3013: FEVER (3013: THE SERIES Book 16) Read online

  3013: FEVER

  3013: THE SERIES

  By Kali Argent

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  3013: THE SERIES

  3013: FEVER

  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

  EPILOGUE

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  The 3013 Series

  Novellas

  The 3013 Series

  3013: MATED by Laurie Roma

  3013: RENEGADE by Susan Hayes

  3013: CLAIMED by Laurie Roma

  3013: STOWAWAY by Susan Hayes

  3013: SALVATION by Laurie Roma

  3013: MENDED by Kali Argent

  3013: TARGETED by Susan Hayes

  3013: CHAOS by Laurie Roma

  3013: ALTERED by Kali Argent

  3013: FATED by Susan Hayes

  3013: GENESIS by Laurie Roma

  3013: REVOLUTION by Kali Argent

  3013: PRIMAL by Laurie Roma

  3013: OUTLAW by Kali Argent

  3013: ALLEGIANCE by Laurie Roma

  3013: FEVER by Kali Argent

  Novellas

  3013: SYNERGY by Laurie Roma

  3013: ASYLUM by Kali Argent

  3013: SCARRED by Susan Hayes

  3013: BROKEN by Kali Argent

  3013: EXODUS by Laurie Roma

  3013: TRINITY by Kali Argent

  3013: KISMET by Laurie Roma

  3013: REMEDY by Kali Argent

  3013: FEVER

  Copyright © March 2019 by Kali Argent

  Covert Art by Black Butterfly Designs

  Published by PECCAVI PRESS

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal, except for the case of brief quotations in reviews and articles.

  Criminal copyright infringement is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  3013: FEVER

  Ten years ago, Commander Lucas Brighton left behind everything safe and familiar in hopes of outrunning his family’s legacy. For a while it worked. For a while, he was more than just the son of a killer or the heir to a pharmaceutical empire. Now, instead of his coveted command post on Alpha Station: X4, he spends his days in an underground lab failing to turn a bunch of magical flowers into an effective treatment for infertility.

  When the king of the entire planet asks you to aid in the advancement of human medicine, you do it. For Jael Moonmist, that means leaving Xenthian for the first time in her long life and traveling across the galaxies to a strange, unknown world. Arriving at the front door of the hilltop mansion, she holds few expectations. Least of which is meeting her soulmate, then having him pass out before she can even introduce herself.

  Their relationship gets off to a rocky start, but when a mishap in the lab leaves Jael suffering from a mysterious illness, Luke will do whatever it takes to save her. Even if that means abandoning everything and embarking on a frantic trek across the universe.

  With the clock ticking, can he reach the antidote on Xenthian in time, or will he be forced to watch as his new mate is consumed by the fever?

  PROLOGUE

  The world had changed in the year 3013.

  Earth rebuilt their civilization after the Alien Wars ravaged the planet and an unknown virus nearly wiped out the entire population, but nothing could ever bring back what once was. A new age of mankind was born, but some of the edicts set forth for humans to survive have become obsolete in the ever-changing universe.

  What fate has in store is uncertain, though, one constant is clear. In a cosmos filled with endless possibilities, love is the ultimate prize. Warriors from every species search the stars for love, and they will risk all to fight for those who hold their hearts. But danger is always present when worlds collide. As new challenges arise, all the known races must adapt and learn from their allies. However, not all desire peace, or to live in harmony.

  And as a new year dawns, the battle for the future has only begun…

  CHAPTER ONE

  “Fuck! Hellfire! Lemek! Damnation! Madittu!”

  Commander Lucas Brighton didn’t know any Reema or Xenon curses, so he grumbled a couple more Earth expletives as he shoved away from the lab table. Then, he shouted some colorful, invented obscenities when his lev-chair went sailing backwards, spinning him in tight, fast circles before slamming into the adjacent table.

  Apparently, he could add malfunctioning stabilizers to his list of everything else that was going wrong.

  The table he’d just assaulted shuddered violently. Test tubes rattled in their casings. Data units flashed warnings that the centrifuges had been disrupted. A glass beaker fell to the floor and shattered, its contents exploding in a purple mushroom cloud like a tiny nuclear bomb.

  It was, in a way, the perfect metaphor for his life.

  One year. It had taken just one year for him to go from master of his own universe to whatever sub-basement resided beneath Hell.

  Assignments on Alpha Station: X4 came few and far between, and things had been that way for as long as he could remember. Everyone from new officers to veteran commanders coveted a post on the space station. Maybe because there was always something going on, but rarely did it require Alliance involvement.

  Visitors of every race and creed passed through X4, but it was the Krytos who made up the vast majority of the full-time residents. As such, most situations were dealt with swiftly and severely, well before any elite even heard of the problem.

  A nice incentive, yes, but that hadn’t been his reason for desiring the command post. He’d wanted it because he’d earned it. He’d been offered the position based on his own merit, because he’d worked hard and followed the rules.

  Not because the Hart name had been emblazoned across the top of it.

