Every instinct within Sedrik urged him to attack his obnoxious brother, but he held himself back with steely determination. Rebecca was right. Arton was up to something and it had nothing to do with the kidnapped females. “You clearly have no intention of negotiating, so why bother accepting my invitation?”

Arton strolled past Sedrik, running his fingertips across the narrow table lining one wall of the guest cabin. Was he checking for dust? “I told you. Kage insisted I come—after your mother harassed him for over an hour.”

Sedrik didn’t believe him. Skyla’s specialty was sweet coercion, not aggressive harassment. Besides, all the information he had indicated that Kage Razel didn’t do anything to pacify anyone. Sedrik activated his internal audio-com, but spoke aloud to irritate Arton. “General Lux to arrival bay twelve. Report.”

“This is arrival bay twelve, sir. Everything is quiet down here.”

It sounded like Byland Kertan, one of the security officers. “How many people got off that shuttle?” Sedrik studied Arton, watching for any clue to his true motivation. He could only hear the questions, not the answers. Still, it should give him enough information to understand the nature of Sedrik’s suspicions. Arton just stared back at Sedrik, a subtle smirk curving his lips.

“Just one, sir,” Kertan replied. “Is there a problem?”

“Scan the shuttle for lifeforms and explosives.”

“Copy, sir. Stand by.”

Arton rolled his eyes. “Seriously? Do you think I have a miniature army stashed aboard the shuttle? Suicide bomber is definitely not my style.”

“No, your style is kidnapping and deception,” Sedrik snapped. They continued to glare at each other for a moment, then Sedrik asked, “Why did you come here?”

“I was under the impression you wanted me here.” His shrug looked much less convincing as he edged toward the door. “I knew this was a waste of time. Now Kage can’t say I didn’t try.”

Kertan returned. “The shuttle is clean, sir. Are you concerned about something specific?”

“Negative. Just keep that bay locked down tight.”

“Copy, sir. Kertan out.”

Before Sedrik could decide his next move, Arton went on the offensive. “Where’s your mate, little brother? I want to meet her. Is she blonde or brunette? Athletic or nice and curvy?” He ran his hands through the air in front of him as if he were outlining a female’s body. “All it would take is one good thrust—” he accented the claim with the motion of his hips, “—and I’d be lodged deep inside her…mind.”

Fury blasted through Sedrik, curling his hands into fists and flaring his nostrils. “Don’t even think about it.”

Arton laughed. “It’s a little late for that. I’ve been thinking about your sweet mate ever since you showed up covered in her scent.”

He’s just provoking you. Calm warmth accompanied the thought and Sedrik took a deep breath, ignoring Arton’s verbal trap.

Clasping his hands behind his back, Arton strolled around the dining room table, then headed back toward the door.

Sedrik rounded the couch and blocked his path, hands fisted at his sides. “Enough with these games! What do you want?”

“Isn’t that my line?” Arton unclasped his hands and narrowed his eyes, menace gleaming in their glacial depths. “Did you honestly think anything you said would convince us to give up our mates? Are we any less deserving of females than you?”

This was pointless. His brother was dead and this criminal was beyond contempt. “You have no honor,” Sedrik sneered. “Get off my ship!”

Arton looked at the camera and slowly licking his lips. “I have a better idea. Go get your female and we’ll find out who can make her scream loudest.”

Sedrik’s fist flew fast and hard right into the center of Arton’s face, but the bastard was fast and agile. He dodged the blow and punched Sedrik in the gut. The breath whooshed out of Sedrik in a forceful grunt. Sparks of light danced before his eyes, but he barely managed to keep from doubling over.

Arton darted past him and almost reached the door when Sedrik fisted the back of his T-shirt and spun him away. Arton kicked at Sedrik as he tried to jerk his shirt free of Sedrik’s hold. Sedrik held on with one hand and punched Arton with the other. This time the blows landed, two in the ribs and one on the jaw.

Twisting away to gain momentum, Arton spun around and planted his shoulder in the middle of Sedrik’s abdomen. Sedrik stumbled back and Arton took full advantage, driving Sedrik to the deck. They rolled quickly this way and that, smashing into the couch in one direction and the wall in the other.

Security! General Lux needs assistance in the guest cabin. I don’t know which one. Can anybody hear me?

