3013: CHAOS (3013: The Series Book 8)

by Laurie Roma

  Everyone at the table jumped to their feet as the four enraged Dragon Warriors stalked into the room. Each of the males snarled, their fangs on display. Xavier and Galan’s glowing silver eyes were bright with fury, while Thorn and Brydan’s glowing golden eyes were molten with outrage. Standing at well over seven feet tall, the four furious Dragon Warriors were a terrifying sight, but Katra wasn’t afraid.

  The time had come to declare her independence.

  Alexis hurried into the room after her mates, shooting Katra a sorrowful look. “I’m sorry, Katra. You let it slip that you were angry and your brothers felt it. I had to tell Xavier, Galan, Thorn and Brydan what was going on when they asked. I couldn’t lie to my mates.”

  “Do not worry, I understand,” Katra assured her.

  “I’m sorry, sir,” Officer Cal Ryans said to Jax from the doorway. There was no way he would have been able to stop the Dragon Warriors. No one could.

  Galan glared at Katra. “You have lost your mind.”

  “Aye, you have,” Thorn growled in agreement.

  “Did you really think we would allow you to fight a war for these males?” Brydan raged.

  “I am going to beat some sense into you,” Xavier snarled.

  Katra knew her brothers would never touch her in anger, nor would Thorn or Brydan. Still, the way they were acting made her angry, so she lifted her chin defiantly. “You are welcome to try.”

  No one was more surprised than Katra was when Jaden launched himself over the table. Shock left her blinking at his broad back as he stood in front of her. He didn’t know she wasn’t in any danger, and he was protecting her. The action had her heart melting, and she wished more than anything that she could press herself against him to show him her appreciation.

  “You will not touch her,” Jaden growled out.

  “You think you could stop me, Tarin? I could crush you in a heartbeat.”

  “You are welcome to try,” Jaden threw Katra’s taunting words back at Xavier.

  Her brother took a step forward, but before he could reach Jaden, Katra shook off her stupor and shifted herself in front of her mate, putting herself between the two angry males in the blink of an eye. She held out her arms, blocking Jaden as he tried to drag her behind him again. As soon as he gripped her arm, Galan let out a vicious snarl and crouched, preparing to attack.

  “You will not hurt him,” she growled at her brothers.

  “He challenged me!”

  If the circumstances were different, the outrage in Xavier’s voice would have made her laugh, but she knew that he was close to losing control. “Calm, brother.”

  “Damn it, it sucks when they talk mind-to-mind. We’re missing all the good stuff,” Archer whispered to Serra as he watched the silent exchange between siblings, then he grunted as her elbow connected with his side.

  “I am going to rip his hand off if he does not release you,” Galan warned.

  “Keep out of this,” Thorn growled at Isak and Ryodan rushed to their lord’s side.

  Jaden jerked Katra back and stepped in front of her again. “Get behind me, Katra.”

  “That is it. I am going to kill him.”

  Alexis gasped when she felt truth in Xavier’s words and tried to grab hold of his arm to stop him from lunging at Jaden. “Stop!”

  Galan gently lifted Alexis away from Xavier, holding her in place. “Do not interfere, mate.”

  “Damn you, stop doing that!” Jaden demanded as Katra shifted herself between him and Xavier once more.

  The four Dragon Warriors bared their fangs at him, but Katra returned the angry gesture. “You will not hurt him.” She hesitated for a brief second, then said, “He is my mate.”

  Xavier let out a loud howl, like that of a wounded animal, then he shifted all the Dragon Warriors out of the room. Silence hung heavy for a moment after their abrupt departure.

  “Fuck, I hate it when they do that,” Dom muttered.

  “Hellfire, where did they go?” Jaden slammed his fist onto the table, breaking it in two in a startling display of strength. “Will they hurt her?”

  “No,” Skylar assured him. “They won’t.”

  She glanced over at Serra, and the two women shared a private smile. Jaden wasn’t as immune to Katra as he would like everyone to believe to have that kind of reaction to her being in danger. Now, it was time for them to get to work paving the way for Katra to join him on the journey back to his home world.

  That was, if they could keep him in the room long enough to do so.

  * * * *

  Damn her brothers!

  One minute, Katra was in the conference room, and the next, she found herself standing on the rooftop of the visitor’s center. There was a moment of disorientation that usually accompanied shifting from one place to another, but it passed quickly. The wind was chilly as it blew her hair into her face, temporarily blocking her view. She pushed it back impatiently, then used her magic to pull her hair back into a thick braid that hung down her back, so it was out of her way.

  The sound of a throat clearing had her spinning around. Two elite soldiers stood guarding the entrance door to the rooftop, and she could see both men were clearly shocked to see six Dragon Warriors appear in front of them out of thin air.

  “Umm—”

  “Leave,” Brydan snarled. The two elites glanced at one another, then fled inside as fast as their feet could carry them, escaping into the safety of the building.

  Galan wasted no time getting back to their fight as he pinned Katra with a furious glare. “Your mate? Is that what you have been hiding? How could you hide this from us, Katra?”

