Born of Defiance (13 page)

More than that, there was a faint bruised handprint around the skin of her throat that was peeping out above her high collar. A slight crusting of blood around her nose.

Someone had attacked her, and by the way she was acting, he figured it wasn't in a legitimate fight.

Talyn knew better than to speak to a Vested officer, especially one with a higher rank, but she was obviously upset and shouldn't be battling like this. Though her name was Farina Pinara, he wasn't allowed to use it, so he defaulted to her call sign. “You okay, Syndrome?”

As expected, she glared ultimate hatred at him, then burst into tears.

Stunned, Talyn wasn't sure what to do. Before he could stop himself, he pulled her against his chest to comfort her. “Shh, it's okay.”

She trembled in his arms. But to her credit, and in true Andarion fashion, she pulled herself together quickly and stepped back. “Sorry, Batur.”

“No problem.”

As Anatole and his two wingmen sauntered past, Talyn caught the way Anatole smirked at Farina. He mumbled something to the asshole on his right that caused the male to laugh before he raked a salacious stare over Farina's body. One that brought another wave of tears to her eyes.

And made her shake even more ferociously.

A bad feeling went through him. Sweeping his gaze around the room, he noted the way a number of the females reacted to Anatole and his high-caste wingmen. How fast they vacated the lockers.

Including Farina.

She went so fast, she left part of her uniform behind.

Don't get involved
. This was none of his business and there wasn't a soldier here who would
ever
stand up for him. His current war record was proof of that. But he couldn't help it. His mother had taught him better than to turn away from an Andarion in need.

To fight for right, not for power.

Grabbing her gear, he went after her.

“Syndrome?” he called as he followed her into the hallway. “You forgot your helmet and gloves.”

Tears swam in her eyes as she paused and turned back toward him. “Thank you.”

Yeah, she was tore up. Normally, she'd be acerbic and pissy with him. When she reached for the helmet, he tightened his grip on it to keep her there for a minute longer.

“Did Anatole do that to you?” He dropped his gaze to her neck.

She trembled even more. “Nothing happened.”

Bullshit, and he knew it with every instinct he possessed. Cursing, he started back for the lockers where Anatole was dressing.

Farina grabbed his arm. “Talyn, please. Don't.”

He wasn't sure what shocked him most. The fact she deigned to touch him or that she'd used his name. From those actions alone, one thing was clear. Anatole had shattered her spirit. In the past, she'd have
never
touched the likes of him. For that matter, he was stunned she knew he had a given name, other than “mongrel.” It was all any of them had ever called him. “Our females aren't his private harem.”

Her grip tightened on his arm as her eyes widened. She lowered her gaze quickly and dropped her hand from his arm.

Talyn turned to find Anatole and his two friends drawing near.

“This isn't a practice drill! Do I need to put both of you on report?”

Defiant to the level of stupid, Talyn curled his lip at his CO. “I challenge you to the Ring, motherfucker!” he growled.

The colonel's friends and Farina sucked their breaths in.

Anatole laughed in his face. “You can't hit me, you stupid piece of shit. It'll mean your life if you do.”

Talyn glared at him. Cowardly bastard had no right to sully an Andarion uniform. It was a disgrace to have something like him don it. “Are you not Andarion enough to face me?”

Anatole grabbed the front of Talyn's battlesuit and tried to shove him back. His eyes widened as he realized just how strong Talyn was and the fact that his limp touch had no effect on him. At all. “Watch yourself, mongrel. Be a shame to have such a regaled sports hero go up in flames.” Snapping his fingers, he motioned his lap dogs to follow after him.

When Talyn started forward to finish their discussion, Farina cut off his path.

“It's not worth it, Batur. But thank you for being the male none of the rest have been.”

Nightdice nodded as she stopped by his side. “Yeah. Everyone else has turned a blind eye.”

