Page 6 of Wrath

Apparently, you only needed to pack ten days’ worth of undies that you would wash during the trip, two or three nightgowns, unless you slept naked like her—which was a bit of a TMI—and the few snacks and games you just could not live without. Then again, Linette made sure the ship’s replicators could create such ‘essential’ treats.

We reached the ship hangar, which was buzzing with activity. Despite all the teams that had already departed, a few more were leaving at the same time as we. I was still getting to know the various Warriors, but I naturally recognized Legion and his team prepping to head out on their own mission.

My jaw dropped seeing him and Ayana kissing and hugging their two young sons while Liena stood by. As her husband Raven was their first-born son’s godfather, the couple would look after Legion’s children during their absence. The same troubling tableau awaited us in front of our own ship where Myriam and her husband Dread were also saying farewell to their kids, one of them still a toddler.

Unlike most of the other Dragons, Bane and Dread had inherited their human mother’s golden blond hair. But like their countless other hybrid siblings, they had a grey skin, and both the black chitin scales of the Kryptids all over their bodies and half-moon shaped horn on their heads. I would have expected them to be monstrous but, like the Xian Warriors, the Dragons had bodies to die for and stunning faces mesmerizing to behold.

With Myriam having auburn hair, her children with Dread came out with golden manes and the dark scales of their sire. They were the portrait of the perfect family and of pure marital bliss. And now, they would leave their children with their Aunt Tabitha and Uncle Bane to go serve the Vanguard.

That image struck me hard. In the military, it was common to see one of the two spouses heading to the front, leaving a partner with the children behind. Seeing both parents leaving together on what could be a deadly mission seemed borderline irresponsible. If things turned ugly, the children would be orphaned. I didn’t think I could ever put my children in such a predicament.

Not that I will ever have that issue to worry about.

A sharp pain sliced through me as that thought crossed my mind. Another horrible souvenir of all that accident had taken from me. I realized my hand had found its way to the terrible scar right above my pelvis—a constant reminder I could do without.

“You ladies can leave your bags here,” Varnog said, snapping me out of my somber thoughts. “We’re still loading the Shells. We’ll bring your things to your quarters when we’re done.”

“Thanks, Love,” Linette said to her husband with a big grin before turning back to me. “Come on, let me give you a tour of the ship.”

I nodded, relieved to walk away from that familial scene. We climbed the ramp into the Defiance, a massive frigate that said a lot about what the team expected to find wherever we were headed. We would bring back either a humongous thing, or a heck of a lot of stuff. That made me excited and thoroughly impatient to finally have the mystery solved. I couldn’t recall the last time I had flown such a huge vessel other than in a simulation. Back on Earth, I usually flew chasers, fighters, or raiders, which were barely a tenth the size of this one.

“This seems way too big for so small a crew,” I said while Linette was showing me one of the two holodecks of the vessel.

“Technically, it is,” Linette said with a shrug. “But most of the functions are automated, and the ship’s artificial intelligence is pretty ridiculous. Frankly, it could pilot itself, but you know I like my big toys.”

I burst out laughing at the suggestive face she made while saying those words.

“Someone is trying to compensate, methinks,” I said teasingly.

“No need to compensate here,” Linette said, puffing out her chest. “You know my mantra.”

“Good things come in small packages,” I said at the same time she did.

We both laughed, and for a moment, it felt almost as if we’d gone back to the old days at the Academy. She’d been such a tiny little officer teaching us cocky cadets the basics of flying during rescue missions, that I had expected her to get trampled by the big, burly, manly men who thought she would just be a pushover. Had they ever learned the hard way! It felt good to laugh like this again. I didn’t know how things would pan out with our team leader, but right now, being reunited with my best friend was exactly what I needed.

After a quick tour of the gigantic cafeteria, impressive gym, board rooms, and the fabulous bridge, we headed to the Infirmary where the Incubators were also kept. We walked in just as Wrath and Varnog were setting up the last Shell in the recessed upright slots in the wall. It was my first time seeing one of Wrath’s Shells. During my training, other Warriors had volunteered to have a Portal take their souls out of their bodies so that I could hold them in a Shield. It hadn’t fazed me. But now, seeing Wrath’s naked body in suspension in the reinforced glass tank had heat creeping up my cheeks.

Like all the other Warriors, his body was sheer perfection. Tall, broad-shouldered, with muscles for days, thick golden scales covered skin of the same color, all over his body except for his chiseled abs. A natural loin plate, also made of dragon scales, hid his naughty bits from view. Three black bone spikes adorned each side of his shoulders, while a few more lined his spine. His larger than human eyes were closed, hiding the inky depth of his black eyes devoid of any sclera.

Those same black eyes were currently studying my reaction to observing his dormant Shell. Although his expression remained unreadable, the knowing smirk on Varnog’s face and Linette’s excessive effort at keeping a neutral expression clearly gave away that my reaction had been less than clinical.

I was mortified.

It wasn’t so much that they knew I liked the view—any straight woman in her right mind would enjoy the eye candy—but the possessiveness seeing him had triggered within me threw me for a loop. Linette’s words to the effect that he could never belong to any other woman in the entire universe but me, knowing that he was mine for the taking whenever I so wished, was messing with my head.

Chapter 3

Wrath

Apleasant warmth spread through my chest in response to Kwan’s unexpected reaction to my naked Shell. A discreet glimpse at her aura finally showed a few rays of pink for me. It took every ounce of my willpower not to display my pleasure. We were a long way from her being open to a relationship, but at least the wall of indifference had fractured.

However, as much as I wanted to bask in this moment, my mate’s embarrassment had my protective instincts kicking in again. Varnog couldn’t help being his irreverent self, but as he didn’t know Kwan’s situation, I didn’t want him triggering her with some insensitive remark or too intense a teasing.

“Perfect timing,” I said, smiling at Kwan. “While we have you here, let’s add you to the biometric locks of the hidden Incubator.

Kwan lifted a surprised eyebrow, while her shoulders relaxed with relief.

I went to stand by an inconspicuous wall section of the Infirmary and spoke my name and ID code out loud. A blue laser scanned my face and then the wall panels parted with a soft hiss, revealing a large room designed not to show up on any scanner.

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