Stallion of Ash and Flame (Siren Publishing Classic) (18 page)

“Yes, you should.” He planted a kiss on her brow. Her words had spiraled the image of an empty bleak future around him. She was his world now. The one he wanted.

She remained silent for moments, her body still. “Okay, Mr. Save-the-day Stallion, what now?”

“Time for some smoldering action.”

“Smoldering,” she began, outraged.

Trail dived his phased hand inside the semi-truck. He flattened it on top of a huge box, sending sparks into the dry cardboard until it burned.

Staring at his hand as he phased it back to full flesh, she demanded, “What did you do?”

“Started a little fire.”

“Oh.”

“Be prepared to run once we’re inside.”

“You’re not going to just phase us to the amulets?”

“Fiery distractions first.”

She wrinkled her brow, considering. “A taste of their own fire
storming medicine?”

“More like firecracker medicine. But I like yours better.” He grinned. “Get ready. I can hear the doors opening.”

She cocked an ear. “The truck is slowing.”

They bounced back and forth as the semi lessened its speed, hitting what felt like monstrous ruts. Creeping slowly, the truck rolled onto a smooth surface, then angled downward.

“It’s okay,” he soothed her as they slid toward the front of the trailer. She didn’t answer, her arms and legs clinging to him, her face buried in his chest.

A harsh beam of artificial lighting hit them, and he scooted them to the edge. Aiming his palm toward the semi’s hood, he waited for the truck to stop inside the unloading zone. As the driver cut the engine, he shot explosive frequencies toward the gasoline fumes. Flame burst beneath the hood and rapidly towered from the hood’s seam. Smoke also billowed from beneath the engine, obscuring the cameras and the vision of the security guards.

“Wow,” she whispered.

“Partial phase,” he whispered back. Heightening their vibrations, he slid their lesser weight down the side of the trailer. Landing, he released the phase and grabbed her hand. “This way.”

Not hesitating, she followed and crouched behind him as he peered ahead of them. Since the security team headed in their direction, he slipped them around the front of the flaming semi and through the seeping smoke. Gripping her hand tightly, he tugged, encouraging her to run behind him. They stealthily jogged along the side of the middle truck. Hearing the racing approach of the firefighters, he ducked them behind the semi first in line and waited for the firefighting team to pass by.

Easing them forward to the mudflaps, he relied on his physical vision to check for more security. Seeing a clear path, he ran them alongside the lead truck. He wanted to use his psi abilities sparingly, so they wouldn’t be targeted for as long as possible. The psi-watchers would realize his presence instantly if he used his awareness as a guide to the amulets.

Gamely, she kept up with him as he sped up, and he felt her resolve to see things through with him. He didn’t have time to feel relief. If he had, it would be sweeping through him. He halted them abruptly, next to the semi’s cabin. All around them there was a crush of activity, orders being shouted, the status of the blaze reported. Underground fires were nothing to mess around with. Already the smoke drifted around them, rapidly filling up the unloading bay.

Suddenly the driver’s door flew open, the truck’s driver stepping out to get a look for himself. Letting go of her hand, he grabbed the man’s burly arm, propelling him forward. He slammed the heels of his hands against the man’s chest, sprawling him backwards.

Grasping her waist, he tossed Seneca inside and leapt up behind her. She’d already moved to the passenger seat, her eyes wide with fright and excitement. Jerking the door shut, he pointed his finger, striking the ignition with an energy bolt. The truck rumbled to life.

“I’m hoping you know how to drive one of these. Because I don’t.”

“Nope, my mare. But I can use the driver’s vibrational imprint.”

Tuning in, Trail put the semi in gear and shoved down on the accelerator pedal. The truck roared and lurched forward. Heedless of the assault rifles aimed at them, Trail quickly geared up, gaining in speed. The tattoo of bullets bounced off the trailer as most of the guards scattered before them.

“Talk about a battering ram,” she shouted over to him.

“It’s been reinforced. The bullets didn’t penetrate.”

“Yeah, well, I’m assuming there’s exotic weaponry waiting for us.”

“Exotic weaponry and psi-attacks. Stay down.”

“I don’t think so. Not that I won’t duck. But this is too amazing to miss.”

