Twist of Fate (Veredian Chronicles Book 4)

by Regine Abel

  She studied my rough and brutish features as if the answer to the mystery lay there.

  “My father died during an away mission while in the sixth month of my mother’s pregnancy. Had he lived until my birth, I would have suffered no defect.”

  “How?”

  “Xelixian children need frequent contact with their sire during the pregnancy. Without it, the most common result is inhibited brain development. In my case, my parents’ frequent interaction during the gestation period and the short time remaining after my father’s passing spared me the worst. My brain had already fully formed, but I began developing skeletal deformities. Without my sire’s venoms to boost my immune system, the Taint took root.”

  “But, didn’t her mate give her venom? I’m assuming he thought you were his?”

  I nodded. “He did. I believe my mother would have passed me off as his, too, had I been born normal. However, he wasn’t my sire. His venoms weren’t as effective on me as my sire’s would have been. It is extremely rare for Prime females to give birth to Tainted sons, even if the progenitor is. So, when I came out Tainted and deformed, she had to come clean. To drown the scandal, he paid for my facial reconstruction surgery and to straighten my legs. Then he demanded my mother place me in an orphanage.”

  Aleina’s eyes filled with sorrow. “I’m so sorry.”

  “It’s okay, my love,” I said, caressing her hair. “It was difficult at first, but in many ways, it helped shape me into the male I am today. Sehr Malkhin didn’t have to pay for any of my surgeries. I was the offspring of his mate’s indiscretion with another male. Despite everything, I am more grateful to him than he will ever know. My mother tries to reconnect with me from time to time. I believe she never recovered from my father’s passing and that he was her soulmate. Seeing me reminds her too much of what she has lost.”

  I heaved a sigh, thinking of my mother. I mostly felt pity for her, imagining how devastated I would be if I lost my own soulmate.

  “People find me intimidating now, but they should have seen how monstrous a face I once possessed. I never would have been able to walk without Malkhin’s generosity. However, my limping and rough appearance earned me much mockery and bullying from the other children.”

  Aleina caressed my face, the love and empathy in her eyes soothing a pain I hadn’t realized still lingered deep within me. I leaned into her touch, welcoming its gentle warmth.

  “After the orphanage caretaker took a mate, Seha Tolvhin decided to take me on as her personal project. I was a little over five years old then. I believe it was more out of boredom than any real affection or commitment toward me. Yet, she was the closest thing I ever had to a mother. She was a retired dancer and believed strict and regular training could help fix my posture, strengthen my muscles, and get rid of my limp.”

  “It appears she was right,” Aleina said softly.

  I smiled fondly, thinking of the tough, cold, older female. “She was.”

  “What type of dance did she make you do?”

  I frowned, not really keen on diving into details. My hesitation didn’t go unnoticed, and Aleina’s curiosity soared.

  I cleared my throat and, with much reluctance, mumbled, “She was a ballet dancer.”

  Aleina blinked once, twice, then burst out laughing. “Oh my Goddess, Ghan! You’re a ballerina?”

  “I’m not a ballerina,” I growled, glaring at her. “We only did ballet at first to fix my posture, then it was all types of dances.”

  Giggling, she kissed my pouting lips. “There’s no shame in being a ballerina. They look quite sexy in those tights.” Her eyes sparkled with mischief. “No wonder all your movements are always so graceful. I couldn’t figure out how a massive male such as you moved with such fluidity. You all but glide when you walk. Gharah’s blood, I’m sure Lhor would looooove to see you perform.”

  Oh Goddess!

  My stomach dropped. That fiend wouldn’t let me live it down.

  “I’m not ashamed, but you will not speak of this outside this room.” My stern tone brooked no argument.

  And I genuinely wasn’t ashamed. The broken child I had been had surmounted incredible odds to master the art form which had given me a chance at a normal life. When the other children had mocked the freak ballerina boy, Seha Tolvhin had forced me to ignore them and taught me to shield myself from taunting, to grow indifferent to what others thought of me, and ultimately, to accept and tame my body with all its strengths and shortcomings. It largely drove me to reject Xelixian society’s expectations for proper etiquette where the Tainted were concerned. I wouldn’t wear a veil or hide my Taint to spare their sensibilities. The Goddess made me this way. If Xelixians didn’t like it, they could avert their eyes. I wouldn’t be shamed.

