Living among the Stars (Sky Riders #2) (11 page)

             
Everything appears to be clear. The boy is the only individual I have been able to see.

              Thanks, Serelath. You and Parath head on back to the ship and we will meet you there.

             
Directly above his head he saw the dragons fly off in the direction of their ship. It would take them seconds to travel to where the ship was parked but for the group of men and one boy it would take about thirty minutes to retrace their steps.

              As expected, the dragons were waiting for them. They were eager to be off the dying planet and were the first ones onto the ship once the door had been opened. Kharis had to chuckle to himself as he watched the smaller, newer dragon follow Serelath. It was still a shock to him that his mate had a dragon!

              The ship took off without incident and returned safely to his ship. It felt good to be bad on his own turf again. He needed to inform Etor of his findings and of the new member of his crew.

              “Take Luco to the medical bay. Jonik might want to quarantine him until he gives the all clear that the boy is free of any pathogens that are known to inhabit Lephus.” Kharis nodded to the boy who was standing several feet away staring at his new surroundings. “I’ll be up on the bridge if he needs me.”

              “Yes, sir.”

              Kharis left the docking bay and headed to the bridge. He should go tell Kelly that they returned before informing his brother, their leader, about his findings came first. He may be mated to Kelly now, but his duties still had to come first. Once he was in his office he placed the transmission call and waited for Etor to appear on the screen before him. It took several minutes for the signal to reach Qetera and bounce back.

              “What have you found out?” Etor asked without greeting him.

              “Not much. The planet was pretty much deserted with the exception of one boy we discovered.”

              “Where is he?” Etor sounded angry.

              “He is being delivered to Jonik as we speak.”

              “What was he doing there? Are you sure there wasn’t anyone else,” Etor snapped.

              “Brother, is there a problem?” If his brother was angry at something, he wasn’t about to let Etor take it out on him.

              “Problem?” Etor shook his head. “Oh sorry. Maggie and I had an argument right before you called. Please continue.”

              He was right! “The boy said everyone else left the planet with Zol’tsa. He didn’t want to go and hid. He says that Zol’tsa has taken over as their ruler.”

              “By the gods! I knew the man was weasel but, damn! He didn’t waste any time filling his dead lord’s shoes, did he?” Etor slammed his fist on the table he was sitting behind.

              “Apparently not. I kind of figured he would return to Lephus when he escaped, but I didn’t think he would do it this soon. There’s not a soul left on Lephus as far as we could tell. Even the dragons didn’t find anything.”

              “Dragons?”

              Kharis chuckled to himself. He had forgotten all about informing his brother about Parath. “Yes, dragons. It seems as if a young female dragon has claimed my mate as her own!”

              Etor’s eyebrows rose up in surprise. “How is that possible? Females don’t have dragons?”

              “I’m not exactly sure, but apparently it’s a rare thing.” Kharis smiled into the screen in front of him.

              “Well, I’ll be damned! A female with a dragon! Now that is definitely something to report!” Etor’s demeanor changed with the news of Kelly’s dragon. “Do you have any idea where Zol’tsa took the people?”

              “Not yet. I’ll have to do some poking around and see if anyone knows anything. We’re heading to Nimbus 3 now.”

              “Excellent. Someone on Nimbus 3 has got to know something. Every criminal, trader, and freighter goes through that place. Just don’t let the dragons out. There’s bound to be someone on Nimbus 3 looking to make a few quick bucks by capturing a dragon.” Etor leaned back in his chair. “Call me after you search the place. As far as we know Zol’tsa could be taking the Lephusan people to the opposite side of the universe.”

              “That’s what I’ afraid of. I don’t want to have to fold space and go on a wild ghocken chase. Until then,” Kharis nodded then cut the transmission. He leaned back in his own chair and rubbed his hands over his face. It was going to be a long, tiresome journey. If he were lucky, someone on Nimbus 3 would know exactly where Zol’tsa went, but he had a feeling it was going to take some time to find the new ruler of Lephus.

Chapter 11

              Kelly lounged about their living quarters the entire time the ground party was gone. There wasn’t much for her to do on board Kharis’ ship and with Parath being gone too, she was bored to tears! The hours drug by slowly as she stared out the window that overlooked the dingy looking planet spinning below her. She just wished she could have gone with them! Damn it, she was a cop after all and know how to take care of herself?

              “This just sucks!” she said out loud.

             
What sucks?

             
The strange voice in her caught her off guard.
Parath?

              Who else would it be?

              When did y’all get back?

              Not long ago. Kharis went to file a report with Etor and should be returning soon.

             
Kelly breathed a sigh of relief.
Anything interesting happen down there?

              We did come across a young boy who Kharis took back with us. He is currently in the medical until being checked out by Jonik.

              A boy? Is he okay?

              He appears to be. Kharis just wanted the boy checked out in case he needs to be quarantined. I heard Kharis say that Lephus has may pathogens that could pose a threat.

