I can’t help returning her smile. “Well, no—”
“Deja!”
Our heads snap to the entrance of the alcove, and Deja jumps to her feet. All I can do is gape at the alien standing there. He must be close to seven feet tall with broad, muscled shoulders and skin the color of sandstone. A mane of multi-colored hair, heavily sprinkled with silver, falls around his shoulders. The serious look on his angular face makes my smile fade.
“There has been a breach,” the alien says, holding his hand out to her. This must be herhighly capable male.
“Where’s Rovos?” I demand, jumping to my feet.
* * *
Rovos
T
he boy leads me to a private room, close to where Annah and Deja are talking. I nod my thanks, and then I’m left alone.
As I slide into a chair, my fingers dial in the coordinates for theShade,and immediately Sone’s haggard face appears on the screen before me.
“Rovos!” he shouts. “Where in the Seven Systems have you been?”
A moment later, Igid and Treto appear over his shoulder with the same severe expression, and I get a bad feeling.
“It’s a long story,” I begin.
“Then it can wait,” Sone interrupts. “Are you on Pamia with the human?”
“I—” My stomach clenches. Should he know that? I can’t remember what we talked about when we last spoke. “Yes.”
“Then you’re about to have company.”
At that moment, the roar of a low-flying craft rumbles overhead.
“Vittu!Start talking, Sone,” I growl. “Tell me what I need to know.”
“It’s Volethos,” Igid speaks up from behind Sone. Her expression is serious, which only adds to my bad feeling. “We are pretty sure he’s in league with the Xar’ads.”
“He is leading a battalion to take back your human,” Sone adds. “And any others they find.”
Vittu! Vittu! Vittu!My hands clench, and I want to throw something.
“How did they find us?” As soon as the question is past my lips, I shake my head. “It doesn’t matter. Where are you?”
“We’re right behind them,” Sone tells me with a sly grin. The little Markatti is always itching for a fight. Many let his small stature fool them, but Sone fights as well as three Vesen warriors twice his size.
Thank the Gods.
“There are soldiers here. I’ll make sure everyone is ready,” I tell my crew.
“See you soon, brother.” Sone nods at me just before the image cuts out.
I lean back in my seat and stab my fingers through my hair. What was I thinking? How could I not have realized we were being followed? I thought I disabled the tracker, but there must have been another.
“Where’s Rovos?” I hear my Annah’s shout over the growing cacophony of voices, and I’m out of the chair and across the room before I realize.
“Annah!” I bellow when I see a male blocking the entrance to the alcove.
I’m about to go on the attack when he steps aside, and my Annah races past him and into my arms.
