3013: CHAOS (3013: The Series Book 8) Read online

  3013: CHAOS

  3013: THE SERIES

  Laurie Roma

  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: CHAOS

  Katra Tesera is a female Dragon Warrior on a mission. Unsatisfied with the life her family wishes for her back on her home world, she seeks something more for her own future. When the opportunity to visit Earth arises, Katra is eager for the excitement and adventure of traveling the stars. She believes she is ready for whatever lies at the end of her journey, but nothing can prepare her for meeting her mate…the dark and dangerous Tarin warrior, Lord Jaden Tor.

  Warlord Jaden Tor is a dedicated leader who is fighting a civil war to save his people. He has always known his path in life, but everything changes the moment he meets the dark-haired beauty with glowing silver eyes. Jaden wants to claim her for his own, however, there is more at stake than his own happiness…

  When legacies are challenged, and with Tartarus in turmoil, can Jaden and Katra find a way to be together, or will their love be shattered by the chaos that threatens everything around them?

  An Erotic Romance Novel.

  3013: CHAOS by Laurie Roma

  First E-book Publication: May 2015

  Kindle Edition

  Cover design by Sloan Winters

  Editing by S.L. Whitcomb

  Copyright © 2015 by Laurie Roma

  ISBN: 978-1-942979-01-2

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental. It is fiction so facts and events may not be accurate except to the current world the book takes place in.

  DEDICATION

  This one is for all the 3013 Series fans. Thank you for all your love and support. I appreciate it more than words can say…

  ***

  PROLOGUE

  The year is 3013.

  Earth barely survived the Alien Wars that have ravaged the planet, and an unknown virus had nearly wiped out the entire population. On the brink of extinction, humans struggle to rebuild their civilization, although nothing would ever bring back what once was.

  Enforcing martial law, a new age of mankind is born, where warriors rule and women are the ultimate prize. Only the elite earn breeding rights and are granted leave to claim a woman in pairs. Men dream of the day that they will be able to claim a woman to love, but for those chosen being claimed means the end of their freedom and a beginning to a lifelong bond with two strangers. The warriors may have the choice, but the battle for their woman's heart has only begun…

  ***

  CHAPTER ONE

  Gods, she wanted him.

  Standing in the shadows, Katra Tesera watched the battle raging on the other side of the training room of the visitor’s center with focused intensity.

  Outside, the controlled chaos of life in the heart of the Capital bumped along during the late afternoon hour, but any noise was blocked out by the soundproof shielding of the room. As the largest and most prosperous city on Earth, the Capital, with its energy and excitement, was a lure that few could deny. However, for Katra, seeing the thriving world outside the walls of the building held absolutely no appeal for her.

  Nay, everything she wanted was right there in front of her.

  The large training room had several areas that had been sectioned off where individuals could practice a variety of disciplines, but all of the equipment remained unused. The area was filled with men, but none of them were there for their own workouts. Instead, they stood in a wide circle, surrounding the seven males who waged war on the center of the mats, fighting with swords.

  But she only had eyes for one…Lord Jaden Tor.

  Katra’s glowing, silver eyes watched the impressive male fighting against two opponents. Jaden Tor was a prime Tarin male. A true warrior who fought with exceptional skill and accuracy. Old battle scars were highlighted on dark, golden skin that gleamed with sweat, hinting at the many battles he’d fought during his lifetime. There was an air of authority and power he exuded, marking him as the deadly warlord he was.

  She’d never classified herself as a fanciful female, but as she watched Jaden with avaricious eyes, she couldn’t help but admire the way his thick, corded muscles flexed as he moved. He was a handsome man, almost brutally so, with the pure black eyes of the Tarin and strong facial features that looked like they could have been carved from stone. His jet-black hair was tied back with a leather strap, but loose strands brushed against his muscular shoulders as he swung his sword down in a striking motion.

  The move was blocked by one of his daughter’s bonded, Alliance Director Dominic Stryker, but when he grinned, Jaden kicked out, putting the younger man on his ass. Jaden immediately turned, meeting Commander Matt Malloy’s attack with renewed fervor, forcing the other man to fall back and go on the defensive.

  Although Katra admired Jaden’s fighting abilities, she approved of the way he tempered his power against his less experienced opponents even more. It showed the strength of his character, and told her he was a male with honor—something that was very important to her.

  But then again, he wasn’t just any male.

  He was her mate.

  As a female of thirty-five years of age, Katra was considered young for her race. Dragon Warriors were immortal beings, continuing to live on unless some extrinsic force ended their lives before their time. But there were very few ways that could happen since they were powerful dragon shifters who could wield magic against any foe, making them almost unstoppable.

  When she was a youngling, Katra’s fathers, Adamon and Xero, had made it clear they expected her to remain on their home world of Arcadia, close to them and her mother. But she’d always had the desire to travel the stars, just like her brothers. As the youngest of five, with two sets of older twin brothers, she’d often been at a disadvantage. Even though there were both male and female Dragon Warriors out there exploring the universe, they remained a male dominant race, and those in her family wanted her safe at home, not gallivanting around the universe where they couldn’t watch over her.

