Kiss of Eon: Eon Warriors #4 Page 4

  “Activate the zero-point energy field.”

  “Activated,” a warrior called out. “We caught them!”

  On screen, he saw the Divergent snared in the field and held in place. He could almost hear Allie’s curses. He bet she was coming up with a few creative names to call him.

  “Fire,” Brack ordered.

  Simulated laser fire registered in the system. Then, suddenly lights flared to life on one of the consoles.

  The warrior in front of it jerked. “Second Commander!”

  Brack frowned. “Cathan?”

  “Cren! The weapons are live.”

  “What?” Brack thundered.

  On screen, he watched laser arc through the space between the Desteron and the Divergent. It hit the Terran ship.

  “Shut it down!” Brack roared.

  “I’m locked out of the controls,” the panicked Cathan called back.

  Another barrage of laser fire hit the Divergent. He saw the shimmer of the ship’s shields and prayed they’d hold. His gut went tight. Most of the blasts had hit close to the Divergent’s bridge.

  Allie.

  Brack shouldered in front of his warrior, touching the controls. He let his helian link him with the system and closed his eyes, moving through it quickly.

  There. He spotted the lockout and tried rerouting the commands. It didn’t work, and his jaw tightened.

  Taking the weapons offline was going to take too long.

  He initiated another command and freed the Divergent from the zero-point energy field.

  Then he activated the comms. “Allie, move. Now! Shields up. We’re trying to shut down the weapons systems.”

  “Missiles are priming,” Donovan yelled. “We need to stop this now!”

  Cren. Brack’s gut was tight, and he stared at the Divergent on the screen. “Cathan, shut down the Desteron’s power.”

  The shocked warrior lifted his head. “All of it?”

  “Everything except environmental.”

  A second later, the warrior slammed his palm against the console. Lights blinked off around the Desteron. The bridge was plunged into darkness, then, a second later, red emergency lighting came on.

  Cathan blew out a breath. “Weapons are offline.”

  Thank the warriors. The viewscreen flickered, and the face of an enraged Allie appeared. Her ponytail was askew, and behind her, a half-collapsed bulkhead dangled from the ceiling.

  “What the fuck, Thann-Felis?”

  Injured crew members limped past behind her, but Brack only had eyes for Allie. By Eschar’s bow, she was alive.

  “Allie—”

  “No live weapons. Was this your plan all along?” She threw out an arm. “Squish the pesky Terrans like annoying ants?”

  He drew in a breath, knowing she was scared and angry. “Allie, something went wrong. I need you to come aboard the Desteron. We’ll talk then.”

  “What, so you can assassinate me in private?”

  “Allie.”

  She blew out a harsh breath. “I’ll be there when I’ve seen to my ship and crew.” The screen went black.

  Brack pinched the bridge of his nose and turned. Donovan was standing beside him with a serious look.

  “I’ll talk to her,” Donovan said. “I know this wasn’t your doing, Brack.”

  “And she does, too, she’s just angry right now.” Brack swiveled. “I want a full system diagnostic. I want to know what went wrong and why. Now.”

  His warriors jumped to obey.

  * * *

  Allie was fuming. Her body was rigid as she stepped aboard the Desteron.

  She had a damaged ship, and two crew members still in sick bay. They’d heal, but they should never have been there in the first place.

  Only Brack was waiting for her.

  “You’d better have an explanation for me, Second Commander.” She closed the distance, and stabbed a finger against his hard chest.

  He grabbed her wrist. “I know you’re upset—”

  “Damn right, I am.” She tried to rein it in, but she was failing. That impassive, rugged face didn’t help. He looked so contained and controlled. “You tried to blow up my ship!”

  “Not on purpose.” His eyes flashed. “You need to calm down—”

  “Don’t tell me to calm down.” She shoved him.

  Of course, he didn’t go very far. He gripped her arms and she yanked one free, elbowing him in the gut.

  “Cren, Allie.”

  “I have two members of my crew in sick bay.”

