Grace Goodwin - Hunted

But I could feel what they were doing to me. Inside. The microscopic technology moved through my cells like a virus, breaking things open. Repairing them. Changing me into something else.

I’d watched them turn this hidden sanctuary into a production facility for Hive Soldiers, wondering why no one came for us.

How was it possible that Battleship Karter didn’t know what had happened here? We were required to report in to the Coalition with intel updates every few days. And I’d been in this cell for at least eight.

I blinked slowly as the transport pad’s vibrations ceased. The trio of Viken drones froze as I watched, lifting their weapons in unison to face something I could not see.

Pushing up onto my hands and knees, I used the wall to pull myself upright, ignoring the pain slicing through the muscles in my legs. I knew from prior experience that once I was upright, the pain would fade.

“We did not authorize your transport, female. Where are your guards?” The leader of the trio spoke slowly and clearly, as if it were taking him a few minutes to process her presence. And had he just said female? What the fuck was a female doing here? There were female fighters, in great number, but they were sent elsewhere when captured. Or so I assumed, since I had not seen one come through the transport room for processing. Or out the same way, their minds gone, their bodies fully integrated and ready to fight those who’d been their friends and allies just days before.

Moving as close to the energy barrier as I could get, I froze. Listened. The force field would hold against an Atlan in full beast mode. I knew; I’d watched several pound themselves bloody trying to break free. I couldn’t get past it, but I could be ready. Something felt off. Something felt… different, and it wasn’t the buzzing in my skull. Anything that upset the Hive was good by me.

I waited for the unknown female to respond, as did the three Hive drones standing side by side in the transport room.

Instead of a response, ion blaster fire took all three out in rapid fire succession. Had she killed them? Was she a scout sent from Battleship Karter? The first strike of a ReCon team? Hope filled my head, making me dizzy.

Seconds later, a female in strange armor ran around to the back of the transport controls, her hands moving so quickly I had to focus to follow the movements. I blinked at the sight of her. She was gorgeous. Long, dark hair pulled back into a simple style I’d not seen before. Her armor covered every inch of her like a second skin, but it was the insignia on the armor that shocked me.

A vice admiral? Alone?

Was this supposed to be some kind of joke?

Who was this female? And why was she here?

“Hey! Over here!” I yelled at her and sighed in relief when her head lifted. She turned to face me and I stopped breathing, every cell in my body reacting to the female before me. Her dark brown gaze bored into mine like a gut punch and everything I’d suffered the last few days faded to nothing of import. The integrations, the torture, none of it mattered. What mattered was her. I needed to survive, not so I could fight another day, but so I could claim her. Bury my cock deep, master her body, make her scream my name. I’d never been one to believe in love at first sight, or the matching protocols. Not even the mark on my palm. I’d seen fellow Everians find their marked mate, saw the intense connection they shared, but never imagined it for myself.

My mark didn’t burn, didn’t awaken. She wasn’t my marked mate. But that wasn’t surprising. Less than one in a hundred, fewer, ever met a true marked mate. Most Everians chose their mates like those on many other worlds, attraction, respect, partnership.

Desire. The intangible connection between lovers. This female may not be my marked mate… but she would be mine.

I’d taken the bride test a long time ago. Every day I waited without an Interstellar Bride proved to me that I was right. The perfect female didn’t exist. At least not for me.

Not until her. Fuck. Her.

I expected her to race to my cell and set me free. Instead, she tilted her head, probably hearing what I did—more Hive fighters running down the halls to reach her position. Was she Everian? Human? Viken? Definitely not Atlan. I couldn’t tell from here, not without getting closer. Touching her. Smelling her skin. And the fucking energy barrier prevented it.

She turned back to the transport controls.

“Wait. They’re coming!” I warned. I closed my eyes, counted footsteps. “Three more. Heavy.” The footfalls were louder, the sound of movement lingered as if larger, slower bodies moved toward us. These would be either Prillon or Atlans who’d been integrated into Hive fighting machines. I knew the enemy liked to keep their most dangerous warriors around the perimeter, but the Atlan prisoners were also on this level, and it took one beast to battle another. The lighter, faster soldiers would be on the upper level, or guarding the flight decks. They weren’t expecting an attack this deep inside the base. I hadn’t either.

And was this an attack? One female hardly warranted much of a reaction. But then, she had just taken down three warriors before they could react.

The Hive had made a mistake in thinking they were safe here. Just as we had. And I’d make it far worse for them, if I ever got out of this cell.

The female ignored me, so I yelled again. “Over here! Shut down the energy field to my cell! I can help.”

That got her attention. She leaned down and ripped an ion blaster from the hands of one of the dead Hive trio. An integrated Viken. Running over, she paused long enough to blast the control panel next to my cell. The energy field dropped instantly and I charged forward, taking the blaster from her hand.

“What is going on here? I thought this was a Coalition controlled base.”

“It was, until just over a week ago. The Hive transported in and ran us over. We had no warning. Thought we were safe down here.”

“Are there any more of you? Other prisoners?” she asked. But she wasn’t looking at me. She was watching the hallway where I knew in about five seconds, three more Hive would appear. Bigger this time. Stronger.

“Many have been transported in. I’ve seen every one of them. How many are left alive, I have no fucking idea.”

I listened again. If I had to guess, I’d say one Atlan and two Prillon warriors. Shit. They wouldn’t go down from a single hit from a blaster. No, they would be much harder to kill.

Something in my tone caught her attention because that dark gaze returned to me, either sadness or pity in her eyes. I couldn’t decide which and wanted neither.

“Take cover. I’ll take them out.” I didn’t need a pity party. Now that I was free, with a weapon in my hand, the buzzing helpless feeling in my head could go fuck itself.

“Three of them are going to be on us in a few seconds. And one of them is… was an Atlan.”

“I know.”

She knew? How? She could hear them, too?

She wasn’t looking at me, not anymore. She’d done as I suggested and had taken cover behind the corner, only her shoulder and her ion blaster a target for the Hive.

Her gaze narrowed and her aim was steady.

Gods help me, she was magnificent. How the hell had she heard the distinct difference in the heavy footfalls of the integrated Atlan? I’d known, but I had Hunter’s senses. She was not an Elite Hunter. I didn’t know what she was, other than beautiful—I glanced at the three dead Viken Hive on the floor behind her—and lethal. Efficient. Ruthless.

“Who are you?” I couldn’t help but ask, even as we awaited the enemy. She was a mystery. A complete and total mystery I very much wanted to solve. “And how did you get here?”