Ha'ven's Song (25 page)

Ha’ven raised his eyebrow at the Marastin
Dow’s passionate statement. He looked at Adalard who shrugged his
shoulders. His gaze moved to Bahadur who folded his arms in
indifference.

“I’ve heard rumors there is an uprising with
the Marastin Dows who do not agree with the way their world is
being ruled. There is talk of a revolution to overthrow the
government and establish one that wants a more peaceful
society.”

“It is more than talk,” Marus replied
coldly. “We dock in fifteen minutes. I am not sure how long it will
take Kejon to discover that I have taken his prize away from him. I
don’t expect it to be long.”

“I think he may have figured it out unless
you were expecting someone else to come with us,” Emma’s frightened
voice echoed.

Ha’ven heard Macus’ curse at the same time
as their connection was cut. Turning on his heel, he pushed through
Adalard and Arrow. His only focus was getting to the Level Two
Service Bay. He had a traitor to kill.

*.*.*

“Are you alright?” Marus asked Emma who
clung to his waist as tightly as the oxygen pack on his back
allowed.

“Yes,” she panted. “Will we make it before
he catches up to us?”

“Yes,” Marus tightly responded as a new plan
came into his mind. “It will be close. I will do what I can to stop
him. When we get close to the entrance, I am going to release the
service bike. It will crash into the service bay triggering the
automatic shutdown. The doors will seal. You’ll only have a few
seconds to make it through the opening.”

“What happens if I don’t make it?” Emma
asked in a trembling voice.

“You’ll be trapped outside,” Marus responded
grimly.

“What about you? Where will you be?” She
asked.

“I’m going to stop Kejon if I can,” he
muttered.

“Wait!” Emma started to protest but Marus
already had her arm grasped firmly in his.

She screamed as he kicked away from the
service bike as they neared the entrance to the service bay. The
doors were beginning to lower for their arrival. She watched as the
service bike continued forward, colliding with the huge metal
doors. Flashing lights on the outside of the doors flared as it
detected the impact. The doors ground to a stop before they began
rising again. They continued floating toward the doors.

Emma’s eyes widened in terror as she
notice
d
the rapidly shrinking space
between the doors. Marus bumped against the doors. She saw him
scramble to grab a service ladder.

“I’m going to push you through. When the
doors close the bay will fill with oxygen. Get out of your suit and
get the hell out of the bay. My man inside will guide you to the
main Level. Lose yourself in the crowd,” he ordered as he pulled
her closer.

“What are you going to do?” She asked as
held her.

“Try not to get myself killed,” he growled
as he pushed her quickly through the narrow space.

Emma floated upside down for a moment as she
tumbled through the doors. She barely had time to catch a glimpse
of the Marastin Dow captain before she felt herself falling to the
floor below. She hit the floor hard and fell backwards. She rolled
onto her knees just as another figure rushed toward her.

Hands grabbed her helmet and twisted it. A
moment
later
a grim purple face was
revealed. The male didn’t speak. He quickly
loosened
the straps holding her suit on so he could
pull it over her head.

“Come on,” he ordered.

Emma stumbled over the bottom of the suit as
he pulled her behind him. She bit her lip at the pain in her left
ankle. She had landed hard on it and it burned.

“Captain Tylis said…” she began as she was
pushed into a narrow lift.

“I know what he said,” the male grunted out.
“Push the top button and disappear into the crowds of the
Spaceport. I hope you are worth it. He is one of our finest
commanders. If he dies, thousands of others may die as well.”

Emma didn’t say another word. The man’s eyes
glowed with anger as he glared at her. He reached in and slapped
his hand over the button before stepping back again. Emma leaned
back as the door close
d
and the lift rose
at a sickening speed.

Ha’ven,
Emma whispered silently.

I will meet you when the lift opens,
Ha’ven replied.
We need to draw Kejon out. It is time to end
this.

Emma lowered her head and squeezed her eyes
shut. She refused to cry. Raising her head as the lift began to
slow
, s
he tumbled out of it as the doors
opened and straight into Ha’ven’s strong arms. Her arms wound
instinctively around his neck and she pressed her face into his
neck breathing in his familiar scent.

