“What? Why?”
“Please, go to the scooter. I’ll be right there.” Tail snapping, he stalked back to where Wingman stood. “Don’t you even think of getting Psy involved—”
Psy had helped her on the farm. He’d seemed nice. Why had the mention of his name gotten Cam so worked up?
Wingman puffed up, growing larger, and, as she watched, she’d swear the tips of his feathers sharpened to razor points. Oh my god, are they going to fight?
“She’s not going to tell anybody anything,” Cam said.
Shit! It is about me.
“We’ll be long gone soon anyway,” Inferno said. “Cool it, you two!”
“You endangered us all. You’ve broken the code of silence time and again,” Wingman said.
“Kevanne presents no threat,” Cam said.
“Says the Xeno.”
“What is your problem?” Cam demanded.
“Please, don’t fight. Stop,” she said, nauseous she’d somehow played a part in the disagreement.
Both men ignored her.
“Every time I start to trust you, you pull some Xeno shit.”
“Hey, hey…” Inferno stepped between them. “Let’s not go there…”
Wingman whipped an angry glance in Inferno’s direction. “I don’t understand how you can forget what he is, what his people did!”
“What did the Xenos do?” Kevanne muttered.
“You didn’t tell her?” Wingman hooted. “I guess you can keep some secrets.” He strode toward her. “Did he tell you he’s a member of the High Council of the Xeno Consortium?”
“Wingman, I don’t think—” Inferno cut in.
She glanced between Wingman and Inferno. “Yes, he did.”
“What else did he tell you?” He almost seemed to be goading Cam.
She looked to Cam, but he stared off into the woods, his tail snapping back and forth.
“Wingman, stop,” Inferno said. “Kevanne—leave, go back to your farm.”
How does he know I have a farm—did Cam tell him? Why wasn’t he saying something? His jaw appeared welded shut. His posture was rigid, his jerking tail the only movement. Her stomach knotted with dread.
“Well, what did he tell you about the Xenos?” Wingman repeated. His wing tips had sharpened to razors.
“Th-that they’re a creator species. They created your planet… ’Topia.”
“They’re a destroyer species,” Wingman said. “Your Xeno lover murdered our people, firebombed our planet, decimated our civilization. He killed our families, our friends, everyone. He and the consortium bombarded ’Topia and killed every living thing.”
She shook her head. “No—no—”
“Why do you think we’re here on Earth?”
“Your-your ship needed repairs.”
“Because the Xenos fired on it when we fled ’Topia as it was being destroyed—by order of the High Council of which your lover is a voting member. He’s responsible for an act of genocide, wiping out millions of ’Topians just because they were ’Topians.”
“No…” She shook her head. The man she’d fallen in love with would not have been involved in genocide! Kevanne sought out Cam, expecting a denial. What she saw rocked her to the core. His coloring had turned yellowish green, the guilt in his eyes erasing everything she’d believed.
“Wingman is right. I can’t refute what he says,” he said in a defeated voice. “Millions died because of me—”
Her stomach churned, and she feared she would throw up. How stupid could she have been? An alien lands on Earth, and she trusts him? Hadn’t she learned anything after Dayton? This man was a mass murderer! A monster. Oh my god. She’d slept with him. Invited him into her life and her home. She clapped a hand over mouth and backed away.
Pain sliced across his face. “Kevanne—please…” He swallowed. “I’ll drive you home.” He stepped toward her.
“No! Stay away. Don’t come near me ever again!” She turned and ran down the forest service road.
* * * *
Chameleon watched his mate tear down the wooded road as if she feared he’d attack her. He felt like he was dying.
“Don’t leave it like this. Go after her.” Inferno nudged him.
He clenched his fist. “She hates me. She’s afraid of me now.”
“If she’s your mate, she’ll understand when you explain.”
“I wouldn’t, if I was her,” Wingman said.
“Why do you have to be such an asshole?” Inferno snapped, using an Earth insult.
“I lost a potential mate and parents!” Wingman’s face contorted. “I saw the destroyers blast the village where they lived. I watched as the entire planet burned. Maybe Chameleon didn’t give the order or push the button himself, but he was a member of the High Council. He knew of the bombardment.”
“We all lost somebody! But the situation isn’t quite the way you presented it to Kevanne. You didn’t tell her how he led us to the ship. How he saved us,” Inferno snapped at Wingman but then glowered at Chameleon. “Why didn’t you defend yourself?”
“Because he’s right. I am responsible. The Xeno Consortium did everything he said, and I served on the High Council. The information I provided to the council led to the destruction. I didn’t mean to, but it happened. I tried to save as many ’Topians as I could, but it was too little, too late. I don’t even know if the last group of refugees got to safety or if they were killed.”
“They’re safe. Safer than we ever hoped.” Tigre stepped out of the woods, flanked by Psy and Shadow. “We have confirmation.”
“Are you sure? How? What confirmation could you have?” Chameleon hardly dared to hope.
“Well, that’s an interesting story,” Tigre grinned. “Very interesting.” He waved the object he carried. “It almost makes this anticlimactic.”
“Is that the matter-energy transformer core?” Inferno asked.
“Yep. It’s been fixed.”
“We can move the ship without being seen.”
“I believe so. After installing the part, we can fly the ship to the Mysk campus so his people can work on it.”
“So, we’ll be out of here in two months,” Chameleon said dully. It didn’t matter now. Kevanne never wanted to see him again.
“If we choose to.”
“Why wouldn’t we choose to?” Wingman asked.
“I need to fill you in on the new developments.” Tigre shifted his gaze between Chameleon and Wingman. “But, what’s been going on here?”
“I gave Kevanne a tour of the ship.” Chameleon felt sick at what had happened, but he couldn’t blame Wingman. He hadn’t said anything that wasn’t true.
“Why was she running down the road, then?”
“I related how the Xenos destroyed ’Topia,” Wingman said. “And Chameleon’s involvement.”
“Chameleon did everything he could to save ’Topia,” Shadow said. “He founded the Xeno Opposition Movement.”