Star Kissed (32 page)

They hit the ground, Mandy clutched in his arms. Urik rolled, bracing his forearm against the ground beneath her to keep his weight off her then leapt to his feet, taking her with him. She let him lead, sensing he alone knew what the hell was going on with the light show ahead of them and the blue-green fog rolling behind them.

They ran and danced through laser fire until she was breathless. Urik pushed on, slowing only when her stumbling became too frequent. She dropped to her knees at one point, and he hauled her up then snatched her around the waist and spun twice, smashing through a wall into a building.

She landed hard and groaned, dizzy and disoriented.

“We need to go up,” he said, pulling her to her feet. “You hurt?”

“I … don’t know,” she managed, clutching him. “What the hell is going on?”

“Whatever you brought down here, it wasn’t energy cells,” he snapped. “A box full of toxins or something. There’s enough here to wipe out half the city. Between that and the Ishta, we’ll be lucky to survive the day.”

Mandy didn’t have a chance to digest his statement before he was off and running, pulling her with him. She panted. They ran up a ramp that went up and up and up … Her thighs and lungs soon burned while her calves screamed. She tried to pull away, but Urik’s grip didn’t leave her.

Up and up they went, until her body started to give out from exertion. Urik stopped suddenly, and Mandy stumbled. Urik caught her.

“Thank … god,” she gasped. “Stopping.”

“Not exactly.” Urik was breathing hard but still in control, while she was ready to collapse. He pushed her to face what lay in their path.

Her stomach started to sink. What were Hichele’s guards doing on the planet? Two ten-foot guards in dark yellow blocked their escape route.

“I need you to get behind me,” Urik said.

Mandy obeyed, gathering her strength. She caught herself against the wall while Urik lowered his stance to fight. She looked between him and the guards, recalling how easily one knocked her out the other day with a single blow. One-on-one, Urik might have a chance. She doubted even he could take on two of the towering creatures.

“Maybe we should just run,” she said breathlessly.

“Where? The toxin will take care of the Ishta, but nothing’s going to survive the poison,” he replied. “I can do this. Keep an eye on the one on the right and let me know if he tries to hit me.”

She nodded hastily, eyes glued to the guard on the right.

Urik charged the man on the left, and she flinched. It was like a brick wall hitting a cement barrier at full speed. The two slammed into each other, neither moving. Urik smashed his knee into the creature’s groin. Engrossed in their struggle, she missed the movement of the guard Urik told her to watch.

Too late she saw the fist sailing towards Urik’s head.

“Urik!” she shouted.

The punch landed with a sickening crack. Urik dropped and didn’t move. Mandy stifled a scream, too shocked to move. The guards closed in, and she backed away, hands up. At least if they beat her, she’d be dead quickly.

One snatched her. She didn’t fight him. They continued up the ramp. Her legs began to hurt once more, and she was almost grateful when she drew the first mouthful of thick, metallic air on the roof.

A small spacecraft awaited them. Mandy started to panic and pulled away, alarmed by Urik’s assurances that everyone was trying to find her, now that it was common knowledge she was a purebred human.

The guard snatched her around the waist and propped her up on his hip, as if she was a child and not six feet tall. Dangling in the air, Mandy glimpsed blue-green clouds moving through the city.

Urik was right. The clouds would easily overtake half the city in a matter of minutes. Mesmerized by the sight of the death-fog working its way down streets and into buildings, she thought of Akkadi.

If the cells weren’t cells, why did Hichele give them to the Naki royalty?

Then I’ll poison you. Slowly. Painfully. It will make the plague look like a kindly way to die.

Hichele’s words rattled through Mandy’s head, along with the claim by the servants that a woman sleeping with the Naki princes wanted to poison Akkadi’s sisters so she could be queen. The Naki bitch knew about Cesar, too, from her comment before the guard knocked Mandy out.

Mandy brushed her off as an arrogant psycho. She never thought the woman had it in her to poison a space station to become king. Hichele definitely didn’t seem smart enough for it, which made Mandy think there was much more going on than she knew.

The Naki royalty had no idea their enemies were trying to marry into the family.

Did she pity them? Mandy was angry once more.

