Heart of Eon: Eon Warriors #3

by Hackett, Anna

  He kept stroking, driving her upward. A second later, her climax hit like a tidal wave.

  Wren gave a strangled cry, coming hard. “Malax!”

  Waves of pleasure swamped her, and it felt like hours before she finally flopped against him, boneless. She felt so good.

  His hand pulled away and he kept her pinned to the wall by his hard body. As she watched, he lifted his hand and licked his fingers.

  Her belly spasmed.

  “Very sweet,” he murmured.

  Jeez. She was turned on again. She licked her lips. “Malax—”

  He nudged his hips forward and a very hard bulge rubbed between her lips. Oh, yes, she wanted that. Now.

  Suddenly, his communicator beeped. “War Commander?”

  He closed his eyes.

  Oh, no. Wren wanted to cry.

  He opened his eyes. “Go ahead, Airen.”

  “Malax, the engineers are having trouble repairing some components in the gravity system. They’ve requested Wren’s help.”

  Oh, man. Talk about bad timing. Malax looked at her, his gold-black gaze intense. For a second, she lost herself, staring at those golden strands.

  “Wren?”

  Oh, right. She nodded, resigned.

  “She’ll help,” he said.

  “They’re on deck Beta-Four, section five,” Airen said.

  “Tell them to expect her soon.”

  He thumbed the communicator on his belt and the line closed.

  “Um, well…” Wren had been hoping for more. A lot more. She’d wanted to slide that uniform off him and get her hands on all that sexy, bronze skin.

  He tucked her hair behind her ear. “Thank you for helping.”

  God, maybe this was for the best. Things had gotten…way out of hand. “Sure. Um, thanks for the orgasm?”

  He smiled. “That was my pleasure. We’ll talk later. I’d like you to sit with me at dinner.”

  She smiled, suddenly breathless. A date with an Eon warrior. With Malax. “I should say no. We both know you and I make no sense.”

  He leaned down. “I disagree.”

  “Okay,” she breathed.

  He ran a finger down her nose, then set her back on her feet. He snatched up the drying cloth and wrapped it around her.

  “I need to get to the bridge,” he said.

  She nodded, watching as he strode to his closet and stripped off his damp shirt. Oh, man. All those muscles. He pulled on a dry shirt. Down, girl.

  He shot her a smile. “I’ll see you later, Wren.”

  “Later.” She stared at the closed door for a good while before she gave a little scream and grinned. She knew this was risky, and a bit crazy, and possibly one part stupid, but screw it. Malax Dann-Jad was no douchebag like Lance Palmer.

  She pulled on the clothes he’d synthesized for her. They were a smaller version of the Eon uniform the warriors on the ship wore. The trousers were a little long and snug in a few places, but they’d do. She looked over her shoulder. Yep, the trousers cupped her butt like a jealous lover.

  “Sassy, I need you to lead me to deck Beta-Four, section five.”

  Her tablet flared to life. “You got it, Wren.”

  She finger-combed her hair, tugging it back into a ponytail.

  “Before you head off,” Sassy said. “There are some messages for the War Commander on his console. They downloaded before the systems malfunctioned.”

  “So? I’m sure he’ll get to them.”

  “They are personal messages.”

  Curiosity burned through Wren. It was one of her worst habits. She wanted to know more about Malax.

  She saw the comp screen on the desk flicker. “Sassy, don’t—”

  An image filled the screen and when Wren saw the four gorgeous Eon women, her stomach dropped.

  “Hey, Mal!” One of the women yelled, smiling brightly.

  “We’re missing you and wanted to say hi,” the tallest woman said, blowing a kiss.

  They were all brunettes, all striking, their sleeveless gowns showing off toned arms. What the hell? Did he keep a damn harem?

  “So, how are things in deep space, big brother?” another of the women asked. “Staying safe, I hope.”

  Wren’s shoulders relaxed and she let out a laugh. These were his sisters. Looking at them now, she saw that three of them had gold-black eyes like Malax, and while the fourth had black-green eyes, her features were a feminine version of Malax’s.

