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It’s the reason they invested in the space station. Theme got it up and running, and with Orb-Power, we can refurbish twenty Reavers a day, or even some of the larger warships of the Aurelian Empire. Theme’s an expert on ships of all types, and we had expected to make our profit from both the Human Alliance and the Aurelian Empire.

We’re no war profiteers.

We won’t repair Separatist ships.

But I had thought—no, hoped—that we had decades yet until the festering wound broke and the Empire split itself apart. Now part of me is glad I haven’t gotten pregnant by my triad.

How could I bring a child into a universe split in half?

“This doesn’t make sense. Why would a finger of the Toad King fly into Aurelian space but not fire weapons?”

Hundreds of Reavers surround the mothership, and they latch onto it to board. It doesn’t even defend itself.

“I have no clue,” answers Markrin.

Garrick unwraps his arms and turns to face me, ignoring the thousands of ships fleeing Colossus to shift away. Some make the jump successfully. Others rip apart, falling like embers against the atmosphere.

Garrick’s face is set. “I know you need space sometimes. If it’s war, we can’t be away from you. You must accept this.” His aura is possessive. He needs to keep me safe.

His aura flares up, and I don’t want to be away from him when the storm comes. I’ll need to find a way to deal with the Bond—but right now, I just want to be with them.

“That makes sense,” I say, shuddering as trepidation fills me. Another warship takes off from Colossus, filled with thousands of brutal Aurelian triads who follow the Old Ways.

One by one they wink out of existence. We thought the Separatists would fight a civil war on Colossus.

Now they’re out there, in the depths of space. I look out at the twinkling stars and the asteroid belt that funds us, and I picture those ships appearing right here. It could take them a few jumps, but there’s nothing stopping them.

No one knows where they went.

What I do know is they’ll be back.

Priests believe in prophecies and destiny. A fanatic army led by delusions of grandeur doesn’t live peacefully, happily ever after in an abandoned system in the middle of nowhere.

They end where they start. They won’t stop until Colossus is under their control.

“No one’s getting near you,” growls Tar’ank as he feels my worry. Anger burns up in him. He walks to me, his boots echoing against the floor, and stands to my left with his huge hand on my shoulder. He doesn’t use me for support. He grips me, steadying me, and I find my resolve. Garrick pulls me tight against him, enveloping me in his thick biceps. Markrin stands to my right, his eyes shifting warily, scanning our observation deck for threats. Even in our own home, he won’t relax while my life is at stake.

The universe just got a hell of a lot less certain. “We’re safe here, right?” I know that nowhere’s really safe, but sometimes you just want to be told a sweet lie.

“You’re always safe with us,” rumbles Garrick, and the honesty in his aura makes me believe it. I press against his strength. He’s my rock, my guardian, my protector.

No matter how violent and scary the universe gets, I’ll always have my triad.

I want to turn off my mind and rest for a moment, even though I know I should be thinking about bolstering our station’s defenses or weighing the pros and cons of moving deeper into Human Alliance territory. Even if I’m not thinking about the new threat of the Separatists, there’s a niggling thought in the back of mind that wriggles to the forefront. I try to push it down, but I can’t.

This isn’t going to make the Bond any easier.

It was getting out of control, so powerful I could barely think. The urges got so strong I’d have to fight with every ounce of my will not to get on my hands and knees and arch my ass up for my alphas. I crave that need. Surrender is the most intense, beautiful experience of my life, but sometimes, it gets so intense I can’t beme.

The only relief I got was when they were far away. When they took the seven-day trip with Aelon, the Bond was muted to the point I felt like myself again.

They’ll keep me safe. I’m grateful for it, just like I’ll keep them safe, too. I’m not some helpless little creature who needs protection. Whether the Priests disappear for the next week or next decade, I’m going to have to learn to deal with my own desires amplifying until I don’t know who I am. I’m going to have to learn to fight down the Bond and overcome it.

“Let’s rest,” I say, hoping sleep will give me a respite.

Tar’ank pulls his hand from my shoulder and gives Markrin a nod. Garrick takes me to the bedroom. It’s got no windows, and it’s deeper inside the space station, more protected. It’s a cozy little place that’s nothing more than a huge bed and a sliding door to a closet as big as the sleeping quarters where we all crammed in together in theWayward Scythe.

The edges of Markrin and Tar’ank’s auras never soften. They’re in the observatory, planning and strategizing. My triad are warriors since birth. I’m the safest woman in the universe, as long as I have the Bond linking them to me.