Cursingmyself for being so fucking selfish, I glared at the health readings on the ReGen pod as my mate lost consciousness. The cellular degradation in several of her organs approached critical levels. She had to be in excruciating pain.
Why had she said nothing? Not one complaint? Yet that look on her eyes as the ReGen pod closed over her nearly sent me to my knees. She was afraid.
Did she not trust me yet? Was my essence somehow affecting her nervous system, dulling the pain? Either way, this was my fault. I’d fucked her and sunk my fangs deep. I’d held her and kept her isolated and alone on this ship so I could have her to myself. For my pleasure. My selfish need to steal every moment I could.
I did what needed to be done, inserted the tracking device under her bottom rib, then stood guard, watching over my helpless mate, and prayed to the gods she would forgive me for the life I was about to force on her.
I could not let her go. I’d been foolish to drag her into this mess with Shade and the Silver Scions. Surrender was not in my nature, especially now that I had her. She was a light in the darkness. Love. Belonging. Hope. For her, I would fight and rage and battle to my bitter end. I didn’t care how many Silver Scions Drakdak Trach would bring with him to Rogue 5. How many I would need to kill. It no longer mattered. Five or five hundred, they would all meet the same bloody fate.
Once this was done, there were places we could go, remote outposts where we could disappear and live a peaceful life. It would not be safe to remain on Rogue 5 with Drakdak’s nephew, Slomak, still alive. I had planned to hunt him next. Now, that goal seemed like a waste of time. Fuck Slomak. Fuck every single member of the Trach family. They were irrelevant. I’d held my female as night terrors made her tremble, soothed her in her sleep. She fought mental demons of her own. Surely, shewould be relieved to walk away from the war and build a new life.
If not? I would fuck her into blissful compliance. Spank her ass until she surrendered, accepted my guidance. She was human, from a small planet new to the Interstellar Coalition, new to the chaos that was the multitudes of species, worlds and governments grasping for power. This was my domain, and I would do what I thought best to protect her whether she liked it or not.
First, she needed the antidote from Astra. After I knew she would be healed, I’d speak to my leader, Astra, about leaving the Legion for good and starting a new life. Perhaps she could provide assistance, had connections on other worlds, people who would help us disappear.
The door to the storage room turned medical station slid open and Prince Ruk walked in.
“Here.” He tossed two matching, Astra Legion sets of green and black armor, complete with dark green arm bands, on the floor at my feet. “Found these in the S-Gen program queue, and I agree; she needs to be wearing Astra colors when we arrive. I can provide some protection, but it won’t be enough.” He tossed two pairs of boots on top of the pile, one so small I struggled to believe my mate’s feet actually fit inside them. She was so much smaller and more delicate than she seemed when she was awake, her eyes lit up with mischief or desire.
“Thank you.” I’d not had many dealings with the Hyperion as he spent his limited time on Rogue 5 inside Styx Legion with one of their Enforcers, a brutal male named Cormac. I’d heard rumors that Cormac had claimed a human female as well.
“We dock in a few minutes, Mikos. What’s the plan?”
12
Mikos
Were we so close?A few minutes? Fuck. How long had I been in here feeling sorry for myself? Staring at my mate, wondering if I’d made the right choices? Wondering if she’d forgive me?
Did I have a plan? Yes, and I didn’t feel like sharing. Ruk was a stranger to me. One wrong move, one word spoken in the wrong corridor on Rogue 5, and everything could go horribly wrong.
Why was he offering to help me? I blinked, wary. I barely knew this male, he was not a friend. I did not trust him, not completely. Nor did I trust the Atlans. Or that fucking Prillon noble whose cousin shared a mate with Commander Helion, the head of the Coalition’s spy network. Why was he with these Atlans? Why had they all not gone to The Colony after they escaped the Hive Integration units, as expected of them?
Part of the reason I’d kept my mate so isolated was that I didn’t trust any of them. She seemed to, claimed they were her friends, that she’d been on a few missions with their assistance.Her fondness for these males was the only reason I hadn’t tried to kill them all and take this ship.
She would have been angry with me if I hurt her friends.
Her tender emotions, and the fact that I couldn’t control the navigation system—I’d tried to access the system while Breanna slept—were the only reasons we were still here, on this ship, with these males. Sebastion had not lied when he stated only active Hive could access the ship’s systems.
After being captured by the Hive, I’d fought to the brink of death to make sure no Hive technology survived in my body. Ironic that now I needed that same Hive tech if I were to have any hope of stealing this ship, that because I rejected the implants, my mate and I were both at the mercy of these males, weak and vulnerable, trapped on a ship I could not control.
Every time I thought about it, I clenched my jaw so hard I was surprised I had not shattered multiple teeth.
“Do you want my help or not?” Ruk demanded. “The Atlans can’t leave this ship, but I can. I have diplomatic immunity on Rogue 5. I can escort you both to Astra territory.”
I clenched my fists but made no attempt to reach for the armor. “I don’t trust you.”
Ruk stared at me, his dark gaze boring through me like a bullet. “She does.” He inclined his head in Breanna’s direction, and I bit back a growl. The male spoke true.
“Which is the only reason you and the Atlans are still breathing.”
My claim made him burst into laughter, the sound a deep rumble in the small room. “You fuckers are all the same.” He lifted one hand, the wet sound of flesh ripping filled the room as his claws emerged from his fingertips, dripping with blood. “You wouldn’t make it past me. You’re old and slow, Mikos.”
“Try me.” The Hyperion was half naked, but I wasn’t fooled. His hide was so tough, he didn’t need armor. He was half myage, but I was meaner, and I had a mate to protect. He also expected a frontal assault. I was not honorable, not when it came to protecting my female. I’d slit their throats in their sleep to keep my mate safe.
“Would you two shut the fuck up.” Shade sauntered into the room through the still open door. His restraints were gone, and he wore Siren Legion armor, deep blue arm band prominently displayed. He stepped between us, and I moved to stand between the two males and the ReGen pod where my innocent female slept, completely unaware of the danger.
I crouched, prepared to fight them both if they made a single move in her direction.
