Page 57 of Orange Tundra
My heart hammered against my ribs, but I held his stare. "You suspect sabotage?"
"I suspect many things." His hand fell to my shoulder, claws pricking through fabric to skin. "Which is why you're going to prepare him personally. Make sure he knows death is his only escape."
Blood trickled down my collarbone where his claws had broken skin. The metallic scent made my mouth water—not hunger, but the bone-deep need to fight, to tear, to protect what was mine.
Roqs. My mate. Who would come for Zirc no matter the cost.
"I'll make it clear," I said.
"You will. And Trill?" Kilo leaned close, his breath hot against my ear. "I'll be watching. Every word. Every move."
Fuck.
The detention level reeked of piss and fear. Zirc's cell sat at the end, isolated from the other prisoners. I could hear his labored breathing before I saw him—harsh, rattling, like something was slowly drowning him from the inside.
When I rounded the corner, my steps faltered.
He looked like death walking. Crystal growths covered half his torso now, turning fur and skin into glittering stone. His left arm hung useless, completely petrified. But his eyes... those silver eyes burned with rage that could melt steel.
"Come to gloat?" His voice was raw gravel.
I activated the privacy screen—legitimate security, but it would muffle our voices. "I've come to prepare you." Then, dropping to barely a whisper: "For what's coming."
His nostrils flared. Even poisoned, his beast could scent the conflict rolling off me in waves.
"The pit fight's in two hours." I moved closer, pretending to inspect his restraints. "You'll face their champion—pumped full of stimulants and steroids. Goes for the throat first. Duck left, come up under his guard."
Confusion flickered across his features. "Why?—"
Time to give him a dose of reality.
"Because I'm mated to Roqs!"
The words hit him like a physical blow. He went perfectly still, processing not just what I'd said but everything it meant. The aid I'd been giving him. The message I'd risked my life to send.
"You," he gritted. I could see it in his eyes. He, and interestingly his beast, wanted to maim me.
I nodded, then resumed my normal voice for the surveillance. "Kilo expects entertainment before you die. Consider your options carefully."
Footsteps echoed down the corridor. I stepped back as Roan appeared, his massive frame blocking most of the light.
"Kilo wants you. Now."
Kilo waited in his office with Nialla draped across a chair like a predator at rest. The sight of her made my skin crawl—I could smell her arousal, thick and cloying, as she watched me enter.
"Sit." Kilo gestured to the chair across from his desk. "We need to discuss your future."
I sat like the slave I was, cataloging exits. Two doors, one window with a hundred-foot drop. Not great odds, but manageable if things went sideways.
"I've been reviewing your service record," Kilo continued. "Impressive loyalty. Until recently."
Here it comes.
"The Silver Beast's capture was... convenient. Almost too convenient." Nialla leaned forward, her pupils dilated with excitement. "Raises questions about motivation. Why not kill him on the spot? More glory and favors would have been granted to you."
"I serve the cause," I said simply.
"Do you?" Nialla's tongue darted out, wetting her lips. "Because I've been researching your background. Your family history. Very illuminating."
