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All I know at this moment is brutality. I must protect her at all costs.

“Raiz.” Neev takes a step back as I lower my arm and let the inspector's body fall limply to the ground with a loud splat. “Why did you do that?”

“He touched you.” I bend and use his cloak to wipe his blood off my talons. It’s callous, but I can’t bring myself to care. No one touches my mate without her permission. Ever. I grab her hand. “Come on, we have to go before they find you.”

I open all the bridges I have between my mind and Altis, Vynia, and Hyva.I just killed one of the inspectors. We’re taking the emergency tunnels below to get back home.

Neev shakes her hand free of mine and plants her feet. “You just killed him.”

“He was going to send you to the Sovereign. We don’t have time to argue about this.”

“You can’t be sure.”

“He touched you.” I reach for her, a pang in my chest at the anger in her eyes.

“You can’t kill anyone that touches me.”

Watch me.

“We must go now.”

When she makes no move to leave with me, I bend and throw her over my shoulder and start running. I need to make it two streets over to the hidden entrance of the tunnels. Neev wiggles against me, but she’s no match for my strength.

It takes half the time to make it to the tunnels as it would have with her running. Once I traverse the steps, I could set her down. But I’d rather have this conversation at home, not where anyone could overhear, so I leave her over my shoulder and begin to run.

My feet splash through the puddles that line the smooth obsidian walls. This particular tunnel used to be a lava tube, about half of the tunnels on the continent are old lava tubes. The underground is also dotted with hundreds of hot springs. It makes traveling through them a bit more comfortable.

“How can you see anything?” Neev asks as she bounces on my shoulder.

“My eyes are made for this.” That makes me think, I should ask Cuna if they can fabricate some sort of lenses for her to wear underground. We’ll obviously have torches, but, if something happens and they’re put out, it would help for her to be able to see like we can in the dark.

I make it to the door leading to my estate and type in the code to unlock the door. As soon as it swings open, I set Neev on her feet and close it behind us. I take a deep breath and ready myself for the onslaught of her anger.

“Don’t ever do that again.”

“Save your life?” I ask.

“No.” She throws her arms wide. “Kill for me with no regard.”

“It’s the same thing.”

“It’s really not.” She strides toward me, poking me in the chest with her blunt, harmless fingernail. “You have no idea what his intentions were.”

“I know the Sovereign. That’s all there is to know, because his intentions are never good.”

“You are the most infuriating male I’ve ever met.”

“I’m not too offended as it’s a short list.”

She scoffs and turns around, walking down the tunnel toward the house as if she knows where it leads. She’ll figure it out when she gets there but still. Frustrating human. “Don’t look for me tonight.”

As if I can’t smell her from rooms away. Or hear her. I’m so attuned to her, to everything about her that even the sound of her beating heart is easily identifiable to me.

* * *

Sitting across from Hyva, Vynia, and Altis two hours later, I still can’t tear my thoughts from her. Even when the stakes have never been higher. They managed to get rid of the inspectors, even finding the body of the one I killed. From what they were told, it isn’t just my sector that they’ve been going to. Unrest is growing in all corners, and this is the Sovereign’s attempt at quelling it, sending out bands of inspectors to make his presence known.

Could he know I’m planning something? Does he believe Neev is with me or hiding under my protection? Surely the Order wouldn’t have told him that I had her. They would have to know that would put her at risk, and if they’ve come this far to get her, there must be a reason.