Zola Flash (The Zola Flash Series Book 1) Read online

  My gaze moves to the male with the sword. “Please don’t,” I tell him. “Don’t.”

  Sympathy flickers in the male’s features, and he turns toward Cleo. For a second, I think he might release her because she did nothing wrong, but he raises the sword.

  My eyes fills with tears, and I try to turn my face, for I cannot witness this. Especially not after my parents.

  The monster restraining me cups my face and forces me back around. “You must observe Rican.”

  Swiftly, using both his hands, the male brings the sword down.

  My sister’s blood splatters my armor, my face and hair.

  Her head rolls to my feet.

  Trembling all over, I fall to my knees. Though all my emotions try surging forth, I shove them back.

  The one called Rican, wielding his sword, grabs me. I push him away, but the effort is heart-weakened, pathetic, and he only laughs. “Your turn, Victian Princess,” he says, grabbing me a second time.

  I want to run, but with the Payohlini blocking the exits, there’s no place to run to. It doesn’t stop my body from bracing, though, but before I can act, Rican yanks me closer. So close our body touch, like a father smothering his little girl, to keep her from growing up. So close, I’m unable to jerk away.

  “No! Let me go!” I kick at him while screaming and pleading. “Please, let me go!”

  “You wanted this.”

  I thump my fists against his chest over and over. As hurt as I am, I’m even more infuriated. All I can think about is killing. Killing everyone in the room.

  Rican’s hands suddenly drop from my body as if burned.

  The other males in the room back away from me, as if defeated by my wailing.

  I stare at them, the alarm in their expressions, wondering what just happened, what’s going on … until I catch a flash of white in my periphery and realize I’m surrounded by a full-bodied mane.

  What had been my flowing, pale hair has expanded into an impressive halo of white strands. My manicured fingernails have grown into claws. Against the underside of my lips, my teeth are razor-sharp.

  Panic engulfs me, setting my pulse soaring, as I try to take in the transformation, what’s happening to me—what I’ve become.

  I’m an animal?

  Chapter Four

  I SNARL AT THE petrified men and leap over the crowd, feeling every bit as terrified as they probably are.

  Bursting out from the enclosed space, I race down the corridor, and with each step I take, I become aware of the ever-sharpening of my hearing.

  “I thought they were all dead,” a distant voice says. “I ordered you to kill all of the shape-shifters.”

  “I didn’t know she was a shape-shifter,” says another. “She’s a child.”

  “I don’t care. Find her and end her!”

  Shaper-shifter?

  No.

  Tears run between the fur that has grown over my face.

  Erupting from the building takes me back into the cold rains of my war-torn planet.

  I glance upward at a sky altered by ashes and smoke, and I know I will have my revenge on the Payohlini.

  If it takes me my whole life, they will pay.

  * * *

  As I run farther and farther from the building of death, pain makes an indent in the pit of my stomach. It is way more painful than when I was bitten by a glumunk as a child, clenching as though forced by gripping fists, twisting as though tortured.

  I fall to the ground, clutching my stomach, and lay on the slushy ground in a painful ball of fur. Death would be a much better feeling than this.

  Right as a familiar sensation washes over me, a dark shadow approaches, until someone in dark, hammered battle armor stands over me.

  Chapter Five

  I AWAKE TO BRIGHT lights, directed right at me, and a surrounding silence. The pain in my stomach is gone, and a quick body search with my fingers tells me I look as I did before. Back to normal, with long flowing white hair and skin without fur.

  From the unmade, black bunks and green lights lining the walls of the room, I presume I’m in a spaceship. I start to rise but something holds me put, and my gaze darts to the side, where it lands on the body I’m pressed against. A body dressed in dark battle armor. A body with perfect cheekbones, and eyes I realize I recognize.

  Gasping, I crawl off his lap and across the room away.

  The male slowly walks to me, but I pat the ground for ammo and throw whatever my hands touch at his approach.

