Worlds Apart (Men of Orion Book 1) Read online

  Kalia climbed the stairs, moving as quickly as she was able, not wanting to leave Talon on his own for long. Griz barely glanced at her as she clambered through the opening. He was standing at an angle so he could look keep watch over each end of the long hallway.

  “Talon, get up here,” he snarled.

  Suddenly two of the slavers appeared down the hallway. “Get down,” Griz yelled, raising his blaster and firing.

  Kalia ducked into a crevice in the wall as Griz took care of both men. He grunted as he took a hit to the arm but kept firing. Both men fell to the ground, dead.

  Kalia swallowed back bile. Now was not the time to be squeamish. So she’d never seen someone killed before…hell she’d never been close to violence before coming here. It was time to harden up.

  “Talon, get up here now,” Griz snarled.

  Talon quickly appeared. He held out his hand to her, hugging her against him briefly before walking over to the two bodies and grabbing both of the slavers blasters.

  One he tucked into the back of his pants, the other he held in his right hand.

  Kalia glanced at the wound on Griz’s arm. Blood was dripping down his arm. It looked raw and painful. She wanted to use some of her dress as a bandage on the wound; but the dress was beyond filthy and would probably give him an infection.

  “He’s hurt,” she whispered to Talon as he gestured her forward. She tried not to look at the bodies as they stepped around them.

  Talon glanced over at Griz. “Griz, you’re bleeding.”

  Griz shook his head. “I’m fine. Keep moving and do what I say.”

  They followed Griz down a maze of dark passages. They passed dozens of locked doors. Kalia heard low moans coming from some of the cells and stopped.

  Talon turned to her, tugging gently.

  “There are still people in here,” she whispered.

  “Siren’s getting them out,” Griz replied in a low voice. “Keep moving.”

  “Come on, darlin’. Siren will let them out, I promise.”

  She had no choice but to keep moving and hope that this Siren wouldn’t leave these poor souls in here. She knew if she pushed this any further Griz would happily leave her behind. She’d never be able to find her way out on her own. She didn’t know how Griz knew where he was going.

  As they reached a corner, Griz waved them back before placing his body against the wall. He took a quick glimpse around the corner then pulled back swiftly. The sound of blasters made her jump, her heart racing as she barely held back a scream of fright. Griz moved, fired, before slamming his body safely against the wall again.

  “Stay here,” Talon ordered her.

  Kalia fought the urge to cling to him. “Give me the other blaster,” she said, aware her voice was shaking. She’d always been against violence, but it was hard to keep her principles when people were trying to kill her.

  Talon handed over the blaster. “Stay here. Do not move. This is the safety. Don’t fire unless you’re sure they’re the enemy.”

  He raced off toward Griz, taking position against the opposite wall. Kalia crouched down in a doorway. It didn’t provide a lot of cover, but it was the best she could do.

  She felt like a coward, hiding while Griz and Talon risked their lives, but she was just as likely to shoot off her foot as hit one of the enemy.

  The sound of footsteps had her turning and her breath caught as she saw a man sneaking toward them from the direction they’d just come. He had his blaster raised and pointed at Griz. She guessed he didn’t see her or if he did, he didn’t see her as a threat. With shaking hands, she raised the blaster and slipped off the safety.

  Hands shaking and sweat breaking out on her skin, despite the cool temperature, she took aim and shot at him.

  “Kalia! Kalia!”

  She opened her eyes to find Talon standing over her, his face held a concerned look as he crouched down. He held out his hand. “Give me the blaster, darlin’.”

  Kalia’s hand shook so badly she nearly dropped the blaster before he snatched it up. Standing, he quickly switched on the safety and shoved it in the back of his trousers.

  Reaching down, he pulled her up. He winced.

  “Are you hit? Where are you hurt?” she asked, running her hands over him.

  “I’m fine. I promise.” Talon pulled her against him, holding her tight.

  “Touching as this is, we gotta go,” Griz growled as he stood over the man she’d shot. “Good shot, kid. Got him right in the chest.”

