But she knew how V’rex still felt about the Kindred. Though he seemed to be on better terms with Commander Sylvan now, he still held the race as a whole in contempt. Penny doubted he would want to live with them in the Mother Ship for any amount of time, though he would probably put up with it at least until they had the baby…
Listen to you, making plans like you’re already pregnant, she scolded herself. You don’t know that you are, so until you’re sure, you might as well not worry about it.
“You don’t know that you aren’t either,” V’rex murmured through their link. “But if you like the idea of having a baby, we can try again right now…”
Penny felt a warm wave of lust rush over her as she looked up at her tall mate.
“V’rex,” she murmured, putting out her arms. “You read my mind.”
“Come on then, baby.”
And picking her up, he carried her into their bedroom.
Chapter 110
About a week and a half into their “Fox’en Honeymoon” as Penelope called it, V went out to his ship and found he had a message from Commander Sylvan asking him to call.
He punched in the subspace coordinates and a moment later, the viewscreen popped into life, showing the Head of the High Council himself. He looked tired, V thought, as though he’d been through a lot since the last time they had spoken.
“V’rex here, returning your call, Commander,” he said coolly. “What can I do for you?”
“Greetings, Warrior V’rex,” Sylvan began formally. “I wanted to let you know that we are now in the Yown System.” He sighed and ran a hand over his spiky, short blond hair. “Actually, we have been for some days.”
“Oh? What’s taking so long?” V asked. “My mate Penelope and I are waiting here on Yown Beta.”
“Your mate?” Sylvan’s eyebrows went up. “But I thought you had Foresworn Penelope?”
“Well, I did…” V shrugged. “But you know, sometimes circumstances take a turn of their own.”
He had been prepared for the Kindred Commander to be angry—maybe even enraged. So it was a big surprise when Sylvan’s face broke into a smile.
“Yes, they do, sometimes,” he agreed, nodding at V. “You know, I had a feeling about you two.”
“What? Even after I told you I had Forsworn her?” V asked, frowning.
Sylvan started laughing.
“Especially after you told me you had Forsworn her,” he emphasized. “You know, I Forswore my own mate, Sophia, before we were bonded, too. But it seems like no matter how many obstacles are in the way, if the Goddess wants a Warrior and a female together, well…” He shrugged. “There’s just no stopping them.”
“I guess you’re right.” V found himself grinning back reluctantly, though the stern Kindred Commander, who had been his foe for so long, was the last person he’d ever expected to share a joke with.
“So you asked me what’s taking so long.” Sylvan’s face went suddenly serious. “And the answer is, the cult down on Yown Alpha. Luckily, I decided to bring several squadrons of warriors with us, because those little orange humanoids put up quite a fight!”
“The NeverBreeders,” V said, nodding. “Did you beat them?”
“Finally.” Sylvan sighed and ran a hand over his hair again wearily. “They’re fanatically loyal to their ‘Glorious Leader’ though. So were the humanoids they’d captured—at first.”
“They just called everyone ‘breeders’,” V’rex growled. “So you said they were loyal at first?”
“Oh yes—we found a way to break their conditioning,” Sylvan told him. “A series of rhythmic sounds that penetrated the brainwashing they had received and brought back the memories of their past lives. We hovered over their atmosphere dome and played them until all the, uh, breeders stopped fighting the Warriors we had sent in and started fighting with them instead, to overthrow the NeverBreeders.”
“I hope not too many were killed,” V’rex said. “Some of them had been there for years and years.”
“Yes, so they told us,” Sylvan said grimly. “I had no idea that such a large cult was flourishing right under our noses! Anyway, we’re clearing everything out now. The kidnapped ‘breeders’ are being returned to their homes and the NeverBreeders finally surrendered when their leader escaped.”
“What? The GL got away?” V sat up straighter. “Damn it—that bastard is the one to blame for everything!”
“I know,” Sylvan said bleakly. “We almost had him. His entire mansion was surrounded.”
“Then what happened?” V demanded. “How did that bastard get away?”
“It appeared that he had a small, private ship hidden under a false lawn just inside the mansion’s outer limits,” Sylvan explained. “We tried to shoot him down but he was too fast, regrettably.” He frowned. “Though if we ever find him, I intend to make him pay for all the misery and grief he caused. When I think of all the lost years his prisoners endured working and living in that Compound…”
“You don’t know the half of it,” V said darkly. “Did you see the inside of the Breeding and Conception Center? Did you see the baths and the recycling room?” He hadn’t seen them himself, of course, but Penelope had described them in great detail, horror in her big brown eyes as she talked and V had to hold and comfort her for a long time afterwards.
“I did.” Sylvan’s face was serious. “The entire center and all its equipment has been razed to the ground now. The NeverBreeders—the ones who were left after the battle—begged to stay in the Compound rather than go back to the Mother Ship as prisoners.”
“And you let them?” V asked, raising his eyebrows.
Sylvan nodded.
“On the condition that they never try to make more NeverBreeders and that they stop the cannibalism.” He shrugged, his broad shoulders rolling under his pale blue uniform shirt. “And since we destroyed