“I knew you would come for me,” she
whispered. “I love you.”

Ha’ven’s body trembled as he held her close.
His arms were wrapped as tightly around her as he could without
crushing her. He never wanted to be separated from her again.

“I swear I have come closer to losing my
sanity since I met you than ever before,” he grounded out harshly.
He pulled back so he could stare down into her beautiful blue eyes.
“You drive me crazy.”

“That’s a good thing, isn’t it?” She teased
in a trembling voice. “Captain Tylis….”

“I know,” Ha’ven replied. “Arrow has gone to
help him.”

“Ha’ven, we need to move,” Adalard said
urgently. “Arrow said Kejon has broken off. He is heading for the
other side of the asteroid. He won’t have much oxygen or power so
he will be forced to land.”

“If we are going to take him, we need to do
this now,” Bahadur added. “Personally, I’m going to enjoy killing
the bastard.”

Ha’ven didn’t reply. He breathed in a deep
breath once more before he reluctantly stepped back. He retained
his hold on Emma’s hand before he turned with a nod.

The four of them moved with ease through the
crowded corridors of the Spaceport. One look at the expressions on
the faces of the three Curizan warriors was enough to have even the
toughest inhabitant stepping aside.

Kejon roared out in rage as he threw the
helmet of the spacesuit across the large empty room. He was going
to kill the entire traitorous crew of the Marastin Dow. He had
pulled the truth out of the traitorous bitch that had lied to him
in the medical unit. She had fought like a Sarafin bitch in heat.
His face still stung from her nails. She had resisted until the
end. Only as she drew in her last breath did she finally break,
spilling the truth of Tylis’ deception.

He had still been too late to stop the
arrogant Captain from taking the Prince’s bitch. The one advantage,
the one power, the one tool he needed to ensure Ha’darra’s
destruction
,
was gone. He had no other
choice but to retreat for now. With his one advantage gone and the
Marastin Dow’s warship no longer at his disposal, he would have to
use the smaller transport he had hidden.

“I should have killed the female when I had
the chance,” he muttered. “None of this would have happened if Aria
had done her job in the first place and killed Ha’darra instead of
playing with him.”

“But she didn’t kill me,” Ha’ven replied
coldly as he stepped out of the door leading out to the Spaceport.
“And soon you’ll join her in death.”

Kejon stopped in the middle of the open
control room. Nothing remained in the room. The Antrox had
dismantled and removed all the equipment when the mine was no
longer profitable. He glanced at the door that led to the emergency
launch bay. Bahadur stood in the doorway leading to it, a dark grin
on his face and a bundle of wires in his hand.

“It would seem your transport is missing a
few necessary wires from the control panel,” Bahadur smirked.

Hatred burned in Kejon’s eyes as he stared
at the man Ben’qumain had trusted at one time. His stomach twisted
at the knowledge that he had been tricked as well. He should have
known never to trust anyone.

“You traitor,” Kejon hissed. “You are…”

“General Razdar Bahadur at your service,”
Bahadur replied. “Loyal servant and protector to the Royal House of
Ha’darra and Prince Ha’ven of Curizan.”

A choked laugh drew Kejon’s eyes to the
doorway near Ha’ven. Adalard Ha’darra stood with a savage smile on
his face. The muscles pulled tight over the long scar on his
face.

“I’ll have to remember the remark about you
being a servant, Bahadur,” he commented humorously before his eyes
narrowed on Kejon. “You missed killing me as well, Kejon.”

*.*.*

Kejon paled as he took a step back, his hand
moving to the laser pistol at his side. His eyes darted from one
male to the next before finally settling on the small pale female
standing slightly behind Ha’ven. Madness flashed through his mind
as he realized he was trapped.

