Legion (Xian Warriors Book 1)

by Regine Abel

  No words were needed between us. As our sated bodies settled peacefully into each other’s embrace, so did our souls, tightly intertwined.

  EPILOGUE

  Ayana

  Exactly one week after our return to Khepri, the Vanguard held our graduation ceremony. It was a posh affair, held on the large plaza in front of the Vanguard HQ. Coalition officials and dignitaries attended, sitting on fancy, golden benches with black, velvety cushions, spread in two rows on each side of the plaza. We sat on similar benches on a triple-decked dais in the center; the graduating Aspirants on the bottom front row, the Veterans behind us.

  Although discrete, an impressive number of Xian Warriors ensured our security during the proceedings. Every guest had undergone a bio-scan on landing—the new standard protocol—to confirm none of them were a Mimic in disguise. The few dignitaries who made a fuss were given the simple option to comply or leave.

  They complied.

  As expected, we suffered through a series of snooze-worthy, self-aggrandizing speeches from people I’d probably not see or hear from again until the next graduation. At last, my gorgeous mate, looking illegally sexy in his Vanguard uniform, stepped up to the black podium with a stylized, gold Gomenzi Dragon emblazoned in front of it. Behind Legion, a giant statue of the legendary beast spread its wings, head pointing at the sky.

  One by one, he called us to the front under a barrage of flashes from the media covering the event. Of the eighteen other Aspirants that came with me to Khepri, only three marched to the front wearing the official red dress uniform of the Coalition HQ, two of them by choice to be closer to loved ones. All the others proudly wore the obsidian dress of the Vanguard, including the mischievous Shereen. Although she didn’t qualify as a Soulcatcher, her phenomenal mathematical skills earned her a place in the Science and Engineering division, when her services weren’t required as Operator. She walked back to her seat, staring in a daze at the blue insignia of her division which Legion had just affixed below her left shoulder.

  When my turn came, time slowed as I walked in a dream-like state to the podium. I wasn’t the first black woman to become a Soulcatcher, but I was the first Portal and the first to wear both the black dress of the Vanguard and the golden insignia of the Raiders. Yet, as Legion affixed my insignia, I knew that of all the unexpected blessings bestowed upon me, he was the greatest of them all.

  A debauchery of alcohol and food followed at the party held in the garden at the back of the plaza. Ever vigilant, both Warriors and Veterans kept the media in check, preventing them from getting too aggressive in their prying about the recent attacks on HQ. Legion and I received an unhealthy amount of said attention, not only because of my Portal status, but also because of our bond-mating. In both cases, we had to show at least a minimum of cooperation, especially since Legion remained the face of the Vanguard.

  Still, some media a bit more persistent than others didn’t seem to get the message. One of the Warriors had called Legion aside, probably to give him an updated security report. No sooner had he stepped away than Steven, one of the more aggressive reporters, made a beeline for me. Before he even got a chance to open his mouth, Tabitha descended upon him like a bat out of hell.

  “You have been given all the interviews you were promised,” she said, with a voice cold enough to freeze hell over. “Your continued pursuit of a new graduate has now crossed into the realm of harassment. You will excuse yourself and no longer pester Ayana in any way, shape, or form, or I will have the Warriors escort you to the docking bay where you will be asked to immediately leave Khepri. Have I made myself clear?”

  Steven’s mouth flapped like a fish out of water and his bulging green eyes made his narrow face look emaciated.

  “I said, have I made myself clear?” Tabitha repeated, taking a threatening step towards him.

  “Y… ye-yeah. You have.”

  I bit the inside of my cheeks to keep from laughing at the aggravating man’s distress.

  “Step away,” Tabitha ordered.

  He took off without another word, casting frazzled glances over his shoulder at us.

  “You okay?” Tabitha asked in her usual clipped, no-nonsense tone.

  “Yes. Thanks for coming to my rescue.”

  She gave me a stiff nod and a grunt of acknowledgement before moving away. Despite that, she hovered nearby, keeping a sharp eye on any would-be harasser until Legion returned to my side.

  He and I made a quick exit as soon as we deemed it reasonably acceptable. I suspected a handful of the newly appointed Soulcatchers would do the same with their freshly assigned Warriors, judging by the heated looks and not-so-innocent groping going on.

  The following morning, I had the most unexpected conversation with Myriam who had lured me into a stroll down the walkway along the garden.

  “As you know, there is no formal hierarchy here at the Vanguard HQ,” Myriam said in a casual tone, her expression unreadable. “However, it has been common practice for Legion’s Soulcatcher—or the Soulcatcher of whichever Warrior leads the Vanguard—to be in charge of the new girls, the Veterans and the general running of the Aspirants Residence.”

  I nodded, wondering where that was headed.

  “You are not a Soulcatcher, but as Legion’s bonded-mate, and the Vanguard’s first Portal, that honor falls to you.”

  “Wait, what?” I exclaimed, stopping dead in my tracks to gape at her.

  “I said—”

  “I know what you said,” I interrupted. “But why? You no longer want that responsibility?”

