3013

by Kali Argent

  “Why does she need asylum?” Not that it mattered, but Sion liked knowing all the facts.

  “Uh, well, that’s the thing.”

  “Ivy, just spit it out.”

  “She’s wanted for murdering her mother, but she’s innocent. Since her fathers are commanders, she’s not likely to get a fair trial. That’s really all I know. Commander Tavish can give you all the details.”

  It was more serious than Sion had anticipated, but he also knew Ivy wouldn’t protect a killer. If she believed the female’s innocence, that was good enough for him. Besides, it gave him the perfect excuse to get Rya off the planet until things died down.

  “We’ll go.”

  “Thank you. I’d go, but well...” Ivy waved a hand vaguely around her stomach. “That, and Kai had an unholy meltdown when I mentioned it.”

  “When do we leave?” Practically vibrating, Rya tried to keep her tone indifferent, but she found it difficult to contain her excitement.

  Given the situation, she knew she needed to leash her enthusiasm, but she’d always wanted to see the inside of a space station and meet a Krytos. She’d read about the beasts with their red eyes and hulking forms, and she’d passed by their home world during her exploration of the galaxies. Sadly, their planet had since been destroyed, but it pleased her to know the race had not perished along with it.

  “As soon as possible.” Brushing her golden hair back from her face, Ivy sighed. “I should warn you that there might be resistance from the Alliance, especially Regent Marks. He’s not on the station right now, but Olivia expects him back, which is why we’re kind of on a deadline.”

  “Olivia?” Rya tilted her head one way, then the other, computing the new name to memory.

  “Commander Jacobson. Uh, Tavish.” Ivy waved a hand dismissively. “Whatever. I can’t keep up with everyone being mated, bonded, and keepers of hearts.”

  “Keeper of—”

  “We’ll leave tomorrow,” Sion interrupted, laughing when Rya glared at him. “Ah, don’t be mad, princess. I’ll answer all your questions on the way. Deal?”

  “Promise?”

  He laughed low as he molded against her side and bent to hiss her lips. “Promise.”

  Appeased, Rya smiled and arched her neck to return the kiss. “Okay. Deal.”

  * * * *

  Sion didn’t like making promises he couldn’t keep. So, if he’d know what was coming for him, he never would have opened his mouth.

  The change had started suddenly, while he’d been sitting at the dinner table with Rya after their friends had departed. One minute, they’d been making arrangements for their journey to Alpha Station: X21 over bowls of soup, then the next, he’d been on the floor screaming in agony. The pain had last hours as his body stretched and new muscles formed. He’d thought his cat growing to the size of a fucking battle cruiser had been the sole effects of the magical bond between him and Rya.

  He’d been mistaken.

  Xenon males underwent a transformation upon finding their soulmates. They became bigger, faster, stronger, like magical steroids that enabled them to better protect their intended. Sion had thought because he wasn’t Xenon he wouldn’t have to endure that metamorphosis. Then he’d shifted into a monstrous animal nearly three times his normal size. It had been a shock, and a bit painful, but he’d convinced himself that would be the end of the planet’s need to fuck with him.

  Xenthian hadn’t finished with him yet. When his body had finally stopped expanding, he’d added an impressive seven inches to his six-foot frame, as well as an extra ninety pounds of muscle. He didn’t even recognize his own body, and trying to do simple things like walking to the bathroom took an extraordinary amount of effort and coordination.

  He’d never died before, but he was pretty sure it would hurt less.

  Thankfully, there hadn’t been much occasion to move. While he’d have been content to crawl into bed and sleep, instead, he’d spent the entirety of the night on his knees, expelling everything he’d eaten in the past year. As the sun dawned, the vomiting finally ceased, but he still felt as if he’d been dropped out of an airlock, then run over by a passing comet.

  Then the real fun began.

  “I will rip your dick out through your belly button and fucking feed it to you!”

  The sentry’s eyes widened, and he stumbled back several steps. “Yes, sir. Understood, sir.”

  “Leave!”

