3013: SYNERGY: A 3013 Novella (3013: The Series) (5 page)

Orion glare at him and growled, “Yes,
she is mine. And I take great offense to what you said.”

Director James gulped and held both of
his hands up as if to ward Orion off. “It was a joke—”

“I will never consider a threat to my
keeper a joke!”

“Let him go. Please.”

Orion didn’t glance back at Morgan’s
soft plea, but he sensed her worry through their bond. She placed her hands on
his back, and her touched soothed his anger enough that he let go of the
director. He took a step back and pulled Morgan with him, keeping her behind
him since she was only dressed in her robe.

“Stop pushing me!”
Morgan snapped.

“I will not let him see you in your
robe. If he sees you bare, I’ll kill him. Stay behind me,”
he growled back. Straightening to his
full height, Orion looked down at Director James with an icy glare. “I don’t
like that you feel you are permitted to speak to my keeper that way. You will
apologize to her…now.”

Director James’ eyes flickered over to where
Morgan was peaking around Orion’s back. “I’m sorry. You know I didn’t mean what
I said.”

She agreed, then shot a nervous glance up
at Orion before she said, “So, umm…now that Orion and I are together...I think
I might need some time off.”

Director James nodded vigorously. “Of
course. I’ll make sure Regent Marks and the others are taken care of while—”

“Good. Do that,” Orion ordered as he
hit the panel on the wall, closing the door in Director James’ face.

“I can’t believe you did that!” Morgan
hissed. “That’s my commanding officer! My boss! He’s going to make my life hell
when I go back to work.”

“Are you going to be returning?” Orion
asked softly. “Do you wish to stay here, Morgan? Is this where you see us
living? Or would you be willing to return to my home world with me, where we
could live in my family’s palace?”

Morgan blinked in surprise. “Wait…what?”

“I told you about it when I explained
how I lost most of my family.”

“You said you wanted to go home when
you retired, not to a palace!”

Orion sensed her panic, but pushed on.
“Does that make a difference? My question still remains the same. Is your
position here so important to you, or would you rather live with me on my home
world where we can make our family our main priority?”

Morgan stiffened the second he
mentioned having a family. They hadn’t spoken about it specifically, but he’d
seen the star on her face. As an ambassador, he had to know what that meant for
their future.

He reached up and stroked his
fingertips across her forehead, trailing them down her cheek until he cupped
her face. “You and I are a family, my love. We deserve time together…away from
all this.”

Hearing that helped her relax a little,
but her heart still ached because they would never have children together. When
he’d told her about losing his family, she had sensed how much he missed them,
and his heartbreak had become her own. It worried her that she wouldn’t be
enough for him. He may love her, but he could still regret fate giving him a
keeper that was infertile. Fortunately for her, they were both distracted when
her empty stomach rumbled in protest.

As if sensing that she needed time to
consider what he had said to her, Orion smiled gently. “Why don’t we go get
something to eat? As I recall, the only thing left in your food console is a
bagel and some questionable cheese.”

That had her blushing. “I’m not much of
a cook, so I don’t store much in here, and I haven’t arranged to have it
reloaded yet.”

“Neither am I. I’d like to stop by my
quarters to change, and if you are agreeable, perhaps we can invite my friends Blaiz
and Daven to join us. I’m sure they would love to meet you.”

She agreed, and got dressed in a long-sleeve
black shirt and khaki-colored cargo pants. Morgan usually wore her uniform or
other comfortable clothes when she wasn’t working. She was a little embarrassed
that she only had a few feminine outfits, but she didn’t really feel like
wearing a dress or skirt today.

It warmed her heart when Orion told her
she looked wonderful. He tried to argue with her about her wearing gloves, but
she explained that she didn’t feel comfortable going out in public without her
gloves since they weren’t sure if he could shield her from everyone’s emotions
yet. He wasn’t pleased that she had to wear them, but she felt that he wanted
her protected so he stopped arguing.

They made their way to his suite so he
could change, and his friends gladly accepted the invitation to join them when
Orion contacted them. Daven and Blaiz agreed to meet them on the lower level
where most of the restaurants were located. Since the space station wasn’t
officially opened, there were a lot of empty business spaces, so she suggested
going to the one place she knew had decent food this time of day—the sanctuary,
Asylum.

When they reached the lower level, Morgan
instantly liked both Blaiz and Daven as soon as she met them. Daven kissed the
back of her gloved hand in greeting, which earned him a hard shove from Orion.
She was surprised when she didn’t feel an onslaught of Daven’s emotions when
he’d touched her, but then again, Orion had told her that both of his friends
were well-versed at keeping their thoughts and feelings contained. Still, she
could sense that Daven was pleased that she was Orion’s keeper, and that made
her like him even more.