Mandy thought hard as the guards sealed the spaceship. There was no way for her to warn anyone. She wasn’t even certain who had her, where they wanted to take her or why.

The guard dropped her onto a bench, where she stayed without objection. She touched the medallion at her chest, and she prayed Akkadi was able to track her. Maybe he’d come after her to regain the energy cells. She’d rather throw herself at his mercy than at Hichele’s, if that’s where the guards were taking her.

At least the marbles were on the planet and not in the confined space station where they might wipe out everyone.

Her chest seized suddenly.

She’d left one or two marbles. In Akkadi’s apartment.

Did they go off, too, and release toxins into Akkadi’s apartment? Was he there? Did he survive?

Her ears buzzed so loudly, she started to pass out. Mandy slumped against the wall, clutching her head. She struggled to pull herself out of the in-between space, horrified by the idea that Akkadi wouldn’t know there was a threat until it was too late.

If only she’d stolen all of the damn marbles!

The craft jolted, slamming her into the wall. Jarred back into full consciousness, Mandy almost groaned. Her body had stiffened already during the short trip. Her legs were on fire and cramping from the burst of activity, her chest so tight, it felt like there was a vise preventing her from breathing.

One of the guards pulled her to her feet. A door opened, revealing a ramp beyond it and what appeared to be a bay at the station.

Sandwiched between them, she was led down the ramp to the bay. It was smaller than the ones she’d seen on the station, the corridors beyond it grey rather than lined with light panels.

It wasn’t the Naki space station. They hadn’t gone far, which mean it was probably one of the other big ships she’d seen
floating in the space
outside of Akkadi’s windows.

She looked at the markings on the floor. At least they were similar to those in the station. They reached an elevator and went sideways. It exited into a corridor lined every ten feet with one of the light panels she took to be a door.

Two guards stood in front of one a short distance from the elevator. Her escorts stopped in front of them, motioning for her to enter.

Mandy crossed her arms, afraid of what she’d find beyond the door. She swallowed hard and went, emerging into a large apartment with a sitting area outside of multiple doors.

Hichele and the man she guessed was his father stood in the center, along with a third man Mandy didn’t recognize. More guards in dark gold lined the walls.

“Give orders to leave orbit,” Hichele’s father directed the man. The stranger nodded and left.

Hichele approached, crop raised. Mandy braced herself for the blows then snatched the switch the third time it fell.

“Stop, slave!” Hichele hissed, yanking at it.

“I just went through hell,” Mandy snarled back. “You want to hit me, do it like a real woman and not a coward.” She threw the crop and opened her arms. “You gonna do it, bitch? Or have your guards do it again?”

“Ladies, stop,” her father said. “This is no way to treat our guest, Hichele.”

“She’s not a guest. She’s a blood slave.”

Mandy glared at the pale woman.

“She ruined everything, Father,” Hichele added.

“She’s also the solution we need,” he replied. “We are looking for your cooperation, Mandy. Your blood may hold the key for a cure to the plague.”

“Yeah, and?” Mandy challenged. “Akkadi is looking for the plague’s cure, too. Why not just let him find it?”

“Was,” Hichele replied. “Akkadi
was
.”

Mandy’s breath caught in her throat. Coldness ran through her.

“We require a more immediate solution,” Hichele’s father replied. He motioned to one of the guards. “One we can use for our family.”

Mandy’s thoughts were on Akkadi. Maybe she was mistaken about not grabbing all the marbles. Maybe he was alive and well. She tried to convince herself she’d taken the cells but wasn’t able to dismiss the thought there were two still in Akkadi’s room. Two that might have killed him before he awoke.

Was he alive? Her insides were shaking.

The words of Hichele’s father took a minute to register.

“Wait, for your family?” Mandy asked.

A guard took Mandy’s arm and pulled her towards one of the doors. She dug in her heels, wanting to hear the response.

“Hichele’s mother is ill with it,” the Naki father replied. “We suspect Hichele’s child is as well after her exposure at the children’s ward.”

Mandy frowned. “Meaning you can’t marry Akkadi.”

Hichele’s face flamed red.