  He cursed. “Are they okay?”

  “They will be.”

  “Good.”

  “It’s my ship and my people, Brack. I’m responsible for keeping them safe.”

  “You didn’t fail them. Right now, it’s looking like an accident.”

  “Really?” she drawled. “First the explosion, and now this?”

  The docking bay doors opened and some warriors entered. They looked like maintenance crew.

  “Come to my office,” Brack said.

  She shoved past him. They were both silent as they moved through the corridors, and Allie’s temper cooled a bit. A teeny, tiny bit.

  If Brack wanted to blow the Divergent out of the sky, he wouldn’t be so underhanded about it. Besides, she knew he had no reason to do that.

  They entered his office and the door shut behind them.

  “The Desteron’s weapons came online mid-exercise.” He circled his desk. “We were locked out of the controls.”

  Allie frowned. “How does that happen?”

  “I don’t know. I have my people running diagnostics.”

  “It’s either a hell of a glitch, or…”

  “It was done on purpose,” he finished grimly.

  Added to the explosion in the docking bay, this wasn’t looking good.

  With a sigh, she sat on the edge of his desk. “Brack—”

  “We need more information before we speculate.”

  She nodded. No point in them guessing, but she was more than happy to blame the Kantos. Still, they needed data and evidence. “Should we continue the exercises?”

  “Yes. With caution.”

  “Agreed.”

  He stepped closer to her, an intense look on his face. Damn, he was so big, and she was so aware of him.

  “I don’t want you, or your ship, hurt,” he said.

  “Really?” She cocked her head. The blue filaments in his eyes were glowing. “That wasn’t the impression you gave when I first arrived. Figured you wouldn’t mind knocking me off.”

  Brack pressed his hands on either side of her hips on the desk. “No.”

  Shit, danger, Will Robinson. Allie’s heart fluttered in her chest, but she couldn’t move or look away from him.

  “For a few seconds, I was terrified you were hurt,” he said.

  She blew out a breath. “This is an exceptionally bad idea, Brack.”

  The air charged. His mouth was just inches away from hers. “I know.” He didn’t move.

  Fuck it. She grabbed his shirt. “Super ill-advised.”

  “Ill-conceived. Inconvenient.”

  “Crap, I can’t think of another I word.” She yanked his mouth down to hers.

  Heat flashed over her, and her lips parted. His tongue stroked inside her mouth, and she met it, kissing him deeply. Oh, shit. The warrior could kiss.

  Allie sank her hands into his hair and wrapped one leg around his hip. He groaned, pressing her back onto his desk.

  His big body moved over hers. Damn, he was so big and she liked it. Scorching-hot desire coursed through her.

  “Captain Borden?” Donovan’s deep voice. “Allie, are you there?”

  Allie froze, confused for a second. They broke the kiss, both of them panting. They looked at each other, and she stared into his eyes. The strands were glowing electric blue now.

  She licked her lips and touched her comm badge. “I’m here, D.”

  “I just wanted to let you know that Royston
regained consciousness. And the urgent repairs on the bridge have been completed.”

  Allie closed her eyes and swallowed. “Thanks, D. I’m on my way back.”

  “The Second Commander didn’t try to murder you?” Her second’s voice was laced with humor.

  Brack had very good hearing. He raised a brow.

  Allie cleared her throat. “No.” He’d kissed the hell out of her, though.

  “I was with him during the incident, Allie. He did everything he could to shut those weapons down, including cutting the warship’s main power. That left them defenseless.”

  She met Brack’s gaze again. “Acknowledged. See you shortly.”

  Brack straightened, and she couldn’t help but notice the very impressive bulge at the front of his trousers.

  Allie sat up. “Well…”

  “Allie—”

  She lifted a hand. “Let’s not talk about it right now.” She needed time to process. Maybe a decade or two.

  He paused. “Okay, but I have another I word for you.”

  She stood and locked her shaky legs. “Oh?”

  “Incredible. I’ll see you later, Captain.”

