by Becca Van
“Who brought the lacca to our rooms?” Mott asked.
“Sano and Davo are looking into it. They’re checking the bottle for DNA,” Riek answered.
“We can’t detain Rotec until we know for certain he was responsible for trying to kill our bonded,” Mott said.
It was hard to think logically when he was so worried, but they needed to keep a cool head. He didn’t want the Council Elders to have any recourse, and they would if they didn’t do this by the book.
Riek looked up when Sano and Davo entered medical. “Did you find anything?”
“I’m sorry, Nava Riek, but the only DNA found on the acca bottle was Nav Annie’s.”
Baro turned on his heel and moved toward the exit. Riek grabbed his shoulder to stop him. “You can’t do anything until we know for certain, Baro.”
“Riek’s right,” Shar said. “Davo, Sano, I want you both shadowing Council Elder Rotec.”
Both men bowed, saluted, and hurried away.
Riek walked over to Annie and caressed her cheek. His brothers didn’t move from their places near that back wall, but they didn’t take their eyes from the healers or their mate. She looked so pale and fragile. Even when she had collapsed after mind fighting with the Sytax, she hadn’t looked this ill. The ache in his chest was so intense he rubbed over it, trying to ease it, but it didn’t help, and he knew nothing would until he saw Annie’s beautiful blue eyes.
He prayed to the goddess that she would recover, because he knew if she didn’t, no man on this planet would be safe.
Chapter Fourteen
“Get the stasis ready,” Must ordered his assistant. “We’re losing her.”
Shar had never felt so useless in his life. The massive knot of pain in his chest hurt so bad it almost brought him to his knees. He could actually feel Annie’s life force slipping away. The pain and emptiness felt like it was consuming him. He wanted to rage at the gods. He and his male kin had just found their heart mate. To have her taken from them so soon was agony.
He hadn’t taken his eyes off of her or the healers, but nothing they did seemed to be working. Healer Must covered Annie’s lips with the breathing tube, and he watched her chest rise and fall as oxygen was forced into her lungs, but it didn’t seem to be working either. He shoved from the wall and almost staggered to her side. Riek was kneeling at her head and whispering into her ear as he clutched at Annie’s hand, but he couldn’t hear what his kin was saying.
Shar moved to her other side, making sure to keep out of the healer’s way and took her small, delicate, cold hand into his and willed her to live.
Finally the healers stepped back. Healer Must shook his head when he met Shar’s eyes. His sad expression said it all. “We’ve done everything we can.”
“Mott, Baro, come and hold our bonded,” Shar ordered his brothers. His throat was already constricted with emotion, and it was really hard to hold back his tears of grief and the rage sweeping over him.
Baro moved to the bed and placed his hand on Annie’s chest, feeling for the rhythmic rise and fall. Mott knelt down and rested his head on her belly, his eyes closed, but tears seeped out onto his cheeks.
None of them spoke, each of them lost in their grief as their mate slowly slipped away from them.
Shar caressed Annie’s cold cheek and didn’t realize he was crying until one of his tears landed on her face. He wiped it off and then knelt and buried his face against her neck. He felt her shudder and twitch and heard her lungs laboring to fill with air. Her heartbeat was slow and erratic, more time passing until the next beat. The slower her heart got, the more she struggled to breathe and the colder her skin got. There was a loud roaring in his ears, and he wondered if he was actually making the noise or if he was screaming in his mind.
When her heart stopped, the tears came faster and the pain as she faded was agonizing.
* * * *
As Annie became aware, she heard low, rumbling voices, but she couldn’t work out what they were saying. Some of the voices were familiar, and some of them weren’t. She had no idea where she was or what was happening, and although she could hear, she wasn’t really conscious.
She felt like she was floating on a cloud, and even though she thought she was asleep, her body was wracked with pain. She ached everywhere, but her stomach felt like it was on fire. She moaned and tried to curl up into a ball, but she couldn’t move. When she noticed a light in the distance, she blinked and tried to focus, but she wasn’t even sure if her eyes were open. The light got bigger and brighter the closer it came, and she could hear a buzzing in her ears. The buzzing got louder and louder until the familiar distinct feminine voice became audible.
Whoever shall find the slave gold will know much turmoil until love unfolds.
The voices will sing their hymn and pull you from within.
The paths you take will be divided and the choices you make will be forever united.
No time, space, or age will withstand or endure, unless the love you feel is pure.
Love is a gift from the Gods and will last through the ages for those who will discover love untold.
Annie gasped when a tall, stunningly beautiful brunette woman stood beside her. She was wearing a white toga-style flowing dress, and her eyes were so green they were mesmerizing.
“You have found your heart’s desire, yes?” The lady’s voice was low and husky and almost mesmerizing.
It took Annie a few moments to work out what she meant, and when she realized that the woman was asking if she had found the loves of her life, she answered. “Yes. I love Shar, Baro, Mott, and Riek more than my own life.”
“You are worthy of the Cardinal warriors, Annie Tammock. You have fought well. There will be one more battle, and then you will have a long, happy life with your mates and children.”
