Moon Borne (Halcyon Romance Series Book 1)

by Rachael Slate

  She had his attention. Few in this world knew that name, fewer still dared to call him by it. Not even Thereus was so bold.

  Victory shone from her smirk. “So you see, I know everything about you. In truth, I am surprised at Kyme. Naturally, a female such as she could have any male she wished. Naturally, I have never permitted her before.”

  He refused to flinch at her insults. “Yet you make an exception.” Since the Queen seemed favorable to this parley, he decided to play along. Though she didn’t intimidate him, her power over Kyme did.

  “She is headstrong and willful, despite my efforts to rout it out of her.” The Queen paced to the tree and whirled. “But believe me, slaver, I know my goddaughter. She will always place her sisters’ needs above her own. I have made it so. Every ounce of training I dictated was meant to prepare her.”

  “For what, to be your slave?” He scoffed.

  “No.” She lowered her voice. “To be my weapon.” The woman’s sly smile revealed the decisive cunning of a strategist. “Verily, even as a child she presented talents as no other. The day Kyme joined our ranks, the goddess Artemis attended the ceremony. In thousands of years, she has rarely ever done so. When she blessed my Kyme with her gift, I did what any wise leader would—I made damn sure my best weapon would always fight under my command. Kyme has been a model daughter. I could not ask for better had I borne daughters of mine own.”

  Huh. Sons were not included in her beam of pride. How did a mother abandon one child yet love another?

  “She has never disobeyed me.” Hippolyta unclasped her hands and paused. “Until you. Son of Ares, you must grasp my dilemma. If I permit her to keep you, will this independent existence of yours continue to pollute her? More than a century of careful planning and training would take but a moment of lust to destroy.” She tilted her head at him. “If I order your termination, it will be by her hand. I have no misconceptions. She will hate me for it, and as her hatred festers, I will lose everything I have worked so hard to achieve.”

  “An interesting predicament for you.” He shrugged disinterest, not willing to follow where she was leading him.

  “You are not the kind of man to be concerned with the future. You have nothing to offer Kyme. Nothing except your love.”

  Arsenius tensed, uneasy with her reading his private devotion so well.

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “Ah, yes. It is because you love her that you will let her go.” The cunning smile spread across her lips and she paced forward. “I have agreed to let her help you. Your sister’s plight saddens me indeed, as she is a daughter of Ares. After Kyme aids you, you must release her from this bond. She must return to us, whole.”

  The Queen halted in front of him. “We are her family, her home. She can never love you as you do her. It is not our way. Do not hope for it.”

  Gods, those words stung. Not because they were unfair or harsh, outrageous lies. No, because they were full of too much truth. He’d been coming to the same conclusions. Even if he claimed her, he could never keep her.

  Because he loved Kyme, he would have to let her go. Forever.

  He met the Queen’s grim scowl and the heavy weight of resignation settled inside his chest. “I will do as you ask, but I will do it for Kyme.”

  “Good.” Triumph flashed in Hippolyta’s eyes. “I would have regretted killing such a fine specimen of masculinity as yourself.” Her fingertips trailed across his chest. “Mmm… Kyme would never satisfy you, inexperienced as she is. If ever you desire to discover what is to be found in an Amazon’s bed,” she leaned into him and whispered in his ear, “Seek me out.”

  Bile rose in his throat as she sauntered off. If his hands hadn’t been bound, he would have wrapped them around her deceitful throat and choked the breath from her.

  The Queen’s games, the snickering of her comrades. Did any of these women truly care about Kyme?

  Mayhap he would be able to show her he loved her more.

  Suddenly, his vow to the Queen felt insignificant next to the tortuous ache in his chest.

  The rays of the morning sun cut strategically through the edge of the forest. It was a futile effort, as their light would never be able to penetrate the thick layer of trees. Still, the sun made the attempt. One had to respect that. Striving for one’s heart’s desire even if the outcome was never meant to be. Kyme wished she had such courage. Her shoulders slumped. No, she was a coward. She would never risk that chance.