“He is such a brute,” Daven said with a
wink. “It’s a shame that such a gentle beauty is stuck with him.”

She snorted in derision. “Are you
kidding? He’s the gentle one in this relationship.”

Daven burst out laughing, and even
though Blaiz didn’t smile, his iridescent eyes sparkled with amusement. “I’m
pleased to see you will keep our friend in line,” Blaiz said as he gave her a
small bow. “Orion needs a keeper, in every sense of the word.” 

Irritated, Orion pulled Morgan to his
side and glared as his friends. “Behave. Both of you. Where are Ivan and Lorn?
I thought you were taking care of them.”

Daven rolled his eyes. “They’re wandering
around here somewhere. I don’t think they can stand us anymore than we can
them. Don’t tell me you want them to come with us. That would ruin my
appetite.”

Orion shrugged. “I’m fine with them
entertaining themselves. Morgan wants to take us to the sanctuary onboard.”

“Sanctuaries are always fun,” Blaiz
said with no small amount of anticipation.

Morgan smiled back at him, then took
Orion’s hand without thinking as she led them toward Asylum. Her first instinct
was to let go, but she felt Orion’s pleasure at her display of affection, so
she continued to hold onto him.

When they entered Asylum, the sound of
music and laughter filled the air. The dark red and black décor created an
ominous feel to the place, but Morgan thought it only added to the atmosphere. Since
it was still early when most people were on duty, it wasn’t as loud as it
usually was during the later hours when the place was packed with people.

 Morgan felt sheer joy when she
wasn’t immediately bombarded with emotions despite the fact that there were
several tables filled with people inside. It was the first time she’d ever been
in a public place without that happening, and she owed it all to Orion. He
squeezed her hand, and she felt a wave of love coming from him that almost
brought tears to her eyes.
“Thank you.”

“For what, love?”

“For giving me control of my abilities,”
she answered.
“You don’t know how
much that means to me.”

“It pleases me that our bond has helped
you.”

“Hey, Morgan,” Zade Tavish sent her a
wicked grin as he strode toward them. “Not in uniform today?”

She had to look up at the large Krytos
male to smile back at him. “Not today. Up to no good again, Zade?”

He laughed. “Of course. It’s what I do
best. You showing another group around? Grab a table in the back, and stay away
from that group of Reema. I have a feeling we might have to bust some heads
together soon.”

Morgan glanced over to the three Reema
males that were sitting at a table. The Reema were a reptilian race, with
scale-like skin that enjoyed drinking as much as they liked making credits.
They were considered a hostile ally to the Alliance, although, even that was
debatable at times. The Reema were often motivated by profit more than
morality, and they could be found wherever there was a chance to strike a deal.

She sighed. “They do look like trouble.
However, if you get into another fight, Olivia might end up trying to kill you.”

“She can try. You know the Krytos like
it rough.” Zade’s dark eyes gleamed with mischief, and the flare of his
emotions told her there was nothing he’d like more.

Laughing at that, Morgan shook her
head. “Zade, I’d like to introduce you to my bonded—or keeper, Ambassador Orion
D’Sil, and his friends, Blaiz and Daven. This is Zade Tavish, one of the owners
of Asylum.”

Zade’s eyes widened slightly. “Your keeper?”
He ignored the other two males, and his eyes narrowed on Orion. “Ambassador or
not, you better treat her well, D’Aire. Morgan is a friend of ours, and we
protect our own.”

“She belongs to me, and needs no other
protection but mine,” Orion growled in response.

Zade’s frown turned back to a smile
instantly. “Good. That’s what I wanted to hear.”

Morgan inserted herself between the two
males. There was way too much testosterone in the air for her. “Okay, you’ve
had your fun. We’re going to sit down now.” She pulled Orion away from Zade, toward
the back of the bar.
“Sorry about that. He was just trying to be a good
friend.”

He squeezed her hand.
“He was being
insulting, but it was for your benefit, so I will try not to be offended. The
Krytos are a different breed…sometimes annoyingly different.”

“You should have shoved your fist in
his face,” Daven muttered.

“Orion knows better than to break the
rules of a sanctuary,” Blaiz countered. His voice lowered to an annoyed hiss. “Damnation,
they’re here.”

“We heard you’d found your keeper.
She’s lovely,” Ivan said as he and Lorn walked over to join them.
“Congratulations, Orion.”

