“Good, she’s already chosen you,” Ignus remarks. “That will make this fast.”
Marne motions me after him. “Time to change.”
I rub my stiff neck, trying to loosen it.
“Sleep good?” Rorsar asks.
“Better than usual.”
When he smirks, I glare at him. “Did you tranq me?”
Rorsar shrugs like he’s trying to look innocent, but he’s definitely not. “You needed your rest for today.”
“How bad are things back home?”
Marne grumbles. “Teams of Denarso, Nebs, and Myndrous have been infiltrating our world, hunting for more Shifters to take. Viriden’s crew has been in battle with their fleet just out of orbit. But there’s still a lot of debris in the sky that makes hiding easy and hunting difficult.
The moment we’re inside the complex, we turn for the elevator and head up to the bonding hall.
“Take off your race suit and your band,” Ignus says. “I’m going to turn the items in for you.”
I do as he asks, returning me to my normal body armor. “Shouldn’t I be in something formal?”
“No time.” Kren steps into the elevator with the rest of us, my bags hanging from his hands. “Your room has been emptied. Esrynne is handling Tessi. Onidus has Tessi’s things. He’s going to fly her ship to your house.”
“But if we’re leaving early because of the Nebs, then Vrasler needs us on base.”
“Yes. But we’re missing a critical member of our M-pack,” Marne says, giving me a pointed look. “You need to get Azrim back. Whatever it takes. Going on a Neb infiltration mission without him puts us at increased risk. Two of our brother packs have been annihilated already.”
“Two?” I run a hand over my mouth in shock.This is bad.
The elevator stops and opens to the bonding hall with Ohni standing at the top of the platform in a shiny gold-trimmed blue suit. My pulse thumps through my body. It’s all happening so fast that I can’t think, only wonder where Tessi is when I don’t see her in the room.
Marne motions me to Ohni’s position. “Everything else is ready to go. And we really do need to go. We’ve got to drop you off at home to summon Azrim in. Then we have to head to base to prep for battle.”
I slowly hike up the ramp on the male’s side and glance back at my M-pack, the five of them plus Carnas and Spike, who’ve joined the mission. Esrynne slips in through another door, holds it open, and winks at me. Her eyes dart to Carnas, who covertly sniffs the air in her direction.
I stop beside Ohni, unable to take my eyes off of the open door, wondering when Tessi’s going to show and hoping she does. “Why are you bonding us?”
Ohni straightens and inhales deeply. “Ruby believed in love above law. Love can hold us together when we are in a lawless realm. So pardon my language, butfuckanybody and any rules that get in the way of fated sparks. You and Tessi can start a fire that can warm many more souls than you realize.
“Everyone thinks Ruby started this simply to help women find protectors and males find mates. But really, she was trying to bridge the species of the federation, intertwine us with something stronger than simple contractual alliances.”
“I see why she chose you.”
Ohni smirks. “I was the default. The only one who truly believed in what she was doing and wants to fight for it.”
“Maybe give her a friend.”
Ohni glances sideways at me. “Met her in the labyrinth?”
“We did.”
“She likes to guard the ruby egg. I am trying to figure out a way to give her a companion, but I do not possess the skills or contacts.”
“Talk to the Isonians.”
She laughs once at my suggestion. “Pretty sure they’ll want my head after this. Viriden was very serious about me not bonding you two. But I don’t serve him. Just don’t cock this up, yeah?”
