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She paced the quarters, wishing she could shower then wear something with a little more coverage. But doing so would put her at a disadvantage. Until they were far away from that battleship, she wouldn’t chance a distraction.

When the door opened minutes later, Nerx carried a bundled Lily in his arms. He’d tucked the blanket over her face, probably to hide the carnage around them.

“Hello, sleepy head,” Britt said, holding out her arms for him to transfer Lily. He did so without hesitation. She nuzzled the girl, tucked her face into the curve of her neck, then nudged her chin at the door. “I’ll put her to bed. You deal with the rest of this.”

“Oh?” A smirk teased his gorgeous mouth. “Stun two males then take a nap?”

She smiled. “I thought you wanted me not causing trouble? I could follow you—”

“No, you are wise to excuse yourself.” He wrapped his arms around them both, snatching a kiss. “I shall come for you when we have escaped them.”

“I’m sorry if we started a war, Nerx. That wasn’t my intention when I rushed in.” She met his gaze when he pulled away.

“I know, ensa .” He stepped into the passage and waited for her to pass him.

She glanced over her shoulder then headed to the barracks.

Nerx’s raised voice halted her. “What do you mean…gone?” he demanded, his focus on the common.

She peeked around the corner. Bodies still littered the floor. A glance confirmed Lily still asleep and shielded by the blanket.

Sena gestured to the hatch where the shuttle had been. “Medic Aldur, Lady Dahlia, and Sub-Commander Matir…are gone.”

“Ziot,” Nerx bellowed at the ceiling.

“Checking sec vids now.” Seconds ticked past as they waited.

Britt held her breath as fear bathed her senses in ice.

A deafening roar dominated her hearing like she was underwater, distorting and slowing sounds.

No, no, no, Mom had returned to the engine room.

She had to have. No way was she not on this ship.

But Aldur not lying on the floor of the medical or dominating the big bed screamed otherwise.

My Aldur, Mom had said. Nor would she have stepped into that shuttle willingly.

Mom was the most reliable and predictable woman Britt knew.

“Nerx?” she squeaked past the tears she couldn’t stem. “Not my mother.”

“The vids reveal Primary Shioll forced Matir by blaster to carry Aldur into the shuttle. Lady Dahlia tried to stop him and threw herself into the shuttle before the hatch sealed.”

Mom reckless? Britt snorted through the tears. That didn’t sound like her at all. Still, how to get her back? What could they do? They’d be lucky to survive this. Perhaps going with Aldur had saved her life? Or it hadn’t.

This ship was dead in the water if they couldn’t hide. And firing upon it would be like shooting fish in a barrel.

“Edon, the asteroid belt now.” Nerx met and held Britt’s gaze.

“No,” she whimpered, squeezing a sleeping Lily against her chest while crying into her blanket.

“I cannot fire upon the battleship, not with Matir, Aldur, and Lady Dahlia on board. Not to mention the chokaar might do minimal damage and fuel their anger. We need reinforcements, ensa . To call for aid, we must escape the comm dampener.”

She pinched her lips to smother a wail but nodded at him.

It made sense. What could they do against that…

thing? Never had she been this helpless.

And it was all her fault. She’d decided they’d travel to Etteria.

Instead of staying put, she’d abandoned Mom in the engine.

They’d been safe. Hell, she doubted these aliens had known they were even there.

“Ziot?” She raised her gaze to the ceiling. “Please show me the way to Nerx’s cabin. Oh, and grant me access.”

“Of course, Lady Britta,” he said through hidden speakers. Lights flickers, directing her. Without hesitation, she spun on her heel and walked. All she could do was take care of Lily and trust Nerx to do everything within his power to get her mother back.

N ot anytime soon would Nerx forget the elation, fear, and fury engulfing him when Britta had stormed in and shot two males.

He’d never felt the like. Ice had drenched him, freezing every muscle in his body.

He’d caught her movement when she’d peered around the edge of the bulkhead, but in her distraction, she hadn’t seen the slight shake of his head, warning her not to reveal herself.

Anger had followed, so violent and bright, he’d frozen.

Unable to stop whatever the foolish woman did, he’d have to watch her die.

Nor had he planned for her to witness his death. Without a strategy, he’d reacted on instinct. Despite the two Viqrian males who’d lost their lives, the others were at least stunned.

But now, her devastation at her mother’s absence tore through him when he could do nothing to ease her pain.

The constant tickle of his unbound hair reminded him of his failure.

Memories of his disappointed father added to his sorrow, for surely nothing would displease his father more than Nerx’s loss of honor.

If he cut his dead braid from his mind, he could think.