  “You’re no fun,” Aleina muttered with false displeasure.

  “Lie! I’m a lot of fun. Up, let me show you,” I said, gently slapping her left butt cheek.

  Her eyes bulged, and her jaw dropped. “Ghan Delphin! Did you just spank me?”

  I smirked. “Absolutely. And I will again if you don’t comply.”

  She stared, disbelieving.

  I slapped her rear again, this time with slightly more force but nowhere near enough to even sting. “Up, I said!”

  She squealed in outrage and rolled off me to lay on her side. Her hand resting on her behind, Aleina glared at me as if debating whether to yell or attack me.

  I got off the bed and stood before her. Heedless of my nakedness, I extended a beckoning hand towards her. “Come, my love.”

  She stared at my hand, her offended look morphing into one of curiosity. She reached for it and I pulled her into my embrace. I loved her height and the feel of her toned, firm body, more muscular than the average female. She was made for me.

  “Sanya, play Altayan, track six,” I said to the A.I.

  The melodic notes of a Terran zouk rose in the room. The exotic rhythm had much in common with Veredian takumba music. The panicked look in her eyes made me chuckle. I loved how natural it felt to laugh in her presence. Even my nudity didn’t bother me. Holding her tightly against me, I led us into the dance. Clumsy at first, she quickly caught on, proving she indeed possessed some skill in the art.

  That pleased me a great deal. Dancing was one of my secret hobbies. Knowing I could share it with my mate exhilarated me.

  The rhythm picked up, and Aleina kept pace with me, her cheeks flushed with pleasure, a broad smile plastered on her lips. My chest ached with a happiness I never dared hope for. A squeaking sound escaped her throat when I lifted her into my arms and began twirling to the beat. Aleina threw her head back, laughing, before bending toward me. Our lips met while I swirled and twirled around the spacious private quarters.

  “My goddess,” I whispered against her lips.

  “My mate… I love you,” she responded, tightening her hold around my neck.

  CHAPTER 9

  Aleina

  Morning found us tangled around each other. With great reluctance, we got up and showered together. Ghan almost backed out, but I wouldn’t let him. Xelixians considered it a sacred and purifying ritual for mates to wash each other. While I had made no mystery that he was mine, I hadn’t claimed him according to Xelixian tradition. It fell on the female to propose to the male since Xelixians had so few. To my shame, I didn’t know the proper words but wanted to make it perfect. I would send an urgent message to Amalia to find out. It didn’t seem appropriate to ask his warriors.

  Even as we showered, it felt surreal to know he belonged to me at last. I would never tire of touching and holding him. My Ghan, my gentle giant, the only male who ever made me feel both fragile, yet invulnerable.

  We didn’t have sex in bed this morning, though I wouldn’t have been opposed to it. However, we did indulge in some seriously heavy petting. To my relief, Ghan didn’t balk or tense when I touched his shaft. At first, I had intended to make quick work of washing his nether region to spare him any discomfort. His apparent enjoym
ent of my touch emboldened me. He allowed me to stroke him for a while. The sound of his deep, rumbling moans and the heated look on his face did the naughtiest things to me.

  Like last night, Ghan didn’t let me take him to completion. He turned his focus on me instead and used his hands and tongue to make me climax. As soon as it hit me, he sank his fangs into me, not to drink but to inject me with some of his Thylin venom.

  Goddess almighty!

  I’d taken Dalyria a few times during my time in the breeding compounds. The drug made it easier to go into the forced matings with the Korlethean slaves. Where that drug had made me feel dirty, Ghan’s venom distilled the purest euphoria and ecstasy I’d ever felt. No wonder Varrek was farming Xelixians for it. It provoked a second orgasm so violent I collapsed in my mate’s arms. After a moment, he bit me again, this time to drink. It was only fair that my oxytocin seemed to have the same orgasmic effect on him. Once more, he spilled some of his essence from the intense pleasure my hormone gave him.