  Myriam’s throat worked as she swallowed, a strange expression fleeting across her noble features. “It’s not about what I want.”

  “Yes, it is exactly about what you want,” I countered. “If you tell me you’re passing off the torch because you’re tired of carrying it, I will pick it up and try my best to do it justice. But the truth is, I don’t want it.” The flicker of hope in her eyes, quickly hidden, loosened the knot that had been forming in the pit of my stomach. “You are a true leader, Myriam. The day of the assassination attempt, overhearing that conversation freaked me out. My first thought was to find you because I trusted that you’d know what to do. And you did. I was in such awe of you, the way you just took charge and got shit done. People want to follow you because we respect you, and you make us feel safe.”

  Myriam blushed and tucked a lock of auburn hair behind her ear. “Thanks. I… Wow, I don’t know what to say.”

  “Say you want to keep the job,” I said, smiling. “My only aspirations are to make Legion happy and serve the Vanguard as best I can. When we got boarded on the Striker, you were so on top of everything.”

  “You acted pretty damn level-headed, too,” she argued. “Especially for a rookie.”

  “A rookie who, as the first Portal, should have been the one to think of having HQ prepare new Shells. Without you bringing it up, we would have been completely screwed when the guys died because there would have been no time to prepare them at that point.”

  Myriam pursed her lips and nodded slowly. “Okay, I’ll grant you that one. That was a pretty epic failure.”

  I burst out laughing, and she chuckled.

  “You know, Ayana, you make it really hard to dislike you.”

  I giggled. “That’s my irresistible charm. Even Tabitha, grumpy as she is, has become my BFF. You should have seen how rabid she got coming to my defense last night when the media got too persistent.”

  Myriam snorted. “Oh yeah, I saw. You saved Chaos, twice, as well as the other Warriors. You have earned her eternal loyalty.”

  “And I need you to keep your role so that the other girls and I can avoid making epic failures by learning from you.”

  “Thank you. Yes, I would love to keep my role.”

  “Then it’s settled!” I said resuming walking.

  “It is. And as our first order of business, I will need your help reassuring the Soulcatchers that our role with the Vanguard isn’t going to become
obsolete once the first group of Portals complete their training.”

  “What?” I asked, my steps faltering in shock.

  She went on to explain that the women feared that since Warriors systematically went through rebirth sickness when rescued by Soulcatchers, they would rather use Portals who spared them from it, and who could also send them to any number of Incubators at any location without having to be next to the Shell. With Soulcatchers, the extent of the illness was directly linked to the amount of time the Warriors remained cradled in their vessel, which could be a long time depending on the situation.

  Naturally, I accepted, wanting to help nip those unfounded fears in the bud. Reminding them of the limitations of Portals versus the benefits of Soulcatchers went a long way. Unlike us, they could catch a soul while moving which proved handy in fly-by rescues. They didn’t need a Shell ready to keep their Warrior safe, and they could hang on to him for hours, days even. None of the other Portals so far had demonstrated a psychic range even half as long as mine. Had a different one been onboard the Striker when we escaped, Sonia, Bridget, and Myriam would have been the only ones able to save the men when they got slaughtered by the Swarm. While this helped alleviate some of the concerns, getting the two sets of women to work together made the real difference.

  I devoted the next couple of months to assisting Myriam and Legion in revamping the Vanguard Psychic Squad since Vanguard Soulcatchers was no longer an accurate term to represent the women serving at HQ. We focused on how to best use the Soulcatchers’ and Portals’ abilities in a complementary fashion. We discovered that Portals could transfer souls into the vessel of a Soulcatcher, even one that was moving since she took over the catching part. To the Warriors’ delight, Portals could also transfer their soul from a vessel directly into a new Shell, sparing them the rebirth sickness.

  With the number of Operators that graduated as level four Portals, leaving the Coalition HQ to join the Vanguard, recruitment went into overdrive to re-staff the Coalition’s ranks. Raven and Hares also demanded a bit of my time adapting the ESP Training Programs on Earth as well as the Aspirant Test to properly evaluate this new ability.

  To our greatest chagrin, despite various tests, we were unable to find any spark with our Asian ESP students. But we, and they, refused to believe that they didn’t have a special ability as well. In due time, we would find it.

  Having promised Legion I wouldn’t reach out to Bane again, his mind brushing against mine took me by surprise. He didn’t speak and flashed no images of residual memory, but I perceived no pain or distress from him. For some strange reason, it reassured me, like some old friend had checked in to let me know all was well.

  My biggest regret was my inability to track the Mimic. The disruptor being active both times I’d interacted with her had prevented me from touching her mind and thus obtaining her psychic address. No new attacks or leaks had occurred since that day. I couldn’t tell if the increased security at HQ specifically targeted at Mimics or some intervention from Bane had been the cause. We all welcomed the reprieve, even knowing it was just the calm before the next crazy storm.

  Her words that she was doing what she had to for the sake of her people had taken on a new meaning. As much as I hated her for the assassination attempt and all the Warrior and Soulcatcher deaths her leaks had caused, I had to consider that the General could be coercing her into those damnable acts; blackmailing her with the lives of whatever few surviving Mimics he had under his thumb.

