We got down to some serious planning…

  The battle was tense, the missile barrages seemingly endless. Eight missiles every thirty seconds with a single bank of four lasers for point defense, while both enemy ships had two banks and only four missiles flowing their way. The ship rocked violently with each and every hit, and the bow had been compromised in two places, hull breaches in the owner’s section which was now closed off to us.

  When the next salvo resulted in four severe shakings, then two more, so I knew we’d lost the bow laser bank as well, and could no longer defend ourselves. According to our link to the ship through augmented reality, the bow of the ship was a blasted and fragged mess.

  Thirty seconds later, nothing at all happened, then the captain spoke.

  “Attention crew. Our laser banks are down, and we’ve lost our forward missile launchers. They’ve stopped firing missiles, no doubt intending to take down the last two tubes with precision laser fire before docking and boarding. Subspace is still not an option. I managed to damage one of the enemy ships severely, they lost one bank and two missile launchers, and they may have trouble docking, but their engines are undamaged at this time.

  “We’ll definitely be boarded on the port side airlock, starboard is in question. We have fifteen minutes at most. Prepare to defend the ship from boarders, all our lives before the duchess’s, captain out.”

  Brice grunted, “That’s it then, let’s block off the starboard airlock just to slow them down if they can dock using their aft airlock. Then set up to defend the port flank. The rest of the crew can cover starboard and hopefully slow them down further to give us a chance to deal with the unhurt ship first.”

  Fiona touched the wall and started to sing in that awe-inspiring multi-tonal voice. She wasn’t at it long when she took her hand away, “The preparations are done.”

  She’d be doing more during the fight, we’d set things up for a fighting retreat of sorts, with multiple kill boxes. The C-4 had already been placed in the planned places behind the deck or wall plates. Part of it was Fiona preparing those plates to fragment with the explosion, that would also fill a contained area with both fire and a potent concussion wave.

  I didn’t really blame the captain for his failure. We’d been outnumbered and outgunned, but it sure would’ve been nice if he’d been able to put down that starboard side ship, or at least took it out of the fight.

  The captain spoke again, “All hands, the second ship is not docking, but taking up guard at a short distance, a few thousand miles. It will also be a threat if they divine our intentions to claim their docking ship. Both this one and that will be sitting ducks at such a short range. We’ll need to secure their bridge and fire before Malice does.”

  Right, so she was on the wounded ship. Which made sense, the captain had wanted to take her out if he only got the chance to take one down, I’d have done the same.

  Brice grimaced, “The C-4 and changes you made will have to suffice to aid me and my team. Can you get on that ship with the rest of the crew, once most of them are onboard ours? We need to move fast.”

  That… wasn’t a horrible idea, but last-minute plans usually didn’t go well.

  Fiona nodded, “If we’re that close together I can join our hulls with a wide corridor, at the next junction fifty feet aft.”

  Brice said, “Good, I’m having the rest of the crew meet you there, and I’ll give you a signal when to go, after their crew is on our ship. Once you’re all across I want you to break both docks, yours and the joint airlocks. At that point, their airlock safeties should kick in and close, and with a minimal crew left you can all rush the bridge.”

  Fiona frowned, “That will trap you all here with most of their crew.”

  Brice shrugged, “We’ll either win the engagement and you can rescue us after taking down Malice’s ship, or if not, their crew will be stuck here in a ship that can’t do anything. Keeping us connected won’t increase our chances, but it might save yours to disconnect.”

  The captain said from the doorway, “Good plan. I’m staying too then. I can maneuver the ship from the bridge to shield the docking ship from Malice’s weapons long enough for you to take control of the undamaged one.”

  Fiona frowned, “Captain…” and trailed off when he held up his hand.

  “Don’t argue, your grace. If we all die to see you safely home, then so be it. But don’t underestimate us, thanks to your modifications the vampires will fall like wheat. Get moving.”

