by Pearl Foxx
“We don’t want to give people the impression they are in danger,” another officer replied.
“You don’t want to give the impression they are in danger?” Commander Gideon roared. “We just suffered an explosion in our fucking docking bay! Of course their lives are in danger. There’s a terrorist regime on our station, and they’ve gotten bold enough to take direct violent action against us thanks to your complacency.” He pointed at Fennah.
“Sir, I—I don’t believe that’s a fair assessment of the situation,” the lieutenant sputtered, turning red under the commander’s impenetrable gaze.
“Really? I think it’s a generous assumption. If I were feeling less generous, I might suggest your inability to do your job and show the people how my Falconer program is going to save their lives is what caused a human resistance group to form in the first place! I’d hate to see this turn into a blame game. I’d rather focus on finding this group and obliterating them before they can blow up anymore of my ships.”
Maxsym let out a soft snort, unable to stop the noise. He covered it with a cough and placed his hand over his mouth to mask his opinion of the great human commander. His back itched as his wings begged to be set free so he could sink his sharp talons into the man’s body. But shifting in this tiny space would likely kill all the humans—something he wouldn’t have cared about a week ago.
But Veronica was here.
“Do you have something to say, soldier?” the commander spat.
“No, sir.” Maxsym stood straighter. “My only concern is for the safety of your daughter, sir. The situation with the terrorists is well beyond my understanding.”
“It’s good to know we still have someone around here who knows their place.” Gideon returned to his seat at the desk, his eyes flicking between his family resting on the couch and his guards. “I think Maxsym has the right idea. We should focus on monitoring the situation and keeping our families safe. But I expect a full report first thing in the morning. And Fennah.” The man turned to his head of security with burrowing eyes. “I expect an update on Level 1162 as soon as we’re out of this room. That is your top priority. I don’t care if your mother or wife or sister died in the attack or how tired you are. You handle it personally and report directly to me.”
“Yes, sir.”
“That’s all.”
At the commander’s dismissal, the guards and elite core of officers scattered from the commander’s desk like roaches and sat around the room, heads bent together as they whispered amongst themselves.
Maxsym, on the other hand, returned to Veronica’s side. It would hardly be appropriate for him to sit on the small couch with her and her mother, but he couldn’t bring himself to wander far.
She looked up at him, and instead of giving him the shy stare or weepy smile he would expect from a human woman in her position, she winked and licked her lips.
He vividly remembered the feeling of those lips around his cock, so soft and warm, eager and uninhibited. Exactly the kind of woman he’d always longed to find.
Maxsym shook his head and crossed his hands behind his back as he stood at the ready behind the couch. That woman was trouble. She’d already compromised his decision-making. He should’ve killed the commander while he’d had the chance. He could have taken the guards, but if not, he’d come here intending to give his life to this mission. But the moment was lost.
“So, Maxsym.” Veronica’s mother turned to sit sideways on the small couch, crossing her leg in front of her and throwing her arm over the back. “Tell us about yourself. You just joined our merry band. That must be quite exciting for an up-and-coming young military man such as yourself.”
“Not particularly, ma’am,” he replied, his eyes leveled on the wall across from him.
Veronica snorted a laugh, but the commander had approached in time to hear.
“Is having a private audience with the Commander’s family no longer enough to hold the interest of the young members of the guard?” Gideon stood with his hands clasped in front of him like an ancient portrait.
“An audience, sir? I’m sure it would. But this is the emergency evacuation, so my excitement level is low and my interest in you even lower.”
The commander sputtered, words bubbling out of his mouth before they were fully formed. “I am not accustomed to such insubordination.”
“Insubordination was not my intent, only to impart that my sole focus and responsibility in this moment is your daughter. Keeping her safe is my one and only concern. There are better men than me who can advise you on matters of security.”
The commander looked Maxsym over. After a moment, he sat in the large chair next to his wife. “The line between intelligence and recklessness is incredibly thin. And you, young man, are either incredibly stupid, or on your way to being incredibly successful. Unfortunately, the line between the two tends to blur.”
“I will endeavor to keep that in mind, sir.”
Veronica vibrated with laughter, and it was all Maxsym could do to keep from joining her. It was not only an incredible thrill to see the most powerful man on this side of the wormhole squirm, but it also gave him an opportunity to observe what kind of man he was. The kind who was willing to stand down from a direct challenge when adequately appeased. A man who ruled not only by fear and pride, but also with an unrelenting iron will.
The commander was a man to be feared. He wouldn’t fold easily.
The group remained in the pod for another few hours, all suffering from the late-night emergency, especially Maxsym. He watched Commander Gideon as the man pounded out directives on his tablet.
He never took a break, never slowed down.
Maxsym could feel the weight of his fatigue, but that had more to do with the adrenaline crash of the evening. First, he’d gotten the fuck of his life, and then he’d had the chance to kill his prime target but hadn’t taken it. The resulting confusion warring in his body left him exhausted.
