Unmatched

by Annalise Alexis

  Sorrow and empathy weave their way through my anger, and my heart seizes. All of this because he was trying to save my great-grandmother. He sold his soul and almost destroyed an entire race of beings for a woman who died anyway. I start to speak but stop as the memory of the little boy in his video flares to life in my head. The dates don’t add up. Here I am, buying into his bullshit, when it’s clear my grandfather isn’t even hers.

  I look to Ren. “Take him. I’m done. He’s lying to me.”

  Ren and Ragar approach, and he stiffens, face drawn in shock. “No, I haven’t lied. What do you mean?”

  “I saw the little boy in your video. My grandfather. Your wife died nearly a year before he was born.”

  He struggles against Ren and Ragar’s holds, and I turn away, not wanting to witness his death.

  “No. I can explain. Please, I need you to understand. Give me five more minutes. Please, Jayla.”

  Like a knife to the heart, my name on his lips tears through my resolve, triggering all the pent-up emotion I have inside. “Wait.”

  Ren grabs him by the throat, squeezing so hard his eyes bulge. “Do not toy with my mate. Or death will be the least of your concerns.”

  He gasps for air, nodding. “She had passed. But they were her eggs. We’d tried for years to have a child before I left for my mission, and she had frozen her eggs and my sperm just in case something went wrong. So she would have a piece of me and another chance to continue my legacy. After she passed, I paid a surrogate—spent every dime I had to my name on nine separate attempts, and none of them took. I knew the problem had to be me.” He jerks his chin toward Ren. “His kind are so prolific…so instead of using my sperm with her last egg, I used samples of Illusian DNA I had taken on my first mission and I—”

  Everything stops.

  “You created him?”

  Ren stiffens at my side, and he reaches out to grasp my shoulders as I sway.

  “So I’m…”

  “Part Illusian, yes. The colonel knew what I did, and he’s used it against me ever since. Threatening first my child, then his child, and before I took his life, yours. All these years I’ve been kept alive to further his attempt at breeding perfection, and in return, you got to live.”

  I can’t think. My brain is completely overloaded by everything he’s said. The light pressure of Ren snaking an arm around my waist jolts me back to reality.

  “What does that have to do with the Inokine? How could you help them, knowing what they’d do? What they almost did to me…”

  My great-grandfather’s eyebrows stitch together, and his lips tighten. “I had no choice in the matter. After what I did, several Inokine ships were intercepted on their way to Earth seeking revenge. It nearly blew Braxick’s whole operation. Once the first of the cross-bred babies was successfully born and sold, the money started rolling in, and he refused to end the program. So, to quiet the Inokine, he turned a blind eye to their aggressions, and when he discovered my Andy, and how prolific the Illusians are, he shared that information with the Inokine. The rest is history.”

  Ragar and Ren shoot forward, shoving me behind them as he stands, straightening his shirt. He removes his jacket and holds it out to me. A deep growl rumbles in Ren’s throat, and hesitantly, I reach out and take it.

  “It’s all here. The proof you need to expose the whole thing. I’ve been waiting for years for the right time, and would have done it myself, if not for you accepting that medic position.”

  I clutch his coat to my chest. “What do you mean? You’re telling me that was a setup? What if I hadn’t taken it?”

  There’s no doubt in my mind I would have chosen to take the job no matter what the conditions. There was nothing left for me on Earth.

  “He wanted to show me he could reach you no matter what. So, he made the call and guaranteed you’d get it. Not that it matters now. You’re here, and like a gift I don’t deserve, getting to see my Loreli in your face once more before I die is worth it. I may be a sinful man, but I love my family, and have loved you from a far for your entire life.” Giving me one last look, he straightens his shoulders, and his tired eyes crinkle at the sides as he smiles. “I’m ready. The files are hidden under the floor near my bed.”

  Panic floods me, and I start to sweat as Ren releases his hold on me. “Wait. Not yet.”

