Shadowed Page 8

  Nina stared at her cuffed wrists for a moment and seemed to realize that the restraints were completely escape-proof. She took a deep breath and started to scream again.

  “Help! Help me! This man is kidnapping me. Help!”

  Reddix finally lost it. He was still on the ragged edge and the desperate fear in her blue eyes bothered him more than he liked to admit. The guilt that threatened to overwhelm him made him angry.

  “Goddess damn it, shut up!” he roared right in her face.

  Nina went abruptly pale and stopped screaming. She shrank back from him, turning her head away, trying to get as far from his threatening form as she could.

  Reddix felt his heart twist. This wasn’t how he had imagined meeting her for the first time. But what other option did he have? He couldn’t exactly introduce himself and ask if she would mind going with him to a distant planet in another galaxy so she could act as a sacrifice for an evil witch. It was kidnapping or nothing.

  Ignore her. She’s just a package to be delivered, he ordered himself as he buckled her in, securing the harness at last. But he still felt a sharp stab of guilt as he slammed her door closed and went around to get into the driver’s side.

  The sirens were getting louder, and Reddix saw flashing red and blue lights in the distance as he started the ship. They lifted off just as two official looking vehicles skidded to a halt in front of them. Their doors popped open, and two human males—puny looking creatures not nearly as tall as a Kindred warrior—jumped out.

  “This is the police,” shouted one of the males.

  “Help!” Nina leaned against the passenger side door and scrabbled at the handle. It would do her no good, of course. Reddix had taken the precaution of keying all the doors specifically to his own prints. But still, she tried. “Help me!” she begged again, looking down at the rapidly receding ground.

  One of the human males lifted his arm and pointed something at the ship—some kind of weapon, Reddix thought.

  “Let the girl go, or I’ll shoot!” he warned, his voice getting fainter as the ship gained altitude.

  Reddix was tempted to laugh. As if any of their puny Earth weapons could hurt a Kindred ship! As if—

  His thoughts were cut off as the human male squeezed his weapon and pointed at Reddix’s side of the ship. There was a loud bang and something hit the side of the ship.

  Reddix jumped in surprise. Then bang, bang, bang… Whoever the human male was, he was a damn good shot, Reddix had to grudgingly admit. He was no longer quite so sure that the human weapon couldn’t harm his ship. The projectiles it was firing whined as they grazed the metal hull. A direct hit in a vulnerable spot might cause damage after all.

  As if to prove him right, there was another bang, and the ship dipped and swerved, nearly yanking the steering yoke out of Reddix’s hands.

  Nina screamed breathlessly, her bound hands going to her throat.

  Reddix fought with the steering yoke and wrestled the ship into submission. A few more distant bangs sounded, but the projectiles passed them by harmlessly. The ship was still gaining altitude and was finally out of range of the human weapons. Out of range but not out of danger. He didn’t like the mushy way the controls responded to him or the way he had to fight to make the yoke turn when he wanted to correct his course.

  “Goddess damn it,” he cursed under his breath as he manhandled the yoke. The ship was definitely damaged, but how much and how seriously, he had no way of knowing. The smart thing to do would be to set down somewhere to examine it and run a complete diagnostic. That, of course, was impossible. He couldn’t set back down on Earth, and he couldn’t go back to the Mother Ship either—not with Nina screaming to everyone they saw that she had been kidnapped and taken against her will. No, his only option was to keep going and hope he could make it to the wormhole that led to Tarsia.

  “They hurt your ship, didn’t they?”

  Her voice surprised him, and Reddix looked over to see Nina staring at him, a bleak, shocked look on her face. There were tears standing in her big blue eyes—tears he had put there. Again, Reddix felt a stab of guilt, and again, he pushed the emotion savagely away. If he was going to do this, to carry through with his mission, he had to forget about his own feelings and hers and just keep going.

  “The bullets hit it when the cops shot your ship,” she went on. “Too bad they didn’t hit you.” She sounded like she might start crying, but there was defiance in her tone as well. It still felt strange to hear the emotion in her voice without feeling it on his skin. Reddix wondered absently how much longer this period of numbness would last before he was treated to the full blast of her emotions.

