Touch of Eon (Eon Warriors Book 2)

by Anna Hackett

  “Cren.” He reared up, shoving her back.

  She found herself on her back, her warrior above her. His face was fierce as he pistoned into her.

  A moment later, he found his own release. He groaned, body shuddering as he came hard, jetting inside her.

  When he collapsed, he made sure he fell right beside her and not on top of her. He did that every time. He was well aware of his strength and size, and he always made sure he didn’t crush her.

  Lara pulled in a deep breath, snuggling against his damp skin. “That was amazing, baby.”

  He lifted his head. He had a very satisfied look on his face.

  She reached up and tugged on his hair. “God, I love your hair.”

  “I noticed. You like to yank on it when I’m licking those pretty folds between your legs.” His voice was deep and lazy.

  She tugged on it again, making a mock angry face at him.

  He smiled at her. A big, wide, beautiful smile.

  Her heart squeezed. He was alive. Her warrior was gorgeously alive.

  And he’d been proving it for the last two days. They’d been locked in his cabin—eating, drinking, having sex, and making love.

  They’d had plenty of amazing, no-holds-barred fucking. She snuggled deeper, absorbing the warmth of him. But there had also been plenty of sweet lovemaking. Slow, lazy, and glorying in their connection.

  He spoiled her with all kinds of tasty foods. Many of which she’d smeared on his body and licked off his skin, a pleasurable experience for both of them. The washroom was overflowing with all the lotions and scents he’d synthesized for her. It appeared her warrior enjoyed spoiling her.

  Lara pressed her cheek to his chest. She heard the strong, steady thud of his heart.

  “I thought you were dead,” she whispered.

  His arms tightened on her.

  “We floated in space for hours.” All the pain and fear rushed back. “I couldn’t tell if you were breathing.”

  “Shara…” His hands slid up her back. “I’m fine.”

  “When Davion and Brack arrived, Brack said he couldn’t detect your life signs.”

  “Because Brack has a big mouth and talks before he thinks. My helian had slowed everything down to keep me alive.”

  She pressed into him. “I thought I’d lost you. Before I really even had you.”

  “I’m right here, shara.”

  “What does shara mean?”

  “It is what the warrior Alqin called his mate Eschar. His love, his woman.”

  She tugged on his hair. “How many women have you whispered it to before me?”

  “No one. Only you.”

  Her belly quivered. “I love you, Caze. I’m going to teach you what love means, but I think you’re off to a pretty good start.” She kissed his pec. “I’m going to show you how good we can be together.”

  He smiled, fiddling with her hair. “There’s no need for you to prove anything to me. I love you too, Lara.”

  Warmth flared in her belly. “But you—”

  He tugged her up, his lips finding hers. This kiss wasn’t fueled by the frenzy of the mating fever. This was a long, slow kiss. They took their time.

  When he lifted his lips from hers, they were both breathing heavily.

  “I didn’t know what love was,” he said. “But when I look at you, what I feel for you… I know what love feels like now, Lara mine. I know how it feels to mate, to protect a woman, to shield her, make her happy, see her smile, hear her cry my name in pleasure.”

  Lara bit her lip. God, what had happened to the stern warrior she’d first faced across a temple courtyard? “Caze.”

  “Are you mine, Lara Traynor of Earth? My woman, my warrior, my lover, my mate?”

  “Yes, Caze Vann-Jad. I’m yours and you’re mine. My warrior, my man, my lover, my hot stuff.”

  He rolled on top of her, his mouth taking hers again. “Show me.”

  Wren

  Shit, shittity, shit.

  Wren Traynor ran through the narrow maintenance conduit. She heard the rumble of voices—deep, male voices—reverberating from nearby.

  She ducked into a small alcove. In the pitch darkness, she dropped to her knees, pushed open a small panel, and crawled in. She fitted the panel back into place, and turned to face the tiny space that had been her hidey-hole for the last few days.

  Dropping to her butt, she leaned against the metallic wall and sighed.

  She was tired. Stressed out. And she didn’t smell very good.