             
That thought had never occurred to her before. Even when she and the other girls landed on Qetera, the thought of deadly pathogens never crossed her mind.
I guess it’s no different than like on Earth. Some countries where I come from have diseases that other countries do not. Way back in Earth’s history, explorers brought diseases to new places that had been untouched. Thousands upon thousands of people died because of these new pathogens.

              Yes, it’s something that needs to be taken seriously. There are so many planets of here that we don’t know what harm some may hold for us. It’s best to be cautious. Ah, Kharis is on his way back now.

              Where are you?
Kelly was surprised that her dragon hadn’t come bounding to her with excitement. She had waited hours for any news from the planet below.

             
I am going to feed with Serelath. I will return shortly.

              Okay, see you in a little while.
She was glad Kharis was on his way back. She wanted to know everything that happened down on Lephus. She felt like the cop in her was coming out with wanting to question her prisoner.

              Just as she disconnected with Parath Kharis walked through the door. He looked dirty and tired, but it wasn’t going to stop her from questioning him.

              “Hello, my love.” Kharis greeted her with a smile.

              “Hi! How was it?” She might as well dive right on in.

              Kharis plopped his huge body down onto the sofa then leaned his head back to look up at the ceiling. “Sad. Really sad. I can’t believe that a ruler would let his planet go to hell the way Ruehar had let his. The planet is barely livable which is to say a lot. Ruehar ran Lephus in the ground.”

              Kelly moved closer to him and put her hand on his thigh. “Really? Why would someone want to do that to their people? I mean, isn’t it better to take care of your people?” Wow, that sounded really stupid! Of course, it is!

              “We already knew Ruehar was harsh and cruel ruler but we didn’t know he was as extreme to the point of letting his entire planet suffer immensely. But, we got bigger problems now.”

              She curled her legs up underneath her body and leaned into Kharis as they talked. “What?”

              Kharis wrapped one long, muscled arm around her and drew her closer to him. “We came across a young boy who came back with us. His name is Luco and he informed us of the new ruler of the Lephusan people, Zol’tsa.”

              She felt the blood leave her face at the sound of that man’s name. The chances that their escaped prisoner was now the leader of their despised enemies was phenomenal. She wasn’t ignorant to the fact that they expected the old captain to show up somewhere sometime in the future but not this soon. Several times she had thought about the vanished man, especially she had been forced by Kharis to move to his city, even though she didn’t mind now. With being a cop she wasn’t about to let her guard down, but come on, she was living on an entirely different planet and was worried about a man from another species coming after her. It really wasn’t so different in space after all.

              “What…what are you going to do? Do you know where he is?”

              Kharis pulled her closer until he could kiss the top of her head. “For now, we are headed to Nimbus 3, a known haven for people who are hiding or who don’t want to be found. Chances are someone there will know where he is headed. We’re just hoping it isn’t clear across the damned universe!” He turned her face until he could look into her eyes. “There’s nothing to worry about, my love. We’ll find the bastard and see what he is up to. For now though, I need a shower. Can to join me?” He slipped free of her embrace and stood up. He held out his hand and waited for her to take.

              She debated whether or not she want to join him in the shower. Any other time she would have raced him to the bathroom, but, for some reason, she didn’t feel as if she should. She’d gotten some of the answers she had been impatiently waiting to get while Kharis had been gone and now she wished she hadn’t been so nosy. She actually felt like Maggie did when her ex tracked her to the convention center and saw her board the ship.

              “Come on, my love. There’s nothing we can do right now and a nice, long, hot shower will do us both some good.” He took her hand and tugged her to her feet.

              Reluctantly she went with him. Kharis was right, she needed to put Zol’tsa out of her mind for the time being and concentrate on other things. Other things like his body!

Chapter 12

Zol’tsa deposited his unconscious female on the bed in his quarters. Yes, she was a perfect specimen for what he intended her for, but he’d have to keep her unconscious for a bit longer until he had the extra time to explain everything to her. It really didn’t matter whether she wanted to be with him or not, she didn’t have much of a choice now that they were back up on the ship. He just wanted to give her the opportunity to come to him willingly rather than by force. He had to admit he did have his own set of morals and didn’t actually prefer rape.

Inside the table next to his bed, he always kept a tube of the strong sleeping medicine he sometimes used when he was unable to sleep. It was easy to inject and didn’t hurt so he knew the sleeping woman wouldn’t even feel the pressure of the pointy tip when he pressed it to the side of her neck. A small click indicated when the clear drug was injected into the blood stream.

He replaced the device back into the drawer then stood for a moment looking down at the human female. She was quite striking in his eyes and would make a good mother for his children. The streaks of blue in her hair lay fanned out on the pillow her head rested on. Her large breasts strained against the fabric of her shirt she must have slipped on right before he kidnapped her. Her shapely thighs were still bare from her exposition on the stage and a hint of her sex peaked out from under the hem of the shirt. He licked his lips as he thought about what he wanted to do to her, but it would have to wait.

He left her sleeping on his bed and headed to the bridge of his ship. The transport of those wanting to go with them should begin in a little while and he was curious to find out how many had come willingly and how many had been forces.

