Mating Spark (Praesidio Book 1)

by Ava Ryant

  “He suggests we run the holo projections again with you next to the “Ambassador” so that you can blast the Shifters who can’t stop the change. Once you demonstrate your dominance they should be fine.” She finished with a shrug as Alexa stared at her. Was this a joke?

  Chapter 3

  Alexa stood next to Ambassador Lyric, or the depiction of him anyway, when Owen came upon them. She watched as he stuttered to a halt, ten feet away. His eyes widened as he stared, his breathing became shallow. She turned and looked him in the eye. He looked from her to the Ambassador and back again. His body shaking, he was on the verge of a Shift.

  “Stop.” Alexa said sharply. Her voice ringing with authority as she stared him down. He looked at her again and backed away slowly, never turning his back to them. Once he was across the courtyard he sprinted down a secure hallway and out of sight. She sighed. Well that was a bit better than last time.

  “That was good!” Anabel cried out eagerly and Garret nodded in agreement next to her, coming out from their hiding places.

  “He ran away.” She said dryly.

  “But he didn’t go beast!” Anabel crowed.

  “How many more?” Alexa asked tiredly. She had been doing this all damn day on top of yesterday’s fiasco. She was starving and a bit cranky from lack of sleep. The upcoming visit was causing her a lot of long nights. Most evenings she was up studying Laren customs and reviewing the colony’s security protocols until late. She wanted to be ready for the Laren delegation. Everything needed to be perfect this first visit, which didn’t seem possible with this Shifter problem.

  “Only two. So far only a handful have Shifted but immediately changed back once you grabbed hold and gave them a good shake. The next time we do this, we might have no shifts.” She said eagerly.

  “Great.” Alexa stated sarcastically.

  “I thought so!” Anabel said cheerfully and Alexa groaned. She glared at her too perky blonde-haired sister. With her short hair and delicate features she looked like a pixie, one Alexa wanted to throttle.

  Time passed quickly as everyone geared up for the upcoming visit and soon Ryker and Justine were back from their rotation in outpost 12. To say there was a difference in their behaviour was an understatement. Suddenly Ryker and Justine were acting politer than she had ever seen them to each other. No shouted arguments, no insults, no bickering, just extremely awkward and civilized encounters that left everyone baffled. Case in point this council meeting.

  “I agree with Lieutenant Ryker.” Justine said in a calm voice. Her face blank. Ryker and Justine were sitting next to each other, stiff as a board, staring straight ahead and avoided calling each other by their name. Oh no, it was formal titles all around nowadays.

  “Err, you do?” Garret asked shocked as he looked back and forth between Ryker and Justine.

  “Lieutenant Ryker makes a fair point. He is the Chief of Security.” Justine said rigidly, glaring a bit at Garret. Ryker too was glaring at Garret, who was now a bit pale-faced and alarmed.

  “Okay, then. It’s settled. Ryker will finalize the security protocols and Justine will assist.” Alexa said bringing the meeting to a close, fighting a grin the entire time. As Anabel said to her only last night, something had definitely happened at old outpost 12. Oh, to have been a fly on that wall.

  Later that evening, Ryker was in her private salon going through everything he and Justine worked out. Ryker as a Shifter had to go through the same simulation as the others but thankfully he made it through without going beast on them. He had laughed hysterically when Alexa told him about the first round of tests.

  “Shut up, it’s not funny!” She said tossing a datapad at him. It slapped into his chest before he caught it.

  “I can’t believe teddy-bear Owen went beast. I never have a problem with him. He’s always so relaxed and easy going. He’s the first most turn to, when they need to rant and rave about their problems. He doesn’t even like the arena. Says he abhors violence and we should instead form a harmony circle, to air out our grievances whilst we hold hands and hug or what-the-fuck-ever.” He choked out between laughs.

  “I felt so bad for him the next day. He stood in front of me, blushing and stammering out an apology.” Alexa said with a smile. Owen really was a sweetie.

