Xandros’ head snapped toward me. “Do not order my mekarry.”
Ashley rolled her eyes so hard I was surprised they didn’t get stuck. “Easy, big guy. Here.” She thrust the tactical holo toward me without hesitation. The drones had finished their sweep; the underground network glowed in crisp red lines like a living anthill.
I studied it for half a heartbeat, then stabbed a finger at the largest cluster. “Their headquarters are here. Pockets here… andhere.” I traced two more junctions. “Send your human soldiers in through the eastern access. Flush the trash out so our females can get back to what we actually came here for.”
During the few seconds I had probed the human's mind, I had found out more than I cared to know. Apparently, there were clusters ofrebelsall over Earth who didn't differentiate between the Cryons, who had attacked them initially, and the Pandraxians, who had protected and freed Earth. A lot of them were wanna be dictators who thought they could establish themselves as newkings. But several were truly committed to freeing Earth from the Pandraxians, whom they perceived as a threat.
I didn't care. This wasn't my war. These weren'tmypeople. But they better not threaten my Aelyth or those close to me again.
Naeris’ gaze burned into the side of my face. I felt it like a brand. She didn’t say a word, but under her breath—soft enough she probably thought no one would hear—she muttered, “Impressive.”
The single word hit me harder than any blade.
Pride swelled in my chest, hot and ridiculous and impossible to crush. Ihatedhow good it felt. Hated that her quiet approval made the flaw inside me purr like a contented beast. I was supposed to be keeping my distance, supposed to be shielding her from the flaw that lived in me, yet one muttered word from her, and I was ready to tear the planet apart just to hear it again.
I turned my head just enough to meet her eyes. The golden thread between us flared, pulling tight with heat and challenge and something far too close to longing.
She looked away first, keeping her jaw tight, but I caught the faint flush on her cheeks.
Xandros exhaled through his teeth, already barking orders into his comm. “You heard the Arkhevari. Martinez is inbound. Secure the tunnels. We have ruins to excavate.”
Ashley holstered her blaster with a satisfied smirk. “About damn time someone cut through the bullshit.”
Ella was already back at the probe, maps spinning, while Nadine fed fresh data into the system. Dravok’s shadows rippled with dark amusement as he watched his mate work.
I stayed exactly where I was, close enough to Naeris that the bond hummed between us, far enough that she wouldn’t shove me again. For now.
The fight with therebelswas over.
The real battle—the one that would decide whether my Aelyth ever let me close enough to keep her safe—was only just beginning.
The Pandraxian soldiers moved efficiently, cuffing the last of the rebels and dragging them into neat, kneeling rows. Electric field ties hummed as they tightened. A few of the humans still spat curses, but most had gone sullen once they realized resistance was pointless.
Xandros plantedhis boots like he was ready to physically block the entire plateau. “Enough. I’m shutting this down. All females back to the shuttle, now. This site is compromised.”
Ella’s head snapped up from her probe, her eyes bright with discovery. “Wait! I found something. Just below one of the narrower tunnels. A structural weakness where I can blow a controlled hole and drop straight into what looks like an intact chamber. We’re literally only a few yards away if that much!”
“Not happening,” Zapharos contradicted instantly, his golden aura flaring bright as he suddenly aligned with the Superior Commander.
“We’re all too big for those tunnels. The Pandraxians, too. And they’re still crawling with rebels.” He added a bit softer. Or what would qualify for a male like him as soft.
I crossed my arms, watching the argument unfold. Not my harvest, not my reaping, I told myself firmly. This wasn’t my fight. These weren’t my people. I had my own rebellion waiting back among the stars.
But Ella wasn’t backing down. She straightened, dust streaking her cheek, and looked straight at Zapharos with pure determination. “This is what we came for. We’re so close. I know you can keep us safe, you always do. Please.”
Nadine stepped up beside her. “The resonance readings are strongest right there. We blow one small hole, drop sensors first, and we’ll know exactly what we’re dealing with.”
Dravok’s shadows coiled tighter around him, voice a low warning. “No.”
Ashley wiped sweat and dust from her brow and holstered her blaster. “Look, I’ll going with them. I’ll keep them safe.”
Zapharos started to protest. “No offense, little warrior, I’ve seen you fight, and you’re more than capable, but this is my Aelyth?—”
“I’ll go too,” I offered.
The words left my mouth before I could stop them. I took a double-take. I will? When in the void had I decided that?
But it was true. I was intrigued beyond intrigue. This was the cradle of Ashera’s line. The place my blood remembered. And despite every instinct that told me to stay detached, I felt a strange, growing pull toward these three human women. They fought for answers the same way I fought for freedom. It felt… familiar.
