“Wulf. Iolyn. Don’t make me hurt you.” Nadia elbowed Huw out of the way and moved to Iolyn’s side at the end of their assigned docking tube. One hand hovered over her laser pistol, and she had her battle-blade in her other hand. “I can take care of myself.”
Huw grabbed Nadia around the waist and pulled her to his side. “Stay close and behave, she-cat.” Then Huw belied the stern order by brushing a kiss over Nadia’s cheek.
For a single, distracting second, Iolyn envied Huw. He wanted Brianna anchored to his side…now. He snarled with frustration. Sensitive to his emotions, Huw and Wulf echoed the sound, along with the other Prime males in the landing party.
The atmosphere in the dock area heated up another notch as if the surly mob recognized the danger the Galanti landing party represented had just escalated.
“Boys, cool it,” Nadia hissed. “We’re here to pick up Brianna, not to start a galactic war on this dump.”
With great difficulty, Iolyn harnessed his erratic emotions and the other Prime males followed suit. The dock area seemed to sigh with relief—or maybe that had been Nadia.
“Can you sense her yet, Iolyn?” Huw murmured.
“No.” Despite the futility of it, Iolyn opened his senses wider, leaving him vulnerable to the odd psychic attack from any alien who had the ability. But there were too many other strong emotions bombarding his psychic sense, and the bond connection he shared with Brianna at this point was one-sided: he’d heard her, but she hadn’t heard or sensed him in any way.
Iolyn needed Brianna’s scent, her intimate touch, in order to develop the more solid emotional link which connected all gemat-gemate couples. He’d have the full sensory contact soon, and then he’d always know when she was near and how she felt.
“Wulf…” Iolyn turned his head slightly toward his brother. “This place—”
“Yes. Not at all safe. I’ve set the guards for the shuttle.” Wulf’s face was grim and his gaze alert. “Once we’ve found Brianna, we’ll signal the men guarding the shuttle and have them get the craft ready for quick departure. I don’t want to remain here any longer than is necessary.”
Wulf swept the landing party with a piercing look. “Highest stun on all lasers. Battle-blades close to hand. There are too many damn criminals here for my tastes.”
“Mel needs to know. The ships in the jump gate holding pattern might be a danger to the Galanti,” Huw said. “I see several groups of what look like Rim pirates.”
Most pirates had no allies, only enemies and prey. The Rim pirates or RimPz as they were called, were different and operated in what they called family groups. Family being a loose term, mostly defined by sharing common criminal objectives. RimPz tended to prey on the less-populated solar systems in the outer rims of the galaxy. Iolyn and his brothers had fought the RimPz to protect Prime territory long before the Prime had joined the Galactic Alliance.
“Mel already knows,” Wulf said, his voice low. “We studied the ships on long-range sensors before we dropped into orbit. I recognized the markings on some of the ships. There are two RimPz families represented and several known mercenary groups. She’s already alerted the Alliance Security Forces for this region and the Alliance Command. I updated her mentally on the interior situation as soon as we cleared the end of the tube.”
“Heads up, team,” Wulf said. “A Code 99 will bring all Galanti weapons to battle alert. Mel will then send several security teams to this station to extract us. Don’t use the code unless it’s truly a life-or-death situation.”
Nice to know his brother wasn’t taking the jump station’s bad reputation lightly. But no matter what happened, Iolyn wasn’t leaving without Brianna. He shuddered to think of her in the hands of any of the men on this dock. Every single one he’d seen so far would rape her first and sell her into slavery afterward. Women were a rare commodity in the rim worlds.
Huw grunted, drawing Iolyn away from his dark thoughts. He noted the threatening look Huw gave a scraggly Terran wearing a RimPz patch. The man had stared at Nadia a tad too long and lustily for his brother’s peace of mind.
“I think a mostly Prime landing party can handle this bunch.” Huw’s voice was loud and echoed off the metal walls on the mostly silent dock.
Iolyn snorted at his brother’s bravado. But he, too, sensed the lust in the crowd aimed at his six-foot-plus, blonde sister-kin. She was a prize worthy of taking on a Prime landing party. His lips twisted in a wry grin. He’d seen Nadia fight. The man or men who tried to capture her would soon rue the mistake. Of course, first, they’d have to get past the men in the landing party.
