He eased out into the dense traffic surrounding the capitol, keeping it slow so his friends could follow. Gradually, they fought their way up, into clearer air space, and eventually, he punched the speed and they exited the planet’s atmosphere in the direction of the death pod. He’d started to switch over to autopilot when a beep sounded over the ship’s controls.
“Rok, this is Zander.” The prince’s clipped tones came through.
He rolled his eyes, wondering what warning the prince had for him. “Yes, my lord?”
Silence ensued then Zander snapped, “Where is my vecking mate?”
A door swishing open behind him made him groan. Vecking stars, did stowing away run in the family?
He leaned forward. “I vecking swear I didn’t know she was on the ship. I did not take your mate.”
“Confirm, now. You do or do not have my mate on board that ship?” The panic he heard in the prince’s voice made him wince.
“I do have her,” he groaned. “But I didn’t invite her.”
“What about her mother.”
He hadn’t made eye contact with Lamira yet, but he did now, brows raised. The pretty human stood framed in the doorway, her mother behind her.
“Yes, her, too.”
“Turn the ship around and return, immediately.”
He ground his teeth. Zander might be able to disable the ship from afar. He also was likely to kill him for kidnapping his mate. And Lily’s life was hanging on the line.
“Negative, my lord. My mission is still intact. I will return after I have reunited your mate with her sister.”
Zander’s curses and the sound of something smashing came across the speakers. “You vecking get back here now or I will cut your vecking cock off and shove it down your throat. My mate is with child, do you understand me?”
Veeeeck. He should have guessed by the full breasts and slight rounding of her belly.
He started flipping controls to cut off the prince, but the male’s curses and threats still came through. Finally, he found the right switch, and the board went silent.
He slumped back in his seat, ignoring his uninvited guests.
“He will follow. Give him time to catch up. You’ll need all the ships you can get to attack the death pod.”
Shock shot up his expression, raising his brows right to horn level. “You planned this? To get him involved?”
She slid into the seat beside him, her palms pressed over her abdomen protectively. “It was the only way.”
“What are you?”
Leora drifted in and settled into the seat behind them.
“I have gifts similar to those of a Venusian. The Zandian crystals enhanced them, which may be why Mierna grew sick from them.”
“It probably sent her into a detox,” he muttered. “You do realize Zander is going to kill me now?”
“He won’t kill you. Zandians are on the brink of extinction—all Zandian lives are important to him.”
He didn’t want to ask the next question, but curiosity got the better of him. “So what does he do with criminals?”
“He has a dungeon in the pod. He keeps them there.” She spoke lightly, as if his fate to spend the rest of his life in a pod dungeon wasn’t worrisome.
He touched the communications device at his collar. Zander probably had access to this frequency, but he didn’t mind. “We’re going to modify speed until the prince and his fleet join us.”
“Copy that,” they each replied.