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Adelina cocked her head to the side and studied him again. Drozer had called her that as well.
“I want you to be my queen, and the queen of my people,” Sozav finally answered.
“By marrying your king?” she asked.
The Neprijat bared his teeth in disgust and nearly snarled, but he caught himself. His entire body had strained though, as if he wanted to get as far away from the suggestion as he physically could.
“No,” Sozav spat. “The king is the worst of us. I would ask that you cull those who cannot find empathy and rid them from our people. They are a poison. They have destroyed us and our females. I want them gone so we may start fresh, the infection cleansed.”
Adelina considered his words carefully. “Were you aware that there is an armada of Neprijat arriving from your home system? It will be here in a week. Maybe two.”
Sozav tensed, but said nothing.
“There are females and children aboard some of the ships. I assume they are coming to colonize Khara, and then Draga and Hai.”
“Adelina,” Nadyah murmured, placing a hand on her thigh. “I don’t believe this is the route we’re supposed to take.”
“If you are speaking to me as my advisor, then I will consider your suggestion,” Adelina replied without looking at the other female. “If you are speaking as my friend then forgive me for ignoring you. Sozav, I do not want to harm the females or the children.”
The Neprijat sagged in his bonds and the relief was palpable even through the vid.
“But I cannot let my people suffer for that decision. Tell me how to save them.”
“And then?” he asked.
She smiled and glanced at Nadyah. “It was always in my plans to take your system and people for Draga.”
Kaiden’s wings fluttered nervously. She’d startled him. Nash tensed, but then he nodded as if it made complete sense – no doubt he remembered their conversation where she’d threatened their alliance if he tried to exterminate the Neprijat.
Varan…Varan laughed.
Adelina couldn’t help her small smile. “You taught me well, my love.”
Indeed, all those weeks where he’d worked on her reputation she’d been taking mental notes. Varan had made it clear she was loved in the underworld when she’d been named his princess of thieves. Then again with the pirates and the promise to legalize them.
Why couldn’t she do the same with their enemy?
Sozav grinned wide and it was the first time she’d ever seen…joy, on one of their faces.
“Our system is not far from yours,” Sozav said. “I can give you anything you need to know to win this war.”
Adelina nodded. “Give me what you can and I will start corroborating. You will need to stay on my flagship while I speak with everyone. But what I actually need from you Sozav is a way to save the innocents. Think on that while you travel here.”
Then she looked to her mates, settling her gaze on Varan. “Bring him back now; leave your squadron there to handle the busy work. I will send out other squads from our fleet to check on the information.”
“We can go,” Kaiden offered. “We can do that for you,kyotona.”
She smiled, feeling the warmth of their love even so far away. “Asher will be at the coordinates I sent to him in a few hours. Come back to me before then so we may convince him of this plan together. I need you three here. With me.”
They all nodded before she terminated the transmission.
A gift from the Three-faced Goddess it seemed, but only if the data checked out. There was a lot of risk, but if it saved her people? Adelina would take the brunt of their hate for the decision to trust a Neprijat – to bring them into the fold.
“This is a terribly dangerous idea,” Nadyah murmured.
Adelina got up and started to pace, ignoring how pale Nadyah was. Ian put his arm around her shoulders to comfort her. The two of them seemed so perfect for each other now that she could see them openly together. It embarrassed her she’d somehow missed it – assuming they were simply good friends.
“I think it is the smartest choice available,” Ian murmured, mostly to Nadyah. “We cannot commit genocide on an entire people for attacking us and our allies. But we also cannot leave them be without supervision. Doubtful there will be much mixing. That will take time no doubt.”
