Heart pounding mercilessly, Zev leaned into Nick, tightening his grip on his shirt and glaring, a warning flare in his gaze. But Nick just waited.

Fuck. Zev realized he wanted to kill him. He actually wanted to kill Nick. And he couldn’t because he’d promised Sasha he wouldn’t touch the **er unless he was hurting someone.

The problem with Nick was, you usually didn’t know he was hurting someone until the bastard was already done.

But when Sasha whispered his name, he let the male go and stepped back, standing in front of him so Nick couldn’t approach Sasha.

Nick rolled his eyes but looked at Sasha to answer. “Patty was mainly medical. We can give them a few little things and they probably won’t notice, at least for a few weeks. But next month when your cycle ends—or you’re tested for pregnancy—they’ll be expecting a battery of tests and I don’t know how to do them all.”

”Then I guess we better hope Patty shows up before then, huh?” Sasha said.

”They aren’t testing you, Sash,” Zev growled, arms folded across his chest.

”I don’t care if they test me, Zev,” she said wearily. “Especially if it keeps them out of Thana. But I do care if they think they’re coming here for any kind of medical intervention. We need to pray no one gets seriously hurt.”

”You better pray,” Nick added darkly. “If anyone dies while we’re here and they find out Patty’s gone… let’s just say they won’t be showing up to help.”

”They won’t be showing up, period,” Zev snapped. “No more help from the likes of you, Nick. None.”

Nick opened his mouth but Sasha jumped in. “Both of you stop, please. There’s too much for us to figure it all out this morning. But for now, Nick needs to tell me how we make sure the team believes everything is fine.”

”As long as I get to the check-ins at least once a week and they get the device, we’ll be fine. At least for two or three weeks,” he said reluctantly.

”Who goes through? Do you cross to meet them, or do they come here?”

”You said no more humans in Thana, so as long as I’m on the other side waiting for them when they arrive, it’ll be fine. But if I’m not there waiting for them, they’ll come through. And they’ll come armed.”

”We’ll make sure you get through. Won’t we, Zev? For everyone’s sakes.”

Zev growled. “I don’t know. He doesn’t feel nervous enough about Patty.”

”Because she was making up numbers and giving us a reason to have another person here—to help, so you all will trust us. I’m the real one they’re concerned about.”

”Convenient,” Zev spat, then turned to Sasha. “We should just kill him.”

Nick’s face flashed grief that only Sasha caught because Zev had turned from Nick to face her. But it was gone as quickly as it showed up. Sasha pretended she hadn’t seen it and put a hand on Zev’s arm to soothe him.

”I’ve got this under control, I think,” she said. And then in his mind, she let him feel her smile.

I have a plan, Zev. He knows nothing about it.

Zev looked at her strangely. Tell me.

When we’re away from anywhere near Nick, she replied.

”Time to go!” Zev said quickly, then turned to look at Nick. “You stay here until they tell you it’s a meal time. Then you go with your guards, then you come back here.”

Nick sighed but nodded. Zev took Sasha’s hand and led her out of the shack, but he was trembling. Sasha rubbed his arm as they walked away.

*****

~ ZEV ~

His entire skin itched with irritation about Nick. He could still smell the stink of that man in his nostrils and he snorted the air from his nose.

He’d gone from shaking, thinking Sasha was gone, to shaking with rage and wanting to straight-up kill Nick.

Sasha kept looking at him, but he couldn’t meet her eyes. Now that they were alone, he led her back towards the trail, towards the City. Because he had to get her away from Nick before she started stinking of him again.

”Zev—”

”Sash, can you do me a favor?” he asked quietly, without looking down at her.

”Of course.”

”Don’t ever… EVER go see Nick alone, without me again. Ever.”

”Zev, I’m sorry that I scared you this morning—d”

”You didn’t scare me, Sash. It was abject terror. There was a faint smell of him still in the room and you were gone and you had no clothes and… I just…”

She stopped walking and pulled him to a stop next to her. When he finally let his eyes fall to meet hers, her face was a mask of guilt and sadness.

”I’m sorry, Zev. For real. I’m sorry that I gave you that scare. I won’t do that again, okay? I’ll either wake you, or I’ll leave you a note or—”

”Wake me. Every time.”

”Zev, you needed to sleep this morning. You can’t tell me that you were rested.”

”Neither were you!”

”No, but I was awake naturally and I wanted to get this done so I could come back and be with you. Zev… Zev, I’m back. Okay? I’m back and I have a plan. And we’re going to do this. And then we’re going to get everyone out of the hands of Nick, or anyone else who might hurt them. Forever.”

He blew out a breath and stepped up so their bellies touched. He held her face—he wanted to kiss her—but she put her hands on his forearms and held him back.

”But I can’t make that promise to you, Zev. I can’t promise I’ll never talk to him. I can tell you I’ll never be alone with him. Guards. Lhars. Dunken. Yhet. Someone. I’ll make sure there’s always someone else with me, I can promise that.”

”But—”

”Zev, please. The humans are my responsibility, remember? If I need to talk to him or learn something, I can’t always wait until you’re free—especially since you’re going to be helping with the Chimera, right? We have to do this together. Please… don’t ask that of me, Zev. I don’t want to be in a position where I have to break a promise to you.”

He was still shaking from his scare that morning and she could feel it. Damn, he hated feeling weak next to her.

”Why’d you have to go this morning?” he muttered.

”I told you last night that I needed to talk to him today. I needed to make sure he didn’t know what I’ve been up to.”

Her face was blank, Zev watched her carefully. “What have you been up to, exactly?”

He wanted to be excited. He wanted her to have gotten one up on Nick. But he was terrified to think what she might have been doing, what danger she might have put herself in.

She smiles. “Nick doesn’t know, I’m sure of it. But I don’t think we should tell anyone yet, because I’m still not sure how it’s all going to come together, but… Zev… I know how to get us out of here. All of us. Everyone in Thana who wants to go. And the females back at the compound, too.”