Mating Fever (Interstellar Brides Book 10)

by Grace Goodwin

  “Five days.”

  “That’s acceptable.” Doctor Moor nodded and walked away, humming to herself. I imagined her doing a little hop and a skip on her way to the controls to process me for my matched mate.

  As long as I didn’t look at Nyko, I could do this.

  Nyko didn’t move, he was like a sentinel nearby. Protecting me still, even though his new Interstellar Bride, his perfect match, could arrive any moment.

  My stupid heart didn’t care. I didn’t have the strength to ask him to leave. He wasn’t mine, but he made me feel safe. And I didn’t know Doctor Mersan. Sure, the I.C. said he could be trusted, but I was hurt and tired and heartbroken all at once. I didn’t want to deal with him alone.

  The Prillon warrior in green chose that moment to enter the small exam room. He closed the door behind him, giving us privacy for a conversation no one else but Commander Karter himself had the clearance to hear.

  He turned to Nyko. “You may go, Warlord.” I tensed at the command, not wanting to be alone in the room with the doctor.

  “No.” The beast didn’t even twitch.

  “Warlord—” The doctor started, but Nyko stood and walked around to stand beside my shoulder. Like a lovesick idiot, I smiled up at him, not even trying to hide the need on my face. He did that to me, made it okay for me to be vulnerable. It was a crazy feeling, but once I started with him, I didn’t seem to be able to stop. It felt good to lean on him, to trust him. Too good. I’d seen him pull Hive Soldiers in half. I wasn’t worried about the doctor, not with Nyko beside me.

  The doctor changed tactics, looking at me. “Captain Simmons. This is not a conversation for others to hear.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Look, Doc, he was in the cave with me. He saved my life. He killed all three of the Nexus units, and helped me remove the sample from the creature’s head. He’s already seen everything. He knows more about them than you do.”

  Doctor Mersan pursed his lips and nodded, looking up at Nyko, which was no small feat, since the doctor was probably seven feet tall himself. “You should be debriefed, Warlord. We will have some questions for you.”

  Nyko simply growled and for some inexplicable reason, that made me laugh. I knew Nyko would calm down and tell the I.C. anything they wanted to know. I was sure the doctor knew it, too, but he scowled at Nyko and shrugged. “And that is why we don’t recruit Atlans.”

  That was that, and he ignored Nyko’s presence. “How are you feeling?”

  “Better.”

  “You never should have removed your helmet so close to Latiri 4.”

  “I know that now.”

  Nyko interrupted. “Why? Why not hurt now?”

  Mersan was a Prillon warrior in his prime, maybe forty years old. His skin was a deep bronzed gold, his hair a burnished copper. His eyes were dark, coffee brown and intelligent. Shrewd. But he knew better than to argue with Nyko. Especially if he wanted the Warlord to volunteer any information on those Nexus Units.

  “The Karter is orbiting well outside of the Hive’s current communications range. The Hive’s network can’t reach you here.”

  I looked up at Nyko, wanting him to understand. “My helmet shields me from Hive transmissions, just like that cave.”

  He grunted in understanding as the doctor continued. “The commander is running a continuous scan for their command sub-frequencies, now that you’re back on the ship, but we need to get you out of here as soon as possible. If you came in direct contact with a Nexus Unit, they know you exist. They’ll be hunting you, Captain. You’re a danger to the ship and everyone on board.”

  “I know.” I shifted in the chair, suddenly uncomfortable. “I can transport now.”

  Nyko put his hand on my shoulder, as if to stop me from moving, but Doctor Mersan shook his head. I wouldn’t be transporting anywhere without his clearance.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Doctor Helion is not at I.C. Command and won’t be for a while. And that was a significant bleed. Next time we might not be able to stop it.” The doctor’s voice was calm and even, clinical. The sound escaping Nyko was anything but.

  “Next time?” he asked.

  Chapter Nine

  Megan

  The doctor just cocked an eyebrow, leaving it up to me to explain or keep the beast in the dark. My mission was not only to fight the Hive, like Nyko and the other fighters, but also to help the I.C. unravel their communications system, find out how their implants and microscopic pieces all worked together and communicated. And the Nexus Unit was a huge leap in the right direction. Doctor Helion told me the Coalition had been trying to get one of them for more than twenty years.

