Daegon: Alien Warlord's Conquest (Scifi Alien-Human Military Romance) (6 page)

H
e held
Zoey in his arms.

Daegon couldn't resist lowering his face into her soft, silky hair, breathing in their sweet scent that even the wretched ship hadn't taken away. Her beautiful body under his hands felt better than he had dared to imagine.

The warlord swore he would hold her again at another time, closer, without his armor in the way. He could feel her shake in his embrace, out of sheer relief to be alive and as much as he had seen, it had been about to end.

Had he seen another Corgan chasing her?

She was holding one hand away from them awkwardly. Only then did Daegon notice that she was wearing one of the Yemalan gloves. Despite being in the bowels of the enemy ship, he nearly burst out laughing. The little female was cleverer than he'd thought. Careful not to shock either of them, he brought up her hand and inspected it.

"I took it," Zoey explained when she saw him examining the weapon. "I couldn't really use the spear, so this was the better option."

Daegon smiled at her.

"That is great thinking," he said, seeing her answer his smile at once. "I can't imagine how you would have managed to survive without it for so long."

That reminded him of the ugly truth of the matter and he became serious again.

"I allowed you to be taken," he said roughly. "You were under my protection."

"You did nothing wrong," Zoey said at once. "You thought you were doing what was best for me, and you did. The enemy snuck up on me, that's all. It's not your fault."

Daegon disagreed, but it changed nothing. He would still kill everyone on the Yemalan ship now that he'd retrieved Zoey.

"How are you even here?" she asked when he began to lead her back to where his fighter waited. "I heard them say the
Wraith
was in pursuit, but it doesn't look like you've caught them."

That was true.

"We haven't," Daegon admitted. "I flew ahead with my fastest fighter. These damn Yemalan ships are faster than I remembered. The
Wraith'
s engines aren’t good enough to match the speed, but they can't run forever. As soon as we had the mothership in sight, I came alone."

Her beautiful green eyes spoke volumes to him, and Daegon wished there was a way to express everything he felt. How it had been impossible to wait and do nothing while she was out there, possibly being tortured or perhaps dead already.

The dash with the fighter had been foolhardy, but he hadn't doubted for a moment. With Zoey's life in danger, it was amazing how few choices were actually choices at all.

He'd found her alive – that was all that mattered. Now he had to get her back to the safety of the
Wraith
and continue his quest.

Then her words came back to him.

"You said you heard them say I was coming," he repeated. "Do you speak Yemalan?"

"No," Zoey said. "I know a few words, but not really. I heard another Corgan say that. Daegon, there is another clan lord here. I don't know what he's planning, but it's bad."

Daegon stopped in his tracks so suddenly she nearly bumped into him. The sensation wasn't unwelcome, but more pressing issues demanded his attention.

"Another Corgan," he repeated. "Are you sure?"

He thought he'd seen the same thing in the darkness of the corridor, but he hadn't wanted to believe that.

"I'm sure," Zoey said. "And I'm almost positive that he is a clan lord too. He didn't look like an average warrior. He was too tall and too strong for that. And the way he spoke... No, he is a lord."

That was unthinkable. For a Corgan to work together with Yemalan, it was impossible. Daegon wouldn't have believed her if he hadn't seen the same. There had been someone chasing her, disappearing from sight as soon as he approached. And it had been too tall for a Yemalan.

"What did he tell you?" he demanded from Zoey.

"He is planning something," she said, thoughtful.

The Yemalan mothership was not the best place to have that conversation, but they had no choice. Anything she could remember would be helpful, even as Daegon kept rushing them back. He had no fear of anyone on board, but the hordes of Yemalan that were about to descend on them could hurt Zoey.

"He said he wanted to make Corgans great again, that you've all lost your minds," Zoey was saying.

That was unsurprising. Lately tensions had been very high and even after Daegon had taken control of his clan, he could sense the reluctance to go along with the new way. They were hoping that he'd set it right with the Union by refusing their ambassador.

