“Is your scar paining you?” Juxon asked quietly, never looking up from the monitor he was so incredibly focused on. “The healers gave me a cream for mine recently.”
“No. Fortunately, I do not feel the burn of pain any longer.” Matrix dropped his hand from his face, not having realized he was rubbing the raised line of tissue near his eye. Titling his head at the other man, he studied the scar he carried on his chin and neck. “Time will give you the relief you seek, Juxon. Your wound is still fresh compared to mine.”
Juxon never looked up, instead simply nodding at the screen in front of him. Clenching his jaw, he looked as if he had something more to say but stayed quiet.
“Is there something else?” Matrix probed, dropping his voice to keep their conversation private.
“Sir?” Finally looking away from the screen, Juxon focused nervously on him. “Do you think my mate will mind my—” He stopped and instead gestured to the large pink, snakelike line running from his chin down his neck to disappear into the neckline of his tunic. “I mean—you—”
Matrix held a hand up, having thought about the possibility of his mate turning away more than a few times himself. It was a valid fear to have and one he was still fighting—not that he’d let the younger Djaromir know that.
“Do not worry about such things, Juxon. The mates that our ancestors send to us are made specifically for us. I refuse to believe that my destiny would judge me by my scar, and you need to do the same. We are matched with the other half of our souls.”
“Do you really believe that?”
“Absolutely,” he answered, keeping the doubt from his voice. The last thing he wanted to tell the other man was that disgusting his mate was a fear that crossed his mind daily, sometimes more than once.
Those were demons best kept to himself, all things considered.
“I firmly believe that each of us has a mate waiting for us that will be the perfect complement to who we are. Mine will be thoughtful and patient and sweet and everything that is befitting the next Lady of Gunninng.” A wicked grin tugged at his scar as his mind was distracted from his previously depressing thoughts. “And, if I’m lucky, she’ll have curves like K’hor’s mate.”
“Yeah,” Juxon sighed, his eyes becoming a little dazed as he stared off into the distance. “All of that sounds amazing.”
“Just be patient,” Matrix said, giving the younger man the advice he himself needed to take. “She’s out there somewhere.”
Chapter Seven
“Don’t tell me to be patient!” Rue hissed. Her blood pressure was steadily rising the longer she was split up from Lucy—something that she tried to not let happen for the general greater good. Sadly, whenever she wasn’t there to serve as a buffer between Lucy and the rest of the world …things got a little scary.
A million different scenarios were running through her head, and absolutely none of them looked good. She felt like a mom separated from her child, despite the two women being only six months apart. She’d felt as if something bad were about to happen as they were leaving the shuttle, but she hadn’t expected Lucy to trip and fall literally right then and there. She didn’t have to look at the ankle to know that it was more than just a simple roll. Not only was Lucy’s face pinched in pain, she couldn’t put weight on it, which was totally no bueno.
“Please calm down,” the Djaromir in front of her begged. “He is just making sure things are all right.”
“If he wanted to make sure she was okay, he could have done it right here and not all the way over there,” she countered as she pointed her finger at the pair standing on the other side of the giant cavern the strange silver bus had dropped them off in. “I don’t understand why he separated us. Are you guys thinking about sending her back?” she asked before continuing without pause, “because if she goes, I go.”
The moment the words left her mouth, she wondered if that meant they’d have to forfeit the stipend.
“Please—”
“All she did was roll her ankle, Colby,” she interrupted with a smile, deciding to take a different approach. “You said your name was Colby, right?” At his nod, she enlarged her fake smile until it made her cheeks ache. “I’m sure you’ve sprained your ankle before. She just needs to stay off it for a bit. It’s not like she has to be quarantined or anything.”
“She should be,” Tabitha said, her voice loud enough for Rue to pick up through the static of worry clouding her head. “If the Phaetons were smart, they’d escort her right back to Earth before she causes any more problems. I already told Bonner that if I got hurt because of her, I would be holding their government responsible.”
