Betrayal

By Cy St. Clair

When Mercy had signed up for the military at eighteen he’d only been looking to escape his abusive home life. No one had been more surprised than him when he’d shown an aptitude for flying that few recruits could match. So few in fact that in only three short years he found himself transferred to the Special Defense Squad. There he found a new purpose and family and when his team was selected for Project Paradigm, he hadn’t hesitated to agree to undergo the specialized hybridization process that left him with the ability to shift into an eight foot saber-toothed cat.

Prepared to use his new form to battle on equal footing with their enemy, the Lysasti, Mercy instead found himself at war with his own people when peace was declared between the Alliance of Terran Worlds and the Lysan Council. In the blink of an eye his team went from the Alliance’s best hope of winning the war to the greatest threat to their newly forged peace. When they learned that the Alliance planned to annihilate them all, he and his team instead staged their own deaths and left behind what remained of their humanity.

Now, five years later, Mercy was freer than he’d ever expected to be. Pilot of the Catana, the fastest and most luxurious vessel he’d ever had the pleasure to helm, he enjoyed the freedom that came with his team being able to pick and choose their own cases. Cases that took them from one end of the known worlds to the other with plenty of down time in between to enjoy the occasional companion.

Mercy’s life was just the way he liked it: profitable, uncomplicated and quiet. At least until Beck came back from a mission with a pair of Lysasti brothers. Until he entered the rec room one night and found himself wrapped in the arms of the youngest, Etan, who had eyes the color of molten silver and smelled of caramel. Until not even hiding on the bridge could drive away the thought of how Etan felt in his arms and he found himself agreeing to pretend to be mated to Etan in an effort to find the one man who could explain why files about Project Paradigm were surfacing.

Suddenly saddled with a tarkai he desperately wanted but didn’t deserve and caught in the middle of a conspiracy far greater than any of them had ever imagined Mercy will have to come to terms with the past he thought long buried or risk losing the only man who his scarred heart had ever come to love.

Each book in the Project Paradigm Series can be read as a stand alone and contains its own HEA.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cy St. Clair
• Release date: Jan 9, 2020
• ISBN: 9780463240175

Cy St. Clair

Cy has a soft spot for all books and wrote her first one at seven. In the years since, she attempted works in several genres before finally deciding to marry her favorites of paranormal, sci-fi, and romance in the world of Project Paradigm. When not hiding behind her keyboard, Cy enjoys hiking, snow skiing, scuba diving and travel. Accepting that traveling the galaxy isn’t possible (at least not yet), she spends her time exploring this world and is always open to a new adventure!

Book preview

Betrayal

Project Paradigm Book 2

By

Cy St.Clair

Copyright © 2020 Cy St. Clair

All rights reserved.

All Characters are age 18 and over

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents

are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner.

Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

CHAPTER ONE

Mercy watched the small yellow dot representing the Catana move across the holo-map. Specifically, he watched the red line that extended in front of the dot which showed the course plotted through the V’Nizur debris field. The last barrier between them and open space. He touched his thumb and forefinger together over a section of the map then flicked his fingers apart, magnifying that quadrant to make small corrections to their trajectory in response to the moving debris field. The remains of what had once been the outermost planet in the Hexovalon system. Demolished thousands of years ago by a rogue asteroid, the field’s existence reminded Mercy of how fickle space could be. And how small the Catana was in comparison.

Magnifying the last portion of the debris field they would pass through, Mercy ignored the sound of the bridge door sliding open only to freeze a moment later as a faint hint of caramel hit his senses. Reese, it had to be. He was the only one who walked around smelling like a candy store.

Mercy found the rich caramel scent far more appealing than Reese's typical cinnamon. Not that he had any intention of admitting that to Reese, commanding officer or not. With a shake of his head, Mercy resumed his corrections, altering the Catana’s course to avoid any debris large enough to threaten the ship.

You know we don’t pay overtime, right? Reese’s slow drawl echoed through the quiet room proving Mercy’s assumption correct.

Giving the holo-map one last look, Mercy nodded, satisfied he had determined the safest route and brushed his hand over the image to dismiss it. Wasn’t aware you were paying me at all.

Reese snorted, stepping into view and leaning against the comm chair, his arms crossed over his chest. That’s even more of a reason to call it a night and get some rest.

I expect the same could be said for you. Pretty sure you haven’t slept at all in the past two days. Mercy drawled, pulling up another holo-map, this one illuminating the entire course between V’zepax, the planet they’d just left, and their destination inside Aiovite space.

Reese’s bark of laughter echoed through the room. Noticed that did you?

Hard to miss when you were chattering non-stop in my ear, Mercy grumbled, watching the yellow dot get ever closer to the edge of the debris field. In all honesty, none of them had gotten much sleep once their latest mission went sideways leaving two of the team stranded on V’zepax for several days. Mercy was more thankful than he’d ever admit that Reese had gotten the shuttle to the planet surface and retrieved both Beckett and Finnegan.

