“Did you forget how to tie a knot, Commander?” Ryker’s taunt cut through the trumpeting siren. He dropped from a thick crack in the cave ceiling to land in a crouch only an arm’s length from Ava’s feet.

Caught off guard, she jumped.

Valdus resisted the urge to launch himself forward and beat the idiot to a pulp. Or reach out to steady her. Ever since he’d let his mouth get away from him and started talking about things like cuddling and next times, he’d gotten the definite sense she was mentally backpedaling as fast as she could.

He could only thank Janus that Ryker hadn’t been around for his verbal fumbling. He’d never have heard the end of it.

“Marked you coming from a few turns back.” He told his second, pointing to a long, thin trail of pebbles that had shaken loose from the ceiling. “You’re getting sloppy.”

A single eyebrow raised. “Or maybe I didn’t want to come without warning and get my head chopped off.” Ryker fell into step beside them. “You’ve gotten awfully twitchy recently. Why is she no longer tied up?”

Valdus ignored his second’s baiting. “Anything else you’d like to say to her?”

The man stilled. Shifted in his oversized boots. Then, finally, his gaze never quite reaching hers, “Thank you for saving our asses. It was…brave.”

Valdus offered up a grunt of approval. Ava, standing so still and stiff beside him, looked almost dazed by the grudging, lame compliment.

She offered a quick nod of acknowledgment. “You’re welcome.”

That damn protectiveness tightened his chest again.

She’d been through so much—and survived every challenge. But beneath the defiant tilt of her chin there was a fragility that could cost them both.

He didn’t blame her for it. Most would have broken long ago enduring what she had. The fact that she hadn’t was nothing short of miraculous. But neither of them could afford for her to crumble now. Not when her life and those of his men were at stake.

“Where are the others?” His question put an end to the awkward silence that had engulfed the corridor.

“On the way. There were so many on our tail it took longer than usual to lose them. They’ll join along the way.” Ryker’s gaze returned to the weapon in Ava’s hand. “Seems there’ve been a few developments in the meantime.”

“Important ones. I’ll wait for the others to arrive and fill everyone in at once.” He knew some of his men, aka Ryker, wouldn’t like this new turn of events or the way their bait had become their partner, but tough shit. They did what they had to do. That was the Dragath25 way.

If he was being honest, relying on serums made him uncomfortable, as well. He far preferred a battle plan that counted on what he and his men did best: fighting. It was one of the reasons he’d dismissed Ava’s initial claims about the trackers and the ore outright. He preferred to rely on himself and his men and their abilities. But that was before Hollisworth had surprised them with the new tracker design and made neutralizing the dracken nanotechnology in their blood priority number one.

So now, they’d be relying on science and medicines—and a woman with bold claims and every reason to hate them.

Who wouldn’t look at him.

Who he wanted again so badly his cock ached.

Who he’d soon be leading into their most dangerous situation yet.

He gripped his weapon tighter.

No problem. This was doable.

They turned a sharp corner and a near-furnace blast of heat singed Ava’s face.

Holy Goddess.

Valdus was right. There was no way to be ready for this.

A huge, open cavern loomed before them—the subsurface mining pit. Its surface marked by deep gouges above and below. Like a desecration. Or a murder. Red dust, ore, and rock spilling from the wounds like blood. Repeated stab wounds to the belly of the planet.

It looked a heartbeat—or one good quake—away from crumbling in on itself.

She suppressed a shiver, and realized as her view widened that a cave-in was the least of her immediate worries.

Prisoners were everywhere, covered in that same red film that made them look like demons. They clung to sharp walls or stood on narrow outcroppings while others crowded jagged holes in the wall, all jostling for a look, their cold, dead eyes tracking her every move. Most were naked. Some fondled themselves.

One threw back his head and screamed. Others joined in, brandishing their shovels and pickaxes in the air, their shrill, feral shrieks stealing her breath.

Valdus’s team closed in around her, a tight circle of lethal, muscled steel meant to serve as an impenetrable wall.

But when they took off, when they had to flee to save themselves or be overrun, she’d be left alone, one against a thousand.

She took a step back. She’d never survive. She’d—

“Look over there.” Valdus’s steady voice whispered against her cheek, checking her near flight. “There it is, just across this small space. Your ore. After traveling a universe and overcoming so much, it’s finally within your grasp. All you have to do is cross this room to get it.”

