by Layla Stone
Then, she touched him. The firm press of her hand on his upper arm and she could have been a Hetten; the tension just left his body immediately.
With one touch.
It might as well have been an iron-hot brand.
“Hello to you, too, Mish. This is our weapons and tactical leader, Commander Pax. He will be joining our call.”
“Three’s not a crowd for me, honey.”
“Three’s a crowd for us,” Pax said. “So, here’s what we need from you, we need to know how many mines are on Brica.”
Before he got to the next question, Mish answered, “Thirty-eight.”
“All active?” Vivra asked, entering the information in another Minky screen.
“No. The planet is pretty much mined. There are only ten still open.”
Pax used a moment where Vivra wasn’t looking to step forward, practically cutting her off from view because he was so large. Mish didn’t miss the move. His head leaned back, and he smirked.
Bastard. “What do you know about the Cenlura and Ula mines?”
“I know that Cenlura was attacked by some pirates a few weeks back. The mine was closing down, so I doubt they got anything more than a few scraps. The Ula mine was closing, too. They are loading everything up and selling off what they can to the other mines.”
Pax rubbed his mouth as he thought about it. Something wasn’t adding up.
Vivra pushed him to the side. “Do you know what other mines are closing down and who’s selling them?”
“For you, sweetheart, I have everything. And I mean…everything.”
Mish had a death wish. Pax would have no issue beating the Demon’s face in. The sudden need to fight and draw blood from the male was…new.
Vivra pressed her hand to Pax’s lower stomach. She was standing in front of him, and he leaned into her touch. She was choosing him—thank, Seth! Her tone clear of interest in the other Red Demon she asked, “I need those numbers and the contact information on every mine that is still active.”
Mish thrummed the table or desk that he was near. “You’ve got it, my sweet flower. Anything else?”
“No. We’ve got what we need,” Pax said, moving his hand on top of Vivra’s. Her proximity was heady, making the Demon need in him almost too much to bear.
“See you soon, sweetheart.” Mish winked.
Pax reached around and pushed the termination button. See you soon? When exactly did this tarq think he was going to see Vivra? “If he calls you to offer more information, you route his call to me.”
Vivra pushed him out of her desk and blocked the small opening so he couldn’t get back in. “If he calls me again with more information, I’ll take care of it myself.”
No, she wouldn’t. “Mish is a Red Demon. As in the non-Federation type. I’ve toned down most of my Demon side. Even Clalls is decent compared to the rest of his kind. You have no idea how to handle a true Kirca-blooded Demon. It’s best if you send his messages to me.”
“I’m a Bolark, I was born able to deal with Demons.”
He grabbed her wrist to pull her in close. “Viv, you can’t even handle me.” He said it low and slow, letting his body’s essence fill her senses. “And I haven’t even started with my plans for you.”
He pulled her closer, waiting to see if she would reject him. He gave her half a second before he brushed his lips over hers. He nipped her lower lip once and then pressed his mouth against hers. Her mouth opened, inviting him in. Seth! He needed her taste.
He deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue into her warm and wanting mouth. Sucking her sweetness into himself. Forcing himself to savor and not devour.
A small moan in the back of her throat made him pull her in tighter. That was her. It was also she who wrapped her smaller hands around his neck, digging her nails in as she deepened the kiss.
Pax cursed.
No longer able to be gentle, he pulled her close and ravaged her mouth, owning the kiss. Commanding her. She responded in kind, giving him everything and raking her nails down his skin. He was sure that she drew a little blood.
The dull pain and pleasure was a sensory overload. Pax didn’t break the kiss as he pulled her out of her desk area then had her sit. He moved between her legs. They wrapped around him instantly, followed by a deeper throat whimper.
Raw. Needy.
All passion. Vivra was going to break him in, and not the other way around. By Seth, he was falling more and more for the gold-green female. “Take off your shirt,” she said.
