Her mates looked at one another and nodded. Maxim spoke. “We are in agreement, Helion. Prillon warriors do not leave females or young ones unprotected. You ask too much.”
For once, Helion looked exhausted. Fatalistic. Utterly defeated. “I know. This war asks too much of us all.”
“So, are we in agreement?” I asked. “We go in, we free the prisoners and we capture this Nexus thing?” I couldn’t live with myself if we went in there and left them behind. I’d rather be dead than try to live with leaving babies to die. Or worse. Who knew what the weird blue alien with shark eyes would do with an innocent baby? The thought made me shudder.
“Very well,” Helion agreed.
“Where is the Nexus unit now?” Thomar asked. “Can the scanners pinpoint its location on the prison ship?”
A fighter sitting at one of the control stations answered. “We have been tracking your mate’s connection to the Nexus unit. We are close enough now that I have scanned the ship. The Nexus in the standard integration bay. I’m also picking up signals for at least two dozen prisoners and several infants in that area.”
“I bet those prisoners are all women,” I muttered.
“Of course,” Varin’s response sounded bored, but I could feel the underlying fury.
“How many fighters are on that ship? Guards? Pilots?”
The fighter checked his screens. “Six fighters in the control room, two with the Nexus unit and fifteen appear to be locked into hibernation cells.”
“That won’t last long,” Thomar said. “The moment we hit them those fighters will be activated.”
“And at full power,” Varin added.
Thomar looked over to Varin, then down at me. Our gazes locked. “You will remain here, on Helion’s ship.”
“I will not. Those women are going to be scared to death. Who knows if they’ve ever seen a Prillon or an Atlan before? No way. I’m going. They are going to need a friendly face.” And that was only half of the reason.
Thomar locked his gaze to mine. I felt the struggle within him, the need to protect me warring with my logic as well as my need to go with them. Protect them. Make sure they came out of this alive and in one piece, mentally as well as physically.
I stared right back, furious, hurt and determined not to let my mates out of my sight. I knew Helion’s type, the smooth, lying, the-end-justifies-the-means kind of people. I knew my mates were warriors, first and always. If they believed they needed to die to save me, they’d die. They’d sacrifice themselves. Again.
I would not have it. I was going to be dead in four days anyway. Might as well die protecting the only males I’d ever loved. “I know how to fire a gun. I know how to fight. I didn’t survive all those years in federal prison being weak. My mates are not going anywhere without me.”
The connection to my mates through my collar was surprisingly quiet. I wasn’t sure what that meant, but I was too busy staring down first Thomar, then Maxim and finally, Helion, to worry about the eerie calm at the moment.
The silence stretched. I did not budge. I couldn’t risk losing them. Even better, I knew, knew, that if Helion tried to lay a hand on me he’d be dead before he realized he’d made a mistake. Thomar moved slightly, angled his body just enough to partially block my body from Helion’s view. Varin had my back. I stared down a huge, battle-hardened, probably psychopathic alien warrior and for the first time in my life, I felt no fear for my personal safety. None. I felt truly and completely safe.
“Very well.” Helion turned to the fighter at the control panel. “How long do we have?”
“One hundred thirty-seven minutes to attack position.”
Helion stood. “I suggest everyone get something to eat. Rest. Check your gear. You know the routine. Be in the launch bay in one-oh-seven.”
I’d won an argument for one of the first times in my life. And with a mean Prillon secret agent. The small victory made dizzy, and it made me bold. Drunk. Reckless. I only had four days. Maybe, I only had one hundred and seven minutes. “Everyone out. Get out of here. I need to talk to my mates. Alone.”