As they made their way onto the platform, the crowd lingering at the end of their docking tube parted—not for them, but for someone else.
Wulf growled and every man plus Nadia went on alert, pistols raised.
Two very tall males walked through the crowd as if they were the kings of all they surveyed. One was a Prime, which in and of itself was highly unusual. Not many Prime voluntarily lived outside the Cejuru solar system.
The other man was Terran, and tall was an inadequate term to describe him. He towered over any of the Prime in the landing party and was extremely broad in the shoulders. His body tapered down to muscled hips and legs that looked as if they’d hold up a shuttlecraft all by themselves. His long blond hair and sharply sculpted face covered in a darker beard scruff gave him an edgy, dangerous look. The expression on his face and in his piercing blue eyes said he didn’t want them here.
This had to be Brianna’s brother, Damon Martin. Iolyn hated him on sight.
The Prime male stepped forward and bowed his head in the traditional manner. He offered his arm for a traditional warrior’s greeting, which Wulf accepted with a bow of his head.
“Welcome, brothers,” he said in Prime, then switched to Galactic Standard. “I am Borac, co-owner of this station. My friend,” he waved the Terran forward, “is Damon Martin, my partner, and the adoptive brother of Dr. Brianna Martin.” He scanned the landing party casually as the man at his side frowned and did the same. “Were you able to bring Bria’s gemat with you? She is anxious to meet him.”
Iolyn read Borac as truly happy to see them and his statement about Brianna rang true. But Brianna’s brother was angry and—ansu bhau—jealous.
“I’m Brianna’s gemat.” Iolyn stepped forward and inclined his head.
“And your name…” Borac asked, one dark brow raised, as he looked Iolyn over from head to toe and back, “…Lt. Commander?”
“Iolyn Caradoc, son of Premier Ilar Caradoc.” Iolyn was pleased to see the shock on both men’s faces. “Where is Brianna? Is she well? We came as soon as we heard she was in danger.”
“Bria’s in the employees’ quarters. She’s safe.” Damon’s voice was low and harsh and just this side of rude. His posture was stiff, but underneath the outward calm, his core was hot and churning with turmoil—and, if Iolyn were reading him correctly, hurt. “I’ll take you to her.”
Damon turned to lead them away from the docks and the interested onlookers. Once they were out of earshot of the crowd, Brianna’s brother stopped and turned to face them.
“Bria only leaves this station once I’m satisfied she’ll be safe with you.” His voice was filled with an icy-hot threat.
“Damon. We’ve already had this discussion.” Borac’s tone was admonishing. He turned to address Iolyn. “Bria is looking forward to meeting you and going to Cejuru Prime. She has told both myself and Damon that.”
“Yeah, but I haven’t approved any of this yet,” snarled Damon. “And I don’t fucking care if he’s your people’s version of fucking royalty. He could still be a fucking abusive bastard.”
Damon scowled at his partner, glared at Iolyn, and then turned his back on all of them and stalked away.
Iolyn clenched his fists. A more primitive part of him wanted to chase the bastard down and gut him on the spot. It was obvious Damon had attempted to convince his sister to stay away from her gemat.
Yes, he did. No man comes between a Prime male and his mate. None, not even a much-loved brother.
“Mr. Martin…” Nadia spoke loudly and clearly as they followed Damon and Borac. “I am Nadia, Huw Caradoc’s gemate. You need to understand that once a Prime male is mated, they’re over-protective and loving in the extreme. Brianna will be in safe hands with Iolyn.”
Borac shot her an approving glance. “I know this, Commander Nadia, and have told the thick-headed mule that many times in the last standard day.” A speculative gleam glimmered in his golden eyes. “But how can you be termed a gemate? You are Terran. I have a Terran mate, but she is not a gemate.”
“Nadia carries Prime DNA in her blood, a result of our planet’s imperialist era,” Huw answered. “We now have many Prime male/non-Prime female mate bonds among our crew. This is, after all, why the Prime joined the Alliance—to find mates and save our race from totally dying out.”
