Axxeon Commander's Pet (Mates For Axxeon 9 Book 2)

by Liz Paffel

  After bathing, he rested on his sleeping platform with his hands folded behind his head. He drifted off, waking to the sound of his comlet buzzing. The longing to be at Priya’s side had not lessened in the hours he’d fallen asleep.

  He answered the incoming notification from Tryllin.

  “Meet me in Command immediately.”

  The strained tone of his King’s voice sent a painful shiver down Quixx’s back. Something had happened. Dressing quickly, he hurried, heart racing, blood flooded with adrenaline to prime him for any threat. He found Tryllin outside Command attempting to use his comlet on the control panel to enter the room, but the door was not opening.

  A red error code flashed on the screen in between bouts of static. Tryllin pounded on the glass, drawing attention from a man inside. He indicated for the door to be opened, but the young warrior was unable to complete the request from inside, either.

  “What is happening?” Tryllin gave a frustrated growl.

  "I experienced a similar error last night, but my scan found no issue. It righted itself so I did not think more of it."

  "Where did the error occur?"

  Quixx paused at the question. No one had seen him and Priya together the evening before. He had nothing to be ashamed of. Still, Tryllin saw through him so easily. If he asked questions, Quixx was obligated to answer.

  "Priya's quarters."

  To Quixx's surprise and relief, his King did not outwardly react. Instead, he contacted engineering on his comlet to report the malfunctioning controls. Then he turned to Quixx with deep lines marking his forehead.

  “My mate was visiting her brother last evening when the ice damaged the wall. She immediately fell ill, perhaps from the stress of worry over her brother combined with the force of the hit to the compound. Yawnlit is quite concerned about her bionic heart; however, he is unable to help her with it further. She needs to go immediately to Axxeon 9 to meet with our advanced medical team. I am preparing for a transport ship to depart.”

  Quixx ran a hand over his mouth as he weighed this information. There were only two transport ships remaining on the compound. Tryllin would have to take some of his warriors from the compound with him to avoid overloading capacity on the remaining craft.

  “I am sorry to hear about the Queen. How many of our people will you take with you?”

  “Full capacity. I’m leaving only essential personnel behind with you to help complete your mission. I have called in our team working with the human degarzee task force. They arrived a short time ago.”

  Quixx held back a pang of anxiety. They were all leaving, all but a few. “This is a good plan.”

  “No,” Tryllin turned to face him. “This plan causes me distress because I wish to have both transport ships filled and this place completely evacuated, immediately. I do not wish to leave without you. Yet, I need to get the Queen the help she requires before her heart fails. And I cannot be sure of the integrity of the compound after the damage.”

  The urgency in Tryllin’s voice was unnerving and Quixx cleared his throat around a sudden constriction that developed there. Engineering must have realized the repairs were more extensive or Tryllin would not be so concerned about evacuation.

  “How bad is it?” Quixx pressed.

  Tryllin tapped again on the control panel, attempting to reset it. “Engineering is knitting the damage with a temporary patch, but they do not have the materials they need for a full repair without a delivery from Axxeon 9. The shifting and changing ice may cause fatal damage before supplies could reach us.”

  “What of the prisoner and the Queen’s brother?”

  “Brandon has made it clear that he wishes to remain on Earth, despite my mate’s misery over that decision. He is not yet well enough to be on his own. He will need to decide where he would like us to take him before we depart. The prisoner will accompany us.”

  Leaving a sick man in the middle of violent chaos seemed barbaric, but he would not deny a man as honorable and heroic as the Queen’s brother his wish for freedom.

  Finally, the control panel righted itself and the door swished open. They walked to an observation screen and pulled up the view of the residence where the target female was staying. The home was massive, as were the others around it. Clearly, the humans residing in this area were powerful. The fires and looting had not yet reached here. The streets were quiet. As Tryllin increased the size of the view, Quixx noticed that the grass growing on what the human’s called lawns was tall. Other foliage had begun to grow in various places. He had come to learn how human’s with higher status desired their property to appear flawless and beautiful. The overgrowth and desolate nature were out of place. Perhaps the humans had left in anticipation of chaos breaking out in their neighborhood.

