Page 87 of Dark Gambit Reliance

The male's nature was to prove himself worthy to the most powerful female and to outdo other males. Those whose Kra-ell souls hadn't been corrupted to their very core by Igor still possessed that instinct.

When Boris let go of her hair, she turned around, walked into the building, and headed up the stairs.

With the second floor hosting Igor and Valstar's offices and personal lodging, there was always another guard at the entry to their hallway, but with Igor gone, security seemed laxer than usual. Or perhaps Valstar had dismissed the guard so he could have more privacy with Igor's prime female.

The first floor housed the administrative offices, but no one was there this time of night. Tom had been right about it being an advantage. Once the communications went down and Pavel took care of Boris to bring her the titanium chains, there would be no witnesses.

When Jade got to Valstar's office, she knocked to let him know that she was coming in and opened the door. She'd never been to his private quarters before, but they were probably similar to Igor's, which meant that to get there, she needed to pass through the office.

"It's me." She knocked on the only other door.

Valstar pulled it open and gave her a once-over. "That's not what I had in mind when I told you to dress nicely, but it will do." He reached for her waist.

"I brought something for the mood." Jade sidestepped his hand and walked over to the sitting area. "Do you have glasses?"

"Of course."

He didn't look happy about her not being ready to play, but he was being cautious. Valstar was a murderer but not a rapist, and even if he was, he wouldn't dare force himself on Igor's prime. If he offended her, he knew that she would walk away, and he would have to let her go.

Pulling two glasses from a sideboard, he brought them to the coffee table. "Boris told me that you were bringing vodka and that you drank it in front of him to prove that you are not going to poison me."

"Why would I want to do that?" She poured the cranberry juice first. "I'm here to scratch an itch and to annoy Igor. Killing you is not on the menu."

Regrettably, that was true. She needed to keep him alive until Igor was caught.

60

MARCEL

Toven had left more than two hours ago with the Guardians who formed the wing that would attack from the hunting grounds. Their journey through the river was much longer than Marcel's group's, and the amphibian they were traversing the distance in was much slower than the trucks his group was using.

Marcel utilized that time to practice wearing the exoskeleton suit along with Kalugal's men.

Not to deplete their energy before the battle, they weren't doing anything more strenuous than walking and aiming their weapons, but he was already tired, and it had been less than an hour.

"That's good enough," Bhathian said. "Take the suits off, but do it carefully so nothing gets damaged, and return them to their crates. Make sure that your name is on the crate so you can find it later. Bring it with you when we move out." He pointed to his watch. "You have half an hour."

The suits were going with them in the trucks, and they were going to put them on right before the battle.

As Marcel turned toward the farmhouse porch, he met Sofia's eyes, which were wide with wonder. She and the two other ladies were sitting on a bench, watching him and Kalugal's men test the exoskeletons.

Taking the helmet off, he smiled at her. "Impressed?"

She nodded. "You look like an alien. The purebloods will be so shocked when they see you that they might surrender without a fight."

"I wish, but I doubt it." He carefully removed the suit's sleeves. "In any case, you shouldn't worry. Our guns are loaded with tranquilizing darts, and we will take down as many as we can without killing them."

Instead of looking reassured, Mia looked more worried after what he'd said. "But you have regular guns as well, right?"

"Of course, we do."

"What if the humans join the fight?" Mia asked. "Those darts are calibrated to take down Kra-ell. They can kill a human."

Marcel looked at Sofia. "Will they fight?"

She shook her head. "They would just get in the way. No one ever talked about the possibility of the compound being attacked, but we had fire drills. In the case of fire, the humans are supposed to get the animals out of the barns and then assemble in the playground. Maybe the protocol is the same in the case of an invasion." She sighed. "I hope that they just stay in their rooms."

Sylvia crossed her arms over her chest. "I should just join the Guardian force. They keep recruiting me for these jobs, and I don't know how to even hold a gun."