3013: GENESIS (3013: The Series Book 11) (19 page)

Devin’s
eyes filled with sorrow. “So many lives lost…for nothing.”

“I
know.” Mya looked over to the only occupied med-bed and winced. “Is that
Leanna?”

The
doctor nodded. “She came in with a broken jaw earlier, but she should be better
by this morning.”

Mya
spared a few seconds to feel guilty, but then she pushed it aside. She had more
important things to worry about at the moment. When they were almost finished, another
body slammed into the window, cracking it.

“They’re
breaking through,” Devin gasped.

“Do
you have somewhere you can hide?”

“There’s
a surgical room in back. It has its own internal air filter, too.”

Mya
grabbed the canister, taking it with her to the rope hanging down from the
vent. “Good. Get in there now, and lock yourselves in. The air from the hallway
is leaking in. After I turn the fans back on, don’t come back in here without
your masks on.”

Devin
nodded and gestured the others toward the back room. They hurried over to it,
but the doctor hesitated before she entered after the others. “Don’t you need
help?”

“I’ve
got it.”

“
Ready
for us to pull you up?
” Kahla asked.

“Yes,
do it now.”

Mya
was about to clip the rope back to her belt when a low snarl sounded from the
other side of the room. Turning her head, she saw a large cat springing toward
her. She had just enough time to pull her stunner free and get a shot off
before the cat barreled into her. The shot only grazed the cat, making it even
more enraged. It fell, knocking Mya off her feet, and a sharp pain seared through
her leg, making her scream.

“
Mya!
”

Kahla’s
cry was echoed by Devin’s. The doctor started to rush forward, but froze as the
cat turned on her, snarling. Mya sat up as the cat sprang at Devin. She raised
her weapon and fired again. This time, her shot hit the cat dead center,
dropping it to the ground. Devin let out cry when the cat’s body slammed into
her. She fell, slamming her head back on the bed-med behind her, knocking her
out cold.

At
least, Mya hoped she was just knocked out.

“
Mya?
Helps coming! Just hold on!
” Kahla yelled.

“I-I’m
okay,” Mya panted out. But when she tried to move, she knew she really wasn’t.
Glancing down, she saw that part of her leg had been shredded open by the cat’s
claws when it had jumped on her. It was bad, but she still had a job to do.

And
time was running out.

She
braced herself for the pain, but still let out a scream when she started to
drag herself across the floor toward the canister. When she picked it up, her
hands were slick with her own blood. Shoving it into the front of her vest, she
pulled herself to her feet using one of the med-beds.

“
Oh,
gods. You’re hurt bad, Mya. Get in one of the med-beds. Heal yourself.
”

Kahla’s
voice sounded tinny in Mya’s ear, but she continued to push herself. It was
either heal herself or try to save New Vega.

The
choice was simple.

“There’s
no time. Get ready to pull me up.” She grabbed onto the rope, almost falling
again, but managed to hold onto the thin cord by sheer will. She hooked it to
her belt and said, “Pull.”

The
rope tightened and immediately began to lift her. Her vision blurred, and she
barely noticed when she reentered the vent. Not until her leg slammed into the
side. As pain rushed through her, she felt like she was going to throw up, but
panted for breath to ease the churning in her stomach. Looking down, she saw
droplets of her own blood falling to the floor.

The
sight of it confused her. She couldn’t have lost that much blood in the time
she’d been standing there waiting for them to pull her up. It took her a few
precious seconds to realize she was back inside the vent at the top of the
shaft she needed to crawl into. Using her good leg, she boosted herself inside
the tube, then lay there as she tried to gather the energy to move.

“
Mya!
”

Hearing
the sound of Tavius’ voice in her ear made her sob. Stars, she’d needed to hear
his voice. Needed to know he was still alive. “Tavius…”

“
Mya,
we’re coming for you.
”

She
felt herself being pulled backwards, and opened her eyes, wondering when she’d
closed them in the first place. It took all her strength to lift her arm up to
look at her wrist unit. Less than five minutes. She wasn’t going to have time
to get back to the security center.

She
wouldn’t be able to save her mates and all the other people on New Vega.

Be
their alpha female…

The
words kept repeating in her mind, helping to stabilize her a bit and keep her
focused. As she got to the first fan on her return journey through the tube,
she reached down and released the rope from her belt.

