I left them nothing, my rage at the threat to Abby so complete I was worse than an Atlan in beast mode. I ripped limbs from their bodies, stomped skulls into paste and when I had found their leader, I had tortured him until he gave us the name of the individual he used to contact the Hive. To my surprise, his contact was a member of the Coalition Fleet. According to my new source, the male was a spy and thief for the Silver Scions, a group that dealt exclusively in illegal Hive tech. Hive ships. Engines. Weapons. Even upgrades for the body, super-strong limbs or brain chips. Everything they did made them a target of the Interstellar Coalition of Planets.
That information would go to the Coalition as well, for the right price. Styx and I knew a certain member of their Intelligence Core who was as ruthless about protecting his people as I. Doctor Helion would hunt the traitor down without mercy and destroy anyone and everyone he even suspected of participating. I knew from experience that the Prillon would pay well for valuable information such as this.
However, the Coalition was not my concern. Which meant I could rest now. Go back to my life protecting my legion, hunting our enemies and fucking my female.
If she would have me.
‘I don’t want you to do that.’
She had not spoken such words to me before our battle with the Hive. But the Hive were not people, they were automations controlled by a Hive mind. The Siren males I had torn into pieces this day had screamed with their own lungs, acted with their own fear. Died for their betrayal.
Styx walked next to me, shoulder to shoulder as we had for as long as I could remember. The others looked relatively clean for just having been in a fight. I was unrecognizable, covered head to toe in blood. They had kept their word and stayed the fuck out of my way.
We walked, as a unit, through the busiest sections of the neutral zone. Styx wanted everyone to know what betraying our legion would cost them. Word would travel quickly, further cementing our reputation as a strong, merciless, not-to-be-fucked-with legion on Rogue 5. We and Kronos were the two strongest legions and could wipe out the others if we so chose. I was the monster that scared the children and Styx used my infamy to our legion’s advantage. I made sure to keep my countenance severe as we walked past gaping males and females, children shouting and pointing, running to collect their friends so they, too, could see the parade of blood with me at its head.
At the rear was a hovering cargo crate stacked with Siren dead. When we reached the center of the busy territory, we dropped the bodies on the ground in a heap and Styx stepped forward.
“I am Styx. Hear me Rogue 5. Siren legion has stolen our technology and sold it to the Hive. They are kidnapping native Hyperions, carriers of our ancestral bloodlines, and selling them to Hive Integration Units for experimentation and torture. And they tried to kill me, my brother and many members of my legion. You see their fate. We will show no mercy to anyone else involved and offer a reward for any information that will lead us to their accomplices. We are Styx.”
A nervous hush lingered after Styx finished shouting his speech. He led the rest of our team away, taking the now empty cargo crate with him. I, however, walked around the bodies one last time inspecting my work. Satisfied, I glanced up to find a male from Siren legion staring at me. “Do you know who I am, Siren?”
“Yes.”
“What is my name?”
“Cormac.”
I nodded my head. “You tell that bitch you call a leader if she fucks with Styx again, I am coming for her head.”
He swallowed slowly and nodded his head. Satisfied my message would be delivered, if not by him than by one of the dozens of others standing around gawking, I walked away.
I was done. Abby was safe. Styx would figure out what to do about the rest. I was a weapon, not the leader of our people. I needed everyone on this moon to fear me, all but one.
Abby.
I buried the pain rising to choke me as I caught up to the others. We returned to Styx territory to find the feast still going. The others picked up their pace. When I lingered, Styx dropped back to speak with me.
“What are you doing?”
“I cannot allow Abby to see me like this.”
“It is who you are.”
“She will reject me, brother. She told me not to do this, not to kill, and I walked away from her.”
My brother slapped me on the back, then wiped his blood covered hand on his armored thigh. “She is yours, Cormac. Trust in that.”
He left me alone in the corridor, looking in through a window as our people laughed and danced and feasted without a care. My gaze found Abby at once. She was sitting at a table across from Harper. Their hands touched on top of the table and they looked to be deep in conversation. Seated around them like a security detail were the nine Atlans we had rescued on Latiri 4. Their loyalty to my mate obvious in the way they kept close to her and continued to scan the crowd for imminent threats.
Good. I approved. Although it required nine beasts to replace me.
I saw the moment Harper looked up and caught sight of her mates, Styx and Blade. She jumped to her feet and ran to them, throwing her arms around them and kissing them both in turn as our legion cheered.
The rest of the team was greeted with loud cries of congratulations and slaps on the back.
From my place just outside the window, my gaze drifted back to Abby. She rose slowly, a look of confusion on her face. She scanned the team, looking for something.
Looking for me.