  The Nexus always ignored the bait…until that bait was female.

  The first female to volunteer was still missing. That fact had scared the shit out of me, but I was strong. Fast. Smart. I knew I could pull off this mission and bring the Nexus puzzle pieces home.

  I’d been dead wrong. That thing had looked in my eyes and he’d broken me, made me feel so isolated and alone I would have given him my soul.

  Nyko had saved me. He was one hell of a warrior, and he deserved happiness. Even if it wasn’t with me.

  I sighed. Nyko and I had been through a lot together, including one wild night. I at least owed it to him to explain. “I work for the Coalition Intelligence Core. My job was to lure a Nexus Unit, eliminate them and retrieve their neural communications unit along with some body tissue samples. The Coalition has long believed that there are some kind of specialty Hive trios that act as communication hubs. They’re like Hive commanders. They think on their own and give orders to the rest. Until yesterday, these Nexus units were nothing more than a rumor, myth. But Nexus 9 was the first we’ve ever encountered. We had to lure them away from the main attack group and kill them.”

  I watched as Nyko’s hands curled into tight fists. “Your head?”

  “A Hive neural implant taken from a high-ranking Hive Soldier we believed would be able to summon a Nexus Unit.”

  “Bait,” he said.

  I nodded and was thrilled my head didn’t hurt from the small movement. “Technically, yes. They sensed the implant and followed me into that cave.”

  “Kill you.”

  I sighed. He’d saved my ass, and we both knew it. “You saved my life, Nyko. No question.”

  “No more. No next time.”

  I agreed. One hundred and fifty percent. “No more.” With a small groan, I reached up to rub the back of my head where I could still feel the lump and scar from the surgery. Soon, I’d have a new scar, but no lump. And the deadly Hive technology inside me would be gone. “I have to transport back to the I.C.’s headquarters and have the Hive tech removed.”

  “Now.”

  Doctor Mersan crossed his arms and sat in a chair close to mine, antagonizing Nyko. It worked, if the rumbling that shook my shoulders was any indication of Nyko’s reaction. “I spoke to Doctor Helion. He believes your condition will remain stable as long as you stay away from any Hive activity or broadcasts.” He looked at me then. “I’m clearing you for transport as soon as Doctor Helion sends word that he’s ready for you, which could be any time in the next few days. You need to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice. No more combat patrols. No fighting. You aren’t to leave this ship until he sends for you.”

  “Fine.” I hated doctors. Sure, Doctor Moor was nice, but in the end, all they did was hold you up, tell you everything you weren’t allowed to do, and keep you out of the fight while friends went out and got themselves killed.

  He stood and opened the door, motioning Doctor Moor to return before looking back at me. “I look forward to your report.”

  I smiled, kind of, and I knew it didn’t reach my eyes. Didn’t matter. He was gone, and a much friendlier face waltzed back in. Doctor Moor looked absolutely blissful. Glowing.

  “Well, Megan, your time as a Coalition fighter is over. Your two years are complete,” Doctor Moor was talking in a strange, sing-song voice I’d nev
er heard from her before. “And you are now officially retired.”

  Wow. That was fast. But I still had to go see Doctor Helion and get this Hive implant out of my head. They would want the tech I’d taken from the dead body as well. “I have one more delivery to make, Doctor.”

  Shit. Where was it? My heart raced and I shoved up out of the chair to stand. “Where’s my pack?” It was usually on me like a backpack, but someone must have removed it when they put me in the ReGen pod.

  “Relax, Megan. We’ve got it.” The doctor walked a short distance into the other room and I watched as she grabbed it from a shelf built into the wall behind the pod. Once she had my pack, she walked straight back to me. “Here.”

  I felt the shape of the helmet within, knew it was exactly what my sacrifice had been about. I could breathe again. “I will deliver this and then I’m done.”

  She grabbed my helmet from a shelf and handed it to me. The heavy weight of it was comforting, even though it was only in my hands, and not on my head.