  Not because the Regents had felt sorry for him because his other father had gone crazy and murdered his mother.

  Although he’d been in his twenties and stationed at Fort Nacht by the time Derrek Brighton had died, Luke barely remembered the man. As a strike force leader, Derrek had always been off on one assignment or another. Once Luke had started at the Academy, there had sometimes been years in between when he would see his father.

  Then, one day, Derrek had just snapped. More than a decade later, and still, no one knew why he’d pulled a blaster and fired it, killing three officers, his chosen, and seriously injuring his daughter. Some pointed to him being a Class-A Telepath as the cause. They theorized that hearing the thoughts of everyone around him for most of his life had driven him to insanity.

  Luke didn’t buy it.

  Not only had Cami inherited the gift, but she was far more powerful than their father had ever been, and as far as he knew, his sister didn’t harbor homicidal tendencies. Well, she threatened his life almost daily, but that didn’t count. Besides, he figured he probably deserved it.

  A lot of people had failed Cami, himself included. The fact that she had turned out to be a well-adjusted, kind, vibrant woman was nothing short of a miracle.

  “Here, try this one.”

  Dragging himself out of the past, Luke blinked at his assis
tant. “Thanks, Nell.” After carefully levering himself out of the malfunctioning hover chair, he smiled and accepted the new one she pushed toward him. “Remind me to have someone come look at these damn things. That’s the third one to go this week.”

  “I’ll make a note of it, sir.” She nodded once with enough force to make her blonde ponytail bounce and sway against the tops of her shoulders. “Will there be anything else?”

  He grinned and shook his head. “How many times do I have to tell you to just call me Luke?”

  Nell Everton had graduated from the Academy just three years ago, but her name was already known in select circles of the Alliance…and some outside of it. After the attack on Light City by the Tarin female Quilla Rego—which had resulted in the death of his only remaining parent, as well as countless others in the city—Luke had been damn fortunate that the young elite had agreed to come work with him. Especially since the attack had also required the closure of the Hart Pharmaceutical facilities, forcing them to work out of a lab in the basement of his house.

  “I’m sorry. I’ll work on it, sir.” She winced, and a faint blush stained her cheeks. “Luke. Sorry.”

  The scroll tattoo at the corner of Nell’s eye marked her as an elite as well as a fertile female, but she was no soldier. He’d always felt kind of bad for women like her. Without the structure and routine of a duty assignment, the transition out of the Academy had to be jarring, and maybe even a little frightening.

  Despite her young age and inexperience, however, she was a brilliant scientist with keen instincts and an unsurpassed aptitude for complex equations. Most notably, and the thing that had drawn Luke’s attention, was her work on the Pursuance of Advancement in Continued Exploration project.

  Colloquially known as PACE, its purpose was to extend the reach of the Alliance through a series of biotech enhancements. “The next step in human evolution,” they called it. The technology had originally been developed as a means to combat the Zyphir virus that had left so many of their females unable to conceive. When it had failed to produce results, however, the project had been scheduled for termination.

  Until Nell came along.

  She had theorized that while the biotech wouldn’t achieve its intended purpose, it could be reconfigured for other uses, namely a way for humans to exist in normally incompatible environments. The project was still in its testing phase, but from what he’d heard, the research was hopeful.

  Still, Luke didn’t envy whoever had to eventually chuck themselves out of an airlock and just hope they didn’t implode.

  “I have the reports that you asked for,” she added once she’d regained her composure. “Do you want them now, or should I send them to you to review later?”

  Before he could answer, a series of beeps sounded from his wrist unit. “Hold that thought.”

  Two taps of the screen sent the incoming vid-comm to a holographic projection on the nearest wall. In the next heartbeat, the familiar—though not entirely welcomed—sight of Regent Jax Spartan filled the display.

  In typical Spartan form, the Regent didn’t even offer a greeting. “Progress report?”

  “Nothing new since the last time you contacted me…three days ago.”

  It wasn’t that he didn’t respect the position of authority. He just didn’t feel the need to hide his annoyance.

  Born barely more than a year apart to wealthy, influential families, he and Jax had grown up together. They’d attended the Academy together, as well as various family functions they’d both loathed. So, while the guy might be a Regent now, he was Luke’s friend first and foremost. As such, until informed otherwise, he reserved the right to speak plainly while they were in private.

  “Come on, Brighton.” His eyes narrowed, the irises darkening to the color of storm clouds as he huffed out a heavy sigh. “I need something to take back to the other regents.”

  “I don’t know what to tell you.” Moving closer to the display, Luke crossed his arms over his chest and shrugged. “It’s only been six weeks. It’s going to take more time.”

  A lot more time.

  After handing over control of X4 to the Krytos, and thus eliminating his command post on the station, the Council had offered to reassign him. Having already served his time on the outlying Earth bases, he’d been resistant, to say the least. Truth be told, he would rather take over one of the dilapidated Beta Stations than be stuck near the badlands again.