  Something swelled inside her chest. Damn, this man was dangerous with a capital D. “Later.”

  Chapter Five

  Brack straightened in his desk chair, pressing his fingers to the back of his neck. He’d been bent over, analyzing the system reports, for—he glanced at his comp screen—several hours.

  He heaved out a breath. So far, he hadn’t found much. It looked like the weapons coming online had been a malfunction.

  He sank back in his chair. Cren. It couldn’t be.

  The comp screen pinged, and he saw an incoming call from Davion. His friend’s face appeared, looking stern. “Anything?”

  Brack had already briefed Davion on the incidents. “Nothing. It has to be sabotage, but I can’t find any evidence of it.”

  “You’ll find it,” Davion said.

  Hopefully before someone died and the alliance with Earth disintegrated.

  “Are you playing nice with Captain Borden?”

  Brack snorted. “The woman wouldn’t know nice if it hit her in the—”

  “Brack.”

  “We’re doing fine, Davion.” Brack skipped the part where he’d devoured her on his desk. About how clever and mobile her mouth was. Heat flashed through his veins, and his helian throbbed.

  Davion nodded.

  “How’s your vacation going?” Brack asked.

  The war commander smiled. “Eve is handling it like a warrior. And thankfully, her nausea seems to have eased.”

  “Good.”

  “Update me if you find anything.”

  “I have it under control, Davion. But I’ll let you know.”

  Brack went back to the data, combing through it. By Alqin’s axe, his eyes were starting to blur. Time to take a break.

  Then something jumped out at him.

  There. He searched the information. Someone had used a back door into the weapons system, and changed the commands. His pulse spiked.

  He looked at the code. He was no expert—he hesitated—but it looked…Terran. The commands weren’t like anything an Eon engine would use. He stiffened. The only possible answer was that one of Allie’s crew had done it.

  Brack’s lips pressed into a flat line. How did he broach this with her?

  Still, he had more to worry about, because there was no way a Terran had accessed the heart of the Desteron’s systems unless they had an Eon warrior to help them.

  He shoved his hands through his hair. It had to lead back to the Kantos. It was the only answer that made sense. Cren. He didn’t like to think that one of his own people was a traitor.

  When his comp screen pinged again, he turned and smiled. He swiped the screen. “Mama.”

  Trayla Thann-Felis appeared on the screen, a wide smile on her handsome face. “My baby.”

  Brack didn’t stop himself from rolling his eyes.

  “Okay,” his mother said with a pretty laugh, “I know you’re a big, bad warrior, but you’ll always be my baby.”

  It didn’t take much for Brack to see the strain under her smile. “How are you?”

  “Fine. Wonderful. Your father…is very busy at headquarters.”

  Brack curled his fingers against his thigh. That meant there was a woman. “Mama—”

  His mother waved a slender hand. “It’s just a dalliance, Brack. She’s too young to hold his interest for long. He loves us, in his own way.”

  No, Stonil Thann-Felis loved his own pleasure. And destroying Brack’s mother one painful cut at a time.

  “I love you, Mama.”

  The smile she gave him now was a real one. “When is my handsome, brilliant son going to marry and give me grandbabies?”

  Never. “I’m busy at work.”

  Her nose wrinkled. “With this alliance with Earth. Such a backwater species.”

  Brack didn’t bother correcting her. He knew many of the Eon had old-fashioned, built-in prejudices about the Terrans. Cren, he’d been one of them until recently. It wasn’t until the new Eon king had been crowned that things had started to change. “Yes, I’m busy with the alliance, Mama.”

  “Okay, I’ll let you get back to work. Visit me soon.”

  “Bye, Mama.”

  She was gone with a wave. Anger at his father surged through Brack, but he knew it was hopeless. It didn’t matter how angry he got at his father, or the arguments they had, Stonil never changed anything.

  The man was a good, dedicated warrior. True to the Eon Empire. He just had no faith, loyalty, or love for the woman he’d married. Those were the genes Brack had inherited.

