“That’s nonsense and you know it.” Arton thought Sedrik was finished, then he added, “Just remember we’re willing, as soon as you’re ready.”
Before Arton could react to Sedrik’s sudden attitude shift, Sedrik forced him out of the dream meld and back into his own body.
Arton woke up with a gasp, shocked and disoriented. When reality came back into focus, he was still confused. What did Skyla Lux have to do with the Ghost Guide? And when had Sedrik started caring about anything but his career? The answer was obvious. Rebecca. Sedrik’s bonded mate was softening the general, balancing his ruthless ambition with compassion.
It wasn’t too surprising. One night with Lily and Arton was feeling all sorts of emotions he hadn’t experienced in—maybe ever.
“All the females in my life...” So it wasn’t just Rebecca. Who else could affect someone as self-righteous as Sedrik? The second name was just as obvious. Skyla.
His father’s war bride was the quintessential do-gooder. She hated conflict in any form and pursued peace with laser focus and stunning tenacity. She had been exasperatingly persistent down through the years. She followed Arton around like a shadow, finding him each time he relocated no matter how well he concealed his tracks. If he didn’t resent her so badly, he might have been impressed by her drive and ingenuity. She’d made it her life’s ambition to bring about reconciliation between Arton and the rest of his family. Kryton had stopped hounding him a long time ago, but Skyla just kept coming.
Arton pushed to his feet and shoved his fingers through his hair. He hadn’t spoken with Skyla directly in years. She’d started sending messages through Kage, who found her determination endearing. Only Skyla Lux could charm an overlord.
“So did he tell you anything?” Lily stood in the doorway leading to the bedroom, wearing only one of his shirts. It was unbuttoned to her navel, displaying the inner swell of her breasts and her long, shapely legs. He’d spent much of the past few hours familiarizing himself with her soft body and she still took his breath away.
She’d asked him a question. Oh yeah, what had he learned in the meld? “He didn’t cooperate, but Rebecca did. Sort of. She told me to com Skyla, but didn’t explain why.”
“Skyla. Your step-mother?”
“My father’s war bride. She’s not my anything.”
She smiled. “You didn’t call her a Bilarrian whore. That’s progress.”
He didn’t comment. Instead, he crossed the room and took her in his arms. “Because we’re not related by blood, I can’t dream share with her. I’ll have to figure out another way to contact her.”
Lily just nodded, but questions shadowed her gaze.
“What do you want to know? You’re clearly gnawing on something.”
“I think I understand why you resent your father, but the Lux brothers weren’t even born when...” She sighed and shook her head. “Never mind. I don’t want to fight with you.”
Feeling unusually generous, or maybe he just wanted to make her smile, he steeled himself for the telling and began, “They replaced me. I was so broken, so ruined by the time they helped me escape that Kryton slammed the door on the past and built a shiny new life with his Bilr—with his war bride.”
Her brows drew together as she mined for implications in the few facts he’d just shared. “How old were you when they rescued you?”
“Nineteen. And Sedrik was born eight and a half months after I returned home.”
“Sedrik is what, thirty-five.” Her eyes widened and she looked almost horrified. “You’re in your fifties?”
He laughed. “I told you Rodytes age differently than humans. I’ve expended approximately one third of my lifespan and so have you. Is this really what you want to talk about?”
“No. It just caught me off guard. I want to know whatever you’re willing to tell me. I really want to understand why you’re still angry after all these years.”
Scooping her up in his arms, he carried her to the bed and sat down with her on his lap. Her nearness calmed him, allowing him to relate what happened without being sucked into the emotional sewer associated with the events. “They both claimed to love me, to genuinely want me home, but I could see it in Kryton’s eyes. He was disgusted and disappointed in what I’d become. And each time he looked at Skyla and his perfect newborn son...” He let out his breath slowly, refusing to give in to the emotions churning inside him. “I couldn’t watch it, knew it would be easier on everyone if I just left.”
“I suspect they wouldn’t agree, but where did you go?”
