“No. I must protect my mate, and I do not know you or your comrades. I would be outnumbered and unable to protect her from all of you. I will not take that risk.”

“Fuck.” The Atlan looked down at me, and his gaze softened just enough. “You are human, from the same world as Lady Deston, the queen of Prillon Prime?”

“Yes.” I’d read about her and Leah, the woman who was now queen of another planet called Viken. Every woman on Earth who volunteered for the Interstellar Brides Program knew they had a chance to be a real-life queen or princess. Me? I’d just wanted a mate who loved me and put me first. So far, Cormac had done exactly that.

“Is your mate an honorable male?”

Why the hell was this Atlan asking me? I was a social media goddess. I lied for a living. If he believed humans didn’t lie, he was in for one hell of a shock someday. Thankfully, I could tell him the absolute truth. “Yes. He is the best man I know. He saved my li—”

Cormac stepped forward and interrupted me before I could complete my sentence or make my own vow to these Atlans. “You have my word, Warlord. That is all I can do. The S-Gen machines that have kept you alive this long should continue functioning until help arrives.”

“And how long will that be?”

“A day, two at most.”

The Atlan looked from Cormac to me, this time holding my gaze. “I am Warlord Enzo, my lady. Please tell Commander Karter to hurry.” He glanced down the corridor as his fellow prisoner punched the energy field again. Same rhythm. Steady. Like the drip from a faucet. It was like that Altan was so far gone he didn’t even realize we were here.

“We will tell him. I promise.”

“Very well.”

If necessary, I would find this Commander Karter and tell him about this place myself. However, if Cormac did not believe it was safe to free the Atlans now, I would not argue. They did have strange things that looked like they had been melted into their bodies. Fused, or maybe implanted? Some were on their heads or faces. A lot of these Atlans had them on their arms or legs. Some of them on their spines. None of them were wearing shirts, so their massive forms were on display.

Sure, I was mated, but I wasn’t dead, and Atlans were hotties. But were those oddly colored gray and silver bits the Hive tech Cormac was referring to? If so, Ruk had some on his body, too. In fact, he wasn’t far off from the creepy cube lady with her wormy neck. Ruk’s spine was completely covered as far as I could see, from his waist to the back of his head. Not good.