MARK OF EON

EON WARRIORS #5

ANNA HACKETT

Mark of Eon

Published by Anna Hackett

Copyright 2019 by Anna Hackett

Cover by Melody Simmons of BookCoversCre8tive

Edits by Tanya Saari

ISBN (ebook): 978-1-925539-88-2

ISBN (paperback): 978-1-925539-89-9

This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, events or places is coincidental. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form.

CONTENTS

What readers are saying about Anna’s action romances

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Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

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Also by Anna Hackett

About the Author

WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ANNA’S ACTION ROMANCES

Cyborg - PRISM Award Winner 2019

Edge of Eon and Mission: Her Protection - Romantic Book of the Year (Ruby) finalists 2019

Unfathomed and Unmapped - Romantic Book of the Year (Ruby) finalists 2018

Unexplored – Romantic Book of the Year (Ruby) Novella Winner 2017

Return to Dark Earth – One of Library Journal’s Best E-Original Books for 2015 and two-time SFR Galaxy Awards winner

At Star’s End – One of Library Journal’s Best E-Original Romances for 2014

The Phoenix Adventures – SFR Galaxy Award Winner for Most Fun New Series and “Why Isn’t This a Movie?” Series

Beneath a Trojan Moon – SFR Galaxy Award Winner and RWAus Ella Award Winner

Hell Squad – SFR Galaxy Award for best Post-Apocalypse for Readers who don’t like Post-Apocalypse

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“Strap in, enjoy the heat of romance and the daring of this group of space travellers!” – Di, Top 500 Amazon Reviewer, review of At Star’s End

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CHAPTER ONE

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.” Lieutenant Jamie Park bit out the word, her spine ramrod straight.

Her captain, Allie Borden, huffed out a breath and crossed her arms over her dark-blue Space Corps uniform. “Yes. And in case you missed it, that’s an order.”

Jamie ground her teeth together and looked out the window into space.

They were aboard the Divergent—a starship chock-full of experimental weapons. With Earth facing possible annihilation at the hands of the insectoid Kantos aliens—who wanted to swarm in and devour the planet’s resources and people—Earth needed every single advantage they could muster.

Space Corps had starships, and they also had trained space marines like Jamie.

And now, they also had an alliance with the Eon Empire.

The alien warriors of the Eon Empire were big and badass, and hated the Kantos as much as Terrans did—probably more.

Right now, however, Jamie wasn’t that happy about the alliance. She was not liking the order she’d just been given. She kept her face blank. She had a reputation as a badass, and she liked it that way.

She stared hard at the pinpricks of light outside. She couldn’t see the Desteron—the warship that was the pride of the Eon fleet—but she knew it was there, hovering off the Divergent’s starboard side.

Jamie blew out a breath. “I don’t want to be assigned to the Desteron.”

Allie raised a brow, tossing the end of her blonde braid over her shoulder. She was one of the best captains in Space Corps—gutsy, loyal, quick-thinking.

“As part of the alliance, some Terrans are being stationed aboard Eon ships,” Allie said. “And some warriors will be aboard Terran ships. We all need to learn from each other and strengthen our alliance to have any chance at bringing the Kantos down. It’s only going to be for a few months.”

“My marines need me,” Jamie said.

Her team was her family. The one she’d been born into sucked, so she’d been forced to find her own. Jamie had never felt any sense of belonging, not until she’d passed the hellish training to become a marine. Not until she’d fought side by side with some of the best marines she’d ever known.

“They’ll be fine,” Allie said. “You’ve trained them well.”

“I’ll go to the Rengard.”

Allie’s eyes narrowed. “You’re assigned to the Desteron. You’ll work with Caze.”

Jamie didn’t mind that part of the assignment. She liked the stoic Eon security commander. In addition to that, the big warrior was mated to Jamie’s friend and fellow space marine, Lara Traynor.

In fact, Lara and her sisters had been the spark to starting the alliance with the Eon. Well, technically Space Corps were to blame with their harebrained scheme to get the Eon’s attention, but they’d blackmailed the Traynor sisters into their plan. With the Kantos breathing down Space Corps’ neck, it had forced the bigwigs to make some desperate decisions.

First, Eve Traynor had been sent off to abduct War Commander Davion Thann-Eon. Then, Lara had been sent to steal sacred Eon jewels, and Caze Vann-Jad had been ordered to hunt her down. Finally, Wren Traynor had been sent to hijack the Rengard, another Eon warship, commanded by War Commander Malax Dann-Jad.

Luckily for Space Corps, the women hadn’t ended up dead, and instead, were now all happily mated to their warriors.

Jamie looked back at Allie. Allie, too, was also mated to the Desteron’s second commander, Brack Thann-Felis.

The woman was so damn happy that it made Jamie feel slightly ill.

“Brack is coming aboard the Divergent,” Allie said. “We need a strong person on the Desteron.”

“Send Donovan.” Allie’s second in command was experienced, smart, and steady.

“He’s going to the Rengard.” Allie’s eyes narrowed. “Your violent opposition to this assignment wouldn’t have something to do with a certain medical commander, would it?”

Jamie forced herself not to react. “No.”

“Are you sure?”

Jamie didn’t respond. She’d been injured rescuing Brack and Allie from the Kantos, which had resulted in her spending a few days in Medical aboard the Desteron, being bossed around by Medical Commander Aydin “Arrogant Know-It-All” Kann-Ath.

She felt a skitter of unease, and again, didn’t allow it to show on her face. The man had seen her at her most vulnerable and she didn’t like it. Not one little bit. But more than anything, Jamie did her job.

She straightened. “I’ll do as ordered, Captain.”

Allie rolled her eyes. “Don’t be a pain in my ass, Jamie. Look, I know you’ll enjoy working with Caze and his security team. Select two of your marines to go with you.”

Conceding defeat, Jamie nodded and headed for the door.

“Jamie?”

She glanced back over her shoulder.

“Try to enjoy yourself,” Allie added.

Jamie wrinkled her nose. “Surrounded by big, bossy warriors?”

A smile curved Allie’s lips. “Oh, they aren’t all bad.”

God save her from women in love. Jamie flicked her fingers at Allie in a goodbye and strode out.

MEDICAL COMMANDER AYDIN Kann-Ath lowered his gaze to the scanner resting on the bench in front of him. He studied the specimens, grunted, and took a few notes on the screen beside him.

“Good,” he said to one of his medical assistants. “But run some more molecular scans.”

The woman nodded. “Yes, Medical Commander.”

Aydin raised his head and scanned Medical. His bay was filled with top-of-the-line equipment, and his well-trained team was working efficiently. He watched other doctors at work at their stations, several assistants moving quietly around the space, monitoring research experiments. Nothing was out of place and he felt a rush of pride.

They did excellent work here. They kept the crew of the Desteron healthy and fighting fit. And they also did very good research.

Getting the post of the medical commander aboard the Desteron—the flagship of the Eon fleet—was a huge honor. It went a long way to restoring his family’s name.

His flush of pride soured. His father’s father had been the first in their family to be selected to become a warrior. Aydin still remembered the day his grandfather had handed him his combat knife and told Aydin to take the path of hard work and honor.

Unlike Aydin’s father. Where Aydin’s grandfather had been dedicated and noble, Aydin’s father had been lazy, entitled and selfish.

Renan Kann-Ath had failed warrior training, then gone down a path of drinking, partying, and dishonor. He’d ruined their family, left Aydin’s mother broken, before finally dying in a back alley on their homeworld.

Aydin touched the helian symbiont on his wrist and felt a warm pulse. When he’d been selected for warrior training, his mother had cried. She’d struggled to support her children in the face of her husband’s betrayal, but she had, and Aydin owed her so much. He’d bonded with his helian, attended warrior training, and then gone on to attend the best academies to study medicine and healing. He’d brought honor back to his family.

His work was everything to him. He strode across Medical and into his office. On his desk rested a screen displaying a file on Terran physiology.

He dropped into his chair and frowned.

Terrans. Messy, chaotic, and some of the most infuriating people he’d ever met.

He swiped the screen and a picture stared back at him. Black hair in a tight braid, eyes so dark they looked like old-fashioned ink used by the Eon priests and priestesses. Those shrewd eyes were tilted gently upward at the edges, and the sharp line of her jaw showed a hint of her stubbornness. He was certain her hard head was made of solid metal. Lieutenant Jamie Park was a menace.

His comp screen pinged and he swiveled to touch the controls.

It was a call from his war commander. “Davion.”

“I hope you aren’t dodging our gathering on purpose,” the war commander said.

Cren. There was a party on the bridge to welcome aboard the Terrans who’d been assigned to the Desteron for the foreseeable future. Aydin had lost track of the time. “On my way now.”

Davion nodded. “Don’t make me send out a search party.” The war commander’s voice was as dry as desert dust.

Aydin called out a goodbye to his team and exited Medical. His boots thunked quietly on the dark-metal floor. He was a doctor, but he was also a warrior and trained daily. He knew every part of the ship as well as he knew Medical.

When he made it to the bridge, the doors whispered open ahead of him.

The warship’s bridge had several tiered levels. The bridge crew milled around, all wearing typical black Eon uniforms—black pants tucked into boots, with a sleeveless, fitted black shirt that stretched over muscled bodies. A few were still at their posts, monitoring the consoles.

The Terrans all wore dark-blue Space Corps uniforms.

He saw Eve Traynor standing beside Davion.

The war commander’s mate wasn’t wearing a uniform anymore, since her new role was as the Terran ambassador to the Eon Empire. She was also pregnant—although it wasn’t showing yet. Aydin was very excited for the chance to monitor the first Eon-Terran pregnancy.

Beside them stood Lara Traynor and Caze. The big warrior had his arm resting on his mate’s shoulders. Then there were Brack and Allie, the second commander smiling down at his mate.

Brack. Mated. Aydin barely stopped himself from shaking his head. The man had always vowed that mating wasn’t for him.

Aydin had never given mating a thought. He was dedicated to his work, busy making his family proud, and didn’t need a woman getting in his way.

A part of him was glad that mating rates had fallen for the Eon in recent centuries. It was rare for them to find their perfect match. Most were happy to marry partners they liked or loved, and have children with medical assistance.

Then he saw her.

Jamie Park scanned the party like she’d prefer to be anywhere else. Her long hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail, and she wore her Space Corps uniform like it was armor. His gaze ran down her tall, toned form.

His stomach clenched. Cren.

She turned her head and spotted him. She lifted her drink.

It wasn’t a friendly gesture. It was a taunt. She liked to drive him to the edge. Her few days in Medical when she’d been injured had been…interesting. She’d flouted every order he’d given and proved to be the only person in the galaxy capable of making him yell.

He managed a nod and then moved over to grab a drink from a server.

“Hello,” he greeted everybody.

Davion and the others smiled.

“Glad you made it,” the war commander said.

“Aydin, let me introduce you to the people assigned to the Desteron,” Allie said.

He met two male space marines and a female engineer who’d be joining the ship. He nodded politely.

“I need you all to come in to Medical for baseline medical checks,” he told them.

They all nodded.

“We want to ensure your health and well-being while you’re aboard the Desteron.”

A loud crash made all the warriors and Terrans tense. They spun.

“Shaggy, no,” Eve yelled.

A brown-and-white canine had leaped onto the food table and Fwas currently inhaling all the party food. Eve raced over trying to tug her pet off the table. The animal woofed at her, tail wagging, like they were playing a game.

Brack shook his head. “That animal is a menace.”

Aydin smiled. Shaggy was a creature that Eve had bonded with when she and Davion had crashed on a synthetic Hunter planet, with Kantos hunting them down. The animal was fiercely loyal to his mistress, but Brack was right, Shaggy often caused havoc.

Turning his head, he spotted Jamie leaning against the far wall, scowling. He walked toward her.

“Lieutenant Park.”

She cocked her head. “Medical Commander Kann-Ath.”

“You look like you’re having an enjoyable time, as usual.”

Her glare told him that she hadn’t missed his sarcasm. And it was probably not good that he liked her glare. It seemed Aydin liked getting a reaction from this woman.

“Why did you come over here?” She sipped her drink. “To make my blood pressure spike?”

“To welcome you aboard.”

“Liar.”

He took a sip of his own drink. “As I told the other Terrans, I need you to come to Medical for a checkup.”

Her dark eyes flashed. “You poked and prodded me for days.”

“I healed you from critical injuries, despite your inability to follow the simplest instructions for your recovery.”

She growled.

He smiled. She was usually so cool and controlled…but not with him. “How have you healed up?”

“Fine.”

“I promise the check up will not take long.” He paused. “Maybe I’ll have a chance to determine if your stubbornness is genetic.”

“Ass,” she muttered.

“To paraphrase an Earth term Brack learned from Allie, you’re a pain in my ass.”

“I need to unpack my gear.” She brushed past him, her shoulder bumping against his. “Oh, and I’ll teach you another Earth gesture.” She lifted her hand and raised her middle finger.

Aydin fought another smile. This was extremely entertaining. “I can work out what that means without any context. So happy to have you aboard, Jamie.”

CHAPTER TWO

Jamie kicked the big warrior and listened to him grunt.

She circled around him on the mat in the Desteron’s kickass gym.

“Come on, Taro.”

The warrior rushed at her. She ducked his swing, bent her legs, and then hit him in the side. He staggered, and she swung at him again. He dodged, but she was already moving to kick at his knee. He went down and Jamie straightened, tossing her braid over her shoulder. She smiled.

From the sidelines, Lara clapped. “Nice.”

Beside Lara, her mate shook his head. Caze moved onto the mat. “Again.”

“You want me to kick all your warriors’ asses?” Jamie asked.

“This time you fight me,” Caze said.

Ooh. Jamie moved into a fighting stance. “Bring it, warrior.”

They circled each other, watching each other intently. All the warriors looked alike—brown hair they wore long, muscled bodies, black eyes crisscrossed with filaments of different colors. Caze’s eyes were threaded with silver.

Aydin’s were green.

Shit, don’t think of him.

Caze attacked.

He almost caught her, moving faster than the other warriors she’d fought so far. As she blocked his hit, the strength of it shuddered through her. They traded blows and kicks, moving across the mats. She realized that he was used to fighting with Lara, and had adapted his fighting style to Terrans.

Jamie spun away, then rushed back in fast. She landed a front kick to Caze’s very hard gut.

“Come on, babe,” Lara called out.

Caze lunged and swung a brawny arm.

Jamie ducked and saw her opening. She pressed one foot to Caze’s big thigh and pushed up. She spun and landed a kick to his face.

His head snapped back, and Jamie landed on the mats with a grin. “More?”

Caze rubbed his jaw. “You Terran women.” His lips quirked and he glanced at Lara, love in his eyes. “Always full of surprises.”

“Keeps you warriors on your toes.”

“Okay,” Caze called out. “Everyone pair up.”

As the warriors moved onto the mat, Jamie saw her two space marines join them. David and Idris were two of her best—dependable and always enthusiastic.

“Nice work, Lieutenant.” David grinned.

She lifted her chin. “Do me proud out there, boys.”

They started to spar and she headed to get a drink. She snatched up her towel and dried her sweaty face, then glugged back some water.

It was Day Three aboard the warship, and she had to admit, she was enjoying herself. She was already learning a lot, and the Eon had some amazing tech. Their ships were gorgeous and their weapons pure poetry.

“Jamie.”

She glanced over at Caze. “Yo.”

“You still need to go to Medical for your preliminary checks.”

Shit. She’d been putting it off. “Sure thing.”

Caze waited, glancing at the door.

“I’ll go after training,” she said.

“Go now,” Caze said.

Crap. She flicked him a small salute and headed out of the gym. She moved through the corridors, admiring the metal walls and the neatness of the ship. She tried not to think about who she’d be seeing in just a few minutes.

When she walked into Medical, memories hit her. The last time she’d been in there, she’d been hurt, in pain, and afraid. She’d been certain she was going to die.

She pressed her tongue to her teeth. As a kid, she’d had no one to hold her when she was sick. Her parents had always been too high to worry if she was sick. Foster care hadn’t been much better, although some homes had been much better than others. Once, when she was eight, she’d broken her arm at school. Her foster parents had finally arrived at the hospital, but well after she’d been treated. She’d been so scared and alone, and they’d been impatient at the disruption to their day.

But when she’d been horribly injured in the Kantos attack, when she’d been vulnerable, Aydin Kann-Ath had held her hand.

Her freaking hand.

She was a trained space marine with a reputation for being as hard as steel. She didn’t hold hands and she didn’t show weakness—ever.

Like she’d summoned him, he strode out of the far doorway. Spotting her, he stopped, his gaze running over her.

Of course he looked gorgeous, damn him. All the Eon warriors were—big, strong, and in complete command of their bodies. All things that appealed to Jamie.

“Medical Commander.” She was going to be cordial if it killed her.

“You’re finally here for your check.”

“Yes.”

He gestured to one of the bunks and Jamie sat. She watched him pull some sensor pads off a tray and press them to her collarbones.

“No lingering effects from your injuries?” he asked.

“Good as new.”

As he pressed one pad down firmly, his fingers brushed her skin. Goosebumps broke out on her arms and she frowned, looking past him to the wall.

He studied a screen as it filled with information. “You’re incredibly fit.”

“I need every advantage in a fight against the Kantos.”

The Kantos species had both their fierce soldiers and dangerous alien bugs of all shapes and sizes. In most cases, they were always stronger and deadlier than a human.

Aydin kept studying the screen, a faint groove of concentration on his face. She’d noticed that before, how he gave his work a hundred and ten percent. Then he reached out and touched her neck.

She felt a quiver in her belly and resisted the urge to knock his hand away.

He frowned. “Your pulse has spiked.”

Which had nothing to do with the warrior standing in front of her. She cleared her throat. “Just keen to get back to training.”

He moved closer and she smelled him. A citrusy scent that was fresh and so appealing.

Jamie had never really thought about a guy’s smell before. Sex was a rare event, since she was so often in space and on duty. Besides, she disliked anyone getting too close to her and being in her space. Sex was always quick, and she never stayed the night.

So, as long as a guy didn’t smell bad, she didn’t really care what he smelled like.

But Aydin smelled good. She shifted on the bed.

Aydin turned, looking into her eyes. He was so close, and she let her gaze drift over his rugged face. The warriors all looked alike, but the more time she spent on the Desteron, the more nuances she noted.

Aydin had green filaments running through the deep black of his eyes. They glowed the bright hue of freshly mown grass.

He straightened. “Are you all right?”

She frowned. “Yes.”

“You aren’t snapping or yelling at me.”

“Don’t tempt me.”

He smiled.

It was a nice smile. It made her belly flip-flop. Shit. Shit. Shit. She did not need an inconvenient attraction to this warrior. She wasn’t sure she liked him, and she really didn’t like her unruly reactions to him.

“Am I good to go?”

He nodded.

Jamie jumped off the bed and, as she moved, their bodies brushed. Electricity skated over her skin and she hissed.

Their eyes met.

Then he lifted a hand and pulled a sensor pad off her skin. This time, Jamie couldn’t stop her shiver. His fingers stilled, then they brushed down her collarbone and he slowly pulled the other one off.

She saw the green strands in his eyes brighten.

Shit. “Bye.” Jamie swiveled and strode out.

AYDIN STOOD in a quiet corner of the gym and watched Jamie fight.

She was tough, relentless, powerful. He watched her take on warriors who towered over her without hesitation.

He watched her pull back from her current sparring partner. Her face gleamed with sweat, and she was smiling. She loved to fight.

Watching her was like a punch to his gut.

Cren. Aydin set his hands on his hips. He’d been in denial for a while, but he had to admit to himself that he was attracted to this stubborn Terran.

He watched her rush in again, kicking and punching. He stared at the flex of her muscles. She was so sleek and strong and streamlined.

His comm badge chimed.

“Medical Commander,” a warrior said. “The war commander requests your presence on the bridge.”

“On my way.”

Swiveling, Aydin headed out of the gym. Maybe he just needed some space from Jamie Park, and whatever the cren he was feeling would fade.

There were approximately a hundred reasons not to get involved with her. He had no room for a woman in his life, especially one as difficult as Jamie. He was set on restoring his family’s honor and being the best Eon doctor in the fleet. They also had an alliance and had to work together.

When he strode onto the bridge, Davion stood in the center of the space, his hands resting at the small of his back. The atmosphere was tense.

A second later, the doors opened behind Aydin, and a still-sweaty Caze and Jamie entered.

Aydin’s gaze met hers, and he could almost feel the click of connection before she looked away.

His gut tightened. By Ston’s sword, he wasn’t sure this was something he could just ignore.

“What’s happening?” Jamie asked.

“We have an urgent call from the Rengard,” Davion said.

The large viewscreen flashed and War Commander Malax Dann-Jadd appeared. He was flanked by his second-in-command, Airen Kann-Felis, and on his other side stood Sub-Captain Donovan Lennox.

“Malax,” Davion said.

The other war commander nodded his head. “Davion.”

“Donovan,” Davion said, “I hope you’ve settled in aboard the Rengard.”

The tall, dark-skinned Terran nodded. “It’ll do.” The man flicked his fingers toward Jamie, who returned the gesture with a faint smile.

Davion’s face turned serious. “Why the urgent call?”

“We have some intel on the Kantos.”

Aydin stiffened. Whatever it was, it wouldn’t be good news. It never was when it came to the Kantos.

“One of our spies had a brush with the Kantos.” A muscle in Malax’s strong jaw jumped. “He barely got out alive. He says he saw helians in the hands of the Kantos.”

Gasps filled the bridge.

“It’s been confirmed?” Aydin asked.

Airen nodded, her narrow face grim. “There was a break-in at the helian facility on Barrath Prime.”

Aydin sucked in a breath. The moon of Barrath Prime was home to some of the Eon Empire’s most renowned biology labs. He had several colleagues who worked there.

Jamie scowled. “How many helians are we talking?”

“Twelve,” Airen responded.

“Cren,” Caze muttered.

“We don’t have any more intel yet,” Malax said. “We lost contact with our spy. The reason we’re calling is that he was close to your location.”

Davion nodded. “We’ll be on standby and scan for any of his signals. Whatever assistance he requires, we can offer it.”

Malax nodded. “Thank you, Davion. We’ll keep you updated.”

The screen blinked off.

“Fucking Kantos,” Jamie muttered.

“If we find the location of the stolen helians, we need to go in to retrieve them,” Davion said.

Aydin looked at the floor, anger moving through him. “This is another sign that the Kantos are experimenting with helians. Trying to find a way to take out the Eon.”

“Shit,” Jamie said.

“We won’t let that happen,” Aydin said.

“No, we won’t.” Davion’s tone was dark. The war commander’s blue-black gaze moved to Caze and Jamie. “Keep up your training, but be prepared. We need to be ready to go in at a moment’s notice.”

The security commander crossed his arms and nodded. “I suggest we send out some probes. We might detect the helians.”

“Do it,” Davion said.

“We have some space training scheduled next, right?” Jamie said.

Caze nodded. “Right.”

Her smile was sharp. “My favorite.”

As Caze talked with Davion, Aydin moved closer to Jamie. He detected the scent of healthy sweat.

“How are you adjusting to Eon food?” he asked.

“Your food is delicious. I’ll need to be careful while I’m here, or I’ll gain too much weight to fit into my spacesuit.”

Aydin scanned her body. “I doubt that’s an issue for you.”

“I have a serious addiction to those sampa things.”

Sampa were small, protein-rich energy balls.

“They are flavorful, yes.”

“Not just those things. All the Eon food is way better than Space Corps crap.”

“Park,” Caze called out from the doorway.

“I need to go.” She hesitated. “I think we just had a rather pleasant conversation, Medical Commander.”

“Looks that way.”

“Miracles do happen.” She swiveled and strode over to join Caze.

Aydin’s gaze drifted down to her ass, hugged by her dark-blue uniform. He felt a throb low in his body.

Yes, Jamie Park was going to be a problem in more ways than one.

CHAPTER THREE

Jamie spun her combat sword in her hand, getting a better grip on the hilt. She loved being in space. She loved the sense of weightlessness, the ease of movement.

It was why she’d become a space marine. That sense of freedom.

She watched the warriors surrounding her, all of them wearing that awesome black-scale armor. Their helian armor and weapons rocked. She was jealous as hell. Not that her high-tech suit—the best in Space Corps—was anything to sneeze at. It was sleek, made of a state-of-the-art, black-and-white fabric that fit her like a glove. A streamlined helmet covered her head and the in-built propulsion system was attuned to her body, making movement quick and agile.

“Begin,” Caze ordered.

A warrior rushed at Jamie.

She felt a spurt of excitement and smiled. She swung her sword and turned her body into the movement.

Their swords clashed, and she spun past the warrior, turned and braced. She rushed in again before he was ready, and raked her sword across his leg.

He turned fast and she came at him. He only just managed to block her blow. But while he was busy with her large combat sword, she yanked her knife off her belt, and pressed it to his gut.

Jamie raised a brow and watched as the warrior scowled.

“You can’t underestimate these Terrans, Lorne,” Caze warned.

The warrior grunted.

“Who’s next?” Jamie held her arms out.

They continued sparring, and Jamie showed the warriors a few moves. They were all fascinated by her speed and balance.

“It’s just training,” she said. “Over and over, until it becomes second nature. I have to be one with my suit and propulsion system, and move almost without thinking. I make my space marines train in space combat daily.”

“She’s fanatical about it,” Idris called out.

“Totally busts our asses,” David added.

Caze nodded. “We’ll incorporate some of these moves into our training routines.”

“How about two on one?” she suggested.

Caze hesitated, then motioned two of his warriors forward—one male, one female. The pair moved into position and then attacked.

Now this was a challenge. Jamie dodged and kicked, moving with her suit’s propulsion. She swung her sword, ducking a swing from the male warrior. A hand grabbed Jamie’s braid and yanked her back.

Oh no, you don’t. With a feral smile, Jamie jerked her elbow back and connected with the female warrior’s face. The woman released her and Jamie spun, her kick sending the warrior flying back.

They regrouped and rushed her again. Jamie had to really focus on the fight and her blood was pumping hard. Her next swing connected with the male warrior’s sword, but before she could attack again, she felt the tip of a blade at her side.

She looked at the female warrior and smiled. They’d boxed her in. She lifted her hands, conceding defeat, then slid her sword over her shoulder. “You got me.”

“Barely.” The female warrior lowered her sword. “I want to learn some of your moves.”

Jamie nodded. “That’s why I’m here.”

“Jamie, take a break,” Caze called out.

As she took a breather, she hung there in space, watching several warriors fight. The black hull of the Desteron loomed over them, not too far away.

The warriors were all power and force. She took mental notes of a few moves she could adjust for her size and strength. She wished Lara was here too, but the other marine was leading some training sessions in the ship’s gym.

But as Jamie watched the warriors, her mind wandered, and she found herself thinking not of training, not of the Kantos, but of a certain medical commander.

Because she wasn’t paying attention, she wasn’t watching the fight closest to her.

One warrior hit the other hard, and the second warrior wasn’t ready. Suddenly, his body was flying through space, tumbling over and over.

“Cren!” Caze shot forward to catch the man and Jamie braced.

Caze just missed the warrior, and the big, broad-shouldered man—still caught in a crazy spin—slammed into Jamie.

Fuck.

They both spun, completely out of control. She activated the propulsion on her suit, trying to combat the momentum, but it wasn’t enough.

The warrior tried to grab her and accidentally hit her suit controls.

The propulsion sped them up. Shit. They were racing toward the hull of the Desteron. She saw the matte-black metal with a faint scale pattern.

Thump.

Jamie slammed into the hull, pinned between the metal and the large body of the warrior. The impact forced the air out of her lungs, and pain ripped up her arm.

“I’m sorry.” The warrior was out of breath. “Are you okay?”

“I’m alive. You?”

He gave a slow nod. “My apologies.”

“These things happen in training.”

Caze flew up to them. “Are you both okay?” His rugged face was creased with concern through his helmet.

Jamie cleared her throat. “We’re okay, except I’m pretty sure my arm is broken.”

Caze’s gaze dropped to where she cradled her left arm to her chest. He cursed. “Medical. Now.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Do I have to?”

“That’s an order, Lieutenant.”

Caze took her uninjured arm and together, they flew toward the door they’d used to exit the Desteron. He helped her through the airlock.

“Do I need to accompany you?” he asked.

“I know the way.”

He stared at her face. “You won’t get lost?”

Her nose wrinkled. “No, Security Commander.”

He nodded and closed the outer hatch. She listened to the hiss of compression and her boots touched the ground. She retracted her helmet, then stepped back inside the Desteron’s corridor.

She headed down the corridor, her muscles tensing tighter and tighter the closer she got to Medical. When she stepped through the doors, medical personnel were talking quietly. Aydin turned from a bench where he was working.

His brow creased. “What have you done now?”

She glared at him.

With a sigh, he pointed to a bunk. As she pulled herself up, he came closer. “Looks like your arm is fractured.”

“How many years of study did it take for you to work that out?”

“Your smart mouth sounds fine.”

He lifted a pressure injector to give her what she guessed was a painkiller, and she stiffened. “No.”

She hated that just the glimpse of an injector made her mouth go dry.

“Don’t be foolish.” His brow creased. “You’re in pain.”

“It’s manageable.” She tried to swallow against the rock in her throat. “Please.”

He hesitated, studying her face. “For now.”

She forced the words past her lips. “Thank you.”

AYDIN WONDERED JUST what it had cost Jamie to use the words please and thank you. She wasn’t quite meeting his gaze as he helped her lower her high-tech suit down.

He saw that she was wearing a tight, black tank top underneath that hugged her toned chest and breasts.

When she gritted her teeth, he knew that she was in pain. He hated seeing that. His helian throbbed and his gut tightened.

Once he’d finally gotten her suit over her injured arm, there was a sheen of sweat on her face.

“You need to lie down.”

She swallowed, then nodded. He helped her lie down, and then got busy checking her arm. He lifted a scanner, studying the results.

“It’s a clean break,” he said.

She grunted.

“What happened?”

“Accident during space combat training.” She shrugged her uninjured shoulder. “A warrior and I slammed into the Desteron’s hull.”

Aydin stiffened. “That should not happen. Your body is far more fragile than an Eon warrior’s. I’ll talk with Caze about—”

“Hey.” She waited until he looked at her. “These things happen. It’s not Caze or the warrior’s fault. I’ll be fine.”

He dragged in a breath, then pulled out a small device and settled it over the break. “This is a bone regenerator.”

She studied the blinking lights on the device. “I feel a warm sensation.”

He nodded. “That means it’s working.” He checked her vitals—strong, her pulse a little fast. “It might get hot as it heals, and if it does, I will need to give you a painkiller.”

She stared at the ceiling and he saw a muscle tick in her jaw.

“I don’t like drugs.”

“These ones will help you.”

She turned and shot him a mutinous look.

“Why don’t you like them?” he demanded.

She turned and looked at the ceiling again. Aydin thought she wasn’t going to say anything else, but then she swallowed.

“When I was a child, I was often sedated against my will.”

There was something dark in her voice and it made protectiveness rise up in him. “Your parents didn’t stop it?” His voice was harsh.

She glanced at him. Her face was blank. “They were the ones who did it.”

His lungs froze for a second. Then suddenly, Jamie hissed and looked down at her arm.

Aydin gripped her shoulder, distracted for a second by the smooth feel of her skin. “Let me help you.”

“I don’t want drugs.”

“I won’t give them to you without your consent, but if you’ll let me, I’ll administer just enough to relieve your pain.”

She lifted her uninjured arm and rubbed her forehead. “I’ll be…”

He knew that she didn’t want to be vulnerable or defenseless in front of him. By Ston’s sword, he wondered if this woman showed any vulnerability to anybody.

“I’ll stay with you the entire time,” he promised. “I won’t let anyone else close to you.”

