Phantom Warriors: Linx (15 page)

“How
much do you remember?”

“More
than I wish I did,” she said.

Linx
looked her in the eye. "You were hurt. Dying." His jaw clenched. “I
saved you, but I had to take you someplace that you’d be safe. I picked the one
place I knew Sergei’s men could never reach.”

Tabby
frowned. Blood. Bodies. Claws. She shook her head. "Sergei is dead."

"I
know," Linx said grimly.

Tabby
sat up straighter. "You killed him."

"He
hurt you." There was no inflection in his voice, only the cold calm of
resolve that said he'd do it again without a second thought. "He left me
little choice."

"They
tortured me." Flashes of pain and waves of nausea followed as she
remembered exactly what Sergei and his men had done to her. Tabby held up her
hand and wiggled her fingers. It had been broken. She knew it had been broken.
She'd felt the bat, heard the bones crack,
experienced
the breath-stealing agony. "I don't understand."

Linx
reached for her hand, but Tabby pulled away.

"Where
are we?"

"On
a ship like you guessed." His gaze grew wary now.

"You
said it wasn't a cruise ship," she said.

"It's
not," he said. “At least not the kind of vessel you mean.”

"If
it's not a cruise ship, what kind of ship is it?" She supposed they could
be on a tanker. Just because Sergei was dead didn't mean that she and Taylor
were safe.
Far from it.
Sergei's boss would look into
his death. There was no doubt that once the remaining staff was interviewed the
mob would know all about her and Taylor.

Linx
stood and walked over to the far wall. "The ship we’re on is a Bender series."

"A
what?"

"Perhaps
it would be easier to show you." Linx held out his hand.

Tabby
climbed out of bed and debated whether to take his proffered hand. She knew she
was being childish. After all, they'd just made love. But she couldn’t ignore
the warnings going off inside her head. She approached slowly. When she was within
reach, he pulled her close, wrapping her in the warmth of his hard body.

With
his free hand, Linx reached out and touched a spot on the wall. The metal
shimmered and appeared to fade. Less than a second later, Tabby found herself
staring out a window at a sky full of stars.
No, not a sky.
She looked down and didn't see land...but she did see planets.

Tabby
took a step back, but didn't release Linx. "
Whe
-where
are we?"

"On
a ship." He watched her closely.

"What
kind of ship? And don't you dare say Bender because you know that doesn’t mean
anything to me."

Linx's lips quirked.
"I think you know what kind of ship
we're on."

She
shook her head. "No, I don't. Because that would be impossible."

"For
the human race, perhaps, but not for my people," he said softly.

Tabby
staggered back. "I think I need to sit down."

Linx
helped her.

"This
can't be happening." She clutched the bed. It felt real beneath her
fingertips. He felt real. "I saw a cat," she said, trying to make
sense of things.

"Yes,"
Linx said.

Her
brow furrowed. "And a bear?"

"You
mean Riot," he said.

"What?"
She looked at him.

"That's
his name. The bear."

Tabby
touched her head, searching for lumps. "The bear is named Riot?"

“Yes,”
Linx said.

"What
about the cat?" she asked, grateful that she hadn’t imagined it after all.

This
time Linx didn't answer. He just stared at her in that unblinking way that
predators had, when they focused on prey.

Tabby
stared at him, her heart pounding in her chest. "Does the cat have a
name?"

He
nodded slowly.

"What
is it?" she asked, afraid of the answer.

Linx
sighed. His blue gaze dimmed and he swallowed hard. A second later, his form
began to shimmer and blur, when it stopped a large cat sat where Linx had been
standing.

Tabby
gasped and scooted back. She closed her eyes and opened them again, but the cat
was still there and it hadn't moved. It's not possible. It's not possible. It's
not possible. The mantra played in her head like a broken record, but there was
no denying what her eyes were telling her.

"Linx?”
she asked. “Is that really you?"

The
cat blinked, then let out
a
ear-splitting yowl.
It's
red eyes glowed as it stared at her. She caught a flash
of fang as it lifted one leg and licked its massive paw.

Memories
came rushing back. There'd been fangs. Claws. And blood.
Copious
amounts of blood.
And now Tabby knew why.

The
cat's image wavered and a few seconds later, Linx appeared. This time he was
sitting in the exact spot the cat occupied.

"What
are you?" she asked, even though a million other questions swirled in her
mind. That seemed like the most important one. The others could wait.

*
* * * *

"I
am a Phantom Warrior." Linx made no move to approach Tabby. He was afraid
if he did, he'd scare her to death. He knew this was a lot for any human to
take in.

"What
exactly is a Phantom Warrior?" She watched him closely, almost as if she
expected him to leap at her.

He
scratched his head. "I suppose to you and your people I'd be considered an
alien."

"Are
we talking Mars and little green men?" Tabby’s eyes widened until they
nearly took up her whole face.

Even
scared she looked adorable to him.

"I
have met little green men, but they did not come from Mars. That planet is
inhospitable for anything other than bacteria," he said.

Tabby
blinked, then blinked again. "Oh my god, you're serious."

He
nodded. "Of course. Aren't you?"

She
shook her head, sending her long burgundy hair, flowing over her flushed
nipples. Linx stared at the tempting flesh, poking through the silken strands,
and remembered the taste of her upon his tongue. He wanted more. Even now his
mouth watered in anticipation.