"But I was thinking," Zoey went on. "If he's enlisting the Yemalan to help – and he helps them – it means that the others refused him."

"That is more than likely, yes," Daegon said. "Can you remember something else?"

"He promised them a world."

The growl that escaped Daegon's throat seemed to scare Zoey. He turned towards her with flashing eyes.

"That traitor promised the raiders one of our planets?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied, nodding. "I think it's their price for helping him do this."

"Of course it is," Daegon snarled, moving on, already hearing the screams of the Yemalan troops.

They didn't have much time.

"It is all they want, and he made a deal with our enemies. If I ever find out who he is, I will make sure he regrets it until his dying day. If that ever comes."

Zoey said nothing, running by his side. She kept looking back, and Daegon couldn't fault her for it. He couldn't imagine what it had been like for her on the mothership, defenseless and alone. It was clear she wanted away, but they had to take a detour first.

He thought as they ran. The chieftain had been hinting for some time now that something like that was going to happen, but Daegon hadn't wanted to believe him. Couldn't, more so.

The fact that one of their kind would sink so low as to brook deals with the Yemalan was out of the realm of possibility. Nadar Brenger hadn't actually suggested that option, but the chieftain had said that everything was possible if men became desperate enough.

And they clearly had.

The plan was simple, as Daegon understood it. The traitor would attack the holy world with the Yemalan. It would show how far they dared to come, putting more pressure on Nadar. The traitor expected the clans to start fighting their chieftain
and
the Union. And in the mayhem, did he really think they wouldn't notice the Yemalan seizing one of their home worlds?

It was madness, but he wouldn't expect nothing less from a man who could work with the raiders.

"Do you remember what he looked like?" he asked Zoey as they were nearing the control bridge he'd noticed on his way in.

"He looked like a warrior," Zoey said sadly. "Not much else. He was tall like you, but not as powerful. And I gave him a nasty burn, right on his throat."

She was incredible to him. Alone, she'd managed to find weapons and escape her enemies. And she'd had the skill to wound the traitor, giving him a mark Daegon would be able to recognize. The little Terran's resourcefulness was truly amazing.

And then she added, very quietly, "He wanted to kill me. Not just kidnap me. Execute me. To show that you couldn't keep me safe. Wanting to provoke the Union into another war with the Corgans. I don't think it would have worked."

Daegon stopped again, turning her to face him. Her green eyes were shining, not with tears but with conviction. He wondered if he should tell her what a task it was, to make a warlord feel powerless under that gaze.

He felt like he could do anything in that moment, but nothing to hurt her – as if his life belonged to her, were tied to her with unseen bonds that couldn't be broken.

"I will not let that happen," he swore to her, making sure she understood. "No one will hurt you again, not while I'm still drawing breath. The man who threatened you, I will cut out his hearts."

Zoey said nothing but her eyes shone like stars. She was the most incredible creature Daegon had ever seen, beautiful and fierce. It drove him on as much as it turned him on.

The control bridge was up ahead. Telling Zoey to stay behind him, but not too far, the warlord charged in. The enemies there wouldn't die as easily as the troop he'd killed aboard the Wraith. While the Yemalan had regular soldiers to spare, the officers were different.

Daegon wouldn't pretend he knew everything about their complicated ranks, but he didn't need to know the details to kill them. The Yemalan chose their officers from the ranks of ordinary soldiers, training them for years away from the front lines. He didn't know what their secret was, but they emerged bigger, faster and meaner. Some Corgans thought that it wasn't far from what they did themselves, improving the officers in the same way the Corgans augmented their warriors.

Another thing about the officers was that they knew their worth. The regular soldiers were expected to die on command, but the officers wanted to live. No Yemalan officer would throw himself on Daegon's swords simply to buy time for someone else. They were too valuable for that.

And they were tough. Even their wiry bodies seemed to be hardened with something, since he couldn't simply slice through them like he had the soldiers.

