More than Truth (Arcane Crossbreeds) by Amanda Vyne

gave them the ability to see heat signatures even through walls. It made them unrivaled hunters. He blinked it back. “I don’t trust you.”
    Vin’s smile faded. “Fine. Don’t trust me, but trust what you feel. She’s our mate. I knew it from the moment I saw her. You did too. Trust that I would never, could never harm a mate.”
    Tag cursed, wiped his nose, and looked down at the blood on his hand before glaring at his brother. “If you even try to harm her, I’ll kill you, brother or no.”

Chapter Five
    Hours later Vin walked slowly through the gate of the Death Valley Research Center. His skin prickled under the sheer magnitude of the weaponry currently trained on him. Despite the facility security being made up almost entirely of Guardians, each was armed with large-bore rifles. The kind used to take down an elephant, if he wasn’t mistaken.
    Under the focus of all that firepower, Vin let them herd him through the gleaming concrete halls of the research facility, and the thought occurred to him that he should be flattered. Their estimation of his physical prowess was sorely exaggerated, but better they believe he was some kind of beast than to have any idea how weak he actually was. Fear was more lethal than even the most powerful weapon if wielded properly. Despite the agreement Forestor had made with him, Vin wasn’t confident the army they were sending in would secure his freedom from this facility when they attacked it.
    Aside from Incog’s own agents, Drachon warriors made up a large part of the force taking the complex, and Vin’s defection to the enemy camp was a well-known offense among his kind. He was confident his rescue would not be high on their priority list, but he expected no less. He was accustomed to looking out for himself and knew it would be wise to accumulate any advantages he could find, should he need to make his own way out.
    Vin took note of each turn and curve, sharp for any and every nuance that might aid him later on. He noted the floor beneath his feet was slanted marginally, indicating they were likely descending into an underground level of the compound. A few discreet glances at the placement of the cameras—no blind spots. Each door they passed was steel with a security pad to the right of it. He’d thought the Triumvirate Citadel to be overly secure, but this facility was more like a military compound than a lab. That was more than a little disconcerting. What could possibly need this level of security on the inside?
    He and his armed entourage came to a stop in front of a large steel door similar to the others, and two of the Guardians turned to direct their weapons at him. He raised one eyebrow as he took in their braced stances, the tilt of their heads bent to the stocks of their rifles. They were going to make damn sure he didn’t attempt an escape…or, at least not alive.
    Lesser men might have found the sight of those barrels hovering in front of him ominous, but it elicited no more than a bit of morbid humor in Vin. He was a Drachon, a species of the Arcane that could hope for little more than living out their short lives. He had sacrificed even that when he’d made the fateful decision all those years ago to join forces with the Trust, a covert group that infiltrated all levels of both the Rebel and the Triumvirate infrastructures. Death meant nothing to him. It was no more than a stop on a path he’d chosen long ago. What meant something to him was the woman he knew to be within these walls. He would thwart even death to assure she was safe.
    As another Guardian pressed his hand on the security pad next to the door, Vin noted the security was biometric. He absently speculated on how long he had once the owner was dead to use their biometrics to get through the security. Was a pulse necessary to activate the sensor or just body heat? No guilt or remorse accompanied the thoughts, and as he watched the door slide open, he felt a foreign sense of discomfort at