Page 76 of Dark Gambit Reliance

She hadn't seen Pavel until later that day, and he could barely speak with the power of Tom's compulsion acting like a gag. But he managed to communicate that she could count on him and that it wasn't only because he was forced to aid her.

Perhaps once he'd been freed from Igor's compulsion, the young male's natural Kra-ell instincts had come back online, and he'd accepted her authority over him.

They were still within sight of the guard tower though, and if she told Kagra the truth now, her second might do something that would betray her. It was better to save all the explanations for when they reached the meeting place with Tom. That was why she planned on arriving there half an hour early.

In the meantime, she needed to perpetuate the lie for Kagra's ears and possibly for the ears of the guards in the tower.

"Pavel was fine, but I should have known better than to accept a kid's invitation. I need someone more mature and stronger."

"And Valstar is it? Almost any of the other purebloods would have been better."

Jade shrugged. "I know him well, and I know that it will irk Igor despite what he says about me being free to fuck whoever I want when I'm not fertile."

Kagra shook her head. "I think that you finally snapped. This is not you."

"Maybe I am losing my mind." She cast Kagra a sidelong smile. "A good run will clear my head." She broke into an easy jog. "Are you up for a race this early in the morning? Or do you concede defeat before we even start?"

Kagra grinned. "What do I get if I win?"

"The satisfaction of finally besting me, but you're not going to win."

"We will see about that." Kagra sprinted ahead.

53

TOVEN

The preparations for today's meeting had been just as extensive as the day before, with Yamanu flying a small surveillance drone over the area where the three rivers crossed and a group of Guardians scoping it on foot ahead of time.

Yamanu had reported that Jade and another female had arrived half an hour or so earlier and that it didn't seem as if anyone had followed them to the remote spot.

Still, as Toven ran through the woods with Mia strapped on his back, he was more apprehensive than he had been yesterday.

The drone was limited in what it could see under the canopy of trees, and the Guardians could be overwhelmed by a large force. Jade could have been caught doing something out of character that raised suspicion, and Pavel could have talked despite the compulsion, although that was highly unlikely.

Toven's powers of compulsion seemed to work just fine on the purebloods, which meant that he could freeze attackers with a command to stand down, but he didn't know how many Kra-ell minds he could seize at once.

Jade and her second were already there when he arrived, and given that the other female wasn't panicking, Jade had warned her about his arrival.

"Hello." He stopped right in front of them and activated the disrupter.

"Hi." The female named Kagra looked at him with her enormous eyes. "I've never seen a god before. You look human, just prettier." She shifted her gaze to Mia. "Are you a goddess?"

"I'm just an immortal." She extended her hand to Kagra. "My name is Mia."

"What happened to your legs?" Kagra said as she shook it. "Did you lose them in battle?"

There had been no pity in her voice, just curiosity.

"In a way, yes. It was done to save my life. I'm regrowing them."

Kagra tilted her head in puzzlement. "Only gods can do that."

"Immortals can do it as well." Toven shifted his gaze to Jade. "What did you tell her so far?"

"I couldn't risk telling Kagra anything until we got here, and when I told her the plan, she had so many questions that I didn't have time to tell her about your sidekick."

"I'm not his sidekick," Mia grumbled. "I'm his mate."