“Who?” Dykan asked in a voice so cold it gave her goose bumps.
“Loanod,” Kat replied.
“No, I want to come with them and kick some Zzjitzzeën ass too,” Loanod protested.
“Loanod, you are staying here, end of discussion,” Kat shouted back at him.
Kat had chosen Loanod deliberately. And not because she knew that Dykan would never dare to double-cross them as long as they had Loanod and that the crew would certainly do their utmost best to complete this mission successfully now that Loanod’s life was at stake. The truth was, she didn’t want the boy to go on this dangerous mission with them. Even if Dykan believed the Zzjitzzeëns were weak, this could still end badly. In the worst-case scenario, they could all die or get enslaved themselves. She didn’t want anything happen to Loanod. At least this way the boy was safe. She had ordered Astir to move Loanod to the best room in the palace as soon as they had left the planet and to attend to his every need. But for now, Kat had to play hardball.
“I assumed you wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to him. See it as insurance for our safety.”
“I know she is your female, Captain, but if my brother gets hurt, I will first strangle her to an inch of her life and then gut her slowly with my claws right in front of her brother, just before I gut him,” Boda roared from his cell.
Hearing that extremely explicit threat, Kat winced inwardly. Dykan tensed up.
“Bring us all back safely and you and your merry men can leave in good health and one hundred thousand credits richer. After this, we’ll never have to see each other again. Do we have a deal?”
Dykan grabbed the bars again, so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
“We have a deal. But don’t expect me to forget this, human. I never forget. One day you’ll pay for this.”
Kat swallowed. Oh, she believed him. He would make her pay, one way or another. But that was a concern for later. For now, they had some sort of awkward truce. The Makaen would help them rescue Lucas.
“I understand. Good. Then I have to do one last thing. I’m really sorry about this, but we can’t risk you attacking us and escaping when we open the cell doors.”
Kat reached in her back pocket and took the stun gun out. She needed to immobilize the Makaen once more as her brother had told her to hide their location.
Dykan held out his hand, his eyes blazing like fire.
“Don’t you dare shoot me, Kitten. Like I said, I never forget. I’ll make you pay if you do.”
Kat bit her lip. “I’m really, really sorry. If there was any other way…”
She raised the stun gun and aimed at Dykan.
“Don’t you aim that thing at me. I told you we have a deal. We’ll come with you freely.”
Kat shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t trust you, Dykan. Is there a place on your body you’d prefer to get shot?”
He lifted his ridges. “Do you hear yourself speak, female? No, I don’t have a preferred body part for you to shoot. I prefer not to get shot at all.”
Kat grimaced. “Then I’ll just aim for your shoulder. Please, don’t move. I don’t want to hit anything crucial like your brain.”
“Could you at least put the setting back a nudge?” Selvin asked.
Dykan flung his head to Selvin and gave his friend an incredulous look. “Don’t encourage her!”
Selvin shrugged. “Hey, your female is determined to stun us. I’m only trying to make this less painful for us.”
“Again, sorry, but I don’t know how to do that. I was only told to aim and push the trigger,” Kat said faintly.
“What the fuck! You are wielding a weapon you don’t even know how to use properly?” Dykan’s voice went up a pitch. He shook his head in bewilderment. “Fucking amateurs. Giving a weapon to a female.”
“Well, I did succeed in shooting you before, remember,” she replied, irritated. “And quite effectively, if I may say so. Plus, this isn’t brain surgery. Anyone can do it. You aim and you push the trigger, and voilà, the task is done.”
Dykan closed his eyes, drew in a deep breath and opened them again, gazing at her so intensely it made her skin prickle.
“Female, I command you to put the gun down.”
Kat’s eyes widened. “You…command me? Really?” With every word Dykan uttered, the scruples she felt about shooting him lessened.
“Um…Captain, maybe you’d better not bust her balls,” Selvin tried, but Dykan didn’t listen.
“Yes. I command you. I am the male and you, female, must obey me.”
Kat rolled her eyes, getting madder by the second. “Is that so? Well, I guess there’s only one proper way to respond to that.”
“How?” Dykan asked before Kat lifted her hand and pulled the trigger.
Chapter 12
Dykan’s head was throbbing like there was no tomorrow. He also felt something cold being pressed to his forehead. Moaning, he slowly opened his eyes to see Kat crouching beside him, wiping a wet cloth over his ridges.
“Are you okay?” she asked softly, her face grimacing with concern.
“Don’t.” Dykan pushed her away. He didn’t want that conniving little bitch touching him that way, pretending she was concerned. He would never fall for that again. She tumbled backward, banging her head against the metal wall behind her, which made her wince in pain. Instinctively, Dykan wanted to fling his arms around her, begging her for forgiveness. He laughed on the inside. Him begging her for forgiveness, what a ridiculous idea. It was obvious he was still suffering from the effects of the stun gun. The gun she had used on him. Twice! That bitch. Oh, yes, he would definitely make her pay for this.
“Where are we?” he demanded, sitting up.
“On a private transport shuttle heading for your freighter,” she replied in a low voice, rubbing the back of her head. “We will be arriving soon. It seems your men are just waking up too.”
Dykan scanned his surroundings and saw his crew, minus Loanod, lying on the cold metallic floor of the shuttle. He heard them groan.
“Do you want some water?”
“Right now, I want nothing from you,” Dykan answered. He drew in a deep breath and pushed himself up. With instable legs, he staggered to his men and checked if they were okay. Getting zapped twice in such a short time was pretty intense. Even for a Makaen. Well, a human or Cassidi wouldn’t even have survived being stunned like that once. Those weaklings.
“Everyone okay?” he asked.
One by one they grunted affirmatively.
The shuttle shook and the sound of screeching metal echoed through the cabin. Then it became quiet. A red light above the door turned green.
“We’ve arrived at the docking station,” Lirid informed them, stepping from the shuttle’s cockpit into the cabin, with Mitha following him. Mitha unlocked the shuttle door and opened it.
“After you, gentlemen.” He gestured for the Makaen to exit the shuttle. The Makaen jumped up, but they did not move further. They were all looking at Dykan, waiting for him to give a command. Dykan walked to the door and turned around.
“Let’s make one thing absolutely clear,” he stated, gazing first at Mitha, then at Lirid and lastly at Kat. “On my ship, I give the orders. You do as I tell you. Defy me and you will spend the duration of this trip in the brig. Understood?” His voice was nothing more than a deep, threatening rumble.