Twist of Fate (Veredian Chronicles Book 4)

by Regine Abel

  Teeth clenched, I waited while he scanned the male’s vitals.

  “Kamala and Sohr have both secured their own sections of the base,” Lee said softly. “They are beginning to evacuate the females. We’ve sustained no casualties or injuries, and have two more guards secured for questioning.”

  I nodded stiffly. He was trying to distract me from my seething anger. Lee’s ability to gauge people’s state of mind and appease them always impressed me. The only time I truly saw him lose his composure had been nearly two years ago when he tried to convince Valena to move to Haven.

  “First Officer,” Zakh called.

  I approached the field medic, Lee shadowing me.

  “I do not want to risk reviving these males here in these conditions,” Zakh said. “They wouldn’t be able to walk on their own anyway. I will need as many medical personnel and hover-stretchers as possible to unhook these males and carry them back to the ships.”

  “You will need a temporary ward to treat them all,” I said.

  Zakh nodded. “Yes, and preferably all grouped together.”

  There were too many of them to fit on a single one of our Xelixian ships. Having Zakh hop from one ship to the other to treat them would prove highly impractical.

  “We can set up a room on our battlecruiser,” Lee said. “It might be a little cramped, but it will accommodate them all.”

  Anticipating needs, as always.

  “Thank you, Lee,” I said with sincere gratitude.

  “My pleasure, Ghan.”

  He always had an odd way of saying my name.

  “Admiral,” a Tuurean female called out.

  “Excuse me,” Lee said before heading towards the female at the back of the room.

  As he walked away, I overheard him giving the command over his com to prepare the ward and send more medical assistance to the compound.

  “Will the males recover?” I asked Zakh while looking at Lee’s receding back, wondering what the female wanted to show him.

  “Yes, Ghan. They should be fine, but I want to make a more thorough assessment of them and awaken them slowly. The Goddess only knows how long they’ve been in stasis like this.”

  “Very well. I’ll leave you to it, then,” I said, seeing Kamala enter the room.

  She headed straight for me with her usual feline gait. That Tuurean female was sexy, confident, and utterly lethal.

  “Already done?” I asked, surprised she hadn’t finished supervising the transfer of the Veredian females.

  “Hardly, but Elvenia required my presence here.”

  Oh?

  I gave her an inquisitive look.

  “There is apparently a hidden room at the back which didn’t show on our schematics,” Kamala explained. “Elvenia picked up four Veredian signatures trapped inside.”

  That piqued my curiosity. As we approached the back area, a ripping sound echoed in the room. With no visible doors or access to the hidden cell, Lee created an opening by parting the wall with the advanced technology embedded in his hands. Over his shoulder, the face of a silver-haired young Veredian appeared, approaching this improvised exit. The small hairs at the back of my head rose up.

  Something’s off.

  It took me half a second to understand what set me on alert. The young Veredian stood too composed, too calm, her soft smile a far cry from the elated or disbelieving weeping and trembling normally expressed by long-time captives who had lost any hope of a rescue.

  I hastened my pace and raised my hand to my com to warn Lee of my misgivings. Lightning fast, the silver-haired Veredian charged him before I could speak. A blade suddenly protruded through Lee’s back.

  Time slowed.

  The Veredian pulled out the blade and swiped at Lee’s neck. I never saw him pull his own sword, but he managed to block her while staggering back.

  “LEE!” Kamala screamed.

  Then we were both running.

  Elvenia, one of the two Tuurean females near Lee, threw herself at the silver-haired assassin while the three other Veredians charged out of the hidden room. Lee fell to one knee, blood pooling at his feet. I caught him before he collapsed to the floor.

  “GET LEE OUT OF HERE!” Kamala shouted, jumping into the battle.

  I cringed to see one of the Tuurean males punch a Veredian in the face. Blood exploded from her mouth. Half-stunned, she shook her head, then backhanded the male before raining a series of blows on him. He blocked those he could, swallowed those he couldn’t, and struck back at every opportunity. Even though they were assassins, the thought of harming a Veredian twisted my innards. They were ours to protect. They were an extension of my family, of my sister Amalia, of my precious Zharina, and of great-mother Maheva.