  “Did you remove your helmet at the way station?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Don’t do that again. Whatever is inside your head—” I opened my mouth to protest or argue, but she held up her hand to stop me, “—and I don’t need to know exactly what it is.” Her gaze locked on mine and held. “However, if it had anything to do with the Hive, I wouldn’t recommend you take the helmet off again unless you are certain you are well outside their active transmission range.”

  I grinned. Medical scans and good instincts. I had to give Doctor Moor credit. She was one smart lady. “Noted.”

  All pretense of fun faded and she grabbed my arm. “Megan, listen to me. Whatever was happening to you when you landed on my table, it was an active process. It wasn’t just making you bleed, soldier. It was attacking cells, devouring them, reforming them. You need to get that thing out of your head, and the sooner the better.”

  The Hive implant was eating away at my brain? I’d thought it could do something like that, but it had been a joke I’d told myself. What she was saying made it no longer funny. God, I wanted it out of me. Like, yesterday. And suddenly Doctor Helion’s delay felt like a month.

  “Thank you, Doctor.” I sighed, looked up at Nyko. “Thank you, Warlord. I…um, wish you luck on your match. I hope that your fever is gone quickly.”

  That meant he would be fucking someone else, dammit. I walked toward the door, not wanting to linger any longer. It would only hurt. I was almost out of the medical station when the doctor called me back.

  “Speaking of matches, Megan, don’t you want to know who you were matched to?”

  I turned at the doctor’s words, glanced at Nyko, nerves making me wish the floor would swallow me whole. “No. Not yet.” I shook my head at the doctor, willing her to understand the absolute awkwardness of this situation. “You can tell me later.”

  She gave a slight laugh. “No. No, I really can’t. Congratulations, Miss Simmons.”

  I hadn’t been called a Miss in two years. It sounded odd. It sounded like Earth.

  I looked up at Nyko, who stood just as wild and barely constrained as he had since he stormed into the cave. He was going to have his own match, his own mate. Swiftly, I imagined. Surely his results would be pushed through quickly so he wouldn’t have to be executed. No one wanted to kill a skilled Warlord because of Mating Fever.

  “Fine.” I clutched the pack close and waited to hear the name of my matched mate, trying to imagine what it would be like to have a man of my own, one who was perfectly matched, who wanted me just the way I was. Who I would lust after and desire, who would desire me with equal need.

  I didn’t really care who this mystery man was at the moment, not when my body still ached for Nyko. Why did my heart feel like it was breaking as I nodded to the doctor and waited?

  Nyko’s roar of rage made me jump. I turned to see three medical officers had rushed to him, trying to block his way…to me.

  “Warlord, calm your beast. Now.” The doctor’s voice boomed.

  “Mine,” he growled, his eyes intense and focused on me.

  “Yes, your beast is correct. She is yours.”

  I stopped in my tracks, stared up at the doctor. “What?”

  She grinned. “Every once in awhile, my job is so much fun. Your match has been made and it is Warlord Nyko.”

  My mouth fell open and my helmet slipped from my numb fingertips to land on the floor with a loud thud.

  “Nyko is my match?” I squeaked.

  “Yes. A ninety-nine percent match.” She looked at her tablet. “In fact, I’ve never seen a match as strong as yours before and I’ve done hundreds of them.”

  “But…but we don’t even get along. We argue constantly.” Had I really just said something that stupid? Yes. Yes, I had. But who could blame me? My heart was racing in my chest and a bubbly, giddy feeling made me want to leap into the air and whoop like an old-school cowboy from the Wild West.

  “That means, Warlord, that your match has gone through as well. I have confirmation from both results. Your matched mate is Megan Simmons from Earth.”

  I glanced up at Nyko for confirmation but he seemed to be processing the news, too. He wasn’t restrained by the technician any longer, but his beast seemed to grow bigger before my eyes. A smile spread across his face. A very feral, possessive smile.

  “Mate.” It growled and I shivered.

  The doctor shrugged, her chuckle full of mischief. “I think you’ll get along in some areas just fine.” She winked. “Some areas don’t require much talking.”

  I gasped as Nyko moved toward me slowly, his gaze never leaving mine. My entire body lit up like a fuse attached to dynamite and I knew if he touched me again—no, when he touched me again—I’d go off like a rocket.