  “I bet no one else fucking apologized.” He said with a smirk.

  “No.” She said, rolling her eyes. Shifters tended to be “in the moment” types, apologizing wouldn’t occur to most. If blood wasn’t spilled then there was no reason to apologize. The end.

  “Well, I’ve checked everything over. Gone through the colony twice, ran each security measure and fine-tuned the protocols with Justine. We are as set as we can get for the visit.” He said grimacing. Ryker along with some others, still were not too thrilled with the thought of Alien visitors. Even invited ones.

  “Good. I’ve run through all procedures with each department. Every single resident of the colony has strict instructions on behavior and emergency practices, even the civilians.” She said, looking over the exhaustive list of things that they had accomplished for this visit. Everything was crossed off. Every box was checked. Excellent.

  “Soooo….what’s going on with you and Justine? You two seemed awfully...polite nowadays.” Alexa said in a teasing voice as he got up and glared at her. She thought there was a bit of a blush on his cheeks.

  “Mind your own business, Lex.” He growled out, stomping to the door in a huff as she laughed.

  “You are my business!” She called out to him as he left with a final wave and a grumbled,

  “Tomorrow then.”

  Alexa leaned back in her chair and stretched.

  “Tomorrow.” She whispered.

  Chapter 4

  Ambassador Lyric gazed out of his viewing screen at the red planet with the massive colony complex that grew ever larger as their ship drew closer. The humans had been very busy since his last visit, six annums ago. Back then, they were struggling to survive the devastation the Kraith had wrought them. He knew that it had come very close to them simply killing his group on sight. Humans were a wild and aggressive species, much like his own. It was amazing to see the advancements they had accomplished in such a short time. He knew from his intel that many of the humans had gone through a massive biological and metaphysical change upon encountering the Kraith. Those changes had allowed them to, in effect, annihilate more than half of the Kraith’s fleet; who had arrogantly brought them right into Earth’s atmosphere. It was, by far, the most effective defense any technologically inferior race had put up against them. An accord between the Coalition and the humans was paramount, for more than one reason.

  His door opened and Lyric saw his son, Ryhs enter the suite. He was not happy about being forced to come to this “backwater” planet, as he called it. The Earth solar system was quite a distance from the next inhabited planet, almost hidden away. It was a wonder the Kraith had come across it in the first place. He shook his head at his son’s disgruntled expression. Ryhs didn’t understand yet what the humans were to their people. So far, only the Laren Conclave knew of the devastating problem they were facing. Not even the Coalition were informed. The humans could be their salvation. The Laren must have an alliance with them. It was why the Laren - why he - had taken such an active and vehement role in pushing the humans membership through the Coalition. The compromise that he had reached with the Earth Commander was not one the Coalition had ever allowed. He had used every contact, every favor, every advantage to push it through.

  “Is it time to meet with the Umanes?” Ryhs asked belligerently. Lyric frowned at him.

  “It’s Humans. Make sure you pronounce it right. I have worked too hard to bring forth this meeting for you to ruin it with your disrespect.” He said sharply. Ryhs gave him a contrite grimace and nodded.

  “Of course, La’Ro. I’m sorry for my behaviour. You’ve worked very hard to bring the Humans into the Coalition.” He said bowing slightly in apology as was custom. Lyri
c nodded to him. His son was quite stubborn and arrogant at times but he never failed to make amends when he was wrong or show respect to his elders. He was just...lonely and surly because of it. Lyric understood, Ryhs had about given up hope on finding his mate. Only continued to search due to his La’Ra, not wanting to hurt her by giving up. Lyric hoped the alliance with the Humans would solve everything.

  “I know you didn’t want to come but...it is important.” Lyric said and turned back to the window.

  _________________________

  Alexa and the other officers on the Council stood at the entrance of the docking area to greet the Ambassador’s group. There would be seven of them including Ambassador Lyric, who she had met previously, six years before, disembarking from their ship. No one else was allowed off but these pre-approved seven. She and the rest of the Council were all decked out in their Praesidio uniforms and standing at the ready.

