It was my turn to freak out. “What kind of explosion?” Just my luck I’d find a place I loved, and some asshole alien would detonate a nuclear bomb or something on it. Hope really was a bitch, and she was cackling now.
“The attack is set to happen in four weeks. We had the computer calculate the time differential, and the attack on Bakkarholt will occur on Trion tomorrow afternoon, two hours past peak sun.”
Ivy lifted her head. “That’s Trion time, in case you were wondering. Not our time. Out here, it’s almost a month away.”
“Fark.” Isaak paced the room now, and my back felt like ice without the heat of his touch.
I looked back to the screen. I didn’t know where Bakkarholt was, but it didn’t matter.
“What about Bertok? I don’t understand. Why would Cerberus blow up a city on Trion if they’re working with Bertok?” Didn’t make sense to me to blow up your own house or town.
Isaak answered instead of Zenos. “That city is not far from here. It’s my father’s territory. He and Bertok have never been friends. If Bertok can destroy Bakkarholt, he’ll cripple my father’s trade and take out the largest garrison of my father’s fighters. The other Councilors would have no reason to suspect Bertok, and as the closest territory, he would be expected to assist us. Most likely to take over.”
I snorted, I couldn’t help it. “Assist you directly into the grave, right? So, he’s doing a hostile takeover of your territory and using Cerberus to take the blame.”
“Bertok will kill my father. Most likely force my mother to form an alliance once my father is dead.”
“Bertok told me he’s already got a mate,” I said.
“Having several is allowed on Trion,” Isaak replied absently.
I narrowed my gaze, wondered if he wanted multiple mates.
Perhaps he read my mind, for he said, “Gara, you are more than enough for me.”
Ivy laughed. I whipped my head around and glared at her. I wasn’t sure if I should be offended or pleased.
Isaak shook his head. “That scheming fark. He knows my father’s position is weak.”
“Why?” I looked around the room, the house that screamed money. Power.
Isaak was silent so long Zenos answered. “He has no heir.”
From what Isaak told me, his older brother had been heir, but he’d died. Isaak was the heir, but he’d been off-planet for years. He hadn’t been here to step into his father’s place if needed. From what he’d just said before the call about leaving Trion again, he never planned to. So, while there was an heir, there wasn’t an heir who would take over. That was a lot of pressure on Isaak. What he wanted was different from what he might have to do if he wanted to save an entire fucking town.
Shit. I shifted my gaze from Isaak, who was running an agitated hand through his dark hair, to Zenos and Ivy.
“Can you send us the details of this plan?” I asked Zenos. “No one is going to believe a space pirate and an Earth girl who disappeared right after her new mate died. Knowing what I know about Bertok now, he probably found a way to frame me for Naron’s murder. Why I left Trion so quickly after I arrived.”
“Holy shit. I hadn’t even thought about that.” Ivy squirmed and Zenos gently settled her back on her feet, but she didn’t break free. Instead, she leaned into him. His strength. His heat. She had her mate, her forever. I was standing here in Isaak’s home, half naked and suddenly felt very alone.
“It’s what I would have done.” I crossed my arms over my chest and mentally kicked soft, pampered me to the curb. This wasn’t my life. These weren’t my clothes. You could take the girl away from the streets, but you couldn’t take the streets out of the girl. Or something similar to that. “Destroy the city. Murder Isaak’s father. Take out as many of his men as possible. He’ll swoop in like a savior, make your mother trust him and take it all as his.”
“We’ll send you everything we have,” Zenos said.
Isaak thanked them. “Tell Astra I owe her a favor.”
Zenos laughed. “Don’t think I will. She’d hold you to it, and that female never forgets anything. And her mate, Barek, is worse.”
Another dinging noise sounded from the fancy screen, and Ivy looked at Isaak. “You get it?”
Isaak walked to the wall panel and pressed a few more buttons. “Yes. Thank you. I owe you