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If we’d waited the month it would have taken to protect the entire fleet with zurilium, all of that extra time would also allow the Grug to mount a better offence. We’d voted on speed.
It seemed to be working.
But I still didn’t like it.
“Either they’re so arrogant they have no extra defenses in place, or—” Vivv broke off as she puzzled it out, her eyes narrowing, her fingers drumming on my chest. She gasped, her clawless little fingers digging into my muscle as she met my eyes. “Or they’ve got something even worse than the telepathic field waiting for us.”
My hellcat was as brilliant as she was fierce.
I nodded. “That’s my concern as well.”
“Well, shit.”
Max appeared by her side, having picked his way through all the sleeping people. He wiggled in between us and flopped down, his body stretched long. A rumbling thrummed against my stomach as Vivv ran her hand down his back. It was oddly soothing and, even better, it brought a faint smile to her face.
I reached out to give him a pat of thanks, and my fingers tangled with Vivv’s in his soft fur. She truly smiled then, and my chest flooded with a wave of love interlaced with worry.
I could not—would not—lose her.
She was everything. The light in the dark. The warmth in the cold. My soul’s breath was the sun burning at the center of my very existence, giving rise to all life. Vivv made my heart sing when she shone her regard on me, like dawn offering all the promise of a beautiful new day filled with love.
My tail wrapped around her legs, and the arm extended under her head curled around her back.
Goddess, give your son the strength to protect his family, for even though it is new, it is unbearably precious.
By the time we woke and made it to the bridge, theDaredevilhad left the rest of the fleet behind. Only the eight ships of our battle group continued on.
“How much longer?” I asked.
Mol-Lee’s helmeted head bobbed as she checked a display. “Not long. Less than an hour.”
“Kirel, what are the scanners showing?”
He leaned over the comms station, his fingers flying across the controls. “There’s definitely a planet ahead—or something as large as a planet.”
“Do we think it’snota planet?” Vivv asked.
“Who the frek knows,” Sul said. “Those frekkers could live in a big beehive in space.”
“Have you remembered anything, Hay-Zul?” Kirel asked.
“Not yet.” His mate waved toward the main viewscreen, which showed the blackness of space sprinkled with stars. “But I won’t until we can see something that sparks a recall of the data.”
I put a comms call through to Gravin. “Report.”
“Car-Raa, Raxnor, and I have the assault team assembled and ready to go,” he growled.
“Good.” I cut the call and made a ship-wide announcement. “We’re an hour out. Everyone get suited up to be on the safe side.”
“What about the pets?” Vivv asked.
“Fran-Key and Zol are moving their protective crates into the mess hall,” I said.
“And they’ve got Glitter,” Mol-Lee said. “She’s able to create a habitable bubble if needed.”
Everyone on the bridge already wore the protective helmets lined with zurilium, but if the ship took a hull breech, I wanted them in full spacesuits, too. “We’ll rotate through in pairs. I have the flight controls. Mol-Lee and Sul, you go first.”
“And don’t forget to pee before you put on your suit!” Sul said, his voice as jovial as always as they left.
