Page 39 of Dark Gambit: The Play

"I can, but I don't think it's a good idea to send humans snooping around Kra-ell on a hunt. We don't want them finding out about aliens, and those Kra-ell are pretty obviously not human. Especially when they chase an animal down to drink its blood."

"There is another problem," Toven said. "Even if we send Guardians to do the recon, and they manage to catch a male, take off his collar, and bring him in for questioning, Igor would know that one of his was plucked off the hunt and he will lock down the compound. We don't want to give him advance warning. The only way I can see that working out is for me to be there and compel the information out of the male and then thrall him to forget what happened to him. One problem with that is that if Igor suspects anything, he can compel the guy to bring up the suppressed memories. The other problem is that Mia can’t run around in the forest.”

Kian shook his head. "I don't feel comfortable risking you like that. I don't want you or Mia anywhere near that compound."

Toven frowned. "What good is having a god on your side if you are not willing to use me? I'm the best weapon in your arsenal, and I'm willing to lend myself to the clan whenever you need me."

"I appreciate that, but let's keep that formidable weapon for Armageddon, shall we?"

Mia chuckled. "Don't forget that you have two of those. Put Toven and Annani together, and you can take down Navuh, Igor, and the gods' homeland."

"That's a bit of an exaggeration." Toven wrapped his arm around Mia's slim shoulders. "But thank you for the vote of confidence."

"What about the noise cannon?" Julian asked. "The Kra-ell have sensitive ears like we do, and the noise cannon could knock down the entire compound without causing any casualties. Just a lot of ear damage."

"I like the way you think," Turner said. "That might be an option if we decide to attack. The problem will be the humans in the compound. The damage to their ears might be irreparable. Not to mention what it can do to the children."

"Right." Julian rubbed his jaw. "So that's not a solution either."

"We can use the exoskeletons to even out the strength disparity," Kian said. "But that still leaves us with not enough warriors. I'm not willing to leave the village, the Scottish castle, and the sanctuary undefended to launch an attack on the Kra-ell."

Turner chuckled. "You might have enough warriors if you are willing to think outside the box. You have an entire army stored in your catacombs. You could wake them up, have Toven compel them to his will, and voilà, you have a formidable force to unleash on Igor. Not only that, you can turn some of them into gardeners, cleaners, builders, and whatever else you need workers for."

Kian grimaced. "I'm not a hopeless romantic like my mother, and I will never let those monsters loose on women and children who cannot defend themselves. They've been monsters for too long to change, not even with the help of Toven's compulsion."

Turner shrugged. "It could have been fun to watch the Kra-ell females tear them to shreds."

Kian shook his head. "You have a sick sense of humor."

Turner grinned. "Thank you."

27

ERIC

"Have a great day at work." Eric pulled Darlene into his arms. "Are you coming back to have lunch with me?"

"I sure am." She wound her arms around his neck and kissed him softly. "Are you cooking again?"

Eric chuckled. "Are you sure you want me to?"

The pasta he'd made for lunch the day before had been barely edible. The noodles had come out soggy, and the ready-made sauce had been too salty. He'd grated a mountain of Parmesan cheese on it to give it some taste, but it wasn't enough to save the dish.

"You'll get better with practice." She cupped his cheek. "I promise to eat anything you cook."

"That's true love for you." He kissed the top of her nose. "Now I have proof."

She smiled. "I thought that I proved it to you last night."

"That was just you enjoying my body. There was no sacrifice involved."

"True, but love is what made it spectacular." She pulled out of his arms. "I have to go. I'm already late."

Yesterday he'd walked her to the lab, and he would've loved to do it again, but he had a few phone calls to make. After that, he was going to do a deep dive on YouTube, watching cooking videos.

"I hope to wow you with something special when you come home for lunch, but if I produce another culinary disaster, I'll compensate by wearing an apron with nothing underneath."

She laughed. "Now you’ve made sure that I won't be able to concentrate on work."