Destinies of Diamond: A Reverse Harem Sci Fi Bully Romance (Chimera Academy Book 3)

by Eva Brandt

  “It’s still a bit of a risk,” I dared to say, “but I’ll be careful and monitor their responses. If I take note of anything alarming, I’ll withdraw and let you know.”

  “That sounds perfect.” Prince Archibald downed his liquor and handed his glass back to the waiting drone. “I knew I could rely on you, Wesley. Dismissed.”

  Like Titus, I saluted and left the prince’s office. It was a little depressing to learn that I could be relied on to do anything for the rebellion, even if that meant lying and abusing the trust of an innocent girl. But that was the truth, and I couldn’t hide it any more than the Grand Chimera Unit could pretend Selene was harmless.

  It didn’t take me long to return to my quarters, but by then, Selene and her lovers had already arrived. “Commander Trevor,” Brendan greeted me, “you wanted to see us?”

  “Yes, Your Highness. Please, do come it.”

  Technically speaking, Brendan was superior to me in rank. As a royal, he could pretty much do whatever the hell he wanted. But at Chimera Academy, he’d always respected the rules and had wanted to be treated like any other student—or at least, any other tamer of the Typhon.

  It was therefore a little shocking that this time, Brendan made it his business to glare at me. When I opened the door of my personal quarters, he entered first. It would have been common courtesy for me to do that, since I was the host and the teacher. But it looked like Brendan had decided to throw his title in my face and make it clear that he wouldn’t allow any interference in his life.

  This wasn’t starting out very well.

  I narrowed my eyes at him, but decided to not call him out on his actions. For the moment, he hadn’t done anything that was truly disrespectful, so there was no point in mentioning the small detail. Still, I had to be careful.

  I didn’t fear Brendan Chimera, but he we needed him to sit on his father’s throne once King Philip was gone. Archibald wasn’t as popular as his older brother and between that and his health problems, he wasn’t a viable leader. Besides, for good or ill, Brendan still remained the pilot of the Typhon, and that alone would bring us a lot of support from the populace. But all that relied on him cooperating with us, which could easily not happen if I fucked this up with Selene.

  What a mess.

  Well, I’d done crazier things than seduce a student and test the tempers of the Grand Chimera tamers. And right now, I had other priorities—like finding out what the hell had happened in the showers.

  As soon as everyone was inside, I directed them to my lounge. I didn’t have a lot of guests, and it showed. The drones kept everything neat and orderly, but the room still had a distinctive Spartan look, since I hadn’t bothered to mount the holographic displays that officers used to decorate their personal quarters.

  My students didn’t seem taken aback by this. “You wanted to discuss the incident with us, Sir?” Brendan asked.

  “Indeed. And I’ll begin by advising you to not take me for a fool. It’s obvious to me—and to most everyone who was present—that you weren’t the one to lose control in the showers.”

  Brendan’s face was like stone. I couldn’t read him at all. The others had a far more visible reaction. Selene’s eyes widened and her expression twisted into a grimace of guilt. Pollux went rigid. Knox’s eyes flashed with something deep and savage. A flare of tachyons swept over August’s skin before it quickly vanished.

  I wouldn’t have noticed these things at all if not for the cybernetic additions to my human body. But there were advantages to being one fourth machine, and this was one of them. “There’s no need to lie. It was obvious to both me and Professor Strange. In fact, Professor Strange went to His Highness to discuss this theory.”

  “Did he,” Brendan said.

  It wasn’t a question. It was a statement. I had a feeling Titus had just earned himself a very powerful enemy. Then again, he’d always treated Selene poorly, so he’d probably already been on Brendan’s list of people to get rid of.

  “There’s nothing to worry about,” I assured them. “Dean Chimera denied his petition on account of him not having any real evidence for his claim.”

  “You didn’t support him, did you, Sir?” Selene asked softly. Her voice was like steel covered in silk and it made another memory of her naked form flash through my mind. “Why?”

