Read Online Armored Hearts by Angela Knight - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Angela Knight
Tags: 07419-02393
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saluted Rand, the gesture crisp.
Rand returned it. “Leaving camp with the colonel’s permission.”
The private’s eyes went distant. Evidently he was using his helmet com to talk to the base computer. It must have confirmed Rand’s statement, because the man came to attention and snapped another brisk salute. “Have a good… lunch, Sir.” His gaze flicked to Zara, making it clear just what he thought Rand would be eating.
“I intend to,” Rand said, though Zara saw a muscle flex in his jaw, as if he didn’t like the look on the private’s face. Taking Zara’s elbow again, he urged her toward one of the two seater zippers.
Since her wrists were bound, Rand belted her in, then slid behind the zipper’s flight stick. They lifted off a moment later, repeller fields boosting the streamlined little craft skyward.
It was a crisp fall day, the sun bright, the sky vividly pink. Falara’s towering fern-trees had lost their bright gold shades as the planet’s version of chlorophyll drained, leaving behind their natural purples and blues. The contrast between the leafy, rolling landscape and the brilliant sky was breathtaking as Rand banked the zipper over the camp.
Then he eased the flight stick forward, and the zipper shot off into the rose sky, the sun burning golden just over the horizon.
Rand went silent as he flew, his expression gone so grim again, Zara wondered if she really was about to be tortured. Maybe he thought he needed the information she had to bargain with to ensure his mother’s safety.
She didn’t want to believe it, especially after the way he’d held her so tenderly the night before. He didn’t seem like another G.A.E. thug, but he was a mercenary. He wasn’t fighting for his planet or his religion. He was getting paid.
Then again so was she. Probably not as much as an interstellar merc, but still.
Had she been suckered? Was this whole thing some kind of sick game he was playing?
She was feeling distinctly paranoid by the time they approached a low mountain range Zara recognized as the Granites. Rand took the zipper down, balancing the craft on its repeller fields. He piloted it right up to the cliff until the stone was so close, Zara started getting nervous. A hard gust of wind could smash the craft against the unforgiving granite.
Abruptly the black stone in front of the zipper’s nose wavered and vanished, revealing the opening of an enormous cave. The zipper slid into the opening, its landing lights flashing on to illuminate the cave.
“This is Theta Base,” Zara said, surprised. The Falaran army had moved into the network of natural caves, using it as a base for months. Then the G.A.E. had attacked, wiping out the base and killing all three thousand Falaran soldiers.
“Yeah,” Rand said absently, as he brought the little craft in for a landing.
“Andre Miron, my vampire partner, and I visited this base once. It was a pretty good facility, The Falaran army spent a lot of time and money extending the existing cave structure.”
“Yeah.” Rand grimaced. “We had a hell of a time digging them out. Lost a lot of men doing it, too. Which is why we ended up not using the base, because the Godssonists are superstitious as hell.”
Zara stared at him as he unbelted and freed her from her own safety straps. “What, they think the place is bad luck?”
“They think it’s haunted.”
She blinked at him as she rose to her feet. “You’re kidding me. Haunted? But there’s no such…”
“Baby, I’m telling you, those people are gullible.”
“I noticed,” she said dryly.
“Which is why we’re reasonably safe, at least for the time being. None of the Godssonists are likely to show up here without good reason.” He gave her a wolfish smile. “So we don’t have to worry about being interrupted while we… play.”
“Ah.” She eyed that smile, not sure she liked the looks of it.
Rand laughed. “Your eyes are the size of ration disks. What’s the matter,
Rand returned it. “Leaving camp with the colonel’s permission.”
The private’s eyes went distant. Evidently he was using his helmet com to talk to the base computer. It must have confirmed Rand’s statement, because the man came to attention and snapped another brisk salute. “Have a good… lunch, Sir.” His gaze flicked to Zara, making it clear just what he thought Rand would be eating.
“I intend to,” Rand said, though Zara saw a muscle flex in his jaw, as if he didn’t like the look on the private’s face. Taking Zara’s elbow again, he urged her toward one of the two seater zippers.
Since her wrists were bound, Rand belted her in, then slid behind the zipper’s flight stick. They lifted off a moment later, repeller fields boosting the streamlined little craft skyward.
It was a crisp fall day, the sun bright, the sky vividly pink. Falara’s towering fern-trees had lost their bright gold shades as the planet’s version of chlorophyll drained, leaving behind their natural purples and blues. The contrast between the leafy, rolling landscape and the brilliant sky was breathtaking as Rand banked the zipper over the camp.
Then he eased the flight stick forward, and the zipper shot off into the rose sky, the sun burning golden just over the horizon.
Rand went silent as he flew, his expression gone so grim again, Zara wondered if she really was about to be tortured. Maybe he thought he needed the information she had to bargain with to ensure his mother’s safety.
She didn’t want to believe it, especially after the way he’d held her so tenderly the night before. He didn’t seem like another G.A.E. thug, but he was a mercenary. He wasn’t fighting for his planet or his religion. He was getting paid.
Then again so was she. Probably not as much as an interstellar merc, but still.
Had she been suckered? Was this whole thing some kind of sick game he was playing?
She was feeling distinctly paranoid by the time they approached a low mountain range Zara recognized as the Granites. Rand took the zipper down, balancing the craft on its repeller fields. He piloted it right up to the cliff until the stone was so close, Zara started getting nervous. A hard gust of wind could smash the craft against the unforgiving granite.
Abruptly the black stone in front of the zipper’s nose wavered and vanished, revealing the opening of an enormous cave. The zipper slid into the opening, its landing lights flashing on to illuminate the cave.
“This is Theta Base,” Zara said, surprised. The Falaran army had moved into the network of natural caves, using it as a base for months. Then the G.A.E. had attacked, wiping out the base and killing all three thousand Falaran soldiers.
“Yeah,” Rand said absently, as he brought the little craft in for a landing.
“Andre Miron, my vampire partner, and I visited this base once. It was a pretty good facility, The Falaran army spent a lot of time and money extending the existing cave structure.”
“Yeah.” Rand grimaced. “We had a hell of a time digging them out. Lost a lot of men doing it, too. Which is why we ended up not using the base, because the Godssonists are superstitious as hell.”
Zara stared at him as he unbelted and freed her from her own safety straps. “What, they think the place is bad luck?”
“They think it’s haunted.”
She blinked at him as she rose to her feet. “You’re kidding me. Haunted? But there’s no such…”
“Baby, I’m telling you, those people are gullible.”
“I noticed,” she said dryly.
“Which is why we’re reasonably safe, at least for the time being. None of the Godssonists are likely to show up here without good reason.” He gave her a wolfish smile. “So we don’t have to worry about being interrupted while we… play.”
“Ah.” She eyed that smile, not sure she liked the looks of it.
Rand laughed. “Your eyes are the size of ration disks. What’s the matter,
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