“Give it a rest, Tabitha,” Jessie snorted, before giving Rue a chin lift. “I told Bonner not to listen to her. Don’t worry.”
“You agree, don’t you?” Tabitha asked, sidling up to Colby where he stood watching them with a look of confusion.
Rue pinned her adversary with a death glare and was amazed it didn’t melt the helmet she was wearing. “I’d shut the fuck up right about now if I were you.” Stepping up, she ignored Colby, who was standing between her and her target.
“What?” Tabitha held up her hands in feigned innocence, but both her voice and smile were enough to convey her mocking guile. “All I’m saying is that she’s a safety hazard to the rest of us. Maybe keeping her over there isn’t a bad idea. In my opinion, they should send her back before she seriously ends up hurting—or even killing—someone!”
Rue stepped toward the woman only to be stopped by a hand catching her arm. Looking down to see who had the nerve to touch her, she bared her teeth at the Djaromir she’d previously thought looked smart.
“Don’t touch.” Shaking off the hand, she pointed a finger at Tabitha but made no move forward. “I’ll deal with you later.” Satisfied when she saw the other woman pale, she turned back to Colby.
“Listen, dude. I don’t care who you are, who that guy over there is, or why the hell he thought he needed to separate her from the rest of us, but we stick together.” Crossing her arms, she looked over her shoulder and nodded to Tabitha. “Except her. Feel free to keep that bitch far, far away from me.”
“Dude?” he said with a confused look on his face.
“Argh,” she groaned, moving to put a hand on her forehead only to smack the helmet she forgot she was still wearing. “This is what you deserve, Rue. Karma coming back to bite you right in the ass.”
“Did you just ask if Warlord Sparx was going to bite her ass?” Colby asked, his voice scandalized at what he thought he’d heard.
“No,” Rue said, shaking her head at the mess things had become.
“Wait, did you just say Lord Sparx?” Tabitha asked with an excited quiver in her voice as she stared across the space at the guy manhandling Rue’s best friend.
“Warlord,” Colby corrected, frowning at the woman who was now practically salivating before letting out a sigh of relief. “And here they come now.”
Rue was already stomping forward before Colby had even finished speaking. There was no way she was going to wait for them to walk all the way to her when she could meet them halfway and get her friend away from the crazy giant who, in her opinion, seemed to be getting a little bit too comfortable holding Lucy.
She didn’t appreciate the glare he was giving her either, as if he weren’t the one manhandling her Goose.
“I can help her from here,” Rue announced bluntly once she was directly in front of them. She held out her arms as if the big guy carrying Lucy could pass her over as if she were a baby before realizing that wouldn’t work.
Rue eyed her friend for a moment. Hmmm… Maybe it would be better if she propped her up and—
“Who are you?” the overly muscled behemoth asked rudely, holding Lucy hostage.
“She’s my bestie,” Lucy answered at the same time that she answered the asshole.
“Veruca Salazar, and who the fuck are you?” she snapped, baring her teeth a bit at the guy in front of
her.
“I am Warlord Sparx,” he answered, walking around her with Lucy still in his grip.
Rue sputtered after him, unable to form a complete word or sentence with how indignant she was at that particular moment. How dare he keep hold of her Goose and then pretend she wasn’t right there?!
“Sir?”
“We will wait here for you to run the Phaetons back to their shuttle,” he instructed, ignoring Rue where she stomped after him. “Make it fast. Lucy needs the attention of our healers, and I do not want to make her wait any longer than necessary.”
Rue stopped in her tracks at the sound of concern in his voice toward her friend. If she didn’t know any better, she’d think the giant was soft on her Goose. Narrowing her eyes on him, she noticed how he cradled Lucy easily, regardless of how bulky she was in the suit they’d all been dressed in. He was almost careful in the way he handled her, even as he was giving the other guy orders.
“Yes, sir.”
“Go through the ice. Not around,” Sparx instructed.
