Chapter Four #3
“Clarification: Azazel’s psychic capabilities are substantial, ranging from telekinesis to telepathic resonance. He applied those abilities when the Federation Consortium tasked him with locating and extracting you.”
Toni’s jaw dropped. “They sent you to find me?” She paused, her mind reeling. “Only because I’m… a target for Baelon?”
“No.” Azazel frowned. “I mean, yes, you and those other women who were taken from the exchange. All of you were more important than you realize, Toni. Your resilience, intelligence, and adaptability are everything Baelon seeks to exploit. I… I couldn’t let that happen to you.”
She frowned as an alarming thought occurred to her.
“Have you been reading my mind all this time?” Jen-Jang! She thought in Korean. Did he know she mistrusted him?
A flicker of hurt crossed his face, but he looked straight into her eyes. “Of course not. I assure you, I avoid invading anyone’s privacy without being invited.” He shuddered. “I consider that no better than violating someone physically.”
Vaeloryx leaned forward, and his crystalline form glinted under the dim light.
“With Lord Baelon remaining unaware of Azazel’s presence, his abilities may be our greatest asset,” he said in a measured tone. “Let us go forward in establishing trust between us. Without it, this mission will fail before it begins.”
Toni’s gaze darted between Azazel and Vaeloryx as her heart pounded.
Ah, moment of truth. Though doubt clawed at her, she couldn’t look away from Azazel.
Something in the depth of his gaze—raw, unguarded—held her spellbound.
Beneath the sobering darkness in his eyes, a quiet sincerity glimmered.
A flicker of vulnerability, so real it pushed her fear aside and gave her room to reconsider.
With a sigh, she slumped against the pad.
Taking in a lungful of air, she looked up at him and exhaled.
“Okay, fine.” She flipped her hair behind her. “But if you so much as think of going anywhere near my mind, I’ll figure out how to make your fancy-schmancy psychic brain regret it.”
Azazel’s lips twitched into a faint smile. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
That smile made her tense shoulders relax. That is, until her eyes caught on the glorious display of his naked, muscled chest right next to her. The warmth from his body reached out to her, making her tingle all over.
Lifting her chin up to meet his eyes, she gave him a mischievous smirk.
The only way she could continue to work with him was if he’d put a damn shirt on.
He had no right to prance around and distract her all the time.
“I may be tired, but do you think we can find some clothes to put on before we do anything else?”
It wasn’t like they were in some kind of rom-com where the leading hunky man ran around half naked all the time. This was more like a high-stakes sci-fi thriller, and darn if she’d let the well-built leading actor get in the way of the main plot of this screenplay.
After all, a girl’s gotta keep her priorities straight.
Clothes. The woman wanted clothes. Azazel glanced at his bare chest. His ability to regulate his own body temperature made him forget he only wore loose pants and boots. The katana and sub-node strapped to the sash on his waist didn’t count.
She shivered and rubbed her arms. “You gotta admit, it’s freezing in here.”
“Oh, I can help you with that!” Tharion snapped his fingers.
“Follow me, darlings.” He turned with a sway of his trim hips to the opposite side of the chamber.
“I’ve been dying for ages for someone to try these on.
” He looked over his shoulder and glared at his crystal companions.
“The naysayers here have no sense of what decent invaders should clothe themselves in before going into battle.” He huffed.
“These heathens ignore the nuances of psychological combat that give an added edge to any conflict.”
“Only primitive creatures require coverings over their inefficient bodies.” Kaelith’s gravelly voice echoed in the large room. “That, at least, is something I can agree with Lord Baelon on.”
“Oh, posh!” Tharion waved a dismissive hand.
“You are a primordial brute who doesn’t have an iota of sense of civilization.
Or what civilized people should wear.” He stood in front of Toni and looped his arm through hers, hauling her to her feet.
“Trust me”—he patted her hand—"you’re gonna love this! ” He snuggled up to her and giggled.
Azazel’s eyebrows lifted when she giggled back.
