Chapter 22
ALLY
An explosion rocked the ship, knocking Ally to the floor. Lyk caught himself against the cabinet. Then he leaned down and scooped her up, setting her back on her feet. She watched as she unlocked the cabinet and started to pull out an enviro-suit.
Shoving a suit into her hands, he told her to put it on.
She obeyed without hesitation, fumbling her way into the suit and attempting to zip it up with shaking hands.
Meanwhile, Lyk was zipped into his and arming himself.
He turned back to her and took the zipper out of her hands, zipping it up with a quick jerk.
“Can you use a laser rifle?”
Ally shook her head, fear climbing into her belly. “I… never…”
“That’s fine.” His tone was brisk. “Take this instead. Just point and shoot. But make sure you don’t point it at me.”
She looked down at the small laser pistol he’d shoved into her hand. Although she’d become quite skilled with the precision laser tools at the centipede processing plant, she’d never even held a pistol before.
Lyk gripped her arms, leaning in and putting his transparent helmet against hers. “We’re going to be okay, remember? The oracle said it would all work out.”
Ally laughed crazily, and it echoed around the inside of her helmet. The world had turned upside down, and she no longer knew what was going on.
Another blast rocked them, the console sparking before catching on fire. “Why don’t your brothers stop them from shooting at us?”
“They aren’t shooting,” Lyk said grimly.
“All of this is from the self-destruct protocol, in case of capture. If Celdrake shot at us, my brothers would be on him quicker than he could blink. This way, my brothers assume my shuttle is malfunctioning and everyone rushes in to help. Meanwhile, Celdrake sneaks off on my ship and blasts through the wormhole, selling news of its existence far and wide.”
Lyk pulled her back to the rear of the shuttle, near the hatch. “We need to stay far away from that fire.”
“You said your brothers would rush to help us,” she said, clutching him with difficulty because of the enviro-suits.
“They can’t tractor in the ship because it’s on fire. If it explodes inside their bay, it could set off a chain reaction in one of our ships, leading to more deaths. We need to give them a little help.”
Lyk positioned himself at the locking pad in front of the hatch. Ally watched as he overrode the locking mechanism. He pulled a cord out of the suit’s storage pocket and clipped one end to his suit’s belt. “Come here.”
Clipping the other end of the cord to her suit’s belt, he cupped her helmet. “Stay close to me. We need to get away from the blast if it happens, so I’m going to push off hard. Just hold on tight.”
The hatch opened, and the air in the cabin started to whoosh out. Lyk wrapped the cord around his arm a few times, then winked at her. “Here we go!” He squatted low before pushing off hard with his legs.
Ally had a moment to ponder his leap into space before she was suddenly tugged along after by the cord.
He must be incredibly strong, she thought as his velocity hurled them away from the ship. She looked back to see the fire blazing on the console. The viewscreen suddenly cracked, then crumbled. It looks like everything could explode any second.
Ally looked forward at Lyk, then past him at the cruiser that was looming large above them.
As she marveled at its size from this distance, a large metal arm began to extend itself from the ship.
Lyk noticed the arm and kicked in the air, causing their trajectory to shift, bringing it in line with the grappling arm.
“This might hurt a little, but I’ll shield you as much as I can.” They were speeding toward the arm, just as it was coming toward them. Lyk widened his body, extending his own arms as if getting ready to catch the claw that was opening on the end of the arm.
She realized that, at this speed, he was going to hit the metal arm hard. Too hard. “Lyk! No! You’ll be killed on impact!”
Ally tugged on the cord but she could do nothing to slow them. A moment later, Lyk slammed into the claw, and a beat later, she slammed into him. It hurt, but it was nothing compared to Lyk’s collision.
“Are you okay?” she croaked when she was able.
“I’ll live,” he said, his voice weak.
Ally, fear clogging her throat, signaled to the ship, gesturing frantically for the Vartiks to pull them in.
The arm moved slowly, causing Ally to curse under her breath. As carefully as she could, she worked to turn Lyk over so that she could get a look at him. He let out a massive groan when she flipped him, and Ally regretted moving him, not wanting to hurt him any worse.
She peered into his helmet. Lyk’s eyes were closed, his breathing shallow. His skin was paler than she’d ever seen it. Fright choked her, and in that moment, she realized the truth.
I love him.
