by Abel, Regine
I drowned in their inky depths.
His mind didn’t invade mine and yet, his stare penetrated the deepest confines of my soul. It should have terrified me, made me feel naked and exposed. But, for some irrational reason, I wanted him to see me—to see all of me. My skin felt burning hot despite the cool shivers running all over me. The subtle scent of cinnamon wafted to me, making my mouth water, my stomach tighten, and my nipples pebble.
With a start, I realized the beautiful stranger had closed the distance between us, and he now towered over me. I drew in shallow breaths, my lungs feeling as if they couldn’t get enough air.
A slapping sound snapped me out of my daze. The stranger emitted a surprised yelp. Covering his right butt cheek with his palm, he cast an outraged look over his shoulder at Shereen. She held what looked like a black Vanguard t-shirt, which I guessed she’d slapped his rear with.
“Put some clothes on, Raven,” Shereen said in a mocking voice, extending the piece of clothing towards him. “You’re traumatizing Liena!”
I was traumatized indeed.
“Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!”
Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”
Of course, an excerpt from Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven would pop to mind. It was no beak that stunning man had plunged into my heart, but he had sure robbed me of my legendary self-control and stoicism. I didn’t want him leaving any time soon, and yet every ounce of survival instinct I possessed yelled for me to make a run for it.
Ignoring the garment Shereen held up for him, Raven turned back to me, an unreadable expression on his face.
“Liena,” he said softly, his voice deep, with a sensuous breathiness to it. “It is an honor to meet you.”
My skin erupted in goosebumps, and my knees wobbled. How could a man’s voice affect me so much? I suddenly felt like a teenager speaking for the first time with her long-time heartthrob.
He looked around my head again, an enigmatic smile stretching his full lips, then he once more locked eyes with me.
“What… what are you looking at?” I asked, my voice weaker than I would have liked. My hand brushed over my wavy, brown locks. “Is my hair messed up?”
He chuckled, smile wrinkles creasing at the edge of his larger-than-human, almond-shaped, black eyes, typical of the Xian Warrior.
“No. Your hair is lovely, but it is your aura that has me enthralled. It is mesmerizing,” Raven said, his voice dipping lower, taking on a purring edge.
“You can see my aura?” I asked, mentally kicking myself for the silly question.
“We all can,” the first Warrior said, strutting towards us, carrying the rack of vials he had picked up. “And, right now, it’s an amazingly nice shade of pink,” the first Warrior said, slapping the back of Raven’s shoulder with his free hand. “You’re a lucky man, Raven.”
Wait… what?
“The name’s Wrath, by the way. Welcome to the Vanguard, Liena.”
“Pleased to meet you, Wrath,” I responded automatically, my brain too confused to think properly.
“Come on, kid,” Wrath said, looking at Raven. “We better get back to the girls before they grow impatient. Sonia will be too happy for you to give her another excuse to mistreat you.”
“I’m not a kid,” Raven muttered, frowning at his friend.
“Are too,” Wrath smirked before sauntering away.
“Good heavens, Raven! Why are you naked?” Victoria’s voice exclaimed as she stepped out of what I assumed to be her office on the far-left corner of the room.
Raven’s head jerked toward Victoria, causing one lock of his wavy, black hair to fall over his left eye. His beautiful face took on an unrepentant expression, and he shrugged while watching her approach us.
“Hello, Mother,” Raven said.
My brain froze.
Mother?!
“The women are torturing us,” Raven continued calmly. “Chaos had to leave so he volunteered me. I was actually coming to get a couple of chargers for the field generator. We’re burning through them at a ridiculous pace.”
Victoria nodded gravely while closing the distance between us. “Hurry, then, before you give Sonia any more reasons to enhance your pain.”
Raven snorted. “So everyone reminds me.” Casting a glance towards me, he gave me a smile which melted my insides. “Looking forward to getting to know you, Liena.”
“Same,” I whispered, wishing I could come up with an excuse to keep him around a bit longer.
