Alien Mine (Zerconian Warriors Book 7) (10 page)

“I’m surprised it took you this long to come find me.”

“Hey, I can be patient.” Willa gave her a hurt look.

Lucy rolled her eyes. “Uh-huh and I’m six-foot four and a natural brunette.”

Willa raised an eyebrow. “Are you? Honey, that’s an excellent dye job. What? Did you think blondes had more fun?”

She snorted. “Something like that.”

Willa curled up on the sofa. “I was talking to Zoey. She’s been trying to figure out what’s going on from her end but they closed her out as well. So I came to the source.”

Lucy sighed and rubbed her forehead.

“Headache?” Willa sympathised. “Have you taken a pain inhibitor? I know how bad a headache can get.”

“You’re all so nice and I don’t deserve it. Not when it’s my fault that we came back empty-handed.”

Willa sat forward. “Okay, now you really have to tell me what happened. Spill. Leave nothing out.”

Lucy sat. This would take a while. Fifteen minutes later, Lucy sat back. She actually felt lighter.

“All right.” Willa stood and paced back and forth while Lucy watched on. Would she blame her? She felt like they were becoming closer, maybe one day they’d even be friends. Would this ruin everything?

“First of all, none of this is your fault. It’s the Coizils, and the Nerifs and that dickhead Husan.”

“But—”

Willa held up her hand imperiously. “Hush.”

“Hush?” Lucy gaped at her. “You did not just tell me to hush.”

Willa waggled her finger at her. “Oh yes I did. Suck it up. I’m thinking.”

“And apparently, the world must stand by while you do this.”

“You know, I think I liked you better when you were scared of me,” Willa told her. “You weren’t such a smart ass.”

“I was not scared of you.”

“Uh-huh, yeah, you were. You were like a little rabbit, scampering away from the big, bad hunter. You were scared of your own shadow when Rye first brought you back to the village. I don’t know what you went through, but you looked like you would pass out if anyone even looked at you wrong. All skinny and bony. You’re still kind of bony.” Willa poked her arm and she stepped away, rubbing it.

“Ow.”

“See what I mean, bony. Be like hugging a skeleton.”

“Jesus, you got any more truths you want to share with me? Maybe you think my nose is too big or my ears stick out?”

“No, you’re frickin’ beautiful. Like a doll. Just a bit too skinny. You need to do a bit of exercise, build up some muscle. Kick some ass.”

Maybe she had a point. Maybe she’d feel less scared all the time if she were stronger.

“Will you help me get stronger? Teach me how to defend myself?”

Willa raised her eyebrows. “Yes, of course. Think you need to know how to defend yourself? Pretty certain Thor wants that job.”

“Not up to him to defend me.”

“He’s your mate.”

“Not yet.”

“You planning on denying him?” Willa’s voice had cooled slightly.

“No.” She knew what would happen to Thor if she refused to mate with him. Not that she wanted to refuse him. She wanted him. More than she had ever wanted anything before. “He kissed me.”

Willa’s eyes widened. “And?”

“And then I fainted.”

“We all do that,” Willa replied. “Damn inconvenient. Do you feel any different?”

“Not really.”

“A kiss starts the mating process. If things don’t move a step further then sometimes your bodies can take over, kind of push you into it. Zoey said she thought she was dying, she needed Dex so bad.”

A light blush covered her cheeks. She’d never spoken to anyone about sex, not since her mother told her the basics.

“A step further? You mean sex.”

“Yup,” Willa replied matter-of-factly.

“Were you scared? The first time you had sex with Darac?”

“Scared? Not really.” Willa’s gaze narrowed. “Lucy, were you abused while Husan held you prisoner?”

Lucy shook her head. “No. Nobody touched me like that. But I’ve only slept with one man and he turned out to be an absolute bastard.”

“So you’ve had crap taste in men up until now. Thor is one of the good guys.”

“I know. I guess I’m just nervous that I won’t be any good.”

Willa snorted. “Don’t worry about that. Let Thor take charge. I had little experience, but I didn’t need it. Darac blew my mind. Still does. Daily. These guys have been trained how to please women in bed.”

Okay, that still felt intimidating.

“Should I mate him, though? What if I don’t survive?”

“You’ll survive,” Willa stated. “Knowing Thor is waiting for you will just be more incentive to make it back alive.”

That was one way of looking at it. “I still want to know how to protect myself. Like you do.”

“I have a dangerous job.”

“I don’t think I can keep my abilities a secret forever. And there is always going to be someone who thinks they can use me.”

“Thor can keep you safe. All of the Zerconians will protect you.”

“Because I’m Thor’s mate?”

“Yes, but also because that’s who they are. They’re protectors. Warriors. They like to take care of those under their protection.”

