Pirate's Gold - S.J. Sanders Page 0,70

eventually locked in as well. He just needed one more and the override would be complete. He felt it then, his vibrissae picking up on the approach of a large object moving in closer. His muscles tensed, readying for attack as he waited for the last glyph to lock.

The water stirred around him, and he heard Terri’s breath hitch as she brushed closer, her head whipping around. Slowly, he turned his head and watched a large fin break from the water just as the creature let out a sonic burst. The vibrations washed over him, thrumming through sensors, disorienting his systems. He reeled back, his shoulders hitting the door as he turned his mate in his arms. His body spun to cover her as the final glyph locked in the place.

The door slid open, water flooding into the once sealed room. Thrusting Terri away from him upon entering, Veral turned back toward the door, his vibrissae fanning out around him as he braced himself. He was aware of his mate reaching forward to grab Azan’s arm, hastening the female through, slowed not only by the drag of water, but by the weight of the youngling on her back. The female would have been swallowed up by the water when Egbor used her body as leverage to push himself through the door if it had not been for Terri’s grip on her arm.

The guard did not fare so well.

In an attempt to make his way toward the door, the captain did the same to him, using the male as leverage to shoot forward through the water. Caught off balance by the captain’s push toward the cabin, the male’s feet came out from beneath him, plunging him into the water. He was only down for a moment before he resurfaced, but when he did, Veral knew the guard would have no opportunity to try to save himself.

Screams broke out as the male was pulled beneath the waves, disappearing once more. Terror filled the male’s face seconds before he vanished again beneath the surface. This time, however, he did not emerge.

He was followed by another, but that male’s cries were drowned out by the panicked shouts of the pirates as they rushed to the door, their limbs thrashing in their desperation to flee from the corridor.

Pitilessly, Veral commanded the door to shut.

The door did not slide shut quickly, but fared better than most starships as it pushed through the water. Veral threw his shoulder against it, pushing with all his strength to hasten its progress. Three of the small Turogos managed to swim inside in time, followed by four Blaithari. All else was lost behind the door.

If Veral had been any other male, he might have felt some regret, but he was not. All he felt was a cold satisfaction that those who would have posed a direct threat to him and his mate were gone. For the sake of his female, however, he was glad that the screams were fleeting before silence descended once more. It was only broken by the sharp strikes of 226 as it tested the door. But even that gradually fell into silence.

“Holy shit!”

Terri’s soft exclamation drew his attention. Turning away from the door with an agitated whip of his vibrissae, Veral’s eyes sought her out and found that she had waded into the room while everyone else had been focused on the door. Even Egbor jerked around in surprise, unaware that the human among them had beaten him to surveying the room.

What the male had been too slow to see was Terri tucking something into a hidden storage compartment on her armor. Instead, he had caught Terri in the act of scooping up a small pile of gems arranged on a table beside the high bed on which she sat. Just behind her, Veral could make out what was left of the prince.

A threatening growl rattled from Veral as Egbor strode over to her and leveled his blaster on her. Veral wasted no time moving through the water toward then, his attention locked on the male, tracking his every move.

“Hand them over to me, female,” he ordered.

Terri met his eyes, her expression flat as she considered him, her eyes flicking down to the blaster. Shrugging, a smile spread on her face. “Sure thing. Catch!”

The blaster jerked to the side as the pirate lunged for the jewels as she tossed them into the air. The individual plops of them hitting the water were punctuated by the male’s cursing