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  Spy

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  Copyright © 2016 Cyndi Friberg

  Cover art by Dar Albert

  Editor: Mary Moran

  Electronic Book Publication, October 2016

  Trade Paperback Publication, October 2016

  Edition 1.b

  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

  Spy

  Cyndi Friberg

  Battle Born, Book Eight: After ten years as a field agent, Kaden Lux is ordered to babysit a bunch of scientists. Yes, the scientists are working to free the magic locked inside each battle born soldier, but his skills are utterly wasted on a spaceship. Then he encounters a feisty reporter named Lexie Ward.

  Lexie deals with her sister’s disappearance as she deals with any mystery; she starts digging. Her tenacity has served her well in the past, so she sees no reason to change her approach. But the clues soon lead to a military outpost hidden on the dark side of the moon. Not sure if she’s lost her mind or if Earth is in serious danger, she’s forced to trust an arrogant, yet devastatingly attractive alien named Kaden Lux. Sparks fly and passions flare as the reluctant partners delve deeper into the mystery. And Earth’s fate hangs in the balance.

  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

  Lexie Ward knelt in the leaf-strewn dirt and adjusted the angle of her camera, allowing her to follow the movements of the two men more easily. Both were tall and muscular with dark hair and pleasant features. Well actually, the taller man was cover model gorgeous, but that wasn’t the reason she was watching them. They fit the description of two of the men involved in her sister’s kidnapping, so Lexie was determined to learn more about them.

  She’d arrived at Stargazer Ranch about an hour ago. The modest compound was nestled in the foothills west of Boulder, Colorado, and appeared to be used as a weekend retreat or convention center. She’d snooped around, looked in windows and twisted door knobs. At first she’d thought the place was deserted or closed for the season, then these two hunks walked out of the woods.

  The taller one wore a black-and-gold uniform. Though the outfit lacked any specific insignia or military designation, it made him look dangerous. He also had a wicked-looking knife strapped to his thigh. She wouldn’t be surprised if he had other weapons, but they weren’t visible at the moment.

  The smaller one’s outfit was even more unusual. His green tunic was heavily embroidered in gold and belted at the waist. His pants appeared to be braided from the same brown leather used to make his boots. She didn’t see any weapons on him. Still, his demeanor was faintly militant, just like the taller man’s.

  A soldier and a mediaeval knight, they were a strange combination to be sure.

  Keeping low to the ground and hiding in the late-afternoon shadows, she approached the building they’d just entered. There were no windows on this side of the large gymnasium, but her earlier snooping had revealed the building’s purpose. Though it looked like a barn or oversized garage from the outside, the structure housed an impressive selection of modern athletic equipment.

  She sighed and stuffed the camera back inside her backpack. If Stargazer Ranch was some sort of training camp for wanna-be commandos, she was probably wasting her time. Mercenaries wouldn’t kidnap an American female. More often than not, they worked for the US government, and Uncle Sam wouldn’t hire criminals. At least she hoped that was the case.

  Libby, her sister, had been taken from a concert at the Budweiser Event Center eleven days ago and Lexie had been frantically searching for her ever since. Lexie was an investigative reporter, one of a dying breed. While too many of her peers were content to recycle information they found online, Lexie triple checked every fact and fully explored the context before anything appeared in her articles or on her popular blog. Unraveling mysteries and getting to the truth wasn’t just her occupation, it was her purpose in life. Only this time Libby was at the center of the mystery, so Lexie was struggling with her emotions every step of the way.

  A door at the far end of the building opened. Lexie crept closer to the corner, hoping to catch some portion of their conversation. Their voices grew louder until she could make out their words, but she didn’t understand what they were saying. Their language was guttural, yet oddly rhythmic, unlike anything she’d ever heard before.

  Drawing a telescoping mirror out of one of the pockets on her backpack, she carefully extended the wand, then eased the small mirror into position so she could see around the corner. Both men were more or less facing the other direction. She could only see their profiles, when she could see their faces at all. They seemed unlikely kidnappers, but something about them just didn’t fit.

  The soldier turned and motioned to one of the other buildings as he made his next comment. Unfortunately, this only allowed her to see the other side of his face. The shorter one nodded, then blindly reached for the wall as if he was fighting for balance.

  That wasn’t good. Lexie looked closer. His hair was lighter than his companion’s, warm brown rather than nearly black. His skin tone was lighter too. In fact, he looked rather pale as he stood there swaying.

  Apparently noticing the knight’s distress, the soldier grabbed his upper arm and spoke in a low, concerned tone.

