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“Hear that? Your AI overlord has spoken,” Xian teased with a chuckle. “Actually, you really do look like shit. You need a day off…and to be honest, we need a day off from you.”
Zenix snorted out a laugh before downing some more coffee.
“You’ve checked over everything multiple times and made sure we have a workable plan for every potential scenario we could think of. And we’ve got every sector covered with more than enough people. You need to trust your damn team more.” Xian’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Unless there’s something worrying you that you haven’t told us about. Did you have one of your freaky dreams?”
Zenix shook his head. “It’s not that. It’s just…I have a feeling. But it’s not the same as it usually is.”
“What the fuck does that mean?”
“I’m not sure how to describe it. I feel energy tingling along my skin, but it doesn’t sting or hurt. It’s just there. I’m not sure if this is a warning or if I’m simply anxious about the opening. We have to make sure everything goes off without a hitch. I need to earn my ridiculous salary, after all.”
“We all do,” Xian shot back. “So, why don’t you head home and leave this to the rest of us? Unlike you, I got a solid eight hours of sleep last night because I’m not a fucking psycho workaholic like you.”
“That sounds like an excellent plan,”Evo cut in.“And remember to eat something before you go to sleep. Shall I place an order for you at one of the restaurants here on the mainland? Or will you be using the food console at home?”
Since Evo gave him access to every eatery on the planetoid, he could order anything he wanted from the comfort of his home.
“I’ll just wait until I’m home.” Zenix continued to study the crowd as he said, “Remember, we’ve got the last of the VIPs coming in tonight. Two of the bands that are performing at the concert arrived earlier today, but we are still waiting for—”
“I know, I know.” Xian rolled his eyes. “Word is that Constantine Comet has been partying on New Vega over the past few days, so he might be late. The band Contagious has been traveling with Ayla D’Nye, so they should all be here on schedule. I know Ayla, so I will personally escort them to the resort after they land.”
“We also have—”
“Stop being a pain in the ass and go home,” Xian growled, out of patience. “Or I’m going to knock you out and put you to sleep.”
“Thanks, but I think I’ll decline that lovely offer.” Zenix chuckled as he slapped Xian on the shoulder. “Notify me if anything comes up.”
“If anything comes up, I’ll handle it myself, you fucking nag.”
“That’s the team spirit I like to hear,” Zenix said cheerfully as he walked away.
Chapter Two
Zenix woke withhis heart pounding and his pulse racing, but it wasn’t from a nightmare. What he’d just dreamed hadn’t been disturbing in the normal sense. Instead, it had been the most vivid erotic dream he’d ever experienced, and that was far more troubling than someone trying to kill him.
Stars, what the fuck did that say about him?
It wasn’t a secret that Zenix had avoided bonding like the fucking plague. Living most of his life working undercover hadn’t exactly been ideal for having a relationship. At least, not the lasting kind. Since he had taken the job on Evo, more than a few females and several males had made it clear they were interested, but he wasn’t. Not only was he too damn busy, he also felt a slight sense of panic every time he even thought about dating someone, even casually.
He wrote that off as courtesy of his abundance of trust issues.
While he wasn’t opposed to settling down with someone someday, he was in no rush to make that happen. Besides, he was looking for the right person, not just someone to fill a gap right now. He didn’t want to waste time dating just to be with someone. That would just end up pissing him off. Some people minded being alone, but he didn’t. In fact, he treasured the quiet moments of peace and quiet since they were so rare.
That was the main reason he had chosen to live on a small, secluded island a few miles off the coast of the mainland. Since he was constantly surrounded by people all day, Zenix appreciated the silence he found at home. Although he shared the island with Travis, Anissa, and Xian, there was enough distance between their homes to give each of them plenty of space.
Zenix and Travis had both built their homes close to the beach. While Zenix preferred to be close to the water, Travis was fine wherever he had access to his computers. And since all of their homes had gotten magical upgrades, they never had to worry about losing power.
Anissa had chosen to put her dwelling in the middle of the jungle. She enjoyed prowling through the trees in her shifted form, and often spent her days off sunning herself on one of the flat rocks near the waterfalls close to her house. She also patrolled the island in her cat form every night, needing to make sure their island was free of intruders before she attempted to sleep.
Xian had built his own hideaway high up on the side of the mountain located on the island. Since he had wings, it was easy for him to get there, and since he was borderline fanatical about people touching his personal things, extreme isolation was ideal for him. Very few people knew that his seeker abilities allowed him to occasionally pick up residual thoughts if he touched something right after another person did. Because of that, his home was his sanctuary and the one place he was safe without wearing gloves.
There were a few guest villas on the other side of the island, but so far, none of them had been used yet. While there were a few roads, access was extremely limited. Luckily, Zenix, Anissa, Travis, and Xian each had their own teleporting pads. They also had access to a central garage that was stocked with several vehicles, including a private shuttle, hover-cycles, off-roaders, jet skis, and a couple of boats.
Glancing at the clock, Zenix sighed as he rubbed a hand over his short black hair. He’d only been out for a few hours, so he knew he should just go back to sleep. Instead, he got out of bed and tossed a pair of gray sweatpants on over his boxer briefs. Not bothering to turn on the lights, he made a detour to the kitchen to grab a beer, then headed out to the back deck. The deck had a great view of the beach and the gazebo at the end of a small dock where his personal teleporting pad was located.
He sat down on the wide porch swing he’d built himself and used one foot to push it in a slow, rocking motion. Leaning back, he relaxed and simply enjoyed the view. One of the moons was full, while the other one was a perfect crescent in the night sky. Moonlight glittered on the surface of the water, but the rolling bioluminescent waves created its own display of lights that was fascinating to watch.
Back on Earth, he used to go swimming almost daily, but since he had moved to Evo, he hadn’t gotten up the courage to go out into the ocean yet. They didn’t know enough about what type of creatures lived in the water there, and he wasn’t willing to risk something taking a bite out of him just for the sake of a little exercise. Thankfully, there was a lap pool around the side of the house and a magical hot tub filled with purple gel that could heal any aches and pains he might have.