“I know. I’m finally understanding that. I’ve looked after myself for so long that it’s difficult to let someone else close. But I’m working on it. But before I can even think about moving my life forward, I have to take care of the past. For that, I need your help.”

“You got it.”

“Really? Just like that.”

Willa shrugged. “I don’t have that many friends. Mila is one of them. I will do whatever is needed to help her.”

She wished she had that kind of friendship. But she hadn’t exactly helped herself by shutting herself off from everyone. Time to open up, take a few risks. She’d been protecting herself from pain, but it wasn’t living.

She wanted friends. She wanted a life. She wanted Thor.

“So what’s the plan?” Willa asked.

“We’re going to swap me for them.”

“Riight, yeah, that’s not happening.”

Lucy leaned forward. She needed to convince Willa this was the best idea. She needed the other woman on her side or she would have no chance of convincing Darac.

“When I said I would do anything, I didn’t mean that I would sacrifice you for Mila.”

“Really?” Okay, that surprised Lucy.

“Jesus Christ, Lucy. You have a fucked up view of the world if you think I’m going to happily go along with you giving up your life for theirs. Everyone has to come out of this alive.”

“Just listen to me. I’m not sacrificing myself. Husan won’t kill me. I’m too useful to him. But if Koran, Mila and the others remain with him then they’re not going to last long. We contact Husan tell him that we’ve changed our mind. We’ll do a swap, them for me.”

“And then what? Let him use you until you become skeleton Barbie again?”

Skeleton Barbie? Seriously?

“You were skin and bone when Rye brought you home and you’ve lost weight in just the last few days since you’ve been using your tracking abilities. I can’t let you do this and I know Thor isn’t going to.”

“We have to do this. There is no other way.”

“We’ll follow Husan and just steal our people back.”

“Not that easy. He has people with skills you’ve never even thought about. He has a witch who has set up wards around where he lives. Without knowing what you’re doing, you could easily fry yourself. He fought for his territory against an army three times the size of his and slaughtered them. He’s ruthless and strong and not afraid to use whoever he has to in order to win.”

“So you’re happy to just give yourself to him?”

“Happy? Hell no, I’m freaking out. I’m so scared I’m shaking. But I can’t think of what else to do.”

“Look, even if I agree to this, there is no way Thor will. Or the others. They are not going to let you do this.”

“Even if I have a plan for them to rescue me?”

Willa raised an eyebrow. “I’m listening.”

“We offer him a swap. Somewhere neutral. He’ll go for it. I know he will. He’ll take me straight back to Lazarun. It’s where he feels the most powerful. The safest.”

“How are we going to get you back from there? You said it’s highly protected.”

“It is. But by a witch who he kidnapped. He’s keeping her prisoner. I know where she is and I plan on convincing her to help me.”

“You’re going to get her to take down the wards?”

Lucy took a deep breath. Then she nodded. “There’s no way anyone else could do this. But I know these people. I lived in misery with them for years.”

“What makes you think they’ll help you now, though? I’m guessing they’ve never rebelled against him before?”

“Some have. They were used as an example to keep the rest of us in line. But they didn’t have back-up. I do. You guys.”

Willa ran her hand over her face and let out a deep breath. “God, Lucy, there are so many holes in that plan it resembles swiss cheese.”

“I know. But it’s the only plan I have. Once I get Elika on side, it will open the way for you guys to come in and get everyone out. I have to get them out.” After seeing Beau, she now knew she couldn’t leave the others behind. They haunted her.

“No.” He knew he said that far too much to her, but if she would just stop putting herself in danger, he could stop telling her no.

“Thor—” Lucy said.

He swiped a hand through the air, clawing back his anger as he saw her flinch. “No, Lucy. And for stars’ sake, stop looking so scared. I would never hurt you.”

Her eyes widened and she straightened her shoulders. “I know that.”

“Then why did you just flinch as though you expected me to strike out? I am not that bastard. I would never harm you.”

He expected her to apologize or sink into herself. Much as he told himself to calm down, his control seemed to be lacking. But how could he be expected to act calmly when his mate had just informed him of her plan to put herself at deadly risk?

The fact they had yet to mate had already put him on the edge. This risked sending him over the edge.

But she surprised him by placing her hands on her slim hips, shaking her head back and glaring up at him.

“I know you wouldn’t hurt me. I flinched because you surprised me, not because I’m scared of you. Idiot.”

He narrowed his gaze. He should take offence at being called an idiot, but he was too proud of the way she was standing up to him.

“Perhaps we should give the two of you some space to discuss this,” Darac suggested, grabbing hold of Willa’s arm. She was looking on with a rapt expression on her face.

There was just the four of them and Rye in Darac’s office. Willa had called them all together to discuss Lucy’s plan. The three men hadn’t been too pleased to be dragged away from their planning.

“That would be best,” Thor told them as Lucy shook her head.

“No, they need to be here. They need to hear my plan.”

