The old man had wiggled himself until he half-sat against the bulkhead, still straining futilely against his bonds. I couldn’t remember if his complexion had been quite so gray when he’d arrested Loree, but the stench of fear rolled off him.

The change in breathing should have told me one of our prisoners had regained conscious. I’d let myself get too distracted, careless. A quick glance confirmed at least the woman was still down.

Loree leaned back at the console chair, shoulder pressing lightly against my forearm. “He’s not the one that dragged me off the station,” she commented mildly.

My gut did a little flip at her words, then I focused back on the situation at hand. “You don’t know us, you don’t know anything about us.”

“I know what you’re capable of,” he spat. “A monster like you killed one of our agents.”

“Well if he was hunting us, it kind of seems like a fair trade. Survival and all that.”

“Not he. She. Zayda had nothing to do with you. A young woman, on a totally different assignment, and-”

“Wait a minute, Zayda? Zayda Caiden? She’s fine.”

At my words the old man stuttered to a halt. “I don’t believe you. If she was alive she would’ve come in. The Agency was her family.”

I wanted to snark at him, make a crack about dysfunctional families… but to be honest, maybe I wasn’t the best judge of normal. And maybe he’d be useful after all.

“Babe, can you use this thing to call home?”

“Babe? Really?” But she’d already started summoning code.

“I did get you a shiny new ship to hack open.”

She laughed. “And who do you want to reach?” Her fingers flew over the keyboard.

“Doc’s office would be fine. She can patch us through to Davien.”

“Or, I could just pull him up for you.” She started muttering. “And a little bounce here, masking the signal there, and in we go.”

“Miss? What you doing on this channel?”

I took a moment to relish the rare sound of Davien being surprised before leaning into the view of the camera.

“Wait a minute.” His eyes widened slightly with recognition. “You’re...” I saw the instant he noticed me in the background and revised what he was saying, “Doc’s patient. Loree, right? Where are you? Nadira has half the Pack running a search for you.”

He glared at me. “Xander, if you’re responsible for this-”

“While I’m glad to see you too, we need a quick chat. Without getting into too many details, we have a friend of Zayda’s here.” I flicked my eyes to the side of the screen to make sure Davien understood we weren’t alone. “Can Nixie get a channel to the Compound?”

Davien’s eyebrows rose. “I’m sure she’d be happy to.” He turned back to Loree. “Should I tell Nadira you’re safe?”

A growl fought to rip free. Of course she was safe. I’d make certain of that.

Loree ignored me. “I didn’t mean to miss our session this afternoon. Things got a little complicated. Please tell Nadira I’m fine.”

“Complicated, but couldn’t be avoided.” I hadn’t thought about Nadira’s worry. Or Doc’s. Void. “But if this works out, we have a lead on Stanton.”

Davien shook his head. “Let me guess. You were following a hunch?”

Only moments passed until the screen flickered, displacing Davien with a sleepy-eyed Zayda.

“Heya,” I waved. “Zayda, meet Loree. Loree, Zayda.”

“Hi,” she yawned. “I’d been hoping to meet you, you know. Those of us dragged into their craziness need to stick together.” She looked from Loree to me and back again. “Speaking of their craziness, why are we meeting now?”

“We ran into someone who says he knows you.” Loree moved from the chair. “Just a sec, Xander can get him.”

A guarded expression immediately replaced Zayda’s easy smile. “Let’s see him then.”

I grabbed the agent by the shoulders, lifting him so Zayda would have a clear view. I’d heard what Stanton had done to her. If this joker was part of the Agency, he was just as likely as bad, for all his talk.

“Xander, put him down!”

“If he’s one of Stanton’s, we can make sure he doesn’t bother you,” I growled.

I flexed my hands in the loose shoulders of the uniform jacket, wondering if I could toss him without bothering Loree, when Zayda clarified.

“Gently! In the chair!”

Oh.

“Zay?” The man slumped in the chair, no attention for me, eyes riveted to the screen. “It can’t be. Stanton said you were dead, torn apart by,” he finally remembered I loomed above him, “monsters.”

Her lips twisted. “Not for lack of trying.”

He shook his head. “So one of them did attack you? And Stanton stopped it? Why didn’t he tell us?”

Zayda sighed. “Not for lack of Stanton’s trying. If you’re looking for monsters, start with him. He tried to have me killed. Tobias, let me introduce you to the man who saved me.”

“Honey?” she called off-screen. “Get decent?”

Well, this was going to go well.

If Zayda’s old friend Tobias thought I was dangerous, what was he going to think of Mack, the most feral of us? At least, he was now, after Stanton had run his experiments.

But when Mack stepped into the frame, Tobias’s attention wasn’t on him at all. His eyes never left Zayda’s face.