  “Was that necessary?” Rya asked once the male had transported from the office. “He was just here to give the update you requested on the security measures that you insisted we implement.”

  Sion grunted. “I didn’t like how he was looking at you.”

  “With his eyes?”

  “You’re mine.”

  “Obviously.”

  Wandering over to the bookshelf, he chose a book bound in indigo leather and tucked it down the front of his tunic. “Whatever.”

  “What in the name of the ancestors are you doing with that book?”

  “What?” He shrugged. “It’s mine.”

  Stomping around the desk, Rya marched up to him, stuck her hand down his top, and removed the book. Frowning, she began dragging her hands over his chest, down his legs, and even inside the tops of his boots. It wasn’t nearly as erotic as he’d expected.

  “And what about these?” she demanded, holding up a spoon, two forks, a comb, and a half melted candlestick.

  “They’re mine.”

  “Right.” Dropping the objects onto the sofa, she fisted her hands on her hips and sighed. “That’s it. I’m contacting Medic Brambles.”

  “It’s not that big of a deal. I’m fine.” He wasn’t, but when he tried to make sense of his craziness, it only made his head hurt. “Really.” He picked up a small crystal bowl from the end table, turned it over in his hands, then stuck it in the pockets of his loose-fitting pants. He didn’t remember leaving it in the office, but it was definitely his. “I’m completely fine.”

  “Yes, clearly. Nothing wrong at all.”

  The pain started in his right temple, a building pressure that traveled into his eye and up to the center of his forehead. Crying out, he held his head in both hands as he stumbled to the couch. Fuck, he’d thought the worst of the pain had ended during the night. Good to know the universe had a sense of humor.

  “Shh, easy, my darling. Just lie down.” Rya stroked his hair and rubbed his back. “Medic Brambles is on his way. The pain will pass soon. Just be still.”

  Medic Jae Brambles was a sadistic bastard with short, spiked bronze hair and a deceptively gentle smile. He spent ten minutes torturing Sion by shining lights in his eyes and bending his limbs until he almost blacked out from the agony.

  “Physically, he’s fine,” the medic announced when he’d finished. “You said he’s been acting erratically?”

  “I’m right here,” Sion moaned, his head resting in Rya’s lap.

  “Yes, he’s been aggressive.” Rya paused. “Well, more aggressive than usual, and compulsively possessive, even with inanimate objects.”

  “Am not.”

  “And he’s kind of whiny,” she added in a loud whisper.

  “You know I can hear you, right?”

  Again, she ignored him. “What about his headaches?”

  “I can’t find any medical reason for his elevated pain levels. My best guess?” Closing his bag, the medic stood. “Now that you’re bound, his body is overloaded with your magic, Vasera. Combined with his own natural magic, it’s short-circuiting his system.”

  “His own magic?”

  “I don’t have magic,” Sion protested. “I hate magic.”

  “You shift into a giant feline.” Laughing, Medic Brambles shook his head. “If that’s not magic, what would you call it?”

  The guy made a fair point, but not one Sion wanted to discuss. “Fine. What do we do about my over-shorted whatever?”

  “You’re not going to like it, but I think it’s best if you spend some time a
part until your energy levels stabilize.”

  “Apart from what?”

  “Each other.”

  Sion could practically hear the medic’s eyes roll. “How about I help your balls spend some time apart from the rest of your body?” The pressure in his head swelled, darkening his vision at the edges, but he’d have to be dead before he let anyone take Rya away from him. “I’m not going anywhere, and neither is she. So, you can take your so-called medical advice and shove it right up your—”

  “Sion!” With a pathetic moan, Rya doubled over, resting her brow against his, her ebony hair falling around them to create a cocoon of privacy. “Enough. Please.”

  “Okay,” he relented, doing his best to ignore the medic he could feel staring at them. “His suggestion is still stupid.”

  “It’s not.” Sighing, she sat up straight and combed her fingers through his hair. “I know you don’t like it, my darling, but I think it’s for the best. I hate to see you hurting like this.”

