Marauder Read online

  She thought for a moment, gaze narrowed, lips pursed. Suddenly, her eyes widened and her lips parted. “Oh my God, you joined the military.”

  No longer surprised by her sharp insights, he smiled. “Not just the military, the Rodyte Planetary Defense Force, the very organization that had given birth to the war bride program.”

  “That’s horrible,” she cried. “Your poor mother.”

  He grabbed her butt and held her still against him. Her inadvertent wiggling was awakening his need for her and he wanted to get through this information so they could focus on pleasure again. “Fate has a way of getting even whenever we do something really cruel. I hated everything about the military. I hadn’t escaped her attempts to control me. I’d traded one wannabe master for a much crueler one. I put up with the environment for almost a year, but our team was ordered to slaughter an entire village, including women and children, so I deserted and never looked back. There is still a bounty on my head in Rodymia-controlled space.”

  “How can Rodytes possibly justify the slaughter of innocent civilians?”

  “The villagers were hiding the rebels, prolonging the conflict. The RPDF wanted to end it quickly, so they made an example of the village, left the rebels no place to hide. According to the RPDF it prevented other villages from doing the same.”

  She shook her head, clearly not buying the excuse. “I would have deserted too.”

  Pleased by her conclusion, he rewarded her with a brief kiss. “It didn’t take me long to realize I had a very limited skill set. I was only qualified for three things, patrol, defend and attack.”

  “So you turned mercenary.”

  He nodded. “I didn’t like that much better than the government-sponsored military, but at least I was free to pick and choose which battles I was willing to fight.”

  “Then you met Hernoa, and her loss inspired you to turn smuggler. How long have you done that?”

  She urged him past the tragedy and he was happy to follow. “Almost fifteen years. Smuggling is a much better fit than being a mercenary.”

  “Did your mother every remarry? Do you have half-siblings?”

  “No to both questions. She had several offers to bond, but she wasn’t interested. That was part of the reason I regretted being so difficult, once I pulled my head out of my ass.”

  The phrase made her chuckle. “I’ve met a lot of people who share the malady, but they seem content to stay that way.”

  He shut the door firmly on the past and drew her more snugly against him. “So we’re both more or less alone. No one else is directly affected by the decisions we make. We just need to figure out what makes the most sense for us. No one else matters.”

  She inhaled deeply, then slowly exhaled. “I’m more tempted than I thought possible, but it might take me some time to make the final decision. Are you willing to wait while I sort through it?”

  “Of course,” he stressed. “Take all the time you need, just don’t shut me out. Let me be part of the process.”

  After the briefest pause, she whispered, “Deal.”

  REX SPENT THE NEXT ten days actively courting Thea. There was no denying that was what he was doing. And, much to Thea’s amusement, both Lanae and Goftar were his willing accomplices. Thea expected the behavior from Lanae. She clearly loved Rex like her own son, but Goftar had seemed more standoffish, more sensible than to let himself get dragged into Rex’s schemes.

  When Thea woke up on the first morning, she quickly realized Rex had been up for some time, likely hours. He presented her with a lovely skirt-and-top combination that fit her remarkably well. The blouse was pale gold and buttoned up the front while the skirt had a swirling pattern and featured all the colors of autumn. Rather than expecting her to wear the ugly slip-on shoes she’d been issued aboard the Viper, he’d purchased, or bartered for, a pair of dark brown boots. They hugged her calves, rising to just below her knees. But the best surprise was the smallest. Tucked down inside one of the boots she found panties and a support garment that looked similar to a sports bra. Her breasts were small enough that it wasn’t painful to go braless, but she got tired of the constant motion and all the ogling.

  “Where’d you get these clothes?” she asked as she emerged from the tiny bathroom.

  “The market. Where else?”

  “And it was your idea to give me underwear?” She accented the question with an arched brow.

  He laughed. “I might have had some input from Lanae on that subject.”

  “Why buy the outfit at all? I thought we were heading back to the Marauder.”

