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Isa attempted to pull her hand away from Vee to take the morsel, but he didn’t release her hand.

“Um.” Her brow furrowed when she attempted again, yet still, the robust alien man didn’t relent. He was built like a boxer so there was no way she could force him to, either.

Chevron appeared amused as he lightly tapped her bottom lip with the berry, urging her to open her mouth.

Oh! They’re actually going to feed me, too.Her mouth opened mostly out of shock.

The alien man eased the berry into her mouth. The way he stared at her lips as he fed her the fruit somehow felt naughty, but it was quickly forgotten as she tasted the treat.

“Mmm,” Isa moaned as she chewed.

The fruit tasted like a raspberry and it was the best thing she’d ever eaten. That may have been an exaggeration. She was definitely hungry, though, and this was her first bit of food after being in stasis for a hundred years

Chevron held up the cup of water, offering her another sip.

“Yes.” She nodded.

He must’ve understood because he brought the cup to her lips and expertly tipped it up, pouring just the right amount into her mouth.

Diamond resumed rubbing her shoulders and she couldn’t help the sigh that came out as she relaxed further. This was the definition of decadence, a bevy of naked muscular men massaging her with fragrant oils while hand feeding her.

“You guys take your welcomes very seriously,” she practically moaned.

Being pampered was the last thing she expected when she was hurtling toward the planet in a glorified coffin.

Chapter 4

The Three Alphas of the Tumulus Hive

Earlier that Day

Bellator - Legionnaire Alpha

My legionnaires will need to help the servitors clean this up.Bellator surveyed the rocks covering the path leading into the valley.It must have happened last night. We did have a lot of rain.

He was picking his way over the rocky debris to continue his morning check, when movement in the sky caught his attention.

“Whoa!” He gaped at the fiery rain.

The meteor shower was unlike anything he’d ever seen. Scores of white-hot orbs strafed across the sky. They skimmed so close overhead that he cringed from the terrible rumble and vibration. They were striking in the west, kicking up massive amounts of dirt and debris.

“Oh,” he grunted in surprise when one of the meteors struck the valley, followed by a dirt plume. It was so close it must’ve landed in their territory.

As legionnaire alpha, it was his duty to protect his hive. Any other time, he would’ve sent one of his betas to check it out, but this was so unusual his instincts kicked in.

Bellator shifted form and took off running to inspect the strange anomaly. It would be faster if he flew, but with the fiery debris raining through the sky, that didn’t seem wise. Instead, he’d taken his four-legged form. Theferowere limber mountain predators, and much better equipped to cover the distance than his bipedal form. Despite his form, with all the adrenaline pumping through him, he ran faster than he had in a long time. It wasn’t every day that fire fell from the firmament.

Bellator made it into the valley, was crossing the prairie, and nearing their border when he heard the commotion before he saw them. The legionnaire deltas and omegas assigned to patrol the area had already arrived. They were lined up along the rocky border, just inside the neutral zone, all staring into the Nemus Hive’s territory. As he approached, it was hard to discern what they’d found from all the excited bellowing and the line of bodies obscuring his view, but it was obviously the fiery orb he’d seen.

“You found the meteor,” he commented as he neared the row of his brethren. “I knew it landed close.”

Proel, legionnaire gamma and the sector captain, glanced back at him wearing an odd expression. “It’s an egg.”

An egg?!

Bellator stepped past the row of his brethren and his eyes widened. There was a giant gash in the earth. The meteor had struck the ground in their territory, skidded across the plain, over the border, and came to a halt several paces inside Nemus territory. Laying in the muddy rut was a white, oblong sphere that looked just like an egg. Except that’s not what stunned him or why everyone was riled. The egg had cracked open, and inside it lay a tiny humanoid.

“Quiet!” Bellator barked, and everyone grew silent.