TheDutyofPain by Viola Grace Page B

Taker. I did not think to see you again, but I am glad you came.” He pulled her in, and she realised he was going to kiss her. Hands pulled her back and held her tight.
    Vek tilted his head. “Really? Five of them?”
    Alda looked at her companions and their protective glowering.
    Keelor was standing between her and the other male. The others were holding her tight. “Sort of.”
    She did not have the energy to explain Quad to Vek, besides she wasn’t quite sure how to explain it to herself.
    “Gentlemen, can we get back to Udell base, so I can find out what is going on?”
    They didn’t need to be told twice.
    Her crowd of five hustled her out of medical, past a Dhemon and two Drai before they were on the newly fuelled shuttle and lifting off for Udell base.

Chapter Eleven
    Waking in bed with arms around her was a little alarming. As she turned and saw the dark brown eyes of the man sharing the bed with her, she was left with only one conclusion. “Markenow?”
    He leaned in and kissed her in response. His body was hot against hers, and as he shifted, she welcomed him.
    He was not her first lover, but as she shivered in his arms over and over, she had a thought that he may be the last. No one could follow in her memory after that moment.
    After the first rush of learning was over, she lay on her side with him wrapped around her back. “I am guessing that good morning might be a dangerous thing to say after that.”
    He chuckled. “Good morning, Alda. I have waited a very long time to hear you say my name.”
    She sighed, “Will you now let me know what is going on?”
    He brushed lips across her temple. “It should be coming back now.”
    She remembered, remembered meeting four of him, them stacking together and the bright blue of Quad’s eyes.
    “Blue of Quad plus the orange of Keelor, equals beautiful brown eyes.”
    His skin was paler than hers, and she enjoyed watching him stroking her hand with his.
    “That is true. Would you like to hear the whole story?”
    She nodded. “Yes, and then breakfast. I don’t think I have eaten in a while.”
    He agreed. “Once upon a time, I was a pickpocket on Resicor. I was caught, and my mental ability to be unnoticed got noticed. It was a minor talent, so I was not considered valuable and my government sold me to the Raiders for experimentation.
    “The creature that enhanced Ixa was the same one who worked on me. He had a plan, and Juhl worked to inject DNA, RNA and other substances into me. When I was packed full of potential, the enhancer worked to activate all those powers, all that potential at the same time.
    “I felt as if I was being ripped apart. My body screamed and my mind shrieked as each day the enhancer went to work on me. Finally, Keelor emerged.
    “They were satisfied that he was the end result of the experiment, and they locked me in the cells. We talked, and while it was obvious that he was made of my darker impulses, he had compassion for those around us. We planned an escape, and it had two options. The first was that we would both escape and try to reconnect later. The second was that Keelor would remain behind as a failed escape and give them his life in service.
    “You know what happened next. I escaped, and he was left behind to play the long game. Every few months, they would run him through the minders, but as he and I were not psychically connected, they found nothing.”
    She nodded. “So, when they sent him to get me on Udell, you and he reformed.”
    He pressed a kiss to her temple. “We did. He was shocked that I had continued to split, and so, he could legitimately say that he had not seen the Guardsman known as Quad before.”
    She sighed and enjoyed his embrace, the feel of his body against hers. When his stomach growled, she laughed. “I am glad you beat me to that.”
    He chuckled, and they got to their feet, dressing in bodysuits that were clean and comfortable. “Why did you have to strip to stack together in Guardian’s