Chapter 33
I held Jacqueline’s still form tightly as we flew home, our ship too damaged to fly us back. We flew silently.
I coldly went through our next steps over and over.
We would have to get a ship and go back for Pyravor and Sorkyl right away.
Kyvar had patched them up as best he could, but they needed a physician as soon as possible.
Jacqueline’s face, pale and drawn with horror as she stared up at me, pushed its way back into my thoughts.
I brutally shoved it away, as I had been doing since we left the clearing, only to have it pop back up.
Monster. That’s what her expression had screamed.
No, I had to focus. Next step. I needed to reach out to my fellow Vorazyr.
This ambush could not go unanswered and unpunished.
And they still had one of our females. Divine spirits only knew what they were doing to her and her babe.
Jacqueline stirred. I tilted my face down to press a kiss against the crown of her head.
Don’t wake up just yet, dhysari. I didn’t know what to do when she woke up, but having Thyra and Junyv there might be more soothing than…
if I were. A growl built in my chest and I bared my fangs at the thought.
I didn’t want to see her like that again, so scared and hurt.
Looking at me like I was some terrible beast that would tear out her throat.
I wanted to say that I would never hurt her, but I already had.
It was nearly nightfall when we got back and both Vuldrex and my new captain were at my side the instant I landed. We were very late, and they wore concerned expressions.
“Alert the physician,” I barked as the stewards descended on us. I turned to my captain. “Prepare another planetside ship and take it to the coordinates of the meet. Pyravor and Sorkyl are there, injured.”
“Vorazyr.” He inclined his head and left with a hard pump of his wings.
“What happened?” Thyra flew to me as I headed to the infirmary. The physician came quickly, already alerted, wings rippling as he took in Jacqueline’s still form.
“We were ambushed.”
She sucked in a breath. “But we planned… we took measures so that you wouldn’t be surprised by anything. That’s the only reason they were allowed onto the planet, because we’d have more control in our environment.”
“While it was only humans fighting us, I do not believe they worked alone.” I followed the physician, unwilling to hand Jacqueline to him.
In one of the healing rooms I lay Jacqueline on the bed, cradling her head as I carefully settled her. The physician got to work, and I reluctantly stepped aside.
Thyra joined me. “This will have catastrophic consequences.” she said softly as she gazed at Jacqueline.
“Undoubtedly.” As loathe as I was to leave, I had urgent duties that couldn’t wait. “Please stay with her. And if you leave, have Junyv stay. I want her to wake up with someone she knows and is comfortable with at her side.”
“I will.”
I gazed at Jacqueline’s still form for one more long moment, then turned and strode from the healing rooms.
Despite the lateness, I sent out emergency notifications to Luuciyn and Zyroth.
Of course, Zyroth responded immediately.
Luuciyn was either getting his beauty sleep or—more likely—rutting a female.
He’d always been able to keep up with Kyvar and when we were younger the warriors would bet who would go through the most females on a night off.
I tapped the incoming holocall, and Zyroth appeared in front of me. “Vorazyr.” I greeted.
“Vorazyr.” His face held the intensity and bloodlust that had given him a variety of interesting and less than flattering nicknames among the vorpyrren. “We need to plan our response immediately.”
“I have informed you and Luuciyn of the event. Given that we are the only ones with territories on this continent, we are most impacted. Is there anyone else you think should be involved in our offensive? I will alert the other Vorazyr to the events after we respond.”
“I’m not fond of the others and wouldn’t call to them for assistance, but that is me.
Whatever you do, I warn you against telling Vraxyn until after we’ve attacked the humans and gotten the female back.
He has more reason than most to despise the humans and his feelings would likely inhibit good decision making. ”
“Noted. How soon can you get here?”
“Six days at the earliest. I can spare a contingent of warriors to come as well.”
“Excellent. We will prepare for your arrival.” I clicked off.
Kyvar came in.
“You look like a tornado twisted you up and wrung you out.” I commented.
“You should see yourself. Our city is on alert now and I have doubled the warriors patrolling in case of any disturbances.” His eyes flickered. “I thought you would be with the female.”