  So, when Jax had offered an alternative—return to Light City and take over his father’s pharmaceutical company—he’d agreed with only minimal hesitation. It was, after all, the most logical choice, especially since it allowed him to keep his current rank. Plus, if he did what the Alliance wanted, he hoped it would lead to a new, desirable command assignment one day.

  That, however, had been before he’d known about the so-called “miraculous” cure for infertility they wanted him to develop. It wasn’t that he questioned the magical flowers that came from the islands on Xenthian. He’d read all of Lieutenant Strong’s research. He’d even seen the remedy work with his own eyes.

  Yet, it wasn’t as simple as the Council wanted to think.

  A low rumble vibrated through Jax’s throat as he fell back in his chair and rubbed his temples. “What the fuck is the holdup?”

  Ah, there was the Jax he knew and admired. Luke chuckled.

  “Where would you like me to begin?”

  For starters, while he had a decent knowledge of biochemistry, he was nowhere in the same league as his father. Canaan Hart had been a genius, which was why Hart Pharmaceuticals held the majority of the Alliance’s medical contracts. Luke, on the other hand, might be considered above average at best. Even with Nell’s considerable skills, they still hadn’t made any significant breakthroughs.

  Then, there was the fever.

  Elite females who had been given the biological enhancements showed no side effects from the petals. The problem was that most infertile women weren’t elites. They were regular citizens, even rebels, and without the alterations to their DNA, their bodies simply couldn’t tolerate the cure.

  It started small—a headache, some muscle weakness. Then came the elevated heart rate, the nausea, and eventually the fever. The subjects’ core temperatures rose to a critical 104 degrees, essentially burning away any healing properties the petals contained. No one had died yet, but there had been more than one close call.

  And he still couldn’t figure out why.

  Any attempt to alter the flowers had resulted in nothing more than…well, dead flowers. Crushing the petals turned them to ash. Steaming or boiling them, turned them to wet ash. Trying to blend them with binders rendered them completely useless.

  After weeks of getting nowhere, he finally had to admit there was no practical, scientific solution to a magical conundrum. He needed help. He needed magic.

  After carefully explaining all of that to Jax, he concluded with, “We need a Xenon.”

  Thankfully, Xenthian’s new queen—former Alliance Commander Ivy Dalton—would probably grant that one small request.

  Having an ally who understood the problem, and who was in a position to do something about it, had been crucial to the project thus far. Despite his many failures, he doubted he’d even have anything to test without Ivy’s involvement. Once he was successful—and he would be—he would send her something nice to show his appreciation. Maybe a shipment of all her favorite Earth foods.

  “That’s it?” Jax looked annoyed, but that wasn’t unusual. More like a constant state of being.

  Luke shrugged again. “Well, that’s it for now. How soon do you think you can make that happen?”

  The regent glared at him. “I’ll contact Vasera Blackthorn. I’ll let you know by the end of the day.”

  He almost asked who Vasera Blackthorn was before he remembered that was Ivy’s new name. Stars, he couldn’t keep up with who was mated, bonded, or whatever these days, let alone their name changes.

  At Jax’s contin
ued glared, Luke smirked. “I’ll look forward to it. Have a good day, Regent.”

  With that, he disconnected the vid-comm, laughing to himself as he imagined how the move had probably caused the vein in Jax’s forehead to throb violently.

  The regent intimated the hell out of most elites, and with good reason. Of the three Spartan siblings, however, it was Talon that Luke made a point to never fuck with. Jax might be all fire and aggression, but at least he knew where he stood with him at any given moment.

  Talon, on the other hand, never broadcasted his emotions. In fact, he didn’t say much at all, and Luke could never tell if the commander was pleased or quietly contemplating murder. It made him an effective strike force leader, but it also made him scary as fuck.

  Then, there was Mya. She’d always been a sweet kid, and in a lot of ways, she reminded him of Cami. If she hadn’t carried the last name of Spartan for most of her life, he doubted anyone would guess she was related to her brothers.

  Then again, she’d gone off and mated the Adaros on New Vega, so Luke might have to reevaluate her level of sanity as well.

  “S—uh, Luke?”

  “Oh, right.” Dragging his gaze away from the now blank wall, he looked over his shoulder, noticing for the first time the illuminated screen in Nell’s hand. “I’ll look at them now.”

  “Luke?”

  The intercom speakers crackled from the ceiling, distorting his sister’s voice. Something else he needed to have fixed.

  Luke sighed. “Put them up on the screen,” he told his assistant, nodding at the wall as he spoke. Then, he inclined his head slightly and answered his sister. “What is it, Cami?”

  “Is she here yet?”

  Knowing she was probably watching him through the surveillance feed, he looked directly into the camera and rolled his eyes. “Cami, I’m in the basement. I’m pretty sure you’ll know when she arrives before I will.”

  “Oh. Right.” Even through the static of the speaker, her voice vibrated with excitement. “What I really meant is if you know when she’ll be here.”