“Battle?”
The woman nodded as the light surrounding her became brighter and brighter. The intensity of the light became too much. It was dazzling, and it began to hurt her eyes so she had to close them.
“You were not meant to die this day, Annie Strident-Tammock. When you awake, you will feel stronger than ever. Everything happens for a reason. Do not fear your new abilities, embrace them. They will be your saving grace.”
“Thank you.”
Annie knew the light was fading, and although she tried to open her eyes again, her lids wouldn’t cooperate. With a sigh, she slipped into sleep again.
* * * *
Then the strangest thing happened. Her skin began to get warmer. Shar lifted his head, and his mouth dropped open when he saw Annie’s body bathed in the brightest light. Her body heated even more, and then her whole body convulsed and she gasped for air. Shar ripped the small respirator from her lips and nearly shouted with joy when he heard her heart beating out a natural rhythm.
His male kin lifted their heads and stared at their bonded with wonder as her pale skin began to return to its normal color. Shar wasn’t ashamed when he cried even harder as her beautiful blue eyes blinked up at him. She squeezed his hand and then met his brothers’ eyes one after the other.
“Well, let’s hope I never have to go through that again.” Annie smiled wide.
Shar pulled her from the portable medi-bed, down into his lap, and held her tight. His male kin hurried around the bed and they surrounded her with their love and heat. It was a long time before any of them moved. If Healer Must hadn’t come back to the medi-center, they may have stayed on the floor for the rest of the afternoon and night.
“Nava Shar?”
Annie drew back and looked up at the healer. If she hadn’t nearly died, Shar would have laughed at the shocked expression on the healer’s face.
“Nav Annie?” Must said with whispered reverence.
“Hi, Must.” Annie gave him a little wave.
Healer Must stood there staring at Annie with his mouth hanging open, and then he closed his eyes and slowly opened them again. “How is this possible? You were dying.”
“Let’s just say I’ve been blessed by a goddess,” Annie said quietly.
“The gold is gone from your arm,” Riek said.
Annie looked down and then turned to cup Riek’s face. “So it is. I’ll explain it all to you later, but I would really like to eat right now. I’m starving.”
Shar waited for his brothers to stand, and then he, too, stood, lifting Annie with him as he did.
“Put her on the medi-bed, Nava Shar,” Healer Must ordered. “I would like to examine our Nav.”
Shar reluctantly placed Annie on the floating medi-bed and stepped back to give Must room to work. Moments later, the healer declared Annie fit and well and moved toward his office, muttering under his breath about miracles.
Baro shoved Shar aside, scooped Annie up into his arms, and stared into her eyes. “Don’t you ever scare us like that again, mate.”
“I won’t.” Annie sighed, and then she leaned up and kissed Baro on the lips. “I’m sorry you were worried.”
“It wasn’t your fault, baby.” Riek moved up behind her and stroked a hand down her back.
“So, have you figured out who left the poisoned bottle of lacca in the kitchen?” Annie asked.
“We have no proof, but we suspect Council Elder Rotec,” Shar said as he fell into step beside Baro and Annie.
“We will find the proof we need,” Mott declared angrily from behind them. “And when we do he is a dead man.”
Shar still couldn’t get rid of the worry over their mate’s health. Even though he was relieved she seemed to be healed, his gut was still a mass of fear, grief, and seething rage. He hoped he never had to go through anything like that ever again, because he wasn’t sure he would remain sane. His crug was pacing inside and clawing to get out. His animal wanted revenge, wanted to rip that fuggar apart and watch him die slowly, in agony.
“What’s a fuggar?” Annie asked.
Shar wondered if he’d been projecting his thoughts to his bonded or if she had just picked up on his thoughts. Maybe she was becoming more proficient with her latent mind-reading skills.
“Motherfucking asshole,” Baro answered.
“Well, that certainly fits,” Annie said and then burst out laughing.
Shar wondered how she could find humor after someone had tried to kill her. Again, she must have read his thoughts, because she held out a hand toward him. He clasped hers in his and stared down at the differences in their size. When she squeezed to get his attention, he met her gaze.
“I’m happy to be alive, Shar. Yes, I nearly died, but I didn’t. In fact I feel better than I ever have.”
Shar nodded. He was glad she was alive, too. He opened the doors to their suite and was glad Davo and Sano had called someone to clean up and air the room out. There was no sign remaining of Annie being poisoned.
Baro went straight to the sofa as Annie called their floating conforming planks and sat down with her on his lap. Shar withdrew his comms tablet to contact the kitchen and ordered some food and drink.
Mott and Riek pushed the other seating planks closer to their bonded and sat down. Shar took the space beside her and Baro.
“Tell us what happened, Annie,” Mott said.
Shar listened with horror as she explained how sick she’d become after consuming the hevil-poisoned lacca and then with wonder as she told them of the female who had come to her.