She knew what he was doing—and still it worked. Her heart steadying as determination seized hold. So much of her precious ore. Finally. All for the taking.

“Right.” Ax clutched tight, she kept her eyes on the prize, running her gaze along the thick veins of iridescent silver that crisscrossed the rocky wall, their color eerily reminiscent of the flecks in a certain man’s arctic eyes. She swallowed hard. “It’s even more beautiful than I thought it would be.”

“Remember, these inmates are disorganized and more afraid of us than we are of them. They may make noise, but they won’t risk their lives by taking us on. They know by now it won’t end well for them.”

She drew another deep breath. “Thank you.” Their eyes locked, her anger and distrust fading as hope surged. “Whatever happens next, this moment is something I had begun to doubt would ever happen.”

“Give us the woman and we’ll give you ten kitloms for the next weighing.” The sharp cry drew her attention from the man at her side.

“I’ll give you eleven.” Another red-caked creature dropped from a nearby ledge, his hungry stare making her skin crawl. “Hollisworth’s breeder bitch has a lot to answer for.”

Valdus’s roar shook the room. “Anyone who tries to take her will be dead within a heartbeat. Your jailer might have promised a pardon, but what good is it if you never live to collect it?”

The screams died down.

He backed up the threat with a single hand signal. In the next heartbeat, the ring of men around her moved forward, the soldiers in front using their bodies as a battering ram, leaving the other miners no choice but to scramble backward or be trampled.

The river of glittering ore in the rocky wall beckoned.

A faint whirring caught her attention and she looked up. Floating above was a single drone.

Her heart skipped a beat.

Hollisworth was watching. She sidled closer to Valdus.

Who’d raised two fingers at the droid’s screen and shoved them in the air, a silent insult.

One she’d often imagined sending her husband’s way.

His teammates roared.

She hid a smile, suddenly calmer than she had been since she’d entered the space.

As if executing a dance they’d done a hundred times, one set of Valdus’s men spread out on either side of her and their Commander, facing the glowing ore. Another set lined up at their backs, turning to face away, their weapons raised, an intimidating blockade.

It was an impressive display.

“Thank you.” The statement came from the man standing to her left.

It took her a moment to realize he was speaking to her.

Starting, she looked over and up. Like the rest of the team, he was tall and huge—and faceless, his features hidden behind that creepy metal mask.

But a flash of vivid green eyes peeked out from the slits of the faceplate along with the hint of a strong jaw—and a thick, raised scar across his throat that stretched like a smile as he spoke. “None of us had the chance to say it before, when the Commander was explaining the new plan, so I wanted to now. I’m Griffin and I wanted to thank you personally for saving us.” His hand tightened around the handle of his ax, the emotion in his voice startling after Valdus’s steady, cool tones and Ryker’s sharp hostility. “I…I thought it was all over when that tracker kicked in, and then you turned things around. Like some kind of guardian angel. Risking yourself. For strangers—non-Council strangers, at that.” He turned to face her more fully. “We owe you a debt.”

The man on the other side of him nodded, crowding closer, the reddish-brown bristles curling over the chin of his metal plate indicating a beard beneath. “Grif is right. I’m Darvish.” He slapped his fist against his chest, straight over an intricate tattoo dominated by thorns. “We’re in this together now. Breeder and Resistance. Council and non-Council. None of that matters anymore.”

It was jarring—and nice—to suddenly see these men not just as faceless, intimidating forms, but individuals. Individuals with their own distinct personalities. Individuals who were counting on her as much as she was them.

“It’s us against them,” agreed the man just past Darvish, the collection of strange metal tools and weapons hanging from his belt jangling as he tipped an imaginary hat. “I’m Bain, the resident madman inventor and medic, winging it without an actual lick of experience, I might add. And I know that Council scum is your husband, but the Commander is going to kick his—oufff.”

“Shut it, Bain.” The red-haired Darvish elbowed the medic, cutting him off.

“I, for one, would have liked to hear the rest of that sentence.” Ryker had somehow, without her noticing, moved closer.

She bared her teeth at him.

“You need anything at all, you just call my name.” Ignoring Ryker, green-eyed Griffin picked up the thread of the conversation without missing a beat, his gaze flickering past her before he hurried to add, “After the Commander’s name, of course.”