  Even so, Arsenius was hers. The Amazon symbol of her name, the Olympian letter “k” with a dagger piercing it, would forever be branded upon his flesh. She hoped she wouldn’t live to regret marking him as hers.

  She tied the clasp of her borrowed tunic and tucked in a few donated weapons as well. Grinning, she strapped a bow and quiver of arrows across her shoulders. Amazon clothing and weapons. Gods, she’d missed these.

  At the campfire, Kalare prepared their fare. Kyme thanked her and chewed on some dried meat and a few berries. She took a drink of water from a flask before gathering nourishment for her prisoner.

  They were heading out. Now. Before her godmother caused more trouble.

  Kyme approached Arsenius. Sure enough, the moment her scent drifted toward him, his nostrils flared, his muscles tensed, and his eyes popped open. Those depths flashed silver as they bored into her, the intensity of his stare heating her flesh.

  “I shall free you now.” She hesitated, unsure of what he would do once loose.

  He nodded, and she blew out a breath of relief. He was an intelligent man and grasped the gravity of their situation.

  She padded to the tree, unbound his foot first, and then his arm. Kyme flinched while he drew his limbs close to his body and gritted his teeth. The blood must be rushing into his limbs, likely causing a torrent of misery.

  She hurriedly undid the others, and as he wavered on his feet, she circled her arms around his body. Grunting beneath the strain of his weight, she aided him to the ground.

  Arsenius made no sound of complaint, though his suffering must be great.

  She passed him the flask of wine and he accepted it with trembling hands. Kneeling in front of him, she placed her hands over his and helped him drink. Setting the flask aside, she withdrew the meat and bread and, tearing it into small pieces, fed him from her hand.

  The emotions rolling off him confused her. Resentment screamed from his clenched jaw, and yet…

  She lowered her gaze to his groin. No mistaking his other reaction. Apparently, there weren’t any problems with blood flow in his body. In this moment, she was glad he was as weak as he was.

  “Leaving so soon, my dear?”

  Damn, the Queen decided to make one last appearance. She always had to have the last word. Kyme whirled and rose, bending in a quick bow before straightening.

  “Yes, my Queen, if it would not offend.”

  “Of course not, my child. I would not wish to delay you further. I merely wished to inform you that Kalare and Myrto will be accompanying you on this mission.”

  Kyme’s jaw dropped and a thousand protests formed on her tongue.

  Behind her, Arsenius seemed to have forgotten the aches in his body as he pounced to his feet and growled behind her.

  “My Queen, I must protest. I do not require aid. I fear their presence will endanger them and my mission.” Resentment welled inside her, and her tightly clenched fists trembled at her sides.

  “They are more than capable of defending themselves and you, Kyme. I could not in good conscience leave you alone at the mercy of this slaver.” She spat out the last word.

  “He is no danger to me. His crew, however, may be to your guards.”

  “He is a liar, a thief, an enslaver of free men and women. I fear your unnatural attachment to him.” The Queen swept her hand in dismissal.

  Kyme scowled, her frustration at being treated like a child boiling over. If a century and a half of existence did not make her a capable adult, what did she have to do to prove herself?

>   Winding back her arm, she whirled about and punched Arsenius right where his liver ought to be. In his weakened state, he stumbled back and grunted, but remained upright. She didn’t bother answering the question in his eyes as she spun back to face her godmother. “I am not unnaturally attached. Command me, Godmother.” She withdrew her knife and suspended it like an offering between her hands. “I will end him, here and now.” As she met Hippolyta’s glare, she hoped hers reflected the hardness of the Queen’s.

  “Truly, child, there is no need for such drama.” The Queen waved at her to sheathe her dagger. “Careful of your impudence. You are my subject, Kyme, and I your Queen. Your respect is due me.” Tilting her head, she added, “I assumed you would find the aid useful.”

  Yes, and a chaperone, too. Right, Godmother? “My Queen, their very presence would endanger my mission.” Her pulse thundered in her ears, and she stamped down her indignation, letting reason rise to the front. “If the information of my whereabouts was so easy to procure, the rumor of more Amazons on board Arsenius’s ship would spread. If his client should learn of this, he might sense the trap and pull away, leaving us with nothing.”