  Fiona looked reluctant but she headed out toward the junction aft of the airlock, Grace and I following. It really was a good plan, one that maximized everyone’s chance of survival, but especially Fiona’s and the rest of the crew which was coming with us. Which was the captain’s and Brice’s point, to give her the best chance to get home alive.

  I wouldn’t hesitate to risk my life for hers, and I wasn’t going to argue with the others for doing the same. It was literally their and my jobs to ensure her safety, at any cost.

  Although, while it was the best plan in the circumstances to win our lives free, it was also in truth rather desperate.

  The rest of the crew which was about thirty temple guards, were already there when we arrived, and we took the time to brief them on the mission objectives. Cross into the ship, gain the bridge, and finish off Malice’s ship. At so close, it was likely whichever ship fired first would win. The lasers would be absolutely devastating at a few thousand miles, and even with two launchers they could easily target our weapons and take them out quickly if we weren’t there to return fire.

  Fiona leaned against me, “I love you, Damien.”

  “Love you too. We’re going to be fine.”

  Grace nodded in agreement.

  There wasn’t long to wait, before we heard the clangs of the ships joining. Then the explosions started, theirs to get through our secured airlock doors, and then a short moment later ours as that hallway was turned into a firestorm with the C-4.

  It was only a few seconds after that when Brice sent go.

  Fiona sang and the hull bowed out to touch the enemy ship, once touching the two hulls melted together and formed a hallway, then the corridor wall melted out of our way.

  The crew rushed into the ship with laser pistols in their hands, while I had a sword in my left hand and the rope dart in my right. Fiona sang again and reversed it, while also cutting the ships apart. Then we ran in the crew’s wake. I wished the fireteam and captain left behind luck.

  At first the ship’s corridors were entirely clear of resistance, and I started to wonder if the whole ship’s crew hadn’t gone over to our ship. We were almost to the bridge when we spied two vampires. The crew opened fire, but the vampires blurred back and forth while coming in our direction. Until it looked like they’d hit a wall about fifteen feet ahead.

  Grace had her hand up, and a look of concentration on her face as she held them still.

  Several lasers from our crew got them in the head and killed them. Then we were rushing onto the bridge. There were five vampires on the bridge, and we were all too close together with them, as they blurred and started to cut down our crew.

  I flicked my wrist at one that had paused to feed, and it slammed into the vampire’s back and the cleansing flames took him down.

  Grace said, “Keep it lit up,” and raised her hand. My rope dart took on a life of its own, as Grace directed it with unerring and deadly accuracy, far faster than I could’ve pulled back to sling it again safely in the packed room, she’d put it through the other four vampire’s necks and my fire decapitated them in a moment.

  Three of ours were down with serious wounds, four others dead, but the rest were already taking command of the ship.

  Fiona ran forward to take care of the three wounded, while I took Grace’s hand and moved to the bridge doors and stood guard. We couldn’t be sure there weren’t others on the ship, there likely were in engineering.

  The ship shuddered, as it launched four missiles and charged the lasers. The main engines burned to give us a clear shot with the aft and bow lasers, but it was unnecessary. At just a few thousand miles it took a handful of seconds for the missiles to reach target. Their last laser bank, both aft missile launchers, and the engines were slagged.

  Grace shook her head, “I can’t believe that worked.”

  I snickered, “Me either.”

  The ship cleared the Impulsive and fired eight lasers burning into the hull near engineering, opening a gaping hole in their hull. Twenty seconds later, we launched and the missiles raced for that hole. An explosion inside the ship would finish it, and hopefully completely destroy it.

  I spun around at the bright red flash and then flicker behind us, and the other pirate ship exploded into smithereens at the exact moment Malice walked out of the red and wavering portal. She did not look happy, not even a little bit.

  I didn’t hesitate, and I snapped my wrist forward to release the dart, as I rushed the bitch brandishing the sword, setting both on fire with cleansing golden flames.

