Bound: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance, page 19
God, it felt good to argue like sisters again. “I really miss you, dork.”
“I miss you too,” Flora said with a smile.
“So tell me what you can,” Cara suggested. She had never been good at waiting for secrets to be revealed. She was too much of a control freak to enjoy being surprised.
“We have reason to believe that the ability is not as rare on Earth as it is in this star system.”
That brought Cara’s eyebrows up and made her lean forward. “Are the rumors true? Are there other conduits hidden on Earth?”
“According to Iris there were fifty-two when they left this star system. She has no idea how many are still alive today.”
That wasn’t surprising. Most rumors had elements of truth woven through them. “And what does this have to do with power exchange?”
Flora’s eyes gleamed with anticipation, as if she were just to reveal that Cara had won the lottery or something equally exciting. “Iris claims that we are all second-level conduits.”
“Okay, I’ll bite,” Cara muttered. “What’s a second-level conduit?”
“Someone born with the ability to be a conduit but also given various gene therapies engineered to make us even more powerful. According to Iris, finding out about the second-level experiments was the reason they ran.”
“Can we really trust any sentence that begins with ‘according to Iris’?”
“Ordinarily, I would have agreed with you, but Zevon’s programmers broke the encryption on files at the Citadel that confirmed a lot of what she claimed. He has launched a full-scale investigation into the program.”
“That is all interesting—and disturbing—but I don’t think it pertains to me. You have Torretian blood from both your parents. Both of my parents are Altorian. In fact, Lezod can trace his bloodline back to the formation of the planet or some such nonsense.”
“There are two other members in your triad.”
The implication in Flora’s words made Cara look at Tov and then Merrik. “Race has never been important to me, so I never thought to ask about your origins. Are you guys from one of the other planets?”
“My paternal grandmother was Torretian,” Tov told her. “She died before I was born.”
It took Merrik longer to respond. His jaw clenched and his gaze suddenly looked more red than usual. “I never knew any of my family members. I have a vague memory of a woman who was likely my mother, but I never knew her name. I was living on the street when Tov found me.”
She reached across the table and squeezed his hand. “I’m so sorry.”
He pressed back into his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “I do not want your pity. I have never been a victim. I survived on the streets alone and thrived as soon as I was given the opportunity to improve myself. The Citadel analyzed my genetics when I applied for training. I have genetic contributions from all four of the planets in this star system, as well as a species the computer could not identify. In human terms, I am a mutt.”
The label made her smile. “I had two dogs while living on Earth. Both were mutts and both were awesome.”
Merrik nodded once, but his expression began to relax.
“Anyway,” Flora brought Cara’s attention back to her. “Because of the unique genetic makeup of your mates, your chances of power exchange are even better than mine.”
Cara smiled, excited by the news. “I say we find out.”
The males had no objection, so they all made their way to the converted cargo bay. The area was small, but empty so there was nothing to destroy even if one of Cara’s fireballs got away from her. Merrik opened the doors, removing the front wall of the room. A modified energy field kept them from being sucked out into space, yet it would allow pulses of energy to pass right through.
“Why don’t you guys get used to how the power triad feels and then I’ll see what else you can do?”
“Would you like a chair or a crate or something?” Cara asked as Flora glanced around the empty bay.
“I’m good.” She simply slid down the wall and sat cross-legged on the deck.
“Do not let her distract you,” Tov warned. “I’m not above disciplining you in front of your cousin.”
Cara placed her hand on his chest and said, “I would rather have you reward me with a nice hard spanking when we return to our cabin.”
His stern expression melted into a sexy smile. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Cara had seen recordings of power triads in action, her cousin’s included, so she knew how it worked. She stood flanked by her mates. Their arms wrapped around her back. Merrik would feed her energy, Tov would control the intensity and speed, but it was her responsibility to shape and target the flow, so she needed her hands free.
“Display target one,” Tov said to the computer and a holo-image appeared in the center of the energy field.
Cara had been burning through targets for weeks. She just had a much larger store of energy to draw from now. But Merrik didn’t just allow her to access his energy, he skillfully fed it to her. She’d intended to create an apple-sized ball, but the pulse that burst from her hand was roughly the size of a Volkswagen Beetle.
Tov chuckled. “I think you are trying a little too hard. This mission calls for subtlety, not demolition.”
“Sorry. I just wasn’t expecting it to be so easy. I’ll tone it down.”
“Easy?” Flora slid back up the wall and moved closer to the newly bonded triad. “That was easy for you?”
Cara shrugged. “All of this has come easily to me. What I lack is control.”
“Then I need to try harder,” Tov said softly. “You are still like a wildfire in my mind.” Tov pushed one of his hands up into her hair, making a loose fist. Then he wrapped his other around her throat, his fingers firm but not hurtful. “Try it again.”
Cara tensed for a moment. The pose was aggressive and so reminiscent of last night that desire washed over her. They had fucked her three times. Each time had been unique and overwhelming. When she finally fell asleep she was—
“Focus,” Tov chided, fingers subtly tightening in her hair.