“
Mya!
”
Kahla screamed. “
What happened?
”

“No…time…”

“
There
is! Hold on,
tava
. We’re coming.
”

Daimon,
she thought. He was safe…for the moment. But she could do something to ensure
that. Remembering what she needed to do, she pulled the canister out of her
vest and pushed the release button that would change the liquid inside into
mist. She dropped the canister into the fan unit, where it fell onto the mesh
above the blades.

“Computer?
Alpha Mya. Activate air circulation system.”

When
nothing happened, she felt the tears sliding out of her eyes, down the sides of
her face.

She
was too late. She’d failed them all.

“Computer,
Adaro-alpha-one. Activate air circulation system!”

 Had
that been Maddox voice she heard?

The
fan made a humming sound before it began to turn. Mya smiled as she began to
drift. Had they really done it, or was she just dreaming? She wanted to hear
Maddox’s deep voice again. To tell him, Daimon and Tavius how much she loved
them.

That
she wished they’d had more time together.

The
loud sound of metal rending drowned out the hum of the fan, but Mya couldn’t
move her head to see where it was coming from. Suddenly, she felt something
tugging at her foot. She screamed as white-hot pain lanced through her injured
leg. The tugging stopped, then switched to her other leg.

She
was sliding over the metal tube, then she was being eased down, held against
something hard and unyielding. Her eyes fluttered open, and she found herself
looking up at Maddox in beast form.

Wow,
this was a first. And she was too out of it to appreciate it.

“Love
you…” she whispered.

And
then there was nothing.

***

EPILOGUE

Pain
came in many forms.

However,
Mya found that what people said was true—pain could make you stronger, in ways
you never thought were possible.

Over
the last few days, she had experienced more pain than she ever had before. But
what she’d gotten from it was more than worth the price she’d paid.

Mya
had been delirious from blood loss after Leanna had shifted into her cat form
and attacked her. She’d managed to get back into the vent system to release the
somnium, but she hadn’t been able to complete her mission…not without help.
She’d gotten the code wrong, using
Alpha Mya
instead of
Adaro-Alpha-Four
like she was supposed to. In her defense, she hadn’t been thinking clearly at
that moment, but that mistake could have cost her everything.

Maddox
had found her. He’d torn apart the metal vents with his clawed hands in beast
form to get to her. She’d been out of it by that point, but she had woken again
when he’d bit her. She hadn’t understood what he’d been doing until he made her
drink his blood.

She’d
started to drift off again, but then Daimon had been there, exchanging his
blood for hers. They had taken her back into the med-center, treating her injured
leg as best as they could in the secured surgical room. But they had realized
she was too far gone to save…unless they converted her.

Tavius
had lifted her into his arms so she’d been lying back against him as he’d
lifted his wrist to her lips to drink from him. And he’d continued to hold her
as the conversion had begun.

The
pain of her leg being torn open was nothing compared to the sheer agony of the
conversion. She’d felt as if her entire body was on fire, the white-hot heat
burning through her until she’d prayed for death. But she’d held on. How could
she do otherwise when her three mates were watching her with pain-filled eyes,
pleading with her to stay with them?

It
had felt like hours of torture as her body had made the change from human to
Krytos. The pain so intense she could barely utter a whimper through clenched
teeth. When Maddox could stand it no longer, he’d gotten a vial of the somnium
that had been left on the counter, and had sprayed the mist on her, sending her
into a deep, dreamless sleep.

  She’d
woken as a new woman, cradled between her mates on their bed. At first, she’d
hoped that the attack on New Vega had all just been a bad dream, but then
reality had set in. Becoming a Krytos hadn’t been the sacrifice her mates
feared it would be. They had worried she would miss being human, but the truth
was, she really didn’t feel any different.

Mya’s
eyes had changed, forming a black ring around her gray irises, and she’d grown
fangs, which was a little weird at first. She’d only shifted into beast form once
so far, and it was something she was going to have to get used to. Unlike other
converted humans, she hadn’t changed much in size. Dr. Deveaux had offered up a
speculation that Mya’s leg had been too damaged at the time of her conversion
for her to grow more. She’d tried to make a joke about being glad that most of
her clothes would still fit her, but none of her mates thought it was funny.