  The uniforms were pretty simple; either a matte black or creamy ivory, asian style tunic jacket with a curved mandarin collar and subtle embroidery, paired with simple black slacks or knee-length skirt. She chose to wear her black tunic and black slacks, pulling her light brown hair into a sophisticated braided bun at the nape, donning classic diamond stud earrings. Each council member displayed a silver starburst pin on their collar denoting their rank. She wore two, which ranked her as Chancellor. Simple. Understated, professional and refined, that’s how they all looked in their Praesidio uniforms.

  Alexa watched as Ambassador Lyric’s group stepped off their ship and went through the decontamination chambers, then through the bay doors that lead to the her and the Council. The Ambassador was a Laren, a more human-looking alien in the Coalition. They appeared a cross between Tolkien-Elves and sexy-Fairies to her. They had slightly pointed ears, creamy-silver skin that boasted brilliant shades of Metallics plates; the Metallics apparently were on the crowns of their head, the collarbone area, the wrists, ankles and groin according to the biological data they had from the Coalition on the Laren.

  Their faces were, by human-standards, nothing short of physical perfection; high cheekbones, clear blemish-free skin, full lips and so on and so on. Their eyes though, were truly dazzling to behold. They had black pupils, like humans, but the irises were a swirling, twirling mix of riotous colors that changed constantly. It was mesmerizing to see, almost hypnotizing in its effect.

  Alexa was nervous as hell. This was the first real exchange between her people and the Coalition and she wanted it to go well. She kept her face serene, no matter that her heart felt like it was beating a mile a minute. This first greeting would set the tone of the visit and she was determined to get off on the right foot. Unlike others she didn’t have anything against these Aliens. It was wrong to be biased against them just from past experience with the Kraith. She would show them respect and keep an open mind until they showed they could not be trusted. If that happened, then she would not hesitate to destroy them.

  “Ambassador Lyric.” Alexa said welcoming him and bowing her head and placing her right hand over her heart, as was Laren custom. He bowed back but then extended his hand to her.

  “I believe this is the customary greeting on Earth.” He said in his beautiful lilting voice. It sent tremors through her, seriously it was like everything about the Laren was designed to captivate humans. She nodded and smiled politely, extending her hand in return. They shook for a minute before they released. So far, so good.

  “Please let me introduce you to my entourage.” Ambassador Lyric said and the others in his group lined up.

  “This is my Chief Healer. La’Rianne Simin.” Alexa bowed the usual Laren greeting and followed with a handshake. From her Laren studies she knew the usual introduction for a female was La’Rianne followed by their given name. For a male is was La’Ronne. It was the equivalent of Lord and Lady or Sir and Madam in human terms. The Laren didn’t have last names, per say, but when questioned would give you their Ainm, meaning House or Clan name. They grouped together to form clans under one banner, whether they were related or not. Ambassador Lyric continued to introduce her down the line.

  “La’Ronne Tamir.” Chief Security Officer. Bow then handshake.

  “La’Rianne Sian.” Security Deputy. Bow then handshake.

  “La’Ronne Marq.” Cultural Attaché. Bow then handshake.

  “La’Ronne Aron.” Ambassador's Assistant. Bow then handshake.

  “And finally this is my son, La’Ronne Ryhs. He’s an expert in treaty negotiations and will serve as our Chief Mediator.” He said proudly. Alexa looked over the Ambassador's son and could see the resemblance between them. Ryhs cut a more intimidating figure than his father, his build muscular, his metallic coloring more blue than purple. However they both had the same six-foot five-inch height and inky black hair dipped in shiny blue at the tips and...well...he was freaking gorgeous. His eyes swirling with a dazzling mix of aquamarine and turquoise. Alexa fought not to blush under his intense gaze. Why were the Laren’s so freaking good-looking?

  “La’Ronne Ryhs.” Alexa said respectfully and did her bow. He reached out his hand and she followed suit. The Laren were making great effort to include Earth customs.