Trail didn’t have time to argue with her. From his peripheral vision, he watched three guards position a microwave canon. One blast would shut down the truck’s electronics, except he could power it back up. But instead of waiting, he brain-scrambled the men fast enough they failed to get it fired.

“Are we crashing through that door that just slid shut?”

“Alternative plan. It looks like a door, but it’s actually a force field.”

“Force field. Great, I’m in Star Trek land, but still on Earth. We are still on Earth, aren’t we?”

“On Earth,” he confirmed. “Come here and hold the wheel steady. I need to trick out the engine.”

“Trick out the engine?” She scooted as close as she could, then stretched her body, seizing hold of the wheel for him. Simultaneously, an enormous blast sounded behind them. The force flowed over them as he rearranged the frequency composition of the engine a bit, turning it into a particle diffuser. The door disappeared and they rolled through into the immense storage area he’d seen previously.

“Wow! But what blew up behind us?”

Trail grabbed the wheel again and upped their rate of speed. A phalanx of Fire Starter guards approached. He sensed them rather than saw them yet. “There were containers of oxygen inside the truck we rode in on.”

“Oh. Did your smoldering cause it?”

“That, and the way they were trying to contain the fire. Seneca, the bad guys with the exotic weapons are about to show up.”

“Damn! And I don’t have my super duper blaster.”

Trail spared a glance at her and remembered her ease with guns. He wished he had one to offer her. “I’m going to mow them down if I have to.”

“As in killing them?”

“They don’t actually die. Their bodies go into suspension and they’ll likely be regenerated.”

She gave a little shrug, fortifying herself. “Do what you have to do. They are the enemy. Not that I want them killed.” She started with surprise and fell back in her seat, almost ducking down. “Oh, God, they look like a cross between Roman gladiators and tall basketball players. What are those weapons?”

Trail put the pedal to the metal, racing the semi toward them. “Drainer staffs. They’re designed to suck energy from any living body or machine.”

“So, are we being sucked?”

Fifty drainer staffs pointed at them, the guards in a precise formation.

“Not much. The Drainer particles are being randomized by my tricked out engine.”

Quick to discover, their staffs weren’t effective, the guards drew out their blasters in unison, firing at the engine block of the truck. Trail countered with an energy shield he created, using the ignition as a pathway. Giant sparks of orange and blue flew around them, hissing in every direction.

“Impressive,” she offered, awe in her voice. “So far.”

“So far,” he bantered.

“Miles to go, I presume,” she tossed. ‘What are they doing now?”

“Their last ditch effort.” Scrambling in an organized way, the guard took up new positions. Two rows facing each other, they prepared to attack as the semi truck passed. With utter precision, they unhooked their handheld weapons.

“What are those small shiny things they’re holding?” Horror edged her voice. But she didn’t break, his mare.

“We call them freeze boxes. They use coded frequencies to lower the temperature. They want to literally ice cube the engine.”

“Too bad the engine’s not out of oil and heating up.”

Trail grinned at her words, then whipped the steering wheel around, so they racing-charged toward one line of the guards. Even though his tactic could hurtle them into the barrier of the outside wall, much stronger than the speeding truck, it was the superior option. If he cooked the engine to a high enough heat, that would also destroy it. And he wasn’t ready for that.

Knowing he could phase them out in time if he couldn’t alter the truck’s course, Trail bore down on the line of running guards. Their freeze weapons couldn’t stop the engine fast enough. The other line remained solid, their freeze boxes still aimed, ready for when the truck came into range.

“Omygawd.” He heard her mutter. “Bowling for dollars,” she shouted at him. “Hit them so they knock into the other line.”

Trail would have held his gut and laughed if he could have. Instead, he pulled steadily on the steering wheel, maneuvered the truck, and struck the fleeing guard. Some of their bodies arced through the air, smashing into the other line. Hauling on the wheel and taking his foot off the accelerator, he put the truck into a curving slide. His gears ground, the sound wrenching and ugly. The tires skidded, then screeched. Behind them, the trailer fish-tailed as he jerked the wheel around to avoid crashing. He cut it loose, maintained control of the cab, and sped them toward another force field door.