Finally, she pulled in a deep breath and nodded.

Aydin quickly pressed the injector to her neck. She was still tense, her muscles taut, as he dragged over a chair and sat beside her. He was close enough that when she shifted her head, it pressed against his shoulder.

“Any word on the stolen helians?” she asked.

“Nothing yet. We’ve lost all contact with the Eon spy who spotted the helians.”

She made a sound. “Hope he’s still alive.”

Aydin hoped so as well. They’d lost plenty of good warriors to the Kantos.

A second later, he watched her muscles visibly relax. She nuzzled into him.

“Don’t tell anyone.” Her voice was sleepy.

“Just rest. Your reputation as a hardass is safe with me.”

“Dammit, don’t make me like you, Medical Commander.”

Because he couldn’t stop himself, he reached up and touched her hair. The black strands were shiny and silky smooth. “Most people like me. They respect me for my cool, controlled demeanor.”

Jamie snorted and opened her eyes. “You’re not cool when you’re shouting at me.”

“I only do that with you.” He reached up and ran a finger along her jaw. “You seem to get to me more than anyone I’ve ever met.”

She lifted her head a little. “Really?”

“Really.”

She was looking at him intently, and he couldn’t quite read what he saw flickering through her eyes. Eyes that were a little unfocused.

He cleared his throat. She was under the influence of the painkillers. There was nothing to read.

Then she lifted her uninjured hand and touched his face, tracing along his cheekbone. Aydin went still, and his helian sent a pulse of warmth over his skin.

“Jamie—”

“Shh.” Her fingers traced over his lips. “I used to think all you warriors looked the same.”

“And now?”

“Now I think you look nothing alike.” She paused, her voice dropping. “I like the way you look, Aydin.”

It was the first time she’d used his given name.

He grabbed her wrist. It was almost delicate for such a strong woman. “You need to rest.”

“Okay.” Her voice slurred.

He pushed her back against the pillow and checked the bone regenerator. Her arm was healing up nicely.

Then he reached out and tucked her silky hair behind her ear.

“You’ll be here when I wake up?” she asked quietly.

“I’ll be here when you wake up.”

Her eyes closed and her body relaxed. A second later, she was asleep. Aydin stared at her face. The sharp lines of it weren’t any softer in sleep. But there was softness inside her, she just kept it well hidden and fiercely protected.

His helian pulsed. Yes, I’d like to uncover it as well.

CHAPTER FOUR

“Yah!” Jamie kicked the high-tech dummy in the gym, setting it rocking. She had it programmed to be shaped like a big Kantos bug.

She spun, jumped, and kicked it again.

It was late in the evening and she had the gym to herself.

Jamie was pissed.

She’d been an A-grade idiot in Medical, letting it all hang out to Aydin, of all people. She launched into some more kicks, followed by several punches. She grunted, using all her strength.

She hated anyone seeing her stripped back. When you showed a weak spot, people kicked you in it. Her parents had taught her that lesson over and over again.

A hard chop set the dummy rocking again.

“I think it’s dead.”

She stiffened. His voice.

It sent about a dozen emotions skittering through her. She turned.

“How’s your arm?” Aydin asked.

“Healed. Thanks.” Jeez, she sounded like a bitch.

He smiled. He was wearing loose, black pants, and a tight, black shirt with no sleeves. The warriors were always showing off their big arms.

He turned and dropped a small bag onto a bench. As he leaned over, his pants stretched over his ass. His round, muscled ass.

She swallowed a moan, her hands curling into fists. “I met with Caze earlier…still no word from the Eon spy.”

Aydin shook his head, frustration tightening his mouth. “The more time that passes, the longer the helians are in the hands of the Kantos.”

“I’m sorry.”

He shifted a broad shoulder. “They’re sentient beings. It goes against everything a healer stands for to know they are out there, being abused.”

“We won’t give up,” she said.

His gaze moved over her face and he nodded. “No, it isn’t in your nature, is it?” Then suddenly, he was moving toward her. He lifted her healed arm and stroked his fingers over her skin.

A shiver ran through her. Dammit, no man got to her. No man made her lose her mind. Ever.

She snatched her arm back. “It’s fine.” She turned and stalked into the center of the mats.

“You’re angry,” he said.

“I’m fine.”

“You’re saying one thing, yet I’m detecting something else.”

She chopped her hand through the air. “Drop it.”

He studied her for a beat. “Would you like to spar?”

Jamie turned slowly, eager anticipation lighting up her body.

This was a bad idea. Walk away, Park.

She watched him stride over to where different weapons were attached to the wall. But then he stopped by her bag, which sat on a bench. He picked up her fighting sticks.

“These are excellent weapons,” he said.

“I know a guy on Earth who carves them for me. He’s brilliant, and does amazing work.”

Their gazes met.

“They are similar to Rakaani fighting spikes.” He gestured to some lethally sharp sticks on the wall.

She pulled them down, turning them over in her hands. “They’re nice.” A faint smile played on his rugged face, and it goaded her. “You want to fight?”

He cocked his head. “Do you?”

“I never say no to a fight, warrior.” She handed him the fighting spikes and they traded weapons.

They both moved onto the mat and lifted their fighting sticks.

Aydin held them differently than she did, but the practiced hold warned her that he knew what he was doing.

They went at each other.

Soon, the gym was filled with the clack of the sticks connecting. Jamie lunged, and Aydin met all her moves.

She spun away. “I thought you’d be a little rusty, since you laze around Medical all day.”

He charged forward, driving her back with several blows, his eyes flaring. “I am an Eon warrior.”

Yes, he was.

Jamie spun and ducked. She whacked her stick against his thigh.

He staggered the tiniest amount, and she dropped and swept out with her fighting stick. He jumped over it.

She saw two sticks flying down at her and she rolled backward.

Her blood had heated, her skin flushed. God, she loved a good fight. She loved the blood pumping through her veins. She loved to be alive, not a victim, not someone with no control.

“Come on, warrior, don’t hold back.”

He came at her fast and she rolled again, but his stick hit her in the back. She grunted, swinging her weapons up.

“You can take everything I give you, can’t you?” His voice was a growl.

She lifted her chin, holding her sticks in a fighting stance. “Every minute of every day.”

Something crossed his face. Deep inside, something told her that this self-contained warrior rarely took anything for himself. He was all honor and service, giving not taking.

“Show me what you’ve got,” she said.

He launched at her, moving fast for such a big man. Their panting breaths filled the air as they whirled and slashed at each other.

His next hit was hard, knocking one of her sticks out of her hand.

“Hey,” she protested.

He knocked her other one to the mat as well. “You should be prepared for anything.”

He strode toward her, and she rose, her pulse thumping for a different reason. She took one step back and stopped herself.

Aydin threw his sticks on the mat and reached her. He lifted her off her feet and backed her into the wall.

Desire ignited inside her like an inferno. Fuck it.

Jamie wrapped her legs around Aydin’s waist, slid her hands into his thick hair, and kissed him.

Oh. Boy.

His lips were hot and hard on hers, the kiss hungry.

Jamie growled and let him plunge his tongue into her mouth.

BY ALQIN’S AXE. Aydin cupped Jamie’s ass and deepened the kiss.

She nipped his lip, hard, and he tasted blood.

“God, you can kiss.” Her hands flexed on his shoulders.

Then, she undulated against his cock. It had been hard since he’d walked into the gym and seen her. He groaned.

She smiled and did it again. “You like that, Medical Commander?”

He pulled her tighter against him. “When we’re together like this, you call me Aydin. And you know I do, you tease.”

She made a sound. “You have a body that is all tease.”

“You like my body, huh?”

“Big, muscled, hard, hot. What’s not to like?”

He leaned closer, dragging his teeth down her neck. Then he bit her tendon.

“God.” She arched into him, giving him more access. “You make me need.” Her tone was accusing.

He moved back up until he took her lips again, kissing her until they were both moaning.

“Come to my cabin,” he murmured.

He moved a hand, sliding it between their bodies. He rubbed between her thighs and she moaned—throaty and deep.

“Okay,” she said. “This is just sex. We walk away in the morning and nothing changes.”

He shook his head. “This is not just sex.”

Her dark eyes flashed. “That’s all I’m offering.”

Did she even know that she had fear in her eyes? This tough, fiery woman hid her soft spots so ferociously.

And for some reason he didn’t quite understand, he wanted her to trust him with them.

He should be completely agreeable with a sexual relationship. That’s all he’d ever had time for in his life.

But a part of him—one that couldn’t be ignored—wanted to show her that this was more than just hormones and scratching an itch. He was patient—a composed doctor, a self-possessed warrior, and a levelheaded man.

She nipped his lips again and he purposely slowed down the kiss, making it long and drugging.

She rocked against him. “Harder, faster.”

Aydin spun and dropped to his knees, lowering her down to the mats.

“Aydin—”

“Quiet.” He grabbed her hands in his and pushed them above her head.

She shoved against his grip as he covered her with his body. Her eyes flashed again, and she bucked against him.

“Let me have you, Jamie.” He kissed her jaw, her neck. “Let me pleasure you.”

She stilled, and he heard her breathing turn sharp.

He dragged in a breath and smelled sweat and Jamie. Nothing flowery or dramatic for this woman.

He licked her skin and she moved against him, offering up a small gasp. He moved lower, tracing his lips across her collarbone. Through the cotton fabric of her sports top, he could see her nipples were hard. He went lower and sucked them through the fabric.

“Oh, damn…” She arched up.

A dazed look filled her face. By Eschar’s embrace, she was gorgeous. “I want to take my time with you.”

“I like it fast.”

What she liked was no intimacy. “This will get interesting, then.” He sucked her nipple again.

“Aydin.” Her voice turned husky.

His comm badge chimed.

They both froze.

“Aydin.” Caze’s deep voice. “All senior commanders to the bridge.”

Cren. Aydin gritted his teeth, trying to rein in his body. He met Jamie’s dark, turbulent gaze. Her chest was rising and falling quickly.

“We have intel on the stolen helians,” Caze added.

Aydin squeezed his eyes closed. “I’m on my way.”

“I need to find Jamie.”

“She’s with me,” Aydin said.

There was a pause. “I haven’t had any reports of yelling.”

“Ha, ha,” Jamie said.

“We’re in the gym.” Aydin knew Caze would have no idea just what they were doing in the gym. “We’re on our way.”

Reluctantly, Aydin pushed to his feet and pulled Jamie up. She moved away, grabbing a towel to wipe her face and pulling her shirt over her sports top. He could practically see her defenses going back up.

He smiled to himself. He’d batter them down again.

“This stays between us.” She skewered him with a look. “It’s just sex.”

“It stays between us,” he agreed. “And it’s a lot more than sex.”

She blew out a breath. “Neither of us want or have the time for more than sex.”

It was true, and yet he didn’t care. He met her gaze steadily.

She gave a quick shake of her head. “And you think I’m stubborn.”

She marched out and Aydin followed, his longer legs matching her stride. She didn’t talk all the way to the bridge.

Once again, the atmosphere in the Desteron’s command center was tense.

“What have we got?” Jamie scowled at the screen.

She’d morphed back into the hard, focused space marine.

Davion turned, his face serious. “The Rengard sent more intel. One of their beacons picked up a signal.”

“The Eon spy?” Jamie asked.

Caze leaned forward. “No, we aren’t exactly sure what it is.”

Aydin frowned. “What do we know?”

“That an unknown object not far from here is emitting a faint helian signature,” Davion said.

A star map appeared with a glowing dot on it.

Jamie pressed a hand to her hip, studying the map. “That dot is in an asteroid field.”

“Yes,” Caze confirmed. “And it’s close to a triple star system.”

Aydin saw the stars. Two caught in a binary formation, with the third star orbiting the binary ones.

Caze turned. “Using your Terran star classifications, one star is a blue subgiant, and the others are B-type stars.”

Jamie made a sound. “I’m sensing more to this story.”

“The triple star system is emitting dangerous levels of radiation that is irradiating the asteroid field.” The security commander’s jaw was tight. “It’ll limit how close we can get to the object.”

Davion clasped his hands behind his back. “We need to find out what that object is and if there is a helian on it, we need to recover it. Malax has asked us to take point on investigating.”

Jamie smiled.

Aydin’s pulse jumped with mixed emotions. He absolutely wanted the helian recovered…but he knew Jamie wanted to be a part of the mission. He didn’t like the idea of her anywhere near unknown objects and dangerous radiation.

He sucked in a breath. If he let that slip, she’d eviscerate him.

“What’s the plan?” Jamie demanded.

CHAPTER FIVE

Jamie stayed glued to the viewscreen as they approached the asteroid field. Around her, the Desteron’s bridge was a hubbub of noise as warriors monitored their screens and consoles.

The triple star system formed a beautiful backdrop in the center of the screen, blue shining starlight like some gorgeous painting.

“We’re in visual range,” a warrior called out.

“Zoom in,” Davion ordered.

The screen zoomed in on the asteroid field. Jamie frowned. All she could make out was a smudge among the other asteroids. “Can you clear it up?”

The warrior shook his head. “The radiation is making it difficult to get clear scans or images.”

She could make out the vague shape of the object. “It looks like another asteroid.”

“What we do have on scans,” Caze said, “is that it is not organic.”

“The helian signature?” Aydin asked.

His deep voice vibrated through her and she stiffened her spine. So she’d locked lips with the annoying warrior. It didn’t mean anything.

Caze nodded. “It’s faint, but it is definitely coming from the object.”

“Continue trying to get more readings,” Davion ordered. “We need more information so we can make a plan on how to reach the object.”

Warriors sprang into action, many of them conferring together and tapping at the consoles.

Finally, Caze shook his head. “We can’t get clear readings, and we can’t send a smaller ship into the asteroid field.”

“So that’s it?” Lara said. “We can’t get any closer to it?”

Jamie tapped a finger against her lip. “We can fly in wearing our suits.”

Aydin spun. “That’s too dangerous. We can’t be exposed to the radiation for long. Our suits would only give us limited protection.”

“How long?” she asked.

Aydin turned to look at Davion. “You can’t be seriously considering this.”

Davion looked at his boots for a moment, then he raised his head. “How long could we safely be exposed in suits?”

Aydin blew out a breath. “At these levels of radiation, twenty minutes, maximum. After that, you’d be risking radiation burns.”

“That’s enough time to get there, have a quick look around, and get back,” Jamie said.

“Our helian suits provide better protection than your Space Corps suits,” Aydin said. “If we go ahead with this, Eon warriors should go.”

Jamie hissed. No way she was being forced off a mission. God, let a guy kiss you or get his hand up your shirt, and he turned into an overprotective idiot. “My suit is rated for radiation exposure, Medical Commander. You can’t sideline me that easily.”

His mouth firmed into a line and she knew she was right. She turned to look at Caze. “I’m most maneuverable in space, I’ve proved that. I can do this.”

Then Aydin stepped up beside her. “There’s a helian aboard, and it could be injured. I’ll be needed to recover it.”

“What?” She glared at him.

Davion eyed them, a hint of amusement on his face. “Both of you get ready. Fly out and take a look.”

Jamie sucked in a breath and stomped off the bridge. She got to her cabin and pulled on her suit, yanking it up her body. She checked her gear and tried to get her mind in the game. She blew out a breath and tied her hair back.

She was not going to think about Aydin, or his strong hands on her, or his far-too-sexy kisses. This was a mission and that’s all she was thinking about.

She met Aydin at an airlock on the starboard side of the Desteron.

“Ready?” he asked.

“I know you’re coming just to keep an eye on me.”

“I’m coming to do my job.” He thumped a fist on the controls of the airlock. They opened with a hiss.

“Don’t think I don’t see you trying to protect the little lady.”

He shot her a look before he pushed into the airlock.

“You have twenty minutes out there.” Davion’s voice came through their communicators. “Do not enter the object. Take a look, confirm what the object is, and if the helian is aboard.”

“Got it,” Jamie answered.

“Twenty minutes,” Davion reiterated. “And the radiation will distort comms, so you won’t be able to communicate with the ship.”

“We’ll be back in twenty,” Aydin said.

The internal door closed behind them, then with a blare of siren, the outer door opened. Aydin pushed off the ship, and Jamie followed him.

She let the familiar weightlessness calm her nerves. The Desteron wasn’t far from the asteroid field, and she adjusted her trajectory, zooming forward and keeping her arms by her side. Aydin kept pace beside her.

They entered the field, the large bodies of the rocky asteroids sliding past them.

“Follow me,” he said. “My helian can determine the best path through the asteroids.”

She pulled in behind him and they flew through the asteroids, dodging the large hunks of rock. She heard the comm line to the Desteron die. They were by themselves.

They ducked and weaved, diving beneath the rocks. As they rounded an extra-large asteroid, she saw the object.

“What the hell is that?” she breathed.

The object did look a little like an asteroid, roughly oval-shaped and the size of a stealth ship. Its surface was smoother, and carved in places. Definitely, not natural.

Aydin glanced at the small comp screen attached to his wrist. “I’m detecting the helian.”

They flew closer, pulling up beside the object. Jamie reached out her gloved hand, stroking the surface of the object. It was very dark, like it was absorbing all the light around it, and she saw gold veins running through it.

“I’m getting a bad feeling about this,” she said. “This looks vaguely Kantos.”

Aydin’s face looked grim through his helmet. He pressed his palms against the object and suddenly, they both saw movement in front of them. A small patch of the object retracted leaving a square opening behind.

Hello. “If we go in there, Davion’s going to lose his mind.”

“I’m detecting a stronger helian signature. It’s inside.”

Their gazes met.

Aydin glanced at his screen again. “We have ten minutes of exposure time left.”

“Let’s do it,” Jamie said. “In and out.”

He nodded.

She smiled and climbed into the hole. Aydin climbed in right behind her.

It was pitch black and she touched the flashlight attached to the shoulder of her suit. The white light speared into the dense black. Aydin pressed against her back, trying to look past her. His helian had formed a light on his suit.

All of a sudden, the external door slammed shut behind them.

“Shit,” she bit out.

He spun, pressing his hands against the door and shoving. “It…won’t budge.”

Well, crap. “We’d better keep moving. Find another way out.”

They moved through the space. Aydin shined his light around and then she heard him suck in a breath.

She turned and saw it.

“The helian.” He hurried across the tight space.

The helian was on the floor, glowing a faint blue. It looked like a crystal kids grew in science kits.

Aydin pulled a container off his belt. “It’s dying.” He slid the symbiont into the container. “We need to get it back to the ship.”

“We can’t go back out that way.” Jamie ran her flashlight over the walls, then looked up, and the light shined upward. “There.”

There was a narrow hole. She leaped up, catching the edge of the hole. She pulled herself up and into another level above. Aydin followed behind her.

Lights clicked on in the room and she tensed.

“Wow.” The walls were covered in carvings. “Look at this.”

She traced her fingers over the grooves. It was gorgeous.

“It’s a star map,” Aydin said. “I recognize the system. The Caylar System. It’s light years away from here.”

“You think that’s where the helians are?”

His brows drew together. “I don’t know.”

Then his comp screen chimed. “Five minutes of exposure time remaining.”

He cursed. “We need to get out of here.”

She looked around, and then shook her head. “I don’t see a way out.”

Aydin glanced at his screen, and they both saw the clock ticking down on their exposure time. They barely had enough time to make it back to the Desteron.

“Screw this.” Jamie yanked two small devices off her belt.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“If we can’t find an exit, I’ll make one.” She pressed the explosives to the wall.

“You’ll kill us,” he said.

“If we sit here, we die of radiation poisoning. This way, we have a chance.” She pressed the buttons on the explosives and lights flickered to life.

Aydin grabbed her and yanked her to the far side of the space. Then he shoved the helian container into her arms and curled his body around her.

“Hey!” she said.

He shoved her to the ground and turned his back to the explosives.

Shielding her. Her heart leaped into her throat. The big, arrogant, noble—

Boom.

The wall of the object exploded outward and they were sucked violently into space.

They tumbled over and over, and Jamie tried to slow her momentum.

“I’ve got you,” Aydin called out, his strong arms wrapping around her.

They grabbed at each other until they finally slowed down. Panting, they both hung in space, asteroids drifting past them.

“You are brave, bold, and reckless,” he said.

“Hey, I got us out.”

Then suddenly, his face contorted in pain. A groan tore out of him.

She clutched his arms. “Aydin!”

WAVES OF PAIN throbbed through Aydin. He realized it wasn’t his own pain, or even that of his helian. It was coming from the helian in the container.

He took the container from Jamie and lifted it up. “The helian’s dying.”

“Oh no,” she said.

“Come on.” He commanded his helian and propulsion sent them flying back toward the Desteron. They dodged around several asteroids.

Suddenly, he sensed the helian move and it pressed against the side of the jar closest to his palm. It let out a violent wave of pain and he groaned.

Images cascaded through Aydin’s head. Of a planet.

Then the pain ebbed away and the faint light of the helian died.

“It’s gone.”

“Damn,” Jamie murmured.

He glanced at his comp screen. They had two minutes remaining. He knew that it would take them longer than that to get back to the ship.

“We need to go. As fast as we can.”

She nodded. He pushed his helian harder, gaining some more speed. They dived above an asteroid and he glimpsed the Desteron.

Elation pumped through him. Almost there.

Then he saw Jamie miscalculate, her body scraping over an asteroid. With a cry, the blow sent her tumbling.

“Jamie!”

He grabbed for her, caught the back of her suit, and reeled her in close.

She released a breath. “Thanks. I’m not usually that clumsy.”

He stared at her through her helmet. Then his gut tightened. She had a patch of radiation burn on her cheek.

“You’re not clumsy. The radiation is starting to affect you.”

Her lips firmed. “We have to keep going.”

He nodded, taking her hand in his. They flew as fast as they could, and the shape of the Desteron became clearer in the distance. “Not far now.”

“Exposure time exceeded.” The computer voice echoed through their helmets. “Warning, exposure time exceeded.”

Cren. They hadn’t gone much further when he felt Jamie falter. He grabbed her, pulling her into his chest. She’d lost consciousness, the burn on her cheek now taking up half her face.

By Ston’s sword. He wrapped his arms around her and raced toward the ship.

“Aydin… Aydin… Do you…? Where are…?”

The broken transmission filtered through his comm link.

“We’re almost there!” he yelled.

He arrowed towards the airlock they’d used before. He felt his helian cry out, his skin starting to burn.

“Aydin?” Davion’s voice.

“We’re here! We need a radiation decontamination chamber. Now!”

“We’re on it.”

Aydin rammed into the airlock, trying to focus enough to open the door. Suddenly, it opened for him and he tumbled inside with Jamie in his arms.

They were in the decon chamber. As soon as it closed behind them, the lights flickered to blue.

“Radiation decontamination in progress,” a computer voice said.

Aydin’s helmet retracted and his black-scale armor slid away. He laid Jamie down on the bench in the center of the chamber and started stripping her suit off. He took off all her irradiated clothes, leaving her naked.

Against his will, his gaze drifted down her body. He forced himself to look away. Right now, he was a doctor. She needed his help, not him drooling over her.

Quickly, Aydin shed his own clothes. A red spray drifted down from the ceiling, coating their skin. He knew it was a havv-enhanced spray that would heal them from the radiation exposure.

“Aydin?” Davion’s voice again.

Aydin touched the control panel on the wall. “We’re okay. Both alive.”

“What happened?”

“It was a Kantos trap. The helian was inside. We also saw a map of the Caylar System engraved inside the object.”

“The Caylar System?”

“Yes.” Aydin paused. “I think it was a decoy.”

“Why?”

Aydin pulled in a breath. “The helian died, but before it did, it transferred images of another planet to me. One covered in jungle and sinkholes.”

Davion was silent for a moment. “We’ll try to identify the planet. You focus on yourself and the lieutenant’s recovery.”

“Davion, I’m sorry about the helian.” Aydin felt a pulse of grief.

“Me too. May it rest in the arms of the warriors.”

Aydin dropped back on the bench, suddenly tired. He leaned his head against the wall, then looked down at Jamie. She was still unconscious, but her vitals appeared strong.

It wasn’t too much longer before she stirred. Her eyes opened, then she saw him and froze.

“You’re naked.” She sat up gingerly. “Very naked.”

“As are you,” he said.

She lifted her chin, not covering herself, but he saw her swallow. “I’m used to naked bodies. You can’t be a space marine and be shy.”

Aydin violently disliked the idea of this woman sharing her showers with her fellow marines. Naked, her body slicked with water. His cock twitched and he raised his knee to hide it. “We’re in a radiation decontamination chamber. We’ll be fine.”

She tucked a strand of ink-black hair behind her ear. “Thanks for getting me back.”

“You’re welcome.”

“So, what now?” she asked.

“We have to wait for the decontamination cycle to finish.” He paused. “I should check your radiation burns.”

She nodded and he edged closer on the bench. Then he reached out to touch her shoulder. He felt the zing up his arm and gritted his teeth. This was a medical assessment, and he had to be professional.

He probed her shoulder, then touched her cheek. She shivered.

Clearing her throat, she looked at the wall. “Nothing hurts.”

“Good.” He stroked the new pink skin that was forming. “You’re healing well.”

“Good.” Her voice was thick.

When he raised his gaze, he saw she was looking down his body. At his rapidly hardening cock.

Her gaze met his, and he knew they were both thinking about those hot, sexy moments they’d shared in the gym.

His fingers twitched, desperate to touch her. Her tongue darted out and licked her lips. He swallowed a groan.

Both of them inched closer. She raised a hand, moving it toward his chest…

The control panel chimed. “Radiation decontamination complete.”

The doors to the chamber opened and suddenly, medical staff rushed in, holding equipment.

Aydin and Jamie both jerked back.

“The war commander has requested you both on the bridge.” A male assistant held out robes to Aydin and Jamie.

Aydin wrapped the robe around his body, watching as Jamie did the same.

She shot him a tight smile. “Duty calls.”

CHAPTER SIX

Jamie strode onto the bridge and everyone spun to face her.

Aydin was already there, in a new black uniform. She’d stopped by her cabin to change as well. No way she was attending a debrief in a robe.

Her gaze met Aydin’s and she swore she heard a sizzle. Dammit.

“We’ve identified the planet you saw in the images from the helian, Aydin,” Caze said.

“It’s a planet called Kelaff,” Davion said.

Aydin’s brows drew together. “It’s not in the Caylar System.”

“No. I agree that the map to the Caylar System was supposed to derail our search for the helians.”

“So, tell me about this Kelaff?” Jamie demanded.

A mission was just what she needed. She was still messed up from the supernova-hot moments in the gym with Aydin and their little jaunt to the Kantos object. She’d nearly jumped him in a decon chamber. God.

She needed to kick some ass and clear her head.

Jamie jammed her hands in the pockets of her uniform. Yes, a full-blown mission was what she needed, and kicking Kantos butt was an added bonus.

Davion nodded and images popped up on the screen. They showed a brown-and-green orb.

“We have limited intel, unfortunately,” Caze said. “Kelaff is riddled with huge sinkholes, most of which are filled with water. The rest of the planet is lush, dense rainforest. It has some venomous animals, but no large predators that we know of.”

Aydin crossed his arms. “That’s it. The planet the helian showed me.”

“Tell me that we’re going in,” Jamie said.

“We’ll send a small team in to Kelaff,” Davion said. “They’ll sneak across the border and confirm that the helians are on the planet.”

Jamie looked at Caze. The big warrior had his arms crossed over his chest.

“There could be a large Kantos presence protecting this lab. It’s imperative that we do not let them know that we’re there.” Caze’s gaze scanned the room. “I’ll take a small team. Me, Lara, Jamie, and Aydin.”

Jamie’s eyebrows rose. “Aydin?”

“We need to take samples and recover the helians if we find them,” Caze said. “Aydin has the skills to do that.”

“When do we leave?” she asked.

“In six ship hours. While we sleep, my security team will prep our gear and the stealth ship.”

“Find those helians,” Davion said. “We already know that the Kantos are experimenting with them. If they succeed with their experiments… The outcome will not be good for Eon, or for Earth.”

Jamie headed into the corridor and a second later, Aydin fell into step with her.

“Why is the Kantos’ experimentation with the helians so bad?” she asked.

He lifted his wrist, showing off the wristband that housed his own helian. “Helians have the ability to manipulate energy. They can shift energy into different forms. That’s what creates our weapons and armor. Once bonded with a warrior, they can control some bodily functions. They can increase a warrior’s strength and aid in healing.”

She frowned. “Can the Kantos achieve the same bonding that you have with a helian?”

He shook his head. “We know for certain that bonding can’t be forced. With a helian and an Eon warrior, it’s a mutual bonding, a symbiotic relationship.”

“What does the helian get from the relationship?”

“The chance to use their abilities, to live and thrive.”

They entered a turbo lift and Jamie leaned against the wall. “So, what do you think the Kantos are doing with the helians?”

“Manipulating them through experiments, trying to exploit their abilities. Davion saw some helian-based weapons when he first met Eve. They could find a way to disrupt a warrior’s helian, and prevent us from using them for our weapons and armor. They already have the immobilizing substance that can entrap our helians.”

Jamie had heard about the black gunk that could restrict a warrior’s helian from working. If the Kantos found a way to do that permanently… Shit, it would be beyond bad. They’d render the warriors powerless.

“Fucking Kantos.” She tried to shake off the edgy feeling that was making her shoulders tense. She really needed a good fight. She almost wanted a bug to appear so she could beat it down.

They stopped in front of Aydin’s cabin.

“You need to rest up,” he told her. “We have no idea how the mission will go. We need to be in top form.”

She looked at him, all medical-commander bossy. She wondered if she could work alongside him on this mission, in harsh, dangerous conditions, and keep her cool.

He got under her skin and unsettled her like no one she’d met before. She wanted that feeling to go away.

And she knew one way that she could get rid of it.

She gripped his shirt and pulled him inside his cabin.

He tensed. “Jamie—”

“I need something to help me rest.”

She shoved him against the wall and pressed her mouth to his.

He stiffened, then groaned, his hands clamping on her hips. She thrust her tongue inside his mouth and rubbed her body against his.

He thrust a muscular thigh between her legs and she rode it, tremors shivering through her.

Yes. She could work him out of her system just like this.

For her, sex was like chocolate. Once you’d had a little bit, it took the edge off, and she didn’t crave it anymore. And Jamie never gorged because she’d never felt the need to before.

One taste of him and then she could set him aside.

“Fuck me, Aydin.” She nipped his lip. “Hard and fast.”

THIS TERRAN WOULD BE the death of him.

She wanted to rush, but Aydin wanted more. For the first time in his life, he wanted more than just her delectable body. He wanted to see more of what he’d glimpsed under her dense armor.

But then she cupped his cock and the blood in his body went south. A groan ripped from him.

She smiled and nipped his jaw. “You want this.”

“I want you. With a hunger that borders on insanity.”

“I want to see all of you.” She flicked open his trousers and then she stroked him through the fabric of his undergarments.

“I want sex and a mind-blowing orgasm,” she purred.

Aydin spun her so she faced the wall and pinned her there. “No.”

She made an annoyed sound.

“You’ll give me more than that,” he growled against her ear.

She pushed back against him, rubbing her ass against his cock. “Dammit, warrior, most guys would be thrilled with hot sex and no strings attached.”

“I’m not most guys.”

“No, you’re not.” Her voice was laced with frustration.

He reached up and cupped her jaw, tipping her head back so that he could see her eyes. “You’re afraid of me.”

Her dark eyes widened. “I’m not afraid of you.”

“Really?” He kissed her until she was pressing against him, making husky sounds. “You don’t have to be afraid of me.”

“Stop talking,” she muttered.

He kissed her again. She tasted so good, of so many flavors he wanted to savor.

She spun, then tore at his shirt, yanking it over his head.

Cren, the bed was too far away.

He dragged her down to the floor, ridding her of her shirt and tank top. She gasped, desire burning in her eyes.