  That’s what happens when you hijack an alien warship, Wren.

  God, her life sucked. She let her head thunk back against the wall. One day, she’d been working at her tech company, creating amazing, cutting-edge programs and being a badass with a keyboard. At night, she’d done some…creative hacking. Just to keep herself busy and her skills sharp.

  Then, just over five months ago, things had gone sideways. Her sister, Eve, had been imprisoned for a crime she hadn’t committed. Wren still felt the wild rush of anger at the injustice of it all.

  She pushed her mass of dark curls back over her shoulder. She winced. Her hair was greasy as hell. Gah. She needed a shower and would sell her soul for one. Wet wipes weren’t cutting it anymore.

  Sighing, she pulled her tablet out. The screen glowed, lighting up the small space around her. She’d been damn grateful to find this space. Tucked between some internal maintenance access conduits, she was pretty sure the warriors didn’t know it existed.

  She stroked her tablet. Her baby. She’d built the device herself. It had top-of-the-line, experimental components.

  With it, and her mad skills, she’d managed to sneak aboard an Eon warship, take over their systems, and take control of the ship.

  She’d then spent four days sending them jumping around distant space.

  The ship’s war commander and his crew had been working tirelessly to find her. Wren had spent that time ensuring they didn’t, usually by creating havoc on the ship and keeping them busy.

  She needed to get the warship to the rendezvous point with Earth’s Space Corps. Her sister’s freedom depended on it. The survival of Earth depended on it. How the Space Corps planned to subdue an entire ship of pissed off Eon warriors, she had no clue. She didn’t care. Her job was to get the Rengard to the rendezvous.

  Wren rubbed her brow. She had a headache forming. She rifled through her backpack and pulled out some food packs and water.

  Somehow, War Commander Dann-Jad had disabled the ship’s star drive. They were now stuck at standard speed.

  It was going to be a long trip to the rendezvous. She’d run out of food and water far before then. Which was no doubt what the war commander had in mind.

  She munched on the bland rations, dreaming of a thick, juicy steak. And a slice of cheesecake. Fresh strawberries. So, she could either die of thirst and starvation, or she could die at the hands of an angry Eon war commander who’d likely wring her neck. And take pleasure in doing it.

  Hmm. Choices, choices.

  She tossed the empty wrapper in her backpack. This was why she preferred her computer lab to spending time with people. In her lab, she was queen of her domain, and the few people she allowed in were awed by her crazy-good skills.

  Wren thumbed her tablet screen, and a picture of her with her sisters appeared. Eve and Lara. Love filled Wren. She was the baby, and her sisters had always protected her, looked out for her.

  In the picture, her sisters had Wren squeezed in between them. Wren was laughing, Lara had an arm outstretched to take the picture. Eve was smirking and looking badass. It was over a year old, on the last vacation the three of them had managed to take. They’d sunned themselves on a beach in the Caribbean, and the rest of the time, Wren had fought their attempts to make her go parasailing and jet-skiing.

  Her sisters were both taller and more athletic than Wren. They both loved space and fighting. Both were tough, accomplished, and badass.

  And then there was Wren. Her nose
wrinkled. She was shorter and curvier, with five pounds she couldn’t shift. Okay, so she had a serious chocolate and latte addiction that she had no intention of giving up. And she didn’t exercise—she shuddered—unless she had to.

  She touched the image of Eve’s face. God, she prayed her sister was okay. The Space Corps had forced her on a dangerous mission to abduct an Eon war commander. Air whistled through Wren’s teeth. And not any Eon war commander, the deadliest one.

  Not that War Commander Malax Dann-Jad was a slouch. The man was proving way more intelligent than she’d assumed.

  The Space Corps had approached Wren and offered her a deal too. Hijack the Eon warship, the Rengard, and they’d recall Wren’s sister and grant Eve her freedom.

  God, her sister Lara would be going crazy with worry for Eve and not knowing where Wren was.

  And here she was. Stuck in the bowels of an alien ship while its war commander tore it apart to find her.