  “Because I think that you leaving the academy would be the worst possible thing that could happen at this stage. You’ve made significant progress in your control of Tartarus’s Gift, but accidents happen all the time. It just so happens that normally, young men have these accidents before they join the academy so we don’t have to deal with sudden uncontrollable episodes like this. That doesn’t mean we need to overreact to it.”

  “Thank you, Sir,” Brendan answered tightly. “But am I correct in thinking there will be consequences anyway?”

  “Of course. You’ll receive an official reprimand, since you took the blame for the accident. You won’t be suspended, but we’ll have to reorganize your schedule to add a new practice session. I think you’ll be able to arrange something with Dean Chimera, as long as your father doesn’t have specific requests.”

  “That’s not really what Brendan was asking,” August murmured. “Sir, what are you planning on doing with this information?”

  “I’ll discuss that with Acting Pilot Renard. A solution has to be found to make sure she doesn’t lose control again. I believe it’s more than possible to see results, and the new assignment will give us an excellent chance to pursue that goal. But in the meantime, I advise you to keep your hands to yourselves while in public. Intercourse often has a detrimental effect on tachyon manipulation control, especially when the user is very young. So exercise caution and, for Tartarus’s sake, keep your private affairs private.”

  At that, the tamers finally looked apologetic. Selene flinched, uncomfortable with my reprimand. So far so good. Now, I had to see if I could ingratiate myself in her favor a little more.

  “Gentlemen, you’re dismissed. See yourselves out while I speak with your fellow tamer.”

  The young men all frowned, reluctant to leave their lover alone with me. Selene nodded at them and silently ushered them to the exit. Although they were still unhappy, they complied, which pretty much confirmed my theory that they indulged her even at the expense of their own comfort.

  One by one, the group left my quarters. As soon as Selene and I were in private, I gestured for her to make herself comfortable. She chose a seat on one of my couches and I sat down on an armchair in front of her, careful to seem approachable, but not excessively so. “Now that it’s just you and me, Acting Pilot Renard. Do you have anything else you’d like to tell me about this incident?”

  “Err… I don’t know, Sir. I can only make a couple of guesses, I’m afraid. I’ve been practicing hard as of late, both here and on Terra. My mother has already warned me that I need to be careful, because my tachyon manipulation skills might clash with my lessons in wielding Gaia’s Gift. I just didn’t expect this to happen, not like this.”

  That explanation made sense, but it also didn’t ring true. I didn’t know why, but I had the feeling she was hiding something—something important.

  It wasn’t in my character to use my secondary skills in an invasive way, but this situation was too delicate to ignore the tools I had at my disposal. I narrowed my eyes at her in a way that she’d interpret as a simple look of suspicion. In reality, I was activating my analysis engine.

  The implant embedded in my eyeball was a downgraded model of what the drones used to monitor the health of every citizen on Tartarus. My human mind couldn’t sustain anything more complex than what I was equipped with, but even in my current state, I didn’t use it often. Relying on it would be far too dangerous and could put unwarranted strain on my brain.

  Fortunately, it didn’t take me long to figure out what was wrong with Selene Renard. A tiny bubble of heat was forming in her midsection—to be more specific, around her uterus.
/>   She was pregnant.

  I couldn’t detect a real heartbeat, just a mild vibration of the cells. The organs hadn’t yet formed. The pregnancy wasn’t very advanced. Selene was maybe one month along, if that. Either way, one of her fellow tamers was obviously the father, and based on the energy output of the fetus, I suspected I knew who it was.

  Fuck. No wonder she’d lost it in the showers. The hormones involved in a pregnancy would completely throw her off balance and make it even more difficult for her to control her powers.

  There was no more time for games now, or for approaching matters carefully. If The Grand Judiciary found out about this, the results would be disastrous. I wasn’t confident Prince Archibald would be able to save her, or that he’d even be willing to try.

  “Acting Pilot Renard,” I said, not bothering to disguise my alarm, “it’s come to my attention that you are now in a certain condition that may have influenced you. I can understand why you decided to not share this information with Dr. Bell, but you must be aware that it’s much too dangerous to continue on the same path.”

