Page 59

Rennick

The bond pulled like a hot hook behind my sternum. Down. She was below us. My mate bond screamed at me to get to her fast.

I took the lead through the corridor, weapon up. Tambi followed. Monica flanked left. Doc stayed behind me with the med kit and a sidearm.

The warehouse building the Hollow Chorus had sent us to stank of recycled air and industrial sealant, the kind that coated the back of your throat and stayed there. Strip lighting buzzed overhead.

“Freight elevator, end of the hall,” I said. “That’s our way down to Cass.”

“How do you know Cass is down there?” Tambi’s gaze tracked any hint of movement that was out of place.

“I can feel her.” I didn’t miss the look that passed between the crew. My bond with Cass was a raw, unstable thread, and the ship’s damaged matrix kept dropping the signal, but the direction was constant.

Cass was in pain but furious, and that fury kept me from losing my mind. It meant she was fighting and alive. We’d get to her in time, and I’d get to hold her and tell her I wasn’t letting her go. She was inside me, just like my ship. And she felt the connection, too. Maybe she didn’t understand what it was, but it was there and holding. Cass was my fated forever, and I’d use my last breath to ensure she stayed alive.

We rounded a junction, and a figure came out of a side passage fast. It was a young Kelvane. Tall, not yet grown into his muscles, shaking hard enough that the weapon in his hand rattled. His eyes were wild, but he wasn’t aiming at us. He was aiming at the corridor behind him, as if he expected to be chased.

“Stop!” I called out, weapon up.

“Hey! Help. I need help.” He slowed, glancing behind him. “They have a human in there. They’re killing her. I couldn’t get her out.”

I strode toward him, ready to tear his head off if he’d hurt her. “Where is Cass?”

“The human female?”

I nodded as I took his weapon. He barely resisted.

“She’s downstairs. Can you help her?”

Tambi, Monica, and Doc surrounded him, crowding into his space.

“Who’s with her?” Tambi said.

“Two more Kelvane. They’ve been ordered to kill her. I didn’t know that was the plan! I wasn’t told that.” He swallowed. “They were hurting her.”

“You work for Navarre Nogea?” I asked.

“I’m contract security.” He blew out a breath. “I didn’t sign on for this, though.”

“Congratulations, you’ve got a conscience. Take us down to her, and make it fast.” Tambi jerked her chin toward the elevator.

The Kelvane hesitated, but a jab in the gut with a weapon made him move. He had a keycard for the freight elevator panel, and the doors opened onto a cage lift with industrial grating. The smell of stale oil and something copper-sweet underneath it made Doc’s jaw tighten.

We packed into the elevator. Monica’s shoulder pressed against mine, her foot tapping. Tambi kept her back to the wall, with her weapon covering the doors. Doc checked her kit and muttered to herself. The young Kelvane stood in the corner, his gaze fixed on the floor.

“How many exits from the sub-level?” I asked him.

“One. There’s a loading bay with a vehicle pad, but it seals from the outside.”

Monica touched my arm. “You good?”

No. I wasn’t good. My hands shook, and the bond screamed at me. Every second in this elevator was a second Cass was down there with two Kelvane who’d been ordered to put her in the ground. I wasn’t fucking good. I was barely holding it together. My mate wouldn’t die.

“I’m good.”

She checked her weapon. “Liar. Save the alpha heroics for the assholes downstairs. Don’t forget, well-rounded aliens cry.”

I grunted as the elevator hit the bottom. The doors opened onto a corridor lit by a single overhead strip. I was already moving.