Serix stumbled when Monty shoved him into the cell with Cassie. The human slammed the door behind him and headed out with Jake, grumbling something under his breath. Serix stared after the two for a moment before sitting down in the far corner. He closed his eyes. The Pilot had done a thorough job of ruining his standing with the humans. They even thought that his relationship with Cassie was an act. They thought he was a traitorous spy, just faking his love for his mate to make them trust him. In a fit of rage, he slammed his fist into the wall beside him. Why couldn’t they just listen to him for once? He hated how little his word meant to these humans; how they completely disregarded everything he said; how one single incident was enough to turn them all against him. He hit the wall again.

Serix jumped when he felt a pressure against his side. He opened his eyes to see that Cassie had curled up against him. He leaned into her, trying to take comfort in her presence, but he continued to tremble with pent-up anger. They both sat in silence for a few minutes before Cassie spoke in a hushed tone, [b]“Serix... what are we going to do? They don’t believe us. How can we possibly prove that you didn’t lead the pilot here?”[/b]

“I don’t know,” Serix said sharply. Realizing his mistake, he let out his breath and raked his fingers through his hair. He knew he shouldn’t take his anger out on Cassie. It wasn’t her fault. “I don’t know,” he said again in a quieter voice, lapsing back into silence. He had always known Hunter would cause trouble, but he never expected the human to do something like this. Monty had been right, too: Ryan wouldn’t let him stay locked up forever. Sooner or later, he was going to make a decision about what to do with him. Serix didn’t have much time to convince the human that he was innocent.

He wrapped his arms around Cassie and pulled her close, pressing his lips to hers in a passionate kiss. The anger that roiled inside of him was redirected towards his love for his mate, and in that moment, he was glad that she came to join him in the hold. He probably would have continued to bloody his hands on the cell wall if he had been down here by himself. He brought a hand up to the back of her neck and sighed, holding her to himself as they kissed.

After a few more moments, Serix heard the sound of footsteps in the tunnel. He reluctantly pulled away from Cassie and glanced at the entryway. He was still frustrated, but thankfully most of his sudden rage had died away and his trembling had stopped. He could face the humans clearheadedly now.

Ryan emerged from the tunnel with Monty and Jake, looking furious. When he spotted Serix and Cassie in their cell, his cheeks washed with color. He approached the two and glared through the bars, “Cassie, you can’t stay in here with that thing. It’s dangerous, and I can’t have you getting hurt. Look,” he held up his hands before she could say anything. “If you’re adamant about staying down here with it, then fine. I just can’t let you share a cell with that alien. If it did anything to you, I couldn’t live with myself.” He turned to Jake, “Get the key.” He looked back at Cassie when Jake went to follow the order. “I’m getting you out of there.”