Awakening (Earth Evolution Series Book 4)

by KD Jones

  “Where do you think you’re going?” Nix asked.

  “I need to check on her.”

  “You told her about the plan, right?”

  “I did but I didn’t realize the effect those words would have on her. Our relationship is still very new and she’s suffered so much.”

  “Are humans so weak that they can’t handle few hard words?”

  “You’re just cold, Nix,” a man said from the corner of the room. It was the human male—Corey Nash—from Maggie’s tribe. He had been training on board the command ship for months. He was nearly unrecognizable from when Quinn first met him. Before, he was pale and underweight. Now he was healthy and had added muscle. He wasn’t as tall as a Drastan warrior but he was still tall and looked like a warrior. Nix had been overseeing his training and from personal experience Quinn knew she could be brutal.

  “Did I tell you that you could speak, human?” She glared over at Corey. Quinn flinched at the tone she used. He felt sorry for the poor human because even though Nix was one of the most beautiful females he had ever met, she was the toughest warrior they had, which was why she was given the responsibility of training new warriors. The human didn’t back down, though.

  “I’m not on duty right now, so I can speak to whomever I please.”

  “You’re such a pain in my ass!”

  Corey gave her a wink. “I’m happy to get in that ass any way I can.”

  Quinn had to hold back his laughter. Nix’s face turned red and she sputtered before she turned to storm out of the room. He released his laughter and gulped some air. “Careful, Nash. She’s got a mean streak and she believes in revenge when a man does her wrong.”

  Nash stopped smiling and looked at Quinn, assessing him. “Who has done her wrong and how do you know so much about her?”

  “I’ve been on tour for a few years. We’ve trained together many times.”

  “Have you ever been in a relationship with her?”

  “We’ve shared sex but only to ease the loneliness. Years in deep space can make a person feel a soul-deep loneliness. We helped each other through it. I consider her a friend, which is why when my uncle suggested adding a female Drastan to the scene we played, I knew Nix would be the perfect person. I trust her with my life.”

  “How many men has she been with on board the command ship?”

  Quinn narrowed his eyes at the human. “Why are you so interested in Nix? I won’t have you play with her feelings. She is a strong female and one of the best warriors we have, but she still has feelings and I won’t stand for anyone to play her.”

  “That’s mine and Nix’s business. I can appreciate you looking out for her. Let me give you a little bit of advice since I know human women. Whatever you shared with Nix, don’t tell your woman about it. Our females can be quite jealous about other females having been with their men and still working side by side.”

  “I think that would apply to all females of any species. Make sure your intentions for Nix are good, or I’ll make your life a living hell.”

  They stared at each other, neither backing down. Nix came back in the room and ignored Corey. “Your uncle is ready for you. Make it good.”

  Quinn nodded at her. He had to go fake a fight with his uncle in front of some of the warriors. Their goal was to get the rumors flying that there was dissension among the ranks and especially among the Estros. The idea of snagging an Estro to support their cause would be too tempting for the traitors to pass by.

  He followed Nix out of the room and traveled down the corridor to his uncle’s office. Warriors turned to look at him as he passed, and some stopped to watch. He didn’t bother to close the door to the office but left it open so that those in the corridor would hear what was said.

  Quinn looked at his cousins briefly before focusing on his uncle. He stopped in front of his desk without saluting. “I heard you wanted me to come by. This is my day off so make it quick.”

  His uncle raised an eyebrow. “Take a seat, Lieutenant.”

  “I would rather stand.” Quinn crossed his arms over his chest.

  “What has come over you? Your cousins tell me that you made a scene this morning with the human woman and hurt her. You were asked to come in for a shift and you refused. Now you are showing your superior attitude.”

  “Why not show you attitude? You’ve brought the fleet to a worthless planet with inhabitants that care so little for themselves and their planet they almost destroyed everything. These humans are ungrateful and have done nothing but attack us. We need to leave them to deal with their own mess!”

  “Lieutenant, you are out of line!”

  “You’re not fit to command this fleet!”

  “You are dismissed from duty until further notice! Go to your quarters and stay there or I’ll have you secured!”

  Quinn picked up a chair and flung it across the room. It hit the wall and splintered into pieces. He turned and stormed out of the office. People jumped out of his way as he walked down the corridor to the lift. He didn’t look but he could hear whisperings. If that didn’t get these traitors’ attention, he didn’t know what would. Now they had to sit back and wait.

  *****

  “What do you think? Will they buy it?” Devlon asked Liam and Kyle. They had closed the office door after Quinn stormed out.

  Liam nodded. “That’s what the entire crew is discussing right now. They are seriously questioning Quinn’s loyalty and are probably questioning whether you’ve made the right decision to come to Earth.”

  “Was that wise? We don't want more people to join the ranks of these traitors,” Kyle questioned.

  “Better to test the loyalty of the rest of the crew and know who I can trust and who I can’t now than to have them turn on me later.” Devlon stood up and walked over to where pieces of the chair were lying on the floor. “I really liked that chair.”

