Prime Imperative (The Prime Chronicles Book 3) (8 page)

I’m sorry. So sorry I’m not there.

“She’s safe, brother,” Wulf said. “Your mate has shown herself to be strong and resourceful.”

For now, she’s safe. But for how long?

Mel rose and walked to his side. She took his arm and pulled him back toward his seat next to Wulf. “Trust in Brianna’s intelligence. Listen to the rest of the call. Then we’ll make plans.”

Iolyn allowed himself to be led. Once seated, he placed his fisted hands on the table and took several deep breaths until he no longer saw red and could speak without choking on his fear. “I’m fine, Mel. Thanks.” Maybe if he said it enough, he’d believe it. “Brother, please play the rest of the call.”

Wulf, after exchanging a sharp glance with Huw, un-paused the call. Iolyn almost laughed. His brothers would have him tranquilized if he went ballistic—and he wouldn’t blame them. He wasn’t himself. He’d always been called the calm Caradoc brother.

Not today.

“…V’niko,” the camera panned to a tall Volusian with his broad back to her, guarding her, “and his friend A’nan assisted me in getting away from Jotak. My call to the Alliance Command…”

Iolyn leaned forward. The tension in her voice had escalated.

“…brought two imposters masquerading as Alliance guards.”

Iolyn fumed and made a vow to seek out the two
apayebote
and break their fucking necks.

“…V’niko helped me escape again.”

He owed A’tem’s cousin a great debt.

Brianna took a deep breath which hitched with what might’ve been a sob. Yet, she shed no tears. His mate was mentally and emotionally strong, but physically she was no match for mercenaries and stalking Dornians.

“…I only trust you, Lia—and your shipmates. Come get me.” Brianna paused and the camera panned down her torso where she lowered her waistband and revealed her marking. He covered his mark in response. “I have a favor. I asked the Alliance Command to request the Prime to find my mate. If there’s a traitor, as I suspect, then my request might not have gotten to the proper authorities. I worry that my
gemat
might also be in danger. I beg you, please ask Wulf Caradoc to contact his father and find my
gemat
…”

Her initial request had found its way to the proper person, thank the One. After that, who knew where the information had leaked? That, while dealing with her own safety and fears, she’d reached out to Lia to seek protection for him spoke to her generous nature. He was so blessed.

His gaze devoured the image of her faded marking and followed her finger as she traced the design. He could imagine the ecstasy he’d feel, then share with her, as she traced his marking as they made love. Any lingering doubts he might’ve buried deep inside about a misidentification of her mark were put to rest by the visual evidence. The mark was an identical match to his.

His soul sang. She was his, and he, hers.

“…tell my
gemat
I can’t wait to meet him.” Her full, lush lips twisted into a slight grin. “I bet he’ll be as shocked as I was about all this.”

Then Brianna’s lips turned downward, and her voice filled with what he read as disgust. “Jotak wanted to force me to breed with him. He won’t stop pursuing me. Dornians are persistent to the point of compulsion.”

The Dornian was a dead man. Iolyn would see to the deed personally.

“…the fake escort.” Brianna shrugged. “I assume they were ordered to kidnap me, then maybe kill me for whatever crazy reasons their employer might have. My enemies won’t get their wish. Once you find him, tell my
gemat
not to worry. I promise I’ll stay safe until we can be together.”

She’d better remain safe. If she were hurt or taken by the
bak
M’tali, Iolyn’s rage would be unlike anything the galaxy had seen in a millennia. To forestall another Galactic war, he needed to get to her as quickly as possible.

“…go to Jump Station Charybdis. When you arrive, ask for Damon Martin. He’s my eldest brother, and he co-owns the station and operates
Hades
.” Brianna stopped talking and looked around before gazing intently into the camera. “Got to go. My skin is itching. Trouble’s coming. Hurry, Lia!”

The screen went black. Then what she’d said sank in.

“
Hades
!” Iolyn roared. “That den of iniquity! She thinks she’ll be safe there?
Ansu bhau
. She needs a keeper!”

