3013: PRIMAL

by Laurie Roma

  “And I will love you beyond even that.”

  “Ah, you are finally done.”

  Reva jerked up. “Who the fuck was that?”

  Malik just groaned, “Amari.”

  “How…?”

  “I am of his blood, my new niece,” Amari explained. “Now that you are mated, you are also family. Get dressed. We need you in the lounge.”

  Reva could hear Amari in Malik’s mind. She thought she would have been pissed that another female had that kind of connection with him, but she was honestly fascinated by the entire blood bond, telepathic communication thing. Amari was just…Amari, and she was related to Malik, so maybe that was why it didn’t bother her. Still, it was going to get pretty crowded in his head for the rest of the trip.

  “Yes, it’s very weird,” he complained, reading her thoughts.

  “It really is,” Reva agreed. “But we should get going, or she might show up here.”

  Malik was annoyed that he didn’t have more time alone with Reva, but they would have the rest of their lives together now. “Should we wear armor?”

  She considered before saying, “I don’t think we need to since we’re onboard the ship. If anyone attacks, I’m sure Amari would take care of it.”

  “Then we shall dress for comfort.”

  Reva was suddenly wearing a gold dress, and Malik was in comfortable black pants and a matching shirt.

  “Amari!” Malik bellowed in his mind and out loud.

  Reva laughed. “I’ll wear the shirt and pants if you don’t want them. I don’t really—”

  The dress disappeared, and black pants and a shirt appeared in its place.

  Reva looked down at herself. Stars, that was going to take some time getting used to, but she was just going to go with the flow at the moment. “Thanks!”

  “Your mate is nicer than you, nephew.”

  Exasperated, he said, “Why are you spying—”

  “I am not spying…exactly. I am learning. I want to know what is different about each species matings. It will help me when I find mine,” Amari said, sounding sheepish. “Come to the lounge when you are ready.”

  When they felt Amari leave his mind, Reva looked at Malik. They finally understood what her curiosity was about. Amari was over four hundred years old…and she was alone. Sure, she had family, but that was a long time to live without love. Family seemed very important to her, and Amari considered them part of her family now, so they would just have to get used to it.

  Malik sighed as he took Reva’s hand. “I will try to be more patient with her.”

  “I think that would be good. I’m not crazy about her popping into your head all the time, especially during certain moments, but if it helps her, it’s very little to ask after all she has already done for us. And I’m not talking about the clothes.”

  He knew she was right, and tried to convince himself to start actually thinking of Amari as family. It was a terrifying thought, but it was also reality. They left their quarters hand in hand, and walked down the hallway to the lounge. “How long until we reach Earth?”

  “We should be there by this evening,” Reva answered, then she stopped dead in her tracks at the entrance to the lounge.

  Both of them stood still when they saw what awaited them. Tiny gold and silver stars filled a night sky, and underneath streams of richly colored material hung from a large wooden pergola, there was a table filled with food.

  Darius and Lazio stepped forward, each male pulling his sword out of its sheath. They sank to one knee before her, and they held out their swords, the tip of the blade held over their left wrists. When they bowed their heads, Reva didn’t know what to say.

  Traditions again, she thought, and felt humbled. She knew they were pledging their fealty to her as Malik’s consort. His chosen. His mate. It didn’t matter what they called it. She was Malik’s, and his warriors would protect her with their lives now.

  She blinked when Malik sank to his knee before her, too. He hadn’t brought his sword with him, but he did have his knife. His gaze met hers as he placed the sharp edge of the blade against his left wrist. “Reva. My consort, my love. I pledge to you that any weapon I possess will always be at the ready to defend you. I love you, Reva Rego, and I will protect and cherish you for all time. I give you what I have, what I am, and what I will be.”

  “I…I don’t know what to say,” she whispered.

  His dark eyes gleamed with humor as he said, “Do you accept?”

  “Damn right I do.”