  By the time I came down from the crazy high he’d given me, Ghan had finished washing and drying me. He carried me back to the bed before fetching my armor, collapsed into the wide celesium belt.

  I loved being the first and only female he would ever be intimate with. Despite his lack of experience, my mate learned quickly, in large part due to the way he paid attention to every single one of my reactions.

  Even as we finished dressing, I seized every opportunity to touch his body, and he allowed it. Pining after Ghan for so many years had made me ravenous for any contact with him. Yet, I needed to rein in my urges. While he desired me, his libido fell well below mine. The Taint was no doubt to blame, but I couldn’t risk driving him away or putting undue stress on him. Few males would have had the courage to be this open about this issue, and I loved him all the more for it. Without his honesty, I would have convinced myself he didn’t want me.

  For the first time in fourteen years, I wished to sit out a mission so Ghan and I could have a bit more time together. But my Sisters depended on me, and this lead could be an important one.

  Together, we headed to the mess hall to have breakfast. We didn’t flaunt our new relationship but also didn’t try to hide it. Everyone on the ship likely already knew that Ghan had spent the night in my quarters. Despite their best effort, the Sisters cast many curious glances our way before quickly averting their eyes. My Sisters rejoiced for my unexpected happiness, yet I didn’t miss the underlying bitterness among those who had few opportunities to mingle with the Xelixians.

  The first time Valena had challenged the benefit of life in Haven, calling it a prison, I had been livid. Who was that impertinent child to think she knew better than those of us who had led this fight for over a decade? Yet, her arguments had rung with a disturbing logic that couldn’t be ignored. The devastation I had felt realizing many of our Sisters shared her feelings still stung to this day. In my efforts to protect them, I was indeed denying them any chance at a normal future, with a mate and offspring.

  My gaze slipped toward Ghan who was staring at me. Far too perceptive, as usual, he could read my emotions, if not my very thoughts, by just looking at my face. Since we sat in public, he gave me his usual barely there smile, but this time in encouragement instead of the normal smirk.

  My heart swelled with love, and it made me ache all the more for my Sisters. Now that I knew fully what it could be like, I’d fight Gharah himself to keep my mate by my side. We’d only scratched the surface of our relationship, but I wanted to hear him laugh again, unrestrained, hear him call me his goddess, dance like there was no tomorrow, and cuddle, safely tucked in his strong arms, listening to the rumbling sound of his purrs in my ears.

  Every Veredian deserved this happiness.

  I touched the ghost scar of the wound Tayana had inflicted on me; a reminder of how fleeting life could be. And here I was building yet another prison for my people. The time had come to set them free. When we returned from this mission, I would set things in motion with the General so that my Sisters too could have their chance at happiness, while keeping them safe from slavers.

  In the week that followed, we settled into a comfortable routine. Ghan now shared my quarters while Kamala and Sohr spent most of their time on the Xelixian command ship. She’d become unusually secretive, and I was beginning to suspect something might be brewing between those two. I liked Sohr. He was a good male and would make a suitable mate for my sister. Despite my curiosity, I wouldn’t pry. Considering Kamala had spared me her usual nosey poking and prodding, it was the least I could do.

  We finally reached Jeruna, a dump of a planet on the edge of the Eastern Quadrant. Once a thriving mining colony, the people had slowly moved off as its resources became depleted. However, to compensate for the harsh surface climate, and therefore the lack of possible outdoor activities, the colonists had built a number of entertainment venues that continued to prosper even after all mining activities had ceased. Smugglers, mercenaries, soldiers on leave, and occasional travelers now constituted their main patronage. The local venues catered to every taste at affordable prices and cheap lodging for those who wanted to stretch their legs off their ship for a while.

  As soon as we landed, we headed without hesitation to the Sassy Girl, the main strip club on Jeruna. According to our intel, our target, Paul Ramsay, was a regular.

