Coletti Warlords: Just Desserts (20 page)

The cyborg lunged for me, lost his balance, and fell flat on his face.

I stunned him. His metal parts clanged against the floor as he convulsed violently.

“You should have fried his ass,” Hank grumbled.

“Zarek will want to
talk
with him.”

“True.”

Rami’s forked tongue flicked my hand urgently.
“The Queen Mother is sending her army here.”

A boiling funnel cloud formed outside the landing bay doors.

“Guess the hidden base isn’t a secret anymore.”

“The Queen Mother won’t stop until she has captured you,”
Rami warned.

I glanced down at my boots.
“I think we should blow this joint.”

Hank grinned.
“Between us we should have enough explosives to turn this mountain into a pile of rubble.”

“And take out what’s left of her army.”

Opening the heel of my right boot, I took out the explosives and a timer.

Rami wiggled excitedly.
“I like your plan.”

“I need you to ’port Tihar inside the shuttle.”

“I would have to touch him.”

“You heard what the med kit’s doc said. He’s unconscious and can’t hurt you.”

“I will try.”
Rami crawled on top of the Askole. A few seconds later, a vortex consumed them.

I handed my explosives to Hank. “What about Valdez?”

“I couldn’t find the keys to his cell, and there’s an energy barrier to keep him from teleporting out.” Hank planted our bomb and set the timer.

“Zarek won’t be happy, but we don’t have time to bust him out.” I popped into the pilot’s chair and did a quick systems check. All systems were functional. I glanced over my shoulder. Tihar was sprawled on the floor.
“Good work, Rami.”

“He is very heavy.”
She crawled into my lap.

“Yes, he is.”

Hank dumped Mog in a chair. “Go.”

Engaging the hover mode, I turned the shuttle around and punched it. We shot out of the landing bay, barely avoiding the Queen Mother’s boiling gray vortex.

A laser beam flashed out, missing us by a mile.

“Bad shots too,” Hank muttered, strapping himself into the copilot’s chair.

Kaboom!
The entire mountain blew.

The shock wave slammed into the shuttle, shaking it violently. I fought to control the wildly bucking craft. Pieces of debris hammered the hull. “Think we overdid the explosives just a bit?”

“Not at all,” Hank responded drily.

I looked at the view screen. Holy shit! Flames and smoke shot hundreds of feet into the air. I watched in total amazement as the ground around the base buckled and collapsed into a gaping crater. Good-bye, Shani army.

The ship pitched radically, and warning lights flared to life on the control console. “Find us a place to land, Hank.”

“Tryin’, ma’am.” He tapped the tracking scanner.

The com-link chirped. I ignored it.

“Momma. Daddy wants talk,”
Thor said.

Systems shorted and blew out, spraying us with sparks.
“Tell Daddy I’m trying not to crash.”

“Me tell.”

“Found you a spot one click ahead,” Hank advised.

Metal shrieked loudly. The shuttle bucked and did a one-eighty. Rami flew off my lap. Tihar tumbled wildly around the cabin; his size-twenty boot barely missed my head.

“Fuck! The stabilizers are gone. It’s gonna be a rough landing.”

Hank grabbed Rami as she fell from the ceiling. “Try the emergency backup system.”

The Askole slammed into the deck.

“Yes, sir.” The ship pitched radically and plunged toward the surface at terminal velocity. G-forces slammed me against my seat. I brought the braking thrusters online, trying to slow our descent.

The ground rushed up to meet us. I repeatedly hit the icon for the backup system. “C’mon. C’mon, kick in.” A green light finally flared to life on the console. I blew out a relieved breath as the shuttle slowed dramatically.

Branches clawed against the bottom of the shuttle as we skimmed the treetops. I adjusted our course and put the ship down in a narrow, barren flat. It bounced several times, coming to an abrupt halt against a boulder.

Smoke billowed from the console.

I unfastened the harness.
“Rami, can you ’port Tihar outside?”

“Yes.”
She crawled over to Tihar.

“I’ll grab the cyborg,”
Hank called.

Coughing up a lung, I teleported outside the shuttle and sighed in relief when I saw Tihar and Rami were a safe distance away.

Hank popped in and dropped Mog on the ground. “I’m surprised the ship didn’t blow.”

