Triumphant (Battle Born Book 14) Read online

  A ripple of understanding fortified his being. For you, he agreed. To be worthy of you, I will do anything.

  You are worthy, silly man. You always have been. All you have to do is accept that I would not fall in love with anyone lesser.

  Excitement built, fueling his determination. He turned toward the barrier, spreading himself along the outer surface until he gradually melded with the fluctuation wall.

  You are brave and honorable, selfless and strong. She filled each word with conviction and sincerity, forcing him to see himself through her eyes. I love you more than I ever thought it possible to love another person.

  A crack formed in the barrier, shooting from top to bottom in a sharp diagonal. Not wanting words to distract him, she pushed affection and admiration across their link. Another crack formed, and then another. The barrier groaned, then a thin spray of water leaked out of the original opening. The spray grew stronger, soaking Sedrik in raw energy. He cried out, then shuddered, but she could sense his strength expanding.

  Energy sprinkled down upon her, pinging against her being like embers drifting on the wind.

  Move closer. Absorb as much as you possibly can.

  Rebecca sensed the urgency in Skyla’s advice and didn’t hesitate. She moved as close as she could to the rapidly deteriorating wall. A continual shower of energy bathed her now, but the spray was still fine.

  Closer, Skyla urged. Meld with Sedrik if he’ll let you.

  Unsure of that suggestion, Rebecca hesitated. This was Sedrik’s gift, not hers. She would not disrupt the process or distract him from his personal victory.

  This is your only chance, Skyla persisted. It’s our only chance. I need your help and so does Sedrik. Meld with him now and absorb as much of the energy as you can. Trust me. There is enough for both of you!

  She didn’t understand what Skyla was talking about, but she moved even closer. Sedrik welcomed her, drawing her in with warmth and affection. They flowed through each other, melding as they did when they made love. The intimacy was familiar now and welcome. She relaxed into him and greedily absorbed his energy.

  Yes. Oh yes. Take more of me. He directed the ever expanding river until it flowed freely through them both. She screamed, but it wasn’t pain she felt but ecstasy.

  Gradually physical sensations returned to the mix, drawing them back toward reality. They bridged the two realms now, dismantling the barrier on one side while they reached for each other on the other.

  They rolled to their sides and he pulled one of her legs high onto his hip. She guided his cock back to her slick core, desperate for his fullness deep inside her. They moved against each other, chest pressed to breasts as their hips rocked and their legs slid.

  Suddenly, the barrier gave completely and energy saturated their beings in a sustained deluge. They screamed in unison, hips frantically pounding as they rode out the excruciating pleasure.

  Reality blurred, then focused with brutal intensity. Rebecca screamed again, but Sedrik clutched his teeth and shook violently. His seed burst out in powerful jets, dragging another cry from his throat. She came over and over, the sensations combining into one continuous climax.

  They clung to each other as the storm subsided, too weak to move. Rebecca whispered a prayer of thanks that they had both survived. The reservoir was dry. They had absorbed every drop of mystic energy. The battle was over and they had won!

  “You still breathing?” Sedrik whispered against her hair.

  “Barely.” She blew out a long, ragged sigh. “I am so glad that’s over.”

  As if to mock her words, a vision swept into their linked minds and drove reality away once again.

  * * * * *

  Sedrik regained consciousness gradually, clawing his way to the surface through sheer force of will. Images and impressions echoed through his mind, the vision more vivid than what had transpired before. Mystic energy sizzled through every molecule of his being, readily accessible and waiting for his command. Rebecca had done it, or showed him how to do it. No, they had done it together, as they would do everything from this moment on. He could feel the change, the transformation. He was fully empowered for the first time in his life. So why was he weak as a babe? Simply opening his eyes was more than he could accomplish.

  “Are you back, my love?” Tenderness accompanied the question, bathing his being in tingling warmth.

