Cindrac Read online

  Adamo and the elves bowed before Lanie, making her laugh in nervousness at the sight of them. “I believe the dragons made a good choice with their gift.”

  “She’s a badass!” Tanq agreed.

  “When’s the last time you heard of a Consortium kidnap victim killing the whole ship and holding off a moon of raiders? I’d fight beside Lanie anytime!” Linq chuckled.

  Dar cursed at how badly he’d handled this. “My problem isn’t with the gift Lanie received from the blood. I agree that Lanie clearly deserved it. My problem is with how the Consortium got hold of it.”

  “Holy shit,” Linq spat in anger when he realized what was bothering Dar.

  “Oh, my God!” Lanie whispered in horror. “Did I drink real blood?”

  Dar wasn’t fast enough to move away when Lanie leaned forward and violently threw up all over his boots and the floor. With a heavy sigh, Dar stood and moved to the back of the ship to get a vacuum bot to clean up the mess.

  By the time he was walking back to Lanie, Adamo had removed Dar’s glamour, getting rid of the soiled clothes and boots in the process. Dar nodded his thanks to the elven Prince and saw Lanie’s wide eyes too late.

  Seeing the normal-looking man turn into the giant as he walked towards her, Lanie choked on the stomach acid she was hurling up and nearly passed out. Setting the bot on the floor, Dar sat down a row in front of Lanie and Cin and waited for Cin to calm her down.

  Everyone else moved closer to the couple as well, waiting for Lanie to settle down so they could hear what she had to say. Something as rare as sand dragon blood in the Consortium possession was a grave concern for all elemental and magical beings.

  As a Mascadorian, Dar was worried about how the blood of the ethereal sand dragons of his world were getting into the hands of the Consortium. He wasn’t the least bit worried that the raiders were receiving the gift of the blood. Only a true, honorable warrior could get it.

  The power of the sand dragon blood caused anyone deemed undeserving to pass out after a feeling of slight intoxication. A true and worthy warrior received clarity of thought, enhanced senses, and oneness with yourself that calmed your soul and relaxed your body. The effects were permanent and amplified when the warrior was in battle.

  The moment Lanie seemed to get herself under control, Dar tried again. “Lanie, can you tell me anything about where you found the – sand dragon liquid?”

  Lanie took another sip of the water Gabe had handed her and forced herself not to throw up again. “It was in one of the containers near the door. It was refrigerated with some other food.”

  Lanie started to look a little green and turned to Cin. “Bob and I ate some of the food too! It’s wasn’t a dragon or -”

  Cin saw Lanie looking like she’d throw up again, and he sent more of his nanites into her body to help her stay calm and settle her stomach.

  “Lanie, I’m sure there was nothing wrong with the food you ate, and no, it couldn’t have been a dragon,” Dar tried to assure the shaken woman.

  Niama moved behind Lanie and leaned over the seat. “I can help you remember what Dar needs to know. May I?”

  Cin wasn’t sure about letting the elven princess mess with Lanie’s memories, but he also knew how important this was to Dar and his people. When Lanie looked nervously at him for what to do, he nodded his head gently.

  “It won’t hurt at all,” Cin assured Lanie. “Niama is just going to help you retrieve your memories.”

  Lanie looked back at the beautiful elf and nervously nodded her head. Whatever she’d expected, it wasn’t the soft touch of the elf’s hands around her face or the 3D movie of herself playing out in the air in front of her.

  “Whoa,” Lanie breathed out, running her hand through the image until Cin pulled her hands back so they could watch.

  Huddling close, everyone watched Lanie when she and Bob killed the alien in the prison room to her first sip of the dragon’s blood. That’s when Niama stopped the playback.

  “Look at the container.” Niama didn’t have to say anything more. Dar was already looking at it and recording it with his comm.

  “That was Thramium Shaman bread they ate,” the Madean sounded angry.

  “I’m so sorry. We didn’t know that we weren’t supposed to have all that stuff.” Lanie felt terrible.

  Kace smiled gently at Lanie. “Do not be sorry. If those things hadn’t been there, you and Bob might not be alive right now. My concern is that the Consortium is getting hold of it somehow.”

