She had the courage to leave her planet, and not for a mate. She had explained she’d gone to The Colony because her friend, Olivia, had been mated and cuffed by Atlan Wulf. Lucy lived there without having a mate—or mates—of her own. Still, she’d chosen to go out into the unknown, to another world for the family she loved. Olivia and her niece and nephew.
I wanted that fierce love directed at us. To earn Lucy’s love, I needed to get back to her. “How did a human female end up with a mate from Kronos Legion?” I asked.
“That’s irrelevant.” Dr. Helion snorted. “And human? Gwen? Hardly. She might have been human once. Now she is a weapon.”
Standing slightly behind me, watching my back as always, Sambor shifted. Normally I would have read his agitation at the doctor’s words from that one small movement. With the addition of the mating collars, his dislike of Helion added to my disgust at the doctor’s choice of words. The idea of him speaking of a human female so similar to our mate in such a clinical way had me disliking him all the more. I wondered if her Rogue 5 mate knew of Helion’s thoughts.
“A human female? A weapon? How is that possible? I’ve seen them handle themselves with a ReCon Unit, but alone? They are small and weak, Doctor. How is a defenseless human female dangerous enough to have you nervously pulling your ion blaster?” I asked, wanting to see what he would say next. He was far from a diplomat. Perhaps that was why Lord Ander had ensured I was in attendance.
The doctor paced the room, clearly nervous. “She single-handedly destroyed a Nexus unit on The Colony. I tried to track her down, but she and that fucking hybrid mate of hers stole a ship with advanced stealth tech. They have eluded me completely.”
“What type of hybrid?” I knew all members of the legions on Rogue 5 were part Hyperion. Their fangs and aggression made them dangerous enemies.
“Forsian.” Dr. Helion glanced from me to Sambor, then Ander. “In addition to that, he has full Hive integrations. That’s why you three are here.” His gaze lingered on Ander’s bulk next to me, then on Sambor’s weapon. I, too, could fight like a demon if provoked. I’d thought we were here for diplomatic reasons. To negotiate some kind of deal.
Apparently we were here to be Helion’s muscle against a hybrid Forsian cyborg.
Fuck. Not a fight I wanted to be in. I had much more pleasurable things I could be doing.
“So they eluded you but agreed when Queen Jessica asked for her help?” I used years of practice to keep my amusement from showing in my expression. The idea that a human female had irritated the most pragmatic and ruthless intelligence operative I knew entertained me, despite the fact that her mate was a scary bastard from Rogue 5.
Helion scowled.
Ander ran a hand over the back of his neck. “Exactly. I spoke to my mate, who spoke to Lady Rone.”
I sorted through names. “Rachel? Governor Maxim’s mate?”
Ander nodded. “Yes. She knew Gwen before. They were friends during Gwen’s time on The Colony before she and her mate went rogue.”
“She went rogue?”
“I told you, she and that Forsian of hers wiped out a group of Hive, including a Nexus unit, stole a ship, and haven’t been seen since,” Helion snapped.
“She sounds fucking amazing to me,” Sambor offered, and I knew he was purposely irritating Helion. We had so few opportunities to do so.
“The human will not respond to my request for information or assistance,” Helion complained.
“Why not? Did you make her angry? Betray her trust?” I looked at Ander, wide-eyed, knowing Helion would never answer such a question.
Ander gave me a look, then sighed. “The females do not trust easily. And getting my mate involved”—he gave Helion a dark look—“during her birthing day celebrations was the fastest way I could think of to get this hunt of yours over with.”
“We need her. I need to know what she knows. What she can do.” Helion, as usual, was completely unapologetic.
Ander sighed and shrugged as if to say, See what I mean? Aloud he asked me and Sambor, “Do you wish to spend time with Helion and his Hive Nexus unit for a third day in a row?”
I didn’t respond because I knew it was rhetorical. None of us wanted to be here when we had warm, willing females waiting for us back on Prillon Prime.
“Trust me,