by Regine Abel
TWIST OF FATE
Veredian Chronicles – Book 4
Regine Abel
Copyright © 2018
Other books by Regine Abel
THE VEREDIAN CHRONICLES SERIES
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
COVER DESIGN BY
Regine Abel
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal and punishable by law. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This book uses mature language and explicit sexual content. It is not intended for anyone under the age of 18.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
DEDICATION
To Nero, who wouldn’t let me give up when writer’s block kicked me in the teeth, or when my muse chose to take frequent, extended leaves of absence. Thanks for picking me up and keeping me going during my endless bouts of self-doubt. I guess I’ll have to feed you after all!
To my parents, a hundred lifetimes will never suffice to tell you how much I love you and what your constant support means to me.
To my beta readers, especially Ronika, Kate, and Donna, you ladies are superstars.
PROLOGUE
Veredia started dying over a century ago following a violent solar storm and its radioactive fallout. The males died by the millions and those who survived were mostly sterile. Since then, not a single male child had been carried to term.
Ninety years after the disaster, the last male died.
Veredian females were beautiful and all possessed a psi ability, making them even more appealing to the slavers who swarmed Veredia. Although the surviving females fought back, they were soon overrun.
During that time, a young Guldan slaver named Gruuk captured dozens of Veredians and built himself a slaver’s empire. Depending on their abilities, the females were sold, kept for his personal use, or sent to one of his strongholds to be part of his breeding program. Gruuk discovered that mating Veredians with Korletheans yielded the most powerful psi abilities in the hybrid offspring.
Amalia was such a hybrid and, due to her hacking ability, one of Gruuk’s favorites. She also possessed a foresight ability which she kept secret. During a slave delivery to the illegal Blood Houses on Xelix Prime, Amalia managed to escape and participated in the Fastening, a ceremony where females could select a lifemate among the many willing males presenting themselves. Thus, she met cousins Khel Praghan and Lhor Kirnhan who would become her mates and sire her twins.
The majority of Xelixian males are infected by the Taint, its toxins spreading dark capillaries beneath the skin all over their bodies, and killing them at an early age. The only way to halt or reverse the disease was by absorbing oxytocin, a hormone released in a female’s bloodstream when she climaxed. However, Xelixian females were rare and only mated with untainted males, called Primes, or those displaying minor symptoms, called Norms. The true Tainted were considered second-rate citizens, forced to hide their Taint in public with hooded cloaks. They were desperate for females – a need the Blood Houses catered to.
Amalia’s First Mate, Khel, is the General of the Xelixian Army. With the aid of her mates, the army and Detective Behn Gravhin, two of the four Blood Houses on Xelix Prime were dismantled. But V, the mastermind, still eludes them. The alliance between Khel and the powerful Tuureans—a mysterious, cyborg-like species—led to Gruuk’s death. Together, they freed hundreds of Veredians from two of Gruuk’s strongholds on other planets, including Amalia’s great-mother Maheva. The allies swear to free every Veredian still held captive, and above all, to keep Amalia and Valena’s sons, the first living Veredian males in over a century, safe from those who would enslaved them.
But V isn’t done. Realizing his Blood House business was on the verge of collapse, he shifted his focus to reproducing another Veredian male. V captured Valena and Zhul to see if they could succeed as Amalia had with her mates. Although his plans were thwarted, he managed to escape once again. Nevertheless, his nefarious interference allowed Valena and Zhul to conceive a pair of male twins and helped Dr. Minh come closer to a potential cure for both the Taint and the Veredians’ fertility issues.
With the last Blood House dismantled, Veredians, Xelixians and Tuureans are now determined to find the remaining fortresses, free the rest of the enslaved Veredians and stop V’s new venture of producing Bliss, a highly addictive recreational drug derived from the Xelixians’ Thylin venom.
CHAPTER 1
Ghan
I injected myself with another dose of painkiller and discarded the hypospray on my nightstand with disgust. This was my second shot in as many days. As a Xelixian warrior and the First Officer of the First Division, the elite of the Xelixian Army, I should laugh at pain, not seek ways to dull it.
It shamed me.
On a normal day I would endure, but an entire evening with the Praghans would give me away. Although Khel suspected, he would allow me the dignity of bringing it up first. Lhor and Amalia, though, those two brats were far too perceptive and had no control over their mouths. They’d call me out and latch on with rabid greed like a neption with a treat.
Rising from my military cot, I strode across the small, barren room that served as my private quarters. I ignored my naked reflection on the mirrored door of the wardrobe and entered the fresher next to it to take a quick shower.
I repressed a wince while washing myself. The painkiller would take a few minutes before dulling the throb of the Taint. In many ways, I’d been luckier than most other Tainted. Not only did I get to celebrate my thirty-seventh birthday when most barely reached thirty-three, the symptoms hadn’t really bothered me until recently.
Having witnessed what the disease had done to Lhor before Amalia saved him at the last minute, I knew what awaited me. Like him, my Taint had gone into overdrive overnight. The black veins had spread their tendrils all over my body. A few had burst, leaking the dark toxin beneath my skin, causing excruciating pain.
