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“See for yourself.”

“If this is a trap, Krazak…”

I put my hands up. “Cuff me if you wish.”

Nickolas breathes out through his nose, then stomps into the room with the sleeping pods. I hear the hiss of it opening, and my heart pounds, hating the knowledge that another man is between me and my Mate.

He comes back out, and deactivates his Orb-Blade, but the other two of his triad keep their weapons ready. “How?”

“She is with our son. The Scorp-Blood. It let us mate her to us. Nickolas…” my voice rasps. “Let us go. We fought with you, for centuries. You take us back to General Ra’al, he’ll cut our heads off. You can just let us disappear.” I’ve never begged for anything in my life. “Please. Just let us go.”

“I can’t do that.”

“You can.”

A sad look passes over his face. “I saw my Mate as well, when the Bond thrummed. A headmistress of a school. Brown hair, down to her waist. If I betray General Ra’al, it will be me who loses his head. Get into the pod.”

I stand, my legs weak. The rage is gone, muted in defeat. I walk into the room with the three sleeping pods.

The one with Lola in it is open. She is ensconced in the malleable liquid like material of the pod, wrapping around her body. I hug her tight, letting the liquid slowly move, until we are ensconced together. I breath in her scent, and it calms my mind.

“Nickolas,” I rasp out, my voice breaking. “Let this be my last moment. Do not wake me, when he casts judgement.”

“Aye. I can give you that,” says the man who was once my friend, and he closes the pod. I clutch Lola tight to me. She is in a deep sleep. She is my angel, a liferaft in the churning seas of fate, the only thing that matters. I take in a huge breath.

The gas hisses. I hold my breath until my lungs burn, imagining her belly swelling, imagining the beautiful baby boy. The only thing I pray is that he is not cursed with my rage, that his veins are not contorted with black oil and pain, that he can live a life of peace with his mother.

A perfect moment. Her body against mine. Her heart, so slow and steady, life emanating from her.

I stare at her sleeping face, and darkness takes me.

33

KRAZAK

Iam on my knees, shackled behind my back as I wake up groggily. Bolden is to my right, Khra to the left.

We are in a dark room. Metal surrounds us. It is not much bigger than a prison cell.A hold in a ship?

In front of us is General Ra’al himself, with his royal triad. His black crown is on his temples, his piercing eyes staring me down. I groan, blinking, searching for Lola, but she is not there. My nostrils flare in desperation, searching for any hint of her scent, but there is nothing.

We are alone, with the three men who will judge us.

Kriz and Orr are staring at me without pity. We once stood in front of them in the meeting hall of the Matador, awaiting their commands.

Now we wait their judgement. Their eyes are awash with color, color than makes me yearn for something more.

“What happened after you shifted.” Ra’al speaks directly to me.

I cough, spitting out the remnants of liquid that was down my throat, keeping me breathing for I don’t know how long.

“Elsinor. He didn’t raze it,” I gasp, my voice weak.

“No. How did you know?”

“When we shifted in, all I thought of was death and martyrdom. I didn’t care about Elsinor. Not truly. It was just a way out.” I cough, as I admit it to myself. I wanted my death to have meaning, yes, but deeper down, I wanted a meaning that could propel me to death.

“We opened coms-link. I spoke to Bruton. We said we were going to stop him…” my voice is gaining strength. I take a deep breath in, tasting recycled air. So we are on a ship, or in a bunker deep below the ground. “He convinced us that he wasn’t going to destroy Elsinor. That he was going to retake it.”