Unmatched

by Annalise Alexis

  Pressing his fingers to the back of my neck, Ren releases a steady stream of pure bliss down my spine. The feeling slowly creeps all the way to my toes, then explodes, reaching every nerve, every synapse—until I’m completely limp in his arms. All the stress I’d been holding in my muscles melts away, and I look up at his dreamy pale blue eyes to find him staring at me.

  “I have only felt fear once in my life. The moment I thought you had been lost to me forever. I saw that pain on the male Yriq’s face. I do not ever wish to feel it again.”

  “Me neither.” I angle my head, inviting a kiss, and Ren presses his lips to mine. “So, where to now? Are we back on course to make it to…what’s the name of that planet, again?”

  “Bastian.”

  I sound out the name, “B-a-s-t-i-a-n.” Anxiety thrums through our bond. I sit up, pulling Ren with me, and start rubbing the tight muscles of his shoulders and back. “We have plenty of time, you know. Before we get there, I mean. What? A day or two? That’s long enough for you to break into Xen’s mind.”

  Ren rolls his head and grunts, completely ignoring my comment about Xen. I guess that translates into: “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “Bastian is a small planet on the edge of the Zurulian Galaxy. Its desolate landscape and harsh ice storms have prevented the establishment of any settlements there. We are just now able to utilize its isolation because unlike the less advanced ship we inhabited before, this vessel can handle the temperature. It should only take us a day more to get there, but depending on the atmosphere, we may need to hover before entering.”

  “Of all the places to go, you guys decided on an ice planet?”

  Ren nudges my nose, lifting my chin toward him so he can press a kiss to my lips. “You need not fear the cold with me, my Aciana. I have many ways of keeping you warm.”

  Oh, I don’t doubt that for a second.

  “That’s great and all, but what are we supposed to do when we get there?”

  “Illusian blood can handle the cold, but for you and for the human mechanic, we will find a cave, or an underground shelter. Those structures are easily heated by fire, and as long as the beasts that dwell within them do not mind sharing their space, there should be no issue. If not, they can be dispatched.”

  I gulp. “Beasts? Why can’t we just stay on the ship?” The question comes out whinier than I’d like, but if there’s any chance I can avoid having to sleep next to a bunch of people who may or may not want to rip out my throat, I’m taking it. And again…beasts.

  “The vessel must remain camouflaged while on the ground. We are not the only beings utilizing satellite imagery to scan for uninhabited planets. The risk for discovery is too great. Ren’s pupils widen and he pulls me closer. “Nothing will touch you. The animals that roam Bastian are large and violent,” Ren grins, showing all his teeth, “but so am I.”

  “You really would murder the universe for me, wouldn’t you?” I lift my hand to run a finger across his smooth lips.

  “Without hesitation.”

  Ren

  Illaria sleeps, propped up against the door holding Xen. I do not wish to interrupt her slumber, but I will not wait any longer. Our journey to Bastian is nearly half over, and I cannot hold an accurate assembly if I do not have a course of action to address the Universal Community’s latest aggressions.

  We must shed our skin and alter our path because the Inokine and their human allies have all but matched our movements. I will not allow my people to be forced to evacuate again. They deserve stability. They deserve life.

  Using my gifts, I infuse Illaria with a sedating calm and reluctantly reposition her next to the door. I dislike the feel of her body beneath my fingers. It is not as supple and inviting as my mate’s and the contrast inspires a heavy feeling of guilt.

  Brushing away thoughts of Jayla, I enter the room, closing the door behind me. I do not wish to wake the others.

  Pain ratchets through me as I burrow deep into Xen’s mind, trying to chip away at whatever the fuck the humans did to lock away his memories. There is a black nothingness. An ebony wall that no matter how hard I beat against, will not break. I cannot reach anything beyond the surface of his mind.

  Treading through the swamp of self-pity, I filter through his most immediate thoughts. Starvation. The lab. Forced breeding. The unknown shock and foreign, yet familiar sound of my voice. The brief inkling of guilt he felt at the sight of Injari’s face. But nothing else. No sense of self. No recollection of the events surrounding his capture.