Centering her mind with a slow, deep breath, she stared at the center of the target. A thin stream of light arced across the room and shot through the bullseye.
“Much better,” Merrik praised.
They practiced for a couple of hours, alternating the size and shape and finally progressing to targets that moved. Cara found it easier to concentrate with the physical reminder of Tov’s control. Each time she became distracted or started to lose control, his fingers tightened and his presence in her mind became inflexible.
“Do you use visualizations?” Flora asked when they took a short break around midmorning.
“I started with visualizations, but I’ve always been a tactical learner.”
“Even if you weren’t programmed for power exchange, your abilities are really impressive.”
Cara smiled, pleased by the praise.
“Are you ready to challenge yourself?”
Cara looked at her mates. “Are we?”
Merrik shrugged. “You two do all the work. I’m just the Energizer Bunny.”
His reference to an Earth ad character was so unexpected that Cara just stared at him in shock. Then she looked at Flora and they both cracked up.
“Was that not the appropriate mascot? Batteries are a primitive energy source. Are they not?”
“No, it was perfect,” Cara assured him. “But it also made me picture you covered in bright pink fur with a bass drum strapped to your belly.”
“The visual was priceless,” Flora agreed.
They got back to work, Flora guiding them through numerous unfamiliar exercises this time. As Cara warned, visualizations were less effective with her than they had been with Flora, so Flora tried a different approach. She eased into Cara’s mind and performed the skill, allowing her to feel it once or twice before Cara attempted it on her own.
“Clearly, you can manifest fire in your sleep,” Flora concluded. “See if you can produce anything else.”
“Guide me through it once,” Cara suggested. “That has worked with everything else.”
Cara felt her cousin slip into her mind and resisted the urge to push her out. It felt natural for Tov and Merrik to flow though her, but it still felt intrusive when anyone else’s energy mixed with hers. Still, they had done this numerous times and Flora was skilled and focused. She quickly demonstrated the transformation then withdrew from Cara’s mind.
Following her cousin’s example, Cara accepted the energy Merrik fed her and let it fill the conduit. Her fingers warmed. She felt Tov’s hand tighten against her throat and she pulled the flow of energy back.
“Water, not fire,” he insisted. “Fire is not challenging for you.”
She smiled because he was right. Manifesting fire was second nature. It required no effort at all. She forced out all the distractions and focused on reproducing the transformation Flora had demonstrated. Cara’s fingers tingled and her palms turned cold. She slowly released the flow of energy and droplets of water beaded on her skin. Merrik pushed another surge of energy into her mind, and Tov carefully controlled it as Cara shaped bigger droplets. They repeated the process over and over until water streamed from her hands.
“I hate you.” Flora pouted good-naturedly. “It took me weeks to control the exchange that well.”
They experimented with the other two elements for the next several hours. With extreme concentration they were able to produce several gusts of air, but they were unable to manifest earth.
“I think I’ll send for my ride,” Flora decided. “What you need right now is practice and experimentation. Oh, make sure you test your current limits before the mission. They will change greatly over time, but you need to know what you can dependably accomplish before you find yourself in danger.”
“Understood,” Tov said as he held out his hand in the human way. “Thank you for your assistance. We accomplished much more with your help than we could have on our own.”
“Anytime.” She shook Tov’s hand, hugged Cara, then shook Merrik’s hand. “Good luck with the rescue. I’ll be praying that everything runs smoothly.” She looked at Cara and smiled. “We’re all confident that you’re ready for your first mission. You’ll be fine.”
Cara accepted the encouragement with a nod, but tension knotted her belly. Flora’s first mission had been to blow up three malfunctioning ships on a largely automated moon. Cara’s triad would be walking into an enemy stronghold and facing off with Jevara himself. She wasn’t sure she would ever be ready for that.
CHAPTER 9
Tov rubbed his forehead and sighed deeply as Laidon and Cylex started shouting at each other again.
“That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard,” Cylex snarled, features twisting with resentment.
“You know nothing about the inner workings of the palace,” Laidon countered just as vehemently. “All you have ever done was—”
“Shut the fuck up!” Merrik yelled, coming up out of his seat. “You sound like a couple of adolescent girls fighting over the same boy.” Merrik looked as if he might reach across the table and bash their heads together. And Tov was ready to let him.
Laidon and Cylex had boarded the Agitarri earlier that morning. The rescue mission launched tomorrow so this was the final briefing. The entire team sat around a table in the room adjacent to the command center. The space was part office, part conference room, part lounge.
They were now an hour into the briefing and Cylex and Laidon were still arguing about everything. “Do you want to rescue these females or not?” Tov asked impatiently. “Fixating on the past is a waste of time and energy.”
“Have you two ever talked it out?” Cara had barely spoken since they entered the room. She didn’t know what to make of Laidon and she was still angry with Cylex for deceiving her. “Sometimes misconceptions contribute to conflicts and can be easily resolved.”
“There are no misconceptions,” Cylex insisted. “Laidon betrayed me. And when I had just about forgiven him for the first time, he betrayed me again.”
