by Anna Hackett
Thane and Kaira moved over to Nisid.
We’re ready to head to the planet shortly. War Commander Thann-Eon has arranged shuttles for us.
“We wish you the best of luck, Nisid,” Kaira said.
Thank you. He scanned his people. Now, we have a chance to make a life on our own. Without fear.
“Suderia is a good world,” Thane said. “Many different species and opportunities.”
Nisid nodded. We will do things on our own terms.
Kaira moved away, and Thane saw her nodding and smiling at a smaller, shy Kantos.
Take care of your brave mate, Thane.
“You don’t have to worry about that. Goodbye, Nisid.” Thane clasped the Kantos’ bony shoulder.
Goodbye, Thane Kann-Eon. My friend. The alien’s gold eyes glowed.
Thane stood with an arm around Kaira’s shoulders on the observation deck at the front of the ship. Through the huge, glass windows, they watched the shuttles leave the Desteron, taking the Kantos to the planet below.
“Next up, Earth,” Thane said, lightly.
Kaira turned to look at him. “You worried I’m going to ditch you?”
He swallowed, and reached to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I know you love me…”
“I do. You think there might be any jobs on the Rengard for me?”
His pulse leaped. “We can talk to Malax. He’d be crazy not to find a use for your skills.” Thane gripped her arms. “You’re sure?”
“I want to be with you, Thane. I enjoy my job with the Air Force, but I won’t lie—” a smile lit her face “—I like the idea of exploring the galaxy with you.”
He kissed her. “We’ll talk to Malax. I promise you the most amazing adventures, Kaira.”
“As long as they don’t involve getting abducted by the enemy and surviving on a dangerous, alien planet, I’m in.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Kaira stepped out of the shuttle and onto the orange-red dirt outside the main Woomera Range Complex buildings. She felt a little rush of relief. No matter where she went, Earth would always be her home.
Then Thane touched her lower back and smiled at her.
Correction. Earth would always be her old home, but Thane was her new one.
“Kaira!”
She saw Finley, and her assistants, Ian and Gemma, waving at her. Sabin stood behind Finley, his hands resting on her shoulders. War Commander Malax Dann-Jad and his mate Wren were with them.
When Kaira strode over, Finley hugged her hard.
“We’re so glad you’re okay,” the scientist said.
“Thanks. I do not recommend alien abduction.”
The scientist snorted. “We hear you’ve been quite the badass. Fighting the Kantos, destroying a base, and uncovering a Kantos pathogen.”
Kaira shrugged. “Believe me, I’m not planning on being abducted by the Kantos again.”
Finley grabbed Kaira’s hand. “I totally didn’t enjoy my abduction either. We’re really glad you’re back.”
“I’m not staying. I need to call my commanding officer. I’ll be resigning from the Air Force.”
Finley’s eyebrows rose.
Kaira looked at Thane. “I’m hoping to join my mate on the Rengard.”
“You’re mated?” Sabin broke out in a grin, and grabbed Thane’s hand. “I’m so happy for you.”
Thane smiled. “We both got very lucky, my friend.”
“We sure did.”
“It happened during your abduction?” Gemma sighed. “How romantic.”
“Not exactly,” Kaira said. “It’s a long story.”
Malax stepped forward, and the war commander gripped Thane’s arm. Then he met Kaira’s gaze. His black eyes were threaded with gold. “It would be an honor to have you aboard the Rengard, Kaira. I hope you might be interested in a position with the Rengard security team. We happen to be without our security commander.” He shot a pointed look at Sabin. “The team needs good people.”
Her chest swelled. “That sounds great. I’d be honored to join.”
Thane hugged her to his side.
Suddenly, an Eon shuttle swept in overhead.
“Who’s that?” Finley asked. “Is it from the Rengard?”
All the warriors straightened.
“Thane?” Kaira asked.
The shuttle landed, kicking up dust.
“That’s the royal shuttle,” Malax said in a hushed voice.
Royal? The side door of the shuttle opened.
Two warriors stepped off—one male, one female. They wore typical, black Eon uniforms, but they also wore a blue sash across their chests.
They were both alert; clearly lethal. They scanned the area.
Then, another warrior stepped off behind them.
Oh. Wow.
He was tall, with a warrior’s powerful body. He wore a sleeveless shirt in a deep blue, and a gold cord circled one of his muscled biceps. His handsome, rugged face was framed by the typical long, brown hair of an Eon warrior.
King Gayel Solann-Eon strode toward them. All the warriors bowed their heads.
“Your Highness,” Davion said.
“It’s a pleasure to see you all,” the king said. “And meet some of you in person for the first time.” His voice was deep and melodious, with an authoritative edge. His gaze—black with filaments of rich purple—swept over them and settled on Eve. “Ambassador Thann-Eon, I hope you and your baby are well.”
“We’re well, and getting huge.”
A smile edged the king’s lips. Then he turned to Thane and Kaira.
“Medical Commander, Commander Chand, I’m very happy you survived your abduction.”