  Man, I couldn’t wait to launch.

  I leaned down and grabbed my helmet off the floor, settling it with my pack as Nyko scooped me into his arms and carried me out of the medical station. He didn’t speak, and I didn’t argue. We both knew where this was going, naked. And fast. The doctor had wanted me in bed for a while and I knew that Nyko would ensure that.

  The walls changed from medical green to shades of brown and orange found in the common areas to a soothing cream color reserved for living quarters. I’d never been on this level before—my room was on a floor for female fighters—but then, I’d never been in an Atlan Warlord’s bed before either.

  The door slid open with a soft swoosh of sound and he carried me into his private space. As I’d expected, it was simple and masculine. A huge bed with sheets the color of milk chocolate, very little furniture, one small table and three chairs that looked like it doubled as a work station and dining table, and I wondered how often he ate here, alone, instead of going to the common cafeteria with the rest of the bachelors.

  I didn’t get a chance to see much more as he carried me into the large bathing room I’d heard Atlans preferred. They were big, and got large accommodations as a result. There was no bathtub, only multiple shower heads on the walls and ceilings. It was a fancy shower room I’d only seen in magazines. It was spacious enough to hold both of us, which was apparently what my beast had in mind. My beast. Nyko was really mine.

  He set me on my feet, took the pack and helmet from me, and reached for the clasps of my armor.

  It was all happening so fast my head couldn’t keep up and I lifted my hands to cover his, to stop him.

  Two days ago, he didn’t like me much. Every time we saw each other we snarled and talked trash and generally gave each other hell. He froze beneath my gentle touch and looked down into my face, his intense eyes calmer, but filled with heat.

  His beast was happy as hell, but I wasn’t so sure about the man.

  “Are you sure about this? This mating thing is forever, and you don’t even like me.” No one liked me. I was a bitch, by necessity, not choice. I was hard, not soft. Practical, not sentimental. That wasn’t going to change simply because I became
his mate.

  “Perfect. Fierce. Beautiful.”

  Well, when my beast wanted to sweet talk, he knew how to do it right. I smiled and lifted my hands to his face and pulled his lips down toward me. My turn to make some claims, so I threw his own word back at him. And I meant it. I wasn’t going to share.

  “Mine.”

  I’d never seen a beast smile, but he did, right before he lowered his head to kiss me.

  Chapter Ten

  Nyko

  I could get lost in her kiss. Me, a huge Atlan warrior, not only in beast mode, but in Mating Fever, could be brought to my knees by Megan’s mouth alone. While the beast within had been initially soothed in the cave by her touch, by getting lost in her body, this was different. She was my mate now.

  The fever still raged. It had not been cured by claiming her…not yet.

  Perhaps my beast had known all along. It had screamed “Mine” again and again, but I’d thought it had been desperate for fucking and that Megan had simply been a beautiful and willing female. Yes, my beast was wild, but it seemed my basic instincts had an honorable streak, for the beast knew Megan belonged to us. No wonder he’d been so gentle with her in that cave. My beast didn’t simply want to fuck her, he wanted to claim her. It had been trying to tell me that from the moment she took off her helmet within the safe rock walls, but I’d refused to listen. The Atlan in me required proof. The testing and the match that came from it validation that Megan was truly mine. Deep down, I’d hoped perhaps, but never dared play out that fantasy. The fiery hellcat hated me, but in the cave perhaps she’d been soothed by my touch as much as the beast was by hers.

  She hated me.

  But she kissed like she’d never let me go. Her mouth opened for mine, her tongue demanding entry. Megan was no docile lover, and apparently, she’d decided to claim me as well. There was no hesitancy in her touch, not anymore. There was only want and lust and a feminine demand that had my beast roaring to answer.

  Seeing her walk out the door of the med unit—intending to leave us for good—not only had made my beast go insane, but made me, the fierce Warlord, ache with need. With regret. The one night we’d spent in the cave hadn’t been enough. With a push of a button and perhaps a little intervention from the gods, now, she was mine. All mine and I would never, ever be without her again. Once my cuffs were about her wrists, no one would doubt it. No one could ever take her from me.