He lay her on the floor and leaned over her, sucking her nipple into his mouth. He ran his hand down her side, enjoying her long, strong, and beautiful body.

“I want you inside me.” She was trying to reach for the waistband of his trousers.

“Soon. Let me see you first.”

“Just sex, Kann-Ath.”

“We’ll talk about that later.” He pulled her leggings off.

She lifted a long leg to circle his hip and he gripped it, kneading her calf muscles.

She bit her lip. “That’s not where I want you.”

“Quiet.” He stroked the soft skin behind her knees, then higher to her upper thigh. His control was non-existent, his legendary cool totally gone. He pushed her down and lowered his head.

She tensed and he kissed her belly.

“So strong. Your body is a piece of art, Jamie.”

She stiffened a little, like she didn’t know what to make of his words. Aydin kept exploring, peppering small kisses across her skin. He moved lower, lower.

Now she sucked in a breath and he watched her face as he pushed her thighs apart. “It is so much more pleasurable to take your time.” He lowered his head and licked her.

Her body arched like a bow. “Oh, God.”

“Delicious, Jamie.” Her taste filled him. He lifted her to meet his hungry mouth.

She moaned and grabbed his hair. She pressed her hips to his lips, and he licked and sucked until she was writhing.

“I….” Her voice cracked.

“Go over, Jamie.”

There was a flash of panic in her eyes.

Then he gently sucked her clit. “I have you.”

“I can’t. Not that easy…”

“Go over.” He licked her clit.

She screamed, her body shaking as pleasure overtook her. Aydin’s mind stopped working. He couldn’t go slow anymore. He shoved his trousers off.

She looked up at him, dazed. Then wild satisfaction threaded with need shot through her eyes.

He knew she wanted him to fuck her. Hard and fast and over.

Aydin was a warrior who valued strategy, even when the short-term tactics hurt. He knelt over her, circled his cock, and pumped it.

Her hot gaze ran over his body, then snagged on his cock.

“More.” The word was torn from her.

“You want quick and over,” he said. “Not what you’re getting, Jamie.”

He leaned over her and their mouths clashed—lips, teeth, tongue. He tasted iron-rich blood. She tried to wrap her legs around his hips.

“No.” He pulled back and kept working his cock, hard tugs and pulls.

“God. Fuck.” She stared at him. “You have a beautiful cock, Aydin.”

He growled. He felt need pumping through his body.

“You want to come all over my body?” Her voice was a purr. “Spill all over my skin?”

He gritted his teeth, his cock swelling. She rose up, and the head of his cock brushed against her skin. Prickles of heat danced behind his eyes.

Then he grabbed her and spun her onto her hands and knees. She made a choked sound, then he snaked a hand beneath her, his fingers sliding between her legs.

“Aydin.” Her body bucked.

Cren, he loved the sound of his name on her lips. Choked with need. He found her slick lips and stroked through them, then found that small nub and rolled.

She shoved her ass back against him and he thrust his cock against her. He so wanted to slam inside her, to feel how tight and warm she’d be around him.

But he knew that once they’d fucked, Jamie would rebuild those walls. She’d shove him aside and avoid him. No, he needed to take it slower with this tough space marine.

He thrust his fingers inside her and she cried out. As he pumped them inside her, he thrust his cock against her taut ass.

“Do you like that?” he said against her ear, his thumb stroking her clit.

“Yes.” She rode his hand.

It didn’t take long before she started coming a second time. Her hoarse cries filled his ears.

Aydin ground against her, that smooth skin so good against the head of his swollen cock. He pumped harder, faster and then his own release stormed through him.

He pressed a hand to her lower back, and then his roar echoed through the room as he spilled hot fluid all over her bare ass.

Then the room was quiet, except for their harsh breathing. Cren, the best sex of his life and he hadn’t even gotten inside her yet.

Jamie started to move but he tightened his hand on her. She looked back over her shoulder and he saw her guarded expression.

“Come here,” he murmured.

“I need to go.”

“No.” He gripped her waist and lifted her. She gasped and he closed the distance to the bed. “Don’t move.”

“Warrior—”

“Do not move, Jamie.” Tugging up his pants, he strode to his washroom and returned with a cloth.

Jamie looked like she was assessing her best exit strategy. He pressed a knee to the bed and then wiped his seed off her skin.

She went still and he took his time. “You have a beautiful ass, Jamie.”

Dark eyes flashed.

He tossed the cloth on his bedside table, then climbed onto the bed. Then he pulled her against his chest.

She was as stiff as a board. “I don’t cuddle.”

“Shh.” He closed his arms around her. “We need some rest before our mission.”

She tried to pull away and he tightened his arms.

“I sleep alone.”

By Eschar’s bow, he was happy to hear that. Now, more than anything, he wanted to see her sleep in his arms.

“I could make you let me go,” she growled.

He looked down into her face. She looked one part angry, and three parts confused. “No, you can’t.”

Her gaze traced over his face. “I can’t believe you think I’m stubborn.” With a huff, she laid her head on his chest.

Aydin smiled. His marine had just conceded the battle.

But as they lay there, he looked at the ceiling and wondered what he was doing. His work was his life, his most important tool in rebuilding his family’s name.

A battle-hardened space marine from Earth was not part of his plan.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Jamie double checked her gear and her suit. She was standing by the sleek, little stealth ship in the docking bay of the Desteron. The stealth ship was a beauty.

She sure hoped the Eon would share their starship technology with Space Corps.

Caze, already clad in his black-scale helian armor, was loading some gear into the ship. Lara stood nearby, wearing the same helian armor, and Jamie was totally jealous. Because the pair were mated, Caze could share his helian armor with Lara.

Footsteps echoed through the large space.

Jamie looked over her shoulder and her heart stuttered.

Aydin strode in, also in his helian armor and holding a black case in one hand. His gaze hit hers and he glared at her.

Okay, so she’d snuck out of his cabin. They’d given each other some galaxy-shattering orgasms, then once he was asleep, she’d used all her considerable stealth skills to sneak out like a thief.

Or a coward.

She pressed her tongue to her teeth. She could admit to herself that what they’d done, what he’d made her feel, left her feeling…rattled.

She cleared her throat. “Morning.”

He grunted.

“Everyone ready to leave?” Caze asked.

Jamie nodded. “Let’s do this.”

The big warrior touched a control and the side door of the stealth ship opened. Once the four of them were inside, Jamie realized there wasn’t a lot of room. It was built for covertness not comfort. As she moved to one of the seats in the back of the ship, Aydin stowed his gear in a storage unit.

“Strap in.” Caze walked past them and into the cockpit at the front of the ship. Lara followed with a smile and a wave.

Jamie settled into a chair and pulled her harness on. When she looked over, she saw Aydin was also strapped in and staring straight ahead. His armor had adjusted, the scales disappearing off his arms to leave them bare.

Moments later, Caze contacted the bridge, and the small ship lifted off. The engines were a smooth, barely perceptible purr. Out the viewscreen, she saw the docking bay doors open, and then they were zooming into space.

Jamie took a deep breath. This was familiar. Heading off on a mission, not knowing what you were going to face.

Aydin leaned over and she stiffened, her brief sense of calm fleeing.

“I don’t like waking to an empty bed,” he growled softly.

She didn’t look at him. “The fooling around was over.”

“It wasn’t just physical.”

“Yes, it was.”

She felt him studying her, like she was one of his medical experiments. Like he could see into her head. She turned her head and stared back.

Then he smiled, seeming to shake off his bad mood. “So stubborn.”

She leaned back, eyeing him warily. Why did she suddenly feel like he had something up his sleeve? Not that he had any sleeves on right now. Against her will, her gaze drifted over his biceps.

Shit, he had a bite mark on his bicep. Oh, God. If anyone noticed…

Jamie leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed when she heard Caze’s deep voice.

“Crossing out of Eon space.”

She straightened. “Any sign of Kantos ships?”

“Nothing on long-range scanners,” Lara replied.

If the stolen helians were on Kelaff, she figured the Kantos wouldn’t want to draw any notice to the fact by having loads of ships around. She drummed her fingers on the arm of her chair as they closed in on their destination.

“Kelaff in visual range,” Caze said.

Jamie unclipped and moved toward the cockpit. The planet was framed in the viewscreen.

Now that they were close, she could see the sinkholes. Damn, they were so large that many were visible from space. They were dark-colored and circular.

As they approached, Caze waved her back to her seat. They hit the planet’s atmosphere with only a small shudder, Caze and Lara flying them in low. God, Jamie loved this little stealth ship.

Beside her, Aydin pulled out some sort of scanning device.

“What’s that?” she asked.

“It’s calibrated to pick up helian signatures.”

“I’ve done a preliminary scan using the ship’s scanners,” Caze said. “No helians detected.”

Damn. Jamie tapped her fingers on her armrest again.

“They’d keep them well hidden,” Aydin said. “It’s likely we’ll need to get close.”

Soon, they flew in over dense jungle and she arched her neck to see out the window. Jeez, it was some of the most impenetrable-looking vegetation she’d seen.

“I got a blip,” Caze said. “No helians, but signs of Kantos occupation.”

“Find us somewhere to land,” Aydin said. “We’ll get in closer on foot.”

“Where the hell will we land?” Jamie asked. She couldn’t see any breaks in the trees except for the sinkholes.

“Found a small clearing,” Lara said.

As the ship swooped in to hover, Jamie raised her eyebrows. When Lara said small, she meant miniscule. As the ship dropped down to land, she heard branches snapping against the hull.

Then they were dirtside.

Jamie unclipped her harness. “Nice flying.”

She rose, grabbed her small backpack, and then checked her weapons. She strapped her combat sword onto her back. She saw the others checking their gear as well.

Next, she checked her blaster, sliding it back into the holster at her hip.

Caze opened the door, and he, Lara, and Aydin stepped out. As Jamie exited the shuttle, she was hit by a wave of humidity. All around was thick, overgrown jungle in vivid shades of greens, purples, and yellows. Neon-green vines curled through the branches, glowing brightly, and the jungle echoed with the screeching cries of some alien animal.

Caze and Aydin were talking, and her gaze dropped to Aydin’s strong thighs, perfectly encased by his armor. She had a thing for strong, well-formed thighs.

A hot throb pulsed through her, reminding her that her body liked other parts of him as well.

Sex. It was just sex. A biological reaction.

“They sure do make good alien warrior eye candy.”

Jamie jerked her gaze away to look at Lara. The other woman was smiling.

“You mean bossy and arrogant eye candy.”

“That too.”

The other space marine’s smile said that she didn’t have any complaints.

“Let’s get moving,” Caze said.

Caze and Aydin pushed through some heavy vines. Lara followed, and Jamie fell in behind them. It was hard going and, at times, she heard the warriors grunt as they shoved giant leaves and massive vines aside.

“Can we cut through it?” she asked.

“Don’t want to leave an obvious trail,” Caze answered.

They kept making their way through, and finally, it got a little easier. She realized the men had found a faint path. Probably used by Kelaff’s animals.

“You sure there aren’t any dangerous animals here?” she asked.

“There are some venomous reptiles,” Aydin replied.

Jamie wrinkled her nose. She’d never admit it, but she hated lizards. Snakes she was fine with, but little, scampering lizards freaked her out.

Aydin lifted his scanner, his face relaxed. He actually looked happy.

“You look way too happy for a man slogging his way through an alien jungle.”

“It’s nice to be off the ship.” He studied his scanner screen. “Fresh air.”

Sweat was trickling down Jamie’s back. It wasn’t that fresh. What she wanted was a good fight. That would make her happy.

She saw a flash of movement to her left. A tiny, furry creature—with huge, neon-green eyes, chocolate-brown fur, and a long tail—scampered up a vine. The little thing was damn cute, and about the size of a small cat.

It peered around a branch, staring at her.

Jamie waved and the creature chittered at her, then it disappeared into the trees.

Well, she hoped that all the animals they crossed paths with were as cute and friendly.

CAZE LOOKED AT AYDIN, and Aydin shook his head.

There were no signs of the helians. Aydin blew out a breath, fighting the urge to shake his scanner. Not even a faint, residual signature on the device.

His gut hardened. He didn’t want this mission to be a failure.

Beside him, Jamie paused, her forehead damp with sweat. The Terran women hadn’t uttered a complaint about the sweltering conditions, or the hard trek through the jungle.

Chittering noises caught his ear, and he saw a little creature rustling the bushes beside him. Two large, green eyes peered out from under a giant leaf.

“I swear that big-eyed fluffball is following us,” Jamie complained.

Aydin lifted his scanner and it beeped. “It isn’t showing up as dangerous.”

They pushed on, and soon, the dirt under their boots turned rockier. They started heading up a slight incline.

“Cren, watch out,” Caze called out.

Aydin grabbed Jamie’s arm and pulled her to a halt.

Carefully, they eased past some large leaves. Ahead, a large reptile slithered across the path they were following. It had ink-black scales and rose up, its triangular head turning their way. It bared huge, curved fangs.

“Back up,” Caze said. “Let it pass.”

They all moved back slowly. Aydin’s scanner beeped.

“This one is definitely venomous.” The snake was as thick as his thigh. A bite would kill quickly.

He heard Jamie take a few more steps back, then she cursed.

He spun and watched her skid on some rocks before she caught her balance. But then she tumbled the other way and fell into the vegetation.

“Ow.”

She lifted a hand and he saw she’d fallen on some spiky leaves. One of the spikes had cut through her glove.

He hurried over to her and lifted her into his arms.

She stiffened. “Put me down.”

“Quiet.”

“I’m not a fucking damsel in distress, Kann-Ath.”

From nearby, Aydin heard Lara stifle a snort or a laugh—or maybe both.

“The reptile is gone,” Caze said dryly. “In case you two were concerned.”

“Let me see your hand,” Aydin said.

“It’s a scratch,” Jamie bit out.

He ignored her and set her down on a rotted log. All he cared about was assessing her wound. He pulled her glove off.

“Ouch,” she muttered.

He studied the wound on the fleshy part of her palm. “It’s not very deep.”

“I told you it was nothing.” She tried to yank her hand out of his.

He held on. “It still needs treatment.”

“It’s a scratch.”

He scowled at her. “This is an unknown alien planet. We can’t risk an infection.”

She huffed. “Fine.”

When Aydin looked up, he saw Caze grinning and Lara biting her lip. Ignoring them, he opened his medical kit. He pulled out some gel and carefully spread it on the cut. He pressed a small bandage over it.

Jamie grabbed a new glove out of her pack and pulled it on. “Thanks,” she snapped.

Then she rose and shoved past him.

Aydin looked at the sky, barely visible through the heavy tree canopy, and blew out a breath. He wanted her. Badly. And it didn’t matter how snippy and bad tempered she was, it only seemed to get worse.

He packed up his kit and swung it onto his shoulder. He clearly needed his head examined.

Ahead, Caze was trying to keep a straight face. This time, the women took the lead, and they moved on.

“You okay?” Caze asked.

“Fine,” Aydin replied.

“Terran women are…”

“A test of a warrior’s patience?”

“Yes.” There was a faint smile on Caze’s face. The man smiled a lot more since Lara had come into his life. “But they’re worth every aggravation.”

Aydin grunted. Lara and Jamie were out of sight by now. He lifted his scanner and it beeped.

He froze and Caze did, too.

“Helian signature. Faint. Extremely faint.”

“Hey, warriors, get a move on.” Jamie’s head popped out from behind some vines. “You’ll want to see this.”

Aydin and Caze shoved forward, and Lara stood there, her hands on her hips. Jamie crouched at the edge of an enormous sinkhole.

“By Ston’s sword,” Aydin murmured.

The sinkhole was circular, and filled with murky blue-green water. The rocky rim extended all the way around, and the water was a body-length down.

“How deep is it?” Jamie asked.

Aydin checked his scanner. “Very deep. And my scanner is detecting helians.”

“Really?” Jamie shot to her feet. “Where?”

Aydin pointed down. “Beneath the water.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

Jamie pulled out her breathing apparatus. “Everyone up for a swim?”

The others nodded, and she watched their helian armor form helmets over their heads. So damn cool.

Jamie shoved her small apparatus into her mouth, and her own helmet clicked back into place. It was nowhere near as sleek as the helian helmets, but it would do the job.

They quickly stashed their gear under some bushes.

“Ready?” Caze asked.

They all nodded. Then Caze leaped off the cliff, arrowing down toward the water. Aydin leaped off after him.

They were mighty fine to watch. She saw them slice feet first into the water. Then Lara dived off and Jamie followed.

She knifed into the water and it closed over her head, sending her into a world of silence. The water was a little murky. Treading water, she turned and saw the others hanging not far away.

The rock walls of the sinkhole were pockmarked, with clumps of water vegetation growing in places.

Aydin pulled out his scanner and pointed downward.

They all kicked and started to swim down. The quiet rasp of her breathing apparatus was the only sound in Jamie’s ears.

She caught movement and turned her head. A school of tiny, aquatic animals with bullet-shaped bodies and webbed feet moved through the water. They moved as a group, darting one way, then the next.

Aydin and Caze stayed close to the rock wall as they dropped. Jamie kicked rhythmically, keeping an eye out for any sign of the Kantos. She studied the rocky walls, and saw that some of the holes were deep. She peered into one.

A set of neon-green eyes looked back at her.

She jerked backward.

Suddenly, a creature exploded out of the hole.

All Jamie could comprehend was a long, sinuous body, and a mouthful of teeth.

She was yanked back by strong arms, and her back collided with Aydin’s front. She saw the eel-like creature had lines of neon color running along its brown body. Another creature exploded from one of the other holes, teeth snapping.

Together, she and Aydin spun away from the wall. Another eel, then another, propelled out of their holes, sending bubbles churning through the water.

Another one, a little larger than the others, arrowed toward Jamie and Aydin. Aydin threw his arm up and the alien creature’s jaws latched onto Aydin’s forearm.

Shit. Jamie reached over her shoulder and pulled her sword. She tugged it hard through the water and then spun her body. She slashed the blade down and cut off the eel’s head.

Blue-green blood spread through the water like ink.

The other eel creatures slithered toward their fallen comrade. They fell on it in a feeding frenzy.

Aydin jerked her away. She turned and saw the bite mark on his armor. She touched his arm, and he gave her a small nod, letting her know that he was okay.

Even as she watched, she saw the black scales of his armor repairing the small hole.

Jamie realized her heart was thundering. Seeing that he was okay calmed her racing pulse.

Once again, he pulled out his scanner and pointed downward.

Mission. Right. Together, and keeping away from the rock wall this time, they swam downward.

Caze and Lara came into view. The two of them were kicking steadily. With her blood still hot, Jamie scanned the water, keeping an eye out for any other alien lifeforms that might want to take a bite out of them.

Aydin’s attention stayed glued to the scanner, but when he did raise his head, his gaze met hers.

She read it in his face. They were getting closer.

Jamie wondered if there was a Kantos ship resting at the bottom of the sinkhole. She searched the gloom for a sign of something that should be there, but all she saw was murky water.

Suddenly, something appeared out of the gloom. It looked like a cloud of long, sinuous grass. The bright-green ribbons grew upward in long lines, dancing gracefully in the water.

She pushed through it and hoped there were no animals hiding in it. She watched the grass ripple, the color gleaming. It was pretty.

Then, something wrapped around her ankle.

She jerked her leg away, but more of the grass started to wrap around her legs.

Fuck. Either the plant was sentient, or it was actually some kind of creature.

All of a sudden, she found herself tangled up in more and more of the stuff. It started to wind around her body. Then it started to squeeze.

Jamie grappled with it, trying to reach for the knife on her belt. Another long strand of green curled around her wrist.

There was a burst of bubbles, and Aydin and Lara appeared. They started pulling at the grass.

Aydin formed a knife on his arm and started slashing at the grass twisted around her legs. She tried to stay still and calm. She didn’t want him to cut her.

Her heart was racing, the beat of it echoing in her ears. She felt more of the damn grass curling around her chest. Then it moved up her neck and covered her face. It squeezed hard, and panic sliced through her veins.

If it cracked her helmet…

One of her arms jerked, and then it was free. She felt the strands around her head tighten more. Screw this. She retracted her helmet, water hitting her face.

The grass slithered over her skin, feeling gross. Then one dislodged her breathing apparatus.

Crap. Bubbles streamed out of her mouth. She held her breath.

She blinked one eye open and saw Aydin’s blurry face. He was yanking at the plant like a man possessed.

She saw a flash of a sword, and Caze floated in the water below, cutting the plant off her legs. Lara was still at her side, fighting with the vegetation.

Jamie knew she couldn’t hold her breath much longer. And she hated holding still like this, depending on others to save her.

Her lungs started to burn.

Suddenly, Aydin’s face was an inch from hers. She watched as his helmet retracted.

What the hell was he doing?

Then he leaned forward and his mouth covered hers. He breathed into her mouth.

Jamie sucked in the air he’d shared.

Then he was gone, his helmet slipping back into place. She felt more tugs, and saw Aydin slashing with his wicked-looking knife.

Then she was free.

A second later, Aydin quickly pressed her breathing apparatus back into her mouth.

Jamie drew in a huge breath. Aydin held her in the circle of his arms, and nearby Caze and Lara were cutting a swathe through the plants.

Jamie merely hung limply in Aydin’s arms, catching her breath. She let him hold her, because she secretly liked his strength. A part of her knew he’d hold her up and not use the weakness against her.

As Caze cut more of the plants away, a glimmer of light appeared below them.

Jamie tapped Aydin and pointed down.

He frowned and she saw his lips move. She realized that he must have been talking to Caze.

Aydin tilted Jamie’s head back, staring carefully at her face. She looked back steadily. Then he nodded, clearly convinced that she was okay. Lara appeared, patting Jamie’s shoulder.

Then together, they all arrowed downward toward the light.

Jamie peered ahead. There was no sign of a ship, or any sort of structures.

They all stopped, hanging in the water. She looked toward the light and sucked in a breath.

Glass windows were set into the rocky walls of the sinkhole.

She grabbed Aydin’s arm and pointed. They swam closer to one of the windows, and looked inside.

Shit. The Kantos lab was built into the rock.

CAZE AND AYDIN found a door set into the rock. Together, they gripped the edges and pried it open.

Cren. The Kantos were getting stealthier and stealthier every day. Who would have guessed they’d hide their lab like this?

Aydin’s blood was still pumping hard through his body. Seeing Jamie in danger… He didn’t like it. Not one bit.

Finally, they got the door open, and gestured to the women to swim in. They moved into the small antechamber and, as soon as Aydin let the doors close behind them, the water started to drain.

Aydin pulled out his scanner and tested the air. He nodded at the others, and they retracted their helmets.

Instantly, he grabbed Jamie’s shoulder. “Are you okay?”

She nodded, pushing her wet hair back. “Thanks to you guys. What about that bite?” Her gaze dropped to his arm.

“Already healed.”

“Let’s take a look around,” Caze said.

Cautiously, they moved through the internal door and into a darkened corridor.

The walls inside the facility were a scaly brown, and gold lights glowed in places. Everything was silent, and there was no sign of any Kantos.

They approached a doorway farther down the hall, and looked into the first room. Aydin sucked in a breath.

The room was filled with several benches, and laid out on them were clearly test subjects of a bunch of different species. Aydin gritted his teeth. Some were linked to squat, brown boxes via tubes, others were cut open.

“Fuck,” Jamie breathed.

But she didn’t back away from the room, she kept looking, her face a grim mask. That was Jamie. She faced things, especially bad things, head on.

Aydin scanned the beings in this room and wondered how much they’d suffered. The cren-cursed Kantos. This went against everything he stood for as a healer.

He moved to the closest subject. He saw it was some sort of furry, alien animal. It looked native to the planet. Quite a few of the animals being tested on looked native to Kelaff.

Then his gaze fell on a large, humanoid form, and he stiffened.

An Eon warrior.

“Oh no,” Lara murmured.

Aydin moved over to the man and checked him over. He had a pulse. Aydin lifted the scanner and ran it over the warrior’s prone form.

“This is Malax’s missing spy,” Aydin said.

“He’s alive?” Caze asked.

“His body is still functioning, but he has no brain function.”

Pain speared through Aydin. He heard Caze’s curse, followed by the sharp breaths of the women. Aydin hated that there was nothing he could do to help this warrior.

“Cren.” Caze looked away.

“Is he a warrior, too?” Jamie asked.

Aydin spun and saw another tall, muscled man—leaner than the Eon warrior. He was dressed in some sort of black metal armor.

Aydin shook his head, lifting his scanner again. “He’s Oronis.”

“They are allies of ours,” Caze said. “They have similar ancestors to the Eon.”

Aydin shook his head. “This man is brain-dead too.”

They were all somber as Aydin finished checking the Oronis warrior over. He sucked in a deep breath and forced himself to do his job. He coded in some extra scans to determine what the Kantos were doing here. He pulled some gear out of his pack and started to take samples. They needed to know exactly what the Kantos were doing, and how to stop them.

“Before we leave, I’ll inject these subjects with a drug to end their suffering,” Aydin said.

“The helians?” Caze asked.

“Not in here.”

“What’s this?” Lara called out.

She and Jamie were standing beside two small tanks filled with a black fluid, shot through with green.

“I’ll take a sample of it,” Aydin said.

“Here.” Jamie gently lifted the lid off the tank.

Aydin took a sample and nodded. They moved to the next tank.

She cracked the lid. At that moment, the liquid changed form, turning into a black gas.

No. As the gas flowed out of the tank, Aydin realized it wasn’t a gas. They were microscopic insects.

With a fierce buzzing, they flew out of the tank. They arrowed toward Jamie, swirling around her head.

“Ahh.” She batted at them.

Quickly, Aydin morphed his helian into a blower. He raised his arm and shot out a burst of air at the insects. They blew off her.

But in the air, they reformed and circled around. Aydin commanded his helian to form a second weapon. This time, he blasted them with cold air, freezing them. He heard them plink against the floor.

He lowered his arm. “Jamie?”

“Fuck, I hate the Kantos.” She was probing her cheeks.

He strode to her and gripped her jaw. She had some bites on her cheeks and her eyes were red.

“Did you swallow any?” he asked.

“Hell, no.”

He lifted the scanner, and waved it over her head. Then he relaxed. “No abnormal results. You’re fine.”

She lifted a shoulder. “Let’s get out of here.”

“You all right, Jamie?” Lara asked, concerned.

“Fine. I’ll be even better when we find those helians and see the last of this place.”

Aydin quickly finished taking samples and euthanizing the test subjects, before they moved back into the corridor. He paused at the door and bowed his head, thinking of those who’d had their lives taken from them.

Then he followed the others to check the next room. Again, there were no helians, but thank the warriors, there weren’t any more test subjects, either.

“Keep moving,” Caze said. “The facility isn’t large, so let’s clear it quickly.”

In the next room, there were cages full of native animals. They squawked and jumped around in the cages. Aydin saw one of the large-eyed animals that they’d seen in the forest. It chittered wildly at them.

“I’m not leaving these guys here.” Jamie opened the cages.

Animals stormed out of the cages, rushing out of the room. The furry creature with the long tail and big eyes leaped at Jamie, and clamped itself onto her arm.

“Hey, shoo. Off you go.”

The furry creature clung harder, its huge eyes darting around the room.

“It appears you have a new friend,” Aydin said.

“Dammit.” She huffed out a breath. “Fine, hitch a ride, but only to the surface.”

In the next room, Aydin’s scanner lit up.

“Aydin?” Caze asked.

“The helians were here.” Then Aydin frowned. “But they aren’t now.”

“Shit,” Lara and Jamie muttered at the same time.

“We’re not giving up,” Aydin said firmly.

The creature on Jamie’s arm nuzzled her neck. She scowled at it.

Lara laughed. “Apparently that little guy is not aware that you’re a badass space marine, Park. Now you have a cute little kitty.”

“Shut up, Traynor.”

“The creature appears to be female,” Aydin added.

Jamie’s glare transferred to him.

“Come on,” Caze said. “We have two more rooms left to search. Let’s find those helians.”

CHAPTER NINE

The final rooms were empty.

Jamie wanted to punch the wall. She tugged at the neck of her suit—she was starting to feel hot. The small, furry creature watched her curiously with its overlarge eyes.

“No helians.” Aydin’s face looked like it was carved from granite.

“Let’s plug into their system and see if we can find any extra information,” Caze said.

Both warriors moved over to one of the strange Kantos consoles at the side of the room.

While they were busy, Jamie circled the space. She wondered how many people had been tortured or killed here. What the hell would the Kantos do if they managed to invade Earth? It would be a nightmare beyond imagining.

It wasn’t going to happen. She wouldn’t let it.

Suddenly, her vision blurred, and a wash of heat crashed over her. Shit. She needed some air. This place was getting to her.

“Cren.” Caze was scowling at the console screen.

“What is it?” Lara asked.

“A Kantos ship just entered orbit.”

“We need to go,” Aydin said.

They moved back into the corridor, breaking into a jog as they headed back toward the external door they’d used to access the lab.

Jamie’s vision blurred again and her stomach rolled. Her little friend clung to her shoulder and made a squawking noise.

She fought to keep herself upright. She couldn’t slow them down. She needed to get out.

“Jamie?”

She moved her head up—damn, it felt like it weighed a ton—and blinked at Aydin.

He frowned. “Are you okay?”

She nodded and jammed her breathing apparatus into her mouth. She looked at the little creature. “I hope you can hold your breath.”

Moments later, they were pushing out the door and into the water. Thankfully, the furball clamped its mouth shut, and clung to Jamie without complaint.

Jamie watched Caze and Lara kicking strongly through the water. She followed them, sticking to the middle of the sinkhole.

But she hadn’t gone very far when her chest started burning. Shit, something was wrong.

She focused on kicking her legs. Get out of the sinkhole, then Aydin could check her over. But as the minutes ticked by, her movements were getting sluggish and uncoordinated. Aydin appeared beside her, gripping her arm. She saw the concern on his face through his helmet. He kicked hard, tugging her with him.

It felt like it took forever, but finally they broke through the surface. Jamie yanked the breathing apparatus out of her mouth and sucked in air. She saw Caze was already out of the sinkhole and helping Lara up the rocky edge.

Jamie kicked, trying to move her heavy arms and legs. She lost some of her momentum and her head went under the water.

“Jamie.” Aydin’s strong arm wrapped around her and held her up.

She spat out a mouthful of water. “Don’t…feel so good.”

“I knew something was wrong. So stubborn.” He sounded pissed.

When he reached the edge of the sinkhole, Caze was reaching down for them. The other warrior pulled her up, while Aydin clambered out behind her. The furry creature leaped off onto the ground and shook off her fur. After Caze dragged Jamie over the edge, she sat down, and almost tipped sideways.

“What’s wrong?” Lara asked.

“Something’s wrong with Jamie.” Aydin crouched beside her and ran the scanner over her. His fingers touched her neck.

She shivered, too tired to move. “Please tell me I don’t have fucking Kantos bugs in me.” Suddenly, tremors hit her, and she couldn’t stop them.

When she looked into Aydin’s black-green eyes, she saw the worry in them. His scanner beeped.

“No.” Relief filled his face. “It appears you’re having an allergic reaction to a native pollen.” He lifted a pressure injector. “I have an all-purpose antidote that should ease the symptoms.”

She stared at the injector and her throat tightened. They were on a dangerous, time-sensitive mission. She couldn’t let her past hang-ups slow them down. She nodded. “Do it.”

He brushed a hand over her hair, which strangely soothed her, and when she met his gaze, he injected her. It took only seconds before cool relief washed through her.

She dragged in some breaths and looked at Aydin. “My vision is still blurry.”

“It’ll take a little time to flush the pollen out of your system.”

“Shh,” Caze snapped suddenly.

They all turned, dropping into silence. Jamie realized that there weren’t even any animal noises coming from the trees.

