Darkside Blues: SciFi Alien Romance (Dark Planet Warriors Book 4.5) (17 page)

“Don’t worry, Banri, I’m not going before the Council. Tell them I’m not here right now. And get your ass up here. I have specific instructions for you.”

“I’m going to mobilize our people,” Banri snarled. “I’ve had enough of this shit, Boss. You’re innocent, we all know it. If we gather all the soldiers in the North Ward, we give them a massive headache. Arik doesn’t have the firepower to hold you down. We’ll fight to the death for you.”

“No fighting,” Kai snapped, any trace of his earlier vulnerability gone. His voice rang with authority. “Not now, not tomorrow, not ever. I am not going to throw away everything we’ve worked so hard to build here. I will not have any more blood shed on my behalf. Two days, Banri, and this will all be resolved. But for now, my orders are absolute. Do. Not. Fight.”

“I got this far by trusting you, Boss, but if anything happens to you, I’m going to unleash hell on those fuckers.”

“Banri,” Kai growled darkly.

“Yeah, yeah.” His subordinate finally deferred, but he didn’t sound happy about it. “I’ll be up there in a minute.”

Zyara looked at Kai questioningly as he terminated the comm. “That exchange was in Universal for your benefit. I could have spoken in
Eskulin,
but I wanted you to hear. There are many people on Earth who want me dead, Zyara. This is my life. This is what I have dealt with on a daily basis for longer than I can remember, except it’s never been this overt before. That is why the first time I saw you, I didn’t chase you.”

“Idiot. I’m Kordolian.” She drew him towards her, pressing her body against his, the moisture from his bare torso seeping into the fabric of her
kashkan
. “The way things are now, because there are so few of us, females are treated like royalty on Kythia. You have no idea of the place I grew up in. In the early days, I was spoiled rotten. But what happens when they find out that you can’t reproduce? That you’re infertile and considered defective? There are some who see you as a blight on the entire race. They want you dead, wiped from the collective memory of the Kythian Court. That’s what happened to me. I lived with the threat of death hanging over my head for a long time, Kainan, so don’t you come to your own conclusions and decide that I can’t handle your baggage.” In truth, that was why she’d busted her ass to become an excellent medic. It was why she’d deliberately caught the attention of General Tarak al Akkadian. She’d sought refuge with the most powerful warriors in the Universe, the only ones who could protect her from the threats of the Kythian Court.

No-one fucked with the First Division.

Tarak had known what she was about from the start. He hadn’t cared, as long as she was good at her job.

And she was the best.

“The question is, Kainan of Earth, can you handle
my
baggage? Can you handle what I’ve just revealed to you?”

She’d just witnessed him in a moment of vulnerability, and now she was re-opening her own old wounds.

“I don’t care about that,” Kai growled, holding her tightly. “You know how many goddamn street brats we have to look after around here? They’re all my children, and you’re my woman. Now, are you going to take me to that floating spaceship of yours and fix me, or what?”

Zyara kissed him, a warm glow settling in her chest. Of all the possible responses he could have given her, she hadn’t expected
that
.

A soft chime interrupted their embrace. “That’ll be Banri at the door,” Kai muttered. “I need to discuss business with him. Why don’t you shower and then join us? No rush, take your time.”

Zyara nodded as Kai disappeared into the other room. She proceeded to enjoy the cavernous shower, indulging in the seemingly endless supply of water these Humans had access to. She pampered herself with luxurious toiletries and dried herself with sumptuous towels, before arranging her
kashkan
in the proper way, tying her belt with a traditional ceremonial knot.

She padded across in bare feet to the bedroom, where she heard raised voices filtering through the closed door.

Zyara stepped out into the main area and found Banri freaking out.

Kai had relapsed into talking-to-himself mode, his eyes distant, his expression blank.

“Did he tell you what’s going on?” She kept her voice steady and calm as she approached the big man.

“Y-yeah.” Banri shook his head. “What do I do now?” It was strange for such a big, fierce looking man to appear so helpless.

“You let me fix him,” she said, “and in the meantime, you do whatever else your boss ordered you to do.”

Kai got to his feet, babbling in
Eskulin
. Whatever he was saying appeared to distress Banri, who shook his head. Zyara activated her comm. “Kalan,” she snapped, “I need you guys over here now.”

