I glanced at the side mirror. A big, armored Humvee was speeding after me. “Says the guy who just had his ass handed to him. Here’s my counter offer. Stay the hell away from me or I will kill you.”

  “I’m not that easy to kill.”

  “Wanna bet?” The idiot had left his driver’s side window down. “Sic ’em,” I directed a flock of pigeons. They flew through the Humvee’s window and swirled madly around the General’s head, hammering him with their wings.

  The Humvee swerved violently and crashed into an old mailbox.

  “Adios chuckles.”

  Poof! Chuckles appeared behind me. The extra weight caused the front tire to rise abruptly in an unplanned wheelie. I hung onto the handle bars and the General fell off. He hit the roadway hard, doing a nice somersault before tumbling into an irrigation ditch.

  On the bright side, the water would wash off most of the bird shit. I set out for the bus station. I had stashed some much-needed gear in a long-term locker.

  I brought the bike to a stop in the parking lot and hurried into the bus station. I could sense the old fart climbing out of the ditch. To say he was pissed would be an understatement. He was a bit unsteady on his feet and I hoped all the blows to his head had mucked up his ability to teleport.

  As I expected, the bus station was empty. Of course, I was being scanned and photographed by the security folks. I walked over to locker number 2018 and placed my hand on the scanner. The locker popped open and I pulled out my spare backpack. Opening a side pocket, I pulled out my highly illegal bio jammer and triggered it. Like magic I disappeared off their scanners and the General wouldn’t be able to track me mentally or physically. Security guys got really upset when you vanished off their screens. It was only a matter of time before they sent the hunters after me. Pulling on my backpack, I ran back to my bike and zoomed off.

  In the side mirror, I watched as two heavily-armed soldiers charged into the parking lot. One raised a rifle with a tactical stun net attachment. If it hit me, game over.

  Boom! A dazzling green ball shot toward me.

  Thank God, it wasn’t the newer version. I swerved around a parked car and stopped behind a large decorative metal cactus. The netting wrapped around the cactus and shorted out in an eye dazzling display of green and yellow sparks. “My turn and this is gonna hurt.” I hurled two psychic stun grenades at the soldiers.

  Bam! They crumpled to the pavement.

  The dirt bike’s lack of muffler made it extremely loud. Other hunters could track my position by the noise alone. I put the pedal to the metal and sped toward the public library. It stayed open during an alert, giving sanctuary to those that couldn’t make it to a shelter. A quick scan of the area showed it was clear of Coletti hunters. I entered the library and made my way to the woman’s restroom. The easiest way to disappear was to hide in plain sight. I pulled out a spare Arizona Recon uniform and put it on. Next came my weapons belt and hat. Hey, who knows, I might be tasked with looking for myself. One could hope.

  Chapter Six

  I dumped the bike and cautiously surveyed the area. The base was buzzing with activity. The Rodan threat had been eliminated, but what was up with all the extra military police officers patrolling the fence line? Was the security alert because of me? Nah, I didn’t merit that kind of attention.

  Two platoons of soldiers trotted across the landing field and quickly boarded armored shuttles. I watched as twelve Coletti Talons space ships launched simultaneously. This kind of escalation meant something big had happened.

  Deactivating my bio jammer, I calmly walked up the sentry post and handed the MP my military flash drive with the creatively edited data. “Are we expecting an attack?” I gave him a slight psychic nudge, to get him to spill the beans.

  “There is a joint Askole and Coletti operation at an Earth First base in Australia. We’re sending in cleanup crews. A squadron of Marauders were spotted near Mars. Air Command has launched ships to intercept them.” The MP scanned my documents and handed the flash drive back to me. “Report to Lieutenant Travis in building B for your assignment.”

  “Yes, sir.” I saluted him and strolled off. Thanks to Tex, my former squad mate’s computer skills, my records could pass any inspection. He had used my great grandmother’s maiden name of McAllister to keep my identity a secret. Back then my dirtbag husband had been actively pursuing me. The big question was: Where in the heck was the General? I didn’t dare do a mental scan for him. I had locked my shields down and if he was in the area, he should read me as a normal human.

