Demon Retribution (23 page)

Cale turned back to Kyra and Zoey. “Strap
yourselves in. This isn’t going to be soft.”

Though stark, they swiftly
obeyed and then clasped hands.
Marada
moved to their front, matching
their speed while the docking bay hatch slowly opened.

Aidan’s voice boomed. “I’m going to ease her
back.” As he spoke, the shuttle inched closer to the opening. “Oh,
well now that’s something.”

“
What?”

“
The Kayadon are hailing
us. They think we’re one of them.”

Cale snorted, having nearly forgotten.
“Don’t answer.”

Aidan replied sarcastically, “No. You don’t
think I should invite them aboard?”

“
Aidan!” Cale growled, out
of patience.

“
Keep your panties on,
princess. I’m in the middle of a delicate procedure.”

They were halfway through the wide hatch
when Kyra asked, “Why do they think you’re one of them?”

Cale grinned mischievously. “Because our
ship is an old Kayadon ship.”

The shuttle ground harshly as it met the
floor and part of a wall of the docking bay. Metal gnashed against
metal, jarring Cale forward. The girls screamed. The craft listed
sideways and sparks flew past the windows. Then came another hard,
bone cracking jolt as they made contact with the bulkhead.

When the craft settled, Cale let out a
breath and waited for the hatch to close them in.

“
Is everyone okay?” he
asked.

“
Zoey?” Kyra muttered,
breathless and panicky. “Zoey’s out.”

Cale undid his buckles and knelt beside
them. He examined Kyra first, checking her for injuries, then
turned his attention to Zoey. Her eyes were closed, and her body
slumped, but she otherwise breathed evenly.

“
I think she just
fainted.”

“
Cale?” Kyra’s voice
sounded strange, and she had her head turned away. “We’re
drifting.”

He followed her gaze and saw the interior of
the docking bay slowly passing by. She was right. They were moving
backwards. Then he heard the grumbling sound of the bay doors, only
now starting to shut and he realized they were going to collide
with the hatch. Just as the thought came, a hard jolt knocked him
over.

“
Cale!” Kyra
cried.

Righting himself, he gave her a reassuring
expression before reclaiming his seat. “Aidan, we’re getting
bruised back here.”

“
Dammit. That last bump
disrupted the hatch. It’s not moving.”

“
Great.”

A pattern of loud blasts vibrated around
them.

Sebastian’s voice came over the speakers.
“Return fire! Divert energy to the shields. Aidan, get that damn
door closed so we can warp out of here.”

“
Warp?” Cale repeated,
shocked. Surely he wouldn’t use Anya’s gift like that again. She
nearly died the last time.

“
Cale, is everyone alright
down there?” Sebastian asked.

“
I don’t think so. We’ll
need the doctor ready.”

“
I’ll send him your
way.”

A few more blasts bombarded them from
behind. A terrible wail of metal growled as though in pain. Seconds
later, the sound of heavy locks creaked into place with an ominous
echo.

“
Ah, that’s got it.” Aidan
sounded pleased.

One final crash slammed their craft to the
ground, indicating the artificial gravity had been engaged. In the
next instant, Sebastian ordered the ship to prepare for warp, and
the lights dimmed.

Kyra’s uneven breathing grabbed Cale’s
attention. “You okay?”

“
Why are the lights out?”
she replied in a distressed tone.

“
They’re diverting energy
for warp.” He pushed out of his seat again and reached over Zoey to
cup Kyra’s cheek. “Tell me you’re okay.”

“
I think I am,” she
whispered, leaning into his touch. “Is it over?”

“
Almost.” He was disturbed
by how badly she shook. “I’m glad you didn’t go supernova on
me.”

She gave a tentative smile and something
unclenched inside his gut.

A soft grumble came from Zoey. “Are you guys
about to make out on top of me?”

“
Zoey,” Kyra let out a
weary breath. “Are you alright?”

“
My body hurts. Did we
survive?”

“
So far.”

The ship rumbled, causing everyone to
tense.

“
It’s just the warp drive,”
Cale assured. “It’ll be over soon.”

They waited till the lights flickered to
life and the rumbling died down before venturing out of the
shuttle. The once smooth metal of the docking bay looked battered.
As Cale took in the destruction, the access hatch slid open and the
doctor rushed in, looking flustered by an entourage of followers:
Sonya, Marik, and Anya. Cale directed him to Zoey first.

Sonya came forward and threw her arms around
his shoulders. For a moment, Cale was taken aback, unused to seeing
her look so worried. However, her first words to him were more
typical. “Bastian’s pissed at you for leaving without me.”

He gave her an arrogant grin. “I didn’t need
my little sister tagging along.”

She rolled her eyes.

Marik came into view next. Cale narrowed his
eyes at the other demon, noticing something different about him. He
looked…happy. Marik never looked happy.

Anya peeked out from behind him. Cale
smiled, realizing how genuinely concerned he’d been for her. She
looked much better than the last time he’d seen her.

“
Cale! I’m so glad you’re
okay.” Her hug was full of heart. She pulled back, turning shy as
she caught sight of Kyra, who stood silently watching
her.

“
Analia?” Kyra breathed.
Tears welled in her eyes.

Anya nodded.

They moved as one, embracing the other with
desperate urgency. Kyra’s cheeks became damp, and Cale filled with
an unfamiliar feeling. As Anya peeked a quizzical eye at him, he
turned to focus on the doctor’s examination of Zoey.

Without warning, Marik slapped him on the
back, disturbing his balance. “Good to see you again, Calic.”

“
You too, Marik. How was
your vacation?” he joked, selfishly thankful that it wasn’t he who
had been trapped on an icy planet.

“
Eventful.” Marik smirked,
and then looked at the door as if expecting someone.