  At least, he’s not trying to kill her.

  He had indeed been holding back his blows, seeking to incapacitate rather than kill.

  I raced back to the storage room, shouting for Zakh to follow. Despite his size and celesium armor, Lee weighed next to nothing in my arms. However, his blood soaking my armor made holding him slippery. He was losing too much of it, too fast. I feared the assassin had struck an artery. From the angle at which the blade had protruded from his back, she’d either hit his heart, his lungs, or both. The synthetic gurgling of his labored breathing made me lean towards the latter.

  I laid him down on one of the hover-stretchers and put pressure on the wound.

  What the fuck can pierce through celesium armor?

  Tuureans controlled the production of celesium, a metal apparently only found on their homeworld. Any armor or weapon made from it was bio-encrypted so it couldn’t be used in a harmful way against Tuureans. But worse, why hadn’t the nanites of his suit plugged the wound as they normally did?

  Zakh ran his scanner over Lee’s chest.

  “Fuck,” he muttered. “I can’t get any readings.”

  “Move!” Kamala shouted from behind us.

  Looking over my shoulder, I watched her run toward us, the other Tuureans, assisted by my Xelixian warriors, having restrained the Veredians.

  Kamala shoved my hand aside and ran the scanner embedded in her wrist over the wound.

  “Goddess…” she whispered, her synthetic voice full of dread.

  For the first time, I truly feared for Lee. Kamala’s tone erased any doubt about the seriousness of his condition.

  “Lee, you need to lower your armor. I have to go in,” Kamala said in a pressing tone. “You’re not going to make it to the ship.”

  My stomach knotted and my gorge rose. The Admiral couldn’t die. This had to be some mistake.

  He shook his head weakly.

  “N… no. Ca…can't,” he breathed out.

  “You have to! I’m not losing you. We need you.”

  “Pro… tect... Em…pire.”

  “Fuck the Empire! I’m not losing you!” Kamala looked at me then glanced around the room at the Xelixians and Tuureans surrounding us. “The First Division will not betray us. They will keep our secret.”

  “On my honor, Lee,” I said. “Your secrets are safe with us.”

  “On our honor,” my warriors repeated.

  “N-No…”

  “I’m sorry, Lee,” Kamala said.

  She tapped her fingers in a strange pattern on the right side of Lee’s neck. His armor suddenly seemed to deflate with the hissing sound of released pressure. I held my breath as the Admiral’s lithe body lost some of its mass. Kamala raised her hand to her own neck and repeated the gesture she had performed on Lee, unraveling her own armor.

  The nanites on her armor shifted and folded in on themselves, getting sucked into the large belt at her waist. My heart skipped a beat when the receding celesium suit revealed a beautiful Veredian face that stared down at Lee. Copper skin, light brown hair, hazel eyes, a slightly upturned nose, and plump lips—nothing about her was cybernetic. The elegant Veredian markings running down the sides of her neck and the length of her arms labeled her of the Warrior breed.

  Mind
reeling, I lowered my gaze to the Admiral. As his armor began to unravel around him, a tingling sensation stabbed the nape of my neck. The feeling, more unsettling than unpleasant, increased as Lee’s feminine curves were revealed. My breath caught in my throat and my brain ceased to function.

  Perfection…

  Amalia’s heart-shaped face looked back at me, but about ten years older. Lee possessed the same yellow eyes with green specks, high cheekbones, and luscious lips, but with the noble maturity that my mischievous little sister lacked. Lee’s wild and curly mane, restricted in a tail, boasted the similar pale brown color as Kamala’s.

  Our eyes locked and I drowned in their golden sea. Something settled in my chest, and the tingling at the back of my head faded.

  My Goddess. At last…

  My left hand found hers and she clenched it, her stunning features strained by pain.

  “G…Ghan,” she whispered with her synthetic voice.

  My gaze lowered to the voice modulator around her neck. I detached its magnetic clasp before cupping her face with my free hand.