“Understood,” Colby said before climbing into the silver vehicle and closing the door.
“I will have to put you down for just a few moments while I open the gate,” he told Lucy, with Rue not far from his elbow as she continued to follow the pair.
“I’m right here, Lucy,” Rue assured her, even though she was pretty sure Lucy wasn’t paying her any attention at all.
Soon, they were near the containers Colby had arranged in the middle of the cavern, where Rue had been yelling at him earlier. Sparx carefully bent and set Lucy down onto one of the crates before moving away slowly.
The speed of it all almost had Rue stomping her foot in frustration behind him. The second he stepped away, she was checking over her like a worried mother hen.
“Are you okay?” Rue whispered. She couldn’t understand the strange tension between Lucy and this Sparx guy, whom Lucy continued to stare upon as if entranced. She could feel the heat of it from where she was standing on the sidelines.
“Huh?” Lucy turned and gave her a blank look before blinking a few times. “Oh, yeah. I’m fine.”
“Stay,” Sparx ordered, his voice gruff as he stood towering above them.
Everything about him made Rue bristle. His bossiness, his tone, the possessive way he handled Lucy. She didn’t like any of it one damn bit.
“She’s not a dog,” she snapped, ready to tear him down even more when she noticed the way he was looking at Lucy.
It made her pause. What the hell was going on here?
“I am more than aware of that fact,” he said, giving the pair an abbreviated bow before moving to the gate.
“What the hell, Luce!” Rue snapped her fingers in front of Lucy’s helmet a few times before tapping on the glass like she would a fishbowl. Something wasn’t right. Her eyes were glassy, and her cheeks were bright red, like she was running a fever.
“Knock it off!” Lucy yelped, swatting at her as she continued to tap her nail into the visor.
“Are you okay? What’s going on with you?” Rue asked, trying to keep the fact that she was freaking out on the inside—and absolutely failing if she were to judge by the sound of her own voice. “Why did he separate you? Did he hurt you?”
“Yes,” Lucy answered quickly, shaking her head as if she were trying to clear it. “I mean, no. He didn’t hurt me.”
“What the fuck just happened?” Rue dropped down into a squat in front of Lucy, her worry growing the longer she studied her friend.
“I don’t know,” Lucy said with a slow blink, looking as dazed as she had the time she’d tripped and rolled down a hill Princess Bride style, almost killing herself.
Rue didn’t like any of this one fucking bit. She had no idea what the Djaromir guy had done, but he’d obviously done something to Lucy. She ran through as many possibilities as she could, relying solely on her sci-fi movie knowledge to try to figure out what could have happened. She hadn’t witnessed any probing, but considering she’d been distracted with Tabitha and Colby for a hot minute, she couldn’t completely rule that out. She tossed around the possibility that maybe he was using some sort of telepathy or mind control on her friend, but, after watching him go about his business on the other side of the cavern, she nixed that idea. He didn’t seem to be paying them attention at all now as he fiddled with a panel beside the big doors they’d come in through.
Lucy was still watching him though. In fact, the more Rue watched Lucy watch Sparx, the more concerned she became. Lucy was not simply watching him; she was eating him up with her gaze. Seriously. Her pupils were large and glazed as they stayed fixed on him. Like one of those weird anime characters or stuffed animals that always creeped her out.
This was no bueno.
“For a minute there I thought I was going to have—” she began, acting as if things weren’t super weird as she pushed herself to her feet.
“To what?” Lucy interrupted with a laugh, sounding a little more normal than before. “Come over and kick Sparx in the knees or something?”
“Hey now! Don’t make fun of me.” Rue bounced around on her toes a few times, punching at the air like a boxer hoping to distract Lucy. She felt a bit of relief when Lucy watched her antics with her normal grin in place. “I coulda handled him fine. Those self-defense classes showed me where to hit to cause the most damage.”
Lucy shook her head.
