Warriors of Phaeton: Paine and Rowe Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Prologue

  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 Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-One

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Epilogue

  Look me up!

  About Leora Gonzales

  Warriors of Phaeton: Paine and Rowe

  Book Six of the Warriors of Phaeton Series

  Leora Gonzales

  Copyright © 2020 Leora Gonzales

  All rights reserved.

  Dedication

  I want to dedicate this (like all the others) to my husband. I was lucky enough to find a man who is super smart, loving, hilarious and also diabolical. When I said that I wanted to write but had no computer, I had no idea he was going to surprise me with a new laptop. There went my list of excuses. Touché, Richard. Touché.

  Prologue

  “My fellow Americans, negotiations have concluded with the Phaeton Warrior race. After speaking to their council of leaders, we have learned that the Phaeton race has been using cloning to survive. Unfortunately, the science that they have used has resulted in a low female birthrate. For their species to survive, they have been searching other planets for potential mates.

  “The State Department has decided to initiate a ‘mate match’ for single female volunteers to apply for what we are referring to as the ‘Bridal Pact.’ In exchange for these volunteers, we will be able to use the Phaetons’ medical advancements to save American lives. We will have access to a new fuel source that will all but eliminate our need for oil, both foreign and domestic. And we will also have the protection of their military from other species that may discover Earth.

  “This is not a draft. It is completely voluntary. Women who apply will be compensated for filling out an application and signing the contract. We want to assure you that your safety and the safety of your sisters, daughters, and friends will be our number-one concern. We are working on a profiling system with national dating sites and the Phaeton Council to make matches, similar to what many of you have used in the past to find companions. As of right now, this is only open to women who fall within certain criteria but may be expanded after an initial trial period passes.

  “Please keep an open mind and know that the safety of our citizens and country is our top priority. Women wishing to volunteer or get more information can contact their local Intake Centers, which will be listed by state following this news conference or found at bridal-pact-dot-state-department-dot-gov. This is an exciting time for our country and its people.”

  “Indigo?”

  Indigo turned with an automatic smile when she heard her name called. It wasn’t genuine in the least, but it was the best she was able to muster. After the day that she’d had, a shitty smile was the most anyone was going to get.

  “Are you ready?” Eva, her liaison, asked in a voice that was one step down from nails on a chalkboard.

  “Absolutely.” Grabbing her bag from the floor, she quickly stood and walked to the door where Eva was waiting for her. After such a long wait squeezed into a much too tiny chair, Indigo was more than happy to make her escape. “And please call me Indy.”

  No matter how much she’d tried to like Eva, the woman always rubbed her the wrong way. At first, Indigo had ignored the mean looks and abrasive remarks. That was over a month ago, and her patience deteriorated with every day that ticked by. It didn’t matter how nice she was to the woman. If she hooked Eva up to a bitch-o-meter, she’d be somewhere between mean old hag and raving psycho bitch.

  Indigo hadn’t met a more unpleasant person in her life, but since Eva had been assigned as her liaison, she’d had no choice but to put up with her. With each snip or glare from Eva, Indigo came back sweet as sugar. She took some comfort knowing it drove the other woman crazy.

  “It feels like I’ve been here forever.” Looking to the empty guard’s desk outside the room, Indigo realized it must be later than she thought. “I’m sure you’re anxious to get home too. If my day’s been long, I can only imagine how yours has been. Amirite?”

  Giving Eva a big smile, she waited for a response.

  Eva’s jaw tightened before she nodded stiffly.

  Kill ‘em with kindness, Indy.

  It was a little mean, but she couldn’t help herself. The entertainment value of watching Eva’s eye twitch had gone up since money had gotten tight and she’d sacrificed her streaming services.

  Err—well, tighter.

  It wasn’t as if bakers earned a whole heck of a lot of money, especially when the pies were sold in a diner that had seen better days—probably around the early ‘70s or so, if she had to take a guess. The place was old and worn, but she had a steady stream of regulars who snapped up her offerings often before they had time to cool. Her pies didn’t bring in the big bucks like some of the fancy wedding cakes she’d seen, but she didn’t care. Pies were her jam.

  Mmmm…jam.

  Indigo’s stomach growled, reminding her that she needed to either stop thinking about food in general or just eat. Preferably the latter; she was running on fumes. It had been making noises for a little while, but the volume was reaching a crescendo. Covering her tummy with a hand, she looked around as they made their way to the elevator. The floor seemed to consist of now-vacant offices.

  Looking about, she searched for the familiar shape of a vending machine or a glimpse of a breakroom. She was so hungry she was at the point of eating anything she could find, whether it be someone’s leftover lunch or even an old bag of trail mix if she could find one. Right now, though…right now that skinny little bag containing stale-ass peanuts and roach-looking raisins would be like mana from heaven, she was so hungry. She’d tried to leave the tiny waiting room earlier only to be stopped by security and told she had to wait for her escort to return.