Sedrik’s head snapped up and he looked toward the camera. Had Rebecca said that out loud?

Using Sedrik’s distraction, Arton landed several punches and one hard kick as he scrambled way from his irate brother. He’d just made it to his feet when the door burst open and a team of security officers rushed in, weapons targeting his heart and head.

Sedrik made it to his feet as well and motioned the guards forward. He hadn’t really needed assistance, was just venting some frustration, but he wasn’t going to send them away.

The guards crept toward Arton, fanning out in a semicircle as they advanced.

Suddenly Arton vanished, instantaneously blinking out of sight.

All of the guards muttered variations of, “What the hells.”

Easily deducing what just happened, Sedrik rushed out into the corridor. The transport bay was locked down. Where did Arton think he was going?

As if to answer his question, several percussive blasts shook the corridor. Sedrik sprinted for the departure bays, instinctively knowing what he’d find.

“He blasted right through the bay doors.” Kertan motioned toward the gaping hole in the far end of the bay. Hull breaches were automatically sealed by an energy field, but it was only a temporary fix. This entire section would need to be evacuated so the damage could be repaired, which also meant the ship could not be moved.

“Unbelievable.” He shook his head. None of this made any sense. He still didn’t understand what Arton had been doing here. Other than infuriating him and causing minor damage to the Triumphant.

Then his audio-com activated.

“Mintell to Lux. Emergency interrupt.” The doctor’s agitated voice blared over the ship’s audible systems as well as Sedrik’s integrated tech.

“This is Lux. Go ahead.”

“He took her, sir,” Mintell cried. “I tried to stop him, but that bastard took Lily.”

Icy dread washed over Sedrik as all the pieces to the puzzle snapped into place. Arton had never meant to negotiate. He’d been a diversion! His true target had been a geneticist with all the secrets of the transformation program. “Lux to command. Can our fighters pursue? Lily is on that shuttle!”

“Negative, sir,” Tyrale sounded almost as upset as Sedrik felt. “Unless you know where they went. Hyperdrive was just engaged on the shuttle.”

“They’re headed back to Telluride.” The Outcasts had been using a secluded ranch in the Colorado Mountains as a temporary headquarters for months. “It’s the only thing that makes sense.”

“Copy, sir. Three of our tracker teams are already in the area. They’ll watch for the shuttle’s return.”

“Very good. Lux out.”

Oscillating between fury and defeat, Sedrik hurried toward main medical. He needed a description of the kidnapper and a better understanding of the events. The already busy area was now swarming with security and Sedrik’s best investigative team. Obviously the crew understood the importance of this development. Kaylar, the lead investigator, motioned his team back as Sedrik approached.

Mintell appeared haggard, far more upset than Sedrik would have expected. Most of the time, the surly doctor didn’t seem to like Lily. “Were you harmed, Darrin?” Sedrik had to scramble for the doctor’s first name. Everyone, himself included, simply called him Mintell.

“I’ve never wanted to be a warrior so badly in my life,” he muttered, his eyes downcast. “And he…” He looked up, eyes brimming with tears. “He got my datapad too, sir. I’m so sorry.”

Doubtlessly, Mintell’s datapad contained documentation and notes on the formula. Sedrik fought back his own emotions. Mintell was punishing himself enough already. “This was not your fault.”

“He didn’t look that impressive when he walked into my lab, but he…changed right before our eyes.”

“A shapeshifter?” Sedrik asked.

Mintell shook his head. “It was more like he stepped out of a holo-com.”

“Please describe his appearance before and after this transformation,” Investigator Kaylar prompted.

Mintell was holding on to his composure by a thread, so Sedrik turned to the investigator and suggested, “Let’s see what surveillance picked up while Mintell takes a minute to catch his breath.”

“Thank you, sir. I’ll be in my office if you have any questions.” Mintell made a beeline for his private workspace adjacent to the bustling clinic.

Sedrik led Kaylar to a workstation in a small lab across the hallway from main medical. The clinic was chaotic enough without security adding to the commotion. Mintell said the abduction took place in his lab and it had taken Sedrik about fifteen minutes to reach main medical. So Sedrik activated an access terminal and quickly found the pertinent files. Everything looked normal on the playback. Mintell and Lily worked side by side, stopping occasionally to converse in polite, professional tones.