Would
he ever tire of having her or experiencing this? Linx snorted. Never. The need
just continued to grow. He looked forward to their bond strengthening. He no
longer felt confined, choked by the idea of having a leash around his heart.
Instead, he welcomed the restriction because with it came true freedom.

What
would Tabby look like after her first change? Would her hair remain red? Would
she become brindle? He had no doubt she would hiss at him and swish her tail in
his face. Just the thought of taking her in her other form made him hard. He
ached to have her again, but mating would have to wait until Tabby understood exactly
what had happened.

"This
is a spaceship." Her voice held both shock and awe. “A real live
spaceship. Like the ones in the sci-fi movies.”

"Yes,"
Linx said. “This ship is one of the finest in the galaxy.”

"Why
take us on a spaceship?" she asked, looking around the room like she was
just seeing it for the first time.

"As
I said, it was the only place I knew for certain that you'd be safe. You didn't
expect me to leave my mate behind did you?" He was shocked that she’d even
consider such a thing.

*
* * * *

Mate...

He'd
used that word earlier when they'd made love. Tabby hadn't thought anything of
it at the time, but given the circumstances, the word now took on a whole new
meaning. Was it getting hot in here? She fanned her face with her hand.

"What
exactly do you mean by the term, mate?" She vaguely remembered him
mentioning being
bound
, but now that
she knew the truth about him, those words took on a whole new meaning. Were
ropes involved? If she never saw another rope in her life, she’d be happy.

Linx's
blue eyes flashed red for a second, but he didn't move. "You know exactly
what I mean." His tone left no room for argument.

She
was afraid that she did understand all too well, but Tabby still wanted to hear
it from him. "I know what the word means on Earth, but what does it mean
to a Phantom Warrior?" Given the differences in cultures on her planet,
she didn’t want to assume anything.

"Unlike
humans, Phantoms mate for life," he said, all but daring her to disagree.
"There are many sentient beings in the universe that have similar customs."

Her
eyes bugged. "You mean there's more than just Phantom Warriors floating
around in space?" If there were aliens everywhere, then why hadn’t they
found them? He made it sound like you couldn’t throw a rock without hitting
one.

"Of
course. You didn’t think you were alone, did you?" He gave her an
incredulous look that made her feel silly for even suggesting such a thing.
"There are many beings and creatures throughout the universe. Just because
you have been unsuccessful in locating the ones in your own solar system
doesn't mean that they do not exist."

Tabby
glanced out the window at the blanket of stars. There were so many of them. It
was overwhelming to think about. "Where are we going?" And would she
like their destination when they arrived? All she knew was Earth.

"We
are on our way to Zaron. That is my home planet," he said. “It is larger
than your Earth, closer to the size of Jupiter.”

"Oh."
She was trying hard to imagine it, but her brain wasn’t cooperating. The thought
of never seeing Earth again made her sad and more than a little homesick. She’d
taken so much for granted while she was there. Tabby wished she could go back
and have a ‘do over’. She’d never look at Earth the same way again. But Linx
was right. They were safer here than they would've been on Earth. Thanks to her
sister's lousy taste in men, the Russian mob would never stop looking for them.
Speaking of which, "I want to see Taylor." She needed to see her twin
with her own eyes to know that she was all right.

Linx
stood, the movements silent and graceful, just like a cat. How she hadn't noticed
it before she'd never know. Like most people, she hadn’t been looking.

"I'll
take you to her now, but there is something I must tell you before we go,"
he said. The seriousness of his tone brought her up short.

"Is
she hurt? You said she was okay." Had he lied? Oh god, she should’ve
demanded to be taken to her immediately.

Linx
touched her shoulder. "Taylor is well, but she shouldn't be here."

"What
do you mean she shouldn't be here?" Tabby crossed her arms over her chest.

Linx
took a deep breath. "There are regulations for transporting humans.
Stringent rules that must be followed."

"What
rules? And what do they have to do with my sister?"

*
* * * *

Linx
didn't know how to explain to Tabby why the Phantoms were on the planet without
upsetting her. He knew the second he told her that they were there looking for
mates, she was going to get angry. He'd learned that much about her in the
short time they'd known each other.

His
mate was a fighter. She'd proven it with Sergei and she'd proven it to him. He
knew he had to be careful or she'd end up getting them all held in confinement.

"Each
Phantom is only allowed to bring one mate aboard," he said, waiting to see
if she understood.

Tabby
gave him a blank look.

"I
chose you," he said, though in truth, the goddess had chosen for him.

She
didn't move an inch.

He
sighed. She wasn’t going to make it easy on him. "I am not allowed to
bring any other females onboard."

Her
brow arched.

Linx
shook his head. At this rate, they'd be to Zaron before she understood. He'd
have to take a more direct approach. "I had to smuggle Taylor onto the
ship because I knew you'd be unhappy without your twin. What I did is against
the law. But I couldn't bear to see you unhappy, when I knew that this one
thing would make all the difference."

Tabby
stared at him for what felt like an eon,
then
she
slowly smiled and threw herself into his arms. Her fingers tunneled through his
hair and she kissed him. "Thank you, Linx. I
lov
--"
The word was cut short as she pressed her lips together.

Linx
didn't say anything. He could barely hear over the sound of his hearts
pounding. She'd said that she loved him. Or she'd nearly said so. For now, that
was enough.

"Let's
go see your sister."

Tabby
nodded and slowly released him.