  They touched hands and immediately she felt a difference. Her skin burned hot in his, lightening shooting up her arm and her mind seized. Alexa saw flashes of scenes in her head and was lost to them.

  She twirled in a long flowing dress, her arms around Ryhs. Alexa loved how his bright eyes were swirling in a mix of moss green and gold as he gazed down at her. He was looking at her as if she was...everything. It made her heart melt. Ryhs spun her around again and she laughed as the classic-oldies Earth song played in the background. He had gotten vids of human dancing and wanted to learn. She was enjoying the process. They moved gracefully across the outdoor courtyard in their home. The night flowers were blooming and their scent was intoxicating in the air. He drew her closer into his arms and his head came down to...

  It ended abruptly and immediately another began.

  She hopped around trying to pull up her pants, her belly huge. If Ryhs caught her bouncing around like this he’d go ballistic. Alexa panted in exertion but no amount of tugging pulled up the obviously shrunken pants. God, she was so ready to be done being pregnant. She couldn’t believe the Laren were pregnant for three-freaking-years. Thank god it looked like she would be due soon, only eighteen months. Yippee. Not. When Simin had told her the usual gestation time Alexa almost cried. Thank god Human/Laren interbreeding was shorter. She collapsed on the bed, giving up. She’d just go to the meeting pantless. Alexa was beyond caring at this point. A noise sounded and she looked up to see Ryhs leaning against their bedroom wall, glaring at her. His eyes spinning with dark, smoky grey and alabaster silver.

  “What do you think you are doing?” He asked in that tone, the one that said she-better-not-be-trying-to-do-anything-even-remotely-dangerous or you know anything at all really. It annoyed her, that tone. He took over-protective to new unknown heights ever since she had gotten preggers. It had been a looooong eighteen months.

  “Trying to pull up these shrunken pants!” Alexa huffed out as he came to lean over her.

  He gave her his too-beautiful smile, his swirling eyes mesmerizing her as he said in an amused voice, gazing down at the pants that refused to pull up her legs.

  “These are your pre-pregnancy pants. There is no way they will fit you. Let me help.” She sighed and let him do it. He pulled off the bottoms and went to their ensuite and got out another pair. He dressed her as she laid there before him like a giant blob, too exhausted to even attempt to move. God she wanted a nap, it wasn’t even noon yet but this pregnancy was kicking her ass.

  He pulled her up into a sitting position and leaned down, his lips touching hers in a soft kiss. She sighed against him as arousal flooded her. Maybe they would just skip the meeting.

  It ended and yet another started. Alexa’s head was throbbing and her hand burned hotter clutched in Ryhs’s but she could
n’t pull away.

  Alexa threw out her hand and blasted her power at the Kraith as they landed in the street. Adrenaline flooded her and she tried not to panic as she looked around at the chaos before her. She would not let them take her new home from her. Not after everything. Not after she had just found a new family, a home. Her Tk had grown exponentially since Mating with Ryhs and the Kraith would suffer it for this trespass. She raged out, her Telekinesis crushing the Kraith as they continued to land. Ryhs was down the lane and she could see him battling hand-to-hand against three in fierce combat. She threw them away from him and stomped them like a bug. That was her male they were trying to kill.

  The visions stopped and Alexa collapsed on the floor yanking her hand out of Ryhs’s, knees hitting the ground hard. Her hands flat on the floor keeping her chest up as her breath labored liked she’d just run a mile in a minute. She could hear a loud growl and a slamming of bodies. Shit. Not Good. Ryker had just gone beast. Alexa looked up to see his immense fifthteen-foot, velociraptor-esque form - that’s right he shifted into a freaking dinosaur straight out of the movie Jurassic Park - huddled over Ryhs. She yanked Ryker up and away before he could kill him. She held him still against the ceiling as he roared in anger at being denied his prey. She looked over to see the shocked faces of not just her group but the Laren. Ryhs was staring at her as he laid prone on the ground in stunned horror. Not Good.