  “Calm down, Zola.” Holding his hands up to ward off my thrown missiles, he continues coming. “Just calm down and, please, stop.”

  “Why would I, when I awaken in the arms of an enemy?” I snap at him.

  “Calm down, settle yourself! I could have left you on the filthy, wet ground, but, instead, I brought you here! You should be thanking me!” He barks back.

  “Thank you? I would never thank a Payohlini!” My gaze searches for the ship’s exit, and quickly notice Doodle isn’t in my arms. Doodle isn’t even in the room. I whip my head back toward the soldier. “Where’s Doodle?”

  “You mean that annoying emp?” At my nod, he says, “It was getting on my nerves, so I threw it in another room.”

  I thrust up from the floor and charge at the male, but his reflexes are too fast. He captures both of my arms within his hands and restrains them behind my back. I struggle against his hold, but his grip tightens.

  I moan in pain. “That hurts.”

  “You throw punches like a man, expect to get treated like one,” he replies.

  “Doodle is the only thing I have left.” I whimper.

  “You refer to that thing likes it’s a person.”

  “Doodle is the only thing I have left,” I repeat.

  He narrows his eyes at me, but releases his grip on my arms. Heading toward the door, he gestures for me to follow. I do, and we end up in a hallway that leads to a red entrance through which sounds can be heard.

  My smile spreads as I recognize Doodle’s buzzing.

  The male seems to be watching my expression really closely as he uses a key in the lock. Nothing happens with the turn of his wrist. He turns the key again, then again. Still nothing.

  My smile turns into a frown, and I slide down the wall.

  He stares down at me. “Um . . . grabbed the wrong key.”

  “Well, find a way to get in! I want Doodle.”

  The male bursts into laughter, and I tilt my head up at him.

  “What is so funny?”

  “I was joking. The door is open.”

  He reaches out and swings the door open, and Doodle wobbles out, immediately trotting over me and licking me.

  “I missed you, too,” I say, scratching his head.

  The male extends his hand, and giving him my attention for a second, I take hold and let him pull me up.

  Doodle leaps into my arms. “I’m grateful I have Doodle back,” I say. “He means everything to me right now. With everything going on, you know.”

  The male smiles.

  “So . . . um, you apparently know who I am, and I know nothing of you. What’s your name?” The last thing I want is to feel like I owe anything to a Payohlini.

  “Pin.”

  “Pin?”

  He nods. “Pin.”

  I look away from him and down the length of the hallway we just entered. I start to walk away, when Pin stops me. He throws me a couple of things, and though I don’t really want anything from him, I unfold them.

  “What is this for?” I ask, holding up new attire.

  “I didn’t know what size you wore, so I grabbed that. You can’t go back out there dressed in battle armor.”

  I eye Doodle for a response, but he nods as if in agreement with Pin. I start to think about the pros and cons of wearing my armor. The cons outweigh the pros, especially with a war roaring outside. Eventually, I concede. “Okay, I’ll wear it.”

  “Good, ‘cause I didn’t feel like fighting for your life.”


  I stare at Pin. He stares back. Doodle looks from Pin to me.

  Pin starts tapping his foot, and I sigh, lifting my eyebrows. “What are you waiting for?” he asks.

  My cheeks heat. “I need privacy.”

  “Oh . . . um . . . sorry.” He ducks through and open door.

  Doodle leaps out my arms and nudges the door until it closes before wobbling back to my side and buzzing at me. With a final glance at the door, I quickly assemble my new habiliments and march through to Pin.

  After seeming to check me over, Pin starts walking in the opposite direction, and I follow.

  He turns a corner but backs up fast, and holds out a hand that prevents me making the turn.

  “Why did we stop?” I ask.

  “Stay here until I come back.”

  “Why?” I ask, but as soon as I hear the voices, I know.

  Glancing in the direction of the voices, Pin walks away, leaving me standing there. Alone.