“I bet,” Shereen said, a mischievous glimmer in her eyes.
Raven shook his head at her and, still completely undisturbed by his nudity, he turned, giving me a mouthwatering view of the most perfect, round but firm globes of his behind. My eyes refused to avert themselves as he sauntered towards a series of labeled cupboards by the back-wall counter and retrieved two, heavy-looking, octagon-shaped objects. He then headed back towards the large set of doors from whence he’d previously entered.
On the way there, he gave me a sideways glance. His gaze flicked towards my aura, and a smug smile stretched his lips before he disappeared into the next room. The large, frosted-glass doors closed behind him.
“You’re his mother?” I asked Victoria, suddenly recovering my ability to think.
“Yes,” Victoria said, pride blossoming on her pretty face. “He’s a great kid. Well… man. He hates that all the Warriors treat him like their baby brother even though he just turned thirty. I’m still hoping to give him a brother, but pregnancies with Xian Warriors are too few and far between. Thankfully, I get to keep my twenty-nine year old body for at least another sixty to eighty years, so, fingers crossed.” Victoria jerked her head towards the large doors, a slightly embarrassed smile on her lips. “Sorry for the whole naked bit. That’s not quite how I had planned on introducing you to him. We rarely get visitors in this section, so we don’t think about it.”
“And the boys are streaking it often. I hope you’re one to enjoy the eye candy, because you’re going to get served!” Shereen exclaimed, beaming at me.
“Shereen!” Victoria said reprovingly.
“What? It’s true!” Shereen said with a shameless shrug.
I smiled while heat crept up my cheeks. The eye candy here was on a whole other level. The Warriors deserved a twenty on a chart of ten. My great-grandfather had engineered them that way to facilitate the bonding with their Soulcatchers. But I never expected to react so strongly to one, least of all to my boss’s son. At least, she hadn’t seen me making a fool of myself in front of him.
Victoria shook her head then turned back to me. “They are currently testing the latest version of Feryleze, the drug I want your assistance with. Since their Shells occasionally need to get revived between attempts, they are naked.” She waved the tablet she’d gone to fetch in her office. “I have what I came for. Let’s go get you settled.”
I nodded and waved Shereen goodbye. After casting one last baffled—and longing—glance towards the frosted-glass doors, I followed Victoria out of the lab.
Chapter 2
Raven
I finished donning my t-shirt while heading for the lift. My head still swam with the enchanting colors of Liena’s aura. The dominance of green within it hadn’t surprise me as the life colors of scientific minds often edged towards it. But in her case, the nuances in shades of green, interlaced with the delightful blues of a loving, nurturing, and supportive soul, had shimmered in a hypnotic halo around her beautiful face. When she had first looked at me, bright beams of pink and magenta had shot out of her aura, forming the most magnificent of crowns. Both my hearts had filled to bursting at this undeniable proof that her soul, too, had recognized mine.
Until today, only one female’s aura had stirred me strongly enough to believe I had found my soulmate. When Legion, leader of the Vanguard, had staked his claim on Ayana, I had intended to challenge him, thinking that his unshakable conviction that she’d been created for him stemmed more
from selfish desire and a sense of entitlement than any real grounds. But then, I’d seen her aura when she’d looked at him. The dark pinks had confirmed he already held her heart and soul.
I had ached over the past year, teaching myself to see Ayana as no more than a friend and a sister, despite the forced intimacy of touching her beautiful soul during our training sessions or when she portaled mine after I fell during a mission.
But now that I had met Liena, I finally understood arrogance hadn’t fueled Legion’s deep-rooted belief that he and Ayana had been destined. As strong as my attraction for his mate had been, Liena had swept it all away. Yet, as my hearts soared, a dark shadow loomed overhead.
My woman had suffered severe psychic trauma in her late teen years and now no longer tolerated mental contact with others, even something as basic as a telepathic conversation. While Legion and my mother had received Liena’s full psychological evaluation, as required for anyone wishing to come work on Khepri, the rest of us had only been sternly warned against initiating any kind of psychic link with her due to her PTSD.
