Nalea expected betrayal. Or she at least expected Roden to kick his plan into action the moment the guardsmen closed the door behind them. She hadn’t expected the waiting.

It’d been over an hour since they’d been left alone in a small office, and still no sign of Hillas. Oh, she had no doubt the Grand Lord was watching them that very moment. She tried to play her part, a part made no easier by the chilly temperature. Roden had said the Draeken were facing the same power shortage her people were, and the cold supported his statement. The lights were dim enough that she could remove the dark glasses Roden had given her earlier, but she’d left them on so that Roden couldn’t see her eyes.

Unlike Nalea, stuck in a scrap of clothing and acting as a well-behaved consort, Roden had it easy. He didn’t have to act. He was being his usual arrogant self. He sat opposite her, watching her while leisurely propped up on an elbow.

In between idle chat with her ‘consort’, she tugged at the dress as she tried to find a more comfortable seating position. Her chair was like Roden’s, a classic Draeken style made of ornate metals with a narrow curving back to accommodate wings; in other words, uncomfortable. She blew out a breath. “He knew you were coming, right?”

“Yes.” Roden frowned. “He’s not usually so late.”

An alarm blared, the deep tones reverberating through the room.

Roden and Nalea jumped to their feet.

“They found the base,” he said, as though speaking his thoughts aloud.

Did he sound pleased? Nalea sucked in a breath. “Who?”

“Sephians,” he replied, and then added drily, “And their new friends, I suspect.”

Had her people aligned with the humans? Sienna and Apolo had been planning another meeting with several indigenous leaders before she’d been taken, but that had been months ago. She could only hope they’d aligned and not become slaves to yet another race.

A cacophony of gunshots and blaster shots sounded outside the main door. Roden pulled out a blaster, turned, and headed toward the side door. “Sounds like they’re in the landing bay. This room is close enough that if they’re any good, they’ll get here within minutes. I suggest we move to somewhere a bit more secure.”

He opened the door. He never saw the chair coming crashing down on his head from behind. He crumpled, his head hitting the floor with a loud crack. He wasn’t out cold but was definitely incapacitated as he sought to regain his bearings.

Nalea dropped the chair and tried to bite back the guilt roiling in her as she stepped on Roden’s wrist, relieving him of his weapon as he groggily reached out for her, then stepped over him and bolted through the doorway. Once in the hallway, the need for freedom quickly overcame guilt.

Knowing Roden would be back on his feet within seconds and extremely pissed off, she weaved as quickly as she could through the winding hallways without risking a twisted ankle. Taking the route they’d been led, she ran directly toward the sound of gunfire.

As she slowed to turn a sharp corner, a hole appeared in the wall near Nalea’s right shoulder. She stumbled to an abrupt stop.

“Don’t move,” a familiar masculine voice called out with the welcome lilt of a Sephian accent.

Nalea sucked in a breath when she linked the Sephian with the voice. “Apolo?”

“Nalea?” Apolo scowled, then his eyes widened. He held out his arms and she sprang into them. He embraced her hard, and she didn’t let go.

“Suvaste, I thought you were dead. Praise the gods he was wrong.”

“You don’t know how good it is to see you,” she said. “How in the hells did you find this place?”

“My spy sent a beacon; lit up this base on the grid like an erupting volcano.”

“Kreed is alive?” Nalea asked. The last she’d heard, Apolo’s spy had gone dark. Everyone had assumed he’d been compromised.

Apolo nodded, then took a step back and frowned. “What in the gods’ names are you wearing?”

“Long story,” she muttered. “We need to hurry. Roden is right behind me.”

At the mention of the Draeken’s name, Apolo raised his blaster toward the hallway. He grimaced. “Justice will have to wait. Right now, we need to get you out of here.”

Exhilaration shot through her, only to be smothered by a sense of impending doom. When Apolo pulled her forward, she dug in her heels.

The sound of multiple pairs of pounding boots broke through the silence. Apolo glanced down the hallway, and then turned back to her, frowning. “We have to move fast. This is just the first assault on this base. We may have caught them off guard, but they’ll regroup quickly. We need to be out of here by then.”

Furious at herself, she slammed her palm against the wall. “I have to stay here.”

“What are you talking about?” Apolo said, tightening his grip.

She pulled him into another embrace and kissed his cheek. “I have a shot at Hillas, and I’ve got to take it.” She wanted to leave more than anything, but running was selfish, pure and simple. Despite not trusting Roden, he had given her a chance to eliminate the Grand Lord and end the devil’s reign.

“We’ll go after him together. It’s too dangerous here.”

“I can’t,” she said, standing taller.

After a second of watching her, Apolo shook his head and stepped back. “I understand why you need to do it. I’ll try to get Kreed to you. If it’s possible, he’ll get you out of this mess.” His words sounded tired and laden with remorse.

She nodded. “Thanks.”

With that, Apolo broke away from her and turned back the way he’d come. He looked back. “And, Nalea?”

She raised her brows. “What?”

He gave her a warm smile. “We’ll get you back.” Her leader gave her one last look before turning back toward the approaching boots.

Her mind swirled and her heart ached as though she’d never see Apolo again, but regardless of her feelings, she was doing the right thing. Like it or not, she and a particular Draeken lord were the best chance Earth had against a despot.

