Page 9 of Silver Slayer

The whispers sharpened, coalescing into words.

"Do you think they'll shoot him?" one voice was saying.

"If they're smart, they'll listen to him first," came the reply.

Close enough now, I could see them clearly through the vegetation. Three human females. Their soft, scaleless flesh was unmistakable. The same species as the females who had been pulled from the sorium mines on Gorka alongside Valosian captives.

But where was the fourth?

Truxxet gestured downward. My attention dropped to our crashed vessel. There, approaching the torn hull with both hands raised in a gesture of peace, walked a tall, silver being.Long white hair flowed behind him, catching the twin suns' rays. Not Valosian. Something else entirely.

We moved in synchronization, circling behind the three females still crouched on the ridge, watching their companion approach the ship. My hand drifted to the hilt of my blade even though these were not the enemies I'd expected.

"That's weird," the one with the long dark mane muttered.

"What is?" another asked.

"Something's—"

"Drop your weapons," I commanded, stepping forward the moment I caught sight of the weapons they carried. "And raise your hands where we can see them."

The effect was immediate. All three females startled from their crouches, blasters slipping from their grips as they twisted around. One fell to her backside. Another scrambled sideways on her knees. All three raised trembling hands skyward, eyes wide, searching the empty space behind them as they tried to understand where the voice had come from.

I deactivated my cloaking device with one hand, the other already gripping my unsheathed blade, Valosian steel catching the alien light. Truxxet followed a heartbeat later, his spear held at perfect striking height, the deadly tip trained on the center human. The shimmer of energy dissolved around us, revealing our combat-ready forms.

My hand flew to my sternum.

An unfamiliar rhythm thundered beneath my palm. A second heartbeat where only one should exist. The sensation hit so hard and so suddenly that I staggered back a step.

"What is it?" Truxxet hissed, his attention split between the humans and me.

I couldn't answer. Energy surged through my body as my ancillary heart hammered against my ribs, each contraction sending scorching adrenalyne flooding through my veins. The pounding drowned out everything else. My muscles coiled with sudden, staggering strength, my limbs feeling weightless and powerful all at once. I pressed my fingertips to my forehead and felt the ragged edges of my head wound knitting together beneath them.

A dangerous sense of invincibility swept through me, and my gaze snapped to Truxxet's spear pointed at the humans. At my female, though I didn't yet know which of the three she was. My hand tightened on my blade. The urge to drive it between Truxxet and her rose up my throat in the form of a feral growl before I caught myself.

"Fucking Helios," Truxxet lowered his spear with a curse. "Get a hold of yourself, Vennox. Just because one of them is your spirit mate does not mean you can trust her or her companions."

My gaze moved over the three females, pulled by a force I couldn't fight or name. The first was sprawled where she'd fallen backward, short blonde hair fanned around her, wide terrified eyes, hands shaking as she held them above her head. The second was smaller, darker complexioned, a mass of curly hair pulled back from her face, shoulders squared despite the fear written across her features.

Then my gaze found the third, and my ancillary heart stuttered.

She knelt ahead of the others. Unlike her companions, her hands had lowered and now hovered over a strange device in her lap.Her eyes were as pale as Valosian moonlight, steady as a drawn blade, and met mine without wavering. Fierce. Calculating. Taking my measure the same way I was taking hers.

The essence of me twisted and pressed against my sternum in recognition so profound it felt less like discovery and more like remembering. I couldn't look away from her. Couldn't think past the adrenalyne roaring through my blood.

She wasmine!

Chapter Four

QUIN

"You're warriors from Valose," I stated, fighting to keep my voice steady despite the weapons pointed at us.

The male in the kilt fixed me with eyes like liquid mercury. Those molten silver pools hardened as his pupils contracted to predatory pinpoints. A muscle twitched along his jaw. Surprise flickered across his face, chased quickly by suspicion, and then his features composed themselves into a careful mask that couldn't quite hide the tension radiating off his powerful frame. His hand tightened around the hilt of his sword, knuckles whitening against the grip, but the blade stayed angled toward the ground.

"Yes," he said, his deep voice strained as if each word cost him effort. "I am Vennox of Clan Huren, and this is Truxxet of Clan Trisess."

Something strange fluttered in my chest. I pushed it aside. "I'm Quin." I gestured behind me without breaking eye contact. "This is Brooke and Mara. We're with Vala, the one approaching your ship."