“Deus is here to work, female,” Dexx says.
“So am I. We’re both up for banishment if Dalox decides. I need to do my part.”
Dexx lifts his lip to reveal vicious fangs as his gaze moves from me to Deus.
“You wish your female to work with you?”
“She speaks for herself, Dexx, as does your female.” Scarlett’s voice comes from outside the ring of warriors.
“Scarlett!”
She pushes her way through, baby on her hip, and wraps an arm around my neck.
“I’m pleased to see you,” she says. “I hoped you’d come.”
“And let the potential cause of my banishment out of my sight? No brainer.” I smile at her.
Scarlett smiles back, although it doesn’t reach her eyes.
“Are you okay?” she asks me quietly.
“I’ll be better once this is over,” I respond, squeezing her hand.
“I’ll tell Dexx to go easy on Deus.” Scarlett looks over at her mate.
“Thank you, but don’t. Deus and I need to do this properly or not at all. And I’d prefer not to have to send you and everyone else postcards from the third moon on the left.” I laugh.
Scarlett joins me, although I can tell her heart isn’t in it.
“If you need anything,anything, you tell a warrior to come find me.” She grips my hand so tightly I think she’s going to break my fingers. “Promise me you will.”
“I promise.”
She lets me go.
“With me,” Dexx growls, crooking his finger at Deus. “It’s time for you to do what you came for.”
I give Scarlett a wave as I join Deus and Dexx. The pair of them are having an under-the-breath growling competition.
We are followed by Dexx’s cohort of warriors who seem more interested than hostile. I can’t imagine what they’re hoping will happen.
Probably a demonstration of why Deus is here in the first place.
We leave the main atrium, and the heat builds as we go through increasingly darker atriums until we reach the heart of Dexx’s operation, something I’ve heard of but not seen.
It is very much like the entrance to hell. A huge round opening yawns at us, the sides smoothed by the passage of Sarkarnii after Sarkarnii.
“You want me to mine?” Deus asks. “What about Lydia?”
“We have work which will be perfect for her. Which requires a…” Dexx looks me up and down. “A smaller creature. And I wouldn’t want to risk a Paralnyi.”
In less than the beat of a bee’s wing, Deus has Dexx by the throat, and the testosterone (or rather the Sarkarnii equivalent) hits the ceiling and breaks through. The growling is intense.
“I rut for her, Dexx,” Deus says. “Do not test me.”
“I am testing you,” Dexx says. “Who are you loyal to?”
With a huff of smoke, Deus lets Dexx go. His warriors back off.
