3013: GENESIS (3013: The Series Book 11)

by Laurie Roma

  The people that worked for her were walking advertisements for the clothing that Starlight Designs produced. They were able to talk to the customers about the outfits, which usually led to sales. Mya wore her black and silver warrior outfit today with her Krytos dagger tucked safely in her belt. Seeing her in it had sparked custom orders for the new line, but she also had a secret weapon in her arsenal for fashion domination.

  She had used flattery, cajoled, and manipulated until Maddox, Daimon, Tavius, Ryland, Mikal, Pia, Reva and Kahla had agreed to also wear outfits she had specially designed for them. Her mates and her guards had been easy to convince, but Reva and Kahla had taken a little more work.

  “I thought I was going to have to hurt you, but this isn’t that bad.”

  Mya laughed at Reva’s statement. The Helios female had shown up a few minutes before they’d closed for the day. Now, they were sitting in the staff lounge of the store with Pia and Mikal. It had only taken Mya a few hours that morning to figure out that she was getting in the way rather than helping. Her banishment to the back room had pleased her mates and her guards. She‘d been able to watch what was going on through the security feed, but it wasn’t the same thing as being in the center of the action.

  “Admit it. You like it,” Mya teased as she admired how Reva looked.

  Reva grunted delicately as she looked down at the red, gold and brown leather outfit she was wearing. “It doesn’t suck.”

  Pia laughed. “I love my new outfit. It makes me feel like a superhero or something.”

  Mikal scowled at her and Mya. “It’s too damn tight. All of your outfits are. Couldn’t you have made something a little looser or maybe covered more skin?”

  Mya, Pia and Reva looked at one another, then burst into laughter. Mikal just grumbled a little, then he closed his eyes, trying to pretend that he wasn’t there.

  “I really do appreciate you wearing it,” Mya said when she sobered. “We had tons of Helios coming in that said they saw you walking around today. Several placed orders for their own warrior outfits.”

  Reva sighed. “Only for you. I would normally punch someone for coming up to me to ask about my clothes, but I sent them over here like a dutiful friend.”

  “And I thank you for that,” Mya said earnestly. “I’m surprised to see you here. I thought we were all meeting at Sanctum later.”

  “I was given the night off. Actually, my mother told me I’m not allowed anywhere near her dinner this evening so I was taken off duty. She and my fathers are meeting with a visiting tribe leader.” Reva paused before saying, “I may have had previous altercations with the tribe leader’s sons. They are spoiled, selfish assholes who didn’t like hearing that I wasn’t interested in having them as companions.”

  Mikal’s eyes opened and he frowned. “Why is your mother meeting with them?”

  “She may be a Helios Ambassador for the Alliance, but she is also a well-respected mediator for the tribes on my home world. Because we don’t live on Helix, some of the tribe leaders are more comfortable coming to her to help them with disputes.”

  “But why would she help that tribe leader if her sons attacked you?” Pia asked.

  Reva shrugged, but there was a sadness in her eyes that she couldn’t hide. “My mother always puts politics before personal grievances. It’s what makes her a good ambassador. One of my fathers was asked to go to Helix to see the situation for himself while my mother and my other two fathers hear what this tribe leader has to say. Once my father returns, they will decide whether or not to help.”

  Pia leaned into Mikal as she asked, “Do you miss being on Helix?”

  “Yes and no,” Reva said after a long minute. “My mother took the position of ambassador before I completed the Hunt. My fathers came home on a rotation to help raise me, but after I became of age, I was officially given a position as one of my mother’s guards. I guess I don’t really think of Helix as my home anymore.”

  Mya thought that Reva’s past sounded extremely lonely. Sure, she might have had friends, but her mother and fathers had chosen ambition instead of staying home to raise their child. “I never asked, do you have any siblings?”

  “After I was born, they realized that they didn’t want any more offspring. Actually, my father Neo does, but he was outnumbered.”

  “Why does he stay with your mother? Are they life-locked?”