  Selene was so startled she shot to her feet and started backing away. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Sir.”

  “Yes, you do. You’re with child.”

  I debated the merits of explaining the true extent of my concerns, but I couldn’t do that without revealing what I knew about August. As far as I knew, August was unaware of his part-apsid nature, and so were his fellow Chimera Warriors. The energies swirling around Selene’s uterus indicated that he might be the father, but I couldn’t exactly tell her.

  I picked a simpler approach. “You realize conception is against the law for a Terran, right? What made you think it was a good idea to remove the contraception substance keeping you safe?”

  “It’s not something I did on purpose.” She hesitated and bit her lower lip, as if considering her next words. “It may have been because of Brendan or one of the others. I’m not sure if you’re aware, but Grand Chimera tamers have some secondary skills that assist us in battle. No matter how much you claim the substance was meant to help me, the fact remains that it was a toxin neutralizing a natural process in my body. We hypothesize that one of our skills might have removed it. We didn’t intend it. It was an accident.”

  That made sense. My Harpy had been similar, although her skills hadn’t been as powerful as those of a Grand Chimera tamer. It was part of the reason why her destruction had hit me so badly.

  But even if Selene hadn’t eliminated the substance on purpose, the main problem still remained. That baby she was carrying would be one-quarter apsid. As its mother, Selene was remarkable in her own right. There was a reason why King Philip had given his son permission to court her, and that was because he did indeed believe she would be useful for the future of the dynasty.

  “Well, for the moment, the best thing you can do is keep it under wraps. Make sure Brendan pushes for an elimination of restrictions soon. And for Tartarus’s sake, see a doctor.”

  “I am, on Terra. My mother knows, and she’s helping me.”

  That was the best possible thing we could expect at this stage. High Priestess Tanya Renard could be relied upon to protect her daughter and grandchild.

  “Will you be telling Dean Chimera about this, Sir?”

  I knew what the answer should be. My loyalty was first and foremost to the rebellion and I couldn’t forget that. But looking at her pale, beautiful face, I couldn’t deny her either. “Not yet. I’ll let Brendan do it, in his own time.” I let out a deep sigh. “I do want to help you, Selene, but unfortunately, we’re spiraling more and more into a situation we can’t control. We have to be very careful.”

  “I understand, Sir. I’ll be more vigilant in the future.”

  I got up and made my way to her side. From up close, she looked even lovelier and a strange pang of jealousy rushed through me.

  I shoved the thought away, since now was not the time to pursue such things. With Selene pregnant, we might have to scrap that plan altogether, since it was no longer feasible. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t have at least a bond of friendship and mentorship with Selene.

  “Don’t be scared, Selene,” I told her. “I know this must be very difficult for you, that you were probably unprepared for the pregnancy. Since you’ve kept it until now, I assume you’re not opposed to the idea of becoming a mother. But don’t forget that you have friends and you have options. Chimera Academy has been tough on you, but you’re not alone.”

  Much to my surprise, Selene’s eyes filled with tears. “It feels like I am,” she confessed.

  Her voice sounded sharp and broken, and it reached out to me in a way I’d never thought possible. I felt as if I’d just taken a blow so powerful it cracked my whole sternum. My circuits and analysis engine started to run a thousand different processes and diagnosis attempts, a natural response to my alarm.

  “Selene? What is it? What are you so afraid of?”

  Instinctively, I reached out and brushed my fingers over her shoulder. I should have known better. She pulled away from me and her face shut down, her vulnerability hidden under a mask as strong as Brendan’s. “Nothing. I’m sorry, Sir. I’m still a little out of sorts after the earlier incident. Is there anything else or can I be excused?”

  Our conversation was nowhere near over. I still wanted to talk to her about her assignment and how we’d work around that to accommodate her pregnancy. But she clearly had no desire to be in my presence any longer and I couldn’t bring myself to force her. “You’re dismissed for now, Acting Pilot Renard. Go rest. We’ll speak again in the morning.”