  Once finally on the move, she could see why. Eva’s security badge was needed almost every step of the way.

  “I’m always anxious to get home. Who wouldn’t be?” Eva said with a sniff. Swiping her tag, she opened a door to a long hallway. “And calling you anything other than your Christian name would not be appropriate. It’s not like I’ll be dealing with you again anyways.”

  Indigo stopped walking as her brain processed the last bit of what Eva said.

  “Huh? Am I being assigned another liaison?” she as
ked as Eva’s heels continued to clip down the corridor.

  Indigo snorted.

  It figured.

  From the moment she’d woken up—thirty minutes late because her alarm hadn’t gone off despite knowing she’d set it—the shit had been hitting the fan.

  One gigantic turd after another.

  Right off the bat, she’d had a wardrobe malfunction. The outfit she’d spent hours picking the night before had split down the center of the crotch leaving her lady bits flashing Jesus and everyone. Since meeting her match in a crotchless romper was a no-go, Indigo had to scramble for a replacement. There was really no pretty way to go through the clothes that she’d already packed up, so yet another mess was created.

  After that, she’d hoped to save time with a little multitasking. She’d popped in some bread to make toast while she tried to tame her curls. It wasn’t until she had hair product all over her hands that she’d smelled something burning.

  Her once adorable silver and black retro toaster had turned into a scary, shiny fire-box spitting flames out of the top.

  It had only taken her a second before she was across the room pulling the cord from the wall with goop-covered hands. She’d seen the creepy ‘80s movie Maximum Overdrive when she was a kid and there was no way she was about to meet her maker over a piece of toast. It had taken quite a bit of tugging, since her hands were a mess, but once she’d gotten it unplugged, the flames died down.

  A little bit of cleaning, a whole lot of air freshener, and another outfit change later, and she was ready to hit the road.

  Well…she tried to hit the road.

  Using her app, Indigo called for a ride only to be stood up by two different drivers. Two of them. Trying a third time, she’d crossed her fingers and hoped like hell that third time was going to be a fucking charm because at that point she was running way behind.

  A driver did finally arrive, leaving Indigo with major regrets as he was soon speeding through the streets like an Indy racer. She appreciated his concern for her tardiness, but his driving managed to turn the coffee she’d planned on drinking into a new shit-colored decoration across the left tit of her dress.

  At that point, she’d needed some intense deep breathing to not lose her shit. She was awarded only a second to be grateful she was at least wearing a floral pattern that kind of…maybe hid the brown blob, before she’d had to deal with yet another problem.

  To be honest, at that point, she’d really begun to wonder if a higher power was trying to tell her something. As the day unraveled, she was second-guessing her original plan. With each speed bump life threw her way, the more she felt like this was a bad idea.

  As if all of that wasn’t enough, security tried to turn her away once she’d arrived at the Intake Center. According to their system, Indigo Marchant did not have an active file and therefore had no reason to be on the property. After ten minutes of arguing with them, she was on the verge of being escorted back to the main gate when Eva just happened to walk by. Her relief in seeing her liaison was short lived, as Eva claimed that she’d shown up early—hours early—and would need to wait until everything was ready.

  Indigo was tired, starving, wearing a soiled dress that reeked of her overly-sweet coffee creamer, and now Eva was passing her off as if she hadn’t made everything that much harder from the get-go?

  Indigo wasn’t normally the type to believe in signs, but this was becoming ridiculous. Especially so, considering the person who was supposed to guide her through this with understanding and knowledge was continuing down the hallway without her.

  “Eva? Hello?” Indigo half-yelled into the empty hallway, her annoyance making her possibly a bit louder than necessary. “Am I being assigned another liaison?”

  Eva spun around, her eyes widening when she saw that Indigo was still planted in the doorway where she’d left her.

  “Am I being assigned another liaison?” Indigo repeated.

  “Err—no. Well, actually…” Licking her lips, Eva smoothed back a strand of bright orange-red hair, breaking away from the tight bun her hair was fashioned into.

  Indigo narrowed her eyes.

  Eva was acting strange…well, stranger than normal. As if she were nervous for some reason.

  “I don’t understand. Was that a yes or a no?”

  “Once you’ve joined your match on Phaeton One, you will have a different coordinator. They will handle all the final odds and ends, help you get settled, and such,” Eva said. Her expression shifted back to the normal unpleasant one that Indigo usually saw.

  Indigo’s stomach growled again.