A vise gripped her neck and wrenched her backward, throwing her against the wall hard enough that her vision went black. She kicked out, knocking her opponent away. She swung up the blaster, only to have the weapon snatched from her hand. Her vision returned, revealing a furious Roden.

He maintained an iron grip on her wrist. She let him yank her through the hallways and away from the sounds of gunfire.

Still coughing for air, she said, “I was… coming back… for you.”

He stopped abruptly and she stumbled against his back. His wings flicked angrily in response. He turned to face her. Blood still flowed from his head, a sign that didn’t bode well for either Roden’s current temper or his retaliation later. His eyes were hard and cold. “Lies don’t suit you.”

His eyes shone bright with fury, and he yanked her forward again. The sound of gunfire was closing on them. Nalea picked up the pace, but still struggled to keep up with the taller Draeken.

Roden pulled her through winding, empty hallways, and she let him. When they met Draeken guardsmen, they paused only long enough for Roden to send them off with a curt command.

He kept a firm grip on her as he rushed down hallways until the sounds behind them tapered off. They continued on, every now and then stopping to find a locked door. He would curse and move on, clearly little more familiar with this particular base than Nalea herself was.

He turned them down a darker hallway than the one they’d been in before. No lights were installed there yet. He moved to the side. “Fyet. Can you find a door?”

Nalea pulled free from Roden and stepped in front. Her eyes adjusted to the dark and she walked forward, slowly at first, then jogging as she headed toward indentions in the walls. Doors… and not just any doors; these didn’t even have security tags on them yet.

Nalea skimmed past the first and chose the second. The door opened easily, and she stepped into the small room. Sized for a typical sleeping room, it wasn’t much larger than a closet, just enough room for a bed and trunk. Hillas was expanding this base, but where was he going to find more guardsmen? Was there more than one core ship?

Roden pressed the door closed and turned to face her, although in the darkness she doubted he could see anything. She watched the blaster he held at his side. It was then she realized that the entire time he’d pulled her through the hallways, and even now, he’d never once pointed the weapon at her.

She stepped closer, wrapping her hand around the wrist of the hand holding the weapon. “The game’s changed, Roden,” she whispered. “I’m here now because I chose to stay. I’m no longer your prisoner. I’m your godsdamned tahren, and I’ll never be your possession.”

The small room suddenly felt smaller. Instinctively, Nalea placed her hand on Roden’s chest to hold him at bay. His heart beat strong and steady beneath her palm, while hers beat shallow and fast.

“Tahren? Does that mean you’re going to accept the bond?” he asked.

She took a deep breath. “For now.” But not for the reason he thought.

He nuzzled her ear, his breath sending a shiver through her. “You start this, there will be no stopping. You’ll always be connected to me.”

“I know.” She’d deal with the repercussions later. And rather than fear or fury, she felt anticipation. She grabbed him behind the neck and pulled him down to her lips. In the dark, she felt her way around him, her fingers discovered skin battered by scars. Draeken, with their advanced technology, rarely scarred. Roden Zyll was a man who’d clearly seen battles much of his life.

As she embraced him, she reached deep into herself and let her energy flow upward and outward, similar to how she’d healed fellow Sephians before. She could feel warmth under her fingers and through her lips as her energy seeped outward, a little at first, then more. Roden, not being a Sephian, couldn’t send out his energy, yet hers seemed to have no trouble reaching into him.

The room began to get hotter, and she realized that the source was her. His emotions snuck up on her. They slithered around her soul like small snakes, tickling it, and then they penetrated her all at once. She gasped.

Roden grabbed onto her, never letting go, as she acclimated herself to the bond. It felt as though she’d walked from the night into the blinding sun. Suddenly, she was no longer alone within her body. Jammed right alongside her thoughts and feelings, she could feel something more. Roden’s emotions, glimpses of his intentions, his very essence had imprinted itself on her soul. Her heart pounded.

“Are you all right?”

Roden’s words were soft and gentle. His breathing was tight, as though he was also undergoing a transformation.

“It’s done,” she whispered.

“Regrets?”

“No.” Now Roden couldn’t lie to her; she’d be able to see his intentions before he acted. They were finally on a level playing field.

“Good.”

She sensed pleasure in his response. “I still hate you,” she said.

He kissed her shoulder. “I know.” Not even the slightest disagreement. A spark of hurt flashed within her, but it was smothered all too quickly. “Apolo and his team will be gone by now. The hallways should be safe.”

He opened the door and stepped into the hallway. After a moment, he holstered his weapon.

She frowned as she joined him. “How’d you know Apolo was here?”

“No doubt their recon mission didn’t go as planned,” he continued, ignoring her question. “Now that Hillas knows his base location has been compromised, he can’t evacuate without looking like he’s running scared, and his pride would never allow that.”

They walked down the same hallways they’d fled ten minutes earlier. A guardsman came running forward to meet them. “Lord Commander Zyll.”

Roden waved a hand through the air. “Well, get on with it.”

“Yes, sir. The Grand Lord has requested the presence of you and your consort.”

Roden held out a hand to Nalea. “It’s time, my dear.”

She slid her hand into his and focused intently on not showing any surprise that Roden had pressed a small blade into her palm.