He only hoped these Viqrians didn’t kill their hostages.

Primary Shioll had taken Aldur and Matir for a reason.

Odd that. Yithians would only have abducted the human.

Did the Viqrians think they could use Aldur and Matir as bait?

Perhaps. If they knew the Etterian culture as well as they’d revealed, then they’d know King Xeus would throw everything at them…

for Lady Dahlia and Aldur. A pairing mattered.

Yet Nerx doubted Primary Shioll had been aware of that.

Once they fled possible retribution and could comm the king, whatever data Ziot had gathered might mean they could track the battleship. “Ziot, can you lock onto Matir or Aldur’s O.D.I.?”

“The signals are faint and unsteady, but if I port either of them and Lady Dahlia is not touching them, we risk stranding her.”

“Indeed.” As injured as Aldur was, Matir’s presence might be needed to ensure Lady Dahlia lived. “Let us hope we do not lose the signal.”

“I have sent them both a message. I pray they receive it.”

Nerx gritted his teeth. His battle-bonds might not survive this. No, he couldn’t think like that. There was still time.

“Approaching the belt now. They do not seem to be pursuing us,” Edon said.

Nerx strode to the comm, settling behind Edon as he navigated toward the asteroids larger than the scimitar. “Ziot, can you comm the king yet?”

“No. I have been trying since Edon set our escape into motion.” Ziot’s fingers flew across the war room’s console against the far wall. In a battleship, the war room, though adjoined to the comm, was far larger. On a scimitar, it was but a console and a holographic panel.

Edon tapped a button and called forth two levers.

He gripped both, swerving the scimitar with ease.

Thankfully, having trained in all aspects of Etterian life, Nerx didn’t flinch when a boulder dominated the display vids as it came within inches of hitting the scimitar.

Trust, the key to all this. Had Britta not trusted him?

Or had something else driven her to intervene?

Admittedly, they’d known each other for days. Trust was earned, yet, he’d not once given her the idea that she couldn’t rely on him. Had he?

“Supreme Commander, you better see this.” Sena spoke through Nerx’s O.D.I., his voice grave.

Now what? “Keep me posted on progress,” Nerx commanded Edon and Ziot.

When he reached the common, Sena was standing over the bodies. “What is the problem?” Blue blood stained the mat, as would Etterian blood—just as blue.

“This,” Sena flicked a visor back, exposing the delicate features of a female.

“Alodon’s balls,” Nerx growled and staggered. He thrust out a hand to catch himself on a nearby bulkhead. “I killed two females?”

“What male allows females to go to war?” Sena nudged a blaster aside as he picked up a discarded dagger in their blue Maloidian-like steel.

Nerx grimaced. “Regardless of whether they were compatible with Etterians, I killed females.”

“My point is, Supreme Commander, we know what being a warrior entails. So too did these females. They came armed; one wounded Aldur.” Sena offered Nerx the dagger. “It was them or us, and with Dar Eths on board, you made the right choice.”

Nerx released a shuddering breath. He prayed his king and Adviser Kanzo thought so too. “My thanks, Sena,” he said, accepted the dagger then pointed to the bodies. “Bag the dead…for research.”

“Supreme Commander,” Sena called, halting Nerx’s exit. “Would you like to…keep this?”

The way the long braid dangled over the male’s palm made Nerx wince.

His heart ached at the loss. He’d worked so hard on his honor, especially after Kyerx died.

And yet, in one act, he’d lost years of growth.

He took the braid, ran his hand along its thickness before catching the ends to remove the Maloidian clip.

He half-expected it to unravel, to swirl around him, instead, it lay there as lifeless as human hair.

With determined strides, he crossed to the waste disposal and tossed it in.

He slid the clip next to three data cubes on a shelf.

“Their game is strategic,” Sena said. “They knew how to weaken an Etterian. This does not bode well when we know nothing about them.” He glanced in the direction of the barracks. “Thanks to Lady Britta, we have the means to find out.”

Questions burned Nerx’s tongue. ‘Where were their males’ being the most important.

Regent and primary were androgynous titles.

Did they intentionally hide their femininity from him?

Or was it a non-issue for them? Despite needing answers, he couldn’t risk setting off a death trigger.

He didn’t know their level of technology or whether they used such organic devices planted in the victim’s brains.

Speaking the keyword could kill a female, and they had to live.

“Do not interrogate the Viqrians without back up.” Nerx scowled. “It might be best to wait for an operative. Once we reach Operations Commander Malo, I suspect he would want his males to interview them.”

Sena pursed his lips. “Very well, Supreme Commander. Let us pray time is on our side.”