Coletti Warlords: Vexing Voss (6 page)

I instinctively obeyed.

“Malik,”
Voss hissed.

“Sweet Jesus! Malik, the Overlord’s traitorous son?”

“Yes.”
Voss severed our link. Ignoring the oncoming traffic, he whipped the truck across three lanes of traffic and brought it to an abrupt stop.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’ll be back,” he growled and teleported.

What? Did he think he was the Terminator? Okay, he kind of was, but if he thought he could pull a vanishing act without any kind of explanation he was sadly mistaken. I scooted into the driver’s seat and headed for the Latin King’s Family Farm. El Jefe waited.

Chapter Five

The closer I got to the Latin King’s Family Farm, the stronger the burning sensation in my head grew. The meeting was definitely going down there. Big surprise. Malik was in cahoots with the Tai-Kok and the traitors.

Ahead of me, a battered sign with a large egg on it proclaimed LATIN KING’S FAMILY FARM THREE MILES. I turned onto the dirt road.

Lifeless trees from a long-abandoned orange grove rose like blackened specters around me. Ten years of war with the Tai-Kok and Rodan raiders had pretty much destroyed our economy. Arizona’s once-flourishing orange groves were being slowly reclaimed by the desert.

“Go back to the base and wait for me,”
Voss commanded. His tone was that of a predator hot on the trail of his prey.

That lying sack of shit was going after the traitors without me.
“You promised we would hunt them together.”

The Battle Commander’s anger rolled across my mind.
“I hunt a viciously cunning warlord, not weak humans. You will immediately leave the battle area.”

In my best timid-mouse voice, I replied,
“As my lord commands.”

“Zoey,”
Voss growled in warning.

“Yes, poopsie?”

“It is my duty to protect you.”

“You chose me because I’m a warrior. I can and will fight at your side.”

“You are no match for a warlord.”

How quickly they forget.

My psychic radar went on red alert, and I quickly scanned the area.
“Hey, there’s another Coletti warrior coming up behind you.”

I felt Voss’s surprise.
“Degan is one of my warriors, but I did not summon him.”

Agony seared through every cell in my body. I fought back the blackness threatening to engulf me and barely managed to pull off to the side of the road.
“What the hell was that?”

“Stun ray,”
Voss hissed before our link was severed abruptly by another blast of agonizing pain.

I sucked in a shuddering breath and waited for the pain to subside. Being stunned hurt like a sonovabitch. I reached out.
“Voss, you okay? Voss? Answer me, dammit!”

His only response was a muted groan.

Cold fear slithered down my spine. We had another fucking traitor. Honor was going the way of the dodo bird. Malik was probably rubbing his hands with glee at the thought of parading the Overlord’s battle commander around in chains.

A year ago, I had hacked Central Command’s records, trying to get information on the traitors, and had stumbled upon a report on Malik. He’s a monster. Not only had he betrayed his own people, he had kidnapped and tortured his brother, Talree, in an attempt to turn him into a feral monster. My cousin, Kaylee’s, timely intervention had saved him from that fate.

Malik’s master plan was to rule the galaxy. To achieve that goal, he would capture as many Coletti warriors as he could get his hands on and turn them into an army of bloodthirsty, mindless killing machines. Once he had these
ferals
under control, the psychotic creep would sic them on his people. If he defeated his father, Zarek, no one would be safe. Earth would again become a feeding ground for Tai-Kok and Rodan raiders.

No way would I let that happen. If Malik thought ferals were vicious, he had never met an Earth woman with PMS. I made Attila the Hun look like a pussycat.

Grabbing hold of Voss’s mind, I shouted,
“Wake up! Are you really gonna let that bastard win? You’re the Battle Commander, the universe’s bogeyman. C’mon, wake up! You can’t become Malik’s attack dog!”

His faint whisper sounded in my head.
“Summon Jaylan.”

The low mechanical whine of an aircraft filled the air. I glanced up. A black bullet-shaped shuttle craft zoomed over the rows of long metal chicken houses and feed silos.

My radar screamed a warning. Eight Tai-Kok raiders were inside. I mentally scanned the ship. So were Malik, Voss, and that rat-bastard Degan.