“Thank you, Ivan,” Orion said, then he
introduced Morgan to the two D’Aire males.

Although she had immediately liked
Blaiz and Daven, she had the complete opposite reaction to the two new males. She
couldn’t sense their emotions, but something about them put her on guard and
made her feel extremely uncomfortable. Since they were both being considered as
Orion’s replacement after he retired, she was extremely curious to figure out
why she was feeling that way.

After greetings were exchanged, Lorn
said, “It’s a shame we have to leave. We were just passing a little time here
before we meet Ambassador M’Dor and his keeper. They just arrived and were
gracious enough to invite us to dine with them.” He smiled at Morgan. “It was a
pleasure meeting you, and I’m sure we will see you again soon.”     

As they began to leave, Morgan shifted
to the side. Instead of moving out of the way, she kept close enough to brush
against Lorn’s arm as he passed her. The move had been deliberate on her part, and
she hoped it had been slight enough that no one would notice. She braced herself,
and even through the material, she read him loud and clear. It was difficult to
hide her reaction, but she struggled to keep her expression neutral as Lorn’s
emotions hit her like a laser blast.

Orion looked down at her with concern.
“Is
something wrong? You are blocking me again, but I can still feel that something
has upset you.”

“Not you. I was trying to block him.”
 She watched them leave, and when
Lorn turned back, he smiled at them before exiting the bar with Ivan. “Thank
the stars, I don’t think he knows.”

“Knows what?”

“That I read him.” She looked up at
Orion. “Did you pick them to replace you?”

“No, the Conclave suggested them to
me.”

“Then they have some explaining to do,”
she said, the anger clear in her voice. “Because I’d say they need a pretty fucking
good explanation why they chose someone who hates humans as much as Lorn does
to work with the Alliance.”

CHAPTER FIVE

Silence met Morgan’s statement.

“I guess that wasn’t what you were
expecting to hear.” She watched their expressions change from shock to anger.

After a long pause, Blaiz asked, “How
were you able to read him when we aren’t able to get past their shields even
though we are seekers?”

“I’m a Class-A Empath, with a little
extra.” She held up her gloved hands. “My abilities are strong enough that I
can even read objects after someone has touched them. So, when I brushed
against Lorn, the amount of hate rolling off that male was enough to make me
sick if the bond I have with Orion hadn’t helped me. If I had touched that
asshole with bare skin, I probably would have thrown up all over him.”

“I would have liked to see that,” Daven
grumbled.

Orion pulled Morgan toward an empty
table and waited for her to sit before taking the chair next to her. He pulled
off one of her gloves, then took her hand in his, reaching up with his other
hand to stroke her hair. “I’m not pleased you risked touching him, and you will
never do so with bare skin if it will make you ill.”

Morgan shuddered. “Trust me, I’m not
planning on it.”

“Good. Now, tell us exactly what you
felt.”

She took the next few minutes to
briefly explain how her gift worked to Daven and Blaiz. After she gave them the
background they needed, she told them what she’d felt the instant Ivan and Lorn
had walked over to join them. She admitted that she’d purposely brushed up
against the male in order to try to figure out why she’d felt so uneasy around
them, and saw Orion’s fierce frown.

“He has to be up to something if he
wants the position. And all that stuff he said about it being nice to meet me
was total bullshit. What he really felt was disgust and pity for you because
you’re stuck with a human keeper.”

“I’m going to kill that worthless
little fucker,” Orion bit out through clenched teeth. “He will answer for his
treachery.”

Morgan could feel his anger, but thankfully,
it didn’t make her sick. Their conversation was interrupted when a Krytos
female walked over to their table.

“Hi, Morgan! I didn’t see you sneak in.
And I see you’ve got yourself some good looking wind riders with you. Welcome
to Asylum,” she said cheerfully to the males. “I’m guessing you’re here for the
grand opening?”

“Shay, this is my keeper.” Morgan gestured
toward Orion, then she introduced Shay to the males.

The Krytos’ eyes went wide. “Holy shit
storm, you’re mated?”

Morgan grinned at her friend. “Weird,
right?”

Orion bristled beside her and squeezed
her hand. “Why is it weird?”

“Because she usually avoids males like
the plague,” Shay explained before Morgan could. “Damn, girl. Congratulation,
he’s hot.”

“Careful, he’s mine,” Morgan warned
with a laugh.

“Oh, I know. But I’m not blind,” Shay
said with a wink. “Let me get your order before I get myself in trouble.”