  His mate’s sweet voice was motivation enough for his sluggish lids to rise. He blinked her image into focus then smiled. She sat on the edge of their bed fully dressed, her curly hair tamed by a neat braid. “How long was I out?”

  “Twenty-six hours.”

  The answer shocked him. “I lost an entire day?” He struggled to sit, but she pushed him back down.

  “Dr. Mintell repeatedly reminded me that he warned us this could happen. That’s why he wanted us to stay in main medical.”

  Disgusted by the idea, Sedrik found the strength to shake his head. “I don’t perform for an audience and he knows it. Besides, the sight of your naked body is for my eyes only.”

  “I appreciate that. However, ‘the more energy the patient absorbs, the longer it takes for the transformation to stabilize’,” she quoted. “Dr. Mintell was more than happy to remind me of that too.”

  “Well, my mother was right. There was a damn lot of it. Wasn’t there?” He exhaled slowly, then remembered that he wasn’t the only one who’d absorbed a massive amount of energy. “How long were you out?”

  “Twelve hours and fourteen minutes, according to the medic who was babysitting us, until I kicked him out.”

  “How did Mintell even know we were in trouble?” He rolled his head and rubbed the back of his neck, trying to rid his body of its stiffness.

  “He respected our desire for privacy, but monitored our vital signs. When everything suddenly plummeted, he realized we were both unconscious.”

  Feeling a bit stronger, Sedrik slowly sat up. “Could you print me a bottle of water?”

  Rather than leave the room, she simply grabbed a water bottle off the nightstand and unscrewed the cap. “I anticipate your every desire,” she said with a playful smile.

  He took a long drink before he asked, “How do you feel? I know you absorbed a good portion of that lake too.”

  “I’m still a little shaky, but I’m fine. No harm done. According to Dr. Mintell, we are both ‘through the worst of our transformation’.”

  “It was more intense than I expected, but I wouldn’t change a thing. I can’t wait to test my abilities.”

  Her eyes narrowed and her head tilted as it often did when she was confused. “Test your abilities? Didn’t you see the images?”

  “Of course I did, but the vision was spontaneous. I want to see what I can accomplish intentionally.”

  “Well, I’ve been thinking about the vision. In fact, I’ve done nothing but think about the vision for the past fourteen hours.”

  “During the memory exchange, we saw Jim sitting at a desk beside the bed. You were lying on the bed.”

  She nodded, then glanced away. “I remember.”

  Her back had been striped with angry welts. The memory couldn’t be pleasant, so he quickly moved on. “The grid Jim summoned from his datapad is the same as the cave drawings.” It was the only conclusion he’d drawn so far, but he wanted to see if they were headed in the same direction.

  “Exactly. The cave drawings aren’t just decoration, more like technical diagrams. Jim was studying the one that maps out the portals.”

  “We already know the location of the portals,” Sedrik pointed out. “The vision must have revealed something else.”

  “I think the portals can talk to each other, form some sort of network.” Her gaze glowed with enthusiasm and conviction. She clearly believed her conclusion was correct.

  He rolled his shoulders then took another drink of water. “I don’t disagree, but what do the Evonti gain by networking the portals?”

  “So far the only Evonti ships E
arth has seen are the ones they gave to Solar Warden.”

  “That doesn’t mean there aren’t more,” he cautioned. “Very few humans know about the Triumphant.”

  Nothing he’d said so far deflated her conviction. If anything she’d grown more animated. “True, but how did those ships arrive? Shouldn’t one or more of your ships have noticed Evonti ships approaching Earth?”

  “Most of the Evonti ships were already on Earth when we reopened Lunar Nine.”

  A hint of frustration finally penetrated her fervor. He didn’t want to discourage her, but visions could be tricky. It was just as dangerous to jump to conclusions as it was to over analyze. Even his mother struggled to maintain balance when she interpreted her visions. It would take months, perhaps years, of practice before they were proficient at unraveling the meaning of the images they received.

