Chapter 6 #3
She recognized the Ungrich . It was one of the pair who had kept her company during their attempts to impregnate her. That might help matters considerably. They had never lied to her about their purpose and needs. She wasn’t even sure if the concept of lying meant anything to their race.
She let her mind shift, seeking and finding the connection with the Ungrich intelligence. “What do you want?”
“You, Anna Lee.”
“I have conditions.”
“Name them.”
“The one called Palk. Is he with you?”
“Yes.”
“If I go with you, he has to stay here in this room.”
There was a humming sound, as if the Ungrich was communicating with someone or something else.
“What if we refuse?”
“Then I won’t cooperate with you.” She patted her pocket. “If you force me down that hole, I’ll set off these explosives.”
The tentacle wrapped around her throat started to divide and flow downward.
“My hand is already in my pocket. If you try and take them from me by force, I’ll set them off and kill myself. You won’t reach them in time. If I am worth more to you than Palk, then agree to my terms.”
She remained still, hearing the sounds of struggle echoing above her and the terse exchange of information between the men guarding her and Aled through her earpiece.
Farn—one of the ex-Tribute males—was dead, and Kai was gutted about it.
A sudden sense of peace enfolded her. Once she was gone, the attack would have to be called off.
Or would it?
She pulled out her earpiece and laid it on the top of the cabinet beside Aled.
“When you bring Palk here, I want to talk to him.”
Tentacles thrashed and glistened within the deep hole, and suddenly Palk was there, nicely trapped in a mesh of tentacles, his expression feral as he tried to fight them off. She could’ve told him that was a pointless waste of energy, but she enjoyed watching him panic far too much.
“You!” he snarled. “What the hell is going on?”
She pointed her weapon at him. “Call off the attack.”
“Don’t be stupid.”
“You’ve achieved your aim. I’ve been captured. Isn’t that what the Ungrich paid you to do?”
“I’m not some kind of mercenary, Anna Lee. We are equal partners in this endeavor. Put the weapon down and shut up.”
She smiled at him. “Do you really believe that they will let you rule Mitan?”
“That’s what they promised me, yes.”
“But they intend to destroy the entire population.”
Palk shrugged. “Then I’ll rule over a kingdom of one.”
She raised her weapon. “Good-bye, Palk.”
He had the gall to laugh as he held up his hands. “You think they’ll let you kill me, you stupid human bitch?”
“Yes, I do.” She turned her attention inward. “Can you confirm that?”
Palk had a tentacle embedded in his throat. He would be capable of hearing the Ungrich answer her question.
“Confirmed. The human female is more valuable to us than you are. If she wishes to kill you, we will not intervene.”
Anna raised her eyebrows as Palk’s face went white. “Did you get that? Now call off your men and end the assault.”
He held her gaze and then raised his cuff. “Code seven nine one. Mission has succeeded. Fall back to map rendezvous point twelve and wait for more orders. Palk out.”
The noises from above ceased, and she let out her breath. She could only hope that Kai, Bron, and most importantly Rehz were still alive. If they were, she was determined to leave them a last good-bye present.
“Can you put him over there?” She pointed.
The Ungrich moved their coils and stood Palk upright in the corner.
“Stand back,” she ordered. The second the Ungrich released him, Palk sprang at her, but she was quicker. She shot him twice in quick succession in the knees, and he collapsed howling onto the floor.
“You fucking bitch ! I’m going to kill you.”
“I’m sure Rehz and Kai will be down shortly to help you,” she said sweetly.
The Ungrich tentacle around her throat tightened. “We have done as you requested. Now remove the explosives from your pocket.”
She complied as slowly as she could, straining to hear above Palk’s litany of screeching and threats. It sounded quiet outside, apart from a rhythmic pounding sound like the banging of a drum. She frowned. Or booted feet coming down a metal staircase . . .
“Anna Lee. We will leave now.”
A stab of pain pushed through her temple, making her wince. “One more thing.” She gathered her thoughts. “Did you take my embryo?”
The dominant Ungrich touched her mind. “Yes.”
“Did it survive?”
“Not without you incubating it. This is why you must return. We need a living receptacle for our new experiments.”
“I see.” Tears started in her eyes, and she slowly let out her breath.
The other half of the conjoined Ungrich spoke inside her head. “Where is the male called Aled?”
“Aled is dead. He was killed in the assault.” Anna pointed over at his still body.
“We have his seed,” the dominant responded to the submissive. “We do not require him . We need to leave. This atmosphere is not conducive to our survival.”