Four of them manned the control bridge. The regular Yemalan died quickly, swarming Daegon to try and keep him away, but he cut them down mercilessly. Then it was time for the officers.

“Get him!” one of the officers called.

Four tall Yemalan charged him in perfect synchronization. He wouldn't be able to trick them so easily, especially if Daegon had to make sure none of them escaped. If they slipped out and saw Zoey, she'd be dead before he ever lay eyes on her again.

The idea almost blinded him with rage.

They wanted to execute her
.

She didn't need to say it, the intent was clear. The traitor wanted to show Daegon and his clan, along with the chieftain as weaklings unable to protect the holy world, unable to guard the Union's envoy.

Roaring, he met the Yemalan officers. They had evidently fought his kind before. The thought occurred to Daegon that the traitor might have taught their enemies how to counter the Corgan warriors. He gritted his teeth, unable to wait until he had the traitor's throat in his hands.

The officers took turns attacking him. When two of them stabbed at him with the short tridents, two others tried to grab a hold of him with the gloves. The crystals in their hands spat furiously, set for the highest level. One hit from that and he'd be burnt to a crisp.

The tridents they carried were longer, heavier and sturdier. They caught him in their midst quickly, but that's what Daegon had wanted. Now he was able to watch for a mistake.

For long moments, the only sounds to be heard were the clashes of blades and not a single death groan – it showed how good they were. The twin blades twirled in his hands as Daegon kept them away at the price of letting them chip his armor.

The turn came when one of the officers took a glimpse at the door, realizing they were going to tire before Daegon did. The momentary lapse of attention cost him his life. The warlord couldn't believe the stupidity of the man. No one turned their eyes away in a duel with him.

One of his long, thin blades flew through the air like a snake, right through the weak spot under the officer's chest plate. The Yemalan made a horrible croaking sound as he tried to seal the wound. That broke the pattern they'd so diligently kept.

The others couldn't regroup fast enough. Daegon twisted the trident out from the grip of one of them, sending the weapon flying. Armed with nothing but the glove, the officer turned to run – as was common for the Yemalan – but his back was one big target. Daegon threw one of his swords and killed the runner, turning to face the remaining two officers.

They came at him but couldn't surround him anymore. Their survival instinct kicked in, overpowering the will to work together.

Every man for himself didn't work nearly well enough. Daegon allowed them to come closer, then ducked suddenly under the tridents and swung a wide arch with the sword. One of the officers staggered back, his guts spilling out from between the remains of his armor.

The last one bolted for the door.

Zoey
.

The thought was so sharp and strong that Daegon threw the other sword, not thinking that he was leaving himself unarmed. The Yemalan dropped with a scream and Daegon found himself alone in the room. Alone alive, that was.

"Zoey!" he called, hearing the slight shake in his voice.

He'd left her outside. If the same thing happened again... But no, she stepped into the room hesitantly, looking at the carnage with wide eyes.

Daegon retrieved his swords, sheathing them on his back. He looked around. His plan had been to tamper with the mothership, slow it down, but he didn't know the details of Yemalan shipbuilding. He could only give an educated guess as to which panel could be designated for which cause.

"Do you still have your glove?" he asked. "Try it on these panels."

She looked at him oddly but obeyed. As soon as she touched her hand to the system controls, they fizzled out of life. Daegon was pretty certain it wouldn't last long, but the
Wraith
didn't need much. All they had to do was catch up.

Heading back to the fighter now, he took a quick look at Zoey. Her robes were ruined and she was in the middle of a soon-to-be war.

"I can't take you back," he said. "We need to finish this first."

He'd expected her to protest, but instead she smiled the most disarming smile he'd seen on her yet. She had never been more beautiful to him.

"Of course," she said, her voice surprised. "These bastards have to pay. I'm going nowhere. I'm staying with you."

The look in her green eyes when she said that sent an overpowering need through him. Daegon didn't reply, but he knew. Now that he'd found Zoey, he couldn't let her go.