Page 20 of Tender Captivity
“Grab his arm,” Lakin instructed as she let go of Jinna’s hand. “Watch out for the quills!”
Without slowing, Jinna launched herself at the Talin, uncaring what might happen. She wrapped her arms around his arm and dropped to the ground, dragging his hand low.
“Got it!” Lakin sung out triumphantly as she snatched the Ident Cube out of his hand and ran.
“Human!” The Talin made the word into a curse as he flung Jinna off and lunged at Lakin.
Jinna managed to land in a crouched position, more from luck than skill. By the time she got to her feet, she saw heads turning as Lakin got to the edge of the raised Challenge platform. For a moment she thought the woman was trapped, but she should have had more faith.
Lakin scrambled up an unsuspecting Talin’s back, and when they turned in surprise, she used their movement to launch herself onto the platform.
Holian was on his knees, shielding his head from Tarquin’s blows. Jinna ran to some steps so she could get onto the stage.She ended up only a few strides behind Lakin. She didn’t pay any attention to her new friend, who was rushing to Dalt, holding up the Ident and yelling about cheating. Her entire focus was on Holian.
She couldn’t save her husband or child, but she could save him.
Uncaring of her own safety, she threw herself onto Holian, trying to shield him from the next blow. He let out a rattle of surprise and then wrapped his arms around her as he twisted. Curling his bigger body around hers, he rumbled out a purr even as he prepared to take a hit without trying to guard against it.
But it never came. Instead Dalt’s voice filled the air.
“Halt the Challenge, I declare a win by default,” he shouted. “This Challenge was answered in good faith by Commandant Holian, yet the Lolian family deemed it allowable to act underhandedly!”
There was absolute silence.
“Put me down,” Jinna hissed as Holian stumbled to his feet with her in his arms.
“Not yet,” he whispered back, purring loudly. The scent of applies filled her nose, and she noticed the scent glands in his cheeks were glinting along with the blood dripping down his face.
But he was standing and talking, so he couldn’t be that hurt. Right?
“You’re a mess,” she whispered to him.
“But still alive thanks to you.”
“Cheating?” Tarquin boomed out with an aggressive rattle. “I would never!”
Dalt wasn’t intimidated by the large male. “Holian?” he asked.
“Electro-dart,” Holian answered. “Under my second plate.” Turning his back on Dalt, he bent his head to separate his plates.The Talin in the dark green robes hurried onto the stage and peered at Holian’s neck before Dalt could get close.
She carefully inserted a claw between the plates. Jinna felt Holian jolt and then relax. “Much better,” he muttered and turned them to see the green-robed female holding something up to show the gray-robed Talins.
The audience started murmuring, and Jinna looked over to see the guy who’d been controlling the dart thingy was trying to get away.
She turned her gaze to tell Lakin, but the woman was already talking to Dalt and pointing. Dalt launched himself off the platform and tackled the male to the ground.
“This is an unwarranted attack!” the male protested as Dalt dragged him onto the stage and presented him and the Ident Lakin had grabbed to the gray-robed Talins.
“Facilitators, I believe this male is responsible for the electro-dart.”
The male struggled in Dalt’s grip until the retired soldier did something that made the male rumble in distress and go still.
“Please,” he begged the gray-robed Facilitators. “It wasn’t me!”
One of the Facilitators stepped up to Dalt and took the Ident from him. After tapping it a few times, the Facilitator then held it close to the male. It pinged and displayed a hologram in a language Jinna didn’t know. Judging by the reaction of everyone, it was proof of the Ident’s ownership.
The Facilitator pressed the Ident again. It pinged, and the dart in the healer’s hand glowed. She hissed and dropped it to the ground.
The male made a wheezing, keening sound and dropped to his knees. Dalt let him go and stepped back.
