Shifting slightly, I got a good look at my captor and gaped in disbelief. It was Zye. A homicidal medic? Wasn't that an oxymoron? Why in the world would the medic want to harm me? Today was the first time we had met.
I gave myself a mental head smack. He wanted someone dead all right, and I was the bait. Gee, I wonder who it could be? My honey bunny or Zarek the merciless?
The roar of engines grew, and I was suddenly slammed back against my seat as we launched from Voss's warbird.
Shit! Shit! Shit! Not good. Frantically I scrolled through Voss's memories. There had to be something I could use. There. The big guy had been in a similar situation when the Alliance hunters had captured him. He had tapped into the tiny tentacle of power Zarek had left in his head and managed to contact the Overlord by drawing on his captor's energy.
A feral smile curled my mouth. I just needed the ass to touch me. Feigning a seizure, I jerked spasmodically in my chair.
"Balock's balls," Zye spat. Clamping a hand on my shoulder, he ran a scanner over me. He didn't want me dying too soon. He planned on making Voss, the terror of the universe, watch as I was eaten piece by piece. Didn't that sound like fun?
Drawing heavily on Zye's energy, I focused on the tentacle of power Zarek had left as a tracking device, followed it back to his mind, and screeched, "Help! Kidnapped by Zye."
Zye staggered back a step, shook his head as if to clear it, then hauled off and punched me hard in the face.
Stars exploded in my vision. I heard a deep-throated growl before everything faded to black.
"Wake up! Wake up!"
Why was someone shaking me like a rag doll?
"What did you do? Wake up!"
I forced my eyes open and flinched at the rage etched into Zye's face.
"What did you do?"
"Timid mouse," Zarek commanded as he started efficiently cleansing the Drakash from my mind.
I obediently broke into hysterical sobs. "Please don't hurt me. Please!"
Zye grabbed a handful of my hair and yanked my head back. "What did you do?"
"Nothing. How could I? I can't feel my body, and my mind's all muzzy," I squeaked, adding in a bit of ditzy, airheaded bimbo into my act.
He gave my hair a vicious pull. "I felt you link with someone."
Wailing like a frightened child, I cried, "Who? How? What did you do to me? Why can't I feel my body?"
With a scowl, Zye released my hair. "I drugged you."
"Why?"
"To make them pay."
"For what?"
"They destroyed one of the greatest minds of this millennium," Zye hissed. "Akeem would have restored the Coletti Empire to its greatness."
"Oh, he worked for Malik?"
His hands balled into fists. "No! Malik answered to him."
I found that a bit hard to believe.
"Tread carefully," Zarek warned.
"Zye is a few bricks short of a full load."
"Indeed."
Keeping my tone fearful, I asked Zye, "What will you do now?"
"I'm going to destroy him."
"Malik?"
"No, you stupid petka, Zarek."
Widening my eyes in astonishment, I gushed, "You're strong enough to defeat Zarek in hand-to-hand combat?"
The Overlord's chuckle sounded in my mind.
Zye puffed out his chest. "I could defeat him easily."
"Really?" I would pay good money to see that fight. "Have you challenged him yet?"
"No need. He'll soon be dead."
"How?"
"I poisoned his wine."
"Um … Would that be the wine Akeem brought into the meeting chamber?"
An evil smile curved Zye's mouth. "One sip, and Zarek dies in agony."
This guy was living in la-la land. Everyone on the ship knew that hadn't worked. To my utter relief, I could finally feel my hands and legs again. Keeping up my helpless act, I cringed away from him. "The Overlord knew it was toxic. He never drank it."
"That's not possible. You are lying." Zye's open palm smacked me across the face.
The room danced around me, and pain radiated from my cheek. "It's true. You saw him in the hallway. He looked pretty healthy to me," I whined fearfully.
He smacked me again. "I poisoned all his wine."
Dammit! The jerk had split my newly healed lip. Enough was enough. My temper roared to life. I was gonna kick the crap out of him.
