Heretic Read online

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Epilogue

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  Chapter One

  “This is a really bad idea,” Lily Fontenot whispered urgently as she crept through the trees surrounding the massive field now serving as a shuttle lot. It was late afternoon and darkness fell fast in these strange mountains. Everything on this distant planet looked similar to Earth. But the operative word was similar. The shape and size of the trees were Earthlike, yet the leaves and grasses were more blue than green. The sky, on the other hand, was a vivid teal. And large bodies of water, at least the ones Lily had seen so far, were a strange emerald green.

  Thea Cline glanced back at Lily with an unrepentant smile. “Do you have somewhere else to be?”

  It was a valid question. Boredom had been a serious challenge in the four weeks since leaving Earth. Since leaving Earth? The phrase tightened the knot of tension already twisting Lily’s gut. That made it sound as if they’d had a choice. The truth was much more infuriating. Lily, along with over three thousand other human females, had been kidnapped by a band of alien mercenaries called Outcasts.

  Most of the Outcasts were Rodyte or Rodyte/Bilarrian hybrids. Both species were nearly indistinguishable from humans. They were bigger than most human males and the incandescent rings in their eyes were odd, but their body shape and the arrangement of their features were so familiar that it was possible to forget they were aliens.

  The purpose for the mass kidnapping was simple, and as primal as a predator’s need to hunt. The Outcasts had come to this primitive planet in a barely explored sector of space to establish a settlement free from government corruption and pointless social conflicts. They wanted to live by their own rules and create a secure environment for themselves and eventually their sons and daughters. But progeny required the one thing an uninhabited planet couldn’t provide—genetically compatible females.

  That was where the captives came in. Each female the Outcasts kidnapped was genetically compatible with one or more of the Outcasts. To Lily’s knowledge, she was the only exception. The Outcasts wanted her because she was a well-respected geneticist, and cross-species reproduction was tricky to say the least.

  “What about that one?” Thea motioned toward a small shuttle near the perimeter of the field. “The hatch is open. We can walk right in.”

  “There could be people on that shuttle for all we know. There’s probably a reason they didn’t secure the ship.” Lily sank deeper into the shadow of the trees, while Thea crept closer to the clearing. Thea was bold to the point of recklessness, while Lily had a tendency to overthink everything. The contrast in their personalities was one of the reasons they enjoyed each other’s company. Lily was the voice of reason for hotheaded Thea, while Thea frequently urged Lily beyond the boring sameness of her comfort zone. This spontaneous quest for weapons certainly qualified. Lily had no idea what Thea intended to do with a blaster even if they managed to find one. All of Lily’s logical objections hadn’t deterred Thea in the least, so Lily reluctantly gave in and joined the hunt.

  “There’s only one way to find out.” Thea tossed the challenge over her shoulder as she stepped out into the hazy sunlight.

  Lily hurried after her friend, frantically looking around as she went. The first week after their arrival, they’d been confined to the ships on which they’d arrived. They’d been allowed to visit lounges, dining rooms and gymnasiums during the second and third weeks. They’d also been taken outside in shifts to a well-guarded area the captives named “the yard”. By the fourth week, numerous failed escape attempts and endless hours of redundant conversations helped the captives realize they had nowhere to run. Now well-behaved females were allowed outside without an escort as long as their explorations didn’t take them too far from the multi-ship complex and they checked in with security as they departed and returned. Thea seldom qualified as well-behaved, but Lily talked the guard into giving them a chance. She hoped he wouldn’t be punished for his decision to let them go.

  Twenty-three shuttles were scattered across the clearing with no rhyme nor reason. Lily pictured them in straight, evenly spaced rows, perhaps arranged by size or the duration of their stay on the surface. Her basic nature required order and strict control, which was one of the reasons her captivity had been so challenging. This was a good example of the overarching philosophy guiding the Outcasts. Overlord Kage Razel told his followers where to land, but left the specifics up to each individual. The fewer rules required of the Outcasts, the better they liked it. And the longer the overlord would remain in power.

