by Ravyn Fyre
Kalen stood behind me, squeezed my shoulder and murmured, “You handle it better than most recruits. Don’t worry, love, it gets better over time.” Looking about the room, he nodded at the few people in attendance before he faced Zarina and said, “Sorry to keep you waiting, Zarina. What do you and your friends have to show us?”
“While we were waiting, I skimmed his early memories for anything of importance. Normally I wouldn’t pay any attention to a target’s younger years, but this one had an interesting upbringing. The Mengh demolished his home planet, and raised him in a mining camp in the outer reaches. It was unclear how he escaped, my friends were in a rush, but they were able to identify who hired the doppelganger to wage an internal coup. One designed to stack the odds in their favor,” Zarina answered with disgust as she shook her head.
“What do you mean stack the odds? Was he hired to take out more than one person?” Kalen asked with a frown.
“Oh, it’s more than that. It’s a very elaborate scheme of domination. Don’t take my word for it, though. Let me show you instead,” Zarina replied with a smirk.
Chapter Thirty
Without knowing what to expect, my mouth dropped open in surprise when Zarina blinked a couple of times, and images began streaming from her eyes like a movie projector. I was just about to say I wish we could hear what was being said but choked on the words as she opened her mouth and sound poured out like a surround sound system.
On a long exhale, I whispered, “That’s cool as fuck.”
Kalen squeezed my shoulder again, either in agreement or as a warning to be quiet, but he had nothing to worry about. I was so engrossed in the memories of the doppelganger, whose real name was Skorn, that I was barely breathing. Zarina selected specific scenes to show us, so it was a bit choppy, like bloopers at the end of a movie, but in the end, it shaped the assassin and gave us a clue on who and what we were dealing with.
I had no idea if she gave us his background on my account, seeing as I did not know the supernatural world, but I appreciated it. His species are known hermaphrodites and usually don’t choose a gender or a name until they’ve taken a mate. Skorn didn’t get that choice. They forced him to be male during his captivity in the mining camps. My guess was the Mengh must have been looking for a more aggressive assassin. Regardless of the reason, the decision shaped the doppel we had in our custody. Even his chosen name made sense; to scorn something means to reject or hold in contempt. I didn’t want to victimize the guy, but it was hard not to feel a little empathy towards him when you had access to some of the torment he endured.
Kalen’s deep voice brought me back to reality when he said, “Enough. Show us this elaborate scheme you referenced earlier.”
Zarina blinked a couple more times, and a new set of memories played out for us. I started sweating as I watched Skorn meet with Bastian several times. At least one of the meetings looked to be on his home planet. Secretly I was hoping Onyx would appear in one of them, so I could say I told you so, but the last meeting squashed those hopes.
In the first couple of encounters, it was apparent Bastian hired Skorn to help his family take over the council. He mentioned in their second meeting that one of their planet's most prized prophetesses foretold my arrival. Although at the time, it wasn’t evident who it would be, just that the future queen would be a part of this year’s trials. Skorn’s first objective was to identify Kalen’s mate and take her out if she wasn’t their pick. Kalen’s death was the last resort and would only be necessary if their main plan failed. When I recalled my first encounter with Onyx, she mentioned something about a seer foretelling she would be the king’s mate. At the time, I thought she was lying, but perhaps she was being led to believe she was the one in the prophecy. Or was she in on it the whole time?
“Oh, hell no!” I spit out as I listened to their sinister plan to trap Kalen into mating with a puppet of their choice by killing me off and giving Kalen a love potion of some sort to make him think he’d found his mate. If that didn’t work, Skorn was supposed to kill off Kalen and assume his position until they could transfer power somewhere else.
At the mention of my death, Kalen started growling, and when the final meeting, the one that included Bastian, Fansa, and Clary, concluded, he scooped me out of my seat and addressed the room, “I want someone following those three. Have Colton mark them with one of his pets. I’ll be in touch.”
“Wait!” Tanen called out.
Kalen leveled him with a glare and replied with a growl, “What?”