  She sneered as she waved her left hand, and the dart was deflected to the side so powerfully it embedded in the wall. There was no way I was pulling it out. A split second later her raised right hand sent out a pulse of omnidirectional energy.

  It slammed into me and sent me flying, Fiona and the person she was healing also went flying, along with everyone else. Knocked on our asses, but I rolled back to my feet and approached her more warily with the sword, noting that everyone else in the room was unconscious, save Fiona and Grace who were still struggling to their feet after the blow. They looked tired and struggling to stay conscious, and I suspected the spell not only knocked people back and down, but also put them to sleep.

  I just had no idea why it didn’t affect me, at all. I felt alert, and unaffected by that portion of it.

  Once I got to about ten feet away, I couldn’t move forward anymore, there was some kind of energy pouring off of her that stopped me. It felt like trying to push through a wall made of foam backed by steel. The further I pushed into it the harder it resisted.

  She shook her head, and said compellingly, “You think to challenge me, Damien? You couldn’t beat me in combat with your full powers released, never mind how you are now. I don’t know how you managed to be born with the ability to wield the purifying flames before your full power is released,” she snorted, “You also limited your aura of influence so even you couldn’t control it… which is making you resistant to my charms. Isn’t it? All this for me? I’m flattered.”

  “What the fuck are you talking about, do I know you?”

  She stared at me in shock, then started laughing, “Well, that explains how, you sacrificed your past life memories. A great sacrifice would allow you to wield the potent power of the flames of purification even in your current state. A valiant but pitiful attempt to destroy me at our next meeting perhaps? Yet, it doesn’t look like you can even approach me through my aura. How sad and desperate are you, Damien? To do all this, and you’ll still die by my hands. Again, to enjoy another life of servitude.”

  I was confused, but she seemed to know me, from a past life? Was my power really called that, was it not cleansing flames, or was it just semantics. Was there a difference? I was also annoyed, I was supposed to have control over my ability to intimidate or attract women, but I’d fucked myself by giving that up, because of Malice?

  “Tell me what I am.”

  She smirked, “I think not. You’re going to be so embarrassed when you wake up in your next life with this memory and all the rest of them. Even with the purifying flames, you’re no threat to me. How you imagined you could beat me like this, I have no idea.”

  She looked bored and done with the conversation, maybe even a little disappointed that I wasn’t putting up a better fight, as she waved a hand and it felt like getting hit by a runaway cargo shuttle. As if all the power of the earlier omnidirectional wave had been concentrated down to a single point. I imagine without the armor I had on under the ship suit it would’ve put a hole through my chest and pulped my heart against the bulkhead. I imagined if she’d hit my head, it’d instantly decapitated me and possibly pulped my head besides. As it was, it felt like an elephant stomped on my chest over my heart, and I went flying into the bulkhead behind me.

  I managed to roll to my feet, but my chest was burning in pain as my eyes narrowed.

  It happened fast after that.

  Fiona screamed, and the bulkhead holding my dart exploded sending it whipping out, and Grace’s power redirected it toward Malice. It all happened too fast for even the demoness to react, since she hadn’t been expecting it. The dart slammed into her chest, and I gripped the rope and sent the cleansing flames racing down it.

  Malice pulled her sword in a split second, red and glowing and she started to bring it down on the rope. She was moving so fast she was going to beat the flames to the punch.

  Fiona’s scream changed pitch, and the sword was torn out of her hand a second before it could bisect the rope.

  Then the flames reached Malice and she started to burn.

  She glared hatefully at me, “This is not over. We will meet again, Damien. I promise you that,” then her body exploded, and the pieces turned to ash before they could fall to the floor.

  I shifted, which hurt like hell, but only for a few seconds, then I was fine. The pain my chest history.

  “What the hell am I, that a demoness knows my name?”

  Grace shrugged, “I did say your aura was the largest I’ve ever seen, and that you should have more powers. Maybe we’ll figure it out when you release your powers.”