Could have been worse, Reese said, his lips curling in a grin. You could have been the one flying the shuttle. The sight of Beck’s bare ass is permanently burned in my brain.

Mercy snorted. I’d have left them there.

It was a tempting thought. But it seemed like a waste after working so hard to get ‘em back. Besides, can’t go having Beck’s new mate deciding we’re heartless.

Only some of us, Mercy thought, still surprised that in only a few short days one of his teammates had gotten himself married. Not only that, the bond was for life. No word for divorce in the Lysan. Poor bastard. Another good reason he’d stick to paying for companionship, no chance of it turning out to be a fucking proposal the next day.

Speaking of company, Ciro’s bunking with Beck but I’ve stationed Etan in the guest quarters. I’ve told the team to stand down till morning. That includes you.

Copy that, Mercy nodded, magnifying the portion of the map that the ship would traverse while he slept. After tracking Ciro and his brother for the better part of three weeks, Beck had finally came face to face with Ciro and realized he was his tarkai. The translation for tarkai was closer to a soul-mate than a spouse, either way it gave Mercy hives.

He wasn’t certain he believed in all that ‘one person fated to be yours’ crap, but if it was true, he sure as hell hoped he never met his. Even though Beck seemed happy with the discovery, all Mercy could think was that no one deserved to be saddled with him as a partner.

Looking up to find Reese staring at him, Mercy quirked one brow. "Won’t be long. Just gonna recheck the maps, want to make sure they’re clear before engaging the autopilot.

Reese huffed and shook his head. Your quarters are two feet away.

Mercy pinned Reese with a stare. "How long you think it would take for some random piece of space debris to tear through the Catana’s hull?"

He bit back a tiny grin when Reese paled. Uhm…

Exactly, he crowed, nodding his head towards the door. Go to bed, Sarge. I’ll won’t be long.

Alright, Reese said with a quiet sigh. Remember we’ve got a meeting in the rec room zero eight hundred tomorrow.

Copy that. I’ll be there.

Mercy felt Reese continue to stare at him, but when he continued to scrutinize the holo map, Reese finally shook his head and headed for the door. Mercy held his breath until the door slid shut behind Reese then breathed out a sigh of relief. Not that he didn’t like his team, he did. At least as much as he liked anyone. But aside from Linc, who he’d known since he was a child, Mercy preferred the solitude that piloting the Catana offered.

Linc kept telling him he needed to socialize more. But if the team didn’t already know what he was like after spending ten years together, he wasn’t certain what would improve things at this point. Besides, all the things about his life Mercy actually wanted to remember included the team anyway.

Shit. Now that there were new people aboard Linc would renew his socializing efforts. And considering the whole ‘tarkai’ thing it was doubtful they’d get rid of their newest guests anytime soon. Scowling at the holo-map, Mercy watched the yellow dot clear last of the debris field. He turned his attention towards setting the fusion drive to gradually increase speed until it reached maximum level. At this rate they should reach Aiovite space in a little over six days barring any unexpected complications.

He was factoring the odds of being able to spend those days avoiding any interaction with their new shipmates when his stomach growled, loud and long. He realized he hadn’t eaten since breakfast, which was a generous name for the handful of dried fruit he’d grabbed on his way past the rec room.

He checked the coordinates one more time before engaging the autopilot and heading for the door. Once on his feet, he realized how tired he was and paused in the doorway for a minute debating ignoring his stomach in favor of sleep.

As if aware of his indecision, his stomach growled again, the sound echoing down the silent corridors, and with a resigned sigh he turned left towards the rec room. He yawned as he made his way down the corridor which tonight seemed to take twice as long as usual. Finally reaching the rec room doors, he leaned his forehead against the bulkhead and lazily tapped the control panel. Another yawn escaped him halfway across the room and he decided that a sandwich and a cup of tea would have to suffice.

Mercy put a small amount of the tea into a mesh bag and dropped it into one of the heavy clay mugs they’d found on Aioval a few months back. Setting the water dispenser to its hottest setting, he filled the mug then let it seep while he moved on to building a sandwich out of some gidyu Linc had brought back from V’zepax.

In all honesty, Mercy had no clue what a gidyu was but after slapping the top layer of crusty bread on top of it and taking a bite he decided it tasted a bit like beef. Shrugging, he took another hungry bite, then set the sandwich aside and pulled the bag from his tea. He reached for the bottle of sweetener pausing mid-reach when the delicious scent of vanilla and caramel washed over him again. Damn, he’d thought Reese was going to bed. So much for following his own orders. Mercy turned to berate Reese only to freeze when instead he found a stranger standing in the doorway to the rec room.

