Kiss of Eon: Eon Warriors #4 Read online

  “What was that?” Allie asked.

  Brack straightened, his face grim. “An explosion.”

  Chapter Three

  Brack burst out of the door and into the corridor, Allie on his heels. He’d sent the others to the bridge to coordinate from there.

  He touched his collar. “Bridge, report?”

  “Second Commander, there was an explosion in the docking connection between the Desteron and the Divergent,” a warrior answered.

  By Ston’s sword. “Status of the Divergent?” He caught the serious line of Allie’s face.

  “Appears to be minor damage.”

  Allie’s tense shoulders relaxed a fraction.

  “And the Desteron? Any casualties?” Brack pointed to a side corridor and they switched directions.

  “Casualties unknown at this stage. There is damage at the docking port, but containment fields are holding. There are active fires in the docking bay, and rescue teams are inbound.”

  “What happened?” Brack barked.

  “Unknown at this stage. Sorry, Second Commander.”

  He and Allie rounded a corner, and hit a cloud of smoke.

  He paused and commanded his helian to form his armor. Black scales flowed out from his wristband, spilling over his chest and down his legs.

  Allie stood, watching with interest.

  “We have firefighting equipment in the storage compartments at the docking bay doors.”

  He strode over and opened the compartments. He pulled out two sleek extinguishers and handed one to Allie.

  She took it, checking it over. She nodded.

  Voices echoed down the corridor and he saw the warriors from the rescue team approaching. But he also heard screams and moans from inside. He shifted on his feet, desperate to move. Allie took a step toward the bay doors.

  “You should wait for the team,” he said, interrupting her movement.

  She lifted her chin. “No way. My people are in there, too.”

  He nodded and shoved his way through the malfunctioning doors, Allie one step right behind him. Cren. There were flames and debris everywhere.

  He heard screams—Eon and Terran.

  He and Allie charged through the smoke. Several ceiling panels had collapsed in places.

  “We need to get the fires out,” he yelled.

  She nodded. They worked side-by-side, spraying the high-tech extinguishers around, and putting out the flames.

  Finally, Brack spotted an injured warrior. The man was unconscious on the floor, burns on one side of his face. Brack hooked his hands under the man’s armpits and dragged him away from the ruined area. Allie moved closer, dousing more flames nearby.

  After handing the warrior to the rescue team, Brack strode back to Allie. Through the smoke, he spotted her with her arm around a Terran, leading the soot-stained man to the door. A second later, the Desteron’s medical team—led by their Medical Commander Aydin Kann-Ath—entered the docking bay. The big warrior waved at Brack, then set to work treating the injured.

  “Can you see anyone else?” Allie asked, before she coughed from the smoke.

  Brack’s own throat ached. He shook his head.

  As they fought the last of the flames, Brack stared at the jagged hole in the side of the ship, right where the Divergent had been connected to the Desteron. The containment field shimmered blue, and through it, he could see the Terran ship off in the distance.

  “Help.”

  The faint sound made him swivel. “Did you hear that?”

  Allie nodded, scanning the debris. “Where the hell did it come from?”

  “Help.”

  “Over there.” She pointed to a large pile of debris clustered near a shuttle.

  Together, they worked their way through the wreckage. Parts of the rubble glowed red-orange from the heat. Brack grabbed some metal pieces and heaved them out of the way.

  Beneath them was an Eon warrior and a Terran woman. They were pinned down, and the warrior was wearing his helian armor, shielding the woman from the burning-hot metal.

  Brack lifted his extinguisher and sprayed it over the hot area. Allie did the same.

  Then he lifted his arm, and commanded his helian to morph into a cold weapon. The blaster formed on his arm. He aimed and sprayed an icy layer over the hot metal.

  “That’s handy,” Allie murmured.

  The warrior rose, lifting the Terran woman in his arms. “She has burns. She needs help.”

  “Let’s get her to the medical team,” Brack said.

