Kiljorn Commander (15 page)

StrykER shook his head. “No. I have cleared all of the suspects on that ship. None of them were involved with the bombing.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“I know. I have a gift or curse. Aftereffect of the virus the Morins tried to kill our people with years ago. In my family, the virus mutated giving us the ability to sense the truth, almost…see the truth. I get visions of what is in the person’s head as they are telling me their story. Sometimes the vision I get matches what they tell me, other times it does not.”

“Do you always get a vision?” This was the first time TylOR had ever heard of this mutation.

“Not always. In those cases, just the sound of their voice is enough though. A lie will sound bitter and painful to me. The truth does not bother me at all.”

TylOR did not know what else to say. It was not the worst mutation he had ever heard about, but if he had to hear painful lies all the time, he would probably go a little insane. “Do you need time to settle in before interrogation?”

“No, I rested in the shuttle ride over. Take me to the first person you would like me to interrogate.”

“Come then. The female, MarjAY, is your first suspect. Watch out because she is vicious.”

“It does not surprise me. My gift has showed me there are very few females I would trust. They usually have their own agenda.” StrykER sounded a little bitter.

“Well, this one will not surprise you then.”

Chapter Eighteen

MarjAY paced her small cell back and forth. This was getting ridiculous. They had nothing on her. It was that entire fat Earth bitch’s fault. She was ruining everything. She glared at the entrance of the holding facility. The two guards were standing on the outside instead of the inside like they had previously.

She had tried to flirt with them, promising them she would share sex with them if they would let her go. When they didn’t she screamed at their idiocy. They then retreated to just outside the holding facility leaving her completely alone. She hated being alone.

She turned as she heard voices outside in the corridor. She couldn’t see anything so she stepped closer to the bars. When she spotted TylOR she smirked at him.

“Did you finally come to let me go?”

“No.”

“Come on, TylOR, after all we meant to each other. You know I mean something to you.”

“You mean nothing to me.” He stepped to the side and ignored StrykER’s questioning look. “I’ll explain later.”

MarjAY looked at the new male. He was striking with his blond hair but she didn’t like his eyes. “Who are you?”

“I am Interrogator StrykER.”

“Interrogator? I have already answered TylOR’s questions. I need to be let go. I am female and should be treated with more care than this,” she said with demand.

StrykER ignored her demand. “I will ask you a series of questions. Answer them truthfully and if you are found innocent, you will be let go.”

“I do not have to answer anything.”

“To refuse means your guilt. You will be charged with aiding in setting a bomb in the Colonial Prime Building, injuring over twenty and killing two. Then there are the charges of you breaking into Commander TylOR’s quarters and assaulting his bond mate. Commander TylOR may not be a true Prime by birth but the Kiljorn people think of him with high regard and the attempt on his mate’s life will be treated with extreme prejudice.”

MarjAY just stared at StrykER in shock. She looked over at TylOR but he showed no sign of sympathy for her. She gulped and backed up to sit on her cot.

“Good. Now, the first question I have for you is how well do you know Commander TylOR?”

An image popped into MarjAY’s mind of their shared sex years ago. “I met him while he was vacationing. We shared sex.”

“Did he promise to mate you?” StrykER asked. He ignored the growl that emitted from TylOR.

Another image entered MarjAY’s head of the short flame haired Earth female. She hated the female with a passion and wished her a painful death. She took comfort that it may happen sooner than later. “No. He mated that Earth scum.”

“I see.” StrykER looked over his should at Commander TylOR. “You were right, Commander, this female is involved in the Purist Rebellion. You should also keep a close watch on your mate because she will be in danger.”

“How dare you say such lies!” She sounded outraged. Another image popped into MarjAY’s head of meeting the Purist Leader and being influenced to join their cause. Two other male’s faces appeared in her mind and two names.

“There are three males. One is Kiljorn but the other two are Purist rebels posing as Kiljorns. I only get one name, RojAY.”

“This is ridiculous!”

“RojAY? Is he any relation to MarjAY?” TylOR asked.

