Taming the Queen of Beasts

RIKA

It was the nausea that hit first. Still inside her own mind, her body twitched and her stomach rolled, threatening to empty itself. Rika swallowed and swallowed, drifting in and out of the darkness.

Then the darkness began to roll.

She couldn\'t open her eyes, or even move. But she slowly became aware of her surroundings. She was breathing exhaust fumes. The bed under her vibrated as if she lay in the back seat of a car—though she was far less comfortable.

Nausea threatened to make her vomit, but she didn\'t want them to realize she was awake.

The vehicle she was on rattled over a bump and someone swore. Rika risked barely cracking her eyelids to see where she was, and found herself in the back bed of one of those smaller vehicles that looked like a golf-cart with a truck bed attached.

A woman sat at her shoulder, her head turned away to look in the direction the vehicle was moving, her mouth turned down in a sharp frown.

There was a command device stuck into her belt.

Rika listened and could hear the low rumble of many vehicles. So they weren\'t just transporting her. The humans had started moving again.

She wanted to swear.

Jared obviously believed they could take down the Anima, and now they\'re weren\'t going to stop for her. She didn\'t know where Reece was, or what they\'d done to him.

She kept her eyes closed and prayed.

*****

GAR

He stood in the center of the encampment issuing orders and ensuring that every Protector had at least one weapon at their belt.

Tarkyn stood to the side talking to a group of Guards, but his glances at Gar made it clear: He was still uncertain about this course. But he hadn\'t denied or argued, and technically, Gar outranked him. In a pinch, Gar could simply take command. He didn\'t want to do it, but his skin itched, his instincts roaring at him that things were slipping from their grasp and action was needed.

He\'d made an impassioned speech—they would fight for the honor of the Anima, and if they died, at least they died with dignity.

The last of the warriors had arrived. They were three hundred strong now, counting the Protectors. Everyone was armed. Soon, after they\'d eaten, Gar would lead out a party to back up those that were hopefully already behind the humans.

The question was, would the Protector\'s they\'d sent to be in place when Rika dropped the tech be able to tell that the humans were moving? Would they have even known to follow? Or were they still sitting, unaware, out where the plains met the desert?

When Tarkyn came to him, whispering confirmation that everyone was ready, Gar clasped forearms with him.

The Captain looked at him worriedly. "Your father would bite out my throat if I didn\'t say something here, Gar."

"Let him," Gar said, already on edge and unwilling to be sucked into deeper emotional turmoil.

But Tarkyn shook his head. "You\'re a good male, and a strong leader, and I trust you with the lives of any Anima. But even your father would tell you that you cannot abandon your people for the life of your mate."

Gar\'s teeth clenched so hard they might crack. "I\'m aware," he said through them.

Tarkyn nodded, then clapped him on the shoulder. "The Creator go behind you and before you, Gar. Lead your people. Find your mate safe. Take down our enemies. Or die with honor."

Gar\'s breath caught. It was the blessing of soldiers. Clasping one hand to Tarkyn\'s neck, he repeated to the male whose eyes were shining.

Tarkyn cleared his throat, then turned away to give hushed orders to the entire gathering—forty Protectors joined Gar for this mission.

"The humans are keep their leaders at the back, furthest from the enemy. Your best chance for success will be in allowing the human army to pass you, then coming behind. Watch for the flashes. Hopefully our brothers have found a way to follow them and can give us some idea where they are. Watch for dead air—even the plains don\'t have air without scent or sound.

Where you suspect, secret yourself and wait. Come up behind them when we\'re forced to engage."

Gar nodded and bid all of them with the Creator\'s blessing. Then, as the ranks began to trot out into the plains, he turned to look in the direction of the humans and prayed that the Creator would reveal their location before it became an immediate threat.

"I\'m coming, Rika," he breathed. "I will bring you home, or die trying."

*****

"She\'s awake," the nurse said suddenly. "Vitals rising."

Darn. She forgot they\'d be monitoring.

Rika wanted to swear, but she didn\'t miss that the nurse sounded nervous, and hadn\'t immediately notified the others that she was waking.

Rika moved on the swaying cot, wincing. She put her hands over her face like she was still groggy. "Do they believe me yet about the bond?" She made her words faint and slurring.

"I\'m still not inclined to trust you," Jared said from the direction of the driver\'s seat, which shocked Rika. He\'d kept her on his own vehicle? At least that meant there was another command device within reach. "But there\'s no time to work it out yet. So keep your head down and shut up. If you are above board, you can enjoy watching us take these fuckers out."

"I never wanted them taken out. I only wanted them contained," she mumbled.

"Well, we shot down a whole group of them that the rearguard found trying to fly around behind us this evening, so we\'re not delaying any further. We have what we need to beat these fuckers. They bleed just like we do."

"Rearguard? You split your ranks?" Rika asked, like he was stupid.

"No, we have another… nevermind." Jerad looked at her over his shoulder, like he\'d caught her in a trick. But Rika just rolled onto her side like she was still sleepy. She needed to hide her face. She wanted to weep.

They did have a second wave? And they got Elia and Reth? Or the disformed? Or… who? One of them? All of them? She wanted to scream, but her heart pounded with fear, too.

She had to get her hands on one of those devices.

She started praying.