Page 39 of Stolen By the Barbarian

"We should pair off. Rooke and Slye, return to the hidden lab and collect the tech we dropped," Mordox orders. "Drax and Bruke, stay here and guard the females. I'm going to the galley to collect all the rations we'll need for the journey to Kyler 4."

"No." I hold tightly to Mordox's hand as he releases me. "You need someone to watch your six."

"Drax and Bruke are our only hope of modifying the stunners, and Drax is the only one who knows how to retrieve those files from the ether," he grins down at me. "They need to stay here where it's the safest."

"Then I'll go with you," I say, standing taller. "You can't carry everything yourself."

"I will not risk your safety." I open my mouth to argue, but Mordox interrupts. He reaches up and lifts a clinging Tris from his horn and places her in my hands. "No arguing. I need you to watch after Tris."

"Promise me you'll be careful." I know what I want to say to him, but the words stick in my throat. Instead, I raise up on tiptoes and press my lips to his, pouring all the love I have into the kiss.

"I promise," he whispers against my lips, and then he's gone, disappearing out the door with a purposeful stride.

I watch him go; my heart heavy with worry. Tris trembles in my hands. I peer down into her large, luminous eyes. "He'll be fine," I assure the tiny plurshy. "He'll be back. Mordox is our family. He won't abandon us, and he always keeps his promises."

CHAPTERFOURTEEN

Mordox

"Are you sure it will fly?"I eye the overpacked shuttle warily.

"Positive," the space pirate assures me. "Now, if everyone will get on board, we have lab creatures to hunt and a computer to retrieve."

Everyone boards the shuttle, five males and five females, squeezing into seats meant for six. Luckily the females are small and don't take up much room. I pull Zoe onto my lap, her eyes sparkling with excitement. I've always admired her spirit, even in the face of danger.

Rooke takes the helm, expertly flipping switches and adjusting controls as he brings the craft to life. The ship silently lifts off the ground, clearing the dense canopy of the forest, and leaving the danger of what roams on the ground behind.

Drax and Bruke set to work in the cramped confines of the shuttle. Scanners are engaged to look for any sign of the lab creatures on the ground before the techies begin their modifications of the stunners. With any luck, they will be able to amplify the electric shock into something deadly.

For the first time since my mating gland triggered me to claim my chosen mate, I can finally take a full breath, knowing my lula is safe for now. As we soar over the treetops, my gaze rests on her fragile beauty. She looks out the window of the shuttle, her gaze filled with wonder as she takes in the forest far below.

"Zune is so pretty from up here," Zoe sighs softly. "Too bad there are so many dangers. I wouldn't mind living here even if the sun never sets."

I tuck a lock of her mane behind the delicate shell of her ear so I can better see her face. "I could live anywhere as long as you are there."

Zoe turns watery eyes up to meet mine. Her expression filled with such warmth, it squeezes my heart. "Same here... anywhere, as long as I have you."

"I'm going to need some clear directions to your hideout, Mordox, once we get closer to the grouping of xooinda trees." Rooke glances back from the helm with a wry expression. "You remember them. The ones close to where I nearly died in one of your traps."

"The traps weren't meant for you, space pirate. They were meant to keep the lifers and the lab creatures from getting too close. Not my fault you insisted on tracking a Lita Comtra while you were injured."

"Didn't know you were a warrior elite at the time, prick," Rooke volleys back, a hint of amusement coloring his words. "We were trying to get Zoe back after you stole her from us."

"Zoe was perfectly safe with me," I reply, gently squeezing Zoe's thigh.

"Wait," Zoe peers up at me, a little furrow creasing her brow. "What trap was Rooke caught in?"

"And Darcy." Darcy holds up her hand and turns around in her seat to face us. "Don't forget me. It was more my fault than Mordox's though. I insisted on going after you when Mordox stole you right out from under my nose," she tells Zoe. "Rooke was hurt from fighting Gruxt and refused to let me go after you alone. After tracking you for days on end, I saw a flash of green and ran ahead, that's when we stepped right into one of Mordox's traps. It was ugly."

"No one's ever told me this," Zoe sucks back a breath. "Why not?"

"When you came back safe, I didn't think to mention it," Darcy shrugs. "I was too busy worrying over your newfound relationship with your abductor."

"But you knew, Mordox." Zoe's gaze searches mine. "Why didn't you tell me my best friend was so close by?"

I've been in the heat of many fierce battles, faced down the toughest males in the Universe, and never have I squirmed as much as now beneath this tiny female's quizzical gaze. "You were in a healing sleep while the medical cuff healed your head wound."

"You could have told me when I woke up."

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