Fuck.
This wasn’t part of the plan, falling for a pirate who was also a king in disguise, but it wasn’t something she could change. Every step of the way, he’d been there for her. Even though she’d tried to push him away over and over.
He’d even outmaneuvered her with the shuttle, coming after her when he could have easily let her live or die on her own. And now he’d lost his ship because of it. And it was all her fault.
The claw finally set them down inside a small bay. Ally immediately crawled to Lyk, cradling his head in her lap. “Get me some medical help down here!” she shouted to the empty bay as the arm retracted and the bay doors closed.
As soon as the doors closed, the fans sent out bursts of air and oxygen was flooded back into the room. At last, the inner doors opened and Marek rushed in, accompanied by men in uniform. Ally struggled to get Lyk’s helmet off, and Marek took over for her, removing it gently.
Lyk’s eyes opened. “I need your cruiser.”
Marek’s eyes widened. “You’re crazy. You’ve got to heal up.”
“We both know I’ll be fine in five minutes. My first officer is getting away in my cruiser, and he’s dead set on selling information on the wormhole. I’ve got to stop him.”
Marek’s lip curled in anger. “I’ll send Zelup and Juston after him.”
“No.” Lyk pulled himself into a sitting position. “It’s my ship, and I’m getting it back.”
“Don’t be a stubborn asshole.” Marek instructed his men to help Lyk to his feet.
Ally trailed behind as they set out of the bay and started walking down a corridor that was similar to the ones on Lyk’s ship.
“It isn’t stubbornness. I know how Celdrake thinks, and I have the best chance of winning back the crew’s loyalty.”
“Why attempt to win it back after a mutiny? Hang the lot.”
Ally’s eyes widened. She’d thought Lyk was ruthless, but it seemed mercilessness ran in the family.
Lyk pulled himself away from the men who were supporting him, causing Ally to gasp. He walked over to his brother, poking him in the chest with a finger. “You might be the king of Vartik, but on my ship, I’m the law.”
“I’m not letting you go on your own.” Marek’s eyes were narrow, and Ally could tell he wasn’t delighted about how his filial reunion was shaping up. “Take Zelup. My ship might look like the belle of the ball, but the real firepower is with him.”
Lyk nodded. “Tell him to dock. Now.”
Ally inserted herself between Lyk and his brother. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? You just got crushed. You can’t take off to track down your recalcitrant crew.”
“Vartik heal quickly. I’ll be fine shortly. And if I don’t stop my crew, they’ll spread news of the wormhole all over the quadrant and it won’t be long before raiders are on our doorstep again, harvesting our people to make money on the black market.”
“What about Evie?” she said, her voice small.
Lyk frowned. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I have to do this. It’s my fault. I brought my crew here.”
Ally let out a long breath. Lyk moved in to take off the helmet, then cupped her cheek. “You will go with Marek to Vartik. This changes nothing. They’ll still figure out how to get Evie back, and I’ll be back to help before you know it.”
“No,” she said.
Lyk froze, his expression concerned.
Ally patted him on the arm. “It’s my fault your crew knows about the wormhole. If I hadn’t snuck to call Kara, they wouldn’t have been able to pinpoint your location.”
“That’s only partially true. I believe Kara could find me no matter where I was in the universe.”
“She wouldn’t give you up,” Marek grumbled. “We traced the call.”
“See!” Ally shook her head. “I’m worried about my sister, but I’ve realized that I can’t save her by myself. I can help you get your ship back though.”
“A pirate showdown isn’t a place for a delicate female.” Marek’s tone was firm, and it made Ally bristle.
“I bet your wife would have a different opinion about that. Should we call the Queen and let her decide?”
Lyk chuckled. Putting his arm around her, he beamed at his brother who scowled and hung his head. Turning to Ally, his smile grew smaller. “There really is no reason for you to tag along, though, and I don’t want to put you in unnecessary danger.”
“There is a reason for me to ‘tag along,’ and it’s to save your ass. I’ve got a plan, an idea of how we can get control of the ship back.”
“Is that so?” Marek asked, skeptical.
Lyk hugged her tighter, his tone defensive. “If my female says she has a plan, then she has a plan.”
Ally beamed, proud of Lyk’s faith in her. Even if it was misplaced.
Well, at least I’ve got a few minutes to come up with a plan.