The technician frowned, his hands moving over the control station at a frantic pace. “Yes. One other.”
Erik stood on the other side of the technician, his eyes narrowing as he, too, read the reports. Erik’s eyes were serious, the color of storm clouds. Erik did not play the lighthearted Viken, as Rolf did. Nor did he feel the weight of the darkness as I. He walked in a cloud of gray, apathetic and detached from the world. I knew he’d lost his family, every single one of them, in a brutal attack. He’d never offered details, not in the ten years I’d fought by his side in the Hive war. He kept his dark secrets even when buried balls deep in a willing woman or neck deep in his cups, too drunk to stand.
He’d lost everything, as I had. Neither of us had anything to go home to. We didn’t need to live a Sector life. The decision to stay at Viken United, to serve the new royal family, had been easy.
Rolf, on the other hand? I had no idea why Rolf did not return to Sector Three after we’d served our time in the Hive war. When Erik asked, Rolf shrugged and said he was afraid Erik and I would kill each other without him around to intervene. And so he’d remained with us as part of the royal guard.
“Erik, where the fuck is she? Can’t you pull up her coordinates? Contact Earth. Surely they tracked her transport,” I demanded.
“Hold onto your balls, boys. They covered their tracks,” Erik insisted. I blinked slowly and held myself in check. Erik’s words were in jest, but Sophia was his mate, and I recognized the look in his eyes now.
Murderous. Which was a perfect reflection for the rage coursing through my veins.
“They?” I asked.
“Who is they?” the King asked. “Have you confirmed it’s the VSS?”
I cursed and resumed pacing as Leah and the baby moved to stand beside Lev once more. Clearly shaken, she reached to him for comfort, for strength. The sight made me burn with rage.
Somewhere out there, my mate was scared. Alone. Afraid.
And I couldn’t reach her.
“Fuck this, Erik. Find her. Now.”
Rolf grunted in agreement as Lev watched Erik’s hands fly over the complex controls. Danger lurked in every shadow of late. For two thousand years before Lev’s family had united the planet, the three sectors had been governed by whomever was the most powerful, the most ruthless. The Viken Sector Separatists preferred the old ways, the old system. They’d started the civil war three decades ago that killed our King and left the triplet princes orphans. Now that the brothers were united as one, and their young daughter, Allayna, was the recognized heir and ruler of the entire planet, the VSS had redoubled their efforts to eliminate the entire royal family once more.
Without the three kings, without Princess Allayna, there would be no clear line of ascension to the throne. It would be chaos. War.
Which was exactly what these bastards wanted.
The young princess’s approaching first birthday celebration served as a blatant reminder of all those powerful families had lost. The enthusiastic outpouring of love from the entire planet’s population for the adorable little princess had increased the separatists’ recruitment efforts, for the princess was the true unifier of Viken. Every day new protests arose in one of the sectors, clashes between Viken United warriors and those still loyal to the individual sector leaders. Most of their loyalty bought with coin, or paid for in blood.
The three kings of Viken, each raised in one of the sectors after being orphaned as young boys, had begun the process of uniting the planet. The birth of their daughter had solidified their hold on the throne even more. But those unwilling to give up power hid like monsters in the dark, waiting to strike.
As royal guards on Viken United, Rolf, Erik and I served the royal family with utmost loyalty. So far, the royal guard had managed to avert every attack on the royal family.
Until today.
Today, they’d tried to take the Queen, but stolen my mate instead.
“I’ve got her coordinates. Sophia did, indeed, arrive on Viken.” Erik lifted his gaze to mine and I barely suppressed a growl. I did not know our Sophia, had yet to hold her, touch her, fuck her. But she was mine. And no one fucked with what belonged to me. I focused on my anger. If I thought about our little mate alone and scared, or worse, suffering, I’d lose my fucking mind.
“Where is she?” My voice was as cold as the pale metal of the sword on Rolf’s back.
Erik raised his head, his blue eyes so dark they looked black. “The wilds.”
“The wilds?” I ran my hand over the back of my neck.
Queen Leah gasped. “But, there’s no transport pad in the wilds. The VSS destroyed it months ago.”
Rolf looked around the frantic technician at Erik. “Well, he’s right.” He pointed at the glowing display. “These coordinates are in the wilds.”
“Are you fucking telling me that the separatists kidnapped our mate, mid-transport?” This was a new security threat more serious than any previously faced.
Lev growled at the technician. “Get your fucking commander down here and figure out how they did it.”
“Yes, sir.” The technician opened communication to someone we could not see, but I ignored him.