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When all but three hands immediately lifted, Eden understood his confidence.
“Soro is now our leader,” the blond told Kyrex. “Can this alliance be salvaged? Please.”
The last word was unexpected and she saw the subtle softening of Kyrex’s expression. “The final decision is up to Zevon, but these developments will work to your advantage.”
The blond accepted the decision with a tense nod. “Most of us are ex-military. It’s unnatural for us to refuse orders, but we should have today.”
“I’d give you a better answer if I could,” Kyrex told him. “It really is up to Zevon.”
“I understand.” He motioned for his friends to follow as he strode off down the corridor.
The rest dispersed and soon Eden and her mates stood alone in the hallway with Soro. Unless she counted Laidon, who was just starting to rouse.
“I’ll find something to bind him,” Soro said then ducked back inside the press box.
The triad surrounded Laidon, staring down at him with open hostility.
“He’s not even singed,” Kyrex noted with a hint of disappointment. “Your control has really improved.”
“A fireball is what this bastard deserved,” Neloff muttered.
Laidon rolled onto his side, fighting to open his eyes. “What the hell did you hit me with?”
“The indignation of a female,” Eden told him. “You threatened my mates.”
Twisting to a sitting position, Laidon looked at her. “How do you figure that?”
“There is only one way a bonded conduit can be claimed,” she said.
“If both her mates are dead.” Kyrex shook his head, disgust gleaming in his eyes. “I hadn’t thought that far ahead.”
“Never again,” Neloff stated with absolute finality. “Zevon showed you mercy once. We will make damn sure you receive the maximum sentence this time.”
Soro returned with a set of magnetic restraints and shackled Laidon’s hands and feet.
“You planned this,” Laidon sneered at Soro as he and Kyrex helped him to his feet. “You’ve always wanted to lead this cell.”
“You disregarded what I wanted, what the vast majority of your people wanted, a long time ago,” Soro dismissed, refusing to be baited by his ex-friend’s hostility. “You barely escaped the last time you tried this shit. I can’t believe you tried it again.” He shoved Laidon toward the others as he added, “Tell Zevon I personally guarantee that this will never happen again.”
* * *
Neloff sent a message to Zevon explaining that the rebels had chosen a new leader and Laidon was once again a prisoner. Zevon hadn’t bothered to respond, but Eden wasn’t surprised to find him waiting for them when the ship arrived at the Citadel a few hours later.
A security team offloaded Laidon and returned him to the detention level while Neloff and Kyrex secured their ship. When Eden and her mates joined the president in the landing bay, he didn’t waste time with greetings.
“I have never even heard of Soro,” Zevon admitted.
“We hadn’t either,” Neloff agreed. “His name doesn’t appear in any of the reports, and no one who had interacted with the rebels mentioned him.”
Zevon’s golden eyes narrowed and gleamed with speculation. “Is there any chance this entire thing was some sort of setup?”
Kyrex shook his head. “The emotions I sensed from the crowd indicated that they had simply had it with Laidon’s erratic leadership.”
Zevon nodded as they headed for his office near the top of the spiral. “Your triad is now field tested.” He looked at Eden and smiled. “You did a damn good job. Most conduits can’t operate while their source is barely conscious and you held off a small army.”
“Arcon is an amazing trainer and both of my mates are exceptional,” she told him sincerely. “The training I received here was wonderful, but Arcon comes at things from some really unique angles. The two styles combined flawlessly.”
“It sounds like I need to have the other conduits train with Arcon.”