  “You can go,” he told the medic, pleased when the male vanished instead of arguing with him. “Okay, princess, we’ll do it your way.” A part of him realized his behavior during the past several hours had been unstable, bordering on dangerous. He didn’t want anyone to get hurt because of him, and he certainly didn’t want Rya to have to endure his violent mood swings. “I’ll move into one of the guest suites until I even out a bit more.”

  “Actually, I was thinking of something else.” She bit her lip and looked away, a sure sign he wasn’t going to like what she had to say next.

  “Tell me.”

  “The cruiser is being prepared. My things are already packed.”

  “No.” As much as he wanted her off the planet, he’d be damned if she would leave without him. “This female, whoever she is, can wait. It’s too dangerous for you to go skipping through space alone.”

  “I wouldn’t be alone,” she reasoned. “Garrik will be with me.”

  “I don’t care. You’re not going.”

  “You’re being unreasonable.” Frustration leaked into her voice. “It’s like killing two birds in one basket.”

  “It...what?” The Xenon really shouldn’t attempt metaphors. “Never mind.” With a pained groan, he sat up and shifted sideways on the cushion to take her tiny, delicate hands. “Rya, I love you, and you’re not going.”

  “That’s not your call to make.” Pulling her hands from his, she popped up from the sofa and began pacing. “We promised Ivy, and this is important. An innocent female’s life could be in jeopardy. We have to help.”

  “And we will, just not right now.”

  “There’s no time!” Her voice rang throughout the office, and the marking on her arms and neck shimmered with a pale blue light. “I love you, too, Sion, but I’m doing this. I don’t know Isla, but she needs help, and I’m going to give it to her.”

  “Fine.” With a lot of struggle, he stood as well. “Then I’m going with you.”

  “You can barely stand, and frankly, I don’t think Ivy would appreciate us starting an intergalactic incident because you ripped someone’s throat out for standing too close to me.”

  She had a point, but he didn’t care. Either she could accept that he was going with her, or she could keep her ass on the fucking planet where he could protect her. He opened his mouth to tell her this, but a young sentry with a shorn head and the palest blue eyes chose that moment to enter the office.

  “Vasere Clearwater.” The sentry fisted his hands at his sides and bowed hurriedly. “I have an update, sir.”

  He still wasn’t used to the title, and it took Sion a moment to realize the sentry was speaking to him. “What happened?”

  “Captain Meadowlark reviewed the ICA database and confirmed that Sentry Allbright did indeed file a report about the missing female.”

  Sion hadn’t expected that, but he didn’t know what it meant yet. “Has anyone been able to locate the sentry?”

  “No, sir. He hasn’t been seen in three days.”

  He’d been sure that Sentry Allbright had killed Glenda Rivers, then disappeared to avoid facing the consequences of his actions. Now, he considered the idea that his prime suspect had actually been a victim as well.

  “What about the sister? Has anyone been able to contact her?”

  The male’s face paled to a sickly gray, and he swallow hard enough to make the muscles in his throat visibly contract. “We found her.”

  “She’s dead,” Rya gasped into his mind.

  “Yes, princess. I’m sorry. I think Sentry Allbright might be keeping her company, too.”

  “Where did you find her?” he asked the sentry aloud.

  “In the upper woodlands near Everfall Valley.”

  Resting his hands on his hips, Sion stared down at the green and white tiles and nodded slowly, distractedly. “Thank you. Let me know when you track down Sentry Allbright.”

  The young sentry bowed and backed out of the room. “Yes, sir.”

  Things were so much worse than he’d originally thought, and he’d thought they’d been pretty damn bad. He was positive they’d eventually find Sentry Allbright dead in a shallow grave somewhere in the forest. Someone had gone to a lot of trouble to cover their tracks, but he didn’t know why.

  The attack on the summit. Ivy and Rya had been the victims of attempted kidnappings. Glenda Rivers had gone missing, then been found dead. Her sister had reported it and had also met a permanent end. Sentry Allbright had begun investigating Glenda’s disappearance, and now, no one could find him, either.

