“Understood,” Matrix said with a nod as he turned to head back to the city.
Sparx and Colby watched him walk away for a moment before Colby broke the silence with a cough.
“The men are worried, sir.”
Sparx frowned, unsure what Colby meant by that statement.
“Explain,” he ordered.
“Tensions were high within Fyeir before we received the wave from Earth recalling two of the women—”
“And the men have nothing new to worry about,” Sparx interrupted, seeing where the conversation was leading. “I know the number of volunteers seems abysmal when you look at the number of Djaromir we have seeking mates, but it is just a start. Once the women that arrive are happily matched, Earth will see that the program works, and we can renegotiate the terms of our agreement.”
When Colby nodded, Sparx let out an internal sigh of relief. He was happy at least one of them believed him.
As one of the reigning warlords, the safety and future of his people weighed upon his shoulders. He knew his men were unraveling under the strain of what could happen if the program failed. The odds were not in their favor. Now, however, was not a time to focus on the odds. He needed to stay focused on the possibilities.
“Listen and know this,” he said, his voice dropping low. “As long as I am warlord, Djaromir and its people will not go quietly into extinction. Earth has shown us that they have mates for the men here, and we will find a way to claim them.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because I won’t have it any other way,” he announced firmly.
Even though he had no intention of finding himself a mate, it didn’t mean he wasn’t going to do everything he could to bring matches for the men he ruled. They would make strong, reliable matches for the humans who were lucky enough to respond to their mating heat.
Sparx, on the other hand, planned to stay far away from the messiness of love and caring as long as he possibly could. The last thing he wanted was an inconvenience that had the ability to make him weak.
Chapter Eight
“I can’t believe this is happening,” Lucy moaned, trying to stand up on the ankle she’d just rolled as she’d been taking her first few steps down the ramp.
“I can’t take you anywhere,” Rue huffed, trying to prop her up, regardless of the wind gusts pushing against them. “What did you trip over?”
“Absolutely nothing,” she said, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill inside the helmet of her space suit. “I swear to God, Rue. I have the worst fucking luck of anyone I know.”
“Heh,” Rue shot back with a shrug that almost dumped Lucy off her shoulder. “It could have been worse.”
“How?” she snapped, looking around at everyone as they watched her hobble with her bestie’s help down the ramp.
“Well,” Rue huffed, “you could have taken me down with you. Just imagine that for a minute. Rolling like a bowling ball down this ramp and knocking everyone out of the way like pins. That would have been much, much worse. If anything, we can blame it on this thick-ass snow. I practically mowed down the gal in front of me when I didn’t see her stop.”
Lucy thought about Rue’s argument for a split second before nodding in agreement. Her friend was right. The picture she’d created was a vivid one that Lucy literally winced at. That would have been loads worse than her simply rolling her ankle and falling over.
“Thanks for the silver lining.”
“That’s what I’m here for.”
“Are you harmed?” Bonner rushed forward, ignoring Tabitha’s stomp of frustration at losing his attention. “Your vitals are showing a spike in blood pressure. Maybe you should go back inside the shuttle and sit while we assess the damage.”
Lucy immediately shook her head to protest, worried her grand adventure was going to be prematurely snuffed, when a roar drifted to them on a gust of wind.
Every single person froze, even the Phaetons, as the sound died away in the storm.
“What was that?” Rue whispered, her voice the only other noise competing with the howls of the wind.
“This planet has its own dangers,” Trex said, scanning the perimeter, even though they seemed to be surrounded by nothing but a white void. “Our shuttle did not pick up any threats when we landed, but one or two may have moved in since then. Bonner, how much longer before our escort arrives?”
“My scanner shows they are almost on top of us,” he said, hiking a thumb over his shoulder. “Coming from that direction. Maybe we should have the women move back into the shuttle… This exposure cannot be good for them.”
Trex shook his head and walked close to Bonner to discuss the situation without the women listening in.
A chill crept up the back of her neck in the space suit as she thought about the roar they’d heard earlier. Keeping her ears peeled—as much as she could in the bubble helmet that came with the suit—Lucy tried to eavesdrop on the escorts as they bickered back and forth, as well as whatever had made her want to piddle a bit. Whatever it was had sounded almost dinosaur-like in its roar, as scary as that sounded.
Her arm automatically tightened around Rue when she picked up a faint rumble in the distance. Peering past the still arguing Phaetons, she felt an immense wave of relief when she was able to make out the faint illumination of headlights. As they moved closer, so did the rumble of whatever engine was propelling it through the whiteout around them.
Within moments, a large, sleek silver automobile the size of an airstream camper pulled to a smooth stop beside the Phaeton shuttle. Chunks of ice and sleet dripped down the shiny metal sides as the steam rolled from underneath it.
“Looks like our ride is here,” she said, feeling a flood of relief at the idea that whatever had made that scary roar would soon be unable to get to them.
Hopefully.
“Nice,” Rue murmured as the door slid open and the women began piling in with the help of Trex and Bonner.
