Vek followed Galen, as the imperator led them out of the House of Galen. He tried to focus on finding the drakking aliens who’d drugged him, but he was so conscious of Mia by his side.

She’d laid down before him, naked, and let him touch her, taste her. Like a private offering just for him. Then she’d touched him and pleasured him. Even now, desire was a hungry echo that reverberated through his body. She’d given herself to him—a man who had been no more than a beast for so long.

He wanted more. Much, much more.

Galen led them up to the top level of the arena. When Vek stepped out at the spot where he and Mia had been sitting the night before, his muscles locked.

His gaze fell to the stairs, and the image of Mia falling played over again in his head. His jaw went tight.

Mia grabbed his hand and squeezed. “Not your fault.”

A sound rumbled through his chest. It would be a long time before he believed that.

She leaned closer, her voice low. “Do you know what I think of when I look around here? Our first kiss.”

His cock stirred, and his anger dimmed.

“Now, let’s find these assholes, Vek.”

He drew in a deep breath and nodded. He circled around, teased by that strange scent that he’d picked up the night before. Something like plants and dirt. Another hint of a memory flickered through his brain, but it slipped away before he could grasp it.

There was something about this scent that made his skin prickle and his gut go tight.

Following a delicate thread of the smell, he broke into a jog. He headed back into a tunnel, with Mia, Galen, and Raiden quickly following behind him.

Vek jogged through the tunnels beneath the arena. Several people were trudging through the tunnels—off-duty gladiators and workers. They were quick to get out of his way.

The scent dimmed and Vek paused. He stroked his jaw, surprised for a second to feel smooth skin. Mia shifted closer, and her scent hit him. His mind returned to the garden above. To having his mouth between Mia’s legs, lapping at her beautiful taste, watching her find her release.

Giving Mia pleasure was his new favorite thing.

“Anything?” Galen asked.

The imperator’s voice almost made him jerk. Vek pulled in another deep breath, filtering out Mia’s scent. Taking another breath, he forced himself to focus. He circled around the space and picked up the attackers’ trail again.

“The scent grew faint. But it goes this way.”

They moved deeper into the tunnels, and came out in a large, open area. Several tunnels converged here, forming a hub, where arena workers and shopkeepers had small tables set up selling goods. Nearby, he smelled cooking food, and the tart scent of different ales. There were several open doorways in the walls, and he guessed they led to places where people could eat and drink.

There were so many people, and a tangled jumble of scents.

“This is where Nero lost the trail,” Galen said.

Vek did several loops of the space, conscious of people staring at him. That included a number of women. Their fascinated gazes slid over his face, and then lower.

He ignored them. He’d had a lifetime of people staring at him—with fear, awe, curiosity. Some females had come to the fight cells, paying money for rough sex with fighters. Vek had never accepted the offers. He glanced over and saw Mia scowling at the females. Warmth hit his gut. His Mia was possessive.

Plants and freshly-turned soil. The smallest hint of the scent reached him, and he lifted his head. He took two steps in one direction, but the scent faded. He spun and moved in another direction. There. It grew stronger. He strode forward.

Mia fell in beside him. “I love watching you work.”

He looked down at her. A small smile tilted her lips.

“It’s amazing. You can do things that no one else can do.”

He wanted to argue that it was just his enhanced senses, but a flush of pride filled his chest. He led them into what looked like an abandoned tunnel. Unlike the other brightly-lit, mostly-clean corridors, this one was dark and dank. They followed it for several paces, until the tunnel began to glow with light.

The tunnel ended at a metal grate, and through it, he saw daylight, and the city beyond. The center of the grate looked like it had been melted by something. Careful not to touch it, he arched his head and looked out. It was a good drop to the ground, but nothing life-threatening.

“They escaped through here,” Vek said.

Galen stared at the melted grate, scowling. “And out into the city. They could have gone anywhere from there.”

“I can try and follow the trail.”

The imperator thrust his hands onto his lean hips. “It’s likely they would have had a transport waiting.”

Which made the trail near-impossible to follow.

“What’s this?” Mia crouched and picked something up.

Vek stared at the small thing on her palm. It was a flower. Its long petals were crushed, like it had fallen, and gone under someone’s boot.

Raiden moved forward and frowned at it. “It’s a unique color.”

Vek agreed. It was not quite red, not quite pink, not quite purple. As Mia moved her hand, the petals glittered with an iridescent sheen.

“I’m no expert on flowers,” Galen said. “But I’ve never seen one like this before.”

Vek leaned over and took a sniff of it. “And I’ve never scented one like this before. But it is the same scent that the attackers had.”

Galen gave a single nod. “Good work, Vek. Let’s get this to Regan and see if she can identify it.”

“Do you think it’s a clue?” Mia asked hopefully. “Do you think it’ll help us find Dayna and the others?”

“It could,” Galen said. “But it is best not to get your hopes up.”

Vek stepped closer to Mia, touching her back. Whether or not this flower was a clue, he’d vowed to help her find her friends.

Her hand crept into his, and he folded his fingers over hers. He would keep searching for the missing women.

Whatever Mia wanted, he would get it for her.

* * *

Mia sat impatiently at the dining table, in the spacious living area that belonged to the high-level gladiators. She tapped her fingers restlessly on the glossy surface. Vek was sitting next to her, but he wasn’t sitting very still. She felt heat pumping off his big body, and his annoyance at waiting.

She snuck a sideways look at him. He was such a fascinating blend of strength and power, with a touch of sweetness beneath. She was pretty sure no one else would agree with her when she called him sweet, but Mia saw it. He was also extremely talented with his hands and mouth. She shivered. Being the complete focus of his attention was…amazing.

Mia knew he’d give his everything as a lover, as well. She shivered again.