  Even as he scrolled through the list in his head, Sion couldn’t make heads or tails of it. He couldn’t see how the first two related to the rest, yet the timing alone made him pretty sure all the incidents were connected. He just couldn’t see the big picture, couldn’t figure out the end game or who was behind it.

  “What is happening?” Rya asked in a small voice. “Who’s doing this? Why?”

  “I don’t have any answers, princess.”

  His headache had subsided some, and for the first time all day, he had a moment of clarity. As much as he hated it, in his current state, he couldn’t protect anyone. Now that they were bound, he and Rya shared her ingrained magic, but it would be a long time before he could control it. Time he didn’t have.

  So, while it went against every instinct in his body, he did the only thing he could think of to keep her safe.

  “Go finish packing. You leave in an hour.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  The Astoria’s comm panel illuminated as the cruiser landed in the docking bay of Alliance Alpha Station: X21. The screen flickered twice before bringing up Ivy’s image. Nervous but excited, Rya smiled.

  “We’ve landed.”

  “I know. I was tracking you.” Ivy rolled her eyes when Garrik took issue with that. “Oh, relax. You’re worse than Sion. It was just a security precaution.”

  “Has something happened?” The trip had taken less than a day, but she could think of no other reason Ivy would be contacting them.

  “No, no, I just forgot to tell you a couple of things. I swear, I can barely remember my own name these days.” Folding her arms on the desk, she leaned forward, her expression serious. “When you disembark the ship, you’ll be greeted by Commander Tavish and a small group of security. There will also be a medic waiting.”

  “Why a medic?”

  “We’ve programmed the Xenon language into our database, so everyone should be able to understand you. Your linguistic translator, however, isn’t completely up to date.” Ivy pointed to the thin clasp on Rya’s earlobe. “Reema, Krytos, and Dragon Warriors languages have not been included. You’re going to encounter them on the station.”

  “There are Dragon Warriors here?”

  Panic flared, but Rya squashed it down ruthlessly. She’d heard the stories, the legends of the beasts who had oppressed the Xenon for centuries before they’d gone into hiding, but so much she’d been told had been lies. It wasn’t a far st
retch to believe the tales she’d heard about the Dragon Warriors had been untruthful as well.

  “Maybe. The Nazira sisters were on the station a few weeks ago, but I think they’ve moved on. Still, don’t be surprised if you run into one.”

  “Why are you telling me this?”

  Her nerves made her tone sharper than she’d intended as her stomach twisted uncomfortably. She had come to the station as a stranger, an outsider, and she’d expected her presence would draw mixed reactions from the crew of X21. Now, she had to contend with a language barrier on top of everything else.

  “Because that’s why there’s a medic waiting for you. If you want, they can inject you with a language converter. It doesn’t hurt, and it’s more efficient than the linguistic translators.” She held her hands up, fingers splayed. “It’s completely up to you, though. If you don’t want it, don’t let them force you into it.”

  “Okay.” Rya sucked in a deep breath and released it slowly. “Okay, thank you.”

  “No problem. Olivia—Commander Tavish—is going to escort you directly to the Krytos sanctuary, Asylum. She’ll take good care of you, but if anything happens, you contact me immediately. Understood?”

  “Understood.” Hopefully, it wouldn’t come to that. “Have you spoken to Sion? How is he feeling?”

  It had been decided that it would be better if they had no contact with one another for the duration of her journey. Knowing she was beyond his reach should anything happen would only worsen Sion’s unstable condition. So, she’d agreed. Eight hours later, she already missed him.

  “I spoke with him about an hour ago. He’s feeling better, and he’s on his way to Sommervail. He didn’t say why,” Ivy added, predicting Rya’s next question.

  “Good. Keep an eye on him, please?”

  “You bet. I have to go, but good luck.”

  “Are you ready for this?” Garrik asked once Rya had closed the communication.

  “As ready as I can be.” Standing, she smoothed the wrinkles from her black and green tunic, and pulled up her tights where they’d fallen down her hips. “Do I look presentable?”