They gave her their drink and food
orders after she told them the specials for the day. After she left, Blaiz
stared at Morgan from across the table. “I thought females got jealous when
another expressed interest in their male.”

   “Oh, we do, but…” Morgan
pointed toward the bar. “Do you see that male she’s talking to? And the two
guys standing near the entrance? Those extremely possessive, large males are
her mates.”

Orion smiled at her. “That may be, but
I still know that you didn’t like her complimenting me.”

She sniffed delicately. “So? I seem to
recall you took exception to Daven kissing my hand earlier.”

“And that will be the last time that ever
happens,” he promised darkly.

Daven and Blaiz laughed, then tried to
hide their amusement as Shay returned to their table with their drinks. After
her tray was empty, Shay tucked it beneath her arm and lowered her voice to a
whisper. “Do you know who those Dragon Warriors are?”

That had Morgan’s head jerking up so
she could scan the room. “What? I didn’t know there were any here. Where are
they?”

Shay pointed to two cloaked figures
with hoods over their heads that were sitting at a table a few feet away from
the loud group of Reema males. From her vantage point, Morgan couldn’t see
their faces because of their hoods, but she did notice that they seemed to have
a large number of glasses in front of them. It was also strange, because it
didn’t seem like either of them were talking. They were just sitting there,
each of them taking a few sips from a glass before moving on to the next one.

“What’s with all the drinks?” Daven
asked before anyone else could.

“At first I thought they were just weird
when they ordered every drink we have, but I figured we’ve had stranger requests
in here, so I brought them what they asked for…after they slapped a huge pile
of credits on my tray. I was about to leave their table when one of them looked
up, and I have to admit, it shocked me to see that her eyes were glowing.”

Orion nodded. “The Dragon Warrior eyes
are unmistakable.”

“I wonder…can they get intoxicated?”
Blaiz asked, studying their table.

Shay’s eyes widened in horror, but
Morgan rushed to assure her, “As far as I know, it’s almost impossible for them
to get drunk. And it would take a lot more than what they have there… like, a
cargo container more.”

“Good,” Shay said with relief. “Because
if those two tore it up in here, it would be a total shit show.”

“I don’t think we have to worry about
that.” Orion glanced across the room. “I wonder who they are, though.”

Morgan bit her lower lip. “We have no
Dragon Warriors on our list of visitors for the grand opening. The ones I know
aren’t coming. I just spoke to my friend Alexis a few days ago. She just gave
birth to twins, and she’s on Tartarus right now. Is the other one female, too?”

Shay turned to glance at the two
cloaked figured in question. “Might be, but I’m not sure. As long as they don’t
make trouble, I’m fine with them drinking as much as they want. Crap, they’re
almost done with this round. I have to bring them another tray of drinks now. I’ll
be back with your food in a few.”

After she left, Blaiz asked, “Do you
think the Dragon Warriors are here because of the Xenon?”

“It would make sense,” Orion said. “If
both of those races have been around as long as I believe, they might have a
history we don’t know about.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Morgan
saw someone enter the sanctuary. She smiled when she realized it was Olivia. “That’s
Commander Jacobson. She’d a good friend of mine, and she’s totally going to
freak out when she finds out we’re bonded. Let me call her over so I can
introduce you.”

“You might want to wait on that. She
doesn’t look happy,” Orion pointed out.

Morgan had raised her arm to call her
over, but lowered it when she got a good look at her friend’s expression.
Olivia looked ready to do battle, and her sights were set on Axton Tavish, who
had just come out from behind the bar. Morgan flinched when one of the Reema
reached out and slapped Olivia’s ass as she passed by their table.

When Axton let out a roar of rage and
charged across the room, Morgan whispered, “Oh, shit…”

“Damnation,” Orion breathed, then he winced.
“I’d heard that the Reema could grow back their limbs, but I’ve never seen
someone rip one of their arms off before.”

“Should we call for security?” Daven
asked. “Or perhaps a cleanup crew?”

Morgan shrugged. “I’m sure security
will show up sooner or later. Stuff like this happens all the time. I wouldn’t
worry about it.”

Orion, Daven and Blaiz stared at her in
shock, but their attention was pulled back to the other side of the room as the
other Reema stood up. When Axton struck the first Reema using his own bloody
arm like a baseball bat, all hell broke loose.

“He’s beating that male with his own
arm,” Daven said in awe. “That’s just—”

“Disgusting,” Blaiz interjected. “And
very resourceful. I like his style.”

Morgan sipped her drink and watched the
chaos with fascination since she’d never been around a fight without being
affected by the raging emotions before. She wanted to laugh when Orion, Blaiz
and Daven began to critique the brawl as if they were spectators at an event.

