Hothar's Folly (Coletti Warlords series Book 9) Read online

  Adan transformed into a pony sized skunk.

  The real skunks turned, aimed and fired. Adan followed suit.

  With a whimper Mary Beth pulled herself into a horse trough and sank beneath the water.

  The force of Adan’s foul spray almost blew the Legionnaires over. Gasping for breath, they touched their belts and vanished.

  Annie and I exchanged high-fives.

  The cloud of noxious spray drifted towards us. My eyes began to water, and I couldn’t breathe.

  “Holy hell,” Annie gasped. “That should be classified as a lethal weapon.”

  I gagged. The smell was worse than a sewer full of dead things. “I think a tactical retreat is in order.”

  Glittering blue lights blossomed on the street. When they faded, squads of Rodan soldiers stood there.

  Dang! We were outnumbered twenty to one.

  “Think the skunk spray will slow them down?”

  “Probably not.” I pulled the laser pistol and opened fire. Three monsters dissolved into pretty glowworms.

  Annie blasted away with her shotgun but getting a rump full of buckshot only enraged the Rodan.

  With a yelp, Annie dived to one side as the planter beside her disintegrated into dazzling red fireflies.

  “Take my pistols,” I cried.

  She grabbed them and shot two charging Rodan soldiers right between the eyes.

  “Get to the emergency shelter,” Hothar yelled in my head.

  I yelled back, “I’m not letting Mary Beth get away.”

  “Adan ate her again,” he growled.

  “Good.” I caught a fleeting glimpse of Hothar battling the Rodan monsters. He was a one-man army.

  Another planter vanished.

  Annie called, “The bar is reinforced to take laser fire and I have a gun safe with all sorts of goodies.” She stuffed the pistols in her waistband.

  “Yippee-ki-yay.”

  On our hands and knees, we scrambled inside the saloon. Laser beams whizzed over our heads. Tables, chairs, and chunks of the stage vanished.

  A sizzling energy bolt missed Annie by an inch. “I think I pissed them off.”

  “Ya think?” We scuttled over to the bar.

  Dropping my pistols on the floor, Annie quickly opened the gun safe. She handed me a military grade laser rifle and grabbed one for herself.

  “Stay put. My team is here,” Uncle Saul commanded mentally.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “About friggin’ time your uncle got here,” Annie said.

  “You’re telepathic too.”

  Annie closed her eyes and groaned. “I am, among other things.”

  A Rodan soldier barreled through what was left of the swinging door.

  We both popped up and shot him. The monster dissolved into zillions of red fireflies.

  Two more charged in. We killed them too.

  In full battle gear, Uncle Saul appeared next to us and blasted another Rodan soldier. “I’m getting you ladies out of the battle zone.”

  “Ladies? We’re warriors not ladies,” I protested.

  Uncle Saul snorted, wrapped his arms around us and teleported.

  There was a fleeting second of blackness and poof. We were in my uncle’s office at Central Command’s Tucson base.

  My uncle released us, and his helmet slid back. “Annie Russell you’ve got some ’splaining to do.”

  The color drained from her face. “What do you mean?”

  “You, my dear, are psychic and I know for a fact you’ve never registered.” Uncle Saul relieved her of the laser rifle and placed it on his desk. “That is a breach of penal code 245.”

  I stepped in front of Annie. “For God’s sake, leave her alone. Please. She’s done her duty.”

  Anger flared to life in my uncle’s eyes. “You knew Annie was psychic and didn’t report her?”

  “Uh, I’ve been kinda busy lately. You know bailing out of a flaming C130 cargo plane, fighting the Rodan and locating my mate.”

  With pure iron in his voice, Uncle Saul stated, “I’m docking your pay five hundred credits for violation of penal code 451.”

  I let out a squawk of outrage. “What? That’s not fair.”

  “Back off.” Annie pushed me to one side and went to toe-to-toe with my uncle. “Casey has nothing to do with this.”

  “She’s required by law to report any psychic females to Central Command.”

  “This isn’t Nazi Germany or is it?” Annie gave my uncle the Nazi’s palm out salute, barely missing his nose. “Sieg Heil!”