  Reva shook her head. “No. I guess you could say that my parents have more of an arrangement. It suits them, but I would never be happy with a relationship like that.”

  Mya wouldn’t either. It was disheartening that so many couples put ambition before the welfare of their children. Many humans did the same, and Mya vowed to never let that happen. If she was lucky enough to have children with her mates, she would make sure that they knew they were loved. She would encourage them to follow their dreams, just as her own mother had done.

  “The Helios are strange when it comes to pairings,” Reva told them. “We have a matriarchal society, and we value strength, but most of our elders do whatever they can to keep our males subservient. It’s why many Helios males have found homes on space stations or have moved to Earth. Our race it too primal to obey anyone for long.”

  “I’m surprised the males don’t fight back against the system,” Mikal commented.

  “Most don’t care enough to try. The tribes are a community, but the reality is, most of the Helios are solitary, focusing on their own families rather than dealing with the race as a whole.”

  “That makes sense,” Mikal said. Changing the subject, he said, “Hey, Mya. Where are those mates of yours? I could use a drink.”

  “Daimon should be here soon, and Tavius has gotten held up in the main ballroom dealing with the vendors. Oh, and an Alliance vessel just landed unexpectedly. Maddox is in a meeting with the commander. He’ll find us at Sanctum when he’s done.”

  Reva put her feet up on the table in front of the chair she was sitting on. “How has all of that been going? Being mated to three Krytos has to be interesting. I know you were looking for a change, but I’m sure this is a little more than you were expecting.”

  Mya smiled. So far, being mated to Maddox, Daimon and Tavius was a dream come true. Sure, there were times when she wanted to slam her head against a wall, but for the most part, the past week had been filled with love and laughter. The three brothers were making an effort to make her a real partner, but they’d been together for a long time without a female to worry about, so they were all learning day to day.

  Since she had never been in a relationship before, she didn’t really have any expectations for what “normal” was. When they pissed her off, she was getting better at telling them immediately. She’d also resigned herself to their overprotective nature, but she’d put her foot down on having more security assigned to her.

  A few days ago, the four of them had spoken to Ryland, Mikal and Pia. Since Mya’s parents had requested the trio as her guards, she hadn’t been sure if they would be willing to stay after the Adaro brothers took over being in charge of her security. She’d been pleased when all three of her friends had said they’d be willing to retire from their duties as elites to join the security force on New Vega. They would still be private security for Mya, but Maddox, Daimon and Tavius insisted on paying them for their services instead of allowing the Alliance to control her security team.

  She’d contacted her mother the day after she’d mated with Maddox, Daimon and Tavius. Donna Spartan-Rollins had been startled by the news at first, but she’d quickly become elated when Mya told her how much she loved them. Donna said that she would wait a little while before she told Mya’s fathers about the mating. That would give Mya some time with her mates before her family showed up en masse.

  Because the Spartan-Rollins family would come to New Vega soon…and then she’d have to worry about stopping the males from killing each other.

  She loved her mates. They showed her how much they loved her in so many ways, and she wore
the small scars from their mating bites with pride. From that first night they had all been together, they’d fallen into a comfortable rhythm living together. Each day, they would go about their own business, although all three of her mates would seek her out while she was working. They said they just wanted to see her, but she knew it was also to make sure she was safe.

  At the end of the day, they retreated to their suite. They would eat, then she would take a bath in their lagoon with the brother who wasn’t sleeping with her that night. After they shared some special time together, she’d join the other two brothers in the bedroom where they would love her with a passion that left her breathless.

  Unfortunately, whenever two of them fucked her at the same time and bit her, she usually ended up passing out from the overwhelming pleasure. That first night, she’d woken up to find Dr. Devin Deveaux smiling down at her. Her mates had lost their minds, and had summoned the doctor immediately. Dr. Deveaux said it was nothing to worry about, but each time it happened, Mya’s mates went a little crazy. Remembering what they’d done last night to make it happen again made her flush with heat.

  “That good, huh?” Reva said with a grin. “I guess having three large males catering to your every whim must be worth the aggravation of keeping them around.”

