Fearless (Battle Born Book 12) Read online

  Fearless

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  Copyright © 2017 Cyndi Friberg

  Cover art by Dar Albert

  Editor: Mary Moran

  Electronic Book Publication, May 2017

  Trade Paperback Publication, May 2017

  Edition 1a

  With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the author, Cyndi Friberg.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

  Praise for Beyond Ontariese

  Taken by Storm

  “Taken by Storm had it all—tense action, suspense, erotic sex, humor and a wildly imaginative plot.”

  ~The Romance Studio

  “Unplug the phone and put the kids to bed; once you start reading Taken by Storm you won’t want any interruptions!”

  ~Fallen Angel Reviews

  “For a story that will delight, entertain, and keep you on the edge of your seat, I highly recommend Taken by Storm and award it RRT’s Perfect 10.”

  ~Romance Reviews Today

  Operation Hydra

  “I highly recommend Operation Hydra…it’s one of the best science fiction romances I’ve ever read. Perfect 10!”

  ~Romance Reviews Today

  “Outstanding! This segment only whetted my appetite for more. The heat between Kyrsta and Trey could cause a nuclear meltdown.”

  ~Simply Romance Reviews

  City of Tears

  “WOW! City of Tears by Cyndi Friberg is one amazing blend of science fiction at its best and romance at its hottest…”

  ~eCata Reviews

  Fearless

  Cyndi Friberg

  Battle Born, Book Twelve: Kelsey’s undercover assignment aboard the Fearless blows up in her face when the ship’s handsome commander sets his sights on her. They’re genetically compatible, which means one thing to a Rodyte male, pursue, seduce and claim his potential mate.

  Jakkin didn’t set out to bond with a mate, but now that he’s found her, he’ll do everything in his power to win her heart. It doesn’t matter that she’s a spy, or that she claims to despise him. He can sense her attraction and smell her arousal. Her words are hurtful and cold, but he has no doubt that her passions burn as brightly as his.

  Note to Readers: This book contains detailed descriptions of sizzling passion only suitable for mature readers.

  From Cyndi: Battle Born is a fully integrated sci-fi series. Each romance is resolved within the given book, but many plot elements continue on from story to story. For this reason, it’s best to read the books in order. Enjoy!

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter One

  Shifting her tired gaze from one expressionless face to the next, Kelsey Lindon was torn between rolling her eyes, laughing out loud, and punching her fist through the nearest wall. She sat at one end of an oblong folding table in a cargo bay aboard the spaceship Fearless. The cargo bay had been divided into four rectangular rooms and each one was being used for a similar interview. Interview panels of four to six Rodytes assessed human volunteers, determining their commitment to and compatibility with the transformation program. If approved, the volunteer would continue on to Lunar Nine, the once-secret outpost inside the moon.

  Kelsey’s four interviewers fanned out around the other end of the table. They’d been attempting to ferret out inaccuracies in her cover story for almost three hours. At first she found their strategies amusing, predictable and amateur, but entertaining. She’d served in the U.S. Marine Corp for six years, then she’d been trained by the FBI. Did these scientists really think they could break her? It was insulting.

  Well, to be fair, only two of the four panelists were scientists. The other two were soldiers, but they left most of the questioning to the scientists. One of the scientists was a Rodyte male, tall and thin, his body revealed a life spent in a laboratory rather than on a battlefield.

  The soldiers were burly brutes with sharp gazes and chiseled features. Like most Rodytes, all three males had dark hair and eyes. Their phitons, the incandescent rings in their eyes, were purple, which likely meant they were battle born, the offspring of a Rodyte warrior and an enemy Billarian captive. The barbaric practice of forced seduction had been discontinued, but the shameful reminder of the bloody war made many Rodytes uncomfortable. The resulting prejudice and subjugation was the primary reason for the rebellion, and the rebels’ determination to unlock their latent magic had led them to Earth.

  The most interesting panelist, at least to Kelsey, was the other scientist. Not only was she female, which was rare on the Fearless, a battleship with an entirely male crew, she appeared human. But looks could be deceiving. It was possible she was some sort of human-alien hybrid. Far stranger things had happened in the last three months, which was how long the Rodytes had been openly interacting with Earth. They’d been secretly interacting with humans for generations.

  “Are we boring you?” the female scientist asked, humor clear in her tone if not her stoic expression. Her name was Lily Something-or-other, or Dr. Something-or-other if you pissed her off. She tended to defer to the Rodyte scientist, but Kelsey had seen sparks of spirit flash in her china-blue eyes.

  “No, ma’am.” Kelsey met her gaze and smiled. “I’m just wondering what all this has to do with the transformation program. I wasn’t aware that military service would be required of the volunteers.”

  Somewhere along the way, Rodyte researchers realized human DNA was more receptive to the genetic resequencing needed to unleash battle born magic than the Rodyte males they were trying to treat. However, the genetic changes could be transferred to the male by the natural transformation that took place whenever a Rodyte male claimed his mate. So, the search began for genetically compatible human females and the “transformation program” was launched, bringing Rodytes out of hiding and into the glaring light of Earth’s ravenous media.

