Page 34 of Hunted

“What do you find in other parts of the universe?” Sick fascination stayed my hand. I was speaking to one of the Hive minds, one of their leaders. I was no longer chained in a cell. I was not one of his water-based organisms now.

“We have integrated a multitude of other life forms.”

What. The. Fuck? “Like what?”

He tipped his head as if assessing either the sincerity of my interest, or the reasoning behind my question. “You primitive life forms would not be capable of understanding the complexity of the others.”

Primitive life forms?

Gods, he was evil, arrogant. And slow.

I moved with no warning, giving the opposite side of his face a matching mark.

When I was finished with him, he’d be bleeding from a hundred cuts.

Then I’d kill him. I grinned, narrowed my gaze, ready to inflict more.

“Enough! What is going on here?”

I froze and the Nexus turned his head in the direction of the perfect female’s voice. My female. My mate. The look on his face made my blood run cold. Not fear. It was as if he’d been waiting for her.

“Stay back, Niobe. He’s dangerous.” I yelled the warning over my shoulder, afraid to take my eyes off my prey. He wasn’t as fast as I, but he would be impossible to stop if I didn’t see him initiate a move. Even surrounded by Atlans.

“Move,” she snapped and the ring of fighters parted.

My mate stepped forward to stand shoulder to shoulder with two Atlan Warlords, chin high, a look I’d never seen in her eyes.

No. I’d seen it once before, right after she killed those three integrated Vikens the first time we’d been here—right before she’d set me free.

“Warlords, please take the Nexus unit into custody and bring him to me.”

“No. Niobe, no,” I told her.

Her eyes flashed with fury as they met and held mine. Every Atlan in the circle had responded to her order, closing in on the Nexus like a seven-foot wall of power.

He wasn’t going anywhere.

And Niobe wasn’t going to let me kill him.

Turning away, I caught Zan’s gaze and held it long enough to be sure he understood what I wanted.

His slight nod let me know he not only knew, he agreed. I could go talk to Niobe in private, convince her that what I needed—what we all needed—was right. The Nexus had to die. Now. In front of all the fighters he’d tortured. In front of the fighters whose brothers and fathers and families he’d hurt.

Zan took my place in front of the Nexus as two other Warlords moved into place, restraining his wrists and ankles. Our enemy was trussed and ready for delivery to the vice admiral in less than a minute.

“Zan, hold him here,” I said.

“Yes, sir.” I didn’t outrank the Atlan, but I didn’t really have a place in the Coalition’s pecking order. Elite Hunters were special operatives, given a lot of latitude in what orders to follow, and who we had to report to.

But that freedom did not go to Niobe’s level. A commander? Yes, under the right circumstances. A captain? I didn’t bother worrying about.

But a vice admiral? And my mate? I had to convince her to do the right thing.

I moved to Niobe and leaned in close. “Can we speak in private?”

Her gaze lifted from the blue monster to me and she gave a curt nod before leading me back to the still open elevator box. She stepped inside and closed the door, sealing us inside. Alone.

Her hands lifted to my face and she inspected me with an intensity I’d never experienced, not even from a doctor. Her care, her concern for my well-being was something new to me. Yes, I had sisters who harassed and teased me, but no female had ever looked at me like this.

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