Page 83 of Alien Mercenary's Wife
Two massive figures filled the opening, silhouetted against harsh daylight. Reese's breath caught as T'Raal stepped into the transport, blood splattered across his clothes. Behind him came another Latharian, older but no less dangerous, lethality written in every line of his big body.
Even through her failing vision, the family resemblance was unmistakable.
The guards recovered from their shock, snapping their disruptors up toward the alien warriors. "Two Lathar against us?" the first guard snarled, finger tightening on his weapon's trigger. "You picked the wrong fight."
T'Raal smiled, and the expression sent ice racing down Reese's spine. She'd seen him angry before, but this was different. This was death wearing a familiar face.
"Oh, he's not Lathar," the older Latharian's lips curved into a dangerous smile. "He's worse. He's Warborne."
The guards fired, and she flinched, expecting to see both alien men collapse. There was no way the guards could miss at this distance.
But the Latharians moved faster than human reflexes. T'Raal twisted sideways, the shot missing his chest by millimeters. The older warrior simply wasn't where the guard had aimed.
Her eyes widened as massive combat robots dropped from the sky, their weapons systems thundering as they unleashed controlled destruction around them. Inside the transport, the fight was brutally personal.
T'Raal reached the first guard before the man could fire again, his hand closing around the guard's throat. The disruptor clattered to the floor as the big human was lifted off his feet, his feet kicking uselessly.
"You made a mistake." T'Raal's voice remained eerily calm as Reese heard bones crack. "You touched what's mine."
The second guard tried to swing his weapon toward the other Latharian, but he moved even faster than T'Raal had. One massive hand closed around the guard's wrist, twisting sharply. A crack like gunfire sounded, and the weapon fell, but the Latharian warrior wasn't done. Hauling the guard toward him, he smashed his forehead into his victim's in a vicious headbutt that would have cracked reinforced steel. The guard dropped like a stone.
The entire fight lasted no more than ten seconds. When it ended, both guards were either dead or unconscious, the Latharians standing over them.
Reese tried to stand, but muscle spasms wracked her body, sending agony racing through her.
"Reese!" T'Raal was beside her in an instant, his big hands gentle as he helped her sit up. "I'm here. You're safe."
He barked an order over his shoulder, and the other Latharian appeared at his side.
"Let me take her," he said, moving toward Mason.
Reese blinked, trying to focus through the pain. The family resemblance was unmistakable. Same face, same moves. Definitely T'Raal's father. The Emperor himself.
"Her name is Charlotte," she managed a croak. "Charlotte Mason."
The Emperor's expression softened as he lifted Mason gently, cradling her against his chest like she was something precious.
"Come on,kelarris," he murmured to Mason. "Let's get you out of here."
"How are you doing, princess?" T'Raal slid his arms around her, lifting her up.
Princess. Reese snorted despite the pain wracking her nervous system as T'Raal dropped from the back of the transport to the hard-packed dirt of the road. "Not a princess. And I'm toast. My nerves are shutting down."
"Let me be the judge of that."
The voice came from a third Latharian, who had appeared at the transport's rear opening. This one was younger than the Emperor and T'Raal, but not by much. Bright green eyes focused on her, and she caught the subtle family resemblance all three men bore.
Another member of the Imperial royal family. This was getting confusing. Fast.
She looked over his shoulder. The Emperor was already placing Mason on what looked like an alien medical stretcher. Reese watched him brush Mason's hair back from her face with tender care, and something in her chest tightened.
"Get her into the transport," the green-eyed Latharian ordered, looking Reese over quickly. "I want them both back on the station so I can start treatment. Now."
"It's okay,kelarris," T'Raal said as he strode forward to put her on another stretcher. "Laarn is the Lord Healer, the absolute best doctor in the Empire. He's going to sort everything out."
Reese looked up at Laarn, noting the way his expression combined professional competence with genuine warmth. "Nothing but the best for my new cousin," he said, then looked at T'Raal with something approaching awe. "Thank you for trusting me, Your Majesty."
Your Majesty. Her breath caught on a gasp. He'd done it. Claimed the title he'd avoided his whole life.