A tic started in his jaw as he realized several other female pilots were also looking on with gratitude. Some of them were pledged, even married. That angered him even more. It wasn't just for them he fought. It was for his mother and Felicia. “I don't care what he does to me. This stops. Royal-blooded or not, he has no right to touch any of you. Ever!”

Farina offered him a grateful smile as she handed him his helmet. “I'll be your wingman, Viper.”

He inclined his head to her.

For the first time in his career, Talyn walked into the bay with other Andarions. And that only saddened him more that he'd earned Farina's and the other females' friendship by simply doing the right thing. Something every male in their squad should be doing for them.

What had happened to the Andarion race that they would put up with this shit? That they'd allow their females to be threatened and abused by some royal-blooded asshole and his friends?

As he started to jog for his ship, a female stepped in front of him and struck her chest twice with an open palm—a friendly sign of good luck.

Stunned, he barely returned it before he went to his fighter. Even his female ground crew gestured at him.

Wanting to do more for them, Talyn pulled his mic into place. He had Tavali to fight right now. But once this was over, he had a much more pressing war he intended to battle. “Viper-Ichi ready for launch.”

“Viper-Ichi clear to launch,” the controller responded.

Talyn entered the clearance code in his con and was thrown back against his seat as the ship was ejected through its launch tube.

It shot him straight into hell. There were fighters everywhere.

“Damn, Viper,” Farina said in his ear. “You seriously pissed off the Tavali earlier. What'd you do?”

“Apparently, they don't like being shot at. Who knew?” He banked right and narrowly missed an ion blast to his windshield.

He listened to their comm intel as he kept his eyes on the enemy. It was another group of Porturnum Tavali. Whether or not they were related to the earlier group he'd battled was unclear. While it was said the four branches of Tavali functioned like military governments, no one outside of their pirate world really knew what went on inside their organizations. They were as secretive as hermitic nuns.

The only thing Talyn knew for sure was that the western group of the pirate outlaws lived to prey on Andarion freighters. Most of all, they loved to take Andarions as slaves.

For some reason, the Porturnum leader hated the Andarion Empire and went out of his way to assault them as often as possible.

Talyn dove beneath the flaming remains of a Tavali fighter and came out in front of the
Storm Dancer
. He cursed under his breath as he recognized that ship. “Pit Viper to Command. This is the same Tavali group I engaged earlier. At least part of it.”

No wonder they fought like they did. This was a vengeance run. Something proven as his fighter was ID'd and one of the Tavali peeled off the rest of the Andarions to chase him.

Laughing, Talyn did what he did best.

Made their mamas cry. Fortunately for his, he flew as well as he fought in the Ring. At least that was his thought until he came up on a black Tavali fighter with a pilot who was amazing. Slippery bastard cut through everything Talyn threw at him.

Worse, Talyn was having a hard time dodging the return volleys. Whoever had taught this one to fight had known what they were doing.

As he rolled to avoid another round of blasts, he caught the name of the pilot that was written in Universal on his wing.

Blister.

What kind of stupid call sign was that? He didn't even want to know what the Tavali had done to earn that moniker. Not that it mattered. This was a fiercely talented warrior, in spite of his name.

Talyn was actually worried.

“Viper! Point ten!”

Talyn hit his retro engines and pulled up and rolled. Brief blasts of color lit the silent darkness around him. Unfortunately, that move brought him into range for “Blister.” The pirate opened fire with some kind of weapon Talyn had never seen before. It shredded his shields and burned through the outer layer of his fighter.

“Viper-Ichi hit.” Talyn cursed as his controls shocked him. “My directionals are failing. Rear engine going dark.”

Farina flew straight at him to engage the pirates who had a hard-on for him. “Syndrome covering Viper. Need a beam, Andarions. Hurry!”

“Nightdice sheltering Syndrome and Viper. We need help. Viper's taking massive fire and they're going for his throat.”

Talyn jerked back as another shock went through his arm from the short-circuiting panels. He saw an Andarion fighter he assumed was Nightdice moving in to protect him.

Or so he thought.