And every time he looked at Veronica, he found her either dozing or staring up at him. Her dark brown eyes drew him in, causing him to sink into their depths and revisit the memory of their ecstasy over and over again.
Finally, the alarm stopped and the control panel at the entrance of the escape pod announced the all clear for them to return to the station.
“I want three men on detail with my wife and daughter, an overnight guard inside my quarters, a rush reports on all damages, and I expect security measures to keep this from happening again.” After barking his final orders, Gideon passed his hand over the control panel and exited the escape pod without a word to his family.
“Let’s get you back to your room,” Maxsym said softly to Veronica as she stood and stretched.
“Oh no, Ronnie. Until we know more about what happened, I want you staying in the commander’s quarters,” Mrs. Gideon said.
“Mother,” Veronica whined. “That’s completely unnecessary. I’m perfectly safe in my own room, and I have twenty-four-hour guards, plus Maxsym, to escort me wherever I wish to go.”
“Absolutely not. I won’t hear it. You are coming home, and you are staying there for at least one night until I am sure this is over.”
Veronica raised her hands in defeat before turning to Maxsym. “She’s scared to be alone,” she whispered under her breath.
“With rebels on board, I don’t blame her.”
Rebels and a rogue Draqon on an assassination mission.
The next time he had the chance to kill Gideon, he would take it.
Chapter Five
Veronica
Veronica tossed and turned, unable to get comfortable in her childhood bed.
In the dim light, she looked around at the sleek silver walls with lime green accents and softly glowing blue lights. At the time, she'd been thrilled her father had allowed her to have a designer replicate a dwelling from her favorite holovid show. But now it all appeared gaudy. She had much better taste these days, her style more refined.
That w
asn’t the only thing bothering her, though. For some reason, she saw her childhood room through the eyes of a scowling young guard who would no doubt judge the expense and resources used to accommodate one girl’s childhood fantasy.
Since when did she care what other people thought? It was an uncomfortable sensation.
She rolled over again, looking out the large windows spanning one wall of her room. Outside, the expanse of space barely moved. The space station rotated just fast enough to create a natural gravity field—which the station's machinery amplified—but not so quickly she couldn’t observe the stars around her. Her favorite time of day was when the station's rotation coordinated with that of the sun. No nighttime fantasies about romantically exploring the stars or childish daydreams about returning to the brown and dying earth that had once been her people's home. No, when she stared into the sun with the UV window guards reduced to the lowest level, she saw the vision of a life lived. A life impossibly out of reach for a girl tethered to a space station known for its intergalactic connections.
Veronica sat up with a humph. Musings like this tended to get her into trouble, like the time she’d used a week’s worth of water rations to see what it would be like to submerge her entire body in a pool. Something about being back in her old room brought out whimsical fancies.
She got up and stretched. The green glow of the clock told her it was still very early in the morning, too early for anyone to be awake. She padded out of her room in just her filmy night pants and tank top. She needed to find something to drink, and while she could have gotten water or any other beverage she required from the hydrator in her suite, she allowed herself to succumb to another whimsy.
When she was young, perhaps four or five, her father had programmed the kitchen hydrator to produce a simulation of something he’d called “hot chocolate.” From what she understood, the substance had nothing resembling the ancient cocoa bean in it, but it was delicious in all its artificial glory. She had a craving for one now, for the comfort it had given her as a child. It reminded her of a time when her father was gentler, more approachable.
The main rooms of her parents’ quarters were bathed in the nighttime glow of the overhead illuminators. The air was freshly cycled and smelled crisp.
As she made her way toward the kitchen, she overheard hushed voices farther down the hall. No one should have been up at this hour. It was barely reasonable for her to be prowling around, but at least she had the excuse of wanting something to drink. Why would anyone be out in the central area, having a conversation, as opposed to trying to sleep in their own quarters?
She passed her father's office, which was empty, and followed the sound of the voices toward a private sitting area no one ever used. Perhaps her mother had woken, the fear and alcohol in her system confusing her mind. Veronica hadn’t had to rescue her mother from one of her nighttime fits in so long it was almost nostalgic to walk down the hallway and remember how, as a child, she would hold her mother in her arms before leading her back to her parents’ private sleeping quarters.
When Veronica approached, she heard the distinct voices of men. Her father's low grumble and another she didn’t recognize, but something about the second voice sent chills up her arms. She crept closer, flattening herself against the corridor wall. It wouldn’t hide her if anyone turned the corner, but it offered enough cover. Should someone glance her way, they wouldn't think twice about the shadow cowering at the edge.
"It doesn't matter that there was no containment breach," the unfamiliar male voice whispered with barely controlled rage. “What matters is that such a thing was possible at all. You need to get your humans under control.”
“You are a guest in my home. I can send you back to Kladuu and let your people have their way with you, or put you in one of those containment units myself. You would be well advised to remember your position here.” Her father's voice came in a low hiss.