  “The last two Evonti ships weren’t on Earth when you arrived,” Rebecca pointed out. “So how did those two show up in Earth-space without any of your ships being aware of it? According to Jakkin’s testimony during the tribunal, his ship’s scanners were able to detect them.”

  She was right. The Fearless had easily detected the two Evonti ships even though they were attempting to conceal their position. So how had they arrived in Earth-space? He was shocked to realize he’d never really thought about it before. “Do you have a theory?”

  “Sort of.” She sounded much more guarded now and he wanted to shake himself. The last thing her healing spirit needed was unnecessary criticism. “I think the portals become some sort of…mega-portal when they’re networked. I don’t think the Evonti sneaked their ships past your ships. I think they flew in under your radar, so to speak.”

  He thought about that for a moment. It would take highly skilled pilots and seriously nimble ships to navigate in such close quarters, but it could be done. “Even if some sort of—what did you call it—mega-portal opened in or just above Earth’s atmosphere, my ships should have detected the disruption.”

  “Unless the Evonti used the same sort of jamming frequency that surrounds the teleportation disk. Remember how it made my car invisible?”

  Again she was correct. Despite his determination to go slowly with their first vision, he was gradually succumbing to her thoughtful arguments. “If they combined something we know they can do, with what you’re extrapolating from the vision, we’re in serious trouble.”

  She nodded. “They could fly a whole fleet of Evonti fighters into Earth-space and we’d never know they were there.”

  “Until they were ready to reveal their presence.” A shiver raced down his spine. He and Garin had both used the strategy in their dealings with Earth. Sedrik still hadn’t revealed the Triumphant to humans. Any way he approached it, there was only one course of action. “If there is even a possibility you’re right, we have to find every one of those portals and destroy them all.” He threw back the covers and tried to swing his feet to the floor, but every muscle in his body protested the exertion. With a groan of frustration, he slumped against the headboard.

  “I agree that this is urgent, but you need to rest. Two of the portals are down right now. You destroyed the one on the moon and the one in L.A. is still offline.”

  “The one in Riverside and the cave are gone too,” he informed, then cringed.

  She stilled. Her gaze narrowed and her uncertainty trickled into his mind. “How did you locate the cave?”

  Damn it. He did not want to get into this right now. “I activated my emergency signal and left it in the cave when the disk teleported us out.”

  He knew the exact moment she’d reasoned through the implications. Her fists clenched and her nostrils flared. “You could have summoned help the entire time?” Anger blazed for a millisecond, but sputtered out just as quickly. “We both had trust issues in the beginning. I guess I can’t blame you for tricking me.”

  Relieved and impressed by her dedication to her new life strategy, he smiled. She hadn’t just told him what he needed to hear to vanquish the barrier. She really was determined to remain positive and focused on the future. “So three of the portals are inoperable,” he gently nudged her back on topic.

  She nodded. “I don’t think they can network the portals unless they’re all operational.”

  “What led you to that conclusion?”

  “Why else would they have risked returning to L.A.? Everyone is so paranoid in California now. It was almost inevitable that they were discovered. I honestly think we have some time to play with.”

  “If you’re right about the portals, and I happen to believe you are—” he allowed her to cover his legs with the bedding, mainly because he was too damn weak to argue, “—they might only need three to create a larger portal. We have no choice but to shut the entire grid down. And that diagram.” He shook his head. “There were more than six connecting points on that grid, many more. I told Tyrale to document everything in the cave. He should have a file of the wall drawing.”

  Again she nodded. “I’ll get the images from Tyrale. You’re going back to sleep.”

  Sedrik chuckled, pleased by her persistence. He’d always sensed an inner strength in Rebecca. It was nice to finally see it in action. “I better be careful or you’ll take over command of my ship while I recover.”

  “I don’t want command of the Triumphant, just its commander.”

  He caught her wrist and brought her hand to his lips. “You’re welcome to command me. At least until I’m strong enough to show you who belongs on top.”