  “Oh? I should have told you when you reacted so well to the news?”

  “A Tarin?” Thorn asked. “Your mate is a fucking Tarin male?”

  “Aye,” Katra snapped back. “I did not know he was my mate until I came here. Do you think I would have chosen a Tarin? Nay, I would not, but he is mine.”

  “Nay,” Galan denied. “We will take you home and find you another.”

  “Jaden is mine,” Katra repeated. “My one and only mate.”

  Brydan sucked in a harsh breath, and his eyes went wide. “That cannot be. All our females have more than one mate to care for them.”

  Katra let out a bitter laugh. “Well, apparently I am special. Adding to that, he does not understand the mating pull and is fighting it.”

  “I will kill him.”

  She threw her hands up in the air. “Galan, first you do not want him to be my mate, and now you want to kill him because he is reluctant? Make up your mind!”

  Alexis stepped forward so she was standing by Katra’s side. “This isn’t easy for Katra, and all of you are making this more difficult for her.”

  Thorn’s eyes narrowed. “We are going to have words later, mate. You kept this from us.”

  “Because I knew all of you would lose your damn minds and act all crazy.”

  Katra wouldn’t let Alexis take the blame. “I asked Alexis not to tell you until I was ready.”

  Galan growled in frustration. “You should have told us before you made plans to leave with that bastard. We cannot let you go with him—”

  “You do not let me. He is my mate and you cannot interfere.” Tears stung her eyes as she looked at each of the males. She cared for Thorn and Brydan, and thought of them as brothers, but the depth of her love for Galan and Xavier overwhelmed her sometimes. “I need you to support me in this. I am asking you…please.”

  Galan cursed, and stomped away to pace. Thorn glared at the floor as he struggled to contain his temper, but Brydan shook his head. “Katra, the Tarins are at war.”

  “I know, and I will fight by my mate’s side.”

  “I will kill him if anything happens to you.” Katra turned to Xavier. He hadn’t said a word since they had left the conference room, and his softly spoken statement made her frown. It was never a good thing when Xavier was quiet. “There is a war going on, and if your mate allows anything to happen t
o you, I will destroy their entire planet.”

  “You cannot—”

  “Oh, aye. I can, and will.”

  “He will not be doing it alone,” Thorn swore.

  “Brother, you cannot do that,” Katra implored. “I know the risks I am taking, but I have no choice. You would do the same if it were your mate. I must go with him.”

  Xavier stared at her with glowing silver eyes, steady and calm. “You may know the risks, but you are my sister. I allowed you to come here with us, and in doing so, I inadvertently put you in danger. We are strong, immortal beings, but there are still ways we can be killed. Not many, but it is still a possibility. And I am telling you, if anything should happen to you…if we lose you, I will turn their entire planet to ash. I make that vow, here and now.”

  Galan nodded. “It will be done.”

  Katra gaped at them, then she paled as she felt the strength of their conviction through her bond. They weren’t joking or making some sort of outrageous claim because they were angry.

  They meant every word.

  Her brothers had completely gone insane. That was the only explanation.

  The sound of Alexis’ voice trying to calm her mates was a buzzing noise in Katra’s ears as she tried to figure out what to say or how to react. She knew her brothers loved her, but nothing could have prepared her for this. They could do it. She knew with their combined magic they were capable, but if they did, they would damn themselves. By the Gods, Katra now had the entire Tarin civilization resting on her shoulders as well as her brothers’ souls.

  No fucking pressure or anything.

  It was official…her mating was doomed.

  * * *

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Jaden was fucking doomed…he could feel it.

  It was three days into their journey back to his home world, and the first of which that he hadn’t felt like he would heave his insides out from queasiness. Space travel did not agree with him. Isak seemed to be the only one out of the Tarins that found it favorable, while Jaden and Ryodan had spent most of their time in their own quarters, trying to keep from being ill.

  Earlier that day, Jaden had finally given in and taken the injection the med-tech offered to counteract his illness. He didn’t like depending on foreign drugs to feel better, but he needed his wits about him if he was going to manage to get anything done on the trip home.

  Jaden wasn’t a male that easily fell victim to strong emotions. In fact, he prided himself on self-control and his ability to deal with any situation with icy calm. But all of that was blown straight to hell by one feisty female that was making him slowly lose his mind.

  Now, here he was on the Stargazer, headed back to Tartarus…with her.

  He stood at the long window in his quarters with his hands clasped behind him, staring out at the vast black of space as they flew toward his home world. Stars glittered on a backdrop of perpetual night. He’d heard that the sight was unnerving to some, but he found comfort in the dark. It was something that surprised him, considering he’d never wanted to travel the universe.

  According to Earth hours, it was late in the evening, although time meant very little out in space. He should have been preparing for sleep, but the thought of seeing his home again had anticipation humming through his bloodstream. Besides, he had already spent most of the last few days sleeping, and now, he was restless.

  Back home, he loved to stand on the tower rooftop of his palace and look out over his land. It was a favored place of his to go and think, and he missed it. There were very few people he trusted, and even fewer who he could discuss his problems with. Being a lord was a lonely position. He was used to the isolation and obligations that came with his station, but right now, he wished he had someone he could talk to about everything that had been going on over the last few weeks.