“Your night not going to plan, medic?” Kalan’s tone was slightly mocking.

“Just come,” she growled. “There’s enough landing space in the compound. Bring the landflyer here directly. These people won’t put up a fight.” She shot Banri a meaningful look and he nodded. “And Kalan,” she continued, “tell the ground crew to prepare a space transport. I need to get to
Silence
. It’s a medical emergency.”

“Be there in a couple of
sivs,”
Kalan said. Zyara terminated the comm, grateful that the warrior hadn’t asked her any pressing questions. But she had no doubt she was in for a full interrogation when she got back to base. It didn’t matter. She would handle them.

Banri was looking at her strangely. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a flat case.

“What’s this?” Zyara kept a wary eye on Kai, but he was just muttering to himself.

“The
Simavir
,” Banri informed her. “Boss told me to get it for you. Cost a fuckin’ fortune.”

Zyara opened the case. Inside were eight vials of yellow liquid, clearly marked
SIMAVIR
.

Damn Kainan and his thoughtfulness. Zyara suppressed a rising feeling of desperation as she ushered Banri out. For some reason, she didn’t think it was right that he see his Boss like this. “Go, Human,” she said softly. “Don’t worry. I’ll fix him.”

The door slid closed behind her and she walked across to where Kai sat. As she approached, he rose, turning to face her. “It’s done, Boss,” he said, a deferential note in his voice. “I made it look like an accident, just like you asked.”

Zyara sighed, slightly chilled by his words. He was in another place and another time. She didn’t really want to hear any more about his past. Somehow, she felt like an intruder.

She hated to have to do this, but it was the only way. Setting down the case of
Simavir
, she reached Kai’s side. “Sorry, love, but you need to sleep now.” She then proceeded to punch him in the face.

He dropped to the floor like a stone.

Psychosis was dangerous. It induced changes in the brain that could become permanent. Sleep was a better option, and unconsciousness was the only small mercy she could grant him right now.
 

She sat down beside him, cradling his head in her lap as she waited for the cavalry to arrive.

Kai woke in a black cocoon, surrounded by warmth and darkness. He looked around and saw that he was in an oddly shaped room. There were no straight lines or corners here, everything was rounded. He could barely see; the only source of illumination was a few dim blue lights set close to the floor.

“What the fuck?” He blinked as fragmented memories returned.

He’d been
sleeping
. How strange.

He sat up, throwing the soft black sheets aside. He was dressed in a pair of loose black trousers, but his torso was bare. His head pounded.

He had a killer of a migraine.

The last thing he remembered was Zyara; her touch, her scent, her soothing, throaty voice. He loved hearing her talk.

Then, nothing. Blackness.

Where the hell was he?

He sprang to his feet, the sheet dropping to the floor. Frantically, he began to search around the room. He needed a weapon or something.

But there was nothing. No drawers, no doors, nothing.

He was trapped.

Just as the twin dragons of rage and panic started to rise in his chest, a soothing voice surrounded him. “Relax, Kainan. You’re in the safest place possible. You’re on
Silence
, two thousand kilometers above Earth. Don’t you remember our conversation?”

Her voice was a soothing balm for his rising anger. He struggled to recall what had happened before he’d lost his memory. He’d been on Earth. There had been incredible sex. How the hell could he ever forget that? Then his neural implant had started to malfunction.

Sweet Jupiter, the memories he’d had to endure.

If they’d gone on for much longer, he may very well have gone crawling on his knees to Arik, begging for relief.

The flashbacks had been torture.

He’d been a kid again, the lowest of the low, just another paid killer for Vadim. He’d seen scores of bodies, dead by his hand. He’d seen his mother, and what that that horrible vagrant had done to her.

He’d killed that man when he was twelve years old.

He’d been his old self again, lean and scrawny and vicious, just another street brat.

You are nothing
.

He’d fought against that voice all his life

“Take it easy, Kai. I’ll be with you in a moment.” Zyara’s low tones filtered through hidden speakers, filling the emptiness inside him.

He sat down on the side of the bed, holding his head in his hands as his migraine began to ease. That’s when the door in front of him began to unravel, thousands of tiny black fibers withdrawing to reveal an opening.