  Glancing down at her wrist, she winced at the time. Not only had she missed breakfast and lunch, but it was now pushing the time she normally ate dinner and her body was not happy. Of course, if things had gone according to the original timeline, Indigo would have already been a few hours into her trial marriage.

  And she’d be that much closer to coming home.

  Indigo eyed her for a moment before shrugging. She’d managed to put up with Eva this long for the government stipend. A few more minutes wouldn’t kill her. Plus, she needed that money way too much to blow it so close to the end. That chunk of change was going to help her get ahead for once.

  “Then let’s go.”

  “Well,” Eva snapped, the pinched look she normally wore spreading back over her features, “you’re the one holding us up.”

  Indigo rolled her eyes, not caring if it was seen. Regardless of her dislike for Eva, Indigo couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t quite kosher. She’d always seemed a little too slimy for Indigo’s comfort. It was a vibe she’d had since the beginning and one that hadn’t gone away. In fact, it had amped up quite a bit the last few days. Of course, since she didn’t really know Eva, Indigo couldn’t say what was out of character or not. Other than a few short visits, emails, and texts—all related to Indigo’s application—the woman was a virtual stranger. For all she knew, Eva could be in witness protection from the mob and her schtick as a liaison was just a cover. It wasn’t as if it mattered any longer, considering their time together was literally almost up.

  Still…her spider senses were tingling.

  “This way,” Eva chirped as they stepped off the elevator. Turning right, she was walking toward a door clearly marked as an emergency exit.

  “Where are we going?” Indigo slowed to a stop, her internal alarm blaring as she got closer.

  Eva turned with a brittle smile and leaned against the handlebar on the door. “Just out here.” She kicked the bottom of the door with the back of the block heel of her pumps twice. The thunks sounded hollow in the deserted hallway.

  Indigo took a step back, unable to shake her growing unease. She didn’t have to be best buds with someone to see when they were acting cagey as fuck. “Why?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

  The smile fell right off Eva’s thin lips. “Will you jus—ahem.” She stopped speaking and cleared her throat…and expression. In the blink of an eye, her face had gone from annoyed to blank. Creepily blank.

  Indigo took another step back.

  Eva held out her hands. “Look, I’m sorry. It’s just been a really long day.” Her face softened into a strained smile as she walked back to where Indigo had stopped within feet of the door.

  “Is everything okay?” Indigo asked, unsure what the hell was going on. At some point Eva had gone from embracing her role as the wicked witch to an improv of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and she wasn’t sure what had prompted the turn.

  “Of course,” Eva answered quickly. “I really am sorry. The schedule mess up earlier has resulted in some unexpected changes.”

  Indigo stiffened when Eva moved a hand to her back but didn’t protest when she was nudged forward.

  “I haven’t had a chance to eat yet today with the schedule being so out of order, and it’s made me a little snappy.” Eva nodded at the door they were approaching at a snail’s pace. “You’re not the only bride leaving t
onight.”

  “Really?” Indigo’s ears perked up at the mention of other brides. Even though she’d signed up for the sole purpose of collecting the stipend they’d offered, she wasn’t opposed to having a buddy along the way.

  Eva let out a sigh of annoyance when Indigo stopped walking again.

  “Yes, really. It’s one of the reasons why everything was running behind.” Moving ahead of her once more, Eva leaned against the door. “They are already on the shuttle.”

  Indigo relaxed at the news. “That actually makes me feel a little better.”

  “Good.” Eva pushed the door open, her arm straining to hold it wide so Indigo could walk through ahead of her. “I have a feeling you’re going to fit right in.”

  Indigo turned sideways to avoid hitting Eva with her large bag as she awkwardly sidestepped through the door into the darkness beyond. Other than a few necessities, it wasn’t filled with much, but that didn’t make it any easier to maneuver.

  Clearing the threshold, Indigo moved to readjust it over her shoulder when she felt a jab straight into the fat of her upper arm.

  “What the—” Indigo had only a second to panic before she was falling to the ground, her body slapping onto the pavement in a puddle. She’d hit hard enough to know she should have felt pain, but oddly, all she felt was cold. Numb.

  Blinking slowly up at the dark forms above her, she could make out the shape of Eva and someone else. They were both incredibly out of focus, but Indigo could tell one was a large male.

  What in the hell had she gotten herself into?

  “Is she the last?”

  “No, there are three more,” Eva answered.

  Indigo closed her eyes, unable to keep them open a second longer, as she began to float away on an involuntary, chemical, magic carpet ride.

  Eventually, there was nothing.

  Chapter One

  Present day on Phaeton One…

  “You are getting slow, brother.” Paine barely dodged the fist flying at his head. Holding up his hands, he gestured to his face. “Don’t forget what happened the last time you gave me a black eye.”