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“Who’s there?” I said.
“Stryder,” he said on the other side of the door.
“Come,” I said.
“What?” Alice said, aghast. “No!”
She dived to the floor on the other side of the bed. Humans could sometimes be very strange creatures.
Stryder entered and looked me over. He paid no mind I was naked. When he glanced at the bed, Alice’s head popped up from the other side and quickly sank back out of view again.
“I’m here to inform you of a… surprising turn of events,” Stryder said.
I glanced outside and noticed Rattigan scratching his chin. His eyes flicked toward the bed and he licked his lips. The thought of him or his tongue anywhere near Alice made me feel sick to my stomach. I wanted to paint the walls with his blood.
“I’ll see you on the flight deck,” I barked.
“I’m afraid this can’t wait,” Stryder said. “The crew… well, they’re issuing you with a direct Challenge for leadership, sir.”
The news took me by surprise. The Challenge wasn’t supposed to happen until tomorrow.
“There must be a mistake,” I blurted.
I needed another full day to recover and gain my full strength. Even with the bonding, I wasn’t strong enough yet.
“They insist you come right away, Captain,” Stryder said, his voice tight in his throat.
“Who will I be fighting?” I said.
“Horn Tusk, sir.”
It wasn’t surprising. Horn Tusk was the biggest and strongest among the crew, even if he wasn’t the best fighter. Even though I’d been expecting it, anger flooded my throat.
“Very well,” I said. “I’ll meet you outside my quarters in five minutes—”
“Not in five minutes!” Rattigan said. “Now!”
“Do you expect me to fight naked?” I said, glaring at Rattigan. “I will dress in my uniform and meet you outside my quarters in five minutes. I am still your captain.”
The rat growled and hissed under his breath. “For now.”
Stryder shot me a look of concern before stepping outside. I slammed the door behind him.
It took me a moment to process what was happening. “Get dressed. We don’t have long.”
Alice stood up with the blanket still wrapped around her and got dressed without a word. With how she’d reacted at me letting my crew in, I thought she’d explode with fury.
We both got dressed. I glanced at her. It seemed a shame to cover up something so beautiful. I needed to focus. Our lives depended on what I said next.
I kept my voice low in case Rattigan pressed his ear to the door. “My crew have already Challenged me.”
“I thought that wasn’t supposed to happen until tomorrow?” Alice said.
“They appear to have moved it forward a day,” I said.
“Why?”
“I don’t know. Maybe they think I’m already weak enough to defeat?”