  “Indeed, Kyme, though we would not be left with nothing. We could always interrogate your slaver.” Hippolyta’s stare focused on Arsenius. Had something passed between them?

  Hiding her trepidation by folding her arms, she curled her lip. “Have you not observed his scars? This male has been tortured in every manner possible. I doubt there is anything you can do to make him talk.” Though I might have employed other methods to coax his tongue.

  The Queen focused on Arsenius. “Oh, my dear, there is one way I can think of.” The corner of her mouth curved up before Hippolyta glanced back at her. “Very well, Kyme. You may go alone. Do not forget your vows to Artemis and to your sisters. I shall await your swift return. Should you require aid, do not hesitate to call upon us.” With that, her godmother strolled away.

  “Yes, my Queen.” Kyme bowed. Her nails dug into her palms, her fury too great to do anything other than stare after the Queen of her people.

  “I don’t suppose you’ve got my breeches in that satchel?” Arsenius grated behind her. Wonderful, he was going to be cross because she’d struck him. Well, it wasn’t as though she’d had a choice. She would not apologize. Digging into the bag at her side, she withdrew the leather garment and handed it to him.

  “Oh gods, forgive me.” Her ire disintegrated as a tremendous bruise formed across his abdomen. She grasped for his hand but he brushed her away, grabbed his breeches, and tugged them on.

  His anger was righteous. What had transpired was entirely her fault. Yet, it would be best to let the beast simmer in solitude.

  They departed the Amazon camp and trekked toward where his crew was supposed to have reconvened. Thereus and the others would be searching for them, but they would have left someone behind in case Kyme and Arsenius returned.

  The hours trudged by, as did the silence. Each minute that passed was like a shallow slice of a blade across her heart. Enough to suffer the sting. Too complicated. She huffed and trailed after Arsenius. The complexity of their relationship constricted her chest, making each breath arduous. If only she’d been born under a different star.

  She halted, intending to coax him to speak, but the wind carried the sound of shouts up ahead.

  ***

  Kyme and Arsenius broke into a sprint. His men. They were fighting. He caught the echoes of their strained voices on the wind. The knot he’d had in his gut all morning was being actualized.

  At first, he’d discounted the twinge as a result of the tension between him and Kyme. Contrary to what she must be thinking, he wasn’t bitter about any of it. Not his capture and being bound. Not even her punching him.

  No, he wasn’t angry with her, but his temper was a volcano on the verge of erupting. He refused to accept how Kyme’s family treated her. Was she aware she meant nothing to her godmother, that she was merely a weapon of power?

  Too well, he’d interpreted the Queen’s threat. If this mission went awry for any reason, if Arsenius compromised Kyme, the Queen would hurt her.

  Not me. Torture was a futile weapon against him.

  Arsenius’s sole weakness now…was Kyme.

  She wasted such effort proving herself to those people. No doubt, some of them cared about her, but others didn’t.

  Well, at least she had a strong punch. Her fortitude gave him some small reassurance as they rushed toward the clashing din of battle. His Kyme could handle herself.

  “Stay behind me.” The forest cleared and Arsenius rushed ahead of Kyme, who’d halted to nock an arrow in her bow. He crashed through a thicket of bushes, his body tense and ready to pounce. Though he had no weapon, he didn’t require one.

  For there was no enemy here.

  A thick mist seeped upward from the forest floor, enveloping him and obscuring his view of his men. Damn minotaurs, with their mind tricks. He whistled and, from the trees, a tune replied. Thereus. No one else knew the correct answering note. He bolted a few steps in the direction of his fighters. As he strode forward, a deep sense of foreboding fell over him, as though someone had poured ice water down his spine.

  He spun and blinked into the empty forest. Kyme was gone.

  Just…gone. Her bow lay discarded on the ground.

  He sniffed and inhaled the acidity of the beast’s scent. “No.” Roaring, he barreled through the wall of mist. It shattered, revealing yet more of the empty forest.

  No. He refused to lose her like this. Not when he didn’t even have her yet.

  Pivoting, he inhaled deeply and searched the forest smells for her scent.