  “I hope you’re back on Jad soon,” the youngest woman said. “I need a new transport and want you to come shopping with me.”

  “And Narla wants you to help her fix some things at her residence,” the tall woman said.

  The one with the green-black eyes shot a fiery look at her sister. “I do not.”

  “You do. It’s why you haven’t hired someone to do it for you. You expect your brother to do it.”

  Narla tossed her brown hair over one slim shoulder. “Well, he always does a better job. And he always takes care of us.”

  Hmm, sounded like Malax’s sisters had no qualms asking him for whatever they needed. Ever since she’d finished school, Wren had made a point to try not to burden her sisters. They’d given up so much helping to raise her when their mother lost herself in alcoholism. Who looked after Malax? He had a demanding job and clearly, a loving, but demanding family.

  “Okay, we’ll go now. Mother says hi.” All four women waved and smiled.

  Sassy’s voice filled the room. “There is another—”

  “No more of Malax’s private messages.”

  “I thought you’d be interested. Based on your vitals and hormone levels earlier, I know you and the war commander—”

  “Sassy! No monitoring my vitals.”

  “But you are my human,” Sassy said. “I need to ensure your health and wellbeing.”

  Wren pinched her nose. “Let’s just get to deck Beta-Four, Sassy.”

  “Wren—”

  “I said lead the way.” She didn’t have time to discuss the intricacies of her love life with her helian-enhanced tablet right now. “We have work to do.”

  * * *

  Malax sat behind his desk, listening to the status reports from Airen and Sabin.

  But his mind was still focused on Wren.

  By Ston’s sword, he wished they could have finished what they’d started in his washroom. He wanted her in his bed, that sweet body naked, her whimpers echoing in his ears. Need was a constant gnaw in his gut.

  He could still smell her, feel her skin under his hands, hear the sounds she made as she came…

  “Malax? Malax?”

  Airen’s sharp voice snapped him out of his daydream. He looked up to find her watching him with narrowed eyes.

  “You’re thinking of her, aren’t you?”

  “What?”

  “The Terran, Wren.” Airen’s lips firmed. “She’s clouding your head.”

  Malax stiffened. “No, I—”

  “You’ve been obsessed with her ever since she came aboard.”

  He stood. “She hijacked my ship. Of course, I was focused on finding her.”

  “I know you, Malax. It’s more than that.”

  Unease wound through him. “You think I’m neglecting my duties?”

  “I think you’re distracted.”

  He stared blindly at his desk. “I am dedicated to protecting everyone aboard this ship, including Wren.” He met Airen’s eyes, his gut churning. “If you’re afraid of a repeat of Dalath Prime—”

  His second-in-command hissed out a breath. “Of course not. But I’m your second, and it’s my job to ensure your well-being. I’m also your friend, Malax.” She leaned closer, voice lowering. “I know what haunts you, what drives you. You would never neglect your duty.”

  And yet Airen felt Wren was a distraction. Cren. He shoved a hand through his hair. She was right. Wren was all he could think about. He was so drawn to her.

  But the faces of all his warriors on Dalath Prime moved through
his head. The men and women who’d bled out on the planet’s rocky surface, all because he hadn’t seen the ambush coming. A young, cocky commander who’d been focused on too many things, except the ones that were most important.

  He felt coolness wash over him. He needed to control this fascination with Wren and focus on his job.

  There was a sharp rap at the door.

  “War Commander? Second Commander?” A young warrior stood in the doorway. “You’re required on the bridge.”

  * * *

  Sliding out from under a console, Wren stood. She stretched her arms, nodding at the engineers who were just finishing up on the neighboring console.

  Leaving her arms above her head, she bent her neck from side to side. She heard it crack and let out a sigh.

  They’d done a lot of work. She looked down and saw she was grimy and dirty again. She was also tired.

  But the thought of seeing Malax again was like a shot of adrenaline to the system.

  The engineers had been great. It wasn’t as great as being locked up alone in her computer lab back on Earth, but it had been interesting, complex work.

  Calling out goodbyes to the engineers, she headed down the corridor.

