Human blood. His heart nearly stopped. He grabbed the messenger by the shoulders and lifted him clean off the ground. The kid weighed maybe a hundred and sixty pounds, nothing compared to Zeke's strength and his feet dangled uselessly as Zeke yanked him close enough to see every fleck of terror in his dark eyes.
Not red. Not feral. Draanth. The kid had no idea of the danger he was in.
"What about Michelle?" The words tore from his throat. "Where is she?"
The messenger's mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water as his face went purple. He clawed and scrabbled uselessly at Zeke's forearms.
Then a strong arm wedged itself between Zeke and the boy.
"Stand down, Zeke. Now," Isan snarled, the sound cutting through the red haze clouding his vision.
Turning his head, he locked eyes with the prince. Isan's expression was calm, but his stance was ready, coiled with power. The prince's blue eyes held no warmth, no sympathy. Only determination and the willingness to do whatever was necessary to maintain order. He'd seen that look before, usually right before Isan did something that left bodies on the ground.
The message was clear—the prince would put Zeke down if necessary, friendship be draanthed.
Slowly, fighting every instinct that screamed at him to shake answers from the messenger, he loosened his grip and set the boy back on his feet. His claws retracted with soft clicks, and he stepped back, tension vibrating through every cell in his body.
He gave a short, sharp nod.
The kid stumbled, catching himself against the wall. Rubbing the red marks on his throat with shaking hands, he shot nervous glances between Zeke and the prince like a prey animal caught between two predators.
"Tell me about Michelle," Zeke demanded, forcing his voice into something resembling calm. The words still carried an edge, but at least he wasn't growling anymore. "Now."
The messenger straightened with visible effort.
"We found one of the human drilling tools covered in feral blood. It looks like the female... she fought back." A note of admiration crept into his voice.
A grim tightness settled in Zeke's jaw. Michelle had fought back. Of course she had. The woman who'd taken on the Purists with construction equipment turned into weaponry and righteous fury wouldn't go quietly into the wilderness. But a drilling tool against a feral was like bringing a knife to a gunfight.
"There was a blood trail," the youngster continued. "And signs of a struggle leading into the forest, but we couldn't follow it."
"Why not?" Zeke snarled.
The young Izaean flicked a glance at Isan. "We had to get the injured humans back to the garrison for medical attention."
"Of course," Isan nodded, folding his arms across his broad chest. "Carry on."
"Why the draanth was she even out there with her injured leg?" Zeke ran a hand over his shaved scalp. "She should have been in her quarters, resting."
If he had his way, she'd have been in his quarters resting.
The messenger shook his head, eyes wide. "I don't know. I wasn't assigned to watch her. The engineers said she insisted on going for a site inspection this morning before the humans started their first shift."
Zeke spun toward Isan and Kraath, his temper flaring. "I need permission to pursue. Now."
Kraath shook his head, expression harder than granite. "Not a good idea. The weather has been unstable since the legion weapon was fired. Sensors have picked up atmospheric disturbances and significant electromagnetic interference. Looks like we have a storm rolling in from the north, and it's going to be a bad one. We've got maybe six hours before conditions become impossible."
Six hours.
The words punched the air from his chest. Six hours while Michelle was alone in the wilderness with a creature that could tear her apart without breaking a sweat. Six hours while she bled, while she suffered. Six hours while she faced goddess alone knew what horrors.
"Then we go now," he growled. His claws threatened to emerge again, so he curled his fists tight to stop them.
"We move when I say we move," Kraath replied firmly. "I'll command the rescue party. You'll wait for assembly."
Zeke's entire body vibrated with the need to act, to run into that forest and tear apart anything that stood between him and Michelle. The woman who'd smiled up at him when she caught the bouquet, soft and unguarded for a moment before her walls slammed back into place. Every muscle was coiled tight, ready to explode into motion. But the chain of command was the chain of command, even when every instinct screamed at him to ignore it.
"Draanth!" he snarled, the sound echoing off the stone walls of the command room, but he stayed put. Each second stretched, feeling like a lifetime.