  “Females only fill peripheral roles in the Rodyte military,” one of the soldiers stressed, sounding insulted by any other possibility.

  “Then why all these questions about my past?” Kelsey had played nice for the past two days, patiently answering all their ridiculous questions. The first day had been annoyingly general, but the questions had gotten much more specific, and more personal, today. She couldn’t move on to Lunar Nine unless this panel approved her for the program and Alyssa, the operative Kelsey was here to protect, couldn’t complete her mission until they both arrived on Lunar Nine. “I thought I was here to find a nice man, settle down, and have a bunch of magical babies.”

  The sarcastic crack brought a reluctant smile to Dr. Lily’s face. She was pretty when she smiled, with sleek black hair and those big blue eyes. But why was a human scientist working with Rodytes? Or more accurately, why would Rodytes bother with a human scientist? Weren’t Rodytes supposed to be light years ahead of humans in technology and medicine? Lily looked at her fellow scientist and her smile vanished, along with any hint of her personality. Interesting. Lily didn’t like her boss, or she was afraid of him. Kelsey wasn’t sure which.

  When Lily spoke her voice was tense and emotionless. “I have no more questions for Ms. Lind
on.”

  “Nor do we,” the bigger soldier echoed.

  This wasn’t the first time the bigger soldier spoke for both. Another interesting dynamic.

  Dr. Estrenton, the male scientist, nodded. “I, however, have many more.”

  He was enjoying this way too much. Kelsey tensed, not sure she could remain civil if he grew any more autocratic.

  “They can wait,” a deep voice drew everyone’s attention to the doorway. “She’s had enough for today.”

  Kelsey looked at the speaker and sucked in her breath. Jakkin Arvik, Commander of the Fearless, aka bane of her existence, stood there, devastatingly attractive and utterly irrational. He was the reason the panel was giving her such a hard time. He was convinced she was hiding something and was determined to learn all her secrets.

  There were two problems with his attitude. First, she was hiding something rather important. In fact, she was part of the Solar Warden program, which made them enemies. And two, he was one of her potential mates so each time they were alone together things inevitably turned physical.

  “Give us the room.” His gaze bore into hers, green phitons just beginning to glow.

  She heard chairs being pushed back and people moving around, but couldn’t look away from his face. He wasn’t classically handsome, at least by human standards. His features were too bold, too rugged, his gaze much too intense. He was a warrior and brutality was apparent in every movement, every expression. Of course, his scowls and aggressiveness only made him more attractive to Kelsey. She was a warrior too. She had no use for scrawny or passive men.

  The door slid shut behind the last panelist and Jakkin said, “Privacy protocol 19, authorization Arvik 629.”

  He’d just deactivated the cameras and jammed any audio equipment in the room. She only knew because this wasn’t the first time he’d used the command. Rodyte courting was better done in private.

  “It’s going to be one of those conversations?” Fine by her. After two days of mind-numbing boredom and frustration, she was more than ready for another wrestling match with her potential mate. She stood and kicked her chair aside, needing room to maneuver.

  He stalked her, arms at his sides, strides long and lazy. “Aren’t you tired of the lies?”

  Challenge infused each syllable and made her want to scratch his eyes out. “Sure am. Why don’t you tell me something honest for a change?”

  Not stopping until they stood toe to toe, he forced her to tilt her head back or stare at his chest. The man was ridiculously tall and totally ripped. Unless his skintight, red-and-black uniform was misleading, there wasn’t an ounce of fat on him, or on any of the other Rodytes for that matter. They were built for battle and trained hard to remain fast and agile.

  “You’re not here to find a mate,” he stated firmly. “How’s that for truth?”

  “Not if they’re all like you, that’s for damn sure.”

  He had the audacity to smile. “You provoke me so I’ll put my hands on you and we both know it.”

  She did. She couldn’t help it. Wrestling with him, feeling him easily contain her fiercest struggles, did odd and unexpected things to her squirming body. Most of her adult life had been spent training with the best of the best, so she could compete in a male-dominated world. Imagine her surprise when her biggest turn on ended up being an opponent who made her feel delicate. “All I know is you’re an arrogant jerk with a paranoia problem.”

  “I’m not going to kiss you, no matter how angry you make me. I’ve decided you have to earn the privilege.”

  Oh, silly man, he’d just made it a challenge. She wasn’t leaving this room until he kissed her now. She’d make sure of it. “Why in the universe would I want you to kiss me? My face is still covered with slobber from the last time. Shi-ver.” She shuddered in mock disgust.

  His eyes narrowed, but his arms remained at his sides and his face came no closer. “Tell me who sent you and I’ll put my mouth anywhere you want it.”

  Had he just offered to—never mind. She would not be distracted by an unexpected change in his strategy. She thought he was playing hard to get and suddenly he was on the offensive again. The man simply made no sense at all. “Why are you so convinced that someone ‘sent’ me? I’m always looking for a new adventure. Why is it so hard to believe that this was it?”

