Free Coletti Warlords: Reality Bites by Gail Koger Page A

struck the tentacle clutching Jaylan’s throat. It slipped off him and hung limply.
    Jaylan agilely avoided the mutant’s snapping jaws. Bracing his feet against its skull, he yanked his laser pistol from the holster and fired repeatedly. Severed tentacles fell into the swamp.
    What, no sword? “Oh lookie, you do know how to use a laser pistol.”
    His fangs bared in a fierce snarl, he shot it dead in the eye.
    With a banshee-like wail, the creature released Jaylan, and he hit the water with a loud splash.
    Images flashed across my mind. I’ll be damned. The mutant octopus was full of air bladders. No wonder it could float. I ducked the flailing tentacles and emptied my gun into the quivering pink flesh.
    A series of loud pops sounded as the bladders ruptured. The monster deflated rapidly, zooming wildly over the swamp before crashing into a tree. Barely thirty seconds later, its carcass was covered by thousands of the armored insects.
    Four sets of serrated pinchers rose out of the slimy muck.
    I slid another clip into my gun and yelled mentally, “Get out of the water. Now!”
    Jaylan appeared on the island, covered in red slime. He took two staggering steps before collapsing under the weight of the wiggling horde of eggs.
    “Oh my God!” I rushed toward him, fear knotting my chest.
    “Stay. Back.” Jaylan tapped an icon on his bracelet. A bright green glow enveloped him, and presto, the slimy spider eggs were incinerated. He sucked in a rasping breath.
    “Don’t you dare get dead on me.”
    His smile was all predator. “Colettis are very hard to kill.”
    The knot in my chest loosened. They were almost impossible to kill. “How do we get out of this hellhole?”
    “We teleport.” Fatigue lining his face, Jaylan rose to his feet and held out his hand.
    Ignoring it, I mentally scanned his body. He had some new bruises, but his energy levels were dangerously low. “You look like shit. Why don’t you take a short break and eat something. I have some power bars, or do you need blood?”
    Jaylan bristled. “I’m not a weak human.”
    “No. You’re a cranky, testosterone-driven moron who refuses to admit to any kind of weakness. So, what’s it gonna be? Food or blood?”
    With a growl of aggression, Jaylan snapped, “I am a warlord . No one dictates to me, except the Overlord or Voss.”
    “Oh, you’re gonna listen to me.”
    He bared his teeth. “Am I?”
    “Yup, because I’m the sane one.” I laughed at his incredulous expression. “Teleporting takes a great deal of energy. Correct?”
    “Yes.”
    “You’ve teleported us over what? A hundred miles?”
    “Two hundred.”
    “Isn’t it your prime directive to protect your mate? Not accidently impale her on a tree?”
    Jaylan ran a weary hand over his face. “Food.”
    “Chocolate or raspberry?”
    He smiled. A truly evil smile. “Chocolate.”
    I handed Jaylan one of my coveted bars. “Remember. Karma’s a bitch.”
    My eyes widened when he practically inhaled it. I gave him another one.
    Jaylan ripped the foil off and took a big bite. “This isn’t chocolate.”
    “Nope. Raspberry. Fruit’s good for you.”
    “Is it?”
    Unease trickled down my spine. My psychic senses had been on overload since we teleported down, but I knew something really nasty was headed our way. I pulled my backpack on. “Break’s over.”
    Jaylan wrapped his arms around me and teleported.

Chapter Seven
    An eternity later, we appeared next to the burned-out shell of a building. The charred metal rose eerily from the scorched sand. I hurried inside, happy for the chance to get out of the sun. “I thought Gansu was uninhabited?”
    “It is. The Alliance established this outpost during the Great War.”
    “And the Overlord came along and blew it all to hell?”
    “Yes.” Lines of strain bracketed Jaylan’s mouth.
    The poor guy was visibly exhausted. He must have teleported us over eight hundred miles. Add in the heat and humidity, and I was surprised he