  She glanced down at the man she’d shot. Numbness filled her.

  “I was aiming for his foot.”

  ***

  “Where are they?” Garret paced up and down the small clearing they’d designated as the rendezvous point. Around him his crew stood alert, blasters ready in front of them.

  Griz should have been here by now. Garret had been torn between rescuing Talon and finding Roxan, the leader of this group of slavers. Griz had convinced Garret to let him rescue Talon. They’d been friends a long time, there was no one he trusted more with his mate’s safety.

  But it had been a hard decision. To make matters worse, he’d failed to find Roxan. The bastard had dared to kidnap his mate. He’d even had the gall to send Garret a ransom demand.

  Once Garret got his hands on him he was a dead man.

  “I’m going in,” Garret said. Something had gone wrong and he wasn’t going to stand here while Talon was in trouble. He should have damn well gotten him out himself.

  “Wait, something’s coming through the com,” Tripp, his second-in-command announced.

  There was a crackling noise through their coms then Griz’s voice came through.

  “Coming in now. Ran into a bit of trouble.”

  Garret’s legs almost collapsed beneath him. He leaned back against a tree, trying to hide his relief. Tripp, his second-in-command patted him on the shoulder.

  Okay, so he hadn’t hidden his reaction very well.

  A few moments later, a long, low whistle broke through the night air signaling that Griz was close.

  Garret barely managed to hold himself back from racing to meet them. Then suddenly Talon was there. His mate looked tired, dirty and thinner. But his lips were turned up in a smile as he spotted Garret.

  Garret took what felt like the first real breath he’d managed in weeks. The knot in his stomach unraveled as he walked toward his mate and pulled him into his arms, squeezing tight. He generally didn’t show much affection in front of others, but right now he had to touch his mate.

  Talon made a low, pain-filled sound.

  “What is it? Are you hurt?” He stepped back, but held onto his mate’s arms, as if frightened Talon might disappear.

  “I’m fine,” Talon said.

  Garret didn’t believe him.

  “Griz is the one who’s been shot,” Talon added.

  “Griz?” Garret asked.

  “Just a scratch,” Griz growled. “Let’s get back to the ship, my neck is itching.”

  Garret knew exactly what he meant. He didn’t like being out in the open.

  “Stay close,” he ordered Talon. He longed to kiss him, but it wasn’t the time or place. So he held back the urge, instead turning away.

  That’s when he saw her, huddling in on herself as she watched everyone.

  “Who the fuck is this?”

  Kalia jumped as the large man stared right at her. Trepidation filled her. This was Garret? She couldn’t make out his features in the dark, but he was a big man, taller than Talon and thicker across the shoulders.

  Talon held out his hand to her, but she couldn’t move. She felt like prey being stalked by a predator.

  “Kalia, it’s okay. His bark is worse than his bite.”

  She stared at Talon in shock. Was he serious?

  “This is Kalia,” Talon said. “She’s coming with us.”

  “No. She’s not,” Garret replied.

  Talon stepped closer to her and put his arm around her shoulders
.

  “Talon,” she protested in a low whisper.

  “Yes, she is, Garret. She’s mine.”

  “What the fuck are you talking about?” Garret snarled.

  “I’ve taken responsibility for her. She comes with us.” Talon’s voice was firm, unbendable.

  Garret cursed. “Fuck. Fine. But we’re not going out of our way to drop her home—we’re not a fucking transport service.”

  “That’s okay, because I have no intention of taking her home. She’s staying with us for as long as she wants.”

  The whole group seemed to go still.

  “We’ll talk about this on the ship,” Garret said in a low voice that could have cut through steel. “Every moment we spend out here we risk getting caught and I am not spending one moment more than I have to on this godforsaken planet.”

  Talon tugged her along as they trudged through the thick foliage. She tried her best to keep up, but months of poor nutrition, little-to-no sleep, plus the sheer terror of being kept prisoner had taken a toll on her energy and fitness.

