Page 58 of Aurelian Prisoner

But now, we’ve become something else together.

Now, we three are criminals.

Not a word is said as we take in the situation. During our one hundred years of service to the Aurelian Army, we three would often sit in silence as we descended on our drop points – reflective just prior to drinking the blood of battle.

Right now, it feels like that – like the moment before a great conflict.

This isn’t how it’s supposed to be. Thisshouldbe a time of joy. We’ve done what only a handful of Aurelians ever get the chance to: We’ve found theonewoman in the universe who can give us purpose.

We’ve found the one woman among countless billions who can bear us sons. I canfeelher, right now. She’s so close to us I can almost touch her. Her aura is inside my mind – filled with strength and determination. Allie is no weak-willed human female, who needs to be told what to do. She’s a true firebrand – who’ll fight for what she wants as fiercely as we will.

But right now, Allie is stressed – I can sense it through our Bond. I wish I could go to her and tell her that everything is going to be alright – but I can’t. I have never lied to my triad, and I vow never to hide the truth from my mate.

Things arenotgoing to be alright.

Kitos is scanning the dead space ahead of us, his fingers on the triggers of the first Orb-Cannon. I feel safer with my two battle-brothers on the weapons, rather than trusting the AI – even though, out in deep space, with our signals muted, we aren’t expecting any trouble.

But if I’ve learned one thing, it’s that not expecting trouble doesn’t mean trouble won’t find you anyway.

“What do we do?” Kitos demands, his eyes narrow as he scans ahead of him.

Kitos’ aura has thin tendrils of nervousness woven through it – the same strands that I once weeded out of my own mind with training and meditation. Inwardly, I explore Kitos’ aura. The lines of stress are clearly there – but at least they’re still manageable.

It’s important to know that. A good leader must understand his men. Kitos is under control.

It’s Hadrian I’m worried about. He hasn’t said a word – not since he and Kitos returned from Allie. I sense a dull violence lurking within him.

My mind rushes over our options.

One thing is clear – we’ve screwed up. We’ve mated with a prisoner – violating the strict statutes of Aurelian Law Enforcement.

Althoughhavewe screwed up? How could we deny her, since Allie is our Fated Mate?

There’s no easy answer – no way of telling if we’ve done the right thing or not.

I take a deep breath.

“The noble thing to do would be to turn ourselves in when we arrive on Colossus,” I tell my battle-brothers. “We explain that we lost control in the presence of our Fated Mate. We canhopethat Law Enforcement will grant us leniency, but we canexpectharsh judgement.”

I pause, about to answer the question I know my battle-brothers are poised to ask.

“Allie will go free,” I tell them. “She can’t be held accountable for her crimes any longer – due to our…breach.”

Breach.

What a word for it.

It sounds so harmless when you say it like that – like using the wrong cutlery at a fancy human dinner.

In reality, there’s nothing harmless about it. Aurelian justice is harsh. Fucking a prisoner can send you to an Aurelian prison for life – or, worse, see you executed in the arena of the Gods; with your shameful demise broadcast for the whole universe to witness.

Our transgression is dire. The Aurelian Empire already has a weakened hold over many sectors. Now, we three have forever tarnished the authority of the Aurelian Law Enforcement agency.

Hadrian presses down on the trigger of his Orb-Cannon - suddenly blasting a whirling asteroid out of the air.

I wince. I’d have preferred to keep our weapons signals hidden… But I have to forgive him for the outburst. I can sense the stress he’s under.

“Fuck that,” my battle-brother snarls. “If we take Allie to Colossus, they’ll take her from us – just you watch. YouknowQueen Jasmine will make an example out of us for touching ahumanprisoner.”

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