  Thea reached their target without incident and hurried up the steps leading to the shuttle’s interior. “It’s clear,” she called a moment later and Lily quickly joined her inside.

  Pausing to look around, Lily was surprised by her lack of reaction to the advanced technology. Three months ago this would have filled her with wonder and curiosity. Now she’d seen it all before. A Rodyte general named Garin Nox flew out from behind the moon and proved to Earth that aliens were real. Lily had been working aboard an enormous Rodyte ship when the Outcasts kidnapped her, so this two-man shuttle was far from impressive.

  The pilot hadn’t just left the hatch open. He’d left the ship in standby mode. The holo-matrix, a three-dimensional grid used to control everything from simple beverage kiosks to the most sophisticated ship in the Rodyte fleet, hovered in front of the pilot’s seat, waiting for the next gestural command.

  “Let’s try to fly it.” Thea’s utter lack of expression made it impossible to determine if she were serious or not. “How hard could it be?”

  “Harder than you could imagine.” Lily dismissed the silliness with an impatient wave of her hand. “He left the ship active. He clearly doesn’t expect to be here long.”

  Thea made a face. “Spoil sport.” But she opened the nearest compartment and began her search.

  Lily did the same while her analytical mind considered Thea’s suggestion. “Even if we could fly the ship, where would we go? We’re not even sure where we are.” Escape was pointless, and dangerous. If they escaped into the surrounding wilderness, they would likely starve to death. If they didn’t die of exposure first. They had nowhere to run and no one to help them. None of the Outcasts had any interest in returning to Earth. The women were stuck on a primitive planet with a bunch of mercenaries determined to “bond” with them.

  Just the thought of mating with a Rodyte sent a shiver down Lily’s spine. Even though they possessed incredibly advanced technology, the Outcasts were savage and aggressive, used to taking whatever they wanted without regret or mercy. She might not be able to produce offspring with any of the Outcasts, but she was still a young, healthy female. Something could happen to one of the genetically compatible females, or one of the males might not be accepted by his potential mate. Genetic compatibility didn’t ensure that a couple’s personalities would mesh, and some women were compatible with multiple males while some males only had one compatible female. No matter who the female chose, she was damning the other males to life without a soul-bonded mate. Such disparities had caused all sorts of complications back on Earth. It was just a matter of time before such a male shifted his focus to Lily.

  She spent a lot of time thinking about the possibilities that might lead to one of the males claiming her. It was almost as if she didn’t want to be left out of the coming chaos. But that was ridiculous. She
was an independent female, entirely responsible for her own happiness. The idea of finding a permanent mate hadn’t even entered her thinking. A twinge of guilt accompanied the assertion. She didn’t like to lie to herself, but the truth was still too painful. It was simply that the other captives talked about nothing but their potential mates. They complained and whined about their captivity, but they also talked about the males. This one was so sweet, they were all so big and strong, and that one had such pretty eyes. The females wondered who they would match and what would happen once the men found out which female was capable of giving them offspring.

  Since their arrival on this planet, the males had focused on creating the actual settlement. They’d cleared large sections of land for shuttle lots, training fields, and the multi-ship complex that now housed five of the six thousand occupants. The overlord had also forbidden his men from being alone with any of the females. The females were required to travel in small groups whenever they left the security of their cabins. Until Overlord Razel deemed the compound safe, the physical pleasure of his men would have to wait.

  “Can I help you with something, ladies?”

  The deep, indolent voice made Lily whip her head toward the speaker. He lounged in the hatchway, arms crossed over his chest. Long dark hair framed his handsome face and flowed in wide waves past his shoulders. He wasn’t as tall as many of the Rodytes and his body appeared lean rather than bulkily muscular. He wore brown pants that looked as if they’d been braided out of leather strips and a snug green shirt rather than the khaki uniforms favored by most of the Outcasts. He also had a neatly trimmed beard, which was unusual for a Rodyte. A cluster of braids at his temple had been decorated with metal beads. Lily had seen him before, but she didn’t know his name.