Hades
was infamous across the galaxy. It was a very, very bad place on an equally notorious jump station located in the isolated region on the outer edges of the Milky Way where the Perseus arm merged with the Cygnus-Orion arm. The bar was a dive with live sex acts on stage and private sex rooms.
Hades
’ claim to fame was that it featured real sex with real women, not just sex sims or sex androids, though those were also available. The roughest element in the galaxy—pirates, mercenaries, shady freighter captains, con artists, thieves, and murderers—used
Hades
as a place to let off steam before entering the most dangerous jump gate in the Milky Way: the Charybdis Gate, a frequently treacherous whirlpool of a shortcut to the other side of the Cygnus-Orion arm. Only those who had Obam navigators could use it safely. The benefits were worth the risk by providing shorter travel times and increased profits for the freighters that used it.

Decent people like his
gemate
weren’t safe on Jump Station Charybdis, let alone in
Hades
.

“Iolyn,” Lia called to him, “she trusts her brother to keep her safe.”

“How do you know that?” Iolyn looked up from his fisted hands with their white knuckles.

“She told me about her family once.” Lia chuckled. “She has a great affection for all six of her brothers, but especially Damon. She called him the black sheep since he didn’t want to be a peaceful farmer.”

“Six brothers?” Iolyn thought of his precious mate growing up around six other males, not of her blood, and snarled.

“Yeah.” Lia smiled at his snarl as if she knew where his mind had gone. “She always knew she was adopted, but that didn’t stop her from loving them as if they were blood. She had a good life on Gliese 581C due to the Martin family, so you’d better get it in your head to like them and trust them with Brianna’s safety and happiness.”

“But they weren’t her real brothers.” Iolyn was angry and, yes, jealous. “They could’ve—”

“Don’t complete that thought. They didn’t. She’s unattached and wants you…” Huw snorted. “…if you can believe that.”

Iolyn turned and glared at Huw. “Shut up.”

“Iolyn,” Wulf said, “we have to trust in Brianna’s faith in her family. Keep in mind, she asked the Alliance, and then Lia, to find you. It’s obvious she wants the bond.”

“Yes.” That was the only thing keeping him halfway sane at the moment. But it was a short moment, a mere nanosecond, before his fears and worries surged to prominence once more.

“This is a good start to your relationship, Iolyn,” Mel said with a smile. “Remember? I ran from Wulf. At least Brianna is keeping herself safe the only way she knows how…for you.”

Iolyn looked at Wulf. “How soon can we get to the jump station?”

“A lot faster than we could to Oz. A slight backtrack and then use the Andromeda Jump Gate which will dump us close to Jump Station Charybdis. This will cut our travel time by a quarter.”

Maybe another twelve hours until I see her, can hold her in my arms.

Iolyn nodded. “Good. But I need to let off some energy now. Cleaning and redecorating my quarters didn’t hack it.” Mel and Nadia laughed. “I don’t want to scare my
gemate
.”

Especially since I’ll have to lecture her about hiding in a den of iniquity. I need to be calm, reasonable, and not yell.

Besides not wanting to frighten Brianna, he wanted to make love to her as soon as humanly possible. The way he felt right now, he’d physically hurt her without meaning to.

“Who’s up for some hand-to-hand?” Iolyn asked.

Huw had come to stand behind his chair. “I’ll fight you.” He slapped Iolyn on the shoulder. “I still owe you for a few dirty moves you used on me when I was out of my mind over Nadia.”

Nadia giggled as did Lia and Mel, who added, “Wulf can help. I’ll command the ship while you boys beat the crap out of each other.”

Joen stood. “I’ll referee. I might even join in. I haven’t had the chance to beat on a Caradoc for a while. Need to keep my skills up. Who knows?—We might have to wade into a bar fight to get Brianna out of
Hades
.”

“Joen,” hissed Lia.

“What?” her mate replied.

“Iolyn didn’t need to hear that last bit.” Lia turned to Iolyn. “I’m sure Brianna will be kept safely hidden away from the bar patrons. Her brother wouldn’t expose her to any overt danger.”

The image of his beautiful, fragile, and unworldly scientist mate sitting in a raunchy sex bar among the dregs of the galaxy and the women who catered to them threatened to fray his last bit of control on his
batel rabia
.

Iolyn vocalized his displeasure at the images in his head. The agitated rumbling rattled the commendations on the walls of the boardroom.

“
Ansu bhau
. Can you just stop it, please?” Mel glared at Iolyn and the other males who’d once again chimed in. “Wulf, do something. And do it off my Command Deck.”

