3013: BROKEN & 3013: TRINITY
Plus Bonus Short: 3013: FAMILY
3013: BROKEN
Months after escaping the planet Tartarus, Cerys is settling into her new life on Alliance Space Station: X21. She’s tired, weak, and still trying to find her place in the universe, but she knows exactly what she wants when it comes to the handsome liaison officer who frequents the sanctuary.
From the moment he set eyes on the Tarin beauty, Liaison Officer Eli Eaton was mesmerized. Cerys is fragile, a little unsure of herself, but he doesn’t mind taking things slow. There isn’t anything he wouldn’t do to see her smile—even follow her to the ends of the galaxy.
As their relationship progresses, Cerys finds herself frustrated by Eli’s desire to protect her from everything, including himself. In fact, she’s beginning to worry that no matter what she does, he’ll never see her anything more than broken.
3013: TRINITY
Helios shifter Natalia Hess spends her life in the ring, moving from one fight to another, but she has always fallen just short of her dream—winning the grand prize at the annual Baxxtora Tournament. Maybe she’d have better focus if she wasn’t so distracted by a couple of gorgeous, persistent elites she can’t get out of her head.
More like brothers than friends, Commanders Oz Michaels and Quaid Jansen share everything…with one major exception. They refuse to share a female just because the Alliance declared it. Then, three years ago, a feisty Helios female waltzed onto their station, captivating them both, and nothing has ever been the same.
When they show up in Natalia’s locker room after a fight, asking her to decide between them, she doesn’t know whether to laugh or scream. Asking her to choose is like asking her not to breathe, and she’s never exactly been one to follow the rules.
Can she convince them that three is better than two? Or will their stubbornness ruin any hopes of a happy trinity?
Months after escaping the planet Tartarus, Cerys is settling into her new life on Alliance Space Station: X21. She’s tired, weak, and still trying to find her place in the universe, but she knows exactly what she wants when it comes to the handsome liaison officer who frequents the sanctuary.
From the moment he set eyes on the Tarin beauty, Liaison Officer Eli Eaton was mesmerized. Cerys is fragile, a little unsure of herself, but he doesn’t mind taking things slow. There isn’t anything he wouldn’t do to see her smile—even follow her to the ends of the galaxy.
As their relationship progresses, Cerys finds herself frustrated by Eli’s desire to protect her from everything, including himself. In fact, she’s beginning to worry that no matter what she does, he’ll never see her anything more than broken.
3013: TRINITY
Helios shifter Natalia Hess spends her life in the ring, moving from one fight to another, but she has always fallen just short of her dream—winning the grand prize at the annual Baxxtora Tournament. Maybe she’d have better focus if she wasn’t so distracted by a couple of gorgeous, persistent elites she can’t get out of her head.
More like brothers than friends, Commanders Oz Michaels and Quaid Jansen share everything…with one major exception. They refuse to share a female just because the Alliance declared it. Then, three years ago, a feisty Helios female waltzed onto their station, captivating them both, and nothing has ever been the same.
When they show up in Natalia’s locker room after a fight, asking her to decide between them, she doesn’t know whether to laugh or scream. Asking her to choose is like asking her not to breathe, and she’s never exactly been one to follow the rules.
Can she convince them that three is better than two? Or will their stubbornness ruin any hopes of a happy trinity?
Excerpt
“Cerys?” With so many people crammed into the bar, he’d expected the kitchen to be teaming with activity, but from the doorway, it appeared completely empty. “Hello?”
“Back here,” a familiar voice called, the sound soft and lilting.
Rounding the corner, Eli stopped near the refrigerator, crossing his arms and leaning one shoulder against the appliance as he watched Cerys stack clean glasses into a green crate. She moved slowly, tiredly, but with a grace and fluidity that he could never hope to imitate. The cream-colored tunic she wore ended just above her knees, but it hung from her thin frame shapelessly, completely obscuring even her modest curves.
“Where is everyone?”
“We ran out of everything,” she answered without turning away from her task. “The next supply ship doesn’t come until morning, so Axton shut down the kitchen.”
“Then, why are you still here?”
“Everyone else is busy, and someone had to do the dishes.”
Sound logic. Although, Eli didn’t see why it had to be Cerys. Telling her wouldn’t do any good, though, and he didn’t want to spend what little time they had together arguing. So, he pushed away from the fridge and crossed the small space to offer his assistance.
“Here, let me get those.” Hurrying forward, he held her hand lightly to stop her from reaching for the heavy crate. “Just make sure no one runs into me.”