  He reached for her suddenly, but she was ready for the lunge. She agilely twisted out of reach and slammed her elbow into the middle of his back. With an annoyed grunt, he spun and caught her wrist, jerking her toward him. She punched at his face, hating to break his nose, but ready to teach him a lesson. His bullying tactics had gone on long enough.

  With exasperatingly fast reflexes, he dodged the blow and calmly reeled her in. “Behave, or I’ll take you down again and we both know how that ended.”

  Semi-playful sparing was stimulating enough, but full contact wrestling led to kissing and touching, arching and grinding. And the overwhelming need to get naked and sweaty. “Let go or I’ll stop holding back.” She hadn’t actually been holding back, just avoiding moves that risked serious injury or death. Unfortunately, that ruled out about half of her hand-to-hand arsenal.

  “Go on.” His fingers tightened around her wrist, restraining without hurting. “Give me everything you’ve got. I’m pretty sure I can take it.”

  She punched him hard in the ribs, distracting him from her true intention. He’d grabbed her right wrist with his left hand, which gave her an opening. She spun, using all her strength and momentum to throw him over her shoulder. She succeeded in jerking him off balance and onto the deck, but he ended up perpendicular to her rather than completely reversed.

  He hit hard, landing half on his back and half on his hip. Through it all, his fingers banded her wrist, keeping her from escaping. With one hard yank, he brought her to one knee. For a fraction of a second, he let go and she thought she’d knocked the air out of his lungs. Instead, he rolled in a tight quarter turn and pushed her over backward.

  Damn, Jakkin moved fast for such a big man. Soon he straddled her hips and both her wrists were restrained in fist-shaped manacles. His strong legs pressed her calves together, preventing her from bending her knees, and his face was mere inches from hers.

  “Shall we take this to my cabin or do you want to be marked right here on the cold, hard deck?” His gaze drilled into hers, phitons ablaze with emerald fire.

  He was mesmerizing when he got like this, all animal lust and domineering male. She wasn’t sure why it excited her so much. Chauvinistic males generally infuriated her. But the Rodytes did caveman with such conviction it seemed natural. It was natural. Subduing and claiming a mate wasn’t a game to them. It was a matter of survival.

  “You can’t scent mark me unless I agree, and I do not agree.” The first phase of Rodyte bonding was backing off all the other suitors by spreading one’s scent all over the female’s body. The exchange could be made with hands, lips or genitals, but it only worked skin to skin.

  His gaze cooled, then hardened. “If you really want a mate, why would you refuse me? This only proves that my suspicions are justified.”

  “All it proves is I don’t like you.” She stressed the last three words, drawing them out as she glared at him. “You’re a bully and I detest bullies.” She jerked against his restraining hands, but his hold was unbreakable. A fact that never failed to arouse her.

  He extended his arms, pushing himself as far away as he could without letting go. “A gentle wooing would bore you to tears. You love fighting with me. It excites you. I can smell how aroused you are. Are you really going to deny it?”

  “No.” She let the word sink in before adding, “Danger excites me. Strength excites me, but you are an arrogant jerk who doubts everything I say.”

  “Can’t imagine why.” Apparently tired of the verbal sparring, he shifted both her wrists into one hand and lowered his head. His mouth covered hers and reality narrowed.

  All she could see was his face, so she closed h
er eyes. His scent filled her nose and her pulse seemed amplified in her ears. She pressed her lips together, stubbornly ignoring his teasing tongue. Making him mad enough to kiss her had been her goal, but surrendering was not an option. He was too good at it and she enjoyed his taste, the warm slide of his tongue, entirely too much.

  “Relax,” he whispered, his lips caressing hers. “Open for me.”

  And like an intoxicated fool, she obeyed. His free hand stroked her face while his tongue explored her mouth. She tried to remain stiff and unresponsive, hoping he’d lose interest, but the battle was lost as soon as he touched her. She couldn’t resist him, not when her own instincts were fighting against her. She ached for him, needed to feel him moving deep inside her.

  She moaned and arched her back, rubbing against him as she responded to his kiss. Her tongue slid over his and their tastes mingled, creating a cocktail even more intoxicating than his taste alone.

  An exasperated cry tore from her throat and she jerked her head to the side. “Stop it! I will not be with a man who doubts everything I tell him.”

  He pushed up, finally releasing her wrists. He still straddled her body and seemed in no hurry to let her go. “Stop lying and I’ll hang on every word you say.”

  With stubborn determination, she wiggled out from under him and scrambled to her feet. “As always, Commander, we’re at an impasse. I don’t want a suspicious mate, and you’re convinced your paranoia is justified. No one can build a future on that foundation, even if they wanted to. Now approve me so I can move on!”

  She stormed from the room before he could reply, still shaking with her need to touch him.

  * * * * *

  My mate is irrational. Still kneeling on the cargo bay deck, Jakkin stared off into space as the thought echoed through his mind. He’d been unable to find the holes in her cover story, despite his best efforts. Either her alibi had been constructed at the highest level or she was telling the truth. He’d been equally unsuccessful at silencing the instincts warning him to beware, so he was left with a useless impasse, just as Kelsey said. He couldn’t approve her and he had no justifiable reason to eject her from the program. He had to figure out what in hells outer rings was really going on.