Undaunted (Battle Born Book 6) (12 page)

“Stop. Now. Or we
will
shoot,” one of the guard ships replied.

“Nicole’s not breathing,” she shouted, her voice shrill. “I’m no danger to anyone!”

One of the guard ships lobbed a warning shot over her bow. She ignored it.

The
Intrepid
was tucked in between two larger ships.
Shit
! Did the hospital ship even have an aft docking bay? There was only one way to find out. “
Intrepid
, please allow me to dock. This is a medical emergency.” Adrenaline made her voice tremble as if she were crying, but real tears blurred her vision. She needed this badly, was desperate to free herself from all the forces smothering her. Like Nicole, Milanni had been ruthlessly raped and beaten so the cover story would be believable. That couldn’t have been for nothing.

“Cease and prepare to be boarded!”

“Belay that order,” a new voice interrupted. “This is Commander Kaden Lux of the
Intrepid
. What’s the nature of your emergency?”

“My friend is dying! Please help us.” The sobs were genuine now. It was all too much. Milanni hurt inside and out. Her emotions were raw and ravaged, much like her body. She’d been afraid and uncertain for so long, she couldn’t remember what safety felt like.

Massive doors in the aft of the Intrepid parted, exposing a shallow hangar bay.

“Thank you.” She shook away the swell of emotion and focused on maneuvering her ship. Her hands were so unsteady she could barely work the controls, but as soon as she lined up her ship with the
Intrepid
, an automated system engaged, smoothly pulling her into the hangar bay.

The rest transpired in a blur. She opened the main hatch and a small crowd of people swarmed the ship. She just stayed where she was, head hanging down, sobbing.

A uniformed female knelt beside her, analyzing her condition with a handheld scanner.

“Report.” It was Commander Lux, but Milanni wasn’t sure if he was speaking to her or the female kneeling beside her.

“She has multiple contusions, several lacerations and two cracked ribs.” The medic dropped her voice to barely a whisper as she added, “She’s been sexually assaulted, probably more than once.”

Milanni lifted her head and looked at the medic. “Nicole. Take care of Nicole.”

“There’s a team assessing her already. They’ll take good care of your friend.”

“This ship is registered to an employee of the Integration Guild named Milanni. Are you she?”

She looked at Kaden Lux and another sob broke free of her tight throat. If she said yes, she admitted she was a murderess. No meant she’d stolen the ship. There was no point in lying. The medic would doubtlessly use Milanni’s DNA to verify her identity. “I’m Milanni.”

“Then you need to come with me.”

Her legs shook as she pushed to her feet. Like all the battle born, Commander Lux was tall and muscular. Shaggy dark hair framed his handsome face. And his features had a sophistication that set him apart from his crew. It was more than probable that his father was elite.

They crossed the landing bay and passed through a munitions scanner before venturing deeper into the
Intrepid
. “Where are you taking me?” She looked around the immaculate corridor as uncertainty cramped her belly.

“She’s in better shape than the other one, sir, but she still needs immediate treatment,” the medic warned.

“Then come with us. I can’t have her loose in the infirmary.”

Milanni’s steps lagged. He was taking her to a detention cell. All her bruises meant nothing. She was to be treated like a criminal. Anger and anguish rolled through her, weakening her legs and making her head spin. Would she never encounter a person who would treat her with kindness? She’d been used, and abused, her entire life. She covered her mouth with her hand as more sobs threatened her composure. She would not give this bastard the satisfaction of watching her break down.

“Sir, she’s clearly in shock. I think—”

“You’ll be allowed to make her as comfortable as possible, but I won’t risk the safety of the people on this ship. Does she need a regen unit?”

“No, but—”

“Then you can treat her in a detention cell.”

Despite the commander’s willingness to let her aboard, she was rapidly developing an intense dislike for Commander Kaden Lux.

The medic moved closer to Milanni and awkwardly touched her arm. “I’m sorry, dear. This is just a precaution. I’ll make sure you have everything you need.”

