Page 66 of Chieftain
My eyes met Khaion’s. “Chieftainess?”
“I like the sound of that.” Khaion's lips curved up in a smile, and he leaned down to press his mouth against mine. His solid frame was taut and hard from fighting, but the strength radiating from him made me feel safe and secure.
“Me too,” I sighed, letting him fold me into his embrace. “I’m sorry I didn’t stay hidden,” I offered. “But I saw Willa, and when Nansar grabbed her…”
"We will find Willa," Khaion promised. The truth of his words echoed through our shared heartbeat, thudding steadily and strongly. Keeping me wrapped in his embrace, he turned us toward the shuttle. Willa was gone. We had no reason to tarry.
Charick moved methodically between the bodies of the fallen Kerzak and Aljani, slashing with his swords to make sure none would survive. Usually, such a sight would stir revulsion, but not today. I'd always been on the fence about the death penalty, relying on the justice system to make the right choice. But this wasn't my Earth. This world was cruel, violent, and greedy… like the wild west on steroids.
My world now.
Yet, I knew I was safer, more loved, and more protected than ever.
I glanced up at Khaion and watched his golden eyes simmer with love and desire when I spoke.
“Let’s go home.”
Chapter 19
Khaion
Outside the command deck's bank of windows, the vastness of space appeared static, despite knowing the Bardaga traveled at eighteen thousand miles per hour to maintain an orbit around the Korfu moon.
"What is that?" Navigator second-class Trolan stabbed at his console, and the inky blackness of space morphed into an aerial shot of the moon's surface. Other than the oasis around the villa, the landscape was nothing but orange dust—or at least it should be.
“A Kerzak outpost.” I recognized the arrowhead shape of at least a dozen skiffs. Charick was right. When he’d noticed the Kerzak ship arriving from somewhere on the moon, my Sage was insistent we survey for a sign of the beasts. The discovery of this base provided evidence the Kerzak were far more embedded with Nansar than we suspected.
I felt a softness next to me, and my arm slipped around her waist, drawing Emmy to my side.
“Could Willa be there?” Her voice held a tenor of hope.
“I don’t see Nansar’s ship,” Charick cut his eyes toward my mate, his expression holding a modicum of apology unnatural to his features.
Emmy cuddled closer against my side, seeking comfort. I shifted slightly, drawing her fully against my chest, wrapping both arms around her. I needed to announce that Emmy survived the Valakana. My crew—my people would celebrate our mating.
"Where could he have taken her?" It was a question my mate asked of the universe, but my heart hurt I could not answer.
"Bartuk is surveying the galaxy for signs of the tracker. Hopefully, we will find it soon." While the trackers we employed were the best technology in the galaxy, finding their signature was not infallible—especially if Nansar jumped into hyperdrive.
“Chieftain?” The hint of worry in Trolan’s voice captured my attention. Keeping Emmy pressed close, I moved to the navigator’s chair.
“What is it?”
“It appears the Kerzak are readying several of their ships.”
With the punch of a few buttons, we magnified the compound. Metal buildings low to the ground sat in an L-shape around a rectangular concrete slab holding the ships. This was more than just a simple outpost. This was a military base. As we watched, four skiffs went airborne, rocketing toward the villa.
“They must have gotten word of the battle,” Charick huffed.
“Will they know it was us?” Emmy trembled in my arms.
"We left no one alive to tell," I muttered, and her shiver intensified for a moment before subsiding altogether.
“I can target the base easily, Chieftain,” Tolan suggested. “It would only take a couple of blasts from our laser cannon to decimate them.”
I laid a hand on the crewman's shoulder, missing Jutuk acutely. Tolan was skilled but young and emotional. Jutuk knew me well enough to never recommend a senseless slaughter—even of Kerzak.
“Until we know the depth and reason for Nansar’s alliance with the Kerzak, we cannot make a move.”
