Chapter 192: Not What, Who
Never once had Au’dtair had to battle his instincts as he did when Vraev’ox and the others appeared on the other side of the door. He hadn’t even noticed that his armor had changed on its own volition, reacting to his stress levels.
He didn’t bother to speak to his hunting mates. He was more worried about what might come out of him if he did.
Trying to restore his self-control, he took a few steadying breaths. He needed to be at the top of his game if he was going to make sure that his mate was safe, and losing control was not going to accomplish that.
"You can’t get it; it has to be earned," he growled, his voice sounding like the low rumble of an earthquake.
"Au’dtair?" asked Tha’juen, his voice surprised. "What is going on? Is everything okay with you?"
"Fine," answered Au’dtair, reduced to one word answers. The need to rip the other male’s head off and present it to his mate was riding him hard. Tha’juen should be glad he wasn’t covered in fur instead of leather like skin.
His mate needed more furs.
"You don’t seem fine," pushed Cruz’uts.
Thankfully, before anyone could say anything else, they were at the lounge where Mei Xing told him to bring them. Cracking his neck back and forth to relieve the tension in his shoulders, he quickly went to stand beside Midnight.
"What is the Njeriuujk doing here?" asked Vraev’ox, confused. He studied the five males in front of him, feeling more than a little ill at ease. He had no control over the situation, and that was riding him hard.
"Sit down, pups," said one of the Saalistaja sitting down at the table. There were three males sitting in armor while Au’dtair and the Njeriuujk stood behind them, acting as guards? Why would Ye’tab and Au’dtair think that they needed to be on guard?
"Sit!" came the voice again, and Vraev’ox, Cruz’uts, and Tha’juen immediately walked over to the table and sat down.
"You are an Elder," said Tha’juen, seeing what the other two should have seen much faster.
"I am," assured the male, "I know both your father and grandfather."
"Sir," said Vraev’ox, taking his gaze away from the youngling in the center to look at the male speaking. "May I ask what is going on?"
"We need a way to get in touch with the Hive," said the one to the left.
"Ye’tab?" asked Tha’juen, completely stunned. Three of the Saalistaja had their armor transformed into something... different.
"Hello, old friend," answered Ye’tab, bowing his head briefly. He was fighting against the instinct that he possessed. For some reason, he wanted to lunge across the table and kill the three males in front of him, but for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out why.
"Are you okay? Are you suffering from the Male Madness? Is that why your armor has transformed?" asked Cruz’uts. "We can put you out of your misery if you want."
There were five different growls accompanying his words, and Cruz’uts was startled. Even the youngling thought that he could threaten him. Had he not learned how to act around a blooded hunter?
"Alright," said Vraev’ox, his attention centered on the male in the middle once again. "I think we have gotten off on the wrong footing, and for that, my apologies. We are simply concerned about our friends."
"There is no need to be concerned," growled Au’dtair. The male always had a bit of a temper, but he had been able to control it for the last hundred years or so. Was the mating heat calling to him? The hunt wasn’t over, and he could join whenever he wanted to. However, instead of speaking his mind, Vraev’ox took a mental step back and studied the situation in front of him.
The formation of the five males would make sense to most; the youngest, being the most inexperienced, should be in the middle of the older, more experienced hunters, but that reasoning didn’t seem right. They appeared almost... protective of the male in the middle.
Protective.
No hunter was protective of a male youngling. They were there to be trained, and if they were injured, then that was their own fault.
"May I ask how I can help you?" asked Vraev’ox, going with his gut on the matter. He felt his two companions on either side of him stiffen. Still, he ignored him, his entire being concentrated on the smaller figure in front of him.
"We told—" The youngling held up a hand, and immediately, Au’dtair stopped talking.
"We need to find a Hive ship," came a soft voice, and the world around Vraev’ox tilted for a moment before rightening. However, nothing was the same after that.
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"We need to find a Hive ship." It didn’t take more than the first syllable before Tha’juen’s entire being was focused on the young male in the center. It was like a lure, a line, was plunged directly into his chest. He struggled to take a full breath, his body refusing to answer any commands from his brain. Just what the Dark Lord’s palace was going on here? Why was he reacting like this?
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The words spoken by the youngling sitting in front of him cause the entire world to stop for a few heartbeats. Cruz’uts struggled to find purchase as wave after wave of something seemed to be crashing into him, preventing him from breathing from functioning. He struggled for air, and just when he thought he was going to lose consciousness, his armor kickstarted again, allowing him to take in a deep breath.
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"It seems like Stardust is potent," joked the Njeriuujk, causing Vraev’ox to focus on him.
"Stardust?" he gasped, forcing air into his lungs. His entire body felt like it had just walked into an energy net. "What is stardust?" he asked. His suit should have been able to protect him from any type of chemical weapons or drugs.
"Not what. Who," smiled the Njeriuujk before everything went black.