  “Yeah, well, they didn’t,” he growled, keeping his eyes straight ahead as he continued to fight with the controls. “Now be quiet so I can concentrate on flying this damn thing.”

  “Oh yes, just shut up and let you abduct me,” she said bitterly. “Just sit here quietly like a good little girl so you can take me somewhere to rape and torture me before you cut me into pieces and feed me into the wood chipper—or whatever alien equivalent you Kindred have.”

  Reddix spared a moment from the mushy controls to glance at her.

  “That’s the second time you mentioned rape,” he said, frowning. “Let me tell you, you’ve got nothing to worry about there. I couldn’t take you against your will, even if I wanted to—which I don’t. I’m not that kind of male.”

  Her eyes widened, then narrowed.

  “Right. You’re not that kind of guy. You’re just the kind who comes in and kidnaps some helpless girl you don’t even know—”

  “I know you, Nina,” he said shortly. “And you know me too. Don’t try to deny it.”

  “But I don’t…I’ve never seen you out…outside of my dreams.” Her voice faltered, and some of the defiance left her eyes to be replaced by fear and confusion. “Mehoo said you were a bear—an animal that hides its face.”

  Thinking of the way he always hid his face with his hood, Reddix laughed harshly.

  “That’s a fucking apt description. Guess your Mehoo was right about me.”

  Nina was silent for a moment, which gave him time to concentrate on flying. The little ship kept wanting to roll off course, and Reddix kept having to yank on the steering yoke to correct it. They were coming to the upper limits of the atmosphere now, though. Once they cleared the Earth’s gravitational pull and got out into space, flying ought to be easier. He hoped, anyway.

  At last, she spoke again. “Why did you take me? If you’re not intending to…to assault me, then why? Are you claiming me as your Bride? Because I told you, I can’t be claimed—I’m Native American.”

  “Got no interest in making you my bride,” Reddix growled. “Got no personal interest in you at all. This is strictly business.”

  “They why—”

  Suddenly, the comlink crackled to life.

  “Reddix? This is Commander Sylvan. You are in direct violation of my orders. I want you back at the Mother Ship now.”

  There was cold steel in the Tranq Kindred’s voice and Reddix could tell he was pissed. Damn it! He’d been sure he would have more of a head start. Now he had both the Earth authorities and his Kindred brothers on his tail. Could anything else go wrong?

  “Come back to the Mother Ship at once,” Sylvan demanded again.

  “Sorry, Commander, can’t do it,” Reddix said evenly as the little ship shot out into clear space. As he had hoped, steering was suddenly much easier, and he breathed a small sigh of relief.

  Nina leaned forward, staring hopefully at the comlink.

  “Hello? Can you hear me? My name is Nina Kerrick, and this man is abducting me against my will. Please, help me!”

  A new voice suddenly came onto the comlink.

  “Reddix? What did you do? Who is that girl?” Saber demanded.

  “She’s the one,” Reddix said shortly. “The one I need.”

  “What do you need her for?” Saber asked. “For Xandra? It’s all li
es, Reddix! She lies!”

  “She does what she promises as long as you pay,” Reddix shot back. “And you left me no choice, Saber—I have to pay, no matter how steep the price is.”

  As he spoke, the little ship shot past the Earth’s single moon where the Kindred Mother Ship was orbiting and headed out into deep space. Reddix knew exactly where he was going—the wormhole that led to his home galaxy. The minute he got through it, he was going straight to Tarsia. He’d have Nina at the swamp witch’s hut in less time than it took the Kindred Mother Ship to mobilize and send out ships to go after him. By the time they reached him, the deal would be done. As to what Xandra would do to Nina…he didn’t let himself think about that.

  The witch promised she would be all right…probably, he tried to reassure himself uneasily. Anyway, I can’t think of her. I have to think of Minda, already big with child. If a civil war breaks out…

  “Think what you’re doing,” Saber cut into his grim thoughts, but his voice was getting fainter and fainter as Reddix’s ship pulled farther away. “You don’t have to do this, Reddix.”