  The muscles bunched in Uncle Saul’s jaw. “That smart mouth isn’t amusing. Get your butt down to registration. Once you have filled out the proper paperwork and been chipped you will report back to me.”

  “No,” Annie said.

  Uncle Saul bared his fangs. “No?”

  “You hard of hearing old man? I am not getting chipped like some fucking animal and I don’t care how many laws the Overlord has enacted since he took over.”

  “You will do as I say,” Uncle Saul growled.

  “Think you can make me old man?”

  “Are you challenging me?” Uncle Saul was all predator.

  Holy shit! I grabbed Annie’s arm and dragged her away. “No. She’s not.”

  Annie broke free and turned to face my uncle. “Yes, I am. I can take this old fart.”

  “No, you can’t,” I assured her. “Provoking a warlord is a really bad idea. Believe me, it never ends well.”

  “They call me the Reaper for a reason,” Annie retorted, never taking her eyes off Uncle Saul.

  Uncle Saul laughed like it was the funniest thing he had ever heard. “The Reaper?”

  “Doesn’t Zarek need you back at Old Tucson? Just think of all the Rodan that still need killing,” I said desperately.

  Both totally ignored me.

  “Reaper, as in when I leave a battle field nothing remains, but the dead,” Annie answered.

  “Why haven’t I heard of you?”

  “The dead tell no tales.”

  “A nice little fairy tale. Apologize suitably and go to registration. If you don’t, I’m putting you over my knee and tanning your behind. You’ll also spend the next thirty days in lockup.”

  I took one look at Annie’s furious expression and backed way. Men were such idiots.

  Uncle Saul advanced on Annie.

  Her eyes glowed brightly. Unbelievable power abruptly shot from Annie. I felt the energy slam into Uncle Saul. He staggered backward and swayed unsteadily. “I will find you,” he gritted between clenched teeth and bam! Down he went.

  “Oh, my God!” I kneeled by my uncle and checked his pulse.

  “Relax, he’s not dead. I just knocked him out.”

  “How long before he wakes up?”

  Annie shrugged. “Ten to fifteen minutes.”

  I jumped up, grabbed her hand and tugged her out of the room. “You need to get far, far away from here.”

  “I have a place to go. I’ve been preparing for this ever since the Coletti came to our world and started taking psychic women.”

  “Shhh. Don’t tell me anything. The Overlord seems to know everything I do.” I herded her down the hallway and into the woman’s locker room. “Good thing everyone’s at Old Tucson or you would be toast.” I opened my locker and pulled out some sweat pants and an over-sized t-shirt. “Put these on, you’ll attract too much attention in the saloon girl getup.”

  Annie quickly changed. “I can never thank you enough.”

  “Don’t thank me. All I’m doing is giving you a head start. Just remember, Coletti warlords never, ever, stop hunting their prey.” I peeped out into the hallway. “The coast is clear. I can get you off the base, but after that you’re on your own.”

  “How much trouble are you going to be in?”

  A shitload. “Don’t worry, Hothar will protect me.”

  “From what?” Hothar inquired from behind me. We both shrieked and jumped about a foot.

 
“Geezus! Don’t sneak up on us like that,” I gasped. Why hadn’t I sensed him?

  “What am I protecting you from?”

  Annie and I exchanged worried glances and in unison said, “The Rodan.”

  Hothar frowned. “There are no Rodan on this base.”

  “See Annie, nothing to worry about.”

  Annie clasped her hands to her chest. “Silly me.”

  We speed walked toward the exit.

  “Where are you going?” Hothar easily kept pace with us.

  “Annie needs to check on her grandmother,” I lied.

  “Yes! My grandmother. She has a heart problem. It upsets her when the sirens go off,” Annie improvised.

  “The sirens didn’t go off,” Hothar said.

  “Really?” A hysterical giggle broke from me. “Imagine that.”

  Hothar stepped in front of us. “What is going on?”

  “Nothing.” I climbed him, wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed Hothar hungrily. I made a shooing gestured at Annie.

  Not being a dummy, she hurried out the exit.

  Hothar broke the kiss. “Is she gone?”