  Suddenly, she heard a distant boom. The Rengard shuddered violently and Wren was tossed into the wall.

  Ouch. She straightened, spreading her feet as the ship jerked again.

  “Sassy? What’s happening?”

  “It appears the Rengard is under attack.”

  Again? Wren started jogging toward the bridge. “By whom?”

  “Long range weaponry belonging to the Kantos.”

  The fucking Kantos. They just never stopped attacking, swarming in like the bugs they were. She kept running, even when her lungs started burning. She finally made it to the bridge and stepped into controlled chaos.

  Malax was the center of it. He stood, his hands clasped behind his back, directing his warriors to return fire. Airen stood beside him, her brow creased.

  “What’s happening?” Wren sucked in a deep breath.

  They glanced her way.

  “We finally got our longest-range scanners back on line,” Airen said. “We discovered a huge swarm of Kantos ships not far from our location.”

  Wren gasped, looking at the viewscreen. Shit. This was her fault too. “They want the ship’s helians.”

  Malax nodded.

  “It is experimental technology that would enhance the Kantos’ weaponry,” Sassy added.

  “We will not let that happen.” Malax’s tone held a hard edge.

  As he barked out orders, Wren couldn’t look away. He was so in control and commanding.

  “The swarm is heading our way,” Airen called out.

  Wren studied the data on the screens. There were too many of them for the Rengard to fight off alone, and some of the Kantos ships were faster.

  “We don’t have many good options, Malax,” Airen said. “We’re caught between the Kantos and the Cra’nar Asteroid belt.”

  Frowning, Malax studied the screen. “We’ll use the asteroid belt to lose them.”

  Gasps erupted around the bridge. Wren frowned, looking at all the impassive faces. Seriously, these warriors were good at hiding their emotions. “What’s that?”

  It was Airen who answered. “It’s an asteroid belt.”

  Wren resisted rolling her eyes. “I got that much, but why the panic?”

  Airen stiffened. “Eon warriors do not panic.”

  Wren pulled in a calming breath. “Fine. Why the concern?”

  “The asteroids are metallic and volcanic,” Sabin said.

  Swiveling, Wren saw the images appearing on the viewscreen. She saw the dense asteroid belt ahead. “So they spew molten metal?”

  “Correct,” Malax said. “Molten iron to be precise. Over time, collisions with other asteroids has stripped away any rocky layers, leaving behind the dense metallic core.”

  “A molten core,” Airen added. “They are covered with volcanoes that erupt with molten iron.”

  “That sounds…bad,” Wren said.

  “Molten metal landing on your ship is not a good thing,” Sabin replied.

  The man didn’t even change facial expression. “You appear to be a master of understatement.”

  “We can get through,” Malax said. “And it is unlikely the Kantos will follow us in there.”

  The atmosphere on the bridge turned tense. Wren clutched her hands together, watching and waiting.

  “The Kantos are gaining,” a warrior called out.

  “And we are approaching the outer edge of the Cra’nar,” Airen murmured.

  Wren wanted to grab Malax’s hand, but right now, he was the cool, collected war commander.

  “Sir, the lead Kantos ships will reach us before we’re in the asteroid belt,” another warrior called out.

  Another image showed the incoming Kantos swarm. She saw the cluster of ugly, bug-like cruisers and smaller swarm ships.

  Malax cursed under his breath. She saw the muscles straining in his neck.

  Another volley of fire hit the Rengard.

  “Brace,” someone yelled.

  Wren was rocked hard, almost falling. She staggered two steps and grabbed the light table. Next to her, Airen was swiping and tapping on the table.

  No. She wasn’t letting the Kantos destroy the Rengard, or get their dirty claws on any helians, or hurt anyone aboard. She whipped out her tablet and set it on the light table.

  “Sassy?”

  “Here.”

  “We need to get some more speed out of the Rengard’s engines.” She looked up and met Malax’s gold-black eyes. He nodded.

  “Assessing options now,” Sassy said.

  Wren touched the light table and the band on her wrist flared blue. She heard Airen make a choked noise, and then, Wren was connected to the Rengard’s systems.

