Barek sank to one knee. I pulled up short and turned, gauging the distance between me and Slomak, me and the wall, me and the exit. Options. I needed options.
I was close enough to jump on Slomak, but not naïve enough to believe I could be any more effective against him than a kitten against a grizzly bear.
“Do not, female.” Slomak’s glare reinforced my decision to stop moving. I had to be smart here. Charging a nearly seven-foot tall, half metal-headed alien full of Hive tech—with just my bare hands—wasn’t going to accomplish anything except get me hurt, knocked out, or dead.
None of which would help Barek or Mikos.
“Let Barek go, and I’ll come with you.”
“You’re coming with me, regardless. Have you not figured that out yet? As I suspected, you are a stupid female.” He smiled at me, and I wished he hadn’t. I’d never get the sight of what looked like needle-sharp rows of pointed silver teeth out of my head. Like a piranha with broken pocketknives for teeth.
Except this guy was uglier than a fish. Evil. A piranha was hungry when it killed. This monster did it for sport.
Slomak’s remaining steel-headed friend walked toward me. This one was about the size of a Prillon warrior, but his skin had an odd blue tint, and his features weren’t hawkish like a Prillon’s would be . His nose was too flat, his eyes a murky color that reminded me of bread mold. His smile was cruel, and there were no fangs in his mouth.
What species was he? I’d never seen anyone like him.
His eyes flashed silver. Whatever weird hypnosis had been holding me in place, broke.
I turned to run back toward Mikos. The alien moved so fast, I didn’t see where he went. I lost track of his position. Before I could blink, he stood in front of me, next to the traitorous guard. Now there were two large enemies blocking my way back to Mikos and Slomak blocking the way forward, toward the exit. Barek still struggled, both knees on the ground, one hand bracing his torso as he leaned forward. His body swayed, clearly on the brink of collapse.
I’d never seen anyone but an Elite Hunter from Everis move as fast as Slomak’s guy just did. Maybe not even one of them. Was Slomak’s minion a mix of Everian and something else? Or did he move like that because of all the Hive tech in his body? Either way, there was no way I could outrun him unless I magically developed vampire speed in the next three seconds.
“Don’t…touch…her…I’m…going…to…kill…you.” Barek’s vow made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.
“Don’t hurt him.” Probably wasted air, but I had to say something. I stepped away from Slomak and pressed my back to the stone wall. Turning my head, I looked back and forth between Slomak and the other two. There was nowhere to go.
Slomak ignored me completely, his tone bored now that Barek was no longer a threat. “Clean him up and dump him in Astra territory where he’ll be found. Not a scratch on him. Understood?”
“Yes, Lord Trach.”
Trach? Same last name as the guy Mikos killed? The guy who put the huge bounty on my mate’s head? The one Mikos promised me he would kill tomorrow? “Trach? Your name is Trach?”
“I am Slomak Trach, son of Tarduk, nephew of Drakdak. Your new master.”
“No.” I wasn’t going anywhere with this piece of shit. He wanted to use me as a pawn to punish or control Mikos. Fuck that. I would find a way to escape. To kill him.Something.
Barek collapsed, the sound of his large frame hitting the ground like a sucker punch to my gut. I was in trouble here. Big fucking trouble.
17
Mikos, Rogue 5, Neutral Zone, Sim Arena
Everything was going accordingto Drakdak’s plan. A group of four Silver Scion guards escorted me into the Sim Arena where Drakdak Trach would make his case against me, complete with a presentation of Sim evidence, and demand Astra Legion surrender me for execution.
Shade of Siren Legion followed our small group, his cuffs no longer locked around my arms. The Silver Scions had insisted I wear their restraints, as I’d expected. Shade had argued, then acquiesced, marking me as his bounty with a dark blue badge attached to the front of my uniform. The badge would remain, ready to secretly broadcasting specialized release codes to the Silver Scion’s chains. I would truly be a prisoner until the moment Drakdak Trach made payment. Once Shade received his reward, he would trigger the release codes to activate, and I would bide my time. Pretend to be restrained. Choose the perfect moment to attack.
I had no doubt, Shade would be paid. A delegation of Siren Legion sat in attendance to ensure their Enforcer was paid what was owed. No doubt, Siren wanted their cut.
All five Legions were represented. Our leaders, Astra, Styx, Cerberus, Siren and Kronos, each sat in their designated section surrounded by at least five additional members for security. During a normal Sim hearing, one or two members of the Legions might deign to attend. If they had no interest in the outcome, they didn’t bother.
Today, everyone was here. This was not a normal hearing.
The moment we cleared the entrance tunnel and stepped into the small, domed arena, I found Astra and met her gaze. She gave me a very slight nod, her mouth tighter than usual, her eyes narrowed, her posture rigid. She was worried. I’d known her since she was born, had held her when she was a babe. I knew her looks. This one straightened my spine and hardened my resolve. Astra was here for me, as a friend, a leader, as family. I hated seeing the worry in her eyes, hated keeping secrets from her.
I couldn’t risk telling her that this was all by design, that Shade and I made a pact weeks ago, that with a simple flick of my wrists I would be free to unleash my vengeance. One word spoken in front of the wrong person, even in her home, and Drakdak Trach would never have left his fortress-like base of operations. He would have been lost to me, too hard to reach. Too hard to kill.
This way, Shade would claim the massive bounty on my head, and I would claim Drakdak’s life. Win fucking win. Even if that meant Astra, Barek, and my beautiful mate suffered with worry for a few hours.
