Free Knights of Desire [Flights of Fancy 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) by Melodee Aaron

will I tell the people here?"
    "You may tell them your Captain is a paranoid fool. You have your orders."
    "Yes, Ma'am." He didn't look any happier, though.
    "Second, this ship will go to a level-two alert. Captain Ells, I want a team standing by for immediate deployment to the planet if needed to recover Sergeant Rawls."
    "Yes, Ma'am." He paused for a second. "What is the level of acceptable collateral damage?"
    "Anything short of reducing the planet to molten slag."
    Chris rolled his eyes.
    "Understood, Captain. I'll have the team ready in thirty minutes."
    "Make it fifteen, and I'll be happy." She took a deep breath. "Thirdly, I want this king..." Elsa checked her notes. "King Sayid aboard this ship in ten minutes."
    Talbert's face looked ashen. "What are you saying, Captain? Are you planning on kidnapping the king?"
    "Call it what you like, but I will talk to this man. Now."
    The Science Officer shook her head. "Ma'am, I don't think I can isolate him well enough to get just the king with the transporter."
    Elsa shrugged. "Then bring his entire fucking court up here."
    Chris nodded. "What about those two knights Rawls has been talking to?"
    "I expected you to be trying to decide if I'm crazy enough to relieve of command."
    Chris chuckled. "Oh, you're crazy, but you're right too much for me to get twitchy."
    "Fair enough. If we can find them, I want to talk to them, too."
    Again the Science Officer shook her head. "I can get you the king and maybe a dozen or two of his closest friends, but I'll never find the knights without a lot of dumb luck."
    "Well, let's play dumb, then." Elsa smiled around the table. "That shouldn't be too hard. Dismissed."
     
    * * * *
     
    Landis reached his sword after Clemmons had already started charging Shane's location. In spite of his head start, Clemmons arrived too late, and that meant Landis was way too late to save Shane.
    The lizard grabbed her from behind, and its claws dug into the soft, white flesh of her shoulders and back as it lifted her from the ground. She wailed in pain and surprise, but there was nothing he or Clemmons could do but watch as the dragon carried her away to the mountains looming high above them.
    Clemmons strode to stand beside him and sheathed his sword. "Dress yourself. If we move after them now, we may catch them."
    In his mind, Landis knew Clemmons was right. They had only a slim chance, but it was the only one they had to rescue Shane. But his heart couldn't believe there was any chance at all to save her. Between the guilt he felt for making love to Shane followed so suddenly by the attack on her, a black mood gripped his soul.
    He could still see the talons ripping into her body, blood spurting from the wounds. He heard the scream that tore from her throat as the pain hit Shane. And just as with Anna, all he could do was stand there with his thoughts swirling and do nothing to help.
    Clemmons grabbed his shoulders and shook him. "Landis! We are not going to do this again!"
    His mind snapped back to the now. "What?"
    "You couldn't save Anna. We had no chance to save her." His partner paused, his eyes looking like hard metal. "I admit that, in some ways, I'm not as sorry as I should be for Anna's death, because that's what brought us together. But this is different."
    His mind was getting too much information at once for him to process it fully, and he didn't understand. "What do you mean?"
    "You obviously have feelings for Shane, and so do I. Right now, all we know about her is she also has feelings for you." Clemmons sighed. "We have the chance to save Shane. I love you, Landis, and I'll die without regret if I can help you keep whatever it is you and Shane might have found."
    Landis didn't feel like he understood his emotions or thoughts any better, but he did understand what Clemmons said. "All I know for certain is I love you. I'm sorry I've hurt you."
    "No, don't be sorry. I've always felt each of us has a special person meant just for us. It does no good