She needed to be in the infirmary. The infirmary was on the high security level. As were the research labs where the formula was stored. No doubt the detention cells were high security too, but they were in a different part of the ship.

The commander didn’t speak again until they stood inside a perfectly square, utterly dismal detention cell. The built-in bunk was padded and a blanket was folded at the foot. There was a built-in table with two attached chairs, and the utilities were in an adjacent room. Not nearly as horrible of some of the places she’d stayed, but this was a serious complication to her plans.

Kaden looked at her with compassion in his eyes, surprising Milanni to the core. “Do you understand why this is necessary?”

She hesitated. He likely knew about Vinton Tandori or he wouldn’t be locking her up. “I have a pretty good idea.” No need to volunteer the information if by some miracle he didn’t know.

“It’s not my habit to abuse someone who is already hurting, but I have no other choice.”

This was closer to kindness than Milanni had come in a very long time. The medic was being attentive and now the commander expressed regret. She didn’t know how to react, so she just nodded.

He turned to the medic and said, “Take care of her physical needs then contact Indigo. She has some experience with this sort of thing.”

Milanni waited until Kaden left before she collapsed on the bunk and wept.

* * * * *

Holding out a large mug of civata brew toward her aunt, Berlynn smiled.

Haven took the beverage and returned her smile. “Thanks.”

Berlynn had barely had time to unpack her overnight bag when Haven arrived at the apartment Berlynn had been assigned during her stay at Lunar Nine. Haven was now living with her mate Danvier in a luxurious suite at the Pavilion, so Berlynn didn’t see her as often as she’d like. Besides, the couple was still in the throes of bonding fever, so no one saw very much of them.

“How have you been?” Berlynn asked as she sat down beside Haven on the loveseat in the front room. There were ten residential villages on Lunar Nine, each identical to the others. The apartments were compact and utilitarian, but sonic showers, nutri-gen kiosks, and access to the central computer made them feel more like Rodymia than Earth. “I know it’s been less than a week, but it feels much longer.”

Haven chuckled. “Things seem to happen faster once the battle born are involved.” She took a careful sip of civata brew before she expounded. “I can’t believe Danvier and I are bonded. I wasn’t even sure I liked him when we first met.”

“Harbingers are hard to read,” Berlynn agreed. “But he makes you happy, doesn’t he?”

“Ecstatically. He’s amazing, and I don’t just mean because he can see into the future. He’s seriously smart and caring. After the fiasco with Javin, I wasn’t sure I’d ever love again.”

Berlynn reached over and squeezed Haven’s hand. Haven had mated with the former head of the Integration Guild. For the first year she’d been happy, convinced she’d met the love of her life. But little by little cracks formed in Javin’s mask and Haven began to suspect he wasn’t the man he pretended to be. The situation rapidly deteriorated until it led to Javin’s death. Haven was left alone and terrified on a planet that considered any Tandori a criminal.

“That’s all over now,” Berlynn stressed. “And I’m thrilled that you found Danvier.”

“So, have you found your mate too?” Haven arched her brow with playful challenge. “Gossip travels fast on a space station. I’ve already heard rumors that a certain handsome general claimed you.”

“Garin didn’t claim me. He marked me. There’s a big difference.”

“I just went through it, silly girl. You don’t have to explain it to me.”

Berlynn set her mug aside with a sigh and pivoted toward her aunt. Only a few years separated the two, so they’d always been close. “Doesn’t the war bother you? I know Danvier is anchored to Garin, so he’s bound to be in the middle of the fighting just like Garin. The conflict has been largely theoretic until now, but there will be fighting. It’s inevitable.”

“They’re soldiers. Fighting is what they do. And from what I’ve heard about the battle born, they’re damn good at it.”

“But they could be hurt.” She glanced at Haven then away. “They could die.” Emotion broke through her voice as she spoke the last sentence.

