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Aelon snorts: “I’ve killed a lot of Toads, frogspawn. If your brother attacked me, then I put him down with good reason.”

The Toad laughs at Aelon’s audaciousness. His huge belly rolls with his gasping mirth. “You did Meelon a favor. He stole a great deal from me.”

My nausea fades. I suddenly sense that this was all a game. Meelonwantsto take the deal. I can feel it deeply. Despite the bluster he’s scared that ‘Aelon the Merciless’ has called in more forces, and he doesn’t want a fight.

But he doesn’t trust Aelon, either – and not without good reason. He knows my Aurelian’s reputation for violence.

Aelon doesn’t budge. He simply sits and waits, saying nothing – letting his offer sink in.

Eventually, Meelon takes the bait.

“Tell me, Aurelian,” he gurgles. “Why do you go from killer to negotiator? ThebraveAelon the Merciless would never shy away from a fight – not even a suicidal one.”

The Toad spits the wordbravelike it’s a curse. Their species is greedy and fearful, a mixture that leads to a vicious cunning. Aelon cocks his head to me. I don’t need him to telepath anything to know what I have to do. I can justfeelit.

I step forward, into the Toads view. His head shifts towards me instantly, and I feel his beady eyes staring at me.

“Who isthis!”

“My Fated Mate,” Aelon replies. “If you’d come hunting me a week ago, you’d already be dead, frogspawn. Fortunately for you, now I have more to live for than vengeance. I’m giving you one chance – take the deal, or don’t. It’s your choice: Riches, or violence. I’m equally well-versed in providing both.”

The Toad licks his lips as he stares at me. I wish I’d had time to change into something less revealing than this thin slip of a dress. The material barely hides my body – and I hate that this disgusting creature can see me so revealed.

The Toad’s gaze is slimy, and I can almostfeelthe wetness emanating from him. I know he’d want to use that huge tongue on my body if he had the chance.

“All twenty-six Orbs? Just like that? You’d give up the entire shipment of Orbs rather than fight?”

Orbs grow in power exponentially with size, and the ones we’re offering him are larger than the ones that power a Reaver. It’s a huge haul, and I know this slimy bastard can’t wait to get his warty hands on them.

“All twenty-six,” Aelon nods. “I’m out, frogspawn. I’m retiring.” Then, that smile widens. “You a gambling man, Meelon?”

“I’ll take a winning gamble.”

“Well then, it’s your lucky day. If I hadn’t met my Fated Mate, you’d already be dead. Instead, you’re already rich – if you choose to be.”

Aelon cocks his head to me, and I step out of the Toad’s view. I instantly feel safer, but I still step closer to the reassuring bulk of Vinicus, wanting to feel his proximity. He can’t protect me against the overwhelming firepower of that Toad mothership, but the illusion of safety is all I need right now to calm down.

Aelon, meanwhile, continues his banter.

“You’d be dead, fishface. Maybe I’d be dead, too – but I can tell you now, I’d have taken you down with me. Every battle is a coin flip.”

He leans back in his seat. Fuck, Aelon is magnificent when he’s like this. Somehow, removing that burning rage and fury from him seems to have made Aelon even more fluent and irreverent. The cockiness I’d detested when I was on the receiving end of it is now entertaining, magical and sexy to watch. He uses his tongue with the same skill he uses his Orb-Blade, pilots a Reaver, or…

I shudder.

…fucks.

Even though he’s not looking at me, I see Aelon’s lips curl, and I realize he could sense my adoration of him through our muted Bond.

He continues taunting the Toad commander:

“Now, I know what you’re thinking, frogspawn. You’re thinking you can succumb to your greedy Toad nature and demandmore. You’re thinking you take the deal, andthenyou fight me for the scraps of ore on the planet down below, and whatever else you can salvage from my ship. Think carefully if you want to flip that coin – because I know how it lands.”

The Toad commander grunts. “Each one of your Reavers has an Orb. I stand to capture over a hundred of them.”

“Yes. Hundreds of small, mid-sized Orbs from my Reavers. Hundreds of even smaller ones from our Orb-Blades – not to mention themassiveone, probably half the size of the one that powers your Mothership, right there in the bowels of The Instigator.”

Aelon leans forward menacingly.