Page 33 of Fate of Draga

Perfect.

But as they scanned the factory after cloaking he wondered what they’d gotten themselves into. It was supposedly abandoned. They could take what they wanted without resistance.

Nash hoped that was the case, but it would be too easy.

Nothing was ever easy anymore.

So he waited while Varan scanned the factory and Kaiden read whatever they’d scrounged up on the place for the millionth time.

Studying the factory Nash glanced at Varan again.

What had happened between them…it was something he hadn’t been sure he’d ever be able to do. To share a female and not rip the other male to pieces was what he’d been most worried about. It was in his people’s nature. They fought for everything, and he’d thought this would be no different.

Had their mate bond eased that part of him? Would it make him weak, or was it only applicable to his sexual relationships?

And then there was the way Kaiden had been eyeing him and Varan. The male was interested, but understood Nash wasn’t.

There were so many possibilities, but more than anything he was still shocked he’d listened to Adelina ride Varan. And instead of going in there to rip him limb from limb, he had gotten aroused again.

Nash shook his head and focused. What they were about to do would be dangerous. They could not afford to die on this mission. Adelina would never forgive them for being so stupid.

“It does appear to be abandoned as reported,” Varan stated. “But I don’t believe these readings. Not when we’ve never been able to detect the Neprijat before they attack.”

“I agree,” Nash muttered. “We should land on the far side of the moon and infiltrate the factory, make a visual assessment and if there are Neprijat we can regroup.”

“The logs here state it was fully functional up to a cycle ago, and then nothing,” Kaiden said. “There is no explanation as to why or where they went. There is nothing about the supplies being redirected or any warships that were completed despite detailed reports previously.”

“You think they just…left?” Varan asked, looking up at the moon before them instead of the scanner.

Nash snorted. “And I can grow wings and fly.”

Kaiden glared at him. “While I disapprove of the sarcasm, I agree with the sentiment. It is highly unlikely it was abandoned if the factory still has supplies.”

“Then where were those supplies coming from?” Varan asked. “This moon, or is there another supply station? Maybe a mining colony?”

The prospect was promising. If they could take it for themselves it would increase their chances of succeeding in the upcoming battle. Nash knew the risks were high, but he would not leave his kingdom to slavery. Even if he had planned to give it up for a female he’d discovered he couldn’t live without.

“Let’s send some scouts, and when they report back we’ll make a decision.” Varan pulled out his simulcast and sent off messages to the warriors.

A moment later a small ship detached and Nash watched it on the scanner, otherwise invisible to the naked eye. “It’s only visible to our ship’s scans, correct?” He wanted to double check. Nothing could be left to chance anymore.

Varan nodded. “But the Neprijat have tech that fools even your own Nash. We have no idea what we’re really up against.”

Wasn’t that the awful truth? Nash growled in irritation and checked his weapons in their holsters again.

He didn’t like waiting. He didn’t like not leading the scouts and seeing the situation with his own two eyes. But he was prince consort now. Adelina would not be pleased to know he’d done something dangerous when there was no reason for him to do so.

Glory wasn’t a concept that was revered in Draga – not the same way that it was in Khara. It was why they had the fighting arenas. Nash had been worshipped like a god until the Neprijat had descended on his people like a disease.

He would never forgive himself for being on patrol that day. There had been no way to know, but Nash would never stop thinking that if he’d been there, maybe he could have done something to save his family. At the very least gotten his little sisters out.

What had been done to their bodies, he didn’t know either. But Nash planned to make the Neprijat pay. They owed him a debt and he would take it with interest.

“Your majesty, there are Neprijat here, but not many. And there don’t appear to be any of those monsters,” the warrior said over the encoded transmission for everyone to hear.

Nash shared a look with Kaiden. No hounds meant the factory was mainly run by robotics and tech. They simply needed a few Neprijat to oversee and without any hounds the resistance would be minimal. The real question was why had it been reported as abandoned to their own people?

“Are you sure about the hounds?” Varan asked, no doubt thinking the same thing Nash was – it could be a trap.

---