Soul of Eon (Eon Warriors #8) - Anna Hackett

Chapter One

Getting abducted by aliens really sucked.

Commander Kaira Chand strained against her bindings, but the jellylike ooze that kept her wrists and ankles glued to the bench didn’t budge.

She flopped back on the hard surface. She hated the Kantos.

If one of those bony insectoids came in here, she’d…

Still be stuck. Still be their prisoner.

She turned her head, and her heart knocked in her chest.

She wasn’t the Kantos’ only prisoner. Medical Commander Thane Kann-Eon was strapped to the bench beside her. Her belly turned over. The Eon warrior was tall and muscular, with dark hair streaked prematurely with gray that only added to his good looks.

His eyes were closed, so she couldn’t see his stunning black eyes threaded with strands of green. He’d been unconscious since the Kantos had beaten him during their abduction.

They’d been at the Woomera Range Complex—a weapons testing facility in the Australian desert run by the Australian Air Force. Kaira was the commander in charge of the facility’s security. She blew out a breath.

She’d failed. Big time.

They’d been at a party to celebrate the success of the StarStorm Project. A Terran scientist, Dr. Finley Delgado, and an Eon warrior, Security Commander Sabin Solann-Ath, had gotten the orbital defense system operational. The array of laser satellites could protect Earth from large-scale Kantos attacks.

While working on the project, Finley and Sabin had fallen in love and mated.

They’d had a lot to celebrate. A party had been thrown at the Complex. One minute Eon warriors and Terrans were mingling, then the next, a small team of Kantos soldiers had attacked.

Kaira prayed everyone was okay. She’d been outside with War Commander Davion Thann-Eon and his pregnant mate Eve, and Thane, when the Kantos soldiers had appeared out of the darkness.

She shoved against her bindings again, drowning in an ugly sense of helplessness. She wasn’t going to think about exactly what she and Thane had been doing when the Kantos had attacked them.

She barely knew the warrior, but they’d gone at each other like hormone-riddled teenagers.

That kiss…

She shivered.

Yep, she’d jumped Thane like a…well, definitely not like the sensible, dedicated security commander she usually was. Even with her late husband, she’d never been so out of control. She and Ryan had enjoyed a great sex life, but she’d never been so overcome by desire that she’d jumped him in public.

Kaira sighed. She felt a pang for her husband. He’d been killed two years ago in a training accident. The pain had dulled, but it could still rise up—sharp and gut-wrenching—and surprise her. She’d always miss the sweet, sexy man she’d loved.

“Thane.” No response. “Thane.”

God, he must be really hurt. The Kantos had put some strange substance on the helian band at his wrist, so he couldn’t access his symbiont.

She knew why. The helian that the warriors were bonded with from a young age gave them increased strength, enhanced senses, and amazing abilities.

There was a clank, the door opening, and she turned her head. Their prison was a dank room with faint lighting, and it seemed to be devoid of anything else. She knew they were on a Kantos ship.

Several Kantos soldiers entered.

They kind of reminded her of a humanoid praying mantis. They had four strong, jointed legs, a brown, tough carapace, and armor plates at their shoulders. Four small, yellow eyes dominated their faces.

Another soldier sailed through the door. It was a little taller, skin grayer, and its golden pinprick eyes aimed her way.

Her stomach turned. She’d read files on the Kantos and all the different bugs they had at their disposal. She’d fought alongside Sabin to kill some of them.

She knew this was a Kantos elite.

A buzzing and clicking noise filled the room, and she knew the soldiers were communicating with each other.

The elite moved closer and studied Thane. The alien didn’t appear pleased.

This is not War Commander Thann-Eon.

The creepy voice in her head made her grimace. Elites were telepathic.

“No,” she said with relish.

Its head swiveled to look at her.

Examine her.

She tensed as two soldiers moved closer. One clawed hand touched her belly. She arched up, fighting against her glue-like bindings.

“Keep your bug hands off me!”

More buzzing filled the room.

You are not with child.

“What? Of course, I’m not.” Realization hit. Kaira started laughing and it echoed through the room. The soldiers shifted uneasily.

“You were after Eve and Davion.” Kaira laughed harder. “Your bug heads got the wrong couple.”

What is your name?

She just grinned at the elite. She was so damn glad that Eve and her baby were safe.

The elite moved fast. It pressed