  I grimaced, “But how do I do that. Is it an age thing, or something I need to figure out? Are you two okay?”

  Fiona nodded, “I think so. My head was fuzzy, and it took all my concentration to stay awake. Then she hit you, and I kind of lost it, which cleared my head.”

  Grace said, “What she said, but it was Fiona’s scream that cleared mine, must’ve cut right through her power. So, isn’t she dead?”

  I shook my head, “Banished back to hell. My flames can kill lower-level demons, but mid and high level all I can do is send them back to hell. At least, so far.”

  I moved over to the comms panel, and I hailed the Impulsive.

  There was no answer from the captain, which couldn’t have been a good sign.

  “We’re not done yet, I think the vampires are alive on our ship, and there could be more here.”

  I left unsaid that it would mean the captain and Brice along with his fireteam were all dead. There was no need to say it though, I could see the knowledge in their eyes.

  Grace closed her eyes for a long moment, then shook her head, “No. We’re it on the ship. Our ship… no survivors, and there are twenty vampires living over there.”

  “You sure?”

  Grace tapped her forehead, “Telepathy. I’m positive.”

  I sighed, moved over to tactical, and locked on our ship.

  “We’re going to need to buy Grace another wardrobe,” I noted clinically, as I fired. Lasers only, firing missiles at a few hundred feet away might just destroy us too. It took a couple of shots, but in the end they all died from decompression and vacuum.

  Fiona shook her head, “We still have all the patterns on our implants. I’ll just fabricate them again when we get back to the temple.”

  I nodded.

  It was a ridiculous thing to talk about, but none of us wanted to focus on those that died.

  “At least Price is toast.” I wasn’t sure the cost had been worth it though.

  Fiona nodded, “Yes, but the damage is done. Supernaturals are now common knowledge, my mother is the devil, I’m the spawn of the devil, and there are enough haters out there to cause a schism in the Fellowship. The days ahead won’t be easy.”

  I said, “We’ll figure it out, Fi. The three of us are also rich, once we claim the reward for taking down Malice and her pirates. More than enough money to go into mining with a splash if we really have to, but I don’t think we will.”

  Fiona snorted, “True. Let’s wake these guys up. We have three days to get out of the storm effected area in subspace, then another three days to get home. We need to find out if there’s food, and then claim some quarters.”

  Epilogue

  The sheets twisted under my viselike grip as I was thrown into a storm of pleasure. Fiona’s hot cock sucking mouth was draining me early that morning as Grace suckled one of my balls and massaged my prostate with her index finger up my ass.

  It was a hell of a way to wake up.

  It was also the sixth morning since we’d arrived back at the main temple on Patience. Fiona’s sexual awakening was complete. Her blowjob skills were also at least as good as Grace’s now, she’d come a long way in the last thirty days.

  She kissed Grace warmly to share, then swallowed her half before crawling up my body and claiming my lips.

  “Damien,” she whispered, “Might as well strike while the iron is hot. I want to bond with you so badly it’s driving me crazy. I’ll tell you the truth now, that it’s time. I’ve always known it was you, it will always be you in my heart, even before we met as adults.”

  I asked curiously, “How does it work?” I mean, I knew we’d be bonded, and the sex would be better thought that was hard to imagine, and we’d never run out of heat between us for our lifetimes, but I didn’t know how it all worked.

  She kissed me languidly, then sighed softly, “Mm, Grace has her tongue in my innocent ass.”

  I grinned, “Innocent?” I asked doubtfully.

  She looked mock offended for about half a second, then broke down into naughty giggles.

  “My magic will join us together, a bond or link. We’ll always be connected, always feel each other and how we are, what we’re feeling, at least vaguely. Except when it comes to sex. The link strengthens when aroused and in times of heightened need, and during sex itself we’ll very clearly feel what the other feels. Not so much physical sensations, but state of mind and pleasure. So you won’t feel my pussy while your licking it, what I feel, but you will feel the rush of pleasure from it.