  What? I stared at him in horror. “You knew?”

  “Our minds are linked. I know everything.”

  A groan broke from me. “Why didn’t you stop us?”

  “She won’t get far and the General will enjoy the chase,” Hothar replied.

  “Ya think?”

  “I know.” His mouth closed over mine.

  Uncle Saul bellowed his battle cry. The chase was on.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Is your tongue in Casey’s mouth?” Zarek’s peeved voice asked from behind us.

  Hothar broke the kiss and through our link he muttered, “Busted.”

  “Maybe.” I hurriedly slid down Hothar’s yummy body. “Would you believe mouth-to-mouth resuscitation?”

  Zarek did the eyebrow thing.

  “Ok, fine. There might have been some tongue action.”

  My normally calm and in control uncle stormed down the hallway. He stopped in front of me, literally vibrating with fury. “Where is she?”

  The Overlord stared at him in astonishment.

  Hothar was equally taken aback.

  “Well? Answer me Casey. Where is she?”

  “Are you talking about Annie?” I bit my lip to keep from smiling.

  “Yes,” Uncle Saul practically shouted.

  I shrugged. “Don’t have a clue. Can’t you sense her?”

  “No.” My uncle’s eyes burned with suppressed rage.

  Zarek studied my uncle for a moment and then inquired, “Who are you hunting?”

  “Annie Russell, an unregistered female.” Uncle Saul turned his wrath on me. “I’m now docking your pay a thousand credits, for aiding and abetting a felon.”

  Hoo boy, was he pissed. I plastered a placating smile on my face. “Yes, sir. Sorry sir. Won’t happen again, sir.”

  “Do you need our assistance in apprehending this “felon”?” Zarek asked with a hint of a smile.

  “No! The female is mine.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want some help Uncle Saul? I mean, she did knock you out,” I said ever so helpfully.

  The look Uncle Saul leveled on me would have sent most seasoned warriors running for their lives. “I was momentarily stunned.”

  “Right. Gotcha.” I winked. “You were never face down on the floor.”

  Uncle Saul growled deep in his chest and stalked off.

  “Annie’s also a crack shot, heavily armed and knows how to deal with aggressive males,” I called after him.

  My uncle gave me the one-finger salute and teleported.

  Whoa! When my uncle wigged out, he didn’t do it half-assed.

  “It seems General Jones will be occupied for a bit,” Zarek commented.

  I chortled. “You betcha. Annie won’t be easy to track or capture.”

  “It is an excellent opportunity for the General to hone his hunting skills,” Hothar observed.

  “I’ll bet you fifty credits, my uncle will never find Annie.”

  “I accept your wager,” Hothar said.

  A glint of humor in his eyes, Zarek interjected, “A fool’s bet. Even before your uncle became Coletti he was a predator. He will find her.”

  “Are you sure about that? They call Annie the Reaper.”

  “Her abilities will not save her. The General has marked her and there is no escape.”

  “Marked?” I promptly echoed. “When did he do that? There was no mental contact or blood exchanged. All he did was touch Annie.” I gave Hothar the stink eye. “Is that all it takes to mark a female?”

  Hothar grinned, displaying his awesome dimples.

  “With powerful warlords, yes. The drive to mate is very strong in Coletti warriors,” Zarek confirmed.

  I rolled my eyes. “You don’t say.”

  A spasm crossed Hothar’s face and he grumbled on our private link, “Did you have to say that?”

  “My bad. I’m having a hard time wrapping my mind around Uncle Saul with a mate. I mean he likes women a lot, but none of them have ever kept his interest for more than a month.”

  “Those females were nothing more than bed sport. Annie presents a challenge to the General. She is prey.”

  “You’re saying it’s a game to him?”

  Hothar shook his head. “It is not a game. The General searches for the other half of his soul.”

  “It is the most important hunt of our lives. One we cannot fail,” Zarek added solemnly.

  “And what happens if Annie isn’t his mate?”

  Hothar asked, “Have you ever seen the General act this way before?”

  “God no.”

  “That is your answer.” Zarek leveled a stern gaze on us. “I have found a suitable task for the two of you. One that will keep you busy and act as a deterrent against any future sexual acts.”