“I betrayed you?” Laidon laughed, a harsh, humorless sound. “You became our enemy’s right hand! All I did was—”
“Sorry I asked,” Cara cut in. But instead of reverting to tense silence, she focused on Cylex. “Why did you go to work for Jevara? From what I hear, he is an utter waste of oxygen.”
“I had no choice,” Cylex gritted out between clenched teeth. “The situation I find myself in now is not unique. I have been coerced every step of the way.”
“There are always choices,” Laidon said, though his tone was less provoking than it had been before. “You knew I was about to build an army to resist Jevara. Why didn’t you join me?”
Cylex shook his head. “Turning yourself into a fugitive is a lot easier when you have only yourself to think about.”
Resentment erupted in Laidon’s eyes, but Tov shut it down before the argument could reignite. Motioning Merrik back into his seat, Tov said firmly, “From this moment on, anyone who speaks of anything other than the mission will not participate. Is that understood?”
“Yes, Commander,” Cylex said.
“Please continue,” Laidon urged.
Tov paused to reorganize his thoughts. He had already outlined the basic plan but hadn’t even started to identify possible problems.
“There have been so many interruptions,” Cara said. “Can you please take me through the entire sequence of events before we move on?”
“Of course, mate.” Damn, it felt good to say that word and know that it was true. “The Agitarri will remain shielded and on standby during the entire mission. Because he is so recognizable, Laidon will remain aboard. The rest of us will approach the palace in the Anolox. As far as the Torretians are concerned, the smaller ship is the only ship.”
“Tov and I will pretend to be Cylex’s private guard as he presents you to Jevara. The emperor is expecting us, so there is no reason to believe we will not be allowed to visit,” Merrik took up where Tov had left off. “Jevara will have you taken to the women’s quarters to be prepared for his pleasure. He has never touched a female until she has gone through this process so the risk to you is minimal.”
She looked wary, but just nodded.
“As soon as you reach the women’s quarters, Shalia and Anias will approach you. They were notified of the plan so this should happen immediately. Once they are near you, signal Laidon and then get as close as possible. The molecular teleporter will stream all three of you onto the Agitarri and the ship will jump to hyperspace.”
“I don’t like that part,” she insisted. “We should wait to make sure you guys get out safely before we take off.”
“I agree,” Laidon said. “The females will be safely aboard the warship. I think we should wait until you three are onboard the smaller ship at the very least.”
Tov glanced at Merrik. Using their mate as bait went against every protective instinct they had, but a mission could not succeed unless the assets were used appropriately. “All right. The Agitarri stays until we are aboard the Anolox.”
“Thank you.” She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.
The banked embers of his desire flickered to life, but he forced the feelings back into hibernation. Now was not the time. They would have one more night to indulge their passions before this mission began. “While the palace guards escort you to the women’s quarters, Cylex will tell the emperor that he has new information regarding the other conduits hidden on Earth. Cylex will insist that the contact will only pass information to him, so he needs to head to Earth as soon as possible.”
“Jevara wants as many conduits as he can get his hands on,” Cylex reiterated. “He will believe the story because it is what he wants to believe.”
“That means we should be able to walk out as casually as we walked in, board the Anolox, and both ships will jump to hyperspace. If all goes as planned, we will be on our way home before Jevara realizes that it was all a ruse.”
“Jevara will send hunters after you.” Cara looked at Cylex, compassion clouding her gaze. “You will not be safe as long as that bastard is alive.”
“That is true of so many people and most did nothing to deserve his enmity. As Laidon is happy to point out, I did this to myself.”
Her expression hardened and her gaze became fierce as she turned and looked at Tov. “We need to take Jevara out while we have the chance. We might never get this close to him again.”
“We would all be slaughtered where we stood,” Cylex said before Tov could answer. “I want him dead more than you can imagine, but now is not the time.”
“He’s right, Cara,” Laidon said softly. “Obviously, I would not utter those words unless they were true.”
“This is a rescue mission,” Tov stressed. “Anyone who does not remain focused on the mission objectives will endanger everyone else. Now, start listing all the things that could go wrong so we can decide what to do about them.”
“My access code could have been disabled,” Cylex said. The women’s quarters were protected by additional shielding that prevented molecular teleportation into or out of the area. Cylex had a code that allowed him to temporarily disable any security feature. His expression turned thoughtful, but his gaze locked with hers. “If that happens, you, Shalia, and Anias will need to leave the women’s quarters. That means getting past the guards. Shalia is a highly trained soldier, and you have abilities even without your mates, but it won’t be easy.”
“One of the guards assigned to the area is a rebel,” Laidon chimed in. “I’ll make sure he is on duty tomorrow night.”
Tov nodded. “That should help. Keep going. What else should we anticipate?”
For the next two hours they picked apart the plan, discussing anything and everything that could possibly give them trouble. Once they were all convinced that they were as well prepared as possible, Tov insisted that they share a quick meal. He was hoping to build a little camaraderie. Cylex and Laidon did not need to become friends, but they had to function as a team. The first few minutes went smoothly. Then Cara decided to poke the sleeping bear.