Borac hummed his approval. “I applaud our Elder Council’s decision. I left the home planet to seek my lost gemate. Instead, I found Cissy and am very happy. We have been blessed with one child and another is on the way. Do you think I would be allowed home now in order to take my family to visit my relatives?”
“Our father would welcome you. But expect a lot of notoriety,” Wulf said. “Both good and bad.”
“I’d heard there was unrest about the Council’s decision to join the Alliance and seek mates outside of the Prime culture.” Borac grimaced. “Is it true? Prime are turning against Prime?”
Damon had said nothing during this exchange. But from his alert posture and the intent look on his face, he was listening and not liking what he heard. The man would use any ammunition he could to convince Brianna to stay away from Iolyn and her people.
“The unrest is small. We have already rooted out some of the traitors,” Iolyn said. “And we will find the rest.”
“They’ll come after Bria. Several have already tried to kidnap her, masquerading as Alliance soldiers.” Damon stopped and glared. “Her research will make her a target for the fanatics. Why should I let her go into such danger?”
Iolyn stepped forward until he was toe-to-toe with Damon. The man’s emotions were loud and clear. He loved his sister, and not just in a brotherly way. The two types of love were so intertwined in the man it was hard to figure out exactly which love reigned supreme. Damon was conflicted about her mating, but underlying the man’s agitation was the fact—he’d die to protect his sister.
So, instead of punching Damon in the face, Iolyn made him a promise. “I’d die before I let anything happen to Brianna. She is a gift I will cherish, protect, and love for the rest of my life. And if something should happen to me, she will have the protection of the Caradoc family. It is the Prime way.”
Iolyn didn’t know how long he and Damon stood, staring at one another, reading each other, testing the other man’s mettle. But it couldn’t have been more than a minute or so when Nadia’s humor-filled voice broke the tense standoff. “Mr. Martin—”
“Damon.” The word came out rough.
Nadia smiled. “Damon, then. Have you ever seen Prime warriors in full batel rabia?”
“No.” Damon shifted his attention to Nadia. Iolyn stepped back and let his sister-kin charm the man. “Borac has spoken of such, but it sounded like an exaggeration.”
“Well, I have. And let me tell you, it’s a fearsome thing to behold. I’m Siberian with Hunnish bloodlines and thought my relatives were fierce berserkers. Prime warriors are much, much more feral.”
Borac laughed and slapped Damon on the back. “I told you so, my friend. This is why the Antareans haven’t taken over the Milky Way. My people have stopped them time and time again.”
“And almost caused the end of our people in the process,” Wulf added. “But we are still strong in spirit, if not in numbers, and with the Alliance partnership, we’ll continue to protect the galaxy—and your sister. My sister-kin.”
Damon grunted, obviously not convinced. “Bria’s suite is through here. We’ll avoid the bar area. I’m not sure my patrons would like to see all those Alliance uniforms parading through.”
Borac choked on his laughter. “Diew, it would be a mass exodus.”
Iolyn could care less about the bar or whoever populated it. He wanted to see and touch his mate, take in her unique scent—and then whisk her away to the Galanti where he could begin the more intimate aspects of their bonding.
He rubbed his gemat mark. It had begun burning as they’d gotten farther from the passenger docks and closer to Hades. Her scent had lingered in the air in just enough quantities to trigger the neurochemical response in his brain. If he exposed the mark, he’d see the colors getting richer.
He inhaled deeply. She was so close now he could barely contain his need.
Iolyn and the others followed Damon down a plain hallway and then into a nicely appointed suite. Here, her scent was fresh and undiluted. He almost moaned at the richness of her essence. She smelled like exotic flowers found only in the Cejuru Prime rain forests, crisp ocean air, and her personal, intoxicating feminine musk.
His loins throbbed, his mark pulsed, as his body anticipated the final step of the mating bond.
But where was she? The place was quiet and had an empty feel. He glanced around, then moved to look in the other rooms. She wasn’t here.
Damon had come to the same conclusion, because he threw back his head and roared, “Bria! Goddammit!”
Iolyn grabbed the man and shouted, “Where is she?”