An ordinary medic walked into the lab. Lily glanced at him with a fleeting smile then went back to what she was doing. The medic walked directly to her. “You’re needed on the departure deck. Rebecca Dayton collapsed and we’ve been unable to revive her.”

Lily powered down her station with a quick motion of her hand and prepared to follow the medic out of the lab.

“Wait,” Mintell snapped. “Why wasn’t I notified if there’s a medical emergency?”

Rather than responding to Mintell’s objection, the medic grabbed Lily’s wrist and tried to drag her from the lab.

“Lockdown protocol 838,” Mintell shouted and the lab door slid shut.

For just an instant an alarm sounded and warning lights flashed, but the medic countered with an override code that sent a shiver down Sedrik’s spine.

“How in hells’ rings did he know that code?” Kaylar muttered.

“My thoughts exactly.”

Then the transformation took place just as Mintell described. The medic’s image blurred, wavering for a fraction of a second as another form pushed through the first. Torrin Havier emerged from behind his holographic disguise and Sedrik clenched his teeth. “Gods damn it! I should have realized.”

“You know him?” Kaylar asked, but kept his gaze fixed on the display.

“That’s Torrin Havier, a highly skilled mercenary. He worked with us for a short time, then joined the Outcasts. He was probably gathering information the entire time.”

Knowing at least some of Torrin’s abilities, Sedrik wasn’t surprised by what happened next. Torrin yanked Lily into his arms, reached over and picked up Mintell’s datapad, then “disappeared”, leaving Mintell staring at empty space in bewildered silence. Torrin had actually bio-streamed back to the shuttle no doubt, which allowed him to bio-stream Arton out of the guest cabin a few minutes later.

“He can teleport?” Kaylar looked at him, eyes wide with wonder and confusion.

“No. He just wants it to look like he can. Spending time surrounded by technomages is obviously rubbing off on him.”

“No chance of pursuit?” Kaylar asked.

Sedrik shook his head. “I’m relatively sure where they’re headed. We’ll have to catch them on the other side.”

Kaylar accepted the decision with a nod. “I’ll finish the interviews as soon as possible. Make sure there isn’t something we missed.”

“Understood, but wind this up fast. Mintell’s team doesn’t need the disruption.”

Sedrik left a few minutes later and made his way to his office overlooking the launch deck. Row after row of state-of-the-art Stingers, and they were useless to him. All the Outcasts needed to set up their own transformation program was human females, the chemical formula, and a geneticist who understood the process. They’d stolen the females. They now had the geneticist. And Mintell’s datapad. Judging from the doctor’s reaction, the current formula was recorded on that device, so the Outcasts would be able to replicate it with little effort.

He was utterly screwed.

Sedrik, please trigger the door so I can come to you.

The last thing he wanted was Rebecca witnessing his humiliation. He’d failed Lily, failed Thea and the rest of the human captives, failed the battle born, and shamed his family. I need to report in with Garin and the Triad. I’ll return shortly.

But I want to—

I’ll return as soon as I can. He pushed affection into her mind, then shielded his end of the link. Her pity and fear were not only distracting, they compounded his shame. He had no choice but to take responsibility for this fiasco. Good leaders didn’t make excuses or blame others for unsuccessful outcomes. Still, his mate was not going to watch him grovel in front of the Triad and Apex General Nox.

* * * * *

“Well done, my friend,” Arton said as he relaxed back into the pilot’s seat on the shuttle. “I wasn’t sure if we could pull this off, but your plan worked exactly as you said it would.” The hypnotizing colors and ever-changing patterns of hyperspace rushed by as they were propelled toward their destination.

Torrin shrugged, his usual response to praise. “I wasn’t on that ship alone. You had as much to do with our success as I did.”

“I accepted the invitation of my long lost brother, then provoked him into a fight so he’d stay focused on me rather than his ship. What was I risking? A black eye?” He shook his head and studied his companion. Was Torrin really as unassuming as he seemed or was his humility masking some deep, dark arrogance? “My part was nothing compared to what you did.”

Torrin looked at him, brows arched in challenge. “I couldn’t have done any of it without a way onto that ship. If not for you, the Outcasts would still be waiting for a lucky break and it might never have come.”