An inch or two taller than his own six foot, with shaggy dark blond hair and eyes that could have been silver or blue, the stranger stood frozen for a moment before launching himself across the room. Confused, Mercy braced for a fight, his hands curling into fists only to gasp a moment later when he found himself hugged tightly. Strong arms wrapped around his waist as the stranger butted his head into the middle of Mercy’s chest, a loud purr filling the room. Surprised to find his own chest rumbling in response, Mercy frowned, dipping his head and opening his mouth to breathe in the stranger’s scent.

The sweet scent of vanilla and rich caramel laced with burnt sugar flooded Mercy’s senses, urging him to move closer. To see if the stranger felt as good as he smelled. Lowering his head, Mercy’s cheek brushed against silky blond hair, his fingertips sliding across the cool fabric that covered the stranger’s back. Then, with a low growl, Mercy shook his head, breaking the trance he’d been in. Snapping his mouth shut, he straightened, a threatening growl building in his chest.

The stranger released him but made no move to step away, instead straightening to stare down at Mercy with eyes the color of molten silver. Curiosity was clear in his expression, as was concern and this close, Mercy couldn’t help but think that he was young, most likely not past his mid-twenties. Far too young to be attracting Mercy’s attention. That’s not stopping your cock from being half hard right now.

Mercy twisted away from the stranger, grabbing his sandwich and cooling tea and storming from the room without a word. The brother. It had to be the brother. What was his name? Etan, his mind provided, provoking another snarl. Fuck, if the name didn’t suit him though. Etan. The name echoed through his mind, strong and smooth at the same time, like those silver eyes Mercy had little doubt could go flinty when needed.

Etan, he whispered, the sound startling him as he realized he’d come to a stop in the middle of the corridor only a few feet outside the rec room.

Shit. What if Etan had followed him out? Or worse, Linc? He’d have never heard the end of it. Pull yourself together, Mercy muttered under his breath, stomping down the hall and into his room. Slamming the plate and cup onto the table, he frowned at the bit of tea that sloshed over the rim before taking a big bite of the sandwich. Etan might have been hungry, you should have offered to make…

Mercy stopped chewing, a sharp pang of distress racing through him at the thought of leaving the other man hungry before being dismissed as ridiculous. Etan was standing in the rec room. There was plenty of food there, certainly he was capable of cooking for himself. Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have offered. This time the thought was in Linc’s voice, which was just lovely. Like Linc didn’t spend enough time berating Mercy’s choices while actually present.

Mercy swallowed hard and took another, larger, bite of his sandwich to spite his thoughts. He had enough issues right now without going soft on some barely legal Lysasti. Especially one who was a fugitive from his own planet for reasons that, while not entirely his own fault, had pulled Mercy and his entire team into the drama.

Drama that now had them racing to an unpopulated planetoid deep in Aiovite space. One close enough to Aioval that Mercy could get the Catana there in a blink but not so close they’d have to declare themselves in case their client was monitoring the port. Shit, he should be on the bridge rather than having to fend off some young pup's strange advances. What kind of person walked into a room and started snuggling someone?

Finnegan had spent the last three days with Etan. He should have mentioned the kid was prone to spontaneous bursts of affection. Then again, knowing Finnegan he’d have appreciated Etan ending up in his lap, his sweet scent blending with Finnegan’s own. There’s no way Finnegan would have shoved Etan away as Mercy had done, the Doc was far too affectionate himself. No, Finnegan would have followed through on Mercy’s desire to know the feel of Etan’s skin beneath his fingers, the taste of him against his tongue.

It took Mercy a minute to realize the deep growl he heard was coming from him, and no. Just no. It was none of his business what Etan did nor with whom and he absolutely, positively wasn’t jealous. Jealousy would imply Mercy was capable of actual emotions and he was damn certain all of his had been beaten out of him years ago. Etan was better off with someone still whole, someone like Finnegan. And if that thought made something hard and dark twist in his gut, well, it must have been the gidyu.

CHAPTER TWO

I was tired last night, but I’m fairly certain I didn’t dream the conversation between you and I when I told you there was a crew meeting this morning. Reese’s typical smooth drawl was tinged with annoyance.

Mercy bit back a sigh. He’d known skipping the meeting was a calculated risk. But after his encounter with Etan the night before he didn’t have it in him to sit across the table and play nice. All things considered, he’d gotten off light considering that Reese was just now confronting him. He could have commed earlier and demanded Mercy show up. Sorry ‘bout that, Sir. We hit an unexpected patch of…complicated space.

Mercy winced. Seriously? Complicated space?

Complicated…space, Reese repeated, the final word falling as flat as Mercy’s excuse.

Uhm, yes, Sir, Mercy stuttered, his mind flailing. Come on, come on. He needed something reasonable. Engine malfunction? Lysasti ship? Oh… Uhm, radiation. A belt of it, the ship notified me and I altered our course to avoid the worst of it. I’ve marked it on the map so we can avoid it in the future.

