by Catty Diva
Phoenix in Flames series
Book 4
Pyre
By Catty Diva
Edited by Eagle Editing
Cover by Jesh Art
2018 Copyright by Catty Diva
This book is a work of fiction. All contents, including names, places, and events are the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to persons, living or deceased, businesses, locations or events are completely coincidental.
None of this work may be used, reproduced, exchanged or transmitted by anyone but the person the book was purchased for. Any reproductions of this book in any part or any form must be done with the express written permission of the author or not at all.
Thank you for respecting the work of this author.
This series is a spinoff from the 10 book series The Mating Games.
The Mating Games series
Book 1
Razar
Razar needs a mate, but on his planet, there are nine males to one female. Humans look like they are compatible, but if they find out the secrets of his kind they will refuse to send them mates.
Lista needs money for her mother's operation or she will die. Her sister has volunteered her to be a bride for an alien. If she wins the mating game, she will be free to keep the money and return home.
Can she outwit him or will he claim her heart before it's game over?
Phoenix in Flames series
Book 1
Roar
He’d volunteered for this mission, but why? He’d felt the need to go after the abducted female. It was almost like an obsession which made it scary. Roar was afraid to even guess what he’d do once he found her.
Treva was hurting all over and scared. She didn’t even hold out hope anyone would come to save her. It was time to save herself. Once she got herself free, she would get to Oison somehow. There simply wasn’t a choice.
Book 2
Blaze
He’d always considered Roar his best friend and they’d hung out together a lot. That was now in the past because Roar had fallen in love and it hit him hard. He was mated and it was hard to tear him from his mate’s side. Only the new priority of aiding in the lab raids had managed it, but his mate came with him. Blaze hoped he never lost himself that completely even while he was a little jealous of their obvious happiness.
Lab born and raised, Felicity never expected to be freed. She would live and die in misery just as her mother had. When these people came and whispered they would soon be free, she didn’t believe them. When the man came and told her he planned to free her, she wanted to believe everything he said.
Could fate finally be working in their favor to give two jaded people the chance of a lifetime?
Book 3
Tar
He’d found the facility that was supplying all the labs. This would be the chance to shut it all down. His biggest problem getting the children out. That and the labs special project, Patty. He wasn’t even sure exactly what she was, but he was undeniably drawn to her.
She was a science project that wasn’t even thought of as a person, much less a woman. Now for the first time ever, a male had made her feel like a female. Could she help him safely bring the lab down so they could leave here together? If they did, would they even be able to have a future?
Book 4
Pyre
All he was doing was escorting a lady to the outskirts of the galaxy to check on a station because of some unexpected activity. He didn’t have to get involved with her and fall in love.
Ladonna thought this new guy, Pyre, was hot. If it wasn’t for all the trouble she was expecting at the station she and Patty had just bought, she’d pursue a relationship and keep him. After all, he’d been her first. But business had to come first.
Pyre tried to avoid Ladonna, but he was too drawn to her. Now what the hell did he do?
Can two lovers settle a whole bunch of trouble and work things out? Only time will tell.
Prologue
Pyre considered himself an easy going guy. Okay, maybe not easy going but reasonable. He did what had to be done and he had discipline. Ladonna had none and she seemed to delight in messing with him. The other soldiers on board helped her. They laughed at his expense and flirted with her. She was not theirs to flirt with.
It was true he didn’t know why he was so angry that everyone seemed to be enjoying this trip but him. He rarely enjoyed any of his missions so it wasn’t anything new. He walked into the ship’s cafeteria and there she was surrounded by soldiers. The food smelled incredible.
He’d admit that Ladonna had done something to improve the food here. Pyre was enjoying the meals. It was everything else he hated. Okay, maybe not hated. She was confusing him and he didn’t know what to think.
Females were one of those things he knew little about anyway. It didn’t look like that would change either. Filling his plate, he moved as far away from the crowd as he could get.
“Pyre, aren’t you going to sit with us?” Ladonna’s singsong voice asked.
“It’s too crowded over there.” He replied hoping that would be the end of it.
A couple seconds later, she plopped down across from him. “How is it hanging today?”
Pyre choked. “What?”
“The guys said it was a way to greet you. They said you would appreciate it.”
“The guys were teasing you. You should never ask a male that.”
Her smile dropped and her lip trembled. “Why don’t you like me?” She asked and he could see tears threatened to fall.
He was at a loss as to how to answer her. Ladonna got up and he swore he could see the tears falling as she ran away. Damn it all. What was he going to do now?
Chapter 1
The Trip
It was a long trip they were headed on. Two weeks behind them with a couple weeks to go. After the rough start, things had settled down and the guys stopped messing with Ladonna and him. It seemed they didn’t like her crying either.