  The foolish humans thought they had outmaneuvered him, forcing him to accept their help to fight the war raging on his home world, but the truth was far more complex than that. The humans needed the mineral that was only found in the mountain ranges of Tartarus to power their jump-drives for their space vessels, which gave the Tarins leverage.

  Over the years, the Alliance had paid them far more credits than the Tarins knew what to do with. They were simple people, not needing more than what the land and their lords provided for them on a daily basis, but there was one thing that Jaden knew he couldn’t provide.

  The chance to travel the stars.

  He himself had never had the need or desire to travel to distant planets. Agreeing to go to Earth to attend his daughter’s claiming ceremony had been difficult for him, but he would do anything to make Skylar happy now that he’d gotten her back after all these years.

  Tor Palace was his sanctuary and his legacy, however, that didn’t mean he didn’t want others to have a chance to follow their dreams. And so, when the humans had insisted on discussing the terms of the treaty, Jaden made it clear that the Tarins would require space cruisers and other vessels—along with access to technology—in exchange for the mineral ore the humans needed.

  Jaden didn’t understand most human technology, and he didn’t really care to learn. But he was a leader to his people, and never took his position for granted. Despite his aversion to outsiders and their advancements, the lives of those under his command were worth far more than his own preferences.

  As one of the Coalition of Eight, Jaden fought with seven other lords against those who enslaved females. He was aware that help from other worlds would end the war far quicker than it would if they continued to fight it alone, but not all of his allies would welcome other species onto their planet. The Tarins had remained isolated for so long that change was difficult for everyone to accept. Due to their past, an alien army would never be allowed on Tartarus, regardless if they were there to help or not.

  And because of that, the elite soldiers of the Alliance needed to be kept from forming a stronghold on Tartarus beyond what had already been allowed. Back when the Hades Outpost was created, shockwaves of outrage had swept through the planet. If left to Jaden, he would have simply killed the Alliance emissaries that had requested permission to build the base, but Lord Malik Rego had seen the benefit of keeping any visitors under close supervision on his land.

  Rego had always had a talent for maneuvering through the political arena much better than Jaden had, and because of his careful planning, they retained control of who was allowed on the planet, but even more importantly, they controlled who was allowed off the Hades Outpost and where they went.

  When the meeting on Earth had been called, Jaden had been prepared to deal with members of the Alliance, but only on his own terms. They thought they’d coerced him into the provisions they had presented, but he was the one who had manipulated the situation without their knowledge. He had gotten the offer of aid to fight the war without him having to ask, and they had readily given into his demands for access to their advanced technology. For the most part, he’d been satisfied that he’d received everything he wanted…with one exception.

  Katra Tesera.

  Trying to research Dragon Warriors had been a catastrophe. Commander Matt Malloy had ensured him that the computers on board the ship were easy to use, but Jaden had been so frustrated when he’d tried to use the one in his quarters during the hours he was ill, he’d almost taken his sword to the damn machine. It had taken a while, but he was finally able to pull up some of the history of the Dragon Warriors and their home world. He’d tried to tell himself that he wanted information about the Dragon Warriors in order to decipher how she would help his people, but that hadn’t been the real reason.

  Jaden was fascinated by Katra. He wanted to know everything he could about her. Discovering where she came from and who her people were would give him insight into who she was, but there was very little information found in the system about her race that differed from what he already knew. He couldn’t blame them for being secretive. His own people had also been very careful about what they
allowed the Alliance to know about them.

  It had pleased him that other races seemed to view the Tarins with a mixture of fear and cautious respect. When he’d arrived on his daughter’s new home world, he’d met plenty of human females that hadn’t hidden their desire for him. He knew that humans had heard that Tarins were insatiable in bed, and many female humans wanted to find out if the rumors were true. While most other races got tired from rigorous love play, the energy Tarins gained from sharing sex energized them, allowing them to fuck over and over again.

  They were a highly sexualized race, and did nothing to hide that fact.

  Before he’d gone to Earth, Jaden knew he’d been without a female for longer than was wise. As a powerful male Tarin, he fed off the energy gained from sex and the blood lust from a good battle in order to survive. Back at his home, there were always willing females, but he’d been busy spending time with his daughter and her bonded to store up his reserves before setting off on his journey. Jaden and his two warriors had been amused by the many offers females had thrown at them while on Earth, and he knew that both Ryodan and Isak had taken a few to their beds, but Jaden had refused.

  Some Tarins shared the energy buildup with their partners to make sure that they could keep up, but even a small energy exchange was an intimacy that Jaden wouldn’t allow. It was never an issue when he shared sex with another Tarin, but the thought of taking a human had been distasteful to him after what had happened to Skylar’s mother all those years ago. Humans were fragile creatures, regardless of the enhancements the elites were given. He’d met some D’Aire females, and even a few Krytos, but none of them had stirred his passion. Jaden’s suspicion of all outsiders also made it difficult to trust taking one of them to his bed.