  Building B was in the older part of the base. Several rows of the ancient metal Quanza huts stood next to the high tech Coletti structures. Talk about a juxtaposition. Building B was the first hut. I entered and saluted the soldier manning the desk. The name plate on the desk proclaimed him to be Lieutenant Travis. “Reporting for duty, sir.”

  He held out his hand. “Flash drive?”

  I handed it to him.

  The Lieutenant inserted it and scanned my documents. “Arizona Recon scout, huh?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  He eyed my petite form. “Arizona Recon soldiers are tough sonovabitches.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “You fought in the battle of Flagstaff?”

  “I did.”

  The Lieutenant leaned back in his chair. “I have a patrol leaving for the Chiricahua Mountains in fifteen minutes. There have been reports of Rodan soldiers in the area. I’m assigning you to the squad. Follow me.” Lieutenant Travis got to his feet and exited the hut.

  I trotted after him. This was working out better than I had hoped. I’d let the General’s own men get me out of Tucson and once we got to the Chiricahua Mountains, I’d disappear. Easy peasy.

  The Lieutenant came to an abrupt stop and I almost crashed into him. “Sergeant Bilson, I have a new scout for you.”

  I peeked around his back. Bilson was a scarecrow in a rumpled uniform. His face was covered in camouflage paint. “She’s a girl.”

  “Who can kick your ass,” I retorted, stepping around the Lieutenant.

  Bilson eyed my Arizona Recon patch. “Probably. Is that all the gear you’ve got?”

  “It is.”

  He pointed to a camouflaged Humvee. “Mount up.”

  “Yes, sir.” I climbed in and nodded at three other soldiers. One was an Apache, one was a Navajo and the last one resembled Santa Claus complete with long white hair and beard. Apache and Navajo warriors were great trackers and deadly in a fight. I wasn’t sure about Santa Claus.

  “I’m Annie McAllister.”

  They ogled the patches on my uniform. Santa Claus raised a skeptical brow. “Two hundred and thirty kills?”

  I gave him my best stone-cold killer stare. “Yes. The kills are documented.” There were more, but we were trying to keep a low profile.

  “Ain’t callin’ you a liar. Heard rumors about your squad.” He held out his hand. “I’m Kris.”

  “Please tell me your last name isn’t Kringle?” I shook his hand.

  Kris laughed. “No, it’s Wookums.”

  “Wookums?”

  “It’s an old Scandinavian name.” He pointed to the Apache soldier. “This is Victorio. He’s a bit of a berserker.”

  “So am I.”

  Kris studied me for a moment. “Good to know.” He jerked his thumb at the Navajo soldier. “Tsela is the best tracker in the country and deadly with a knife.”

  “Yah-ah-tay,” I said politely. It meant hello and it was the only word I knew.

  “Yah-ah-tay,” Victorio answered with a sly grin, before asking, “Do you know the Reaper?”

  “I do.”

  Tsela grunted, folded his arms and closed his eyes.

  I don’t think he believed me.

  Bilson got into the driver’s seat. “Buckle up.”

  I fastened my belt and was suddenly very glad I had. Bilson had kamikaze tendencies. The MP at the gate had to jump out of way. I cringed when we barely missed a troop carrier.

  “Get used to it,” Kris advised.

  I clutched the armrest as we blew through a red light. “I never thought I’d die in a car wreck.”

  “Better than being eaten by a Rodan,” Victorio responded.

  He had a point. Instead of the usual two hour drive we made it to the Chiricahua Mountains in ninety minutes.

  Bilson drove the Humvee off the highway. There wasn’t a road or even a dirt trail. He simply drove across the desert, plowing over rocks, bushes and cactus. The jarring ride finally came to a stop by an outcrop of rocks.

  “We’re here?”

  “We are,” Kris said.

  “Oh, thank God.” Sliding on my sunglasses, I grabbed my pack and climbed out. I was standing in a forest of mustard colored stone spires. A millennium of storms had eroded the rocks into a fantasy of arches and weirdly-balanced boulders.