“No!” MarjAY yelled out, throwing herself against the bars.

“Her younger brother,” StrykER answered.

“What about the names of the other two males?”

“Sorry, I am only getting one name, the brother’s. Usually I don’t get names but he is a close relation so the image projects his name too,” Stryker told him, rubbing his temples.

TylOR walked out of the holding facility and hit his comm link. “This is Commander TylOR, I want security liaisons to get Lieutenant RojAY and any males he is currently with and bring them to the holding facility. They are dangerous and with weapons. Use extreme caution.”

“Yes, Commander.”

“Lieutenant, send more security to my quarters to help guard my mate.”

“Yes, sir!”

TylOR hit his comm link again. “Lieutenant DugER, I am sending more security to help guard my mate. We have a serious situation here.”

“Yes, sir. We will guard her with our lives.”

*****

Males approached Lieutenant DugER and LoEK. They eyed the males suspiciously.

“Commander TylOR has sent us to help guard the Earth female,” the taller male said.

DugER had mixed feelings. He was just told that more security was coming but he did not like the look in the males’ eyes. “You can help guard the outside while I will guard Miss Connell on the inside of the quarters.” He gave Lieutenant LoEK a look of be careful before he knocked on the door.

Lizzie opened the door and smiled up at Lieutenant DugER. “Hi, are ya’ll bored and want to take a walk?”

“Actually, the Commander did not want you leaving your quarters at this time. We have increased your security with two more lieutenants. I thought it would be good to have at least one of us inside with you until the situation is contained.”

“Sure, come on inside.” She stepped back to let him in.

Lizzie gasped when DugER suddenly fell forward onto the floor. He tried to get up but a man she did not recognize stepped inside and shot DugER in the back. She screamed but the intruder clamped a hand over her mouth.

“I’ve got her!” The man dragged her out of the quarters kicking and jerking trying to get away. “She is going to cause a scene.”

The other man stepped in front of Lizzie. She recognized him from the observation room. “Be calm, female. We need you to get off this ship. Come with us quietly to the docking bay and we will let you go. If you do not, I will kill Lieutenant LoEK.” He pointed at her other guard who had a bruise on his face. His weapon had been taken from him. The man then turned to the lieutenant. “If you cause any problems, I will kill the female. Do you understand?”

Lieutenant LoEK nodded his head reluctantly. “You will not get away with this crime.”

“You better hope we do. Otherwise both you and this Earth female will be dead.” The man then motioned for Lizzie and the other man holding her arm to walk ahead of them.

She could feel his laser gun pressed into her back. At that close a range she would die from a blast instantly. She tried to look back to see if LoEK was okay but the man holding her jerked her forward. Her heart raced when she spotted other men coming in the opposite direction. If she could get them to notice what was happening.

The man holding her leaned over and whispered in her ear. “If you say one word I will kill you and them.”

Lizzie looked away from the men as they passed by. Possibility of escape was narrowing down. A memory of a similar event she had lived through flashed before her eyes. When the Morins attacked the transport ship she was on. She, Lola, and a group of other women from Earth were being dragged to the docking bay by the ugly looking Morins. The thought of what might have happened to her and what actually did happen to Lola made her feel sick to her stomach.

She shivered with dread. If they get her on a shuttle, she was a dead woman. She would rather die here on the Kiljorn transport than be taken by these assholes. But she didn’t want to risk LoEK’s life. DugER probably bled out on her floor in her quarters.

“Let us go. You are almost to the docking bay. You can even lock us up in an empty room or something. You’ll be able to get away a lot easier without me and LoEK.” Lizzie didn’t want to beg but she had to try to see if the man could be reasoned with.

“No way. You are our guarantee that we will get off this ship safely. No one would fire a weapon that could hit the Commander’s mate.”

Well, it was worth a try
. She looked back and LoEK to make sure he was okay. He shook his head for her not to do anything stupid. Uh…he didn’t know her that well yet. Guess he was about to find out.

*****

TylOR’s comm link went off. “Commander TylOR here.”

“Commander, we have a breach in security and a wounded in the Medic wing in critical condition!”

