Ignition: Alien Ménage Romance (Phoenix Rising Book 2)

by Amelia Wilson

  A voice responded, “Command. Go.”

  “Command, have all space-worthy ships in our fleet sent to the Ylian temple compound immediately.”

  There was a long silence. “Say again?”

  One of the Ylians raised a rifle and pointed it at her. She repeated, “Have all space-worthy ships sent to the Ylian temple compound right now.”

  “But…”

  “Do it!” she shouted, nearly shrieking.

  “Yes, Council.”

  She turned to Theyn. “Satisfied?”

  He dropped his hand, and the glow receded back into his solar plexus. “Yes, I am.” He looked at his bond mate, then at Alaia. “Let’s go.”

  The Ylian commandos stood at their posts as Theyn and his group headed for the exit. One of the council members shouted after them, “The Taluans will destroy you before you ever leave orbit!”

  Beno turned with a smile. “The Taluans have other things to worry about.”

  *

  The inner sanctuary of the temple was packed with people. Sera held Kira and tried to stay calm, waiting for the sound of the alarms at the council building. The longer they went without alarms, the more she worried. Silence meant that something had gone wrong with her mates.

  Joely and Asa stood nearby. After taking a quick headcount, the Texan said, “How in tarnation are we supposed to get all these people out of here?”

  “Theyn and Beno will send ships,” Sera answered immediately.

  “Where are they getting those from?”

  “From the Bruthesans.”

  Joely looked skeptical. “And they’re going to give them up out of the goodness of their hearts?”

  Sera was about to respond with a testy snap when the scream of klaxons filled the air. She held Kira tighter. “That’s the signal. Let’s go.”

  The people in the temple surged out into the courtyard, where the long-range shuttles from Itzela were waiting. There was no way that all of the people would fit on board. Sera clung to her baby and pushed her way through to the shuttles, Joely and Asa right behind her.

  The nearest shuttle was already full, so they ran to the next shuttle down the line. The pilot was waving people aboard. He stopped short when he saw Sera and her glowing blue eyes.

  “Your Highness,” he said. “I… I didn’t know you… Make way! Make way for the princess!”

  The people who were struggling forward obediently fell back, staring at Sera and her companions. They climbed into the shuttle and sat in the available seats, which promptly conformed to them. Kira began to fuss.

  “It’s okay, baby,” she soothed. “Everything is going to be okay.”

  Joely sat beside her. “I hope they got those enemy ships out of the way.”

  Sera nodded. “So do I.”

  *

  The symbiont had trouble getting to the core of the ship’s systems. It had to switch vessels twice before it finally found someone who could take it to the right place. At long last, it found itself standing in before the central processing hub of the ship’s weapons system.

  It was easy enough to disrupt the system and to communicate that disruption throughout the fleet. The symbiont, though, was unsatisfied. The Taluans had destroyed its home world an aeon ago, and the time to make them pay had finally arrived. It only regretted that it would not be able to access the Taluans’ home planet.

  It burrowed into the ship’s brain, and it took control of the data relay system that connected all of the picket ships to one another. It settled in for its final act and activated the ships’ self-destruct mechanisms.

  *

  Beno and Theyn left the council chamber and returned to the hovercar. Alaia and Rai had preceded them and were already safely ensconced in the vehicle. The streets outside the official building were empty, and it seemed strange to Beno that the population was so obedient. They had taken the council speaker’s orders to heart, it seemed, and were all locked up in their homes.

  He held stood beside the hovercar as Theyn got in and sat down. He was about to follow when a brilliant flash in the southern sky caught his attention. It was followed by three more in quick succession.

  “What was that?” Theyn asked.

  “I think the symbiont was successful.” He climbed in and took the seat beside Theyn. “At least four picket ships just exploded.” The prince’s eyes widened, but he said nothing. Beno told the driver, “To the temple, as fast as you can.”

  *

  By the time their hovercar arrived, the temple courtyard was full of shuttles, some space worthy, some waiting to transport people to ships that were too large to land. Beno reached out with his telepathy, looking for Sera, but there was only an empty echo.

