What Adee’ra is awakening within me is something I have never felt before.

“I feel…great.” She says the last word with some surprise in her voice.

“Good,” He’rox clicks. “No adverse effects. A tenacious race of beings. Not strong…” His gaze slips over Adee’ra and I feel my lips pulling back from my teeth. But He’rox continues as if he is dumb, which he is not. “Weak. Frail…”

My growl has him glancing my way.

“But adaptable,” he says. “Possibly that is the strength of this race. The speed at which the symbiotes have adapted to hyu-mankind is astonishing.”

He is looking at Adee’ra with such interest now that I hiss at him.

“Do not worry,” his tentacles curl as he glances my way, “I know. I will not study her.”

“Good,” I click.

Things just got much more complicated. There is a lot I have to consider now with this new revelation.

But I do not get the chance to head in that direction, for my thoughts are put on hold as the entrance to my quarters lights up.

Ga’Var.

Rekking horrible timing my womb mate has.

The green rectangle pulses for a bit before the opening materializes to reveal the large outline of my womb mate.

He is the last being I want in my quarters right now.

The first thing he does is sniff the air, his gaze flying immediately to Adee’ra.

“What is this?”

My teeth pull back even more at the accusation in his tone. I am already on edge. So much so, that my hackles rise.

“Nothing to be concerned about, womb mate.”

He takes a step inside and the door closes behind him.

I will have to make a rule that no one gets to enter my quarters uninvited anymore.

I have a female here with me now, because there’s no way I’m allowing Adee’ra to rest elsewhere in this ship.

“What is the meaning of this?” Ga’Var asks again, his gaze fastened on Adee’ra. “She is…”

Before I can respond, Adee’ra speaks up.

“I can’t understand you, though I really wish I could. Something seems to be happening here that involves me yet I have no idea what the hell you all are saying.” She steps forward, ignoring my hackles, and meets my gaze.

I feel myself calming just looking down at her.

“I know you’re probably not speaking English because you don’t want to scare me or something, but I promise you, nothing you say right now would surprise me.”

She reaches toward me and my hackles flatten.

Ga’Var clicks disapproval.

I ignore him.

“Speak so she can understand,” I say.

When I turn my attention to Ga’Var, he is scowling at me. “You had the female assimilated?” His dark eyes grow richer with rage and I can almost feel the jealously emanate from him. “You mated with her and shared your colony?”

He is speaking in Adee’ra’s language and she understood every word.

Her eyes widen a little.

“We didn’t—” Her skin is warm again. “We didn’t mate.”

“Not yet,” He’rox clicks and I am glad he didn’t speak so she can understand.

Ga’Var sniffs the air again. “Smells like mating to me. The whole ship can smell your activities.”

Adee’ra’s eyes widen so much and then she is staring at me. “What?”

My symbiotes flutter a little with the sudden pleasure I am feeling just remembering the feel of my tongue in her slit. But she does not seem to like the memory.

The thought of what we shared. She wishes to hide it.

My ears flatten at the realization and that thrum of pleasure that was building within me dies.

Adee’ra is ashamed of what we shared.

“Everybody knows?”

Ga’Var sniffs again. “Everyone that came in contact with my womb mate knows he’s been feasting on suu’ci and now they are wondering if the other female is seeking a mate too. Now, everyone is wondering—”

I growl, stopping the words in his throat. “Enough. Why did you come here? I left you on the bridge.”

Ga’Var doesn’t pull his gaze away from Adee’ra even though he is speaking to me.

There is disappointment in his eyes.

“We are in trouble,” he says.

I wait for him to go on, impatience making my ba’clan rise a little.

“We have spotted a Scrit.”

Silence falls in the room.

“How far?”

Ga’Var clicks the distance and I bristle again.

It is close. Close enough to see if we go and stand on the bridge.

“We don’t have enough power for another beam,” he says.

“I know that. Even still, we cannot attack another Scrit. Not yet. We have killed two Gryken. That should sate the crew’s need for blood for a few days. We need to set up a base first.”

“Affirmative.”

“We have to stay cloaked.”

“Affirmative.”

I bristle again. He is being difficult.

“Then why did you come here? Do not engage.”

Ga’Var turns to me then and I finally see the extent of the anger and jealousy in his eyes.

“We have no choice. We have to do something. The Scrit is scanning.”

The air freezes between us and through the corner of my eye, I notice He’rox moving toward Adee’ra.

She does not retreat.

Instead, I notice her symbiotes bristle.

They are ready to attack if she chooses to—even if she chooses not to. They do not trust He’rox now after his little stunt.

Still, I growl at He’rox and he stops in his tracks.

“A node has died nearby. Of course, they are scanning,” he says. “Gryken don’t just die. We know this.”

“That doesn’t mean they will detect us,” I say. My voice deepens in anger as I speak to him and I click a warning tone too low for Adee’ra to hear.

Don’t you rekking go any closer to her or you will lose one of your limbs.

He pauses. Watching me.

“But…” Ga’Var says.

I growl once more, this time at my womb mate.

I know what he is suggesting.

If we do not do something, the Scrit will realize what happened to the node sooner or later and it will inform the others. We are not ready for such a situation

“We can keep it here,” He’rox suggests as if reading our minds and I glance his way. His tentacles are almost shivering with glee.

“Keep it here?” Ga’Var almost roars at him and from the corner of my eyes, I can see Adee’ra glancing from one of us to the other in confusion.

“That would mean capturing it alive. No one is that stupid.” Ga’Var looks my way for support in his statement but I cannot provide it.

He’rox is correct.

If it sends a signal to the hive mind, we can squash our hopes for a quiet, calculated, attack.

We have to capture the thing.

Ga’Var’s hackles rise as he steps toward me, his lips pulling back but they fall in the next second.

I don’t understand why until I sense Adee’ra standing in front of me.

She is staring up at him with a look I’ve seen in those wide eyes of hers before.

Resilience.

“I’m with, Fer’ro,” she says and I don’t know what emotion I should feel.

“This is my planet. Earth is the only home we humans know. If we have to catch one of these fuckers to allow you guys to do your thing, then we’ll have to catch one of these fuckers,” she says.

We are all taken back for a moment because none of us say a word.

She just suggested the Gryken mating with us…with them.

Fuckers.

The horror she must have seen while stuck in the Scrit’s belly.

Images from Edooria flash in my head.

I know what she experienced. What she saw.

It fuels the same hatred I feel for the Gryken that emanates from her now.

But then she says something that makes my blood organ halt.

“Tell me what needs to be done. I want to help.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

ADIRA

I walk toward the door before any of the males can protest because I can feel it on the tips of their tongues that they are about to tell me no.

That I should stay in the safety of Fer’ro’s quarters.