The Dark King (24 page)

She kept to the back of the group as they worked their way deeper into the ship. It would be easier to slip away unnoticed, when the time was right. Smooth metal walls wound their way in concentric circles, growing tighter as they neared the heart of the first ship.

Opal had never been inside a Slaver craft, except to examine its wreckage. Intact, the ship looked completely different. She could hear a battle taking place on the deck below her and on the one above, but she didn't have time to worry about who was winning. Opal waited until the halls split, then made her escape.

She used her knowledge of wrecked Slaver’ ships to work her way toward the cargo area. The sound of heavy boots hitting metal reached her. The pounding grew louder as the men approached. Opal ducked into the shadows and watched the Slavers and Phantoms rush by.

She waited for the hall to clear, then took a step to her left. A
whoosh
sound came from behind her. Before Opal could turn to see what the noise was a large hand came down upon her shoulder. She was jerked into a hatch that she hadn't even noticed was there.

Opal spun, her clawed hand ready to eviscerate her assailant. Captain Hawk struck like a viper, easily catching her wrist and stopping her attack. He tsked. With a squeeze, he warned her how easy it would be for him to crush her wrist, then slowly released her. Opal's hearts stuttered in her chest as she stared into his uncompromising face and her hand fell to her side.

"I should've known that you were behind the betrayal," he said. His golden eyes simmered in the artificial lighting, but he made no move for his weapon.

Opal blanched. He wasn't referring to the Dark King. He was talking about himself. "You don't understand." She shook her head. "I gave you over an hour to escape with the Earthling. I'd expected you to be long gone by now."

He used his big body to cage her against the smooth wall. "And I seem to recall telling you that I'd see you again. I just hadn't expected it to be so soon." His voice lowered. "I should gut you where you stand."

Heat poured off his body, raising the temperature around them. Awareness flared between them, before being quickly banked. "You could, but I'm not the reason the Dark King is here. At least not entirely," she stammered. "He's here for her. But I need to get to her first. You could help me."

Hawk's raven brow arched. "You attack my ship, then have the nerve to ask for a favor?"

She ran a shaky hand through her short hair. "I know I ask much of you."

He snorted. "You ask everything, yet offer nothing in exchange." Hawk's gaze scrolled down her body. He reached out and touched her hair. It slid through his fingertips. "So soft," he said. "I knew it would be the first time I saw you in the tree."

Opal's stomach lurched. She'd thought he’d seen her, but had convinced herself otherwise. “Why didn’t you raise the alarm?” It was the question Opal had been asking herself since she’d first spotted him.

“It would’ve driven you off,” he said. “I wanted you to think that you were safe, so that you’d come back. I pride myself on being a patient
hunter
.”

Opal swallowed hard. "We don't have much time," she said, her voice breathless despite the urgency of the situation.

Hawk shook his head. "No,
you
don't have much time."

"Please," Opal pleaded. He appeared unmoved by her begging. Given the amount of Beings who'd probably begged him for their freedom, for their very life, she wasn't surprised. "I'm sure we could come up with some sort of arrangement."

"Now you're speaking my language," he said. "What exactly do you have in mind?"

"If you tell me where the Earthling is being held, I will make sure that the Dark King leaves your ship and whatever's left of your people," she said.

His gaze became calculating. "You can guarantee such a thing."

Opal gave him a shaky nod. "Y-yes! The King will go the second he finds her."

It was a lie and they both knew it. Once Hades found Taylor's lifeless body, he would leave no one standing.

Hawk's sensual lips peeled back in a feral smile. "You smell of deceit...and fear. Deceit, I can appreciate, but your fear does nothing for me." There was more than a little disgust in his voice. He closed the distance between them until only a breath separated them.

Opal thought all Slavers lived for the fear that they created in their captives, but she didn't think that Hawk was lying to her—at least not about that. Why would he? He had her right where he wanted her.

Right where she wanted to be
. The insidious thought crept through her mind before she could stop it. "Don't." It was a plea and a command.