  Everyone but Darius and Lazio laughed as Malik got to his feet, and pulled her in for a kiss. “You have to accept their pledge,” Malik said to her through their bond. “Or else they won’t move.”

  “Right.” Reva looked down at the kneeling males. “Darius, Lazio, thank you for your pledge. I will endeavor to be a good lady of Rego Palace, and ah…I will try to keep your lord out of trouble.”

  Darius and Lazio both grinned at her as they stood and put their swords away.

  “Honor to your mating,” Amari said, looking hesitant as they walked further into the lounge that looked like the perfect outdoor feast.

  Reva could somehow tell that Amari didn’t like them knowing what she’d admitted. Going on instinct, she walked over to the taller female and hugged her. Amari stilled the second Reva touched her. After a few seconds, Reva wheezed out her breath as Amari hugged her back…a little too hard.

  “Congratulations.” Matt looked like he meant it, then he added, “We should probably celebrate now before we all die when we get to Earth tonight.”

  Amari sniffed as she let go of Reva. “We will not die. Now, we eat to celebrate, and talk to fill the mates in on our plans.”

  Reva was pulled aside by Kahla as everyone else started to fill plates with food, and they laughed together before walking back over to the table.

  Malik waited until Reva was seated next to him before saying, “I would like to know how much you actually heard of the…I don’t even know what to call it…”

  “Mind scan?” Matt offered.

  Malik shook his head. “No, I don’t think it was the same as the D’Aire scan.”

  “Was it like a mind merge?” Reva suggested.

  Malik squeezed her hand. “That would be more accurate. I saw Quilla. Not really saw her, but I was seeing her as Isla was her in her mind…that doesn’t make sense.”

  “I understand,” Amari told him. “You were with Isla as Isla was Quilla.”

  “Yes.” He blinked. “That explains it. I know she is in a city, and I know she has created more of the Genesis Project drug somehow. I think she might be putting it in the water supply. I’m not exactly sure, but I think that was the test she was doing on there. She is holding the entire city hostage. How can that be? She wants elites from other cities to come there. So, she can infect them.”

  “Shit!” Matt raged. “So, it could be water and aerosol? That is so not good.”

  “Where is she?” Darius demanded. “Did you see anything else that will help us find her?”

  “She was…is in a large dwelling that overlooks a lake and the city. It is close enough to see the buildings, and—”

  The more he explained, the more Reva was sure.

  “Could that be Jade City?” Rob asked.

  “No. I know where she is,” Reva said quietly. Everyone stopped what they were doing to look at her. “I know the house. I’ve been there with my mother and fathers for a party. And I know how she is creating more of the drug. Quilla has taken over the mansion that belongs to Canaan Hart.”

  “Oh, fuck,” Matt sighed, looking up at the ceiling. “Of course.”

  “Who is Canaan Hart?” Malik asked.

  “He is the owner of Hart Pharmaceuticals.”

  “It’s the largest drug manufacturing company on Earth,” Kahla explained. “And he’s a dick, so I can’t see him just inviting Quilla into his home. What? He comes to New Vega at least once a year.”

  “She had taken over
Light City. So, that means they are probably making the drug in that big facility in the heart of the damn city.” Matt put his plate down on the table, and looked as if he was walking into a cluster of bushes. “Amari? Can you please do something about this, again?” He waved his hand over the bushes impatiently. “I need a data unit. I have to contact the Council of Regents to update them.”

  The bushes disappeared to reveal the side of the lounge with all of the equipment. He sat down at a unit and called out, “Thanks.”

  Malik sighed. “I don’t think I’ll ever understand holo-tech.”

  “This is illusion,” Amari explained, waving a finger in the air so the stars overhead spun slowly. “The outside picture scene on the wall in your chamber is holo.”

  “And the furniture?”

  Amari smiled at Reva. “That I made.”