  “They’re wonderful. We haven’t been mated long, but I really do love them.”

  “And we love you,” Daimon said as he strolled into the room. Mya rushed over to him, and he lifted her so he could give her a long, lingering kiss.

  “Get a room,” Mikal grumbled.

  Mya pulled back and grinned. “How was your day?”

  “Uneventful. Are you ready to head to Sanctum?” he asked as he put her back down so her feet were once again touching the ground. “Where is Ryland?”

  Pia snickered. “You didn’t tell him? When Tavius stopped by earlier, he objected to the men who stopped by the shop to talk to Mya.”

  “What men?” Daimon growled.

  “Don’t worry. They bolted as soon as they saw your mark on her. Ryland had been complaining that our outfits were making men want to come inside the store to talk to us, so she sent Ryland with Tavius to get him out of our space for a while.”

  “You are a menace, tava,” Daimon said with a chuckle. “Come on, I think we all deserve a drink to celebrate your grand opening.”

  They left the store, working their way through the crowds of people as they headed toward the glides leading to the lower levels. As they walked by a group of strangely dressed men, Daimon scowled. “What in all the worlds are they supposed to be?”

  “They’re dressed up like that vid show. Have you see Gladiators Resurrected?”

  “No, why would I? And why are they wearing skirts?”

  “It’s not a skirt. That is a replica of an ancient Roman soldier’s uniform.”

  “It’s a skirt,” Daimon argued. “I’m glad humans evolved eventually.”

  She rolled her eyes. That was something her mates said whenever they didn’t understand something human, so she was used to hearing it.

  They made their way down to the second sublevel and bypassed the line of people waiting to get into Sanctum. The two guards at the door bowed their heads to Daimon and Mya. “Welcome, alphas.”

  “Sweet,” Pia said with a grin. “Being with you guys is like having a universal access code to everything.”

  Mya laughed. “So glad we could be of use.”

  They saw Kahla gesturing to them from across the room and headed over to the table she’d reserved for them. She already had a bottle of wine and glasses, and started pouring as soon as they sat down. Before Daimon could take his seat, she poked him in the chest. “Zorah needs to talk to you. Now.”

  Daimon growled, while Mya tried not to laugh as the cousins glared at one another.

  “You need to learn how to be more respectful to your alpha, brat.”

  Kahla smiled sweetly at him. “Right now, you aren’t just my alpha, you’re my cousin who needs to go talk to my sister. Besides, how are we supposed to talk about you if you’re sitting here? Now, go away.”

  He growled again. “I don’t know how we put up with you.”

  “Aww, if you guys keep saying that, you’re going to give me a complex.”

  Daimon sighed in defeat. “Fine, I’ll go find Zorah and see what she wants.” His dark eyes gleamed with amusement when he added, “But Maddox will be here soon. Try telling him to leave.”

  Kahla groaned as she sat down. “Go away.”

  “I’ll be back soon,” he said as he leaned down to brush his lips lightly over Mya’s before he headed toward the bar where Zorah and her two mates were pouring drinks.

  Reva took a sip of her drink, then her eyebrow lifted. “Damn, Zorah looks pissed.”

  They all turned to watch Zorah giving Daimon hell. He stood with his arms folded over his broad chest, a dark expression on his face.

  “Is something wrong?” Mya asked.

  Kahla snorted. “It’s nothing he doesn’t deserve. My cousins made us promise that our staff wouldn’t put anyone in the med-center during the TechCon. The problem is, we’ve been packed all damn day, and some of those people were assholes who deserved to get their throats ripped out. When four Reema started harassing one of our waitresses, my sister shifted into beast mode and took them out.”

  “Sorry I missed that,” Reva said.

  “It was fun to watch.”

  Mikal shook her head. “Females are terrifying creatures, no matter the race.”

  “True.” Kahla shrugged. “I know the promise was meant specifically for me, so I haven’t been doing my job like I usually do. My sister is pissed at me now because she broke her word, and she’s pissed at them for putting restrictions on us. I would have taken care of the Reema before they hurt our waitress, but I wanted my sister to understand how much I take care of so she doesn’t have to. Maybe this way she’ll help keep my cousins off my back from now on.”

