Mastered by the Zandians (Zandian Brides 3)

“What?”

“That.” she points. “Your other cuff. It’s flashing.”

I glance down. The cuff is flashing with the little blue light, the one that only comes on when Domm and Lanz are nearby.

“It must be malfunctioning.”

“What is it?”

“My mates put it on me. It’s a sort of electronic control system.”

Despite myself, my heart flips. “It’s not possible that it’s actually…”

“What if they followed you here?” Her face lightens up. “They can help us!”

“They wouldn’t have. They’re on another mission. Anyway, I can’t tell, because if they did, they’re cloaked.”

But unease surges. If for some reason they were here, yes, their ship would be cloaked. And they’d attack this little pod first before the Ocretions on board could dock with their mother ship.

“Just in case.” I grab the control panel.

“What are you doing?”

I flash the landing lights. “It’s a signal.” I flash the signal they taught me.

“To whom?” she frowns. “The Ocretions?”

“The Zandians.”

“They can see us this far away?”

“No.” I don’t have time to explain. “It’s a secret code. In case they're here.”

“Now I really don’t understand. What if the Ocretions see it?”

“They will see it. They just won’t understand what I’m doing. Hopefully they think I’m just testing the lights.” I send a message across the screen. “Testing light system.”

“But it’s a message?”

I blink the lights.

“Yeah. A secret message. Only my mates would know what it really means.” I flash the code again. Again.

Nothing happens.

“Well, it was worth a shot.” I sigh. “Were going to have to go with Plan A after all. Dock with the Ocretion craft as if all is normal, and then kill them all.”

The doubt on her face is enough to stop me, when suddenly a message appears on my dashboard. One only my craft can see.

“Greetings, vipn.”

I laugh in relief. “Mother Earth, they’re here! Mandy, they’re here. My Zandian warriors are here.” It’s only now, with this rush of love and relief, that I realize how much I needed them.

“What does it mean?” Mandy presses closer. “Aren’t the Ocretions going to see this?”

I shake my head. “It’s masked communication. We’re using their own tech against them. Ships of this caliber can mask themselves and communicate with other vessels to whom they’ve made themselves known.”

“But there’s no other ship. Just the Ocretion ship.” she points at the screen. “I’m no expert, but even I can see that.”