While
she’d been sleeping, Maddox, Daimon and Tavius had been dealing with the
fallout of the Genesis Project. They’d called off the lockdown, but had refused
to allow anyone to leave New Vega until they had been cleared by the doctors.
Aid had arrived quickly, helping to deal with the bodies of the fallen, and
offering anything else that people needed.

Maddox,
Daimon and Tavius had been shocked when the majority of people had wanted to
continue the TechCon. They had said the attack had brought everyone closer
together. It hadn’t been race against race. It had been one individual who had
destroyed countless lives for the sake of power…and that gave them a common
enemy.

Mya
had mourned for all the souls who lost their lives, but some of those losses
had been more personal. Her mates had lost friends, but they had been happy
that no one in their family had died. She had cried for hours when she’d found
out that Reva’s mother and two fathers had been killed during the attack. After
finding their bodies, Reva had gone to her suite, saying she needed time to
deal with what had happened alone, and she hadn’t been seen since.

To
Mya’s relief, Dr. Deveaux had only been knocked unconscious during the fall
she’d taken. She’d woken up in time to help Mya with the conversion, and had
treated her leg while she’d been sleeping. The males had wanted to banish
Leanna for what she’d done to Mya, but she hadn’t let them. The Helios female
had been drugged, and hadn’t known what she was doing. She was remorseful for
what had happened and had been grateful for being allowed to stay, but they
would never be friends, and Mya was fine with that.

Two
individuals had been banished from New Vega before Mya had woken up. They had
been the two medical staff members that had hidden in the surgical room while
Mya and Devin had been attacked. They hadn’t tried to help, and for that,
Maddox, Daimon and Tavius wanted them gone.

Her
mates had been angry with Kahla, but nothing they could say would make her feel
worse than she already did. She’d blamed herself for Mya’s injury, but Mya
continuously explained that it had been her own choice to make.

Since
Mya had moved to New Vega, so many things had changed. She had always been
sheltered, and a part of that was her own fault for allowing the people in her
life to take over and make decisions for her. But with her mates, it was
different. They protected her, but they still allowed her to be strong on her
own.

And
now it was time to prove how strong she had become.

“It’s
time.”

Maddox
looked up from where he was sitting on the sofa in the living room and quickly
came over to lift her so she wouldn’t have to walk across the room on her own.

She
sighed. “I can walk.”

“You
can, but I enjoy carrying you.”

Resting
her head on his shoulder as he sat down with her on his lap, she sighed again. She’d
wanted a few minutes alone in their bedroom to prepare for what was to come,
and he’d respected her wishes. He still had trouble allowing her out of his
sight, though. Not because he didn’t think she was capable of taking care of
herself. It had more to do with his fear of losing her. Because of that, she
didn’t complain.

Compromise.

It
was the only way to get along with any male, but it was especially required when
she had three to deal with.

She
lifted her head and brushed her lips over his. “Do you know how much I love
you?”

His
big body shuddered. “Enough to never leave me?”

“Oh,
Maddox. Of course I never want to leave you.”

He
grunted in response and held her tight. She knew that was a good grunt, opposed
to the many variations of grunts she was beginning to be able to decipher.
Before she could ask where Daimon and Tavius were, the door to the suite opened
and they walked in carry two huge baskets full of stuff.

Her
eyes widened. “What is all that?”

“Gifts
for our
tava
,” Tavius said. “Everyone on New Vega seems to want to send
you get well gifts, although I’m not sure how chocolate is supposed to make you
heal faster.”

“Did
you say chocolate? Gimme.”

Tavius
laughed as he set his basket down on the table and leaned down to kiss her. “You
can survey your spoils later. How are you feeling?”

“Good.
A little nervous, but good.”

“All
will be well. You’ll see,” he assured her as sat down on one side of her.

Daimon
sat down on the other side and pulled her to him for a long, slow kiss. “I
can’t wait to get this over with so we can enjoy our bath together.”

Her
pulse quickened at the thought. “Neither can I.”

With
the medical treatments she’d gotten, along with their magical healing bath, she
was practically back to normal. Well, as normal as she could be now that she
was a different species.

