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Please don’t let her be involved.
I wrap my arms around my center and hug myself tight. God, I’m falling apart. I sniffle and try to stop crying, but the tears keep flowing.
Poor Leona. She’ll likely be sentenced to death.
And yet… she’d been part of a group of rebels that had attempted to kill thousands of Darrvasons. If the virus had spread as quickly as The Saviors hoped, nearly all the males aboard theHaxxalmight be dead now. Though I have reservations about the alliance, I’ve never wished any of the Darrvasons dead.
I’ve known Leona, as well as others on the list of seventy, for years, and I find it difficult to believe they could’ve been involved in such an insidious plot. A plot that would’ve also resulted in the overthrow of Captain Warren and his command team, had everything gone according to plan.
A familiar voice reaches me, and I turn to see Mom trying to send Brute away. As soon as he glimpses me, he rushes into the living space and approaches me, his face drawn with concern.
“I am sorry about your friends,” he says. “I came to inform you that Leona and the other nine females who are currently in the brig will not be executed. In fact, they won’t even go to trial.” He guides me to a sofa and helps me take a seat. Then he settles next to me and places a hand on my thigh. I feel my mother hovering in the background, and I know she’s going to badger me with questions later.
Some of my anguish fades as I process Brute’s words. I meet his eyes and take a few deep breaths. His presence is calming, and I wish I could sink into his arms. But not while my mother is watching. I don’t want her to worry that she’s going to lose another daughter.
“How?” I finally ask. “Why won’t they go to trial?”
He gently squeezes my thigh. “The ten women will be given to my people during the next handover of females. I realize they are guilty of crimes against the Darrvason Empire, but when I saw them in the brig…” His voice trails off and he appears uncomfortable. “When I saw them in the brig,” he finally continues, “I thought of you and how terrible it would be if you found yourself in such a situation. I cannot stomach the execution of females, and I made the arrangements with Captain Warren to keep them alive and unharmed.”
From my peripheral vision, I see my mother clasp a hand over her mouth. Yeah, she’s not the only one who’s surprised by Brute’s news. Surprised by his mercy.
But is it mercy?
The women will be handed over to Darrvason males. They’ll be forced to mate with the enemy—the very people they attempted to kill.
Brute’s wrist comm buzzes and beeps, and he glances down at it and growls. “I must go.”
“Wait!” I grab his arm. “The video comms are still down, and I’m desperate to speak with Ellie. Please, you don’t understand. I must speak with her now. It’s urgent.”
“As I’ve already told you, your sister is fine,” he replies, though his tone is too guarded for my liking. He’s hiding something. I can sense it.
His wrist comm continues buzzing and beeping, but I don’t release his arm. When he tries to stand up, I tighten my hold and dig my nails into his flesh. His skin is so hard and textured, however, that I doubt he feels any pain.
“You saw Nathan Gonlaz’s name on the info screen, didn’t you?” Brute sighs and suddenly appears fatigued.
A chill grips me, and I don’t know whether I ought to pretend I have no idea who Nathan is, or if I should confess everything. Confess my worry that Admiral Tornn will wrongly suspect Ellie of being associated with The Saviors and hurt her. I pray she had no true involvement in the plot, and though I think I know my sister better than anyone, I can’t be certain.
Because so many people on the list of two hundred, as well as the list of seventy, were a complete shock to me.
“I’m aware that Officer Gonlaz was once engaged to your sister.” Brute places a hand atop mine, and I loosen my grip on his arm. My heart beats so loudly in my ears, I almost don’t hear his next words. “During the attack on theHaxxal, Officer Gonlaz tried to rescue Ellie. He went to Admiral Tornn’s quarters to get her, but by the time he reached her, all the other human males who’d boarded theHaxxalwere dead. When my cousin arrived at his quarters, Officer Gonlaz tried to use Ellie as a hostage and threatened to kill her. Admiral Tornn quickly killed him and prevented any harm from coming to Ellie.”
I gasp with relief, and Mom sinks into a nearby chair and buries her face in her hands. “Thank God,” she murmurs. “Thank God my baby is okay.”
Brute clears his throat. “I had planned to allow your sister to tell you of these events in her own words, but I do not want you to worry.”
“So... Admiral Tornn doesn’t believe Ellie is involved with The Saviors? He’s not hurting her, is he? Please just tell me the truth. Please, I must know.”
“Your sister isn’t involved with The Saviors in any way,” Brute assures me. “Admiral Tornn knows this for a certainty since he shares a heartbond with your sister. He can read her thoughts and know that she is not lying. So, to answer your question, no he is not hurting her.”
The beeping noise emitted by Brute’s wrist comm becomes louder, and he removes my hand from his arm and rises to his feet.
“Even if Ellie was involved with The Saviors, I doubt my cousin would hurt her. Not truly. Human females are our salvation—you will give birth to the next generation of our people.”
Brute gives me a look filled with tenderness and longing, then he spins on his heel and departs my quarters as I reel from the information he’s just provided.
I spend a few moments in thankful contemplation as I consider Ellie and how happy I am to learn she’s okay. But my thoughts quickly stray to Brute’s comments about the heartbond Ellie shares with Admiral Tornn. About how the bond allows the alien admiral to read my sister’s thoughts and know whether she’s being truthful.
The idea of sharing such a bond with Brute terrifies me, and I resolve to redouble my efforts to avoid him and dissuade his attentions.