“We heard it,” Thor told her. “It’s terrible.”

She glared up at him. “You only heard half of it.”

“The half where you plan to put yourself into that asshole’s hands. You will not be playing the part of pig.”

She frowned then glanced over at Willa who started to giggle. “What?”

“I think he means guinea pig. Snort. Snort.”

Lucy sighed. “Thor, listen. I’m not sacrificing myself. I have a plan to get myself out safely.”

“No.”

“Thor—”

“Any plan where you put yourself in danger is not something I will contemplate.”

Lucy clenched her hand into a fist and slammed it against her palm. “Rock. Hard place.”

“Bet you’d like to put Thor’s head right in the middle,” Willa commented as Thor took Lucy’s hand in his and rubbed it.

“Do not hit yourself. You could cause yourself harm.”

Lucy resisted the urge to give Thor a smack around the head. Not that she could even reach his head. It wouldn’t have the same impact if she had to stand on the chair then get him to stand in front of her so she could hit him.

How the hell was she going to convince him that her plan could work.

Hopefully.

“We all want to get Mila and the others back safely, right? By now, Husan could be halfway home. Once he gets back to Lazarun, we’re not getting past his wards without help. Either from someone on the inside or a powerful witch who can break those wards. Any idea where to find one of them?”

“We’ll find one,” Thor told her.

“And how long will that take? A week? A month? They may not have that long. Husan is mad and he is ruthless. There’s something else to consider as well.”

“What is that?” Darac asked.

“He knows where I am now.” She glanced over at Rye who nodded at her, his face serious. He’d already thought about this. “I’m the only one of his slaves to escape. He knows where I am. He’s not going to rest until he finds me.”

“You do not think I can protect you?” Thor thundered.

“Of course you can.” Warmth filled at her at his words. Even though he was clearly furious, he was angry because he wanted to protect her.

She’d watched out for herself for so long that it would be a relief to let him take care of her. Unfortunately, lives depended on her and she couldn’t just sit back and stay safe. Not anymore.

This is what caring got you, she thought ruefully. But shutting herself off from everyone around her had really been another form of prison. If she wanted to be happy, to feel truly safe then she had to do this.

Moving towards Thor, she took her hand in his. “I have no doubt you can protect me and after this is all over, I will happily let you beat your chest and swing from trees all you like.”

He frowned. “Why would I swing from trees?”

“No reason. All I mean is that after this is over, I will happily hide behind you. I’m an absolute wimp at heart. Half my life I’ve spent in fear of someone hurting me. I’ve tried to keep low, to make sure people paid no attention to me, even after Rye rescued me from Husan, because if no one saw me, if no one knew I existed then they couldn’t hurt me. Then you came along. Really, this is all your fault.”

“How is this my fault?”

“You made me want more, damn you. You made me feel again. I saw you and I came alive. I looked around me and I wanted what Darac and Willa have. What Koran and Mila have. I wanted their lives. Someone to care for me, love me. Someone who would be mine again. I wanted you.”

“You were scared of me.”

“Yep. Scared of how you made me feel. Scared of trusting you and having you betray me.”

“Never.”

“I know. I know that now. You made me want things I didn’t think I could have.”

“You are willing to risk everything by placing yourself in danger.”

“Because I can never be truly happy or safe knowing Husan is out there. That he could ruin it all. He will never stop hunting me. I will live my life in fear, watching over my shoulder, like I have been for the last year. I don’t want that anymore. I want to move on. What if we have children and they have my ability to track, will he go after them? Itwill never stop, Thor.”

“I will protect you,” he replied stubbornly.

She knew this was going to be tough, but she had underestimated just how implacable he would be. She glanced over at Willa.

“Lucy told me he has wards up to protect himself. If we try to go in there to rescue the others, then we could fry our brains in seconds. She is the only one with a way in.”

Thor turned and pointed at Darac. “Do not even think about knocking me out. She is my mate.”

Darac shook his head. “I would not. This is your decision. And I am on your side.”

Willa smacked Darac’s arm. “It’s their decision, not just Thor’s and you should be on
my
side.”

“She is his mate. He has the right to protect her.”

“You weren’t worried about bending that rule when you smacked him over the head,” Rye spoke up.

“I now regret that. It was not my place.”

“That has been resolved,” Thor said.

Willa scowled at him. “I can see that.” She pointed at Darac’s swollen eye.

“Having your mate close, but not completing the mating can make a warrior act in ways he would not,” Darac said with remarkable diplomacy. “This plan is too risky. I cannot endorse putting Lucy at such risk.”

“But you haven’t heard it all yet,” Willa told him. “Tell them the rest, Lucy.”

“Husan has a number of slaves he has accumulated over the years, either kidnapping or buying them. He uses them to his advantage, like Beau who tracked us through our scent. Her skills have improved since I left. But then she’s only nineteen.”

