Page 330 of Hunters and Prey

Chapter 16

Chiara

Skye Palace

Planet Anarr

The Hai System

Chiara woke up tied to her chair with a migraine that threatened to split her head open. She groaned as she tried to figure out what was going on. There had been…someone…

Her eyes popped open and the male who’d barged into her office was at her desk tapping out the Goddess only knew what. “What are you doing?” she demanded, testing her bonds.

The male whipped his gaze to hers and then frowned. “Thought you would be under longer than that. My mistake.” He went back to her desk and tapped out a few more commands.

“What are you looking for?” she asked.

The bonds had her hands tied behind her back, metal if her guess was right. But whoever this was, he hadn’t emptied her pockets. Chiara was able to get her fingers into the one at her lower back. It wasn’t the medpack, but her scalpel would be able to get her out of the bonds.

And then what?

Could she get to him before he turned on her? He looked a lot stronger and faster than she was. He was a full-blooded warrior and she’d only had enough training to stay alive until someone else came to help her – maybe manage a one on one situation.

But not against a Drakesthai warrior who was three times her size.

“I’m destroying your research,” the male told her. “Can’t have you curing the vermin.”

Chiara blinked. That was definitely not something a Drakesthai male would say considering how many begged her to find their mate. She’d been getting nonstop messages and requests since word of her bond to Roman had spread like wildfire.

Then it occurred to her. “Of course. A Neprijat wouldn’t want to have more enemies,” she murmured. “What is your plan then? Destroy all the research and then get the Drakesthai to deny the new alliance based on our failure to deliver?”

He shrugged and she noticed he let the wings hang a bit lower than most Drakesthai did – clearly not born to the wings like everyone else – though he was good enough to pass cursory inspection.

But not to someone like her – not to someone who noticed every tiny detail of something they’d been studying since they arrived in the Hai System. No wonder none of the Drakesthai had been able to notice the difference in one of their own.

“It’s worth a try,” he told her. “I cannot return to my people knowing what I do and not do anything about it.”

Finally Chiara got her fingers around her scalpel. It was going to hurt, but she could cut the bonds if she activated the plasma. It would give her time to run – sound the alarm…something to let someone know what was going on.

“What do you know?” she asked. “I’m curious why there isn’t a Neprijat army on its way to us now.”

He snorted. “Your queen is smarter than my king anticipated. They’re monitoring all signals including ours. Then killing any that aren’t from them after reading the intel first. I’ve sent six transmissions. My real body is in the Hai System or I would have left already to warn my king.”

Chiara considered the information. At least someone had finally cracked some of the Neprijat tech. That would be helpful later on.

Then she realized…there would only be one reason why he was willing to tell her such important information. “You’re going to kill me.”

“Of course, you’re the only one who’s managed to successfully cure the disease – even if it is a rudimentary solution and you’ve only managed it on one so far,” he said. “Though I wish I didn’t have to. You’re very beautiful and intelligent. You won’t consider joining the Neprijat?”

Chiara made a face. “You’re not my type.”

The male chuckled. “I suppose not, but I could stay in this body if you like.”

Rolling her eyes she moved her thumb over the button that would activate the plasma. “No thank you.”

He shrugged. “That’s a shame.” Then he tapped in one more command and the desk self-destructed.

Chiara clenched her teeth to prevent herself from spitting the truth at him. She would never be so stupid to have only one copy of her work. Ian received copies of everything each night and she had backups on multiple different databases.

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