Unless these fodders for death served another purpose, such as delay. Tren almost groaned aloud at his stupidity in not recognizing the stalling tactic.
Urgency imbued him as, through his connection to Megan, he sensed her sudden shock, then fear. Her anger swiftly followed, but what worried him most of all was when, like a fire snuffed, he no longer felt anything of her emotions.
Tren roared in fury, the icy chill of fear held at bay by the intact tendril of his mating bond allowing him to know she lived, if incapacitated.
Unacceptable.
Tren broke off the battle with the clones and ran towards his house, then past it, following his ghostly connection to Megan.
At a swift jog, it didn't take him long to catch up to his brother who strode along in cocky arrogance with Megan slung over his shoulder.
"Drop her, Jaro, before I put an end to our feud once and for all."
His brother turned with a smirk. "Done with my little surprise already? That must be a record even for you. I'd calculated it would take you at least a few units, enough time for me to get away with the female."
Tren raised his gun and aimed it at his brother's head, his hand steady even if his heart quavered at what Jaro forced him to do. "Don't make me kill you," he warned.
Jaro scoffed. "You and I both know you won't break our promise to mother over a female."
Tren felt the coldness of his killer side slip over him. "I will kill anyone who thinks to harm my mate, promise or not."
Jaro's eyes widened, and he reeled back a step. "Mate? Surely you didn't bond with the Earthling? She's a barbarian."
"Megan is my mate. The proof of her claiming is visible on her neck. So I am going to ask you one last time to put her down, or make no mistake, I will kill you."
Before Jaro could comply, a burning pain hit Tren's back. With a growl, Tren turned and fired on the ranks of a new group of aliens approaching armed with laser pistols. A presence at his side made him snarl, a sound bitten short as he saw his brother shooting at the advancing menace.
"Game over, Jaro. Call your lackeys off," Tren shouted.
"They're not mine," Jaro replied, his expression grim as he aimed and fired.
"Frukx!" Tren didn't like the sound of that, but then another worry hit him. Megan. He whirled in time to see figures darting toward her prone figure on the ground. Tren roared as he rushed them, shooting them down, but more poured forth from the vegetation as he stood over her body, protecting her unconscious shape with his own.
A few fiery shots struck him, the burning pain making him grit his teeth. It also made him sloppy and he missed the attack from behind which toppled him over to lie face first in the ground.
And this is why I became a mercenary instead of a soldier. Sneak attacks are much better for my general health than full on battle.
The injuries peppering his body would heal if he got to a medtech unit. Tren groaned as he tried to push himself up. He struggled to one knee as the sounds of shouting and renewed firing letting him know the guards that he'd sent away during his courtship of Megan had finally arrived from the outpost.
Frantically, he looked about for Megan. When he didn't see her he staggered to his feet. The sudden movement made him sway and black spots danced in front of his eyes.
Then he knew nothing.
Tren woke in the healing unit and he bellowed when the frukxn' thing wouldn't let him rise as it completed the mending sequence. His shout brought Jaro who sported some colorful bruises.
"Where's Megan?" Tren could sense her, faintly. His fragile connection to her frightened him like nothing else ever had.
Jaro's face tightened.
Tren struggled against the invisible bonds that held him while the machine worked, and gave up with a frustrated scream of rage. "This is your fault," Tren yelled.
"I'm not the one who kidnapped her," Jaro shouted back.
"But you're the one who frukxed with my security, are you not?"
Jaro at least had the decency to look sheepish. "I only meant to take your human and copulate with her like you did with Shinja. Show you what it felt like to have a female you cared for tainted."
Tren growled. "You idiot! How many times do you have to be told I never touched that she-witch?"
Jaro's lips tightened. "Stop lying. She admitted it to me."
"Because the whore was mad I rebuffed her advances."
"Liar. She loved me and you just couldn't keep your hands off."
"She was copulating with the whole regiment. I was the only one who said no. Don't believe me? Fine, then call up some of the others from the rank. I'm sure now that all this time has passed, they might finally have the courage to admit their part."
Jaro's face stiffened for a moment, then went slack with resignation. "Some already have confessed."
"And?" Tren growled.
"I killed them instead of believing them."
Tren snorted. "They probably deserved it. So are you going to keep believing that good for nothing whore or your own brother and common sense?"
"What? And give up our competition for greatest mercenary?" Jaro grinned.
"Ha. What competition? We both know I'm the better one."
"Says the male who had his security system cracked and didn't notice until I intentionally set off an alarm." Jaro smirked in triumph and Tren scowled.
"I was distracted." And still was with worry about his mate. "How much longer before this blasted thing is done? I need to go after Megan."
"You still have a few units to go, but don't worry, we've almost caught up to the idiot who took her."
Tren laid his head back and closed his eyes in relief. "Good."
"Not really. Z'nistakn is the one who kidnapped her, and he's taking her back to his planet which is virtually impregnable."
Tren allowed a ghost of a smile to tilt his lips. "No, it's not. I bribed the engineer who designed his system."
"You mean tortured?" Jaro replied wryly.
"Either way, he gave me some backdoor codes to get in."
"How do you know he'd didn't change them?"
"I killed him right after, of course." Tren chuckled and Jaro joined him.
"Fine, that gives you a possible way in, but it does nothing to help us with the troops he has on hand to throw at us both on land and in space."
"I'll worry about penetrating his fortress, it is after all my specialty. As for space, I think it's time I called in some favors. I will get her back, Jaro, even if my actions start a war with the entire galactic council." Tren couldn't care less about Z'nistakn's position on the council. He'd frukxed with the wrong male when he took their mutual dislike to a personal level.
Jaro sighed. "Great, reunited for not even a galactic unit and already you're dragging me into trouble." He laughed. "Just like the old days."
Tren joined him in chuckling, but his was a darker sound. Where Megan was concerned, he'd do and kill anything to get her back. Woe to anyone who stood in his way.
In what rapidly was becoming a tedious pattern, Megan blinked her eyes open, sighed and kept them open. Not that the view really appealed, but she'd learned playing opossum simply didn't seem to work. Besides, the situation warranted her using her wits, because standing in front of her was a cross between an alligator and a human. In other words, something butt ugly. Unlike her other abductions, this time she sat in a chair with only her hands bound in front of her which left her feet free. What a mistake.
"Finally, she awakes," hissed the creature, flicking out a forked tongue.
She crinkled her nose. "What are you, Voldemort's cousin?"
Slitted yellow eyes narrowed. "Silence female. I am galactic councilor Z'nistakn, but you may call me Master."
A snicker escaped her. "I don't think so. Although, I can see calling you my new pair of boots if you don't take me back to Tren, like, yesterday." Megan made the threat even as she didn't hold out hope Tren would rescue her again. Ridiculous as her new captor appeared and spoke, she recognized the signs of wealth from the well-armed guards at his back to the more opulent surroundings around her. Anyhow, it wasn't as if her pirate truly cared for her. He simply enjoyed using her body. It didn't stop her from hoping, though, that he'd come sweeping in, guns blazing to rescue her like Han Solo and Luke had with Princess Leia.
The lizard, whose name she couldn't pronounce, just about went postal at her words. "Insolent whore. I will teach you to mock those superior to you." Its clawed fingers grappled with the robe it wore and spread it open to reveal a stubby penis.
Megan laughed. "Ooh, make me shake in teeny, tiny fear, why don't you? My god, are all your kind so poorly endowed? No wonder you need to kidnap women. Your own probably keep laughing you out of the bedroom."
The titters she heard didn't come from Mr. Lizard, but his guards. And it made him snap. He drew back and slapped her, rocking her head to the side.