“Thank you, Your Highness,” Thane said.
“Congratulations on your mating.”
Kaira fought the strange urge to curtsy. “Ah, thank you. It’s nice to meet you.”
“You too. I was so glad to hear that you and Thane survived Crolla. And brought back a sample of the pathogen.” The king’s handsome face turned serious. “It’s imperative we find a way to neutralize it.”
“We will,” Thane said. “We’ve already started work.”
The king met Kaira’s gaze. “And you befriended some Kantos allies.”
“It wasn’t planned,” she said.
“They shared valuable information with us. It will help us in the fight to protect Earth and the Eon Empire against the Kantos.” The king turned back to Eve. “Now, Ambassador—”
“Please stop calling me that.”
The king smiled, and it felt like the air surrounding them all heated by a few degrees.
Kaira blinked. The man was potent to the female senses.
“Eve, I want to discuss the visit of the delegation from Earth to Eon.”
Eve did a poor job of hiding her grimace. “Plans are progressing.”
“Excellent. I want to make a change.”
Eve groaned, then touched her belly. “Um, sorry, the baby kicked.”
Behind her, her mate shook his head.
“I’ve decided, in order to strengthen our alliance, that I will marry a Terran.”
Kaira’s eyes opened wide. She saw Eve’s mouth drop open.
The warriors all went as still as statues.
“I want you to ensure suitable candidates are included in the delegation.”
“You want me to find you a wife?” Eve’s voice rose.
“Yes. I have full confidence in your abilities, Eve.”
Kaira met Thane’s gaze. Her mate raised a brow.
She looked forward to seeing how this panned out.
Gayel
King Gayel Solann-Eon sat at the head of the long dining table. The senior warriors from the Rengard and Desteron, and their mates, talked and laughed and ate.
The kitchen of the Woomera Range Complex had worked hard to prepare a feast they believed was worthy for a king. The sunset outside the window of the testing facility was impressive. Red, pink and gold streaked across the
vast sky.
He was heading to Space Corps Headquarters in Houston tomorrow, before traveling back to Eon to prepare for the Earth delegation to arrive. He was glad he’d managed this short visit to Earth.
And it was good to see his warriors and their mates.
A sensation moved through his gut. He recognized it as envy. It was a familiar emotion. As a young prince growing up, he’d had a lot of lavish extravagances, always known that one day he would be king. But he’d always envied his people the simple things of life. Things far out of his reach.
Yes, he envied his warriors and their mates. That deep connection between the couples.
His father had been set in his ways, but Gayel had never doubted that the man had loved his mate, Gayel’s mother. But mating was rare for the Eon, although their best scientists were working to discover why so many mates seemed to be coming from among the Terrans.
Maybe he’d get lucky and his mate would be one of the candidates for his wife.
He squashed that thought. It didn’t matter. He would marry a Terran. The new genetic material to the Eon line would be beneficial, and the marriage would cement an alliance with Earth. He’d been impressed with the Terran resilience, fortitude, and ingenuity.
Gayel had been raised knowing he had a duty.
To his people.
To his Empire.
His own happiness wasn’t a factor.
He would do what was best for the Eon Empire, even if he had to sacrifice his own wants and needs.
He hoped he could find a wife with intelligence and compassion, a partner to stand at his side.
Gayel had spent a lot of time undoing the restrictive rules of his father’s reign. He wanted to do more for his Empire, to watch it flourish.
He watched Davion lean close to his mate, the two of them smiling. Then he looked at the newest mated couple. Thane and Kaira shared a private look, their attraction tangible.
Gayel lifted his drink. He was unlikely to have a mate, but he would do his duty and treat his wife with respect.
And he would do what had to be done to protect his empire and end the Kantos threat.
After the dinner, Thane shared an Earth beer with Sabin.
“You’re happy to be stationed here?” he asked his friend.
“I’m happy to be with my mate,” Sabin said.
“I understand that.” He looked to Kaira. She was laughing with Finley, Gemma, and Lara.
“Look at us, Thane.” Sabin grinned. “Just weeks ago, neither of us expected to be mated. You thought it couldn’t happen for you, and I didn’t want it. Cren, I was afraid of it.”
“And now neither of us would give up our women.”
“I’d fight anyone who tried to take Finley from me.”
“We’re lucky.”
“Beyond lucky. Blessed by the warriors.”
They tapped their glasses together.
“Sounds like your first task as the new Eon ambassador to Earth will be shortlisting candidates for the king’s wife.”
Sabin grimaced. “I’ll leave that to Eve.”
Thane shook his head and sipped his drink. “Sabin, the Kantos won’t stop. The StarStorm won’t hold them off forever. If we’re lucky, we’ll find an antidote and stop the pathogen, but the Kantos will invent more weapons, more abominations.”
“King Gayel is committed to stopping them, one way or another. With Earth and these resilient Terrans by our side, we can win.”
Thane nodded. They’d never stop fighting.
“You two look so serious.” Kaira appeared, moving to Thane’s side and wrapping an arm around his waist.
