Prime Selection

by Monette Michaels

  “We’re on the same page, Aeron. Do it.” Nadia swallowed hard. God, that creature had been one of her worst nightmares. Aftermath hit and she trembled, a full-body set of shakes that if she’d been standing would’ve taken her to the ground. Nausea threatened to overwhelm her.

  A cool wind swept through her mind and calmed her. “Nadia! Are you okay? Lubha , answer me! … answer me. Let me know you’re all right.”

  Huw’s mental shouting was fear-filled and most shocking … caring. Loving.

  He’d called her lubha? Now he gets it?

  Well … he would have to wait for her response. She was busy and still needed to deal with her emotions from encountering the worm creature … ugh! Plus, she was mad at Huw. She couldn’t believe the arrogant asshole. She’d endured weeks of his muleheadedness and to be honest, she didn’t trust Huw’s sudden about-face and wasn’t quite sure how to respond. She needed time to think. What she did and said to Huw next would set the tone for the future of their relationship … because his mental touch today had proven beyond a shadow of a doubt there was a bonding.

  Nadia slapped her shields back up and used her com unit to contact the Galanti.

  Huw would hear her and know she was all right. She didn’t want him to worry whether she was okay or not—but until she decided how to handle him, she wouldn’t use the more intimate means of mind-talk.

  “Wulf. Mel. Away teams are fine and all accounted for. Creature is dead. It has been preliminarily determined this planet is still inhabited by some of these creatures and is unsafe for habitation or use by the Alliance. The creatures are intelligent, deadly, and they have a taste for carbon life-forms now. I recommend this planet be placed on the Alliance fly-by list.”

  “Captain Wulf. This is Lt. Commander Z’es.” The Galanti’s head of security stood over the dead creature, far closer than Nadia would’ve done. “I concur with Commander Nadia’s assessment. This planet is a security risk.”

  That was for damn sure. Nadia couldn’t stop another full-body shudder. If Bre hadn’t picked her up and carried her out, she wouldn’t have been able to slow the creature down with blasts from her laser pistol and they both would’ve been worm food. The creature had been that fast.

  As it was, they’d barely made it to Z’es and his security teams. She and Bre could’ve lost their lives because of her initial moments of paralytic fear.

  “Commander Ard also concurs, Captain Wulf.” Aeron must’ve sensed her disquiet, because he came closer as if to take her into his arms. The heat of his body warmed her even through the layers of the survival suit.

  Huw’s antipathy to Aeron’s closeness made itself known by his banging on her mental shields, giving her a headache. The fact he could sense what was going on, even with her shields reinforced, shocked her. She inched away from Aeron—and Huw’s psychic temper tantrum ceased.

  “Glad everyone is okay.” Wulf’s low, rumbling voice responded, pulling her back to the present situation. “Iolyn has already sent the fly-by order to Alliance and Prime Military Commands. Come home. Wulf out.”

  Chapter 17

  Galanti Command Deck

  Huw tore off his headset, thrust the data pad out of the way, and then stood up. “I’m going down there.” He glared at his brothers. “Nadia is terrified out of her mind. She was almost eaten once by a pseudo-worm.” And Ard is making moves on my woman.

  He stalked toward the lift and was brought up short by a hand on his arm. “You aren’t leaving this ship, brother.” Wulf’s tone wasn’t that of a brother, but of the captain of the ship.

  “I’m going.” Huw shrugged Wulf’s hand off and slapped a hand on the call pad for the lift.

  When the doors opened, he entered and his brothers followed him on. “Shuttle bay,”

  Huw ordered.

  “Captain Wulf override. Fitness deck.” Wulf glared at him. “Iolyn and I think you need an attitude adjustment and we’re very happy to give you one.”

  “Ansu bhau, Wulf! Not two standard hours ago, you told me to court Nadia, to make her mine. Well, I am following your suggestions … Nadia is mine. She’s scared, and she needs me to be there to care for and protect her.”

  “Protect her from whom?” Iolyn asked. “The danger from the worm creature is over.

  They’re loading up and coming back to the ship. Where’s the danger to Nadia coming from?”

