Quinn, Latiri 4, Hive Integration Base, Sector 437

      The transport pad vibrations made my head pound where my cheek pressed to the cold, hard floor of my cell. No doubt even more prisoners were about to arrive on their way to hell, more warriors I couldn’t save.

      Fuck it all, I couldn’t even save myself.

      The last injection the Nexus bastard gave me was burning through my system like acid.

      Worse, I could hear them now, inside my head, like the constant buzzing of insects on the trees back on Everis. Buzz. Rattle. Hum. The noise was constant. The headache made me grind my teeth in frustration. But I didn’t stop fighting the noise, no matter how badly it hurt. If I gave in, they’d own me, and I’d rather be dead.

      The trio of Hive who ran the transport pad moved around like silent drones in perfect unison. Seeing Coalition warriors who’d been fully integrated and made into mindless machines was painful, but not as horrible as the idea of ending up exactly like them.

      Empty.

      Numb.

      A weapon for the Nexus to wield against my fellow warriors.

      This base was built to be a Coalition stronghold. Latiri 4 and Latiri 7, both in Sector 437 and under Commander Karter’s protection, had been the front line of this war for a long time. Years. This sector of space was imperative for supply transport, and as a gateway for access to multiple inhabited planets.

      The Coalition Fleet could not afford to lose control of this sector of space. So this underground base had been built in secret when this pile of rock was ours.

      And then—we’d let them in. Let them take it. Let the Hive think they’d conquered ground and overrun our territory.

      In truth, the whole thing had been a trap so we could gather intelligence from behind enemy lines. This base had been used to spy on Hive operations for almost a year now. The knowledge we’d acquired had begun to turn the odds in our favor.

      Until about a week ago, when we’d been ambushed and overrun by Hive Soldiers and Drones. The Integration Units had moved in right behind them and the torture, deaths and integrations of my friends and fellow warriors had begun.

      The Nexus had arrived on day two. His presence marked the end of the Elite Hunters under my command. We’d been set aside. Special. The injections we’d received made the Hive’s work on us invisible to the outside world.

      But I could feel what they were doing to me. Inside. The microscopic technology moved through my cells like a virus, breaking things open. Repairing them. Changing me into something else.

      I’d watched them turn this hidden sanctuary into a production facility for Hive Soldiers, wondering why no one came for us.

      How was it possible that Battleship Karter didn’t know what had happened here? We were required to report in to the Coalition with intel updates every few days. And I’d been in this cell for at least eight.

      I blinked slowly as the transport pad’s vibrations ceased. The trio of Viken drones froze as I watched, lifting their weapons in unison to face something I could not see.

      Pushing up onto my hands and knees, I used the wall to pull myself upright, ignoring the pain slicing through the muscles in my legs. I knew from prior experience that once I was upright, the pain would fade.

      “We did not authorize your transport, female. Where are your guards?” The leader of the trio spoke slowly and clearly, as if it were taking him a few minutes to process her presence. And had he just said female? What the fuck was a female doing here? There were female fighters, in great number, but they were sent elsewhere when captured. Or so I assumed, since I had not seen one come through the transport room for processing. Or out the same way, their minds gone, their bodies fully integrated and ready to fight those who’d been their friends and allies just days before.

      Moving as close to the energy barrier as I could get, I froze. Listened. The force field would hold against an Atlan in full beast mode. I knew; I’d watched several pound themselves bloody trying to break free. I couldn’t get past it, but I could be ready. Something felt off. Something felt… different, and it wasn’t the buzzing in my skull. Anything that upset the Hive was good by me.

      I waited for the unknown female to respond, as did the three Hive drones standing side by side in the transport room.

      Instead of a response, ion blaster fire took all three out in rapid fire succession. Had she killed them? Was she a scout sent from Battleship Karter? The first strike of a ReCon team? Hope filled my head, making me dizzy.

      Seconds later, a female in strange armor ran around to the back of the transport controls, her hands moving so quickly I had to focus to follow the movements. I blinked at the sight of her. She was gorgeous. Long, dark hair pulled back into a simple style I’d not seen before. Her armor covered every inch of her like a second skin, but it was the insignia on the armor that shocked me.

      A vice admiral? Alone?

      Was this supposed to be some kind of joke?

      Who was this female? And why was she here?

      “Hey! Over here!” I yelled at her and sighed in relief when her head lifted. She turned to face me and I stopped breathing, every cell in my body reacting to the female before me. Her dark brown gaze bored into mine like a gut punch and everything I’d suffered the last few days faded to nothing of import. The integrations, the torture, none of it mattered. What mattered was her. I needed to survive, not so I could fight another day, but so I could claim her. Bury my cock deep, master her body, make her scream my name. I’d never been one to believe in love at first sight, or the matching protocols. Not even the mark on my palm. I’d seen fellow Everians find their marked mate, saw the intense connection they shared, but never imagined it for myself.

      My mark didn’t burn, didn’t awaken. She wasn’t my marked mate. But that wasn’t surprising. Less than one in a hundred, fewer, ever met a true marked mate. Most Everians chose their mates like those on many other worlds, attraction, respect, partnership.

      Desire. The intangible connection between lovers. This female may not be my marked mate… but she would be mine.

      I’d taken the bride test a long time ago. Every day I waited without an Interstellar Bride proved to me that I was right. The perfect female didn’t exist. At least not for me.

      Not until her. Fuck. Her.

      I expected her to race to my cell and set me free. Instead, she tilted her head, probably hearing what I did—more Hive fighters running down the halls to reach her position. Was she Everian? Human? Viken? Definitely not Atlan. I couldn’t tell from here, not without getting closer. Touching her. Smelling her skin. And the fucking energy barrier prevented it.

      She turned back to the transport controls.

      “Wait. They’re coming!” I warned. I closed my eyes, counted footsteps. “Three more. Heavy.” The footfalls were louder, the sound of movement lingered as if larger, slower bodies moved toward us. These would be either Prillon or Atlans who’d been integrated into Hive fighting machines. I knew the enemy liked to keep their most dangerous warriors around the perimeter, but the Atlan prisoners were also on this level, and it took one beast to battle another. The lighter, faster soldiers would be on the upper level, or guarding the