Serix walked with Monty and Jake as they led him roughly down the tunnel that descended into the hold. They said nothing, but he could tell by the looks on their faces that they believed Hunter’s every word. But then, why should they have doubted him? Hunter was one of them. It was much easier to assume that the outsider betrayed them rather than think that a human purposefully led another Lunairan into their home. Even he was still baffled by Hunter’s plan. Where had the human found the Pilot? How had he gotten him to cooperate? Hunter hated Lunairans and the Pilot hated humans. It seemed impossible that they could have formed an alliance at all.

Yet here they were.

As the three continued to descend deeper into the tunnels, Serix noticed that the number of fluorescent lights lining the walls grew more infrequent. As a result, the farther they walked, the darker the corridor became. Sometimes there were even short stretches where the tunnel was completely shadowed. He suspected that the humans didn’t keep these deeper tunnels lit because they didn’t have a reason to come down here often. Either that or they were kept intentionally dark to depress the prisoners they kept locked up.

After a while, the group turned a corner and entered another cavern. Serix looked around, taking in the place that was to be his new home. Like the tunnel that led up to it, the room was dimly lit. It had a low ceiling and was lined with what looked like eight makeshift cells, all of which were empty. They stopped beside the first one. There was a brief moment of shuffling as Jake stepped over to a nearby table and Monty took over holding onto both of Serix’s arms, keeping him tightly pinned as if he expected him to try to break free.

While Jake was rummaging through a drawer in the table, Monty leaned over Serix’s shoulder, “How do you like your new home, alien? I think it suits you: dark and unwelcoming; a place no one wants to be around. It’s a perfect waiting room for your execution.”

“What are you talking about?” Serix said levelly, keeping his gaze pointed straight ahead. He wasn’t going to give the human the satisfaction of even a sideways glare.

“You don’t expect us to keep you in here forever, do you?” Monty gasped in mock surprise. “You heard Ryan. He told us to put you in here until he decides what to do with you, and after that little stunt you pulled with your alien buddy, there’s no way he’s gonna let you off the hook again.”

“I already told you,” Serix said, fighting to keep the frustration out of his voice. “I had nothing to do with that. It was Hunter. I don’t know how he did it, but he must’ve gotten the Pilot to cooperate with him somehow.”

“Yeah, right,” Monty snorted. “Hunter would never team up with one of your kind. You better come up with some more believable excuses, or else you’re not gonna last here another week, alien.”

“Monty,” Jake said, walking back over to them. “Stop talking to the prisoner.”

“Fine,” Monty rolled his eyes.

Jake returned with a key, which he used to unlock the cell door. Monty began to shove Serix inside, but then he stopped. The sound of pounding footsteps echoed through the small cavern. All three of the males looked up as a fourth person entered the room. Serix’s eyes widened when he saw who it was. “Cassie?” he said, attempting to step towards her. Monty held him back with a sharp tug, but Serix was too focused on his mate to care about the human’s irritable gesture. “Cassie,” he said again. “You don’t have to—”

“Go back to the others,” Monty interrupted, nodding his head at the tunnel. “We’re just locking up the alien. No reason for you to stay down here. He’s the only guilty one.”