planet appeared through the haze. “That is our way out,” he said. “I am ready to lock in the course to Givnia.”

I pointed Stardrifter for the planet as the gases dwindled to nothing around us and we broke through to clear space.

Rhode’s long-fingered hands flew over the controls. He hit a button, and the autopilot took over.

The navcube came alive, and I watched nervously for the yellow dots. There were many green ones, although none seemed particularly interested in us. The identifications rolled across the screen in front of Rhodes.

“Freighters and smaller transports heading for Givnia,” he said. “Cutting through the nebula put us a couple of hours ahead of the battlecruiser.” He tapped at the screen. “ETA to Givnia is five hours at current speed.”

“We still need a plan,” Xandros stated from where he leaned against the wall.

Yani appeared behind him. “Having that before we headed for Givnia might have been an idea.”

“Heading for Givnia makes sense for a number of reasons.” Rhodes adjusted the navcube so that it panned back, showing Nipslep well beyond Givnia. “As the slipstream drive we came through has us on their ‘to be detained’ list, our only chance to exit this system is the one at Nipslep.”

“So once we get Zyair free, that is where we can get out of the system,” I said.

Silence greeted my comment. I looked over—Yani was adjusting her hat. Rhodes and Xandros were locked in some weird silent contest of wills, their eyes glowing as they matched gazes like some would swords.

“You are going to drop us at Givnia,” Rhodes stated. “You will then head for the slipstream portal at Nipslep.”

“What?” I looked from him, to Xandros. The big Drake’s eyes were chaotic, and he refused to look at me.

“Zyair told me to get her safe,” Rhodes added, still looking at Xandros. I had the feeling they were continuing a conversation, rather than starting one.

His brother sighed. “Agreed.”

“No,” I interjected. “I am coming with you.”

Now Rhodes looked at me. “You cannot. The Nirzks are formidable opponents. We got Zyair out once, but?—”

“We were fortunate before,” Xandros said. “Now—now they will be watching for us.”

My mouth opened, and closed. Then I lifted my chin. “You are my true mates . And mates stick together.”

Xandros finally looked at me. “You are a part of me,” he breathed. “We have only bonded once. If you leave now, you—you will be able to live a good life, away from peril.”

I couldn’t believe he suggested that I just walk away, especially as he’d been so afraid I would do so. Now, even the thought of it twisted me up so badly I couldn’t breathe. No way I was leaving them!

Rhodes watched me with eyes that glimmered garnet. This was his doing. I was sure of it. So, I released the harness and rose to face Xandros.

He reached out to slide big fingers along my jaw. “It has to be this way, my little drifter. We are not likely to survive. Yet we cannot leave Zyair to that bituk .”

Tears pricked my eyes at the thought that they might die. I glanced at Yani. Her own chin was up, her eyes flashing orange fire. And it strengthened my resolve.

I looked to Xandros. “You have something you didn’t have last time.”

His eyes glowed softly. “What are you speaking of?”

“You have me.”

When it came to planning for chaos, Zyair might be king, but Rhodes had a ruthless efficiency that left me breathless. I leaned back in the pilot’s seat as I contemplated the insanity of what he proposed.

Yani spoke from where she had a substantial hip hitched against the dash. “What if he’s already dead?”

We all stiffened.

No. He couldn’t be dead. Each word pierced straight through my heart. But I saw from the expressions on Xandros’s and Rhodes’s faces that they believed it was more than possible.

“I bonded with him. Wouldn’t I know if he were—” I couldn’t even say it.

“Maybe if the bonding was complete…” hedged Rhodes.

Complete. He meant if I was also bonded with him . Then I’d be connected to all three brothers…

“Xandros said that I could link you.”

Rhodes’s mouth straightened. “Our elder brothers’ mate can do that.” Then he added, almost reluctantly, “Zyair received your warning.”

“He did?” I experienced a pulse of satisfaction.

“It was weak,” Rhodes conceded. “At that time, you had only bonded with two of us.”

“There is no guarantee that she can do what Amelia can, even if she bonded with all of us.” Xandros had Sookie cradled in one huge arm, his fingers busy in her fur. As a result, the hedgegopher was the only contented one on the bridge.

“There is only one way to find out.” I looked at Rhodes .

His dark eyes widened.

“No,” Xandros said.

“Why not?” I demanded.

“If you bond with all three of us, you are locked in. Forever.”

“I liked locking.” I waggled my brows. “Locking was fun.”

Yani choked, Xandros snorted a laugh, and Rhodes stared at me as if I’d lost my fucking mind.

Maybe I had.

“Doing that, when one or all of us could die, will give you a lifetime of pain,” he said. “If you survive it at all.”

I looked from him, to Xandros, and then back again. “It’s my choice.”

“I have some say in this,” Rhodes ground out through gritted teeth.

“If we finish the bond, we should then be linked,” I said. “I can use my precog ability to avoid trouble when we go in to get Zyair.”

“If he’s still with us,” Yani reminded me.

“We’ll know that, too.” My gaze hadn’t left Rhodes’s.

Something flashed deep in Rhodes’s eyes, as he growled very low. It sent reverberations right through me. He was by far the most terrifying of the three Drakes. He wore his lethality like a second skin and he’d rarely showed me anything other than indifference.

But I believed that this was the only way. Therefore, I matched my stare to his own. “If you truly want to save Zyair, this is the way to do it.”

His eyes glowed a deep garnet color as his lips curled into a snarl. Finally, something inside him gave.

“I was wrong about you,” he said. “You are not so much bossy, as stubborn.”

“I’m also right,” I pushed.

“Agreed,” he conceded. “You are.” He turned to Xandros. “Keep watch.”

Xandros took my spot in the pilot’s seat.

“If you see anything, communicate,” Rhodes told him .

“I am capable,” Xandros objected. “My piloting skills are exemplary.”

Rhodes snorted. “You forget the comet incident.”

The big Drake frowned. “That, we survived!”

“The ship, however, did not.”

“They fixed it.” Xandros grinned at me. “To some degree.”

Rhodes shook his head before he turned and left the bridge.