k into its sheath. The metal cl

warned, his voice a low, dangerous rumble. "If you wan

himself for the inevitable. He waited for the spoiled, toxic princess

he di

rown. She didn't

ng back allowed, and folded her hands neatly in front of her.

er voice was calm, steady, and completely since

y. The vicious insult he had prep

d, her face marred by scabs, yet her eyes were startlingly clear

ned. He looked away, unable to hold her steady gaze

ager to leave this bizarre,

ok on

harity ca

ensing. Here it comes, he thoug

bleeding out on the concrete. "If you don't need that carcass,

d lost her mind. The meat of low-level, polluted beasts wa

ugh. "If you want to poison yourse

er eyes lit up. "Thank you," she said aga

the rotting beast like it was a pile of pure gold. His brow furro

urned and walked quickly into th

w disappeared, the system

detected in genetic partner B

he panel. Braden's affection had moved fr

ting a hidden node: Shattering a partne

: [Top-Tier Biologi

. It was the complete anatomical knowledge of thousands of alien species, the precise meth

synapses. When she opened them, she wasn't just a starving wo

a clear anatomical diagram. She knew exactly where the poison sacs were, which

rsized coat. She walked over to the beas

thick, heavy hind leg and a prime section of the backstrap. Driven by the pure, intoxicating promise of real food, she began the agonizingly slow proc