  “I realized there are several things I can do while we wait for Dr. Foronti.” A certain gleam in his eyes made him not quite believable.

  “Then we’re not going back to the ship?”

  “Not yet.” His smile had been filled with sensual promise, warning her that their stay on the planet had more to do with him convincing her to accept his claim than running errands.

  They ate many of their meals with Lanae and Goftar, and later in the week Proktar. Spending time with the Linusians was fun and interesting, but it always made Thea eager for more time alone with Rex. He arranged for a candlelight dinner, a sun-drenched picnic, and even an open-air dinner by moonlight on the edge of a lake. Rex pulled out all the stops and Thea loved every minute of it. She’d never been the focus of so much attention. It made her feel special, important.

  And then there were the nights—and a few afternoons. They “shared pleasure” in every way possible. Some exchanges were slow and tender, lasting for hours as they explored each other’s bodies and minds. Some were fast and frantic, burning, consuming, but over quickly. She loved sleeping in his arms, or pressed up against his back. She enjoyed having him near and being able to sense him when they were apart. Being with Rex was intensely intimate. She’d never thought of the two words together before, but the phrase perfectly fit the way she felt when they were together.

  With a little coaxing from Rex, she began sending her thoughts directly to his mind. The strangeness of feeling his emotions as well as hers gradually faded, allowing him to intensify the sharing. It took their lovemaking to an entirely new level, creating a closeness no human couple would ever understand.

  They finally departed for the Marauder with the genetically customized seedlings on day eleven of their unplanned adventure, and reached the Outcast planet on day fourteen.

  Two weeks. It had only been two weeks, and yet Thea felt like an entirely different person. The rage that had driven her for so many months had finally burned itself out. Part of her heart still ached for the family she’d lost. Part of her always would. But her feelings for Rex grew stronger and more complex every day. She’d desired him from the start. He was the most sensual and compelling person she’d ever encountered. Now she could honestly say that she liked him, wanted to spend time with him, to share new experiences and conquer new challenges.

  Rather than shuttling to the surface, Rex carefully set the Marauder down in the vast open field that had been cleared for that purpose. The seedlings were fragile and landing meant they would only have to be transferred once. The lot could only accommodate one or two ships at a time, but the ability to land ships was also important for serious repairs and in-depth maintenance.

  Kage was waiting for them when they reached the Wheel. He was wearing a typical uniform rather than his barbarian costume, but he had his arms crossed over his chest and his fierce stare made him even more intimidating than his outlandish outfit.

  “Took you long enough,” Kage muttered, then turned and walked away, obviously expecting them to follow.

  Thea looked at Rex with a questioning expression. He just shrugged and fell into step behind the overlord.

  The large common area on the ground level of Viper was bustling with activity as usual. Females sat around tables playing holographic games or chatting while they sipped civata brew, the Rodyte equivalent of herbal tea. The space had been created by dismantling the partition
s between several cargo bays. Many of the females had found tasks, ways of filling their time. But some had worked hard their entire lives so they were reveling in the opportunity to experience a life of leisure.

  Until their mate claims them and they started churning out little hybrid babies. Thea frowned at her unkind thought. Neither Rex nor she had brought up the subject of children yet. That was the point of finding a compatible mate, so she knew it was only a matter of time. She’d loved being a wife and mother, found it surprisingly rewarding. Of course, that was why losing it all had been so devastating. Could she really risk that sort of pain all over again?

  Kage didn’t speak again until they reached the war room. The office/planning area was on deck five, adjacent to the command center. “Have a seat.” The overlord’s voice was always deep, but he sounded impatient, almost angry. They’d just arrived and they’d brought him what he’d wanted, which was no easy feat. He had no reason to be annoyed.

  With obvious reluctance, Rex sat on one of the elevated chairs across the conference table from where Kage stood. Thea climbed onto the chair beside Rex. Her heart was thudding away inside her chest, but she wasn’t sure if anger or fear had raised her pulse. What Rex had accomplished hadn’t been easy. The overlord should be grateful not irritated.

