“My younger brothers avoided the conscription by being too young to join up. Even the Roth Overlord has limits. Or, he used to. They injected it when I slept, and I left it in.”

“He’s bluffing,” Dergoz declares. “Our tech would have found it.”

“It isn’t regular tech,” the Roth stands, looming in the small cell, pacing back and forth. “It cannot be taken out. They were young and foolish and wanted to know where I was. They keep track of me. And they just activated it, because my ship hasn’t sent them an update in seventeen days.”

“Your young brothers are on their way here,” I repeat slowly. “And you would bargain information in return for sparing their lives.”

He nods once, the muscle in his jaw twitching so hard I can tell giving us just that small amount of information irritates him to no end.

“Check the scans,” Draz says, and Dergoz moves quickly through the doors. “Advise the techs to stand down, wait and watch protocols.”

“This is a bad idea,” Alvez says, shaking his head. “The Roth are expert liars.”

The gray alien slams his hands against the cell wall. “It is not a lie. I lost everyone. Everyone, to the virus. Except my brothers.” His face is tight, and the tips of his hair begin to turn blue, then red… like they’re burning.

I tilt my head. In all my battles against his species, I have never seen that.

“I would die gladly for my brothers. I will tell you what you want to know, and then you can be done with me. Just give me proof that they are safe, and I will tell you everything I know about the Overlord and his plans for Sueva and Earth. I’m dead anyway. Once the Overlord knows I’ve been caught, he would send a team out to finish me off if I ever get off this planet.”

“Small Roth freighter headed inbound,” Dergoz reports, his voice coming through the datapad in Draz’s hand.

“He spoke true,” I say, studying the Roth. “What is your name?”

“They call me Nydo.” He grits his teeth, as though simply telling us that pains him.

It’s a start.

“Tell us everything you can think of, and we will fact-check it with what we already know.” It’s a dangerous game, to deal with spies and double-crossers, but there’s enough on the line that I think it’s worth the gamble. Worst case, he doesn’t give us anything new, or he tries leading us to an easily found out trap. I have confidence in our ability to see through any deceptions.

Best case, we have a Roth traitor in our holding cells and a new insight into their operations.

Draz catches my eye, nodding his head. He’s thinking the same thing.

“We will record our conversation and have our techs fact-checking as you speak. If you lie, your brothers find out exactly how our interplanetary defense tech works. Understood?”

The reddish tinge travels up his hair, over his shoulders.

“What is that?” Draz asks.

The alien slumps against the hard bench on the back wall. “It is a family problem,” he says roughly. “A very old family problem.” He turns to look at us, and his gaze is tired. “What do you want to know?”

Draz rattles off a list of questions, and as pleased as I am that we’re making progress with the Roth prisoner, Nydo, I’m distracted.

I want to tell Gen. I want to see Gen. I wish she were here at my side, helping me make decisions.

Holding my hand while doing so.

“So far, everything is true,” a voice chirps over Draz’s comm tablet.

Nydo watches us with wary eyes, distaste clear on his face. I am shocked he would turn traitor to save his brothers.

I can’t help but think that perhaps there is more to the Roth problem than any of us would care to admit.

We spend the next two hours drilling down information from our newly pliant captive, until the cell wall finally turns opaque, signaling the communication barrier is sealed between us.

Draz fixes me with a knowing look.

“You are distracted, Prince.”

I run a hand through my hair. “I long for my mate.” I purse my lips. “Does it fade? The hunger?”

“It has only been a week or so for us.” He laughs, shaking his head. “But no. I cannot imagine it will. As understandably distracted as you are, you did very well with him.”

I should not need his praise. I outrank him, as a Prince, even though he’s several years older than I and three times as experienced.

“Thank you,” I tell Draz seriously. “I want to do the best I can by Sueva. By all of Sueva.”

“By your glowing female, too, I imagine.” His scarred face twitches, and I can tell he’s holding in a laugh.

“I will not deny it.”

Dergoz, the Brute, makes an irritated noise from behind us. “All you two think about is burying yourselves in their soft cunts. You are both insufferable.”

Draz and I both turn to him, furious.

He bows his head immediately. “Apologies.”

“You would do well to make amends with your wife, Brute,” Draz spits.

“The humans are too soft for our species,” Dergoz retorts, and I have a sneaking suspicion this is not the first time they have had this conversation.

“Kanuz and I have not had any problems,” Draz returns.

Dergoz snaps his teeth, his tail smashing the wall behind. Stiffly, he dips his head at me, and walks out.

“What happened?”

Draz shrugs. “I do not know. Neither he nor Bex will discuss it.”

“Bex? The dark-haired one?”

“Yes.” Draz smiles. “She makes my Ni-Kee laugh. It saddens me that the Brute refuses to give her a chance. Especially when Bex is willing and so many are not.”

“The females are still unwilling?”

“More or less.” He shrugs, looking uncomfortable. “I am disgusted by what their Federation did. It is despicable.”

“Agreed.” We both fall silent.

“The southerners said you sent word to have more females brought here.”

Draz chuckles. “That would be my Ni-Kee’s doing. She negotiated their help in turning on the Roth in return for bringing more mates for them. Of course, the women would have to choose to come here.” His expression darkens.

“The Roth captured you?” I ask, stunned. For the First Warlord to be caught unawares… That is something I truly thought I would never see. He claps me on the shoulder.

“Come, Kanuz, let us walk and talk. I am eager to return to my mate, though hopefully she will not be too tired from training for the Trials.”

“She thinks to compete in the Trials?” Good for her. A human female as a Suevan Warlord. “Perhaps Dergoz would not be so quick to dismiss his wife if Niki succeeds.”

“Oh, there is no if about it. She will succeed. I have no doubt about it.” He shakes his head, his eyes shining with affection for her.

“I am glad you are well pleased with her,” I tell him sincerely.

“As am I for you, my friend. I never thought this day would come.”

We walk through the long hall together, leaving the Roth to his own devices in his cell.

OceanofPDF.com

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

OceanofPDF.com

GEN

“I feel like a clown.”

“Shut up. I barely put any on you.” Bex wields the pot of red-tinted balm like a weapon, and I eye her warily. “It’s literally cheek stain. It’s not like I put falsies on you and airbrushed your skin.”

“I’m glowing already,” I tell her irritably. “Don’t start talking about airbrushing my skin.”

“Yeah, honestly, we could bottle whatever the hell it is you drank, sell it on Earth, and make an absolutely killing in the beauty industry.”

“You said I look like acid trip Tinkerbell.”

“It’s a mood. It’s a look. It’s a lifestyle.”

I glare at her, and she dabs something soft on my lips.

“Okay,” Niki interrupts from where she’s sprawled across something that looks like a sofa, but isn’t quite a sofa. “Let me get this straight.”