by Regine Abel
Loreus smashed the head of one enemy against the hull of the Burrower, making it explode in a shower of blood and gore, then lifted another by the neck, tossing him away like he weighed nothing. The Ferein went crashing into a wall before sprawling on the ground, stunned. He never got a chance to get back up as Haelin stomped her foot on his neck, crushing his trachea.
It was a massacre. With nowhere to run, the Fereins had no choice but to fight until their last breath. Once they were wiped out, we raced to the other little pockets of skirmishes remaining while the protective dome parted to let out a number of our chasers and bombers. The enemy was retreating, but Haelin wanted every drop of blood she could get.
Grellik had fucked with the wrong female.
Chapter 15
Jarog
The Narengi leader had not been kidding when she’d stated that her city was well defended. Although the outer walls had taken a number of scratches, and a few buildings and streets had been roughed up by the Burrowers that had made it in, the damages were mostly cosmetic. Disposing of the nearly four hundred corpses and of the wrecked Burrowers would be a bigger hassle.
Thanks to the ultrasonic blasters, we hadn’t suffered a single casualty, although a couple of Narengis had sustained some serious injuries. The rest of us had gotten away with a few bruises and cuts that wouldn’t leave scars. I was still annoyed with Tamryn. It had taken every bit of my willpower not to call for reinforcement on her behalf when she delayed too long to do so. Had she waited a second more, I would have spoken up.
I didn’t want to become the overprotective—not to say controlling—mate, but she was my woman. Her being a skilled warrior and in no way helpless didn’t matter. It was my duty to keep her safe.
While the cleaning work had begun, Haelin called a meeting with her two lieutenants, Tamryn, and me. Loreus had not been invited, but upon his request to join, she allowed him. That stirred my curiosity. Him assisting in today’s battle had not been surprising. However, I would have expected him to not want to get sucked further into this mess, considering his imminent departure.
After going over the preliminary damage reports and assessing our troops readiness should another attack occur, Loreus raised the subject that had prompted his desire to attend the meeting.
“This attack wasn’t retaliation,” Loreus said. “He sent his troops, intent on destroying your city. Instead, he faced another crushing defeat and massive humiliation. His people are defecting, and his allies are turning on him.”
“How do you know that?” Haelin challenged, narrowing her eyes at him.
“I have my contacts,” Loreus said mysteriously. “Ever since you broke me out, Grellik has been trying to recruit other cartels into joining forces with him to obliterate you. The bigger ones were holding off to see how this attack would fare. Now that he has failed so miserably, those who do not simply turn their backs on him will think about attacking him while he’s weakened to take over his territory.”
“Are you implying that I should reach out to the other cartels to strike an alliance with them instead?” Haelin asked.
“No. I’m saying that you should finish off Grellik before he strikes again, or before someone else does him in,” Loreus explained. “He has no choice but to attack Satos once more. He’s desperate now, and desperate people do stupid shit. He will sacrifice every single one of his people to destroy you, even if he destroys himself in the process.”
“What makes you so certain?” Haelin asked, echoing my thoughts.
“My pod has been heading logistics for the Cyborg Military Elite for many years now,” Loreus said. “In our function, we’ve worked closely with every department, especially intelligence and secret services. The situation on Xyva has been on our radar for a long time, more specifically Grellik.”
“Why?” I asked, taken aback. “I never heard any of this.”
“Because of what we saw in his lab,” Loreus replied. “Rumors were circulating, from the complaints of the families of the ‘volunteers’ he experimented on to the types of doctors and scientists he’d been recruiting of late. There’s a reason I was so comfortable accepting your hospitality, Haelin Zorani,” he added, turning towards the Narengi female. “Our intelligence service studied you as well, as part of their investigation of Grellik.”
“Why did the Cyborgs care so much about what was happening on Xyva?” Tamryn asked. “Did the Emperor fear a rival?”
“The Emperor knew nothing of it,” Loreus said smugly before turning to me. “Which is why you haven’t heard about it either. The rebellion within the Cyborg ranks had been going on for a while. We realized Grellik was another Shui in the making. We wanted to nip that in the bud because we knew the minute Emperor Shui launched his attack on Bionus, Grellik would try to sneak in through the backdoor. You have to kill him, Haelin.”
“I hear what you’re saying,” she replied with a frown, “but I can’t handle such a big territory.”
“That’s a different issue that can be addressed later,” Loreus countered dismissively. “You do not need to run it if you can’t. There will be plenty of time for you to instate someone you trust in that role. First, eliminate Grellik. The next time he attacks, he will go all out, and you won’t get away with only a few scratches.”
“You have given me much to think about,” Haelin said, running a hand over the delicate antlers on top of her head. “I will sleep on it.”
Loreus nodded. Haelin rose to her feet, imitated by Yelena and Lanish.
“Stay a minute. I would like to have a word with you,” Loreus said when I made to stand as well.
“All right,” I said, making no effort to hide my surprise.
