Page 54 of Orange Tundra
My fated mate had Zirc. A prisoner in Kilo's stronghold.
"Roqs?" Coone's voice seemed to come from very far away. "What does it say?"
I couldn't speak. Couldn't breathe. The world had tilted on its axis, leaving me floundering in a reality that made no sense. My mate—the male whose scent haunted my dreams, whose bond I felt growing stronger each day—was holding Zirc prisoner. But he wanted to meet. Wanted to help. Called himself my mate openly.
"Roqs!" Coone grabbed my shoulders, shaking me roughly. "Talk to me! What does the message say?"
"It's from my mate," I whispered the words from the scroll to Coone, knowing this would ignite him, the words feeling like ground glass in my throat. "He has Zirc. He wants to meet at the Pit in three days."
The silence that followed was deafening. I could hear Coone's sharp intake of breath, could smell the shock and disbelief radiating from his skin. When I finally looked up, his expression was a mixture of horror and fury.
"Your mate has Zirc," he growled slowly, as if testing the words. "And he used my secure network to contact you." His eyes narrowed. "Your face shows you're either proud of him for besting me, or—damn it." He kicked the droid.
What he said was true. Despite what we'd just learned, my mate wasn't just an ordinary member of Kilo's gang. And that made me proud and filled me with dread about what it could mean.
Coone faced me again. "The Tundra's Pit. That's black market territory. Neutral ground. But we know it's a sore point for the Council, especially the Elders, because Kilo and his gang made it one of their strongholds. And no one can do anything about it because it's on neutral ground!"
"I know. But the fact that he mentioned her—" I took a huge gulp of air. Coone's stare could cut me in half. "He wants to protect her too."
"Your mate planned this. To capture Zirc," he said slowly, as if testing the words. "Your fated bond led to this."
"We don't know?—"
"Didn't you?" His voice rose, carrying all the pain and fear we'd both been suppressing. "You've been acting strange for weeks, distracted, conflicted. Now I know why. You've been in contact with him."
As if."It's not that simple?—"
"Isn't it?" Coone was moving again, pacing in tight circles like a caged animal. "Your mate works for Kilo. He has our Zirc. And now he wants a meeting on his terms, using my compromised network to arrange it."
"I haven't been keeping anything?—"
"Bullshit!" The word exploded from him with enough force to rattle the nearby trees. "Your mate has access to my most secure channels, Roqs. Do you understand what that means? Either he's been playing me for months, or..." He stopped pacing, his eyes widening with realization. "Or he's been feeding me intelligence all along."
He was wrong. Partly wrong, anyway. But there was enough truth in his accusations to make them cut deep. I had felt Trill's conflict through that one moment when we first met, had sensed darkness and pain and choices that tore at his soul.
I'd been a coward. Again. Refusing to accept the possibility that my mate couldn't be saved and was actively working to bring me and Zirc down.
"Don't judge me lightly," I said quietly.
"Nothing," Coone repeated, his voice breaking slightly. "While Zirc is suffering in some hell-hole prison, you were protecting your precious mate's secrets."
I should have known better, but the accusation hit its mark. I felt my careful control finally snap, years of suppressed emotionerupting in a wave of desperate fury. "You think this is easy for me? You think I wanted to choose between them?"
"You must choose!" Coone snarled, his own beast finally breaking free. His canine teeth extended, his claws gleaming in the moonlight. "Stop sitting on the fence and choose! Zirc needs us, and you're worried about hurting the feelings of the male who put him in chains!"
"It's not that simple?—"
"It is that simple!" He lunged forward, claws raking across my chest before I could react. The pain was sharp and clean, cutting through the fog of confusion that had clouded my thinking. "Choose, Roqs! Right now! Your fated mate or the male who's loved you for decades!"
Blood welled from the scratches, the scent filling the air between us. My beast responded to the challenge, roaring to life beneath my skin. I grabbed Coone's wrist as he swung again, using his momentum to flip him over my shoulder. He hit the ground hard but rolled immediately, coming up in a crouch.
"You want a fight?" I growled, feeling my bones begin to shift and elongate. "Then let's fight."
24
ROQS
We circled each other warily,both partially transformed, both riding the knife's edge between reason and instinct. Coone was smaller, faster, built for stealth and precision. I was larger, stronger, bred for dominance and raw power. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't have been a fair fight.
