“Shaa kouvi, don’t go!” The sound was faint as a whisper, like the sound of a rustling of leaves. She couldn’t force more words through her parched throat as collapsed into the dirt. For a few seconds all she could do was lie still, shivering at the power of everything vibrating under her skin.
A powerful loneliness settled over her—something that felt as if she had carried it her whole life but had only just become aware of it. She had a mate, she had felt the Knowing, and she knew the magic of the bond. It was so much more than what she had expected it to be, and her heart was captured by the beauty and power of the Preor.
But he hadn’t stopped. He had flown right over her and not even slowed down.
How can this be possible?
Chapter Three
Tyff knew plenty of Preor had already headed back to Tau Tower and he could safely take off and leave this situation behind, but his sense of duty made him stay. The debriefings were never his favorite part of any action, but he wanted to share any information he had and find out if any of the criminals had been taken.
He stood in the ranks with a few others, waiting for Radoo to come out of the hastily erected command center next to the hospital. He recognized a few of the warriors around him but was not close to any of them. He had a sudden, intense longing for the days when he had worked under Zadri and every day had been a very efficient routine.
Since pairing with Delaney, Zadri had been almost totally absent from his job as defense master. He wasn’t even there at the moment. Radoo had made some headway recently in getting the chain of command organized, but now he was off chasing his mate just like the rest.
He didn’t begrudge them their happiness, not at all. To have a mate and dragonlets was the greatest gift Syh could give. He just hadn’t accounted for the fact it would come between so many Preor and their duties.
Radoo finally emerged from the tent with Lane by his side. Tyff was shocked when Lane took the front position and addressed the group.
“Thank you for staying to debrief.” Her voice was clear and carried well, but it held no authority. Tyff began to wonder if he could take orders from a human—especially a human who had so recently been his enemy.
“I want to inform all of you that we believe the hills have been swept and the town is clear. Some of the resistance have yet to be found, and I want a particular focus on Hazel. We have no evidence of where she has gone, so gathering intel is a priority. The town has been fully investigated with no chance any resistance fighters are hiding here.”
“Excuse me,” a Preor near the front spoke up. “How do you know that?”
Damn good question, thought Tyff. Lane turned to the young warrior with a bright smile.
“People are shocked by the attack, and they have been very cooperative. Some basic searches brought in no evidence and we didn’t think it was necessary to upset people further.”
A slight murmur rippled through the crowd. Hazel could easily be hiding in the town. It would make the most sense, seeing as how it would take a very skilled individual to survive in the wilderness—to say nothing of avoiding the Preor and human soldiers.
She’s a hopeful one. Let’s see if that optimism pays off.
Lane looked back to Radoo and he took her hand and stepped up beside her.
“The majority of you will be returning to the Tower after this meeting. We have plenty of troops on the ground here, and Lane has contacted the remainder of the resistance and has their cooperation.”
Radoo spoke with such confidence, it was hard to fault him. Tyff worried over his logic, though. This wasn’t a thorough way of handling the situation. It was the perfect way to invite a sneak attack.
Just lock them all up and question them afterward. They’ll be less likely to lie and it would be impossible for them to do any harm.
He knew innocent women and children were in the group, but the resistance had already proven they would stop at nothing to prove their point.
“Moving forward, we will support Lane in her efforts to relocate the resistance members to a safe area free of Preor where they feel secure.” Radoo spoke with authority, but he sounded far too optimistic to Tyff. “Once we have ensured a safe zone, we have no doubt there will be no further attacks.”
Tyff couldn’t believe what he was hearing. This was not an efficient way to manage a military operation. They were leaving gaps everywhere, which would affect security. As secondary defense master, he felt he should step in and say something.
Before he could, Sasha came trotting out of the tent with her small camera. She zoomed in on Radoo and Lane, who smiled and posed. Then she panned over the assembled warriors.
“Ladies and gentlemen, take in the brave souls who have put their lives on the line for humanity yet again. These warriors fiercely defended the human population and risked themselves to bring the resistance to justice. The Preor don’t wish to force anyone to accept them. They are honorable and disciplined, here to help us, not hurt us.”
Tyff rolled his eyes, hoping no one could see him. He didn’t want to be accused of disrespecting anyone’s mate, but the puff pieces were getting stale.
It hasn’t done any good. We keep pushing and pushing, yet the resistance just gets stronger.
He had to wonder if the Knowing was actually frightening for some people. He supposed it could be, if he tried to examine it from another perspective. The idea that an ancient and powerful genetic force could change your life in a few seconds might seem terrifying, especially if you didn’t feel safe about aliens landing on your planet.
He sighed deeply. He wasn’t a philosopher. It wasn’t his job to puzzle out the motivations of others. Thinking sympathetically had not gotten them anywhere so far.
Lane was talking again but Tyff’s thoughts were louder. He saw Sasha coming up on one side, still filming, and he looked away. He wanted to get back to the ship, quite desperately. One thing he really liked about this new situation was that some Preor were going to be permanently ship-based and others Earth-based.
Of course, Radoo hadn’t gotten to fully implement his plan yet. A group of qualified Preor were supposed to be designated for each major position, instead of just one or two, to ensure the chain of command never fell into disarray. Those who preferred to look for mates would stay on Earth and a whole new system was being implemented for them. Now that Radoo had gone to follow Lane, no one knew who was in charge anymore.
I am, he decided. I have the highest rank and I was officially an understudy before the whole reserve master position was even introduced. I can run the ship however I like.
This thought comforted him greatly. He had already been impatient but now his desire to leave was almost overpowering. Sasha moved down the crowd again and he looked away so she wouldn’t catch him looking at her. He really didn’t want to be on the evening news.
It appeared that Lane was finishing up and several Preor walked away to prepare for takeoff. Tyff was struck suddenly by the number of stretchers being taken through the main doors at the hospital.
We just stood there and listened to her talk about fairness and mercy, but did that get shown to any of these poor people?
He saw Whelon standing at the door, briefly examining each patient to triage them. More of them were here than he had originally anticipated, and the sight of them made him queasy. None of these people were warriors. They didn’t deserve to suffer like this.