Matched: A Galactic Battle Series, Book 1

by L H Whitlock

  He stared at Lily’s hologram, her aqua eyes summoning him to his feet. He walked up to her form, wishing it were real. His gaze drifted from her little button nose and down to her lush lips. They curved slightly at the corners, teasing him. He found himself leaning forward to capture them with his mouth, only to pass through the hologram. He cursed, his body growing hot and achy with desire. He longed to have her in his arms, to feel her soft curves against his body. Patience, he reminded himself with a deep breath. I have to be patient. If I rush to have her I not only endanger her, but also compromise my mission. I have come too far to lose everything now.

  Reluctantly he pulled himself away from the hologram and sat at his desk. Pressing the replay button on his holo-tablet, he re-watched a battle clip. A scene replayed in front of him of his mate hijacking a tank and going motherfucking commando on Golan’s troops. A prideful grin spread across his face. She is mine.

  8

  The team sat in silence as they watched the Harvest of Alvernon through the common room’s floor-length windows. The energy swirled as it ripped from the planet in a golden, pulsing haze. The planet was no longer tan, but a fiery, molten orb.

  Silent tears fell from Sara’s blue eyes. Alberta held her in a tight embrace, silently stroking her mud-crusted hair. Lily walked up to the heart-broken girl and held her hand, brushing her fingers over her knuckles. Sara glanced up from beneath wet lashes and offered Lily a weak smile.

  Lily searched for something to say, to help ease her friend’s pain, but her throat was tight and words seemed non-existent. She sat on the couch rubbing Sara’s pale hand and glanced out the window. This was Lily’s favorite room. Bright orange and yellow rugs covered the metal floors, not her favorite color, but it was still a nice contrast to the cold steel. Seating areas were placed around the room with an array of coffee tables between them. This area was used to play games, watch a movie, or talk. The furniture was always messed up, left in whatever arrangement they had placed them for their last engagement. Currently, all the chairs and sofas were placed along the window.

  Lily liked to come here early in the day, sit on her favorite purple chair, and surround herself with pillows and blankets. She would close her eyes and imagine she was having her morning tea in the safety and comfort of a real home. But when she opened her eyes the image faded and she was back on the battleship she had long ago accepted as her residence. It was an unspoken dream she knew the entire team shared. They all wanted the war to be over. They all wanted to go to sleep without a gun under their pillow and to wake up to real starlight on their faces, not the synthetic lighting of the ship.

  Lily watched as the planet’s energy pulsed; taking its final breaths. The brilliant gold had dimmed to a rusty orange. Her stomach twisted. Sara should not have to witness the Harvest of her own planet, no one should.

  Letting go of Sara’s hand, Lily placed a soft kiss on Sara’s temple and stood. It would be a rough night for Sara, today she was officially a refugee. Alberta guided the sobbing girl out of the room, her cries growing in desperation with each step. Alberta glanced back at Lily just before she exited. Sadness splayed over her face, her thick makeup and heavy piercings doing little to harden the soft expression.

  “I’ll put bed, we TIP in five,” Alberta said, letting the door shut behind her.

  Lily sat at the table next to Brock, who was entering the mission report into a tablet. Brock and Lily often took turns filling out the paperwork. Brock offered to do it this time so Lily could comfort her friend.

  “How is she?” He looked up from the tablet, his thick black eyebrows were dropped with concern and his cyborg arm hung useless at his side.

  “She will pull through.” Lily took the tablet from Brock and finished the report. A heavy weight settled in her chest as she typed ‘ambush’ and ‘failure’ into the system. Those were not normal phrases in her reports. She didn’t know how Golan’s troops knew they were there or how they infiltrated their security systems and sent a distress signal. And she still did not know if the Council was safe or where they were.

  She was pushed back in her seat as the ship launched into TIP. TIPing was a device that opened a wormhole and allowed travel quickly between two pre-determined points. It was a technology provided to them by the Developers, a technologically advanced race of cyborgs.

  Lily sighed and massaged her forehead, rubbing off pieces of dirt that were clinging to her face. The particles settled on the table beneath her.

  “Stable, free to move,” Alberta announced through the ship’s Comm.