  The rescue team was starting to clear the debris. Brack directed them around the docking bay.

  “All clear, Second Commander,” a sweat-stained warrior informed him.

  Brack nodded. “Thank you.”

  The fires were all out, and all the injured were in Medical. Brack turned and saw Allie—her face was sheened with sweat and streaked with soot.

  “What the hell happened here?” she said.

  He scowled. “I don’t know.”

  “Don’t you guys have some fancy fire-suppression system?” There was a bite of anger in her voice.

  “We do.”

  She froze. “So why didn’t it activate?”

  “Another good question.”

  Her eyes glittered. “Then it’s time we found some answers.”

  * * *

  Allie was hot and tired, and she reeked of smoke. She pushed back the strands of hair that had escaped her braid and stuck to her cheeks.

  She’d just finished checking in with her crew. The Divergent was okay, with only minor damage at the docking port.

  But she had several crew members who’d been injured. And several Eon warriors had been hurt, as well, although they had the benefit of their helian symbionts to speed up their healing. At least her crew who were in Medical aboard the Desteron had the advantage of some pretty high-tech Eon medical gadgets.

  She blew out a breath. Everyone was going to be fine, but it could’ve been worse.

  Brack’s quick actions, leaping right in to fight the fires and find the injured, meant a lot fewer people had been hurt.

  Ugh. She didn’t want to like the guy.

  “Captain?”

  The voice made Allie glance up from where she’d been leaning against the wall. She saw a young female warrior watching her.

  Allie straightened. “Yes?”

  “Second Commander Thann-Felis has organized a cabin for you. Your things have already been delivered from your ship.”

  “Thank you.” Good. She could shower and wash the stench of smoke off her skin.

  “He said to tell you that you’re to attend a meeting about the explosion in thirty ship minutes. Meeting room Desteron-7.” The warrior cleared her throat.

  Allie raised a brow. “What else did he say?”

  “Not to be late.”

  “Thanks.” Okay, he’d cured her of liking him too much. Following the young warrior’s directions, Allie found her cabin.

  Nice digs. The cabin was spacious and tidy. Her bag was resting on the bed. She stripped off her stained uniform and headed for the washroom. After shoving her uniform in the clothes cleaner, she made a beeline for the shower. Flicking on the water, she turned the temperature setting to scalding. She stepped under the water and sighed. So good.

  When her hair was finally clean, she dried off, then pulled on a clean uniform from her duffel bag. Next, she braided her damp hair, and synthesized herself a large coffee.

  She saw that some eager and organized crew member had also stashed some origami paper in her bag. She smiled. Her crew knew her too well. She pulled out a sheet of bright red paper and a folded creation slid out.

  Smiling, she picked up the tiny origami rocket. Drew had made it for her. She smoothed her fingers over it. It was a little lopsided, but she took it everywhere with her. Setting it on the table beside the bed, she sipped her coffee, then folded the crisp red paper. Soon, she had a pretty 3D star.

  Allie pulled in a deep breath and felt
at least a few of her tense muscles loosen. She set the star on the bedside table. Then she touched the small comp screen beside the door.

  “Computer, tell me where meeting room Desteron-7 is, please?”

  A map lit up. She spotted the room in question, then headed out of her cabin and off down the corridor. She let herself take in more of the Desteron on the way. It was a hell of a ship.

  Despite the explosion, the warriors she passed all looked focused, giving her respectful nods.

  When she entered the meeting room, Brack looked up from the light table. This room was smaller than the one they’d used for planning the war games. He scanned her and his clearly tense shoulders relaxed. “Your people?”

  “On the mend.” She looked at the data on the table. “Any idea what caused the explosion?”

  His face was unreadable as he pressed his hands to the table. Her gaze slid up his big, brawny arms. So big and strong. He had a few scars, no doubt from previous battles, and her gaze snagged again on the black, helian band around his thick wrist.

