Page 105 of Rebel Fates

She shakes her head at me like I was a silly cub. “You thought Iwouldn’twant to stop those asshats? I said as much before.”

I turn my gaze away. “I just didn’t know if you considered we might have to go to extremes to stop them. Kill them.”

“I understand it will probably come to that.” Gemma stares all three of us down. “And I never want you to feel you can’t tell me something. Or tell me a concern you have. I was feeling anxious, sensing your unease. I thought maybe you were regretting our bond.”

We all jump to reassure her.

“No!” Zeek rushes to kiss her cheek. “You are stuck with us, my goddess.”

Rok and I both agree with sweet murmurs. I cannot believe I’ve become such a soft heart. Gemma’s affection and acceptance practically demand it from me.

“Gemma,” I explain why I was worried, “Humans are working with the Syndicate. We won’t just be killing Tirbilians and those like them, we will be killing your own kind. Are you sure you are alright with that?”

“If they are selling off desperate and abused women? Fuck yes, I want them to die,” she says, and I know she is a warrior at heart.

My fears of upsetting her with this vanish.

“But what if Crax doesn’t want to kill people?” Gemma asks. “He seems to be a pacifist and is against violence.”

Rok says, “If we don’t ignore his objectives, I think he will get over it.”

“Besides, the slavers are taking potential omega candidates. He doesn’t want that.” Zeek leans against the wall and ponders. “And from what I sense, he isn’t a complete self-centered frex. He’s a Sekmet, so bloodlust also resides in him.”

Gemma grins. “No. You know he isn’t self-centered. He puts up with your nonsense for my sake, doesn’t he?”

“We can’t stop the Syndicate, but we can stop or slow their operation with Earth,” Rok says. “Eventually we might be able to rally the Freedom Raiders and take down the whole corrupt system.”

“Hathorans and Sekmets and others who have suffered by their hand,” Zeek adds.

“Even if we can only stop LunaTek and any other operation doing the same thing, that is something.” Gemma says, “And I agree, we need to stop the human side of the slave business. The source.” Her blue eyes glow with anger. “Thetraitors.”

With the rage building over the human slavers, her Hathoran nature erupts, and her feline features and horns reappear.

Zeek strokes her soft cheek. “Our Warrior Queen has been awakened!”

47

POTENTIAL MATES

GEMMA

Taking down the slaver network won’t be as easy of a task as I had hoped.

Crax had said as much when we talk about our plan. He didn’t try to stop us outright, but he was right. It would not be as easy as blowing up a building or arresting or even killing a few people. This network was a complex setup. And bigger than us.

However, he offered a solution. “We need to call our brethren and let them know we are working on a way to find potentially compatible mates. So why not tell them we need to stop the human trade business? It’s true, and it will help your cause. And it might make the females see the value in our people.”

“What about the humans who have already been sold?” I ask, thinking of the rest of the women on the transport vehicle I had been abducted from.

“I will use my influence with the Consortium to petition for humans to have basic rights,” Crax says.

“What influence?” Serrat asks.

“I’m a noble from Sekmet Prime.”

“I knew it! That’s how he affords a ship like the Mobia!” Zeek yelps. “I thought you acted like a stuck-up prince. Because, you are!”

I giggle but sober when Crax gives me a scowl. I shrug. “Well, you do act a bit entitled sometimes.”

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