  “You are sure this is the place?”

  “Yes. I was in contact with her two hours ago. She assures me that you will be able to access the weapons, and she can leave uninhibited.”

  “She has no family inside this residence that will attempt to stop her leaving?”

  Tryllin shook his head. “The Senator has been gone unexpectedly for a number of days and she expects him away for a few more. He is not aware that his daughter knows the existence of the weapons. She assured me that she knows how to access them.”

  Suddenly uneasy, Quixx moved the screen with his fingers, inspecting the neighborhood and looking for any signs of something unusual. They went over the plan, inspected maps.

  Hahn strode in, his blue hair mussed and sticking up on his head. His eyes were bright, his solarderm dark as if he’d just completed a hard workout.

  “Brother,” Tryllin acknowledged before turning back to Quixx. “Hahn desires to remain behind with you and will monitor communications and visuals.”

  Quixx shifted his weight. Of all the men to stay behind, it should not be the Prince of Axxeon.

  “My Prince, you should go to Axxeon 9 with your family.”

  He would never forgive himself if something happened to the last heir to the Axxeon throne. Hahn was quick to push aside his role as Price for that of warrior and adventurer. He was never far from the action. Yet, the compound was on perilous ground. And his mission could go wrong in a multitude of ways. He did not want to risk the Prince’s safety.

  Hahn stretched his arms above his head as if he’d walked in on a conversation about what to have for a meal instead of a delicate mission. “I’m not going anywhere, Quixx.”

  “But, my Prince—”

  “I said that I’m not going anywhere.”

  Quixx gave a resolved nod and turned back to studying the maps. He programmed his comlet with relevant geographical information and synched to the compound’s terra navigation system. As he prepared, the severity of the mission grew stronger in his mind. Not only was he responsible for retrieving a weapon that could protect his people against future enemy attack, he was expected to help the humans in their own fight for life and freedom. He had to complete his tasks quickly before the compound became unstable and risked the life of the remaining warriors and their Prince.

  It felt as if the fate of the Axxeon were on his shoulders again. And this time, he couldn’t make any mistakes.

  Or risk any distractions.

  The voice inside his inner mind began an urgent whisper--the one he’d hoped to silence as long as possible--and reminded him of what he must do.

  “Collect the female to accompany you,” Tryllin said. “Bring her to say her farewell to my mate before you leave. As Priya has decided to remain on Earth, this is the last chance she’ll have to see her friend.”

  Completing his planning session with Tryllin and Hahn, he was confident in their plan and what he needed to do. He grabbed an additional comlet and slipped it into his pocket. Returning to his quarters, he donned tactical gear, including a headset that clipped into an implant at the base of his skull which would allow him to communicate telepathically with Hahn back at Command.

  When he was armed with his gear
and weapons, he took one last look at his quarters and headed into the corridor. He would collect Priya and inform her of the plan for completing the mission. It would be hard for her to say goodbye to the Queen, who was also her good friend. Perhaps… Priya would decide to remain with them and travel to Axxeon 9 instead of returning to the city. He stomped out the thought.

  He did not need distraction or complications. Priya had said herself that having sex did not need to interfere with their mission. They could go their separate ways, no expectations. It is what they both wished for.

  Why did it make his heart ache to think of leaving her behind?

  His mood quickly souring, Quixx stormed to her quarters. Empty. The only other places she could go without needing someone to buzz her in was the cruex, and medical since Yawnlit had allowed her the code. He checked to see if she was taking her morning meal first. Uncomfortable urgency pulsed through him when he found the room empty. His impatience growing, he spotted her in medical.

  He pulled up short, his spine lighting with painful shocks.