  “Skara—”

  “Not yet. I’m not ready.” My heart feels like it’s breaking, and no matter how hard I try to think about all the terrible shit he’s done, I can’t stop seeing my father and grandfather in his face. I know it’s stupid, especially since they didn’t even share his DNA. The dull ache in my gut churns and morphs into full blown pain.

  Why is this so hard?

  “It’s okay, Jayla. I deserve it and I’ve wanted it for longer than I can remember. I miss my wife and son. I want to go home.”

  A ragged sob escapes my throat as I finally accept what’s going to happen. “It’s going to hurt…”

  He nods his head and gives me another tight smile. “Not nearly as much as I deserve. And if your mate can do what Braxick believed, he can take my memories after death. The block in place dies with me.”

  “Skara. The other males need your assistance in translating for the newly freed.”

  Unable to bear the tension anymore, I turn away from my great-grandfather, and the last thing I see before I slip through the door are his eyes locked on the image of his house, and Ren’s hands around his skull.

  Ren

  His memories move like sludge at first. The last beat of his heart slows the synapses of his brain. Soon they will die, and there will be nothing left but skin and bones. My rage demands I tear him apart. Flay his insides and shove them down his fucking throat so he can choke on his own blood. But I do not. I cannot. Whether she chooses to acknowledge it or not, his suffering would harshly affect my mate, and bleeding him out like an animal would cause her more harm.

  She is more than my female, she is the reason my people still have life, and no matter how sweet it would be to sate myself with his misery, I cannot indulge. Her happiness gives me strength, and I would sacrifice my need a million times over just to see her smile again.

  He was truthful, the echoes of his sins ringing in my ears as I sort through them, cataloging each vile experiment, each loss of life. I push back further, deeper. I am concerned with the validity of his claims to have visited my planet.

  A longing for home rises at the sight of my people’s sky and, for a moment, I revel in its beauty. He has been there. My queen is closer to her people than we thought. She has not been crowned one, she is one. The logic is there. She can manipulate the bond and my gifts. She can feel the pull of our people, and now, I know why.

  Ragar’s familiar energy enters the room, and I pull out of the human’s mind, concerned for my mate.

  I left her in his care.

  “She will not yield. She insists on checking the freed prisoners—even the males.” The frustration in his voices matches my own.

  “I expect nothing less from a descendent of Zael.”

  Ragar stiffens, and his nostrils flare. “She is of my lineage?”

  “His blood runs through her veins and yours.”

  He remains silent—the set of his shoulders revealing his pride. With no other males surviving before him, Ragar was thought to be the last of his line.

  Jayla is not only part-Illusian, she is kin of one of the most revered Illusian bloodlines ever to exist.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Jayla

  I’m sweating, and my muscles ache as I asses each captive one at a time. I introduce myself and try my best to communicate even though some of them speak languages I don’t know. I palpate, check vitals, examine wounds, all in less time than it takes most people to finish a meal. After the abominations were dispatched, Nexx and Orion retrieved Sol’s tablet to help figure out where they’re from.

  Sol.

  Eyes burning with unshed tears, I clench my jaw
and focus on what’s in front of me. It’s all a blur until Ren clears the room, leaving only the two of us. He says nothing, just wraps his arms around me. I tense, expecting the feel of fresh blood and gore, but when I jerk back—nothing.

  He tips my chin and smooths my furrowed brow. “You wear your pain so beautifully.” The sound of his rich voice has me choking back a sob, and I’m off my feet and on the counter before I realize he’s picked me up.

  “Is it done?” I ask, already knowing the answer. I guess something in me just needs to hear that my great-grandfather’s dead and it’s all over. Rather than answer, Ren gently closes my eyes and places my hands on his face. He intertwines our fingers and presses his forehead to mine.

  Images flash through our bond and, at first, I’m angry he’s showing me. It’s one thing to kill the man, but to make me watch...

