“You have become defiant, far too much for my liking. Give me the damn tablet!” Elwin roars, grabbing my throat, and squeezing.
“No!” It comes out more as a squeak.
The lunch horn sounds again.
He laces an arm around me with force and reaches into my bag. I grab his wrist and fight him for control.
“Jovie!” he growls in warning.
“Don’t test me, Elwin!” I am done being controlled, pushed around, and used. I just need to get my hand in the right position so I deter, not harm, him. I can’t afford a trip to jail, or I’ll be wasting the last three months of hellish effort to get me to ABR.
With a pattern of movement of my fingers, I ignite a node in my palm. A defense I wired up reroutes power and dumps an electric load into Elwin’s shoulder.
He jolts, tips backward, and falls.
Serves him right.
I slam my busted door, but it won’t latch.Damn it. “You broke my car, you piece of shit! I don’t ever want to see or hear from you again. I hope you’re happy with your choice. And tell Verity she can eat stardust!”
He groans and writhes. “How did you do that?”
“I’m a Class Five Engineer now, Elwin. If you focused more on your job instead of dipping your pathetic wick in my sister, I bet Terran Starship Engineers would upgrade you, too. Have a nice life.”
3: Aurelius
My Storm surges stronger every hour—my electric power and the raging desire to bond with a female—until I’m starting to fear I won’t survive the week at ABR without causing an international incident.
The tingles in my bones strengthen, and arcs crawl over my skin as I sit idly inside my ship. “Fucking hell.”
“Please don’tboomin the cockpit,” Blaize mutters from the co-pilot’s seat.
“I won’t.”But I need release.
Doing it myself has only ever taken the edge off. But I don’t want to mate with my father’s choices just because I’m desperate. They’re all Surge-stimulant princesses or amiable recluses kept locked away by their elders or ruling monarchs. I need someone who can look me in the eye and challenge me yet also let me protect her.
And someone whowantsme. It has to be mutual.
It’s why the race sounded like a good idea.
I want a traditional Storm match, to find a female who ignites me and makes my power grow, not wane. The idea of living my father’s preprogrammed life in the sheltered core of a ship behind the shield of commoners makes me squirm with disgust.
I am stronger than they are I should be protecting them, not the other way around.
But he only seeshispower.
I don’t want to be associated with it.
Our new recruit calls up to us as she walks the hallways of Allele. We’ve just picked her up because Vybron requested Fieri for a cargo mission, and three people are required for a patrol.I didn’t want a female, but she’s the only one of what Rogue Command allotted for us that Allele would let on board.
I bellow in frustration, trying to distract myself from the unrelenting thoughts of findingmyfemale. “Isaid, get your thumb out of your ass and yourRoyalshitshooter up here!”
Eluni swears somewhere in the back. She thinks she’s better than us Rogues, just like all the other Royal Guards. I grew up with enough of them that I know. But I wasn’t born into that life. I was abducted from the throne to live in poverty, or so my father says. As soon as I could, I lefthislife and joined the Rogues in orbit around our fleet of motherships. I just have more in common with them.
“Why do you hate Royals so much?” Blaize quietly asks.
“When my father’s guardsrescuedme, I was placed in a palace where nothing was genuine and kindness was a fairytale. It all felt backward.” I shift in my seat. “You have no idea how cruel they are just to maintain appearances. I quickly learned nothing is what it looks like it is.”
There’s a grumble in the back of my ship. Something crashes. I hear another swear, and it makes me fight a smile. I never liked the Royal title or the sheltered life that came with it. Few of the guards know the truth about me. Blaize knows. Fieri. And Vybron. That’s it. I don’t trust any other Amphirans. Itoleratethe ones Allele accepts.