  Priya faced the containment chamber, her hands pressed against the glass where they met those of the Nozing prince on the other side. The enemy looked adoringly down at the human from his full height. His spine and shoulders were hunched as if he were in pain. And Priya…

  Her face was twisted in surprised agony.

  As if she felt it, too.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Step back!”

  Priya jerked at the boom in Quixx’s voice, but she didn’t move out of the way.

  “I can’t,” she whispered urgently. “I’m stuck. He’s holding me somehow.”

  Yawnlit had come to her quarters, startling her awake. She’d been confused at first. Her last memory had been in Quixx’s arms after they’d made love inside the bar. The Axxeon doctor had said he was leaving, and she needed to go to medical and assess Brandon’s condition. He’d left before she could dress and question him further. By the time she’d arrived in medical, Yawnlit was nowhere to be found.

  Brandon was sleeping.

  It was the Nozing who needed her.

  “Priya, step back from the containment chamber.”

  The preciseness of Quixx’s words and the demand with which he said them did nothing to propel her into action. Her hands were stuck to the glass of their own volition, her eyes bound to the Nozing as if magnetized. She’d felt it as soon as she’d stepped inside the room. The pull. The ghostly whisper that swirled in her mind that she couldn’t understand or even believe was real.

  She’d ignored and checked on Brandon. Assessed his vital signs and checked his medication infusion. The compulsion calling to her only increased as she worked, grasping and pulling at her with phantom hands until she had no choice but to turn. And walk to the containment chamber where the prince had risen. Tall. Imposing. She should have been terrified. Her brain kept telling her to be afraid. Yet, she wasn’t. Her only concern had been to go to him, to place her palms against the glass in mirror of his own, and gaze into his eyes where they locked. And held.

  And suddenly, shoots of pain had pierced through her back, her bones and flesh seeming to rip and snap. Hot rivulets streaked between her shoulder blades. Blood. None of the agony was truly hers but she registered it as if it was. Her legs wanted to give out from the force of it, but she stood resolute. A burst of burning pain pitted behind each of her shoulder blades, deepening as if something were creating gaping potholes there.

  He wanted her to understand--to know something.

  Her body was acting as a receiver of his silent words. She’d almost deciphered what he was saying when Quixx burst into the room.

  Her body was riveted into place, her hands glued to the glass. She couldn’t look away because he wasn’t done with her yet.

  Quixx grasped her hips with his hands and pulled her back against him, but her body remained cemented exactly as it was. A ferocious growl came from the Axxeon’s throat as he took her wrists and tried to gently pry her away. Nothing.

  The unseen hold tightened around her, compelling her to stay. To keep listening.

  “Let her go before I come inside and remove your head, beast.”

  “No!” Priya screamed the word. “You can’t hurt him. Just let me listen a little longer.”

  Quixx took her chin in his hand and tried to turn her to face him, but her neck was rigid.

  “Listen? You mean, he is speaking to you?”

  Tears welled in her eyes as a fresh smolder of pain puffed between her shoulder blades and quickly turned aflame. “Yessss. No. I don’t know. I don’t know.”

  She cried openly, having no control of the tears as they poured down her face. Lightheaded, she willed her body to break free of the spell. She needed to sit down before she fainted from the pain. If something could just pop through the wells in her back, the pain would subside. Like a bubble that needed to burst.

  Suddenly, the Nozing prince fell to his knees, his head hanging low. With a cry, Priya’s tumbled to the ground. Quixx caught her before she hit the floor. Panting, she stayed still in his arms, afraid to move. The loss of connection with the alien prince filled her with sadness. Glancing at him over Quixx’s arm, she watched with quiet dismay as the Nozing rolled onto his side into a fetal position. The same position he’d been in for days save for just now when he’d risen and used compulsion on her.

  “He needs my help.” She whispered the words against Quixx’s shoulder.

  He stiffened, his grip tightening. “He is dangerous.”