Grunting, he hoisted the crate of bar glasses up from the gleaming, chrome counter. His muscles flexed and his arms ached in protest. Following Cerys through the kitchen to the sliding door, he secretly wondered how she had intended to carry the box herself. The female was damn stubborn, and it bothered him more than it should that she never asked for help.
Before they exited the kitchen, she grabbed a stack of red hand towels off the counter near the door, tucked them neatly between her hands, and pulled her shoulders back. She looked more like she was readying herself for war than simply walking into a bar, and her spine stiffened when the music assaulted her.
“Cerys, you don’t have to go out there.”
“I’m not so fragile.”
Cerys tried not to be offended. She knew Eli meant well, but his constant platitudes and reassurances only served to remind her how powerless and useless she really was. Maybe she wouldn’t have been able to lift the crate of glasses, but she could withstand a little loud music and carry some damn towels.
A part of her knew she wasn’t being fair. Everyone was worried for her, and she couldn’t blame them. She felt as tired as she looked, and some days, she struggled just to get out of bed. The Krytos pack at the sanctuary coddled her, and Eli treated her as if she were made of delicate glass. While she appreciated their kindness and generosity, she didn’t want to be treated like a child. In a lot of ways, life away from Tartarus was confusing and often terrifying, but she’d never learn where she fit into the universe if everyone continuously tried to shield her from anything they deemed unpleasant.
Behind her, Eli placed the glasses on the counter opposite the bar, took the towels from her, then set those on top of the crate. Without a word, he took her hand, gently but firmly, and pulled her deeper into the throng of packed bodies.
“Where are we going?”
“Right here,” he answered, coming to a stop in the very center of the bar. “Can you feel it?”
She didn’t have to ask what he meant. Though the raucous crowd made her nervous, the energy flowing from them was electric. Their excitement became hers. Their desires fed her. Whatever thrilled them—sex, wealth, power, violence—it washed her in exhilaration. It wasn’t enough to completely heal her, to feel these emotions secondhand, but already, she felt stronger, more vital than she had just seconds before.
Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for Eli.
His gaze never strayed from her face, and he held her hands lightly, but his expression appeared pinched, pained, and the cords in his neck strained. Perspiration beaded across his brow, and every few seconds his nostrils would flare and his chest would heave. She’d never seen him like this, and she couldn’t begin to guess what had caused him so much distress.
Instinctively, she slid her right hand out of his grasp and reached up to touch his cheek with her fingertips. “What’s wrong?
Will you tell me?”
“Don’t worry about me,” he answered at once, his voice tight, strained.
The answer wasn’t unexpected, but it frustrated her no less. “Eli, you’re clearly not well. Please,” she tried again. “Tell me.”
“I’m an empath,” he said after a pregnant pause. “I’ve told you a little about that.”
Cerys nodded.
“There’s a lot more people on the station than I’m used to, and it’s a little overwhelming. That’s all.”
“Because you can feel what they feel?”
“A little, yes, but with so many people, it’s kind of…amplified.”
Wanting to take away his pain, to ease some of his suffering the way he had done for her, Cerys let her instincts guide her, stepping into him so that her breasts pressed against the front of his uniform jacket. Then, with a deep breath to steel her nerves, she closed the last few inches between them and covered the male’s mouth with her own.
Her lips tingled, and a spark ignited in her belly from the contact. Adrenaline spiked, electricity raced along her spine, and tiny, white lights burst behind her closed eyelids. She gasped when Eli’s tongue teased the seam of her lips, opening to him so that he could take the kiss deeper.
The slide of his tongue against hers made her head swim, and when his teeth scraped over her bottom lip, she nearly came undone. Raw and consuming, a hunger unlike anything she’d ever felt invaded her, overruling propriety and common sense, so when he pulled away, she couldn’t hold back the growl that rolled up from her chest.
Eli chuckled, but his laughter sounded shaky. “Not the time or place, sweetheart.” He caressed her cheek tenderly, then took another step back, creating more distance between them. “I should get back to work. I’ll see you tonight.”
Then he walked away without another word or even a backward glance, leaving her standing in the middle of the bar, trembling and utterly confused.
“Back here,” a familiar voice called, the sound soft and lilting.
Rounding the corner, Eli stopped near the refrigerator, crossing his arms and leaning one shoulder against the appliance as he watched Cerys stack clean glasses into a green crate. She moved slowly, tiredly, but with a grace and fluidity that he could never hope to imitate. The cream-colored tunic she wore ended just above her knees, but it hung from her thin frame shapelessly, completely obscuring even her modest curves.
“Where is everyone?”
“We ran out of everything,” she answered without turning away from her task. “The next supply ship doesn’t come until morning, so Axton shut down the kitchen.”
