Warrior's Paradox (Cadi Warriors Book 3) Page 17

  “Are we ready?” Cyprian asked from the captain’s chair. Everyone nodded. “Fire it up.”

  Ashtoret started the engine, and it hummed to life without protest.

  “Here we go,” Cyprian smiled back at Tytus.

  The warriors always seemed so impressed when he got one of the arcane vessels up and running. Tytus was impressed that his ancestors created cruisers that stood the test of time. He couldn’t wait for the day, when Cadi was manufacturing new fleets of space worthy machines.

  The cruiser shimmied as it broke free from Cadi’s gravity and lumbered into the air. June stared wide eyed at Tytus. She was used to the Miran Sona vessel, and its comparatively smooth handling.

  “It’s just heaving to life. All the salvages I’ve rehabbed, startup similar. It will even out soon,” Tytus encouraged her.

  “If you say so.” She worried her lip.

  Tytus was confident in the cruiser. Rark had kept it in good shape. It only needed minor repairs, compared to some of the vessels he’d worked on. Still he was relieved, for June’s sake, when they reached altitude and the ride calmed.

  9 Field Research

  June

  June felt a slight pinch at her neck, as Tytus’ mouth heated her skin. She moaned when the erotic, tingling sensation worked its way through her.

  What a lovely way to wake up. This was a pleasant first. She could get used to waking up next to Tytus.

  Tytus pulled June tight against his chest, one strong arm banding her breasts, the other gripping her hip. He was ramrod straight, pressed against her back. A salacious grin spread across June’s face, as she recalled his anatomy in graphic detail.

  “Ahem,” a voice coughed.

  June’s eyes flew open to see Ashtoret standing in the doorway.

  “Oh, my god,” June squeaked, surprised they weren’t alone in the cruiser cabin. “Tytus. Tytus!”

  “Huh,” he growled as he awoke. “Oh, uh Ashtoret, good day.”

  “We’re at the drop off point. We thought we’d let you two sleep as long as possible, since it’s been a long few days for you both,” Ashtoret apologized.

  “We’ll be in the loading bay shortly,” Tytus groaned.

  “That was so embarrassing. I wonder how long Ashtoret was standing there?” June cringed.

  “He could’ve tried knocking louder,” Tytus growled in frustration.

  “You think we have time to take care of that?” June wagged her brows, as she eyed the bulge tenting the blanket.

  “No,” he huffed as they got up. “I need to find you better clothing. You’ve been forced to wear these overgrown cloaks for too long,” Tytus groused.

  “I’ll be okay. Just please tell me if I start to stink.”

  “You smell good,” he said as he pulled June close and squeezed her tight, then abruptly released her again. “We better go,” Tyus grumbled.

  “Yeah. We better go,” June sighed.

  If it wasn’t one thing, it was another, interrupting their intimate moments. Just as Tytus’ inhibitions were easing, Cyprian made him to second guess himself. June hoped to convince Tytus otherwise, with a repeat performance, but the ship repairs and gallinacus attack got in the way. Frustrating didn’t begin to describe how she felt. June was past ready to consummate her unconventional marriage. And as hesitant as Tytus was about taking things to the next level, June could tell it was getting to him too.

  They quickly visited the washroom, then headed to the loading bay. The cruiser had already landed in a clearing, and Ashtoret had the rota unloaded. It was still early from the looks of the sun on the horizon.

  “We will keep in touch when we can.” Cyprian bowed to Tytus and Ashtoret. “Here. Don’t forget the disrupters.” He passed each warrior a gun.

  Tytus placed the weapon in a holster, next to the knives on his bandolier.

  “Be safe,” June urged.

  She hugged Cyprian and Vintor, then smiled at the awkward expressions they cast her because of it. When she hugged Thunder, he wasn’t stiff like the two warriors. It was amusing how the hairy people were more comfortable with public displays of affection than the Cadi.

  Tytus helped June into their rota, and they watched as the others took off in the cruiser. June tried not to think this might be the last time she saw the three men. Cyprian’s crew had the harder, more dangerous assignment. However, if they were successful, they’d learn what happened to poor Exo and Riley.