  Chapter Six

  DOODLE AND I SIT on the floor, waiting for direction from Pin. I thought the ship was vacant beyond the three of us. I was wrong. I crawl closer to the edge to the wall. Doodle sticks his snout around the corner, which I pull back, as I try to hear as much of the conversation as possible.

  “Have you found her?” one of the Payohlini ask.

  “No, but I’m on it,” Pin answers. “You can take a break. I’ll find the troublesome brat.”

  My mouth falls open. A brat? I’m not a brat. If he hasn’t forgotten, his people invaded my home. Not the other way around.

  My mouth is still hanging open when a shadow appears over me.

  My eyes widen, and putting my hand over Doodles mouth, I slowly turn to see Rican standing behind me.

  He smirks down at me, twisting his features into an unpleasant expression. I push to crawl away, but he snatches me up by my leg before I’ve barely moved.

  Doodle falls from my arms and goes screeching around the corner.

  With me hanging by my leg, Rican marches after Doodle, stomping the floor around the creature with his massive feet as if trying to crush him.

  Pin’s head snaps up, as other males with him turn toward the commotion and where I swing from Rican’s hand.

  Pin swings his gaze accusingly toward me, like it’s my fault I’m in this predicament, and stalks over to where I dangle. Grabbing me by the shoulders, he seizes me upright and shoves me up against a wall. I cringe beneath the crush of his fingers and the ire in his eyes.

  “I can take it from here,” Pin announces to the others.

  Rican and the others seem unsure as they glance between each other, but Pin merely stares back at them all. I can’t tell if Pin is stalling, or what his plan is.

  “No, that’s al—” Rican starts.

  “I got this!” The authority steeling Pin’s voice is convincing, even to my ears.

  The Payohlini soldiers narrow their eyes, but as if he hasn’t seen, or doesn’t care, Pin walks away still restraining me.

  We don’t get far before a couple of fists come flying our way. I think the punches are meant for Pin, but they graze my chin instead, and I stumble into the wall. Sinking to the floor, I clutch my jaw where it throbs and aches. Everyone hears stories of the strength of the Payohlini’s. I didn’t realize they really were that strong.

  Doodle comes crawling into my lap, when Rican sends a blow to Pin’s stomach.

  Expecting Pin to double over, I shudder and clutch Doodle closer. I almost feel the pain from that one myself. Even if he is wearing armor, that has to hurt. Fortunately, Pin seems to be used to this, having the wind knocked out of him. He stands perfectly vertical.

  Rage pours out of him, as he and Rican stare each other down.

  Two other soldiers had followed us with Rican, but they turn and bolt from the standoff, as if they want nothing to do with whatever the outcome might be.

  “Protecting the Princess?” Rican asks with a smirk in his voice.

  “Someone . . . needs to . . .” Pin takes a creeping step forward every time he speaks. And then he takes a swing: “From you!”

  Rican brings his arm up and blocks Pin’s blow. Without pause, Rican shoves back at Pin before he can recover, and sends punch after punch to Pin’s jawline.

  Clearly affected this time, Pin bends at the waist, clutching his knees. Rican sends a flying kick to Pin’s torso. I gasp, as Pin drops to the floor.

  Shifting direction, Rican comes towards me.

  I force myself back up against the wall. Panic spirals through me.

  From the corner of my eyes, I see Pin rise. He places a finger over his lips, and I obey.

  Pin glances around and heads toward a metal chair. Rican jerks me forward by my neck, and I swallow hard, but Pin brings the chair down upon his head, and before Rican can do so much as squeeze my throat, he drops to the ground, his eyes shuttering closed.

  Pin turns to me, concern in his eyes. “Are you okay?”

  I blow out a shaky breath. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

  He gazes into my eyes for a moment before he turns away, and I slowly follow behind him as he starts up the corridor.

  I’ve never had anyone protect me before, except for a stone wall that kept me trapped inside my own home. No one ever explained why I was pretty much treated as a prisoner.

  I take a long glance at Pin. In that moment, I really wish he was not a Payohlini. Though, where is it written that Payohlini and Victians can’t befriend one another?