  Rather than addressing Rex, as Thea expected, the overlord looked at her. His eyes were solid black with no definition between the pupils and irises and very little white. She’d asked Rex if Kage was Rodyte, but Rex hadn’t known or seemed to care about the species of his employer. In fact, no one seemed to know much about the overlord. So why did the Outcasts follow him and treat him with such deference? It was all very strange.

  “I know Commander Dravon will attempt to evade my questions with glib responses and half-truths, so I won’t waste my time.” Kage rested his hands on the tabletop, his expression cold. “Where did Rex get the seedlings and how did he create the dimensional portal or wormhole or whatever the hell his ship flew into?”

  “You had me followed?” Rex snapped.

  “What do you expect?” Kage’s voice cracked like a whip and for just a second his eyes morphed from black to emerald green. “You come and go without explanation and refuse to reveal the names of any of your vendors. I’ve asked you pointblank how you accomplish all that you do and you laughed and said you’re just damn good.”

  “Why does it matter? I supply exactly what you request regardless of how unusual. And I don’t badger you with questions about the intended purpose of each item. It’s not part of my job, so it’s none of my business.”

  “I’m your employer.” Kage’s voice quieted, but his expression was still openly hostile. “That makes it my business.”

  “I disagree.” Rex pushed his chair back and stood. Thea tensed. Was this going to turn physical? “Are you dissatisfied with my performance?”

  “That’s not the issue!” Kage leaned forward, expression thunderous. “Dealing with unscrupulous merchants can be dangerous and—”

  “The only criminal element in my operation right now is you!” Rex held out his hand toward Thea, but his gaze was still fixed on the overlord. “I won’t work with someone who doesn’t trust me.” He looked at her and softened his tone as he added, “Let’s go.”

  “Wait.” Kage straightened and scrubbed the lower half of his face with his hand. “It’s not a matter of trust, Rex. I trust you with elements of my plans that no one else knows. I don’t do well with unsolved mysteries and there are a few too many of them in my life right now. Unanswered questions nag at my mind. They twist and claw until I go insane. Xorran said your ship flew—”

  “Xorran? You sent a tracker after me?” Rex crossed his arms over his chest, but Thea knew him well enough to see that he was trying not to smile. “I’m not sure if I should be flattered or infuriated.”

  Kage sighed and the tension seemed to bleed out of him. He finally sat and motioned for Rex to do the same. “Is there a reason you won’t explain how you seem to...flash from one point in space to another? I know Ontarians, with decades of training, can open interdimensional portals but you’re not Ontarian.” His gaze slowly narrowed. “Are you?”

  Rex returned to his seat before he responded. “I can’t explain the ‘wormhole’ because I don’t fully understand it.” Like the overlord, he was starting to relax. Thea was so relieved. She did not want to be caught in the middle of this conflict, and she didn’t want them to beat the crap out of each other. “Ironically, you’re responsible for providing me with the special transport ability.”

  “Please explain.”

  Did the big bad overlord actually say please? Wow, he really wanted to keep Rex around.

  “I have nothing to do with the portal,” Rex told him. “It’s created by the Marauder.”

  “Really.” Resting his forearms on the table he leaned slightly forward. Clearly, Rex had his full attention now. “Is the portal activated or created? Can you go anywhere or are the destinations fixed?”

  Rex finally smiled and Thea exhaled. The potential storm had officially blown itself out.

  “Before you get overly excited about my little secret, the portal can be opened from anywhere, but it has one fixed destination. Linusia.”

  “I see.” The overlord’s eagerness deflated like a damaged balloon. “Still, I would love to have a couple of my engineers take a look at the device that generates or activates the portal. I’ve never heard of anything like it.”

  Some of the Outcasts were engineers? How strange. She’d presumed they were all warriors. That was seriously shallow on her part. Even the U. S. Army had a talented corps of engineers. Massive amounts of logistical planning and infrastructure were involved in any military maneuver.