Her big-eyed, animal friend had frozen, staring at the trees with an unblinking stare.

Shit. Jamie squinted, scanning the vegetation around them as best she could.

There was a faint rustle, and suddenly, two Kantos soldiers rushed out of the trees.

Their brown bodies moved on four long, jointed legs, and they held two razor-sharp arms up in front of their strong, molded torsos. Their hard bodies were made of a tough, brown shell that she knew from experience was hard to crack. Their shoulders were covered in armored plates, and they had four beady, glowing, yellow eyes. Those eyes sat above a narrow mouth filled with sharp teeth.

Crap. Jamie was well aware that she couldn’t fight a flea right now. Dammit, she hated being weak.

Caze and Aydin leaped up, their swords forming on their arms. The little furry alien scurried into the bushes.

The two warriors rushed at the aliens. Beside Jamie, Lara pulled her staff off her back. A buzzing sound filled the air—the Kantos communicating with each other.

Awkwardly, Jamie pushed to her feet. Damn, she was weak. She hated it.

“Let them take care of it,” Lara said.

There was a rustle behind them, and Jamie and Lara spun. A Kantos bug came out of the undergrowth.

Jamie managed to yank her combat knife off her belt. “Aren’t you an ugly little thing.”

The black bug was the size of a dog, with a shiny exoskeleton, furry legs, and snapping pincers on either side of its mouth. It hissed and rushed at her.

Jamie jumped and slashed at it. She almost toppled over, but managed to regain her balance. Beside her, Lara was fighting a second bug.

The creature came at Jamie again.

She lifted her knife, ready.

But then a huge sword slashed down, skewering the bug. Its hard shell cracked, and green blood leaked onto the ground.

She turned her head and looked at Aydin.

He was in full warrior mode. And he looked hot as hell. Despite the very bad timing, her girl parts took notice.

“I had it,” she complained.

“Right.” He straightened. “You’re wavering on your feet, barely staying upright.” He took her arm.

“Doesn’t mean I didn’t have it.”

She heard the sound of more fighting and turned. Lara and Caze chased a Kantos soldier into the vegetation.

“They might need help,” Jamie said. “Go. Help them. Come back for me after.”

“No,” he growled.

“I can take care of myself.”

His jaw tightened. “Believe me, I know. Me wanting to help you doesn’t diminish that.”

A bug leaped out of a tree and came at them, its pinchers snapping wildly. Aydin slashed out angrily, leaving it with its legs wriggling and its body bleeding out on the ground.

“I know that,” he continued like they hadn’t been interrupted. “Helping you doesn’t mean I think you’re weak or incapable.”

Jamie stared at him. “I’m used to being alone.”

“So practice leaning on somebody else,” he muttered. “Just a little.”

Her knees felt like water, and she wondered how much longer she could hold herself vertical. “Aydin…”

“Yes, Jamie.”

“I don’t think I can walk.”

His eyes fired. “And?”

“Damn, you’re an ass.” She huffed out a breath. “Fine, will you help me?”

“Yes.” A smile curved his mouth. “I’ll help you.” He took a step closer and scooped her into his arms.

“LET’S get to Caze and Lara,” Aydin said.

He hitched Jamie up higher in his arms and headed off into the vegetation. She was a light weight against his chest and he liked her there. Tucked close.

They’d only gone a few meters when some small bugs poured out of the jungle.

“Fuck,” Jamie bit out.

Aydin turned, still holding Jamie, and lifted his sword. As he backed up, Jamie yanked her blaster from her hip.

One of the bugs leaped off the ground, flying at his face. She fired.

One blast of laser took the bug down.

The rest attacked like a black wave.

Jamie kept firing. When one got close to them, Aydin skewered it.

Cren, they were cut off from Caze and Lara.

“There are too many,” Jamie yelled.

Aydin turned and ran. He sprinted through the forest, vines slapping at them. Jamie swiveled, firing over his shoulder at the bugs chasing them.

Suddenly, a bug leaped out of a tree and hit him in the face. He stumbled, feeling it scratching at his skin.

“Dammit.” Jamie smacked at the alien. “Put me down, warrior.”

He let her feet hit the ground. More bugs came out of the trees ahead of them, and Jamie swiveled to fire on them. Aydin gripped the bug on him and managed to pull it off. It wasn’t far from his face, jaws snapping.

There was a funny, chittering sound, and their furry friend appeared, eyes glowing. Aydin was pretty sure it was the same one they’d rescued from the lab. It landed on Aydin’s shoulder, its fur standing on end. It chittered again and claws extended from its paws.

Aydin’s eyes widened. The alien creature flew at the bug attacking him. Its claws were like small knives, moving so fast they blurred.

The bug dropped to the ground, bleeding. It was sliced to ribbons.

Then the furry creature went wild. It leaped off him into the middle of the swarm and attacked.

“What the hell?” Jamie stared at it.

The furred animal moved like lightning, dicing up the other bugs. Some of the Kantos bugs turned, trying to run back in to the undergrowth.

“Holy cow,” Jamie breathed.

The little creature chased them into the bushes and the vegetation shook wildly. Then the furry creature sauntered out and sat on its haunches, its tail waving gently behind it. Its claws retracted, and delicately, it licked its fingers, looking cute and harmless again. It shuffled over and nuzzled Jamie’s ankles.

“I think that is the perfect pet for you,” Aydin said.

She shot him a look. Then she crouched down and scooped the tiny alien creature up. “You get treats for life, little guy.”

It nuzzled her cheek.

Jamie smiled at the creature, but it only took seconds for her smile to dissolve. “Your face is badly cut up.”

Aydin touched his cheek. Then he opened his medical kit and pressed a bandage to the worst cut on his cheek. “It is not life-threatening, and my helian is already working to heal them. They can wait until we get out of here.”

“We need to find the others.”

She leaned her hand against a tree trunk, pulling in a breath.

Aydin peered at her suspiciously. She was sweating hard. “Jamie?”

“I can’t feel my legs.” She collapsed.

Aydin caught her before she hit the ground. He pulled her into his arms again. “This must be part of the allergic reaction.”

But he saw the flash of fear in her eyes. She was such a physical woman, and he knew that she hated being vulnerable.

He tipped her chin up and made her look at him. “Jamie, I’ll get you out of here. I’ll heal you.”

Her dark gaze ran over his face. “I believe you.”

She’d just placed her trust in him, and he knew it was huge. The furry animal leaped up onto his other shoulder, and hitching Jamie up, they set off into the bushes.

Jamie was looking at the alien. “Cute and deadly.”

He moved into a steady jog, but moments later, their new pet swiveled to look behind them and growled.

Crashing sounds rumbled through the undergrowth, followed by a screech.

“More bugs incoming,” Jamie said.

Aydin focused his gaze ahead and picked up his pace. A second later, they burst out of the vegetation, right at the edge of another sinkhole.

“Cren.” Aydin caught himself just before his momentum carried them over the edge.

“Shit.”

They were on the high side of the sinkhole, and it was a long drop down to the water line. The other side of the sinkhole was lower, and the higher vantage point gave them a good view. He could just barely make out the small clearing and the stealth ship on the other side of the sinkhole.

He scanned the dense, tangled vegetation circling the sinkhole and shook his head. “It’ll take us too long to go around.” Especially with bugs on their tail.

“What?” Jamie looked up at him. “How will we get down?”

Aydin backed up. The noises behind them were getting louder.

Her hand clenched on his arm. “Aydin—?”

He ran. “Hold on tight.”

“Oh, shit.” She snatched the little furry alien off his shoulder and pressed the animal to her chest.

Aydin leaped into the air.

Then they dropped, the air rushing past them. They hit the water with a splash.

Bubbles erupted around him. He kicked hard and they all came up spluttering.

“Hell.” Jamie spat out a mouthful of water.

“I’ve got you, Lieutenant.”

She stared at him for a long moment. “I know.”

His chest warmed. Then the furry alien came up, chittering angrily, and shot Aydin an accusing look.

With a bark of a laugh, he kicked toward the edge of the sinkhole. When they got there, he treaded water and helped Jamie climb out.

The alien leaped up, running around in circles to shake off the water.

Then Aydin gripped the edge and pulled himself out. Jamie was sitting there, shaking, and he slipped an arm around her. They turned and saw bugs pouring around the side of the sinkhole.

It wouldn’t take the aliens long to reach them.

He scooped Jamie up again and ran into the trees. When they broke into the clearing, he saw Caze and Lara at the stealth ship.

“Thank God,” a relieved Lara called out. “You weren’t getting our comms calls. We thought we’d lost you.”

“Bugs incoming,” Aydin said.

The space marine nodded and waved them up the ramp. As Lara came in behind them, she smacked some controls and the ramp started to retract.

Jamie patted the furry alien. “Off you go, cutie.”

The alien creature clung to Jamie.

“Ow. These claws are sharp. You have to go.”

The alien glared, big eyes glowing, and didn’t move.

“Go, or you’ll be stuck on the ship.”

“No time,” Caze bellowed from the cockpit.

Aydin turned and saw the warrior was already firing up the engines. They rumbled to life.

“In your seats,” Caze added.

Aydin helped Jamie into a chair. “I guess your cutie is coming with us.”

As they strapped in, Aydin saw the bugs streaming out of the undergrowth in front of the stealth ship.

“Let’s go, baby,” Lara said.

A second later, they blasted off.

CHAPTER TEN

Jamie gripped the armrests as they zipped through the Kelaff sky. Her legs were still horribly numb and she pushed that worrying thought to the back of her head.

Her furry friend was agitated, gripping Jamie’s side.

Jamie slipped off her gloves and patted the creature. “We’ll be okay, cutie.” Cutie suited the little thing, when it wasn’t going into a killing rampage. “Think that can be your name.”

Cutie chittered.

A ripple of pain tore through Jamie’s belly and she swallowed hard. “Cutie, it is.”

“Jamie? Are you all right?”

She glanced at Aydin strapped in beside her. “Sure. When will feeling return to my legs?”

His head swung her way. “It hasn’t already?”

Dread filled her gut like concrete. “No.”

Before he could respond, alarms started blaring from the cockpit. Cutie gave a chitter of fright. Jamie heard Caze and Lara both cursing.

“Kantos swarm ships have spotted us,” Caze yelled out. “Hold on!”

Their ship veered to the left, throwing them all against their seats. They raced upward, darting through the thick clouds. Laser fire cut across their path and Jamie felt the ship shudder.

Hell.

This was the bit Jamie didn’t like about missions—being stuck on a ship, under attack, with nothing she could do.

Then she remembered that even if she could fight, she couldn’t even stand up right now.

The stealth ship dived and then pulled up fast, her stomach threatening to follow. The momentum pushed her back into her seat, and she gripped Cutie and gritted her teeth.

Damn Kantos. She wished them all to hell.

Jamie looked down at the trembling alien in her arms and that’s when she saw a rash on the top of her hands. She hissed out a breath. The tiny red blotches were spreading. Her chest tightened.

Boom.

Laser fire hit the ship and sent them spinning sideways through the clouds. Aydin’s hand snapped out, closing over hers. Jamie could tell that he hated just sitting there too.

“Take that, assholes.” Lara worked the controls, returning fire.

The stealth ship’s lasers arced through the sky. There was an explosion outside, a swarm ship breaking into fiery pieces.

“Woo-hoo!” Lara yelled.

“Leaving Kelaff’s atmosphere,” Caze said.

“Get our stealth field activated,” Aydin yelled.

Ahead, the viewscreen filled with the familiar blackness of space. Jamie blinked, her vision blurring.

“Cren.” Caze slammed a palm against the controls. “The stealth engine’s damaged.”

“What does that mean?” Aydin demanded.

Caze glanced back. “I can’t activate stealth mode. We have no camouflage.”

Oh, shit. Jamie fought through the fogginess filling her head. If they couldn’t go into stealth mode, they’d be a big damn target for the Kantos.

“It isn’t far to the border,” Lara said. “We can make it. We’ve been in tighter spots.”

“Lara’s right,” Jamie said. “We can make it—” Suddenly, pain slammed into her. With a cry, she doubled over in her seat. Cutie leaped off with a worried squeak.

Aydin unstrapped.

“Aydin, stay in your seat,” Caze bit out. “We have Kantos swarm ships in pursuit.”

Aydin ignored Caze’s order and knelt down beside Jamie’s seat. He lifted her hand, and when he saw the rash, he pushed her suit sleeve up as far as it could go. The rash was running up her arms. A muscle ticked in his jaw.

“Chest…tight,” she said.

He pulled out his scanner, running it over her. “Caze, Jamie’s reaction is worsening rather than getting better.”

“Give her the emergency ration of havv,” the warrior said.

Jamie knew the healing havv could cure a lot of terrible injuries.

“Wait a second,” Lara yelled. “Brace. Swarm ships!”

The alien ships raced past the viewscreen and the stealth ship rocked. More laser fire lit up the space in front of them. Jamie tried to focus on what was happening, but the pain was too much. She saw Aydin stumble and hit the wall.

Suddenly, the ship rocked violently. She felt pulses of energy through the air and heard glass breaking. The hair on her arms rose.

“What the cren?” Aydin yelled.

More things shattered around them, and with a loud crack she saw the viewscreen break out in a web of fractures.

“Oh shit,” Lara said. “What is that weapon they’re using?”

Jamie tried to pull in air, but her lungs were getting tighter and tighter.

“Get us out of here,” Aydin yelled.

Caze sent their ship into a dive, then several dizzying turns. Aydin stumbled to his knees, gripping onto his seat so he didn’t go flying.

“Caze!” Lara yelled.

“I’m pulling all power to the engines,” the warrior said. “We need to go faster.”

Lights blinked around them and they picked up speed.

“We’re losing them,” Lara said. “They can’t keep up.”

The stealth ship kept up the increased speed and they finally evened out.

“The swarm ships are retreating.” Lara laughed.

“They won’t for long.” Caze turned, glancing at Aydin who was pulling himself to his feet. “They’ll go back to the battle cruisers and come after us with everything they’ve got.” The security commander glanced at the shattered viewscreen, and then all the broken glass and splintered components around the ship. “Ever heard of that weapon they used?”

Aydin shook his head. Then he lifted his medical scanner. The screen was completely destroyed. “It emits some sound frequency that breaks glass and other surfaces.”

Jamie pulled in a rasping breath and Aydin’s gaze snapped back to her. He yanked open his medical kit.

“Can’t…breathe.”

“Hold on, shara.” He lifted a small case out. “The havv will heal you.”

He opened the case and froze. The color drained from his face.

“Aydin?” Caze said.

“The havv vials are broken.” He lifted a small vial, the tiniest drop of red dripping off it.

Jamie pulled in another harsh breath.

Aydin tossed the vial aside and helped her from her seat, until she was lying flat on the floor. Her breathing was raspy and each pull of her lungs hurt. “Hot.”

“She’s burning up and can’t breathe.” Aydin looked up. “Without the havv, she won’t make it to the Desteron.”

Jamie thought she heard panic in his voice. That couldn’t be right. Aydin Kann-Ath didn’t panic.

Pain hit her again and she started writhing. Everything turned into a blur, her vision a tunnel. All she could see was Aydin’s strained face.

He leaned over her, trying to help her.

“Caze, we need a plan,” Aydin said.

There was a pause.

“We can go to Daarna Waystation,” Caze said.

Aydin grimaced, his gaze dropping to Jamie. “Do it.”

“Daarna Waystation?” Lara asked.

“A pocket of independent space,” Caze replied. “It’s a small moon on the Eon-Kantos border. It’s for traders, travelers…”

“And criminals and scoundrels,” Aydin added.

Jamie tried to turn her head. The warriors didn’t sound happy. “Aydin…”

“Shh, shara. I’ve got you.”

It was the last thing she heard before she passed out.

AYDIN STARED hard at Daarna Waystation as they approached. Linked domes in pristine white stood out starkly against the rocky, gray surface of the moon.

Hurry up. He wanted them down. Now. He kept his fingers wrapped around Jamie’s wrist, feeling her erratic pulse. Her skin was burning hot.

Without his scanner or medicines, he was completely useless to her.

Caze brought them in to land in the large, cavernous docking bay. All around, starships of various makes and models were parked.

Aydin blew out a breath. They’d all been worried that the viewscreen wouldn’t hold. The cracks had worsened, leaving it hard to see out of the screen.

He looked at Jamie. Her face was flushed and her body twitched. Cutie rested beside her, the alien creature clearly worried.

“I’ll take care of her.”

Big green eyes looked at him.

“You need to stay on the ship.”

Cutie chittered, bouncing upright.

“No arguments.”

The side door of the stealth ship opened and a silhouette filled the door. The man wasn’t very tall, with a sturdy body, large mouth, and green-tinged skin. He wore baggy coveralls—the standard uniform of maintenance workers across the galaxy.

“I’m Larrs.” He made a harrumphing sound. “Eon.”

Caze pushed out of the cockpit. “We’ll pay for docking and repairs.”

Larrs made another phlegmy sound. “Your kind aren’t very welcome around here.”

Lara cocked her head. “Really? Why?”

The maintenance man’s gaze narrowed. “You aren’t Eon.”

“Nope. Terran.”

“Never heard of Terrans.” He flicked a glance at Caze, then Aydin. “Eon are arrogant, try to boss everyone around, and always think they know best.”

Lara grinned. “Sounds about right.” She elbowed Caze and her mate rolled his eyes. “They do grow on you, though.”

Aydin leaned down and scooped Jamie into his arms. “She needs medical help.” Edgy panic was like a vise around his heart. His helian was agitated as well, enhancing the uncomfortable sensation.

He was used to fixing people, not feeling this horrible sense of helplessness.

Larrs grunted. “Was a fight in the Medical dome three days ago. Two rival gangs. Smashed the place up real good. They’re still rebuilding it and we haven’t had the medical transport in to replenish supplies yet.”

Aydin’s stomach dropped. “What are you saying?”

“Don’t have what you need to heal your woman.”

Swallowing, Aydin looked at the rash on Jamie’s hands. It was getting worse, as was her fever. “Someone must be able to help her.”

The man glanced at Jamie, then back at Aydin. “Go see Dass at the Outlaw’s Rest. It’s a bar in the main dome.”

A bar? Aydin glanced at Caze. The Outlaw’s Rest didn’t sound like the kind of place where they could get help.

Then Jamie moaned. The pain in the sound tore at him. He lifted her higher against his chest. “I’ll take care of you, shara. No matter what.”

They strode off the ship after Larrs.

“You stay here,” Aydin said to Caze and Lara. “Get the ship operational.”

The security commander hesitated, then nodded. “Call me if you need us.”

With a nod, Aydin strode out of the docking bay into a dingy corridor. It was wide, the floor uneven, and the walls patched in places. The people of waystations like Daarna were good at making do with the resources they had. Lots of people were walking through the corridors—some well-dressed, others in rags, all of them lots of different species.

He got plenty of strange looks—curious to belligerent. The Eon didn’t agree with the unruly and often illegal waystation way of life, but generally didn’t bother them too much. He reached the main dome. It was filled with echoes of noise—laughter, voices, the hum of machinery. On the far side, he saw a row of doorways leading into various restaurants and bars.

He spied the sign for the Outlaw’s Rest and headed in that direction.

As he neared the door, a man came flying out, landing on his belly before he rolled. He threw his head back and laughed, clearly drunk or high.

Stepping over the man, Aydin entered the bar.

The place was fairly busy, with people drinking, gaming, and doing business at the rectangular tables.

He headed for the bar.

A young man stepped in front of him. He wore a gaudy outfit of neon green and yellow. “An Eon warrior.” The man’s voice was filled with awe.

“Out of my way,” Aydin said.

The man flipped his long, styled hair back from his face. “I’m Jesk. The best bard in all of Daarna.” The man sketched a low bow.

A woman leaned over from a nearby table. “The only bard on Daarna, thankfully.” She laughed.

Jesk shot the woman a searing look, then cleared his throat and returned his attention to Aydin. “Can I sing of your noble Eon greatness?”

“No.” Aydin sidestepped the man and headed for the bar.

But Jesk followed. “I can sing tales of your large, manly physique.”

“No.”

“How about—?”

Aydin stopped, Jesk running into his back. He swiveled and skewered the man with a sharp look. “See her?” He nodded at Jamie.

Jesk’s gaze dropped.

“She’s a hard-working, tough warrior who’s sick. I don’t have time for singing.”

The young man swallowed. “Right.”

“I never have time for singing.” Aydin reached the bar and caught the eye of the female bartender. The woman was older, with graying hair and a small set of horns nestled amongst the gray strands. When she looked his way, setting some glasses on the scarred bar, he saw she had old, old eyes of a light brown. A woman who’d seen it all.

Then her gaze dropped to Jamie’s unconscious form and she headed toward him. “What do you want, warrior?”

“My friend is hurt. An allergic reaction—”

“Medical was destroyed. Nothing I can do to help.”

Aydin dragged in a breath. “A man at the docking bay said you could help.”

The woman sniffed. “Larrs is an old fool.”

Jesk leaned in from the side. “Long before she became the proprietress of the best drinking establishment on Daarna, Dass’ family were known as healers.”

The bartender swung her head around, pinning the man with a laser-focused stare.

Jesk coughed. “Ah, I think I’ll go and see if someone needs my singing.” He scurried off.

Aydin looked back at Dass. “Please.”

Dass wiped a glass and set it on a rack. “Never heard an Eon warrior say please before.”

“She needs help.”

“You care about her.”

Aydin felt a bunch of different emotions fill him. “I’ve never met anyone like her before.”

Dass released a long breath. “Come.” She ducked out from under the bar and jerked her head at one of the other bartenders. “Flax, take care of the bar.”

She led Aydin toward the back of the bar and through a doorway. A narrow hallway was lined with closed doorways. His enhanced senses picked up conversations, a trio having a loud bout of sex, and several people sleeping. He noted the walls were covered in dents and laser scorch marks.

Dass pushed open the door to a small room. Inside, it was simple, with a narrow bunk and a metal side table.

“I don’t have any fancy medical tech,” Dass said. “All I can offer you is old-fashioned healing.”

He laid Jamie on the bed. “I’ll take whatever you have.”

A young man bustled in holding a large bowl, cloth, and a jug of water.

“You need to cool her fever,” Dass said. “And then give her this.” The woman put her hands in the pockets of her voluminous pants. She pulled out a small vial of brown liquid.

“What is it?” Aydin wished he had his scanner.

“You have to trust me, warrior. My family’s been mixing healing remedies since before the first Eon warrior bonded with a helian.”

Aydin nodded and took the vial. “I’ll do anything to help her.”

Dass’ gaze moved over his face and he thought he saw the slightest softening of her harsh features. “I see that.” She pulled out a jar from another pocket. It was filled with a green, lumpy substance. “Put this on her rash.” She set it in his palm.

Then with a nod, the woman turned to leave.

“Dass.”

She glanced back.

Aydin’s hand closed around the jar. “Thank you.”

The woman lifted her chin and then was gone.

He set to work stripping Jamie out of her suit. “You’ll be okay.” He brushed her damp hair back. “I promise.”

He sat beside her, the bunk creaking under his weight. Using the cloth and water, he washed her down. Cren, her skin was so hot. He’d studied early healing methods in his medical history classes. They’d even learned to implement a few methods, but that had been a very long time ago.

He uncapped the vial of fluid and sniffed it. He didn’t detect any poisons. He lifted her head and forced her to drink the liquid, hoping that Dass could be trusted.

Next, he rubbed the salve on Jamie’s arms. By the time he’d finished, her face was covered in perspiration, so he washed her down again.

Her upper body and arms were twitching, and she mumbled incoherently. Her legs, however, were limp.

Cren, what if she got worse? What if she lost the use of her legs? What if he couldn’t save her?

Aydin had gotten very used to being the best doctor in the Eon fleet. He had every bit of tech at his fingertips, teams of the best doctors to work with. And now, there was nothing he could do for this tough Terran.

“Fight, Jamie. You have to get better. Fight.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Aydin lost track of time. He leaned his head against the wall, dozing for a little bit.

“Aydin, are you there?”

Caze’s deep voice came through Aydin’s communicator. “I’m here.”

“How is she?”

Aydin pressed his fingers to the pulse at Jamie’s neck. It beat strongly under his fingertips and he let relief shudder through him. She was calmer, her skin cooler, and the rash on her arms was fading.

“Her fever’s down and the rash is getting better.”

“Good news.”

“She hasn’t regained consciousness. I need to get her back to the Desteron. I’m working with salves and old-fashioned medicines here, Caze.”

“Lara and I are working as fast as we can to get the parts we need to repair the ship. They don’t have everything we need, but we can improvise. You take care of Jamie and I’ll let you know as soon as the ship is operational.”

A screech of sound came across the line.

Aydin frowned. “Caze?”

“That damn furry alien,” Caze growled. “Think it misses Jamie. It keeps jumping on my head.”

“Tell Cutie that Jamie will be back soon.”

“I’m not talking to a furball. I’ll be in touch soon.”

Aydin rinsed out the cloth and smoothed it over Jamie’s face. Then he sensed something, and saw that she was looking at him through hooded eyes.

His pulse spiked. “Hey, how are you feeling?”

“No pain.” Her voice was croaky, and she shifted restlessly. He saw a flash of something dark in her eyes. “I still can’t feel my legs.” She grabbed his wrist. “Aydin?”

He looked at her.

“If I can’t walk…” Her voice wavered. “If I can’t do my job, I’m nothing.”

He frowned at her. “That’s cren-cursed foolishness. You are more than just a space marine, Jamie. You’re more than just your job.”

“You’re dedicated to your work. What if you couldn’t do it anymore?”

“Then I’d find other ways to help, to contribute.” He leaned closer, until their faces were only a whisper apart. “You’re a woman, too. There is more to you than just how well you fight.”

She bit her lip.

“You’re loyal, persistent to the point of stubbornness, and brave.”

Her lips parted.

“Besides, none of that matters. Once we get back to the Desteron, I’ll heal you, and you’ll be fine.” He wrapped his fingers around hers.

“Where are we?”

“We needed to stabilize you, so we stopped somewhere. This is Daarna Waystation.”

“Waystation?”

“Pocket of independent space. These places usually offer shelter and goods to space travelers and criminals.”

“You helped me.”

“I told you I would. And once we’re back on the ship, I’ll heal your legs.”

She closed her eyes for a second, then opened them again. Her gaze zeroed in on his face and she reached up a shaking hand and cupped his cheek. “You aren’t a god, Aydin. You can only do your best.”

“I need to be the best. Always.”

She tilted her head. “Why?”

He swallowed a curse, not wanting to tell the sorry story of his family. But she watched him steadily, and something made the words well up inside him. “My father dishonored my family. He failed warrior training, betrayed my mother with other women, was always looking for fun, games, and debauchery.”

“I’m sorry.”

“He left my mother to support me, my brother, and sisters on her own. So many of our friends disappeared overnight. No one wanted to be associated with our family.”

Jamie’s fingers brushed his wrist. “That’s on your father, not you.”

“Since I was a boy, my one goal has been to restore my family name.”

Her lips quirked. “So that’s why you need to be the perfect warrior, the best medical commander?”

“Yes.”

Her eyelids drooped, like they were getting heavy. “You don’t need to be perfect, Aydin. That’s an endless, impossible goal that you’ll never achieve.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Besides, you’re pretty damn impressive just as you are.”

Then suddenly her eyelids closed and her breathing evened out. Aydin just stared at her.

His entire life he’d been driven to succeed at his work, to exceed all expectations. Yet, here was a woman who thought he was enough, just as he was.

Shaking his head, he rinsed out the cloth again and ran it down her arms. There was a knock at the door and when it opened, Lara stuck her head in.

“How is she?” The other marine’s tone was laced with concern.

“Her fever’s broken and she’s resting. She still can’t feel her legs, though.”

“Crap.” Lara scraped a hand through her hair. “Jamie is the most active, athletic person I know.”

He knew that. His gaze ran over her sleeping face. “Once we get back, I’ll help her.”

“The stealth ship’s ready to go. We didn’t patch everything, just enough to get us back.”

Thank the warriors. He nodded. The sooner they got back to the Desteron, the better. “I’ll bring her.”

“Aydin?”

He turned to look at Lara.

“Take care with her. The toughest shells often hide the softest hearts. And hers has been pretty kicked around.”

He felt his muscles stiffen. “By her family?”

“They aren’t my secrets to share. I will say that she was removed from her parents as a child and grew up in foster care. That means no privacy, everyone privy to her life, people making choices for her. She had no privacy and no control for years.”

Which had left his Terran wary to trust. He nodded. “I’ll take care of her.”

Lara smiled and tapped her fingers against the door frame. “I think you will.”

Aydin lifted Jamie into his arms. When she snuggled into him, pressing her face against his neck, he felt warmth bloom in his chest. “Let’s get out of here.”

As they headed into the corridor, Dass met them. “She looks better.”

“She is,” he said. “Thank you for your assistance. I have payment—”

Dass lifted a wrinkled hand. “You’re in this region of space because of the Kantos, right?”

Aydin shared a look with Lara.

The bartender snorted. “I’m not asking you to spill top-secret Eon intel, but I’m old enough and smart enough to put it all together.”

He nodded. “Yes, we’re here because of the Kantos.”

Dass’ face hardened. “Bugs invaded my homeworld. Slaughtered my family, everyone I loved. You take care of those scaled scamora—” she spat the foreign curse word “—and keep them away from our waystation, and that’s payment enough for me.” Her gaze dropped to Jamie for a second. “And I can tell you that two Kantos ships slipped past here two days ago. Stealthy, like. They didn’t want anyone to see them.”

Aydin’s pulse leaped. “Going where?”

“Got coordinates. I’ll send them to your ship.”

“Thank you, Dass.”

“Thank me by stopping the Kantos and their ravenous outbreak, warrior. And take care of your woman.”

JAMIE TRIED NOT to scowl as Aydin carried her off the battered stealth ship.

She felt weak and disoriented, which she hated. She barely remembered the trip to Daarna Waystation, everything a pain-filled fog.

Davion and Eve were waiting for them in the docking bay of the Desteron.

Jamie’s throat felt tight. She was trying to hold back her panic, because despite everything, she still couldn’t feel her legs.

“Jamie.” Eve bustled close with a worried frown.

“She’s had a bad reaction to an alien pollen,” Aydin said.

It was all pretty embarrassing. Here she was, a hardass space marine, taken down by pollen.

“I’m taking her to Medical,” Aydin said.

“It appears you also have a stowaway,” Davion said.

Cutie peeked out from Jamie’s shirt. The alien had been glued to her side since they’d returned to the stealth ship.

“This little gal saved our asses on Kelaff.” Jamie patted the furry animal. “And I couldn’t convince her to get off the ship.”

“I scanned the lifeform,” Aydin said. “She has no viruses or pathogens.”

Davion nodded. “Get to Medical, and let’s get the lieutenant on her feet again.”

As they strode down the corridor, Jamie looked up into Aydin’s face. “You’re still pretty scratched up.” Which told her that he hadn’t bothered to treat his own injuries while he’d been taking care of her.

“I’ll have one of my team treat the scratches. First, I want to get a better idea of this pollen, and how it’s affected you.”

Her throat tightened. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had put her first. She tried to tell herself that was just because Aydin was dedicated to his job, but even she knew it was more than that.

They dropped Cutie off in Jamie’s cabin to explore, then got to Medical. There, Aydin started barking orders to his team. Unsurprisingly, they jumped to attention.

He eased her down on a bunk. The next thing she knew, he was pressing scanning patches to her skin, his face completely focused.

“We’ll have you healed soon, Jamie.”

There was such deep confidence in his voice. As he got busy, she swallowed. He looked at the scans and conferred with his team.

“We’re going to give you a double dose of havv.” He held up two vials of the red fluid—the healing bio-organisms the Eon used. “But I need to put you under, as a double dose will be painful as it heals.”

