If Naran was acting alone—or with only a small faction of Council support—then the project was vulnerable. Exposurecould bring everything crashing down. But it could also provoke a desperate response. Males who had invested this much in an illegal operation wouldn’t surrender quietly. He needed more evidence before he could act.
The transport routes were more promising. The automated ships followed a predictable path through three stations before reaching the facility. If he could get Melissa and the others to the second station, they could potentially access offworld traffic and disappear into the chaos of the trading lanes. It would require precise timing, access codes for the transport bays, and away to disable the facility’s tracking systems long enough to launch.
Impossible, whispered a voice in his head. You’re one male against an entire operation.
But he’d spent decades learning to assess threats, identify weaknesses, and exploit opportunities. This was simply another battle—one with stakes higher than any he’d faced before.
“Find what you needed?”
He looked up to find the technician watching him with mild curiosity.
“Just some background research,” he said smoothly. “Councilor Naran asked me to review the facility’s operational efficiency.”
The technician snorted. “Good luck with that. This place runs on prayers and expired ration packs. I’ve been requesting updated encryption protocols for months.”
“I’ll note that in my report.”
He cleared his history, logged out of the terminal and left, his mind already racing through possibilities. The supply transport arrived in four days. That gave him less than a week to assemblea plan. Less than a week before Veyalor planned to begin the procedure.
Not enough time, the voice whispered again.
It would have to be.
The afternoon stretched into evening as he continued his investigation, moving through the facility with careful nonchalance. He memorized guard positions. Tested the security locks on auxiliary corridors. Tracked the movement patterns of the Tandoran staff.
By the time he finally made his way to Melissa’s cell, the artificial lights had dimmed to simulate approaching nightfall, and he was exhausted but hopeful. The pieces were beginning to fall into place. If he could just keep Veyalor satisfied for a few more days and maintain the appearance of cooperation while building his evidence against Naran…
The door slid open, and he knew immediately that something was wrong.
Melissa sat on the edge of her narrow bed, Robbie sleeping in the crib beside her. Her posture was rigid, her hands clenched in her lap, and when she looked up at him, her dark eyes blazed with a fury that made his tail instinctively curl in submission.
“You knew.” Her voice was low and tight, trembling with barely contained rage. “You knew what they were planning, and you didn’t tell me.”
His blood ran cold. “Melissa?—”
“Don’t.” She rose to her feet, and despite the fact that she barely reached his chest, she seemed to tower over him in that moment.“Don’t you dare try to explain this away. Torvak came by an hour ago. Do you know what he said?”
Torvak. The obnoxious guard who’d been rough with her during the examination. His hands curled into fists at his sides.
“He said I should rest up while I can. That I’m going to need my strength soon, once they ‘breed me like the good little pet I am.’“ She spat the words like poison. “And then he laughed and told me I should be grateful they found me a compatible stud instead of using artificial methods. Said the ‘lizard captain’ would probably enjoy the process even if I didn’t.”
A roaring filled his ears. He would kill Torvak. He would tear the guard limb from limb and leave his remains for the scavengers. He would?—
“How long have you known?”
Her question cut through the red haze of his fury. She was staring at him, waiting, and he could see the betrayal written across her face as clearly as if it had been branded there.
“I found out this morning,” he said. “Veyalor told me they want to begin within the week.”
“And you weren’t going to tell me?”
“I was trying to protect you?—”
“By keeping me ignorant?” She laughed, a harsh, bitter sound. “God, I’m such an idiot. I actually believed—I thought—” She pressed a hand to her mouth, turning away from him.
“Melissa, please.” He stepped towards her, and she flinched. The small movement felt like a blade sliding between his ribs. “Iwasn’t keeping this from you to hurt you. I’ve been trying to find a way out.”
She went still. “What?”
