"Manipulate our technology?" The icy finger along my spine grew colder, spreading frost through my veins. My mind raced through the implications, each one more terrifying than the last. "How do you mean?"
The smile the Prime gave me was sad and indulgent, the expression of someone who regretted shattering the safety of illusions. "There is no true Artificial Intelligence, only alien interference."
"Fuck!" The word ripped from my lips before I could stop it, raw and unfiltered, followed immediately by the flush of heat spreading across my cheeks at the complete lack of decorum. Here I was, President of the United States, cursing like a sailor in front of an intergalactic leader. "Excuse me."
The Prime only laughed, a deep, musical sound that seemed to fill the room with warmth despite the gravity of our conversation. "Believe me, I uttered worse upon finding out about Hewes's machinations."
I glanced at Chase, who gave me a warning shake of his head. A silent reminder to maintain composure, to think before speaking, to guard our country's secrets above all else. I didn't heed it.
"Hewes has been trying to integrate AI into military and U.S. intelligence systems for years, but I always had a bad feeling about it," I admitted. My throat grew tight as memories surfaced—the dozens of Senators who had cornered me in hallways and committee rooms, urging me to allow Declan access to upgrade our systems. My stomach dropped. Shit! Were they in his pocket, too? How deep did his corruption run?
"You were wise to trust your instincts," the Prime said softly, her golden eyes warming with something that looked almost like approval.
"How can I help?" The words came out firm and decisive. I had made up my mind. I'd always known in my gut that Declan was a bad guy—that oily charm, those too-smooth reassurances—and now I had corroboration from an intergalactic authority. Whatever she needed, I was in.
"Hewes is on Earth," she said, her golden eyes narrowing with unmistakable distaste. "We need your help in gaining access to him so we can bring him to justice for his crimes."
"If you can turn over your evidence, I can instruct the FBI to arrest him." It seemed straightforward enough. I just needed probable cause for a warrant.
"Yes, but would your courts accept evidence from alien sources?" The Prime's question hung in the air, and I felt my confidence deflate like a punctured balloon.
"Good point," I had to admit, my jaw tightening in frustration. Plus, Declan could afford the best lawyers on the planet, an army of them. It made me cringe to imagine how his trial might go. Endless appeals, technicalities, evidence suppressed on jurisdictional grounds. He'd turn it into a circus and most likely get away scot-free.
"From what I have studied of your justice system, it is fair but flawed," the Prime stated with diplomatic cadence. Behind me, one of my agents let out a derisive snort. I shot him a quelling glance over my shoulder. Thankfully, the Prime ignored the sound entirely. "The Alliance has what we need to convict him in a tribunal. I give you my word. We will not physically harm him. We will send him to a prison planet where his billions cannot assist him. Can your justice system guarantee the same thing?"
No. No, it couldn't. Even now, I knew of drug cartels that operated from within the prison system even better than they had out in the open, running empires from behind bars through bribes, threats, and corrupted guards.
"Unfortunately, no," I admitted, the words tasting like defeat. "What do you need me to do?"
"We have been unable to pinpoint his location. We need to draw him out where he is less guarded, in an area that is not highly populated. Somewhere we can grab him and get him off the planet without much disturbance." She explained, her gaze dancing toward the winged, copper-skinned warrior who stood silent and imposing beside her.
I could feel my agents shifting behind me, their bodies tensing, muscles coiling as their minds worked through contingencies. I knew what they were thinking because I was thinking it too. Hewes normally had private security, surveillance, and layers of paranoid precaution protecting him.Getting him alone where the aliens could grab him without a fight—or worse, a social media event—wouldn't be easy.
Except...
Fuck!
The realization hit me like ice water, and my stomach turned over. I knew exactly how to get Declan somewhere alone. And the thought skeezed the absolute hell out of me.
"I know exactly how to get him where you want him." The words tasted like ash on my tongue, bitter and foul.
The Prime's expression shifted, surprise and intrigue flickering across her elegant features. "How?"
I made a face. I couldn't help it, my nose wrinkling in disgust. "Ever since I took office, he's tried to date me." Behind me, I heard Chase grumble low in his throat. He knew how I felt about Hewes. "He just sent another dinner invitation that I had my Chief of Staff decline. I'll send a message and tell him I've changed my mind and arrange to meet him for dinner. Knowing Declan, he'll take care to make sure it's somewhere private." The idea made me shudder, revulsion crawling over my skin like hot slime.
A low sound rumbled through the air, deep and resonant, vibrating like distant thunder. It took me a moment to realize that the copper-colored alien was growling at my idea.
I liked that.
Chapter 4
Rickon
The bastard coveted her.
Anger didn't just ripple through me. It crashed over me in violent, relentless waves that made my wings shudder and snap involuntarily at my back. A growl built low in my chest, primal and possessive, vibrating through my bones. Something I thought had died with my mate and child so many years ago suddenly roared back to life. A fierce, burning protectiveness that blazed in my gut like wildfire consuming dry timber. Every instinct screamed at me to cross the distance between us, to wrap her in the shelter of my wings where nothing and no one could touch her. The effort of restraining myself was physical agony, a tightness in my chest that made it hard to breathe.
A low rumble, the deliberate clearing of a throat, cut through my spiraling thoughts. I snapped my attention to Cristox standing beside me, his golden eyes studying me curiously. I shrugged off his unspoken question with a sharp jerk of my head, refusing to acknowledge what he'd clearly noticed.