  Bilson tossed me a laser rifle. “It’s fully charged.”

  I caught the rifle and checked it over. Tex had taught me to always examine my weapons. That way there were no surprises in combat.

  “What kind of rations are you carrying?”

  “A pint of whiskey, ten energy bars, three cans of tuna, crackers and a full canteen,” I answered.

  He handed me five MRE’s. “When the food runs out, we hunt for our dinner.”

  “Yes, sir.” I put them in my backpack. Barbequed rabbit wasn’t too bad, but I wasn’t a fan of rattlesnake or squirrel.

  “Move out,” Bilson commanded.

  I pulled on my backpack and trotted after my new squad. They set a brutal pace. Was it deliberate? Oh, yeah. Why did men always think a woman wasn’t fit for combat. My old squad had been the same way until I proved I could handle myself.

  Something moved in the rocks. Oh wow! A mountain lion. I really wanted to pet her.

  “You’re a clever adversary and I won’t underestimate you again,” The General announced in my mind.

  I jerked in surprise, stumbled over a rock and did a face plant. Shit. My sunglasses had shattered into tiny little pieces. One side effect of my gift was when I expended a great deal of power my eyes glowed like a demon’s. The glasses helped hide my uniqueness. I got to my feet and looked around. The squad disappeared down a canyon.

  “Cat got your tongue?”

  My shields were locked down tight. How in the hell had the old fart breached them? I ignored him and ran to catch up with my squad.

  “I know where you are.”

  “Whoopee. Knowing and catching me are two different things.”

  “Oh, I will catch you. Make no mistake about that,” the General stated implacably.

  “Did you ever consider that I might be the boogeyman, not you?”

  “Your powers are unique, but I am Coletti.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Wow, you must be so proud to have joined their ranks. The Coletti home world is a nuclear wasteland, and they steal women from other planets to keep their race from dying out like the Dodo birds. You’re living the dream.”

  “Watch your mouth, soldier! I am your commanding officer.”

  “Not for long. Why don’t you go harass someone else and stay out of my head?”

  “Why would I do that? I find your thoughts quite entertaining,” General Jones answered.

  What a smug, arrogant asshole. “Get out or, I will throw you out.”

  “You can try.”

  “Okey-dokey.” I hurled a modified version of my stun grenade along his link and to my horror, the General deflected it. Crap! When had he learned to do that?

  The General’s laughter rang in my head. “You’re gonna have to do better than that, darlin’.”

  Darlin’? Had he been drinking? Or were the blows to his head affecting him? “I won’t let you arrest me and stick me in a jail cell.”

  “Putting you in jail is off the table. Your Siren abilities are quite rare, and I’ve decided to keep you,” the General said.

  Keep me? Did he think I was a dog and all he had to do was put a collar on me? “I don’t find your game amusing. What do you want?”

  “You.”

  Was he serious? And what was up with that possessive note in the old fart’s voice. “News flash, we don’t like each other, and you don’t know anything about me, except I’m good at killing monsters.”

  “Once we merge minds, all your secrets will be mine. Then I’m going to use my tongue and hands to learn every inch of your delectable body.”

  I swallowed hard as heat curled into my belly. “I think you’re suffering from the early stages of dementia, because there is no way you’re laying a finger on me.”

  “I’m going to eat your pussy until you beg me to fuck you.”

  The urge to hump him like a deranged monkey suddenly hit me. I had heard that Coletti warlords were experts in psychic sex, but I hadn’t believed the stories until now. Taking a deep, calming breath, I said, “Did you know I was married once? My loving husband was a conman who married me for my money. He had a wandering dick, and I even caught him in bed with my eighty-five-year old neighbor. To top it all off, the bastard stunned me and left me for the Tai-Kok to eat.”

  “Tell me where he is, and I’ll kill him.”

  “You’re about a year too late. Those Tai-Kok ate him instead.”

  “Come to me.” The General’s mental voice was mesmerizing, compelling. “I’ve been searching for you my entire life.”

  I fought off his compulsion. “Oh, is that why you’ve bedded over four hundred women? Cause you were looking for me? I find that hard to believe.”