  Suddenly, her tablet screen went black, plunging her into darkness. She frowned.

  Then words appeared on the screen.

  Terran.

  Her eyebrows rose. He’d hacked her tablet? The prick. Her fingers flew.

  She and the war commander had traded a few messages over the last few days. But they were messages she’d sent him when she’d tapped his system. He did not get to hack her baby.

  Wren quickly checked her system and released a breath. They didn’t have a lock on her location.

  She replied. War Commander.

  Earth now has an alliance with the Eon. Stand down.

  What? Wren chewed her lip, studying the words suspiciously.

  She tapped the screen. I don’t believe you.

  Stubborn woman. Your sister brokered a deal.

  Wren chewed on her lip hard enough to wince. Could it be true? Was Eve okay?

  Return control of my ship.

  His anger practically throbbed off the screen. She didn’t need to be anywhere near the man to know he was pissed to the nth degree.

  She’d seen a photo of him. Eon warriors all looked similar—big and muscled, long hair framing rugged faces. They all had hair in shades of brown. But there was something a little harsher about Malax Dann-Jad. The firm line of his square jaw, or maybe the scowl she suspected was his permanent expression.

  She tapped her screen. No.

  She suspected the war commander would do just about anything to get her to surrender control of his ship. Including lie to her.

  You will regret your actions.

  Wren snorted. I already do, but I have no choice.

  There is always a choice, Terran. Relinquish control and turn yourself in. I can assure your safety.

  Another snort. Yeah, right.

  Woman, do not test me. You won’t like the consequences.

  Okay, Wren felt a little tremor in her belly. She never, ever wanted to come face-to-face with War Commander Dann-Jad.

  Don’t threaten me. I haven’t had a latte in days, and my chocolate stash ran out a long time ago.

  The screen stayed blank, and she figured he wasn’t quite sure what to make of her.

  Last chance. Surrender.

  Annoying man. You can’t see me right now, but I’m poking my tongue out at you. I don’t follow your orders, War Commander.

  Wren tapped the screen, found the command she wanted, and hit it. Right now, lights were turning off across the entire ship.

  It was childish, but she couldn’t help herself.

  Woman.

  Just that single word on the screen. Wren imagined she could hear the war commander’s angry roar from here.

  Game on, War Commander.

  Chapter Twenty

  “I want you to run another check on the Tarrant-class missiles,” Caze said. “And Halon, good job with the upgrades to the pulse cannon array.”

  The warrior straightened. “Thank you, Security Commander.”

  Caze scanned his security team. “Any sign of the Rengard on scans?”

  The warriors shook their heads.

  Cren. He’d been hoping to give Lara some good news about her sister.

  He nodded to his team and left the security room. He strode onto the bridge and his gaze went straight to Lara.

  She looked over her shoulder and winked at him. She looked very fine in her black Desteron uniform.

  He smiled. He was happy. He’d been content with his life before, dedicated to his work. But now he was happy in a way he’d never felt before.

  On the central table on the bridge sat the three gems of the first warriors. They’d successfully recovered them all.

  Davion turned. “King Gayel has been briefed that the gems are okay.”

  “So, he has his war commander and his gems back,” Eve said.

  “Now we just need his warship.” Davion crossed his arms over his chest.

  Lara held Caze’s gaze. “Update on the Rengard?”

  He shook his head. “Still no sign of it.”

  She cursed. “Damn.”

  Eve turned to the viewscreen. “Where is she?”

  Lara grabbed her sister’s hand. “We’ll find her. Then I’ll wring her neck for ever agreeing to this.”

  Eve pressed into Lara’s side. “You know she can’t turn down a challenge.”

  Caze moved to his mate. She released her sister, and planted her face into his chest. He hugged her tight.

  He felt the scrutiny from the warriors on the bridge. They were still adjusting to Caze and Davion being mated and openly showing affection.

  He felt his helian beat. It felt so right, and he didn’t care what anyone thought. Although he’d yet to apprise his father of his mated status. He cleared his throat. Maybe after they’d recovered the Rengard.

