“Unlikely.”The tone was deep and gravelly.Old scarring along his throat indicated that maybe a previous injury had damaged his voice.
Connor’s mind insisted it was familiar, but did it really matter?“You’re involved in the death of my team, or you wouldn’t have one of our horses.”
“Traded for them.Nothing more.”The man sucked in air.
Cold rage fueled Connor as he pulled the knife back and punched the man hard.Bone cracked as the man cursed, blood trickling down his face.
“Try again.You abducted and traumatized my girls.You deserve to die for that alone.”
Ember dug her claws deep into the man’s shoulder with an angry screech.The man gave a hoarse yell and jerked.Breath rasping in audible pain, the man’s chest heaved.
“Those mercenaries weren’t ours.They just sold us the girls, a few horses, and some gear.That’s it.Happens all the time.”
That rang true.Still, it didn’t explain why he recognized the man.His mind was still trying to place the other lightning warrior in the memory fragment.Let alone this man.
Movement had Connor tensing as Midnight closed in next to them and slowly kneeled on the ground, low enough let to Opal slip off his back.Connor blinked in surprise, the realization that Opal was just a little too good at mellowing giant, fierce warhorses striking him.Horse magic.He should have realized it before.
Connor tightened his hold against the lieutenant—Devryn, he recalled from their collective observations at the fortress—to prevent escape as he shifted his attention to Opal.She’d seen him kill already, but he hated to do it again.If he used the knife, she’d end up covered in blood from where she stood.
“Opal—” He started to tell her to back away.
“Don’t hurt him.”Opal’s blunt, assertive gaze met his pleadingly.
Zevat.There was no way she was leaving the clearing on her own.
“He’s like Rogue.He’s only mean when other people are around.”
Her defense of the man shifted from dislike of violence in Connor’s mind to something very specific.Devryn cursed beneath the point of Connor’s knife.
Opal reached out to stroke the horse beside her.“And Midnight likes him.”
Rogue’s angry huff accentuated her statement as Midnight rose from the ground and walked over to give his longtime partner a vocal greeting and a rub on the shoulder.Ryan would go ballistic when he heard that his horse had decided to befriend their enemy.Connor’s chest tightened with the need to make decisions quickly, before things got out of hand.
“Opal, go with Midnight or back up.Now.”
She obeyed, backing up several steps.At least she was out of the man’s reach.He turned back to Devryn.
“Tell me why I recognize you.”
Anger spilled from the man’s eyes, but Connor was known for his patience in waiting out enemies.He stared the man down.
“Samir,” the man eventually spat the name at him.
“No.”Connor really didn’t like that idea as information clicked into place.
Samir had been captain of one of the other Lightning Teams in Connor’s division.The kind that dealt in intel and secrets.Until his entire team had been killed in action.
“Then kill me.Samir and I will have a good laugh at your ignorance when we meet again.”
Connor’s mind finally released the full memory he’d been struggling with.They’d had a joint mission with Team Obsidian.Connor and Ryan had been early to the rendezvous point, and he’d had to shadow them so as not to disturb the meeting Samir was having.This man—Devryn—had been going over some type of intel with Samir.His mind produced the symbols he’d been seeing in his fevered dreams.Whether there was a connection or not, there was one thing he knew for sure: Devryn had been a lightning team informant.
“Zevat,” Connor cursed.
“Agreed.”
“Why didn’t you continue?”Team Obsidian’s assignments were all handed over.Their official contacts and informants would have been as well.
“And get attacked by a nest of vipers?I don’t think so.Besides, Samir and I had a private arrangement.It wasn’t official.”
