Page 35 of Hunted

Like I mattered. Like I was an important part of her.

Like she loved me.

Did Niobe love me? My body lit up at the possibility, but I forced it back down. I’d only met her earlier today. Fuck, was that all? And yet, perhaps she did love me. And if she did care, she’d give me what I needed.

I needed to kill that fucking monster outside these doors.

“He deserves to die, Niobe.” I stated the fact bluntly and her gaze clouded, her hands dropping from my cheeks to her side.

“I agree.”

I sighed. Thank the gods.

“Good. Then this discussion is over. I’ll finish him and we can go back to the Karter and get to know each other better.” I meant that I’d take her back to the battleship, wash every inch of her curves and then conquer her body until she collapsed from exhaustion. That was my idea of the perfect end of an insane day.

She shook her head. “No. He’s coming with me to I.C. Core Command.”

I was shaking my head before she’d finished the sentence, my hands rising to wrap around her shoulders. “No. He’s mine.”

Her eyes narrowed, her gaze deliberately dropping to where my firm grip tightened on her arms. “Elite Hunter Quinn, you will release me at once. You are not to touch that Nexus unit again. In fact, you will remain in this elevator and return to Level One where you will transport back to Battleship Karter to be reprimanded for insubordination.”

My blood ran cold as she stared me down.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. This was not my mate. This was not the woman who’d wrapped her body around me and come all over my cock. This was an I.C. operative, a vice admiral, an officer in the Coalition who could have me thrown into prison for what I’d done here. But she’d agreed with me. I didn’t understand.

I removed my hands slowly. “Niobe…”

Her chin tipped up. “You may address me as Vice Admiral. I am taking the Nexus unit to Core Command, as was ordered by Prime Nial himself, then will return to the Academy in approximately one week. You will turn yourself in to Commander Karter for disciplinary action.”

“No. I. Niobe—”

She cocked her head to the side and I realized just how much trouble I might be in… and didn’t care. I couldn’t—wouldn’t—talk like this to Karter or any other superior.

I swallowed hard. “Vice Admiral, the Nexus killed my entire unit and made me watch. He tortured me for days. He’s singlehandedly murdered thousands of Coalition fighters and even more innocents. He has to die.”

She waved her hand and the elevator doors slid open. There was no mercy—no love—fuck, no feeling at all in her eyes when her gaze locked with mine. Like she was a Nexus unit. Emotions on lockdown. “You have your orders, Hunter. I will not repeat myself.”

She stepped off the elevator and the crowd of fighters parted like she’d waved a wand and magically divided them into perfect lines. They moved silently, clearing her path to the Nexus who was on his knees, his hands locked behind his back, his ankles shackled, and a black cloth bag covering his head.

Niobe didn’t even look back at me. She removed two small transport beacons from her pocket, placed one on the Nexus, one on herself, and one second later, they both disappeared. No floor vibrations or hair raising with that transport.

Zan stood where th

e Nexus had been moments before, his hands clenched into fists, the muscles on his neck bulging as he fought down his beast.

He’d wanted the kill as badly as I, and my mate had denied us both.

No. Looking around the room of silent, sullen fighters, I realized that she had denied us all. It wasn’t until I stepped to the edge of the elevator, stopped, remembered that she’d ordered me to Level One, and to transport back to Battleship Karter for disciplinary action, that my heart began to crack into pieces.

My mate… no, the vice admiral… no, my mate had betrayed me. Betrayed us all.

I’d had less than a day to win her heart, and I’d failed.

She’d not just denied me the kill, she’d left me behind.

10

Quinn, Battleship Karter, Canteen

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