Hawk leaned forward, creating a faux intimacy that Opal didn't want to feel. He paid no heed to the fighting going on outside the door or her demands. "If I hadn't scented your fear before you knew I was here, then I would've believed it was caused by me." Hawk exhaled. His warm breath fanned over her face, leaving her light-headed.

Opal tried to flatten herself against the wall, but the move was ineffective. She couldn't escape him.

"Now I know otherwise." He cocked his head and took another deep breath. The movement caused his massive chest to brush against hers. Awareness returned with a vengeance and so did his smile. "No." He shook his head. "Your fear does not come from me. You feel something altogether different, when I am near. Don't you, Little Cat?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," she snarled and glanced away.

His knowing smile told her that he'd easily caught the lie. "If you're not afraid of me, then there is only one other powerful Being on this ship that could be causing your distress." He brushed his knuckles over her jaw. "Looks like I'm not the only one caught in a trap."

Opal jerked her head away. He was too close to the truth. Hawk was too close period. "I have to go. I have to reach the Earthling before the Dark King does."

"And what will you do, when you get to her?" he asked with genuine curiosity.

"Kill her, of course," she said matter-of-factly.

"That's quite a profit you're talking about disposing of. What are you going to offer me to make up for the loss?" he asked.

“What do you want?” Opal asked, glancing at the sealed hatch door.

Hawk's brow rose even further as he studied her. "You really are in trouble, if you're so eager to bargain with the enemy," he said.

"I won't be, if I get to her first," Opal said.

"Betrayal costs, Little Cat. No one gets away without paying the price," Hawk said.

"Please, I'll do anything you ask," she said.

Hawk cocked his head to the side to study her. "Anything?"

"Yes," she hissed.

He grabbed her chin and tilted her head up until their eyes met. "I plan to hold you to your word," Hawk said. "Best you remember that. The woman is being held in cargo bay four. I suggest you hurry. I've just received word that
your
people have reached level three."

Opal scooted away, but he stopped her before she made it to the door.

"This is not over between us," he said.

She gave him a curt nod.

Hawk pressed a button on the wall and the door opened. He stuck his head out the hatch and looked around. "All is clear." He grabbed Opal's arm and pulled her into the hall.

“Let go of me,” she demanded.

Hawk took one step and was struck from the side by a massive liger. The cat ripped Opal from his grasp and knocked him off his feet. The powerful blow sent him sailing through the air, end over end. Instead of slamming into the wall, Hawk twisted at the last second and landed lightly on his toes.

One moment he was standing there, shaking his head to clear it. The next he was gone. A monstrous black beast with yellow eyes, deadly claws, and sharp teeth stood in his place.

Opal flinched as the creature took a step forward, its claws clacking on the metal floor. What was he?

He wasn't a Phantom, but there was no denying that he was some kind of shifter. The hair on Hades' back stood on end as he prepared to attack. Opal stepped forward, then stopped short as she realized what she'd been about to do. Why had her first instinct been to step between them and stop the fight? One look at Hawk told her that he didn't need her assistance.

Hades launched himself at the black cat, raking his claws over the Slavers’ flank.

The black beast snarled, then whipped around so fast that Opal barely tracked his movements. He latched onto the Dark King's ear and bit down. Hades cried out, then they rolled. Claws, teeth, and fur went flying as the two evenly matched beasts engaged in battle. Blood splattered the walls and made the floor slick. Opal's hearts were in her throat as she watched them tear at each other, but she couldn't stay. She had a job to do. With Hades distracted, this was her last chance.

Sheer force of will turned her from the fight. Opal rushed down the hall until she found a transport cylinder. She stepped inside and shouted, "Level Four!"

The door closed and the transport dropped. Within seconds, she was standing outside of cargo bay four. Opal poked her head out the door. The bay was empty. She drew her sword and stepped into the cavernous chamber. Her boots sounded vulgar in the silence. Opal scanned the room. Metal chambers lined the walls. So many that it would take her forever to search them all. But what choice did she have? She had to try.