  Huw slammed his hand against the lift wall. The pain made the emotions simmering just underneath his skin come to a boil. “Bre had his hands all over her. Ard had his hands all over her. They caused her pain. I felt her pain. Even though she’s blocking our mind-talking, I can still feel her emotions.” He fisted his hands so tightly his nails gouged his palms. “Her fear, her pain, hurts my heart … she … she … won’t … let me into her mind to help her.”

  Huw walked around the lift like a caged animal and ran agitated fingers through his hair. His emotions threatened to overwhelm him. If he didn’t get away from his brothers, he might attack them. He needed to see, touch, smell Nadia. He needed to make sure she was well and whole. He needed … he needed.

  “Calm yourself.” Wulf halted Huw’s pacing by gripping his brother’s shoulder and squeezing. “I know exactly what you’re going through. When Melina ran from me and I went after her, I sensed her emotions and her body’s pain and weakness.” Wulf paused and frowned. “Once you have wooed Nadia and regained her trust, she will find it harder to hide her thoughts from you … although I suspect as Melina does, Nadia will still try.

  These Terran women like their privacy.”

  Huw glared at Wulf. The lift door opened onto the fitness room. Huw stalked out and then turned. “I want to go to the surface and bring Nadia home.” And make her mine …

  now.

  “No. You have only one choice. Gloves or no gloves.” Wulf shoved Huw onto the mats. “If I let you go to the surface, you’d attack Bre and Aeron—and possibly alienate Nadia. You can’t confront her with all this pent-up anger and frustration.”

  Wulf stood over him, with Iolyn blocking from the other side. “Think, Huw. Get past the emotions roiling in your body. You’ve fought and rejected the attraction, the connection with Nadia for weeks. You have built up all this tension. You need to cool down … release it … or you might hurt Nadia.”

  “I would never hurt Nadia.” Huw struggled to his feet and shoved Iolyn out of the way. He turned to face Wulf.

  “That’s not true. You’ve already hurt her emotionally and mentally. And now you’re in danger of hurting her physically, albeit unintentionally.” Wulf threw a punch, which Huw managed to deflect with his forearm.

  Huw retaliated with a front kick to Wulf’s solar plexus. Wulf blocked the kick and Huw was forced to withdraw his foot before Wulf could knock him off-balance.

  “You’ll have to do better than that,” Wulf taunted. “Shoes off. No gloves. You missed your chance to choose. Iolyn and I plan to beat some sense into you. The side benefit—other than it will make us happy to teach you a lesson for being an idiot—will be that you’ll have let out some of your rage.”

  “You aren’t keeping me from her.” Huw stripped off his uniform top and tore off his boots. As soon as his second boot hit the ground, he dove at Iolyn and took him to the ground, putting him into a submission hold. “She’s mine. I’ll apologize for my past behavior … and uh…” he let out a grunt as Iolyn’s elbow caught him in the jaw, “…then we can work on the physical part of our relationship.”

  Wulf pulled Huw off Iolyn and punched him in the stomach and followed it up with an upper cut to the jaw. “Huw! You can’t just say ‘sorry’ and take her to bed.”

  Rubbing his jaw, Huw snarled. “Try and stop me.” He used a jab and upper cut combo to drive Wulf away.

  Emitting small growls, Wulf circled Huw. “Listen to me, you thickheaded ass. You need to woo her before having sex with her.”

  Iolyn came at Huw from the side and punched him in the ribs. Huw aimed a front kick at Wulf
’s crotch as he backhanded Huw across the chest. “Don’t tell me how to claim Nadia.”

  “Try romantic dinners, walks on the beach in the simulation rooms … you need to calm down and be nice to counteract the rude, cowardly ass you’ve been.” Wulf hammered his advice home with an upper cut, just missing Huw’s chin and clipping him on the ear.

  Huw growled and let out a roundhouse kick to Wulf’s head, circling into a front kick to Iolyn’s thigh.