  “They’re already gone,” he told Theyn.

  “Then let’s go meet them.”

  They boarded a shuttle that would connect with a larger ship. The other passengers stared openly at the two of them, some gaping at them in wonder. Beno looked back, taking stock of the faces that were turned toward them. The other people in the shuttle were all hybrids, showing at least some Bruthesan blood. A few seemed to have human lineage.

  ‘If our people survive, it will be as a hybrid race,’ he told his bond mate. ‘There are so few full-blooded Ylians left.’

  ‘I believe you’re right, but as long as some part of Ylia survives, that’s enough.’

  He thought about the planet they’d called home, and the carefully preserved plants that had been brought to the shadow Ylia in the mines. Some of those species would be lost, now. It was sad, but he supposed that was the way of things. The old died off, the new gained ground. It had happened that way for millennia, and it would continue for many millennia more.

  That, though, was the past. He had a future to look forward to, a child to raise, bond mates to love. He would be happy to put this Bruthesan chapter behind him. Beno saw Theyn looking at him, and he offered a smile, which the blond returned.

  The shuttle lifted off the ground, and with a slight lurch, it headed into the stratosphere and its waiting mother ship. From there, it was a few hours’ ride, and they’d be back on Earth, the planet he was learning to call home.

  ‘A penny for your thoughts,’ Theyn said.

  Beno laughed out loud. ‘I can’t believe it. You’re using a human idiom? You?’

  Theyn smiled. ‘I had to catch on eventually. What are you thinking?’

  ‘I’m thinking about going back to Earth and picking up our lives again. Find Sera and Kira, maybe have another baby someday…’ He shrugged. ‘Just daydreaming, I guess. Looking forward.’

  ‘You should always look to the future,’ his bond mate told him. ‘That’s where the light shines the brightest.’

  The shuttle docked in the mother ship’s shuttle bay, and the Ylian passengers disembarked. When Theyn and Beno left the shuttle, they were greeted by an infant’s squeal of delight. To their surprise, Sera and Kira were standing in the bay, waiting for them. Their mate hurried to meet them, their baby in her arms. They embraced as a group, all of them with their arms around each other, Kira in the very center. She squealed again and patted her little hands on both of her fathers’ chests, her bright blue eyes gleaming.

  ‘You said the future is where the light shines brightest,’ Beno told Theyn. He looked into Sera’s eyes, then Kira’s. ‘I disagree. The brightest light is right here.’

  THE END

  Also By Amelia Wilson

  A RIZER PACK SHIFTER SERIES:

  Love Beyond the wall

  Sight of Love

  Claimed by Love

  In Love with the Enemy

  Love for you Alone

  A Rizer Wolfpack Series BOX SET

  RUNE SERIES:

  Rune Sword

  Rune Master

  Rune Hunter

  Rune King's Daughter

  Rune Romance Complete Series BOX SET

  SENSUAL ABDUCTION SERIES

  Aeon Captive

  Aeon Fugitive

 
Aeon War

  Aeon Ending

  Sensual Abduction Series Box Set

  UNBEARABLE ROMANCE SERIES

  Bearly Deniable

  Hunting for Love

  The Soul of a Bear

  UnBearable Romance Series

  THE ADNA PLANET SERIES

  Baston

  Sca

  Ruby

  The Adna Planet Series Box Set

  THE BLUE FALLS SERIES

  Rival Love

  Strong Love

  Magic Love

  The Blue Falls Series

  THE AVROXEE MATES SERIES

  Prisoner of Avrox

  Champion of Avrox

  Secrets of Avrox

  The Avroxee Mates Series BOX SET

  THE GALAXY SMUGGLERS SERIES

  Forbidden Delivery

  Forbidden Reunion

  Forbidden Territory

  PHOENIX RAISING SERIES:

  Awakening

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  About The Author

  Amelia Wilson has dedicated her life to writing. She is a firm believer in the power of love to conquer all, and her works reflect this belief. Her paranormal romances are known for their love stories, action and suspense. She creates immersive worlds that are rich in detail and full of emotion.

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