  Brock stood, stretched his humanoid arm above his head, and yawned.

  “Meet ya in the healing chamber?” Brock strolled out, not waiting for a response.

  Lily nodded, slid out of her chair, and headed to her room for a change of clothes. Her feet dragged heavily on the floor as she made her way down the hallway. Her Hilian markings laid dormant on her arm, like the movements before were only a figment of her imagination. She traced her finger over her most prominent design, following the lines that spiraled along her arm, and circled her wrist in a thick bangle. She always thought they resembled abstract flowers, with dainty petals and twisting stems.

  Heat pooled inside her stomach as she remembered the powerful man, his broad chest rippling with strength, and thick thighs stretching the fabric of his cargo pants. She couldn’t see his expression, but his eyes seemed to burn into her, demanding her attention and obedience.

  It wasn’t fear that had turned her body to jelly, or made her heart pound, but a strange recognition, an irresistible pull, an insatiable hunger. Heat crept into her cheeks as she desperately searched for an explanation. Maybe he can possess minds like Golan. Whatever it was, she was certain it was more powerful than her and she had a creeping suspicion that next time she would not escape him.

  9

  Steam rose from the above-ground pool, filling the room with a fluffy, warm haze. The tanginess of O’ga swamped Lily’s senses, easing her nerves and relaxing her muscles. Though the healing chamber was small it comfortably held two enclosed changing rooms and a small seating area with a table wedged between two tapestried chairs. A supply cabinet sat at the far end of the room which held healing herbs, salts, oils, lotions, and a small tool box.

  Brock stood beside the pool pouring a mixture of salts into the heated bath. A fresh wound marked his dark-brown skin, the red line creating a thin jagged path down his back. It was already crusted over, but she would make sure to rub ointment into it so it didn’t scar.

  Brock glanced up at her. “Welcome to my healing chamber,” he said with a boyish grin and dumped the rest of the mixture into the steaming water.

  Lily laughed. “Let me fix your arm before you cause any more damage.” She sat her clothes on a chair and grabbed a tool box from the cabinet. She was no mechanic, but they could never seem to keep one alive, so she was forced to learn a few tricks.

  Brock sat on one of the cushioned chairs so she could reach his arm. Her eyes wandered briefly over his broad shoulders, and kind brown eyes. Dense, course curls covered the bottom of his face, surrounding plump lips and clinging to his squared jaw line. Her fingers itched to brush over his beard, to smooth the strands.

  She tenderly tilted his metal arm and quickly found the cause of his pain. A bolt had knocked loose and was wedged between two gears, pinching his nervous system. She shook her head. She would have thought the Developers would have engineered cyborg enhancements that didn’t require them to be directly connected to the nerves. Maybe they had something better in their newer models, but Brock wasn’t interested in updating. Every time she tried to convince him to get it looked at, he said he wouldn’t be a ‘pansy’ and liked his arm the way it was.

  Using a pair of tweezers from the toolbox, she carefully reached into his arm and snagged the bolt. She was just about to pull it out when the tweezers knocked against a rod. She cringed, knowing she just hit a cluster of sensitive nerves.

  “Dammit! That�
��s my arm ya know!” Brock bellowed, tugging his arm away from her.

  Lily held him in place. “Oh, stop being such a little girl. Hold still, I am almost done.” She dropped the damaged bolt onto the table and secured a new one in its place. Thankfully it was a simple job and he would not have to see a career mechanic from Base.

  Brock transformed his arm between the machine gun and back into a humanoid form. The panels slid, splitting apart to allow room for the long barrel that rotated outward from inside the cyborg attachment. Gears spun and rods extended and contracted with fluidity.

  “How does it feel?”

  “Good as new,” he answered with a grin. “I’m going to wash off, the pools ready,” he said over his shoulder as he made his way to one of the changing curtains.

  After grabbing her clothes, Lily stepped behind a curtain and kicked off her boots. Undoing her belt she slipped her stiff, crusted pants off and unzipped her vest. Dropping it on the floor alongside the boots, she sighed, thankful to be free of the smelly, sweat-stained clothing.