“What is the census on our new citizens?” He walked up behind the young warrior who was working at the control station in the middle of the bridge.

“Commander, glad to see you made it back.” The warrior nodded at him. “The first shuttle is due to arrive in approximately in twenty-five minutes. The pilot has reported that he had thirty-seven males on board all of whom came of their own accord.”

Zol’tsa smiled to himself. “Excellent. I didn’t expect so many volunteers in the first shuttle. How about the other shuttles? Any reports on them yet?” He needed a lot of males in order to replenish his population. He hoped that some females had been willing to come along but if not, he could always request some from the prisons.

“Nothing on those yet sir. The last report I received was that the shuttles were in the process of arriving at the prisons that are the most overcrowded. I expect them to start reporting in soon.”

Zol’tsa took a deep breath to ease the funny sensation he felt in the pit of his stomach. For once in his life, he was the one who was in charge of everything. He was the one who would delegate orders from now on, he was the one to be obeyed at all times, and best of all he didn’t have anyone else to report to.

Ruehar had been a miserable leader to live under. His demanding ways and requests became tiresome and often annoying. Lephus fell into a state of total disrepair under his rule and his people suffered greatly, not that they weren’t suffering now. Ruehar really didn’t give a crap if his people lived or died, which was really sad.

Zol’tsa was going to be a strict ruler, but at the same time he wanted to bring his people back from the brink of extinction. Even though he was only half Lephusan, he identified the most with his Lephusan roots. His mother and father tried to instill in him the ways of every race, but he had been hard-headed in wanting to learn nothing about any other race expect Lephus. He had made it his life’s goal to bring Lephusans back to a dangerous power and he was starting to do that with the plans he had set forth.

“Sir, one shuttle has reported in.”

He turned to give the warrior his undivided attention. “What’s their status?”

“The pilot reports he has fifty-one males and twenty-one women on board.”

His chest puffed out in satisfaction. Eighty-eight men and twenty-one women so far! It was an incredible start to his building his own empire.

Hours later he still sat near the warrior who gave him steady reports on the incoming shuttles. Once all the shuttles had returned he planned on having a group meeting with all the new arrivals. He was ecstatic about the new arrivals but at the same time he wanted to make clear who the leader was and what the punishment would be for those not following his rules.

“Once they are all off-loaded have they all assemble in the gathering room.” He stood up to leave.

“Yes, commander.”

He left the bridge and headed back to his quarters. His new bride had to be awake by now and he was eager to find out her reaction to being onboard his ship.

Once inside his quarters he found Cherry sitting on his bed with a terrified look on her face.

“I’m glad you are awake.” 

“Where the fuck am I, asshole?” She jumped up off the bed to confront him.

He had expected some resistance from her so he tried to keep his clam. “You’re onboard my ship of course!”

“Your ship? Why the fuck did you bring me here?” She was trying to get all up in his face with her shouting. She even dared to jab him in the chest with one of her long, bony fingers.

“If you continue to act the way you are acting then I will be forced to restrain you. We don’t want that now do we?” It was a threat and he would follow through with it if need be.

“What? Are you some kind of fucking lunatic? I insist you take me back home right now!” She jabbed him again with her finger.

Before she could blink an eye, he held the offending finger in a bone crushing grip. He squeezed the digit until she silenced her offending mouth. “Now, if you are finished. I will explain to you what my plans are. Are you going to shut up and listen?” He added a little more pressure to get his point across. When she snapped her mouth shut with a loud click and nodded her head he let go of her finger. She instantly cradled the throbbing finger in her opposite hand. “Please have a seat on the bed.” He gestured behind her and waited for her to move. For a second, he thought she was going to refuse but gave in finally when she looked down to her injured finger.

Cherry perched her tall, slim body on the edge of the mattress and waited for him to begin. He had to smile at her even though he knew she was furious. She was going to be one hell of a mate and he looked forward to taming her.

“I brought you here for one reason and one reason only, to be my mate.” He held up a hand to hush her when she opened her mouth to say something. “I thoroughly enjoyed your display back on Earth and decided I had to have you.” He saw her face visibly pale with his comment. “We will soon be departing Earth and will be on our way to the new world I have selected for us. It’s much better than the planet we just vacated.”

“Another…another planet. You’re taking me to another planet?” Her eyes bulged out in their sockets.

“Yes, another planet and you will be my queen,” he stated dryly.

“But…I don’t want to be your queen or whatever you just said. I just want to go home.” She near to begging him and he liked it!

“Sorry, that’s not going to happen. You are here now and will remain with me. I can always give you to another one of my men if you wish.” He really wouldn’t, but he thought maybe the threat might change her mind.

Cherry shook her head as she stared up at him. “Good. You will have an excellent life with me as long as you do what I say and the first thing I want you to do is strip out of that offending piece of fabric. I wish to examine your body much closer. I didn’t get to see all that I wanted to see during your little performance.”

He closed the distance between them and stood in front of her. Instead of her disrobing she clutched the fabric closer to her body.
Yes, she was going to be a handful to tame!