After drying off, I donned dark civilian garb. For once, my shirt didn’t stretch over my chest as I tucked it into my pants. Having more mass than most males, I struggled to find anything that wasn’t skin tight. That people felt intimidated by my appearance suited me fine as they left me the fuck alone. The black color of my clothes—which I happened to like—and the long sleeves were the only concessions I made to society’s sensibilities. Our people expected Tainted males like me to walk around covered with a hooded cloak or with a veil over our faces to hide the symptoms of our illness.
Fuck that.
The shirt had been a gift from Amalia and was special to me. Before her, no one had ever given me something just to please me. I’d been given rewards, compensation for duty, or bribe attempts, but never a simple gift. Amalia had seen the shirt, and thought I’d like it. The silly girl had acted awkwardly and unsure as she’d handed it over.
“Here’s a little something for you, Grumpypants,” she had said.
She’d then tortured a strand of her long hair with both hands while I opened it, sp
ying my reactions; a telltale sign of nervousness she hadn’t displayed in a while.
Amalia shouldn’t have worried. For the gesture alone, I would have loved it even had the present been hideous. Although my response came out as a growled thanks, my heart nearly exploded in my chest with gratitude. It also didn’t hurt that the shirt was absolutely perfect in both fit and style. I loved the amazing texture of the luxurious Dantorian cotton and its simple decorative stitch lines along the sides and down the length of the sleeve from shoulder to wrist. Perfect for spending the evening with her family.
My family.
Warmth blossomed in my chest every time I thought about my adopted sister and how she had changed our lives since her whirlwind arrival onto Xelix Prime a little over three years ago. Amalia had not only saved Khel’s life, the only man I had ever called a friend, she’d also given me a baby brother in Lhor. She taught me what it felt like to belong, to be accepted, and wanted as I was.
Tonight, however, as much as I loved spending time with them and the children, passing out in bed to forget the throbbing of the Taint held an undeniable appeal. That very thought spurred me to put on my black boots and storm out of the empty gray room.
What little time I had left wouldn’t go to waste sleeping off pain.
I nodded at the warriors on my way out of the barracks. The temporary military compound Khel had erected on his property had become a permanent facility. Only our most trusted warriors, the elite soldiers of the First Division, garrisoned here. The dying rays of our setting twin suns warmed my face as I strolled across the training grounds where the half-naked males still sparred. The clink of swords meeting swords and the sweet smell of ryspak filling the air escorted me the short distance to the main house of the Praghans’ estate.
Jhola, the Praghans’ housekeeper, welcomed me into the house. Amalia always insisted I should just let myself in since I was part of the family, but walking in on her and one of her two mates playing naughty had convinced me to keep it safe and ring instead.
“Come in, son,” Jhola said, her thin face stretched into a smile. “You can just follow the ruckus to the horde.”
Son…
Jhola and her mate Sivh, the groundskeeper, loved Amalia as their own daughter. Since the brat had adopted me as her big brother, that made me their son by extension. We weren’t actually close like in a real parents-son relationship, but it sure made Jhola feel entitled to chastise me whenever she deemed it warranted—usually for picking on Lhor.
He deserved it… most of the time.
I nodded, both in greeting and acknowledgment, then followed the squeals and laughter to the large terrace in the back of the three-story mansion. The faint glow of an energy field pulsated around the massive natural pool that ran the length of the backyard; a much needed safety measure with the three little hellions running around. In the distance, the ryspak orchard sprawled as far as the eye could see, beneath the darkening green sky.
My boots thumped on the light-grey stones that paved the floor, drawing Amalia’s attention. Tucked on Khel’s lap, she beamed at me. They were sitting at the table, watching Vahleryon play with building blocks on the floor with his Geminate, Rhadames. Despite his mere two-and-a-half years of age, Vahl had long outgrown the blocks. However, he gladly played with them for the enjoyment of the other half of his soul, born exactly one year after him, on the same day, and at the same time.
“Hey, Grump!” Amalia called out, her beautiful, heart-shaped face lighting up with a grin.
I glared at her, as per usual. Her smile broadened and the green specks in her yellow eyes sparkled with mischief.
Goddess, how I love her…
No female had ever stirred such deep emotions from me. Like all Veredian females, Amalia was stunning with her copper skin, the elegant spotted markings that ran a straight line along her shoulders down to her wrist and down the outer side of her long legs. The first time I’d laid eyes on her, my heart had seized in my chest. With her plump lips, bud nose, and high cheekbones, she was near perfection. And yet, I had felt no surge of desire toward her.
Then again, I hadn’t felt any type of desire in over a decade.
Even as I grew to discover the wonderful female beneath the beauty, lust or covetous emotions never entered the equation.
Thank the Goddess.
Not only would Khel have kicked my butt, but she also didn’t harbor any amorous feelings toward me. Although no blood ties linked us, Amalia was the sister of my heart.