  She laughed and caressed his bristly cheek, love flowing freely across their soul bond. “Now go back to sleep. That’s an order.”

  Pausing to press another kiss to the center of her palm he, whispered, “Yes, sir.”

  Rebecca waited until Sedrik snuggled back down in bed before she left the bedroom. Slipping onto the chair in front of Sedrik’s workstation, she activated the com-system and located the person-to-person function. Then she took a deep breath, praying her com-bots accurately translated her words for her. “Rebecca Lux to First Officer Tyrale.”

  His response was instantaneous. “Is there a problem, Rebecca?” At least he sounded concerned rather than annoyed.

  “Not at all. Everything is fine.” Quickly deciding he’d accept the request better if it came from his boss, she said, “I was just speaking with Sedrik and he said you should have detailed images of the wall drawings in the cave. We think they’re more important than we first realized.”

  “All of the images were included in my last report. Did General Lux not receive them?”

  “He’s still recovering. I’ll let him know about the report.”

  “Very good. Was there anything else?”

  “Actually…” She hesitated. Her next request was personal and defiantly not in his job description.

  He chuckled. “What do you need, ma’am? I can’t get it for you unless you explain.”

  “I’d really like to speak with Skyla Lux, but I’ve never placed a long-distance call before.”

  Tyrale patiently explained how to make a person-to-person, interplanetary com. “Do you feel comfortable trying it yourself, or shall I send a runner to your cabin to assist you?”

  “I’m pretty sure I can do it. Thanks for the assist. I appreciate it.”

  “If you need anything else, just let me know.”

  She smiled as he ended the connection. She’d spent months listening to horror stories about the battle born. They certainly didn’t live up to their reputation as mindless barbarians. Everyone she’d met since boarding the Triumphant had been polite and helpful.

  Her thoughts quickly returned to Sedrik’s mother. Skyla had said so many things during the transformation that Rebecca didn’t understand. Concern for Sedrik and deciphering the vision had kept Rebecca occupied for the past fourteen hours, but now that Sedrik was lucid and he’d listened to her ideas, she was ready for some answers.

  She pushed her fingers into the control matrix, fascinated by
the colorful grid. Hopefully, she could remember all the steps Tyrale had outlined. There hadn’t been that many.

  “Rebecca, you have an incoming com from Skyla Lux. Shall I put her through?” The computer informed.

  This couldn’t be a coincidence. She pulled her hands free of the matrix and pressed back into the chair. “Yes, please.” Rather than a life-size holograph, Skyla’s image from the shoulders up appeared on the display in front of Rebecca.

  “How’s my son?” Skyla asked, though she didn’t really look worried.

  “Did you know I was getting ready to call you, or do you really want an update?”

  “Of course I want an update, but I also sensed that you were about to com me,” Skyla admitted with a carefree smile.

  Rebecca wasn’t surprised. She already had so many indications that Skyla was frighteningly powerful that this just added to the list. “Sedrik is fine. He better be sleeping right now or his mate is going to kick his ass.”

  “No need.” Mischief reshaped Skyla’s smile. “He’s sound asleep.”

  “Can you sense everyone that clearly, or just your children?”

  “My family and now my sons’ mates,” Skyla told her with a little shrug. “Is that going to be a problem for you?”

  “Your sons are half you, so I get that connection. But what connects you to their mates?”

  Skyla looked confused by the question. “What just happened to you?”

  “I absorbed so much of Sedrik’s energy that I passed out for twelve—oh, I get it. Sedrik’s energy.”

  “Yes, dear. You’re filled with his mystic energy, which comes from me. We might not share blood ties, but you and I are no less my family.”

  Even though Rebecca had inherited an in-law who could spy on her while living on another planet, Rebecca liked the idea of being part of a loving family. “Do the other two mates know?”

  “Of course, and I would never intrude on any of you. Unless you were in danger, of course.” She let that resonate for a beat, then asked, “So why were you going to com me?”