Kai gaped. If he’d been skeptical before about being on a Kordolian warship, he had no doubts anymore. This was mind-blowing alien technology.

Zyara appeared before him, dressed in flowing white robes. She was luminous and regal, and she seemed to glow despite the darkness surrounding them.

“Oh, Kai,” she cried, as the door closed behind her. “I’m so glad you’re awake.” She knelt before him, wrapping her arms around his waist. She held him like that for a while, before reaching up to remove something from his forehead.

She peeled two black sticky nodes from his skin, rolling them into a ball and tossing them aside.
 

More alien technology.

“What happened?” He pressed a hand to his temple. As soon as she’d walked into the room, his head had felt a million pounds lighter.

“I zapped your implant. It’s dead now. I was also able to identify and neutralize the virus attacking it. They used nano-particles to deliver it. It definitely wasn’t Human technology.” She studied him carefully, giving him and odd look.

“What?” Kai felt naked before her. All his barriers were down, his emotions stripped bare. He’d never shown such vulnerability to anyone before.

But with Zyara, it was okay. He trusted her.

“I had no idea of what you carried inside that pretty head of yours,” she said gently. “I’m sorry.”

“You didn’t… read my mind, did you?” He narrowed his eyes, feeling naked before her. There were things inside his head no-one should ever have to know.

Zyara squeezed him tightly. “No-one in the Universe can read minds, but I can monitor brainwaves. I know pain and suffering when I see it.”

“That’s old history, best left dead and buried.” Kai tried to downplay it. He pulled Zyara up into his lap. She curled her arms around his neck, surrounding him with her warmth and her scent. She smelled of sweetness and light. Kai allowed himself to fall backwards, taking her with him as he twined his legs in-between hers.

“Clearly, you’ve recovered well,” she laughed, as he ran his fingers through her hair, bringing his face close to hers. He didn’t speak. Instead, he kissed her on her lips, her cheeks, her forehead, cherishing her.

In the faint light, her eyes glowed bronze. They were twin glowing embers that warmed his hard soul. “Fuck,” he said finally, “where have you been all my life?”

“Fighting wars, colonizing planets. Playing medic to a squad of vicious warriors.” She raised a lilac eyebrow. “But I’m here now, and I’m not going anywhere. And now that you’re mine, you’re not allowed to get hurt or get into trouble. What is going on down there on Earth, Kai? Are you about to get dragged into a war?”

He pressed a finger to her lips. “Shh. I’ll tell you something. Nobody else knows about this.” He looked up at her, his dark eyes swirling with secrets. “Now I don’t know how much you know about our little place down there, but the city’s divided into two. There’s Darkside, and then there’s Teluria, which is part of the Federation. Those of us who live in Darkside are what they call ‘Unregistered’ in the Federation. We aren’t recognized as citizens by the Federation, and they turn a blind eye to our existence. We aren’t accepted anywhere else. That’s why we form criminal organizations. Darkside’s an economy unto its own.”

“That seems a little unfair. Why doesn’t the Federation just take over Darkside?”

“Too expensive. They’d have to build infrastructure, clean up the streets, grant us access to healthcare, education, and jobs, and make sure we fit into society. But the truth is, Darkside’s a rough, vicious place when you don’t have credits. Because of what we Darkside people have to live with, most of us wouldn’t pass their MQ test.”

“MQ?”

“Morality Quotient.” Kai laughed. “You have to be a good person to live in Teluria. They don’t want us there.”

“You’re a good person, Kainan.”

“Nah. I won’t ever be a good person. But I will always protect my people.”

Zyara traced an idle finger down his right arm, following the trail of the serpent. “So what are you going to do now?”

“I’m giving the North Ward to the Federation.”

“What?” Zyara blinked.

“I’ve worked hard to bring our infrastructure up to Telurian standards, and the North Ward is the closest district to Teluria’s border. They’ve had their eyes on my territory for years, but I’ve always resisted them.”

“So the North Ward will become part of the Federation?”

“I’ve reconsidered my position based on what happened last night. They can have the North Ward, but I twisted their arm. They also have to take all of her people and make them citizens. Peacekeepers should be rolling into the North Ward as I speak. The Families won’t fuck with the Federation. They know that if the Federation really wanted to wipe them out, they’d be swallowed whole.”