There was truth in Torrin’s words, yet Arton hated that the “lucky break” was nothing more than a connection to a past Arton was trying to forget. “I prefer to actually accomplish things rather than exploiting a family I no longer acknowledge.”

“And why is that?” Torrin’s gaze penetrated deeply as he studied Arton. “I met all three of your brothers during my stay with the battle born. They’re good, honorable men. What caused the rift between you and your family?”

Arton started to stress that it was none of Torrin’s business, but seeing Sedrik again after so many years left Arton agitated and volatile. “My honorable father abandoned me to people who tortured me in ways you don’t want to imagine. For twelve long years I knew nothing but degradation and pain. By the time he finally got around to remembering I was alive, he had installed his Bilarrian whore in my mother’s place.”

Torrin’s brow furrowed and his dark head tilted slightly to the left. “You’re referring to Harbinger Academy. Correct?”

His throat was so tense he could only nod.

“That explains why you hate your father. What did your brothers do to earn your enmity?”

“They remind me of their father,” Arton sneered. “And his Bilarrian whore.”

“But as I understand it, your father, with the help of his war bride, rescued you from the harbingers. Is that inaccurate?”

Arton stopped himself from lashing out at his companion by staring out into the distance. Years of discipline and meditation allowed him to release his anger and let his past float away into the endless space between reality and nightmares. None of it was real. None of it mattered, because he wasn’t that person anymore. “It’s a long involved story that has nothing to do with now.” He looked at Torrin as he added, “I’m not Arton Lux, and haven’t been for a very long time.”

“I get it. Change the subject.” He made a dismissive gesture and shifted his gaze back to the navigational readouts scrolling on the holo-display in front of him. “I’ll even oblige you, but know this, heretic. You will have to deal with your past eventually. Everybody does.” Then true to his word, Torrin changed the subject. He nodded toward Lily, who was restrained to one of the center-facing seats, unconscious but unharmed. “Who’s the female and why is she so damn important?”

Arton had been so focused on objectives when he presented the mission to Torrin that he hadn’t bothered with much background information. Many would have demanded more details, but not Torrin. He simply waited until he understood what needed doing and then came up with a plan for getting it done. Even with his secretive ways, Torrin was undeniably an asset to the Outcasts.

“Her name is Lily Fontenot, actually Doctor Lily Fontenot.”

Torrin wasn’t impressed by the title. “We already have two medical doctors and several mystic healers. I still don’t understand why she was worth what I just risked.”

Arton indulged in a quick smile. Torrin did brooding loner even better than he did, and that was saying a lot. “Neither of us is battle born, so you might not consider her worthy. All the Outcasts who are battle born, however, would argue vehemently.”

“Meaning?”

“She’s Dr. Mintell’s human apprentice. She was recruited by the battle born because her expertise is human genetics and the manipulation thereof. Excluding Mintell himself, no one knows more about the transformation program than Lily Fontenot.”

“All right, so that’s impressive, but isn’t there some sort of elixir that stabilizes the transformation? I was under the impression the procedure is impossible without it.”

“As usual, your information is accurate. We happen to have a top-notch team of chemists waiting to duplicate the formula. All they need is the scientific equivalent of a recipe.”

“Which is contained on Mintell’s datapad.” He nodded. “I wasn’t sure why you wanted it.”

“I’m relatively certain it’s on the datapad. Mintell is known to keep meticulous records.” He glanced back at her and sighed. “If it’s not, we’ll have to convince her to give it to us, which could take some doing.”

Torrin released a long, low whistle. “I don’t envy the male who’s assigned that task. Human females can be irrationally stubborn. Especially when they’re convinced they’re protecting others.”

Arton nodded, knowing Torrin was right. Still, there was something about Lily that had fascinated him from the start. She was incredibly smart and exotic. He wasn’t sure he’d mind if Kage ordered him to lock Lily in his cabin and keep her there until she agreed to cooperate. There were all sorts of pleasurable games they could play together, even if she was a reluctant participant.

Torrin’s deep chuckle drew him back from his barely formed fantasies. “That expression is downright wicked.”

“Sorry. What were you saying?”

“Nothing important.” He waved away the subject and motioned toward his control panel. “The coordinates you gave me are in the middle of nowhere. What’s our final destination?”