  Staring up at me, Doodle starts up again with the snorting; I’m glad I can’t understand him because he’d most likely be saying ‘princess, tsk, tsk’.

  Princess? I wonder why they keep referring to me as that.

  I stop and place Doodle on the floor. If I look into those bubbly eyes, I will doubt myself; which I really do not want to do.

  Pin turns around. “What’s wrong?”

  I can’t help but stare at his breathtaking features, his muscular and broad shoulders. His Silk-like black hair is long enough to go into a ponytail, if he didn’t seem to favor it flowing in the wind. He also has the most exquisite green eyes and kissable lips I have ever seen.

  Granted, I haven’t seen many . . .

  I might as well forget about it. He is a Payohlini, and I am a Victian. We don’t mix.

  “Nothing,” I say.

  “Well, come on. The ship is ready, and we need to get off this planet before Rican becomes conscious.”

  Turning, he marches away again, and once again, I follow.

  Chapter Seven

  “WHAT DO YOU MEAN? We’re not going anywhere!”

  Pin tilts his head down toward me, and without warning, he thrust me up against a wall. His hefty hands wraps around my neck, though he does not choke me, and our eyes lock. “I have betrayed my people to help you. The way I see it, you have two choices. We both take off on this ship and head to earth. Or I take you to my people to die, which I do not think you want,” Pin says through clenched teeth.

  Unable to speak, I only nod.

  “Good! From here on out, we do things my way, Princess.”

  Again with the princess. Why has everyone been calling me that?

  Pin grabs Doodle and stuffs him in my jacket, not seeming to care how he handles the innocent creature. I give him my killing look, which always works on my friends—what few friends I did have—but he pays it no consideration. He grips my arm and hauls me out into the gloomy world.

  As he pulls me at his long-legged pace, I constantly trip over my own feet. I know this frustrated Pin by the hardening line of his mouth and the breaths he expels. As though finally done with my lack of coordination and balance, he snags me up, and throws me over his shoulder like a sack of rooted gushberries, as if I can do nothing for myself.

  When we arrive at the ship’s navigation room, Pin sets me on my feet and locks the ship’s entrance. Reaching over the navicomm panel, he fires up the ship’s rocket.

  Sitting myself down across from Pin,
I watch him fiddle with the screens, switches and buttons, as I buckle my seatbelt and bring Doodle out.

  The glance Pin sends me holds an emotion I’ve never seen him aim at me before, one of pure hatred, one that makes me want to cringe away.

  Three, two, one, and we lift off. However, to our misfortune, the Payohlini have ships of their own, and three of them trail us into Victian wormhole.

  Five torpedoes come towards the ship. Each hit results in a cluster of explosions that rock the ship.

  While I slip from my seat, panicking, Pin gets up as if nothing has happen.

  “Take over,” Pin yells.

  I slide in and take the wheel, but don’t understand all the controls. So many flips and dials. I start to ask Pin, but instead just start pushing buttons and hope for the best, as we come out of the wormhole.

  When Pin gets back, I move to the other seat. Pin puts the ship in auto-drive and aims beams at each ship following us, but instead of the beams releasing, they explode and take out our ship’s engine.

  Pin glances at me for a long moment before two more torpedoes destroy the ship’s wings, and we go spiraling down into the middle of the Earth’s atmosphere.

  A scream tears from my throat at the realization that this could be the end. My short life could be over any second. I really don’t want to die.

  Pin wraps a hand over my mouth. “Zola! Cease!” He releases his hold, frees my voice once more. “I’m about to press the eject button, so I need you to hold on to me.”

  He doesn’t have to tell me twice before I wrap my arms around his neck. His sigh is a soft sound against my cheek, making me wonder if maybe he does feel the same attraction.

  As soon as Pin presses the eject button, and we fall through the dark, hot night, I realize what’s missing.

  “Where’s Doodle!?” I shout.

  “It’s too late, now.”

  The ship crashes into Earth’s surface and explodes.