***

Hades barely reached Opal in time. When he'd seen the Slaver's hands on her and heard her cry out, a protective instinct overrode his need for stealth and he'd pounced. He'd torn the Slaver away from his Righthand, sending him flying.

He hadn't expected the Slaver to shift. Nor had he expected the beast to be so damn strong, but he should've known. Nothing was ever that straightforward in the world.

They fought for supremacy, each cat trying to get the upper hand. Every move Hades made was countered by the black beast. Scratch for scratch, bite for bite, they exchanged strikes, neither gaining ground. If he weren't a Slaver, the King might've had respect for the man. He was quite a fighter. Too bad he’d chosen the wrong path.

Hades circled him once more, looking for an opening. His side hurt from where Perseus had injured him last night, but he didn’t let it show. "Where is she?" he growled.

The black beast snarled, but didn't answer.

"I will make your death swift if she is unharmed. Otherwise you'll experience torture like you've never known existed," Hades said.

The Slaver snorted out what sounded like a laugh.

Movement caught Hades’ attention. His men were approaching from the opposite hall. Hades kept the Slaver's eyes on him, until they were near enough to strike.

"Have it your way," he said, then shouted. "Take him!"

The black beast went down as five Phantoms leapt onto his back.

"Bind him and bring him with us," Hades said, then raced down the hall. It was only as he was leaving that the King noticed that Opal was missing.

***

Opal moved to the nearest door and pressed her hand against the metal to open it. The hatch rose revealing four women tethered to the walls. They cried out in relief when they saw her. But their cries of joy quickly turned to shouts of disbelief as Opal stepped back out and shut the door. She didn't have time to free the women now, not until she found what she was looking for.

She opened room after room, searching for Taylor, only to find more and more women. Some were Atlanteans. Most were of unknown origin. How long had the Slavers been here? How many other planets had they culled? It took time to gather this many females.

It wasn't until Opal reached the doors on the far part of the bay that she found her. She peeked through the glass and saw Taylor against the wall. The second the door slid open, Taylor lunged for her. Opal was so surprised by the move that she nearly dropped her sword. She dodged to the side at the last second and twisted out of the way.

"How did you get free?" she asked, stunned that one so inferior had managed such a feat.

Taylor pointed to the rods. "I'll give you one guess?"

Opal glanced at the poles and cursed under her breath, then looked at Taylor's hand. She wasn't holding a proper weapon. Instead, she had what looked to be a bolt tool. "What do you think you're going to do with that?"

"Smash you over the head, then get the hell out of here," Taylor said. "I can't believe you did this to me. What could I have possibly done to deserve this? And don't you dare say sleep with Hades because that answer isn’t going to fly bitch."

Opal lifted her sword, studying the blade as she spoke. "I admit that I initially concocted my plan because of what was happening between you and the Dark King. I hated you for taking him from me. Hades was mine. Is mine," she corrected. "But the reason I despise you, truly despise you has to do with the Kingdom. I would do anything to protect the Phantom realm. If that means getting rid of distractions like you by nefarious means, then so be it. Your mere presence reflects poorly on the Phantom people and weakens the Dark King. As long as humans like you are around, we are vulnerable."

Taylor raised her tool in defense. "You are insane."

Opal swung her weapon in a wide arc, barely missing Taylor. "I am not crazy," she said.

"Yes, you are, if you believe that you've done this," she indicated to the bloody walls around them, "for any other reason than spite and jealousy," Taylor said.

Opal rushed her.

***

Taylor dodged left, then pivoted on her right foot, striking Opal in the back. The King’s Righthand lost her balance and went flying forward, but didn't fall.

"Nice shot." Opal rolled her shoulders. "I taught you well, but it won't save you."

“Don’t flatter yourself. I learned that move from Perseus,” she said.

Fear focused her. Taylor concentrated on what else Perseus had taught her. She could hear the battle taking place around them, but just because Hades was on the ship didn't mean that she'd survive the next few minutes.