It was light, unguarded—an amazing, carefree sound.
He watched them with a sense of unease, their heads together in whispered conversation.
Her leaning toward the citrine Krystalii like he was her best friend unsettled Azazel.
What the hell could they be talking about?
“I assume what Tharion provides will meet with your approval.” Vaeloryx stood next to him with his hands behind his back. “He is quite talented with the visual arts. I’m sure he won’t choose something that would make you uncomfortable.”
Uncomfortable? Azazel glanced at him before turning back to watch Toni and Tharion disappear through an open doorway. Maybe it would be prudent to have a say in whatever those two concocted for him.
“You may be right, but I’d still better go with them to see what they have in mind. Hey, Toni!” Without a backward glance at the tall aquamarine Krystalii, he sprinted after her.
“Wait up.” He skidded to a stop and froze when he took in the supply area almost as wide as the outer chamber.
Stacks of clothes sat beside weapons he couldn’t identify.
And the rest looked like alien junk—or maybe tools?
He couldn’t tell. Half the stuff buzzed or blinked when he got too close, and none of it made any damn sense. “What is this place?” he whispered.
“This is the Vault of Forgotten Worlds.”
Azazel startled when Vaeloryx spoke behind him.
He’d been so caught up in the unusual sight of so many things crammed into one place.
Vault of Forgotten Worlds. What a fitting name.
The room was a cavernous expanse, and its glinting crystalline walls were filled with spider veins that pulsed in time with the ship’s energy flow.
From floor to ceiling, shelves carved from the same shimmering material were stacked with artifacts that gleamed under the pale, flickering light.
To add to the strangeness, a low hum vibrated through the air, tapping against his temples.
In the center of the room stood a massive circular platform, its surface etched with intricate patterns he couldn’t decipher. Objects hovered above its surface, suspended by some invisible force—blades, orbs, and small devices that radiated an alien energy he knew not to touch.
Toni moved ahead, her footsteps hesitant. She paused before a rack holding what appeared to be uniforms, running her fingers over the smooth, metallic fabric.
“It’s like armor,” she murmured, glancing at him. “But… if I didn’t know any better, I’d swear they were alive.”
Azazel gave her a brief nod, but his attention was fixed on a nearby shelf where several weapons hummed in faint tones. He cast a wary glance at Vaeloryx, whose aquamarine crystalline form reflected the soft glow of the vault.
“Our ancestors attuned everything in here to the Nyrlith,” Vaeloryx explained, his voice steady but firm. “Tools, clothing, weapons—it’s all designed to resonate with our energy. Your organic forms may find it… unpredictable.”
Azazel frowned. “Unpredictable how?”
Vaeloryx’s crystalline face tilted, the gesture unreadable. “Anything here could amplify your abilities—or destroy you. It depends entirely on your will.”
Azazel studied Toni, chatting with Tharion as they pulled out swaths of material and clothing. “Are you saying we can use anything in here that conforms to our unique signatures?”
“Yes.”
Interesting. “And is it possible those items could hide our presence?”
The ridge above Vaeloryx’s eyes furrowed.
“I suppose so.” His answer came out slowly.
“No one has taken the time to test anything in here. To be honest, the proximity to this place is why we set up our headquarters here. Our people have forgotten its existence for thousands of years. None of the Krystalii has an interest in a collection of curiosities from alien races we’ve already conquered. ”
“Observation,” JR14 interjected. “The neglect of such a repository indicates a severe lapse in resource optimization. Thousands of years of untested alien technology could provide significant tactical advantages if analyzed and adapted in a concise, methodical manner.”
“That is a valid suggestion, kalu.” Azazel said, turning to Vaeloryx. “While Toni and I uncover suitable clothing and weapons to use, why don’t you have one of your people take a look around here to see if there is anything you can use to help sabotage the Nexus Core?”
The crystal male’s humanistic smirk matched the droll look in his silver eyes as he glanced at Tharion chatting with Toni. “Yes. I agree with your valid suggestion.”