“We were talking about the Kantos,” he told her.
She groaned. “No Kantos tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll have to worry about them, but tonight is ours.”
“But we—”
She pressed a finger to his lips. “No excuses, warrior.
Finley claimed Sabin, dragging him away.
“Now, I get you to myself,” Kaira murmured.
“I’m yours,” he said. “Every minute of every day. No moment will go by where I don’t love you, and where I’m not grateful you’re my mate.”
Her face softened. “Don’t make me cry.”
“As long as they’re happy tears.”
“If I’m with you, they will be. Thanks for making me fall in love with you, Thane.”
He pulled her close, loving the way her small, toned body fit against him. Right where it was supposed to be.
“Thanks for loving me, Kaira, and gifting me your heart. I’ll protect it for the rest of our lives.”
They kissed, and it was filled with hope, love, and promise.
She smiled. “Now, how about some dessert?”
He smiled back. “I have developed a taste for ice cream.”
I hope you enjoyed Kaira and Thane’s story!
Stay tuned for the final action-packed Eon Warriors adventure, King Gayel’s story, King of Eon, coming later in 2021. And don’t worry, we won’t be saying a total goodbye to the Eon and their Terran mates just yet…
Looking for more action-packed science-fiction romance? Read on for a preview of Gladiator, the first book in Galactic Gladiators.
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Preview: Gladiator
Just another day at the office.
Harper Adams pulled herself along the outside of the space station module. She could hear her quiet breathing inside her spacesuit, and she easily pulled her weightless body along the slick, white surface of the module. She stopped to check a security panel, ensuring all the systems were running smoothly.
Check. Same as it had been yesterday, and the day before that. But Harper never ever let herself forget that they were six hundred million kilometers away from Earth. That meant they were dependent only on themselves. She tapped some buttons on the security panel before closing the reinforced plastic cover. She liked to dot all her Is and cross all her Ts. She never left anything to chance.
She grabbed the handholds and started pulling herself up over the cylindrical pod to check the panels on the other side. Glancing back behind herself, she caught a beautiful view of the planet below.
Harper stopped and made herself take it all in. The orange, white, and cream bands of Jupiter could take your breath away. Today, she could even see the famous superstorm of the Great Red Spot. She’d been on the Fortuna Research Station for almost eighteen months. That meant, despite the amazing view, she really didn’t see it anymore.
She turned her head and looked down the length of the space station. At the end was the giant circular donut that housed the main living quarters and offices. The main ring rotated to provide artificial gravity for the residents. Lying off the center of the ring was the long cylinder of the research facility, and off that cylinder were several modules that housed various scientific labs and storage. At the far end of the station was the docking area for the supply ships that came from Earth every few months.
“Lieutenant Adams? Have you finished those checks?”
Harper heard the calm voice of her fellow space marine and boss, Captain Samantha Santos, through the comm system in her helmet.
“Almost done,” Harper answered.
“Take a good look at the botany module. The computer’s showing some strange energy spikes, but the scientists in there said everything looks fine. Must be a system malfunction.”
Which meant the geek squad engineers were going to have to come in and do some maintenance. “On it.”
Harper swung her body around, and went feet-first down the other side of the module. She knew the rest of the security team—all made up of United Nations Space Marines—would be running similar checks on the other modules across the station. They had a great team to ensure the safety o
f the hundreds of scientists aboard the station. There was also a dedicated team of engineers that kept the guts of the station running.
She passed a large, solid window into the module, and could see various scientists floating around benches filled with all kinds of plants. They all wore matching gray jumpsuits accented with bright-blue at the collars, that indicated science team. There was a vast mix of scientists and disciplines aboard—biologists, botanists, chemists, astronomers, physicists, medical experts, and the list went on. All of them were conducting experiments, and some were searching for alien life beyond the edge of the solar system. It seemed like every other week, more probes were being sent out to hunt for radio signals or collect samples.
Since humans had perfected large solar sails as a way to safely and quickly propel spacecraft, getting around the solar system had become a lot easier. With radiation pressure exerted by sunlight onto the mirrored sails, they could travel from Earth to Fortuna Station orbiting Jupiter in just a few months. And many of the scientists aboard the station were looking beyond the solar system, planning manned expeditions farther and farther away. Harper wasn’t sure they were quite ready for that.
She quickly checked the adjacent control panel. Among all the green lights, she spotted one that was blinking red, and she frowned. They definitely had a problem with the locking system on the exterior door at the end of the module. She activated the small propulsion pack on her spacesuit, and circled around the module. She slowed down as she passed the large, round exterior door at the end of the cylindrical module.
It was all locked into place and looked secure.
As she moved back to the module, she grabbed a handhold and then tapped the small tablet attached to the forearm of her suit. She keyed in a request for maintenance to come and check it.
She looked up and realized she was right near another window. Through the reinforced glass, a pretty, curvy blonde woman looked up and spotted Harper. She smiled and waved. Harper couldn’t help but smile and lifted her gloved hand in greeting.