Tanen swallowed loudly but stood up straight before he answered, “What should I do with Cynosis? It wasn’t completely apparent, but it looked like he was copying people at random in hopes he would get lucky and find your mate. He’s strong. I’ve never known one able to copy a person by a simple touch, but it explains how he was able to steal so many people’s identity without their knowledge.”
“I’ll leave her release to you,” Kalen responded with a chuckle. “Oh, and by the way, I want to double the number of guards in the infirmary with instructions that they should keep their distance. I don’t want any frivolous testing either. He either lives or he doesn’t. If he makes it, we’ll see if he’s had a change of heart and would like a chance at true vengeance.”
“How are you going to keep his incarceration a secret?” Natashia asked from behind us.
At hearing her voice, Kalen turned and bit out, “You’re late.”
Rolling my eyes at his brusque approach, I slapped his arm and said, “We need to work on your manners, dear. Put me down.”
“No,” he snarled, tightening his hold on me in defiance, completely ignoring my other comment.
His embrace was soothing, so I didn’t push the issue. Let him think he had the upper hand. I’d save my fucks for a different battle. I smiled at my friend with a shrug. She returned my smile briefly before she stepped forward, only to be stopped by Levi’s large hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him with annoyance and hissed under her breath, “I’m not going anywhere. I made a promise. Your mistrust is uncalled for.”
When he dropped his hand reluctantly, she faced us again and continued, “We’ll lose the element of surprise once they know we’re holding him. As it is, they might already know and could be scrambling. What if this time around they decide just to eliminate everyone? I think we should either bring in Fansa preemptively, force her to tell us what we’re dealing with or have Jade do it. Fansa should be capable of seeing something of this magnitude in one of her visions.”
Kalen’s whole frame stiffened at the mention of my possible demise. I half expected him to flash us away to the safe room. He surprised me when he dropped his head to mine and breathed me in. I felt him relax before he pulled back a bit and said, “Feel like being a fortune-teller?”
At one time in my short life, I thought the only things I was afraid of were needles and spiders, but the thought of seeing the future was terrifying. With a trembling voice, I said, “What if I don’t like what happens. I have no doubt I’d drive myself nuts dreading the inevitable.”
“Knowledge of the future is a powerful tool, but only if you use that information to your advantage. Trust me. We won’t squander the gift of foresight,” Kalen replied, cupping my cheek in his hand before he brushed his lips across mine in reverence. I melted in his arms and wished we were alone. His answering groan made me smile against his lips before I answered, “I’m willing to give it a go. IF you put me down.”
His chuckle was music to my ears. He lowered me to the floor, letting me feel his rock-hard erection on the way down. A week ago, my answering moan would have embarrassed me, but there was no hiding what the man did to me. I bit my lower lip as I recalled how perfect he felt inside me and practically pouted when he flipped me around and engaged me in his arms. He leaned down and purred, “Be careful Jade, if you continue down that line of thought, I’ll claim you right here in front of everyone.”
I can’t say the idea didn’t hold a certain am
ount of intrigue. In fact, in all honesty, the thought was a complete turn on, but there is no way I’d be able to face these people again if they saw my “O” face. Now, if they were strangers and we were incognito . . . that might be something we needed to explore down the road. Clearing my throat, I tried to bring myself back to reality to respond with my brain and not my libido, but I was finding it hard to concentrate. It probably didn’t help that I could still feel the outline of his cock nestled in my crack. When he swiveled his hips, I bit my lip to stop myself from moaning. The pain and subsequent drop of blood was a sobering moment, especially when Kalen flashed us to his quarters and threw me onto his bed.
He didn’t waste time as he flashed out of his clothes and slowly began climbing up my body, making sure to drop kisses along the way that lit a slow-burning fire inside of me—driving me crazy with desire. I knew I should be demanding he take us back; I had a job to do, but the higher he climbed, the less I cared about anything but us. His hands pushed on my knees, and I parted them willingly. Eager for him to join me. He was having none of that. Taking his time, he pushed my silky green dress up an inch at a time until he rested his big hands on my waist and lifted me with his power. Using his gift to support my weight he blew softly. I shuddered in ecstasy just from his breath. When he buried his face in my pussy, I knew we were beyond the point of no return, and screamed, “Fast now, slow later!”