  They spent the next hour watching and cataloging all of the sacred items of various worlds that Lanie and Bob had gone through in the cargo bay of the Mulvor ship.

  “Turn around,” Dar finally shouted out to the pilot.

  Cin patted Lanie’s hand and stood to face the other warriors. “You didn’t sign up for anything more than you have done. I will send you back home.”

  Adamo shook his head vehemently. “What they have stolen cannot remain in the hands of the Consortium. We have treaties and alliances with most of the worlds whose sacred relics are among the cargo, and it is our duty and honor to see that they don’t remain with the raiders.”

  “Don’t look at us.” Linq crossed his arms over his chest. “We agree with the elves on this. Those iberaria skins come from our galaxy, and I’d like to know how the bastards got them when our people patrol that particular planet.”

  Cin looked over at Gabriel, who no longer had a reason to be there since the items taken didn’t come from Betaria or Alpheria, the planets he swore to protect. The Gunney crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head.

  “Don’t look at me to leave either,” Gabe said with a snort. “If the bastards can get hold of what’s in that cargo bay, then nothing on my worlds is safe either. I’m staying until we figure this out.”

  Cin turned to Lanie and made a portal in the air. “You need to go back to the cabin with Bob and wait for me to get there. I promise I’ll be there soon.”

  Lanie looked at Cin for a moment before turning to the other warriors. She’d never felt more clear about what she needed to do. “I think I’ll stay and help.”

  Cin bit back a curse and looked to the others to help him convince her otherwise. That was a mistake.

  “I’m not helping you get rid of her!” Linq laughed. “Did you miss the part about Lanie killing a ship of Mulvors and holding off the raiders with only a cat and some found weapons? I’ll fight beside her.”

  “She’s either talented or lucky. Either way, Lanie can hold her own,” Tanq agreed with a wink at Lanie.

  Niama quirked a perfectly arched white-blond brow at Cindrac. “I’m rather fond of women in battle, and I think Lanie is one hell of a warrior. She may not be classically trained, but her instinct is precise. I will fight beside her.”

  When Cin looked to argue, Adamo raised a hand. “Lanie’s status as a warrior has already been determined by the acceptance of the sand dragon blood and the Thramium Shaman bread. Why argue with fate?”

  “There is a reason Lanie was able to accept the blood and bread and receive their gifts,” the Madean said and sent up a silent prayer for them all. “You know better than to turn your back on the signs.”

  Cindrac snorted and glared at Kace. “You shouldn’t even be here, so don’t lecture me!”

  “If you weren’t so clouded with concern for your woman, you would see how wrong you are,” Kace replied calmly. “The protection and preservation of sacred and magical items are part of the Dominion creed, as you know. I belong here as much as Lanie and everyone else. I will fight beside her.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Lanie didn’t understand half of what the group was talking about, but she knew that Cin was the only one trying to make her leave, and it hurt her feelings until the weirdly calm man called her Cin’s ‘woman.’

  Trying not to smile in excitement at the thought, Lanie was afraid she’d hyperventilate when Cindrac didn’t deny the accusation and made one against the Madean i
nstead. As much as she wanted to enjoy the fact that Cin was as attracted to her as she was to him, she had to figure out what the hell was going on.

  Linq suddenly laughed. “Why the hell are you so damn worried when you can armor and weaponize Lanie like you did, Gabe?”

  Lanie eyed the dark-haired man, who was obviously a warrior of some kind, trying to see what Linq meant. She had to admit she loved the scaly-looking clothes he was wearing. It was a little intimidating, but Lanie saw nothing that made the man appear armored or weaponized.

  When Cin slapped his hands over his face, the rest of the warriors realized that Lanie didn’t know what Cin was or what he was capable of doing. Understanding the conversation needed to end, everyone noticeably moved away from the couple and pretended interest in anything else on the ship.

  Their efforts only made Lanie more curious, and she glared at Cindrac. “What are they talking about? And how the hell did you all find me and get to me? What was the disc we went through, and how did you make it? Are you a magician of some kind?”