  They’d expected her to follow their dictates, but she’d had other plans.

  Katra had never been one to follow orders blindly, and she refused to let others decide her future for her. She had trained, working hard to make herself a formidable warrior with both weapons and hand-to-hand combat, learning not to just depend on her magic to defend herself. She’d been driven, mastering every task that had been put to her, secretly planning on using those skills for when she sought out on her own.

  However, that road hadn’t been easy, and still wasn’t. After she’d come of age, her fathers had tried to pair her with males they deemed worthy enough for her to mate, but she’d turned them all down. Katra hadn’t wanted a mating of convenience, unable to be content with living the life of a pampered female catered to by chosen mates.

  Nay, she had wanted the real thing…wanted true mates. Those who had been destined for her, and her alone.

  Maybe it was fate, or perhaps it was her own will and determination, but Katra had always felt a calling to take a different path. She was a proud Arcadian, but she was meant for mo
re. Due to that, she’d been planning to set out on a voyage with two of her female friends who also wanted to explore other worlds, but their departure always got postponed for some reason or another. It had aggravated her, the way their families delayed their escape, as if they had known what the young females had been planning.

  Tired of waiting, when the opportunity arose, Katra had taken her chance. With the help of her mother, Kym, Katra had been able to convince her oldest brothers, Xavier and Galan, to allow her to join them on their voyage to Earth. Since they had mated with Alexis, a former human who was pregnant and wanted to give birth among her people, they had cut their trip home short, heading back to Alliance space.

  Xavier and Galan had been furious with Katra when they’d discovered she hadn’t gotten their fathers’ permission to go with them, but she’d insisted that she hadn’t needed it. It was the truth, after all. She was a strong, well-trained female who was destined to forge her own path in life. Her brothers’ blood brothers and best friends, Thorn and Brydan, had been amused by her daring, although they had also been worried. But with Alexis on her side, all of the males had reluctantly given in.

  Her fathers, Adamon and Xero, had raged at her when she’d contacted them to let them know where she was. They had ordered her home immediately, going so far as threatening to come get her if she didn’t comply, but her mother had quickly put a stop to that. Kym had been her daughter’s strongest advocate, encouraging her to seek out her own future of being a Dragon Warrior, traveling the stars and beyond until she found her place.

  But Katra hadn’t known this journey would lead her to her true mate.

  Jaden Tor was one of the most powerful leaders on Tartarus, a volatile planet that was in the middle of fighting a vicious civil war. The Tarins were a barbaric, demon-like race that fed off the energy of others. They lived off the blood-lust they got when in battle, or the energy and strength they received during sexual release. Everything Katra had heard of the race should have made her wary of them, but she found that the more she learned about them, the more intrigued she was.

  Jaden’s animosity towards the Alliance was well known, yet he had come to Earth to celebrate the bonding of his daughter, Skylar, with her two chosen males. It was at the claiming ceremony that Katra had first met him.

  The moment their eyes had met, she instantly knew he belonged to her.

  It had been shocking at first. She hadn’t known she would meet her true mate there on Earth, nor had she ever considered he would end up being one of the infamous Lords of War from the planet Tartarus. But even more surprising to her was that she was destined to have a single mate when most of the females in her race had two or more to claim as their own.

  Just looking at him made Katra’s heart stutter. She was tall compared to the female humans and other races that had been in attendance at the ceremony, but it had given her pleasure to see that Jaden had a few inches on her. She hadn’t been prepared for the intense attraction she felt for him. Hadn’t known she was capable of feeling that way about someone so suddenly.

  Her parents and her oldest brothers had all found their true mates, and she’d grown up hearing the stories about the deep, unbreakable bond that connected true mates to one another. The very idea of sharing her soul with another seemed almost impossible, not to mention a little scary. It was difficult to imagine having someone be the center focus of her world.

  But the moment she’d met Jaden, she had finally understood.

  Everything in her wanted to reach out to him, to claim him, but Jaden’s reaction toward her made her hold back. Usually, the females of her race never had to worry about mating. When Dragon Warrior males met their true mate, there was nothing they wouldn’t do to claim the female as their own, and no one was allowed to interfere. It was one of their most sacred rules. The strength of the bond between mates was something that was to be protected at all costs, and the need to be together was impossible to ignore.

  That was, unless that mate happened to be Lord Jaden Tor.

  It had taken all of Katra’s willpower to stop from mating with him immediately. Her fangs wanted to sink into the soft flesh of his neck, to taste him and seal their mating with the blood bond that would tie their life-forces together forever. Just thinking about the intense need to do so had her forcing back a growl.

  He wanted her. She could sense it.

  But he didn’t want to want her, and she could sense that as well.