  “Which is the way the Linusians like it. Several of my crewmembers didn’t want to tell me what the tech did. If I let you examine the ship, every Linusian aboard would mutiny. That’s nearly half my crew.”

  “I’m disappointed, but I understand.” Any hint of green had disappeared from his eyes. Was it only anger, or did any strong emotion trigger the change?

  They sat for a moment in thoughtful silence. Then Rex casually diverted the overlord’s attention from the Marauder’s mysterious abilities. “Were there any interesting developments while we were gone?”

  “Where do I begin?” Kage made a sound somewhere between a chuckle and a scoff. “Armored cats are attacking the perimeter patrols, Arton is convinced the planet is inhabited by hostile elves, and—”

  “‘Hostile elves’, as in magic beings with pointed ears and an affinity for nature?” Rex sounded like he was fighting back laughter.

  “According to Arton, the armored cats are controlled by the elves, or one particularly hostile elf female anyway,” Rex explained.

  “Arton has actually seen these elves?” Thea asked.

  Kage shook his head. “The cats are real. We’ve all seen them and one tried to drag Lily into the forest. Took a nasty chunk out of her leg.”

  Thea gasped. “Oh my God, is she okay?”

  “She’s fine, but it really lit a fire under Arton. He’s on a mission to find the elves’ stronghold and either negotiate a truce or prove to them that regardless of their protests, we are not going anywhere.”

  Thea cringed. It was just such an attitude that formed the Resistance Force back on Earth. The battle born acted as if they had every right to be on and around Earth, to recruit, aka seduce or kidnap, human females simply because they had spaceships and humans didn’t. Her attitude would doubtlessly anger Kage, so she chose to ignore his words.

  “Why would Lily’s injury motivate Arton?” Rex had already told her that Arton was interested in Lily. But Thea hadn’t exaggerated. Lily hated Arton, thought he was insufferably arrogant. How could their relationship have progressed with those dynamics? “What does one have to do with the other?”

  Kage chuckled. “I’ll let her explain. She’s been worried about you.”

  “Then are we good?” Rex
asked as he scooted to the edge of his seat. “You’re not going to try to sneak someone onto the Marauder?”

  With a rumbling laugh, the overlord stood. “Would I do something like that?”

  “We both know you would, but don’t. I’m going to order my men to shoot to kill.”

  “Understood.” Kage shifted his gaze to her and one corner of his mouth twitched. “Did you enjoy your little vacation?”

  “You’re a manipulative jerk.” She glared, but there was no real rancor behind her eyes. How the overlord had time for matchmaking, she would never understand.

  “Arton said the same thing when I—” He waved away whatever he’d been about to say. “It’s their story, not mine. Go talk to Lily.”

  ISOLAUND PULLED ON one thickly padded glove woven through with an alloy mesh. Her pulse accelerated, giving her a pleasant rush. She glanced at Certice who paced nervously beside her. The karron knew her offspring were about to undergo their final testing, but Isolaund could not allow Certice’s stress to distract her.

  For the past three moon cycles, Isolaund had worked with the cubs, teaching them basic maneuvers. Each had done remarkably well, but the next test was the most important. Without instinctual aggression and a willingness to draw blood on command, a karron was useless as a battle cat. Any karron who failed to qualify for Isolaund’s extensive training program was doomed to a life of menial labor and drudgery. Such had always been the case and Isolaund had not yet found adequate justification to change the rules. Maintaining a pride of karrons required massive amounts of resources that could easily be put to other uses.

  The cubs had been arranged in a neat row at the other end of the massive cavern reserved for Isolaund’s training program. Her assistants used hand and verbal signals to keep the cubs seated and calm. The test unfolded in two parts. The first was simple. She expected all six cubs to pass without any problem. But the other test was more complicated, the factors being judged more nuanced. Two of the cubs, Weniffa and Tozo had often appeared passive, allowing others to precede them in challenges. Politeness was not a characteristic needed or even tolerated in a battle cat.