Stealing Jia (Coletti Warlords #12) - Gail Koger Page 0,48
forgot about protocol,” I said, giving everyone an apologetic smile.
My dad rubbed a hand over his face as if he was trying not to laugh.
The Gorum’s orbs swiveled around to stare at me.
I had to admit the way their eyestalks moved was downright creepy.
“The Gorum are powerful psychics. They can read your mind.” Trayon warned.
I shrugged. “Why not? Everyone else does.”
The larger Gorum glided across the bridge, its eyestalks focused on me. “How do you know we are missing two females?”
“An educated guess. Giovanni and Mallox have been kidnapping different species to create their own army of genetically altered super soldiers.” I shot them a mental picture of the rat creature. “His growths resemble yours.”
Menace suddenly hung in the air, heavy and oppressive. “Show us this creature.”
“Uh, well. I can’t.” I had to say, they had intimidation down to an art form.
“Cannot or will not?”
“Cannot,” Trayon inserted. “Mallox had implanted his creation with explosives and we destroyed it before it could damage the ship.”
A wormy growth lengthened into a tentacle and before I could make a run for it, the slimy thing wrapped around my waist.
“Hey, let go!” I yanked frantically on the gooey flesh.
“No.” The Gorum lifted me until we were eyeball to eyeball. “What are you called?”
“Jia. Put me down. Now!” An energy ball formed above my right hand. “Or I’ll make you.” I hated that my voice quivered.
The Gorum brayed. “That puny thing will not harm me.”
“It won’t?” I shot a sidelong glance at Trayon.
He shook his head. “It would take multiple blasts from a laser cannon to damage him.”
“Oh, your hide is armored. That explains Mallox’s interest.” I dissipated the energy ball and patted the tentacle gingerly. “Can I talk you out of eating me?”
“Are you a Jones?”
“I am.”
The Gorum’s eyestalks swiveled around to look at the Overlord. “Zarek would be very unhappy if I ate you.”
“Jones females are hard to find,” Zarek agreed.
The tentacle lowered me to the floor. “I am Bebo, King of the Gorum.” A tentacle gestured to the smaller Gorum. “This is Raj, Prince of the Outer Worlds.”
Did I shake their tentacles or bow?
“Bow,” Trayon advised.
I curtsied. “It is an honor to meet you.”
Zarek interjected, “How long have your females been missing, Bebo?”
“Two of your months.”
“I offer our help.”
Bebo responded diplomatically, “We accept your offer of help. Tell me about Mallox and Giovanni.”
I tuned out as Zarek answered his questions and checked on the kids. My stomach clenched. Cason was crawling down the corridor with Pepe by his side and Adoz circling overhead. Holy Mother! “Get me to Cason, Chiara.”
“Yes, Mother Jia.” A gray whirlwind erupted around us. Ten seconds of falling down an endless black hole and poof! We appeared in the hallway. Scooping Cason up, I quickly checked him over and hugged him in relief. Thank God he was okay.
“What is our son doing in the hallway unsupervised?” Trayon demanded.
“Good question. What happened Pepe?”
“Warrior came. Hurt Bey. He try take Cason. Me bite. Cason bite. Adoz blow fire. LeeLee and LooLoo chase away. We follow to help,” Pepe replied.
“My brave little warriors. I’m so proud of you.”
“What did the warrior look like Pepe?” Trayon asked.
Pepe cocked his head. “Like you.”
“Can you picture him in your mind?” Had we found our traitor?
“Me try.”
The fuzzy image of an Askole formed in my mind. He had an over-abundance of tentacles. Just like Rakk.
“Rakk,” Trayon snarled and the link severed.
I hurried into our quarters. Foamy white suds covered everything. “Bey?”
“Bey.” Cason pointed.
Chirping loudly, Adoz hovered over eight furry legs protruding from the bubbles.
I tapped my gauntlet. A bright blue light rolled over the room. The suds vanished. Bey was imitating a dead spider again. “Where does it hurt?”
“Everywhere.” His body trembled violently. “Are the children safe?”
I tapped the medical alert on my gauntlet and summoned Soval. “Cason, Adoz and Pepe are, but I don’t know about the twins.”
“Find them. They are but children.”
Extremely dangerous children. “I will, but I think Rakk is the one who should be worried.”
“Go.”
“I summoned the medic for you,” I said.
“Go. Save them.”
“I’m going. I’m going.”
“Rakk and the twins are in the mess hall. Do you want me to port us?” Chiara asked.
The mess hall was fast becoming the Bermuda Triangle of the ship. “No, we might port into the middle of a blood worm battle or worse.” I sprinted down the hallway with Pepe and Adoz following me. “LeeLee and LooLoo I want you to get away from the bad Askole.”
“No, he hurt Bey. Try take Cason,” the twins