When the Reema with the missing arm stumbled
back into a one of the cloaked figures, all the fighting stopped when he simply
burst into bloody dust. As the two figures at the table slowly stood up, they
pulled back their hoods to reveal two gorgeous, black-haired Dragon Warriors
who looked so similar that they had to be related. The females exchange words
with Axton, Zade, and Olivia, but they spoke so low that Morgan couldn’t catch
what was being said.

Then, suddenly, both Dragon Warriors disappeared.

Morgan blinked. “That’s not something
you see every day. What the hell just happened?”

“You mean the exploding guy or the
Dragon Warriors disappearing?”

She waved her hand in the air. “I’ve
seen the disappearing act before. Someone exploding…that’s new.”

Orion rubbed a hand over her thigh. “That’s
apparently what happens when you piss a Dragon Warrior off.”

“Stars, Olivia looks like she has her
hands full.” Morgan watched as her friend stomped out of the sanctuary with
Axton hot on her heels.

Blaiz grinned. “Watching that guy
explode was kind of badass.”

“And gross,” Daven added. “Looks like
security is late to the party.”

As the elite security officers rushed to
collect the wounded Reema, Shay appeared carrying a stacked tray. She set the tray
down on a neighboring table before placing their plates in front of them. “Axton
said this is on the house as a mating gift.”

“You mean the male who ripped that guy’s
arm off?” Daven asked dryly.

“That was pretty fun to watch, wasn’t
it?” Shay asked, beaming at them. “Isn’t he awesome? That’s why we love our
alpha. He’s so subtle when he’s angry. Enjoy your food!” She laughed as she
walked away from their table.

Morgan took pity on them and explained.
“Subtle isn’t a word that describes Axton, and they take pride that he isn’t. He’s
the alpha here, even though he doesn’t like people calling him that. He
basically lives by his own set of rules, but he takes care of his people, and
can be a really good male to know.”

Daven frowned. “I’m sure that’s true, yet
all Krytos alphas seem to be slightly…”

“Psychotic?” Blaiz snorted. “But that’s
what makes them so entertaining.”

“That’s one way of putting it.” Orion
paused to take a bite of his food and chew before saying, “All of the alphas I
know have very strong personalities. It’s what makes them leaders.”

“Crazy leaders of more crazy Krytos,”
Daven muttered around a mouthful of food as he watched one of Shay’s mates slam
his fist into the face of one of the Reema that had been mouthing off before
security could take him away.

“I’m still very curious to figure out
who those Dragon Warriors are,” Orion said. “I’m also very interested to know
if they were here because of the Xenon. I believe I’ll have to meet with Adric
and Iyana M’Dor tonight to discuss some of this. I especially want to talk to
them about who will be replacing me after this trip.”

Blaiz sighed. “Please tell me you
aren’t going to choose Ivan. I can’t stand that jackass. Maybe Morgan should read
him to make sure he isn’t as fucked up as Lorn.”

Orion didn’t want his keeper to read
Ivan, even though the information would be helpful. But it wasn’t necessary
since he’d already figured out a way to make sure someone worthy replaced him. “Actually,
I’ve already made my decision.” He met Blaiz’s gaze and said, “I want you to
take my place.”

Blaiz blinked, then sputtered, “You
can’t be serious.”

“I believe you’re perfect for the
position, Blaiz. You’ve been with me for years, and you’ve watched everything
I’ve done. You know the rules, regulations, and the protocols. It would be a
seamless transition.”

 “Orion, I’m not as patient as you
are. Daven would be a better choice.”

“Oh, no,” Daven said holding up his
hands. “I’d make a horrible ambassador. I like to help, but there’s no way I
want to run the show. Plus, I’m younger than you are. Orion is right. You’d
make a great ambassador, Blaiz.”

“Well, shit…” Blaiz rubbed his fingers
against his forehead as if he had a headache. “I wasn’t expecting this.”

Orion let his friend think for a moment
as he took a sip of his drink. “It’s your decision, but I’d like you to accept
the position.”

Blaiz shook his head. “You know it’s
not that simple. The Conclave always chooses individuals with influential
families to represent our race. My parents worked in your palace. I don’t have
the background or the—”

“Don’t do that,” Orion ordered softly.
“We are family. You and Daven have been brothers to me all these years. Your council
has been invaluable, and I will be forever grateful for your friendship. You
have helped me stay the course when I wanted to give up. And without both of
you, I wouldn’t have found Morgan.”