Page 39 of Ulfar

“Sarah, darling, is that you?”

My heart celebrates and sinks at the same time as I take in the sight before me.

My father sits at a brightly lit bar area with a cocktail in hand. Flanking him on both sides are two beautiful (and barely dressed) alien women with bright pink skin and head tails that trail down their backs. They giggle and press themselves against him, clearly enjoying themselves.

“Father...” The sound comes out as a choked gargle. “What are you...”

“Glad you could make it, sweetheart!” He extends his hands wide, giving me a satisfied grin. “Isn’t this place great? You’ve simply got to try the drinks—when they say they’re out of this world, they really mean it!”

“What the hell are you doing?” Fury and confusion rise within me in equal measure. Here I was, being drugged, held captive, and who knew what else, while he was drinking and consorting with these...women?!

It’s all too much to take in. I feel sick, doubling over to retch up the water I just drank. Atraxia is at my side, her smugness never fading for a second. She puts a gentle hand on my shoulder, but I bat her away.

“You see?” she says sweetly. “Your father has moved on. He’s come to understand that it’s useless to fight against the might of the Syndicate. We have eyes and ears across the galaxy, and even if you escape us for now, we will hunt you down to the ends of the universe. You’ll never know peace as long as there’s a price on your head. But see how nice it could be if you would just give in? Cooperate? Everyone has a price, my dear.”

I round on her next, fists clenched and ready for a fight. “What have you done to him?!”

Atraxia presses a shocked hand to her chest. “I haven’t done a thing. He simply decided to make the smart choice, is all.” Her gaze levels with mine. “Perhaps you should consider doing the same.”

“Never!” I cry, shaking with pain and rage. My own father…how could he do this to me? To us?

After all I sacrificed for him...

My stomach cramps again, and I double over as a coughing fit seizes me. The world spins on its axis, and at some point I hit the ground, but I don’t remember much after that.

All I do remember is the pain. And silently praying to all the heavens that Ulfar will forgive me.

CUFFS

ULFAR

One month. One month I’ve been without her.

One month too long.

I still remember the taste of her lips. Her smile when she looks up at me. Her tousled hair when she wakes up and pads into the kitchen, still blinking away sleep.

Those memories and more are burned onto my brain like a brand, and I don’t think they’ll ever leave. The fact that she’s made such a permanent impression on me only cements the fact that she’s my heart-mate.

And that I need to get her back as soon as possible.

We’ve been jumping from planet to planet, picking up clues and gathering intel, but I gotta hand it to them—the Syndicate knows how to stay hidden. Even the most cunning adversaries mess up sometimes, though. And once we find that opening, not even the gods will be able to save them from our wrath.

“I’ve got something,” Orri calls, hunched over the computer.

“You’ve said that a million times by now,” I groan, scrubbing a hand over my face. Despite myself, hope flares anew in my gut. Every time, it sours into disappointment when our leads don’t pan out, but this time, maybe this time…

“No, man. I’m serious. Look.” He turns in his chair and gestures for me to come over. I suck in a breath, because even from this distance I can see the blinking cursor on the radar readout. There’s no doubt about it this time. It’s the ship we’ve been tracking for the last month, docked in the last place anyone would have thought to look.

“Got you,” I growl, every instinct rising within me to storm their base and kill everyone between me and Sarah. We’re so close now, right on their doorstep after a month of dead ends, and I’m not going to let them get away.

Heavy footsteps clomp across the bridge behind me, and I see Rathgar standing there, strapping on his armor and weapons with a determined look on his face.

“Heard there was gonna be some action,” he says, meeting my eyes. “Didn’t wanna miss out. Did we finally lock onto those sons of bitches?”

Orri nods. “As far as I can tell, they haven’t detected us in orbit yet. If we get in there, hit them hard and fast, they won’t have time to assemble their larger forces.”

“Remember what happened last time.” Soren’s sober voice cuts through our excitement. “We can’t make the same mistakes.”

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