A soft growl rose from the room, building into a wild crescendo that sent Veronica’s heart racing. Did they have a wild animal in there with them? What kind of animal could they even find on the space station?
If there was an animal in the room, her father would have reacted. Instead, he’d gone silent. Could that noise, that terrifying growl, have come from the other man?
Who or what made a noise like that?
Veronica was about to step forward into the half-shut doorway, when her father's voice stopped her.
"Caj, I understand your frustration, but you must not make things worse for yourself—or for me." Her father sounded more guarded. The growling had inspired fear in him as well. She could hear it in the way his words trembled.
The other man must have been very powerful to make her father back down.
"Don't delude yourself into believing you are the one in control here," the mysterious man said. "I am the rightful Alpha of Clan Vilka. I have procured specimens for your research that otherwise would not only be beyond your grasp, but beyond your understanding. Don't make me regret my decision to count you amongst my allies. It would behoove you to make sure there are no other distractions."
Footsteps pounded toward Veronica, and she slipped behind the door. The man strode down the hall, his light hair pulled back into a ponytail, his body draped with black flowing fabric that shone in the dim light. His movements were predatory and feral. A shiver of fear ran up her spine, and she had to cover her mouth to keep the instinctive whimper of fear from escaping.
Right before the feral man slipped into a guest room at the end of the hall, he paused.
Veronica’s breath caught in her throat.
He halfway turned back down the hall, the profile of his face catching the soft glow of the hall’s lights. He lifted his nose into the air and sniffed.
Instinct had her sinking deeper into the shadows of the door she hid behind. He couldn’t see her, surely, or smell her? She promised herself he couldn’t smell her. That would be insane.
But even as she told herself that, she watched his lips twitch into a menacing grin, his teeth flashing in the dark.
He went into the room. Veronica shook, adrenaline and terror vibrating beneath her skin and sending shock waves through her body. Her stomach clenched, and she felt as if she might vomit, but her head swam at such a speed she couldn't be sure she wouldn’t pass out first.
What were the Vilkas? Who was Caj? And where was the planet Kladuu?
Was that man an alien? But there were no humanoid aliens known in the Intergalactic Alliance of Planets and Lifeforms. But the man had spoken of another planet, his planet. If he was alien, his species would have been previously undiscovered.
Questions swam through Veronica's mind, and she wrapped her arms around her body to stop shaking. She needed to get control over herself before she attempted to make her way back to her room.
She had to get out of this hallway.
For the first time in her life, she was more afraid of someone other than her father. She knew that if her father found her, she would receive a punishment for sure, but she wouldn’t have to fear for her life.
After a few more moments, her father sighed and the familiar tapping buzz of his personal tablet filled her ears. He would be in his own world for a while, distracted and lost in his private thoughts. It was safe to sneak back down the hallway to her room. But what about the mysterious man in the guest quarters?
She had no choice. It was now or never. Veronica took a shaky breath and mentally chided herself for not being able to move her feet. What kind of person was she? She prided herself on being stronger, or at the very least smarter, than those around her.
Another breath.
She slipped down the long hallway, keeping to the wall. Her mind flooded with images of Caj leaping out from his room, grabbing her, and pulling her back into his chambers. Would he have red eyes and sharp demon claws?
Would he make that growling sound again?
Veronica's mind whirled, and she sprinted. Soft and fast, she made her way
to her room, slid inside, and locked the door behind her. Tumbling into her bed, she pressed her fists against her eyes.
What was going on?
What had her father gotten involved in?
There would be no sleep for her tonight, but tomorrow, she would find answers, even if it meant betraying her parents.
Chapter Six
Maxsym
Despite being up most of the night dealing with the after effects of the terrorist attack, Maxsym couldn’t settle down enough to bother staying in bed. Instead, he entertained himself in the military galley, watching the antics of the other guards and low-level servicemen.
He sipped the sludge humans called coffee and took another bite of honey-slathered toast. It tasted shockingly like the haksiba Niva had prepared for the Draqon hive. Nostalgia and the toast’s sweetness made his back teeth ache.
He'd been away from home for too long, and the loneliness bore down on him. It was the first time in his entire life he'd ever been without the constant buzz of the other Draqons swirling in the back of his mind.
At first, the absence had been a welcome relief, his frustration over the constraints of his people's rules for unmated males chafing his adventurous nature. But now, surrounded only by humans, he longed to feel the comfort of another's mind.
A woman in gray overalls with rich brown skin, an ink stain stretching from her cheek down the side of her neck, and black hair refusing to remain contained in the bun at the back of her head slipped onto the bench across from him.
"You're Maxsym?" the woman asked, setting her plate down and shoving a forkful of eggs into her mouth.
"Private Maxsym Dracones. Can I help you?" He gave her his curtest smile and tried to dismiss the woman from his presence by will alone.
“Dracones is a questionable alias.”
He raised an eyebrow.
