Page 40 of The Alien's Stolen Rebel

With a roar of rage, Astara rose on her hind legs, towering over her Vehn co-wife. Co-widow, really, and Mishoni looked neither intimidated nor impressed as she turned to face the torrent of abuse Astara unleashed on her. She did impress me; the Drangan widow cursed fluently in seven languages.

Rachel nodded, as though this confirmed her suspicions, and reached for theStarshadow’sintercom. Our foes paid no attention to her, focused on each other, and I stayed still. I didn’t know what she planned to do, but I wouldn’t risk disrupting it.

Her voice soft, she spoke under the sound ofAstara’s rage-filled tirade. “Bridge? Kyria? Please target theAmbush Predator.”

The briefest of pauses followed before the warmaiden replied, voice uncertain. “Target laid in, but these old guns don’t have the punch to get through military grade shields.”

“Doesn’t matter,” I growled, leaning in. I didn’t need to know her plans to support her. Rachel was my mate, my soul, and I would back her decisions to the hilt. “Do as she says.”

“Okay, boss,” Kyria didn’t sound convinced, and I didn’t blame her. Well-armed for a yacht, theStarshadowstill lacked the firepower to inflict serious damage in a fight like this. Shake things up aboard thePredator,yes, and perhaps damage a few systems. No more.

Rachel bit her lip nervously, eyes locked on the hologram before us. There, Astara stalked Mishoni, slowly closing the distance between them. Mishoni backed away with a careful grace.

“I tolerated you,” Astara spat. “Let you into my marriage. Let you stand at my side. And this is how you repay me? I will crush your bones, traitor.”

The other woman laughed, which had to be a deliberate provocation. “So dramatic. I never betrayed our husband, and I never owed you my loyalty.”

“Arzak.” I spoke into the intercom again. “Be ready for evasive maneuvers.”

“Way ahead of you, boss.”

Mishoni clasped her hands behind her back. Astara charged. And Rachel snapped“Now,”into the intercom.

The two of women aboard theAmbush Predatorstumbled as their ship took a full-power hit from our warp cannons, turning Astara’s charge into a tumble. Mishoni’s hands came around, and I noticed her left wrist was now bare. Her ornate bracelet unfolded in her hand, becoming a wireframe blaster like the one the Guildfather had threatened Rachel with.

Thecrackof its firing sounded the same, too. A lance of energy punched through the Drangan and Astara’s body lay still.

Mishoni looked around, quizzical. “I did not need your help.”

“Nope, not to kill her,” Rachel agreed. “But it’ll help with the cleanup, right? You can blame her death on me—freak accident, a shot punched through.”

Again, I backed my beloved up. “And since we’ll already catch the blame for Frax’s death, it won’t add much to our troubles.”

The most genuine smile I’d seen on Mishoni’s face appeared as we talked. “I can hardly call off the pursuit, but I suppose no one can find fault if I refuse to waste a torpedo on you. Good fortune to you, thieves.”

Before either of us managed to reply, Mishoni cut the connection and vanished.

“Now that’s a real pirate queen,” Rachel said after a moment’s silence. “I couldn’t be her if I tried. All I’m doing is playing dress-up.”

“But you made common cause with her, against all the odds,” I said, hugging her close. “You are amazing.”

Her grin was infectious. “Hey, my father’s the king and an engineer. It would suck if I’d learned nothing about diplomacy.”

My laugh filled the comms chamber, and I lifted Rachel into a passionate kiss. For a moment, nothing else mattered. Only her soft lips and sharp mind, beautiful body, and brilliant soul. My one. My mate.

She pulled back, panting for breath, cheeks glowing and eyes wide. “Later, love. We shouldn’t leave our crew to handle the escape on their own.”

I knew she was right. Of course I did. But I wanted, more than anything, to leave the others in charge while I took my mate right there on the floor. The urge might have been too much to ignore if theStarshadowhadn’t shuddered with another hit.

“Boss, it’s getting hairy up here,” Kyria shouted over the intercom as we picked ourselves up. “Two more ships are joining the party, and I don’t think we have enough firepower to go around.”

I was already running and almost made it to the bridge before she finished speaking. Without needing to be told, Arzak slipped out of the pilot’s chair and let me claim it. The ship surged forward under my hands, and I whipped us into a tight turn that narrowly evaded a plasma blast from theScourge of Heaven.

Which took us in front of theWand of the Void Sorcerer’sformidable forward batteries. Six lasercannons and six warp cannons blazed, and I flew like a man possessed, flitting between the beams.

We were small, agile, and fast. Those advantages served us well, but they wouldn’t last forever. I pushed the throttle to the limit, giving the others just enough warning to strap in before the acceleration forces hit.

One glance at the scanners told me it wouldn’t be enough. Oh, if Mishoni kept her promise and didn’t launch any torpedoes, we’d get away from theAmbush Predatorjust fine. But with the other ships joining the chase, I had to keep dodging one and finding myself in the crosshairs of the other two. They couldn’t catch me, but they only needed to get lucky once, and I was out of plans.

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