Prime Imperative (The Prime Chronicles Book 3) (3 page)

Jotak stopped about a meter away from the two Volusians and glowered at them. His hands were up, and his claws dripped a yellow-tinged, viscous neurotoxin. “That is-s-s an order.”

Bria and Cheri held onto each other. Who was holding whom up at this point was a toss up. They both shook so hard it was amazing the floors weren’t vibrating.

If Jotak scratched Cheri, she’d be paralyzed, at a minimum, or dead if a large enough amount got into her bloodstream—even with an antidote available.

Bria didn’t have a clue what might or might not happen if Jotak’s toxin entered her bloodstream. The Prime had been isolationists until recently. The only things she knew about the peculiarities of their—her—anatomy and physiology were what she’d gleaned from working with Dr. Lia Morgan-Dakkin of the Alliance Starship
Galanti
, and those tests had been centered on reproductive biology.

She still hadn’t gotten over the mind-numbing shock of finding out she was Prime and not Terran. It had been less than two standard months since that discovery, and she was still coming to terms with the truth. She had a huge learning curve to surmount concerning her true biology.

“Brianna!” Jotak’s shout reverberated through her very bones. Cheri made a tiny squeaking noise and held onto Bria harder. Bria wasn’t ashamed to admit she held back just as hard. “Pay attention, woman.”

Her demented stalker swept a sneering, slitted glare over the two Volusians who’d drawn their battle-blades to defend her and Cheri. “I s-s-said stand down.”

The lead soldier shook his head. “We will not.” He thrust his blade forward. “You won’t heal if I behead you. I suggest
you
stand down.”

“You threaten me? I am your s-s-superior officer. I am in charge of all security personnel in this laboratory facility.”

The two Volusians laughed. “You are not in charge of us. We are Alliance Military and were assigned by Alliance Command to protect Dr. Martin and her team. Your assault of Dr. Martin will be reported to our superiors—who are also your superiors. Now go, my blade wishes to taste Dornian blood.”

“Report me. The Alliance will do nothing.” Jotak hissed and glared at the Volusians, then fixed his angry gaze on Bria.

If looks could kill, well—

“We will discuss-s-s this-s-s issue…later…over dinner. I expect you to be more receptive to my wishes by then. I will pick you up at 1800 hours. Do not make me s-s-search for you,
mehina
.”

What the hell
? He expected her to…the man was as dense as the granite that made up Oz. And like hell she was
his woman
. Well, he’d be forced to come look for her, because she didn’t plan to be anywhere near her apartment at 1800 hours.

Since the reply she wanted to give his outrageous demands would only escalate the tense situation, she said nothing, merely inclined her head as he stalked past them. She didn’t want the injury—or death—of Cheri and the two soldiers on her conscience.

Once Jotak was out of sight and hearing, she turned to the two men who’d stood for her and Cheri. “I’d avoid him for the next few days if I were you. He won’t like that you came to my defense. And just why were you—I’m sorry I don’t know your names—assigned to my team?”

“I am V’niko. My comrade is A’nan. The Alliance has heard rumors of threats against you and your team by the Prime rebel faction, Pure Blood,” V’niko said as the four of them walked back to the lab. “And be assured, we are not afraid of Jotak M’tali. We will report this incident to the proper authorities in the Alliance Command. You ladies will need to make statements tomorrow at the Alliance Military offices.”

V’niko stood in the doorway of the lab and frowned when he spotted the broken microscope and her destroyed workstation. “You are not strong enough to have created such destruction. We will record the scene and the bloody marks on your arm to document M’tali’s attack.”

“Do what you need to do,” Bria said. “But as Jotak said, nothing will come of it. He’ll use his mesmerism abilities to make the problem go away. Then he’ll kill you and hide the bodies. I suspect he’s already killed one witness, an Obam male janitor who was also not susceptible to his hypnotic powers.”

V’niko smiled, and it wasn’t a nice one. “A’nan and I are not easy to kill. Plus the reports will also go to Tooh 10 to our superiors. M’tali is not as powerful as he thinks he is. You and your people will be safe in our care until the
Galanti
arrives to take over.”