  The more Lanie thought about it all, the more it started to hit her like a ton of bricks, and she looked more closely at their companions.

  “Oh, my God,” Lanie whispered while staring at Niama. “You really are elves!”

  She turned to Linq and Tanq next. “What are you two? You’re clearly like the elves. You have a magical look about you.”

  The nearly identical-looking brothers smiled broadly, and two perfect dimples appeared in their chiseled faces. Their matching turquoise eyes were so bright they couldn’t be normal. At least not for Earth. In fact, their super muscled bodies and height made them look more like the giant than anyone else.

  “We’re earth elementals,” Linq grinned proudly and briefly turned his body into a shimmering gray stone for a moment.

  Lanie just blinked for a few seconds, trying to process what she’d seen before locking eyes with the Madean, who nodded at her with respect.

  “I’m known as the Madean. I’m the Grand Master of a universal sect of warrior clerics.”

  “I’m Gunnery Sergeant Gabriel Asbury.” Gabe knew Lanie would ask him next and decided to give her a break and speak up. He knew how confused she must be feeling right now. “I was abducted from Earth, just like you, more than a year ago. I’m a genetically and technologically enhanced human.”

  To prove it, Gabe ordered his nanites to cover him in armor, including a face shield. Next, he produced half a dozen weapons from various parts of his body before making the weapons and armor disappear again.

  Lanie really did feel like hyperventilating now.

  “Did Cin do that to you?” Lanie barely got the words out of her nearly closed throat.

  “A year before the Mulvors abducted me, my legs were blown off in Afghanistan. Betaria, the planet LAW sent me to, replaced my legs, and added technology that helps me defend my new planet and my family. I wanted this,” Gabriel admitted. “Cin helped my wife perfect the technology.”

  “You’re an android?” Lanie was caught between curiosity, doubt, and fear.

  Gabe laughed. “Hell, no! The only thing different is my legs and my nanites. Everything else is all me, including my brain.”

  Lanie turned to Cin in shock. “Who the hell are you? And don’t tell me some hacker hiding in the middle of the damn woods either. Is Bob a real cat? Is Bob enhanced too, and that’s how he was able to help me escape?”

  Dar’s pilot suddenly turned around in his seat and looked at the tense group in the back. “We’re almost at the border again. Do we have a plan, or am I flying us into this suicide mission?”

  “Stop at the border,” Dar called out and looked at Lanie. “I’m going to give you a quick rundown of your questions, and then you need to go. No, you aren’t on Earth. You’re in space. There are those in your government who betrayed you to the Consortium, and they kidnapped you. Cin asked for our help to get you back. The disc is a portal Cin can create that will take you to other worlds, realms, or even times.”

  Cin made a silencing motion with his hands, indicating he thought Dar had already said too much and wanted him to shut up. Dar pretended not to see him.

  “Cindrac isn’t a magician,” Dar assured Lanie. “He’s the most technologically advanced man in the universe, and he’s from Earth’s future. He went back in time to prevent the complete enslavement of your planet, and well, here we are. Here you are. Now, you should go back to where it’s safe. It was nice meeting you.”

  Cindrac was caught between wanting to kill Dar and studying Lanie’s face to see how well she’d taken the bluntly stated facts about him.

  Lanie snorted and looked at the others to see who would be the first to crack a smile and tell her they were just joking. Most turned away from her direct gaze, except for the cleric. He smiled sadly and nodded his head. Of everyone in the UFO, the Madean’s agreement with the giant made her believe it.

  Unable to process any of it right now, Lanie cleared her throat. “Well, I’m sure I’ll have a lot of questions at some point, but it doesn’t sound like we have the time for it right now. Let’s get your stuff back first.”

  “Take Bob and go to the cabin,” Cin gestured to the disc, still hanging in the air. “I’ll be there as soon as we finish, and I’ll answer any questions you have.”

  If what everyone said was true, there was no way in hell Lanie was leaving Cindrac’s side. Not until they were both safely back on Earth again. She damn sure wasn’t going to jump through the disc with only the cat, especially if the giant was right, and it could lead to other realms or times.