  “I’m not entirely sure yet,” he said cautiously. “But…”

  His serious tone raised the hairs on the back of her neck. “But?”

  “Initial data says the source of the explosion came from the Divergent.”

  She stiffened. “What?”

  He was watching her intently.

  Keep your cool, Borden. “Show me.”

  He tapped the table and she moved closer, looking at the reports. “Something caused an explosion in the docking link.”

  “Or someone,” Brack said.

  She bristled. “I have an excellent crew.” She couldn’t imagine a single one of her crew deliberately doing this. No one had objections to them working with the Eon…except herself.

  Brack lifted a shoulder. “We have to cover all the options. We can’t afford to make assumptions.”

  Dammit, he was right. “I’ll have Jamie investigate from our end. She’s like a dog with a bone when she’s on the hunt.”

  “It could’ve been an accident,” Brack said.

  A part of her really hoped it was an accident, but Allie wasn’t a big believer in coincidences. “Unfortunately, my Spidey sense is tingling.”

  Brack’s brow creased. “Your Spidey what?”

  “Never mind. You think we have a traitor somewhere?”

  “Let’s not jump to conclusions.”

  But she felt the throb of his anger, like she could almost touch it. She’d heard that a warrior’s symbiont amplified their emotions. Damn, if someone was trying to sabotage the alliance between Earth and the Eon… “So, training exercises. Are we going to continue?”

  He nodded. “We can’t let anything delay the exercises. I suggest we start with simulations, with mixed teams.”

  “Okay.” Getting back to business helped steady her. Simulations meant they wouldn’t risk their ships until they got to the bottom of the explosion.

  “We should do randomly generated simulations.” He tapped the table’s surface. “And we’ll also randomly generate the teams.” He tapped several more times, and she leaned over to see.

  She studied her team list. She had Caze, and several other warriors. She could work with that.

  Brack had Donovan and several of her bridge crew.

  She smiled. “I’m going to leave you crying, warrior.”

  Brack sniffed. “I don’t cry.”

  “Weeping.” She grinned at him.

  He shook his head. “You’re delusional.”

  “Let’s get our teams together.”

  A short while later, their people crowded into the main meeting room. Brack had engineers there, setting up the simulations. They’d each have a bank of screens to simulate their “bridges” on either side of the room.

  Allie’s first order of business was to talk to Jamie and prep her on the investigation.

  “Sorry you’ll miss the start of the training exercises,” Allie said.

  Jamie shrugged. “More important to get to the bottom of the explosion.” The space marine’s eyes hardened. “And if we have a traitor, I’ll find them.”

  After Jamie had left, Allie assembled her team. “Right. We’re focusing on working together, learning new tactics and techniques.”

  Her people all nodded.

  “Get familiar with your stations.” Across the room, she noticed Brack was talking intently with his team.

  Finally, everyone was ready to start the first exercise.

  “Okay.” She leaned closer to her team. “The Second Commander’s team are the Kantos with a Kantos battlecruiser. We’re Terran, with a ship like the Divergent.”

  “Ready?” Brack called out.

  Allie winked. “Bring it.”

  The screens all flashed and the simulation started. She watched her team warm up, getting used to their “ship” and working together. It didn’t take long for the warriors to relax and adapt to each other. Soon, Eon and Terran alike were firing out questions and ideas.

  “Captain,” Caze said. “Kantos ship in range.”

  “Bring us around,” Allie ordered.

  Caze lifted his head. “They’re launching swarm fighters.”

  So predictable. “Attack position, Alpha-Beta 5.”

  “Bringing the laser array online.” Caze frowned. “Your range is abysmal.”

  “No, we just like to get up close and personal when we’re fighting.” She looked across the room and saw Brack was smiling.

  You won’t be soon, big guy. She smiled back.

  “They’re coming in fast,” Harris yelled.

  “Gleeson, dump the halo gas from the engines,” Allie ordered.

  “What?” Caze said incredulously.