  “I’m here,” I said softly, leaning closer. “You’re going to be fine.”

  Her shaky smile belied the resignation in her eyes. She believed she wouldn’t make it. I hadn’t found her just to lose her now.

  Nails digging into my hand, Lee gasped, her face contorting with pain. I glanced at Kamala. Eyes closed, palms resting below Lee’s left breast, she focused whatever Veredian power she possessed to heal or assist their leader. Unlike Kamala, Lee wasn’t wearing a black tank top, but a tight breast band that flattened her chest.

  Kamala’s eyes snapped open, and she looked up at the Tuurean male who had punched the silver-haired assassin.

  “Jez, that blade left something inside her that’s blocking me and interfering with the suit’s nanites,” Kamala said. “Can you take it out?”

  Jezaya, Lee’s Second Officer, nodded and fingered his neck while approaching the stretcher. His armor receded, revealing yet another Veredian female of the Warrior breed. No wonder Lee had protected the secret so jealously.

  While the two females worked frantically on stabilizing her, I returned my gaze to Lee.

  Not Lee, Aleina.

  I had no doubt whatsoever that she was Maheva’s long-lost youngest daughter.

  “You know I’m going to have to kick your ass, right?” I said with false severity, my eyes boring into hers.

  She snorted through the pain.

  “Y…you ca…”

  “Shhh,” I said softly. “Don’t strain yourself. Save your energy for all the explaining you’re going to have to do.”

  Worry flickered in her eyes.

  “Your secret is safe, but I still want answers.”

  My thumb caressed Lee’s cheek. She leaned into it. A ball of fire burned through my chest. I didn’t know how to handle the emotions that swirled within me. The need to keep her safe, to take away her pain, and carry it for her overwhelmed me.

  Her eyelids fluttered and the slight trembling of her body turned to full-on tremors.

  She’s going into shock.

  “Stay with me, Sameha,” I said, squeezing her hand still held in mine, then looked over my shoulder. “Kamala,” I growled, unable to hide the worry in my voice.

  “We’re almost there,” she said, tense.

  I glanced down at Lee’s chest. A silvery gel had oozed out of the bleeding wound, drawn out by Jezaya. As soon as she scraped it off, Kamala put her palms back on Lee.

  “Yes! It’s working now!” she exclaimed.

  Lee’s skin felt cool and clammy beneath my touch. I shook her face gently to force her to refocus on me and spoke words of encouragement to keep her aware. After what felt like ages, Kamala pulled away her hands and gestured for me to back away. Although the bleeding had stopped, Lee was nowhere near on the mend.

  “She’s not healed!” I exclaimed, confused.

  “I’m not a healer,” Kamala snapped.

  What?!

  “She’s stable enough to make it to the ship. Jez, you go with her.”

  “Yes, Kamala,” Jezaya responded.

  I tapped my com.

  “Sohr,” he answered through the com.

  “I’m escorting Lee to the ship. You’re now in command. Zakh will lead my squad.”

  “Acknowledged.”

  With much reluctance, I let go of Lee’s hand so that Kamala could harness her to the hover-stretcher and close the protective dome above. Lee’s eyes never left mine.

  “I’ll be right there with you,” I said to her.

  Her lips quivered, I hoped in an attempt to smile.

  The stretcher flew out toward the shuttle with Jezaya and me running alongside it.

  CHAPTER 5

  Aleina

  An hour after returning from surgery, I’d run out of excuses to keep Ghan at bay. I still ached, feeling drained. We didn’t have healers onboard of my mother’s caliber. Without my half-sister’s timely intervention, they’d be holding a funeral ceremony right now. Although grateful to be alive, I couldn’t help thinking that saving me wasn’t worth exposing the secret that had kept our people safe for over a decade.

  And yet, the selfish part of me rejoiced to be freed of the shackles of silence.

  The door chime startled me. Hand on my chest, I barely suppressed a gasp of surprise. My throat worked in vain, my mouth too dry to swallow. I forced myself to display the cold, collected demeanor of Admiral Lee, leader of the Tuurean military that I had spent years cultivating and perfecting. However, the absence of my celesium armor and mask left me feeling naked and exposed.