  Not wanting to get the healing pool dirty, she quickly turned on the shower and washed the dirt from her body before slipping into her swimming garments. She heard Brock’s shower stop and a huge splash as he leapt into the pool causing a wave of water to spill over the side.

  “Try to save some for the rest of us,” Lily teased, walking out of the changing room. “How is the water proof adaptor working?” She dipped her hand into the steaming water. That was another reason he should upgrade, the newer models were water proof and didn’t require an expensive adaptor. But no, Brock had to be difficult.

  “Like magic. Don’t worry, I won’t electrocute ya this time.” He winked, sat on the bench, and spread his large arms to lay across the sides of the pool, displaying his combat hardened chest covered in soft, damp curls. Ulrick’s larger…much larger. Lily bit her lip hard at the thought, the pain erasing it from her mind. What the hell is wrong with me?

  She forced herself out of her daze. “You better not, we blew almost a whole month’s budget just so you could take a bath. You really should just get a new arm you know.” She climbed the stairs and stepped into the warm water.

  ***

  Brock nearly groaned when Lily stepped out. Her wet hair hung around her face, the tips curling around her collarbones. Drops of water fell from their ends to run down her body, slipping beneath the thin white top. She had not dried off before putting on the suit, making the clinging fabric nearly transparent. He could barely drag his gaze from her rounded breasts and hardened nipples. He tried to focus, but he felt his cock harden and his breath caught in his throat. Geez, get a hold of yourself. This wouldn’t be his first time embracing her naked body, but he couldn’t wait to do it again. It seemed like forever since the last time he ran his hands over her flesh; they rarely got privacy on the ship.

  Lily sighed as she walked through the water and he couldn’t help but wonder what her sigh would sound like if he kissed her along the enticing curve of her neck.

  Brock stared at her, his vision melting away and his mind foggy as a wild fantasy began to rapidly build.

  “Let me take care of it.” Was Lily’s voice raspy, or was that just his imagination? He hoped for the former.

  Brock watched with hazy eyes as she leaned over the side of the pool, lifting her firm heart-shaped ass out of the water. Gladly, Brock thought, biting his lip to stifle a groan.

  Lily treaded through the water until she was standing in front of him. Brock held his breath, anxious for her touch.

  Lily arched an eyebrow. “Brock? You have to turn around so I can rub Wunsalbe into your back, it will help with healing and scarring.” She unscrewed the top to the balm, her eyebrows knitting with confusion.

  Shaking himself out of his fantasy, Brock cleared his throat and managed to mumble, “Oh… right...” He turned to face the side of the pool, kneeled on the bench, and crossed his arms over the edge of the pool to lay his head on them. There was an agonizingly long pause as Lily stood behind him examining the wound. The gash was from his lower left shoulder to his right side, crossing over his spine. It had already scabbed over and only a slight throbbing reminded him that it was still there. What pissed him off the most about the wound was that it had happened because he was too slow to face his attacker and his opponent got a cheap shot. A smirk tugged at his lips as he remembered the satisfying moment when he killed the offending K’lor.

  Brock tensed as Lily slowly rubbed Wunsalbe into the gash, the small circular motions making his thighs tense. It took all his will power not to grab her by the hips, throw her against the side of the pool and capture one of those perky nipples with his mouth. He groaned in frustration, closed his eyes, and focused on keeping his hands to himself.

  ***

  Lily smoothed her hand over the slight dip of Brock’s spine, then trailed over his hardened back. She nervously bit her lip and was glad he was facing away from her.

  Brock’s muscles clenched beneath his dark brown skin as her hands trailed over the grooves of his contour. Somehow, her other hand had broken free of her will and was also wandering along his back, sneaking feels along his sides and over his bulky arms. She snuck a look at the side of his face only to find him looking at her from over his shoulder, his eyes dark with lust.

  She quickly snatched her hands away. “I...uh…think you are going to be okay.” She fumbled with the jar and clumsily screwed on the cap.

  Brock turned to sit on the bench. “Let me see your ankle,” he said, his voice a heavy rasp.

  “Wha…What?” A blush crept to her cheeks.

