Trapped (The Condemned Series #1) - Alison Aimes Page 0,75

of over fifteen counts of murder. They were already serving triple life sentences on, irony of ironies, a new penal colony rumored to be even harsher than Dragath25. Gwen had finally been given justice.

Now another woman needed them to fight for her.

“A sanctioned shuttle is being prepared for our use. Supplies and food included.” Bella kissed the other side of his mouth. “Council clearly wants me off this planet as soon as possible.”

This time he didn’t laugh. A new sadness had entered his gaze. “Hunter and Chloe aren’t going to be happy. They’ve gotten used to having you around.” And Caine had gotten used to being around her brother and sister as well. After so much time alone, he was clearly enjoying being part of a larger family.

“Did you read the full assignment?” she asked.

A sheepish look surfaced on Caine’s face. “Only the first paragraph saying we’d been cleared to return to Dragath25 air space to look for Cadet Davies. After that…I, ah, stopped reading and took off to find you.”

So he could roar at her for speeding things along.

“Well then,” she said, happy she could give him the good news, “you’re going to be pleased. Hunter and Chloe have been cleared to come as well.” At eighteen, Hunter was almost as tall as Caine and, thanks to better access to food, finally starting to lose the gaunt look that had always worried her. Chloe, too, looked healthier than ever, her blossoming beauty garnering more than her share of looks. As big sister, she would have worried about leaving them behind again, but thanks to their training in piloting and astrophysics respectively, she didn’t have to.

Satisfaction swelled within. Her family. Whole. Healthy. Together. After so much struggle. She couldn’t be more grateful.

Of course, she wasn’t a fool. She’d lived on Dragath25 before. She understood there were risks to returning. But she had no choice. Her friend needed her. And what’s more, scratching out an existence on Earth under strict Council rule didn’t hold the same appeal it once had. Not when she’d learned there was so much more life could offer.

This time, though, they’d be returning to a planet plunged in battle. After hearing her report on the Oasis and Caine’s testimony regarding 225 and his pack, the Council had declared war. Hundreds of soldiers had descended on Dragath25, too many for 225’s jammers to affect. Thousands of prisoners had been slaughtered, but there were still substantial pockets of resistance, and 225 had yet to be caught or killed. Dragath25 remained a dangerous, lawless place.

As if he read her mind, Caine ran a finger across her brow, smoothing out her worry lines. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to let anything happen to you or your siblings—and we’re going to find your friend. Whatever it takes.”

Steady once again, she wrapped her arms around his wide chest. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you, either.” She kissed his lips hard and fast. “We’re going to be better than fine.”

“Together,” he agreed.

Love and hope surged through her. Sure, the future was unknown and there were challenges yet to face, but with Caine by her side, she knew she could handle anything. Together, they could find pleasure and joy and beauty anywhere. That’s what love made possible, even on Dragath25.

*****

Want to know what happened to Cadet Ava Davies after her disappearance from Dragath25? Read an excerpt from:

TAKEN,

Book Two in the Condemned Series

by Alison Aimes.

Chapter One

She was caught. Her arms pinned to the wall. Her legs, too. Every limb twisted at an impossible angle. No manacles necessary. Just the cruel indifference of spinning, plummeting centrifugal force.

Cadet Ava Davies struggled to get air past the acrid terror squeezing her lungs. One minute she’d been hustling down one of a million rocky cliffs on Dragath25 toward fellow junior scientist and friend Bella West, her mind racing with the implications of her recent soil findings, the guard Pratt grim-faced and unfriendly at her side, and then…nothing.

She’d woken up here. To searing heat. Her head spinning. Her jaw throbbing while her stomach plunged, her right cheek slammed into the wall, and her mouth contorted into a shocked O. Around her, ear-shattering screams ricocheted through the small space while dim bile-colored lights flickered overhead and twisted bodies flashed in and out of visibility.

Where in God’s name was she?

“Davies?....What…happening?” The sound of her name startled her. The voice came from behind.

A shameful wave of relief crashed through her.

Though the sound was distorted, she recognized the speaker. Pratt. The soldier