  Please find my friends, but come back in one piece, she prayed.

  June forced herself to concentrate on the unusual scenery, to dispel her weepy mood. The forest was more like a jungle here in the south. Vines were threatening to take over the dirt road, as the rota made its way beneath the lush verdant canopy. The prolific vines twined around the trees, seeking patches of light. Anyplace the creepers found it, they sprouted large magenta blooms, reminiscent of a hibiscus.

  Flocks of lime green batty-birds filled the leafy canopy overhead. They swiftly darted from branch to branch, following a swarm of insects. June gasped when a freaky iridescent blob descended and gobbled one of them up. The jellyfish hung by one long tentacle, like a wiggly jiggly spider. The meal in its transparent bulbous body struggled, then ceased to move. It was the circle of life at its weirdest.

  There are some crazy ass animals on Cadi.

  Tytus suddenly growled and released the rota controls. Faster than June could process, he whipped out a large knife and sliced through a vine dangling overhead. The purplish-green tendril dropped into the rota at her feet. As it writhed, June saw a gaping mouth with rows of pin-sharp teeth.

  “Holy shit,” she exclaimed, as she pulled her feet up into the seat.

  Tytus carefully avoided the mouth and tossed the decapitated creature out of the vessel.

  “Did you get it?” Ashtoret called out.

  “Yes. I’m putting the shield up,” Tytus replied.

  “Probably a good idea. I think some of those are poisonous,” Ashtoret commented.

  Poisonous!

  If it hadn’t been for Tytus’ keen eye and quick moves, some poisonous alien snake would’ve been wrapped around her.

  How many more things are going to try to kill me on this trip?

  There was a flicker as the forcefield encompassed the cab of the rota.

  “Thank you.” June breathed a sigh of relief. “I was excited to see Cadi. Now I can’t wait to get back to your lab. I don’t think me and the wildlife are getting along.”

  “I’m starting to agree with you.” Tytus looked fierce. He didn’t like the threats that kept coming at them any more than she did. “The shield will hold out animals like the jaculus.”

  June admired Tytus as they rode through the jungle. There was something terribly erotic about being rescued by the giant god of a man.

  “You need to stop smiling at me like that June, or I’m might be tempted to stop this rota, and we really need to be at the Toufik camp by midday.” Tytus smiled sardonically at her.

  “I was just thinking how awesome you are. I know men who would’ve screamed like a girl back there. You really are a warrior.”

  “Did you doubt?”

  “No, but where I’m from, science minded men aren’t usually super soldiers, who go around rescuing damsels in distress.”

  June thought specifically of her former partner, Andrew, who was pudgy around the middle, and an all-around fathead. He probably would’ve pissed himself, and she would’ve had to rescue him.

  Then again, maybe I wouldn’t have, she smirked. Good riddance.

  Tytus, on the other hand, was disturbingly smart, brave, and the kind of sexy that made June sigh.

  “I had to train and fight alongside the others during the war. Because of my specialized knowledge, I was a prime target. If the enemy takes out your tech, they cripple your fleet,” he explained.

  “That makes sense.” June licked her lips as she recalled the deadly graceful move he’d used to kill the snake.

  June turned
back towards the view of the jungle, before she was tempted to do something ornery.

  “The view is different. I’ve never been this far south. This is the heart of Scelus Cadi territory,” Tytus commented.

  They both watched the passing landscape, though they couldn’t see far into the overgrown jungle. June smiled when she saw an enormous clump of flowers that reminded her of African violets on crack. The blooms were as big as her head.

  The jungle eventually thinned. Skirting the road was a massive plantation. The tall stalky plants went on as far as June could see.

  “What are those plants?” June asked.

  “Dulcis, I believe. It’s where we get sucrose from. The dulcis bars you like, are named for the sweet plant.”

  “Ah, like sugar cane,” June replied.

  “This should be the large estate that borders the refugee camp.”