  “We were just...” Unable to manufacture a believable lie, Lily just shrugged helplessly.

  Thea moved forward, her steps calculative. She tossed back her long blonde hair as a wily gleam brightened her dark eyes. “Are you Rex Dravon?”

  “Who wants to know?” His tone turned silky and he moved toward Thea, his stride lazy and rolling.

  “I’m Wilma. She’s Betty.”

  Though Thea’s tone had been conversational, the male laughed. “Does that make me Fred or Barney?”

  Thea shot her a surprised glance before admitting, “I didn’t expect you to understand the reference.”

  “I’m aware.”

  Completely derailed by his reaction, Thea struggled to recover control of the situation. “You didn’t answer my question.”

  “Neither did you,” he pointed out. “At least, not honestly. Shall we start over? I’m Rex Dravon. And you are?”

  “Thea Cline. You are just as attractive as I’d heard.” Her flirtatiousness gradually returned. Lily had seen the strategy at work before. Thea flattered and teased, subtly extracting information with carefully veiled questions. “I know you work with the Outcasts, but do you consider yourself one of them?”

  “Ahh.” He glanced at Lily, clearly seeing right through the attempt. “You’re looking for a ride off this rock.”

  Thea didn’t deny it. “Wouldn’t you?”

  “Probably.” He sauntered forward, closing the distance between him and Thea. It didn’t take much. The shuttle was tiny. He rested one palm against the fuselage and leaned down slightly, mimicking her slightly seductive tone. “Problem is, even if I don’t consider myself an Outcast, they’re my only customer at the moment. If I piss off the overlord, I shut down a very lucrative revenue stream.”

  “Some things are more important than money.” Thea met his gaze directly, chin raised stubbornly. “Take us to safety and we’ll pay you whatever you ask.”

  His dark gaze swept down her body, then back to her face. “Tempting, but I can buy all the pleasure givers I want with what Kage pays me.”

  “That’s not what I meant,” she stressed. “Name your price and we’ll meet it. ‘Kage’ doesn’t need to know how we escaped.”

  “He’d know. Overlord Razel has a pet harbinger who keeps him informed about anything that affects the Outcasts.”

  Just the mention of the harbinger made Lily tense. Arton the Heretic, the overlord’s “pet harbinger” was a thorn in Lily’s side. Reported to have powerful psychic abilities, Arton only spoke when he had something important to say. Except when he was around Lily. He harassed her on a daily basis, attempting to convince her to unlock the datapad they’d stolen from her supervisor, or provide them with the chemical formula needed to stabilize the genetic transformation each couple would need to undergo. Without the formula, the Outcasts’ breeding program was dead in the water.

  Most of the Outcasts had been born with latent magic, but Rodyte scientists found a way to unleash that power during the mating process. When a Rodyte male claimed his mate, it triggered a mutual metamorphosis that increased the chances of conception. By using this natural transformation as a delivery mechanism, the scientists were able to insert genetic modifications without either body rejecting the changes.

  Lily had been working with the Rodyte doctor who supervised the transformation project back on Earth and the Outcasts desperately needed her expertise if they were to launch a transformation program of their own. She wasn’t sure why the overlord had chosen Arton as her tormentor, but he seemed to enjoy the assignment. Fortunately, for Lily, her stubborn nature had kept him from succeeding. So far.

  “You have no problem with their kidnapping us and dragging us to this godforsaken wilderness?”

  If Thea was trying to shame Rex Dravon into helping them, Lily was pretty sure she was wasting her time. Lily was well acquainted with his reputation. She just hadn’t known what he looked like until now. According to all the gossip, he was a ruthless smuggler who only cared about money. He’d admitted as much a few minutes ago.