“And just because he’s gigantic doesn’t mean nothing,” Rue reminded her. “That just means I have a bigger target to aim for.”
Lucy rolled her eyes before flinching from the punch Rue delivered to her padded arm when she saw it.
“Ouch!”
“Don’t ouch me,” she panted, breathless from the air boxing she’d been doing. “You know you didn’t feel that at all.”
“Sorry. Habit,” Lucy apologized with a shrug before her eyes drifted back over towards where Sparx was standing.
“I’m serious though, Luce. What did he say to you over there? I heard Tabitha telling Bonner that they needed to take you back to the Phaeton ship because you were a liability with your ankle messed up. She spouted off a bunch of bullshit about it looking bad for the volunteer program. Jessie told Tabitha to shut the fuck up, but the way he’d separated you from the group worried me. For a second there, I thought he was going to shove you back on that train thing and send you back with our escorts.”
“A liability?” she repeated, her face angry now as she looked around the crowd. Presumably for Tabitha.
“She’s over there,” Rue said, jerking her helmet in the direction their nemesis had slithered.
Chapter Eight
We may have a problem, sir.”
Matrix looked up at Colby’s words, his thoughts still with Sparx and the news that the other warlord believed he’d found his mate among the volunteers who had arrived. The group had only just arrived in the tunnel city when Sparx and Colby had shown up in the command center. Sparx stumbled in with a stunned look on his face.
Matrix, of course, noticed that something was out of the norm within the span of a few moments. He’d managed to pull the details out of both men. Sparx had triggered the mating heat with one of the new arrivals, surprising everyone, including himself.
His friend had seemed flummoxed when realizing that, within the manner of a few hours, his entire path had changed. This morning he’d woken unmated, the duty he had to his tunnel city and his people his primary focus. Now, he had a mate he had sworn he didn’t want. One that he was currently on his way to see, the mating heat pulling them together.
It was the type of problem Matrix wished he had.
“There’s a slight situation with the volunteers you should be aware of,” Colby said.
“The volunteers?” he asked, his brows raised as he studied the younger Djaromir. “What type of situation? Is there a problem?”
“Yes—umm—well, maybe,” Colby hedged, his expression worried. “Possibly.”
“Maybe?” Ma
trix repeated, turning to face the other man fully. “Explain.”
“A few of them have been fighting.”
“Lady Juniper has said that human females can sometimes be testy with each other—”
Before he was finished, Colby was shaking his head.
“I remember what she said, sir, but this doesn’t seem to be a small disagreement. Honestly, I’m worried at some point it may turn physical if we do not intercede.”
Matrix couldn’t help but snort at the idea of the fragile women physically fighting. The most he’d seen the other women he’d met do when angry was cry.
“Please be serious.” Dismissing Colby’s concerns, he turned back to the message he still needed to handle.
“I am being serious, sir. There is one female in particular that seems insistent on stirring up discontent. She even suggested that we send back one of the other females.”
“What?” he asked, unable to fathom how or why a human thought she’d be able to dictate who stayed or went. “Why would we send one of them back?”
“She insisted that Lucy was not only dangerous to herself but also others.”
“Lucy? Isn’t that the name of the female Sparx believes is his?” he asked, unsure how to take that bit of information and if he should be concerned for the warlord he just dismissed to attend his mate.
“It’s not her that I’m worried about.”
***
“This is boooooring,” Rue sang out in a deep voice as she starfished on the floor, her arms and legs spread wide.
Moving her limbs, she smiled at the tickle of the soft fur against her skin. She had no idea what animal had been sacrificed to create such a comfortable rug, but considering the size, it was a big one.
She’d laid down not long after she’d snooped and scoped out her digs. She may have even tried to occupy a bit of her time working on extracting a few of the gems that lined the walls of her room, but that had been a big fat failure. Now, she was making fur angels on the floor and running through her mental playlist of Kacey Musgrave songs.
Miners of Djaromir: Matrix Page 4
