Creatures clung to the walls, at least twelve that I could see, with a possibility of more hiding behind rocks or in the shadows. Their bodies black and scaled, they looked small, perhaps knee high. Regardless of their size, they had the silver eyes and integrated circuitry and pieces on their bodies that designated them as part of the Hive.

The Hive was using animals now?

And what the fuck were those things? I’d never seen a native creature on any world that looked like this. Perhaps they were from the Hive home world. Wherever that was.

Their claws and teeth looked like they could do some serious damage. If there were a good number of them, and they coordinated their attack with Hive mind control? Not good. Not fucking good at all.

Did the Coalition know about these things?

“You go right. I’ll go left?” I yelled to Ruk.

Ruk didn’t answer. He sprang at the creature nearest him with a roar.

I didn’t have time to see what happened because the creature nearest me chose that moment to attack.

I fired my blaster. Direct hit.

Fuck. They had shields, too.

Three of them surrounded me like a pack on a wild hunt. I didn’t have Ruk’s claws. I had two knives and a mate to protect.

“Come on!” I yelled at the one in the center. As I’d hoped, it charged me.

Twisting away at the last moment, I drove both knives into its side and threw it at its companion, keeping hold of the knives’ handles as the black, scaly body slipped off the blades and then slammed into the second creature. I knew I had only seconds before the one I had buried beneath the carcass of its friend was on its feet again. I turned to face the third, rushing the thing to force a fight.

The animal leaped at me, muzzle going for my throat. I used its momentum against it and slammed us both to the ground, driving my blade through its skull when we landed. I shoved and twisted until I felt ground beneath the tip.

A low screeching sound caused me to look up from where I lay on top of the corpse. Drawing my legs beneath me into a crouched position, I yanked the blade from the skull at my side and held the screeching thing’s gaze.

I recognized intelligence there. Frightening. Focused. Furious that I’d murdered two of its friends. “What are you?”

The monster opened its mouth as if to respond, another screech like metal grinding on metal. I shook my head to clear it of the hideous sound.

“Cormac!”

Abby? My mate sounded terrified.

“Abby!” I was out of time.