  The place was a dive, but one of the classiest establishments on this backwater planet. The dim lighting helped hide the cheap material and frayed cushioning of the furniture within. Patrons of various species packed the room which reeked of alcohol, sweat, and unwashed bodies. We spotted Paul in no time. He had a reserved booth in a corner where various males and females took turns sitting with him before launching into intense discussions. They were clearly making deals or settling completed ones. A number of Xelixian mercenaries figured among said people. As they left the establishment, Sohr had one of the First Division warriors intercept them discreetly to warn them off and gather any intelligence they could regarding the offers Paul made them.

  We couldn’t risk apprehending the smuggler in such a crowded environment. While our numbers and battle skills almost guaranteed victory, we didn’t want to hurt innocents or give Varrek any inkling that we were closing our net around him. Acting like regular customers, we watched the performances—or at least pretended to—while biding our time. Ghan sipped on the same Dantorian beer for an hour. To my relief, although he threw multiple glances at the stage, as required by the role we were playing, his gaze held zero interest in the rather pretty females who flaunted their naked bodies in salacious ways.

  When Paul finally headed out of the Sassy Girl, we trickled out after him, spacing our exits not to give ourselves away. Three Xelixian warriors in civilian outfits waited outside to tail and intercept him. Reluctant to draw too much attention to us, we had chosen not to bring more Tuureans who stood out too much in a crowd.

  Sohr and his team made quick work of apprehending him and ‘convincing’ him to follow quietly to an unmarked Xelixian shuttle. We met them there before flying to the Marauder. Once aboard the Xelixian command ship, Sohr shackled Paul to a chair in the interrogation room. Kamala arrived just as he completed that task.

  “Who are you, and what the fuck do you want from me?” Paul asked for the hundredth time.

  As much as I ached to tear information out of the smuggler, my leading the interrogation would raise too many suspicions if we ever released him. I took a seat next to Kamala, Sohr settling down on her left side. The barren room didn’t even contain the usual table. Only four grey walls, dark-grey floor, and five chairs. Ghan didn’t sit but towered over our prisoner. Grateful for the anonymity provided by my Tuurean armor, I kept my body language in check but allowed my gaze to freely roam over my mate, drooling at the sexy curve of his behind and at how his skin-tight black uniform hugged every single parcel of his hulking muscles.

  My male is a beast.

  Thinking of the ropy veins along his arms
and chest made me salivate with the need to lick them one by one. And I would, soon. Feeling hot and bothered, I shifted on my seat and forced myself to focus on the present.

  “I am First Officer Ghan Delphin of the First Division of the Xelixian army. You have been associated with the disappearance and abuse of countless of my fellow Xelixians. We managed to rescue a group of your former clients, some of whom are still in critical condition.”

  Paul’s face shut down as Ghan spoke. Despite his efforts to keep a neutral expression, his wheels were spinning furiously. The question was to what end? However, his absence of surprise when hearing of the disappearances gave away that he knew something.

  Like it or not, he would speak.

  “I have nothing to do with any disappearances,” Paul said, his voice clipped. “I’m a facilitator. Customers come to me with a specific request, I advertise it and put interested or qualified parties in contact with my customers. That’s as far as my involvement goes. I don’t care about the nature of the deals. It’s not my concern.”

  “Are you saying that you do not verify your costumer’s requests are legitimate?” Ghan asked in a dubious tone. “Doesn’t your business depend on your information and dealings being reliable?”

  “I most certainly do. I’m the best at what I do!” Paul snapped.

  “So you knew what those males were signing themselves into, and you encouraged them?”

  “Hey buddy,” Paul snarled, his face contracting with rising anger, “this is the Eastern Quadrant. Everything, and I mean everything is for sale here. People signing themselves over into indentured service is commonplace. My job was merely to make sure those Xelixians knew what the offer was, then let them choose whether to proceed or not. Those who agreed to the terms, I got to the rendezvous point, end of story. That’s where my involvement in that business ended.”