  As the images pass, I recognize them for what they are. Memories. Not dark and twisted, but those of his childhood. The joy-filled, innocent moments he kept close to his heart. Then later, ones with my great-grandmother and their home. I hold on to Ren for dear life as he plays them for me, and I watch my grandfather grow, feel the hints of pride as my great-grandfather saw my pictures. And last, his death. I grit my teeth, knowing it’s coming, but instead of mind-searing pain, I feel nothing. Ren didn’t torture him. Didn’t rip out his spine or break his bones. Instead he severed his mind, giving him a quick and painless death he didn’t deserve. The dam on my emotions bursts, and I sob uncontrollably against his chest.

  “You didn’t—you gave up your chance for proper vengeance…for me…”

  “For you, my Aciana. Always for you.”

  Ren

  Ragar hovers between his mate and mine as they sleep in their security chairs. The heavy vibration of our ship exiting the station lulled Jayla to sleep, and I have ordered her to remain undisturbed. The human mechanic also slumbers, holding on to my mate’s hand.

  The sound of several caches of information sliding to the ground draws a low growl from Ragar.

  Rivan grimaces, then bends down to pick them up. “My apologies, Acia. But the information here is—” A wide grin spreads across his face. “It is irrefutable. Video documentation, countless files, and even recorded voice conversations…it is the proof the universe has been waiting for.”

  Despite the good news, I cannot dismiss the image of the stasis pod in the anteroom with Sol’s body. He lies wrapped in a proper Illusian shroud, waiting for burial. He died a warrior, and he will be honored as such. The lack of his presence has not gone unnoticed. The remnants of his mess still cover the floor.

  He will be missed.

  “And the Inokine?” I ask.

  “Everything. Locations, plans, the latest coordinates of their slave crews. I have already contacted Baro and instructed him to relocate once again. They are preparing an attack on his location in two Earth days-time.”

  “Very good. Upload it. Every single file. Reveal these fucks to the universe. Show what the precious Universal Community has done.”

  Rivan nods. “Then what? Where do you wish to go from here?”

  I gaze at my mate’s sleeping form, her swollen lids, and pale cheeks. She has seen and done too much. My people have felt the sting of sorrow for too long, but no more.

  “Home. We go home.”

  Jayla

  I shiver, the cool air giving me chills. Expecting to find the hard edge of my chair, I’m surprised to feel the softness of my bed under my hand. I must have fallen asleep and Ren moved me in here sometime during the night. My fingers settle on the stiff lapels of my great-grandfather’s coat, and a new burst of nausea and anxiety tighten my throat. My heart starts racing, and I jerk up.

  So, much for sleeping.

  Ren stirs in my mind, responding to my panic, but I call him off. He’s busy with the males, doing whatever it is they do, and quite frankly, I just want to be alone. I love him, but after today…I want to mourn without feeling guiltier than I already do.

  It’s not my great-grandfather’s death that has me feeling like I’m suffocating, it’s everything else. So much pain and misery, so much horror, and then to know where it came from. The depressing motivation behind it? My unwilling role… And it pisses me off that even after all of that, I still want to cry knowing he’s dead.

  Sick of feeling like I want to crawl out of my skin, I chuck the coat across the room, wiping off the tears he doesn’t deserve. A tiny black square stands out in contrast against the white fabric as it lies crumpled on the floor.

  What is that? A memory chip?

  Snagging the tablet I used to watch the journals, I insert the chip and wait for the data to load. At first, it’s numbers, strings of data, and formulas streaming through the air above my bed. But then notes. Hundreds of them. All assigned patient numbers and codes similar to those he talked about in his journals. Pictures of deceased beings slide across the screen, and I slam my eyes shut, not wanting to watch. Why the hell do I keep doing this to myself? It’s over. He’s dead, and yet, I’m still finding ways to get sucked back into his darkness.

  When I open my eyes, and the barrage of files has stopped with a final string of numbers and symbols on the screen.

  What the hell does this even mean? And why would he have it in his pocket?

  Hopping off the bed, I slide to my knees and dig my hands into his coat, hoping there’s something else in there to help me understand. I guess it would be too much to ask for a damn explanation. Even after death, he mocks me.

