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“Talia,” he said softly. “It’s me. You’re safe now.”

Recognition dawned in her eyes. “Thraxar?” Her voice was barely audible.

“Yes, little one. I’ve come to take you home.”

Her ears shifted from frightened gray to a hopeful blue. “Kara? Rory?”

“Waiting for us.” He moved to the cell controls, disabling the energy field with a few quick keystrokes. “They miss you very much.”

Talia rushed forward the moment the barrier disappeared, wrapping her small arms around his leg. Something in his chest tightened as he placed a protective hand on her head.

The bounty hunter groaned, beginning to regain consciousness, and he gently disengaged from Talia’s grip.

“Stay back,” he told her, drawing his plasma pistol. “I need to speak with him.”

Talia retreated to a safe distance as he approached the fallen man. He pressed his boot firmly against the hunter’s chest, aiming the pistol at his head.

“Who hired you?” he demanded.

The bounty hunter’s augmented eyes focused slowly. Recognition, then fear crossed his features. “You’re supposed to be dead,” he rasped.

“Disappointing for you.” He increased the pressure on the man’s chest. “Answer my question.”

“The Lumiri Concordat.” The hunter winced as Thraxar’s claws extended slightly into his flesh. “They’ve had a bounty on the girl for years.”

“Why?”

“The civil war ended fifteen years ago. Her father led the resistance. When the Concordat finally crushed them, her father sent her and her mother into hiding.”

“Her mother is dead.”

The bounty hunter nodded. “Died about a year ago. We’ve been tracking the girl ever since.”

“We?”

“There are others looking. The Concordat doesn’t want any of the royal bloodline surviving. They’re afraid the resistance will rally around her.”

His eyes narrowed. “How did you find her?”

“Got lucky. Recognized her species when Wren Dox was shopping her around to collectors. Paid him for information.”

“And?”

The hunter hesitated, and he pressed the pistol hardest against the male’s temple.

“Dox implanted a tracker,” the male said quickly. “Standard procedure for his merchandise. Subcutaneous, near the base of the skull. Military grade—works across multiple systems.”

Cold fury washed over him. “So the others can find her too.”

“Only a matter of time.” The hunter’s mouth twisted in a pained smile. “You can’t protect her forever.”

“I do not need forever.” He leaned closer. “Just long enough to deal with anyone who comes looking.”

The bounty hunter laughed, a harsh sound that echoed in the empty facility. “You don’t understand what you’re up against. The Concordat won’t stop. They’ve eliminated entire families, destroyed whole cities to get what they want.”

“Then I will have to eliminate them first.”

“You’re either brave or stupid.”