Prime Selection by Monette Michaels

side and emitted an answering low-level growl.
    “What is it, Bram?” she asked. “What do you see?” But she knew. She could feel and almost see the rage. Red. Heat. Pain. Fear. Battle rage.
    “The enemy had a unit,” a unit meaning nine soldiers, “guarding the exit into the cave. Our people are under fire.”
    “Get us in there, Bram.” Nadia signaled Aeron. “Aeron, the team you sent us is under attack. We’re engaging the enemy.”
    Aeron’s voice came back instantly. “Will send additional help.”
    When the door opened, the sounds of laser fire, yells, and screams blasted Nadia’s ears. Yelling a Hunnic war cry handed down through the ages, she leapt into the fray. A berserker’s rage swept through her, supplemented by the batel rabia from Bram and, through their link, from Huw. She fought her way into the mass of large male bodies fighting hand to hand and with knives.
    With a Prime battle cry, Bram leapt into the battle. A’tem followed with a Volusian battle cry, his wound obviously not a problem.
    For a fraction of a second, even though Nadia knew the two men were on her side, their cries and those of the three Prime Aeron had sent struck fear in her heart. Shaking it off, she let instincts as old as the galaxy and her training take over—and she fought, knowing in the back of her mind that Huw was connected and doing what he could to keep her alive by sharing his strength and knowledge. God, what is this connection we have?

Chapter 7
    With Nadia and her team attacking the enemy from the facility side, the all-Prime team of three Aeron had sent surged forward from the cover they’d sought when first engaging the enemy. Fast and furious moments of fighting tipped the former standoff in favor of the Gold soldiers.
    With four of the enemy on the ground, dead or dying, Nadia’s crew surrounded the four still standing, who threw down their weapons in surrender. None of the eight were Prime, but were a mix of Terran, Antareans, and some who looked to be from the Umbraxi system. The Antareans were the most dangerous and she didn’t have a damn dart gun. She kept her battle blade in her hand, just in case.
    “Bram, shut the door behind us,” Nadia ordered. He hurried to do so while she and A’tem kept the four remaining enemy under guard. The men Aeron had sent collected weapons.
    “Secure them at wrists and ankles.” Nadia threw one of the men her extra set of restraints as did A’tem. “We’ll leave them for the Prime military to deal with.” She counted heads and frowned. “I thought there were nine mercenaries.”
    “Commander.” One of the three Prime crewmen, all of whom she recognized as Galanti crew members, spoke. She hadn’t learned all the new crew members’ names yet.
    “One of the mercenaries got past us and headed into the main tunnel which leads to the surface. He will bring others.”
    “If he attempts to make it back to the military compound, I’m fairly certain he’ll run into the Gold rescue teams.” The teams should’ve landed and begun to secure the facility not long after she and Bram had shut down the weapons system.
    The three men bellowed their approval. Prime tended to be a noisy bunch when their battle hormones were elevated.
    Nadia should talk; she’d yelled just as loudly during the attack. She clicked her com unit. “Aeron?”
    “Nadia! Status?”
    His concern came over the headset clearly—and it was more than concern for the general welfare of the men. Aeron had feelings for her. Too bad her emotions and heart were already tied to another man—one who was too stubborn to give up a pipe dream and accept what was in front of him.
    “We’re fine. The men you sent held their position and we trapped the enemy between us. One got away and is probably heading for the surface.” She looked over the three-man team. “All wounds, but for A’tem’s, are superficial.”
    A’tem protested. “And I’m also fine, Aeron. It’s a minor chest wound for a