PRESENT…

The next morning, I’m ready to head right back to our old camp. Bolox, Narix, and the always silent Runnax are still there. Then there are the estranged Draekons—nine of them—that live even further west.

But that’s not quite how it works out. First thing in the morning, there’s a knock on our door. It’s Rorix. “The Firstborn wants everyone to breakfast in the dining hall today,” he says.

Lud, who’s standing just behind me, nods. “A council of war then,” he says. “Dariux must have talked to the Firstborn last night.”

War. Even the word sends a stab of fear through my heart. Unconsciously, I put a protective hand on my belly and then catch myself. I still haven’t told Lud and Xan about the baby. I’m not ready yet. We’re slowly putting our relationship back together, and in a perfect world, I’d like us to be in a good place before I toss that bombshell into the mix.

Of course, the world isn’t perfect.

I get dressed quickly, and the three of us head to the unusually crowded dining hall. Most people in this camp tend to eat in the hall, but they don’t all seem to eat at the same time. “It’s different in the rainy season,” Sofia said to me when I commented on it. “Everyone eats together then. I think it keeps them from going stir crazy.”

Arax is sitting at one of the tables, Nyx and Viola on either side of him. Across from them, Zunix and Dariux—the two former spies—are locked in animated conversation, Olivia listening intently. Vulrux is seated at the same table, and he looks exhausted, as does Harper.

We take a seat with Bryce, May, and her two mates, Yasix and Thesix. Shortly after, Paige, Rezzix, and Magnux show up. “Why are these meetings always in the morning?” Paige grumbles under her breath.

I feel her pain. “There’s coffee,” Bryce says cheerfully. “I used Raiht’vi’s food-syn to make a pot. Viola’s capable of drinking all of it, but I’m pretty sure she hasn’t had time yet.”

“Bless your heart,” Paige says fervently. “You want a cup, Felicity?”

She sounds friendly. For a change, I don’t allow myself to second-guess the gesture. “Yes, please.”

She heads to the counter and pours coffee into two mugs. Our camps blend well together. Arax’s camp has indoor toilets, which is a big win, but because of Zunix’s syn, there are now things like mugs, new clothes, and softer linens.

Arax gets to his feet just as Paige returns to the table. “A lot has happened in the last two days,” he says. “And I know everyone’s nervous.” He smiles slightly. “I remember arriving on the prison planet,” he says. “The first day, we were attacked by dwals. The first night, by the hairus. I remember thinking that surviving this world was impossible.” He looks around the room. “And yet, here we are, sixty years later.”

Several people are nodding.

“We did it,” Arax continues, “By working together.” His gaze sweeps over everyone once again, and this time, his expression is stern.

“It’s been almost a month since we combined forces with our fellow-exiles. Some of you haven’t been as welcoming as I would have liked.” Really? They’ve seemed pretty damn welcoming. “Some of you are still holding a grudge from our skirmish.” He straightens his shoulders, and his voice grows hard. “As of today, all of that is over. We are facing the might of the High Empire. If we don’t work together, we do not have a chance.”

I guess the ability to make a speech like this is part of the training to be High Emperor, but it’s still pretty damn impressive.

“I want to welcome Dariux to our camp,” Arax says. “And thank him for bringing the med-kit to us. Because of that, the soldier is going to make it. Vulrux has put him in a healing coma for a week, but once he awakens, he should be a valuable source of information.”

Nyx says something to Arax in a low voice, and Arax nods quickly. “I also want to thank Luddux, Xanthox, and Felicity for bringing Dariux here.”

Oh. I feel heat rise on my face. “I didn’t do anything,” I mutter to the people at the table. “I just went along for the ride.”

May rolls her eyes. “Felicity, you’re terrible at accepting compliments, has anyone ever told you that?”

Arax looks around for silence, and we shut up. “Now for the plans,” he says. “Dariux and Zunix have convinced me that we need a place to hide, and I agree with him. Keeping our mates safe is our first priority.”

Arax has clearly forgiven Dariux for the kidnapping and hostage attempt. Good for him. Dariux makes a much better friend than enemy.