  Liam chuckled. “Quinn is very dramatic. He and Kyle used to play battle of the commanders and they would get quite loud about it.”

  Kyle smiled. “Quinn won most of the time because he always went over the top with everything.”

  Devlon smiled, remembering Quinn’s mother telling him about the misadventures that Kyle and Quinn got into. He was so proud of the type of male that Quinn had grown up to be. Devlon loved him as another son and had promised his brother he would look after Quinn and his mother. He didn’t like the idea that Quinn was putting himself right in the middle of danger and it was Devlon’s idea. He would have to do everything in his power to keep Quinn and his sons and their mates safe. He would not lose anyone else if he could help it.

  *****

  Quinn went back to his quarters and shut the door. He sighed with relief then chuckled. He didn’t know why he chose to throw that chair but the expression on his uncle and cousins’ faces was priceless.

  He caught sight of a container on his table and the smell of delicious food came to him. He smiled at how his cousins’ mates were always worried that he wasn’t eating enough. He shook his head and walked over to the dish. When he removed the top he noticed there was a piece of paper sticking out from underneath the dish. He pulled it out and opened it. Warmth filled his heart at seeing it was from his Lihali.

  “My love. Thank you for your letter and for the beautiful necklace. I am never taking it off and will proudly wear it close to my heart. I wish I had something to give to you but I have nothing but my own heart to give and it is yours. Please be safe and know that I love you with every breath I take. Yours forever…your Lihali.”

  Quinn closed his eyes and let her words sink into his heart. He needed to hear from her so badly. He wished he could see her, hold her, taste her sweet body. She was everything he ever hoped for in a mate, more so.

  Once this mission was over, he would shower her with all the gifts and love that she deserved. Not to mention he would have her in his bed and not let her leave for days.

  He took the note and went to bed, placing it under the pillow next to his. H
e couldn’t wait to have her next to him every night for the rest of their days.

  Chapter 14

  Midnight

  A knock on his door had him jumping out of the bed. He hadn’t even taken his clothes off before he went to sleep. He moved quietly and reached for his phaser on the table. A check of the security camera didn’t show anyone standing outside his door. He opened it and frowned. No, no one was there but something on the floor caught his attention. It was a communicator. He picked it up and placed it in his ear, then hit the connect button.

  “Good evening, Lt. Estro.”

  “Who is this?” Quinn demanded.

  “A friend if you want. We have been watching you and believe you have the same opinions as we do. We would like to meet with you—now. Start walking and we will tell you where to turn.”

  Quinn looked around and didn’t see anyone, but that didn’t mean someone hadn’t tapped into surveillance. He closed his door and began walking. This was not what he and his cousins had planned. They thought someone would approach him directly. His uncle wasn’t going to be happy that this was taking place so quickly. But he didn’t have a choice.

  “Take the lift down to the lower level.”

  Were they taking him down to the docking bay? He reached to check that his weapon was still easily accessible. He was completely on his own with this, which he had known would be a possibility. He pushed all thoughts of his Lihali and any other distraction anything to the side so that he could concentrate on the current situation. He didn’t know what he was walking into but he needed to be ready for it.

  The lift suddenly stopped before reaching the first level. He pushed the button for the first floor but nothing happened. The lights in the lift dimmed and it started to move up. He couldn’t tell which floors he passed. Then it suddenly stopped again.

  “Turn around and face the wall. My people will come in and put a blindfold over your eyes. Then and only then, will they bring you the rest of the way.”

  Quinn turned around and waited. Two males entered the lift but they were wearing helmets with their dark visors down. He couldn’t tell who they were.

  “Put this helmet on,” one of the men said, handing him a helmet with a blackened-out visor. He put it over his head and found he couldn’t see anything.

  The two men each took his arm, turned him around, and led him out of the lift. “Where are we going?”

  “Stop talking. You’ll, you’ll know when we get there.”

  That voice sounded a little familiar but he couldn’t pinpoint it. They moved quickly down the corridor before stopping and entering what he assumed was someone’s personal quarters. He could hear voices speaking lowly—too low to lowly tell what they were saying. He went to remove the helmet but the hands on his arms prevented him from doing so.

  “Leave the helmet on, Lieutenant.”

  It was the voice from the communicator. He didn’t recognize it. It could be disguised somehow. There was something off about the tone, some kind of muffling to it. “Who are you?”

  The voice laughed. “I’m not ready to reveal that.”

  “What do you want with me?”

  “You’ve made a very public display, several of them recently. It makes me wonder how you really feel about the humans and about your uncle’s command.”

  “He’s weak. My cousins mating with humans have weakened all of them.”

  “Yet you saved a human female and have shared sex with her.”

  He hid his fury at knowing how much these people had been watching them.

  He chuckled. “I am male with needs. The female was willing and very attractive. There’s at least one good use for them.” He hated saying that last bit.