He obeyed. Then Vivra bit her lip as she looked over his scars…
Cursing, he cupped her neck and pulled her mouth back to his. Unable to let her look at his deep and cutting history. He wasn’t there anymore. He lived. He survived, and he needed her more than he needed anything. She was the first female he’d been pulled toward with this kind of obsessive force, at least within the last hundred years.
Giving attention to her neck, he unbuttoned her jacket. He picked her up and turned them, and she pushed him to the stool, then climbed onto his lap and started lightly biting his jaw, kissing his neck, and rubbing her sex against his hardened cock.
Holy stars. She was using Pax to get off and taking her pleasure into her own hands. Never had he felt so used…and excited.
“Take off my pants.” She stood up, and he quickly drew off her boots, socks, and pants. Only left in a small teal green string of panties, she climbed back on and continued rubbing her pussy against his pants. Dry humping up, down, and again.
He grabbed her hips, pulled her closer, eliminated the gap between them, giving her more of what she needed.
“Almost…so close.” Her eyes opened, and he saw her green eyes lighten to gold. He hadn’t known they could do that. “Need. More,” she whispered.
Pax knew what she needed. He reached under her shirt and rubbed a hardened nipple between his thumb and index finger. He could smell her arousal, didn’t have to look down to know that she had soaked her green panties and his pants, as well. Her scent was pure, clean, and his mouth watered to taste it.
Vivra’s mouth started to drop, and he knew she was close. He pinched her nipple. Hard. She curled into his shoulder with a soft intake of breath.
Lowering his mouth over the crook of her neck, he sucked her skin, and she shivered. Letting go of her nipple and rubbing his lips against her neck, he waited as she came down from her quick climax.
His cock was just as urgent for a quick finish, but Pax had trained himself to give first and take later. At the moment, he had to pull on all of his previous training to keep himself from using her before she was ready.
Vivra’s Minky screen pinged.
They ignored it.
When she sat back, her eyes were dark green again. Pax missed the gold already. “You’re beautiful.” The words escaped before he realized he’d said them.
Vivra’s eyebrows twitched. And then she snorted as she dropped her leg to the side and put her pants back on, leaving her boots and socks on the ground. “You need to move, so no one sees you. I need to take this call.”
The Minky screen pinged again.
And then it hit him sudden and unwelcome…they’d just blitzed. And she was over it.
Just. Like. That.
A dark memory tried to surface, but that was a hundred years ago. His first blitz with a Demon he wanted to savor for years. She took her pleasure and didn’t give any back. Walked out of his room and never looked back. Maybe he had a hundred-year cycle? As in every hundred years, he made the same damn mistake.
Blitzing a selfish partner.
“Sure,” was all he said. Then he swiped up his shirt and jacket and headed to the door, not caring who saw him.
“Pax,” she called from behind him. He almost didn’t respond. Didn’t want to hear her say something that would sting.
He turned. “What?”
Her eyebrows pulled down. “What’s wrong with you?”
/> “Nothing.” The denial was easy.
She rolled her eyes. “I hate liars. If you can’t be an adult about this, then I don’t have any more time for you.” And when he didn’t move, she added, “Bye, then.”
The dismissal just pissed him off.
***
He didn’t put on his shirt or jacket as he stalked into the training room on level eight . He needed to do something. Anything. He sat down at the first set of weights, made sure they were secured, pulled off the bar, and pressed.
He grunted, pulled back, and pressed again.
She got off and ditched him? The hell was that all about?
Yes, he understood that he was a hypocrite because he had done that in the past too, but never had he been so cold. He made sure to take care of his partners. Made sure that when he left, it was mutual, and the female was good. This was different.
This felt…empty.
The training door opened, and Rannn walked in. He didn’t look around as he walked straight to Pax. When Pax didn’t say anything, the captain didn’t say anything either. Instead, Rannn set on another weight and spotted him.
When he was done, Rannn did a set. This continued for the better part of two hours.