Rehz reached the security door to the safe room and frantically punched in the code.
Bron had reported that Palk’s troops were retreating, which wasn’t good news at all.
The door silently swung open, giving him a jaw-dropping view of several things he hadn’t expected to see.
He took them all in and continued to advance almost in slow motion.
Palk was screaming, Aled was bleeding and lifeless on top of a cabinet, and Anna was stripping off her clothing and about to step down into a big black hole with the Ungrich.
As he moved toward her, she met his gaze, her blue eyes so clear that he couldn’t look away.
Her fingers tangled in her hair, pulling the band free, and he saw it then—the small explosive held in her hand, her thumb on the button, ready to detonate it.
“Anna!” he roared and flung himself after her, catching her heel as she toppled slowly into the hole.
He watched her fingers open, sending the explosive down into the darkness, and yanked back as hard as he could on her leg, stopping her fall.
She screamed as he attempted to haul her back up and the tentacles around her neck clung on and pulled her downward.
But then Kai was behind him, and they got her free and pulled her up, her blood spilling from her torn throat as, far below her, the explosive went off.
The blast flung them all back from the hole.
Kai anchored Rehz against his chest, and Rehz held on to Anna, while the echoes of the blast rolled and thundered for what seemed like forever.
Kai yelled into his com. “Medical emergency, safe room!”
Rehz ripped off his armor and then his black T-shirt to press to the gaping wound in the side of Anna’s throat. She was barely conscious, her gaze fixed on him as he worked.
“You had to be a fucking hero, didn’t you?” he muttered as he continued to apply pressure to the wound. He couldn’t breathe. There was so much blood. “When you’re better, Anna Lee, I’m going to fucking kill you myself.”
“Way to encourage her to live, Rehz.” Kai lifted Aled down and laid him on the table. “Palk, if you move a fucking inch, I’m going to shoot you.” He shook Aled. “You okay? Did Palk do this to you?”
“Anna,” Aled whispered.
“Figures.” Kai glanced over at Rehz. “I’ll get in that line to fucking kill her right behind you, okay?”
Bron came in with the two trained medics behind him, then stopped short. “What the hell?”
“The Ungrich came up through the floor. Palk, I have no idea,” Rehz said tersely. “Help Anna and Aled.”
“What about me?” Palk whimpered.
When the medics pushed him out of the way and set to work on Anna, Rehz slowly straightened and turned to Palk, who glared at him.
“Your bitch tried to get the Ungrich to kill me.”
“Good.” He delivered a kick right into Palk’s bloodied knee.
Kai caught his arm. “Rehz, come on, now.” He took aim at Palk’s other knee. “Don’t have all the fun.”
Palk eventually stopped screaming and subsided into unconsciousness.
Rehz stared down impassively at his body.
Even in the depths of the presidential mansion, he could now hear the sound of arriving troops and the heavy tread of feet on the floors above.
Anna was rushed by him, carried by the two medics.
Bron was lending a hand, holding a bag of fluid high over her head.
Her fair hair was streaked with blood, and the left side of her throat was a mangled mess.
His feet were welded to the floor. He couldn’t go after her and take Bron’s place. He couldn’t fucking think .
“Fuck this,” Kai muttered and picked Aled up in his arms. “Come on. There’s help upstairs. You can bleed all over me.”
As they passed Rehz, Aled called out. “I’m sorry. I offered to go with her, but she shot me instead. I wasn’t expecting it.”
He patted Aled’s undamaged shoulder. “It’s okay. Go and get that wound seen to.”
He stayed until another medical team came in and took Palk away under guard. When everyone had gone, he spent a few minutes dropping the rest of the explosives Aled and Anna had left on the cabinet down the hole. For good measure, he tipped most of the contents of the room down there as well.
Eventually he brushed off his hands and walked toward the door. He found Bron leaning against the wall outside.
“You okay, Rehz Akran?”
“Yeah. You?”
Bron nodded. “The medics want to check you over.”
“Fine.” He followed the security chief along the corridor and out to the elevator. He only realized how much he was shaking when he couldn’t stick his finger on the elevator button.
He felt . . . weary.
That was it.
Hollow.
“Do you want to see Anna and Aled?” Bron asked. “Kai’s up there waiting for news right now.”
“No.”
Bron eyed him carefully. “You sure?”
“Yeah. Can someone find me a bed somewhere private in this huge fucking mansion?”
“Sure. I’ll send the medics to you right after I’ve shown you to the room. When they’re done, you can sleep as much as you want.”