“Me too.” I flinched as flames shot from the crumpled metal. “Think we should move back a bit?”

Boom.
The shuttle exploded, sending a starburst of metal fragments flying in every direction.

“Shit!” we yelled in unison and ducked under an overhang of rock. Metal shards thudded down around us.

Mog squawked and flopped around. Pieces of metal were embedded in his mechanical eyes, cheek, and chin.

Hank shook his head. “I’m not pulling those out.”

“Me either. He bites.”

Zarek, Talree, Wulf, and a dozen warriors suddenly surrounded us.

“Better late than never,” I quipped as Talree’s arms enfolded me.

He held me for a long moment, then whispered in my ear, “I’m going to dip you in chocolate, and after I’ve licked every inch of your body, I’m going to fuck you until you scream.”

I nibbled on his lower lip. “Dark or milk chocolate?”

Zarek coughed into his hand and motioned to a warrior. “Take Mog to the ship and lock him up.”

The warrior grabbed the cyborg by the neck and disappeared.

The Overlord ran a disbelieving eye over my blood-splattered form. “Did you have to bathe in it?”

“You try staying clean with an Askole on the warpath, sir.”

A faint smile touched Zarek’s hard mouth. “A difficult task. You have an hour to prepare for the birthing ceremony.”

My mouth dropped open in disbelief. He had to be kidding. Right?

Talree laughed. “Let’s get you back to the ship.”

Chapter Eighteen

The birthing ceremony was along the lines of a Catholic christening, but instead of dunking Thor in water, it was blood. The source of a warrior’s power. Zarek chanted some gibberish in a language I didn’t understand and had my son drink from him.

Talree took our baby from Zarek and spouted more mumbo jumbo before Thor latched on to his wrist and drank.

Power flared in the room as Talree and my father-in-law linked minds with my son. The bond they forged could never be broken.

I understood the necessity of the bond, but I didn’t like it. They had taken my son’s choice away. Thor could never be an artist or musician. He would follow in his father’s footsteps and become a Warlord.

Talree placed a jeweled dagger on Thor’s chest.
“With this blade, I claim you as my heir.”

Voss stepped forward
“I swear my allegiance to the heir.”

“I swear my allegiance to the heir,”
Wulf proclaimed.

Hank appeared next to Wulf.
“I swear my allegiance to the heir.”

And on it went until every warrior had sworn his allegiance to our son.

Haki threw himself on Thor.
“Me swear.”

Datlow, Bey, and their team of warriors dropped from the ceiling. Each swore their allegiance.

Zarek looked at me and raised an expectant brow. He had to be kidding.

“Kaylee,”
Talree prodded.

“I swear to protect Thor from all harm.”

Talree sighed and handed me the ceremonial towel.

“Momma. Me be Warlord,”
Thor called, waving his arms and legs happily.

“Not quite yet.”
I plucked a blood-soaked Haki from Thor’s stomach and rubbed his matted fur with the ceremonial towel.
“Both of you are in serious need of a bath.”

Haki skittered off.

“Me stay with Daddy,”
Thor protested.

“You’ve had way too much excitement, young man. It’s time for a bath and a nap.”

“Noooo,”
my son wailed.

“Enough,”
Talree snapped.
“Warlords do not cry.”

“For God’s sake, he’s a newborn, not a Warlord.”

Zarek butted in.
“One day he will be Overlord.”

“But not today.”
I wrapped my son in the towel and teleported to our quarters. Zarek. What an ass.

Talree popped into the room. “I’ll bathe Thor.”

I studied my mate warily. His jaw was a little too tight. “Don’t you have more important Warlord duties to attend to?”

He kissed me gently. “Nothing is more
important
than you and Thor.”

“I knew there was a reason I hadn’t killed you in your sleep.” I handed him our child.

“I thought it was the chocolate,” Talree quipped.

I waggled my eyebrows. “The sex ain’t half bad either.”

Talree shook his head sadly. “My mate is dissatisfied?”

Mentally, I stroked his penis, smiling as he trembled. “You know what they say? Practice makes perfect.”

“It does.”

“Me hungry,”
Thor whined.

“Of course you are.”

Talree’s head snapped up. “They’ve found the Queen Mother.”

“Go. Kill the bitch.”

“Happily.” Talree placed Thor in my arms.