  The knight waved away the question and muttered something under his breath. Lexie smiled despite the seriousness of the situation. The reaction was so stereotypically male it required no translation. “Leave me the hell alone” sounded the same in any language. He straightened and let go of the wall, only to stagger and nearly fall.

  The taller one lodged his shoulder into the knight’s armpit. The knight reluctantly extended his
arm across the other man’s shoulders. As they slowly turned toward the perimeter trees, Lexie caught her first up-close view of the soldier’s face. From across the clearing his eyes appeared black. Now distinct silver rings separated his irises from his pupils. The rings shimmered for just a second, strange yet beautiful. Then he turned his head and a chill dropped down her spine.

  She’d seen eyes like his before. Nearly everyone on Earth had. Except the incandescent rings had been vivid blue instead of silver. A man named Garin Nox, claiming to be an alien general, had hacked into one of the largest communication networks on Earth and transmitted a series of cryptic messages. According to the messages, a small fleet of “Rodyte” spaceships were concealed on the dark side of the moon waiting for humans to respond to the information Garin had outlined in his messages.

  Reports of alien ships poured in from all over the globe. Of course, none of the ships ever landed or allowed humans aboard. There were just a bunch of blurry phone pictures of indistinct shapes in the sky. Lexie had dismissed it all as a clever hoax. Some bored hacker, or group of hackers, wanted their fifteen minutes of fame.

  The lack of concrete evidence didn’t keep the true believers from turning out in droves. People pitched tents and made signs begging the aliens to take them away from their dreary lives. Libby’s roommates, Amber and Jodi, had bought the “general’s” spiel hook line and sinker. They planned a trip to the nearest sighting location and chattered incessantly about their theories on social media. So when Libby was abducted, the roommates immediately blamed it on the mysterious Rodytes. According to Amber and Jodi, females weren’t volunteering fast enough, so the Rodytes took matters into their own hands.

  Lexie had listened attentively to their outlandish conclusions, and then dismissed it all as a stress-related delusion. Now she wasn’t so sure. What if the messages were legit? What if real proof of alien life was standing right in front of her?

  Uncertainty held her motionless for another moment, then curiosity urged her to follow. She wasn’t sure what she’d just seen, but her journalistic instincts demanded a second look. If aliens were real, and if she’d just stumbled onto one of their hideouts, she could end up with a Pulitzer Prize. Something she’d never even dreamed possible before.

  Slinging her backpack onto her shoulder, she shoved the mirror back into its pocket and took off after the men. Even if Stargazer Ranch had no connection to General Nox, this was basically her only lead. The description Libby’s roommates had given of the abductors couldn’t be dismissed. Big, muscular men weren’t that hard to find in Colorado, but long hair had become somewhat of an oddity. And both Amber and Jodi insisted that the men disappeared into thin air. Mercenaries might not kidnap an American female, but what about aliens?

  Lexie hurried through the trees, placing each foot carefully to make sure she didn’t draw their attention. Luckily, the tall one focused entirely on his ailing companion. They ascended a semi-steep hill, turned sharply to the south, then emerged into a grassy clearing.

  Lexie staggered to a stop as she reached the crest of the hill. Something heavy had created a symmetrical pattern in the wild grass. The geometrical shapes were clearly visible in the afternoon sunlight. Was this a freaking joke? Crop circles happened in cornfields, not mountain meadows.

  Before she could shake her mind free of the surreal discovery, the soldier issued a sharp command and a small ship gradually materialized. Lexie’s heart lurched and her pulse doubled as she carefully made her way closer to the scene. A hatch magically appeared in the vehicle’s seamless side and a narrow staircase lowered to the ground. Was the ship automated or was someone inside? She blinked, shook her head, then blinked some more. It wasn’t really a ship, more like a shuttle used for short-range travel. Short range? Like zipping from one hideout to another, or jaunting back and forth to the moon?

  This couldn’t be happening. There was no such thing as aliens!

  With a loud moan, the knight collapsed to his knees and vomited into the grass. The handsome soldier stayed at his side, focused completely on his friend.

  The open hatchway yawned before her, a dangerous temptation. She looked at the opening, then at the men, then back at the opening. It was now or never. They were clearly about to leave.

  No one had offered assistance when the knight’s condition worsened, so it seemed unlikely that anyone was on board. But what would she do once she reached the ship and found a place to hide? Take pictures? Sure. Gather information? Hopefully. Perhaps eventually interview an alien? Every journalist on the planet would kill for this opportunity. Why was she still standing here?

  Because she didn’t want to die!

