Page 329 of Hunters and Prey

Chapter 15

Roman

Roman’s Office

Skye Palace

Planet Anarr

“Are you sure this is right?” he asked Leo. “You’ve checked all the vids?”

“I’m sure. There’ve been a few gaps in various warriors’ and servants’ memories,” his brother told him, leaning over his shoulder to double check. “I’ve followed the trail and narrowed it down to these three.”

“We’ve inspected everyone in the palace twice?” Roman asked again. He frowned at the data. It seemed contradictory, if sound.

Both Alexei and Leo nodded as they triple checked their own shreves.

No one had been on or off the island except his team in the last four days. How could anyone hide from them when there was nowhere to hide? It wasn’t just that they hadn’t found the spy. They hadn’t found anyone with the fractal marks on the back of their neck in the palace or on the island.

Security vids didn’t show anyone leaving, but Roman supposed they could have during the original skirmish for the queen. And then they could have returned to a different body on the island after they’d inspected everyone?

Holy hells. That was a terrifying thought. Roman felt his heart actually skip a beat as he considered that possibility.

“We need to lock down the palace and do another sweep and search,” Roman told Alexei and Leo. “The island needs to be clean before we have to leave for battle. I will not leave Chiara or the other doctors at risk with a minimal guard in place.”

Alexei frowned as he flicked through vids on his shreve. “Who were the suspects?”

Something in the way he asked the question made Roman freeze. “Why?”

“I put the west wing under surveillance after the doctors arrived,” Alexei admitted. “I figured it would be prudent to know what they were up to. I also didn’t want to be responsible if anything that we could prevent happened to them so I have a list of approved personnel who are allowed in the west wing.”

Roman was impressed Alexei had thought of that. He’d been so distracted trying to find the spy, making sure his people weren’t possessed by the Neprijat monsters, and Chiara that he’d leaned on his brothers a lot over the last week.

And they’d pulled through for him.

“What’s the problem?” Leo asked, coming around on the other side so they could see the vids better.

“This male isn’t approved,” Alexei said, pointing to a Drakesthai warrior who walked down the main corridor of the west wing and then…stopped outside Chiara’s office.

He disappeared inside.

“Are there cams in there?” Roman demanded to know.

“No,” Alexei told him, grimacing. “I wanted to give her and the patients privacy. I regret that choice now.”

“Don’t,” Roman said, grabbing his broadsword from the wall. He activated his armor with a tap on his family’s crest. It spread out across his body and Roman attached his sword to his back. “She deserves her privacy and safety. Leo gather a contingent of warriors, Alexei, you’re with me.”

Neither of them argued. Both of his brothers activated their own armor without a word and Leo pulled out his communicator to deliver the messages.

Roman and Alexei ran to the west wing as fast as they could. Leo would send out alerts across the island and lock it all down – activating the shield. No one and nothing would be able to get in or out.

He hoped it was nothing and he was simply overreacting – insanely protective and paranoid due to a freshly consummated mate bond. That was the best case scenario. Chiara would yell at him for interrupting her work and tell him to leave with the same glare on her face that she’d had when they first met – the memory almost made him smile.

But deep down there was a sick feeling in his stomach.

As they turned the corner into the foyer he felt a flash of fear that wasn’t his – strong enough he doubled over.

“Roman! What’s wrong?” Alexei demanded, pulling him upright to inspect him.

“It’s Chiara,” he gritted out. “We need to get there now.”

His brother didn’t waste any more time on stupid questions. The two of them sprinted down the corridor, wings tucked in tight to their bodies, swords drawn.

Roman was going to rip the creature to shreds. He didn’t care what body it wore. It was threatening his mate. He would make it pay before he killed it.

Then he kicked open the door hard enough it shattered.

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