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Riz was up on modern Earth lingo so I knew the slip up from cake to pie was just another little way he was trying to make me smile.

I lifted my hand toward him, and he immediately came into the bed with us.

Then Snryx, though he stayed on the outside of the people pile so he could swap with Lohr in a couple of hours.

Someone was always with Akylla if she wasn’t with me and Kroktl.

Both to protect her—and keep tabs on her, especially now that she was more mobile.

Soon enough she’d be figuring out how to unlock the doors.

The thought of waking up and finding her gone made my stomach quiver with dread.

“We’ll set ground rules once she’s a bit older.” Kroktl still stroked me, his big palm sliding rhythmically from my nape to my hip, his fingers tracing every vertebra. “But she’s dynos. She’ll want to run and hunt.”

And kill. I could feel the interest in her when she saw birds in the sky or a rabbit hopping across the path. She wanted to chase—and then feast. Just like her father.

A quiet shuffle drew my attention up toward the door, where Axxol turned to leave. “Where are you going?”

He paused, looking back over his shoulder with a haughty tilt of his head. “Someone needs to keep tabs on the perimeter.”

“Already done,” Rizan replied. “I set a net of security monitoring around the house and grounds before we even left for Creel.”

Axxol’s lip curled with disdain and irritation. “That sure as fuck would’ve been nice to know before I ran my ass around the property doing a scout’s job.”

A rattling laugh rolled from Riz’s chest. “Your ass could use the exercise, Big Rig. Besides, you would’ve known about the security net if you’d bothered to check in with me rather than playing high and mighty alpha games.”

Axxol snarled, a deep, throaty sound of aggression that made the hairs on my nape prickle with alarm. Though Rizan only rattled louder, a sound meant to annoy the alpha even more.

I wasn’t sure what was going on, if Rizan was truly challenging the alpha, or if Axxol was just being his normal jerk self. Until I tapped into the grid.

Data flooded me, taking my breath away. My ears rang and my vision tunneled inward.

My nerves buzzed with fiery jolts, temporarily overloaded with sensation.

Emotions, too many for me to identify at first, though deeply overwhelming.

Giant personalities. Scientific gobbledygook, medical jargon, radio signals and fax sounds and pulses, chemical components.

It took so much concentration for me to sort through all the details that I’d started keeping the connection minimized in my head so I could think.

Maybe someday all of this input would be easy to handle, but I couldn’t imagine living like this twenty-four hours a day like the squad.

Finally, the streams of data steadied enough for me to get my bearings.

I focused on Kroktl first, always my island of safety and comfort, protection and love.

Steadied, I found Rizan’s consciousnesses.

Amused and snarky wit, effortlessly sorting through all the data on the grid, everywhere, all at once, without losing a single byte of information.

Confidence shimmered through him. A willingness to challenge and push and risk everything—just to get closer to me.

Wading through the medical and chemical details that I knew belonged to Snryx and Lohr, I sought Axxol’s consciousness.

Razor wire encircled him, sharp tips and brutal edges, teeth and claws.

Mentally, he made me flinch for a second, faltering.

I didn’t know if I could deal with all that prickly rage.

Though the longer I listened to him, the more other tidbits bled through.

Sure, he was angry—but at himself. Jealousy roared and thrashed in him, a bigger monster than his Gigasaurus Rex.

He wanted to be on the bed with us. With me.

But he was afraid he wouldn’t be welcomed.

Instead of being rejected…

He made himself unwanted. On purpose. Though he was pissed at himself for being a jerk to protect himself—he also couldn’t stop doing it.

The mighty alpha really was afraid.

Of me. Rejecting him. Telling him to leave. Not welcoming him into the bed with the rest of the squad.

So he’d leave first. Even though it pissed him off. Every component of his DNA had been built around pride, command, and ego. The innate knowledge that he was the ultimate leader. No doubt. No hesitation. He needed to always be right to ensure the squad’s safety and success.

Having me thrown into the mix insulted and ripped the very fabric of his DNA, though he was trying to adapt. It was a painful process for him, but he was making the effort, even if it didn’t look like it on the surface of his behavior.

“Axxol,” I said, pausing. Waiting for him to stop and look at me.

Blue shimmered around him, and for a moment, I thought he’d toss down a jump ring to get away from me—before I could reject him in front of the other members of his squad who might see his demise.

His head lashed side to side, but he finally whirled to face me.

Eyes blazing with blue ozone. Neck and shoulders corded, straining to keep himself contained. “What the fuck do you want now?”

“I want you to join us.”