“Phase,” he shouted. “Get on my lap.”

She launched from the seat like a cougar, crawling onto his lap as he opened his arm.

“They’ve juiced the force field. It’s a trap.”

Keeping their high rate of speed, Trail pretended he was going through the force field. At the last moment, he wrapped his arms around her, phasing them inside the dome room next to the plasma-suspended amulets. Immediately, the psi-attack spiraled around them like the coiling squeeze of several anacondas.

Fending off the binding energy, he un-phased Seneca. He felt her blink and felt her dizziness before she caught sight of the two gleaming golden amulets. She reached for them as if she was about to be shocked within an inch of her life. It’s safe, he spoke to her mind. She dived her hands inside the plasma field, snatching them up.

“You won’t be leaving.”

The male voice boomed in concert with whips of lashing energy so harsh, they cut through Trail’s vibrational shield. Before he could phase their escape, Seneca was ripped out of his arms. She screamed from her most primitive level, fear and fury. He charged toward her, halted by the net-freeze gun held to her temple. The Fystite commander of the underground facility held her and the gun.

“Do you really want to chance it, V’Trailuc? In one second I can turn her brain into dry ice.”

For a split second, her body froze from fright. The next instant he watched the flames of her rage rise up and consume her.

“What the hell do you want, bastard-whatever-kind-of-alien you are?”

“I suggest, human, you place the amulets back, and I might spare you.”

“Not on your damn life. You stole them from me.”

“You stole them, human. They would be considered relics.”

“I stole nothing. They were shown to me, given to me.”

The commander stilled. His steel-colored eye orbs changed color. A prism fluid covered them, a sign of his greed. “First, you give us the Hauloquine device. Then, you will show us exactly where you found the relics.”

“I will not. And I have no idea what you’re talking about. What device?”

“You know, V’Trailuc. Remove it from her pocket.” The commander ferociously eyed Trail, his gaze demanding compliance.

“The only thing in my pocket is my lucky stone, you alien creepazoid. If you harm me, the Intergalactic Federation is going to get you. Let us go now.”

“Ha, your mated mare is spirited,” the commander barked. His giant-sized, white-Jello looking features were briefly trapped by a smirk.

Trail used every ounce of his will to trample down his urge to shift into his stallion form. He wanted to kick and smash and destroy protecting his
mate
. Instead, he waited for his opening.

“Oh, shut up,” she ferociously sang. “I can’t stand this stupid male stuff.”

“Does she know what you’ve done?” The commander twitched a nod toward Seneca.

“I said shut up!” The blood rose to her face, her complexion flushing to a bright red.

“Ha,” the commander triumphed, “your mare doesn’t know she is permanently mated to you.”

“Permanently mated,” she whispered, her face draining to an ivory paleness as fast as she’d flushed red.

“I had to protect you.” He aimed his words to her heart, knowing they were lame to her ear.

Everything whirled to an absolute stop, as if time suspended itself. Trail nearly lunged for the net-freeze rifle, only reining himself to a halt because the commander wanted that very move from him. If he fought now, it would take his focus off defeating the continuing psi-attacks. He had nearly freed himself and created a way to phase-escape them.

“Well, big fat hell, stud, you’re not protecting me now, are you?” she yelled, beginning time again. “And I trusted you.” Reproach owned her tone, but not the depths of her eyes, not much, anyway.

“You should consider saving yourself, V’Trailuc, and your mate.” The commander played to his advantage. “She’s your only companion now. You won’t be welcome on your home world.”

“Is that true?” she mouthed to him. Her eyes widened, aqua pools of compassion.

“Reach into her pocket. Give me the device. Then persuade her to put the amulets back.”

“You stole what was given to me in a sacred way.” She lashed out with her voice. “There are probably angry gods planning their retribution against you now.”

The commander kept his gaze trained on Trail, and the net-freeze rifle never wavered a nano inch. Yet, he emitted a laugh, his bulbous eyes slitting for a second. Trail raced the few steps, gripped the weapon, and jerked it out of the commander’s hand. In the same motion, he clutched her against his side, and backed them up while aiming at the commander’s triple hearts.

“Seneca, can you put the amulets in your pockets?”