  He didn’t care what his brothers said. There would be time enough to woo Nadia after he’d made his claim on her. Everything in him that was primal male urged him to make love with her and put his scent on her. She wouldn’t be able to run from him then … and she’d thought of doing so. That one moment of connection with her on the planet’s surface, when she’d been frightened out of her mind, he’d “seen” Nadia … and understood her clear to her soul.

  Everything she’d felt was there, an open book for him to see. She loved him, but didn’t trust him. He’d hurt her, abused her trust. He’d been a dumbass. But he would make it all better … he had to or he’d die inside if she left him.

  Iolyn joined Wulf in a concerted attack and forced Huw to concentrate on putting his brothers’ asses on the mat. He had to get to Nadia. The wooing would start tonight … in his bed.

  Ursa 345

  Nadia turned to Aeron. “I’ll go over the data I gathered and merge it with the reports from my team. I’ll shoot you a collated report later.”

  Aeron smiled down at her and swept one of her errant curls behind her ear. “Come back with me to the Leonidas. We can work on our reports together over a meal and some wine.”

  Suddenly Huw’s extreme rage pounded her shields and distracted her from Aeron’s words. She let down her shields and winced. He was fighting with his brothers. Ow! He’d just had his butt tossed to the floor. Her bottom and elbow throbbed in sympathy.

  She slammed her shields back up. Damn, but she couldn’t face his anger, jealousy, or fears right now. Plus, she suspected Wulf and Iolyn were fighting with him to hammer home some truths.

  Huw was the only person on the ship who hadn’t realized he was bonding with her.

  “I’ll go back with you.” She smiled at Aeron. “It’ll be nice to spend some time on my old ship. I miss poker games with Royce. He’s such a horrible player.”

  Aeron laughed. “Yes, it’s a good thing we only play for imaginary credits. Royce would end up paying us for the rest of his natural life.”

  Nadia turned to Z’es. “I’ll go with Commander Ard’s team. Tell Captain Wulf or Captain Mel I plan to spend the night on the Leonidas. They’ll have Ard’s and my reports as soon as we get them done.”

  She knew this would push Huw to confront her about their bond. She counted on it.

  Either he’d declare himself, if his last mental communication had been true, or he’d continue to ignore her. She was tired of playing the game his way. So, she’d use his jealousy of Aeron to tip the balance her way. Mean? Yes, it was, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

  And if he didn’t declare himself? She’d transfer to Blue Squadron.

  “Bre, please put together the data our team gathered and shoot it to me on the Leonidas under Commander Ard’s code.” Nadia had a sneaking suspicion her tech knew what she was about. He had a slight smile on his lips and understanding poured off him in small, gentle waves.

  “You’re in charge of the lab while I’m off ship,” Nadia said. Huw would get an earful from Bre if he went hunting for her in the lab.

  Bre inclined his head in a traditional Prime salute. “It will be done, Commander Nadia.” He turned to Aeron and inclined his head. “Happy to work with you again, Commander. Take care of my commander, please. She had a fright.” He turned to organize their team.

  Aeron helped Nadia from the Galanti ground transport. “Well, I’ve been told, haven’t I?” He stared at Bre and his brothers; the three had their heads together. “The Jods have become your protectors.”

  “Bre feels he owes me his life. Though, after today, I’d say we’re even.” She looked back at the brothers. “Bre’s mother has adopted me into the family. I never had any siblings. It’s sort of nice.”

  “Just as long as the brothers remember you’re their superior officer when on duty, I don’t see a problem.” Aeron kept a hand on her elbow as he guided her into the Leonidas’s ground transport for the trip back to the shuttles.

  “They’re always respectful, helpful, and obedient.” Nadia pulled on her arm; his touch hurt more than ever. Aeron let go instantly. His gaze reflected concern. “You know why I accepted the invitation, don’t you?”

  “Huw contacted you.” Aeron’s expression was blank, but his emotions were anything but smooth. The air around them crackled with the intensity of the feelings he deliberately suppressed. “I felt the force of his telepathy—it felt similar to the emotion overflow a Prime soldier feels at the height of batel rabia.”