  “Yes, I do. You left me no choice,” he shot back.

  “Please,” Nina pleaded, leaning toward the comlink. “Please, he has me in some kind of handcuffs and I’m strapped to the seat—I can’t get out. I’m scared.”

  Reddix felt his heart twist again. Gods, he had never wanted to frighten her so. Although, how he could kidnap her without scaring her to death, he had no idea.

  “Reddix,” Saber shouted, but his voice was so faint now Reddix could barely hear it. They were getting closer to the edge of the wormhole, which interfered with reception. “Reddix,” he shouted again. “Come back! Lissa and I have agreed we’re going to…”

  But the rest of the sentence was a blur of static. Whatever his friend had been saying was lost—not that it mattered. Even if Saber had been declaring his intention to go back and rule the Touch Kindred Clans with Lissa at his side, Reddix would still have continued with his mission. There was no way in all the Seven Hells the Clans would take him back with Lissa as his bride, and if Saber thought any differently, he was deluding himself.

  “What happened?” Nina demanded. “Did you shut him off?”

  “Did you see me touch the comlink?” Reddix growled. “The wormhole interferes with reception. And we were getting out of range anyway.”

  “Wormhole?” Nina’s eyes grew wide. “Isn’t that like a black hole? Where the gravity is so strong it tears everything to pieces? Please tell me you’re not taking us in one of those.”

  “It’s not exactly like a black hole,” Reddix said, frowning. “It’s a portal—a gateway to another part of the universe. Don’t worry, as long as I keep the ship steady, we’ll be fine.”

  “Is…is that it?” Nina’s voice was soft with fear. On the viewscreen, the wormhole had appeared—a tunnel of blue light wavering in space that twisted away an unimaginable distance. As they approached, it grew huge, taking up the entire screen.

  “That’s it,” Reddix said shortly.

  As he spoke, he began to feel the pull of the wormhole on the ship. To his dismay, the steering yoke became instantly harder to move. Reddix struggled with it, the muscles in his arms bulging. Damn it, why hadn’t he thought of this? He’d been too caught up in worrying about how frightened Nina was of him to think clearly. If he wasn’t careful, he’d kill them both.

  The ship began to rock as it was sucked closer and closer to the wormhole.

  “What’s happening?” Nina sounded panicked. “What’s going on?”

  “Nothing. We’re fine,” Reddix grated. “Just be quiet and let me concentrate.”

  She sat white faced and silent as he guided them in. The big muscles of his arms ached with the effort of holding the ship steady as they passed into the twisting blue vortex of light.

  Then the wormhole grabbed them and yanked them through.

  Chapter Ten

  Nina was too frightened to even scream as the little ship dived into the swirling blue maw of the wormhole. Despite the man who had abducted her saying they would be fine, she didn’t believe him. She could see his arms bunching, the muscles under his skin twisting like pythons as he fought to keep the ship on track. There was a fierce concentration in his hooded silver eyes, and his face was twisted into a sneer of effort.

  I’m going to die now, she thought numbly as the brilliant blue light swallowed them whole and the ship began to rock and shake. This is how it ends. Being kidnapped by an alien lunatic I’ve only seen in my dreams and torn apart in space by a freaking cosmic phenomenon. It was so bizarre it would have been funny if she hadn’t been too afraid to laugh.

  The ship began shaking even harder, and it felt like something had hit its side. Nina didn’t hear any metallic clangs like she had when the bullets hit, but it jerked hard and then started to wobble all over the place. Her stomach lurched up in her throat, and for a moment, she was sure she would throw up. I’ve never liked rollercoasters, she thought inanely. Not even the Scooby Doo coaster at Lawrey Park.

  The man who had taken her was swearing steadily under his breath—sometimes in English and sometimes in some other, guttural language that sounded alien and strange. Nina wanted to ask him what was going on, but she didn’t dare distract him from his task. He looked like he needed all his concentration to keep them from flying right into the wormhole’s walls.