Her heart stuttered, but she didn’t let it show on her face.

Not that it mattered, since Aydin read her like an open document. He took her hand and squeezed.

“I’ll be here with you until you wake up.”

She sucked in a breath and nodded.

He held the vial up to her lips and she ingested the havv. It didn’t taste too bad. She swallowed the second vial.

Then he pressed an injector to her neck, and the last thing she saw was Aydin’s rugged face before she slipped into unconsciousness.

Jamie was swallowed by dreams—of heat, of pain, of a man’s deep, soothing voice.

Once, when her eyelids didn’t feel like a starship was parked on them, she managed to get them open. Her vision was hazy, and her body felt like it was on fire. She turned her head and saw Aydin sitting on a stool nearby, with one of his medical assistants working on the scratches on his face.

Then sleep swept her away again.

The next time she woke, she felt much more alert. The burning sensation in her body was gone. She stared at the ceiling.

“Hey.” Aydin appeared at her side.

She turned her head and saw the lights were on low and Medical looked empty. She swallowed and realized she was thirsty.

“Water,” she croaked.

Aydin held a glass to her mouth and she took a small sip.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“Better.” She tried to sit up and he helped her. She paused. “My legs are tingling.” It felt like pins and needles.

He nodded. “Good, that means the havv worked. You should have full sensation within a few hours.”

Thank God. She grabbed his hand and squeezed. Then, needing the connection, she pulled him closer. She hesitated, her gaze dropping to his lips, her stomach tight.

He kissed her gently, then rubbed his lips over hers. “You must be hungry.”

“Ravenous.”

He turned and lifted a tray. When he took the cover off, she saw a lot of delicacies, both Terran and Eon. She fell on the food like a woman who’d been lost in the desert for weeks.

“And I got this for you.”

He held up some sampa.

Her gaze moved to his face. No one had ever spoiled her before. This man was looking after her. Taking care of her. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. “

“When can I leave?” she asked. “And get back to work.”

“Not yet. You need to regain full sensation in your legs, first.”

“When—?”

“When I say.”

Her jaw clenched and she glared at him.

He smiled. “There’s my grumpy space marine.”

“Stubborn warrior.”

AYDIN STOOD IN THE SHOWER, steam swirling around him. When he got out, he looked at himself in the mirror.

His scratches were almost healed.

But in his head, all he could see was Jamie asking for his help. Jamie writhing in pain. He saw her panic that she might not walk again. Saw her trust as she drifted off into a healing sleep.

He pressed his hands to the sink and blew out a breath.

He wanted her. He wanted this surly, skittish Terran with nightmare-filled eyes. He wanted to make her smile, relax, laugh.

He thought of his mother, his siblings. For so long, he’d lived for them. To restore their family name.

Letting out another breath, he moved to dress in a clean uniform. Then he headed back to Medical.

When the doors opened, he saw Jamie standing beside her bunk on shaky legs, trying to take a few wobbly steps.

He growled. “Why are you out of bed?”

“I can walk.” Her smile was wide and blinding.

He gripped her around the waist and lifted her back onto the bunk. “Give yourself a bit more time.”

“Aydin, I can walk again.” She pressed her hands to his chest. “Thank you.”

Their noses brushed and they both stilled.

She cleared her throat. “I want to get out of here.”

“Not yet.”

She shot him a look.

His Terran hated when she wasn’t busy. He snatched a tablet off the bench and handed it to her. “Here.”

“What’s this?”

“Translation of the data we got from the Kantos lab, as well as extrapolations from the coordinates that Dass from Daarna gave us about the Kantos ships. That’s not all of it. Caze’s team is still sorting through it all.”

Jamie scrolled through the information while he sat beside her bed. He carefully studied the screens, checking her vitals.

“This is all medical information on their experiments. It’s gibberish to me.” She lowered the tablet. “Doesn’t look like there’s a mention of where they took the helians.”

He shook his head.

“Damn.”

“I have something else for you.”

She raised an eyebrow and he handed her a small, wrapped item. Her fingers stilled on the small parcel. “It isn’t my birthday.”

“Open it.” He hated that a small gift put a stunned look on her face.

She opened the wrapping and then blinked.

It was an Eon knife.

She gasped. “It’s gorgeous, Aydin. You guys sure know how to make weapons.”

He’d known a weapon would put that look on her face. He wanted her to look at him like that one day.

“It’s for you,” he said.

She lifted her head. “I couldn’t.”

He closed her hand over the smooth hilt of the knife. He didn’t tell her that it had belonged to his warrior grandfather. “It’s sleek and dangerous. It suits you.”

She looked torn. She clearly wanted it.

Aydin rose and grabbed his scanner. “I’m going to give you another quick checkup.”

He ran the scanner over her and waited until it beeped.

“No traces of the pollen remaining. In another few hours, the last after effects will be gone.”

“Thank God,” she murmured.

He traced her cheekbone. “I’m very glad that you’re okay, Jamie.”

She stroked the knife idly with her fingertips. “Argue with me.”

“What?”

“Yell, get cross, something. Stop being so nice.”

He smiled. “You’re going to have to deal with the fact that you like me.”

Her nose wrinkled. “Sit down and explain this data to me. I want to understand what the bug-brain Kantos were doing in that lab of theirs.”

Aydin sat down and pulled up his own tablet. “Then, let’s get to work.”

CHAPTER TWELVE

Jamie picked up the pace on the warriors’ version of a treadmill.

She’d been at it a while, which was fine with her. She was just damn glad her legs were working again.

Several warriors were training on the mats in the gym. She’d already sparred with a few, and left them groaning. And Cutie sat balanced on the treadmill beside Jamie’s. The little alien was staying close to Jamie’s side and busy taking in all the things happening in the gym. Her long tail rocked back and forth behind her.

The doors opened and Eve and Lara walked in.

It was very obvious they were sisters. Both athletic, with an air of confidence that said they knew how to handle themselves. Their dark-brown hair was pulled back in matching ponytails that only highlighted their similarities. Lara wore the typical Eon uniform while Eve wore fitted black pants and a blue shirt.

Shaggy bounded in behind the woman, giving a happy woof.

Cutie tensed and when Shaggy spotted the alien, the canine stilled, the hair on the back of his neck rising.

Uh-oh.

“How are you, Jamie?” Eve asked.

“Legs are working fine.” She slapped at the treadmill controls to stop it. As she slowed to a walk, she grabbed her towel and blotted her face. She kept a wary eye on the animals glaring at each other.

“Damn glad to hear that,” Lara replied.

Cutie hissed and Shaggy barked.

“Shaggy,” Eve said. “Be nice.”

“Shaggy, Cutie,” Jamie said. “Cutie, Shaggy.”

“That thing is pretty cute,” Lara said.

Suddenly, Cutie leaped into the air and clamped herself onto Shaggy’s head. The canine barked and turned in a circle.

“Cutie!” Jamie reached for her.

As she plucked the alien off Shaggy, Cutie’s claws grew to wicked knives and she hissed.

“No,” Jamie said.

Shaggy growled and Eve grabbed his collar.

“Friends.” Jamie gave Cutie a little shake. “Large, blade-like claws away.” Cutie’s big eyes narrowed. “Now.”

Cutie gave a little chitter, her claws slowly retracting.

Eve made a humming sound. “We’ll have to keep an eye on these two.” She glanced over at a nearby warrior. “Enel, could you take Shaggy back to my cabin, please?”

“Yes, Ambassador,” the young warrior said.

Eve rolled her eyes. “I’ve told you that Eve is fine.”

“Yes, Ambassador.” The warrior put his hand on the canine’s head and led the reluctant animal toward the door. Shaggy glared at Cutie on the way out.

“Stubborn warriors,” Eve muttered.

Jamie set Cutie on her shoulder and the small animal curled around her neck. “Any updates on the helians?”

Lara shook her head. “The security team still hasn’t found any information in the Kantos lab data about the helians.”

“The coordinates about the Kantos ships you guys got from Daarna Waystation has helped narrow some things down.” Eve crossed her arms over her chest. “But we still don’t know the final destination of the ships or the helians.” Eve huffed out a breath.

“So, right now, we have a big pile of nothing,” Jamie said.

Eve nodded. “That’s about it.”

“We’ll find them.” Lara’s voice was firm. “One thing we’ve learned is that these Eon warriors don’t give up.”

Yeah, Jamie had learned that the warriors took stubborn determination to pretty impressive levels. She studied Eve. “How are you feeling?”

“Right now, I’m feeling great.” The other woman pressed a palm to her flat belly. “But I never know when the hitchhiker is going to cause me to lose my lunch.”

“Eve Traynor pregnant.” Jamie shook her head. “Hard to believe.”

Eve smiled. “I think the same thing every day. Then I see the way Davion looks at me when he’s thinking of our child, and I—”

“Kind of melt and look sappy,” Lara said.

Eve smacked her sister’s arm. “Just you wait.”

Lara held her hands up in retreat.

“I’d better grab a shower,” Jamie said.

Lara nodded. “As soon as we know something, I’ll let you know.” She looked at Cutie. “Want me to take your deadly-but-cute pet back to your cabin?”

“Yes, please.” Jamie urged Cutie to move and the alien leaped onto Lara’s shoulder, chittering away like she was talking to the other woman.

After the women left, Jamie strode through the gym and hit the communal showers. At the moment, she had them to herself. As she stripped off her workout gear, goose bumps broke out over her skin.

Getting naked made her think of sex, which made her think of Aydin.

Her skin tingled as she pictured Aydin’s mouth and hands on her.

She hopped under the spray and let her head drop forward until her forehead touched the tiles. She was supposed to have gotten the warrior out of her system. Instead, he’d looked after her, healed her, and given her a gorgeous knife as a gift.

Okay, maybe they just needed to have sex. Surely this need would eventually burn out.

She flicked the water to cold, doused herself, then got out. She dried off and pulled on clean cargo pants and a black T-shirt.

She could solve this problem.

Purpose filled her. She knew exactly what she wanted to do.

It was late, most of the ship’s warriors were already in their bunks, but when she stopped by Aydin’s cabin, he wasn’t there.

Typical. She pivoted and headed to Medical. The man took dedication to his work above and beyond. Something twisted in her chest. Although, now she understood that it was dedication to his family. Restoring the honor his father had stripped away.

She didn’t think Aydin Kann-Ath had anything to make up for. Convincing him of that was another story, though.

When the doors whispered open, it was quiet and the lights were set on low. It was also empty—no patients or staff. But she heard quiet noises from Aydin’s office.

She moved silently to stand in the doorway, and let herself watch him.

God, he was hot. She could look at him all day long—that thick, brown hair, those broad shoulders, those arms that made her mouth water. His biceps or his thighs, it was a toss up which she liked more.

She felt the throb ignite in her belly and then arrow between her thighs. And suddenly, she didn’t just want to share hot, sweaty orgasms with him, but she wanted to give him pleasure. To see him take something just for himself, that had nothing to do with family or honor.

Suddenly, Aydin’s head lifted.

“Hi,” he said.

“Busy?” she asked.

“Combing through some newly translated Kantos data.”

She wandered in. “Find anything?”

He shook his head. “Not on the helians or their location. Just more medical data for my team to look into.”

She ran a finger over the glossy surface of his desk. “I just ran ten miles.”

His lips quirked. “Legs okay?”

“Perfect. Although they could do with a little more of a workout.”

As she moved closer, he pushed his chair back, a quizzical look on his face. And before he could protest, she slid onto his lap, straddling him.

Now both his eyebrows rose. “What are you doing?”

“I think you need to give me a thorough examination, Medical Commander.”

Desire sparked in his eyes, the green strands glowing. She moved her hips, rubbing against him, and felt his hardening cock beneath her.

“Jamie—”

“We both want this, Aydin. You know and I know it.”

“You want sex.”

She moved against him again. “So do you.”

He fisted a hand in her hair. “You have no idea what I want.” Then he moved his hands and cupped her breasts. “But I can’t say no to you.”

She moaned.

“Let me see.” His thumbs rubbed across her nipples.

She bit back another moan.

“These appear to be fine. Very fine.” Then his hands slid down and under her shirt, stroking her skin.

“Where does it hurt?” he murmured.

“Lower,” she murmured.

He rose, lifting her like she weighed nothing. He set her on his desk, towering over her. He pushed her back, his face taking on a focused, intense edge.

Then he stroked his hand down the center of her body. He gripped her shirt and pulled it over her head. Her bra followed, then he leaned down and pulled her nipple into his mouth.

Oh, yeah. Jamie slid her hands into his hair.

“Pretty,” he murmured against her skin.

Her nipples tightened to pebbles. His mouth moved lower, kissing across her belly.

“I think I’m getting closer to the problem,” he said.

“Yes, you are.”

He flicked open her cargo pants and pulled them down her legs. His eyes were alight, the green strands glowing neon against the black.

“You’re so gorgeous,” he said.

No one had ever called her that. Tough, fit, dangerous, but never gorgeous.

He grabbed the side of her panties and then, with a flick of his wrist, tore them off her.

She made a hungry sound and he let out a deep groan. He bent over her, his mouth taking hers. But then he was gone again, his dark head moving between her thighs.

“Oh, God—”

Then his mouth was on her, licking and sucking. Oh. She fought not to shake under the strength of the pleasure.

“Yes,” she panted. “That’s what needs some attention.”

One of his fingers slid through her folds, then he thrust it inside her. “I’ll take care of you, Jamie.”

Pleasure was a hot rush that left her panting. This man, so big and strong, cut through everything. He was deep under her skin.

But right now, she needed more. More of him.

“I want you inside me, Aydin.”

Their gazes locked.

“Deep inside me,” she murmured.

AYDIN WANTED to slow this down. He wanted to seduce and worship his marine.

Jamie moaned beneath him and he thrust a second finger inside her, loving the tight grip of her body.

She’d seduced him. She’d come in here with desire in her eyes. Cren, it didn’t take much with this woman.

He gripped her hips, pulling her right to the edge of his desk. Then he shoved down his trousers.

He gripped his cock. “Is this what you want?”

Her lips parted, her gaze hot enough to melt metal. “Yes.”

He leaned forward, rubbing the head of his cock against her. She made husky, little sounds, and he moved to rub against her swollen clit.

Now she cried out, her body bucking. His helian glowed warm on his wrist, accentuating all his emotions. The passion riding him was stronger than anything he’d ever experienced.

He needed Jamie. Needed to claim her, mark her as his.

He gripped her hips and then thrust inside her.

She arched off his desk with a sharp cry.

Cren. This Terran woman shredded his control. He pulled out, then sank back inside her.

“Don’t stop. Please, harder.” Naked need shone on her face.

Aydin leaned over her and moved faster. Her long legs clamped around his hips.

“You feel better than anything.” His voice was one step past a growl. “Tight, wet, warm.”

“Fuck me, Aydin.”

“This is not…fucking.”

He slid a finger between them, feeling where she was stretched around his cock. He groaned. Then he touched her clit.

“Aydin!”

He kept thrusting, keeping the plunges firm and hard.

“This is mine now,” he growled and rolled her clit.

Her lips parted. “I belong to myself, warrior.”

“You will be mine.”

She pushed up to meet him, giving as good as she was getting.

He thrust harder. “Jamie.”

Her hands gripped his arms, her nails digging in. “Stop talking.”

He was close to coming, and he could feel the tension in her body. She was about to splinter apart. “Look at me.”

Her eyes snapped open.

Then he slowed his thrusts until he was moving slowly, but deeply, inside her. “Feel that?”

She shook her head, biting her bottom lip.

He thrust again, as deep as he could go.

“Say my name, Jamie.”

She shook her head.

“Say it.” He pulled out until just the head of his cock was lodged inside her. “Say who you belong to.”

Her legs tightened on him, her heels digging into his ass as she tried to urge him on.

He took her mouth with his, kissing her deeply. “Say it.”

Her body trembled. “Aydin.”

He slammed back in. She exploded, her scream bouncing off the walls of his office.

Another thrust, and Aydin’s climax roared through him, throwing him over the edge. Hot pleasure spilled through him and into her. He collapsed on top of her.

When Aydin could think again, he realized he was pinning her to his desk. He pulled back, and she moaned when his cock slipped free.

Sitting back in his chair, he pulled her into his lap.

She stiffened, then slowly relaxed. He stroked a hand down her back.

“Well…” She cleared her throat.

“Don’t ruin it,” he said.

Her gaze flicked up to his, then, with a sigh, she leaned her head on his shoulder. “You smell good.”

“We both smell like sex.”

She made a small sound. Aydin tightened his arms around her and enjoyed the moment. His body was satiated, and his woman was naked in his arms.

Then his comp chimed. Cren.

She turned her head. “What’s that?”

“That means we found something in the Kantos data.” He set her on her feet reluctantly. “Get dressed, shara.”

At the endearment, she hesitated. Then she snatched her clothes off the ground and pulled them on.

He did his pants back up, but left his shirt off. He scrolled through the info on the screen and Jamie pressed into his side, trying to see.

He liked her there.

“What did you find?”

Aydin froze. “Cren.”

“Warrior, I can’t read this. Tell me what it says.”

He met her gaze. “It mentions a Kantos lab.”

She frowned. “Okay.”

“Not the one on Kelaff, a bigger one. Deep in Kantos territory. It says they were expecting a special, top-secret delivery.”

“The helians,” she breathed.

He nodded. “We need to wake Davion. Now.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Standing on the bridge of an Eon warship, still feeling sticky between her thighs, was an experience Jamie hadn’t faced before.

It didn’t help that every time she looked at Aydin, she felt a pulse in her lower belly.

Jesus, focus, Park.

Davion was scowling at the data. Caze and Lara—who both still looked a little rumpled from being woken—were there, too.

“It doesn’t mention the helians directly,” Davion said.

“A top-secret shipment?” Aydin replied. “It has to be them.”

“It says this larger lab is on Veela.”

Jamie felt the unhappy tension in the small group. “What do you know about the planet?”

“It’s a rocky, volcanic planet,” Caze said. “It contains rivers of lava interspersed with lakes filled with toxic water.”

Nice. Jamie wrinkled her nose. “Sounds perfect for a bunch of murderous bugs.”

“We have little intel on this lab.” Davion crossed his arms over his broad chest. “We didn’t think there was a large facility there.”

“Incoming transmission from the king,” a young warrior at a console called out.

The screen blinked and King Gayel appeared.

Seeing the Eon king always made Jamie want to stand a little straighter, or bow, or something. She might have just shared some scorching-hot sex with Aydin, but that didn’t stop her from admitting that the king was gorgeous.

Even just seeing him on the screen didn’t mask his broad shoulders and powerful body. The Eon king was one hundred percent warrior. His face had a sharp blade of a nose and strong jaw, all framed by the usual long, brown hair of the Eon. His sleeveless, blue shirt made the blue strands in his eyes stand out, and a gold cord circled one of his muscled biceps.

“Davion,” the king said. “I got your message about Veela.”

The war commander nodded.

“You believe this is where the Kantos have taken the helians?” the king asked.

“Yes, but it’s not confirmed.”

Gayel released a breath, his jaw tight. “We need to get them back. Whatever it takes.”

Davion nodded. “I’ll send a team.”

“This planet is too deep into Kantos territory for a team,” Caze said. “The larger the team, the higher the risk that they’ll be spotted.”

The war commander nodded. “Good point. Two people, then.” He glanced at Aydin. “And we need someone capable of handling the helians.”

Jamie’s gut cramped. This would be a dangerous mission. She didn’t like the idea of Aydin going in.

“I’ll go,” she said.

Aydin’s brows drew together. “It should be a warrior.”

She glared at him. “I may not be Eon, but I am a warrior. It’s in Earth’s interest to stop the Kantos as well. That’s the whole point behind our alliance.” She turned to look at Caze. “I’ve proved myself.”

The security commander inclined his head.

“She can’t come.” Aydin put his hands on his hips.

Davion frowned. “Why?”

“She’s barely recovered from the pollen reaction.”

Jamie tensed. “I’m fine. You cleared me.”

“The other reason is because we have a sexual relationship. That could cloud our judgment in the field.”

Jamie’s spine stiffened, horror flooding her. He did not just say that. In front of his king, of all people.

Lara gasped.

Jamie glared at Aydin. “One fuck on your desk doesn’t equal a relationship, warrior.”

She was pissed way the hell off. But more than that, she was hurt as well. She shoved those feelings down. Far down. She would deal with those later.

Straightening, she turned to Davion. “I’m a career special forces space marine. A fucking professional. We have an alliance and I want in on this mission.”

She’d protect Aydin’s ass, just so she could kick it later.

The king cleared his throat. “Davion, I’ll let you deal with your mission planning. Find those helians.”

The screen blinked off.

Davion looked at both Aydin and Jamie. “You’re both good at your jobs. You will both go on this mission, find the lab, and bring the helians home.”

Aydin muttered a curse under his breath.

“That’s an order, Medical Commander.” Davion’s voice was as firm as metal.

Aydin inclined his head. “Yes, War Commander.”

“You leave in five hours. That’ll give you enough prep time.”

Jamie nodded. “Yes, sir.”

She shot Aydin a mutinous look and stalked out.

She powered down the corridor. Him being an asshole, she could deal with. That came along with being a male.

But him hurting her… Her chest ached. Dammit.

She hated her private business being aired for everyone to see. It was another weakness for people to exploit.

The hurt, she didn’t know what to do with.

An itch moved over her skin. She needed to fight, or run, or something. Something to make her forget all about Aydin Kann-Ath.

“YOU’RE AN IDIOT,” Lara said.

“You made a massive error in judgment,” Caze added.

Aydin set his hands on his hips and released a breath. “I don’t want her in danger.”

Lara slapped a hand to her head. “A massive idiot.”

“I want to protect her. She barely survived the last mission—”

“She’s a trained, experienced space marine. This is what she does.” Lara whirled, her gaze firing. “So what you’re saying is that you want to change her.”

“No.”

Lara shook her head. “For a smart guy, you sure aren’t very bright when it comes to Jamie.”

Aydin paused. Cren. He knew she was good at her job and that it was important to her. She was as tough as metal, and thrived on protecting others. “Cren.”

Lara rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “Now it dawns on him that he stepped into a big pile of steaming—”

“I get it, Lara.”

“Announcing her personal business in front of your king, your war commander, and Caze… That didn’t help either.”

Aydin ran a hand through his hair. “I’ll fix it.”

“I’m not sure you can.”

Now he felt the jab of fear. “I’ll fix it.”

“You broke her trust, Aydin. And Jamie Park doesn’t trust easily.”

“For now, you need to be focused on your mission,” Caze said.

Aydin nodded. “I’ll do what I have to do.” Turning, he headed out and went straight to Medical. Inside, his gut was churning and even his helian was agitated.

In Medical, he packed the medical gear he needed to treat and handle the helians. He packed the special, tough containers for transporting the alien symbionts. He hoped to the warriors that the helians were all unharmed.

His hands stilled. He’d messed up with Jamie.

Cren.

Gear packed, he stalked to her cabin and touched the door controls. The panel flashed to let him know the cabin was empty except for one small, sleeping animal lifeform. Cutie. Jamie wasn’t there. Next, he tried the gym, but that was empty as well. Where was she?

He was passing the indoor pool when he stopped and tilted his head. He touched the controls to the door and it opened silently.

She was doing laps—hard and fast. He watched her slice through the water.

Terrans had a different style of swimming to the Eon, and as he moved to the edge of the pool, he thought she looked much more elegant and agile in the water. There was a domed roof above the pool, offering a brilliant view of the stars overhead.

A few minutes later, Jamie stopped and lifted her head. She shot him a glance, and all he saw was a blank face and even blanker eyes. His insides twisted.

She was looking at him like he was a stranger.

“It’s fine, Aydin,” she said. “Let’s just focus on the mission.”

She strode through the water toward the steps at the end of the pool. She wore a sleek, black swimsuit, and it showcased the top half of her lithe body.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

She stopped and glanced his way. He saw a flicker in her eyes, and then it was gone. “I said it was fine.”

“I mean it, Jamie. I panicked.” That was hard to admit. “The thought of you in danger, deep in Kantos territory… I just stopped thinking.”

She stood waist-deep in the water and slicked her wet hair back. “Like I said, it’s okay.”

“Come here.”

“No.” She shook her head. “What we did was a one-time thing. It’s done.”

His gut spasmed. “No.”

“Yes. All this proves is that it was a bad idea.” Her hand splashed the water. “You can’t handle what I am. There will be another time where what I do will be a problem to you. And another.”

“No. We are not a bad idea.”

“You told me about restoring honor to your family. About achieving all your career goals and making your mother and siblings proud.” A look crossed her face. “I bet a scarred, rough Terran space marine doesn’t help make the right impression.”

His hands balled into fists. “You are honorable, and brilliant at your job. Anyone can see that.” He released a breath. “I’ve never been with a warrior, so give me time to adjust to it. I love your strength, your toughness.”

She looked away. “It’s best that we keep things professional.”

She turned, adjusting her goggles on her head. He watched her move deeper into the water, but he wasn’t giving up.

With two strides, he jumped into the pool.

As he came up, she stepped back, her eyes widening.

“I won’t let you put walls up again,” he said.

Her face hardened. “Just leave. We’re done.”

He pushed through the water toward her. “We’re not done. We’re nowhere near it.”

Now she came to life, that chilling edge leaving her voice. “Damn you, Kann-Ath, you hurt me!” Her shout echoed off the walls.

“I know. I’m sorry.” He stopped right in front of her. “I realize that I made a huge mistake and I hurt and embarrassed you. I was thinking of my own feelings first and not yours.”

She stayed silent, just staring at him.

“I’m sorry, Jamie.” His helian pulsed, amplifying his emotions and filling the air around them.

Jamie gasped.

“Do you feel it?” he asked.

She swallowed and nodded. “I can feel that you’re sorry.”

He grabbed her arms. “Let me make it up to you. Please.”

She yanked an arm free and then slugged a punch into his belly. With a grunt, he doubled over.

“You just put our business out there for everyone to pick over.”

He pulled her against his chest. “I said I’m sorry. I mean it.”

She was stiff in his arms.

“But I won’t lie, a part of me is happy that they know you’re mine.”

“You were doing well with the grovel, warrior, until that bit.” Her gaze met his. “I am not yours.”

His mouth landed on hers and she bit his lip. Aydin tasted blood. Cren, his woman had a mean streak.

But she didn’t push him away and try to drown him, which he took as a good sign. He deepened the kiss and a second later, she softened under his hands. Her fingers slid into his hair and then she kissed him back.

When they both came up for air, he peppered her cheeks with kisses. “I’m sorry, shara.”

She pressed her forehead to his.

“Let me show you how sorry,” he murmured.

Her body trembled, then she sagged against him. “Don’t fuck up again, warrior.”

“I won’t.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Aydin lifted Jamie out of the water and she held on tight, kissing him. But when he broke the kiss, she felt a spurt of disappointment.

“I want you in my bed,” he said.

He strode out of the pool, and still dripping wet, moved out into the corridor.

Jamie gripped his shoulders. “Put me down.”

“I like you where you are.”

She thought about fighting him, but the man was as stubborn as a rock. Thankfully, there was no one in the corridor at this hour.

He’d apologized. She’d wanted to push him away, but the damn man had worn down her defenses.

She fused her mouth to his and his steps faltered. He pressed her against the wall, kissing her back. God, the man tasted so fine.

He wrenched his mouth off hers. “You are very distracting.”

She smiled at him.

Aydin wasted no time striding into his cabin. She hadn’t had a chance to really take notice of it before. Of course, it was spacious and neat. A beautiful painting hung on the wall beside the bed, the colors shimmering in the light. It showed a small town nestled in fields of green.

He set her down and she nodded her head. “That’s beautiful.”

“It’s my hometown, on the planet of Ath.”

There was affection in his tone. Then his gaze moved from the painting to her. He reached out, sliding his fingers along her collarbone. “I can feel your heart pounding.”

She licked her lips. “Happens any time you touch me.”

His face changed. Yeah, the warrior liked hearing that.

“Then it will be pounding a lot tonight.” His hand swept over her in a slow caress.

Jamie gripped the straps of her swimsuit and pushed them off.

“No.” He caught the damp fabric before she could push the straps down. “We’ve done fast. This time, I’m taking my time.”

Jamie felt a flash of something—not panic, nope, nope, nope—in her belly. “I like fast.” She reached for the waistband of his wet trousers.

He caught her wrist. “Not this time.”

She couldn’t breathe. But she knew she could drive him wild. Desire rocketed through her body and she let her thoughts drift away. She didn’t want to feel anything but the heat they generated. She leaned into him, pressing her mouth to his chest.

“You want me.”

“I do. All of you.” One strong hand slid into her hair. “You’ll give me everything.”

Fear mixed with excitement. “Aydin.”

“If you don’t give it to me, I’ll coax it out of you.”

His kiss was hard, but slow and drugging. It had her clinging to him.

Then his mouth moved along her jaw, lower, and she felt his teeth on her neck. Pleasure flooded her.

She felt like she was free-falling into some unknown place. Jamie wasn’t used to fear, and Aydin generated it in her. Not fear for her life; she trusted that he’d protect her with his life, but a deeper, more emotional fear.

With slow moves, he pulled her swimsuit off, leaving her naked. Then her back hit the bed.

His big body loomed over hers, his mouth clamping down on one of her breasts. His tongue slowly lapped around her nipple.

Jamie moaned, her hands twisting in the sheets.

That clever mouth moved down her belly. He moved lower nudging her thighs apart. Then his tongue was licking between her legs, stabbing inside her. But each move was slow and methodical. Agonizingly slow.

She tried to pull him up and over her.

“I could stay here forever.” His voice was guttural. “I love how you taste, Jamie.”

Her breathing was ragged. One of her thighs was on his shoulder and he sucked on her clit.

“Aydin.” She chanted his name. She felt tossed around at sea with no anchor.

His hands slid into hers, their fingers tangling. He pressed them into the bed on either side of her.

A few more licks and her orgasm ripped through her. She clenched his hands and cried out his name.

He kissed her trembling thighs. “I love when you say my name like that. Full of need and pleasure.”

She stared down at him, pulling air into her burning lungs. She saw desire etched on his rugged face.

God, he was gorgeous. And he wanted her.

Needed her.

“Now, Aydin. Inside me.”

Again, he took his time. He kissed his way up her body and their gazes met, his hips pressing into hers.

She felt the prod of his hard cock.

Their gazes meshed and she stared into those black-green eyes she loved. She couldn’t look away, and was nearly sobbing with need. She was empty and needed this man, this warrior, to fill her up.

“Aydin.”

“Next time, you say my name with me inside you.”

She circled his hips with her legs and then he thrust inside her.

AYDIN’S HEART THUNDERED, hot sensation storming through him.

He pulled out and slowly, so slowly, he thrust back inside Jamie’s tight, hot body. Her breath caught, small sounds bursting from her lips.

“You like that, shara?”

She stared into his eyes and their breath swirled together. He drew her in, moved inside her. He kept up the slow, firm thrusts, enjoying the slick slide of their bodies.

He kept her hands tight in his and pinned to the bed. Her face was flushed and she felt so tight around his cock.

He wanted to go slow, to savor her. But this woman ignited needs in him that couldn’t be harnessed for long.

He let out a hoarse groan.

“Kiss me,” she pleaded.

Helpless to resist, he took her mouth. As he kissed her, he kept moving inside her, kissing her deep and thrusting even deeper.

“Do you feel it?” he murmured.

In response, she moaned.

He wasn’t sure his Terran felt the depth of their connection. She shuddered, her body arching and clamping down on his cock.

“Yes, shara. Come for me.”

She panted his name and his thrusts lost their rhythm. He felt his own release rising. Her hands curled in his, and her heels dug into his ass.

“I love your cock inside me,” she cried. “I love how you fill me up.”

