payback. Quickening his stride, he went to suit up for a mission he was definitely looking forward to.
Talyn adjusted the link in his ear as he listened to his men surrounding the royal compound. “There are three small signatures in the front room. From their size, I’m assuming children or females. The two we’re after are in the rear left quadrant with what appear to be three large bodyguards.”
“Copy that, Commander. Eight targets confirmed. Weapons to stun.”
Talyn hesitated. He glanced over to the female on his right. “Lieutenant Veryl? Let’s try to gently extract the smaller targets before we rush the males. I don’t want innocent blood on anyone’s hands. Are you up for it?”
She removed her helmet and gave him a look of approval. “Yes, sir.”
He spoke into his mic. “Cover the lieutenant.”
She walked up to the door and knocked softly.
The female who answered the door was Merrell’s wife – the same female who had been married to Lorens’s brother Merrell had murdered.
Veryl talked to her for a moment before the female paled and called the two children over. By their age, Talyn assumed they were more likely related to Lorens and Felicia than the Anatoles. With Veryl and two males covering their retreat, they headed across the yard to a transport.
“Merrell Anatole’s wife and her two children are secured.”
“Good job, Lieutenant. Protect them.” And with that, Talyn gave the order to move on Chrisen and his brother.
Talyn led his troops into the house. Cautious and alert, he made his way down the back staircase, until he heard them watching the news, and commenting on what they intended to do to Cairie, Tylie, and Talyn’s mother once this “nonsense” ceased.
His gaze turning red, Talyn moved in first. One of their bodyguards started to draw on them, until he realized how many soldiers were with Talyn.
The guard fell back.
As they swarmed in, Talyn saw that it was four bodyguards and Merrell. One target was missing.
“Where’s Chrisen?” The words were barely out of his mouth before he felt something hot slide in through the plates of his body armor and pierce his side.
“Right here, you son of a whore!” Chrisen growled in Talyn’s ear. Still, there was no sign of the male. Nothing that registered visually or through their equipment.
“Cloaking device,” Talyn gasped as he staggered back. Unwilling to risk one of his soldiers being harmed, he latched on to Chrisen and held him fast so that he couldn’t escape or wound another.
Chrisen twisted the blade, but Talyn wouldn’t allow him to pull it out of his body. His sight dimmed.
And as Chrisen tried to knock Talyn away, Talyn grabbed his head with one hand and wrenched the helmet off, exposing Chrisen for the others to find in the event he passed out.
Yet that was all he could manage before his legs buckled. His soldiers closed rank and subdued Chrisen as they called for medics.
Talyn had been wounded enough in his life that he knew how bad this wound was. Blood poured out of the injury, like an artery had been nicked. Everything swam as he tried to focus and maintain consciousness. He sprawled on the floor and rolled to his back. The room tilted even more. Darkness was coming so fast, he wasn’t sure he’d make it to the medics’ arrival.
He pressed his voice dial and called the one person he needed most.
“Talyn?”
In spite of his pain, he smiled. “Hey, baby.” He pressed the link deeper into his ear so that he could savor every syllable of her precious contralto.
If he had to die, he wanted the last sound he heard in this life to be Felicia’s tender voice.
She hesitated. “What’s wrong? You don’t sound right.”
He groaned as the medics arrived to cut open his armor and they pressed against his wound. “Love you, mia.”
“Talyn!” Felicia shouted as she heard the chaos over his link. Tears blinded her. “Baby, if you can hear me… I love you, too. Please be okay!”
Suddenly, another voice came over the link. “Who is this?”
“The commander’s female, Felicia. Who are you?”
“Ger Tarra, I’m a medic. He’s wounded and we’ll be taking him to North Eris ER.”
“I’ll meet you there. Thank you.” Her hands shaking, Felicia hung up and told Qory what had happened.
Lorens met her in the hallway of the command center. “You heard?”
She nodded. “Talyn called me. What happened?”
“Chrisen was cloaked. Coward ambushed him. He would have probably taken out more of our men, but Talyn, even wounded, subdued the slimy bastard. C’mon, I