And if they saw Sutton as some kind of powerful new "resource" to be controlled and exploited...
A low growl built in my throat as I studied the human female, watching our exchange with a mixture of wariness and confusion. She might put on a brave face, all flickering bravado and sharp tongue, but I could smell the fear wafting off her. The bone-deep terror that came from being a fragile mote of life adrift in a reality far larger and more unforgiving than she could comprehend.
No. I would not abandon her to the machinations of the Coalition's intellectual elite, no matter how noble their stated goals or how stringent their oaths claimed to be. Not while a single, bloody breath still stoked the fire in my chest. If claiming Sutton as my lifemate saved her life, then it was a sacrifice well worth the price.
Squaring my shoulders, I fixed Kravok with a look that would have withered mere recruits where they stood.
"Tell me what you have in mind, Krav. And it had better be one of your better improvisations this time around."
Kravok's smirk widened into a full-blown grin, one I knew all too well. It was the expression he wore whenever some new, half-baked plan began taking shape in that devious brain of his—the kind that inevitably led to us catching more reprimands and demotions than I cared to remember.
But this time... this time, I found that I didn't care about such potential consequences. Not if it meant keeping Sutton safe from the machinations of our erstwhile "allies."
"Have I ever let you down before, Rax?" Kravok rumbled, the gleam in his eyes taking on a distinctly mischievous glint. "Just leave it to me. I've got the perfect place for you to lay low while you sort out this whole mess."
Nodding once, I turned and gestured for Sutton to precede me into the temporary quarters. She frowned, clearly sensing the new tension in the air, but knew better than to question me in that moment.
As the door slid shut behind us, I caught one last glimpse of Kravok's feral grin as he spun on his heel and strode away, no doubt to begin setting his latest insane plot into motion. Despite my gnawing trepidation, I felt a strange sense of relief wash over me.
For better or worse, I was committed now.
Chapter Seven
Sutton
The days blurred together in that tiny cabin, a bizarre purgatory of waiting and uncertainty. Raxon had tried to explain Kravok's plan as best he could, but half the terminology flew straight over my head. Something about secure transports and encoded communiques, a whole mess of military jargon that made my eyes glaze over.
So instead of getting bogged down in the specifics, I just tried to focus on the basics: stay put, keep my head down, and let the two of them handle the heavy lifting. Easier said than done when my every waking moment was consumed by the nagging fear that the Coalition's strike teams would come smashing through the door at any second.
I spent those first few nights huddled on the narrow bunk, knees tucked tight against my chest as I strained to make out every little sound from the corridor beyond. The slightest creak or whisper of movement had me flinching, heart thundering in my ears as I braced for the inevitable.
Raxon, damn him, seemed to take it all in stride. He prowled the confines of our temporary sanctuary with that sameeasy, rolling gait, amber eyes gleaming in the low light. From time to time, he'd pause beside the bunk, studying me with that unnerving intensity of his for long moments.
"You should try to rest," he rumbled once, after what felt like the thousandth time I'd startled awake at some imagined noise. "We may have a long journey ahead of us."
I shot him an incredulous look from my huddled position, mouth working soundlessly for a few seconds. "Rest? How can I rest when... when..."
When what? When I was trapped lightyears from home, surrounded by strange alien beings whose ultimate intentions toward me remained a total mystery? When the closest thing I had to an ally was a fierce warrior who looked like he could tear me apart with those wicked talons of his without even breaking a sweat?
The words stuck in my throat, a bitter lump I couldn't choke down no matter how hard I tried. Raxon seemed to sense my struggle, though. His expression softened ever so slightly, whiskers twitching in a way I was slowly learning to interpret as concern.
"You're safe with me, little one," he murmured, dropping into a crouch so we were eye-to-eye. "I gave you my word, did I not? And a Kal'doren never breaks an oath once sworn."
His voice washed over me, deep and rumbly, like the purr of some great slumbering beast. I found myself getting lost in the alien cadences, the strange lilt of syllables that shouldn't have sounded so... soothing.
Maybe it was the exhaustion fraying my nerves, or just the simple fact that he was right—for all his fearsome appearance, Raxon had been nothing but gentle and protective since we'd first crossed paths. He'd shielded me at every turn, kept the shadowy threats at bay through sheer force of willand the promise of merciless retaliation against any who dared challenge his claim.
So I'd simply nodded, unable to muster up anything more articulate as he rose in one sinuous motion and retreated to his corner of the chamber once more. Just like that, the tension seemed to bleed from the room, leaving me wrung out and boneless against the thin mattress.
From that point on, things got... easier. Raxon continued his silent vigil, alternating between checking in with Kravok and simply sitting in stillness. Sometimes, I caught him watching me again, those alien eyes glittering in the low light. But there was no heat behind his gaze, no sense of threat or imminent danger.
Just... curiosity. Wonder, even. Like I was a puzzle he couldn’t quite figure out.
I couldn’t even describe the complicated tangle of emotions those looks stirred up in me. Part of me bristled at being looked at like some kind of exotic curiosity, a creature to be gawked at and dissected by his people. That part wanted to bare my teeth and hiss with all the defiant fury of a feral cat backed into a corner.
But another part... another part found a strange sense of comfort in Raxon's steady presence. Because this hulking alien warrior had claimed me, sworn an oath to shield me from any who would do me harm. It was a twisted paradox, feeling safe only because I'd been claimed as some kind of possession by a fierce apex predator.
And yet, that's exactly the tangled reality I found myself enmeshed in. The more time crawled by, the more my guard slipped ever so slightly around Raxon. I found myself studying him right back, tracing the contours of his battle-worn features and trying to glimpse the soul hidden behind those blazing amber irises.