“You have to sleep sometime,” Cheri pointed out.

“Yes, which is why you will be moved to a hotel and registered under assumed names. A’nan and I will take turns guarding you there…and here as you do your work.” V’niko gestured to the lab. “Do you have anything else you need to work on tonight? Or, shall we escort you to your residences to pack enough clothing to get you through the next few nights?”

“The
Galanti
will arrive that soon?” Bria frowned. “I was told maybe another three standard weeks before they could make it. The crew is supposed to be on leave after a mission.”

A’nan answered, “Three weeks is still the
Galanti’
s estimated arrival time. If we can’t get M’tali relieved of his post and transferred to Tooh 10 to appear before a tribunal for his assault on you, we will guard you as long as necessary.”

“Mere words aren’t adequate to express my gratitude.” Bria managed to conjure up a smile for the two men.

“You were very brave to stand up to him and fight, Dr. Martin,” V’niko said. “But let A’nan and I do the fighting in the future.”

“I’m
so
all over that sentiment.” Bria’s breathing hitched. “I couldn’t…couldn’t stand him touching me again.” She wrapped her arms around her middle and hugged herself. She was so cold she thought she’d shiver apart. “I can’t ever let him get me alone again. Ever.”

Because, today, she’d tipped her hand and made a grievous error—she’d fought back. In the past, she’d escaped his attentions through guile, quick thinking, and just plain dumb luck. In this attack, she’d demonstrated she wasn’t a timid plains hopper, had proven she could physically hurt him.

Jotak wouldn’t underestimate her again.

“Maybe you shouldn’t come into the lab at all. The team and I, with V’niko’s and A’nan’s protection, can continue to run experiments and get things packed up for the trip to Cejuru Prime. Find a good hiding place,” Cheri urged. “If we need input, telecommute. Stay out of Jotak’s sight. Once on Cejuru Prime, you’ll be out of his reach forever and have other protection.”

The other protection Cheri referred to was Bria’s
gemat.
Only Cheri knew Bria was Prime. She’d confided in her friend when she’d first become aware what her marking meant. She then had Cheri rerun all the tests on Bria’s DNA and document the
gemate
marking. The results had been too important to be tainted by Bria’s self-interest.

Before Bria revealed to anyone else about being a Lost One, she wanted to attempt to locate and meet her
gemat
—if he was even alive. She’d seen enough newsfeeds on Melina Dmitros-Caradoc’s story to know another Lost One appearing would be big news. She was also aware she would immediately become a target for enemies of the Prime. Although it sounded as if the Pure Blood terrorists had already focused on her because of her research.

She touched the area above her right ovary where her marking lay. It was silly, but she sensed the quiescent mark was impatiently waiting for the perfect neurochemical signature of her
gemat
to awaken it fully, just as real danger had roused what she suspected was her battle-mate nature.

Growing up on a communal farm on the planet Gliese 581C, she’d always known the marking made her different. Unique. Special. She just hadn’t realized how much.

Now that she did, she was eager to learn about her birth parents’ heritage, anxious to meet her
gemat
and come together with him. Then and only then, she’d be where she truly belonged.

Chapter 2

That evening

After V’niko and A’nan escorted her and Cheri to their respective apartments to pack bags, the two men took them to a hotel catering to visiting dignitaries and businessmen near the Alliance Military’s compound.

V’niko followed through on his promise and filed a report on Jotak’s attack, along with images of her destroyed lab equipment and the claw marks on her arms. The stalwart Volusian had also informed her that after she and Cheri filed their statements, the Alliance Military would send the military police to arrest Jotak.

Bria had been so happy to hear the news she’d cried.

“So?” Cheri relaxed into the padded banquette seating in the hotel dining room and took a sip of the light white wine the waiter had recommended to complement their seafood entrees. “Jotak’s ass will soon be taken care of. Let’s turn to the more important issue in your life: How are you going to go about finding your
gemat
?”

Bria sipped her wine. It was one made from grapes her adoptive Terran family grew on Gliese 581C. The crisp taste evoked a brief longing for the simpler life she’d led there, but it quickly dissipated. She wasn’t Terran. She was Prime. The discovery of her heritage promised an exciting and challenging future. She’d always liked challenges, which was why she’d left the farming commune to attend college in the Tau Ceti system. Her departure had been against the wishes of her parents and five of her six brothers.

