The big Atlan’s chest rumbled. “Quinn is my mate. I am Warlord Bahre. Welcome to our home.” I tried not to stare but Warlord Bahre had some impressive scars visible on his forehead and neck. Made me wonder what the rest of him looked like. What levels of hell he’d survived? And how such an ugly brute ended up mated to a woman who looked like a cover model? A real lifeBeauty and the Beastscenario.
Jenkins looked around, eyebrows raised, as I fought the irrational urge to throw Lyra over my shoulder and carry her out of here, away from these Warlords, and the Prillons, and whatever the other two fucking aliens were. They looked human, but I knew they weren’t. The attention in their gazes was too direct, too focused. Hunters. Had to be. I’d read about Everian Hunters. The aliens claimed that an Elite Hunter could track anyone, anywhere in the universe, using some unnatural sixth sense, like a psychic bloodhound. Sounded like horseshit to me, but what the fuck did I know?
Well… I knew every single one of these males was an alien. Every single one of them was a god damn killer.
12
Ethan
Let me do the talking,she said.
Okay. Except Lyra wasn’t talking. Bahre and Quinn were staring like they expected a response to their greeting. I was wondering what surreal version of hell we had just strolled into because this many aliens weren’t supposed to be here, on Earth, living in a hidden bunker that would be absolutely impossible for the Miami police force to take down without full military assistance.
This place had to be breaking intergalactic treaties or something. They had no business being here where one of them could be captured by the Silver Scions, drugged, tortured and turned into a killing machine capable of tearing little girls in half. That’s what these guys were, ticking time bombs. Walking death dealers.
Lyra could talk if she wanted to. I had nothing to say to these guys that wouldn’t start a fight.
Finally, it was Jenkins who spoke into the awkward silence, his gaze on the other Atlan, the one who had yet to speak.“You’re Warlord Egon. About to be on the next season of Bachelor Beast.”
The Atlan nodded. He was not wearing mating cuffs. “I am.”
I shot Jenkins a disgusted look. He shrugged. “I watch more TV than you. Keep up with pop culture, bro.”
I felt my frown all the way to my toes. I fucking hated television. I’d rather pluck out my own eyeballs than watch the ridiculous dating show where the aliens fought to woo human females. Claim theirmates.Put their manacles on the women’s wrists and pound their chests like cavemen. No thank you. There wasn’t enough whiskey in the world to make me watch that shit. Jenkins, however, seemed to be enjoying himself because he just kept talking.
“Nice place. Seems more like a military base, than a home. How many fighters you keep around here? Ten? Twenty? Lasers outside. You got dogs, too?”
One of the hunters shook his head. “Don’t need ‘em.”
Okay. Whatever the fuck that meant.
“Let’s focus on the task at hand.” The tone of voice coming from the screen was one I recognized. Command. The freak with the neon green eyes must be the big, bad alien in charge. “Thanks to Lady Lyra’s successful retrieval of the Scion’s DNA, we have located their base of operations in what the humans call North America. I have sent you all the precise coordinates as well as schematics of the building. We were able to positively identify nine of their operatives based on recent memories stored in the Scion’s DNA.”
“How the hell did they do that?” Jenkins leaned in to whisper to me.
I met his gaze and shrugged. Lyra told me they could. How? I had no idea.
The Prillon in charge kept right on talking like he was bored and had other things to do. “I want them all dead and DNA scansuploaded as soon as possible. I want their suppliers from Rogue 5, their shipping and transport routes, and the heads of every human who is helping them.”
“Hey,” I stepped forward and glared directly into the freakiest green eyes I’d ever seen. “No one said anything about killing humans.”
Warlord Egon growled and stomped toward me. “You would protect them? Allow them to prey on your females and children?” He grumbled, his body growing larger as I realized he was fighting not to turn into his beast. “Weak fucking male. You should not be here.” His gaze drifted from me to Jenkins. Back. “Neither of you should be here.”
I happened to agree with him on both counts. We shouldn’t be here and there had been more than one occasion in my line of work when I would have been happy to put a bullet in some of the evil people I’d encountered. But I’d sworn to uphold the law, not dispense vigilante justice. I was not going to help aliens kill human beings. Not fucking happening.
I stepped back and shoved Lyra behind me. “I agree. We’re leaving. Now.”
“Don’t touch her.” Warlord Egon glared at my hands, his voice deeper. Loud.
“Gods be damned, Egon. Get your beast under control.” Warlord Bahre turned to glare down at us. “Humans out. Lyra stays.”
“No.” I didn’t care how big he was, how fucking mean he was. Lyra was not staying here. Not while I was still breathing. “She comes with me.”
“She is under my protection,” Warlord Bahre insisted.
Fuck this guy. “No. She came with us. She leaves with us.” The declaration left my lips and I realized I meant it. Damn me straight to hell, it was too late. I was in love with her, willing to die to make sure she got out of here safely. I didn’t care if shewas a CIA officer, or that I’d only known her for a couple days. I couldn’t walk away and leave her. Not here. Not with them. Not now. Not ever.
“What’s going on down there?” A sing-song, feminine voice called out from behind us in the corridor we’d just walked through. A young woman wearing mating cuffs appeared with a friendly smile on her face. She took in the room with a glance, completely unfazed. Her eyes were bright and friendly and settled on Lyra. “Sorry we’re late. Traffic was a nightmare.” She beamed at the woman, Quinn, who smiled back. “How much chest pounding did I miss?”
