“We open the door.”
She went over to the closed door and opened it, walked inside, two of the three guards following her. The third remained with me. I glanced up at him, but his expression was neutral.
I wasn’t sure if Eela was ballsy or what. It was time to find out.
I followed her in to find a bunch of guys in white robes like weird sheiks standing about squawking like pigeons, offended that Eela was there. The room was arranged in a U shape, with three tiers of chairs that all faced the door. It was as if we’d walked into the men’s locker room by mistake and caught them all with their pants down.
Eela stood poised and calm. Well, I assumed she did, since I couldn’t see her around the guards. But she remained quiet and let the roomful of guys make their noise. She must have raised her hand or flashed a boob or something because they all fell silent.
“Right now, Cerberus from Rogue 5 is within striking distance of Trion with the intention of destroying Bakkarholt.”
Pandemonium broke out.
Again, Eela waited. The males in the room were a variety of ages, but they leaned toward the gray-haired crowd. I took them all in, calmly inspecting faces until I saw Bertok. I froze. He was two rows up and directly at the back of the room. He looked exactly as I remembere
d, wearing the same outfit. His gaze was direct and dark. I recognized the glare well as he’d pierced me with it before. He wasn’t pleased with Eela or her announcement but remained silent.
“Where is this information coming from?” A Councilor asked from our right.
“It matters not, and you will not believe me. You wish for proof. Comm the central command and have them ping the space defense patrols.”
The guy looked like he had indigestion at the idea of taking orders from a female. The guy nodded to someone beside him, and the second male started speaking into a wristwatch or what looked like one.
“Where is your mate, my lady?” another guy asked. “High Councilor Henrick should be here to share this revelation himself.”
“It matters not whether the news is from a male’s or female’s lips. The truth is the same. Bakkarholt will be destroyed within the hour. As for where my mate is, he is with our son, fighting the Cerberus craft in space.”
Shouting began again. I watched Bertok. He didn’t say a word.
This wasn’t getting anywhere fast. Perhaps that was Eela’s plan. Stall and stall some more.
Eela might be here to delay the meeting.
I was here to take down Bertok.
I stepped around the guards and moved to stand beside Eela. The room grew quiet again. I, too, waited, but for something different. I waited for Bertok to speak. I knew he would. He had to.
“Arrest her! She is the fugitive bride who murdered her matched mate. She killed Naron, one of my guards.”
The protection behind us didn’t stir, our guards impervious to Bertok’s lies.
“How did I kill him, Bertok?” I shouted, speaking over the din of voices. They silenced instantly.
“You sliced his throat.” He stepped down from his tier of seats and made his way to the main floor where Eela and I stood. He slowly walked in our direction.
“With what? Interstellar Brides arrive on Trion bare, without clothing or weapons. Surely you are not so ignorant that you are not aware of this custom?” I took my time, my gaze clashing with every male within view before I continued. “Surely, males of such high regard are not all so ignorant of their planet’s customs.”
I heard a funny sound from Eela, but she remained quiet. If females could guide their mates by pillow talk, I could get what I wanted by pricking their vanity or male pride. These were all leaders of the planet.
They all took offense by my statement.
“Naron’s death was recorded at four minutes after transport of his mate,” someone from our left called out.
“She could have found a knife in that time.”
“Even if I did kill him, I couldn’t return to Earth. I’m now under the protection of Naron’s family. I believe his brother is the male head. Why would I kill my mate, my matched mate, knowing I would be forced to go live with his family?”
“You fled immediately. Trion intelligence reported your presence at Omega Dome, in Sector Zero. If we are about to be attacked by Cerberus, as you claim, it is most likely at your bidding, treacherous female.”