  Holy cow.

  As she thought of what she wanted, she saw data appear on the light table. And she no longer needed to tap or swipe. So. Cool. Excitement flooded her and she worked with Sassy, studying the Rengard’s systems.

  “Sassy, funnel power from the environmental system to the star drives.”

  “That would put ventilation and heating at risk for the crew.”

  “I know, but it’s feel dizzy and cold, or be dead.”

  Airen cleared her throat. “If you redirect the power from our storage areas, engine room, and docking bays, that would limit exposure for the crew.”

  Wren smiled. “Thanks. Do it, Sassy.”

  “Sir, power to the star drives has increased by thirty-three percent,” a warrior at the helm cried out.

  “Increase speed, Darnon,” Malax ordered. “Get us into that asteroid belt.”

  The Rengard surged forward. Wren kept one eye on the star drives, monitoring the power situation, and her other eye on the giant asteroids looming ahead.

  “Adjust course,” Malax said. “Head for the center.”

  Wren studied the asteroids and bit her lip. Oh, jeez. They were huge and glowing. On several, she saw huge plumes of molten-red iron arching into space.

  The molten metal would carve through the hull of the ship in seconds.

  “Darnon, we need to avoid the plumes,” Malax said.

  The pilot was leaning forward in his seat, his gaze glued to his screen. “I’ll do my best, sir.”

  “I believe I can help the pilot,” Sassy said.

  “Do what you can to enhance his systems, Sassy, but let him do his job,” Wren murmured.

  “Kantos are still coming,” a warrior yelled.

  The warship sailed between huge asteroids. The pilot turned them to the left, and ahead, Wren saw a large, irregular hunk of rock with an erupting volcano. The ship pulled up and she leaned into the light table. The Rengard was too big to be very nimble. Her mouth went dry. They might not make it.

  “Rylan?” Malax called out.

  “Kantos are still coming.”

  Malax cursed and Wren
prayed the aliens would veer off.

  Suddenly, the pilot cursed. “Plume!”

  Alarms started blaring.

  “We just caught the edge of it,” Airen yelled. “We have a hull breach on deck delta-seven. Molten iron has torn into a cargo bay.”

  “Seal the breach,” Malax ordered.

  “Sealed.”

  “Sir,” a warrior shouted. “The Kantos are retreating.”

  Cheers erupted. Wren released a shaky breath and when she looked up, Malax was watching her. She smiled, but he didn’t return it. He nodded coolly before turning to his second.

  “Airen, damage report.”

  “Just the one breach from the plume. It’s sealed and I’ll have repair crews down there shortly.”

  “Darnon?” Malax looked at the pilot.

  “I’ve plotted the easiest course out of the asteroid belt. We should be clear in seven minutes and not encounter anymore eruptions.”

  “Good flying. Everyone, good work.” Malax moved over to Wren. “Thank you.”

  She shrugged a shoulder. “I didn’t do much.”

  “I’ll be tied up here for some time.” A rueful smile. “No time for dinner. I’ll have Airen assign you a cabin so you can get some rest.”

  His face was cool and professional. There was no sign of the passionate man who’d given her the mother of all orgasms earlier. Her belly clenched. Right. Apparently, he’d had a change of heart since their moment in his cabin.

  Or maybe he’s just busy and has a job to do, Wren.

  Either way, she wasn’t going to make a fool of herself in front of all his warriors. She was done making a fool of herself over men.

  “Okay, then. I need to retrieve my backpack anyway. Although, it’s mostly just full of dirty clothes and empty wrappers.”

  He gave her a polite look.

  She cleared her throat. “Right. Good luck.” Her chest tight, she nodded and followed Airen out.

  Chapter Nine

  The next morning, Malax strode into the cargo bay. Repairs looked like they were going well.

  The molten iron had burned a large tear in the side of the Rengard’s hull, but as he watched, his repair crew climbed over the wall, welding and patching. A shower of sparks floated down to the floor. The ship’s helians also helped enhance the repairs, growing new hull material to close the gap.