Tamryn stared at Loreus with a slight frown before turning her beautiful blue eyes towards me. The troubled glint within didn’t go unnoticed. She caressed my cheek and gave me a rather stiff smile before exiting the room with the others. When the door closed, I turned a questioning look towards him.
“So, Tamryn and you are officially a couple?” he asked, although it came out more as a statement.
I repressed my initial reaction to tell him that it was none of his business. “Yes,” I replied, tilting my head to the side.
“Will she follow you wherever you decide to go?” he insisted.
My heart skipped a beat as I began to suspect where this conversation might be headed.
“No,” I said firmly. “I’ve decided to follow her. As her people are currently in hiding, it is safer for Tamryn to remain here with Haelin. As I no longer have a pod, and have no way of tracking Caylan, who is damaged and currently in some kind of stasis, I will stay here with my woman and help her efforts in building the rebellion.”
“An interesting decision, but one that strikes me as illogical,” Loreus countered.
“Why? Because I’m not seeking to reunite with other Cyborgs?” I asked.
“Because you know your skills will be underused here outside of the Cyborg forces,” Loreus replied. “During the battle, both earlier and when you rescued me yesterday, you were as crippled as I was by our inability to communicate through a neural network or the Mainframe. The Emperor isn’t going to relent until he has exterminated all of us. We need to regroup and organize if we are to defeat him. Or did I misinterpret your desire to make a difference?”
“You did not. But I can make a difference here as well,” I argued.
“You can,” Loreus conceded, “but nowhere near as great as you would with our brothers. You no longer have a pod. Ours has lost two souls, and one of my brothers holds you in high esteem. Surely you knew we would extend you an invitation to join us once I had conferred with them? Why didn’t you wait to make your decision?”
My heart leapt upon hearing him confirm what I had suspected and that a part of me had both hoped for and dreaded.
“I thought you might,” I admitted, trying to remember all the arguments that had convinced me to follow this path instead of waiting. “And yes, I won’t deny that a
part of me hungers to belong again, to be part of a pod, and to have purpose.”
“But?”
“I don’t want to join a pod just for the sake of belonging,” I said. “I have tremendous respect for Dakran, and you seem like an honorable man. However, I don’t know you. I would have given my life for any of my pod brothers, not out of duty but out of love. I also don’t want to be settled on because you have a hole to plug. In many ways, joining a pod is an even greater bond than marriage. There’s no divorce. Our closed neural network will give you access to even deeper thoughts and emotions than my mate ever could.”
I sighed heavily and ran my hand over my short hair while gathering my thoughts.
“I believe I could be a great fit for your pod, but Cyborgs have a period of courtship for a reason before making that commitment,” I continued. “I cannot expect you to stay here while I get to know you guys, and it wouldn’t be fair of me to ask Tamryn to abandon her own rebellion efforts and put herself at risk chasing after something that may not even work out. What plans do you actually have?”
“I’m glad you asked,” Loreus said with a smug grin that piqued my curiosity. “If I told you that my pod would be interested in coming here, therefore giving you time for said courtship, would you reconsider?”
My eyes widened, and I straightened in my seat. “Okay, you’ve got me interested. Go on.”
“Haelin is correct in that she cannot hold the Ferein territory,” Loreus continued. “It is too vast to erect defensive walls around it like in Satos, and she doesn’t have the numbers to protect it. But she also cannot allow Grellik to live. If—or rather when—she kills him, she will need to seat a new leader for his territory that she can trust.”
My back stiffened, an uneasy feeling settling in the pit of my stomach. “And who would that be? You?” I asked, my eyes narrowing and my tone hardening.
Loreus chuckled and shook his head. “Indirectly, to the extent that I would assist,” he replied with a smirk. “I think you should take over Tarkis and the Ferein territory.”
For a split second, my brain ceased functioning as I stared at him in disbelief. Then I began running a million different possible scenarios in my mind, while failing to find the logic. Too much data was missing to fully understand his reasoning.
“Considering I have even fewer troops and resources than Haelin—meaning none whatsoever—what do you know that I don’t that would make you even propose such a thing?” I asked.
“A little over one hundred Cyborgs from our rebel network have rendezvoused on Svaalis, where my pod is currently hiding,” Loreus said. “Some of them have their spouses and families with them, and they are trying to round up more rebels. But the camps on Svaalis aren’t set up to provide for our growing numbers.”
“Whereas Tarkis already has everything we could possibly need, including a spaceport, damaged though it currently is,” I completed for him.
“Exactly, on top of one of the finest weapons factories and development facilities in the sector,” Loreus continued. “We’ve been stripped of everything. This would not only give us a massive leg up, it would also eliminate another would-be dictator, and secure the region for Haelin. We all come out winners in this.”
“The Fereins might feel differently,” I argued. “Granted, their situation is already very precarious, but whoever takes over their city will be viewed as an invader.”
“But unlike other mercs, we will not enslave them or wipe them out,” Loreus countered. “Like I said, I have my sources. Many are looking for a safe way out. Grellik already sacrificed most of his fighters. The remaining population are mostly civilians, merchants, and traders. They have no loyalty to him, only to their business. They will welcome a change of rule that can guarantee their safety and allow them to thrive peacefully.”