“But we also need to find Raiht’vi, and we need to keep patrolling in case we find more ships, crashed or intact.” His lips lift. “And of course, there are our regular chores. We need to hunt and fish and prepare food for the rainy season. Someone still needs to feed Beirax. Dariux tells me that nine new Draekons will be joining our camp, and we’ll need to find somewhere for them to sleep. I have a long list of tasks for everyone.”

It’s a good thing I got some last night. At the rate things are going, I’m not getting any more sexy-times for a while.

Chatter breaks out. Arax lets people talk for a while, and then lifts his hand for silence. “We are all going to be busy,” he says. “But we will prevail. I’m sure of it.”

* * *

Task lists in hand, everyone heads in different directions after breakfast. Thankfully, the first chore on Lud, Xan, and my lists is the same one—getting Bolox, Narix, Runnax, and the nine estranged Draekons to the camp. “That’s going to take at least two trips,” Zunix says apologetically. “But I can’t do anything about it. What with patrols and finding a new home, anyone that can fly is pretty booked up.”

“We can handle it,” Xan says easily. “I’m going to stock up on provisions before we leave. We’re not going to have time to hunt and fish. Felicity, do you need to pack anything?”

I shake my head. “I left everything back at our house. I’m ready to leave whenever you are.”

“I need to have a quick talk with Thrax first,” Lud says abruptly, turning on his heel and wheeling away to follow the other man.

Huh. He sounds stressed. “What’s going on?” I ask Xan. “Is everything okay with Lud?”

“You should ask him that,” he says quietly. He exhales. “This is the worst time for everything to happen,” he murmurs.

A prickle of unease runs down my spine as he walks away to deal with our food. What’s going on? Lud’s in low-voiced conversation with Thrax and Xan is definitely looking stressed about it.

Before I can start to fret—again—Viola comes up to me. “Can I talk to you for a second, Felicity? In private?”

“Sure. What’s up?”

She leads me to a deserted corner of the dining hall. “I owe you an apology,” she says, coming right to the point.

“Huh?”

She grimaces. “I’ve barely said two words to you ever since you got here,” she says. “Surely you noticed.”

“I thought you didn’t like me.” I shrug. “Not everyone does.”

She looks confused. “It had nothing to do with you,” she replies. “I was angry with Luddux.” Her lips twist. “He burned Nyx, and I’ve been holding a grudge. And he’s your mate, so…” Her voice trails off. “Anyway. I’ve pieced together enough of the story to know that what went down wasn’t Luddux’s fault. Belfox and Herrix are the mustache-twirling evil villains in this story. In any case, I had no business letting how I felt about Luddux affect the way I treat you. I’m really sorry.”

Today’s turning out to be a very surreal day. “Okay. No harm done.”

“Why did you think I don’t like you?”

I wince. “I was kinda a bitch toward Olivia,” I murmur. “I said some catty things.”

She snorts. “Please. We’ve all said catty things about Olivia. Don’t get me wrong—I like Olivia now that she’s not being the world’s biggest ditz, but come on. She was so fucking annoying when she was pretending to be a bimbo. Harper and I wanted to smack her.” She flutters her eyelashes and pitches her voice high. “Umm, excuse me, I don’t know how to stick this translator in my ear, even though it’s perfectly obvious.”

I laugh, surprised at Viola’s candor. “Harper doesn’t like me either,” I point out. “She thinks I judged her for eating fries or something.”

She rolls her eyes. “Yesterday,” she says with exaggerated patience, “Harper spent an hour in tears because Raiht’vi’s syn gave her curly fries instead of crinkle-cut fries. A full hour. Vulrux eventually had to give her a sedative to calm her down. Harper’s great, but my God, she’s a hormonal mess right now. About the only thing that puts her in a good mood is sex.”

Good to know that’s what I have to look forward to in a few months.

I take a deep breath and smile tentatively at Viola. It’s time I started making friends. “Hey, when all of this is over, do you want to get a drink or something? The guys make this brandy-like thing out of berries, and it’s really good.” Not that I’ll be drinking any of it, not until the baby is born.

She grins. “You had me at booze.”