Doctor Helion, the Prillon warrior in charge of the experimental brain tech for the I.C., was working on a fix, but at the moment, it seemed there was no logical explanation for hers to work and for mine to fail, beyond basic biological differences in the way her brain was wired.
Since every single brain was unique, the doctor didn’t know who would be able to hear them, and who would not. Who would amplify the sound for someone else. Apparently, for Chloe Phan, that someone wasn’t me.
“That’s great, Vice Admiral, but the solution to this problem is sitting on The Colony right now, bored out of his fucking mind,” Chloe said. She still had the snap to her voice of a frustrated fighter, but it was laced with respect. “I didn’t stay here for my health. I was going to retire, go live the quiet life on Prillon Prime. But Commander Karter asked us to stay, so we stayed. And now I’m telling you, we need Warlord Anghar.”
Niobe watched Chloe stack her armor and helmet with intense interest. Thank God, because they both missed my gut wrenching reaction to hearing Angh’s name come from another woman. My heart skipped a beat as I knew I’d heard her correctly. Chloe knew Angh?
“Tell me about the Atlan. He’s contaminated?” Niobe asked. “How bad is it?”
Chloe sighed. “With all due respect Vice Admiral, he’s a decorated warlord who survived being captured by the Hive. His level of contamination should be asked at about the same time you want to know his shoe size.”
I agreed with Chloe, pleased that she’d defended the Atlan.
The Coalition’s obsession with the idea of their warriors being contaminated once they’d been captured by the Hive didn’t sit well with most humans. But then, we were new to the war. The other Coalition planets had been fighting for hundreds of years.
When Vice Admiral Niobe only dipped her head in understanding of her error, Chloe continued. “Yes, he’s on The Colony. He survived months as a Drone until Captain Mills freed him on a ReCon mission. Months, sir. He’s the strongest person I know, and not because he’s an Atlan.” Chloe lowered her chin slightly and raised her hand to point to her temple. “In here. He’s a tough fucking bastard, and the most honorable warlord, warrior or fighter I’ve ever met. We need him out here. I don’t care what the rest of the Coalition thinks. He helped me save the Sector once. I see no reason he shouldn’t help us do it again.”
“How?” I asked. The word blurted from me before I could stop it. This was something I didn’t know about the warlord whom I suspected I was falling in love with. That was an insane notion, since I’d only spent one night with him, but my lingering reaction to him was far from normal. My body literally ached for him, and from him. My pussy was sore and if anyone got sight of me naked, they’d see the hickeys and other marks of our wild lovemaking.
Discovering more about his past wasn’t helping in that regard. I only liked him more and more. He wasn’t just a quick lay now. He was a decorated, revered and qualified warlord. If Chloe vouched for him, then he’d earned her respect. The hard way.
“How did he help you?” I asked. “He was here?”
Vice Admiral Niobe noticed my interest, her gaze narrowing on me as if she could somehow know I’d spent time in his bed on The Colony just the night before. She knew what was happening at the Academy, but I wasn’t sure if she knew I’d been the one to lead the training exercise on that planet.
“Do you know Warlord Anghar?” she asked.
I nodded. “Yes. I just met him during the last training run on The Colony.” I wouldn’t lie, but I could leave out the part where I’d sat on his face and he’d made me come with his tongue.
“That was less than two days ago.”
I nodded, wiped my hair back from my face. “Correct. I spoke with him briefly hours before I left.” And fucked him. And screamed his name. And rode his cock until I dropped into blissful exhaustion. But she didn’t need to know any of that. Good thing, because Chloe moved so she was in my face.
“How is he?” she asked, her voice full of friendly worry. “I haven’t seen him for almost two years.”
Jealousy reared its ugly head, but I knew Chloe was mated. Very well mated, if the prowling Prillon pilot was any indication. I’d heard she’d had a baby, took the requisite leave for that. She wasn’t having a baby with the Prillon and Earth mate while secretly lusting after Angh. But jealous thoughts were irrational ones and I shook the feeling off.
Chloe’s question didn’t seem to bother her mate in the slightest. No jealousy there.
I shrugged. “He’s fine, I guess. He was fighting in the pits when I met him.” I glanced at Captain Dorian Zanakar. “Knocked out a Prillon warrior with one punch to the jaw.”
Dorian burst out laughing. “That sounds about right. If there’s something he wants, he goes for it, even if that’s winning.”
The something he’d wanted was me. I just nodded my head in neutral agreement.
Chloe’s smile was filled with relief and she stepped back, finally allowing her mate to wrap an arm around her waist as she looked at the Vice Admiral. “We need to get him back out here. He helped me destroy the initial network. We need people who can hear those things, and he can hear them. Trust me.”
Vice Admiral Niobe looked to me. “You spoke to him. Do you feel he is stable enough to handle this type of assignment? He is an Atlan. If there’s any chance he is in danger of losing control to Mating Fever, I’d rather know now. The last thing I need is an out of control Atlan beast with Cyborg-enhanced strength.”
All eyes turned to me and I thought of Angh. Was he in control? And what, exactly, was this Mating Fever she was talking about? He hadn’t been in any kind of sickness or distress when he’d been with me. He’d been wild, admitted his beast was on the prowl, but that was all because he was horny, not sick. And I’d sated both him and his beast. He hadn’t had any kind of fever when I’d slipped from his bed.
“He’s strong, as Commander Phan said,” I confirmed. “I didn’t see any sign of distress or illness. If we need him to help us destroy the Hive network in this sector, I don’t see any reason not to use him.”
And maybe, just maybe, I’d get to see him again.
The Vice Admiral nodded, her decision made. “Very well, Commander.” She turned to Chloe. “I will request he be transferred to I.C. Core Command upon my return to Zioria.”
“Thank God.” Chloe leaned into Dorian’s embrace and I was struck by an odd lump in my throat. Those two were so natural with one another. So trusting. There was something there I couldn’t explain or completely believe was real, but I wanted it for myself. The whole mates thing—connecting on the deepest of levels…everywhere—wasn’t something I fully understood. But I ached for the connection Chloe and Dorian shared. And I imagined the bond was even more intense when their other mate was with them.