  Other males joined in the laughter. The leader cleared his throat. “Are you opposed to your uncle’s command?”

  “He’s a weak commander. My father should have been here in his place. He never would have brought the fleet here to intermingle with such a lowly race of people.”

  “I was too young to serve with your father but I heard that he had honor and was a great warrior who died fighting for his people. I was still in warrior training at the time.

  He suspected that this person was a little older than himself. “He died in place of my uncle who should have been there instead of traveling back to Drasta unnecessarily.”

  “You sound bitter, but I recall you once proclaimed your uncle the ideal Drastan warrior and hoped to be just like him.”

  Ah, he was definitely in his and Kyle’s age group. Quinn had only said that three times and each of those times was in his young warriors’ training on Drasta. That helped narrow down his list of suspects.

  “I was young and foolish. I had no idea he could be so easily swayed by small, strange females.”

  “How would you react to finding out others feel the same way you do? There are those who want to remove your uncle from his command. What do you think of that?”

  “I say, sign me up. It is a shame it has come to this, but something has to be done to save the fleet from deterioration.”

  “You can’t believe him! He’s an Estro!” another voice called out.

  This voice Quinn did recognize. It was the new mediko who’d had a confrontation with his Lihali. The leader sounded very frustrated when he answered.

  “You don’t get a say in this. Having an Estro working with us will prove to the commanders on Drasta that we were acting with the best intentions for the fleet.”

  “You give him too much credit.”

  “Enough! We’re not having a debate.”

  Quinn listened for any other clues to who the others were in the room but they were all talking and whispering at the same time.

  “He should prove himself.”

  Quinn would make that male pay for his participation. “What do you want me to do to prove myself?”

  “We’ll let you know. Take him back out.”

  Quinn felt hands on his arms again turning him to go back out of the room and into the corridor. The males took him on the lift and went several different directions keeping him disoriented. The lift stopped.

  “Take the helmet off and hand me the communicator.”

  Quinn removed his helmet and found the lift lights were off again. He tossed the helmet to one of the men who reached and almost dropped it. He narrowed his eyes at seeing a scar on the back of the man’s hand. He should be able to tell Jared about the scar and run a check in the medical database to find those who would match the description.

  “Stay in the lift until you get to your next stop.” The men left and the lift door closed behind them.

  The lift started moving automatically although he was still in the dark. Something else they need to investigate was who had access to surveillance cameras and those with the power, and control over the lifts. It was becoming more and more of a conspiracy with multiple people involved. It was a great concern if these traitors had this much control over the entire ship.

  The lights came on right before the lift came to a stop. He got out and walked down the corridor. After activating the security access, he entered his quarters. He went to the closet in his bedroom and removed a security box, taking it with some clothes to the bathroom. He shut the door and turned the shower on. Then he sat the box down on the sink counter and placed his thumb over the scanner. Access was granted and the lock disengaged.

  Opening the box, he took out the communicator that his cousins had placed inside. He turned the communicator on and hit the connect button. It connected directly with Liam’s communicator. His cousin answered groggily.

  “Quinn, what’s wrong?”

  “The traitors contacted me.”

  “How? When? Where?”

  “They knocked on my door about an hour ago and left a communicator for me. I put it on and they directed me to a lift then turned the lights off on me. I have no idea where they are.”

  “They have people with access to security cameras and power to the lift?”


  “Yes.”

  “I’ll check to see who was on duty and who on board has that kind of access.”

  “Do it quietly.”

  “I will. Who did you meet?”

  “They kept me in the dark while I was talking with them. I don’t know who the leader is but I have at least one person’s identity.”

  “Who?”

  “Mediko Romer.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I would recognize that whiny male anywhere. I wanted to kill him after what he had done with my Lihali, and now I wish I had. He’s involved with the traitors. Find out everything you can about him. We need to know who his friends are, and what he did before coming here.”

  “I’ll take care of it. Did you find out anything else?”

  “Yes, one of the males that escorted me around had a scar on the back of his hand.”

  “I’ll tell Jared to check his medical database.”

  “Thanks, Liam. How’s my girl?”

  “Lily and Jared stayed with her most of the day.”

  “I hated hurting her. I didn’t mean any of what I said.”

  “She knows that, and she’s wearing the necklace you gave her.”

  “Good. Keep, keep her safe for me.”

  There was a pause then Liam asked, “Is there something you’re not telling me?”

  “They want me to prove myself to them. I don’t know what they will have me do.”

  “Be careful, Quinn.”

  “I will.” Quinn disconnected the communicator and placed it in the lockbox. Then he removed his clothes to get in the shower. He had a bad feeling about what the traitors would have him do. They needed to end these traitors quickly before dissension spread throughout the entire fleet, if it hadn’t already.

  Chapter 15

  The next day

  Squirrel hated that she didn’t know what was going on with Quinn. Was he being safe? Having someone else to worry over was all so new for her.