Kalen chuckled as he lowered me to the bed and pushed up onto his haunches. He gave me a devilish grin before he ripped the thong I was wearing from my body and growled, “I want no complaints. I’ll finish when you do!” When he moved to insert a finger or two, I bucked him off and said, “Trust me, I’m more than ready for you.”
With a sparkle in his eye, he leaned over and grabbed a knife, and nicked his neck before I had a chance to protest his action. When my eyes latched onto the trickle of blood, he lined himself up at my entrance and drove into the hilt. Lifting me, so I straddled his kneeling body, he directed me to his wound as he cradled me in his arms. When I latched on, he shuddered and whispered, “Blood of you, blood of me. Forever mine, forever yours. For all eternity.” My orgasm took me by surprise the moment he sank his fangs into my flesh and sealed our bond for a second time. As I rode the high, I knew I’d never make that mistake again, especially if one could expect a life-shattering orgasm like this one on the daily.
I tore my mouth away, needing to say the words. My breathing was fast, but I managed to murmur, “Blood of you, blood of me. Forever mine, forever yours. For all eternity.” Returning to his wound, I licked it clean and treasured the spasms running through my body as Kalen lifted his head and roared to the ceiling before he emptied himself into me.
Stroking his back, I closed my eyes and memorized our quick but intimate experience. It wouldn’t beat any time records, but our need was off the charts. To be fair, this had been building since our run-in on the tarmac that morning. Little by little, the part of my brain not fascinated with the gorgeous male specimen in front of me started coming online. At first, it was just a nagging feeling that I forgot something, but it didn’t take long before my senses returned, and I gasped, “Shit! We have to get back!”
Dropping my head into my hands, I mumbled, “Shit. They’re going to know what we just did, aren’t they?”
“That’s what you’re worried about. Everyone has sex. I think I have more reason to be concerned than you do, though,” Kalen replied with a chuckle.
“Oh. Why’s that?” I teased.
“The guys are going to give me hell for coming too fast. I swear if anyone mentions you might be happier with them because they are known to last longer, I won’t be held responsible for my actions.”
Snorting in response, I held up my hands and said, “You’re right. That is worse. Delaying our return for your reputation would be something I might consider if we didn’t have to worry about exposure, but we don’t have time to indulge our egos. Get dressed, mister, and take us back to the council room. Shit, I need new underwear. You ruined mine.”
Kalen flashed away and called out from his closet, “You’ll have to wear a pair of mine.”
“What do you mean? My closet was full of clothes the last time I was here. I’ll just wear something from there,” I replied as I scooted off the bed and sauntered toward our adjoining bathroom. Kalen snaked his arms around me from behind and whispered, “Last time I had all day to plan for your arrival. You played hard to get this time around. Which means the only thing in that closet is the jewels I’ve been collecting for you since I was a young man. Either wear something of mine or wear nothing at all.”
Looking down at my dress, I pulled it away from myself and tried to ascertain if it was see-through. Stepping out of Kalen’s arms, I turned in a circle, giving him a look-see before I asked, “Are my girly bits showing?”
“No. If they were, I’d be the first to tell you. I don’t share well with others,” Kalen growled.
“What was all that about earlier when you said you’d bend me over and take me right there in front of everyone!” I asked, shaking my head, trying hard to hide the smile wanting to come out.
“I wanted you just as wound up as I was, so I could have an excuse to claim you, yet blame my animalistic side,” Kalen responded with a wink.
“Gah. If I didn’t want you to do it to me again, I might have an issue with how you manipulated me with sex,” I replied with a smile before I held out my arms and said, “Let’s not keep them waiting any longer.”
Kalen closed the distance and wrapped me in his arms before he whisked us away once again.
