Mated to the Apex Three
Valerius was the first to move.
He didn't charge, nor did he roar. He pushed himself off the edge of the iron weapon rack with a slow, deliberate grace, his heavy combat boots crunching softly over the fine grey sand. The manic grin stretching across his sharp features had vanished, replaced by a mask of cold, predatory intensity. His crimson eyes swept over my posture, the straight line of my spine, the unwavering level of my gaze, the total absence of the cowering, trembling slave who had knelt in that dirt five minutes ago.
"Magnificent," Valerius breathed, his voice dropping into a low, vibrating purr that resonated deep within the floorboards. "Absolute, pristine kinetic grade eight. Yo