  Out in the field, Cadi and Toufik were harvesting the sweet canes using large machetes. They loaded the long stalks into a wagon, that was already piled incredibly high. The people stopped and watched the rota drive past. June waved and smiled. A few of the workers held up a hand in greeting, before continuing with their strenuous work.

  June jumped when something grazed her calf. June nervously glanced down, expecting to see one of those nasty snakes. She was deliriously relieved to see Tytus’ tail. He was piloting the rota, oblivious to what it was doing. June broke out in a fit of giggles.

  “That thing has a mind of its own.”

  Tytus glanced at his tail, then grinned.

  “I thought it was one of those creepy vine snakes.” She swatted Tytus’ arm.

  Tytus’ tail inched further up her calf, snaking around her thigh as it worked higher.

  “Tytus,” June squealed when the tip poked at the crack of her ass.

  “Is everything okay?” Ashtoret asked from his rota.

  “Yes,” Tytus called out.

  “You behave,” June hissed at Tytus, as she wrestled the tail out from between her legs. “You are as bad as the wildlife.”

  Tytus chuckled.

  “I think I see the settlement ahead,” Ashtoret announced as they came over the top of a hill.

  They reentered a sparsely forested area, with tent after tent, clustered here and there. June felt like she was attending a renaissance fair. The large shelters looked like they could house half a dozen people each.

  The hairy Toufik were doing various tasks. Some were cooking the noon day meal over communal fires, while others carved or sewed. When the people noticed the approaching rota, they stopped what they were doing and stared nervously. Several uniformed Cadi gathered to greet them.

  “Did you know Feroze was planning to be here?” Ashtoret asked.

  June assumed the Chekil regent, was the man standing at the head of the group, wearing a fancy red jacket.

  Wow, she gawked at his ridiculously long hair. It nearly reached his knees.

  “I guess he plans to introduce us to the camp guards,” Tytus replied.

  “Greetings. Thank you for coming all this way,” Feroze hailed them as the rota stopped. “Warriors, these are the males the Daimio sent to interview the Toufik.”

  The regent eyed June, his brows arched in surprise.

  “This is my mate, June,” Tytus introduced her. “June this is Feroze.”

  “Hello,” June nodded.

  “I was not aware there was another human on Cadi.”

  “Yes,” Tytus replied without further explanation. “She is an engineer, like myself. She will assist me. We believe a female might make the Toufik feel more at ease.”

  Good excuse, Tytus.

  “Ah yes.” Feroze continued to watch June, as Tytus helped her down. “If I had known your mate was joining you, I’d have set aside more than a single shelter.”

  “I’m sure it will be fine. Ah good, it has a current generator,” Tytus commented when he saw the generator outside their tent.

  “Once you get settled, we’ll have midmeal. I will then introduce you to the warriors and the Toufik alphas.”

  June was less than thrilled with the idea of living in a tent, let alone sharing it with Ashtoret. She pictured alien spiders and man eating mosquitos, marauding her in the night. The only thing she wanted to molest her in bed, was Tytus. But when Feroze showed them the accommodations, she was pleasantly surprised. The tent was like a one room house inside. Instead of a dirt floor there were wood planks. On opposite walls were two large platform beds, piled with blankets. At the back, there was an area partitioned off. June peeked into the space and found a bathroom.

  “This is the nicest tent I’ve ever been in,” she declared.

  “I’m pleased it meets your approval. It is usually where I stay, when visiting the camp.” Feroze’s smile was a little patronizing, but June waved it off.

  Ashtoret, Tytus and June returned to the rota, to unload their things. June was reaching for a box, when one of the warriors practically shoved her aside to grab the package instead.

  Rude much?

  “We’ve got this. Just relax,” the male insisted.

  “Okay. Thanks,” June replied pleasantly, though she wanted to roll her eyes.

  June stood back while several warriors and Toufik helped unload their stuff. Then they all went to the center of camp for lunch.

  “This is Bohdan,” Feroze introduced the lead warrior at the camp. “And this is Fire.” He gestured to a Toufik with reddish-brown hair. “Fire is seventh generation Toufik. He’s helping get the newest Toufik clans acclimated.”

