The Original Queen

Every step forward caused Da'kea to get more and more frustrated. He desperately needed to take out the queen that had been housed on his female offspring, but he couldn't find her.

He could sense Ye'tab walking behind him, his presence more comforting than the Elder had originally thought that would have been. Looking up at the place where the ceiling met the wall, he could make out the heat signature of Tha'juen from where he crawled across the seam, waiting to take down their prey from up high.

They were all ready to strike.

But no queen.

He took in a deep breath and refocused his attention. Sometimes, it would take months for his prey to cross his path. He prided himself on his patience, so what had changed?

The answer was simple. He now had a mate that was vulnerable, making him impatient to eliminate any threats to her well being. And having her, defenseless, on the same ship as an Istar queen was like having his internal organs clawed out.