“Elizabeth! Is it my mate?” TylOR ran out of the holding facility heading toward his sleeping quarters.

“No, sir. It was Lieutenant DugER. He was shot in the back.”

“Where is my mate?”

“She was not there and neither were the other guards. We had a report that someone saw her heading toward the docking bay.”

TylOR changed directions and headed toward the docking bay. “Send all security to the docking bay. Shut it down. No one gets on or off this ship without my say!”

“Yes, sir!”

TylOR felt fear for what was happening to Lizzie. He did not like feeling helpless. He could not remember if he had told her he loved her before he left her.
Please, Goddess, watch over my mate.

He saw some of his security reaching the docking bay before him but then they suddenly froze what they were doing. He felt like he was reliving the past with the Morins trying to take Lizzie. In his nightmares he never makes it in time to save her. Would he get there in time now?

TylOR stopped just behind his guards to assess the situation. Lizzie was being pulled toward a shuttle by one male and he had a laser gun pointed at her. Lieutenant LoEK was limping as another male that he recognized from the observation room pointed a gun at him. The shuttle was completely surrounded by his crew who had their weapons drawn ready to fire at his command. TylOR pushed through his crew in front of him so the two Purist rebels could see him.

“Let them go!” TylOR ordered. One of his lieutenants came to stand by his side. He frowned. He knew the male was there to protect him. But right at that moment he was in TylOR’s way. He tried to ignore him.

“Open the shuttle door and let us leave. We will release her when we get to our rendezvous,” the man holding Lizzie said.

TylOR hit his comm link. “Open the shuttle door. As soon as Miss Connell is inside shut it.”

The Purist rebel smiled smugly as the shuttle door lowered. He pushed Lizzie in front of him as he maneuvered himself and started to back up into the shuttle.

Kitana
! He wasn’t expecting the male to go into the shuttle first. He whispered a command to the lieutenant beside him who hit his own comm link. He gave the order to start shutting the shuttle door. TylOR hoped it would jostle the man's hold on Lizzie, allowing his crew a clear shot.

The second male from the observation room panicked when he saw the shuttle door closing. He released LoEK and raced to try to get onto the rising door. In his haste he knocked Lizzie loose from the already weakened grip the other male had on her. She fell forward off the door of the shuttle. LoEK was there to help her steady herself.

“Shut down all power to the shuttle and open the doors back up!” TylOR commanded.

The males onboard the shuttle realized all power was shut down. They were trapped. The one who had held Lizzie raised his laser gun. “Die Earth scum!”

“No!” TylOR watched helplessly as the male shot the laser blast at his mate. She and LoEK went down to the bay floors in a spray of blood.

Chapter Nineteen

A rage unlike anything he had ever experienced before went through his system. It shut off all logical thought processes. The only thing that was clear to him was the male that took his mate from him must die.

He ran for the shuttle despite the shout from his crew to stop. He dodged the laser shots sent his way and jumped over his mate’s prone body, hurling himself into the shuttle. He took the Purist down with a roar.

Why couldn’t she move? There was something heavy on top of her. She felt a wetness on her face. Had she been shot? Lizzie blinked her eyes open. LoEK was lying on top of her. He had jumped in front of her at the last minute when the guy with the laser shot at her.

“LoEK?” She tried to push him off her. He didn’t answer or move. “LoEK!”

Two lieutenants were at her side-helping move the body off. She sat up and looked at LoEK’s dead body. Oh God, no. He had gave his life for her—to save her. She wanted to scream and she wanted to cry. However, a roar loud enough to shake the entire transport ship made her look up at the shuttle.

Blood was shooting out everywhere. She tried to see who was inside the shuttle but she only got glimpses. She looked around the docking bay for TylOR. She didn’t see him. “Lieutenant, where is TylOR?”

The lieutenant was looking at the shuttle with a pale face. “The Commander went inside the shuttle after the rebel.”

Fear gripped her body. No no no! She couldn’t handle if something happened to TylOR. “Go help him!” Another roar came from inside the shuttle.