  “I’m a man with a healthy sex drive and I will not apologize for it.”

  “I married a Casanova and I’m not making that mistake again.”

  “You have no choice.”

  “Wanna bet?”

  “I have chosen you as my mate,” General Jones stated firmly.

  “I am not, nor will I ever be yours. Stay away from me or I will kill you.”

  “You can’t hurt me, and I will find you,” the General said.

  “Get yourself some submissive female. You can’t handle me.”

  “Warlords enjoy a challenge.”

  Spoken like a true Coletti. “What part of no don’t you get?”

  “I need a strong woman who will stand at my side, no matter what comes.”

  I rubbed my forehead. It was like talking to a rock. “Not. Interested.”

  “I will have you in my bed before the day has ended.”

  “Go to hell,” I growled and hurled another psychic stun grenade at him.

  The General easily blocked it. “Got a bit of a temper, don’t you?”

  “So do you.” An itchy sensation grew in my mind. “Playtime is over. I have incoming hostiles.”

  “I’m tracking the Rodan soldiers,” the General confirmed.

  A man’s guttural cry of pain echoed off the rocks and was quickly followed by the searing hiss of laser beams.

  My squad was under attack!

  “Wait for reinforcements,” General Jones ordered.

  “I won’t let them be eaten.” Dropping my shields, I scanned the area and groaned. My squad had walked into a Rodan trap and had been captured. I could feel the Rodan warriors’ hunger. They were about to start chowing down.

  “You’re outnumbered eight to one.”

  “Remember? I’m the Reaper.” I started hurling psychic grenades. Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! I smiled as I felt the monsters’ minds turn to mush.

  “Your method is quite efficient.”

  “You’re messing with my concentration. Go away.”

  “I will join you shortly.”

  Yippee. Keeping an eye out for more hostiles, I jogged up the mountain side and entered the canyon. “Damn.” Bilson had been gutted. A flicker of shock ran through me. When had I stopped recoiling in horror at a half-eaten body? How had I let carnage and death become so common place? I expelled a long breath. Because the only way to keep from going mad was to lock all those horrific memories away. The General was going to be in for one hell of a shock if he ever got inside my mind. I picked my way over dead Rodan warriors and cautiously entered their campsite.

  Several large domed tents surrounded three slaughter posts. Kris, Tsela and Victorio had been strung up like cattle. Their uniforms had been reduced to bloody rags.

  “If I hadn’t seen it myself, I’d never believed it. We’re ten seconds away from being dinner and boom! They just dropped dead,” Kris remarked, seemingly unaware that his left ear was missing.

  “God works in mysterious ways.” Propping my rife against a tent, I pulled my knife and cut the ropes binding Kris. I eased him to the ground. “How badly are you hurt?”

  “I’ll live.” He frowned. “Why are your eyes glowing?”

  “The meds I take for an eye infection have some interesting side effects.”

  Kris snorted. “You’re lying through your teeth.”

  “You should concentrate on staying alive not asking stupid questions,” I snapped.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  I freed Victorio and handed him the knife. “Cut Tsela loose.”

  “Bilson?”

  “He didn’t make it,” I said.

  Victorio stared at me for a long moment. “You stopped the Rodan.”

  “Did I?”

  “We’re in your debt, Reaper.”

  I flinched as the itchy sensation morphed into a thousand rampaging fire ants. “There are more Rodan heading our way. Find your weapons.”

  “Take cover. You have nine incoming Marauders. A squadron of Talons are ten minutes out,” the General announced.

  I grabbed my rifle and sprinted to the mouth of the canyon. Yippee-ki-yay! More monsters to kill.

  “Stand down,” General Jones commanded.

  “Not a chance.”

  A cracking boom sounded as the Marauders broke the sound barrier. The air streaming off their wings, they flew straight at the canyon.

  “You were never taught proper military discipline.”

  “Tex tried.” I focused on the lead Rodan pilot’s minds and hit him with my psychic grenade. His Marauder spun violently and went into a rapid, vertical descent. It hit the ground and exploded in a brilliant ball of orange flames.

 

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