  “You spoke with the Space Corps?” he asked.

  Lara lifted her head. “Yes. I’m on a leave of absence.”

  He nodded.

  “And I ripped Admiral Barber a new one. Sending Wren, of all people, into a dangerous situation.” Lara growled.

  Caze smoothed a hand down her hair. He’d learned when Lara got angry it was best to let her get it out. Or help her burn it off.

  She sucked in a breath. “Davion has assigned me to train the Desteron’s warriors in Earth-style fighting.”

  Caze stiffened, but she didn’t seem to notice.

  “Eve’s been teaching a few classes, so I’m going to take over for her so she can focus on her very important ambassador duties.”

  From nearby, Eve lifted a finger at her sister.

  Lara grinned. “I’m going to add a few classes of my own, as well.”

  Caze’s head was bombarded with images of Lara wrestling with warriors on the mats in the gym. It made him scowl.

  Her grin widened. “Don’t worry, hot stuff, I’ll beat their asses.”

  “Maybe I’m worried about their asses, not yours.” He slid a hand down over the aforementioned ass.

  She shot him a look and moved his hand back to her waist. “My ass is just fine, thank you.”

  “It sure is.”

  “So.” She paused. “I had a warrior tell me I could have assigned quarters—”

  Caze growled. “My mate sleeps with me.”

  She patted his chest. “That’s what I told him.”

  Caze wanted to kiss her. Right here on the bridge. Better yet, he wanted to drag her back to their cabin and strip that uniform off her.

  Like she read his mind, she leaned in, her voice a whisper. “How about I meet you back at our place for a lunch-break quickie?”

  His cock was hard in an instant. “I love you.”

  “I love you too, hot stuff.” She pulled back and winked. “See you in an hour.”

  Before her, Caze’s life had been endless work. Pleasure had never, ever been a priority. He watched his mate walk away, his gaze dropping to her rounded ass in her uniform.

  For the first time in his life, he was looking forward to more. He couldn’t wait to see where life with his Terran m
ate took him.

  Lara tilted her head up under the misty shower spray. She had the temperature set to hot, and it felt good. She had a few bruises and sore muscles from her first training session with the warriors. God, she missed having a bath.

  She’d set a few cocky Eon hotshots on their asses. She smiled. Of course, some of her aches were from her energetic and very pleasurable lunch date with her own warrior.

  She quickly finished bathing and dressed. She was meeting Eve. Then they had dinner plans with Davion and Caze. Caze was currently off on some mysterious errand he was very cagey about.

  She found Eve in a large room at the bow of the Desteron. Lara gasped. A huge window gave a beautiful view of space and the stars sprinkling across it like diamond chips. There were several benches and low chairs. The space looked like some sort of lounge.

  Except for Eve, it was empty. Lara guessed Eon warriors didn’t lounge around doing nothing very often.

  Eve walked over, her damp hair in a ponytail. She moved with her usual quick, athletic stride.

  Lara smiled, feeling a rush of love. She’d missed her sister. She hugged Eve close.

  “Going gooey on me?” Eve asked.

  Lara punched her sister’s arm. “Just happy you’re okay.”

  Eve grabbed her hand. “I’m really glad you’re okay, too.”

  Then the happiness dimmed. Wren. Things wouldn’t be completely right until they found their sister.

  “She’ll be okay.” Eve pulled back, doing some sisterly mind reading. “She’s insanely smart.”

  Lara dragged a hand through her hair. “Too smart, sometimes. She can also be clueless. And reckless.” Lara groaned. “I can’t believe she hijacked an Eon warship.”

  “A ship full of warriors.”

  Lara’s heart thudded. “These warriors are tough, Eve. When Caze and I first clashed, we did not go easy on each other.”

  “I have to believe they won’t hurt her,” Eve said. “These warriors are tough, but they’re noble and protective, as well.”

  Lara hoped Eve was right. “You happy?”

  Eve smiled. It was the biggest smile Lara had seen on her sister since they’d lost their dad so long ago. “I’m insanely happy. Davion is…”