  The only reason Lanie was alive right now was because Cin had been saving her since the moment they met. First from Jason, then aliens, and raiders after that. Cin was the first person to ever really help her, and at this point, he was the only one she trusted.

  “No, I’m not going.” Lanie ignored Cin’s crestfallen look. “I can help, and Bob will be fine at the cabin by himself.”

  Bob made a snorting noise, and with his nose raised slightly, the cat walked over to Lanie and sat down at her feet. Lanie knew she’d have never escaped the Mulvor’s prison without the intelligent cat and shook her head.

  “On the other hand, Bob can help too,” Lanie smiled and reached down to pet the cat. “Give him some of that armor and weapons stuff.”

  Linq and Tanq chuckled until Cin shot them a heated glare. He sighed and turned to Lanie, who took his hand and smiled at him.

  “Don’t try to talk me out of it,” Lanie said before he could argue. “I’m going. With or without the cool armor and all.”

  Dar cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention, and Lanie turned to the giant as well.

  “The best way to do this would be to get in the same way we did the last time, but we’ll blow the damn ship with everything in it,” Dar suggested, knowing the Consortium had already reclaimed the ship and its rare contents.

  “Can’t we just eat and drink what we can find first, then destroy the rest?” Linq seemed disappointed.

  When everyone just glared at Linq, Tanq mumbled to himself, “What a waste.”

  Dar turned to Cin. “If you’re going to do something to armor Lanie, you need to do it now because we have to go before the Raiders can fortify the security around that ship and the contents.”

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” Cin asked Lanie, studying her face for the truth.

  “I’m positive.” Lanie nodded her head firmly. “I’m not going to be a victim again, and I offered to work with you long before all this crazy stuff happened.”

  Cin snorted and shook his head, unable to keep the smile off his face. “That was before you were kidnapped and taken to galaxies far away.”

  “Makes it more important for me to be able to protect myself then, doesn’t it?” Lanie smiled back, realizing she won, and Cin was going to take her with them.

  As crazy as it seemed, Lanie felt safer going back to the moon where they would have experimented on her th
an she did going through a portal by herself. Even if Cin swore it would take her back to Earth, Lanie didn’t want to go without him.

  Everyone watched in unabashed fascination as Cin held his hand up with the palm facing the ceiling. Within seconds thousands of tiny nanites spiraled upwards from the center in a whirling tornado. He looked at Lanie’s wide eyes.

  “I’m going to send them to you,” Cin warned seconds before they shot from his palm to Lanie’s bare arms and disappeared within her pores.

  Lanie was still trying to understand what just happened when her mind felt like it was swelling before a sense of peace and confidence overwhelmed her. It felt like an adrenaline rush that began in Lanie’s head and expanded outward from there.

  Even the others’ curious stares didn’t rattle Lanie as knowledge and understanding of the nanites and how they worked within her appeared in her mind. Looking at her arm, Lanie swore she could see and feel the technology rapidly replicating inside of her.

  Instead of fear, Lanie was in awe of the experience and concentrated entirely on the nanites and information flooding her mind regarding their use and capabilities. She couldn’t have been more shocked at the possibilities with the technology growing within her.

  “Keep taking deep breaths,” Cin advised gently. “Let the information come to you. When you’re ready to try it out, just speak to the nanites in your mind as if talking to an old friend.”

  “Cin,” Dar interrupted gently. “I’m not trying to rush anything, but we need to do this soon.”

  Lanie asked her nanites to give her armor like Gabe’s, and she squealed in excitement and awe when a smooth, black shell started surrounding her arms and legs. It felt like a lightweight, breathable fabric, but when Lanie tapped it with her fingers, it was solid.

  Lanie’s bright smile, when she looked at Cin, had him grinning in return. “You’re a natural at it. Try your weapons next.”

  Lanie’s smile disappeared. “I don’t think I can yet. The nanites need more time to replicate.”

  Knowing they didn’t have much time and unwilling to be left behind, Lanie made her armor disappear and pulled the two spare weapons she had in the back of her waistband.