Page 39 of Dreikx

“We are their allies.”

“Slaves,” he shouts and attacks my grip on his mind.

Raven moves closer. With one swipe of his claw, Mike would be dead. I’m certain Raven is only waiting for the perfect moment to strike. He steps closer yet.

Distracted, I slip, lose control, exploding inside Mike’s mind, shattering his wall. Everything he’s ever been comes crashing into me. Mike stills, the gun drops, Raven moves in, but Tamey rushes to him and won’t let him go. “No, don’t kill him yet.”

“That’s my girl,”I project to her. My asset. The purpose of my life. The woman who understands me in every way and accepts me with all my flaws and imperfections.

Mike’s hands shake.

I’m vacuuming out his entire life, all the thoughts, mental notes, personal logs, self-improvements, memories dating back to the swamp, to the council meeting when we were deciding whether or not to join the Horde. He wanted me to kill Kinre, the old Horde’s second-in-command and Raven’s uncle, and make it look like Kinre died inside the swamp. And I would have had it not been for the one human Omega I grew curious about and the space gate I wanted to reacquire from the male I originally sold it to. We were in dire need of food, and I made a decision. But back then, the gate was flawed and I didn’t believe I was losing much, though I’ve always known travel to another galaxy was possible. When Kinre returned the second time, leaving me no choice but to join the Horde, I swore I would be the Telean to cross the galaxy.

Mike bleeds from his ears.

Raven’s next to me, staring, probably sensing something here isn’t right. My crew watches, the cameras back on. The entire ship can view this if they like. My secret is out. My council would have figured it out. Raven would ask questions. So I make the best of it.

In the compartment of Mike’s mind, as I funnel his memories, a dark fog rises. I recognize this place. This is where I keep my secrets too, surrounded by a dark fog, hidden from everyone. A sour taste fills my mouth, my stomach rises, and I gulp as I feel vomit in my throat.

I allow my mind to walk inside the fog, where I vacuum up Mike’s recent memories. He screams and holds his head. “Get out! Get out!”

The dark fog enters my brain and chokes me. I feel like two males, not one, and I stagger back and lean against the wall. Tamey approaches. I feel her, but I can’t disengage from Mike yet. Her hand in mine, she squeezes my fingers but says nothing. I take comfort in her warmth and maybe…love. I think she loves me. She likes everyone, but she loves me. There’s a difference.

Dark thoughts swim in my head. Betrayal, greed, self-interest, murder, violence against Sotay’s Omega, coveting, craving, envy.

Mike stares into space. He’s an empty shell. I’ve taken it all. I approach him and grab his face between my palms. “You broke my heart.”

He opens his mouth, but nothing comes out because he no longer knows how to speak.

“And now I will break you.” I sever the link between the body and mind, then exit his brain before he drops dead on the floor.

Turning to Raven, I fix the pin on my suit and wipe blood from my nose. “I have the location of their king.”

Chapter 14

Dreikx

Anna’s postlabor suite is made up of two rooms and a bathroom. We sit in the guest receiving space while she rests in her room. On the couch, Tamey sits on my lap, her face buried in my neck while I stroke her hair. I’m unsure if she believes I need comfort or if she is taking comfort from me, and frankly, I don’t care to analyze this moment. “I love you more than I could ever show you or say. I’m very lucky you feel how I feel.”

“I love you too,” she says.

The moment is perfect. Except for the intruder in the room. Her brother, who glares at me. I’m fairly certain if I entered his mind right now, I’d find fortified concrete walls with snarling hounds at the top, spitting venom all over me. Raven is mighty pissed and expecting an explanation. I won’t offer one. I owe him nothing. And hey, the metal crown gracing my bald head remained in its position. Perhaps it can remind him I owe him nothing. For all intents and purposes, he’s in my territory now. I offer him a smile.

He glances into the room where Anna sleeps deeply, a soft snore coming between her parted lips. The baby sleeps in a cot next to her. Raven controls his temper now. This is good for him. Healthy to be around family when he just found out I’m capable of infiltrating minds. I’m fairly certain he figured that out.

“Does my father know?” he asks.

“Know what?” It never hurts to pretend to be stupid.

“Don’t fuck with me, Dreikx,” he whisper-hisses. “The male couldn’t move, dropped the gun, then proceeded to stare at you with a blank expression for fucking ever while he bled from the nose and ears. That bleeding comes from blunt trauma to the brain. No?”

“Indeed.”

“Somehow you attacked him without touching him. I’d like to know how.”

“I read minds.”

Raven’s jaw tics. “This is not a joke.”

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