Pax didn’t feel the same rage. He moved to the side of the room, grabbed two water packets, and brought one to Rannn.
“How’s your captainship going?”
“I could use some jubriaan.” A Demon alcohol. Harsh. But it took your cares away…quickly.
“That right? Well, when I get some whiskey, I’ll get you some jubriann.”
Rannn snorted after he’d taken a drink. “I already ordered it for myself.”
“Oh? And who’s your Kirca contact?”
“My adopted sister is stopping on Lotus Adaamas for a maintenance C-check.”
Pax whistled. “She’s going to be there a while.” Rannn’s adopted sister, Adelia—Dee—was not a Federation worker. She transported goods as a contractor. Pax always wondered why Rannn didn’t seem worried about her being on Adaamas. It wasn’t particularly safe. Demons didn’t care who you were connected to. They took what they wanted.
“Yeah? Think she will hook up with a Demon?” Pax joked. “She might need a little fun in her life. You know what the Terrans say…what happens on Adaamas, stays on Adaamas.”
“Maybe. But Dee was married and divorced.” Rannn shrugged, and Pax knew it was because he didn’t want to talk about his sister’s failed marriage. She had been caught with another guy by her husband.
It was unheard of on Yunkin. Worse, she wasn’t a Yunkin, and it made her look inferior. Pax knew that Adelia wasn’t allowed back on the Yunkin planet. Once you disrespected the honor code, it was over. No second chances.
“Are you worried about her? Or something else?”
Rannn looked around the empty room, then sat down on the weight bench and pulled his clasped hands to his mouth, two fingertips pressing together over his lips. “You know the Eldon survivors?”
Pax nodded.
“They are the only seven survivors because the planet was just nebulized.” Looking up, he continued, “And the medi-ship that was ordered to that planet to help with the survivors never arrived because a stop order was put in place.”
“Wait. Are you saying it was nebulized knowing there were survivors?” Pax said, feeling his knees get tingly. He sat down on the bench parallel to his captain and dropped the water pouch he held to the floor.
“Yep.”
Pax saw it then. The orders were in direct violation of his honor code.
“What are you thinking of doing?”
Rannn exhaled, his chin pointed at the roof. “I’ve already submitted my report. I assumed the last mission Garna had, so it was mine to report on. I put in all the facts, and at the end, I recommended that Admiral Armsono be removed from the council admirals.”
Pax looked at his friend. Rannn didn’t speak. He didn’t have to. Pax knew his captain, knew that recommending Armsono to be stripped of rank was a big deal. Probably the biggest step he had ever taken as a captain. And the look in his eyes, the simmering wrath for the innocent lives overlooked by the dishonorable admiral…Rannn didn’t feel guilt or remorse for making the recommendation.
And no matter how the consequences rolled out, he would never back down from his stance to take out Armsono.
Pax admired that. Agreed with him, too.
Rannn rubbed a finger under his mouth. “If Ansel is able to clear the survivors and make them safe for reintroduction, I will have all the proof I need to end the admiral’s career.”
“Ansel will find a way.”
Rannn smirked. “He wouldn’t be my medical officer if he couldn’t.”
“It sounds weird when you say it like that.”
Rannn shrugged.
“Hopefully, our next mission will be better,” Pax said, thinking the Brica mission was already looking shaky at best. Maybe the mission after Brica.
One eyebrow shot up. “About that…I told Admiral Orin that he was without honor because he didn’t inform me about being the admiral responsible for Brica and because the files on the planet were fifty years short of being up-to-date.”
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Pax chuffed, then laughed quietly. “You’ve had a busy day.”
Rannn pulled his thick lower lip into his mouth. He stayed that way for several minutes, then slapped his thigh and stood up. “Well, if it all goes wrong, at least it will be over quickly.”