  “Aeron … if things had been different…” She turned to look up. “I…”

  “Nadia, don’t say another word.” Aeron smiled sadly. “I know you’re connected to Huw in a way similar to Prime bonding. The telepathy alone tells me this. Plus the asshole has said things to me from time to time that led me to believe he was possessive of you.” He laughed at her gasp of shock. “I don’t mind being used to hide from him.

  Besides, it will drive him crazy … and it might take some jealousy to get through his thick skull.”

  “That’s what I concluded. This time his mental touch was … different … more open… ” Nadia trailed off.

  She couldn’t say “needy,” “scared,” or “loving” out loud, because it felt like a betrayal of the connection she had with Huw. Why couldn’t Huw have been more like Aeron? Aeron would never have put any woman he was interested in through an emotional wringer.

  “So, Aeron? Have you met anyone in Gold you’re attracted to? Need an introduction?” She arched an eyebrow.

  He chuckled. “Not yet. But I haven’t met every female in Gold—and the one I wanted is taken.”

  God, he meant her. Her stomach clenched with pain and regret that she couldn’t reciprocate this wonderful man’s feelings. The fact he was being so nice and letting her use him to hide behind made her feel lower than a snake.

  Aeron allowed her to enter the Leonidas ground transport first. “Royce is grumbling over one couple we suspect is bonding. They’re technicians in my lab. The woman is a Volusian. I can’t imagine what Royce would say if his Prime officers started bonding on a regular basis. At times, he has been very vulgar about the process, even though the couple is very circumspect in their wooing.”

  “That’s Royce!” Nadia laughed. “You don’t mind if we eat with him, do you?”

  “Not at all. He’ll want to hear our reports—and see the dead creature.” Even the stalwart Prime shuddered. “I can’t imagine what the women and children survivors went through.”

  “I’m sorry there were no live survivors.” He might have had a mate among the dead.

  She would never ask if he had a marking; that was too personal.

  “As am I.” Aeron got into the driver’s seat of the transport and waited until his lead tech did a head count. “As am I.”

  Galanti, one standard hour later

  “What in Balcon’s balls do you mean Nadia went to the Leonidas with Ard?”

  Sore and somewhat out of breath after his earlier exertions, Huw stood over the workstation of Bre Jod in the laboratory. His hands fisted at his sides. The emotional release he’d obtained through the fight with his brothers was quickly history. His skin crawled and his gut churned with the excess of emotions surging anew in him. He clenched his jaw and could barely restrain himself from strangling the messenger.

  His primitive brain reminded him this man’s hands had been all over Nadia as he’d carried her out of the cave. Bre’s quick thinking and fast feet had saved her, but Huw’s higher-level brain was on
hiatus for the moment.

  “Just what I said, Commander.” Bre’s face displayed no emotion; his voice was calm. But Huw read animosity coming off the technician in waves.

  Bre’s brothers and the other lab technicians observed the conversation from their workstations. One technician was on the ship-wide com and the security alert alarm began to blare in the background.

  Huw read the emotional temperature of the lab as fearful and shocked. The lab personnel were wary of him as if he were a wild beast. Bre’s brothers feared for their brother’s life. And rightly so. A primitive, territorial part of him wanted to kill Bre for ever being near Nadia.

  “Nadia! Help me! I’m losing control.”

  “Commander Nadia ordered me to bring the team back to the ship and collate the data collected and send it to the Leonidas under Commander Ard’s code.” Bre continued in a tone of voice one might use with a crazy person. “That is what I have done.”

  Huw took a step back to keep from strangling the man. He was acting crazy and would continue to be on a short fuse until he had Nadia in his arms where he could keep her safe … from all the men who desired her. He took several deep breaths and willed his rage to the back of his mind where it belonged.

  He needed information. Had Nadia run from him? Was she scared of him?

  “Why in the name of the One did she go over there?” Huw’s voice was low and raspy; he could barely keep back the growls wanting to be let loose. “Isn’t this lab good enough for her?” He gestured at the room.

  With his hearing made more sensitive by his increasing rage, he heard one of the other Jods urging Security to hurry. The Jods had been trained in the same manner as he.

  They recognized a Prime male on the verge of losing control. If Security arrived and saw him in his present state, he was in danger of being stunned.