Chapter Four

Quinn leaned back in his chair, reeling from what he’d overheard before the one identified as Theos had taken her wrist comm, tossing it aside. From the conversation, they’d been at the convent and were heading back to Garros’s planet. He wasn’t certain how the mobster had found Azaria, but that he had bothered to look for her was worrisome. It indicated she meant something to him, though it didn’t necessarily mean a sentimental value. He might’ve simply been enraged that she had slipped away, and he was set to remedy that.

Quinn refused to allow such a thing. She might not be his Omega, but when he dreamed of her at night, waking with her name on his lips and sweat coating his body from the dreams he’d had—some pleasing, but most ending with her being torn away from him—it was difficult to remind himself she wasn’t. He felt possessive and protective of her, and he refused to allow her to fall into Garros’s hands.

Resolved to fix the situation as quickly as possible, he had the computer locate Ryder’s position, and he was relieved to see he wasn’t too far away. He called his brother with the communication system, and Ryder’s face appeared on the screen a moment later.

He looked a lot like Quinn but with short hair and a less hardened demeanor. In particular, Ryder looked almost insanely happy compared to how Quinn felt, and he smothered the dart of envy. He knew that kind of happiness, but he also knew how much it hurt when it ended.

He shoved aside all thoughts of emotion. “I need your help, Ryder.”

Ryder’s eyes widened, but he didn’t hesitate. “Of course. What can I do?”

“I think Azaria Khalid’s fallen back into the hands of Garros. I need your help rescuing her, but I’m not sure we can reach the ship before it lands on the planet.”

Ryder blanched. “You think we might have to go to Garros’s planet itself?”

Quinn nodded, not downplaying the risk. “I know it’s a lot to ask, especially from a mated Alpha with an Omega to protect.”

“Daisy’s expecting too,” said Ryder. He looked sick for a moment.

Quinn said, “I understand if you say no.”

Ryder’s shoulders stiffened. “I’m not going to do that. You helped me when I needed it, as you always have. It’s a rare enough occurrence when my older brother comes to me for help, and I’m certainly not going to turn you away. I’ll make sure Daisy’s tucked away somewhere safe, and I might be able to recruit someone else to help us, but I can’t promise that. He has his own Omega and child to look after.”

“Any help would be appreciated.” After setting up the rendezvous coordinates with his brother, Quinn rang off and turned to stare at the expanse of space around him, though he wasn’t seeing the twinkling stars. His thoughts were on Azaria, and what she might be enduring.

At least she was safe for the moment since it was unlikely Garros had gone on such a menial mission himself to claim her. If they could find her before they reached the planet, he didn’t think they’d have much trouble rescuing her. At least if they were going against a ship like the Stargazer and had the element of surprise like they had last time.

If she reached the planet, that was a different prospect, and he was less hopeful they would succeed. Still, he had to try. She wasn’t his Omega, but he wanted to protect and look after her, and he couldn’t allow her to remain a prisoner of someone like Garros, who would probably claim her, use her, and discard her when he grew bored.

***

He met up with his brother almost a day later, and there was another ship accompanying the Remedy. This one was identified as Eve’s Sacrifice, and the captain of it quickly appeared on the screen so Ryder could introduce them.

“Quinn, this is Remy Cruz. He’s agreed to help us. I met him a while back, and we happened to be in the same quadrant, so maybe we stand a chance at this.”

“Maybe, but I think the ship’s already set down on Garros’s planet. It disappeared from my ability to track it almost an hour ago.” It had probably landed on the planet and was hidden behind planetary shields similar to what the convent planet used.

“We’re still doing this,” said a voice behind Remy, who turned enough in the direction of the speaker for Quinn to get a glimpse of the woman behind him. It was impossible to tell just by looking at her, but she was likely an Omega.

She held a small child on her hip, and he grimaced. “Perhaps it would be better if you don’t join us, Mr. Cruz.”

“I think I’ll be in bigger trouble with my wife if I don’t,” said Remy with a crooked smile. His expression changed to one far more serious. “Besides, it sounds like this girl needs help, and that’s our imperative, isn’t it?”

Quinn shifted uneasily in his seat, not responding. That was his biological imperative, and once upon a time, he’d been a slave to it. He’d protected those who were weaker than him, and he’d foolishly claimed an Omega of his own. He’d never make that mistake again though, but he wondered briefly if he were doing the wrong thing in general, and if Catriona would disapprove of the actions he’d taken in the intervening years.

That line of thought was too uncomfortable to bear scrutiny, and he shoved it firmly aside. “I suggest we leave the Omegas behind somewhere safe though.” He lumped the unknown woman behind Remy into that category, making certain assumptions.