I might be able to take out the Tai-Kok, but the minute I dropped my shields, Malik and Degan would be all over me. Could I beat them in a fight? Probably not, but I might be able to slow them down a bit.

I tapped politely at Jaylan’s mind.

He snarled,
“Go back to the base, female.”

“But… I need—”

Jaylan rudely severed our link.

I pounded on his mind.
“Listen, you jerk—”

“We are at battle status, and I don’t have time for your petty concerns.”

Petty concerns? Was he serious?
“Okay, fine, I just thought you might want to know Degan is a traitor, and you should check your ships for explosive devices or sabotage,”
I snapped and severed the link. Testosterone turned men into thick-skulled morons. Who needed them?

The shuttle landed in the Latin King’s visitor’s parking lot. I grabbed my binoculars and gasped. Two tall, hairless, skeletal humanoids with mouths full of sharp metal teeth dragged Voss from the craft. The Tai-Kok’s bloodred battle suits were covered with metal spikes.

Wrapped in chains, Voss sagged limply between his captors, and his face was a battered mess. A black rage filled me. They were going to pay for every bruise.

Horror twisted my stomach. Unfreakin’-believable. I had only known Voss for a little over a day, and I knew without a doubt I would kill for him. How scary was that? What if the mating bond turned me into a submissive bimbo?
Nah, never gonna happen.

My attention focused on Malik as he stepped out wearing a flaming red battle suit loaded down with so many medals it made me wonder if he suffered from little-dick syndrome.

Ick. Malik had definitely been hit by the ugly truck. The traitor’s blunt features had a brutal quality to them. A nasty knife scar disfigured the right side of his face.

El Jefe, a tall, handsome Hispanic man in his forties, hurried out of the main entrance and said something to Malik that didn’t make him happy. He snapped a command at the Tai-Kok, and they hauled the Battle Commander inside.

I needed to create a really big diversion. If I could get the idiots to think they were under attack, it might give Voss time to make his move.

Where was a miracle when you needed one? I could really use a couple dozen Coletti warriors, but that prick Jaylan was too busy to listen to me. That brought up another interesting question. Why hadn’t Voss or Jaylan sensed Malik? Maybe it was a Siren thing.

A bright blue semitruck with LATIN KING’S FAMILY FARM plastered on the side pulled to a stop in front of me. The driver’s door swung open, and a big pot-bellied man climbed down.

Yahoo! My miracle had arrived. Who needed the cavalry? I waved at him all friendly like.

The driver walked up to my battered truck. “You need some help, kid?”

“I sure do.” I slid into the driver’s mind. “I need to borrow your truck for a bit, and I want you to wait here.”

He nodded obediently.

I felt a bit guilty. The semi was obviously his pride and joy. Not a speck of dirt marred the glossy finish. I adjusted the seat and looked over the controls. Boy, was I grateful Mom had insisted on me learning how to drive a semi when we had to evacuate wounded civilians from the North African refugee compound.

Jaylan hammered on my shields.
“How did you know about the bombs?”

“Gee, could it be because I’m a Siren? Now if you’re done with your petty questions, I’m going to battle status.”
Revving the engine on my “borrowed” semitruck, I popped the clutch and drove it straight at the big metal gate blocking the entrance.

“Battle status? You found the traitors?”

“Yep, and Malik and his goons too.”
Rolling the window down, I grabbed a bunch of grenades from my bag of tricks and placed them in my lap.

“You cannot engage Malik in battle.”
There was a touch of horror in Jaylan’s voice.

“That bastard’s got Voss, so I think I can.”

“I will not allow it.”

“How are you gonna stop me, Skippy?”

With an aggravated growl, Jaylan demanded
, “What is your plan?”

“I’m gonna blow stuff up.”

“Creating a diversion should work to our advantage.”

“Ya think?”

The semi was doing sixty when it hit the gates, flinging them like Frisbees into the surrounding cornfields. “Yippee-ki-yay, motherfuckers!” I had always wanted a reason to say that.

The gears ground loudly as I fought to shift into first gear and steer at the same time. I cut the wheel to the right. The trailer swerved wildly and clipped a huge water fountain at the entrance to the parking lot. A geyser of water shot high into the air.

