Cornering Carmen (2 page)

She was half way to the plane when the SUV they had just exited exploded, throwing all of them to the ground. Carmen instinctively rolled her body over Jose and covered his head. She heard the sounds of automatic gunfire in the distance above the sound of the jet’s engines revving up. She shook her head to clear the ringing in her ears. Carlos and Enrique were struggling to get up next to her. She forced her body up, pulling Jose with her. She made sure she shielded him as she pushed him toward the plane. Carlos was firing behind them at several vehicles that burst through the gates and were approaching at a high rate of speed.

Carmen saw Scott returning fire at the approaching vehicles even as he ran toward her. Carmen gasped out as she felt a
bullet
pierce her thigh. She collapsed with a cry. Enrique swooped in, grabbing Jose up and running toward the plane with Carlos covering his back. Carmen rolled, gripping her leg with one hand while she fired her semi-automatic 9 mm handgun at the vehicles.

Gunfire erupted again and Carmen jerked as one of the bullets hit her in the arm knocking her backwards into the pavement. Her head turned when she heard other bullets hitting something else not far from her. A cry of denial ripped from her as she watched Scott’s body jerk as a series of shots cut through him. He collapsed about eight feet from her. Carmen fought through the agony searing through her body, determined to
get
to
the
man she loved. She made it to within three feet of him before a set of polished shoes stood in her line of vision.

The figure bent down, gripping her uninjured shoulder, and turned her over until she was staring straight up into the black eyes of Javier Cuello. Carmen’s eyes moved away from his cold ones, trying to find Scott. Her only thought was to get to him.

“So much beauty,” Javier said softly
,
brushing a strand of white blonde hair back from Carmen’s face and turning her head toward him. “I heard about the young American security team that was protecting the governor and his family. My informants did not lie when they said the woman was of exceptional beauty,” he said, chuckling when Carmen tried to turn her head again.

Javier looked over to where Scott was lying, fighting for breath. “He means something to you, sí? The others, they do not care so much for you. They have left you all alone,” he tsked, shaking his head and running his thumb over her bottom lip. “Perhaps I should keep you as a prize.”

Carmen’s eyes glittered with fury. “Go to hell. You are a coward and a bully,” Carmen choked out hoarsely.

Javier chuckled. “A bully?” He responded, laughing out loud as he looked at his men. “I have not been called a bully since I was a child,” he said, turning to look back down at Carmen with a cold smile. “No little American, I am not a bully. I am a cold-hearted murderer.”

A sob escaped Carmen as she followed Javier as he stood up and walked over to where Scott was lying. Scott looked up at Javier before he turned his eyes to Carmen. She saw love, acceptance, and regret in his eyes.

“No!” Carmen tried to scream out. “You get away from him! You get away from him!” She sobbed out
, struggling to move
.

Javier nodded to one of his men to hold Carmen down as he used his foot to nudge Scott. “You do not need to worry. I will take very good care of your woman,” Javier grinned as he pulled a handgun out of his pocket. “For a very, very long time,” he added before he pulled the trigger.

Carmen’s screams pierced the night. Tears burned but refused to fall as she watched the man who meant the world to her jerk once before remaining still. A cold enveloped her body and soul as she stared into Scott’s sightless eyes. Her fingers gripped the knife she had unsheathed at her side.
Her eyes moved back to Javier who shook his head in distaste before he slid the handgun back into his pocket.

“Now, I have taken care of the competition,” he said casually, moving to squat down next to Carmen again. “Now, you will be mine.”

“When hell freezes over,” Carmen said in an emotionless voice as she raised the knife she had clutched tightly in her fist.

She buried the knife as far as it would go in Javier’s thigh. He fell backwards with a strangled curse, grabbing the knife sticking out of his leg. One of his men drew his gun and fired it into Carmen several times while several other men pulled Javier away from her. She smiled as she listened to the faint sounds of Javier’s screams as they moved him back to his vehicle. In the distance, she heard the sounds of sirens but none of it mattered to her. She used the last of her strength to reach her good arm out to where Scott lay near her. She needed to touch him one last time. A sob caught
in her battered body
even as the flashing lights swirled around them.

I need to touch him… one… last… time,
she thought hazily
as her fingers tenderl
y
skimmed his cheek
before darkness swept her away.

Aboard the Valdier Warship
V’ager
: Present Day

Carmen stood frozen on the transporter platform. A part of her wanted to rebel against leaving the alien warship she had woken up on weeks before. She was afraid that once she was off the warship all chances of finding a way home would be gone. She looked over at her sister. She knew deep down Ariel was relieved at the strange turn of events in their lives. Ariel believed that Carmen would have to give up her thirst for revenge now.

That would never happen,
Carmen thought sadly.
If it is the last thing I ever do, I will return to Earth.

Carmen didn’t remember the actual moment she was brought aboard the warship. She had been dying. The man who kidnapped Abby, the artist who had been traveling with them, had pulled a knife on her. She didn’t see him pull it until it was too late. She had been distracted by the sounds of some wild animals they had spooked. Or at least, she had thought they were wild animals. Carmen wasn’t sure what category men who changed into dragons would be classified as in the scientific world. Personally, she really didn’t give a rat’s ass. Her biggest concern was to get back home.

At first, a part of her was furious that she would die before she had finished what she had promised Scott. Even as that fury washed through her, another part of her was relieved that the intense pain she had lived with for the past three years was about to end once and for all. She had given in to the sense of peace that enfolded her in its tight arms, ready to join Scott at last.