Only Damon, the black sheep brother, the wild one, had supported her need to spread her wings. Which was why he was her favorite sibling.

“Bria? Cheri to Bria.” Her friend snapped her fingers in front of Bria’s face. “What’s wrong? You spaced out on me. Are you still worrying about Jotak?”

“Just thinking the wine was probably made from my family’s grapes.” Her lips twisted slightly. “Was homesick for a second.”

Bria frowned and considered her friend’s question. Was part of her distraction centered on her scary stalker? Yes—it was. A constant niggling in the part of her she now recognized as Prime was telling her the only good Dornian was a dead Dornian—because then, and only then, would she be safe.

“Bria?” Cheri reached to touch her arm. “I don’t like that look. What’s wrong?”

“Jotak
will
continue to be a problem.”

“You can’t know that,” Cheri quite logically pointed out. “V’niko sounded certain the Alliance Military would ship him to Tooh 10 for trial.”

“But he isn’t gone…yet.” Bria shivered and immediately thought of the ancient Terran saying about a goose walking over a person’s grave. Graves, not a good thought. “I’ll feel better tomorrow after we give our statements and he is arrested.”

She picked up her fork and began to eat the seafood risotto she’d ordered. “As for your other question? Lia told me the Prime have a detailed bond mark database only accessible to Prime researchers and certain members of the Elder Council. Once we’re on Prime soil, I should have access to the database for our research. I’ll run my marking to find my match.”

“And what if your
gemat
died during the siege of the planet?” Cheri’s voice was soft as she asked the question which, at one time, had haunted Bria.

But Bria
knew
he was alive—and had no logical way to explain that certainty to Cheri or even herself.

“Then I’ll mourn the man I never knew. Find my birth father and my
gemat
’s birth parents, if they are alive, and add them to my extended family. And…” She looked Cheri in the eye. “…go on to prove that a Prime woman who has lost a mate—or one who has never been marked—is still a woman who can have a full family life with a husband and children.”

“Oh boy,” Cheri murmured and took a large gulp of her wine. “The Prime are never gonna know what hit them, are they?”

“No. I plan to set years of myopic cultural precedent on its ear.” She picked up a flaky dinner roll, buttered it, and then took a decisive bite. “The era of a paternalistic council of elders dictating who can mate with whom due to some neurochemical, adaptive markings is over. The Prime can’t afford to keep any fertile Prime male or female from breeding with other Prime—or with other compatible hominids.”

“I hope the lab on Cejuru Prime has good security,” muttered Cheri as she fiddled with her silverware. “Remember the saying about ‘killing the messenger?’”

“Yeah, I know.” She shoved her fingers through her hair. “But they have no choice—the Prime race is dying. They’ve had less than zero population growth for the last decade according to the statistical reports. Their population is aging, and the men and women who are young enough to have children aren’t allowed to do so unless they have compatible markings. And all that is on top of the fertility and miscarriage issues with mated Prime women, which might be the easier issue to fix in the short term. But long term—”

”They’ll still lose ground unless they mate outside the marking,” Cheri completed the thought.

Bria and her team had had this same conversation many, many times since the Prime joined the Alliance and Bria’s team had been assigned to help the Prime solve their population growth issues. The fact there were still some Luddites among the Prime population—the most dangerous among them, the Pure Blood faction—wouldn’t stop Bria from doing her job.

In an unspoken agreement, the two shifted topics and discussed anything but Jotak, Pure Bloods, Prime population growth, or Bria’s
gemat,
while they enjoyed the rest of their meal.

It was only later, as Bria tossed and turned in the unfamiliar bed, that her thoughts turned once again toward her mate.

This wasn’t the first time her sleep had been disturbed with thoughts of her unknown
gemat,
and it probably wouldn’t be the last. Because it was dark and quiet, with no one around and nothing to distract her, she wondered: Was he a scientist like her, or a warrior who’d appreciate his
gemate
being a battle-mate? Would she be a disappointment to him with her lack of fighting skills?