“Which brings us right back to why the fuck would that be me?” I challenged.
Loreus grinned and leaned back into his chair. “Because before this whole mess went down, your name had frequently been floated around for a promotion to General,” he explained. “You have led countless successful missions, many of which you planned and strategized. We are preparing for a massive war. We need someone the troops will agree to follow.”
“And you choose a loyalist?” I asked with disbelief.
He huffed and waved a dismissive hand. “That was your past life. You are not the only one who remained loyal. What matters is now and the future,” he said forcefully. “That you have earned the trust of a Narengi who is swimming neck deep in the rebellion is all the validation you require. We need the troops to get organized and a safe place where other rebels and Cyborgs can rally.”
“So, am I correctly understanding that you want me to organize our military forces, and you would run the city?” I asked.
“Part of the city,” he corrected. “My pod and I are logistics experts. We can get our people here and make sure we have everything we need to get the city back up and running at maximum efficiency. There are others better suited than we are to actually handle the administration of the city. And yes, you would spearhead our military efforts, from recruiting, training, armament, defenses, to planning our future interventions.”
“That sounds like a lot for a single man to shoulder,” I said, although my excitement steadily grew at the prospect.
“You will not be alone,” Loreus said reassuringly. “We merely need someone to rally behind. Your military history, relationship with Haelin, and now your bond with Tamryn makes you the perfect candidate. Her family is deeply involved in the rebellion and building its own network. You are the perfect man for the role.”
“You’ve already discussed this with your pod?” I asked.
He nodded. “Both last night and this morning, after they discussed this possibility with the others,” Loreus said. “It was a unanimous vote in favor, with you as our General. Once they hear of the attack we just faced, they’ll be even more determined.”
“You have given me much to think about,” I said, feeling slightly overwhelmed. “I’ll need a bit of time. And assuming I go with it, we will need to run it by Haelin.”
“Naturally, I expected no less,” Loreus said with a smirk. “But think quickly, General. Time isn’t on our side.”
I snorted upon hearing the title, and watched him rise to his feet before walking out of the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
Chapter 16
Tamryn
Heart pounding, I watched Loreus walk out of Perdition by himself. My gaze flicked over his shoulder, looking for Jarog, but he was nowhere to be seen. In my heart, I knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that he had asked my man to join his pod. If Jarog had accepted, would he ask me to go with him to wherever they would go? Was I ready to follow?
After seeing them train and battle together this morning, I had to admit that it would be unfair of me to ask him to give up that opportunity to be ‘whole’ again with a group of his brothers. Knowing Jarog, I suspected he might decline to join them to honor his word to me. As much as the selfish part of me wanted him to, I couldn’t allow that. The question now was whether I was willing to leave the relative safety of Satos to follow him.
Yes, I am.
That took me aback. I had expected to agonize over it, knowing how uncertain things were out there. And yet, if he asked me to go with him, I would. If nothing else, the recent events had taught me that life was too short to let any moment go to waste. However, if it came to that, I would need to convince him to stay long enough for us to help out Haelin with the current Ferein situation. We owed her that much.
The beep of my scanner snapped me out of my musings, and I forced myself to refocus on the task at hand. Some of the ground had indeed been weakened by the ultrasonic blasts. Thankfully, only a limited number of buildings and residences needed to be temporarily evacuated while we stabilized the lot they were erected on and the surrounding areas. It wasn’t the case with this one.
Relieved, I tapped on the in
terface of my datapad, looking for what other sectors of the city needed to be scanned but found none. Haelin’s people were not dicking around. Their efficiency blew my mind. Just as I was pondering how to help next, my head jerked up when the tingling sensation of being observed washed over me. My breath caught in my throat at the sight of Jarog, standing in front of Perdition, staring at me with that unreadable expression of his.
He extended a hand towards me. With a will of their own, my feet walked me over to him. I placed my hand in his, and the subtle way his features softened with what I could only translate as tenderness made my stomach flip-flop. Without a word, he led me back inside and down to our suite. A million thoughts fired off in my head. However, the initial panic I had felt that he was preparing to kick me to the curb vanished the minute my hand touched his. Whatever he would say, Jarog was as committed to us as I was. We would deal with this together.
As had become his habit of late, Jarog lured me to the couch, sat down first, then settled me on his lap.
“Judging by the look on your face, that conversation with Loreus must have been quite intense,” I said with nervous laughter.
“You have no idea,” he said with a troubled expression. “He made me a very unexpected proposal—one that I cannot deny is both extremely tempting and terrifying. I haven’t made a decision yet. But if I’m going to do it, I want you by my side. So, you very much have a say in this.”
My heart skipped a beat, and I barely repressed the silly grin that wanted to blossom on my lips. If he was tempted, the chances of me denying him were pretty slim. Either way, my mind had remained stuck on the part of him wanting me by his side should he go through with it.
