Page 14 of Guardians

CHAPTER 3

Malik rushed ahead so he could scan open the door to the cabin he shared with Kane and Diego. Kane was still carrying their mate wrapped up tight in a quilt.Their mate.How the hell had they ended up with a mate? Sure, they were part of Zion’s private guard, but all of them had given up on the idea of ever having a female in their lives again. The first two years on Rydaria had been so filled with backbreaking labor and uncertainty that no one had time to think about anything but survival. By the time the village was secured and most of the cabins had been built, the sixteen hybrid females had chosen their mates.

There was no way to leave the planet and long-range communications devices were forbidden. It had been obvious from the start that they were never meant to leave Rydaria. The bastards back on Earth had described the planet as a lush paradise waiting for exploration. In reality, it was a harsh, unforgiving prison with impressive scenery. According to everyone on Earth, hybrids were freaks, dangerous animals who needed to be exiled to protect the public. It didn’t matter thatthey were the victims of Nuevo Biotech or that, to his knowledge, they were innocent of any crime.

Then without warning or explanation the humans arrived on Rydaria. Most of the hybrids wanted nothing to do with their former tormentors. The rest wanted to wipe them off the face of the planet. Kane and Malik were among a rare few who were curious about their arrival. Had the scientists come willingly out of some bizarre sense of responsibility or was this an ironic punishment for their myriad crimes? It soon became obvious that it was the latter. Everyone associated with Nuevo Biotech had been dumped on Rydaria and forgotten. The people of Earth were trying hard to forget that the Griffin Project had ever happened.

Diego wanted nothing to do with the humans, but Kane and Malik talked him into assigning a couple of his Shadows to observe the camp. Kane spent a good deal of time spying on the humans as well, but he was unable to get nearly as close as the Shadows could. Their ability to blend with their surroundings wasn’t just a skill. It was a genetic adaptation, one of many the scientists had cultivated in their hellish labs.

Psychic sensitivity, telepathy, telekinesis, and clairvoyance, all those abilities and more had been discovered in the hybrids. And as more and more of the hybrids developed ‘gifts,’ the scientists became more reckless. Laws and scientific standards had all been abandoned by the time the first hybrid transformed. The shift from human to animal had first resulted in a monstrous mutation that had to be terminated. The process had to be fine-tuned numerous times before the first successful shift took place. Once the ruthless bastards figured out how to do it, every hybrid still in captivity was subjected to the excruciating process.

Malik shook away the past, refusing to dwell on those dark, hopeless years. Nuevo Biotech was half a galaxy away and they held no power over him now.

Kane carried Lexie into the cabin and chuckled when he realized she was sound asleep.

“Let her rest,” Diego suggested. “This has been overwhelming for her.”

Kane nodded then took her into the nearest bedroom, which happened to be Malik’s. Malik followed him into the room and quickly shut the blinds. Kane gently placed her on the bed. Rather than trying to slip her beneath the bedding, he simply left her cocooned in the quilt.

As they returned to the living room, Malik said, “We need to prepare a meal. She hasn’t had anything substantial in weeks.”

Diego nodded and walked into the kitchen. Opening the solar-powered cooler, he inventoried. “There’s enoughbiforenleft to make a stir-fry or maybe a stew. For anything more elaborate, we’ll need a provision voucher.”

Each person in the village was issued a provision voucher at the beginning of every week. Additional vouchers had to be earned, so everyone tried to hunt for and/or grow as much of their own food as possible. There were sixteen utility printers scattered throughout the village, but they all accessed the same three molecular conversion units. This meant the hybrids needed to be careful not to overload the vital energy transformers. Zion’s solution had been the voucher system.

“Abiforenstir-fry will be fine,” Kane decided. “There’s no reason to complicate things.”

Diego nodded and closed the cooler’s door. “Do we need a plan for tonight or are we just going to let things unfold spontaneously?”

The question made Malik smile. Diego preferred to have every moment of each day planned out in minute detail. Malik was much more of a go with the flow sort of person, and Kane was somewhere in between. He appreciated structure, but was willing to adapt when faced with unexpected obstacles.

“I formed this coalition,” Kane reminded, silver-blue eyes flashing dangerously. “It’s my right to fuck her first.”

“I wasn’t hinting otherwise,” Diego assured him. “But are we going to try and keep things slow and gentle for tonight or am I allowed to slip the leash?”

“That depends how far off the leash you intend to run,” Kane countered.

“If she behaves, I’ll be a perfect gentleman.” He flashed a predatory smile as he added, “If she challenges me like she challenged you and Zion, I’ll fuck that sweet little ass.”

“No,” Kane said firmly. “It’s your right to take her ass first, but not tonight. If she challenges you, push your cock down her throat. She needs to learn her place, but she’s not here because she wants to be. She’s here because she has no choice. Treating her harshly will reinforce that fact when we need to make this less traumatizing.”

Diego nodded. He was clearly not happy about the decision, but Kane was coalition leader. His decisions were final. Diego had spent his entire adult life in the military. He understood the chain of command. Instead of arguing with Kane, he turned andlooked at Malik. “How do you want her? Spread-eagled on your bed?”

“Absolutely, but not tonight.” Malik paused, remembering her tear-streaked face and the misery in her eyes as Kane belted her ass. “Kane’s right. We need to balance domination with reassurance. Right now she’s convinced that being our mate is a lifelong prison sentence. Changing her opinion is our only hope of having a happy future.”

The frustration gradually faded from Diego’s gaze. “I guess some of the darker pleasures can wait.”

Kane moved into the kitchen and gathered what he’d need for the stir-fry. Diego joined him and they reviewed what had been discussed that morning as they sliced up the vegetables. Diego and one of his Shadows had been gathering information at the wolf village so Diego had been unavailable for the council meeting.

Not needing a review, Malik went into his bedroom to check on Lexie. She was tossing restlessly and murmuring in her sleep. He sat down on the side of the bed and brushed the hair back from her face. “It’s all right, Lex,” he said softly. “Everything is going to be all right.”

She whimpered and her eyelashes fluttered. “Where am I?” she asked as she blinked her eyes open. “It’s too quiet to be the lodge.”

“This is the cabin assigned to Kane, Diego, and me. And now you,” he amended with a warm smile. “How are you feeling?”

“Sore.” She averted her gaze as color erupted on the crest of her cheeks. “How long do I have to wear this thing?”

“Let me find out.” Malik walked to the doorway and called out, “Lexie’s awake. Can I remove the plug and treat the welts on her backside?”

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