A strange redheaded female stepped through
the door, then squealed with excitement as she raced for Anya and
Kyra. They welcomed her in their circle. It hit him then, and
Cale’s jaw nearly dropped to the floor.

Marik was mated!

Marik exploded with laughter at Cale’s
dumfounded expression. Cale composed himself enough to offer a nod
of congratulations.

Without meaning to, his eyes darted to Kyra
who gushed over her sisters’ appearances. His heart twisted with an
ancient longing that collapsed into a swirling pit of devastation
so calamitous it threatened to implode in his chest. He quickly
schooled his features, reminding himself that Velicia was gone from
his life forever. There was no replacing her.

With a talent born from years of practice,
Cale buried his pain behind a wall of indifference. It felt like
acid in his throat. He knew that one day it would consume him from
the inside out, but he vowed he would have the stain of Kayadon
blood on his claws first.

Sebastian entered the docking bay with Rex
close behind. The new demon displayed promise as a navigator and
had been shadowing him as a possible helmsman.

As they approached the group, Sebastian
easily determined which one was Kyra. The family resemblance was
evident even without the ears showing.

He was glad to see the doctor had finished
and was already taking his leave. As they crossed paths, Dr.
Oshwald assured him that there had been minimal injuries. The man’s
ability to heal with a touch had taken care of them quickly
enough.

Anya’s smile warmed Sebastian in a way that
was purely magical. He could feel her happiness, and it became his
own. Her eyes twinkled his way, drawing him to her like a planet to
its sun. He reached her without realizing he’d moved, and she
gracefully folded herself in his arms.

Cale’s back faced Sebastian as he spoke to
Kyra and the dark haired girl in another language. His younger
brother wasn’t the type to console or reassure, yet Sebastian got
the sense he was doing just that.

The day Marik had returned a mated demon, an
idea had passed around the ship that maybe Cale would too, although
Sebastian knew it to be impossible.

Finally, Cale turned to Sebastian and jerked
his thumb at Rex without truly acknowledging their newest crew
member. “Who’s this?”

“
This is Rex. A new
trainee. You’ve missed a lot.”

“I gathered.”

Cale proceeded to introduce Kyra and Zoey.
After hearing the full story of their extraction from Earth, they
took a moment to debate what it would take to get Zoey back home
and if it was even an option at this point.

It wasn’t.

The human was stuck with them for the time
being. When Cale explained this to her, she didn’t look all that
upset. Kyra glowered at the girl, but it was a look that lacked
conviction.

Anya took an instant liking to Zoey, so
Sebastian was mollified to keep her on board.

Then it was as though Cale had never left.
“I don’t know about any of you, but after a landing like that, I
think a drink is in order.” Cale shifted his attention to Sonya.
“Is the pub closed?”

“It’s open. Ethan and Jade are working
tonight.”

Cale raised a brow at that. “What else has
changed? Don’t tell me you’re mated as well.”

“Of course not! Don’t be ridiculous.” Her
tail flicked with irritation, drawing the awed expressions of Kyra
and Zoey.

“Pity,” Cale replied. “I could have used a
new target in the training room.”

In a blur, Sonya dropped to the floor and
swiped Cale’s legs out from under him. He landed on the hard floor
with a grunt.

Sonya grinned sweetly. “That’s what you have
me for.”

Kyra and Zoey looked incredulous, but
everyone else laughed, including Cale. He jumped up and stalked
toward Sonya. Sebastian let out a sigh and waited for them to
finish. Sonya tried to slip past him, but Cale caught hold of her
waist and heaved her over his shoulder, trapping her legs against
his torso.

“Cale!” she growled.

“Now you’ll be buying me a drink, little
sister.”

Sonya tensed as Cale proceeded out the door.
“No, Cale. I don’t want to go to The Demon’s Punchbowl.”

“Too bad.”

Sebastian shook his head and then motioned
for everyone to follow. “Let us talk in the pub and get
acquainted.”

As Kyra headed down the hall, the commotion
from the group nearly overwhelmed her. Everyone was chatting
excitedly. Anya asked her questions about her life, Earth, Zoey.
She hardly had a chance to answer.

Zoey anxiously clung to Kyra’s arm, not
understanding a word from these otherworldly people. Kyra gave up
trying to translate for now. The demons were already contemplating
war tactics for when they faced the Kayadon. Nadua talked about
Undewla, the icy planet where she’d lived just as long as Kyra had
been on Earth. Nadua had been lucky, however. She’d been sheltered
by the Cyrellian royal family. Then Nadua spoke of Marik, and Kyra
thought she caught the word mate.

Through all of this, Kyra could only marvel
at how Cale interacted with his sister. Sonya’s black hair dangled
and swished as she cursed and pounded on his back. He hardly seemed
to notice.

Kyra found the ship to be warmer than she’d
expected. Almost cozy, with cream-colored walls and soft floors. It
wasn’t at all how she recalled the ships in her father’s fleet.

So this is a Kayadon ship?

Strange. And a touch alarming. Cale hadn’t
had a chance to elaborate about that. Kyra couldn’t seem to merge
the idea of gnarled, bony Kayadon living on ships this
aesthetically pleasing.

After winding through the ship, they reached
the pub, which reminded Kyra of a fancy, upscale club. The lighting
was low and a handful of tables filled the space. A row of stools
lined a bar, and there was even a dance floor.

Sonya sneered as Cale set her down. “Since
you insist, Cale, you can help me carry everyone’s drinks.” She
grabbed him by the horn and yanked him to the bar where Kyra was
surprised to find a familiar face: Ethanule!

Her face lifted into a bright smile.

Ethanule noticed her in the same moment and
rushed over. “Princess Kyralyn!” He bowed, exactly as he used to
back on Evlon.