Demon Untamed (31 page)

Mr. Stogie caught sight of them. “Hey!” He threw his arms out wide, as he crossed the room with long strides, but the gesture was not exactly welcoming. “What’ve we got here? I know that can’t be the Pirate King. Because after skipping out with about ten thousand of my credits, the Pirate King would be a sodding idiot to show his face here.”

Sonya shot Ethan a look.

He was utterly relaxed. “Didn’t I pay you?”

“No.” The male stopped just feet away, his entourage close behind. Sonya balled her fists. After the volatile dragon meeting, and then Ethan’s teasing, she had quite a lot of pent-up aggression to let loose. These men were practically signing up for a beating.

Ethan replied without a shred of concern. “Must have slipped my mind what with that angry mob chasing after us and all. Why was that again? Oh, yes, you got us pinched for cheating at bones.”

“
I
got us pinched? You were the one fixing the deck.”

Ethan paused, looking thoughtful. “Oh, yeah. Too bad you failed to pocket the credits before you started fleeing in terror. By the way, you scream like a little girl. I’ve been dying to tell you that.”

Stogie narrowed his eyes.

Sonya waited to see who would make the first move. If it was Ethan, she would let him do his thing, but if it was the other male, she would be happy to relieve him of his spleen.

No one moved. For a long while, they stared daggers at each other.

Then the harsh planes in Stogie’s face eased into a smile. “You
todger
! What are you doing here?” His arms flew out and he forced Ethan into a tight hug, nearly lifting him off the ground.

Instead of answering, Ethan said with a grunt, “Nice fighter you got there. Is it a contender?”

Stogie released Ethan and then stepped back. “Getting there. Only a few more practice rounds like this, and I’ll catch the attention of the RCFO.”

“I wish you luck.”

“So what’s with the unannounced visit?”

“Remember, you still owe me a debt.” Ethan paused, as if letting the weight of that statement sink in as he glanced back at the ring. The defeated robot was being hauled aside with the help of a crane-bot. “What if I had a better deal for you, with a bigger payout?”

Stogie arched a brow. “I’m out of the business,” he replied cautiously. “No more pirating.”

Sonya ground her teeth. “You said they were mercenaries, not pirates.”

All eyes turned to her.

“Who’s the tail?” one of the men in the back drawled.

“The incarnation of your darkest nightmares,” she shot back at him.

Deep chuckles erupted.

“Girl’s got a mouth on her,” Stogie said, quirking his lips into an appreciative smile. “A pretty mouth.” Then, stupidly, he reached for her.

Ethan swept the barrel of a gun up to rest against the underside of Stogie’s jaw.

Sonya’s eyes flared. “How did you get a gun past security?”

“Oh, we pirates have our ways,” he replied. “Isn’t that right, Ivan?”

It was then that Sonya realized Ivan, too, had a gun…and it was shoved into Ethan’s gut.

The Edge engulfed her before she even realized. Pure fury ate through her veins.

Ethan spoke in a reasonable tone. “Let’s settle down now, boys, or my female is going to rip out your throats.”

No one seemed to take his advice.

As Ivan’s men moved in, Ethan called, “Baby, try not to hurt ’em too badly.”

Chapter 27

Ethan wasn’t sure Sonya had heard him, fearing she was beyond reason. Fire had chased away the beautiful violet of her irises, and her small horns burned molten. There was no way she wasn’t fighting someone at this point. If he hadn’t experienced her prowess first hand, he might have been worried for her.

Ivan shot Ethan a curious look coupled with an intrigued smirk, but did not lower his weapon. He wasn’t fooled by Sonya’s small stature, if only because he knew firsthand that Ethan would defend any female who couldn’t handle themselves.

His men, however, weren’t as intuitive. Their expression indicated all they saw was a wisp of a female challenging four large males. Her size gave the impression that she was an easy mark, when in reality, it lent itself to her swiftness. She was faster than even her more physically endowed brothers. However, with Ivan jabbing that piece into his side, it was still four on one.

When Ivan’s crew moved into range, Sonya struck first and with intense speed. Her leg came up high above her head, cracking the closest male on his crown with a downward vertical kick. He went to the ground jaw first. She thrust her fingertips into the jugular of the second male before shoving her other palm hard into his stunned face. The third swung his fist out, missing as Sonya craned her head to the side. She twirled her body, bringing her elbow up to slam it into his temple. He fell. Then she kicked off the ground and jumped toward her final opponent, clamping her thighs around his neck. She threw her torso back, planted her palms on the ground, and hurled the male several feet into the bleachers.

In her crouched position, she turned her lava gaze on Ivan.

Ethan openly gloated as he told Ivan, “You’re going to want to put your piece away.”

He did, slipping it into a holster hidden in one of his many pockets. Ethan stowed his weapon as well before stepping into Sonya’s line of sight. She peered around him, still intent on her target.

“Okay. Come back now,” Ethan cooed, placing his palms on the side of her face. She scanned his features in an animalistic manner, tilting her head to the side. Slowly, the fire drained from her eyes, replaced by that jewel-tone color. She blinked twice as if coming out of a trance.

“Hooey!” Ivan burst out. “That is one wild female you have there.”

With slow movements, his men began pulling themselves off the ground.

Sonya took her gaze off Ethan to glare at Ivan.