Chapter Thirty-One
I’m sure my face was bright red when everyone in the council room turned to look at us upon our arrival. Stepping out of Kalen’s arms, I shrugged in embarrassment and said, “Sorry for making you wait. I’ll get started right away, so we don’t waste any more of your time.”
“Sorry for the intrusion, but if my presence is no longer needed, may I be excused? My friends and I need to recharge while the suns are still up,” Zarina asked, looking duller than usual.
“Of course. As usual, your service was impeccable. Please make sure and thank your friends for us,” Kalen replied, pulling out the chair in front of me while motioning me to sit.
“They said it’s a pleasure to be of assistance,” Zarina replied with a smile before she turned to face me and said, “You might want to close your eyes, Jade. I’ll be turning on my light. It’s the fastest way for me to travel. Unless, of course, someone wants to give me a ride outside?”
“Sorry, Z. Need all hands on deck,” Kalen answered at the same time I said, “I can close my eyes.”
“Very well, my lord, lady. A and if you don’t mind me saying, I hope you make them pay for their disloyalty. Alright, I’m lighting up. In case you didn’t know, that means it’s time to close your eyes,” Zarina replied as she waited for me to comply. I closed my eyes and then ended up covering them with my hands on reflex when her presence felt like it was burning through my eyelids. Having the ability to travel at the speed of light would be fun, but I don’t think my brain could live with the overwhelming brightness. At least if I borrowed her ability, I wouldn’t have to worry about sharing my body with the mind-leeches.
Kalen tapped my shoulder when she left the room, “It’s safe to look now.”
I dropped my hands and opened my eyes, blinking a few times to clear the spots blocking my view. Natashia was the first to speak, “I hate to nag, but I think it’s best if we follow your original line of thinking. That way, if you come up blank, we might still have time to capture Fansa and see if she has better luck.”
“Luck shouldn’t have anything to do with it. Why would I draw a blank if the gift I’m borrowing is one that tells the future? Do you doubt my abilities as a borrower?” I pressed as I pushed myself to stand and leaned against the council table. I wasn’t trying to be intimidating, but I thought I had more than demonstrated I could handle using the gifts aroun
d me with ease. Her comment made me feel like I was inferior.
“Telling the future can be tricky is all she was trying to convey, lass. Even the oldest seers can draw blanks or get it wrong from time to time. ‘Grandfather Time likes to keep us guessing,’ is what my ma’ used to say. The future holds many variables. No one expects your prediction to be perfect, more like a guide to what could happen,” Levi explained gently.
I’m sure the look on my face was one of confusion with a hint of determination. I imagined I looked thoughtful, but knowing my luck, I probably looked like I was taking a shit or something. Not able to help the frown marring my face, I answered, “Thanks for the clarification. I guess we won’t know what I can do until I try.”
“That’s the spirit, lass,” Levi encouraged.
I could feel Kalen’s annoyance that I had Levi’s attention, but he wasn’t the only one that looked uncomfortable with the praise. Not wanting to dwell on the tension, I piped up, “One prophecy of the future coming up.”
Taking a deep breath, I blocked out the commotion around me and used my power to scan for the best seer. Once I was reasonably confident I knew the gift’s intricacies, I let my body enter deep meditation. I emptied my mind and didn’t have to wait long for a string of images to flash across the back of my closed eyes. At first, it was hard to make sense of what I was seeing. Until I held up my hands in my mind, and the images came to a screeching halt. As soon as I realized they were backward and upside down, I flipped them around and started the pictures from the beginning.
I felt like I was catching only a portion of what we needed to know and not the significant bits. In one image, I was in captivity, in a padded white room. Surrounded by an army of undead bigfoots in another vision, but it almost looked like they were protecting me. Another looked like a warzone, with casualties on both sides, but the last image scared me the most. Held between two green men, that could only be the infamous Mengh. I could hear Kalen’s anguish as he watched my beheading and then proceeded to use his gift to crush everyone around him until his men eventually took him down so they could save those that were left.
