Page 35 of Doom

My words died in my throat at the anger that descended on his features.

“Where did you come up with such nonsense?” Doom asked in a growly tone. “You are far from being inadequate, and you’re not getting a free ride into the Vanguard.No onedoes. Yes, Legion had your name added to the fast-track list of the psychic program so that you could begin treatment right away should you choose to apply. But that’s it. You were spared the psychological evaluation because my brothers and I have all seen your aura, plus the time you and I spent together confirmed your personality and motivations to be in line with ours.”

Leonard and that clerk after the first presentation had indeed mentioned the aura screening during the psychological evaluation. But even those who passed that first test received a second one at the end of the treatment. Not every female psychic who developed the soulcatching ability was allowed into the Vanguard. An aura didn’t just spill the beans about a person’s current state of mind. The Xian Warriors could tell a lot about one’s personality, including whether a person was trustworthy, a troublemaker, a liar, or a potential traitor. Developing psychic powers had gotten to the head of a few people who ended up getting removed from the program.

“Your medical role both at the camp, and now as part of the Vanguard,you earned. Too many lives are at stake to risk them on preferential treatment. Have you not noticed that there are other spouses on board that have not been approached to work within the Vanguard or the Intergalactic Coalition?”

I chewed my bottom lip and nodded slowly. A number of humans had indeed been recruited in various strategic roles, their significant other now also living on board but merely as civilians.

“But would they have even considered me if not for my relationship with you?” I asked, realizing just how insecure I’d been feeling from the beginning.

“Yes, absolutely,” Doom said with deep conviction. “Did you being my mate draw their attention to you sooner? Probably. But your skills, natural leadership, charisma, and hard work kept them watching. You are right in saying our Soulcatchers are fantastic, but so are you. So what they have skills you don’t? You have skills they lack. We all have a purpose. Yours just lies elsewhere but is no less important.”

Doom caressed my hair and then cupped my cheek with his oddly soft palm, which hadn’t yet grown calluses from his rebirth a few weeks ago. I leaned into his touch, covering the back of his hand with my palm. Each of his words soothed an ache that had been gnawing at me.

“When I first met you, your aura mesmerized me. My mating glands acting up only confirmed what my hearts instinctively knew,” Doom said, his voice dipping deeper. “That first day, every single moment spent with you reinforced what I was feeling deep down. They proved you to be exactly what we seek in members of the Vanguard. You are selfless and devoted to your people. When everyone else would have run to save their own hides, you stayed to care for the weak and the helpless. You are strong in the face of adversity. When that Kryptid was implanting your partner, Andy, you didn’t sit frozen in fear but fought back. You’re a natural leader. You are younger and less experienced than Andy was, yet he was following your lead, as did many of the others at the camp. You are compassionate and charismatic. When you entered that church, you instinctively knew how to handle a potentially dangerous situation. Your inner beauty shines like a beacon. It reassures people and instills trust.”

I squirmed on his lap, flattered beyond words by the way he saw things when, to me, I’d merely been trying to survive a shitty situation and do what I believed was right. He chuckled at my embarrassed expression, the color of my cheeks having no doubt moved into the scarlet territory.

“There can never be anyone for me but you, my love. Even without my Gomenzi Dragon blood, I wouldn’twantany other but you. Stop fretting over nonsense,” Doom said before kissing the tip of my nose. “If you only knew how boring Tina finds those Dream Walks, you wouldn’t feel the slightest bit of envy.”

My brows shot up at those words. “Why? You’re not showing her Khepri and all kinds of cool places in the galaxy?” My face heated again at the sliver of jealousy lingering in my voice.

Doom snorted. “Fuck no. I’m having her practice removing Mexlar implants from victims. She’s still too slow, and we can’t practice with real people. She’s also learning how to dispose of unhatched Drone eggs and getting a far too up-close and personal view of the various bugs in the General’s army. Tomorrow, I’m going to show her their special attacks and how to avoid them as well as teach her their vulnerable spots and how best to kill them. I expect she will be cussing me out once she gets sprayed a few times by acid. Thankfully, although she will feel some of the pain, she will come out unscathed from the Dream Walk.”

I gaped at him horrified. He burst out laughing and crushed my lips with a kiss.

“You are the only woman I will give a private guided tour of Khepri and ‘all the cool places’ out there, my mate,” he added in that purring voice that did delicious things to me.

“So, does that mean you’re turning your Soulcatchers into fighters?” I asked while rubbing my nose against his, my mind starting to drift towards naughtier territories.

“Yes,” Doom said, sobering. “The Vanguard needs to evolve. There is much we couldn’t do before with the Hulanians. Human females are quite different in their mentalities, abilities, and personalities. They are truly the partners our creator had meant for us. Unlike our previous Soulcatchers, the human women can fight, shoot, pilot vessels, do strategic analyses on the battlefield, and so much more. Having the X-Girls by our side, will turn the tide.”

“The X-what?!” I asked, certain I had misheard him.

Doom chuckled.

“Apparently, you humans have a cultural phenomenon called the X-Men,” Doom said in an amused tone. “Our human Soulcatchers have recently started calling themselves the ‘Xian Girls’ or ‘X-Girls’ for short.”

I burst out laughing and shook my head incredulously. “X-Girls… right. So, what does that make me? The X-girlfriend? The X-wife?”

“No and no,” my man said in a stern tone, his hands slipping under the skirt of my flowy, patterned dress to rid me of it. “You, my love, are Doom’s Wife. A very naughty wife who has distracted me from my work.”

“I should be punished,” I said in a very serious tone. “Such behavior is unacceptable.”

“Agreed,” Doom said with an evil grin that had me shivering with anticipation. “I’m going to do unspeakable things to you, my mate. You need to be disciplined.”

Still holding me, he rose to his feet, but I clasped my hands behind his neck and wiggled in his arms so that he’d let me wrap my legs around his waist. Chest against chest, eyes locked, I let my man carry me into our room, eager for him to show me the error of my ways…

Chapter 12

Victoria

The familiar tingle of Doom’s mind brushing against mine brought a smile to my face. Whenever he battled at the front, Doom frequently gave me psychic caresses at random times of the day. Every night he mind-spoke words of love and said how much he missed me before I went to sleep. It made his absence less difficult to bear and reassured me as to his well-being.

At the time of our first reunion after his rebirth, I couldn’t put my feelings for him into words. I’d been crazy about him, but we’d only had a day and a night together before he disappeared for nearly three months. But now, there was no question he had swept me off my feet, and not just because he was a sexy, badass alien that looked at me as if I were the eighth wonder of the world. I was madly in love with my man. He showered me with countless little attentions that spoke volumes about his feelings for me.

Dr. Anita Shivani snorted and gave me a knowing smile. My ever tattletaling pale skin turned bright red. I could only imagine what dreamy expression had settled on my face the minute I had felt Doom’s presence. Over the past five months, Anita and I had developed a close friendship.

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