“I’ve notified my brother and Zyroth. Luuciyn hasn’t responded yet, but Zyroth will be here in six days. I plan to attack the next day after finalizing our plan.”
“That would be good, except that we don’t know where they’re holding her.”
I tapped my desk screen and a hologram of the planets with a blinking dot on one came up.
“What’s this?”
“It wasn’t by accident that I called you back when you attempted to go after the five humans who escaped. I planted trackers on two of them.” I ran a claw through the raised hologram where the dot was flashing. “And why would the humans be on a small planet populated only by aggressive animals?”
He blew out a heavy breath. “So we have our target.”
“Now we just have to carefully plan for our attack to minimize casualties.”
“There’s something that bothers me. They were able to laser through our craft in moments, along with using the right frequency net to catch us.”
“There’s no way they should know that olotonium lasers are the only ones that can cut through the toughest metal in the galaxy in moments. And it should have been even harder for them to get ahold of them.” I agreed.
“Someone who knows about us is feeding them information.”
I growled. “There are few outsiders who know a great deal about us.”
“You think one of us gave them intel? It’s unthinkable.”
“What we consider unthinkable is quite possible to someone with different motivations.” My fangs extended at the thought.
“True, it’s something we’ll have to monitor.” He paused. “You never answered me when I mentioned Jacqueline.”
“There’s nothing to say. You know I left her with the physician.”
“Is there a reason you’re not there so she can see you when she wakes?”
“I have work to do.” I gestured roughly at the desk.
Kyvar watched me for a moment and when I was about to bare my fangs in his direction and tell him to either work or get out, he made a rumbling sound in his chest and his wing tapped the floor rapidly.
“Jacqueline’s a reasonable female. When the battle wave has worn from her mind, she’ll be yours again.
” There was pain in his eyes and I knew he must miss Tatiana’s bright presence.
“I was cruel to her before we left for the exchange. And then seeing us killing her own kind...” I bore my fangs into my bottom lip until I tasted blood.
“She will desire to escape. Again.” And I couldn’t allow her to go back to them.
She wasn’t my enemy anymore. She was one of my own, she was…
so much more. And her kind had just declared war.
“Give her a reason to stay, a reason to trust you again. What she witnessed was terrible. But she knows war is brutal. Show her the side of you she’d actually live with every day. The side of our kind that nurtures and worships our females.”
I grunted noncommittally. I would not force her to endure me if she was still so scared of me after the physician saw to her. “Go rest, I’ll need you sharp tomorrow.”
“And you, Vorazyr?”
I met his gaze with a hard one of my own. “I will be here, making plans to fix the costly mistake I made in trying to deal with the Consortium on a civilized level.”
Kyvar knew me well enough to leave without arguing further.
I worked until rays of pale orange light warmed my office. Throughout the night, Vuldrex had popped in to leave cups of hichta, what the humans called tea, as well as keeping a platter of food full.
I stretched my wings and rolled my neck with a deep sigh as I wondered how Jacqueline was.
“Did you even sleep?” Thyra’s eyes were tight as she stepped in.
“You’re up early.”
“Arrazyl.” her tone was anything but longsuffering.
“No, I’ve been working.”
“Get some rest, please? We all need you to be at one hundred percent right now, and no one can function without adequate sleep. Besides, now Kyvar can follow through with whatever orders you left for him and review whatever your plans are. He doesn’t need you here telling him what he can see for himself via the hologram. ”
I rubbed my face and stood. “You’re right. I have one more thing to attend to and then I will rest for a couple of hours.”
“Will that one more thing be going to see Jacqueline?”
“I will see you later, sister. I sent a few instructions to your tablet, so please review them. The city needs you now more than ever.” I paused before passing her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I need you now more than ever. Thank you for your help.”
She smiled softly and trilled. I squeezed her shoulder and left the room. I would go speak with Kyvar and Captain Pythel and then rest. One of the requests I had left Thyra was to check on Jacqueline and spend some time with her.
Because I wouldn’t be.