Most of the men were laughing off the defeat, rubbing their bruises, all but the one who was gushing blood from his nose. He started limping, as if heading for the door behind Sonya and Ethan, which caught Ethan’s attention. Sonya had done nothing to his leg, and his movements were too deliberate.

“So what’s this big paying job you’re offering?” Ivan coaxed.

Sonya replied, still surly from her trip to the Edge, “At this point, it doesn’t look to me like you or your boys would be of any use.”

Ivan ignored the insult. “We’re known for our stealth work, quick take downs, not hand to hand combat, darlin’.”

Ethan kept the male in his peripheral vision as he maneuvered behind Sonya. In the next moment, malicious intent slammed into him, and he moved without thinking.

Cold steel slipped into his gut. Sonya cried out from behind him. Swifter than Ethan’s pain-filled mind could comprehend, she twisted around him, grabbed the attacker by the head, and wrenched till a resounding pop rang out. The body fell limp.

Then she flipped to face Ethan, snatched his gun from its holster, and pointed it at the other males as she desperately held him against her, their front smashed together, his wound dripping between them. Possessive claws pressed into on his back.

“Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!” Ivan and the others yelled, putting their palms up.

“I did not sanction that,” Ivan added in a rush, glancing at the dead man without any hint of remorse. “That was a dirty double cross. Ethan, you alright, mate?”

Ethan put his arms around Sonya and pulled her tighter into his chest, partly to obscure the light that accompanied his healing magic, but mostly because of the utter relief he felt to have her there. Though that blade had sliced him high in his stomach, and, to him, the wound was minuscule, it would have gone right through her torso…straight into her heart.

She kept one arm around him with the gun still trained on the men behind him. Her chin could have rested on his shoulder, but she was too stiff in his arms. She was probably back on the Edge, deeper than before. In a confidential voice, he whispered calming words to her, things he would do to her later when he had her alone, all the while breathing her in as his magic went to work on his wound.

After a moment, her body softened, yet her aim stayed true. His wound began the process of knitting together. Once fully healed, he let go of Sonya and turned to the others. “What kind of slime are you recruiting these days, Ivan?”

“He should not have done that. I apologize for his actions and hold no ill will for his death. You’re female did right.”

Ethan felt the honesty in his words and gave a tight nod, noticing a few spectators were now focused on them.

“They’re fine,” Ivan assured, following his gaze. “We’re all friends here. But can you have her lower the weapon?”

Sonya still looked irate, her finger tight on the trigger. Ethan placed his palm on the top of her wrist and applied a gentle pressure. After only a slight resistance, she dropped her arm.

“Koda,” Ivan called to one of his guys. “Get rid of the body, yeah?”

* * *

Sonya willfully disregarded the repeated apologies Ivan offered her, wanting only to get Ethan back to the ship. What was he thinking approaching these low-lives? She mentally cursed herself for not realizing what that reprobate with the fake limping act had been planning. She wished she hadn’t made his death so quick. Her blood still burned for revenge.

How could Ethan have placed himself in harm’s way like that?

Just imagining losing him to men like these had her wanting to seize that weapon back from Ethan to eliminate the bastards.

But there was an ignorant, inebriated crowd around them now. They’d relocated to a small bar area next to the recreation center, and Ivan had bought them a couple rounds. They were well into their third when Ethan began to explain the situation on Evlon to Ivan, as well as the proposition the Faieara king had inscribed into the book. Patches of land, rich with precious stones, were to be bartered to anyone who required compensation for their assistance in defeating the Kayadon.

Now Sonya realized why Ethan had come here. Anyone he was acquainted with would demand a hefty payment for their services.

“Look, Ethan, I feel for the plight of your people. I do,” Ivan said. “But I could either stay here safe and sound, fighting my robot, or I could go with you and potentially get killed. Which would you choose in my position?”

Ethan frowned. “Your skills with a ship are unmatched. Nothing could ever touch you. Tell me you don’t miss the action.”

“Of course I miss it,” Ivan responded with a dismissive wave. “But do you know how long we’ve been working on that machine?”

“With what I offer, you could buy a thousand bots ten times better than that one.”

Ivan sat back in his chair. “But the risk is ten times greater.” He shook his head. “I need another drink.” He stood and made his way to the bar. More likely than not it was an excuse to consult with his three lackeys who were flirting with the buxom server.

Sonya leaned close to Ethan. “Do we really need these guys?”

Ethan nodded. “Ivan has access to fleets—not
a
fleet—
fleets
of war ships. He’s the leader of the largest mercenary syndicate I’ve ever seen.”

“So now he’s a mercenary again?”

Ethan grumbled, “We started off together as pirates, yes. That’s not the point. With him, our chances of defeating the Kayadon greatly increase.”

Sonya rolled her eyes, and Ethan glared at her. She pursed her lips, returning the expression, but she could see the determination behind his eyes. She had to admit, a fleet, or rather, fleets, of ships did sound like a pretty great advantage.

She sucked back the last of her drink and then slammed the bottle down on the table. “You want him, fine. I’ll get him.”

Ethan raised a quizzical brow at her before his gift informed him of her plan. “Wait. No, no, no.”

“No what?” Ivan returned with a fresh drink in hand.

Sonya challenged him with her gaze. “What if you didn’t have a robot to fight?”

Chapter 28

Ethan begged Sonya not to do this as Ivan ordered his men, “Tak, Koda, get the bot ready for another battle.”