  After several long moments, Xen moans, drooling on the floor beneath him. What a fucking waste. He once was a revered male, strong, one who commanded authority. Now…he is a hollow shell. The misery and defeat rising from his pores is disgusting. I clench my fist, enraged, fighting my urge to beat his head against the wall until the male I entrusted with commanding my people re-emerges.

  The tendrils of my gifts spread and fill every crevice, every corner of his mind—searching for a weak point. A place I can force my way through. Fuck. Nothing.

  Slamming my fist into the wall, I curse. We will arrive at the gathering in less than one and a half Earth days—and it is my duty to inform my people what I have found—or not found. The answers we seek lie beyond the artificial void created by our enemies to shield the reality of their sins. But I have pushed Xen to his breaking point. Any further and his mind will collapse into madness and the truths of his failure will be lost with him. For now, he will rest. But when he wakes and what meager strength he has is restored, I will find what I need. Whether it kills him or not.

  Chapter Twelve

  Jayla

  Frustration and anger keep me awake. But it isn’t mine. Sleeping is damn near impossible when you have an emotional highway connecting you to someone else. Especially a male that feels as strongly as Ren.

  No matter how hard he tries to put a lid on his emotions, they always bleed through.

  And right now, my heart aches for him. He’s experiencing something he’s never felt before and he doesn’t know how to deal with it.

  Failure.

  Sliding my hand under my pillow, I flip over, trying to get comfortable, but can’t. Ren’s no longer trying to burrow his way into Xen’s mind, but he’s also not in the right headspace to come to bed. He’s fuming, and damn it, now I’m unsettled too.

  With nothing else to do and no way to sleep until he calms down, I pull out the tablet Sol lent me. With so much craziness going on, I haven’t been able to watch the journals in a few days, and after finding out my great-grandfather had a female Inokine in his lab, I’m anxious to get back to them.

  The image flickers in and out above me a few times as it begins to play, and I snuggle into my covers. There’s something about the weight of the heavy comforter that soothes me.

  That, and it’s cold as hell in space.

  Picking up right where I left off, I watch as my great-grandfather shuffles toward two cages, one holding a slender black being with shiny skin and what look to be four distinct breasts—the female Inokine, I think? The second cage contains a green-scaled being with a dorsal fin and exceptionally long claws. My view is limited because the camera moves with him, so it’s rarely straight. He just walks over, does something, then walks back.

  Curious how long this continues on, I fast forward through several entries that all look the same until I come to another one where my great-grandfather is especially haggard.

  He’s again seated at his lab table. “The latest viral serum I created…” he says, then chews on the end of his pen and sighs. “It was too much for Subjects 304, 306, and 312. I found them dead in their enclosures this morning.” He sags in his chair a moment, then turns to the right, staring somewhere outside of camera view. “A quick autopsy shows heart enlargement and pulmonary edema in both sets of lungs in Patient 304. I’ve yet to examine the other two, however evidence of fluid overload is present in both, so as of now, it is likely something similar happened. Patient 305,
however, has survived and will continue with her scheduled breeding studies later today.”

  A phone rings, and my great-grandfather curses quietly. His head dips low, and he sucks in a deep breath. I can practically feel his anxiety.

  “I know I was supposed to call—”

  A distinctly male voice yells over the line, but I can’t understand what he’s saying. My great-grandfather hunches his shoulders. “Listen, I know the serum wasn’t part of the protocol… no, stop yelling and just listen…”

  Whoever is on the end of the line isn’t letting him get a word in. Turning my ears toward the screen as if it will help, I concentrate, trying to hear anything from the caller.

  “You can’t get upset. You knew about my experimental trials when you forced me in here to do your dirty work—”

  Another pause, and he scratches his brow. “No, I didn’t. I’ve followed your guidelines to the T. I only introduced the serum a few days ago. The last batch did fine, and I found a different gene—”

  My heart races, and my mouth goes dry. He’s doing some kind of experiments on these beings, and it’s killing them.