One moment, he was opening the channel to warn Syndrome about two Tavali headed for her. In the next, the Andarion fired on him and his entire ship exploded.

 

C
HAPTER
6

Felicia flipped through the news, looking for a report on Talyn and any possible battle he might have been involved with. There was nothing. Only stories about civilians who'd gone missing, and women who'd been attacked.

She forced herself not to pick up her link. She'd texted Talyn so much that she was afraid to do so again. At this point, he could have her arrested for stalking.

The link buzzed.

“Talyn?” she asked without even verifying the number.

“It's Erix. Is this Felicia?”

“It is. Is everything okay?”

When he didn't answer right away, it made her heart skip a beat. “I'm at the hospital.”

Her breath caught as tears filled her eyes. “Talyn?”

“He's in surgery. They called me when they couldn't reach his mother. I knew you'd want to know. I've sent a transport for you. It should be there any minute.”

“I'm on my way.” Hanging up, she started for the lift, then remembered she was in her nightgown. Frustrated, she ran to the bedroom and threw on her clothes as fast as she could.

She didn't know how long it took her to get to the hospital. It was somewhere between a heartbeat and forever.

As soon as she entered the waiting room, she saw Erix, seated and looking sick to his stomach. Terrified and shaking, she rushed over to him. “Have you heard anything?”

He shook his head.

“Do you know what happened?”

Erix sighed wearily as he took her hand in his. “Tavali attack.”

Felicia scowled at the look on his face. “What aren't you telling me?”

“I overheard the medics talking. They think it might have been friendly fire that brought him down.”

“What do you mean?”

Anger snapped harshly in his white eyes. “They said that it was one of our own who fired on Talyn's ship.”

“Anatole?”

“I don't know. They didn't say.”

Rage darkened her sight as she craved blood. “Is there any way to prove it?”

“If there's footage from the battle … maybe.”

But if it was Anatole, he'd make sure that footage was deleted. Bastard!

Never in her life had she wanted anyone's throat so badly.

Erix pulled her into a hug. “Why don't you sit down? I'll get us some coffee.”

“Thank you.”

As Felicia took her seat, a tall, gorgeous female who didn't appear much older than her came in wearing a commander's formal uniform. The commander swept her gaze around the occupants before she headed straight to the empty nurses' station. Impatiently, she pressed and held the buzzer.

The nurse glared at her as she came forward from a back room. “May I help you?”

“I'm Deputy Commander Batur. My son, Major Talyn Batur, was brought in and I need to know where he is and his condition.
Immediately
.”

Felicia held her breath as she waited for the update.

The nurse pulled up something on her monitor. “He's still in surgery, Commander. That's all I have. Sorry.”

The anguished expression on his mother's face brought tears to Felicia's own eyes. “What was his condition when he was brought in? My parents are Doctors Garaint and Nila Batur.” The nurse's eyes widened at those prestigious names that literally everyone in the medical profession knew. “Please, tell me what you have about my son. I have to know.”

The nurse read from her screen. “Critical One. He took several direct hits that exploded his ship, and was ejected into space. It appears he slammed into shrapnel or debris and was coding when they hauled him into a medpod.”

“No!” His mother fell to her knees and sobbed.

Felicia was grateful she was sitting because she had the same reaction. It felt as if all the air had been violently sucked out of her lungs.

But as she saw his mother's agonized grief, she went to her and pulled her into her arms.

The commander wept against her shoulder and shook so hard that Felicia feared she'd pass out. Her own tears blinded her as she prayed with everything she had.

A shadow fell over them. She looked up to see Erix's pale face.

“What happened?” he asked.

Patting Galene's back, Felicia forced herself to stop crying long enough to answer. “Talyn's still in surgery, but he was coding when they brought him in.”

Only then did his mother pull back to frown at her. “Who are you?”

“Felicia.”

Her brow furrowed by confusion, she looked up at Erix. “Who is she?”

“Talyn's female.”