Free Finding Lara (Distant Worlds Book 3) by Kelly Lucille Page A

and suddenly he was facing an incensed Shakien cat in his
warrior form.  The man growled at him, his eyes no longer showing a hint of the
man of fierce intelligence, or even playful menace.  This beast meant business,
and something had triggered his most aggressive side to come out and play. 
From the look of those lavender eyes, as they watched Barnos slowly move back,
his hand on his blaster, what he wanted to play was games of blood.
    When Barnos backed up
about two feet, the beast seemed to relax and Barnos took the moment to look
around him.  He was no longer between the mech and the Shakien cat, and as
such, apparently he was no longer important.  Watching the way the beast eyed
the little mech reminded Barnos of a great predator eyeing his next meal.  The
beast was on a different hunt now, which was not to say they were any better
off than before, quite frankly, because the girl looked none too pleased and
Barnos had to wonder if he was going to have to blast his friend anyway.  Bollocks.
    Tolan Lark took a step
toward the woman, a snarl on his lips that had Barnos reaching for his weapon. 
He was charging the little female as Barnos cleared his holster.  With a curse,
the mech pulled something out of her too large coveralls and smacked the
expanding stick across his Shakien snarl; and then with a whirl of deadly
grace, she twirled around his reaching claws and took him out at the knees. 
Flipping the staff-sized weapon in her hands, she shoved the lighted end into
the Shakien’s exposed throat.  Tolan Lark went down, and Barnos was left
blinking in amazement with his blaster half-raised to fire.  The deceptively
delicate mech was not even breathing hard.
    She looked the cat over
making sure he would not get up again, then met Barnos’ shocked gaze.  “He’ll
be out long enough for me to fix the ship,” she pointed a warning finger at
Barnos.  “But I’m warning you right now, if he comes at me again, I’ll do more
than stun his grumpy ass.”
    All Barnos could do was
nod.  He was too surprised by the unfolding events to do anything else.
    Apparently that was all
she needed because she collapsed her staff and shoved it back in the hidden
pocket she had pulled it from.  “And I’m adding five percent to my original
quote for the time I’ve wasted dealing with a stubborn Shakien warrior.”  She
waggled her finger at him, her eyes narrowed and on Barnos.
    He held up his hands.  “Whatever
you say.”
    Then she turned and
strutted away.  That was fine with him.  If she could take down a Shakien cat in
warrior form like it was nothing, he did not want to see what else she was
capable of if she actually got angry.  Barnos looked down at the mighty Shakien
warrior passed out on the deck and could not hold back the snort of humor. 
Here’s hoping Tolan wakes up in a better mood than when he went down.  Barnos
somehow doubted it.

CHAPTER SEVEN
    Lara had no idea how much
time had passed.  It couldn’t be much because she was still tipsy with brew
when she heard the engines come to life.  She smoothed down her tunic, pushed
her bed hair behind her shoulder, and headed for the bridge.  When she got
there she was shocked to see it was the mech Dainaree who had keyed the ship
and was trolling it through its paces, her eyes glued to the comp screen.
    “I’m almost finished,”
she said not looking away from her work.  “I just need to check that all my
repairs have registered and are integrated properly.”
    “I thought you said it
would be two days for repairs?”  Lara said it like a question, but the kind of
repairs they had needed were extensive.
    “Needed to get you done
and gone before your Shakien wakes up,” she said absently.
    Lara opened her mouth and
realized she had no idea how to address the mech. “What is your name?” she
asked, tilting her head and studying the woman.  Under the calm of her outward reaction,
she was a wild tizzy of emotions.
    The mech finally