Unlike a certain male in my life, LUO would never betray me.
The door slid open, welcoming me inside. Two Aldawi guards stood on either side of the interrogation room, eyeing me as I stepped forward.
"Is my subject already prepared inside?" I asked, looking from one male to the other. "Or do I have to wait for you two to gather him?"
"He's all yours, Agent Bryeca," one of the males replied. "We’re here to assist you in any way."
"Do you think I’m incapable of my job?" Tilting my head, I whipped out one of my hidden mini blasters. "Have you forgotten who I am?"
"Of course not, Agent Bryeca," the other swiftly answered. "We were only offering—"
"To assist me, a lonely female, in questioning a chained-up male all by myself?” Returning my weapon safely to its holster, I glared at the two males. “I get that your species tend to believe other species are weaker, especially females, but there’s a reason why I am the leader of the Fab Five, your Sovereign's personal squad. Remember that.”
“We meant no offense, Agent Bryeca,” the first guard insisted, glancing away, unable to meet my gaze. “It’s just . . . we know the traitor inside is a dangerous male, not to be trusted.”
Leaning forward on the tips of my toes to force his gaze to mine, I grinned mischievously.
“Believe me when I tell you this: There are few worse ways to die than at my hand,” I purred, stepping away. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, boys, I have a duty to perform.”
Two
Bryeca
I tried to mentally prepare myself for what was to come, to no avail.
As soon as my eyes fell upon the male who had betrayed us all, my heart shattered.
Sitting with his clawed feet and taloned hands bound together, head slumped over in shame, was the male who had stolen my heart long ago like an Aldawi in the night.
Instead of the elegant, vibrant feathers, he had always proudly displayed, a faint layer of blue down covered his bare skin. Gone were the brightly colored accessories, replaced by a simple black loincloth lined in pink to display his crime—a traitor to the Aldawi.
“You sure know how to pick your employers, Qraniebi,” I scoffed as I stood behind my chair, studying him. “I didn’t think I would ever see you so low.”
He flinched as if I had smacked him and muttered, “Neither did I.”
“Then tell me how we got here—how you got into this mess.” I gripped the back of the chair tightly, afraid to sit down. If I did, I might not be strong enough to carry out this interrogation. “No need to play dumb. We both know you understand how this goes, so don’t waste our time. Just tell me everything.”
“I didn’t do it, B,” Q muttered, curling further into himself, if that was possible. “I was set up. I already paid the price for trusting my crew. Now I’ve lost my ship, my feathers, and worst of all, my dignity.”
“I don’t think you have the right to call me ‘B’ anymore.”
His pale green eyes flicked to mine. “Have I lost you, too?”
Those five words gutted me.
Oh, how I would’ve loved to wake up in his arms every day, knowing he was my equal in every way. But the male before me now was not the one I had always known. Instead of his usual cavalier self, this male was someone who had lost everything.
“You never had me.”
The light in his eyes dimmed. “I thought—”
“What we shared means nothing, Qraniebi,” I snapped. “Not anymore. Your crew kidnapped Selena, and now my brother is missing. I have evidence that both were on your ship, so explain to me where they are now.”
“B-Bryeca, you have to believe me,” he begged. “You know I would never betray Zir—”
“It’s Sovereign Zirene Darcaw now,” I interjected, cutting the air with my hand to silence him. “Things have changed since my master last employed you.”
“He’s become the Aldawi ruler?” He straightened in his seat. “What happened?”
Tightening my grip on the back of the chair, I snarled. “You forget that you aren’t in any position to ask me questions. Now answer me so I can go about the rest of my business.”
“I will tell you everything, Bryeca,” he swore. “But please, stop this . . .This isn’t you. You know me. So please, sit down. I will give you what you want.”
Eyeing his shackled wrists resting on the table, I sighed and relented.
I didn’t want to be here any more than he did.
Yesterday’s disaster shouldn’t have happened, but it did, and now I had to face the consequences. We’d both made mistakes, but I had to come to terms with seeing Qraniebi as my enemy until he provided me proof that he was indeed as innocent as he insisted.
I was surprised Z had allowed him to live this long.
Sitting across from him, I leaned as far back as possible, afraid that if I came within arm’s reach, I would attempt something I would regret later.
“Answers, Qraniebi," I said, crossing my arms.
“Before Z—Sovereign Zirene left the space station, he told me that he wouldn’t need us for some time, but that he would remain in touch,” Qraniebi explained, leaning onto his arms as his eyes met mine. “My crew grew tired of waiting and petitioned to pick up some trade runs on the side until our next mission. I refused, knowing that the hostilities on the rise within the CEG meant that Sovereign Zirene might call on us at any time without warning. They rejected my decision and quit on me. Right as I was about to leave, to come to Destima and see if I could talk to Z . . .” He sighed, closing his eyes as he shook his head. “Stars, it will be hard to call him anything else. I knew Sovereign Zirene was residing on Destima with Selena for the time being, so I wanted to take the chance