“I signed on with the first opportunity that took me offworld. They happened to be Parillian mercenaries. When their leader realized what I was, he made damn sure his men didn’t abuse me. He befriended me and convinced me to use my visions to make his life easier. I stayed with them for almost three years.”
“Did you have any contact with your family during that time?” She spoke with obvious care as if she was worried he’d lose his temper. Little wonder. Her concern was justified.
He shook his head. “We were continually on the move. It would have been almost impossible for them to locate me. This also kept me safe from the guild’s hunters.”
“Hunters? Harbinger Guild was hunting you?”
“Of course. I was a prized possession. They had no intention of letting me go without a fight.”
She shook her head, clearly upset by the idea. “That’s so wrong. I don’t know what to say.”
“That’s why I say nothing at all.” He hoped she would take that hint, but she didn’t.
“Where did you go next?”
If she wanted a blow-by-blow accounting of his entire career, this was going to take hours. Keeping her close, he crawled onto the bed and propped himself up against the wall. She lay between his legs, her upper body semi-reclining against his chest. The position was intimate without being sexual. Too bad.
“Next came the Sarton Conflict,” he told her when she stared up at him expectantly. “It was too bloody for the Parillians, but I’d acquired a taste for it by then.”
She shivered. “You ‘acquired a taste’ for war?”
He shrugged, but her reaction concerned him. He didn’t want to damage the fragile connection they’d barely begun to build. Still, her curiosity about his past was persistent. “It was the perfect outlet for my rage,” he admitted, but said no more.
She milled that over for a moment in silence, then asked, “When and how did you meet Kage?”
Like the berserkers of ancient Earth, Arton had been so consumed by the carnage that he was barely sane by the time Kage found him. “I was bleeding to death and more than ready for it to be over when Kage literally tripped over my body. I’m still not sure why he bothered, but he carried me back to his ship and his medics patched me up. I was furious at first, not in any way grateful, but he gradually pulled me back from the abyss and helped me learn to be less self-destructive. He’s been my anchor for twenty-three years.”
“What’s an anchor?”
Shit. He did not want to tell her about the harbinger/anchor bond. She was smart and perceptive. It wouldn’t take her long to reach the same conclusion as Kage. He chose each word with the utmost care. “Harbinger gifts operate best when they’re linked with someone strong and dependable.”
“The information I read talked about harbingers needing a ‘master’. It said harbingers require the steadying presence of an objective handler. Is it sort of like that?”
“It’s exactly like that, but most harbingers nowadays prefer the term anchor to master.”
“I would too.” She looked up and smiled. “Kage is a good choice. I can’t imagine anyone stronger. I don’t know him well enough to say if he’s dependable or not.”
Arton exhaled. Thank the gods for small favors. She’d accepted his vague explanation. Or he thought she had until she asked, “What does Kage get out of it?”
The way she’d worded the question gave him an out. “He has access to harbinger en
ergy. His abilities don’t change, but he’s able to...supercharge his gifts when he pulls energy from me.”
“Cool.” She yawned. “You two are really close, aren’t you?”
“He’s my mentor, best friend, and boss.” He chuckled. “I guess that constitutes close.”
“Have you ever...you know, crossed the line?”
Few were bold enough to ask the question, but he knew many wondered if they were lovers. “I have no sexual attraction to other males and neither does Kage, but you’re not the first to have wondered.”
“There’s a tangible connection between you two that seems unusual. I guess, you just told me what it is. He’s your anchor.”
“Go back to sleep,” he coaxed, stroking her hair.
“You should too. That dream meld had to have exhausted you.”
Oddly enough he wasn’t tired. And she was right, he should have been. Bilarri was the source of Rodyte magic. And Skyla was Bilarrian. Was it really surprising that she’d passed on highly concentrated energy to her sons? Arton tried not to react, but it was one more thing for him to envy.
“I have to figure out a way to contact Skyla without revealing our location.”
