“Now you understand. I cannot tell the truth. I must never reveal that Reji is alive, or he will be hunted.”
“Where is he now?”
Kovo shook his head slowly. “I do not know. Helion told me Reji is on a mission. I did not ask for details. Helion would not give them to me, and I do not want to know.”
“You would worry about him.”
“He is my brother.”
“I’m sorry.”
“If I had known about you, mate, I would not have agreed to Helion’s plan.”
I took his hand, pulled it to my lips and kissed him. “What would you have done? You had to save your brother.”
He shrugged, his gaze locked on the place my lips rested against his skin. “A mate is everything. I would have found another way.”
I believed him. “So, if our mating is going to totally mess up Helion’s plan, why is he helping you? Why help you escape?”
“I do not know. He was enraged when he found out about you.”
My turn to shrug. “Well, you’re mine now and I’m not giving you back.”
My words pleased him. He bent over to kiss me. I met him halfway, the blanket falling away to reveal my bare breasts.
It was a long time before I had room in my mind for anyone but him.
10
Kovo, Two Days Later
Iwoke with my mate curled against me in a comfortable bed. I treasured the last two days spent alone with Adrian. As much as we wanted to pretend the outside world did not exist, we both knew this interlude would not last.
She worried. As did I. I knew the way Helion worked. I’d been following his orders for years. It was not typical of him to delay an extraction. And this location?
Quiet.
Too quiet. Especially this morning. Something felt…wrong.
The moment the thought entered my mind my beast fought to break free.
Danger.
His terse tone left no doubt he sensed something I did not.I’ve got this. Tell me what you know.
Quietly, I slipped into my gear. I was prepared. I had used the S-Gen machine to create the armor and weapons I normally used. The S-Gen machines were typically locked, unable to produce such items. I, however, was I.C. and knew more codes to bypass these kinds of locks than any criminal. If I’d wanted to walk away from the I.C. and start a criminal gang, I could have done so at any time.
As gently as possible I touched my mate on the shoulder and woke her up.
The moment she saw me, she gave me her sleepy smile and reached for me. “Hi.”
“Hi.” I had grown accustomed to her human greeting. Found it suited me.
She blinked a few times, looked at my gear and sat up. “What’s going on?”
I placed a finger over her lips so she would know to speak quietly and leaned in close to her ear. “The beast senses danger. I do not know yet what I will be dealing with.”
“You mean we. What we’ll be dealing with.”