  My fingers brush a small piece of what feels like paper, and when I pull it out, my heart stops as I read the words written on the tiny square.

  “For you, Loreli, if only a century too late.”

  I glance back and forth between his note and the screen, the images tumbling over and over in my head. What does it mean? A century too late? And why is it addressed to his dead wife?

  My throat goes dry, and I slap a hand over my mouth in disbelief.

  After removing the memory chip, I press it into the palm of my hand reverently, careful not to damage the tiny silver strips responsible for holding the data that will cure the disease responsible for stealing the lives of billions. I sink back against the side of my bed, unable to tear my eyes away.

  The cure for gene dysplasia. He finally did it.

  Epilogue

  Jayla

  Nausea claws at my throat, and my chest burns as the acid rises. The walls of the ship rattle and shake around us, and I pinch my eyes closed tightly, trying to stave off the dizziness. I’m so ready for this crap to be over with.

  These babies need to come out now.

  Almost as if they can read my thoughts, pain radiates up from my bladder, and I shift, trying to get the little guys to move.

  “They are not ready, my Aciana. Do not order them out, or like any strong Illusian male, they may obey.”

  “Speak for yourself. You don’t currently have someone head butting the shit out of your uterus.”

  Like little battering rams, the babies kick and roll around, one of them delivering a harsh jab to the underside of my ribs. They’ve been fighting for space for weeks. Noticing my grimace, Ren slips a hand underneath my tunic, and the action quiets them.

  “I swear it’s like they throw a fit if you go too long without touching them.”

  He chuckles, then withdraws his hand. As expected, the rumble starts up again, and I glare at him until he puts it back.

  Last night I literally had to sleep with his hand on me. Most frustrating thing ever. Especially when you’re hot as hell and having to deal with a constant barrage of leg cramps.

  “I cannot deny the affection I feel for them, though I do not appreciate the discomfort they cause you.”

  “Yeah, well, why don’t you give them a talking to. You’re the only one they listen to anyway.”

  Ren chuckles again, and I flip him off, still refusing to let go of the chair arms. Giant purple clouds swirl below us, and as we break through, t
he sound of rain slapping against the nav window steals my breath. It’s beautiful—a translucent turquoise so bright I wonder how it doesn’t stain the ground below.

  “It is the ions in the atmosphere. The upper layer always produces a more pigmented rain, but the color neutralizes as it comes into contact with the soil.”

  I stare wide-eyed as the tiny droplets dance against the window. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  Six months it’s taken us to get here, and a month before that was spent ensuring the planet has remained untouched since they left. Illusia is small and mostly hidden, and has remained that way. Even if it hadn’t, Ren is determined to make a home there, and after what we’ve had to go through, I doubt anything that tried to get in his way would survive.

  Amina’s newly shortened hair dangles on her delicate shoulders, and I can’t help but smile. She and the other females fought hard when the Inokine made the mistake of trying to breach the ship, and damn, I couldn’t be prouder of them. She earned her first battle scar, a small gash on her forearm, but she and Xandria put down fifteen of those pricks all on their own. Even Urina earned a few kills.

  There’s a stronger presence that shines through them now, and I can only hope the changes we’ve made within our own group spread to the rest of the Illusians. Gone are the days of sitting idly by and being afraid. Our females have always been a force to be reckoned with, and now, with their newly gained confidence, they’re unstoppable.

  After the news spread and all the evidence we found went public, the Universal Community governing board imploded. It was brutal and wonderful to watch it play out. Two of the ten highest ranking members were implicated in the heinous crimes against the Illusian people and several other races they targeted for their breeding experiments. Thousands of their employees were arrested for their involvement in the sex trafficking ring.

  A live feed of their executions was broadcasted to every corner of our universe and beyond, along with several other feeds that have continued to play around the clock documenting the special teams they’ve assigned to track down every single one of the beings involved. Ren complained for a solid week about how quick the executions were. They didn’t suffer enough. There wasn’t enough blood. Why didn’t they leave the feed on to watch the bodies decompose…