  “Yes, Sir,” she replied with a quick salute.

  Selene fled my quarters as if a horde of rampaging apsids was after her. As I watched the door close behind her, I considered the information I’d just found out and the meaning behind her strange behavior.

  Was her relationship with her fellow tamers at risk in some way? Why had she made that comment? Was it related to the minor change in Brendan’s demeanor?

  I didn’t know, but one thing was certain. I had to find out, and not just for the sake of the rebellion.

  Dangerous Anomalies

  Knox

  “But there has to be something we can do. We can’t let things stand. It’s too dangerous.”

  I tried not to glare too fiercely at Selene, but I must have failed because she glared right back. “Don’t you think I know that? But we have to focus on our real enemies. So far, Commander Trevor hasn’t shown any interest in harming me. He could have easily used this information to expel me, or worse, but he hasn’t done so. At least for now, I don’t think he’s someone we need to worry about.”

  “That’s fair enough, Selene,” Brendan answered, “but we still can’t ignore taking all the precautions. Please. I know things have been a mess lately, but indulge us in this.”

  Selene clenched her jaw and didn’t answer. Instead, she made her way to her chimera and entered the cockpit of the Sphinx.

  We were in the Grand Chimera hangars, and we had an actual practice lesson to participate in. But before we could get down to business, we’d gotten distracted by the topic that had been on our minds since yesterday.

  Selene had told us that somehow, Commander Trevor had figured out she was pregnant. I assumed he must have used some kind of technique related to his cyborg nature. Either way, it was bad news, and we were seriously considering taking preemptive measures to remove him.

  The problem was that if we did that, Selene would get even more pissed at us. She hadn’t forgiven us for the incident in Gaia’s Haven, although she was doing her best to move on. And truth be told, we couldn’t always rely on this method when someone was inconvenient. With Brendan’s father, it would be necessary, but right now, we just weren’t sure where Commander Trevor stood.

  To make matters worse, Commander Trevor hadn’t actually asked Selene who the father of the baby was. Logic stated that it should have been the very first issu
e to address. He’d ignored it, and that was suspicious as fuck.

  “Do you suppose he guessed something about the child’s parentage?” I asked.

  “I doubt it. Our situation is a little… unique.”

  “He may have made some unfortunate guesses,” August mused. “If the child inherits some features from his father, I can only assume the pregnancy will have a different energy output than that of a human being. Since he hasn’t run around screaming and threatening us, I suspect he might know about my situation and concluded I was the one involved.”

  Oh. Yeah, that would make sense. If Commander Trevor could detect the child was part-apsid, he’d automatically assume August was the father. But that also meant it was urgent to find a secondary way for Selene to escape, if something went wrong. So far, Commander Trevor didn’t seem inclined to hand Selene over to The Grand Judiciary, but we couldn’t exclude any possibilities.

  It was too risky to discuss the topic further when we were in the hangars, even if we’d kept our words vague. We temporarily shelved the debate and headed into our own chimeras. By the time I entered the Cerberus, Selene had already launched the Sphinx into the air and was expertly maneuvering her machine over the training field.

  The possessive beast inside me reared its ugly head. I wanted her so much and most of her recent actions seemed designed to taunt me. She owed us nothing, but I still craved her more than I craved air.

  “You have to settle down, pup,” Cerberus warned me. “At this rate, you’ll consume yourself before I get to consume anyone else.”

  I clenched the controls tighter in my hands. His voice had started to echo louder and louder inside me since the battle with the apsids. We were trying to find a way around that, but so far, nothing we’d tried had worked.

  “It’s just… wrong. She’s ours. She’s supposed to be with us, not carrying another man’s baby.”

  “Yes, but that child will belong to your pack, regardless. And that’s not the biggest problem, is it? You’ve already made her a promise, so it’s not like you can get rid of the apsid now. There are other more dangerous things we have to handle.”