on the planet, despite all evidence to the contrary—the death, destruction and the near obliteration of their world—seriously believed that Earth never needed the Drokten’s help in the first place for humans to rid themselves of the Zignills. And they were so disgusted with the two-husband mating ritual of the Drokten, they were unable to stand these aliens in their midst. They were willing to cut their nose off to spite their face.
Her nostrils flared and she lifted her chin. She couldn’t abide the secretary’s cruel condemnation of the alien warriors who’d saved humanity. She needed to do something. His hatred was going to blind him to what needed to be done for the safety of their people—the protection of the mightiest ally in the universe. What if Secretary Wells was able to follow through with his plan and actually get rid of the Drokten? What would they all do then when the Zignills reformed and attacked the Earth again? Or when some other species saw the humans as easy pickings? She needed to step in and do what was right, even if it meant risking her job.
Or her life.
If her goal was keeping Bea and Noah safe, exposing this asshole would certainly accomplish that task.
She blew out a breath. She knew what she had to do. She wasn’t sure how, but somehow, she had to warn the Drokten. She needed them to know that they—and their kind—were in danger.
She glanced over at Jade, who met her gaze from across the room and gave her a puzzled look.
What? her friend mouthed.
Jenna pursed her lips, gave a negative shake of her head, and turned away. She put down her empty tray and intercepted a different tray of food, despite the fact that the Drokten hadn’t eaten any human food all evening, and used it as a prop in order to march across the room. Her heart pounded almost painfully, and she felt a little nauseated, but she couldn’t just let this go. She didn’t want to stir up trouble, but at the same time, she knew hurting or killing the great blue warriors was unequivocally wrong.
She strode straight for Sevith and Hiren.
Jenna slipped through a tightly knit throng of Drokten and zeroed in on Hiren first, the tray rattling overhead as she stared up at him with wide eyes and mouth slightly parted.
Hiren’s midnight blue eyes locked with hers, making her heart beat even faster as a surge of warmth flooded between her thighs.
So. Handsome. Just…wow.
She glanced back, caught a glimpse of Secretary Wells from across the room, and remembered her purpose for marching over.
Jenna looked back at the Drokten ambassador who stared at her expectantly. She lowered her tray and swallowed hard. “I-I have something important to tell you. It’s about Secretary Wells.”
Three
Fifteen minutes earlier…
Sevith leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, bored out of his mind.
He glanced at the clock. When could he leave?
And how had he managed to get himself talked into attending this travesty? He could be at his desk, planning out tomorrow’s battle simulations. Instead he was here, at Drokten Main, attending a human party.
He hated parties in general but human parties were worse than usual. These beings were so damn gregarious and friendly, it was truly annoying. And they seemed to be inordinately in love with some sort of drink that caused inebriation. It caused their events to last longer and grow even louder, which was a chore.
He glanced over at his best friend, Hiren, who was busy chatting with and charming a group of humans, all of whom hung on his every word.
Ah, that was how he’d ended up here.
Hiren was Sevith’s “Bahn,” his beta, his second-in-command on the Battleship Avash and therefore his partner in life. And also, the specific male who’d insisted they attend this ridiculous affair. Hiren enjoyed speaking to humans, regaling them with stories of famous Droktenian war-time exploits on faraway planets.
Sevith did not.
Yes, this was a good place to be if one wanted to find a human mate. Many Drokten were here tonight for that exact purpose. But Sevith already sensed that none of the females surrounding them at the moment were meant for him or his Bahn so…
And then something caught the corner of his eye—a female he hadn’t seen before. This female had somehow avoided his notice until now.
Who was this?
He blinked and stood at attention as a lithe human female strode across the room with a tray of food in her capable hands. He examined