I slammed on the brakes. The tires squealed loudly as the truck skidded to a stop by the shuttle craft. I hurled a grenade inside the open door and quickly chucked a bunch more at the collection of high-dollar cars in the lot, and floored it.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Kaboom!
In the side mirror, I watched the shuttle disintegrate into a massive fireball, sending rocketing pieces of metal in every direction. “Yippee-ki-yay!”

Kablooey!
The cars went up like the Fourth of July. Chunks of flaming metal rained down on the men bursting out of the office with Uzis.

I tossed a couple of grenades at a gigantic clucking plastic chicken on display by the front doors. The goons took one look at the grenades and ran for their lives.

Boom!
The first blast shook the chicken, and it crowed like it had just laid a king- size egg.
Bak-bak. Bak-bak. Bak-bak. Bak-bak.

Boom!
With an ear-shattering
baaakkk
the chicken crashed down, catching several thugs under its enormous plastic wings.

Bullets riddled the semitruck. I flinched as I took a hit to my left shoulder. That was gonna leave a nasty bruise. My Askole armor was definitely worth every dime the general had paid for it.

Now came the fun part. Dropping my shields, I took over a Tai-Kok’s mind and commanded,
“Kill Malik and Degan.”
I jumped out of his head as he fired and hit Malik with every ounce of power I had.

Malik returned the favor, and stars exploded in my vision. Everything went black for a few seconds.

Voss’s enraged roar echoed around my aching skull.
“Zoey!”

The world snapped backed into focus. Oh my God! I yanked on the steering wheel, but it was too late. With a teeth-rattling crash, the truck barreled through the side of a large metal henhouse and slammed into a section of cages, knocking them over.

The semi shuddered and died. Steam spewed from the hood. Dozens of broken conveyor belts dumped feed, eggs, and chicken poop on the concrete floor.

Thousands of frightened chickens flew about wildly, and their squawking was deafening. A blizzard of feathers filled the air, making it hard to see.

The Battle Commander demanded,
“Are you injured?”

I shook my head to clear it, and a number of bruises immediately made themselves known. “
I’m good. Did you get free?”

“Yes.”
The cold fury in his voice made me shudder.
“You ever engage Malik in battle again, I will personally lock you up with the breeders until you learn the proper obedience.”

“I was saving your ungrateful ass.”

“He could have killed you.”

“Well, he didn’t.”

“Only because Malik realized his attacker was female and a Siren. Now he hunts you.”

“But…I’m already mated to you.”

“He will use you as a breeder.”

Didn’t that sound like fun?

My radar screamed a warning, and I ducked down. Bullets shattered the windshield.
“Could we finish this little pep talk later? I kinda stirred up a hornet’s nest.”

“Indeed.”
Voss’s battle cry sounded, and two thugs flew by the truck and hit the wall with a loud
splat.

Okeydokey, the big guy was in a bit of a snit. Shit, who was I kidding? It was more like a towering rage. It was probably a good idea to get the hell out of Dodge and let him cool down some. Lock me up with the breeders, my ass.

Throwing open the driver’s door I scrambled from the truck and yelped in surprise when someone grabbed me around the waist.

“Gotcha!” a male voice crowed.

I rammed my elbow into his nose, and there was a satisfying crunching noise.

“Fucking A, you broke my nose!” the guy cried.

I twisted around and gave him a stiff-fingered shot to the throat.

The tattooed thug made a funny gasping sound and fell backward, pulling me down with him.

We landed hard on a crate. I slipped out of his grip and dropped to the floor.

The thug jumped on my back, smashing me into the egg-covered cement.

Grabbing a freaked-out chicken, I whacked the thug in the face with it. “Cock-a-doodle-doo, asshole.”

Baaakkk!
The chicken went psycho and began pecking the living shit out of the goon. He shrieked like a little girl.

I scrabbled backward, desperately trying to get to my feet, but several thousand eggs had turned the henhouse floor into a slippery, gooey mess.

“I’m gonna fucking kill you!” the thug screamed, lunging for me with the chicken riding his head.

“Not today.” My steel-toed boot slammed into his face. His head snapped back, and he toppled over, out cold.

The chicken kept on pecking him.

“You go, girl.” Slipping and sliding on the broken eggs, I grabbed hold of the cages and pulled myself upright.