He had developed a friendship with her and they spent evenings together watching old movies and cartoons. Others joined them from time to time and he became acquainted with most of the males from this ship.
The Good Day was a new ship in the Mazlan’s fleet and they were adding several ships a year. My Brother’s Best was Pyre’s usual ship but it was making runs to Earth. He was fairly certain Tar and Patty were assigned to it most if not all the time. Why, when she and Ladonna were filthy rich, he wasn’t sure.
Perhaps it was because Tar was locked into his service for a while longer. It might also be the agreement the two females had with the Mazlans. But Pyre was almost certain it was the obsession Patty and Ladonna had with Earth. Ladonna had already asked the Mazlans if she and Pyre could go on some trips to Earth later.
Why she’d included him, he wasn’t sure. Maybe she felt the same strong feeling toward him that he felt toward her. Pyre found her to be confusing and the thought of a relationship with her made him nervous. On the other hand, thoughts of not having her around made him feel panicky. There was just something about her.
She was saucy, funny, and said some of the craziest things, but he couldn’t get enough of her. They were headed into a big bunch of trouble but she didn’t seem to care. He’d never met a person like her before, not even Patty.
“There you are. Are you working or are you ready to watch some cartoons? I’ve got pizza.” She tempted.
“I’ll be off work in half an hour. Can you wait for me?”
“The other guys that are coming may get antsy.”
“Just put my food up so they won’t steal it and put on one of the cartoon we watched last night.”
“You always know what to do. I’m on it. Just hurry and don’t waste any time.” She hollered over her shoulder as she danced away.
He didn’t know what to think of her. It also wasn’t good she was hanging out with such a large group of guys. Sure, she said she was just one of the boys, but a blind man wouldn’t mistake her for a male. He saw the looks some of the guys sent her way. Even with other females on board, Ladonna was the beautiful one.
She also managed to get all the things males liked. Food, movies, beer, it all was there at her get togethers. Even a handful of the females showed up lately. There wasn’t any entertainment on board, except for what Ladonna provided.
Pyre didn’t think the clock would ever hit his time off. Finally! His replacement arrived and he hurried off without even saying a word. Ladonna was waiting for him. The other people that would also be there didn’t matter, only she did.
Her room was the stateroom on the ship. She was considered an honored guest. The Mazlan royals had claimed her as had the Phoenix nobility. Tar had predicted it and he’d been right. It was the other genes she had that they couldn’t identify that he wondered about. What was she really?
The party was in full swing as he knocked on the door and some female opened it. She tried to make eyes at him but he wasn’t interested. He looked around for Ladonna. “She’s over there.” The female pointed in the right direction then rolled her eyes. Signs of jealousy were on her face.
Pyre ignored her and rushed to Ladonna who was surrounded by males. When they saw him, they all looked disappointed. Everyone knew Ladonna had a preference for him. As soon as he appeared, her interest moved to him.
“I’ll put a movie on as soon as this cartoon is over. Do you want something to eat?”
“Yeah, why don’t you load me up?”
They moved to the kitchen area where she got him pizza, bread sticks and chicken wings. She also got him a mug of beer. He took a sip and gave her a thumbs up. The pizza smelled wonderful and his mouth watered. They sat down in the kitchen out of the way while he ate and she told him about who was there and what they’d watched.
Every once in a while, her eyes would seem to peer into the distance. He knew that meant she was dealing with something at one of her space stations. This woman was impressive and if he wasn’t signed up for two more years, he would have pursued a relationship with her. Tar had tried to urge him to claim her anyway, but life aboard ship was too dangerous. Pyre refused to risk her.
The cartoon finished and a movie started automatically. It was a war movie from old Earth. All the weapons and transports were old fashioned and the wounds looked grisly. Oddly, it drew everyone’s attention even though it was bloody and gruesome. The hero fell in love with the pretty nurse, but he died. His brother ended up with her and the film hinted that their first child was really his brother’s. Things like that still happened these days.
Soldiers still died, lovers found new lovers, and children weren’t always fathered by the one everyone thought they were. Technology had changed, but many of the faces of war were the same. Some of the females cried at the end while the males ignored them.
Ladonna had more food brought in. Burgers and fries were another of his favorite foods. These were the natural cut fries that he loved the most. The other guys fell over them too. Ladonna ate like the guys, but she was tiny. Maybe all her mental work burned those extra calories.
He liked that Ladonna sat next to him leaning in much of the time. Or maybe he was leaning in, who was to say? Once he arrived, many of the males left or sat where they weren’t as easily seen. His rank wasn’t equal to Tar’s, but it was still royal. It was one level below when they were home. Here it was equal as they were both officers, captains in the Mazlan military.
His rank was sufficient to mate. The concern was he was active for too much longer. Once they mated, he would find it too hard to be away from her. It was the nature of his kind, most of them anyway. He couldn’t ask her to go with him onboard ship and what if she got with offspring? As much as the thought excited him, a ship wasn’t the best place for a baby.