Power had been within his grasp and now it
was gone. He had held it in his arms. The pale slip of a female had
escaped, leading him on a path of self-destruction. It was her
fault. If she had just been another of Ha’darra’s whores it
wouldn’t have mattered but she was something more. He could feel
the power in her. If she had submitted to him instead of making him
believe she was dying, he could have claimed that power for
himself. He should have killed her when he had the chance instead
of taking
the
chance on Ha’darra
reclaiming her.

Grim determination filled him as a new plan
formed. He could still destroy Ha’ven Ha’darra. He would not live
to enjoy it but he would know he had succeeded. He could kill most
of the ruling family and their faithful, traitorous servant at the
same time. He fingered the pistol in his hand, switching the power
to full at the same time as he focused the power inside his
body.

“I may have missed you once but I won’t this
time,” Kejon hissed out.

His eyes flashed to Bahadur who was now
eyeing him with a wary caution. A nasty smile twisted his lips
before his gaze rested on Ha’ven Ha’darra. Triumph flooded him when
the female stepped closer to Ha’darra and threaded her fingers with
the Curizan Prince.

“So sweet,” he retorted savagely. “The
Prince and his mate. Together in life and in death.”

Wild laughter escaped Kejon as he threw the
overloaded laser pistol up into the air above his head and directed
the full force of his power into it. A bright flash lit up the
control room before the explosion of overcharged particles sent out
a shockwave as it exploded. The super-heated charge incinerated
Kejon within seconds even as the overheated wave stretched out to
engulf the room.

*.*.*

Ha’ven yelled out a warning as he realized
what Kejon was planning. Bahadur jerked open the door behind him
and fell to the floor of the outer room before slamming the heavy
metal door shut with his foot. Even so, the door glowed a bright
red as the overheated charge hit it.

Adalard rushed forward to protect his
brother and Emma as the wave flashed toward them. At the same time,
Emma and Ha’ven raised their joined hands at the on-coming wave. A
shield formed around the three of them, protecting them as the wave
and subsequent shock wave rolled around them.

“What the …?” Adalard murmured in a shocked
voice as he watched the rock walls of the room glow a brilliant red
from the superheated air. “How…?”

Adalard turned to look at his brother and
Emma. Both were glowing brightly, Ha’ven with black bands with red
and gold threading through it and Emma with a host of colors laced
with a touch of the black. His eyes widened as Emma’s colors weaved
in and out of the black of his brother’s essence, almost as if she
were dancing with him.

*.*.*.

Ha’ven breathed deeply as the powerful
explosion and super-heated air slowly pushed against the shield he
and Emma had created. His power had risen immediately when he
sensed his mate was in mortal danger. His only thought was to
protect her. The dark mist of power inside him rose as if it was a
living thing inside him. That was the second time he had felt as if
another entity was inside him.

When he feared losing control he had felt
Emma’s calming influence as her essence wrapped with him. He knew
the moment her powers blended with his own. His mind cleared and
strength flooded him as it did only when she touched him.

He turned and watched as Emma stood looking
out over the room. Her face creased in concentration as her power
expanded outward. The fierce determination on it drew a smile to
his face.

She is absolutely beautiful,
he
thought in awe.

He waited as Emma’s colors reached out,
expanding and cooling the room until the walls once again were a
dull gray. Only then did he lower his arm and calm the power
burning inside him.

Emma still glowed as she continued to focus.
He couldn’t resist brushing his fingers through the colorful array
still swirling around her. Warmth and peace flooded him.

“I love you, my Emma,” he whispered as she
slowly blinked. “You are truly a gift from the Goddess.”

Emma started as she realized that they were
no longer in danger. She blinked several times before looking up at
Ha’ven in confusion. Her eyes darted around the room before she
looked up again.

“What did you say?” She asked.

Ha’ven chuckled as he brushed his fingers
along her cheek. “I said you are truly a gift from the Goddess. One
I will be thankful for every day of our lives.”

Emma’s eyes widened before she giggled. “You
have no idea,” she murmured before she threw her arms around his
neck and clung to him. “Can we go home now?”

Ha’ven lifted her in his arms and squeezed
her tightly against his chest. “Anything for you,
misha
petite
. Anything for you,” he repeated before he pressed a kiss
to her lips.