“Careful now,” Bonner instructed, helping Lucy over the threshold and into a seat before making sure the next woman was boarded and comfortable.
Lucy buckled her belt automatically before trying to figure out just how much she’d managed to fuck her ankle up. Giving it an experimental wiggle, she bit back a curse at the sharp pain that sliced through the appendage.
“That bad, huh?”
Biting her lip, she looked up at Rue, who’d snagged the seat across from her in the weird space train they’d boarded. She nodded, her fear of being sent back early from the program growing with every resonating ache that radiated from her ankle. The only thing she could think of was that this was the end of the line for her. Rue would go on to live the life they’d both dreamed of, and Lucy Goosey was going to be sent back to Earth where she’d limp around cursing her bad luck until she died a bitter old woman.
She knew that exact scenario was a bit dramatic, but that’s where she was at right now. Dying alone in an apartment while her dozen cats fed off her body until the neighbors noticed the smell and called the authorities.
“I’m sure it’s just a sprain,” Rue said, trying but failing to cheer her up.
“Maybe,” she said, keeping her panic on the inside as she thought about how screwed she was.
How was she going to manage maneuvering around in a cave if she’d seriously hurt herself? The last time she’d had crutches, she’d almost maimed the family pet—accidentally, of course—and her family had sent her to stay with her grandma until she’d healed. She’d been relegated to a senior living community where she was surrounded by plastic-covered furniture and macramé.
As if that hadn’t been enough of a kick in the teenage teeth, she’d been loaned a Rascal scooter while living there from one of her grandma’s bingo friends. You would have thought the hits would have ended there—ring the bell; she’s taken too many hits—but nope. Not by a long shot.
Betty the bingo buddy, the nice,
little old lady that had been overly keen on her to borrow that Rascal scooter…
She had assured Lucy that Phil, her late husband, would have been absolutely thrilled to see it being used. Apparently, he would have been “rolling over in his grave at the idea of wasted money simply sitting in the corner.”
Especially since he’d only managed to drive it a few days before literally having a heart attack. While scootering around the complex.
“I wouldn’t let that bother you too much, sweetie,” her grandma had whispered into her ear as Betty had passed over the keys. “It wasn’t like he died on it. When he went into cardiac arrest, he rolled right off it and into the bushes by the clubhouse.”
As if that made the entire situation more acceptable.
“Don’t worry, Luce. I got you.” Rue’s voice broke into her thoughts like a pin popping a bubble.
Thank goodness for Rue.
Lucy blew her bestie a kiss, hating the fact that she couldn’t give her friend a hug right then and there for the unwavering support she always supplied. It was something that she never had to ask for but was always there regardless of the situation. It was also one of the reasons why she considered Rue more of a sister than simply a best friend.
“Hold on tight,” a gruff voice announced from the front of the vehicle.
The Phaeton escorts barely had time to brace themselves before the windowless van jerked into motion, tossing Trex back into his seat with a thump.
“Holy shit!” Rue exclaimed, an excited smile on her face as she met Lucy’s own panicked eyes.
Gripping the bottom of the chair under her ass, Lucy felt the vibration of their speed as they rocketed forward. If she hadn’t been belted in, she most likely would have slid straight out and onto the floor, considering she couldn’t brace both feet on the ground.
Within moments, the vibration had died down as they began to noticeably slow, the bumps becoming bigger and more frequent.
“Stay seated,” Trex instructed as he moved cautiously up to the front of the vehicle.
The women all looked around at each other as they were jostled, some of them clearly panicked at the less-than-smooth ride they were experiencing.
“Humans,” Bonner said, getting their attention from where he was now braced by the door. “Once we are inside the gates of Fyeir, we will do one final scan before handing you over to the Djaromir.”
At his words, a shiver raced up Lucy’s spine.
“Holy shit, this is really happening,” Rue announced, her face as stunned as Lucy suddenly felt.
As if she were just now realizing that they’d jumped out of the pot and into the fire.
Chapter Nine
Sparx turned the wheel sharply to the left, swerving to avoid the one last mound of snow that blocked his path into Fyeir.
Personally, he had no problem plowing right through the quickly building barriers at full speed. The vehicle he was driving was built for precisely that function. However, the Phaeton who’d come up to talk to him moments ago had diplomatically reminded him of the fragile cargo he was now transporting.
Which was the only reason he’d slowed down the speed at which he was approaching the safety of their gates.
“The volunteer files finished uploading just in time for us to welcome them into Fyeir.” Colby’s voice came from the speaker mounted on the dashboard of the vehicle Sparx was driving. “The radar does not show a threat, so I have started opening the gates. Confirm before entry. Visibility is still low.”
Sparx swiped at the screen until it switched to the camera mounted at the head of the bus showing the terrain in front of him and the approaching gates.
“I see the appeal of having a vehicle like this. Sat uplink to the command center, the power to break through the ice drifts without stopping, and I’ve heard they even have heated seats. Do you think the Phaetons would object to giving us a few more for us to use on our hunting treks?”