Grudgingly, I had to give him points for smarts. Every line of her body, the softness of her smile as she looked at her mate, the warmth in her eyes, gave her former coworker the information he needed.

She hadn’t been kidnapped.

She wasn’t hurt.

She was happy.

“Who the hell is this?” Mack snarled. “SysSec uniform. Stanton’s.”

“An old friend, just checking in.” Zayda leaned into his side, and his arms enfolded her even as Mack’s eyes narrowed.

“Really.”

“Really. He just wanted to make sure I’m alright.” She patted his arm, then turned her attention back to Tobias. “And I am. But I’m not going back to the Agency.”

“Course you’re not,” Mack joined in.

Tobias nodded. “Probably for the best.”

“Yeah, coming back from the dead might be awkward.”

Tobias shook his head. “Not just that. Something’s gone wrong, Zay.” He slipped sideways in the chair, unable to right himself with his hands bound.

“Buddy, you think you could untie me now?”

“Depends on if she vouches for you. I haven’t forgotten why we’re here.”

Loree poked my side. “He’s her friend, Xander. Don’t make her choose.”

Mack tilted his head. “Why are you two on a SysSec ship, anyway?”

“They were trying to arrest Loree.” My voice was almost calm. Almost. “I wanted to see why.”

Zayda shook her head. “You’re starting from a bad place, Tobias. Don’t try anything cute. You have no idea how fast the Pack is. And they don’t tolerate betrayal.”

I hovered above Tobias before tearing the strips that bound his arms behind his back. “Just keep being useful. What do you mean, something’s gone wrong? Where? With SysSec?”

He rotated the stiffness out of his shoulders while I freed his legs. “I don’t know. I’d been gone from the agency, following a series of useless leads for a few months. I came back three weeks ago and everything was different. Everyone was different.”

“Different how?” Zayda leaned towards the camera, sleep long forgotten from her face, erased by curiosity.

“Everything was about the mission. No joking. No bitching. Not about forms, not about assignments.”

“Now I don’t believe you,” Zayda cracked. “Everyone bitches about the forms.”

“Not anymore.” Tobias looked at her, then us, long face baffled. “It all started when-”

“Incoming Priority Transmission,” blared the speakers, and the monitor went black.

I stepped away from the screen, pulling Loree behind me. Anyone with Priority access from System Security didn’t need to know we were on board.

With a snap, the image resolved into an image made of nightmares.

At least, my nightmares.

From the gasp Loree let out, hers as well.

A Hunter, dark helmet reflecting pinpoints of light, filled the screen.

“ISS vessel 370A. By order of Director General Stanton, you will relinquish the prisoner to me.” Flat voice, almost like a recording, no stress, no question its command would be obeyed.

I held my breath. All Tobias had to do was correct the Hunter, say “prisoners,” say we were free, give some indication there wasn’t only a lone, scared woman waiting for retrieval.

Spine straight, Tobias nodded crisply. “Yes, Sir. Please provide coordinates and we will meet you immediately.”

“Unnecessary. I am here.”

The faint tremor of the decking beneath my feet, told me another craft had docked with ours just as the screen went black.

Tobias turned to me, his illusion of confidence wiped away. “What in all the Void was that?”

“Never mind, just get out of the chair.”

Loree’s face was pale, her eyes huge.

“I need you to get a message back to Davien.” She didn’t blink, finally moving her gaze from the screen as I rubbed her arms. “Honey, come on.”

Legs stumbling, she collapsed back at the comms, fingers dancing again. “It’s too close for me to hide the signal,” she said, voice cracking.

“It doesn’t matter. Straight audio will do.”

While she worked, I plotted our exit from warp, the fastest we could drop out without stressing the hull.

She nodded, and I started talking. “Davien, take these coordinates. We’re dropping there in five minutes. At least one Hunter is on board.”

“They can’t get there that fast,” Tobias argued. “No one can.”

“You heard Zayda,” I snapped. “We’re faster than you think.” Or at least, we would be if the Queen was available.

Loree slapped the button to send the message and kept working. “I’m pulling up cameras now.” The steel in her voice was forced. I rested my hands on her shoulders, felt her shake beneath my grasp.

“I remember them. I remember.” Panic wound through her words.

I remembered finding her, terrified and alone, curled under a desk in a ruined state room, horrors in her eyes.

“I didn’t let them get you then. I’m not going to give you up now,” I promised her.

She took one shuddering breath. Another.

“Cameras are up. I can start closing compartment sections, but…”

“Do it. Buy me all the time you’ve got and find somewhere to hide.”

She reached her hand up, fingers interlacing with mine at her shoulder. “What are you going to be doing?”

“Keeping you safe.” I pressed a quick kiss to the top of her head, inhaled the clean, bright scent of her.

And then I ran.