“Home.” An odd tightness compressed Arton’s chest as he heard the word. It had been so long since he considered any place home. He could barely remember what it felt like to have one. “By the time we rendezvous with the Relentless, the entire Outcast fleet will have departed Earth-space. We’ll meet the other ships at the edge of the solar system, then start the final journey together.”

“It’s really happening?” Torrin sounded wistful.

Arton nodded, but his mind was still filled with images of Lily. “For better or worse, the Outcasts are going home.”

* * * * *

Sedrik clasped his hands behind his back, standing in front of his desk rather than sitting behind it. He was in serious trouble and he knew it. The uncomfortable position was self-imposed in order to keep him focused on the seriousness of the situation. Garin and the members of the Triad had been surprisingly civil during his explanation, but then he hadn’t gotten to the worst part yet.

“So the Outcasts have one more human captive,” Haven Tandori said. “We have to rescue the other captives anyway. One more won’t change our strategy.”

Actually, it was more than likely that the Outcasts had two more captives, but bringing up Thea Cline at this point only muddied already murky waters. Besides, there was a small chance that she hadn’t been taken by the Outcasts.

“I’m not sure I agree,” said Bandar Nox. “This increases the urgency of our objectives tenfold. The Outcasts cannot be allowed to start their own transformation program.”

Sedrik took a breath and dropped the final bomb. “I’m not sure it’s our call anymore.”

“What in hells’ bloody rings does that mean?” Garin flared. He’d been silent and watchful through much of the conversation.

Even in his mind, Sedrik thought of him as Apex General Nox today, not a lifelong friend. Any sort of familiarity would have been wrong in this situation. “They’re gone, sir. There is no other way to put it. The entire Outcast fleet has departed Earth-space and we have no idea where they went. They could be anywhere.”

Silence followed as the news slowly sank in.

The battle born weren’t technically to blame for the actions of the Outcasts. And yet they were. If not for the battle born’s determination to free their latent magic, the Outcasts never would have come to Earth. Sedrik knew he had no authority over the Outcasts, yet he couldn’t help feeling responsible for the mass kidnappings. Counting Lily and Thea, eleven hundred and thirty-six human females had been taken. And those were just the ones they knew about. There could be hundreds more without family or friends who cared enough to file a missing person’s report.

“How do we explain this to their president?” Letos broke the silence a few minutes later. So far all the volunteers had been U.S. citizens, but other Earth nations were watching and judging the benefits and drawbacks of cooperating with the battle born. “We assured him, and his generals, that the females would be recovered. After the L.A. disaster, we can’t afford another setback.”

“L.A. was not our fault!” Bandar’s hands fisted on his desktop and his golden phitons gleamed. “I am so tired of having that nightmare rubbed in our faces. There was not one Rodyte aboard that ship. Humans instigated the fight and humans crashed an Evonti ship into that city.”

Letos held up both hands, palms out. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

Bandar slowly deescalated, yet his expression remained tense and defensive. “What more can we do about the current situation? Sedrik had half the fleet out searching for those females. We can’t patrol the entire planet. We don’t have the resources.”

“I understand that,” Letos stressed, “but I’m not sure Earth’s governments will care about our limited resources.”

“I hate to be crass, people, but it doesn’t matter what they think. There’s a much bigger danger still out there and that’s where our focus should be.” Garin’s voice snapped with authority and a hint of impatience. “The Outcasts don’t intend to murder the females they took. The same can’t be said about the Evonti. The Outcasts know that transformation can only be achieved with willing females. That alone will ensure that the captives are treated well. The Evonti, on the other hand—”

Haven gasped. “The females aren’t going to be raped and murdered, so we just let the Outcasts go? That is unacceptable!”

“We have no idea where they went,” Bandar pointed out. “What would you have us do? We can’t search the entire galaxy.”

Haven still looked as if she’d argue, but she just shook her head and slumped back in her chair.

“I don’t condone what the Outcasts did,” Garin stressed, “but Bandar’s right. There is nothing more for us to do right now. We must refocus our efforts on the real enemy.”

More than ready to move on, Sedrik nodded. “As you know, Rebecca’s information finally led us to Big Jim.”

