Page 47 of Stolen By the Barbarian

"We won't directly engage," Drax assures everyone. "Will we, Mordox?"

"Hadn't planned on it, techy," I snap. "Didn't plan on a rookie recon tagging along either."

"Enough with the male posturing," Romy exhales loudly. Seated next to Bruke, she has been unusually quiet since we left the lab.

"Then it's decided." Slye slaps his hands together, the sharp sound loud inside the small shuttle. "We're stealing his ship."

Rooke steers us toward the compound while keeping a safe distance to avoid detection. After some careful maneuvering, he lands us deep within the dense forest surrounding the compound, nearest to the sole entrance.

"I'll lead the way so you can track the Kaul," I tell Drax. "And I'll need a comm."

"And this stunner." Bruke hands me the device. "We still have a few left that weren't modified. The electric pulse will knock him out so you can take him alive."

I pocket the stunner and coil the rope I used as a safety for Slye, attaching it to my belt. "Rooke. If there's any sign of the lab creature anywhere in the vicinity while we're away, lift off. The safest place for the females is in the air."

"It's like you read my mind, Mordox." Rooke half-turns in his seat, arm slung over the back. "Don't either of you worry. I will look after Zoe and Stacy as if they were my own mate."

"Stay inside the shuttle with Tris, lula." My gaze shifts to lock with Zoe's as Slye opens the hatch for Drax and I to exit.

With an anguished cry, she quickly unstraps from her seat. Tasha and Stacy scoot aside to let her pass, and she flings herself into my arms. Tris squeaks at the sudden movement, then settles down on Zoe's shoulder.

"Promise to be careful." Her voice trembles as her arms wrap tightly around my neck.

"I promise," I whisper into her ear, burying my face in her soft, cropped hair. With a gentle kiss to her lips, I reluctantly pull away, scratch Tris under the chin, and take the comm Bruke hands me.

After Drax kisses his mate with his own vow to return, I follow him out of the shuttle.

"See you soon," Zoe's sweet voice follows me.

I glance back and our eyes meet for a brief moment. My heart swells with all the love I have for her, and I know I must keep my promise to return to her in one piece.

Taking a deep breath, I ready myself for the mission ahead. The Star Maverick won't go down without a fight. Our best bet to extract him without injury is to stun him before he ever sees us coming.

The air is sultry, heavy with the humidity of the last cycle's rain as we keep low to the ground and quickly cover the distance through the forest on light feet. With our backs against the wall of the compound, I signal to Drax for an update on the Kaul's movements as we creep up to the entrance.

Drax takes up a position behind me, the tablet in his hand scanning the interior. "The Kaul is on the far side of the common area, inside the storage room," he whispers.

"Let's do this," I keep my voice low, curious as to what the Kaul thinks he'll find inside an already pillaged storage room.

I pull the stunner from my pocket and place my hand over the panel. The door scans my palm then soundlessly slides open. There's no need for a lock as the confinement collars promise there will be no successful escapes.

We sweep inside, skirting tables and chairs littered throughout the common area where the prisoners usually take their meals. The familiar scent of the prison hits me like a wave. A sour mix of fear and despair forever ingrained in my memory. The air is always cool from the conditioners. The only sound is the soft hum from the luminetric barriers keeping the prisoners contained inside their assigned cellpods.

My eyes dart down each wing as we pass Annex 1 and 2, jutting off from the central common area. The long corridors are empty, glowing with the wavy distortion of solidified light that keeps the prisoners contained. All sound and vision are muted and distorted through the barrier, making it easy for us to sneak inside without notice.

We quickly make our way down the hall lined with the guards' quarters. As we near the storage room at the end, we hug the wall, adrenaline coursing through my veins in anticipation for what lies ahead.

We wait and listen as the Kaul rummages through what little has already been picked over. I know there is nothing inside of interest, because I was the taker of the most valuable items.

Drax flashes me the lifeform scanner, showing the Kaul in the far back of the room. Stunner up and at the ready, I peer around the doorframe. The Kaul's back is to me. He's my height and girth with flesh of a glossy, silvery-blue. In contrast, a shock of white mane hangs down his back in a thick braid to his waist.

Covering one heavily muscled arm is an intricate design called a corium. In his species' distant past, back before their females became fierce warriors in their own right and no longer in need of protection, the need for males to transform into a raging beast called a sivot was lost as well as the ability for the corium to shift and coalesce into a sheet of armor that could be deployed as a shield.

Nevertheless, this male is a formidable opponent. One I would enjoy taking on if we weren't expected to bring him back alive.

I move into the doorway, raising the stunner, but before I can fire, the Kaul spins around, his hand flying to the plasma gun at his side. In that split second, images of Zoe flash through my mind. I made her a promise that I intend to keep, and I know I can't afford to miss.

I take aim and pull the trigger. The stunner sends an electric blast towards the Kaul. He manages to dodge the first shot, but I fire again, this time hitting him square in the chest. He falls to the ground with a thud, his plasma gun clattering away.

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