  All the noises of the forest frightened her, making her jump, certain that the slavers were following them. She stumbled over a tree root and would have fallen if Talon hadn’t grabbed her. Talon let out a quiet moan and guilt assuaged her.

  “Let me go,” she whispered. “You’re hurting yourself.”

  “I’m fine. Gotta keep moving, darlin’.”

  She was exhausted, shaky and terrified. But somehow she managed to keep moving.

  Just put one foot in front of the other.

  “What’s the hold up?” Garret asked, his irritation clear.

  “Kalia’s exhausted,” Talon replied.

  “I’m not a fucking homeless shelter for refugees, Talon. There’s no pay-out for taking her with us and if she can’t even keep up…”

  “Stop being an asshole,” Talon hissed back and she froze, certain the other man would retaliate swiftly. Before she’d realized it, she was standing between them, her arms up, ready to block the punch she assumed was coming next.

  “Kalia, what are you doing?” Talon asked.

  Garret let out an irritated sigh. “I’m not going to hit him, woman.” With that, he turned away. “If you’re keeping her then you get her to the ship.”

  “You thought he was going to hit me?” Talon asked. “Darlin’, I appreciate the sentiment in wanting to protect me, but next time you think someone’s going to hit me, you stand behind me not in front of me, understand?” Talon told her firmly.

  “Sorry, he’s just…”

  “A grumpy bastard?”

  She was thinking along the lines of terrifying, but she didn’t voice that.

  Talon crouched down in front of her, giving her his back. “Climb on, darlin’.”

  “I can’t, you’re injured.”

  “And you can’t make it any further. I’m not leaving you here, so hop on or we’re going to be stuck here forever.”

  “I can make it, I’m fine.” She wasn’t, she was at the end of her rope and her legs were trembling so badly, she was shocked she could still stand.

  Griz walked over to them. “Get up,” he said to Talon before turning and crouching down for Kalia.

  “Climb on,” he ordered her.

  “You’re injured,” she protested.

  “Get on now.”

  Okay. She might be able to fight Talon but there was no way she was arguing with Griz.

  She climbed on his back and let him carry her through the forest.

  ***

  Garret took a sip of whiskey, grimacing at the taste. This was his payback for letting Siren buy their last supply of alcohol.

  “Don’t know how you can drink that shit,” Griz said as he took a seat beside him in the dining area of Orion. They’d finally made it back to the ship and had managed to get off the planet without anyone stopping them. It was the first thing that had gone right in months. “It tastes like horse piss.”

  “How’s your arm?” Garret asked, barely managing to be civil. He wasn’t really in the mood for conversation.

  “Better than your temper,” Griz replied. “Like I said, it was a scratch. What are you doing out here? I thought you’d be with Talon.”

  “He’s being checked out by Doc.”

  “Doesn’t mean you can’t be with him.”

  “I’m not in the right head space.”

  Griz shook his head. “If you mean because you’re too busy sulking then you got that right.”

  Garret stood, placing his hands on the table as he leaned over Griz, snarling. Griz looked up at him calmly before taking a sip of his drink. He grimaced. “Shit is this stuff getting worse as it ages? Sit down, Garret.”

  “I am the Captain of this ship.”

  “Yes, you are. Do you want me down on my knees and beg your forgiveness? Cause it ain’t happening. You’re a good leader. I’d follow you into hell. I have on more than a few occasions. But right now you’re being a lousy fucking mate. Do you know how many of us would kill to have what you have with Talon?”

  “Don’t preach to me about how to take care of my mate. That’s between the two of us.”

  “We all live on the same ship, Garret. Talon’s part of our crew. We’ve spent the last ten days with you while you’ve snapped at everyone and generally been hell to live with. But we understood. We’d be the same if it was our mate who was taken. But now that he’s back, you’re sitting here ignoring him. Why? Because he insisted on bringing the girl with him?”

  Garret sat back down and took another sip of the drink. “You’re wrong. This stuff tastes worse than piss.” He ran his hand over his face. “I’m acting like an ass. I don’t always find this mating stuff easy.”

