“I can keep my mate safe,” Xexis spat.
“Fqa was under your protection as well, Kannatch.” Xnasis turned the air into frozen tension. Aphrodite was a stone statue, staring at her mate. Xexis’ shoulders tensed and his face twisted in pure rage. Yet, she could see it. The light tremble in his clenched fists. The shame in his pincers flattening against his mouth. The sharp inhale through his nose. Aphrodite stepped forward.
All three men jerked to stare at her. She put a gentle hand to one of Xexis’ biceps and gazed up at him tenderly. As he relaxed, she looked between the others. “I appreciate the concern for my safety, but I am quite capable of protecting myself as well. As I assume Reevar told you, it was my intel who told him how to kill Fqa when he was possessed.”
“Mphronatch, no one is saying you are less than any hunter,” Xnasis bowed his head softly. “But your government has done much worse for less.”
Oh, like I don’t fucking know that.Her lips fell into a thin line. “I would know best, I’ve been living under their control my whole life. If they were going to hurt me, they wouldn’t do it at the door to the elevators. Public execution is an archaic practice. They’re more subtle.”
“How would they do it?” Reevar interjected with a raised brow muscle.
She exhaled slowly, gazing out across the Council floors. There were too many people to count, coming and going across platforms. The words fell out of her lips. “They’d find a way to get me away from everyone, to disarm me, make me unable to fight back, then they’d do it quietly.”
“Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves,” Quagmor laughed, waving his hands near them. “No one’s saying the humans would assassinate the Mphronatch for a simple misunderstanding.”
Except, that’s exactly what Xnasis and Reevar were saying. It seemed between last night’s merriment and arriving at the Council station, Aphrodite’s life became delicate. She wasn’t sure how Xnasis came to that conclusion, but she appreciated the effort. Turning to face her mate, she stroked his arm sweetly. “Let’s get this over with? Then we can go home.”
“Yes,” Xexis and Xnasis met eye to eye and nodded, “Let’s.”
The group wound down an escalator and descended into the Council station. Her skin was covered in goosebumps. She watched every movement around her. Typing onto her data pad without letting her eyes look at the text box, she spoke to Buddy.Someone is trying to kill me. Keep a clear exit and ensure you track movement.
Buddy chirped but did not speak back. His orange beam scanned over the group once before he bobbed at her shoulder. The cool touch of his metal against the thin fabric over her shoulders was comforting. Aphrodite kept her shoulders back.The humans wouldn’t try something this silly.But she knew better than to hope they would back down. Humans are resilient, they’re stubborn, they refuse to back down. If she’d slighted her own government, she wasn’t sure what they’d do. Or what they were willing to do to keep her from spilling secrets.
They passed through another bubble barrier that glowed green with each person that passed through it. The escalator ended on a flat, sparkling chrome platform. She glanced up at the sensors along the edge of the film, seeing it scanning above and below.Another identification tactic.If this were a more pleasant visit she would try to steal that idea for Buddy.Identification scanners would be helpful on a hunt.
Xexis leaned into her, and breathed in her ear, “My mate, you are safe.”
“I know.” She pushed up on her toes for only a millisecond just to kiss his cheek. “I’m not worried about getting hurt.”
“Yet, you worry. I see the…how do you phrase it? Wheels turning on your face?” The group slowed to a stop at yet another door. This one was massive, and the doors were hard and enforced. There were no sensors down on the floors. Only cold metal and soft, humming lights. As the doors hissed open, Aphrodite was introduced to a round room with a hollow circle of a table.The main council chambers.
Aphrodite glanced up at Xexis, “I’m still trying to work out my people. If it’s security they’re worried I’m breaching, or if it’s something else. Why would they go so far and make Xnasis think I was going to get snuffed.”
“One of Xnasis’ informants told him the humans arrived while we slept and they were curious. The human diplomat did not greet or speak with anyone, and no one has been in contact with them other than seeing their group leave their ship.”
Oh yeah, sneaky humans weren’t a good sign.She inhaled sharply through her nose and stopped beside the door as a guard put up a hand. They were eight foot tall with deep blue skin made of scales. They put a scanner across Buddy before nodding. “Clear.”
Reevar was stopped and disarmed before being let into the chamber.No weapons allowed in the chambers, smart but not foolproof.
Punching someone in the face still hurt.
Aphrodite followed Xexis to a seat at the table while Xnasis met a group of others across the table. As she glanced around, she realized the rest of their envoy was not let inside. Quagmor sat beside them, and Reevar stood behind them, but they were alone. The six Council members took their seats.There weren’t any humans yet.She anxiously searched the room. Her attention landed at the three other seats at the table that were unfilled. The door hissed open behind her once more and Aphrodite twisted to see.
Cold, unfiltered terror filled her body as three humans marched inside. Winrow Smith walked in front of a tall, lanky woman she’d never met, and behind them, Max sauntered inside. Her vision flashed and she was back on the ship. His startled scream filled her ears. Panic surged through her body. Blood spilled everywhere. Inslow motion, she rewatched Danny drive his knife into Max’s skull.
Aphrodite flung to her feet, “Max!”
“Mphronatch, please, take a seat.” Xnasis’ order from behind her echoed off the walls. Xexis grabbed her but she couldn’t move. Max froze in the walkway, blinking at her with confusion. Her heart pounded in her chest.
“No, no-no-no, I saw you die!” she snarled, her breathers struggling with her panicked breathing. Aphrodite was wrenched down into her seat by the hands of her mate. She trembled. Unable to break eye contact with Max, fury pumped through her blood.No! How!
“Miss Kerso, I’m not sure what you are inferring, but Maximillon Draper is alive and well.” Winrow Smith crossed his arms over his uniform.
Aphrodite opened her mouth, violent rage ready to spew out. All of it turned to ash on her tongue in an instant.
Max grinned at her, and something was wrong. The smugness oozing from Max, it was wrong. Max was wrong.Of course, he’s wrong, he’s fucking dead.Her stomach bottomed out. She sat fully in her seat, no longer having to be held down.He’s wrong.Max winked at her, slipping into the seat.
He’s never once in his life winked at me.She furrowed her brows. The fake Max eyed her. Something seemed to dawn over him as Aphrodite’s shoulders squared and her lips curled into an ugly scowl.Something is wearing Max.Fake Max’s face slipped from the original smugness to something far more serious.