Heat danced across her throat and chest.

She cleared her throat. “Thank you all. It means a lot to me to hear that.” Acceptance. Being part of a team. She’d experienced a glimpse of what that was like with Bella and the other scientists, but she’d been mostly on the outside, an observer more than a participant, hiding who she truly was.

“I promise I’m going to do everything in my power to disable the tracker and give us a chance to even the odds. That man may be my husband,” her gaze shifted to the medic Bain who was still rubbing his stomach, “but he’s also my greatest enemy, and I have no hesitation about bringing him down.”

She’d never realized how badly she craved being a valued member of something bigger than herself until now.

She only hoped she could deliver.

A burst of noise, sharper even than the siren blare, erupted.

It must have been some kind of final warning because it ended all conversation. Griffin and the others turned to face the walls, their axes raised as their expressions hardened once more.

Gears ground as metal sheets slid from an opening in the ceiling.

“We use this to transport the ore.” Stretching upward, Valdus unhooked the sheet from the wall, every tantalizing muscle in his stomach flexing as he moved.

Her belly fluttered—and there was no heat to blame.

She wrenched her gaze away. Only to jump as the sheet clanged to the ground by his boots. He then snagged another, his voice low. “This one’s for the ore Hollisworth will never have.” He placed it by her feet.

This was happening. She was on her way to making her serum.

“You’ll wear this.” A thick strap of leather slid over the back of her head, catching on her hair.

She reached up, the thin metal sharp beneath her fingertips. It was Valdus’s faceplate.

“No,” she protested. “What will you wear?”

His thumb traced the curve of her jaw. “Protecting those emerald eyes—and the clever brain behind them—comes first.”

Her heart skipped. Clever brain?

It was hard to believe this was the same man she’d once feared. Once thought was impossibly cold and merciless.

She opened her mouth to say something. Anything.

A high-pitched whistle stabbed her eardrums and shattered the moment.

The burning beneath her skin kicked up another notch.

Shift time had begun.

“Watch yourself.” Valdus’s deep voice cut through her thoughts. “The flying debris can be sharp.” He slapped down her faceplate and hefted the ax once more. “You focus on collecting the ore you’ll need for the serum. I’ll make sure we both make quota.”

Muscles bunching, every carved, magnificent inch of him was on display as he brought his ax down hard.

She stared in awe. Unleashed danger, honed power, and fluid grace. If Hollisworth played fair, it wouldn’t even be a contest. Valdus would destroy him with one hand tied behind his back.

But her husband made his own rules.

A large slab of ore dislodged from the wall and tumbled onto the metal sheet, smaller rocks pinging in every direction.

All around her, others had begun hacking in earnest.

“Any time now, breeder.” An ax struck close to where she stood. Red rock flew, small bits pinging into her faceplate.

It was Ryker. “Those trackers won’t neutralize themselves.”

“Dragath hell, Ryker,” Valdus’s voice was a near growl as he slid past her and shoved the man hard. “Stick to your own side.”

“Just trying to offer up some motivation.” All false innocence, her least favorite teammate stumbled back.

“She doesn’t need your brand of pep talk. None of us do.” Valdus loomed closer, pitching his voice so low she suspected he was trying to ensure he was heard only by the man at his side. She caught every interesting word, nonetheless. “Stop trying to piss me off. She’s not Saralynee. This is not five years ago. And some of us really do want to get the hell out of here.”

“And then what?” hissed the other man. “You think there’s some kind of magic happy-ever-after waiting for you up there? With her? You should have learned from me. That doesn’t exist.”

“What happened wasn’t your fault.” The anger in her ex-captor’s voice had been replaced by regret. “And you could still find a way to honor them, even be happy, if you just let yourself move on—"

“I’ve got to work.” Ryker stomped farther down the line.

Curiosity surging, she lifted her ax and let the image of Ryker’s smirk propel her first strike.

Pain ricocheted up her spine. The red rock was even harder than it looked.

But so what? She struck again. Closer to the glowing vein of ore trapped within. By the time the shift ended, she was going to have a pile big enough to bury Ryker and his doubts under. With enough left over to free her and the rest of Valdus’s men forever.

That was enough of a happy-ever-after for her.