  “They shouldn’t be telling you how to run Sanctum,” Mya said.

  “Exactly,” Kahla said with a grin. “And now that you’re their mate, you can make them listen to reason. But honestly, I can’t wait for this damn convention to be over.”

  “Why?” Pia asked. “We walked around a little, and it’s awesome.”

  “You don’t have to deal with a mass amount of drunk people.”

  “True.”

  Mya smiled. “It’s only for two weeks. Think of all the credits you get to take from the stupid people you hate so much.”

  “There is that,” Kahla conceded.

  “I think the TechCon is fun,” Mya declared. “And did you know that Ayla D’Nye is doing a concert in the ballroom on the last day of the convention?”

  “Really?” Mikal perked up. “The D’Aire singer?”

  “She’s pretty awesome.” Pia smiled. “We love her. I bet Mya can get us some great seats for the concert.”

  Mya laughed. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  As she sipped her wine, she glanced around Sanctum. She’d never seen it so busy. Still, their table was in the back corner, away from most of the crowd. She noticed three females staring at her from another table. One of them was a pretty Helios in a tight green dress who was glaring at her as if they were mortal enemies.

  Taken aback by the hostility she saw, Mya asked Kahla, “Who is that?”

  Following Mya’s gaze, Kahla snorted out a sound of disgust. “That’s just Leanna. She’s a bitch. Ignore her.”

  Mya thought that was easier said than done since the Helios female stood up and stalked over to their table. She sneered down at Mya. “This is the little human that the Adaro brothers have been fucking? You have to be kidding. She’s nothing special.”

  Before Mya could react, Reva jumped up from her seat and snarled at the Helios female. “What the fuck did you say?”

  Fear flickered over the Helios female’s face, but she stood her ground. Mya had to admire her for it. Reva was pretty damn sc
ary when riled, and she’d probably pee her pants if the large Helios female got in her face like that.

  “You can’t touch me in here,” the Helios female insisted with misplaced bravado. “We’re standing in a sanctuary.” She glanced over at Kahla and smirked. “Or are you just going to ignore your own rules?”

  Kahla slowly rose to her feet. “The rules change when someone attacks the alphas’ mate. Physically or verbally. We are well within our rights to put you on your ass.”

  The Helios female’s face went pale, and she backed up a step. “Their mate? This puny human is their mate?”

  “Yes, she’s their mate. Take a look at her neck and you can see she wears their marks. She is family now, so if I ever hear that you even look at her the wrong way, I will kick your ass. But what the hell, why wait?”

  Kahla’s fist shot out and slammed into Leanna’s face. The Helios fell back in a dead faint, and her two friends rushed over. The other Helios snarled, but the Krytos of the group held her back.

  “What the fuck just happened?” the Helios demanded. “You broke the rules of the sanctuary!”

  Kahla’s smile was fierce. “She insulted our alpha female.”

  The Helios sputtered with anger, but the other Krytos female understood what Kahla had just told her. “We’re sorry.” She turned to Mya. “Forgive us for bothering you, alpha.”

  The Helios began to argue, but her friend gripped her arm hard and hissed, “Do you want to be banished from New Vega?”

  “What? Of course not!”

  “That’s what will happen if the alphas decree it. Let’s get out of here.” The Krytos and Helios females picked Leanna up off the floor and carried her away.

  Kahla let out a happy sigh. “Damn, I feel better now.”

  Reva grumbled as she sat back down. “You got to have all the fun.”

  Pia lifted her glass in a silent toast. “I have to admit, that was pretty fun to watch.”

  “I just don’t get it. Why would that Helios hate me so much?” Mya asked.

  “She’s just jealous. Leanna is one of those females who thinks she deserves more than she has. I heard she challenged her tribe leader, and when she lost, she moved here. She works at one of the clubs on sublevel five, and she uses sex to control males.”