Sparx rolled his eyes at Colby’s proposal. “You’ve just listed all the reasons why this will be the one and only vehicle we acquire from the Phaetons. And before you think that we will be taking it out during our treks, I can assure you that will not be happening.”
“Was it the heated seats?” Colby asked, his voice disappointed.
“Partly,” he answered with a shrug as he maneuvered the vehicle they were talking about through the gates and into the first cavern. “The conditioning we put the men through is dangerous yet, but it is also a vital part of living on Djaromir. Every time you step outside of these gates unprotected, you not only remember how to survive the elements but also respect them. One of the reasons we are so strong is because Djaromir has shaped us into the men we have become. Taking advantage of these comforts is convenient but unnecessary, and harmful to our ways if we want to preserve the core of life here.”
“I guess you have a point,” Colby said mulishly, his voice crackling through the speaker.
“There is always a reason behind my actions,” Sparx muttered mostly to himself, as he slid out of the vehicle and began to move towards the still-open gates where Colby was waiting.
Triggering the levers, the pair began the long process of closing the gate that protected the city. Only when they began to lock did he turn back to the frost-covered silver shell he’d driven to the Phaeton shuttle and back.
Knocking sleet off his boots, he slapped Colby on the back.
“Are you ready to possibly meet your mate?”
“Are you ready for yours?” Colby shot back, before dodging out of the way of Sparx’s swinging fist.
“Not funny,” he grumbled.
“Sorry, sir,” Colby said with a smile, showing he wasn’t actually that apologetic at all. “Did the escorts say anything about the two volunteers who’d matched in their system?”
“No, and I’m not going to mention it to them either,” Sparx said, keeping his voice low as they walked back to the vehicle. Mentioning it to the men would only start an argument they wouldn’t allow the Phaetons to win, and he’d prefer to avoid the fallout of that if possible. “The only thing they’ve relayed to me was a request to slow down and that one bride was injured leaving the shuttle.”
“What happened? Is she okay?” Colby asked immediately, his face full of worry. “Do I need to alert the command center that we need medical assistance?”
“Calm down,” he instructed the younger Djaromir. “I’m unsure how she injured herself, considering they’d already left the shuttle before I even arrived.”
“Which went against their instructions,” Colby tsked, his face a little more than angered at the Phaetons for not following the orders they’d been given. “I’m surprised there was only one injury, considering the current storm pattern out there.”
“I know,” Sparx agreed, angry himself at the lack of care the Phaetons had shown by not following safety protocol with their volunteers.
When he’d brought it up to Trex in the cockpit, the Phaeton had shrugged it off. That, of course, put Sparx on even more of an edge. The safety of the women wasn’t something to be shrugged off. He knew firsthand how destructive inattentiveness could be. It was imperative that the humans, and the Phaetons shuttling them here, knew precisely how dangerous their surroundings were. Instructions that may have seemed unimportant to the Phaetons were put in place by the miners who knew how deadly the planet was. They were literally there to keep everyone alive.
As he reached for the handle to the door, a tingle crept up the back of Sparx’s neck.
A physical awareness that made him stall; his senses attuned to a change in the air.
“Are you all right?” Colby asked when Sparx paused, his hand frozen on the lever.
“Yes,” he grunted, clearing his dry throat as he tried to shake off the foreboding. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“No reason,” Colby replied, his brow furrowed in confusion as he watched him closely. “Are you going to open the door?”
“Well,” Sparx said gruffly into the silence that accompanied his entrance, his breath showing on the air in front of him, “come on then.”
Narrowing his eyes at the men he considered to be on his shit list, a term Lady Juniper had taught him the value of, he let out a low growl.
“That is assuming you are able to get the women safely off this vehicle?” he asked, his voice holding as much sarcasm as he could possibly put into it. Sparx waited to see if either one of the escorts would say anything to his digging and wasn’t disappointed when Trex shot him a glare.
Good, Sparx thought. He’d have absolutely no problem teaching the uppity Phaeton warrior what happened when disrespect was shown to a warlord.
“Her injury was not our fault,” Trex snapped, climbing out of the door to stand toe-to-toe with Sparx.
“It is completely your fault,” he bit back, leaning down to get as close to the shield guarding the other man’s face as possible.
In the span of a few seconds, he observed multiple expressions through the transparent barrier. Anger. Guilt. Regret. And then anger again. Sparx wasn’t surprised that the anger won out in the end.
“She’s big and clumsy,” Trex snarled, bumping his chest into Sparx as he tried to defend himself. “I refuse to take the blame for her inability to walk without hurting herself.”
Without pause, Sparx reached forward and grabbed the Phaeton by the shoulders. Spinning him around, he hooked the warrior’s chin into the curve of his large bicep and squeezed.
“Warlord Sparx,” Colby interjected, his voice one of reason as Sparx shook with anger at the man he was currently choking.
“I-I-I didn’t-t-t,” Trex sputtered, his hands slapping ineffectually at the arm around him.
Miners of Djaromir: Sparx Page 5