This would prevent me from forming the mating bond with her when the time came to make her my life mate.
I stepped into the elevator and selected the penthouse as my destination, my frown deepening. As the principal psychic trainer at the Vanguard HQ, I could work with Liena towards overcoming any hang ups she had on that front, but only if she were willing. Her stay on Khepri was also meant to be temporary. A prestigious position awaited her back on Earth, and she had declined all of Mother’s overtures about taking on a permanent role here, so far. It was understandable as mind-speak constituted our main form of communication.
Whatever comes of this, I will fix you, Liena. This, I pledge.
The elevator came to a stop at the penthouse level, which was divided into five wings. Each one contained the housing suite of a different Warrior. As we didn’t have an official hierarchy, with Legion informally appointed by us as our leader, these suites at the top of the HQ building had been earned through challenges or awarded for exceptional accomplishment. Legion had earned his by winning a tournament. But now, with his and Ayana’s first child on the way, speculations were running high as to whether he would relinquish it in favor of a house in the residential areas in the suburbs of Khepri. Should that day come to pass, the competition to claim this penthouse would be fierce.
I padded down the short corridor to his quarters, accompanied by the soft echoes of my steps in the otherwise empty hallway with its twelve-foot high ceiling. Stopping before Legion’s door, I touched the biometric lock next to it.
A few select Warriors and I used to have full access to his apartment before his bonding with Ayana. It was now understandably revoked. What male would want to risk other Warriors walking in on his woman in a potentially compromising or vulnerable position?
The door swished open, revealing Ayana’s lovely face. Creamy brown skin, the most adorable bud nose on her heart-shaped face, her brown eyes sparkled with their usual warmth as she welcomed me in. My hearts softened with affection, as they always did in her presence. But, for the first time, I didn’t feel the pang of loss I normally did, despite her looking even more radiant than usual.
It was… liberating.
“Hey, Raven!” Ayana said, stepping aside to let me in.
“Hello, Ayana. I see that baby bump is growing,” I said, entering while glancing at the slight bulge beneath her black, Vanguard dress uniform. “You’re glowing!”
As the door closed behind me, she placed her palm on her stomach, and her smile broadened. “Thank you! And yes, he’s getting big so fast now. Soon, I won’t be able to strut my stuff in my Lieutenant Uhura dress,” Ayana said with a lovely pout, which made me chuckle. “I’ll be seeing your mother tomorrow for my check-up. But while I have you here, would you mind giving him a prod?”
I raised a questioning eyebrow. The sliver of worry blossoming within me must have shown on my face as she quickly reassured me.
“No, no, it’s all good!” Ayana said with a big grin. “He started talking to me last night! Well, not talking,” she amended when my eyes felt on the verge of popping out of my head, “but, you know… I felt his mind brushing against mine, sending me emotions.”
My own throat tightening with emotion, I raised a hand towards her stomach, and she removed hers to make room for me. As soon as I pressed my palm against her little bulge, the whispers of a new, freshly formed and still immature consciousness timidly poked at mine. The dark emptiness of his psychic void appeared in my mind’s eye. In its center, a small, golden sphere—the seat of his soul. Rainbow-colored particles danced around it; all that he was lay exposed to the psychic eye. I sent a psychic caress to his sphere. Its bubbling surface, like the fiery one of the sun, erupted with intensity in response, the rainbow sparks glowing brighter.
I smiled.
“Psychically, he’s happy, healthy, and strong,” I said to Ayana, dropping my hand away from her belly. “As your pregnancy progresses, don’t be surprised if you’re in a constant state of euphoria. He will push his emotions to you.”
Ayana beamed at me and caressed her stomach. “Constant happiness? I think I can handle that.”
I chuckled, once more struck by the absence of jealousy for her happiness with Legion. While I’d always genuinely rejoiced at their pregnancy, my hearts had ached thinking it could have—should have been—my offspring growing in her womb. But now, I was merely happy.