  “Task?” Alarm filled Hothar’s voice.

  “Deterrent?” A knot of apprehension formed in my gut. “Are you talking about a chastity belt?”

  Zarek rubbed a hand over his face as if he was trying to keep from laughing. “No, something much better.”

  Hothar queried, “Latrine duty on a remote space station?”

  “No, child care. Talree and Kaylee wish to celebrate their anniversary on a small island in the Pacific. You will care for Thor and Haki while they take a much-needed vacation.”

  “I am a warrior not a babysitter,” Hothar protested.

  I groused at him, “Are you trying to get us dung duty? What are you going to do when we have children?”

  “Protect them with my life,” Hothar replied.

  I smiled at Zarek. “We’ll do it.” I nudged Hothar.

  “It will be an honor to care for Talree’s son and Haki,” he said dutifully.

  “Are we going to watch them on Tanith?”

  “No, Talree and Kaylee will be arriving shortly with the children. I’ve set up quarters for the four of you on our base. You are to keep them entertained, out of trouble and safe.”

  “Gotcha.” Thor was only three years old. How much trouble could he get into? Kaylee said when a baby Tabor got scared, they had the tendency to squirt webbing every which way. So, I’d make sure we had some of Shrek’s pam spray on hand.

  “If I catch you engaging in any sexual activities again, you will not like the consequences.”

  “Yes, sir. No heavy petting, necking, mental sex or nooky of any kind.”

  Zarek growled. “And?”

  “No tongue,” Hothar replied.

  “Good. Get some sleep and report to your duty station at 0800 hours tomorrow.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Hothar clamped an arm to his chest. “As you command, my lord.”

  The Overlord teleported away.

  I sagged against Hothar. “Food, then we crash?”

  “Tacos or a burger?”

  “Tacos,” I answered.

  Hothar wrapped
his arms around me and teleported. Poof! We appeared at Hilberto’s my favorite Mexican food joint. The old shop was painted a glow-in-the-dark orange. The interior walls were covered with awful velvet paintings of matadors, tigers and Elvis. The Mariachi music was always a tad too loud, but the food was to die for.

  We were pigging out on tacos and chocolate smothered fried ice cream when the Battle Commander popped in. I raised my eyes heavenward. “Whatever I did, I’m sorry.”

  Voss surveyed us from head-to-toe, then casually walked over to the counter to order food.

  I leaned over and whispered in Hothar’s ear, “What’s he doing here?”

  “Sharing a meal with my nephew and his mate,” Voss said in my head.

  Oh fuck! “How nice.” I switched to our private link. “Did Zarek send him to keep an eye on us?”

  Hothar shrugged.

  “Well, ask him,” I murmured.

  Voss picked up his order of beef fajitas and sat down at our table. “To answer your question, yes, he did. You will spend the night in our quarters under my watchful eye.”

  “It’s not necessary.” I yawned widely. “We’re too tired to have sex.”

  “I see. Is that true Hothar?”

  He shook his head. “I’m never too tired for sex.”

  I kicked him under the table. “Blabbermouth.”

  “It is the truth,” Hothar said with an unrepentant grin.

  Voss sniffed. “Did Casey use skunk perfume on you?”

  “No, I would never do that.”

  Hothar cocked an eyebrow. “You were planning on dousing me with it.”

  “That was before, when you were being such a prick. Get out of hand again, and I still might.” I flashed Voss the image of Adan in skunk form. “The smell is courtesy of Adan.”

  “Skunk bombs have little effect on the Rodan,” Voss stated and rolled pieces of steak and jalapenos in a flour tortilla.

  “Good to know. Were you able to interrogate Mary Beth?” I licked the chocolate off my spoon.

  Voss took a bite before answering psychically, “Zarek is searching her memories. Mary Beth has never seen the leader of Earth First without his battle suit.” The picture of a large person in black storm trooper like armor formed in our minds. “He uses some type of voice modulator and they must address him as the Supreme One.”

  Hmm. A villain with self-esteem issues or delusions of godhood. “What makes you so sure it’s a guy?”