Page 9 of Alien Knight Teddy Bear Troubles

He burst out of the pod, firing again and again into the Dark Ones’ faces. There were four of them, and the only advantage Taeger had was surprise and speed.

He ran, faster than a human’s eyes could track, to the downed kuvu bear and scooped it up just as a Dark One ripped a long gash in his arm.

Blood dripping from the gash, he didn’t slow down. Racing back to the pod, his heart hammering, he dove in head first.

Belsaran continued to fire from the doorway until the pod was completely closed, the Dark Ones scraping the doorway with their razor sharp claws.

Ion ran to Taeger, a mixture of fear and joy on his young face as he took the stuffed toy from Taeger, cuddling it close. “Booboo bear, it’s going to be okay. I got you.”

Taeger rolled to his feet. Good. The female had stayed exactly where he’d left her.

Their gazes locked. Held. Her angry green eyes had softened with worry, for him or the boy he didn’t know, but something inside him woke up. Hungry.

Chapter Three

Taeger took his position at the controls. “Belsaran?”

“Right here.” Belsaran moved into place. “This would be easier with three pilots, as the controls were made for someone four to five times our size.”

Taeger frowned, his arm throbbing with pain. “We’ll manage.”

Cassandra looked around the interior of the escape pod. The controls were spread out for creatures of a much greater size than they. Belsaren was right. They’d never get out of there without at least one more person to handle the strange, alien controls. They’d all get eaten alive if they didn’t get out of there. Her chance to get the data chip was gone. She’d have to think of something else. She was a survivor. There was no time for regret now. They had to get out and get out now. She wasn’t going to get everyone killed just because she was mad. Survival came first. Looking toward Taeger, she could clearly see the blood soaking through his armor. “Stubborn bastard,” she hissed. “Too stubborn to ask for help? Just tell me what to do.”

To Taeger’s surprise, Cassie moved into position as a third pilot. When he and Belsaran both stared, she looked at them like they were idiots. The look was not one he was used to seeing directed at himself.

“What? I’m a pilot. I’ve probably got more flying time than either one of you. I may not be able to read all the symbols, but I recognize a few things.”

Belsaran smiled and turned back around to man his station, his eyes twinkling.

Taeger wasn’t going to argue, either. While getting more flying time than a Lumerian Knight was highly unlikely, as both Taeger and Belsaran had been piloting ships for thousands of years, Belsaran was right. This ship needed at least three people just to reach all of the controls. If Cassie wanted to help, then by all means, let her help. Besides, his arm hurt like hell.

Taeger watched Cassie from the corner of his eye. She was definitely competent in the pilot seat, which cleared up one question, at least. The crazy, beautiful human knew nothing about Lumerian Knights and probably assumed they were nothing more than ordinary ‘aliens’. Caldorians, most likely, which he knew were now stationed on Earth. The Caldorians only lived about six hundred years or so. She might be able to out-pilot one of them.Nevera Lumerian Knight.

Taeger activated the pod and programmed coordinates as Cassie went through the life support checks and took the time to tell everyone to find something to hold onto. Ion was settled next to her on the floor, holding his Kuvu bear and clinging to both her leg and the giant chair.

Rumble after rumble sounded around them, shaking the pod. People gasped and screamed behind him. Ignoring the ruckus, he activated the visual controls and watched with growing satisfaction as pod after pod jettisoned from the side of the Dark Ones’ ship. They would be safe, at least until they arrived at their destination. The Dark Ones’ stealth, or ‘ghosting’ technology would work in the Knights favor this time around. They wouldn’t be able to track their own pods.

Looking at the boy, Taeger activated the propulsion and launched them into space with a roar. The boy smiled.

Taeger smiled back. “A promise is a promise.”

Ion nodded happily. The female worked furiously, scanning their surroundings for pursuit with one hand and occasionally stroking Ion’s hair with the other.

Tager watched the play of her small fingers and found himself envious of a three year old.

“Thirty seconds.” Belasran notified Taeger that the explosives they’d left behind were about to blow.

Taeger looked at the people behind him, huddled together in shock. Terrified. Numb. “Hold on. We left them a surprise, and it’s about to blow.”

Cassie didn’t react as he’d expected. Instead of fear, he saw regret as she leaned closer to the view screen. Taeger watched her with a mixture of fascination and growing unease. Why would blowing up their ship cause the regret he saw clearly written all over her face? Was she in league with the Dark Ones? A human spy after all? Something didn’t add up. She didn’t come across as a spy, and Ion had an uncanny way of reading people. Ion liked her. Hell,heliked her. What had she left behind?

The first burst of light was followed by a string of bright flashes as one after another of the explosive devices they’d left behind blew holes in the Dark Ones’ ship. The shockwave caused their escape pod to shudder for long seconds as the people behind him gasped and clung to one another for comfort. Ion, himself, clung to Cassie’s leg. As to the female, she watched the Dark Ones’ ship catch fire and flicker into full view as their ghosting technology failed.

He wasn’t sure what he expected, but it wasn’t her sigh of relief. “That’s not enough to stop them. It’ll only slow them down.”

“Agreed.” And he did. Her assessment of the damage to the enemy ship was accurate. They would be visible on the pod’s sensors until they repaired the damage to their main energy grid. After that, they would seal off the damaged areas and begin their pursuit.

“How long do we have?” She looked up at him and he had to fight the urge to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. This woman appeared to be delicate. Fragile. But her mind and her mouth painted a very different picture. The dichotomy fascinated him.

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