“Calm down, both of you,” Borac ordered. “She’s probably with Cissy. Remember, Damon? She said something about wanting to do a physical and take some samples for her research in Prime/non-Prime fertility.”
Borac touched Iolyn’s arm to tug him away from Damon.
Iolyn shrugged off the other man’s touch. The pain was unbearable now, whereas it had only been irritating after he’d first heard Brianna’s voice.
“Sorry,” Borac said. “Forgot. Her scent must be driving you mad.”
“What does that mean?” growled Damon, looking between the two of them.
Borac shot a look filled with exasperation at his friend. “I explained the mating bond to you. Brianna confirmed all I said—and still you don’t comprehend?”
Damon shook his head.
Borac sighed. “Until Iolyn and Bria mate fully for the first time, they will suffer pain and need.”
“That’s crap. She’s had that mark since I found her in the pod. She was fine growing up.” Damon had a bullish look on his face. “She hugged us all the time. She had no pain.”
“The young age at which she received the marking has a lot to do with that,” Wulf explained. “My gemate was a Lost One. She led a fairly normal life. But, when we first heard, then scented one another, there was never any chance she could ever be with another man again. It would hurt too much. We suffered greatly until we came together.”
“Jesus,” muttered Damon. “I thought it was all cultural bullshit. Bria said a lot of the stigma was misplaced.”
“And that may also be so. My having children with Cissy proves that one of the Elder Council’s edicts was wrong.” Borac moved to look his friend in his face. “Iolyn and Brianna have no choice. Your sister, a very intelligent and logical person, has accepted the parameters of the bond even while she is debunking a lot of the old dogma.”
Damon’s expression was still mulish, but Iolyn sensed a shift in his emotions from anger and hurt toward grief.
Borac shook his head at the look on Damon’s face and then turned to the others. “Come with me. My family’s quarters are this way.”
They followed Borac out of Brianna’s rooms and down a long corridor. There was excellent security on all the marked exits. It would tak
e laser blasters or explosives to get through the doors, or inside help.
When Borac opened the door into his suite, Iolyn spotted a pretty, petite, dark-haired Terran with a toddler on her lap. Her pregnancy was obvious. She looked as if she would explode any second.
“Cissy, lubha.” Borac’s voice was filled with love and adoration for his woman. “Where’s Bria?”
“She was here for a while.” Cissy smiled. “She’ll be back soon. There was a medical emergency in the bar. A knife fight. Dozer said one of the dancers was hurt and a patron was severely injured in an attempt to protect her. The station paramedics were already dealing with another emergency. So, Bria went with Tomas to care for the injured.”
When Iolyn growled and Damon cursed, Cissy frowned. “Was that wrong? Tomas and Dozer will be by her side the whole time. She should be safe.”
“Fuck.” Damon hit the wall by the door with his fist. Then barreled out of the room.
Iolyn followed on Damon’s heels with the rest following both of them.
Borac shouted as he moved to catch up with his friend, “Damon, calm down. Brianna is a doctor. She did what she felt was necessary. Cissy is correct. Tomas and Dozer will protect her.” He then looked at Iolyn. “Be assured. Your gemate is safe.”
Iolyn nodded as he listened to Damon speak into his com unit. “Tomas, please tell me Bria is with you and safe.”
Damon’s face grew dark, and his emotions raged higher and higher.
Iolyn’s stomach clenched as his battle rage rose once more in response to the Terran’s chaotic emotions. What was wrong?
“Stay put. Call in more security. No one gets near her other than the patients she’s treating. Understood?” Damon snarled. “We’re coming. I’ve got her mate with me. Out.”
Iolyn asked, “Is Brianna safe?”
Damon looked at him. “On a normal day, the bar could erupt into an all-out brawl. Today isn’t normal. Tomas has…concerns. So, no…Bria is not safe, since she’s in a dangerous place.”
Iolyn paced Damon as he began to run. “You really didn’t answer my question. Is Brianna all right?” He’d heard some really bad stories about bar fights in Hades from some Volusians now stationed on the Galanti. He didn’t want her caught in the middle of a drunken riot.
Prime Imperative (The Prime Chronicles Book 3) Page 9