Aydin groaned.

“Come, Aydin.”

He made a harsh, guttural sound and, with one last thrust, he shot his release inside her. Her body milked his, and he groaned her name.

When he could see again, they were tangled together. She was stroking his back.

Aydin knew this was it for him. Jamie Park was his. He needed her. Needed to pleasure her, fight with her, protect her.

He had no idea if mating would come, but he didn’t care. This stubborn Terran was for him.

And he was well aware that if he mentioned it to her, she’d knock him out and run.

“I’m so thirsty, I could drain a lake,” she said.

He rose, and heedless of his nakedness, strode to the synthesizer and got her a glass of water.

When he turned, she was unashamedly looking at his body.

Cren. His cock responded. He liked her here in his bed. She rolled, giving him a glimpse of small, high breasts. She looked at the painting again.

“It’s my sister’s work,” he told her, handing her the glass.

“Sister?”

“Yes, I have two sisters and a brother. They’re all agricultural scientists, like my mother.”

“Agriculture?”

She said it like she didn’t know what the word meant.

He smiled. “Yes. I come from a family known for their expertise in biology and food creation. My grandfather was a warrior, though. I’m only the second warrior in the Kann-Ath line, and the first to be a doctor.”

She reached out and stroked the helian on his wrist. “So the others in your family don’t have a symbiont?”

He shook his head.

“Does it hurt to bond with the helians?” she asked.

He nodded. “We don’t talk about it much, but a few children don’t survive the bonding.”

“God.” Her eyes sharpened. “You could have died.”

He nodded.

“Why risk it?”

“For centuries, Eon warriors have bonded with helians. The helians break through the skin at our wrist and weave into our nerves—linking directly with a warrior’s nervous system. It’s a beautiful thing, Jamie. They give us abilities, and we give the helian the chance to live, thrive, and use their unique skills.”

“Bonding can’t be forced.”

“No, that’s why the Kantos always fail when they attempt to bond with them. The helian needs to know the host is worthy.”

“And, of course, Medical Commander Aydin Kann-Ath was worthy.” She set the glass down on the side table and climbed off his bed. This time, he got to appreciate her naked body. He watched as she snagged one of his black shirts off the back of a chair and slipped it on. It hung to mid-thigh, which only made her look more delectable. She circled his cabin.

His cock stirred. Those long legs. That he’d had wrapped around him. His mind started to form some ideas.

“This is your family?” She held up a small holo frame.

He nodded.

She peered at it. “You look happy.”

“We all get along. After my father ruined the family, it was just us. We stuck together.”

“You’re lucky. To have had people who cared.”

The pain buried in her voice sliced at him. “I’m sorry you didn’t.”

She shrugged. “It’s in the past now. I survived.”

Not without scars. He frowned. “Do you have any siblings?”

The frame clicked on the shelf as she set it down. “No. Not that I know of.”

He hated the brittle sound to her voice. “Your parents—”

“Were drug addicts. They accidentally got pregnant with me while they were both high.” She didn’t meet his gaze. “I don’t know why they had me, or kept me. I was just a hassle. In the way of their parties and chasing their next high.”

A muscle ticked in his jaw. So they’d drugged her. They’d created this gorgeous creature and taught her not to trust.

“Hey.” She pounced on him, pinning him to the bed. “No more talking.”

He raised a brow. He’d be happy to see that pain fade from her face. “You have something better planned, Lieutenant?”

She leaned down and nipped his lips. “I do.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

“I don’t know how long I’ll be gone,” Jamie said.

Her space marines nodded.

“We’ll be fine, Lieutenant,” David said, his auburn hair glinting under the corridor lights.

Idris leaned his big body against the wall. “I’m enjoying training with the Eon. You focus on your mission.”

David’s jaw worked. “Wish we could come on this mission.”

Jamie clapped her hand on the man’s shoulder. “There’ll be other missions. For now, keep up your training. Hopefully, Medical Commander Kann-Ath and I will be back quickly, with the helians.”

“I’d like to kick some Kantos ass,” Idris growled.

Jamie knew the man liked a fight almost as much as she did. “You’ll get your chance, Idris. The Kantos appear to be escalating their actions.” She felt a skitter down her spine. How long before the bugs decide to attack Earth?

They had to be stopped.

“Good hunting, Lieutenant.” David bumped his fist against hers.

“Good hunting,” Idris echoed.

Her throat felt a little thick. These men, and the rest of her marines, had been her family the last few years. “No slacking off while I’m gone.”

As she strode into the docking bay, something leaped off the wall and landed on her head.

Jamie tensed before she realized it was Cutie. “Hey.” She snatched the furry creature into her arms. “How did you get out of my cabin?”

The alien chittered, her big, green eyes accusing.

“You can’t come,” Jamie said. “It’s too dangerous.”

More insistent chittering.

“Not negotiable. Lara has promised to take care of you.”

Cutie gave an unhappy squeak.

Jamie felt a rush of affection and stroked the creature’s head. “I’ll miss you too.” She set Cutie down. “Now, off you go. And Cutie, no fighting with Shaggy while I’m away.”

The alien gave her one last look, then scampered out of the docking bay.

Jamie turned to the black stealth ship, deliberately focusing her thoughts on her mission. She climbed aboard and settled in the angular cockpit. The seat cupped her body and she stared at the sleek controls. This was it.

The door opened and Aydin came in.

She loved the way he moved—so in control of that big, muscular body of his. A body she’d explored very intimately—with her hands, with her mouth.

She shivered.

“Ready?” He dropped into the pilot’s chair.

She managed a nod.

The viewscreen showed Davion, Eve, Caze, and Lara in the docking bay. Lara gave them a small salute, and a second later, Aydin started the engines.

Then, they were blasting out of the Desteron.

Aydin handled the ship like a pro. There was clearly nothing the man couldn’t do. Jamie forced herself to stop looking at him and stared at the stars through the viewscreen instead. He had her so worked up and confused. She was feeling things she didn’t want to feel.

She felt fingers brush the back of her neck and she jolted.

“You okay?” he asked.

She pulled away from his touch. “Fine. We’re on a mission, so no touching.”

He shot her an amused smile. “We back to the ‘only sex’ thing?”

“It’s always been only sex.”

“Mmm. You always sleep tightly wrapped around a man when it’s only sex?”

Her heart thumped. She’d never slept wrapped around anyone before. He must have read that in her eyes, because his smile widened.

Arrogant, annoying warrior. “How long for us to reach the planet?” She kept her tone businesslike.

“Six ship hours. We’ll cross into Kantos space in one hour.”

They needed to focus on the mission. She needed to focus on her work and not the distracting warrior beside her. “And the stealth ship will keep us undetected?”

“Yes, but it’s best we avoid any Kantos ships, regardless.”

They fell into an easy, companionable silence. Jamie wasn’t much of a talker, but Aydin didn’t seem to mind. He stayed busy, monitoring the ship and keeping an eye on the controls. A quiet calm filled the cockpit. Jamie familiarized herself with the ship’s weapons and navigation system.

Finally, he straightened. “We’re crossing the border into Kantos territory.”

Jamie pulled in a deep breath. Here we go.

But they hadn’t gone far when an urgent chime sounded from the console. Aydin leaned forward, frowning. His fingers danced over the controls.

“What?” she asked.

“Cren. A Kantos hive ship just hit the scanners. It’s accompanied by several battle cruisers and is straight on our path.”

Jamie stiffened in her seat. “Have they detected us?”

“No. We’ll try to slip past them.”

Soon, the Kantos ships came into visual range. She sat rigid as she stared at the alien ships. There were several raider-class cruisers, and a group of mid-size attack vessels. They all looked like bugs. The cruisers had large, outstretched legs, and bulky, segmented fuselages. The attack ships were more streamlined but angularly shaped.

“Why do they always need to invade and ravage?” she mused aloud.

“It appears to be a driving need in their species. Like it is in Terrans and the Eon to form groups, families, to procreate and succeed. They have the urge to destroy.”

An alarm sounded and Aydin tapped the screen. “Swarm ships.”

Jamie sucked in a breath. She spotted the tiny ships, moving like a cloud of insects through space. “Have they seen us?”

“I don’t think so,” he replied. “I think they’re doing training maneuvers.”

But the swarm ships’ trajectory was bringing them closer and closer to the stealth ship. They couldn’t see the stealth ship on their scanners, but if they got too close, they’d spot them.

“Drop beneath them,” she said.

The swarm ships raced closer and Aydin dropped the stealth ship, just before several swarm ships streamed past overhead.

Jamie watched on screen as one swarm ship slowed and circled back in their direction.

She held her breath. “Can we go faster?”

“If we do, they might detect us.”

Her pulse was pounding, and she watched the swarm ship making an erratic circle. It made her think of a bee flitting around.

She reached out and grabbed Aydin’s hand. He squeezed her fingers, and together they watched, as the swarm ship finally flew back to join the others.

Jamie blew out a breath. “That was too close. Let’s get out of here.”

“APPROACHING VEELA,” Jamie said.

Aydin stared at the screen. In the distance, this system’s red giant sun gleamed like a lantern. Veela was the sun’s second planet, a dark hunk of rock with one small moon in orbit around it. Veela was crisscrossed with lines of red and dotted with bright-blue lakes.

“The planet’s volcanic and tidal locked,” Aydin said.

That meant one side of the planet always faced away from the sun, while the other was always in daylight. A freezing, dark side, and a hot, light side.

“Like Earth’s moon,” Jamie said.

“We’ll move into orbit and do some preliminary scans.”

All of a sudden, an alarm screamed.

“What now?” Jamie demanded.

“There’s a Kantos cruiser coming off the planet.”

“Shit. Let’s move behind the moon.”

Aydin nodded. He touched the controls, and soon they were zooming in behind Veela’s small, irregular moon. Probably a captured asteroid.

Tense, they watched as the Kantos cruiser broke free of the planet, and disappeared into space.

“Well, seeing the Kantos cruiser is a good sign that the lab is definitely here,” he said.

Hopefully, the helians would be, too.

“Running scans now.” He touched the controls. “It’ll take a while.”

“But we should be able to pinpoint the lab’s location?”

“Yes. And hopefully detect the helians.”

“Then we plan our infiltration.”

She sounded eager for that bit, and he fought back a smile. “Yes.” He rose, and grabbed some food. He dropped the packets in her lap. “Eat.”

“Yes, Medical Commander.” She tore open a packet.

“I also brought some sampa.”

Her lips quirked. “As a bribe?”

“I thought I might need it.”

“I’m a Space Corps marine. I can’t be bribed.”

“We’ll see. I know your weaknesses now.”

She stilled, a shadow moving through her eyes.

“That’s not a bad thing, Jamie. Not when you trust the person you share them with.” He paused. “You can trust me.”

He watched her nibble on her food, but she didn’t say anything else.

He checked the computer and elation shot through him. “We found the lab.”

She shot upright. “Where?”

“Right on the edge of the dark side and light side of the planet, near the equator. It’s in a volcanic area, with lots of rivers and pools of molten rock. It’s built into a rocky ridge. Data’s still coming in.”

“The helians?”

Aydin shook his head. “Nothing.”

“Yet.”

He looked at her. “Yet.”

Her face was serious, but still so attractive. They were headed into danger, and he still wasn’t at peace with the fact that she was not just heading into trouble, but running headlong toward it. But he wouldn’t mess up again. She was good at her job, he knew that.

Whether she admitted it or not, she trusted him, and he had to trust her. He munched on his own food.

“The scan will take another hour,” he said. “I’m trying to get a map of the lab.”

“But?” she prompted.

“The volcanic rock is disrupting scanners. We’ll have a partial map, if we’re lucky.”

“It’ll be better than nothing. Once the scans are finished, we go in?”

He nodded. “We go in.”

They stared at each other.

“It’ll be dangerous,” she said quietly.

He nodded. “But we’ll be together.”

“Your family must worry about you,” she said.

“Yes. But they trust me to do my job.” He shot her a rueful smile. “Which I’ve learned is vital with those you care about.”

She huffed out a breath. “You don’t get this ‘just sex’ thing, do you?” She glanced out the viewscreen. “No one would miss me if I never returned from a mission.”

His body locked. “That’s not true. You have good friends on your ship, among your marines. Lara, Allie.”

She shrugged a shoulder. “They’d get over it and life would go on. I’ve never been important to anyone.”

He clamped his hand on her arm. “You be careful on this mission, Jamie, because like it or not, you mean something to me.”

Something changed in her face, and she set the remnants of her food down and rose. Before he could guess what she had planned, she slid into his lap and straddled him.

Instant desire hit him.

She leaned forward and nipped his lips. Then she deepened the kiss, her tongue tangling with his.

“What are you doing?” he asked, voice guttural.

“Well, you’ve very successfully seduced me.” She bit his neck and he groaned. “Now I’m seducing you.”

“Jamie—”

“Shh. It’s my turn, my way.”

“What happened to ‘we’re on a mission, no touching’?”

“I changed my mind.”

The next kiss was hot and deep. Then, they were tugging their clothes out of the way.

“God, I love your cock.” She wrapped her hands around it.

“I’m very happy to hear that.”

Suddenly, she moved, keeping a grip on his cock as she lined him up between her legs. The head of his cock brushed against her and he bit back a groan. Then she sank down.

Aydin cursed and she smiled.

She took him deep, pausing a second to adjust to his size. He saw the flush on her cheeks, the desire burning in her eyes. Then she started to ride him. He clamped his hands on her hips and stared into her eyes.

“We come together,” he growled.

“Yes.” She threw her head back, panting hard. She moved up and down, making small husky sounds.

He slid one hand between their bodies and found her swollen clit. He thumbed it.

“Oh, God.” Her body rocked harder.

Cren, he was going to come soon. He rolled her clit between his fingers, and, with one last plunge, Jamie came, crying his name.

He bumped his hips up and pushed her down. He lodged himself deep, groaning through his own release.

His helian pulsed, happy and relaxed.

He slumped in his seat, holding Jamie’s long, lax form against him. Despite the dangerous mission ahead, he was calm and sedate.

He wasn’t letting this woman go.

Now, they just needed to survive their mission.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Their small ship zoomed through the cloudless sky.

Down below, the ground of the planet was a slick black, with veins of lava that glowed bright red. They were broken up by circular pools of electric-blue, toxic water.

Veela looked like hell.

Jamie shook her head. Trust the Kantos to find a hellhole like this to hide on.

Aydin was focused on flying them in, and soon, they landed on a bare patch of black rock. They both shouldered their backpacks and weapons, then she activated her helmet. Veela’s atmosphere wasn’t safe for Terrans or Eons.

Once Aydin’s helian had formed his helmet, they stepped out of the stealth ship. Heat radiated off the ground, making small shimmers in the air. The sunlight was bright and tinged with red.

“The ship will be cloaked?” she asked.

He nodded. “Unless someone runs into it, it should be fine.”

They set off over the rocky ground. Rivulets of lava crisscrossed the ground, looking like an artist had randomly slapped red paint everywhere. When they had to, they leaped over them.

“There’s the ridge up there.” Aydin pointed.

Jamie looked at the line of jagged rocks. Several of them poked up like huge spikes, making the ridge look like the back of a crouching dragon.

Directly ahead of them was a large, bubbling pool of lava. They skirted around it, and she watched as small bubbles of lava floated up and popped in the air. Some fluttered around.

And kept fluttering.

She stilled. What the hell?

She peered more intently at the bubbles. The bubbles had wings. Tiny, lava-coated wings.

“Aydin. There are some sort of bugs coated in the lava.”

He swiveled, just as one of the creatures flew right at Jamie’s head. She ducked.

Three more of the tiny lava creatures flew at Aydin. His sword formed on his arm, and he used it to slap the lava bugs away. But one darted in and hit his shoulder, burning through his armor.

Jamie drew her own sword and hit some of the fluttering creatures.

Together, she and Aydin backed up. She saw more and more of the flying lava bugs rise up out of the pool. Crap.

One bug darted in and brushed against Jamie’s arm, burning a small hole in her suit.

Aydin morphed his weapon into a blaster. He fired it, aiming water at the creatures. It hit them in a cold blast.

She saw the creatures drop to the ground, the lava washed off of them. They looked like small, dragon-like reptiles.

“Go,” he yelled.

They swiveled and ran. Jamie leaped over the rough, rocky ground. Ahead, lay one of the bright-blue lakes. The surface of it swirled with an oily gleam.

Finally, they stopped, both of them panting.

“Don’t get near the water,” he warned. “At these toxicity levels, it would sear through our suits.”

“Nice.” She glanced back. “The creatures aren’t following us.”

Jamie saw that Aydin’s armor was self-repairing, thanks to his helian. She pulled a patch out of her backpack and slapped it over the burn on her arm.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

She nodded. “Patch should hold.”

They continued on, skirting around the lake, and getting closer to the ridge. In places, small creatures skittered under rocks and slithered away.

Veela was not going on Jamie’s list of vacation destinations.

“According to the scans, there’s an access point halfway up that we can use,” he said. “We’ll have to climb.”

They reached the base of the rocky cliffs. Jamie crouched down and changed the mode on her boots to climbing. She couldn’t see the access point, but she didn’t doubt Aydin.

She looked at him and he nodded. They both gripped the rock and started climbing.

It wasn’t an easy climb. There were a lot of natural handholds, but in some places, the rock was smooth like obsidian. There, she had to jump up and hope she caught a handhold.

Aydin moved ahead of her.

She came to another flat spot, bent her knees and leaped up. Her fingers caught, her body slamming against the rock wall.

“Jamie, quiet,” he whispered urgently.

She stayed still, feeling the heat radiating from the rock. “What?”

“I hear something…”

All of a sudden, two large flying creatures swept over the ridge overhead. Their huge wings flapped up and down, their bodies covered in scales, and a long tail whipping behind them.

“Aerial patrol,” Aydin hissed. “Don’t move.”

They stayed pressed to the rock, watching the Kantos flying bugs overhead. They wheeled through the air, moving farther away.

Thank God.

“Go,” Aydin said.

Jamie picked up the pace, climbing faster. She jammed her boot against a foothold and reached up—

The rock crumpled and her leg slipped.

“Jamie!”

She slid a meter before she caught herself. Fuck. Her pulse thundered. “I’m okay.” Gritting her teeth, she started upward again. “Keep moving.”

Moments later, he called down. “I can see the vent. It’s embedded into the rock.”

She paused and arched her head back. Just past Aydin, she saw the metal doorway in the rock. Not far above it, she saw several rows of windows.

Fucking Kantos. She continued up until she reached Aydin.

He gripped her shoulder for a second, then nodded. He pulled a small tool off his belt and carefully worked the cover off the vent shaft. He tossed the cover behind them and it sailed down toward the ground. Then a small light with a greenish tinge appeared from his shoulder, spearing into the round vent tunnel.

Jamie really, really wanted a helian.

The vent tunnel was large enough for Aydin’s big form. He crawled in and Jamie followed.

It was mostly smooth rock, but in some places were sticky patches of…she lifted her glove. She had no idea what the goo was, and she probably didn’t want to know.

“Ugh.” She tried to shake the stuff off.

“I can see the end of the tunnel,” he said.

They reached the end of the vent, and he slowly opened the internal hatch. He peered through, and then nodded. He slid inside the Kantos lab, and Jamie went in right behind him.

Their boots touched the rough floor and they stood there for a second, looking around. The place was typical Kantos construction, with hard, brown walls, and glowing, gold lights fixed into the walls.

Aydin closed the hatch and checked his scanner. “The air quality in here is okay for us.”

They retracted their helmets.

Jamie wrinkled her nose. As usual, the place smelled bad.

He looked at his scanner again. “Wait.” The scanner chimed, and then a wide smile split his rugged face. “I’m detecting helians.”

Finally, some good news. She smiled back.

“That way.” He jerked his head down the corridor.

“Let’s do this,” Jamie said.

AYDIN MOVED DOWN THE CORRIDOR, his body alert.

The helians were in this facility, somewhere. And they were going to find them.

They turned a corner, and he noticed several tubes running along the walls. Some were filled with lava, while others were filled with toxic, blue water from the lakes outside. The Kantos were utilizing the native resources for whatever experiments they were conducting. No surprise there.

He and Jamie moved into a large, cavernous room.

“What the fuck is that?” Jamie breathed.

In the center of the room was a huge, brown, gelatinous pile of…organic matter. He wasn’t sure what it was either.

Aydin scanned the pile that rose up toward the ceiling. “I have no idea what it is.”

The mass moved, wobbling gently like—

“Is it breathing?” she asked incredulously.

“Let’s not find out.” They circled around the pile, staying close to the wall.

On the other side of the space was an arched doorway. They left the pile of brown goo behind, and entered the next room.

“Shit, watch out,” Jamie said. “There’s a huge hole.”

The next room held a giant chasm that glowed with a faint, golden light. It was circular, and extended both up and down.

Aydin looked up, but the ceiling was lost into the darkness above. Huge, winged insects flew through the space. Down below, he could just make out the floor. It was a long way down, and he saw smaller, drone-like insects rushing around.

“I wish I had some industrial-strength bug spray,” Jamie muttered. “The helians?”

He pointed down.

She winced. “I knew you were going to say that.”

Both of them scanned the rock walls. “There are some decent handholds.” It’d be a long, dangerous climb down, but they could make it.

She nodded.

Aydin lowered himself over the edge and set one boot onto a small ledge.

He started down, and she started climbing beside him. It was no surprise to him that she was good at it, moving easily over the rock face.

When she’d slipped earlier, he was certain his heart had stopped, but in typical Jamie fashion, she’d regrouped and kept going.

“Do you do much climbing?” he asked.

“No. Just in training.”

He gripped a jutting rock tightly and moved down. “What do you do for fun?”

“Fun?” She sounded like the word was a foreign concept.

His marine needed to learn to relax. “Yes, fun. Things you do when you aren’t working.”

“What do you do for fun?” she shot back.

He gripped a handhold, carefully shifting his body weight. “I’m as bad as you. I’m either at work, training, or asleep.”

“You’re driven,” she said. “Because of your family.”

“Yes, I’ve always wanted to make life easier for them. I want to make them proud.”

“I bet they are so proud of you.”

Aydin paused and then grabbed her hand. He knew she’d been alone most of her life.

She lifted her head.

“You’re an impressive woman, Jamie Park.”

She stared at him for a beat. “Dammit, don’t make me like you.”

“You already do.”

She snorted. “I like your body.”

Suddenly, there was a sound of rushing air and beating wings. Big ones.

Cren. Aydin looked over his shoulder.

“What is it?” Jamie asked tensely.

“I can’t see in this darkness.” Even with his helian-enhanced vision.

A rush of air hit them, and then Jamie’s body was yanked off the wall.

“Fuck!” she yelled.

“Jamie!”

Aydin saw the winged creature—it had a long body, and a dual set of wings that were made of a translucent lattice. The Kantos carried Jamie out over the chasm.

No. He ground his teeth together, trying to think of a way to get to her.

Then he heard more fluttering wings, and a second later, claws gripped his back and he was plucked off the wall.

The alien insect struggled with his weight, but it beat its wings wildly, heading out over the abyss.

He heard Jamie curse, then lost sight of her.

Cren. Cren.

He looked down. By Alqin’s axe, if they fell from this height, they’d be crushed by the fall.

“Hold on, Jamie,” he bellowed.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Jamie’s body swung wildly below the Kantos flying bug. She felt its claws digging into her back, shredding her suit.

She looked down.

God. She might be a hardened space marine, but even her stomach rolled.

At the bottom of the chasm was a heaving mass of bugs.

They were too high. If she got herself free, the fall would kill her, for sure. She needed to get lower.

She pulled out her blaster, then aimed it at one of the wings of the bug carrying her. The laser whined.

The bug let out a bloodcurdling screech and dropped to one side.

Crap. Jamie jolted, almost losing her grip on her blaster.

They’d dropped a little, but they still weren’t nearly low enough.

Another bug flew in close to them, and she saw Aydin hanging from beneath it.

They flew close to each other, she saw his intense gaze on her.

Aydin reached out a hand. “Jamie, be careful. If you fall from this height, you won’t survive.”

She raised her blaster. “Let’s go a little lower.”

She saw his fierce frown. She aimed her blaster at one set of wings on his bug. She fired, saw the laser tear through the fragile wing. His bug started to plummet.

Jamie aimed the blaster up at her bug again. The laser hit the bug’s translucent wing again.

The alien creature dropped like a rock, screeching again.

Shit. Jamie felt like she was on a bad roller coaster ride. The bug dropped and flew like it was drunk. Her stomach lodged in her throat.

Her bug flew in closer to Aydin’s and she saw him punching up at his bug’s body. They were lowering down in the chasm, and now she could see more detail of the bugs on the bottom of the hole. They looked like ants, with overlarge heads and brown, sturdy bodies.

Her bug flew onward, tilting one way, then the next.

Oh, shit. They were heading straight toward the side wall.

“Turn around, you stupid bug,” she yelled.

They crashed into the rock.

Oof. Pain rocketed up Jamie’s side and the wind was knocked out of her lungs. Her bug’s wings collapsed, and they started to plummet downward.

Air rushed against her face, and then she felt the claws release her. Then she was free-falling through the air.

Oh, fuck.

She dropped past Aydin and she windmilled her arms and legs, trying to slow her fall. The floor of the chasm was rushing toward her.

This was going to hurt.

Then arms wrapped around her and pulled her close to a hard chest. Shocked, she stared up into Aydin’s face.

He curled his body around hers, turning so that he was beneath her.

“Aydin?” Her pulse was hammering. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Saving you.”

“You’ll get crushed to pieces!” Fear made it impossible to breathe.

“You should know that I’d do anything for you,” he said.

She gasped, her eyes flying wide. “Aydin.”

He hugged her tighter. “I’d fight for you, die for you.”

Then they hit the bottom.

The force of the fall drove the air from her chest. Fortunately, rather than slamming into the rocky ground, they’d hit a pile of dead bug carcasses.

Aydin groaned, rolling to the side. The carcasses crunched and popped beneath them.

“Aydin, are you okay?” Jamie scrambled up, patting his body.

“Yes.” He sat up and let out another groan. “Bruised my ribs, but my helian is already taking care of it.” Then his gaze sharpened on her. “You’re hurt.”

She looked down and saw the slash marks across the top of her stomach. She fingered the ruined fabric. “I’m okay. The flying bug’s claws didn’t scratch my skin, only the suit.”

A frown creased his forehead. “Once we get outside…”

“I’ll patch it as best I can.” And send up a few prayers that she could make it back to the ship.

They rose, the carcasses crunching underneath their boots.

“Lucky we hit this pile of dead bugs.” She tried to breathe through her mouth, because the stench was awful.

She looked up. There were flying bugs everywhere. They looked like dragonflies.

On the ground, the ant-like bugs swarmed and heaved. Right now, they were diverting around the carcasses Jamie and Aydin were standing on.

Then she turned and smacked his chest. “What the hell did you think you were doing? You could have been killed.”

“And you would have been killed. I wasn’t going to let that happen.”

She opened her mouth to blast him, but his big hand touched her cheek. She looked up to meet black-green eyes. Her throat tightened. This amazing warrior had just risked his life.

For her. For hardass Jamie Park.

He’d plummeted through the air to save her. Risked his own life to keep her alive.

That freaked her out way more than the bugs around them.

Hell. Jamie leaned in and kissed him. He tasted so good, and she didn’t care that they were on a mission, or in danger. He made a hungry sound, pulled her closer, and kissed her back.

“You will not risk your life like that again,” she muttered.

“I’ll do whatever I have to do to ensure your safety.”

His tone was firm and unyielding. Jamie sighed. “So stubborn.”

“That’s my line.”

She shook her head. The quickest way to get him to safety was to finish their mission. “We have helians to find, warrior.”

His thumb ran across her jaw. Then he took her hand and together they climbed off the pile of bugs.

Aydin lifted his scanner. Jamie saw that it was looking a little dented on one side, but its screen still worked.

He nodded his head. “That way.”

They moved cautiously across the floor of the chasm. She watched the bugs intently, expecting the creatures to rush at them. But the giant ants ignored them, thank God. Still, Jamie kept a tight grip on her blaster.

“There,” he said.

On the far wall, she saw a mass of golden growth. It pulsed with a gentle light and looked like honeycomb. It was made up of hexagonal shapes.

They moved closer and she saw that each honeycomb compartment was closed off with some sort of membrane.

She leaned in close and then she saw the shadow of something move inside the compartment. She jerked back.

Aydin’s jaw tightened. “They’re growing new bugs inside.”

“And the helians?”

“In there, too.”

Jamie sucked in a breath.

“They must be trying to force a bond,” he said darkly.

His sword formed on his arm, and then he slashed the membrane on the first hexagonal compartment.

A rush of fluid drained to the floor, and Jamie stepped back. A misshapen lump slid out, a larva of some kind, and fell to the floor. Then she gasped. A pulsing, blue helian was attached to the creature.

Aydin crouched and carefully cut the helian free. He slid off his backpack—which was slashed up from the claws of the flying bugs, but still mostly in one piece—and pulled out the special container he’d brought to house the helians. It was made of a rugged, tough black material. He opened the container and carefully slid the helian inside.

He rose. “Let’s free the others.”

Jamie lifted her combat knife and slashed open the next hexagonal pod. Another helian, this one attached to some sort of bright-green bug, came out.

Aydin cut the helian free and eased it into the container. “Got it.”

They moved along, freeing the helians one by one. Each bug they were attached to was different and more hideous than the last.

Finally, Aydin slipped the helian container into his backpack. “We have them all. Some are in bad shape. We need to get them out of here.”

She nodded, then froze. Silence echoed in the chasm around them. All the buzzing and screeching of the bugs had stopped.

Slowly, she looked up, and saw that the dragonflies had gone from overhead.

“Aydin,” she murmured.

He stiffened. Together, they turned, and her stomach dropped to her boots.

A line of Kantos soldiers stood nearby. They held up their sharp arms, their four legs set and ready to fight.

An elite, slightly taller than the others, glided forward.

You will not leave here.

The Kantos soldiers couldn’t talk, but the elites had some creepy, telepathic abilities. Jamie hated that they could get inside her head.

She cocked her hip. “Oh, who’s going to stop us? You?”

Aydin’s low chuckle filled the air.

The Kantos elite’s four beady eyes glowed bright gold. Attack.

DESPITE HIS AMUSEMENT at Jamie’s fearlessness, Aydin’s gut was as hard as a rock.

There were more Kantos soldiers than they could take down.

But they had to get the helians out.

He needed to get Jamie out.

He saw her hand move up to her shoulder, knowing she was going to draw her combat sword. Their gazes met. Then the Kantos soldiers swarmed.

Aydin lifted his arm, his sword forming. In a smooth, practiced move, Jamie freed her sword.

They met the Kantos soldiers, their swords swinging.

Aydin spun, slicing into a soldier’s arms. Jamie whirled, her blade glinting in the golden light glowing off the hexagons. She sliced an arm off the soldier.

They turned then lunged, swung, and parried. They ended up back to back, fighting each soldier as they charged.

“You like that?” She skewered another soldier.

As a second one rushed in, Aydin lunged and brought his sword down. The soldier flew sideways, bleeding badly.

“I’ll keep them busy.” Jamie swung again. “You get the helians out.”

Every muscle in his body locked. “Absolutely not.”

With a grunt, she met the swing of a Kantos’ arm. “Aydin—”

“No. I’m not arguing with you.” He used the rush of anger to take down another soldier. A spray of green blood covered him.

He kept fighting. He knew they were both tiring. He was perspiring profusely, and Jamie’s brutal swings were getting slower. Her face was grim, but she wasn’t giving up.

That was his tough Terran.

A big bug flew in overhead and sprayed fluid around them.

What the cren? The fluid solidified into a sticky, white web. It covered his chest and arms, making it hard to move.