"Easy, little one," Zarek said, blocking my attempts to move. "You're not strong enough to defeat him, and we need to know where he is taking you. Which you can't learn if you're unconscious."
True. I spat out a mouthful of blood and stuttered, "But … but … I heard Voss talking about the wine. They knew. That's why Zarek made Akeem drink it."
Zye's face paled, and he dropped into the pilot's chair. "That's not possible."
"It's true, and the Battle Commander slaughtered every one of Akeem's warriors."
His stunned gaze focused on me. "All of them?"
"Yes," I whispered fearfully.
He sat there for a moment, then started laughing.
I hadn't expected that response. "Is he losing it?"
"His brain waves are unstable."
"Wonderful."
"None of it matters. Nothing can stop Malik from unleashing the Destroyer of Worlds," Zye announced gleefully.
Zarek's rage hammered my mind. "He found it."
I gave Zye a weak smile. "Is that some kind of new ship?"
"It's an ancient weapon that the Bootan used to destroy their enemies. Now we will use it to destroy ours."
"Why hasn't Malik used it already?"
"It's in Gorum territory. Once the Tai-Kok have eaten all the worms, we'll claim it."
"Wow, what a brilliant plan." That explained why Bebo had been sold out.
Zye preened. "The Tai-Kok have already dined on the king of the Gorum and his pregnant mate. They made him watch as they pulled his unborn children from her womb and ate them one by one."
Nausea rose in my throat. "Oh dear God. They have no idea what they have done."
"None," Zarek snapped. "Children are precious to the Gorum. Bebo will not stop until every Tai-Kok has been exterminated."
"I'll be glad to help him wipe that vermin out."
"It does present the perfect opportunity to negotiate an alliance with Bebo," Zarek said thoughtfully.
The medic from hell taunted, "You feel sorry for the monsters?"
"No child deserves that fate."
An evil laugh broke from him. "It's your fate as well."
I cowered in my seat, wondering when he would realize I could move. "What are you talking about? What are you going to do with me?"
"I'm going to feed you to the Gorum, you stupid petka."
Sobbing hysterically, I pleaded with him, "Please don't do that. Do you really think Voss or the Overlord will care? They won't. They won't."
"You're the Battle Commander's mate," Zye snapped in disgust.
"I'm nothing to him but a source of blood, sex, and children. I can be easily replaced. Please. I'll … I'll do anything you want, but don't feed me to them, please."
"You're lying. Your bloodlines make you a highly prized mate."
"I'm not a Siren. I'm nothing special. Voss was so mad when he found out. I'm nothing like … nothing like the rest of my family."
Zye scanned my mind, and with Zarek's help, I appeared to be a low-level psychic. "I was told you were a Siren."
To my utter relief, the paralysis was rapidly leaving my body. I wailed pathetically, "My father … the general told everyone that. He wanted to be posted … be posted to Central Command."
He waved his hand dismissively. "It matters not. It will be a blow to the Battle Commander's pride to have his mate stolen and her death broadcast across the galaxy."
"No. No. No. Please don't do that," I whimpered.
"Be quiet, or I'll give you more Drakash," Zye threatened.
"Yes, my lord." Huddling in the chair, I studied the control console. "We're heading toward Joroco."
"Which explains Akeem's eagerness to keep us far away from the planet," Zarek growled.
"Is this Destroyer of Worlds as bad as it sounds?"
Voss's familiar presence flooded my mind. "The Bootan destroyed ten solar systems before the weapon was captured by the Gorum and hidden."
"Would Bebo use it on the Tai-Kok and Rodan?"
"In his place, I would," Zarek answered.
"It is the logical thing to do if you want to utterly destroy your enemy," Voss added as he mentally scanned my body. I could feel his anger as he cataloged my new injuries.
Whoa. The big guy was working himself up. Part of me liked the fact he would kill anyone who hurt me, but I could take care of myself. "Hey, I get first dibs on killing the creep."