  His reaction hurt, but she’d told herself to be patient, even if she didn’t want to be. He was not a Dragon Warrior, and didn’t understand the pull she was feeling to be with him. However, fate would not have chosen him as her mate if he wasn’t worthy. So, she’d given him his distance, allowing him time to come to terms with what was between them, but none of it seemed to be helping. Jaden wouldn’t understand until they had truly mated, until she was able to share all that she was with him and took all that he was in exchange.

  It didn’t take much to realize that part of her held back because her pride had been challenged. Katra had never lacked for male attention, even when it wasn’t wanted. It was something she had never thought about before, just accepted as was her due being an attractive female. She’d never had to pursue males on her own, and knowing that this particular male was her mate made the situation even more confusing for her.

  She had given him space, but her patience was coming to an end. Their mating would not be easy. Nay, it could never be that when the two of them were such aggressive, imposing forces. His strength of will was not a deterrent, though. Her mate needed to be strong, to be able to match her in every way. Once he was hers, theirs would be a partnership the likes of which the universe had never seen before.

  Watching him move with such deadly grace during the mock battle sent lust slamming through her system so hard it almost sent her to her knees. He was a warrior…her warrior. She needed to touch his slick skin, wanted to run her hands over his hard muscular body, then she wanted to repeat the action using her tongue to taste every inch of him.

  Fighting back a shiver, she reined in another growl and willed her body to settle. She could not risk losing control. Not when so much was at stake. She had to be very careful until her plan was in place, and it was too late for anyone to stop her.

  The sound of the training room door opening had Katra shifting her attention. When she saw Skylar Stryker-V’Dir looking around the room, she sighed. Skylar was a gorgeous woman, with black hair and startling ice-blue eyes. Katra could sense the power that ran within the other woman, and for some strange reason, it put her at ease to be near another female with gifts of her own.

  Katra had been fascinated when she’d learned about Skylar’s abilities. Classified as a Class-A Conduit—one of the most unique classifications of special status within the Alliance—Skylar was a rare individual who could manipulate the energy around her, using it as both protection as well as a weapon against others. Because she was a half human, half Tarin hybrid, when she’d received the enhancements that qualified humans were given when they were young, Skylar’s natural abilities had been increased to the point that very little was understood about her particular skills.

  She’d met Skylar a few days ago when she had attended the claiming ceremony at the Stryker estate held in Skylar, Dominic and Arik’s honor. Even though she didn’t know the human woman well, Katra really liked her. She would have cared for her since Skylar was good friends with her new sister, Alexis, but Katra found that she respected the human female after learning about the way she had taken control of her own fate when the odds had been against her. It eased her mind to know that she liked the daughter of her mate, that Skylar would not be another obstacle that she would have to overcome before she could claim him.

  She glanced back toward Jaden and saw his dark eyes warm a bit when he saw his daughter. Unconsciously, she smiled in reaction, then froze as his head slowly turned so he was looking directly at her.

  Damn.

  D
espite her using her magic to remain hidden from view, he knew exactly where she was standing. The fierce frown that settled across his face told her he knew she’d been there all along. There was unspoken reprimand in the look that put her back up. Masking her surprise, she glared back at him before allowing herself to be seen once again.

  Across the room, Skylar did a double take and gasped before heading in her direction. When she came to a halt next to Katra, she let out a breathless laugh. “Stars, I hate it when you guys do that. It’s totally frosty, but it’s also kind of creepy the way you can just disappear and reappear.”

  “My apologies,” Katra murmured with a small bow of her head.

  “Don’t worry about it. I’d probably do it all the time if I could, too. In fact, I know I would. I’m sorry I haven’t really gotten a chance to hang out with you since you’ve been here. Dom and Arik have kept me pretty busy since our claiming ceremony.”

  Katra glanced down at the shorter woman with a small, knowing smile. “As they should. Although, none of you seem to be suffering from any ill effects from your extended seclusion.”

  “Being half Tarin gives me an advantage. Sex invigorates me…sort of like a supersonic energy booster. Since I can pass the overflow of energy onto my bonded, it’s like one big cycle that keeps us revved. It’s been a few days, so we figured we should rejoin reality.” She turned to look toward the mats, then winced as she saw Dom take a hit to his side. “I’m really glad they’re using dull blades for this.”

  Katra couldn’t help but agree. “True. However, the others are wearing light body armor while the Tarins have chosen to shed their tunics.”

  “That’s because the others aren’t good enough to harm my father or Isak,” Skylar explained, mentioning one of the warriors that had accompanied Jaden on his journey to Earth. She paused as she glanced back at the men. “Things are going smoother now that we were able to convince my father to get the language converter implanted. That was a major argument on the way here, but he and his men wanted to know what was being said by everyone on board the Stargazer more than he disliked the technology. Damn, I think Ryodan might be trying to kill Dean, but Troy seems to be holding his own against Isak. I didn’t know he was so skilled.”