Hot memories from the rooftop garden peppered her head, and she pressed her thighs together. God, she couldn’t believe she was crazy about a blue-skinned alien. She hadn’t seen that one coming.

Vek glanced her way, his eyes glowing. “I smell your—”

She slapped a hand against his mouth. “Shush.”

The door opened and Regan marched in, clutching a number of things in her arms. Galen and another man followed behind.

Mia stared at the newcomer. He looked like a desert pirate. He wore a sand-colored shirt crossed with a leather bandolier, and dark brown trousers that slicked over lean hips and long, muscular legs. Tawny hair was tied at the back of his neck and his rugged face was dominated by gold-colored eyes. They were a deep amber color, different than Vek’s.

“I believe everyone knows Corsair,” Galen said. “Except you haven’t officially met Mia.”

The man inclined his head, then looked at Mia. “I’m glad to see you’ve recovered from your ordeal.” He gave her a gallant little bow.

Caravan Master Corsair. She knew he’d been a member of her rescue team, leading the gladiators into the desert. “Thank you.”

Beside her, Vek let out a low growl. She glanced at him and saw he was staring at Corsair with narrowed eyes. She reached out and patted his hand.

Galen turned to Regan. “Regan has an update for us.”

The scientist set her things down on the table and looked around at the assembled group. “The plant Mia found in the tunnel is not native to Carthago. It is definitely the source of the toxin used to poison Vek. I’ve asked around the underground market, and several plant dealers that I know. Almost all of them said they’d never seen it before. But then I got lucky.” A smile lit up her pretty face and she pushed a strand of her blonde hair back. “I found someone who had seen it. It’s called a Neralla flower.”

Galen pressed his hands to the table. “They’d seen it in the Illusion Mountains.”

A hush spread over the room.

Raiden frowned. “How could it be growing in the Illusion Mountains if it isn’t native?”

“My guess is that someone is planting and growing it up there,” Regan said.

“The Nerium,” Mia breathed. “Did Zhim find out anything more about them?”

Galen shook his head.

“Why would they attack Vek?” she asked.

“We don’t know,” Galen answered.

“Where are these mountains?” Mia demanded.

“That’s where I come in,” Corsair drawled. “I’ve been there before. I led my caravan across the Illusion Mountains, once. It’s a dangerous, poorly-charted trek that I’d never planned to do again. The path through the mountains can be treacherous—landslides, sinkholes, or suddenly no path at all. And the weather is mercurial. It can be dry one second, and then you can have a freak storm and flash floods the next. And things up there are…strange.”

“Strange?” Thorin said.

“You superstitious, Corsair?” Raiden asked with a raised brow.

Corsair lifted a shoulder. “I’m a man of the desert, Raiden. I’ve seen things that defy logic and definition. How do you think the mountains got their name? People and animals disappear up there. Landmarks and vegetation can change, in just hours. It’s easy to get turned around and lost. And it’s easy to have your entire caravan picked off, one by one, if you aren’t careful. I lost several people up there.”

Something flashed across his face, so briefly that Mia almost missed it. But it didn’t soften her resolve. “We need to go there. We need to find Dayna.”

“There’s more,” Galen said. “Zhim found something on Ryan.”

Mia didn’t like the set look on Galen’s face. Her chest went tight.

“He made contact with her again?” Harper asked. “Is she okay?”

Galen released a breath. “He found a record of her sale.”

“No,” Mia breathed. Her captors had sold her.

“To the Nerium.”

Mia could barely breathe. “So Dayna and Ryan are both in the mountains?” She shot to her feet. “We have to—”

“We’re going, Mia,” Galen said. “We’re planning it now.”

“I’m—”

Galen held up a hand. “I’m giving the orders today.”

At the imperator’s deep voice, Vek stood, standing close to Mia. She saw his hot gaze was on Galen. She pressed her hand to his arm, to calm and reassure. That was all she needed, for Vek to challenge Galen.

“We’ll need Vek’s skills to track the Nerium into the mountains,” the imperator said. “And Vek needs you, Mia.”

Relief shuddered through her. He was letting her go. “When do we leave?”

“Listen,” Corsair said. “I will guide you into the mountains, but you need to know it is not an easy trip. The mountains are tough enough, but getting to the mountains is just as hard. We will have to cross the Gargas Badlands.”

“Sounds like fun,” Raiden said dryly.

Corsair snorted. “It’s a pockmarked, hellish area of the desert. The ground is unstable, and I’ve heard if you fall into a crevasse, you’ll end up in a pool of lava. And that’s not the worst part.”

“Give it to us,” Thorin growled.

“Creatures live in the Badlands. Buried under the sand. They are known as the norkhoi, or death borers.”

Galen pinched the bridge of his nose. “Excellent.”

“They burrow through the sand, pop up through the surface, and then drag people down. They eat their victims alive.”

Mia’s fingers dug into Vek’s skin. Oh, God. Dayna, Ryan, and this mysterious other woman were all lost out in that horrible place.

“We can travel by tarnid to the Badlands,” Corsair said.

“Why not take a shuttle?” Mia asked.

Corsair shook his head. “Shuttles do not mix well with the deserts of Carthago. There are minerals in the sand that are attracted to metal and heated engines.”

“It clogs them up and eats away at the metal very quickly,” Galen said. “More than a few people have found their deaths crashing into the desert dunes.”

“That’s why the caravans are such a lucrative business,” Corsair said. “Once we reach the Badlands, I’ll have to guide you through on foot. And then we need to travel into the mountains on foot, as well.”

“Mia,” Vek said. “Perhaps it is safer if you stay—”

“No.” She lifted her chin. “I’m finding my friends.”

Galen gave a single, sharp nod. “Everybody prepare. We leave in the morning.”