“Your mind isn’t with me.” She whispered.
“Sorry. Just trying to work out a problem.”
“Maybe I can help. I’m a good problem solver.” She grinned.
“Not with this kind of problem, Sweetie.”
She gave him a look then rolled her eyes. “I guess it’s one of those male problems.”
“What? No! It’s a decision about my future.” Did she not know what everyone would think a male problem was? Could she possibly be that innocent or was she purposefully poking him?
“Calm down. No one’s listening.” Ladonna pointed out.
“So what do you keep doing when you stop paying attention to me?” He asked.
“You know I keep up with the space stations. The new one is my baby. I’ve been herding the trespassers into the general areas. Did you know they are trying to set up drug dealing, a cat house, and a place to sell stolen goods?”
“What? How do you know all that?”
“I’ve been monitoring them. The station has cameras with voice monitoring all over.” Ladonna explained.
“Will all the work be done by the time we get there?”
“I’m just limiting their accessibility to slow them down. They’ll cause much hardship to those nearby if they get their business fully underway. Should I not have done that?”
“No, I mean yes. You were right to do that. But you should have informed me. It will help us know what to do when we arrive if you give us the video to watch. There may be other actions we can take as well. Maybe they have drugs or stolen goods coming in on a ship the Mazlans can intercept.”
“That makes sense. Where should I send the video?”
“Why don’t we wait until everyone leaves and we’ll watch it together?” Pyre asked.
“You want me to have them leave?”
“No, wait until this show is over. Those still here seem to be enjoying themselves. Many of them are in space a long time and have little to do.”
“That’s why most of the girls signed up. They say they’ll find a mate because the males get desperate.”
“They told you this?”
“No, they don’t know how good my hearing is or they didn’t care. I was fixing food and they were eating and talking.” Ladonna explained.
“That’s not the way to find a mate.”
“It’s not the way I want to find one.”
The thought of Ladonna finding a mate, other than him, was unpleasant. Shaking those painful thoughts clear, he looked around to see how many people were still there and who they were. The females were in the corner talking.
Ladonna went over and said something to the females. They shot her a nasty look as they left. The guys left as soon as the movie was over when they saw all the food had been put up. They all thanked her for the movies and the food before they left. It seemed obvious the females didn’t like Ladonna.
“Why do the females come over when you invite them? They don’t seem to enjoy the gathering.” He asked.
“I don’t invite them. They come hoping to catch a guy. The guys are likable, they are the ones I invite.”
“You know not all females are like these, right?”
“I do. I met some while we were on Mazlan that are cool. Lista even taught me some Earth terms. She can fight too.”
“I happen to know you can fight as well.”
“Yes, but I was told to hide that fact. I believe it might be best if I continue to do so. I enjoy being underestimated.” Ladonna admitted. “The females believe I’m not very bright. They don’t know I speak modern Earth as well as several of the older languages like English and Spanish.”
“They’ve said things?”
“They resent the guys seem to like me more than them. One of the females has her sights set on you while another has hers set on Eb. He’s the second in command. He could support her comfortably. That’s what s
he said. Little Ellen would probably be okay if she didn’t let the others influence her. She likes Eb, but is too shy to attract his attention. Especially since Cloris told her she’d never be able to keep his attention.”
“Cloris is the one who wants to get her hooks in Eb?”
“She is and that female is a witch. All she does is look up all the things she could buy with his money.”
“There are both females and males that are like that, but I like to think there are more that look for love and friendship from a mate.” He admitted.
“What do you look for, Pyre?”
“First someone who is a friend. From there, it will become more or it won’t.”
“Are we friends?” Ladonna asked.
“We are.” That’s all he said and she didn’t press.
“Let’s go to the large screen and look at these surveillance videos.” Ladonna moved to an office he hadn’t noticed in her suite. A big screen dropped down from the ceiling.
There were several chairs around a decent sized round table. He sat down and she sat in the chair next to him. The show was about to begin. The screen flickered and then the view sharpened. It was almost like watching a movie as the characters spoke without a second thought revealing everything they had planned.
“You had all this and never told me?” He asked.
“You never asked. You also don’t seem to like me sharing information with you.”
He couldn’t deny it. He’d not realized how much she knew. Part of the issue was he didn’t want to bond with her. By not getting in long conversations with her, he’d avoided getting close to her. That just wasn’t going to work anymore. Goddess help him, but he was already past that point.
Maybe he hadn’t wanted to be aware that Ladonna might be easier going and have a twisted sense of humor, but she also had all the mental abilities that Patty had. Her talents were hidden behind her quirky exterior, but they were definitely there. Pyre needed to work with her on this mission whether he feared getting too close or not.