  They were interrupted when Matt raised his voice to whoever he was talking to on the monitor. “Will you just—please listen to me. Do not send anyone there. We will be arriving tonight. I need you to just fu—just trust me and wait. Can you tell them that?”

  He paused as there was a soft murmur of someone responding. When he came back, Matt looked furious. “One of the regents’ aids just told me they contacted all the cities to put them on alert after I contacted them last time. They could not contact anyone in Light City. They sent a team out yesterday, and they haven’t heard anything from them since.”

  Kahla huffed out impatiently. “When you contacted the Council of Regents yesterday, you told them not to do that. Someone could have warned Quilla that we are looking for her.”

  Reva looked at her. “I think she already knows.”

  “True, but what if she moves to another city and does what she is doing to Light City? We know where she is now, so we should stop her there.”

  “I agree,” Reva said. “Quilla will be hiding in the dwelling, but that isn’t our biggest problem. All of the people living in the city are. If they are hyped up on the Genesis Project drug, they could be roaming the streets looking for something to kill.”

  “Or they are already dead,” Amari cautioned.

  Darius frowned. “I still don’t understand why she would go to that city. She has to know the Alliance will kill her for coming to Earth.”

  “She isn’t worried about that,” Kahla told him bitterly. “She has a drug that has the ability to control humans. All humans. And make the Krytos and Helios bat shit crazy.”

  Amari frowned. “What do the bats have to do with this?”

  Kahla lost her hard edge when she laughed. “Nothing. Just another expression.”

  Sighing, Amari said, “You people are very strange.”

  “But why would she want to?” Lazio asked.

  “It’s simple.” Malik said softly. “Quilla has decided to take over Earth.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  There was a sense of dread that tainted the air the moment they arrived in the forest right outside of the city.

  Light City had been named for the number of innovations and cultures that were highlighted there. It was a mecca of sounds and lights, and was the pinnacle of sophistication. There was an abundance of theaters, vid stars, artists, and musicians that called it home, but it was also the place for innovative businesses.

  But now, it was a war zone.

  Malik, Reva, and the others had studied maps of Light City while they formulated plans and strategies. No matter how much time they had to plan, they really wouldn’t know what to do until they got there.

  Because she had used magic to sling-shot their vessel through space, they got to Earth when they had expected. It was night when they arrived in an area right outside of Light City, and they were pleased to see a full moon high in the sky. There was forest surrounding the city on two sides, and they transported down to the top of a small waterfall that allowed them to see everything below.

  And what they saw wasn’t good.

  Light City was completely dark, except for two buildings in the heart of the city. They had arrived to the east, while the mansion where Quilla was living was located to the west of the city on the other side of a lake.

  Lazio looked down over the cliff. “Why must we always be close to death drops?”

  “At least there aren’t any Dinos here trying to eat your face off,” Darius pointed out.

  “Bright side noted.”

  “Do you see that?” Reva pointed toward the small lights in the dark city.

  “What is it?”

  “Hart Pharmaceuticals,” a deep voice said from behind them.

  They spun around, and a man walked out of the trees while three more stayed in the tree line. Matt smiled when the large shadow came forward into the moonlight. The man was one of the bigger elites, and he had on the black elite armor that signified he was a Strike Force Team member. There was a noticeable scar that ran from his cheek down to this jaw, and his dark eyes were vigilant as he looked over the group.

  Matt met him halfway and shook his hand. “What are you doing here, ZK? Why aren’t you in Zion?” He looked at the men standing in the tree line. “And what’s up with them?”

  He turned to waved the elites standing in the trees forward. They walked over, and one of them knew Rob, so they started talking quietly off to the side.

  “I’m glad you’re here, Malloy, and with friends. Long story short, a team from Jade City was sent out after they couldn’t contact anyone from Light City. My team was sent in to check things out when they lost contact with them.”

  “Damn it, I told them not to send anyone! I spoke to an aid again this afternoon, and told them we were coming.”

