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9

Hadrian

Daccia returns from the medical bay. He’s a pent up, unreleased ball of tension.

Even though our leader was in a separate part of the ship, Ifeltin his aura the intense need to claim our woman – Allie.

Our woman. That’s how I think of her now. I know I shouldn’t. She’s a prisoner, and we are Law Enforcement agents…

But I can’t deny how she makes me feel. How the very scent of her isright.

I ashamed to admit that I wouldn’t have been able to withstand her charms, as Daccia did. I’d have succumbed and taken her hard. This is the reason he’s our leader, and I’m not. For as long as we three have known each other – ever since the bonds of battle created the Bond of our triad – I‘ve always had too much passion inside of me to make the cold, analytical decisions that need to be made: The decisions that occasionally cost lives.

I turn to our leader and ask: "Tell me: Which pheromones did she use to cause this reaction in us?"

Daccia slowly shakes his head. He turns to me – his eyes narrow, considering.

"None,” our leader eventually admits. “The AI scanned her clean. The reaction we had to her… It wasn’t caused by any drug, or artificial pheromone…"

Kitos turns from his gunnery station. He cocks his head.

"That’s impossible. Shemustbe using some kind of trick."

Daccia snorts bitterly.

"She hadtwotricks: That jammer, which knocked out our Orb-Drive. That was a one-time use thing, but it's knocked out our Orb-Drive until we get this Reaver back to Colossus for repairs.” Daccia’s shoulders slump. “That means we have to make the trip using the impulse engines. Twenty-five days, it will take us."

Fuck.

Twenty-five days, sharing a cramped Reaver with that seductive minx?

If I even smell her, it's going to drive me crazy. I might even consider sleeping in this gunnery station – as far as possible away from her.

Gods, the mating rage is a constant bubble beneath the surface of my thoughts. All I want to do is unleash my passion on that minx – to seed her and discover one way or another whether or not she’s truly our Fated Mate.

But how can I do that if we take her back to Colossus and imprison her?

Kitos clears his throat.

"Two tricks, Daccia. You said she hadtwotricks."

"Aye,” our leader nods. “The other one was nastier. A shock implant – one that could kill a human, or knock an Aurelian out cold."

I laugh bitterly.

"Well, she's feisty, this one – not like most weak-willed women. That triad of Elites had no idea what they were getting themselves into when they welcomed her into their harem."

Daccia fixes me with a hard stare.

"That triad lost their Elite status because of her.”

His slate-grey eyes narrow.

“They lost everything – but we have even more to lose. We'veworkedour way up in the ranks. I'm not going to lose all that now – to her.”

Daccia wheels around, and barks: “AI! Open communications to Law Enforcement HQ.”

The AI beeps, and a moment later the hologram screen ripples into life with the face of our commanding officer, Inspector General Haratar.