  She shook her head and wiped at her eyes. “No, he’s not. He’s gentle inside. I could feel it. But he’s in so much pain. I need Yawnlit to tell me what I can offer him to take his pain away.”

  “It’s unlikely that we have anything that could ease his suffering. Nozing biology is indeterminate and forever changing.”

  “He is pure,” she whispered with a reverence that surprised her. Where had that come from?

  Roughly, Quixx held her away from him so he could peer into her face. “What is this hold he has over you?”

  A thought began to populate in her mind. Pushing herself to her feet, Priya disentangled herself from Quixx’s arms. “I don’t know, but he needs… it feels like something needs to pop. Wait. It’s his wings. Could they be… oh, they’re stuck. He needs me to release his wings.”

  She turned to the glass and put her hands back against it. “Your wings are stuck, aren’t they? Hey! You need me to make room for your wings.”

  A rush of emotion and random thoughts burst into her brain. This is what would kill him. Stunted wings were a death sentence. Something not seen in the Nozing people for centuries as they’d genetically modified wings from their biology. She would be the first to—the only to know—how to help if she figured out how to help his wings progress.

  “I’m a surgeon.” She spun to Quixx. “I can help his wings come forward. You need to help me.”

  Quixx took her by the upper arms. Intense anger laced with concern stomped on her enthusiasm. “You are not going to help him. Do you understand? Where is Yawnlit?”

  “I don’t know. He came to my quarters early and said he was leaving. Probably to do that solarderm thing.”

  Quixx clenched his eyes, his lips pulling into a snarl. Priya touched her fingers to the side of his face, drawing his gaze back to her. She had the strongest desire to kiss him. Memory of last night washed over her. The orgasms. Jesus. From the roots of her hair to the tips of her toes. She’d never imagined pleasure like that.

  How nice it would be to find some of that tenderness in Quixx right now. Instead, he looked ready for battle. Realizing how he was dressed, she stepped back and took him all in. He was wearing what looked like tactical police gear, but different. A belt around his hips held a variety of weapons, the communications device over his head had a wire snapped into the base of his skull with a device he could flip over his left eye. He looked part cyborg, part alien and one hundred percent deadly.


  Her body quivered with a burst of desire. And… something else.

  “You’re leaving.”

  “We are leaving. The King has ordered us to leave immediately to collect the weapons.”

  “I can’t go with you.” She wanted to sink into herself as she said the words. The thought of Quixx leaving the compound without her tore at her heart. But she had a task to do.

  “You are going with me.”

  “No. I need to help the Nozing. If I don’t, he’s going to die.”

  “Then he dies.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “How can you say that when I have the ability to prevent it?”

  Quixx rose to his full height, his body becoming broader, taller. More deadly. Eyes flashing with white rings, he spread his arms to the side. “His kind is responsible for the death of my mother. My sister. I held them in my arms while the virus burst their hearts, their blood spilling onto me as they drowned in it. His kind is responsible for the fires ravishing your city. The looting. The violence. That is not worthy of being saved.”

  Her chin quivered at the image of Quixx cradling his family in his arms while they died played through her mind.

  “The Nozing killed fifteen thousand of our women. Mothers, daughters, elders. Erased from Axxeon 8 like dust swept from a room. The death of our females unbalanced our planet and it too, died because of what his people did. Those left are now confined to a base station, blocked from the warmth of a sun, from fresh air, from standing beneath a waterfall, or feeling rain. Because of him. No hologram or simulation can replace what his kind has stolen.”

  “I understand what you are saying, Quixx. I’m going to make the case that this individual Nozing is not the one who killed your people. He himself is not to blame.”

  “He is Nozing. It is all the same.”

  How often in human history were individuals or groups of people blamed for what others did before them? Guilty and hated simply for being part of a race or culture who had committed an atrocity in the past. It seemed humans and the Axxeon both held grudges.