“You will not touch it,” Makarios growled, and she twisted to place a hand on his arm.
“I know. Don’t worry, Mak. I think they want to keep it alive.”
“Idiots.”
Well, the big male didn’t mince words. I hid my chuckle as the warrior in me felt a solid kinship with the big brute. I was no diplomat like Niklas, nor a doctor like Helion who wanted to learn and pick the Nexus apart and study him. I destroyed my enemies. That kept my life simple.
“I need the Nexus unit alive,” Dr. Helion confirmed.
“I’m sorry. I can’t tell you how they made me what I am. I have no idea why they chose me instead of some other female. I c
an tell you that I can hear them, that they are naturally drawn to me.”
“They fucking track her like Elite Everian Hunters.” Mak, clearly unhappy with the fact, talked over the top of her.
“When I get close, I lure one in. They think I’m one of them. Safe. They are arrogant. They think they can control me. Use me.”
“But they can’t?” I asked.
“No. When I merge my mind with theirs, Mak is always there, waiting for me. He’s in my mind, too. He keeps me sane and brings me back. Somehow our integrations and our mating have connected us so that I can lure them in without losing my mind. I use myself as bait, and then we kill it.”
“Why do you not interrogate them first?” Helion asked.
“Trying to talk to them is a waste of time. Their minds aren’t like ours, Doc. They’re—” She seemed to be searching for words. “They’re empty, like an abyss. They consume. I can’t explain it, but he’s not going to talk to me. I can leave, or I can kill him.”
“You sound so sure,” I said. “Have you ever tried to question one of them?”
Gwen looked to me, then to Niklas, whose gaze was serious but held respect as well. The look she gave us was not at all similar to the one she gave Helion. “No. Shit.” She glanced over her shoulder at Makarios, who inclined his chin to his mate as if to say it was her choice. She sighed. “Fine. I’ll try. But we’ll probably end up killing it.”
“Do not,” Helion ordered.
Makarios grunted as if Dr. Helion’s preferences were no longer of any concern.
I couldn’t help but offer her a small smile, completely out of character for an ambassador’s personal guard.
Niklas made a sound of affirmation, a pseudo-grunt. “I’m sure Dr. Helion is pleased by your offer of assistance.”
Everyone looked to Helion, whose lips were in a thin line as he nodded once. Perhaps he was afraid to open his mouth and ruin it all by pissing off Gwen. It was a possibility.
“On one condition.”
Gwen’s statement had Niklas taking a step in her direction. “What is this condition?”
“You, you and you.” She pointed at me, Niklas and Ander. “The guards, too. I believe you were all at Jessica’s party the other night.”
I bowed my head slightly in confirmation.
“You’ll do the Electric Slide for me. Here. Now. Or no deal.” She lifted her arm and tapped a button on the comm unit there. The strange music we’d all heard at the party wafted into the small space as she grinned, completely unrepentant.
“What are you demanding, female?” Helion had his hands folded in front of himself, probably to make sure he didn’t forget himself and reach for Gwen again. We all knew Makarios would not tolerate a second attempt to touch his mate.
Her smile was pure mischief. “You too, Doc. You’re a smart guy. I’m sure they can teach you the steps.”
“Steps? I do not even know what this… Electric Slide is. Is it some kind of ionization process? What steps?” For once Helion had no idea about something, and the fact that it was a ridiculous Earth dance that had him stumped actually made me happy.
She looked up at me, then Ander. “Well, Lord Ander, general and all around badass. Are we doing this or what?”
“We are not.”