Chapter Eleven
The New Transfers
It had been two days since he’d seen or kissed Vivra. He wasn’t hiding, he just had a lot of work to do. The past two days, Vivra and Clalls had been contacting the mines from their own offices. They’d warned the commanders of the pirate attacks. But today, Pax had more to do than just checking in with the several mines on Brica. His transfers were flying in today.
Ignoring the small buzz of excitement at requesting a video call with Vivra, he waited at his desk for her to accept.
“Commander.” Her voice was devoid of emotion. Very much like a Bolark. But he’d tasted her, and she was not without feeling. Not in the least.
She was trying to play it stone-cold, and he would accommodate for as long as it amused him. Hell, he was over it. He wasn’t even mad about it. And if she asked him to come for an afternoon blitz, he wouldn’t hesitate. “Transfers come in today. I didn’t get the final papers. How many am I getting?” He needed experienced guards and soldiers. Ones that knew how to do their jobs and didn’t need a lot of oversight. They would be arriving at Brica tomorrow, and he would need all that time with his crew.
“Eighty-three.”
His feet dropped from the desk, and his chair sprang forward. “Tell me you’re joking because last you told me, there were at least a hundred or more pirates invading the mines.”
Vivra was reading something on another screen, but she did respond. “I never joke.”
Pax grunted. Wasn’t that the truth. “What’s the demographic?”
“Four Yunkin, twenty-two Bolarks, eight Grach, two Hettens, and forty-seven Federation cyborgs.”
Pax pressed his hands to the table. Bolarks. Twenty-two of them. He’d had a bad experience with them on his team. Ten incidences to be exact. And now, twenty-two. How to tell her to send them back without making it sound personal to her.
“Bolarks aren’t usually in my line of work. The few I’ve had the displeasure of working with tried to get me court martialed. I can’t imagine working with more than one.”
Something passed behind her eyes, but she wasn’t looking at him. Instead, she kept her gaze averted. “That sounds like a you problem.”
Nice jab, sweetheart. “Sounds like I’m going to have to watch my back.”
She stood up and ran her hand through her hair, heading toward the back of her desk. She left the range of the camera, but Pax heard her say, “Bolarks are compet
itive. Can’t handle that, then you have more problems than the new transfers.”
He heard a small pop, followed by a hiss. “Vivra?”
She didn’t answer.
“In my experience, Bolarks aren’t competitive. They’re rank-climbers. Liars. Cowards. They will do whatever it takes to ascend. No matter who they hurt in the process.”
Vivra’s voice carried from wherever she had gone. “You’re judging an entire race based off off…what? How many Bolarks you’ve worked with?”
The number was irrelevant. Pax knew the race. Knew them well. But, yeah, only ten.
“Your transfers, along with the other transfers, will be here in two hours. If you don’t want them on your crew, tell me now so I can send them back to their duty stations.”
Pax wanted to tell her no. Badly. But it would look bad for him to turn the transfers away without a civilized justification. He sat back on the chair and ran his hands over his head. “Sending them back will cause a lot of friction.”
She walked back to her desk and sat down. “A consequence they will deal with because they are adults.”
Her jab was well aimed.
He rubbed his mouth. “All right. Well, great talk.” He terminated the call.
He was sabotaging himself, which was not like him. He wanted Vivra’s taste back on his tongue, and he’d hung up on her.
Great strategy, Pax.
***
Two hours later, he was waiting in the hangar as the galleon ship entered the first section of the Garna and then, once vacuumed-sealed, moved farther into the garage and landed several hundred feet from where he was standing.
It was a large galleon and could hold up to thirty-one-hundred people, including crew members. When the doors to the transporter didn’t open, Pax peered at Vivra, who was standing behind several large Minky screens. When he approached, he saw the images were videos of the ship and a telecommunicator. He checked her list.
Transfer orders:
Galley (21): 15 Terrans, 1 Krant, 5 Grach
Flight Systems (4): 2 Yunkin, 2 Grach
Hydroponics (1): 1 Federation Cyborg