“Nineteen?” Willa queried.

“Yes, she’s part of the other reason I want to do this. I thought she’d died. Husan told me she had and I believed him. If I’d known…. well, I don’t know that I would have done anything differently. I had no way of getting them out. I tried to forget them. But seeing Beau made me realize I can’t just forget them. He’s holding them against their will, slowly killing them for his own gain. I can’t let them stay in that hellhole. I have to get them out. I can’t be happy knowing they’re there. Living in misery.”

“We will get them out.” Thor pulled her close and she buried her face against his chest. Tears welled and she forced them back. She couldn’t break down. Not now. “But I won’t risk you to do it.”

She leaned back and stared up at him. “But there is no other way, Thor. I have gone over and over it. I don’t want to go near that asshole ever again. But we need to get your people out, as well as the others Husan is holding prisoner. I’m the only one who can get in there. How else can we do it?”

“Force,” Darac said. “We gather our army and we go in.”

She shook her head. “These wards have withstood an army. The people he keeps prisoner have skills even I don’t fully understand. I lived there for seven years. I know Husan and I know his weaknesses. I know the people that live there. Only I can get them to band together and help us to defeat him. It has to be me.”

“Rye has been there before. How did you get in there?”

“I didn’t. I was on Quashtar searching for someone when I saw Lucy. She was in this dirty, rank bar. Half-naked, thin and scared. The moment I saw Husan strike her, I just knew I had to save her. I hit a dead-end on my mission.”

“We were on Quashtar tracking someone. I forget who. While Husan was busy, Rye knocked out my guards and snuck me out of there. I still can’t believe he saved me.” She smiled over at Rye.

Thor nodded at him. “I owe you.”

Rye just shrugged. She knew he would be uncomfortable accepting thanks.

“What if I came in with you?” Darac asked.

She stared over at him.

“I’ll contact Husan. Tell him I changed my mind. A straight exchange. You for them. I will tell him that I had to refuse his request because of Thor’s claim on you, but that I want my people back so I will go behind his back and deliver you to him.”

“You cannot trust him to hold his word and on his own territory you will be at the disadvantage.”

“That is what I am depending on,” Darac replied, surprising her. “If he decides to go back on his word then it will give you time to convince the others to help you and I will be there to protect you.”

She shook her head. “He’ll split us up. All that means is that there will be more people for Thor and Rye to rescue. He’ll think there is something suspicious about your change of heart. Or he’ll decide he doesn’t want to risk war with Zerconia and actually abide by his word. Although I can’t see that happening.”

She rubbed her eyes tiredly.

“Are you certain he’ll believe you had a change of heart?” Rye asked.

It was a weak spot in her plan.

“He will if I betray her,” Willa said. “I’ll contact Mortef. I’ll feed him some sob story about Mila being my best friend. I’ll tell him I will drug Lucy and hand her to him.”

“That’s good. I can pretend to be wiped out.” It would give him less chance to hurt her. She hoped.

“And how would you get her to the exchange, as small as Lucy she is, you can’t just carry her like a toddler,” Rye pointed out. “And you’ll need someone to protect your back.”

“One of the others can come with me. Maybe Tae, his brother is one of the warriors Mortef is holding prisoner, right? He can be bitter at Darac’s decision.”

“That is well and good. But this is not happening. I refuse to allow it.”

Thor paced back and forth across the room. He refused to allow Lucy to go ahead with her plan. Put his foot down, as she liked to say. Although that made no sense since both feet were on the floor.

Yet somehow, after hours of arguing, going through every other possible idea or scenario, they were still stuck on her original plan. They’d all decided to have a break and regroup later so Thor had followed Lucy back to her quarters.

“I did not agree to this.” He glanced over at Lucy where she sat on the sofa watching him worriedly. Her legs were tucked up underneath her.

“Thor, I can do this.”

He shook his head and kept pacing.

“You don’t believe in me.”

He stilled, facing her again. He heard the note of hurt in her voice and couldn’t accept that. He moved to her, slipping onto his knees in front of her. So close, he caught a hint of her scent. Light and delicious. His heart sped, a need he had no words to describe enslaved him and for a moment all he could do was stare into those pale blue eyes. Then, reaching out, he clasped her face between his hands.

“I believe in you. I know you believe yourself to be a coward, but offering to walk back into the face of your nightmare, that is the bravest thing I have ever heard.”

“I haven’t done it yet,” she joked.

“But it is madness. I cannot lose you.”

“You won’t, Thor. He wants me back. Alive. To help him in his mad desire to take over the bleedin’ universe.”

“Why does he need you when that Beau can track through scent?”

“Because she can only track once she’s caught someone’s scent. And the scent has to be recent. I didn’t notice her when I first saw him in the palace but she must have been there or close by.” She frowned.