Reese’s snort echoed through the room as he stepped into Mercy’s field of vision, dropping into the chair Linc usually occupied at the navigation console. Reese arched one brow. That really what you’re going with?

Sir?

Reese shrugged. Just thought you might be avoiding a second awkward encounter with Etan. I hear you didn’t even bother to introduce yourself before running off last night.

Mercy scowled to offset the warmth he felt in his cheeks. I don’t need to run away from some kid who never learned about personal space.

Reese outright chuckled. Kid?

You heard me.

"Way I heard it that ‘kid’ is a year older than you," Reese smirked, both his eyebrow’s lifting in response to Mercy’s jaw dropping.

What? He knew Lysasti aged slower than Terrans but there was no way the kid could be thirty six. Could he? Refusing to give Reese the satisfaction of rattling him, Mercy grumbled, Well then he ought to be old enough to know better than to go around groping strangers.

Reese opened his mouth to say something before shutting it again and turning his attention towards the holo-map. I had a reason to come here besides giving you shit for missing the meeting. Turns out the data is secured with a double encryption process and only Dunixi has the second password.

Mercy whistled under his breath. Besides being Ciro’s childhood friend, Dunixi was also the subject of their latest case. They had been hired by Dunixi’s former employer to retrieve what he said was his missing information and had chased Ciro all over the galaxy to retrieve it only to learn that the data actually belonged to the Lysan Council. To finally possess it and not be able to do anything with it was bound to sting. Beck must be pissed.

Pissed doesn’t begin to cover it, Reese sighed, running his hand over his face. Ciro’s password enabled access to part of the data which turned out to be documents concerning Project Paradigm.

Mercy froze, a shiver of dread coursing down his spine. No one outside Earth’s solar system was supposed to know about Project Paradigm, least of all the Lysasti. Hell, Mercy only knew about it because his team had been assigned as the project’s first test subjects. Five years of top secret, likely illegal, gene manipulation to level the playing field in the war for Lysa and what did they get at the end of it all? A peace treaty signed just weeks after they were deemed ready to be tested in the field.

Thanks to an unknown informant, the ink hadn’t been dry on their kill order when the entire team had staged their own deaths as part of the facility’s destruction. In the five years since then, Mercy had done his best to forget the project ever existed. As far as anyone in this galaxy knew, the team was Lysasti. Nothing good could come of anyone learning otherwise. Clearing his throat, Mercy forced himself to voice his thoughts. It sounded like you said…

Reese sighed again, his fingers curling around the ends of the armrest. "That the Lysasti may know of Project Paradigm and that the same information is what our client is trying to collect."

Why can’t a job ever be easy?

You got me, Reese snorted, raising one hand and slamming it back down on the chair. I’ve notified Jax and Quinn of the possible breach.

Jax and Quinn were the team leads for the other two teams that had been in Mercy’s squad. While Reese’s team was enhanced with Lysasti DNA, the other two teams had received Kybri and T'Varytar DNA. Jax’s team could shift into an animal much like Earth’s long extinct dire wolf while Quinn’s team had become dragon shifters. To be less conspicuous in the days following their staged deaths, the three teams had split up after escaping the testing facility and were even now only in sporadic contact. Copy that, Sir. Will we be rendezvousing with them?

We discussed it but for now we will keep thing running as close to normal as possible. Until we can determine whether the client knew we were part of Project Paradigm or not, it seems too risky to chance compromising the other two teams.

A growl started deep in Mercy’s throat. You think this was all a setup?

It’s too early to tell. Odds are it’s just a coincidence but we haven’t stayed alive this long by making assumptions.

Mercy scowled. What about the brothers? Any chance they're involved?

Reese was quiet for a long moment, his brows knit in a frown. I don’t think so. They appeared as surprised as we were to see the names on the files. Beck swears that they did not understand what Project Paradigm was before he explained it to them on the planet. Besides, Ciro and Beck are bonded now, it wouldn’t make sense.

Yeah, well, people do a lot of bad things to ones they supposedly love, Mercy growled.

Reese’s eyes widened then softened in understanding. It isn’t normally like that…

Yeah, lovely. Thanks so much Reese. It’s so much better knowing it’s just me who had parents who couldn’t stand him. Mercy bit his lip to keep the words from spilling out, his attention shifting from Reese to the holo-map. The map was safe. It didn’t look at him like it could see straight through him.

When he trusted himself to speak he asked, "Fine, I get it. The brothers are beyond suspicion. But what if we are compromised?"

How ‘bout we cross that bridge when we come to it? Reese’s sigh was heavy and long, leaving Mercy to wonder if it was caused by the situation they were in or Mercy himself.

Mercy knew the rest of the crew found his cynicism