Morgan’s chest tightened for a different reason. Now there was less fear, more purpose in the atmosphere. She reached out, gripping the bars of Zara’s cage. “We’ll get you out of here, all of you,” she promised. “But we’ll have to work together in order for us to do that.”
Zara lifted her chin, the fire in her gaze burning brighter. “Tell me what to do,” she said firmly. “And I will see it is done.”
JR12‘s sensors flickered as he addressed the Ozevroc in their language. “If we get you the Talon of Ancients, will you accept the mantle of leadership?”
Morgan watched as the words hung in the air between them, heavy with meaning.
Zara’s eyes, dark and deep, flicked up from staring at the floor of the cage to meet hers. For a moment, the Ozevroc female was still, her emaciated form unmoving except for the faint rise and fall of her chest.
The ship’s low hum filled the silence, but Morgan’s focus was entirely on the being in front of her.
Zara’s three sets of hands, once trembling and weak, tightened around the bars of the cage, her knuckles pale beneath her matted fur. Her gaze was no longer clouded by exhaustion or fear. Instead, it burned with something stronger—resolve. Her body trembled as she pulled herself upright, her movements deliberate, despite the obvious strain.
There was no hesitation as she spoke, her voice stronger now, more certain. “I have been denied a name, freedom, and hope. If leading means freeing my sisters, our children, and myself, then I accept.” Her four eyes gleamed with a determined glimmer of hope. “I vow not to fail them.”
Morgan felt a shiver run down her spine. The frail creature in front of her had transformed—no longer a victim of her circumstances, but a force to be reckoned with.
Zara straightened as much as her body allowed, a presence far larger than her physical form could convey.
“Okay, now on to task number two.” Morgan smirked at JR12. “Let’s hand over that Talon of Ancients to them. You with me?”
“Well, since it was my idea…” JR12 admonished. “Of course I am.”
How silly of her. Of course he was. “Well, then.” She turned to Zara. “Let’s get started.”
Chapter Thirteen
“As’nidonenow,”thepurple crystal giant stated. “I nap.” He lumbered to the edge of the room and slumped onto his butt with his back to the wall. With an enormous yawn that showed his blocky lilac teeth, he rubbed his eyes, then leaned back, eyes closed, and started snoring.
Ari stared at him for a moment, amazed a creature made of glass, crystals, and mirrors would snore. He shook his head. Feeling the weight ofElemi’sconsciousness, he let his hold on her go, bringing his psychic sense back to himself. He stretched, his back and neck popping like old floorboards. Dropping his arms, he glanced around with a satisfied smirk. Yep, the organic ship was back to her former glory—hearty and whole, as they say. A job damn well done, if he said so himself.
The pink spybot sat motionless in a restored console chair, her metallic fingers on her lap with her fingers wide. Elemi’s metallic body appeared to be rebooting itself while the ship glowed with internal health.
Time to check in with Morgan. He debated before taking the chance to meld a small part of his mind with hers. Their relationship was still so new, he didn’t want to come across as being too pushy. Especially since psychics raised her. From what little she’d shared, she didn’t appreciate someone like him poking around in her mind without permission.
Morgan?He kept his mental voice light, the connection soft. What he got back was astonishing.
She grabbed his psychic tendril and held it with an iron grip.
I need you down here right now.She cut the connection, but left enough of herself for him to teleport to where she was.
Ari frowned. It didn’t seem like Morgan faced any danger, but she sure acted pissed off about something. No telling what kind of mess she and JR12 had gotten tangled up in.
Ari took a moment to glance at the sleeping form of As’ni, then the android body of Elemi.
The fingers on her right hand were twitching, but otherwise, she was unresponsive. The interior of the ship was still making some repairs, but all in all, it looked like it would be ready as soon as she synced herself between the mobile and ship’s body.
Closing his eyes, he gripped the psychic thread Morgan left behind and teleported to her. When he reformed, the stench choked him, making his eyes burn. He coughed, then took a chance to see what made the place smell worse than the garbage chamber he’d stumbled into before.
The scene before him was something out of a perverted nightmare. Standing behind Morgan, he looked over her shoulder at the rows and rows of small creatures he presumed were Ozevroc imprisoned in tiny cages. Like something out of a madman’s science lab.
With an inward hiss, he focused on his woman. Licking his lips, he made a quick examination of her, just to make sure she was okay. He expanded his senses to see if there were any hidden threats around. As nothing hostile came back, the tension in his gut loosened, allowing him to focus on Morgan. After everything he’d been through, she was the one constant that grounded him, the only thing that truly made sense. She was his, undeniably, as no one else ever could be.
Her back was to him, and he noticed JR12 perched on her right shoulder as she talked to someone on her handheld. “Yeah, I’m just waiting for Ari to show up so we can switch the males with these females.”
“You sure they can take care of themselves before we get to Runihura?”
The image of Chloe on Morgan’s device confirmed the voice Ari heard.
