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The warrior shifted Solo into the crook of one elbow and dropped a meaty hand on her shoulder He propelled her toward the door If only, she thought she heard him mutter

“I’m sorry?”

“Call me Granit,” he said

She ed a small smile “Granit,” she repeated “Thank you”

She ignored the tingles of warmth the warrior inspired This was no time to think about males She was headed to see the Prince, to hear his determination of her fate Would he punish her for the part she’d played in Talia’s brief capture? And ould he do with her former mates?

“D-do you knohat’s going to happen to me?” she dared ask as Granit led her briskly down the corridor

“I don’t But Prince Zander is a fair ruler I trust he will make a wise decision, as always”

A knot twisted in her solar plexus During her incarceration the past two planet rotations, she’d rehearsed a hundred different pleas and excuses She hadn’t knohat her mates planned, she didn’t have a choice—that one was mostly true Her mates wouldn’t have hesitated to beat her senseless if she’d tried to interfere But she wasn’t an idiot She could have tried to warn Talia or To to colad they’d gone after another female, so she wouldn’t have to bear the brunt of their debilitating attention any longer

It rong and she deserved whatever punishment Prince Zander believed necessary—unless it involved reht that sentence tooth and nail As they rounded a corner, she wished to take her infant back si war to show she was a goodwith her But she was afraid to ask

How had Zandians dealt with lawbreakers? She wished she could re when their society had been extinguished Would her other children be present at her hearing? She hoped not She didn’t want them to fear for her

Granit brought her into a grand hall, lit with crystal-e plants and trees She’d spent her entire life surrounded by the natural beauty of Zandia, but the palatial pod awed her with its high-tech opulence

On a raised dais on a marble throne, sat the prince

She scanned the roost the crowd, nor did she see her ex-mates Thank the stars

Silence fell at her arrival The beings present—all Zandian, save the human females who served as ht of Talia and Toh Talia had told her they were the only two Zandian females, another stood beside her—a small, pretty Zandian female with reddish-blonde hair So another had been found Maybe they wouldn’t think Eslyn’s existence was quite so precious now Of course, they only cared about her ability to breed, anyway

Which she could do from a prison cell