  The tension gripping him strung his muscles tight. With thoughts of traitors, faithless fathers, and alliances swimming through his head, he decided to go to the gym. This time of night, he’d have the space to himself, and could work off his stress.

  After stopping by his cabin to change into his workout gear, Brack entered the Desteron’s large, fully-equipped gym. He got started lifting weights.

  He’d worked up a good sweat, his muscles burning, when he heard the door open.

  “Couldn’t sleep, Second Commander?”

  He almost jerked and dropped the weight. He looked up.

  Allie sauntered in, wearing tight, black leggings, and a tiny T-shirt. The outfit hugged her fit body and showcased her curves.

  Cren. His body responded, and he quickly stepped behind a weight rack.

  He swallowed. “How are your injured crew members?”

  She gave one nod. “Awake and healed. They’ll be fine.” She trailed her fingers over one of the machines.

  Brack forced himself to look away, and set his weights down.

  “I’ve cooled down now.” She gave him a small smile. “I have a temper.”

  “I noticed,” he said dryly.

  She turned toward him. “Someone wants our alliance to fail.”

  “That’s my take.”

  She lifted a smaller weight and did some bicep curls. He watched the flex of her toned arm muscles.

  “I’m not going to let some fuckers use me and my crew to do that.”

  Her tone was fierce. She hadn’t cooled down, she’d just switched her anger from Brack to the perpetrator.

  “I will not stand for it either,” he said.

  Her gaze met his. “You and I need to find whoever is behind this.”

  “I’m already working on that.”

  Her smile was sharp and a little feline. “And then crush them like a bug.”

  Cren, he appreciated her bloodthirsty side. “It has to be the Kantos.”

  “I totally agree with you there. They have the most to gain if our alliance crumbles.”

  Brack crossed his arms over his chest. He saw Allie’s gaze drop to his biceps. “But somehow, they’re using our people to do the sabotage.”

  Her weights dropped to the floor with a rattle, and a crease appeared betwee
n her brows. “Explain.”

  He went through what he’d found in the commands for the weapon system.

  She hissed. “So, we have traitors aboard both of our ships?”

  “Maybe the Kantos got to them somehow? Exploited a weakness?”

  Allie shifted closer, her ponytail swinging behind her. “My crew has been on the Divergent for several months. We haven’t made port for a long time. No one has had contact with the Kantos.”

  “I’ve had some warriors take leave, but no flags on anyone when I checked. I’ve contacted the Rengard, and I’ve asked Wren Traynor to run some enhanced searches on the Desteron’s security footage. To look for any strange behavior and enhance feed to show more detail.”

  Allie nodded and bent over. Brack’s gaze zeroed in on her ass. It was perfectly formed and curvy.

  Control. Control.

  She straightened. “We have to make this alliance between our species work, Brack.”

  “Yes. Whatever it takes.”

  She pressed a hand to her hip. “That means you shouldn’t look at me like that.”

  Brack blew out a breath. “Right.”

  “We have demanding jobs,” she said. “And an alliance to strengthen. Besides, we don’t like each other.”

  He nodded. “And I fuck, Allie. Nothing else.”

  She made a humming sound. “Me, too. I have no time for love and roses.”

  They stared at each other.

  Cren, he couldn’t stop imagining hot, hungry things. This woman had begun to fuel so many fantasies.

  “I need to shower.” He forced the words out. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Captain.”

  Her chin dipped. “Second Commander.”

  * * *

  Allie felt itchy and flushed.

  She finished her stretching. She was excruciatingly aware of her body—the way her muscles moved, the brush of her leggings against her skin, the way her thighs rubbed together.

  Okay, so she had the hots for a warrior who aggravated her.

  She pulled in a shaky breath, her belly jumping. In her head, she pictured his big, powerful body. There were so many good reasons for them not to indulge their desire or risk their working relationship.

  Especially with the Kantos possibly behind the sabotage, and traitors aboard their ships.