  There was still a slim chance these men had Libby or knew something about her abduction. Libby was more important than any story. A surge of determination tipped the scales, freeing Lexie from uncertainty. After several deep breaths, she took one careful step and then another. Bushes concealed her movements most of the way to the shuttle, but the last twenty feet were flat and open. She hesitated behind the last bush. Should she move slowly and ease her way inside or make a mad dash for the finish line?

  The tall one shifted position, helping the sick one to his feet. Both men had their backs to her now, so Lexie settled the backpack more securely on her shoulder, then sprinted for the hatchway. She flew up the stairs and looked around with a mixture of shock and wonder. The interior was sleek, yet nonreflective. The front was clearly the cockpit, though there were no buttons or leavers on what she presumed were control panels. There were two forward-facing seats and two rows of seats that faced the center aisle. As she’d thought, this was a shuttle, not a ship. It was unlikely they’d be going far.

  What the hell am I doing? This is so dangerous.

  It didn’t matter. Her choice was made. She could hear them just outside the hatchway.

  She rushed to the back and frantically opened cabinets and doors. One of the doors concealed a tiny lavatory. She groaned, but stepped inside, carefully closing the door behind her. This wasn’t the worst place she’d ever hidden in pursuit of a story. At least it looked and smelled clean.

  She’d done it!

  She was hidden aboard an alien shuttle, headed to…who knew where. The ship really was small. It couldn’t possibly leave the planet. Most likely they’d head to another hideout, one with medical facilities. Soothed by the conclusion, she lowered her backpack to the floor and tried to slow her racing heart. The best stories always involved risk. This just took that concept to an entirely new level.

  A low rumble warned that the engines had been engaged. She looked at the commode and cringed. Was it safer to sit or stand? The shuttle vibrated for a moment then lifted so suddenly Lexie had no choice but to sit down and secure her backpack between her booted feet. She braced herself with her hands, praying it would be enough to keep her in place. Paralyzing lift gave way to breath-stealing acceleration, then finally the ride stabilized. She’d done a story on the Blue Angels a couple of years ago, so she’d had the privilege of riding in one of their jets. This felt similar, yet smoother, and the transitions had happened much faster.

  She found a relatively comfortable position and tried not to let her mind run too far ahead. If these were the men who had kidnapped Libby, it was imperative that Lexie stay hidden. There had been no ransom demand, no indication of why she’d been taken. Libby was a beautiful, golden-haired female, and sex trafficking was a serious problem even in this modern age. Yet if aliens were involved, the situation could be more complicated than evil men wanting to make a quick buck off the misery of females. They might… She couldn’t complete the thought. She needed more information before she could even begin to understand why aliens would want Libby. General Nox’s messages had said something about human females being the key to unlocking dormant magic, but Lexie hadn’t really paid attention. She’d dismissed the information as unreliable before her memory could absorb the details.

  An alarm sounded in the main cabin, then a deep voic
e shouted commands. Unable to resist the impulse, she eased the door open, trying to see what had caused the commotion without revealing her hiding place. The tall soldier stood beside the other forward-facing seat. The seat had been reclined until the knight lay almost flat and a three-dimensional display hovered over his unmoving body. Was he unconscious, or worse?

  The tall one was clearly upset. He manipulated the holographic display, activating something with his right hand and then his left. A computerized voice gave a sharp command. He raised both hands and took a step back. A jolt passed from the display into the unconscious knight’s chest. His entire body arched twice, then Lexie heard the rhythmic beeping of a heartbeat. Okay, he was still alive. That was good. But what was wrong with him?

  With an audible sigh, the tall one ran his fingers through his hair then returned to the other forward-facing seat. She lodged the toe of her boot between the door and the jamb, preventing it from closing completely. She also held on to the handle, making sure it didn’t swing open. Even with her restricted field of vision, she could see all sorts of things that clearly hadn’t originated on Earth. Her attention shifted to the main display and her breath hitched in a nearly silent gasp. Earth’s image was now a vivid blue circle surrounded by endless black. They’d only been airborne for a few minutes. How was this possible?

  So much for her, “it’s only a shuttle, there’s no way they’ll leave the planet” concept. Clearly Rodyte technology wasn’t encumbered by the same limitations as human.

  Giving herself a mental shake, she reached into her backpack and found her camera. As fast as the image was shrinking, she better take some shots or she’d be out of luck. No, this called for video. Her hands shook as she navigated through the menu and turned on the video function. Then she brought the camera into position and started recording. Without tangible proof, no one would believe her wild story.