  There. He sniffed. Her fragrance was delicate, easy to miss, but not for him. She was burned into him. He would recognize her scent anywhere, could trace it everywhere—precisely what he was going to do.

  Heavy footfalls pounded behind him as Thereus and the others joined him. “Praise the gods, you’re alive, Captain. Your men claimed you’d disappeared. We’ve searched for you for two days. Where have you—” Thereus cut off his question at Arsenius’s raised hand. The centaur knew well enough when to shut his mouth.

  Arsenius lifted his head and sniffed the air. To the right. He broke away in a sprint, his men on his heels. He paused every few feet as the minotaur made changes in his course.

  As her scent grew stronger, he doubled his pace. Near, she’s so near. Why did she not cry out? If she made a sound, he’d be able to tell exactly how far away she was. But no, she was silent. He did not allow his mind to ponder the possibilities of why.

  He would locate her first and—Kyme’s scent slammed into him a moment before, not fifty yards away, he spotted her. Them.

  Snarling, he stormed toward them. She was slung across the beast’s shoulder, her limp body decidedly unconscious. The bastard used his free hand to carve symbols into the rocky face of a mountain.

  Damn it, no. He threw everything he had into his muscles. The strain of being tied up vanished as he extracted every ounce of his strength.

  Smirking over his shoulder at Arsenius, a twisted evil glinted in the minotaur’s crimson eyes. As the rock blazed, the beast stepped inside the Portal and vanished.

  Arsenius slammed into the rock wall, a second too late. He pounded his fists and threw back his head, roaring, as though by cursing he would force the mountain to open to him. The callous rock did not reply, so he sank to his knees, head in his hands.

  “Arsenius.” Thereus’s voice drew him out. “Captain, what are your orders?”

  “Now, we find her. We break into his lair and bring her back.” He fisted his hands. “Then we kill the bastard.”

  Thereus laid a hand on his shoulder. “Tell us, what did you see?”

  He whipped his gaze to the centaur. “What do you mean, what did I see? That blasted minotaur took her—”

  “Aye, Captain, but for truth you were the sole one to witness it. The minotaur’s trick of mind was played
out only for you.”

  “It’s true.” His crewman, Venn, inclined his head. “If you allow me access, I can review the images in your head. That he showed you anything is a blessing. His arrogance may be his undoing.”

  “What can you do, if it was a farce?”

  The Wind Borne approached his side. “If I can skim through your memories, I may be able to piece together which parts were reality and which fabricated.”

  Arsenius had never allowed himself to be at the receiving end of a Wind Borne’s telepathic powers before. The notion of anyone crawling around inside his mind made his stomach churn. Oh aye, mayhap it was because of those dark memories, those torments he’d never shared with anyone. Except Kyme.

  Right, that was the fuel he required. He gave a sharp nod and staggered to his feet.

  Speaking in low, hypnotic tones, the large winged male murmured, “Close your eyes and open your mind.”

  Everything was black. Dark walls, dark floor, dark ceiling, no… Wait. Kyme twisted her head from where she lay on the packed dirt of what she assumed was a prison cell. Yes, there. One wall was slightly less opaque than the others. She squinted. Must be the way in, and the way out. Lying on her stomach, she raised on her elbows.

  Wrong move. Her head spun in protest to the vertical position. Collapsing on the ground, she clutched her head in her hands until the spinning stopped. She blinked, trying to recall why she was here. What happened? An image flashed into her mind. A man. With fierce charcoal eyes. Arsenius. The resultant pain in her chest was so acute it took her a moment to refocus. She slowed her breathing. However they had been separated, she had to get back to him. She just had to.

  Images flickered through her brain, like the pages of a book being flipped by the wind. The Amazon camp, her Queen, Arsenius chained between two trees. Had she left him behind? No, she hadn’t. She’d freed him. They’d trekked through the forest.

  An awful, frigid tingling had crept across the back of her neck, a sensation experience had taught her not to ignore. Yet she had. As the clamor of battle drifted toward them, Arsenius had sprinted in their direction, and she’d paid no heed to whatever watched her from behind.