  You should distract him, a sour little voice in her head whispered. It would be better to die out here—quicker, cleaner—than to go through whatever it is he probably has planned for you.

  The voice was almost certainly right, but Nina remained silent. Honestly at this minute, she was afraid if she opened her mouth she was going to puke. So she kept her teeth clamped together and her lips shut, struggling with herself, hoping she didn’t have to spend her last few minutes of life throwing up.

  Then, as suddenly as they had entered it, they shot out of the wormhole…and straight at the side of a large purple planet.

  “Shit!” her abductor growled and then repeated the sentiment in his harsh alien language.

  “What’s happening?” Nina’s voice sounded curiously calm and detached in her own ears. “Why are we headed straight for that purple world?”

  “Gravitational pull,” he said, answering her to her surprise. “The steering system is shot, and the thrusters seem to be too.”

  “Then what’s…what’s going to happen?” Nina asked.

  He spared her a quick glance. “We’re going to crash, sweetheart,” he growled. “That’s what’s going to happen. Better brace for impact.”

  “Oh my God,” Nina whispered. She was pinned back against her seat by the incredible G-force of the ship hurtling toward the ground, and her chest felt tight and heavy like an elephant was standing on it—she could hardly breathe. She wished she could at least close her eyes so she didn’t have to see her impending doom, but the side of the purple planet loomed larger and larger in the screen in front of her, and she found herself powerless to look away.

  Mehoo, she thought as a huge violet landmass came up to meet them, Who will bring you your favorite hamburger now? Who will learn to make your healing medicine? I’m sorry, so sorry I didn’t learn more…

  Suddenly, everything went blue as currents of strange blue-green gel foamed out of the console in front of her. Nina looked around wildly—it seemed to be coming from everywhere.

  Oh my God! What the hell? Apparently, she wasn’t going to die in the crash after all—she was going to drown in blue gel instead. The view of the purple planet rushing up to meet them took on the look of a strange, underwater landscape. The gel had covered Nina’s mouth and was almost up to her nose. She couldn’t even swim to get away—her hands were cuffed, and she was bound to her seat.

  Going to die! Going to die, going to die! screamed the voice in her head.

  There was a crunching noise, and she felt her head jerk forward and knock against something that was soft at first and the
n hard. She took one last breath of air, lifting her chin frantically to rise above the seething gel…and then everything went dark.

  When she woke up, the cabin was bathed in a sickly greenish light and her head was pounding. The view outside the windshield-like screen at the front of the ship showed only darkness and vague purple humps that might have been hills or haystacks or simply shadows.

  At first, Nina couldn’t remember where she was or what she was doing there. Her last memory was of telling Mr. Witherspoon she absolutely would not give him a “happy ending” for his massage. How the hell had she ended up here, strapped to a seat with her hands cuffed and her head aching?

  Then it all came rushing back—the man from her dream, the one with a shadowed face and burning silver eyes…the way he had abducted her and shot them both into space…the crazy, nausea-inducing trip through the wormhole in the wobbling ship and the crash landing on the vast purple planet.

  But everything turned blue right before the crash. I thought I was going to drown. Was that my imagination?

  Nina blinked and looked around. No, she hadn’t imagined it. There were still clumps of blue gel clinging to the console and puddles of it on the floor at her feet but it seemed to be melting even as she watched. Maybe it was some kind of cushioning system—the Kindred version of an airbag in case of collision. Nina could still feel the sticky remains of it on her cheeks.

  She lifted her hands instinctively to wipe it off and remembered afresh that she was cuffed and helpless. Looking at the copper-colored cuffs that seemed to have molded themselves to her wrists made her think of her captor—where was he?

  Looking to her left, Nina saw that the pilot’s chair was empty. Had he left her? Abandoned her in the wrecked ship while she was helpless and unconscious? The bastard! Where the hell had he gone? Nina wriggled in the tight harness, filled with righteous indignation. But then, by craning her head around the side of her seat and looking over her shoulder, she saw him at last.