When she awoke almost a month ago in the medical unit aboard an alien warship, fury flooded her. She had cheated death again. She had spent the first week ta
king her rage out on the men on
board the warship in the hope they would just put her out of her misery. After the first week, though, she had to reluctantly admit she had grown to like the oddball aliens. They had an off-the-wall sense of humor about them.

And, they were good fighters,
she thought, glaring at a couple of the men looking at her in a way that made her uncomfortable.

She knew they only went to the medical unit to make her feel good. She might have given them a few new bruises but she had never really hurt any of them. Well, except for the couple of guys the first time when she was still in the medical unit. Ariel, Trisha
,
and
she
had taken them by surprise and used a
couple of
less than fair blows to knock them out. That was when the anger had been at its zenith. Afterwards, it was almost fun when one of the warriors would come to the door of their rooms anticipating her response.

She used that time to practice and develop her skills. She learned from the men she fought, enjoying their greater strength and agility. It helped her get back into shape, made the time aboard seem to fly by, and honed her fighting skills. She figured she could use all the skills she could learn when she got back to Earth. She would need them to get to Cuello when she found him.

Carmen shook her head and focused when she heard Trelon tell the man behind the transporter to beam them down. She needed to learn all she could if she was going to escape. It was best to keep her memories where they belonged for right now, in the past.
Everything lit up around her and she felt a sense of disorientation before everything blurred.

Creon Reykill was not in a good mood. In fact, he was in a really foul mood as his older brother gripped his arm turning him in the direction of the transporter room located in one of the wings of the palace. It was the absolute last place he wanted to go. He hated weepy females. He hated whiny, crying, clinging, fragile females. Give him a sturdy Sarafin or Curizan female any day. Not that there weren’t a few Valdier women who could compete for his attention but at least he didn’t have to chance running into a Sarafin or Curizan female he had bedded again unless he wanted to. The Valdier females all wanted something from him; namely a high position, the comfort of the palace, and him waiting on them hand and foot.

Clarmisa was a perfect example of everything he hated about weak females. He ended up having to leave the planet before she would return to her clan. She had driven him out of his mind with her whining: the food was too cold, the rooms too small, the servants too rude. Then, she started on her clinging. She was too weak to walk without him holding her hand or she was frightened by the shadows in the corridors. He didn’t know why she had targeted him. He finally had enough the night she snuck into his living quarters. She had broken down in a torrent of tears after he ordered her out of his rooms. She was damn lucky his symbiot hadn’t killed her. The only thing that saved her was probably its distaste of even touching her.

Creon felt his dragon shudder at the thought of touching the beautiful but empty Valdier princess. He could feel his own skin crawl as he remembered her touching his chest with her soft fingers. He had taken a long, hot shower before he packed his bags and took off again for the Sarafin star system. He had only returned a few days ago. He had been searching for in
formation on his oldest brother
Zoran’s kidnapping. He knew the Curizan weren’t behind it. He was best friends with Ha’ven, the Curizan leader. One of his informants had mentioned a possibility that Vox, the leader of the Sarafin, might know something. Creon was friends with the huge cat-shifter. They were a wily species that were as fierce as they were cunning. He had saved the big son-of-a-bitch during one of the battles in the Great Wars. While Vox was recovering, Creon and he had talked. They learned there was more behind the wars than they had been led to believe but certain factions within their governments were feeding them false information. A friendship was formed and they had worked together behind the scenes with Ha’ven to expose the plot to bring down each of their respective governments.

“I still do not understand why I need to be there,” Creon muttered to Mandra as he walked next to him. “Isn’t it bad enough I had to deal with Clarmisa sneaking into my bed? Why do I have to deal with this weak species Zoran is bringing back? Surely you can handle it?”
He
groaned.

Mandra glared at his youngest brother. “You owe me! After you left I had to deal with her and her father. He wanted to demand you claim her as your mate. I had to finally threaten to challenge him if he didn’t get the hell back to his clan,” he growled back. “I can deal with one whiny, weepy female but not two. Trelon said he needed help with the two sisters. We talked yesterday about how delicate and fragile they were. As soon as we get them settled, we will have mother and the healers take over their care.”

Creon groaned silently. He hated dealing with situations like this. Give him a good fight, some undercover work, even an assassination attempt on his life but never, ever a needy female. He sighed as he followed Mandra into the transporter room. He paused to look around, hoping the females had already arrived and by some miracle they had missed them.

He walked over to a small group of warriors he recognized from being on his brother Kelan’s warship. They must have come down earlier. He was surprised that they were still here. Usually once the warriors arrived they disappeared to find a willing female or two.

“Welcome home,” Creon said easily. “I am surprised you are still here. I thought for sure you would have hurried to one of the pleasure houses by now,” he joked, slapping Jurden on the shoulder.

If there was one thing he excelled at, it was putting others at ease and getting information. Trelon had been tight lipped when they had talked to him. Creon liked to deal with all the information he could get. If the females needed a healer right away, he wanted one on hand to take care of them as soon as possible.

Jurden grinned at Creon. “It is good to be back,
Lord
Creon. We are waiting for the human females to transport down. I keep hoping to see if I can be the one to capture the short-haired one. She is unbelievable!”

Creon frowned. Why would a warrior as fierce as Jurden want a weak, alien female? He listened as the men joked about being the one strong enough to capture the alien female’s heart. They laughed about how Tammit still bragged about his encounter with her.

What in the god’s name were they talking about?
Creon wondered with a shake of his head. He looked at Mandra with a confused shrug.
Surely they must be talking about someone else.