  In the meantime, we prepared for the arrival of a new group of recruits on Khepri in two weeks. I’d developed the habit of working in the Atrium, sitting under the same Yojien tree where, three months ago, I’d had my first ESP lesson with Raven, and my spark had been discovered. I’d have to give up my spot once their training began. Until then, I intended to enjoy the heck out of it, as I was right now.

  Deeply focused on proposing amendments to the military treaty Legion had asked me to look into before the Vanguard presented it to a new potential Coalition member, my heart nearly jumped out of my chest when he mind-spoke to me.

  “Meet me in the docking bay, my love.”

  I pressed a hand to my chest to contain the erratic beating of my startled heart.

  “In the docking bay?”

  “Yes. Hurry.”

  He severed our connection, leaving me baffled. His hasty retreat hinted he’d been plotting and scheming and didn’t want me to get a glimpse of his plans through any mind flash. I closed my laptop and rose to my feet, trying to figure out what he could possibly be up to. Lost in my work, I hadn’t seen time fly by. Shereen would have normally already dragged me to the spa by now, but her last minute plans with a romantic interest had kicked that to the curb.

  I’d intended to go home early and cook for Legion for once. The man had made it his duty to feed me—which I didn’t mind 99.9% of the time.

  Home…

  It still made me giddy to call Legion’s penthouse home. After we’d returned from Jaylon, he’d suggested we choose a site in the residential area outside city center to build a house of our own. As tempting as the prospect had been, we didn’t need anything bigger than his already impressive penthouse, just for the two of us. Once the kids showed up—and I hoped we’d have many—we could revisit the whole house business. For now, the convenience of being a few floors above my office at HQ and a one-minute secret bubble ride from the Atrium, spa, and shopping mall of the Aspirants Residence was just too sweet to give up. Shereen, too, had scored an apartment in the upper floors of the Residence where many Veterans lived, including Myriam.

  As the train slowed down then stopped in the circular dock of the transport hub, my mind had gone crazy speculating what this could be about. I hastened down the corridor to the docking bay, nodding at the various Warriors I encountered along the way.

  Walking through the giant bio-scanner that stood like a Roman archway at the entrance of the docking bay—exit in my case—I barely noticed the blue laser that swept over me, confirming my identity through my DNA. Only one thing held my interest; my sexy, scrumpalicious mate standing next to a warp-enabled personal shuttle. Ramp down, doors open, it eagerly awaited passengers to board it.

  “Going somewhere?” I asked, closing the distance between us.

  He pulled me into his arms and captured my lips in a blistering kiss. I melted into him, my lips parting to receive his conquering tongue. Whistles and obnoxiously annoying kissing sounds from his fellow Warriors put an abrupt end to it. Feeling slightly embarrassed, I took a step back, doubting my hunger for my man would ever be sated. The mere sound of his voice had me weak in the knees and my girly bits standing at attention.

  Legion made a face at his peers then turned toward me. I raised an inquisitive eyebrow, waiting for him to answer my question. He smiled, a look of pure love descending upon his features. Heat blossomed in the pit of my stomach and spread outwards, a delicious tingle running over my skin.

  “Yes, my love. I promised you a honeymoon on Wyngenia, and I always keep my promises.”

  “Oh, God, Legion!” I threw myself back into his arms.

  My mate’s sensual chuckle turned into a purring growl as I reclaimed his lips and raked my nails down his back. Since I’d discovered some of his erotic weaknesses, I shamelessly abused them to drive him insane, or make him cave to my not-always-reasonable demands. Breaking the kiss, he whisked me up, carrying me like a bride into the shuttle.

  “Wait! I need to pack a few things!” I exclaimed, panicked.

  “Shereen took care of it for you.”

  “Shereen? Isn’t she off on some date?”

  Legion smirked.

  “That little… You little…” I scrunched my face at him, touched they would have done this for me but annoyed that I’d been completely blindsided. “I love you, Legion.”

  “I love you, for all eternity, Ayana.”

  THE END.

  ABOUT REGINE

  Regine Abel is a fantasy, paranormal a
nd sci-fi junky. Anything with a bit of magic, a touch of the unusual, and a lot of romance will have her jumping for joy. Hot alien warriors meeting no-nonsense, kick-ass heroine give her warm fuzzies. Through her Veredian Chronicles series, Regine will take you to an exciting alien world full of mystery, action, passion and new beginnings. Follow Amalia and her Veredian sisters as they fight for their freedom and the right to love.

  When not writing or reading, Regine surrenders to the other passion in her life: video games! As a professional Game Designer and Creative Director, her career has led her from her home in Canada to the US and various countries in Europe and Asia.

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  REGINE’S OTHER BOOKS

  Escaping Fate

  Losing Amalia

  Blind Fate

  Raising Amalia

  Twist of Fate

  DARK TALES

  Bluebeard’s Curse

  Anton’s Grace

  THE SHADOW REALMS

  Dark Swan

  VALOS OF SONHADRA

  Unfrozen

  Iced

  XIAN WARRIORS

  Legion

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