  He lifted one broad shoulder in a halfhearted shrug. He was a handsome devil as Thea had said. Way too many of the Outcasts were. “I see both sides of most arguments. You don’t like losing control and they just want to survive.”

  “And you’re just trying to make a buck?” Thea made the possibility sound cowardly.

  Rex laughed. “I’m a businessman. There’s nothing shameful in focusing on prosperity.”

  “There is if people are being harmed in the process!”

  “You look pretty hale and hearty to me.” Something dangerous gleamed in his gaze as the smile faded from his lips. Like most Rodytes, his eyes were so dark they appeared black, and the gold rings, known as phitons, gleamed hypnotically. “I’ve seen abused prisoners, sweetheart. Neither of you qualify.”

  “So the trap worked.”

  The amusement in Arton’s now familiar voice snapped Lily’s head back toward the hatchway. The harbinger stood there, much as Rex had earlier. Arton was taller than Rex and more muscular. With Arton, it was his coloring that set him apart from other Rodytes. His hair was a unique combination of silver and black.

  His strange gray-blue gaze settled on Lily. “I would have been surprised if Thea hadn’t taken the bait, but I expected better from you.”

  “Bait for what?” Thea asked before Lily could respond. “What was the purpose for your ‘trap’?”

  “It had been ten days since the last escape attempt. We were considering rolling back some of the restrictions. Obviously, that won’t happen now.”

  “We weren’t trying to escape,” Lily insisted, not wanting the others to suffer for her misbehavior.

  His brows arched and his phitons gleamed like polished silver. “Really? Then what are you doing on this shuttle?”

  “Looking for weapons.” She glared into his eyes. There was something about this male that made her feisty. “We’re stuck on this planet whether we like it or not. We didn’t want to be defenseless.”

  Without changing his expression he reached down and unclasped the blaster strapped to his thigh. After checking a setting on the weapon’s side, he handed it to her. It felt cold and heavy in her hand, so she immedi
ately lowered it to point at the floor. She’d never learned how to shoot a gun and had no interest in learning now.

  “Do you feel safer now?” he challenged.

  His sarcasm annoyed her, made her want to lash out. “You’re right, I’m unlikely to shoot you, but we both know she won’t hesitate.” She handed the blaster to Thea, who immediately aimed it at his face.

  “This is not happening on my shuttle.” Rex quickly took the gun from Thea and handed it back to the harbinger. Then he looked at Thea again, humor making his dark eyes shine. “You blast his brains all over the walls, baby doll, and I’m the one who has to clean it up.”

  Baby doll? Thea ignored the nickname. In fact she looked as if she intended to pretend the smuggler had ceased to exist.

  “Thanks for your help, Rex,” Arton said as he reached for Lily’s arm. “Someone will be along to collect her in a few minutes.” He nodded toward Thea as he drew Lily toward the hatch.

  “No thank you.” Lily twisted out of his light hold. “Thea is one of my roommates. The guards can escort us both. Females are not supposed to be alone with any of you.”

  “She has a point.” Rex was clearly enjoying the conflict.

  Without responding to the provocation, Arton focused entirely on Lily. “Thea is going to detention. You’re coming with me.” He offered no other information.

  Lily dug in her heels, feeling restless and oddly achy. “If this is a punishable offence, I should go to detention too.”

  “Maybe later.” His long fingers wrapped around her upper arm with steely efficiency. He wasn’t hurting her, but all the tugging in the world wouldn’t set her free.

  They descended the stairs and emerged in the sunlit meadow. Left with no other choice, Lily rushed along beside him, struggling to keep up with his long-legged strides. The shuttles blurred and her shoes skid across the thick turquois grass as she focused on her tormentor. He wore blue jeans and a black T-shirt with a brewery’s logo on the front. Earth garments would have been welcomed by the captives, but they’d been forced to wear the same ugly khaki uniforms as most of the Outcasts. Apparently, the overlord’s pet harbinger wasn’t subject to any of the rules.