"Twenty minutes."
"Twenty minutes of shitty air left."
"Show me the damage."
I flashed him a mental picture of the fried relay. "And the really good news is there's no backup system."
Zarek released me, and I quickly threw up my shields. Oh God, oh God, I was so dead.
Enormous power crackled around my shields, testing them. "Very impressive, Zoey. I see why my Battle Commander chose you."
"Um … thanks. Can I say good-bye to Voss?"
"Do you really think I would allow Hothar or you to die?"
Well, yeah, I kind of did. "You have a plan?"
"I always have a plan," Zarek responded arrogantly.
Yep, Voss and the Overlord were two peas in a pod. "What do you want me to do?"
"Enter these coordinates into the navigational computer: 551.1 mark 432.2."
Sliding into the pilot's chair, I did as instructed. "Done."
"When you are within ten clicks of the Hus Ping space station, contact me again, and I will teleport you onboard."
"We won't be able to dock?"
"No, they will scan the ship. Females are a valuable commodity, and once they get a good look at you, you'll be on your back servicing the males. Hothar they will kill."
Anger surged through me at the thought of anyone hurting the kid. "They touch us, they're dead."
"You will hide until we come for you. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir. I do appreciate your help, sir." It was making me more than a bit nervous that I was unable to link with the big guy. "Are you still angry with Voss?"
Zarek's tone was one of sheer menace. "No. In his place I would have done the same thing, but if you ever threaten me again, I will not be so forgiving."
Now I knew where Voss got his scary from. "Gotcha, it won't happen again, sir, but I didn't know who you were. All I knew was you were hurting Voss, and I had to stop you."
"Your willingness to fight for your mate is the only reason you still live."
Holy Mary, mother of God! Kaylee was right. The Overlord did make Darth Vader look like Little Orphan Annie.
"Detja is eager to meet you."
The abrupt change from menacing warlord to charming host freaked me out just a bit. "I'm honored, sir. She's one of my role models."
"Uncle Saul did mention that."
Uncle Saul? Zarek acted like we were family. How weird was that?
"Who told you about the effects of Diatryman root?"
"Detja told Kaylee, she told Sam, and Sam told Casey, and Casey told Aunt Tess, and she sent me some."
"Female communication is beyond me," Zarek commented wryly.
"It makes perfect sense to us, sir."
"Indeed."
"After the disaster with Voss, I think I need to double the amount of Diatryman root."
Zarek's voice was a threatening growl. "Who do you plan to use it on?"
Fear slithered up my spine, and my teeth started to chatter. "I thought … I thought it might be a good idea to carry some in case Malik tries to grab me again."
"An excellent idea. I'll have Detja make you a stronger batch."
"Um … That would be wonderful, sir."
The Overlord suddenly commanded, "Drop your shields."
"What?"
Voss's voice was a faint whisper in my mind, "Do it."
The Overlord asked almost casually, "Do you have a problem understanding the concept of obedience?"
"Yes, sir, I kinda do. It drives Voss nuts. I'm not used to having guys telling me what to do."
"And I'm not accustomed to having my orders ignored."
I quickly dropped my shields, flinching when the Overlord sailed in and started mucking about in my head. A tug here. A yank there. A burning sensation behind my eyes. Sweet Jesus, was he turning me into a bimbo like Jasmine the whore?
Zarek's laughter sounded in my mind. "No, little one, I would never turn you into a brainless whore. I'm simply increasing the strength of your shields."
"You are? Wow, thanks. Um … No disrespect, sir, but why? I thought they were already pretty damned good."
"They are, but Malik's strong enough to shatter them and destroy your mind."
Well, that would teach me to get cocky.
I felt a sharp pinch, and Zarek snapped, "You've been piggybacking messages to Kaylee using our communications relay."
Busted. "Yes, sir, I found a glitch in the system that allows me to send messages without being detected."
Zarek spewed a foul litany of cuss words in several different languages.
I gave myself a mental head smack. "Malik set it up, didn't he?"
"Yes." A killing rage simmered in his mind.
Fighting back the urge to start screaming hysterically please don't kill me, I took a deep breath and said, "Look on the bright side."
A predatory growl rumbled in my head. "There's a bright side?"
"Yes, sir, we blew the hell out of his base and cost him forty million credits."
"Forty million credits?" The Overlord sounded a bit surprised at the amount.
"My traitorous father killed himself without telling Malik where his precious cargo of human flesh was. So poof! There goes forty million. Plus, we killed Anhui, the most vicious pirate in the galaxy, and blew up her ship. I don't think the Tai-Kok or the Rodan will be real happy with your traitorous son. They might even invite Malik over for dinner."
"There is a very good possibility that he will be on the dinner menu." Zarek rifled through my memories. "You are a very clever female. Your father never knew you were accessing his armory or command systems."
"Nope, he didn't have a clue."
Zarek laughed. "You will keep Voss on his toes."
"Can I talk with him, please?"
To my stunned surprise, he placed a gentle kiss on my forehead. "Welcome to the family, little one." Poof! He was gone.
Voss wrapped me in a crushing grip and frantically scanned my mind. "Did he hurt you?"
I stroked him soothingly. "No, I got a stern lecture, and get this, he strengthened my shields."
"I want your promise that you will never challenge the Overlord again."
"He hurt you. I had to try to stop him."
"Zarek was annoyed with me. If he had truly wanted to hurt me, I would be on my knees screaming in agony. He can kill with a thought. I want your word that you will never challenge or disobey the Overlord."
"Believe me, that won't be a problem. Having him in my head was terrifying."
Voss planted a hard, possessive kiss on my mouth. "I must go. The Overlord is calling me. Be careful on the space station. We will come for you."
I caressed his cheek and pressed my lips to his. "Yes, sir."
The tremendous power flooding the shuttle vanished.
Heaving a sigh of relief, Hothar sagged in his chair and shook his head in stunned disbelief. "You challenged the Overlord."
"Pretty stupid, huh?"
"Very. The few that have dared are dead."
"I can believe that. Lucky for me, the Overlord seems to like me a bit."
"He does, and the fact that you are the Battle Commander's mate helped too. Anyone else he would have turned into a mindless breeder," Hothar said repressively.
"Good point."
Chapter Nine
On the long-range scanner, the Hus Ping space station looked like a pitted gray sausage. Dozens of airlocks haphazardly dotted the battered surface, and on one end a badly dented engine had been attached. I guess if the local cops showed up, they could make a run for it. I examined the sensors. Nah, the instant they fired up that piece of junk it would blow rather spectacularly.
An amazing variety of ships were stuck like barnacles to the airlocks. Everything from one-man scouts to deadly fighters to merchant ships to one weird-looking freighter.
A sudden flood of Voss's memories flashed through my head. This space station was the equivalent of a Hell's Angel's biker bar. Only the dregs of the galaxy used it, and you didn't enter unless you were armed to the teeth or truly desperate.
We were truly desperate and outgunned. I took a wheezing breath and rubbed my burning eyes. I didn't know how much longer I could hang on. It was getting harder and harder to breathe.
My radar went on red alert, and I watched in horror as a Rodan Raider swooped in and docked. Its black hull bristled with weapons. "Oh fuck!"
"Balock's balls," Hothar cried in alarm. His hands danced over the console. "There are eight of them."
"Let's see if we can even the odds a bit." I reached out and linked with Voss. "We've got a bit of a problem."
He scanned my mind and spat, "Fuck."
A slightly hysterical giggle escaped me. The merge had affected him too. "How did they know we're headed to the space station?"