“I wish I could come with you. I’ve got a nasty feeling you’re going to need my special talents.”

“Your place is with our son,” Talree stated firmly and teleported.

I scowled. He did not just say that. When the Warlord got back, we were having a talk.

Once Thor had been bathed and fed, I put him in his cradle and rocked him to sleep. Unease fluttered through me. Something was wrong.

I linked with Talree.

Kaboom!
The earth shook. Chunks of dirt pelted Talree’s helmet. A volley of laser bolts spat from at least a half dozen locations. They zinged wildly around him.

Something that resembled a monstrous snake erupted from the ground, and slashes of incandescent silver flashed brightly from wormy growths.

Talree’s pain slammed into me. My brain swirled in shock as I felt him lose consciousness. It took everything I had to fight off the blackness threatening to consume me.

Thor thrashed fretfully.
“Momma?”

“Shh. Everything is okay, sweetie.”
I gave him a mental push to sleep.

His eyelids closed, and he popped a thumb in his mouth.

I pushed away the fear clawing at me. Talree wasn’t dead. And he
wasn’t
dying any time soon. But the Queen Mother would be taking her last breath.

I tried to link with Zarek. Shit! He was out cold too. So were Voss, Sariel, Tihar, and Wulf. This was bad on so many levels. Who or what had the power to take out the most powerful Warlords in the galaxy? I guess I was about to find out.

Lothel’s gruff voice broke into my thoughts.
“Please stay in your quarters. We have the situation under control.”
Lothel was one of Voss’s most trusted warriors and big on following orders.

“Liar.”
I grabbed my weapons belt and fastened it on.

“You will obey me as you would Talree,”
Lothel stated firmly.

This guy obviously didn’t know me.
“I’m going to rescue my family. You get in my way, and I will put you down.”

“My lady, please. I promised Talree I would keep you safe.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,”
I growled.

Lothel growled back.
“I will lock you in the brig.”

“You can try.”
Scooping Thor out of his cradle, I teleported to sick bay and handed him to Shrek.
“Guard him with your life.”

“Yes, my lady,”
he answered with a concerned frown.

Thor awoke with a jerk and wailed loudly.
“Daddy hurt.”

“I know, sweetie. Momma’s going to kick some alien butt and get him back.”

“Grandpa too?”

“I’m going to bring them all home,”
I reassured him.

“Me help.”

“I need you to stay here and protect Shrek. Can you do that?”

“Me will.”

“Prepare for casualties. A lot of them,”
I told Shrek, struggling to remain calm.

Hank stepped out of Soulet’s room.
“What’s wrong?”

“The Queen Mother sprang a nasty little trap, and our guys are in trouble. You in for a recon and rescue mission?”

“Hell, yeah.”

“So am I,”
Soulet added.

I looked at Shrek.
“Is she cleared to fight?”

He nodded.
“Her armor will protect the fetus.”

Lothel appeared in sick bay. A pair of handcuffs dangled from his left hand.
“My lady, you are forbidden from leaving this ship. Go back to your quarters or I will—”

One of Soulet’s tentacles reached out and stung Lothel’s neck.

His eyes rolled back, and down he went.

“Please tell me you didn’t kill him.”

Soulet gave an unconcerned shrug and toed Lothel with her boot.

He groaned.

“He lives.”

Yay. Now I didn’t have to worry about Voss killing her.
“Could you lock him in the brig before he regains his senses?”

“It would be my pleasure.”
Soulet grabbed Lothel, dumped him over her shoulder, and zoomed off.

“Askoles are fun in a bucket,” Hank observed drily.

“That’s one way to describe them.” I reached out mentally to Datlow. Thankfully, he and his warriors were uninjured.
“What happened?”

“The Warlords and Askoles were rendered unconscious by this creature.”
He flashed me the image of a long, white, tubular body with wormy growths around its neck. Two eyestalks with yellow orbs surveyed the bodies scattered about it.

I rubbed my suddenly aching head.
“Dammit. How in the hell did that bitch recruit a Gorum?”

“A silly question, petka. The Colettis have many enemies, and the Queen Mother uses their rage to her benefit,”
Bey commented.

“Fuck. The Gorum has to be one of the renegades Bebo, their king, hunts.”
I took a deep breath and asked,
“Were you able to rescue my Warlords?” Please, please say yes.