“That won’t be necessary,” said the woman as she came to stand beside Remy. “We’re confident we can help, and it poses no undue risk to our family. If the worst happens, the baby and I will take an escape pod. We have a list of rendezvous points worked out, and Daisy will come with us.”

“Daisy’s already on Remy and Maya’s ship,” said Ryder, though he seemed pained to share the information, likely keenly feeling the separation from his Omega. “We thought it was prudent to have both the women together in case they needed to flee. Remy has an S-class life pod, and they’ll both be safe. All three,” he hastily amended.

“Four,” said Daisy, though she didn’t appear on the screen with Remy and his Omega.

“Maya is capable of taking care of herself,” said Remy with quiet confidence. “She knows what she wants to do, and I support her decision.”

He was hardly likely to keep pushing to protect someone else’s Omega, so he shrugged a shoulder. “If that’s your wish, I accept it. I think we need to discuss how we’re going to get onto the planet.”

“We have that covered as well.”

He turned his attention to the monitor showing his brother. “Oh?”

“Remy has a stealth shield on his ship. It’s big enough to encompass all three ships if we fly in tight formation.”

Quinn suppressed a surge of envy at the thought. Clearly, Remy and his Omega were doing well for themselves if they could afford that kind of technology, along with the best life pod available, which was impervious to most weapons and had its own built-in A.I., a long-term survival option that included aquaponics, and weapons.

“In that case, send me the coordinates of how to align.”

His ship received them a few moments later, and he turned it over to the A.I. to plot the course. Since they had to maintain exact coordinates, and he was a little distracted, he decided manual piloting wasn’t the best option at the moment.

Unfortunately, that left him time to think, and various scenarios came to him, all culminating in the death of the rescue party and leaving Azaria in Garros’s hands. He refused to accept that outcome, so he did his best to banish the thoughts from his mind and focus on the mission ahead.

The three ships set down on the planet almost a half-hour later, having to navigate through the security system. It didn’t recognize them as a threat, but it still had components that had to be carefully dismantled or bypassed without alerting the planet below they were under attack.

Thanks to Garros’s lavishness, it was easy enough to figure out where to land. There was only one large structure on the planet, and it proved to be an obscenely enormous mansion bracketed by smaller buildings that probably held a variety of supplies and vehicles for both off- and on-planet travel.

Once the ship had landed, Quinn stopped by his armory and gathered as many weapons as he could safely carry while still allowing good range of movement and keeping his hands free. He joined the rest of them moments later, slightly surprised to see just the two men. “I half-expected your Omegas to convince you to let them come along.”

“There’s no letting involved when it comes to Maya,” said Remy with a grin. “However, she knows someone besides Swish has to stay with Neve, and I trust her to defend our daughter with her life. It won’t come to that though because we’re going to keep this from touching them.”

He didn’t bother to ask who Swish was, assuming he might meet the person later, if they survived. “Let’s hope.” He tried not to let pessimism undermine his confidence, fearing it might seep over to the others as well. He looked at Ryder with a cocked brow. “And your Daisy was content to remain behind?”

“Only because of the baby,” said Ryder. “She’s made a lot of progress in learning how to defend herself and fight, and I have no doubt she would’ve nagged me to come along if she hadn’t been protecting our child.”

“Congratulations,” said Quinn, though his voice locked any warmth or sincerity. The idea of his brother facing the situation of an Omega expecting his child sent a chill through him, and he couldn’t find it in himself to be genuinely happy for Ryder.

After some discussion, they planned their route into the house using thermal scanners from Remy’s ship that revealed the locations of all the beings on the planet. It updated in real-time, allowing them to plan the best route to avoid interacting with anyone.

They had one close call on the way to the house, but they ducked behind a stack of boxes waiting to be unloaded until the being had passed. After that, they were able to slip into the house, once again using one of Remy’s toys to bypass the security system.

When Quinn eyed it with surprise. Remy seemed almost embarrassed when he said, “We had a good haul at the Antares Belt, and then just a few months ago, we found another ships’ graveyard and salvaged what we could. There’s a bunch still waiting, since it’s practically undiscovered. The asteroid belt was part of an alien trade route long ago, before a safer route was found. It’s pretty much been forgotten by the Coalition and humans.”

“Nice,” said Quinn, though his mind was focused on getting to Azaria rather than the wealth of his brother’s friend.

Once they were inside, he could sense Azaria and smell her pheromones, though she smelled different to him. His brow wrinkled as he tried to identify it, and he followed his instincts toward her.

“There’s a guard—”

Before Ryder could finish warning him, Quinn had already gone around the corner and punched out the Alpha coming to meet him. Nothing was going to stand between him and Azaria, and he didn’t even need the tracking system Remy had provided him to find his way to her.