  “Your ankle. You twisted it in the fall.” Brock grabbed her gently by the waist, guiding her to sit on his lap, her legs to one side, and rested her ass against the mound in his shorts. Brock’s fingers gently brushed along the length of her right leg, lifting it out of the water until they were resting over her ankle. She was forced to lean back against him so she wouldn’t sink beneath the water. Her heart jumped at his light touches and she shivered in anticipation.

  He examined her ankle then reached over to grab the Sehnsalbe, an ointment used to help repair soft tissue damage, which he seemed to have conveniently stored next to him on the pool’s ledge. She smirked. I should have known he had this all planned out. He dipped his fingers into the silky cream and massaged her swollen ankle. The swelling went down almost instantly.

  He slowly released her, brushing his fingers up the length of her leg as he eased it back into the water, stopping just before the curve of her sex.

  ***

  Brock groaned as Lily wiggled in his lap. Dipping his head, he kissed along the curve of her neck. She leaned into his affections, a soft murmur escaping her lips.

  Brock didn’t need an invitation. He grabbed her by the hips, lifted her, and spun her around so he could gaze into her bright aqua eyes. Her legs straddled him, positioning her over his steadily growing erection.

  He captured her mouth with his. Only the gods knew how badly he had wanted to do this. Lily’s lips locked with his, her hands exploring his arms and chest in a frenzy. Brock trailed his hands down her back, stopping only briefly to release the string that held her top on. He tore it from her, leaving it floating in the water between them.

  Lily ground her hips against him. Brock slipped his tongue past her gasps, capturing her soft moans. Breaking the kiss, he shifted his gaze from her aqua eyes and button nose to gaze down at her breasts. The contrast of her hardened, pink nipples against her creamy skin made his mouth water. He dipped his head to capture one in his mouth and twirled his tongue around the tiny bud.

  Lily groaned in approval. “Brock.” Her voice was raspy with desire.

  Brock didn’t need any further instruction. He wrapped his arms around her and twisted, switching positions so it was her back that was now against the wall, just like in his fantasy before. He took a brief moment to brush his fingers over her intricate Hilian markings. A brief image of them moving on the battlefi
eld sparked his interest. I’ve never seen them do that before, could I excite her enough to make them move? He grinned, challenge accepted.

  A noise sounded from the hallway just as he was about to trail his fingers below her waist.

  “No, I don’t think Lily and Brock will be able to make it. They’re probably already going over the next mission with Rowan. Neither one of them is answering their RABs.” Lily’s eyes widened as she heard Gustavo stop just outside of the healing chamber’s door.

  “Please tell me you locked the door.” Lily’s voice was a nervous whisper.

  “You’ve gotta’ be fuckin’ kidding me.” Brock rushed to grab her top from the water.

  Lily groaned as Brock tied the wet material around her aching breasts, sliding a finger one last time across her nipple. Brock managed to pull his shorts on just before the door opened. Alberta, Gustavo, and Gloria entered the room laughing.

  Gustavo and Alberta stopped abruptly when they saw Brock and Lily in the healing pool. Brock’s face was flushed with heat; Lily’s hair was a wet mess and eyes narrowed in frustration.

  Gloria strutted happily toward the pool. “Hey guys! Rowan’s looking for you. He said he left you like one hundred messages.” Gloria discarded her cover dress.

  ***

  Lily rolled her eyes and sank beneath the water to hide her skimpy outfit. She had worn a two-piece to impress Brock but now everyone would see her in the nearly transparent material. That is the last time I take fashion advice from Alberta.

  Gloria, on the other hand, was not shy about her scantily clad body and wore her triangle patches proudly over gravity defying breasts. Lily snuck a glance at Brock, who was shamelessly ogling the other woman. Lily rolled her eyes and slumped further into the water. Figures.

  Alberta hopped into the pool. Her black mohawk lay limp to one side, dark makeup still lined her eyes, and her red lips stood out against her pearly skin. She idly rotated one of the many piercings in her ears. Her yellow, one-piece suit accentuated the various brightly-colored tattoos that covered both of her arms, torso, and one of her thighs. Lily’s favorite was the dragon, its tail looped around her neck and its black body stretched along the side of her head until it ended just under her mohawk in a ferocious roar.