“I don’t believe this!” Haven stood so fast her chair topped backward. “Just like that,” she snapped her fingers, “You’re ready to ignore the fact that Rodytes just made off with over a thousand human females. This is a big deal too!”

“No one is inferring otherwise,” Garin insisted. “Why do you think Sedrik worked so hard trying to find them?”

“For all the good it did those poor women!”

Her words made Sedrik cringe. He knew he’d failed. He didn’t need Haven to remind him. “I will be happy to send more trackers after the Outcasts, but I have to have some idea of where to send them.”

“There has to be someone who knows where they went, or someone who can find out,” she persisted. “It’s obvious none of you give a damn, so I’ll find them myself.” She stormed from the room and her holo-image blinked out, leaving Sedrik with the two Nox brothers, and Letos.

“Haven spent her childhood on Earth,” Garin reminded. “She has great empathy for humans.”

“I’ll pursue every lead, as I always have,” Sedrik insisted, “but at present I don’t have any. They could literally be anywhere in the known universe.”

“Which brings us back to the Evonti,” Bandar said with some reluctance.

Letos sighed then nodded. “Has Jim’s interrogation yielded any new information?”

“I sent you an update this morning.” Garin looked annoyed. “James Dayton didn’t survive the Evonti’s remote attack.”

Letos had the decency to look embarrassed. “My morning was unusually busy. What remote attack?”

Garin was still glaring, so Sedrik explained, “The Evonti had implanted a sort of control mechanism in Jim’s brain. When he was captured, they triggered a series of seizures that was so damaging it couldn’t be regenerated.”

“Were you able to learn anything? I was told you scanned his memory.” The possibility of another dead end darkened Garin’s scowl.

“I collected the memory fragments, but I’m not sure if any of it will turn out to be helpful. Rebecca and I are working through the images together.”

Garin nodded, his expression finally beginning to relax. “Report immediately if you learn anything.”

“Of course, sir.”

“And Sedrik.” Garin’s tone changed, losing its autocratic edge until he was Sedrik’s friend again. “This wasn’t your fault. None of us could have done better.”

“I appreciate that, but this happened on my watch. That makes it my responsibility.”

Garin didn’t argue. Instead he looked at the others and asked, “Anyone else have questions, or can we let Sedrik get back to work?”

“I’m good,” Letos said.

“Hang in there,” Bandar suggested.

Then one by one the images blinked off and Sedrik was alone with his recriminations.

* * * * *

Rebecca promised herself she wouldn’t start a fight the moment Sedrik walked through the door. She wasn’t sure what happened after Arton teleported out of the guest cabin. Her ability to follow the action ended when Sedrik rushed out into the corridor. Still, she’d felt his disbelief and fury, his dread and humiliation. Whatever transpired had been ongoing and horrible. She’d tried to reach him, wanted to support him in any way she could, but he’d shut her out without even bothering with an explanation. Dealing with an irate female was probably the last thing he needed. But an hour passed and then another and his inconsideration gradually eroded her determination not to add to his stress.

Rebecca activated the nutri-gen and printed a turkey and Swiss sandwich. However, eating alone in a locked room brought back an avalanche of unpleasant memories. The cage might be nicer and the captor adoring rather than abusive, but she was still a prisoner.

By the time Sedrik finally appeared many hours later, she’d cycled through depression and worry and landed on simmering anger. He claimed to love her, swore he wanted to spend forever with her. Well, sharing his life with a mate meant sharing the bad as well as the good. She would be an active participant in the life they built together or she would return to Earth.

She was lounging sideways on the sofa, legs stretched out in front of her when he stepped through the doorway. She’d been playing letrexta on the datapad, but set the device aside as Sedrik entered the room. “How’d your meeting go?” It was as close to a civil greeting as she could come at the moment.

“As well as could be expected.” He walked to one of the chairs facing the sofa and sat so he could pull off his boots.

“What happened after Arton telepor—”

“He didn’t teleport. He was bio-streamed onto the shuttle by his partner.”

“What partner?” She fought to keep her voice calm as irritation bubbled up inside her. “I thought Arton arrived alone.”

He sighed and rested his head against the back of the chair. “While Arton and I were expressing our brotherly love, Arton’s partner kidnapped Lily and stole a datapad containing the formula.”