He looked over and saw Jamie struggling against the substance, as well.

Then, the soldiers were on them. One hit Jamie hard across the back, and she went down to her knees.

Several rushed at Aydin. He tried to fight, but the damn sticky substance had trapped his sword against his side.

Soon, he was facedown on the floor, with several sharp arms stabbing into his back. He felt a trickle of blood down his sides and grunted.

Jamie was slammed down beside him. Her glare was hot enough to melt steel.

The elite moved closer and wrenched the bag containing the helians from Aydin. He gritted his teeth.

Restrain them.

Aydin heard a clanking sound, and saw several soldiers carrying chain-like bindings. The soldiers made quick work of wrapping them around Aydin’s wrists, and then Jamie’s.

He tested them. They were made of a hard, brown substance and strong. Strong enough to hold an Eon warrior.

Then both of them were yanked up and dragged forward by soldiers.

“Motherfuckers,” Jamie muttered. She turned her head. “You should have left.”

“I’ll never leave you.”

She sucked in a breath.

They were both shoved against the wall. The soldiers did something Aydin couldn’t see, and suddenly, their shackles melted into the rock, gluing them to the wall. Jamie jerked on her arms, but they didn’t budge.

The elite stared at them. Who knows of this facility?

“The entire Eon fleet,” Aydin answered.

“And all of Space Corps, asshole,” Jamie added. “Our ships are on their way. You’re screwed.”

The Kantos leader stopped in front of Aydin. Medical Commander Aydin Kann-Ath of the warship Desteron. A renowned Eon doctor.

Aydin tensed. This elite knew way too much about him.

You will help us unlock the secrets of the helians.

Jamie cursed.

“I’ll never help you,” Aydin said.

The elite tilted its head, four eyes glowing like pinpricks of bright light. Suddenly, a soldier appeared, holding what looked like a long stick. Bright-green fluid dripped from the end of it.

“What is that?” Jamie demanded.

Incentive.

They touched the green fluid to Aydin’s gut.

He felt the burn instantly, and he grunted. As the pain intensified, he gritted his teeth. The fluid was some kind of poison, and he felt it entering his system. His helian screamed, filling his head with noise.

His chin dropped to his chest and he let out a groan of pain.

“Leave him alone,” Jamie yelled.

Beside him, he sensed her fighting her bindings.

“Aydin?”

“It’s some…sort of poison targeted to helians,” he gritted out.

He could feel his armor flickering, patches appearing as it weakened. His helian was fighting, but it was losing the battle.

Help us and the pain will stop.

“No,” he spat at the elite. “Never.”

The soldier jabbed the stick into him again, more poison touching his skin.

This time the pain was worse, and Aydin threw his head back and roared.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

No.

Jamie’s gaze was glued to Aydin’s face. Seeing him wracked with pain was like a sword to her chest.

She wouldn’t let them hurt him.

She strained against her bindings. Shit. They were too strong.

“Aydin, hold on!”

He groaned.

Ahh. She needed to get to him. She ground her teeth together. She still had a few tricks up her sleeve—or rather, in her boot.

Jamie lifted her legs and kicked the Kantos soldier closest to her. The alien slammed into another one and, in the chaos, she contracted her abs and brought her legs close to her chest. She butted her head against a small device attached to her boot.

The tiny drone broke free and flew up, a small laser knife flaring on it.

She jerked her head and the drone moved close to her wrist. The laser cut into the web-like substance holding her to the wall.

One of the Kantos soldiers turned and spotted the drone. Its eyes flashed and it came forward, arms slashing.

Jamie planted her boots into the alien’s chest.

Then one of her arms broke free. Nice. She directed the drone to her other hand and the laser cut into her bindings.

Another Kantos soldier rushed at her, swinging a sharp arm at her head.

Jamie ducked and heard the Kantos’ arm scrape into the wall above her head. She jerked her elbow up, into the Kantos’ face.

As the soldier stumbled back, she yanked her second arm free of the now-broken bindings.

She jumped up, wrapped her legs around the Kantos’ head, and twisted her body. The alien’s neck snapped.

She dropped back to the ground and spun, running forward. She dropped to her knees and reached up for her combat sword. As her hands closed around the hilt, she smiled.

But when she pulled, it didn’t move. It was stuck in sticky Kantos web to its sheath.

Shit. Jamie tugged and yanked, but it wouldn’t budge.

Several soldiers started in her direction.

Come on. She yanked with everything she had and the sword slid free.

Oh, yeah, baby. Then she let her anger and worry fuel her.

“You don’t get to hurt him.” She came up hard, charging at the soldiers. She turned into a blur—all swings, lunges, and hard, brutal blows.

She fought her way toward the elite. Several soldiers leaped at her, trying to protect their leader. Jamie slammed into one, knocking it down. She stepped on it and jumped into the air, swinging her sword over her head.

With a vicious slash, she sliced through the elite’s shoulder. She worked her sword in. The alien stumbled back, trying to stay on its feet. She pulled her sword back, then sliced off the elite’s head. It crumpled, falling back into the other soldiers.

She lifted her sword, green blood dripping onto the floor. The other Kantos soldiers milled around in confusion, uncertain. Without their leader, they were left uncontrolled and directionless.

Still, she knew it wouldn’t last. There would be other elites in the lab to take control, and one could arrive at any minute. She pointed her sword at the soldiers, daring them to come at her again. None of them attacked.

Swiveling, she rushed to Aydin. She sliced through his bindings, and he dropped down to his knees. He was sweating, his face lined with pain.

She saw the green shit was still on his abdomen.

“What do I do?” she asked.

“Get…it off.”

She saw his backpack nearby and snatched it up. She spotted the intact helian container inside and let out a brief breath of relief. Then, she grabbed a flask of water and tore it open. She poured it down his stomach. Most of the green gunk washed away, and she quickly grabbed a bandage out of his backpack and wiped the rest of the poison off him.

He let out a shuddering breath.

“Come on, babe.” She wrapped an arm around him and pulled him up. With her free arm, she swung his backpack and the helians over her shoulder.

The soldiers were still milling around nearby, watching but not attacking.

Together, Jamie and Aydin hobbled backward, heading out of the chasm.

“You should have left with the helians,” she muttered.

“I’ll never leave you, Jamie.”

She looked at him.

“You matter to me.” His gaze bored into hers. “More than anything.”

Jamie felt something tremble in her chest. She’d waited a lifetime for someone to say those words to her. “If you make me cry, I’ll be pissed.”

He managed a smile.

“You matter to me, too,” she whispered.

His arm tightened around her.

“Let’s get out of here,” she said.

They shuffled through a doorway and into another large room. In this one, multiple cocoons lined the wall.

Ugh, the Kantos creeped her out.

As they moved past the woven cocoons, she felt like she was being watched.

Suddenly, a skittering sound echoed in the shadows, and she slowed. A bug skidded into view.

It had a flat body, and a triangular head. It was almost up to her waist, and its back was covered in an interesting red pattern. It watched them with huge bug eyes.

Aydin sucked in a breath.

“What?” She watched a long proboscis extend from the bug’s mouth, or nose, or whatever the hell it was.

Aydin hissed. “That’s an assassin bug.”

Jamie grimaced. Well, that didn’t sound good.

AYDIN STARED at the assassin bug. Pain still burned through his veins, but it was getting better. Slowly. He sensed that his helian was already shaking off the pain.

He tried to form his sword, but nothing happened. His helian wasn’t strong enough yet.

Frustration flared, but right now, they had other problems to worry about.

Two more assassin bugs came out of the shadows. The bugs were laser-focused on them.

Jamie lifted her sword, her body tense and ready to fight. “Tell me about them.”

“They stab their victims with their proboscis, inject an acid that dissolves their victim’s insides, then they suck it out.”

Her head swiveled and she rolled her eyes. “Just once, I’d like a cute and fluffy enemy. With soft fur and maybe even velvety paws.”

By Ston’s sword, she was joking at a time like this. He really, really loved this Terran.

His heart stopped, then resumed beating hard and fast. He was in love with Jamie Park. He totally belonged to her.

“Okay, so don’t get stuck by the proboscis,” she said.

Aydin cleared his throat. “I can’t form my sword yet. My helian is still recovering.”

She shot him a sharp smile. “You just stay here, babe. Let me do my thing.”

She turned and ran, not at the bugs, but at the wall. The bugs tensed, skittering forward. She hit the wall with her foot, flipped over, and landed on top of the closest assassin bug.

With a flash of movement, she brought her sword down and sliced off the bug’s proboscis.

The bug shrieked and bucked her off. She flew through the air, hit the ground, and rolled.

The other two bugs rushed her.

No! Cren, he needed a weapon.

He noticed a resin-like lattice all over the wall. He grabbed it and pulled. A long piece snapped off, and he jabbed the end against the ground, forming a sharp point.

That’ll work. He spun.

Jamie was on her feet, slashing at the closest assassin bug.

Cren, watching her fight was incredible. He strode in, and when the second bug darted closer, he stabbed it with his makeshift weapon and it skittered back.

Jamie whirled and swung her sword. She finally cut into the one bug, leaving it bleeding, but the first injured bug rushed in, knocking her over.

“Jamie!” Aydin roared.

The first bug leaped on her, the damaged end of its proboscis rushing at her. She rolled and the proboscis stump hit the ground. The bug flopped onto the floor.

But the second bug rushed past Aydin and leaped. It crashed into Jamie and pinned her down.

“Get off me!” She shoved and tried to push it off.

It didn’t budge. Its proboscis lowered, getting closer to her face. She struggled to push it off.

Aydin rushed forward, but the third bug—despite its injuries—came at him, hissing. He swung the resin stick. “Get out of my way.”

All he could see was that proboscis getting closer to Jamie.

“Jamie, move!”

“I’m trying to.” She dropped her sword and grabbed the proboscis with both hands.

He saw her gloves start to steam.

“Ow, it’s burning,” she shouted.

Aydin kicked the bug in front of him. He had to help her. He needed his sword.

With that thought, he felt a flash of warmth from his helian, and his weapon formed. He stared at his sword for a second, then he attacked.

He sliced through the bug blocking him. Green blood sprayed everywhere. He pivoted and sliced off the legs of the other bug.

Then he advanced on Jamie and the bug on top of her. He sliced through the proboscis and it hit the ground with a fleshy slap.

The bug screeched and skittered back. Free, Jamie leaped up and scooped up her sword.

Side-by-side, they slashed and took down the final bug.

Jamie turned, green blood smeared on her face, and grinned. Aydin closed the gap between them and kissed her hard.

“Let’s get out of here,” she said.

They turned, and had taken three steps, when they heard a noise.

Her smile dissolved, and a group of assassin bugs poured out of the doorway.

“Oh, fuck,” Jamie said.

Dread filled Aydin. He watched the bugs march in, forming a circle around them both.

Cren, there was no escape. He scanned around them, looking for any way out. The bugs had them cornered, and there was no way they could fight this many assassin bugs.

Jamie’s dark gaze met his.

“Jamie.” His throat clogged.

She smiled. “It’s okay. I’m not alone, warrior.”

In that moment, Aydin knew he’d give anything he had to save her. To have more time with this woman who’d captured his heart and soul.

Suddenly, a shrill whistle cut through the room.

Both Jamie and Aydin looked up. A dark figure stood on a ledge high up on the wall. The person had a powerful, lean body clad in black, including a three-quarter coat that fell to their knees.

“What the hell?” Jamie muttered.

The being threw something, and it arced through the air, then hit in the center of the assassin bugs.

“Down!” yelled a man’s deep voice.

Aydin dived on Jamie and they hit the floor.

Boom.

He covered her body, burying his face in her hair. Her hands clung to him and they listened to several more explosions of sound.

The shrieks of dying bugs filled the air. Aydin lifted his head and his chest locked.

It looked like the bugs had all imploded.

Jamie looked up and her eyes widened. “Nice.”

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Jamie and Aydin helped each other to their feet.

They looked up at their rescuer. The man jumped from the high ledge, and Jamie sucked in a shocked breath. It was too high.

But he landed in a crouch, then rose, his dark coat flapping around his muscular body. He walked toward them with a lazy, liquid gait.

But as he got closer, she realized there was nothing lazy about him. Jamie sensed a predator.

The man had a sharp, handsome face, longish, coal-black hair that was pulled back at the base of his neck, and brilliant-blue eyes. A high-tech, metallic gauntlet was strapped to one strong forearm, and beneath his coat was smooth, black-metal armor.

He looked like a dark knight.

“Oronis,” Aydin murmured.

So this was one of the Eon’s distant relatives and allies. She’d only seen the dead Oronis warrior in the previous Kantos lab.

“Are you uninjured?” the Oronis warrior asked.

Wow, he had a deep, sexy voice. “Mostly. Thanks to you.”

The man inclined his dark head then turned to meet Aydin’s gaze. “Eon.”

Aydin nodded back. “Oronis.”

“I suggest you get out of this facility and as far away as you can,” the Oronis knight said. “The Kantos are amassing more soldiers in another part of the lab.” The man’s blue gaze dropped to the bag on Jamie’s shoulder. “Get your helians out of here.”

“Thank you for your assistance,” Aydin said.

The man nodded. “We will always offer assistance to our most valued allies.”

“Why are you here?” Jamie asked.

“Gathering information,” the Oronis answered. “The Kantos are a scourge to the galaxy, and we will not let them continue to kill and rampage.”

“They attacked Oronis territory?” Aydin asked.

The knight nodded. “An Oronis outpost and research station.”

The sound of marching Kantos feet echoed from nearby. A second later, Kantos soldiers rushed in through an opposite doorway.

The Oronis turned and lifted his hand. A ball of blue energy amassed on his palm.

“Go!” he yelled.

Aydin and Jamie tensed. The man ran toward the Kantos and tossed the ball of energy. It slammed into the lead soldiers, throwing them into the air. A throb of energy filled the air.

“Come on,” Aydin said.

“What about him?” Jamie asked.

“He’ll be fine. I suspect he’s been here a while.”

They took off running.

“I hope he doesn’t end up an unwilling lab rat like the other Oronis we saw,” she said.

Aydin yanked her through a doorway. “For now, let’s get ourselves and the helians out of here.”

“There.” She pointed at some steps cut into the rock. They ran up them.

At the top, she heard Kantos coming from the opposite direction, and they both turned the other way.

They raced down the wide corridor, and when they rounded a corner, a large, green bug scuttled into view. Jamie yelled, leaped into the air, and skewered it with her sword.

When she straightened, he grabbed her arm and they kept jogging.

“That way,” he said.

They rushed into another room. It was lined with glass windows, offering a breathtaking view of Veela’s unforgiving landscape. The rivers of lava looked like lines of blood.

Jamie looked out the window. “The drop to the ground isn’t too far.”

The sound of incoming Kantos echoed from out in the hall.

Aydin waved her out of the way and morphed his helian into a blaster on his arm. He lifted it and aimed at the windows. “Helmet.” His formed over his head.

Jamie touched her controls and her helmet slid into place.

A throb of energy blasted out and hit the windows, shattering them in a rain of sharp glass.

“Ready?” He took her hand.

She felt a throb of excitement. “Let’s roll, warrior.”

Together, they ran at the broken windows. Kantos soldiers exploded into the room, just as the two of them leaped out the windows.

They sailed through the air, then a moment later, hit the black, rocky ground in a deep crouch.

They both jumped up and ran. Behind them, bugs poured out of the lab, giving chase. Aydin turned, firing on them. Jamie lifted her own blaster, picking off some of the closest bugs.

“Your suit?” Aydin asked.

She’d slapped the last of her patches on as they’d dashed through the corridors, making their escape. For now, she wasn’t feeling any ill effects, but she knew the suit wouldn’t hold up forever.

“It’s fine for now.”

They leaped over several rivers of lava, and then circled to the left, around a toxic lake. When the faint, acrid scent of it hit her senses, she knew it was seeping in through her damaged suit somewhere.

“The ship isn’t too far away,” Aydin said. “Keep running.”

Yes. She couldn’t wait to get off this rock. Once they were back on the Desteron, she had plans to celebrate with her warrior.

They kept sprinting, leaping rough patches and lava. She scanned ahead, searching for the place where they’d left the stealth ship.

Then she spotted something.

She stumbled to a stop. “Fuck.”

Aydin’s shoulder brushed hers. “Cren.”

The stealth ship was visible. It had been discovered, and was now nothing but a burned-out, melted ruin.

“The Kantos found it,” she said tonelessly.

“Cren!” He turned, throwing his arms out, anger pumping off him.

They had no way off this rock. Her chin dropped to her chest.

The buzzing of insects filled the air. They looked back and saw waves of bugs coming after them.

“We need to go,” he said.

“Where?” she asked incredulously.

“Anywhere they won’t follow.”

Both of them turned, scanning the rocky landscape. They couldn’t hide in the lava, or the toxic water. Their armor wasn’t made to withstand either.

Then Aydin turned, looking into the distance.

She followed his gaze. Toward the forbidding, dark side of the planet.

Jamie cocked her head. “The dark side.”

He gave a violent shake of his head. “It’s too dangerous.”

“It’s our only chance.”

“The temperatures are freezing over there. Your suit is damaged.”

“It’ll have to hold. We’re out of options.”

He looked conflicted, but as the bugs rushed closer, he nodded. They broke into a run, heading toward the boundary between the light and dark side. Behind them, the Kantos were gaining on them.

Shit, they were almost out of time.

The light level began to drop, getting darker and darker. Ahead, the dark side of the planet loomed, looking black and ominous. The temperature dropped rapidly as well.

Jamie and Aydin ran as fast as they could, moving up a slope and across into the dark side of Veela.

They kept running, and when she looked back over her shoulder, she saw the bugs had stopped before the dark side. They milled around, agitated.

They didn’t come any closer.

“They aren’t following,” she said.

She and Aydin jogged on a little farther, then slowed to a walk.

She had no idea what they were going to do next. She shivered, already feeling the cold working through her damaged suit.

THE TEMPERATURE WAS FREEZING. Even Aydin could feel the difference.

He felt his helian compensate, thickening his armor, and adding a warm lining to the neck of his helmet.

They stopped near a pool of lava, but he could see it was crusted over at the top and not giving off much heat.

He looked at Jamie and his heart contracted.

She stood beside him, body stiff, her lips blue through her helmet. He pulled her into his arms, holding her close.

Cren. Her suit was made for the cold temperatures of space, but it was damaged. That meant there was no way it could hold up to the dark side temperatures for long.

She pressed her face to his chest, and he rubbed his hands up and down her arms.

“We need a plan,” he said.

“I’m…fine.”

“You are not fine. We need to find some way to get a message to the Desteron.”

He felt shivers wracking her body. He pulled her closer, his chest tight. He wasn’t going to lose his woman to the cren-cursed cold.

Aydin evaluated their choices. Go back to the Kantos lab and face masses of bugs out to kill them, or forge on and possibly freeze to death.

Cren.

“I wish I could kiss you?” Her teeth chattered.

“You can kiss me when we get back to the Desteron.”

She managed a wan smile and lifted a hand, pressing it to his helmet. He noted that the movement was sluggish.

Worry was like a spike down his spine. He couldn’t lose her.

“We’re going back to the lab,” he said.

“Can’t… Must protect the helians.”

“My priority is you.”

Her eyes warmed. “I totally like you, Medical Commander.”

Their helmets clicked together. “I knew it.”

He grabbed her hand and started pulling her back toward the Kantos lab. She didn’t say anything, her body moving slowly. As they neared the light side, he jerked to a halt.

Thousands of bugs had amassed on the boundary to the light side. An army of bugs of all shapes and sizes.

Cren.

“God,” she breathed.

Aydin’s jaw worked as he stared at the Kantos.

Jamie sighed, then dropped to her knees.

“Jamie!”

“Sorry, can’t feel my feet.”

Crouching, he slid an arm around her. “You hold on. Fight.”

“I’ve loved fighting with you. You’ve never been intimidated by me. Never saw me as too hard, too tough.”

He lifted his hand to her helmet and wished he could touch her skin. “Mesmerized, but never intimidated.”

“If there was ever a man I could love, it would be you, Aydin.” Her eyes fluttered closed.

“Jamie. Jamie.” He shook her.

Her eyes fluttered open. “Hurts… To breathe.”

Aydin was a doctor, a warrior, and yet he couldn’t save the woman he loved. He roared out his pain, clutching her to his chest.

Then he felt a tug on his arm and looked down. Black scales were flowing off him and over to Jamie.

He sucked in a breath and watched as the scales flowed over her body, forming armor. A new helmet formed over hers, and her Terran one retracted. She gasped, her eyes flying open.

“What the—?” She lifted her arm. “I feel warmth.”

Then her stunned gaze moved to him.

He smiled. “You can’t get rid of me now, Lieutenant.”

She was fully clothed in black-scale, helian armor. His armor.

She swallowed. “We’re, we’re…”

“Mated.”

She bit her lip. He watched the movement and wished he could kiss her. “Hello, mate.”

“God.”

He could see the warm flush on her face and knew her temperature was rising. She let him help her to her feet.

“I love you, Jamie.”

Her chest hitched. “Because we’re mated?”

“No. I started falling in love with you before that. Maybe the first time you yelled at me.”

She let out a laugh. “I’m going to need a little time to adjust to this,” she said. “A day, a week, maybe a couple of years.”

Aydin stroked a hand down her back. “We have forever.”

She made a choked noise.

“Well, you haven’t hit me and run, so that’s a good sign.”

She shook her head and grabbed his hands. Her fingers squeezed his hard. “Aydin…God.”

“We’ll sort it all out later. For now, let’s find a way off this rock before the mating fever hits.”

“Mating fever?” She swallowed. “You know what, don’t tell me.”

They climbed up a ridge and looked up toward the lab.

“Oh, shit,” she said.

He stiffened. Rows and rows of Kantos soldiers stood at the light boundary. Several of them appeared to be holding the leashes of some ugly, black bugs. These bugs were heavily armored, covered in spikes, and jerking on their leads.

“What are those?” she asked.

“I suspect they’re bugs that can withstand the conditions on the dark side of Veela.”

Suddenly, some of the Kantos soldiers released the leashes. Like hunting dogs, the black bugs bounded toward the dark side.

Toward Jamie and Aydin.

CHAPTER TWENTY

“Ah, that’s not good,” Jamie said.

Aydin gave a quick shake of his head. “Don’t make me want to kiss you.”

“You can kiss me after we kick some scaly, Kantos ass.”

Warmth pulsed through Jamie and she almost moaned. It felt so good to be warm again after the bone-chilling cold. Energy poured through her and she gasped. Her gaze dropped to her new, kickass armor before she looked at Aydin.

Her mate.

She knew his helian was healing her, funneling energy into her. Despite the circumstances, she’d never felt so good.

“Here they come,” Aydin murmured.

She made herself focus. The ugly, black bugs raced toward them, jointed legs moving fast over the rough ground. Jamie wished she could rain down hell on them.

Before the thought even ended, her arm jerked. A sleek, blaster weapon formed on her forearm.

Oh, my fucking God. She grinned, then aimed the weapon, and fired.

Molten-like projectiles slammed down on the bugs running up the hill toward them. Several exploded and others fell back down the rocks.

A second later, Aydin joined her, blasting at the incoming Kantos.

“Helians rock,” she yelled.

Aydin smiled at her.

The first of the black bugs got close, and she watched as Aydin formed his sword.

Ooh. Jamie imagined a blade and her blaster morphed into a gorgeous, ornate sword attached to her arm. It glimmered with hints of green through the black scales.

A bug launched itself at her. It was a big sucker, with a snapping mouth and a strong, powerful body.

Jamie rushed forward to meet it. She spun, whirling her new sword. It was like an extension of her body.

The blade sliced across the bug’s face. It reared up, and she skewered it through its softer underbelly. As another one came at her, she dropped, ramming her sword between its front two legs.

She kept slashing and striking, until green blood and guts splattered the rocky ground.

She rolled and came to her feet. Aydin was on top of one of the bugs, driving his sword down and severing the bug’s neck.

Her man was hot as hell.

Suddenly, a long, mournful sound broke the air. It sounded like a horn.

She swiveled, just as another wave of black bugs crossed into the dark side.

Her gut cramped. Shit.

They’d just keep coming. That’s what the Kantos did, and was how they won. Her chest tightened. They overwhelmed their enemies with sheer numbers and never stopped.

Aydin finished his kill and strode toward her. He grabbed her hand.

“They’ll keep sending bugs after us,” she said.

“We will keep fighting until we can’t fight anymore.”

“I think I’m falling in love with you.” She squeezed his hand.

“I know,” he replied.

“Cocky.” She tilted her head. “Being in love terrifies me more than those bugs.”

“I know, but the one thing I’ve learned about you is that you aren’t a coward.”

They turned, lifting their swords. The bugs were getting closer, and Jamie pulled in a deep breath.

She’d do what she did best, and fight.

Now, she had something extra special to fight for.

She threw her arms around him and hugged him tight. “Let’s fight, warrior. I’d fight for you—” her voice thickened “—I’d die for you.”

His black-green eyes flashed. “Jamie.”

The Kantos bugs rushed closer.

Boom.

The detonation of sound above them made the ground rock. All of a sudden, laser fire scored across the ground.

In shock, Jamie watched as the bugs were torn up and tossed into the air.

She spun and saw the huge form of an Eon warship filling the sky. For a second, she thought it was the Desteron.

“The Rengard.” Aydin pulled her close to his side.

Together, they ran up on top of an outcrop. From there, they watched the warship decimate the bugs. Jamie laughed.

Then she sobered. “We’re deep in Kantos space. How did they get here?” Or more importantly, how would the warship get out? They’d have every Kantos ship in the sector descending on them.

“Shuttle,” Aydin said.

A sleek shuttle launched from the Rengard. It landed nearby, and she spied several helmeted figures at the door. She and Aydin jogged toward the ship.

Jamie recognized Donovan and several warriors in the doorway of the shuttle. Her friend raised his arm and waved at them.

Together, she and Aydin ran over and climbed inside the shuttle. As soon as the doors closed, their helmets retracted and the shuttle lifted off.

“I’m damn glad to see you, D.” Jamie slapped the man’s arm. She slipped off Aydin’s battered backpack and shoved it toward a warrior. “Helians.”

“Nice armor, Lieutenant,” Donovan said.

She felt heat in her cheeks. “Don’t start.”

The handsome black man smiled. “I never thought I’d see the day that Lieutenant Jamie Park fell in love.”

“Well, believe it.” She smiled at her warrior.

Aydin swept her into his arms and his mouth slammed down on hers. Jamie kissed him like there was no one else in the room.

As the shuttle flew toward the Rengard, cheers echoed around them.

AYDIN STOOD in Medical aboard the Rengard. He watched the Rengard’s doctor, Medical Commander Thane Kann-Eon, treat Jamie’s injuries. The tall warrior, with silver at his temples, was a little older than Aydin, and one of the most respected doctors in the fleet.

“You’re all healed.” Thane set his equipment down.

Aydin leaned in and kissed the side of Jamie’s head. He saw a small smile touch Thane’s lips. “The helians?”

The other medical commander nodded. “My team are monitoring them. They’re all in healing chambers. Several were in bad condition, but I think they’ll all pull through.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“You both did excellent work down there to bring them home,” Thane said.

The doors opened and a small, curvy Terran with a mass of curly, brown hair rushed in. A smile split her pretty face before she accidentally ran into a chair, sending it skidding across the room and knocking over some medical equipment.

“Oops.” Big, blue eyes looked up at them. “Sorry, Thane.”

The doctor shook his head. “It’s fine, Wren.”

She shot the medical commander a beaming smile before turning to Aydin and Jamie. “Hi, I’m Wren.”

“Hey, nice to officially meet you, Wren,” Jamie replied. “Jamie and Aydin.”

The youngest Traynor sister pointed a finger at Jamie. “You have the same badass vibes as my sisters.” Then the woman looked at Aydin, then back to Jamie and she grinned. “Your warrior is hot.”

Jamie’s lips twitched. “I think so.”

“I’m so glad to see another happily mated couple.” Wren winked. “Speaking of which, my cutie pie, I mean, the war commander, has requested your presence on the bridge.”

Aydin swallowed a laugh. Wren Traynor called War Commander Malax Dann-Jadd cutie pie? Aydin was pretty sure no one else in the galaxy could get away with that.

They made their way to the bridge, with Wren chattering to them about life aboard the Rengard. The woman’s cheery mood was infectious. As soon as they entered the bridge, Aydin spotted Malax standing with his second-in-command, Airen Kann-Felis, and Donovan.

The war commander’s gaze moved to his mate and instantly warmed. Then he looked at Aydin.

Aydin nodded. “Malax.”

“Aydin.” They clasped arms.

“You’ve met Jamie,” Aydin said.

“A pleasure, Lieutenant.” Malax nodded his head. “Well done on your successful mission, and the recovery of the helians.”

“Thanks for the rescue,” Jamie said. “We were about to be bug food before you arrived.”

“It appeared you’d been holding your own,” Malax said.

“How did you get here?” Jamie asked. “And not get bombarded by Kantos ships in the process?”

“And how are we planning to get back to Eon space?” Aydin added.

“Well—”

“I can explain that,” a bold female voice said.

Wren gave them a pained look. “Um, meet Sassy.”

Aydin raised a brow. He’d heard about the helian that had bonded to Wren’s Earth tablet.

“Wren and I have been working on some interesting technology for the Rengard,” Sassy said.

Aydin met Malax’s gaze. He was aware that the Rengard possessed some experimental technology with helians integrated into the warship’s systems.

“We’ve achieved stealth cloaking for the Rengard.” Sassy sounded pleased with herself.

Jamie gasped and Aydin jerked.

“For the entire warship?” Aydin asked.

That was unheard of. Something the Eon scientists had been trying to achieve for decades.

“Yes.” Malax slid an arm around his mate. “My woman is very smart.”

“Hey!” Sassy complained.

“As is Sassy,” Malax added with a long-suffering look.

“We can only maintain camouflage for a few hours,” Sassy said. “Then the helians and the system need time to recharge.”

“So we’ve had to hide a few times,” Malax said.

“But we’ll make it safely out of Kantos space?” Aydin asked.

The war commander nodded. “And deliver the helians, and the both of you, to the Desteron.”

“Thank you,” Aydin said.

“How’s warship life?” Jamie asked Donovan.

“Enlightening. You?”

She looked at Aydin. “No complaints.”

“I can see that.” Donovan shot them a smile, his teeth white against his skin. “I quite like the view around here too.” The Terran’s dark gaze swung to the second commander of the Rengard.

Aydin raised a brow. He didn’t know Airen well, but he knew that she was very good at her job.

Jamie’s gaze narrowed. “She seems…cool.”

Donovan’s smile widened. “The same has been said about you. You seem very warm around your warrior.”

“Don’t make me punch you.”

“Sub-Captain, I need your assistance,” Airen called out from the other side of the bridge.

Donovan winked at Jamie and Aydin, then strode over to the female warrior. Aydin watched the pair. Donovan and Airen fell into a tense conversation. Then the second commander stiffened slightly, a faint flush on her cheeks.

If anyone could get under Airen’s tough warrior shell, Aydin suspected it would be a persistent Terran.

Jamie’s nose wrinkled, but she kept her gaze on Donovan and the female warrior.

Suddenly, a wave of heat splashed over Aydin. Cren. Dizziness hit him. He pressed a hand to a nearby console and dragged in a breath.

He cleared his throat. “Malax, do you have a cabin we can borrow until we reach the Desteron?”

“Aydin?” Concern crossed Jamie’s face. She reached up and touched his cheek. “What’s wrong? You’re burning up.”

“Mating fever?” Malax asked.

Aydin nodded. He needed Jamie. Now.

Frowning, Donovan stepped closer, but Aydin blocked the sub-captain. He didn’t want any man getting close to his mate. “Stay back.”