  “Greetings,” Tytus nodded.

  “Nice to meet you.” June said, then made the Toufik greeting gesture, Tytus taught her.

  “We’ve added to the guard, and no abductions have occurred since. But it is good that you are here. The Toufik that went missing are from the newest clans. Although we know many of them witnessed something, we cannot ascertain exactly what,” Bohdan explained.

  “We were made aware of the situation. I understand the new refugees are still learning the gestures for everything here on Cadi,” Ashtoret replied.

  “I have come equipped with a translator that should help,” Tytus added.

  “We’re not certain all the instances are due to abduction. The Toufik aren’t prisoners here, so it’s always possible that some of them found Toufik communities and decided to move,” Bohdan suggested.

  “I also have concerns about the nearby dulcis plantation.” Feroze explained. “This land was obtained from the family that owns the estate. I don’t believe Stigand was pleased with the deal. There are many Toufik that work the plantation, similar to before the liberation. I’m not sure all of them are there of their free will. “

  “Have you looked into this?” Ashtoret asked.

  “We have. Everything appears in order when I visit the estate, and none of the Toufik are willing to file a complaint,” Feroze added.

  “You say this Stigand male was not pleased with giving up his land,” Tytus mused out loud.

  “That would be cause to get rid of the Toufik,” Ashtoret surmised.

  “Stigand will say otherwise, but this is a rather large tract to give up,” Feroze informed them. “Add to that, Stigand’s older sister, Sundara, was a consort of Vigdis quo Carnager.”

  “He was the leader of the Scelus Cadi. Kagan and Giselle defeated him a year ago, bringing about the end of the civil war,” Tytus explained to June.

  “Do you think the siblings still favor the late tyrant?” Ashtoret asked.

  “I’ve been wondering that, particularly since all these abductions started,” Feroze stated.

  “This is a lot to consider.”

  “We will attempt to learn what we can. I will set up tonight, and start questioning the witnesses after first meal tomorrow,” Tytus explained.

  “Very good. I apologize, but I must head back to Bremin, to tend to things in the city.”

  “Thank you for the introductions, Feroze. Have a safe journey.”

&nb
sp; June, Tytus and Ashtoret ate, then excused themselves to unpack.

  June was glad to escape back to the tent. She felt like a circus act the entire time they ate, with all the men at the table staring at her. She expected some of the scrutiny since she was a novelty, but this felt different. She was certain some of the warriors were judging her, or resented her presence.

  Sorry for intruding on the boys’ club.

  “I am going to go tour the camp and talk with the guards,” Ashtoret said, after they got the bulk of their things in order.

  June assisted Tytus with his computer, then stood with a pleased smile as she surveyed their temporary home.

  “This really is a pretty awesome tent.”

  “It is, but I enjoy my lab better,” Tytus said as he wrapped his arms around June. “We slept in tents for much of the war. The shelter I shared, was about this size, but held a few more beds.”

  “How long were you involved in the war?”

  “Fifteen seasons. Every Cadi male was trained in the academy, and when they came of age, they graduated to the Armigerant division, or the Anzac guard, if they were especially skilled.”

  “Then I bet you’re sick of this.” June waved her hand at her surroundings. The shine of it had gone a little dim. “What division did you get assigned to?”

  “I quickly gained the position of lead tech in the Anzac guard, serving directly under our Daimio,” Tytus said with pride. “Now that it’s peacetime, I’m Kagan’s Principle Technical Advisor.”

  “I landed a brilliant warrior.” June turned in Tytus’ arms and hugged him. “And you are doubly smart for not treating me like a helpless, weird female.”

  “You are far from helpless. However, I still feel a relentless need to take care of you.”

  “I appreciate that care, snake charmer.” June kissed Tytus’ chest.

  Tytus gripped June’s hair and pulled her head back, so she had to look him in the eyes.

  “I also have a fierce need to do things to you that are far from kind,” Tytus growled, his voice deep and sensuous.

  The sound worked its way through her, making June shiver.