  “Trust me, warrior.” She knew they had to think outside the box. Terrans were used to being the underdogs. They had to fight hard and scrappy, and do the unexpected.

  “Done,” Gleeson said.

  “Second Commander!” A harried voice from across the room. “They just dumped gas from their engines. It’s blocking our scanners. We’re blind.”

  “Harris, get us in close,” Allie ordered. “Caze, fire everything we have.”

  On their screens, their simulated ship flew in close to the hull of the simulated Kantos cruiser. Caze obeyed orders and laid down laser fire.

  “They’re losing hull integrity,” Gleeson said.

  Allie smiled.

  “Cren!” The curse echoed from the other side of the room.

  The simulated Kantos ship exploded and broke up.

  The simulation ended. Words flashed up on all the screens in the room. Team Two wins.

  Allie’s team cheered. Grinning, she fist-bumped with Caze. The warrior shook his head and nodded at her.

  “I’ve learned to never underestimate a Terran woman on a mission,” he said.

  Allie winked, then turned to see Brack striding toward her. She closed the last few meters between them.

  “Congratulations, Captain.”

  She buffed her nails on her uniform. “Did it hurt to say that?”

  “A little,” he conceded.

  She’d thought he would be angry, but there was a smile on his handsome face.

  “You won’t win the next round,” he said.

  She arched a brow. “Cocky and confident gets people killed.”

  “You won’t catch me unawares again.”

  She leaned in, dropping her voice so only he could hear. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”

  Something intriguing moved through his eyes. “I want to see everything you’ve got, Captain.”

  The way he drawled the word captain felt a little naughty. A shot of heat filled her lower belly. Jeez, Allie. It looked like she was adding inconvenient lust to the annoyance she felt for this man.

  “Better watch out, Second Commander.”

  She spun to return to her team.

  “Oh, I’m watching, Captain,” he replied.

  Chapter Four

  “Bring us ar
ound, Barin.”

  “Yes, Second Commander.”

  The Desteron moved. On the viewscreen, he watched the Divergent move to match them.

  This was their first live exercise. He and Allie had spent the last few days in simulations with their teams.

  Both Brack’s warriors and Allie’s Lieutenant Park had found no reason for the docking bay explosion. They’d ruled it an accident. Brack still didn’t like it—he didn’t believe in accidents. He’d spent hours rerunning security footage, but it had been clear.

  With no evidence that the Kantos or any other foe were responsible, they’d put it behind them and focused on the simulations.

  Currently, their teams were tied up for wins.

  Brack had to admit that both sides had learned a lot. The Terrans were chaotic, but thought creatively and unpredictably. He now knew that they were forced to, because they faced more technologically advanced foes.

  And they never gave up. That grit and determination was admirable. Allie fought with every ounce of energy right to the very end. Every time.

  Brack wondered if she’d give the same attention to a lover. His cock hardened.

  Cren. He fought for some control, but this desire was getting harder to ignore, even when she drove him crazy. He wanted her. Naked. Under him. Moaning.

  His hands clenched into fists. Sex was something he indulged in when he was on leave. He didn’t mind a visit to the pleasure planets to find a willing partner. He certainly didn’t mind sharing something fast, hot, and temporary. The last thing he needed was an entanglement with the feisty Terran captain who he had to work with.

  “Okay, it’s time to think like the Kantos,” he said.

  “Swarm,” Donovan said. “They always rush in and try to overwhelm.”

  “Do it. Release the fighters.” In a few short days, Brack had come to trust and respect Donovan Lennox’s sharp mind.

  A squadron of Eon fighters cascaded out of the side of the Desteron, pretending to be Kantos swarm ships.

  Of course, for the exercise, all weapons were off-line. They were recording “hits” in the system, but neither ship had active weapons.

  “They’ll come in close,” he warned. “Be ready.”

  Like clockwork, the Divergent powered close to them in a dizzying array of maneuvers. Allie had a warrior-grade pilot.