“Why don’t you go to her?” She yawned again, then turned onto her side and snuggled into the warmth of his body.
It wasn’t a bad idea. But it would take three days to reach Rodymia and another three to return. And who knew how long to gain her assistance. Could Jillian wait that long? No, he needed something faster, more direct. His telepathic reach was insufficient to ping her, a telepathic tap that encouraged her to form the link. Damn it. He closed his eyes and cleared his mind. He’d meditate and hopefully, he’d think of something.
LILY SPENT THE NEXT three days in the lab frantically searching Dr. Mintell’s notes. The male was an overbearing ass most of the time, but he was brilliant and kept meticulous records of everything concerning the transformation program on Earth. He had encountered all sorts of complications, especially in the beginning, but nothing that paralleled what was happening to Jillian.
“Take a break already!” Lentar insisted from the doorway. “I don’t think you’ve moved an inch since the last time I checked on you.” He’d insisted she start using his first name. Reluctantly, she’d obliged. Arton was already jealous of “Dr. Dimples”. She didn’t want to add fuel that that particular fire. “I’m serious. Get out of here for at least an hour. Go outside or something. Staring at the display isn’t going to change what’s recorded there. Mintell didn’t run across this exact complication. We’re on our own.”
She knew he was right, but wasn’t ready to admit that they were out of options. Jillian’s condition had started to deteriorate yesterday, so Lentar put her in stasis. The move bought them some more time, but it didn’t solve the problem.
Lentar walked up behind her and rolled her chair away from the workstation. Then he tipped it forward, forcing her to stand up or end up on the deck. She laughed. “All right. All right. I get the point. I’ll go reacquaint myself with the sun.”
Not in the mood for a bunch of gossipy women, Lily disembarked using the midship gangway on deck three rather than emerging through the commons. Every Rodyte she passed averted his gaze and nodded respectfully. The change was stunning. They hadn’t openly ogled her before, but their interest had been obvious. Arton’s scent protected her now. For better or worse, she was the Heretic’s female.
A cool breeze blew her hair across her face as she stepped out onto the nested stairway. The structure was covered, but the sides were open, offering no protection from the elements. The day felt almost cold after hours in a stuffy lab, but she didn’t care. Lentar was right, she really needed a break.
Lingering on the top platform, she looked around. Her view was partially obscured on one side by the Viper, and by the Nexus on the other. But in the distance she could see a series of fields the Outcasts had recently cleared. Were they going to build something or...plant some sort of crop? The thought made her laugh. It was extremely hard to picture these battle-hardened mercenaries pushing plows. The ships could provide food for everyone as long as the generators were recharged once a year. She wasn’t sure what they used to recharge them, but she’d heard the term repeatedly. Anyway, it would sure be nice to have fresh fruits and veggies once in a while.
Shrugging off her speculation, she started down the stairs. She hadn’t seen Arton since breakfast that morning. He’d been particularly prickly today. She understood his frustration. He wasn’t having any better luck solving his problem than she was having resolving hers. His psychic range simply wasn’t large enough to contact Skyla and any traditional means of communication risked revealing the settlement’s location.
Shouts and stomping feet drew her attention to the ramp near the bow of the Viper. A small swarm of armed Outcasts raced out, then ran right in front of her. They were headed toward the clearing surrounding the Wheel. She waited until the last male passed, then hurried after them. She didn’t want to interfere in whatever this was or get in their way, but what the heck was going on?
The soldiers formed a wide ring, which had them pointing their weapons at each other. A few seconds later the rumble of engines drew her attention to the sky. A small commuter ship, roughly triangular in shape, seemed to float down from the clouds, its movements slow and precise.
The Outcasts targeted the ship, but held their fire. Kage, Arton, and a male Lily didn’t know came running from one of the other ships. She hadn’t seen them exit, so she didn’t know which one. They were trying to keep the settlement’s location a secret from everyone, so clearly this visitor was uninvited.
