skin and oozing open sores on his private parts. Ugh. Kall was downright puke worthy. I’d slit my own throat before I let him touch me too. “You planned this, didn’t you?”
Her tentacles danced madly around her head. “When I transported you onto my ship, I knew instantly Hank was my mate. I could not let him go.”
I nodded. “If he is the other half of your soul, then it was meant to be. Now all you have to do is convince Hank.”
“A difficult task.”
“But not an impossible one.”
“Kall will demand my death.”
“Don’t worry about him. You’re under the Overlord’s protection now.”
Soulet’s eyes lit up with an unholy glow. “I wish I could see my father’s and Kall’s faces when they find out.”
“Me too.”
Chapter Seven
I put Thor on my shoulder and patted his back. He burped loudly. “That was a good one, little man.”
“Love Momma.” He snuggled into my neck and closed his eyes.
“Love you too.” I pressed a kiss on his head.
Haki was suddenly perched on my nose. “Love me?”
“Yes, very much. Now, get off my face.”
“’Kay.” He crawled down and cuddled with Thor.
Soulet gestured to Haki. “It’s hard to believe such small creatures are deadly warriors.”
“Haki is just a baby.” I stroked his silky fur. “The adults are as big as one of your dinner platters. They’re the best SWAT team in the galaxy. It took them less than five minutes to capture a Tai-Kok ship.”
“Impressive. How did this alliance come about?”
“Well, it’s a quite story.”
“One that I’m eager to hear.” Soulet settled back against the rock wall.
“Okay. You know Talree and I were captured by the Rodan?”
“Yes, and you escaped.”
“We did, but our fighter was damaged, and we crash-landed on Jabal, the armpit of the galaxy.”
“It is said the insects can penetrate even our armor.”
“They’re utterly merciless. A biting, stinging horde intent on draining you dry.” I rubbed my arms at the sudden itching sensation. “But that wasn’t the worst of it. The heat and humidity smothered me, making it difficult to breathe.”
“You hadn’t converted yet?”
“No. I was still very human.” I opened my mind and allowed Soulet to see and feel what I had. “Welcome to hell.”
Thick clouds hung over the swamp. Rackety croaks and echoes of alien birdsong filled the air. The stench of rotting vegetation was nauseating. Glimmering white trunks of sausage-like trees poked out of the gray water.
Soulet cut in. “A most unpleasant planet.”
“It was purgatory. Here we were, stuck in the middle of nowhere without a boat or any other mode of transportation. The Rodan had doused Talree with Drakash, and he could only teleport two clicks at a time.”
“How far was it to the nearest spaceport?”
“A little over two hundred clicks.”
Soulet shook her head in disbelief. “It’s a miracle you survived.”
“‘Defeat’ isn’t in Talree’s vocabulary.”
“Where did you meet the Tabors?”
“It’s easier if I show you. Is it okay if I do my version of a mind meld with you?”
There was a brief hesitation before Soulet answered, “Yes.”
I linked minds with Soulet and focused on my memories of the swamp. Images flashed through my head. There. Our story started here…
Talree teleported us. Poof. We were knee-deep in sluggish gray water. Well, I was, anyway. The big guy not so much. What was up with the weird clumps of splotchy red slime clotting the surface? Larvae? Or something else?
The stench of death was overwhelming. “Ugh, what stinks?”
“Impossible to know.”
My gaze caught on the carcass of a dead whatever protruding from the muck. “Shit! Look at the size of that thing.”
Talree carefully surveyed the area. “Jaykals are hard to kill.”
My Siren senses had been on overload since we crashed. Every living creature in the quagmire wanted to eat us. “You think whatever did that is coming back?”
A horrible hissing
Her tentacles danced madly around her head. “When I transported you onto my ship, I knew instantly Hank was my mate. I could not let him go.”
I nodded. “If he is the other half of your soul, then it was meant to be. Now all you have to do is convince Hank.”
“A difficult task.”
“But not an impossible one.”
“Kall will demand my death.”
“Don’t worry about him. You’re under the Overlord’s protection now.”
Soulet’s eyes lit up with an unholy glow. “I wish I could see my father’s and Kall’s faces when they find out.”
“Me too.”
Chapter Seven
I put Thor on my shoulder and patted his back. He burped loudly. “That was a good one, little man.”
“Love Momma.” He snuggled into my neck and closed his eyes.
“Love you too.” I pressed a kiss on his head.
Haki was suddenly perched on my nose. “Love me?”
“Yes, very much. Now, get off my face.”
“’Kay.” He crawled down and cuddled with Thor.
Soulet gestured to Haki. “It’s hard to believe such small creatures are deadly warriors.”
“Haki is just a baby.” I stroked his silky fur. “The adults are as big as one of your dinner platters. They’re the best SWAT team in the galaxy. It took them less than five minutes to capture a Tai-Kok ship.”
“Impressive. How did this alliance come about?”
“Well, it’s a quite story.”
“One that I’m eager to hear.” Soulet settled back against the rock wall.
“Okay. You know Talree and I were captured by the Rodan?”
“Yes, and you escaped.”
“We did, but our fighter was damaged, and we crash-landed on Jabal, the armpit of the galaxy.”
“It is said the insects can penetrate even our armor.”
“They’re utterly merciless. A biting, stinging horde intent on draining you dry.” I rubbed my arms at the sudden itching sensation. “But that wasn’t the worst of it. The heat and humidity smothered me, making it difficult to breathe.”
“You hadn’t converted yet?”
“No. I was still very human.” I opened my mind and allowed Soulet to see and feel what I had. “Welcome to hell.”
Thick clouds hung over the swamp. Rackety croaks and echoes of alien birdsong filled the air. The stench of rotting vegetation was nauseating. Glimmering white trunks of sausage-like trees poked out of the gray water.
Soulet cut in. “A most unpleasant planet.”
“It was purgatory. Here we were, stuck in the middle of nowhere without a boat or any other mode of transportation. The Rodan had doused Talree with Drakash, and he could only teleport two clicks at a time.”
“How far was it to the nearest spaceport?”
“A little over two hundred clicks.”
Soulet shook her head in disbelief. “It’s a miracle you survived.”
“‘Defeat’ isn’t in Talree’s vocabulary.”
“Where did you meet the Tabors?”
“It’s easier if I show you. Is it okay if I do my version of a mind meld with you?”
There was a brief hesitation before Soulet answered, “Yes.”
I linked minds with Soulet and focused on my memories of the swamp. Images flashed through my head. There. Our story started here…
Talree teleported us. Poof. We were knee-deep in sluggish gray water. Well, I was, anyway. The big guy not so much. What was up with the weird clumps of splotchy red slime clotting the surface? Larvae? Or something else?
The stench of death was overwhelming. “Ugh, what stinks?”
“Impossible to know.”
My gaze caught on the carcass of a dead whatever protruding from the muck. “Shit! Look at the size of that thing.”
Talree carefully surveyed the area. “Jaykals are hard to kill.”
My Siren senses had been on overload since we crashed. Every living creature in the quagmire wanted to eat us. “You think whatever did that is coming back?”
A horrible hissing
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