  My great-grandfather is a murderer…

  More yelling, and then he pulls the phone away from his ear. “You know what we’re doing could land us in jail, and I agreed to come here because you swore I could continue my search for a cure. I never would have given it to them if I had known—”

  Whatever the caller says next makes my great-grandfather’s entire body shake. “Now you listen here, Brax—no! You leave my son out of it!”

  The yelling stops, and my great-grandfather’s features slacken, the color draining from his face. He swallows hard, lips trembling. “I understand. I’ll cease the current trial and prep Subject 305 for today’s experiment.” He drops the phone. And for a moment, all he does is stare at the dark screen.

  Jumping up so quickly he smacks his elbow into the camera and knocks it loose, he runs, white coat flapping, over to a small office. The camera swings, the room swaying side to side and upside down. As soon as the door opens, a little boy—no older than two— waddles into his arms, and my lungs seize. He wraps him in a giant hug, sits there on the floor, and weeps. Shoulders trembling in hard sobs, he pulls the squirming toddler from where he tucked him under his chin and kisses him. “No one will take you from me, Andy. No one.”

  Andy. The name settles in my gut like a heavy weight.

  My grandfather.

  Joy warms me for a split second before a realization sends a cold chill down my spine. The date at the bottom of the entry is almost three years after my great-grandmother passed from gene dysplasia. There’s no way my grandfather would still be that young.

  But then, how? Nausea burns my throat.

  James Shirley.

  Murderer.

  Cheater.

  Liar.

  Ren’s energy thrums through our bond, strengthening the closer he gets to our room. I abandon my attempt to tamp down my disbelief and devastation and let the tears fall. Sometimes being strong is admitting when you can’t take anymore.

  And I can’t. This is too fucking much.

  With a trembling finger, I turn off the screen and wait to confess the sins of my family to the male I love.

  Ren

  Her tears have ceased. The loud misery-laden sobs fade to whimpers and she finally slips into sleep. My veins swell as I hold my breath, trying not to destroy everything in my path. Betrayal. A dark, thick blanket of sorrow weighs down my mate over a male she has never met. A male that shares her blood and is quite possibly the cause of my people’s suffering.

  My footfalls echo down the hall, and I reel in my anger, silencing them. I cannot afford to be distracted.

  Sol jerks awake as I enter the navigation bay, drool stuck to his chin, not bothering to sleep in his actual chambers. “I need you to find someone. A human male mentioned in one of Jayla’s video journals.”

  “Which entry, Acia? Does the male speak? Even the slightest of tones can be analyzed.”

  “I do not know. It is the last she watched. I trust you can figure that out on your own.”

  Sol fumbles with his tablet, then wipes his eyes. “Anything else I should know about this male before I begin my search for him?”

  “Just find him so that I may kill him.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Jayla

  My eyes feel like sandpaper, and I’m completely exhausted. I hate the way I feel after I cry. Not to mention, since I rarely do it, my eyes swell up like I’ve been punched in the face.

  Luckily, it doesn’t hurt nearly as bad.

  I snicker out loud, and Leandra cocks a brow. “You doing okay? Or did what Ren tell us about what you found last night knock a few screws loose?” She snorts as I throw the couch pillow in my lap at her head. “I’m just saying, no one blames you. You never even met the man.”

  Rhia straightens Ajay’s little shirt and pulls him closer to her on the floor. Liral has been running around for several minutes trying to make the little Illusian laugh. “It is true, Ajayla. Blood or not, no one here holds you accountable for the actions of another.”

  I try and swallow past the lump in my throat. “Tell that to the hundreds of Illusians I’ll meet at the gathering.”

  Dreya’s eyes narrow, and she juts out her chin. “They will say nothing. You are their Aciana. If they dare to disrespect you, there will be consequences. You cannot think the Acia would allow it.”

  “No. I know he wouldn’t. I just…I just wish it weren’t true. Makes me sick to even think about it.”

  Leandra squeezes my hand. “I know it does. But you can’t let it get to you. You’ve got to pull up your big girl panties. We’re gonna make some shit happen, Jay. And I have no doubt, a lot of it has to do with you.”