The ring of soldiers shifted, making room for the overlord and his two companions. Arton looked around as he moved into position on Kage’s right. Was he looking for her? Their gazes locked for just a moment. He acknowledged her with a nod, then turned his attention back to the newly arrived ship.
Lily crept forward while staying well back from the ring of armed Outcasts. Others joined her, rapidly forming a curious audience for this strange confrontation. A small hatch opened and a ramp extended. Tension was palpable, and Lily found herself holding her breath.
Two burly males in green-and-gold uniforms marched down the ramp first. They took up a defensive position on either side of the ramp, then a female emerged. She was dressed in a dark blue power suit with a narrow skirt instead of pants. She moved with the regality of a queen. Her dark hair swept away from her face and into a simple twist at the back of her head. Lily was too far away to see her eyes, but her gaze moved immediately to Arton. How strange. Did he know this female?
“Have you lost your mind?” he snapped moving toward her with angry strides. “We could have shot you out of the sky.”
She offered him an enigmatic smile. “I knew you wouldn’t.”
“That’s not funny.”
The comment confused Lilly even more. Why did he think she’d meant it to be funny?
“Does your husband know you’re here?”
Lily’s eyes widened and understanding slammed through her. She looked at the female more closely. Was this Skyla Lux? Did she know Arton was trying to contact her? How the hell had she found this place?
Kage stepped up beside Arton and bowed to the stranger. “Overlord Kage Razel. It’s nice to finally meet you in person, Madame Lux.”
She was! This was Skyla, mysterious mother of the three Lux brothers, former war bride of Kryton Lux. Lily shook her head, amazed. She was too damn beautiful to have three grown sons.
“Likewise, Overlord Razel.” She smiled warmly. “You’ve been a great help to me more than a few times and I appreciate it very much.”
“At ease,” Kage called to his men, then swept his arm toward the Viper. “Let’s get you out of the sun.”
“In a moment.” She turned suddenly and walked straight to Lily. Her eyes were vivid blue, ringed in blood-red. The combination was striking in such a delicate face. “You’re Lily, aren’t you?
”
A tingle raced down her spine. “I am, but how did you know?”
Skyla’s answer was preempted as a pack of karrons bolted from the trees and charged the crowd. Screams mixed with growls and feline roars. People scrambled, running in every direction, shoving and colliding in the confusion. The battle cats raced through the panicked mob, weaving in and out while snarling and snapping, flashing their razor-sharp teeth. Solders ran after the cats, desperately trying to lock in a shot that would hit nothing but the animals.
Skyla’s guards hurried her back toward her ship as Arton fought his way toward Lily. She reached out a hand toward him when a searing pain stabbed into her thigh. She gasped in a breath as she looked down and screamed. One of the karrons had ahold of her leg. It tugged with all its might as if trying to drag her along with it.
Fight or flight engaged and she turned aggressive, beating the cat on the muzzle and head with tightly clenched fists. The battle cat barely noticed. Using both hands, she tried to pry its jaws open, freeing her leg, but only managed to trip herself in the process. She went down hard on her hip, then quickly covered her head with her arms as someone almost trampled her.
Her other leg was suddenly grabbed by two more karrons. Their aim was better than the first’s had been. They mostly caught her pant leg and not her flesh. They were clearly working as a team. If her life weren’t in danger, she would have found their behavior fascinating. Adrenaline sped her pulse and added to her strength. She clawed at the ground, and kicked wildly, desperate to slow their progress or dislodge them completely. Even if it shredded her leg, she’d still be alive. They drug her free from the crowd and headed back into the trees, their human prize trailing behind them.
Energy pulses arced through the air and pelted the karrons like painful rain. Their armor absorbed most of the energy, but they yelped and whined, sounding more like dogs than cats for a change.
All at once, as if hearing some signal, all three of the creatures opened their jaws and ran into the surrounding forest. Lily watched their retreat in stunned appreciation. Had they just responded to the pain or... She searched the shadows as she struggled to sit, ignoring the throbbing protest of her left leg.
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