The
sound of her wrist unit signaling made Mya sigh. “It’s time,” she said again.
“Now remember, we are all going to be nice and keep it very civil.”

“Of
course we are,” Tavius agreed.

“Yes,
tava
,” Daimon said with a nod.

Maddox
just grunted.

“Computer,
answer wrist unit call on wall screen,” Mya said after taking a deep breath.
Then she waited until her brother’s image appeared in front of her.

“I
swear to god, I am going to beat the—”

Three
loud, angry growls cut off High Commander Jax Spartan’s tirade midstream.

“I
will kill you if you even—”

“You
will not touch our mate—”

“I
will rip your hands off—”

“Okay!”
Mya exclaimed loudly. “Now, that we’ve gotten the greetings out of the way,
this can…only go downhill.”

“Mate?
Did he say mate? What the hell is that mark on your face? And on them? Are you
telling me you fucking made me related to them now? This is just—”

Serra
Spartan-Archer’s face popped on screen as she slapped a hand over Jax’s mouth.
“Obviously you can tell we are just so happy for you.”

Sullivan
Archer pushed onscreen as well. He grinned as he said, “Congratulations on your
mating!”

Jax
pulled Serra’s hand away from his mouth. “This is crazy. I feel like my head is
going to explode.”

Serra
rolled her eyes. “I’m so glad that all of you are okay. When we heard what had
happened—”

“Which
we should have heard from you!” Jax yelled. “Why haven’t you been returning my
calls?”

“You
mean all twenty of them?” Mya asked dryly. “Jax, it’s only been a few days, and
I’ve been recovering. Give it a rest.”

Jax’s
eyes narrowed. “Recovering from what exactly?”

“Our
mate risked her life to save all of New Vega,” Maddox snarled. “You should be
proud of her, not yelling at her.”

“I
am proud of her,” Jax said in an offended tone, then he muttered, “Hell…”

Sullivan
coughed to cover a laugh. “So, we’ll be there in a few more days. Sorry it’s
taking so long, but we were close to the new space station. We were going there
for the grand opening celebration.”

“We’re
sorry you have to miss it,” Daimon said, but his dry tone belied his words.

“Did
Alexis contact you?” Serra asked Mya, hoping that the two women could get the
conversation back on some semblance of a normal track.

“She
did. I got to see the new babies. Stars, those twins are cute!  She said she
wanted to come, but she wasn’t up to traveling yet. Jaden and Katra Tor offered
to come here instead to help with the repairs.”

Serra
smiled. “With two Dragon Warriors on repair duty? You should have it all done
in a day.”

“If
that long,” Mya said with a laugh. “We really do appreciate them coming.”

“Is
Lord Malik Rego there yet?” Jax asked.

“We
didn’t know he was coming.”

“I
figured as much. He’s been looking for his sister for weeks now. He’ll want to
come face you personally after the havoc his sister caused.”

Tavius
frowned. “But it wasn’t his fault.”

“No,
but it is a matter of honor.”

Because
he could understand that, Tavius nodded. “He will be welcome here.”

“So,
let’s go back to my earlier question,” Jax said stiffly. “What exactly are you
recovering from?”

Mya
groaned. “You are so annoying sometimes.”

“True.
Now stop stalling and answer the question,” he snapped.

In
the past, she would have usually complied. But not now. Not when all three of
her mates were growling in anger that her brother had dared use that tone of
voice with her. Deciding to do a little growling of her own, she said, “Watch
it, Jax, or I may just shift into beast mode and kick your ass when you get
here.”

She
called forth the change, just enough to allow her eyes to turn from gray to
red, and watched as three pairs of eyes widened on the screen.

Jax
began sputtering. “What the fuck?”

Mya
picked up the wrist unit and ended the call with a grin. “That was…more
satisfying than I thought it would be.”

 Maddox
chuckled as wrapped both of his arms around her. “I still want to punch him for
speaking to you that way.”

“I
can’t wait to fuck with him more when he gets here,” Tavius said with glee.

Daimon
just sighed, then said, “He’s never going to leave New Vega now.”

“He
will once he sees how much I love all of you, and how happy I am.”

Tavius’
expression sobered. “Are you happy here, Mya?”

“Happier
than I ever imagined I could be. You’ve given me my dream. Actually, you’ve
made all my dreams come true.”