Malax held out an arm to stop Donovan.

“What’s going on?” Jamie’s brow creased. “Mating fever?”

Aydin grabbed his mate’s hand and yanked her off the bridge.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Donovan

Sub-Captain Donovan Lennox stood on the bridge of the Rengard, staring out into space. It felt nothing like his usual post aboard the Space Corps high-tech ship, the Divergent.

He missed working with his crew. But he was learning a lot from the Eon and the Rengard’s warriors.

And there was one warrior he liked watching most of all.

Second Commander Airen Kann-Felis was sharp, dedicated, and a stickler for the rules. She was also gorgeous. Donovan had never gone for flashy. He liked quiet and understated, and Airen had that in spades. She was all smooth white skin, like cream.

Donovan liked cream.

Not for the first time since he’d come aboard the Rengard, he wondered what she was like when she relaxed. When she set the second commander aside and let the woman shine through.

A muted alarm sounded.

“Airen?” Malax asked.

Airen frowned at a console. “We’re showing a problem in an access conduit on the central deck.”

The war commander frowned. “Did we pick up a stowaway? Kantos?”

“There’s no sign we did. But it is close to the helian room.”

After he’d joined the crew, Donovan had learned that the Rengard had some top-secret, high-tech helian technology that helped run the systems on the warship. It also made it a target.

“I’ll check it over personally,” Airen said.

“I’ll come with you.” Donovan shifted toward the door.

She hesitated, but Malax nodded. “An excellent idea. You can show Donovan some of the internal systems.”

Airen was quiet as they walked down the corridor. He’d learned that she didn’t say too much unnecessarily. Finally, she stopped and pressed a palm to a maintenance door. It opened silently to uncover a tight maintenance conduit.

Turning sideways, they slid into the space.

When Donovan’s shoulder brushed hers, he saw her jolt.

“Do I upset you?” he asked.

“What?” Her black eyes, threaded with pale-green strands met his. “Of course not.”

“I feel like I make you nervous.”

She lifted her chin. “I’m still getting to know you.” She turned. “Here.”

She dropped down and opened a smaller conduit tunnel. She crawled inside, giving Donovan a glimpse of her slender, firm ass before she disappeared. He looked at the ceiling for a second, praying for some control. The last thing he needed was the second commander catching him with a hard-on tenting his uniform pants.

Dropping down, he followed her in.

“The damaged area is just up here,” she said.

She stopped. Together, they crouched in the conduit. He looked at the melted, burned-out patch of metal.

“What the cren?” she muttered.

“Something came through here.” Donovan arched his head, looking up through the incinerated hole above. The edges had dripped then solidified.

Her brow furrowed. “There’s nothing on scanners.”

“Some of these Kantos nasties are good at evading scanners.”

She turned again, and this time, Donovan got her toned ass just inches from his face. He swallowed a groan.

“There’s a trail of…something sticky.” Her frown deepened, as she gestured at the floor of the conduit.

Donovan saw the glittering trail and, as Airen started crawling to follow it, he followed her.

They turned a corner and a second later, he spotted a slug-like alien. It was leisurely eating one of the Rengard’s components.

“Is it Kantos?” he asked.

“I’m not sure,” she said.

The alien turned. It looked almost cute…until it bared a large set of fangs at them. Then it moved. Faster than any slug should move.

As it launched itself at him, Donovan grabbed it. Its squishy body oozed between his fingers, and its teeth snapped at his face.

Airen shoved in close and grabbed it as well.

“It’s slippery,” he warned.

The alien slipped free of their hands and landed with a slap in front of them. Before it could launch at them, Donovan hit it, knocking it against the wall.

“Pin it,” Airen yelled.

Donovan pulled his leg up and pressed his boot against the slug. It tried to slide free but he kept it pinned to the wall.

Airen’s armor shifted, a knife forming on her arm. She reached past Donovan, her body pressed against his, then stabbed the slug’s body.

The creature slumped.

She pulled back.

“Nice work, Second Commander.”

“You too, Sub-Captain.”

He pulled his boot back and watched the slug’s body lie motionless in the conduit. Then he turned his head and found his face inches from Airen’s.

She stilled, her gaze catching on his lips.

The air in the conduit charged.

“You have gorgeous eyes,” he murmured.

Something flared in them, the delicate strands of green glowing turquoise.

Unable to stop himself, Donovan leaned forward and touched his mouth to hers.

She gasped and pulled back. She licked her lips. Then suddenly, they were both moving. The next second, Airen Kann-Felis threw an arm around his neck and kissed the hell out of him.

Donovan groaned. She tasted so fucking good. He angled his head, deepening the kiss and heard her make a hungry, little sound.

Suddenly, Airen jerked back. Her cheeks were flushed with color. “This is inappropriate.”

“Two consenting adults enjoying each other?”

“We work together. Our species have an alliance.”

“That’s nothing we can’t work around. I’d like to know how you taste, Airen, all over.”

Her cheeks flared with color. “No.” She pulled back, her shoulders stiffening. She tossed her braided hair back over her shoulder. “I do not get involved with people I work with.”

“Airen—”

She shuffled back through the conduit and touched her communicator. “I need a small containment box brought to my location.”

“Yes, Second Commander,” a warrior responded.

Then her green-black eyes met Donovan’s gaze. “My error in judgement will not happen again, Sub-Captain.”

He raised a brow. “You aren’t attracted to me?”

Something indescribable flickered across her face. Then, she licked her lips and turned away.

No comment? Well, we’ll see, sweetheart. We’ll see. She definitely hadn’t said she didn’t want him.

It was a good thing Donovan was a patient man, and had always excelled at strategy.

JAMIE LISTENED to Aydin’s groans, glorying in the sound.

He was sitting against the pillows on the bed, and she was between his bent legs with his magnificent cock in her mouth.

“Jamie.”

She sucked harder. He was close, and she was enjoying herself. Driving her warrior over the edge was divine. He tried to pull her up, but she held on and sucked harder.

“Shara.” His hand slid into her hair, his hips jerked. “Jamie.”

As he came, she sucked his release down her throat. With a growl, he pushed her up.

Suddenly, Jamie found herself flat on her back with a hot, naked warrior on top of her.

Then he was inside her.

She moaned, her fingers digging into his back. His cock was still hard, filling her up. Hallelujah for Eon stamina. The mating fever was wild and she loved it. They’d been having sex for hours, and it was amazing.

He thrust into her again, and again.

His gaze was locked on her face. “I love you, Jamie.”

With those husky words, her climax hit. She cried his name.

Aydin came again with a long groan. A second later, he rolled off her and onto his back, pulling her close. They were both breathing heavily.

Lazily, Jamie leaned over and smacked a kiss to his chest. “I love you too, Aydin.” She felt him go still beneath her. “I’ve never loved anyone before.”

His arm tightened around her.

“I might mess it up,” she said. “Get things wrong. Try and shut you out sometimes.”

His hand moved to cup her jaw. “You’re mine. I’m inside your shields already, Jamie. I know you.”

He did, and he loved her.

Incredible.

“So,” she said. “For now, I’m on the Desteron—”

“That means we have time to sort out all the details for our future. As long as we end each day in our bed, I’m happy.”

She smiled. He’d get no complaints from her.

“When we can, we’ll head to my hometown and visit my mother and siblings.”

Jamie stiffened. “I don’t know anything about family, Aydin.”

“They’ll love you.”

“A scarred, rough space marine from Earth?” She snorted. “I bet they’ve always imagined their perfect son and brother with some pretty, softly-spoken Eon woman.” Jamie threw out an arm, getting worked up. “Some perfect woman who wears lipstick, and knows how to cook—”

“You can’t cook?”

“Not even an egg!”

With a laugh, he snagged her around the middle and pushed her back on the bed. “Be at ease, Jamie. I can’t cook either.”

“What if they hate me?” She murmured her greatest fear.

“They won’t, because I love you.” He rubbed his nose against hers. “And I’ll be with you.”

Okay, well maybe she could do this meet the family thing without screwing it up.

Suddenly, the comp beside the bed chimed.

“Is it safe?” Donovan’s amused voice.

“Yes, smartass,” Jamie replied.

“I thought you’d like to know that we just crossed into Eon space. The Desteron is in visual range.”

Thank God. “Great news.”

“Be ready for transfer in one ship hour,” Donovan said.

“Acknowledged,” she replied

Donovan paused. “I’m happy for you, Jamie.”

She smiled at Aydin. “Thanks, D.”

“So, we have an hour.” Aydin’s tone deepened.

Jamie rolled and let her hand drift down his ridged stomach. “Any ideas on how we fill the time we have left?”

His gaze was on her, blazing. “A few.”

“You’ll have to catch me, first.” She leaped off the bed and ran for the washroom.

Strong arms caught her two steps from the door. She laughed, and his hands covered her breasts. Then she moaned.

“I’m going to see how many times I can make you come in the next hour, Lieutenant.”

She groaned. She’d already lost track of how many orgasms she’d had since they’d holed up in this cabin.

“I won’t be able to walk,” she complained.

“I like making you weak with need.” He spun her and cupped her jaw. “And any time you can’t walk, I’ll carry you.”

And he would. She knew she would be the most important thing in his life. Forever. Until they were both old and gray.

She trembled. The one thing she’d always wanted was now right before her, wrapped up in a hot, muscular Eon warrior package.

“You’d better get to work on those orgasms you promised,” she said.

He scooped her up, giving her a playful slap on the ass. Jamie laughed but it wasn’t long before the laughter turned to moans.

IT WAS nice to finally be back aboard the Desteron.

Aydin stood on the bridge, the worst of the mating fever now passed. But he still found it hard to pull his gaze off his mate.

Jamie was laughing with Lara and Eve. Cutie was perched on her shoulder and kept nuzzling Jamie’s cheek.

His mate looked more relaxed and less guarded than the woman who’d first come aboard the Desteron, but she was still all space marine.

He still felt the smoldering embers of desire in his gut, and he knew it would build slowly until he had to drag her back to his cabin. Their cabin.

“We’ve connected with the king,” a warrior called out.

Davion nodded. “On screen.”

King Gayel appeared on the large screen.

“Gayel,” Davion greeted the Eon king.

The king nodded. As Jamie reached Aydin’s side, he wrapped an arm around her. Cutie gave him a quick nuzzle, then leaped to the floor.

The king’s gaze landed on them.

“Excellent work recovering the helians, Medical Commander and Lieutenant.”

“Thank you,” Aydin replied.

“You risked your lives, and the empire thanks you.”

“We had some help,” Jamie said. “An Oronis spy.”

“I’ll pass some quiet thanks on to the Oronis Knight Master,” the king replied.

“Gayel, Aydin has reported that all the helians are recovering,” Davion said. “Even those that were injured.”

“That’s excellent news,” the king said.

Davion frowned. “But we’ve been combing through the Kantos data we retrieved.”

The king leaned forward, his handsome face pensive. “Go on.”

“They are definitely experimenting on helians. Trying to find a way to join their bugs with the helians.”

“We already knew that, and we need to shut them down.”

Aydin stepped forward. “I think it’s more than just forcing a bonding. There is reference to a larger weapon that they are trying to create. They want to be able to neutralize helians. Permanently.”

Gasps echoed around the bridge.

The king’s jaw worked, anger burning in his gaze. “We will not let them undermine the foundation of our people. We will not allow them to harm the Eon, helians, Terrans, or any of our other allies.”

Davion nodded. “I’m working with Malax. It’s time that we became more offensive in this fight.”

The king nodded, then his gaze moved back Aydin and Jamie. “Congratulations on your mating.”

“Thank you.” Aydin pulled Jamie close. “I am blessed.” He looked down and enjoyed the soft look on her face. “The peak of the mating fever has passed.”

Jamie gasped. “Did you just tell your king that we’ve been screwing like bunnies?”

“We’re mated, he already knew that.”

“You didn’t have to announce it.” She smacked his shoulder.

Then he kissed her and she melted against him.

“Cocky,” she muttered against his lips. They both ignored the laughter around them.

“You like it.”

She sighed. “I do.”

A loud growl cut through the bridge, followed by a raucous chitter. They spun and saw Shaggy and Cutie squaring off.

“Oh no,” Jamie said.

Eve darted forward. “Shaggy!”

Cutie ran and then leaped onto Shaggy’s head. Jamie had taken one step forward to grab her wayward pet, but Aydin grabbed her.

“Wait.”

Jamie blinked. Cutie was clamped onto the canine’s neck, nuzzling his fur. Shaggy gave a low, happy woof, his aqua-blue eyes glowing.

“What the hell?” Jamie muttered.

Eve started laughing. “Um, Jamie, I think my pet and your pet have a crush on each other.”

“Love is in the air,” Lara said with a snicker.

“But they hated each other,” Jamie said.

Aydin tugged her close, his lips to her ear. “We both know that’s no barrier to falling in love.”

The others started talking with the king and while they were busy, Aydin pulled her out the door and off of the bridge.

His hand slid down her side.

“Are you feeling a little frisky, Medical Commander?”

“I always do around you.”

She touched a hand to his chest. “No one’s ever looked at me the way you do.”

“I’ll look at you like this when you’re old and wrinkled.”

“I’ll look at you like this when you’re saggy, slow, and forgetful.”

He pulled her up on her toes, his lips brushing hers. “You will never be alone again, Jamie. I’ll always be at your side.”

Her lips trembled. “Don’t make me cry.”

“Let’s get back to our cabin so I can fuck you hard until you’re crying out my name.”

Heat flared in her dark eyes and she pulled back. Then she took a few steps. “You’ll have to catch me first.”

She ran and Aydin broke into a sprint, following her. And as he did, he listened to his mate’s laughter, and smiled.

I hope you enjoyed Jamie and Aydin’s story!

Eon Warriors continues with Claim of Eon starring Second Commander Airen Kann-Felis and Sub-Captain Donovan Lennox. Coming mid-2020.

For more action-packed romance, read on for a preview of the first chapter of Gladiator, the first book in my best-selling Galactic Gladiators series.

Don’t miss out! For updates about new releases, action romance info, free books, and other fun stuff, sign up for my VIP mailing list and get your free box set containing three action-packed romances.

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PREVIEW: GLADIATOR

Fighting for love, honor, and freedom on the galaxy’s lawless outer rim…

When Earth space marine Harper Adams finds herself abducted by alien slavers off a space station, her life turns into a battle for survival. Dumped into an arena on a desert planet on the outer rim, she finds herself face to face with a big, tattooed alien gladiator…the champion of the Kor Magna Arena.

Just another day at the office.

Harper Adams pulled herself along the outside of the space station module. She could hear her quiet breathing inside her spacesuit, and she easily pulled her weightless body along the slick, white surface of the module. She stopped to check a security panel, ensuring all the systems were running smoothly.

Check. Same as it had been yesterday, and the day before that. But Harper never ever let herself forget that they were six hundred million kilometers away from Earth. That meant they were dependent only on themselves. She tapped some buttons on the security panel before closing the reinforced plastic cover. She liked to dot all her Is and cross all her Ts. She never left anything to chance.

She grabbed the handholds and started pulling herself up over the cylindrical pod to check the panels on the other side. Glancing back behind herself, she caught a beautiful view of the planet below.

Harper stopped and made herself take it all in. The orange, white, and cream bands of Jupiter could take your breath away. Today, she could even see the famous superstorm of the Great Red Spot. She’d been on the Fortuna Research Station for almost eighteen months. That meant, despite the amazing view, she really didn’t see it anymore.

She turned her head and looked down the length of the space station. At the end was the giant circular donut that housed the main living quarters and offices. The main ring rotated to provide artificial gravity for the residents. Lying off the center of the ring was the long cylinder of the research facility, and off that cylinder were several modules that housed various scientific labs and storage. At the far end of the station was the docking area for the supply ships that came from Earth every few months.

“Lieutenant Adams? Have you finished those checks?”

Harper heard the calm voice of her fellow space marine and boss, Captain Samantha Santos, through the comm system in her helmet.

“Almost done,” Harper answered.

“Take a good look at the botany module. The computer’s showing some strange energy spikes, but the scientists in there said everything looks fine. Must be a system malfunction.”

Which meant the geek squad engineers were going to have to come in and do some maintenance. “On it.”

Harper swung her body around, and went feet-first down the other side of the module. She knew the rest of the security team—all made up of United Nations Space Marines—would be running similar checks on the other modules across the station. They had a great team to ensure the safety of the hundreds of scientists aboard the station. There was also a dedicated team of engineers that kept the guts of the station running.

She passed a large, solid window into the module, and could see various scientists floating around benches filled with all kinds of plants. They all wore matching gray jumpsuits accented with bright-blue at the collars, that indicated science team. There was a vast mix of scientists and disciplines aboard—biologists, botanists, chemists, astronomers, physicists, medical experts, and the list went on. All of them were conducting experiments, and some were searching for alien life beyond the edge of the solar system. It seemed like every other week, more probes were being sent out to hunt for radio signals or collect samples.

Since humans had perfected large solar sails as a way to safely and quickly propel spacecraft, getting around the solar system had become a lot easier. With radiation pressure exerted by sunlight onto the mirrored sails, they could travel from Earth to Fortuna Station orbiting Jupiter in just a few months. And many of the scientists aboard the station were looking beyond the solar system, planning manned expeditions farther and farther away. Harper wasn’t sure they were quite ready for that.

She quickly checked the adjacent control panel. Among all the green lights, she spotted one that was blinking red, and she frowned. They definitely had a problem with the locking system on the exterior door at the end of the module. She activated the small propulsion pack on her spacesuit, and circled around the module. She slowed down as she passed the large, round exterior door at the end of the cylindrical module.

It was all locked into place and looked secure.

As she moved back to the module, she grabbed a handhold and then tapped the small tablet attached to the forearm of her suit. She keyed in a request for maintenance to come and check it.

She looked up and realized she was right near another window. Through the reinforced glass, a pretty, curvy blonde woman looked up and spotted Harper. She smiled and waved. Harper couldn’t help but smile and lifted her gloved hand in greeting.

Dr. Regan Forrest was a botanist and a few years younger than Harper. The young woman was so open and friendly, and had befriended Harper from her first day on the station. Harper had never had a lot of friends—mainly because she’d been too busy raising her younger sister and working. She’d never had time for girly nights out or gossip.

But Regan was friendly, smart, and had the heart of a steamroller under her pretty exterior. Harper always had trouble saying no to her. Maybe the woman reminded her a little of Brianna. At the thought of her sister, something twisted painfully in Harper’s chest.

Regan floated over to the window and held up a small tablet. She’d typed in some words.

Cards tonight?

Harper had been teaching Regan how to play poker. The woman was terrible at it, and Harper beat her all the time. But Regan never gave up.

Harper nodded and held up two fingers to indicate a couple of hours. She was off-shift shortly, and then she had a sparring match with Regan’s cousin, Rory—one of the station engineers—in the gym. Aurora “Call me Rory or I’ll hit you” Fraser had been trained in mixed martial arts, and Harper found the female engineer a hell of a sparring partner. Rory was teaching Harper some martial arts moves and Harper was showing the woman some basic sword moves. Since she was little, Harper had been a keen fencer.

Regan grinned back and nodded. Then the woman’s wide smile disappeared. She spun around, and through the glass Harper could see the other scientists all looking around, concerned. One scientist was spinning around, green plants floating in the air around him, along with fat droplets of water and some other green fluid. He’d clearly screwed up and let his experiment get free.

“Lieutenant Adams?” The captain’s voice came through her helmet again. “Harper?”

There was a sense of urgency that made Harper’s belly tighten. “Go ahead, Captain.”

“We have an alarm sounding in the botany module. The computer says there is a risk of decompression.”

Dammit. “I just checked the security panels. The locking mechanism on the exterior door is showing red. I did a visual inspection and it’s closed up tight.”

“Okay, we talked with the scientist in charge. Looks like one of her team let something loose in there. It isn’t dangerous, but it must be messing with the alarm sensors. System’s locked them all in there.” She made an annoyed sound. “Idiots will have to stay there until engineering can get down there and free them.”

Harper studied the room through the glass again. Some of the green liquid had floated over to another bench that contained various frothing cylinders on it. A second later, the cylinders shattered, their contents bubbling upward.

The scientists all moved to the back exit of the module, banging on the locked door. Damn. They were trapped.

Harper met Regan’s gaze. Her friend’s face was pale, and wisps of her blonde hair had escaped her ponytail, floating around her face.

“Captain,” Harper said. “Something’s wrong. The experiments have overflowed their containment.” She could see the scientists were all coughing.

“Engineering is on the way,” the captain said.

Harper pushed herself off, flying over the surface of the module. She reached the control panel and saw that several other lights had turned red. They needed to get this under control and they needed to do it now.

“Harper!” The captain’s panicked voice. “Decompression in progress!”

What the hell? The module jerked beneath Harper. She looked up and saw the exterior door blow off, flying away from the station.

Her heart stopped. That meant all the scientists were exposed to the vacuum of space.

Fuck. Harper pushed off again, sending herself flying toward the end of the module. She put her arms by her sides to help increase her speed. Through the window, she saw that most of the scientists had grabbed on to whatever they could hold on to. A few were pulling emergency breathers over their heads.

She reached the end of the pod and saw the damage. There was torn metal where the door had been ripped off. Inside the door, she knew there would be a temporary repair kit containing a sheet of high-tech nano fabric that could be stretched across the opening to reestablish pressure. But it needed to be put in place manually. Harper reached for the latch to release the repair kit.

Suddenly, a slim body shot out of the pod, her arms and legs kicking. Her mouth was wide open in a silent scream.

Regan. Harper didn’t let herself think. She turned, pushed off and fired her propulsion system, arrowing after her friend.

“Security Team to the botany module,” she yelled through her comm system. “Security Team to botany module. We have decompression. One scientist has been expelled. I’m going after her. I need someone that can help calm the others and get the module sealed again.”

“Acknowledged, Lieutenant,” Captain Santos answered. “I’m on my way.”

Harper focused on reaching Regan. She was gaining on her. She saw that the woman had lost consciousness. She also knew that Regan had only a couple of minutes to survive out here. Harper let her training take over. She tapped the propulsion system controls, trying for more speed, as she maneuvered her way toward Regan.

As she got close, Harper reached out and wrapped her arm around the scientist. “I’ve got you.”

Harper turned, at the same time clipping a safety line to the loops on Regan’s jumpsuit. Then, she touched the controls and propelled them straight back towards the module. She kept her friend pulled tightly toward her chest. Hold on, Regan.

She was so still. It reminded Harper of holding Brianna’s dead body in her arms. Harper’s jaw tightened. She wouldn’t let Regan die out here. The woman had dreamed of working in space, and worked her entire career to get here, even defying her family. Harper wasn’t going to fail her.

As the module got closer, she saw that the security team had arrived. She saw the captain’s long, muscled body as she and another man put up the nano fabric.

“Incoming. Keep the door open.”

“Can’t keep it open much longer, Adams,” the captain replied. “Make it snappy.”

Harper adjusted her course, and, a second later, she shot through the door with Regan in her arms. Behind her, the captain and another huge security marine, Lieutenant Blaine Strong, pulled the stretchy fabric across the opening.

“Decompression contained,” the computer intoned.

Harper released a breath. On the panel beside the door, she saw the lights turning green. The nano fabric wouldn’t hold forever, but it would do until they got everyone out of here, and then got a maintenance team in here to fix the door.

“Oxygen levels at required levels,” the computer said again.

“Good work, Lieutenant.” Captain Sam Santos floated over. She was a tall woman with a strong face and brown hair she kept pulled back in a tight ponytail. She had curves she kept ruthlessly toned, and golden skin she always said was thanks to her Puerto Rican heritage.

“Thanks, Captain.” Harper ripped her helmet off and looked down at Regan.

Her blonde hair was a wild tangle, her face was pale and marked by what everyone who worked in space called space hickeys—bruises caused by the skin’s small blood vessels bursting when exposed to the vacuum of space. Please be okay.

“Here.” Blaine appeared, holding a portable breather. The big man was an excellent marine. He was about six foot five with broad shoulders that stretched his spacesuit to the limit. She knew he was a few inches over the height limit for space operations, but he was a damn good marine, which must have gone in his favor. He had dark skin thanks to his African-American father and his handsome face made him popular with the station’s single ladies, but mostly he worked and hung out with the other marines.

“Thanks.” Harper slipped the clear mask over Regan’s mouth.

“Nice work out there.” Blaine patted her shoulder. “She’s alive because of you.”

Suddenly, Regan jerked, pulling in a hard breath.

“You’re okay.” Harper gripped Regan’s shoulder. “Take it easy.”

Regan looked around the module, dazed and panicky. Harper watched as Regan caught sight of the fabric stretched across the end of the module, and all the plants floating around inside.

“God,” Regan said with a raspy gasp, her breath fogging up the dome of the breather. She shook her head, her gaze moving to Harper. “Thanks, Harper.”

“Any time.” Harper squeezed her friend’s shoulder. “It’s what I’m here for.”

Regan managed a wan smile. “No, it’s just you. You didn’t have to fly out into space to rescue me. I’m grateful.”

“Come on. We need to get you to the infirmary so they can check you out. Maybe put some cream on your hickeys.”

“Hickeys?” Regan touched her face and groaned. “Oh, no. I’m going to get a ribbing.”

“And you didn’t even get them the pleasurable way.”

A faint blush touched Regan’s cheeks. “That’s right. If I had, at least the ribbing would have been worth it.”

With a relieved laugh, Harper looked over at her captain. “I’m going to get Regan to the infirmary.”

The other woman nodded. “Good. We’ll meet you back at the Security Center.”

With a nod, Harper pushed off, keeping one arm around Regan, and they floated into the main part of the science facility. Soon, they moved through the entrance into the central hub of the space station. As the artificial gravity hit, Harper’s boots thudded onto the floor. Beside her, Regan almost collapsed.

Harper took most of the woman’s weight and helped her down the corridor. They pushed into the infirmary.

A gray-haired, barrel-chested man rushed over. “Decided to take an unscheduled spacewalk, Dr. Forrest?”

Regan smiled weakly. “Yes. Without a spacesuit.”

The doctor made a tsking sound and then took her from Harper. “We’ll get her all patched up.”

Harper nodded. “I’ll come and check on you later.”

Regan grabbed her hand. “We have a blackjack game scheduled. I’m planning to win back all those chocolates you won off me.”

Harper snorted. “You can try.” It was good to see some life back in Regan’s blue eyes.

As Harper strode out into the corridor, she ran a hand through her dark hair, tension slowly melting out of her shoulders. She really needed a beer. She tilted her neck one way and then the other, hearing the bones pop.

Just another day at the office. The image of Regan drifting away from the space station burst in her head. Harper released a breath. She was okay. Regan was safe and alive. That was all that mattered.

With a shake of her head, Harper headed toward the Security Center. She needed to debrief with the captain and clock off. Then she could get out of her spacesuit and take the one-minute shower that they were all allotted.

That was the one thing she missed about Earth. Long, hot showers.

And swimming. She’d been a swimmer all her life and there were days she missed slicing through the water.

She walked along a long corridor, meeting a few people—mainly scientists. She reached a spot where there was a long bank of windows that afforded a lovely view of Jupiter, and space beyond it.

Stingy showers and unscheduled spacewalks aside, Harper had zero regrets about coming out into space. There’d been nothing left for her on Earth, and to her surprise, she’d made friends here on Fortuna.

As she stared out into the black, mesmerized by the twinkle of stars, she caught a small flash of light in the distance. She paused, frowning. What the hell was that?

She stared hard at the spot where she’d seen the flash. Nothing there but the pretty sprinkle of stars. Harper shook her head. Fatigue was playing tricks on her. It had to have just been a weird trick of the lights reflecting off the glass.

Pushing the strange sighting away, she continued on to the Security Center.

Galactic Gladiators

Gladiator

Warrior

Hero

Protector

Champion

Barbarian

Beast

Rogue

Guardian

Cyborg

Imperator

Hunter

Also Available as Audiobooks!

Galactic Gladiators: House of Rone

Sentinel

Defender

Centurion

Also Available as Audiobooks!

PREVIEW: HELL SQUAD - MARCUS

In the aftermath of a deadly alien invasion, a band of survivors fights on…

In a world gone to hell, Elle Milton—once the darling of the Sydney social scene—has carved a role for herself as the communications officer for the toughest commando team fighting for humanity’s survival—Hell Squad. It’s her chance to make a difference and make up for horrible past mistakes…despite the fact that its battle-hardened commander never wanted her on his team.

When Hell Squad is tasked with destroying a strategic alien facility, Elle knows they need her skills in the field. But first she must go head to head with Marcus Steele and convince him she won’t be a liability.

Marcus Steele is a warrior through and through. He fights to protect the innocent and give the human race a chance to survive. And that includes the beautiful, gutsy Elle who twists him up inside with a single look. The last thing he wants is to take her into a warzone, but soon they are thrown together battling both the alien invaders and their overwhelming attraction. And Marcus will learn just how much he’ll sacrifice to keep her safe.

Hell Squad

Marcus

Cruz

Gabe

Reed

Roth

Noah

Shaw

Holmes

Niko

Finn

Theron

Hemi

Ash

Levi

Manu

Griff

Dom

Also Available as Audiobooks!

ALSO BY ANNA HACKETT

Team 52

Mission: Her Protection

Mission: Her Rescue

Mission: Her Security

Mission: Her Defense

Mission: Her Safety

Mission: Her Freedom

Also Available as Audiobooks!

Treasure Hunter Security

Undiscovered

Uncharted

Unexplored

Unfathomed

Untraveled

Unmapped

Unidentified

Undetected

Also Available as Audiobooks!

Eon Warriors

Edge of Eon

Touch of Eon

Heart of Eon

Kiss of Eon

Also Available as Audiobooks!

Galactic Gladiators: House of Rone

Sentinel

Defender

Centurion

Also Available as Audiobooks!

Galactic Gladiators

Gladiator

Warrior

Hero

Protector

Champion

Barbarian

Beast

Rogue

Guardian

Cyborg

Imperator

Hunter

Also Available as Audiobooks!

Hell Squad

Marcus

Cruz

Gabe

Reed

Roth

Noah

Shaw

Holmes

Niko

Finn

Theron

Hemi

Ash

Levi

Manu

Griff

Dom

Also Available as Audiobooks!

The Anomaly Series

Time Thief

Mind Raider

Soul Stealer

Salvation

Anomaly Series Box Set

The Phoenix Adventures

Among Galactic Ruins

At Star’s End

In the Devil’s Nebula

On a Rogue Planet

Beneath a Trojan Moon

Beyond Galaxy’s Edge

On a Cyborg Planet

Return to Dark Earth

On a Barbarian World

Lost in Barbarian Space

Through Uncharted Space

Crashed on an Ice World

Perma Series

Winter Fusion

A Galactic Holiday

Warriors of the Wind

Tempest

Storm & Seduction

Fury & Darkness

Standalone Titles

Savage Dragon

Hunter’s Surrender

One Night with the Wolf

For more information visit AnnaHackettBooks.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I’m a USA Today bestselling author and I’m passionate about action romance. I love stories that combine the thrill of falling in love with the excitement of action, danger and adventure. I’m a sucker for that moment when the team is walking in slow motion, shoulder-to-shoulder heading off into battle. I write about people overcoming unbeatable odds and achieving seemingly impossible goals. I like to believe it’s possible for all of us to do the same.

My books are mixture of action, adventure and sexy romance and they’re recommended for anyone who enjoys fast-paced stories where the boy wins the girl at the end (or sometimes the girl wins the boy!)

For release dates, action romance info, free books, and other fun stuff, sign up for the latest news here:

Website: www.annahackettbooks.com

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright

Contents

What readers are saying about Anna’s action romances

Action Romance Box Set

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Preview: Gladiator

Preview: Hell Squad - Marcus

Also by Anna Hackett

About the Author