  I force a smile. This whole sulking thing gets old quickly. Ajay’s lyrical giggles draw my attention, and I nearly gasp as he rolls halfway on his side.

  “Rhia! Is that—did he just roll over? Holy crap he’s only like two months old!”

  She rubs a hand over his head, smoothing his hair. “Yes, but it is quite normal for Illusian babies, Ajayla. They advance quite quickly. You will see soon enough.” She shifts her gaze to my belly, then back to Ajay.

  “Oh, I’m not… I mean I haven’t started my period, but that’s normal for me. I’ve never been regular.”

  Rhia furrows her brow, then blushes. “Oh, Ajayla. I am sorry. I did not know. I just assumed—you know most Illusian females…” Her eyes strain as she looks to Dreya for help.

  “Okay, what did I miss? Because I’m confused,” Leandra says as she grabs the cup of tea next to her and takes a sip. I grimace, trying to stifle a gag. I really wish she’d go back to drinking Amina’s blue tea. This brown one smells like rotten eggs and sweaty feet.

  Bright red and panic stricken, Rhia relaxes slightly as I smile.

  “What gives? It’s not a big deal. You thought I was pregnant, and I’m not. You didn’t offend me.”

  She exhales loudly. “Oh, thank the stars. I was worried you would think I was challenging your fertility.”

  My brow furrows. “Why would I think that?”

  Rhia and Dreya stare at each other a moment before Dreya turns to speak to me. “Most Illusian females get pregnant on the first mating when the bond is most potent, Ajayla. And since you and the Acia have been together for some time…we just assumed.”

  I sit silently for a moment, trying to let that sink in. I haven’t started my period, but I know enough about pregnancy to know I’d feel different. So, is there something wrong with me? The burst of disappointment that settles in my chest surprises me.

  Am I even ready for babies?

  “The first time?” Leandra blurts out, nearly choking on her tea. “Thank tits, I’m a human. So, wait. How long have you guys been mated?”

  Dreya smiles. “Nexx and I have been together for roughly twenty birth cycles. Liral is the youngest of our five children. The rest are
of mating age and serving under different leadership.”

  Rhia picks up Ajay and holds him close. “Rivan and I are newly mated. Only about four birth cycles, but I had difficulty…” She kisses the top of his head and holds him close. “Rivan and I have not had a typical mating. Ajay is our first to survive.”

  There is an awkward silence in the room for a moment until a loud hiss scrapes across my eardrums. Then a booming snarl.

  Ren.

  I jump from the couch and run toward the kitchen, Dreya on my heels. Skidding to a stop, my mouth drops open.

  What. The. Hell.

  Illaria is in a full crouch in front of Xen’s door, barbs exposed, hissing at Tao. He’s also hovering low to the ground, chomping at the bit to get past her.

  Ren is at my side as soon as I enter. “Stay back.”

  My brows furrow in confusion. “What the hell is going on?”

  Ren runs a thumb along my jaw. “Illaria will not let anyone pass, and I desire to search the male for answers. Tao is enraged at her refusal to let me in.”

  “Why’d you snarl at her? That was a bit much, don’t you think?”

  Tao inches closer to Illaria. “The snarl was not meant for her, but for Tao. His aggression is uncalled for. He dislikes Xen and finds it distasteful the female would obstruct my attempts at questioning him in such a way.”

  “Why’s she acting like such a spaz? Normally she spends her entire day sitting on the couch looking down her nose at people.”

  “You do not smell it?”

  I quirk a brow, tempted to make a fart joke to break the tension, but don’t. I suck in a deep breath and come up empty. “Nope. Nothing. Guess my human nose isn’t fancy enough. What should I have smelled?”

  “Illaria is protecting her intended.”

  A cough rattles my chest, and I nearly choke on my spit. “I’m sorry, what?”

  “Illaria was called to Xen. A rare and unexplainable pull to another creature that is a genetically perfect match. It is the same pull I felt when I first found you.”