  ZK nodded. “Yeah, they didn’t listen. Commander Abrams was with us, but he was killed ten minutes in by a crazed Krytos. We lost two more before the rest of my team made it into the visitor’s center on the south end of the city. We spent a yesterday in there, then made it out here to meet you.”

  “How did you know we’d come to this location? I didn’t tell anyone.”

  “We knew you were coming from the information we got from the first contacted the regents after you left Xenthian. It was either going to be here, or to the south. I have four men waiting there, and four on the north side, just in case. You said a few days, so you’re early.”

  Matt had heard what ZK wasn’t telling him. He knew ZK probably saved his team by getting them to the center, then out. If the city was so dangerous that they couldn’t stay there, he knew it was going to be really bad.

  “Who the fuck ordered you in?” He braced his hands on his hips as he started pacing in anger. “It couldn’t have been Commander Nobu. He’s smarter than that, and he knows you have enough shit to deal with in Zion.”

  “Regent Marks wanted us to come, and Commander Abrams ordered us in before we could talk to Nobu. Abrams cared more about glory than staying alive. He thought we could fix the damn city before you got here.” ZK paused before adding, “Regent Mark had a son on that team from Jade City.”

  “Damn. Congratulations, ZK. You’ve been promoted.”

  “I don’t really think that’s up to you, but thanks.”

  “It’s a combat promotion, Commander Keller. If Nobu has a problem with it, he can talk to me. If we survive tonight.”

  “Nice thought.”

  Reva stepped forward. “Matt called you ZK. Would you be Zack Keller?” At his curt nod, she said, “My friend, Skylar, has mentioned you before.”

  ZK’s stoic face soften a little. “Yeah? Don’t get to see her now that she’s bonded and we’re in different cities.”

  Matt nodded toward the city below them. “What’s going on down there?”

  The soldier’s expression hardened once more. “It’s a shit show, Malloy. The Genesis Project drug is in the damn water system, so the entire city is fucked. The Helios are staying in cat-form, and the Krytos are just running at anything that moves. You know, with all the damn fountains and shit in there, it’s a nightmare.”

  “Is anyone al
ive still?”

  “We found a few people who took shelter in the center, and we got some of the D’Aire to fly them out. A few stunners can only do so much, and most of the D’Aire want to help, but they can’t take more than a few out at a time, if they can find any that aren’t infected. Most of the D’Aire took off when shit started happening, though.”

  “Shit.”

  “Yeah. People who are closed in with bottles or tubes of other drinks will be fine. They just have to stay locked in. We’ve found a few trying to escape the city, so I gave the order to stun them, and keep doing it until the drug wears off.”

  “How did you get out?” Amari asked.

  ZK eyes widened a little, but that was the only sign of his shock at seeing the Dragon Warrior. “We repelled out. Stayed to the rooftops most of the way.”

  “What about the humans who are in enclosed spaces who drink the water or shower?” Reva asked. “They shouldn’t be attacking anyone if they aren’t given an order, right?”

  “Wrong. They sort of go into a stasis mode, like they don’t know what’s going on, but if you try to touch or move them after they’ve been infected for more than a few minutes, they will attack.”

  “Great, this is like one of those zombie vids.” Lazio scowled at Malik. “See? Cliffs of death and things that want to eat our faces off.”

  “Ignore him,” Malik ordered. “When did the lights go out?”

  “Right after the water was infected is what we were told, but I can’t confirm.”

  Malik and Reva looked at one another, then she said, “So, we need a team at Hart Pharmaceuticals, one to try to fix the water, and we will be taking care of Quilla. We just have to stun as many of the innocents as we can to save them.”

  ZK eyed her. “You know where Quilla is?”

  “Yes, she has herself set up in Hart’s mansion.”

  “Damn.” He looked at Amari. “Why don’t you just go there and kill her?”

  “I would gladly do that, but that will not stop what has already been done to the city.”