I gave her a haughty sniff before nodding to Khel, who had also turned toward me. He returned the gesture, a warm welcome softening his features.
“Uncle Ghan!”
My head jerked up at the shrill call of Zharina’s piercing voice. She’d been playing ball on the beige, short-cut grass with her sire, Lhor. The dark leather of her sandals slapped the terrace’s paving as she raced over to me. The gentle, late-summer breeze whipped her long, curly, golden-brown hair behind her.
Crouching down, arms spread wide, I couldn’t help my lips stretching as little Zhara threw herself at me. She felt so tiny and fragile in my embrace. Every protective instinct her mother naturally triggered within me exploded a thousand fold when it came to this little girl. The perfect mix of Amalia and Lhor, she had inherited both their beauty and love of causing trouble. Zhara was Vahleryon’s twin, born only minutes after him. Despite her innocent face, she was the mastermind behind every single mischief the three children engaged in.
She showered my face with kisses before pressing her cheek against mine.
I’d never have children of my own, but I was blessed enough to sample fatherhood through her and the boys. Although I loved all three kids, this one held my heart; and I had no shame competing with Khel for her affection.
“What evil have you been up to?” I asked her with pretend severity.
“Nothing yet, Uncle Ghan.” Her adorable dimples winked at me as she smiled.
“Nothing yet?” I asked. “So you are planning something evil?”
“Of course!” she said with an exaggerated nod.
Khel and Amalia laughed, while Rhad giggled. Vahl held my gaze, the hint of a challenge lingering in his dark-purple eyes. I nodded to him and he dropped his aggression, a smile gracing his features at last. Like his sire, Khel, Vahleryon was an apex alpha. Territorial to the extreme, he assessed any male who entered his house and especially those who approached his fraternal twin or his Geminate. Even though he knew and liked me, the boy battled with undeniable predatory instincts.
Lhor joined us, and we took our seats at the large, circular table by the pool. Vahl led his Gem by the hand and took a seat next to Lhor ,with whom he had a greater connection, even though Khel was his sire. In the reverse, Rhad connected more with Khel despite Lhor being his sire. I figured the whole Geminate thing influenced these reactions. As the Core—the second born child of a Geminate pair—Rhad was attracted to the Anchor, in this instance Khel. Whereas Vahl, as the Anchor of his own pair, was attuned to Lhor who was the Core of his sire’s pair.
I settled Zhara on a chair between Amalia and me, which earned me a disgruntled look from Khel.
I smirked.
“Where’s your great-mother Maheva?” I asked Amalia, as Jhola and Sivh brought out the usual excessive amount of food.
“Nana is having a romantic dinner in town with Minh. She said not to wait up for them.” Amalia said that last part with a suggestive tone that said more than I cared to know.
I should have guessed, though. When Dr. Minh gave me the painkillers yesterday, he spoke of being busy over the next couple of days.
“Amalia!” Lhor said, his tone disapproving.
“What?” Amalia asked, opening wide her not-so-innocent eyes.
Khel chuckled and shook his head.
“I’m just happy she’s finally feeling confident enough to go out in town and mingle with the rest of society,” Amalia said, half-serious now. “After sixty-one years being cooped up in a
ship, she still finds the world too big, and the large crowds in Capital District make her anxious.”
Khel caressed her hair. “Don’t worry, love. You know Minh will take good care of his mate. He wouldn’t take her to the city center if he didn’t believe she could handle it.”
“I know,” Amalia said, scrunching her face. “I’m just super protective of my Nana.”
“Smile, Mama,” Rhad’s little voice said.
Amalia’s face melted with love for her youngest child.
“Yes, sweetheart,” she said, winking at him.
At a year and a half, Rhadames looked more like a three-year-old while his twin siblings, only two-and-a-half, looked like they were five. Their parents were at a bit of a loss as to how to handle their brood. Reaching out for a plate of roasted khelfis, Vahl placed a piece of meat on his Gem’s plate, while Amalia served her daughter. Rhad smiled at his brother and began the battle with his baby fork and knife to cut his meat himself like the big boy he claimed to be.
We enjoyed the meal, making light conversation. Halfway through, a rainbow butterfly decided to join us. The plump insect appeared determined to have its share of the large plate of fresh ryspak slices sitting in the center of the table. Vahl tried to wave it off a few times, but his short arms didn’t register as a threat to the hungry bug.
“Leave it,” Zhara said. “It’s pretty!”
Vahl frowned, visibly aggravated with the bug for invading his territory. He pinched his little lips, looking like he wanted to argue some more, but he could never refuse his twin anything. No one could when her eyes sparkled with wonder like that. Vahl continued eating but his growing anger as he stared at the butterfly unsettled me.
No doubt having also sensed his Gem’s darkening mood through their emotional bond, Rhad placed a hand on Vahl’s shoulder. The older boy turned to look at his baby brother. All aggression bled from him as he smiled at Rhad with devotion. The love between Gems always fascinated me. Like his sire, Lhor, the youngest boy had the power to quickly calm the anger of his Anchor.