“Then, why are you still here?”
“Everyone else is busy, and someone had to do the dishes.”
Sound logic. Although, Eli didn’t see why it had to be Cerys. Telling her wouldn’t do any good, though, and he didn’t want to spend what little time they had together arguing. So, he pushed away from the fridge and crossed the small space to offer his assistance.
“Here, let me get those.” Hurrying forward, he held her hand lightly to stop her from reaching for the heavy crate. “Just make sure no one runs into me.”
Grunting, he hoisted the crate of bar glasses up from the gleaming, chrome counter. His muscles flexed and his arms ached in protest. Following Cerys through the kitchen to the sliding door, he secretly wondered how she had intended to carry the box herself. The female was damn stubborn, and it bothered him more than it should that she never asked for help.
Before they exited the kitchen, she grabbed a stack of red hand towels off the counter near the door, tucked them neatly between her hands, and pulled her shoulders back. She looked more like she was readying herself for war than simply walking into a bar, and her spine stiffened when the music assaulted her.
“Cerys, you don’t have to go out there.”
“I’m not so fragile.”
Cerys tried not to be offended. She knew Eli meant well, but his constant platitudes and reassurances only served to remind her how powerless and useless she really was. Maybe she wouldn’t have been able to lift the crate of glasses, but she could withstand a little loud music and carry some damn towels.
A part of her knew she wasn’t being fair. Everyone was worried for her, and she couldn’t blame them. She felt as tired as she looked, and some days, she struggled just to get out of bed. The Krytos pack at the sanctuary coddled her, and Eli treated her as if she were made of delicate glass. While she appreciated their kindness and generosity, she didn’t want to be treated like a child. In a lot of ways, life away from Tartarus was confusing and often terrifying, but she’d never learn where she fit into the universe if everyone continuously tried to shield her from anything they deemed unpleasant.
Behind her, Eli placed the glasses on the counter opposite the bar, took the towels from her, then set those on top of the crate. Without a word, he took her hand, gently but firmly, and pulled her deeper into the throng of packed bodies.
“Where are we going?”
“Right here,” he answered, coming to a stop in the very center of the bar. “Can you feel it?”
She didn’t have to ask what he meant. Though the raucous crowd made her nervous, the energy flowing from them was electric. Their excitement became hers. Their desires fed her. Whatever thrilled them—sex, wealth, power, violence—it washed her in exhilaration. It wasn’t enough to completely heal her, to feel these emotions secondhand, but already, she felt stronger, more vital than she had just seconds before.
Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for Eli.
His gaze never strayed from her face, and he held her hands lightly, but his expression appeared pinched, pained, and the cords in his neck strained. Perspiration beaded across his brow, and every few seconds his nostrils would flare and his chest would heave. She’d never seen him like this, and she couldn’t begin to guess what had caused him so much distress.
Instinctively, she slid her right hand out of his grasp and reached up to touch his cheek with her fingertips. “What’s wrong?
Will you tell me?”
“Don’t worry about me,” he answered at once, his voice tight, strained.
The answer wasn’t unexpected, but it frustrated her no less. “Eli, you’re clearly not well. Please,” she tried again. “Tell me.”
“I’m an empath,” he said after a pregnant pause. “I’ve told you a little about that.”
Cerys nodded.
“There’s a lot more people on the station than I’m used to, and it’s a little overwhelming. That’s all.”
“Because you can feel what they feel?”
“A little, yes, but with so many people, it’s kind of…amplified.”
Wanting to take away his pain, to ease some of his suffering the way he had done for her, Cerys let her instincts guide her, stepping into him so that her breasts pressed against the front of his uniform jacket. Then, with a deep breath to steel her nerves, she closed the last few inches between them and covered the male’s mouth with her own.
Her lips tingled, and a spark ignited in her belly from the contact. Adrenaline spiked, electricity raced along her spine, and tiny, white lights burst behind her closed eyelids. She gasped when Eli’s tongue teased the seam of her lips, opening to him so that he could take the kiss deeper.
The slide of his tongue against hers made her head swim, and when his teeth scraped over her bottom lip, she nearly came undone. Raw and consuming, a hunger unlike anything she’d ever felt invaded her, overruling propriety and common sense, so when he pulled away, she couldn’t hold back the growl that rolled up from her chest.
Eli chuckled, but his laughter sounded shaky. “Not the time or place, sweetheart.” He caressed her cheek tenderly, then took another step back, creating more distance between them. “I should get back to work. I’ll see you tonight.”
Then he walked away without another word or even a backward glance, leaving her standing in the middle of the bar, trembling and utterly confused.