This felt good.
“Well, I won’t delay you any further. Legion and Chaos are brooding in his office,” Ayana said, gesturing towards the back of the apartment with her head. “My man has that ‘I received bad news’ look on his face. I hope he doesn’t need to go to the front.”
“Do not unnecessarily worry that pretty little head of yours,” I said, tapping her forehead with my index finger. “Legion always comes back. And you can bring him back from anywhere, so nothing to worry about.”
She gave me a shaky smile and nodded. In her condition, being even more worried than usual about the safety of her mate was understandable, especially since she couldn’t follow him into the field.
I caressed her shoulder in a comforting gesture before heading towards Legion’s office. My gaze roamed over the welcoming home where the black and gold of the Vanguard dominated. Despite the dark gray panels that covered the main wall, the room looked bright and airy thanks to the lighter walls on each side and the hidden lights which lined the recesses of the coffered ceiling. I’d spent many evening socializing with the couple, slouching in the black leather couches of the living area accented with comfortable looking gold and beige throw pillows. A plush, black and white shag carpet further brightened the room, but the plants and colorful paintings Ayana had added, since moving in with Legion, were what truly gave the home its character. Casting a glance through the giant floor-to-ceiling windows, my eyes lingered on the breathtaking view of the garden out back, the pedestrian walkway alongside it, and the lake beyond that stretched into the distance.
“Coming in,” I mind-spoke to Legion as I reached his office door before opening it.
He psychically and wordlessly broadcast his welcome. I stepped into his lair to find him leaning against the edge of his dark wood desk. Chaos stood by the tall windows overlooking the plaza of the Vanguard HQ. Nodding in greetings to the men, I headed towards the two, plush, dark-brown, leather chairs in front of Legion’s desk. I would have preferred my usual spot on the three-cushion couch in the sitting area on the other side of the room, but the serious mood that reigned in his office made me settle in front of Legion rather than seek comfort.
“There’s something brewing in the Rings of Janaur,” Legion said without preamble, a somber expression on his face. “The entire region has gone dark, and the Coalition is getting ready to intervene—in a radical fashion.”
My back stiffened, the same old rage resurfacing as with every time the Janaurian situation came up.
; “They should have intervened four years ago when the Kryptids first started crawling in that general area,” I said with disgust. “The Coalition left the Janaurians to fend for themselves knowing they were too primitive to repel an invasion. And now they want us to wipe them out?”
“So, you know,” Legion said with a heavy sigh before rubbing the scales on his forehead.
“It’s official, then?” Chaos asked. “They are planning a cleansing?”
“Legion can confirm, but I believe so,” I said, running a hand through my hair before leaning back against my chair. “As you know, my father is patrolling the area. He told Mother that they’ve been ordered to retreat and to pull all our forces from the region. We all know what that means.”
“Yes,” Legion said, crossing his arms over his broad chest. “Doom is pretty upset about it. His previous report stated that they have been intercepting an increasing number of Kryptid ships headed for Janaur. A few of them have managed to slip through. He has sent three away missions to track them down and investigate what was happening on the surface. None of them have returned.”
“The Warriors?” Chaos asked.
“Dead,” Legion answered. “We also lost half of their Soulcatchers.”
The helpless anger I felt reflected on Chaos’s face.
“What happened?” I asked. “And why were the Soulcatchers in harm’s way? Didn’t they have Portals with them? Father wouldn’t give us any more detail until he had sent you his report.”
“In all three cases, they landed safely. The Warriors left the women inside the cloaked shuttles before scouting the villages in the vicinity. They scanned for neural inhibitor devices, not that the local population should have had any…” Legion said while pulling his com device from the pocket of his black uniform.
He tapped a few commands, then flicked his finger upward over the device, projecting a 3D holographic display of the planet Janaur. Three large dots indicated the location where the scout ships had landed, and smaller ones indicated what I assumed to be the last known position of the Xian Warriors. I stood up to get a better view, and Chaos joined us, moving away from the window.