“Huw, push your engines.” Wulf stood and dragged Iolyn from his seat and shoved him toward the doorway. “We need to get to Brianna as fast as we can.”

“You got it, brother. Don’t start pounding on Iolyn until I get there.”

As Iolyn left the room, he heard the women laughing and placing bets on who’d win the battle of the Caradocs.

There was no doubt he would. The way he felt right now, he could take on every Prime male on the ship without breaking a sweat—and still have enough energy to take down Jotak M’tali, the two fake soldiers, and his beloved
gemate
’s big brother, just because.

Chapter 6

Jump Station Charybdis

Bria walked through the decontamination chamber and into the docking tube which connected the Mason freighter to the supply docks of the jump station. The Mason freighter captain was right on her heels. She’d wanted to remain on board until Damon could come get her, but station rules stated that all living creatures on a docked ship must go through decontamination and then disembark while the ship was unloaded and then sanitized.

Feeling as if she were a tremendous burden for the captain, she looked over her shoulder and said, “I’ll be fine now. Damon will come for me.”

“Your brother said he’d have my balls for breakfast if I let you out of my sight.” The man’s lips twisted into a grimace. “I’ve seen what he’s done to men who’ve crossed him. I’ll stay with you until he gets here.”

Bria was somewhat shocked to hear the fear in the captain’s voice. Yes, Damon had always been assertive and more alpha-dominant than her other brothers, but she’d never thought he was scary.

But then, she hadn’t really seen all that much of Damon since he’d left home. And judging by their earlier conversation, maybe she never really knew him as well as she thought she had.

She stepped out of the docking tube onto the docks and stopped as if she’d slammed into a wall.

The noises hit her first, like the percussion from an explosion. The high-pitched whine from auto-loaders. The shouts from numerous males of all species. The rumbling of ship engines as they docked and departed. And underlying it all, the throbbing sound of the massive air compressors which provided life-sustaining oxygen to the busiest area of the jump station.

The cacophony made her head pound and her stomach churn.

Then the smells struck, adding to her nausea. A potpourri of exotic spices, male sweat, decaying produce, engine lubricants, and the sour tang of reprocessed air.

While she might’ve forgotten the noise and smells from the one time she’d been here, the supply dock itself hadn’t changed visually at all. The metallic platform was various shades of black and gray and seemed to curve toward infinity in each direction. In reality, the platform completed a 360-degree circumvention of the lowest level of the circular jump station with dozens of docks. The ceilings were high and crisscrossed by numerous pipes for heat, air, and other mechanicals.

The freighter captain ran into her still form. He caught her arm before she could fall into the path of an auto-loader pulling a pallet filled with large metal conduits.

“You okay, missy?” The captain’s normally fluid Obam accent sounded harsh to her ears. Her hearing might never recover from the overwhelming racket.

“Yes, fine.” Bria waved him off with her free hand. “Just forgot what it was like.”

Bria was glad for the captain’s presence. Even now, dozens of men’s stares had singled her out and a rustling of voices passed the word down the dock in both directions that a woman had invaded the harsh, all-male territory.

“Ahh. The noise. Yes. Very loud.” The captain’s brow creased into numerous deep wrinkles, creating dark rust tunnels on his normally pale orange visage. He pulled a pair of what looked to be ear buds from his pocket and offered them to her. “Here. Try these. Sound suppressors.”

Bria took them and popped them into her ears. “Thanks.”

The relief from the din was immediate. But nothing could stop the males in the vicinity from eyeing her as if she were a full-service cafeteria—or stop the resulting creepy-crawly feeling on her skin.

Bria had a feeling nothing good could happen from her being on the docks, with or without a guard.

The captain’s instincts seemed to run parallel to hers. “Many bad men. Stay behind me. Do not meet their eyes.” He took a position in front of her, placing his thin, wiry frame between her and the danger on the dock platform. The captain’s hand hovered over his laser blaster. From what she could see of his face, he glowered at any male who dared to look her way.

As she and the captain waited for Damon to appear, her gaze was caught by a large pile of rags near the Mason freighter’s dock. She could’ve sworn they hadn’t been there when she’d first debarked. When the rags moved and moaned, she realized the pile was alive. Was someone buried under all the ragged clothing? Were they hurt? She moved away from the captain and started to bend over, her hand extended toward the outer layer of cloth.