“Oh, Berlynn.” Haven scooted over and wrapped her arm around her niece’s shoulders. “You can’t let what happened to Vinton ruin the rest of your life. His death was unnecessary and tragic, but he wouldn’t want it to make you afraid of life.”

She was right. Vinton had lived each day to the fullest and insisted Berlynn do the same. Responsibility for a sacred bonding ground kept Vinton anchored to the mountains above Boulder, Colorado, but he loved his family deeply and doted on his only child. To outsiders he’d seemed eccentric, even paranoid, but he understood that the survival of Tandori Tribe depended on the work he did.

“Are you still having nightmares?” Haven asked.

Berlynn looked at her, surprised by the question. “How did you know?”

“Ulrik mentioned it, but he told me they’d stopped.”

“They’re not as frequent, but they haven’t stopped.” She’d been there the day her father died. She’d cradled his head in her lap as the life faded from his eyes. A cold, hollow ache erupted in the pit of her stomach. It was familiar now, if no less troubling. Her father’s life had ended because of Milanni, but murder wasn’t accurate. Milanni hadn’t intentionally done him harm. “I keep seeing his face.”

“I’m so sorry.” Haven hugged her, holding her close until Berlynn pulled away. “And I’m sorry I wasn’t here to mourn with you.”

A spontaneous flicker of resentment responded to the claim.
Are you sorry you sent Milanni to the cabin that day?
It was an unhappy coincidence. Haven’s motivation had been pure. She’d sent Milanni to Vinton with an offer of help, never dreaming how the visit would end. Haven had confessed her involvement and Berlynn had forgiven her, even though Haven hadn’t really done anything wrong. All the elements just twisted around each other, forming a convoluted knot of misery.

Berlynn took a deep breath and tucked her hair behind her ears. “So tell me more about Danvier. I don’t want to think about Dad anymore.”

“First of all, he’s no longer anchored to Garin. A harbinger can only bond with one person at a time, so he had to dissolve his link with Garin before he could claim me.”

The phrase “claim me” sent tingling heat cascading through Berlynn. It sounded so savage, so barbaric. And yet the thought of being claimed by Garin was exciting, not frightening. “Does this change his involvement in the rebellion? Danvier isn’t battle born.”

“It’s looking more and more like we’ll be heading back to Rodymia,” Haven announced with a hesitant smile.

“Really?” A note of alarm made the word sharp, so she softened her tone as she asked, “Why?”

“Garin didn’t tell you?”

She didn’t know what Haven was talking about so apparently not. “Tell me what?”

“The Harbinger Guild asked Danvier to return and head a guiding council. He’ll be guild master, but he won’t have unchecked power like the Pyre Sterlings did.”

The most recent Pyre Sterling, a title adopted by each female leader of Harbinger Guild, had been corrupt and self-serving. She had also been Chandar and Danvier’s mother, and only her death was allowing these changes to take place. “Then he’ll have a seat on the steering committee, perhaps even the Triad.”

“It’s possible, though my bet would be Letos. Integration Guild has always been the dominant guild.”

Berlynn nodded, not yet sure how she felt about Haven’s news. “Are you happy about this? Do you want to return to Rodymia?”

“Ulrik has no intention of leaving Earth, so it makes sense that I represent Tandori Tribe on Rodymia. We’ve already had a flood of inquiries asking about the possibility of returning.”

They lapsed into silence as they each absorbed the other’s news. Berlynn picked up her mug and sipped the tepid brew. So many changes. She felt like a rudderless ship tossed about on an angry sea. Some of the changes had been wonderful, but more had been heartbreaking and cruel.

“So have you concluded your negotiations with the human taskforce? Things weren’t going well when Garin updated us.”

Berlynn lowered her eyebrows, then realized what she meant. That was right, Garin spoke with Danvier and Haven when he returned to Lunar Nine to analyze Berlynn’s DNA. “They didn’t conclude so much as we just stopped trying.”

“That must have been awkward.”

She looked at Haven, not understanding the comment. “In what way?”