Born of Legend Read Free

realized how close she’d come to never seeing her baby boy again. She still couldn’t breathe for it.
    But they had to get out of here before they were all taken and jailed. She’d tremble and fall apart later. Right now she had to secure everyone’s safety. “Vas! We need to go. Now!”
    Her son knelt by the male’s side. “Not without him.”
    â€œVas!”
    Her stubborn little progeny had the audacity to jut his chin out and defy her. “He saved me, Mum. Risked his own life to do it. For no reason at all. We help those who help us. That’s what you’ve always told me, isn’t it?”
    â€œDon’t you dare throw my words in my face. Not right now.”
    â€œIt’s not enough that we voice good intentions. We must back them with action.”
    She growled at her child and his stubborn defiance. He had far too much of his father in his blood.
    Worse? He had far too much of her in him. A fact brought home as her brother, who stood at her back, dared to laugh at Vasili’s defiant stubbornness.
    â€œFine!” Growling, she gestured at the lump on the floor and ordered her brother to claim it as part of their clean up of this very bad situation. “Drag him to the ship and be quick about it. We don’t want to be here when any authorities arrive.”
    They’d moved so fast to get to this backwoods rock to find her baby, they still wore Tavali markings and gear. As well as had stolen cargo on board the fastest ship that had been docked in their station. When word had come that Vasili had been kidnapped by slavers, she’d recklessly commandeered that ship for this venture. And if they were caught, they could all be executed for it.
    For that matter, it wasn’t even her ship or crew. Rather, they were a united force of stray Tavali consisting of volunteers from her brothers’, cousin’s, and sisters’ crews and any pirate willing to help rescue her child.
    They were far from Tavali friendly territory, and flying with no allies or backup. What the lot of them had done was all kinds of stupid. They hadn’t even done preliminary or safety checks on the ship to ensure it was space-worthy before taking off. All they’d known was that Vas was in trouble and they had a sort-of location for him, and a very limited amount of time to find him before he was lost forever.
    Yeah, in retrospect, bad idea.
    Trajen was right. When it came to her son, she had no common sense.
    â€œHey!” the owner called as they started for the door. “What about the mess in my bar?”
    Ushara turned on the man with a glower, aghast at his indignation. “You allowed those scabs to use your establishment as a place to sell my child, and you think I owe you payment for what happened during his rescue?” She glanced back to her precious blond-haired baby. Barely thirteen, he looked older to those who didn’t know better.
    Just a child that they had planned to rob of his innocence. Sell for things that enraged her to a level she couldn’t even begin to calm down from.
    â€œYou’re right. I do owe you.” She shot him where his heart should have been, then followed after her crew.
    Zellen met her at the door with a fierce grimace. “That was unwise.”
    â€œDon’t you dare lecture me, Gondarion. In the mood I’m in, I’ll shoot you, too. Besides, killing anyone who’d sell a child is a public service. I should get a medal.”
    Her adjutant wisely held his hands up and stepped out of her path. Which wasn’t something he did lightly or often. In his late forties, the bald human male was still ripped and physically able to outmaneuver or outfight most anyone half his age—yet not even he wanted to tangle with Ushara when she was this angry and it involved the well-being of her one, sacred child.
    The only reason Zellen was grounded these days came from an injury he’d sustained a decade