  “Open,” I said.

  A tingling sensation rose at the back of my neck as the door swished open in response to my command. The imposing silhouette of the male who had occupied my thoughts for the past three years stood before me. His pitch black eyes connected with mine, robbing me of breath. Many times our gazes had crossed, but this time there would be no hiding.

  You had wanted him to see you.

  I had, but now I felt stripped bare as he walked into my private quarters, examining every inch of the real me. Although I wore the standard-issue black leggings and tank top of the crew, in a semi-deliberate coquettish act, I’d left my hair unbound, cascading down the middle of my back. It was shorter than the length Veredians traditionally grew, but impersonating a male required some sacrifices. For the first time, rather than admiration for Ghan’s eternal stoicism, I wished his impassive face would reveal his thoughts.

  “First Officer Ghan,” I said in greeting, my own natural, husky voice sounding foreign to me.

  He snorted and tilted his head, his lips slightly stretched in what could either be a smirk or a repressed snarl.

  “And what should I call you, Admiral? Lee or Aleina Fein?”

  I flinched and immediately cursed myself for displaying my emotions. The absence of my helm meant relearning control in public.

  “Either is fine,” I said, lifting my chin.

  “Feeling better?”

  “Yes, thank you.”

  “You had us worried there. I assume you’re fully recovered?”

  Goddess, I hated this polite, stilted conversation. I’d faced countless battles, sustained many injuries, and killed my fair share of opponents, but never had Death held me with such a tight grip. I’d give anything for Ghan to just hold me and tell me all was fine, rather than fighting to maintain this façade of strength.

  “Mostly, although Mother will want to do some tweaks of her own,” I said, hugging my midsection. “You know how she is.”

  Ghan snorted again and ran his fingers across the bridge of his nose and down his cheek where there had once been a fearsome scar. Mother couldn’t see a scar or wound without itching to heal it.

  “Oh yeah, I know all too well. You told her on Crebios, didn’t you? That’s why your guards wouldn’t let us into that room while you spoke with Mother Maheva. You were revealing yourself.”

  My throat t
ightened at the memory of our first reunion after twenty-six years apart. How I had longed to hold her again, to feel her hug me like only a loving mother could. Our alliance with the Xelixians had been so fresh and fragile, my impatience almost ruined it.

  “Yes.”

  He nodded slowly, no doubt listing all the hints of our ties that would have slipped over the past three years.

  I cleared my throat.

  “Please have a seat,” I said, gesturing toward the breakfast table that also served as a work desk when I held private meetings with my senior officers.

  Ghan nodded again but took the time to scan my quarters before doing so. I wondered what he made of it, hating once more his ability to hide his thoughts.

  The size of the Tempest—my battlecruiser—allowed for spacious living quarters. My large bed propped up against the back wall occupied only a quarter of the space. Three feet from the night stand, a long Veredian dresser contained the civilian clothes I never got to use. Above, a series of shelves displayed images of my family: Mother, Amalia and her family, and my beloved late sister Sevina. I’d taken that picture from Gruuk’s medallion, with Sevina holding her daughter Amalia when she was still a child. The door on the opposite wall led into a massive fresher with a water shower and a wide bath. My computer desk sat in the corner, next to my everyday walk-in closet which, frankly, classified more as an armory as it contained a few celesium armors and a slew of weapons. A small reading alcove with a huge window onto the endless space beyond sat between my desk area and the breakfast area.

  Unlike Xelixians, Veredians loved colors and my room teemed with them. In spite of the default dark grey walls, burnished reds, soft blues, and golden yellows gave life to the otherwise stilted environment. I wondered if he liked it or found it overwhelming.

  Rather than sitting at the table, he went for one of the two large armchairs in the reading nook. I followed in his wake.

  “I will not ask why this huge charade. We all swore to keep your secret, and we will honor that pledge. However, you will need to tell Khel and Amalia.”

  My stomach dropped. With the entire First Division now aware, it would be a major slap in the face for Khel, their General, to keep him in the dark. And my niece….