He burst into the room seconds later, a quick glance revealing what must be happening. There was an empty syringe on the floor, along with a half-filled vial of some injectable he was willing to bet was an enhancer. Garros had clearly given it to Azaria, but it didn’t seem to have the desired effect.

She was still fighting him every step of the way as he tried to drag her to the bed. Quinn let out a roar as pure rage flooded his veins, and he swooped in to pull Azaria from the mobster’s arms. He pushed her away toward Ryder, who steadied her, not looking back as he focused on Garros. “My Omega,” he said with another rough growl.

“I paid for her,” said Garros, sounding incensed. “You’re the one who stole her.”

“She’s not yours to buy.” He lunged forward, hitting Garros in the face and knocking him down. The Alpha beneath him was smaller, but he seemed inclined to cheat. When he tried to poke Quinn in the eyes, he brushed aside his hand like it was nothing and punched him in the face once more.

The man beneath him slumped and groaned, clearly on the edge of passing out. “Mine,” said Quinn again. The word was more animalistic than human as he lifted a hand. “Come here, Azaria.”

She rushed to his side, either because she wanted to, or because his tone compelled her. He didn’t know or care which right now, though he didn’t like the idea of controlling her as Garros had tried to do. He pulled her against him, not looking away from Garros’s gaze for a moment. “My Omega.”

He lowered his head then, pulling her into his arms and positioning her so he could find her neck easily. He nuzzled the scent gland there, and just smelling and licking it was enough to excite him to the point he could claim her. He didn’t allow himself any doubts, or to question that he was doing the right thing.

He’d vowed never to do such a thing again, but now that the moment was at hand, he didn’t allow any doubts to stop him. He bit her, making her whimper since she wasn’t in a state of arousal at this time, but he tried to be quick about it. There would be time for pleasure later when they were all safe.

He pulled away, wiping her blood off his lip as he stared down at Garros. The other Alpha’s disgusted expression revealed how little interest he now had in Azaria, who would smell like Quinn. It would’ve been physically impossible for Aldrich to take her even if she’d offered herself willingly. He grinned savagely at the man. “You’re a scourge on the system.” Without another word, he pulled out his gun and shot Aldrich between the eyes.

Only Azaria gasped slightly, but she didn’t seem too bothered by his actions when he stood up. Neither Remy nor Ryder showed any disapproval, and they likely shared his assessment that he was doing everyone in the quadrant a favor by getting rid of the scum before he had a chance to gain more than a foothold.

They used the navigation system from Remy’s computer to evade other lifeforms as they made it back to their ships, and when they stood outside, Ryder said, “We should destroy their ability to get off the planet.”

“We should raze it all,” said Remy.

With the three of them having decided on a course of action, Quinn picked up Azaria, not allowing her the option of riding on a different ship as the gangplank to Remy’s ship dropped open, and Daisy came running out. She went first to Ryder, embracing him, and then turned to Azaria, who was dangling over Quinn’s shoulder. “You’re safe?”

Azaria grunted. “I guess.”

“She’s safe, but her place is with me.” He nodded at Daisy and Ryder before doing the same to Remy. After that, he returned to his ship, still carrying his Omega, and he placed her carefully in the copilot’s seat moments later when they were in the command room again. “We have something to finish up here.”

She nodded. “I heard, remember? I was there, after all.”

He shrugged a shoulder. “I wasn’t sure how traumatized you were.”

“A lot less traumatized when I realized his enhancer wasn’t going to work for whatever reason.”

He barely glanced at her, having interpreted on his way back to the ship what her change in pheromones meant. “It’s because you’re pregnant. Enhancer doesn’t work when you’ve already been bred.”

She stiffened, licking her lips. She looked nervous as she slanted him a glance. “You know?”

“I have for the last few minutes.” He shot her a grim look. “We have a lot to discuss, but I have to focus on finishing the mission first.”

She subsided into silence, looking away from him, and he tried not to let his thoughts dwell on the new reality of his situation—he’d broken his vow to himself to never claim another Omega, and she was pregnant. His vasectomy must’ve failed, and he wondered if he’d been cheated by the doctor who did it several solar cycles ago, or if his body had simply healed itself afterward. He knew that had been a risk at the time, since many Alphas had accelerated healing ability, but he’d foolishly trusted in the procedure, never wishing to go through the pain of losing a child again.

“We’re ready,” said Remy.”

“So are we,” said Ryder.

“I’m ready as well.” He pressed the firing mechanism after their ships aligned, sharing the common target, and focused all their firepower on destroying what they could of Garros’s operation. It wasn’t just to remove him from the quadrant. They also didn’t want to allow anyone remaining alive to have a way to follow them.

When they flew away from the planet moments later, it was a burning heap they could see from space, and he was satisfied they had ended the Garros Empire and any threat of retaliation.