“I’m sorry for your baby but not for you,” Mandy added. “Akkadi was on the verge of a cure. You’re idiots if you think you can do it without him.”

“The cells contained enough toxin to wipe out every member of the Naki royal family, the entirety of which was on the station this morning,” Hichele’s father said, unconcerned. “My family will soon control the empire, the vaccine and all the energy in the galaxy.”

The guard yanked Mandy into the next room.

What I wouldn’t give for a space cell phone right about now.
Her mind worked fast. The rumors the servants heard were too accurate, and Akkadi’s family had fallen straight into the trap.

Except Hichele’s family didn’t know most of the marbles weren’t on the station. What of the two still there? Were they strong enough to wipe out everyone?

Mandy blinked rapidly at the brightness of the neighboring room. It smelled familiar, metallic. Several beds were along one wall, along with medical equipment and two waiting healers.

The beds had shackles on them that resembled grey handcuffs.

Her pulse started to race. She was released, and the guard motioned for her to lie down.

Mandy looked from the bed to him, recalling how easily he could put her there, if she refused. Scared, she lay down on the bed. One of the healers secured the bonds around her wrists and thighs.

Staring at the ceiling, Mandy couldn’t imagine what horror she’d experience next in the sadistic future. Worse, she couldn’t imagine life here if Akkadi was dead. She’d rather see him marry some other woman and know he was alive than be sent home and know he’d died.

Two nights with him, and she didn’t know how she’d spent a lifetime without him.

“This will be painless,” one of the healers said, placing an oblong object on her forearm. “We will test your blood first.”

She felt a light scratch then nothing more. He gazed at the instrument for a moment then removed it. Mandy watched him empty the blood into another device. She glanced down. A small oblong wound on her arm appeared to have been cauterized. True to his word, the blood draw hadn’t hurt.

What if they did a scan like Urik’s medic did?

“So, where we going?” she asked, needing a distraction.

The more she thought about Akkadi, the quicker the sense of being between worlds returned. Mandy blinked, trying to stay focused on her surroundings.

“We’ve left the orbit of the human planet and are almost out of the solar system. We’ll arrive at our destination shortly,” one healer said.

Away from the space station with the Nakis who might help her. Far out of reach of Urik, if he survived.

Mandy swallowed tears. She stared at the ceiling, unwilling to let herself think about the idea she might be pregnant. Or that Akkadi, Urik and Cesar might already be dead. First, she had to survive. Then, she’d worry about everything else.

Chapter Nineteen

Akkadi awoke alone. He rolled onto his side, surprised to find Mandy gone. His hand lingered on the space she’d occupied before grim reality set in.

It was the day of his official betrothal announcement. She knew the night was to be their last together. Did he blame her for leaving before he was awake?

No.

“Your father wishes to see you.” 

Akkadi sighed. He rose quickly and dressed, aware his father was the last person he’d keep waiting. He strode through the corridors to the lift, the scent of Mandy lingering on his skin. Only when he was alone in the tiny elevator did he raise his hands to his face and breathe her in.

His blood heated instantly, his whole body lighting up with need. Focused on her, he didn’t notice the door had opened until someone cleared her throat in the hallway outside.

“Brother,” Akkasha said stiffly in greeting.

“Akkasha,” he replied, bowing his head.

Akkadi left the elevator and strode to his parent’s quarters. He paused, waiting for the guards to indicate he was permitted to enter.

His mother sat in her sitting area, her face glowing. Akkadi suspected his father arrived home earlier than expected and kept her up all night. He dwelled on her declaration from the evening before. Outside the walls, his father was purely Naki. Inside them, he expressed the emotions of humans.

She was telling him there was a way to work out the confusion Akkadi felt towards Mandy, that he could come home to her each night and be at peace. What would that be like? To find a safe haven in her arms and smile?

It was useless to dwell on. He already made an agreement with another woman.

Akkadi bowed to his mother.

“I came to see Father,” he said.

“I am here, Akkadi,” his father replied.

Akkadi faced the windows and bowed deeply to the Naki king. Akkalon was his height and thickly built rather than lean like Akkadi. His hair was blond and his eyes blue, his chiseled features colder than stone.