Kate pursed her lips, leveling Bruxilia a familiar look. Kate’s silence was almost as good as a ‘yes.’ Being the Prime Leader’s mate and the queen of his people put her in an awkward position, but she’d offered Erin her help regardless. She couldn’t outright confirm or deny it, but her silence was enough for Bruxilia.
“This is outrageous!” Bruxilia sputtered. “And the council is still putting Jaxor’an on trial? It is…it is unheard of!”
Relief coiled in Erin’s belly and she sank back into the cushion propped against her back. The healing wound over her right breast gave a small throb.
They left shortly after. Ollie got fussy and the guard that Vaxa’an assigned to Kate gave them a ride back to the Ambassador terrace, where the other women were waiting.
“Well?” Lainey demanded when they returned.
Erin and Kate exchanged looks. Erin gave them a small, tired smile. She’d barely slept the night before and had terrible sickness that morning.
“We’ll have to wait and see,” she said softly.
“I have never underestimated that female,” Kate said, returning from the meal hall, her gaze tired. Not one but two guards had been trailing her and they remained stationed outside the dwelling door. “For good reason.”
Erin stood immediately and approached her. “How did it go? What happened?”
The sky was dark; night had fallen. Just a half-hour ago, Kate had ventured to the meal hall to see if the news was already beginning to spread.
“Oh, it’s spreading all right,” Kate said as Erin helped her to sit. Cecelia had been rocking Ollie and handed him over to his mother. Kate looked down at her son, pride and love shining in her gaze, before looking up at Erin. “It’s spreading fast.”
“Really?” Erin said, her chest squeezing.
Kate nodded. “I didn’t even reach the food. Right when I stepped inside, everyone looked at me. Then a group approached, asking me if it was true. About the vaccine. About Jaxor’an. They were frustrated when I couldn’t say anything. Angry even. My guards had to step in to escort me out.”
“Oh my God,” Erin whispered, dropping down to the fire pit, looking around at all seven women present: Kate, Taylor, Lainey, Cecelia, Beks, Crystal, and Bianca.
“Sorry, ladies,” Kate said, “but it might be a long night for your mates. Right when I was leaving, I saw a group of hovercrafts approaching the command center and more were going on foot.”
“To get answers?” Taylor guessed, pressing her lips together.
“Undoubtedly,” Kate said.
“I’m sorry,” Erin said, looking at Kate. “I don’t want to put you in unnecessary danger. You have a son now—”
“Nonsense,” Kate said, taking her hand. “Jaxor’an is my mate’s brother. He loves him. Dearly. I can’t just sit by and do nothing.”
“Thank you,” Erin said. She turned her gaze to the rest of the women. “To all of you too. For helping me with this plan. For supporting me though I’ve been kind of a mess lately.”
All of them had contacts in their respective outposts. Over the course of the day, they’d called in over the Coms to help share the news that was spreading within the Golden City. Although, it had probably been unnecessary. Many Luxirians had family and friends spread across the planet. News would’ve reached the outposts regardless.
Not only that, but when Erin had come back to the house after visiting Jaxor last night, she’d broken down. She’d been so ashamed by how she’d acted, so ashamed that Jaxor still didn’t know that she was pregnant, that she was staying on Luxiria. It hurt knowing that he hurt.
Lainey waved her hand. “You’re like a sister to us. No ‘thank you’ necessary.”
Erin gave her a wobbly smile.
Beks asked softly, “Now what?”
Erin said, “We wait. Again.”
The trial was scheduled to take place in four days. Would four days be enough time for Jaxor?
The story spread like wildfire, engulfing the entire city. Erin got reports from Kate, who mostly got them from Bruxilia, considering she’d barely seen Vaxa’an. All the women barely saw their mates, since the command center was apparently on lockdown, which meant that Erin couldn’t see Jaxor either, no matter how much she pleaded.
Luxirians from all over the city—and apparently even some of the outposts—were stationed outside the command center, still demanding answers. Hundreds of them. Males and females—young and old alike—wanted to know about a potential vaccine, wanted the truth about the Mevirax, about the Jetutians, about Jaxor’an. At night, Erin would go out on the terrace and hear their