  Understatement of the century.

  Griz snorted. “I get that. Why do you think I’m here talking to you despite your foul mood? To make sure you don’t fuck this up. Too much.”

  Christ, he was right. He’d spent the last three weeks swearing that when he got Talon back he wouldn’t let him go and now that he was back, Garret was ignoring him.

  All because he’d insisted on bringing some girl with him.

  “Who is she?”

  Griz shrugged. “Dunno. Tiny little thing. Scared out of her mind but she still managed to have our backs down there.”

  Garret raised an eyebrow.

  “We ran into a bit of trouble, nothing I couldn’t handle. But while Talon and I were dealing with the frontal assault, the little bit was watching our asses. She actually shot one of them. And you can tell she’s not used to violence. Whoever she is, the slavers didn’t want anyone finding her. They were the only ones in that room. You might want to ask her about that.”

  Garret stood. He’d do just that.

  Kalia looked up as the door to the infirmary opened. She tensed as Garret walked through. His gaze immediately focussed in on Talon who sat on the bed across from her.

  She took the opportunity to study him. He wasn’t as tall as Griz but he was still a large man. His tight top accentuated his wide shoulders and muscular arms which led down to a tapered waist. His dark hair was shaggy, ending around his ears. His face had a chiseled, intriguing look. She could stare at him for hours and never grow bored.

  Those dark eyes turned to her and she shivered. This was not a man you wanted to cross; she could see it in his gaze.

  He nodded at her, almost as though he knew what she was thinking.

  Kalia quickly dropped her gaze. She cursed herself as she heard him grunt in satisfaction. He liked to be the dominant one, she got that. But while she might have let people walk all over her in her past life, she had to be tougher now. There was no one to take care of her out here.

  She was on her own.

  Summoning all her courage, she raised her gaze again, staring at him in challenge.

  Garret raised an eyebrow as he leaned one hip against the bed Talon was sitting on and stared back at her. “Got some backbone in there, do you?”

  T
alon cleared his throat. “If you two are finished maybe Doc could get on with his examination?”

  Kalia turned bright red as she realized the doctor was waiting for her to lie down so he could complete his examination.

  She glanced over at the doctor apologetically. He was a nice guy, with a slim build and long, dark hair that he kept braided. When it caught the exam room light she could see glints of purple and blue. His large eyes and pointed ears indicated he was a Megron, a peaceful race that largely stuck to themselves. She wondered how he’d ended up on this ship.

  “Please accept my apologies, doctor. That was very rude of me,” she told him in his own language as she lay back on the bed. She didn’t like the fact that Garret was watching her like a hawk, but she couldn’t exactly order him from his own infirmary.

  “What pretty manners,” Garret said. “And you speak perfect Megronese. What exactly were you doing in that dungeon?”

  “Your pulse just started racing,” the doctor said as he ran his handheld tablet over her. “Just take a deep breath and try to relax.”

  “Couldn’t this wait until after Doc’s finished checking her over, Garret?” Talon asked.

  “I have a stranger that I know nothing about on my ship.” Garret replied, although his posture seemed to soften as he looked over at his mate. “For all I know she could be a spy.”

  Kalia rolled her eyes. “You seriously think that I spent weeks in that dungeon just waiting for them to catch Talon so I could spy on you? Do you really think you’re that important, Captain Garret?”

  The doctor paused then looked over at Garret before placing himself between the two of them, almost as though he were protecting her. She glanced over at Garret to find his eyes had grown icy cold.

  Okay, so maybe she should have kept her mouth shut.

  Suddenly Garret moved, leaning over her, his face close to hers. Kalia’s breath caught in her throat as she stared into those merciless eyes.

  “I think that I have a number of enemies who wouldn’t think twice about using my mate to destroy me. My job is to protect everyone on this ship and I take that very seriously.”

  “Garret, come on, you’re frightening her,” Talon said, placing his hand on his mate’s shoulder.