Stunned into silence, she just stared at him. The Outcasts had Lily? No wonder Sedrik was so upset. Lily was a vital part of the transformation project, and she was human. The battle born’s relationship with Earth was already strained because of L.A. This latest development would test the alliance even more.

“Do you know where they took her?” Sedrik better have people out looking for her or this conversation was going to get hostile fast.

He shook his head and closed his eyes. “That’s the really fun part. We dispatched trackers to the Outcast headquarters in Telluride. It was the logical place for them to have taken Lily. When the trackers arrived, the entire place was deserted.”

Deserted? What the hell did that mean? “They moved their headquarters?”

His eyes opened, but he stared at the ceiling, expression blank. “They’re gone, all of them. Every ship, every last Outcast is gone.”

“Gone?” She felt like a parrot, but everything he said was too horrible to accept. “They can’t just vanish. They must have moved to another location.”

He looked at her, impatience clear in his weary stare. “Of course they relocated, but to where? It was hard enough to keep track of them on Earth. Now they could be anywhere.”

“They left this star system with a ship or ships full of human females?” She had to spell it out before her sluggish mind would comprehend the details. This was terrible! “And they have Lily, and probably Thea with them. What in the world are we going to do?”

“No love, the question is, what can we do? My investigators will question anyone who had any contact with the Outcasts, but I’m not optimistic. Those bastards are incredibly secretive.” He paused, exhaling slowly. “Now do you understand my shitty mood?” He stood and headed for the bedroom. In the doorway he looked back and asked, “Are you coming? I’m exhausted.”

She started to say she was too angry to sleep, but decided to postpone the argument. He was in no frame of mind for a rational discussion. She had no intention of letting it go, but it made more sense to wait until morning. “I’m not sleepy yet.”

“Suit yourself,” he muttered. He took another step then paused and turned to face her. “Have you had anything to eat since breakfast?”

His expression finally revealed concern, but she could sense nothing from their link. He’d shut her out, closed her off, then forgotten she existed. “Nice of you to remember you have a guest.” He took three quick strides toward the nutri-gen, but she stopped him. “I made myself a sandwich a few hours ago, which doesn’t change the fact that you left me locked in this room all day.”

“I’m sorry.” His hands folded into fists and the tension in his voice made her wonder if he was clenching his teeth. “I have no excuse for my carelessness.”

She didn’t hear sarcasm in his tone, but the absurdity of the statement brought her anger rushing back. “You had a legitimate excuse for losing track of things today, but not for shutting me out.” So much for not starting a fight. She’d honestly intended to leave this alone until morning, but now that the can of worms was open, she would not back down.

His gaze locked with hers and his lips twitched as if he couldn’t decide whether to apologize again or snarl. “I shielded the link to protect you, not to shut you out.”

“To protect me from what?” Her voice grew louder and she advanced without consciously taking the steps. “I can handle you, so who were you protecting me from?”

His brows arched as he matched her steps. They soon stood toe to toe, her head tilted back so she could glare up at him. “You can ‘handle’ me?” He laughed, but there was no humor in the sound. “Do you have any idea how much I’ve held back, how patient and gentle I’ve been with you?”

That was part of the problem. He saw her as a victim, a poor abused wife who needed to be locked away for her own protection. She wasn’t helpless or defeated. She’d fought her own battles for years! Jim hadn’t broken her, no matter how hard he tried, and she would not let Sedrik patronize her. He would treat her as an equal or she’d walk away.

She shoved him as hard as she could. All the force did was rock him backward. He needed an emotional release and so did she. They could go find the training cage he’d mentioned in the cave or fight this out in bed, and she wasn’t in the mood to spar. “So show me, big shot! Stop holding back and let me have it. I am not afraid of you.”

“Maybe you should be.” He bent and draped her over his shoulder, easily lifting her off her feet. His arm banded her thighs, holding her steady as he rushed across the room and tossed her onto the bed. By the time she stopped bouncing and scrambled to her hands and knees, he’d stripped off the top half of his uniform and unfastened the pants. “I will not hold back tonight. If you don’t want all of me, you need to tell me now.”

She looked into his eyes as excitement tingled down her spine. They had much left to discuss, but now was the time for action. She pushed off the mattress so she knelt in the center of the bed and beckoned him with her fingers. “Bring it on.”