When she told them about one last battle, he made a point to notify her four warrior guards to be with her at all times. Two of his own would be stationed outside the doors, and when he and his male kin weren’t with her, all four of her warriors would be inside their rooms. Normally, when joined, it was unheard of for other males to be near a female mate, but Shar wasn’t willing to take any risks. His bonded was his everything and needed to be protected at all costs.
The food arrived, and they all ate. Baro refused to let Annie from his lap and fed her tidbits from his plate and after testing the drink made her drink from his cup. When she had filled her empty belly, she snuggled up and fell asleep.
Warriors came and went. Sano and Davo had found the proof they needed that Council Elder Rotec had an alliance with the Sytax. They'd found an encrypted order to infiltrate their ship and kill him and his kin. What the fuggar didn’t realize was that Davo was an expert in comms and it took him no time at all to unravel the encrypted message. Rotec’s orders had been to kill him, Baro, Mott, and Riek and then blow the ship apart. The Sytax were given their cloaking technology as part credit, and when the deed was done, they were to be paid another million in credit discs.
Ardo and Bako, along with another contingency of warriors, had gone to secure Council Elder Rotec from his rooms, but the fuggar was missing. Shar vowed they wouldn’t stop looking until they found him, and when he did, he was invoking warrior right.
Warrior right was combat to the death without weapons. Rotec wasn’t as big or strong as Shar and didn’t stand a chance of surviving. He would make sure to rip him apart piece by piece so his death was a long, painful one, but first they needed to find the fucker.
He, his brothers, and the guards worked well into the night while Annie slept on. Each of them had taken turns holding Annie, savoring her warmth and softness and to ease the fear they’d faced earlier. By the time the suns began to lighten the sky, Shar was exhausted in mind, body, and soul.
After dismissing his men, he and his brothers headed to bed. They settled Annie in the middle and crawled in around her, each of them touching her in some way, and drifted off to sleep.
It felt like he’d just gotten to sleep when his comm link buzzed. Shar got out of bed to answer it quickly. He didn’t want the noise disturbing his bonded. He tapped the screen but waited until he was in the greeting room before speaking. “What have you got, Ardo?”
“Nava Shar, Elder Rotec has just returned in his personal shuttle. We have secured him.”
“Thank the gods.” Shar nearly sagged with relief. “Have you downloaded his latest coordinates?”
“Bako is doing so now.”
“Contact me again when you have everything. And make sure that fuggar is put into the magnetized electrical cell.”
“Yes, Nava. I will call you soon.” Ardo disconnected the link.
“They have him?”
Shar turned and nodded at Baro. His kin’s eyes went cold and hard with rage.
“Where has he been?”
“Bako’s still downloading. He and Ardo will send the information on the comm link when they have everything.”
“Good,” Baro said. “When we have it, I want warrior right.”
“That’s my prerogative.”
“It’s all of ours…brother. You think just because you’re the eldest you felt more pain when we nearly lost her?”
“No.” Shar turned away before turning back to face Baro. “But it is my right as the eldest to deal with that fuggar first.”
“What is warrior right?”
Shar turned so fast he nearly stumbled. Annie was covered in the robe he’d left for her, looking sexy and sleep tousled, but Mott and Riek were behind her, and they were scowling at him and Baro. He could feel how annoyed his brothers were at him for not hearing Annie’s approach, but he scowled right back since they hadn’t stopped her from getting out of bed. They hadn’t woken when his comm unit went off, but he would have thought they’d have felt their bonded leaving the bed and room.
“It doesn’t matter,” Shar finally answered.
Annie walked toward him and didn’t stop until she was close enough for him to feel the heat coming off of her body. He looked down and met her eyes when she poked him in the chest.
“I think it does,” she said with a tinge of anger in her voice. “Just because you’re high muckety-muck doesn’t mean you can ignore me when I ask something.”
“High what?”
“Never mind.” Annie poked him in the chest again. “Just answer the damn question.”
“Warrior right is the right to challenge an o
pponent in the arena,” Baro began.
Shar sighed when Annie sidestepped and then turned so she could see all of them. He was angry at Baro for telling her, but he realized his brother was right. They shouldn’t be keeping things from their mate. She had every right to know what was going on in their life as they did to know what was going on in hers.
“There are no weapons in the challenge but we can change into our crug or half change. The fight is to the death,” Mott said.
Annie’s knees buckled, and Shar moved fast, catching her around the waist, and brought her up against his body. She rested her head on his chest and took a couple of deep breaths before meeting his gaze.
“You could die?”
Shar snorted. “Not likely. You saw that fuggar. Do you honestly think he will best me?”
“No,” she answered, immediately appeasing his wounded pride. “But you could get hurt. I don’t want any of you getting hurt. Can’t someone else do this warrior’s right thing?”
“Baby, Rotec is working with the Sytax,” Riek said as he pressed against her back. “He planned to kill us all. Would you have stepped aside if someone else had been able to mind battle those slimy bastards?”
“No.” Annie sighed with resigned acceptance. “When will this fight take place?”
“On the next sun rising.”
Chapter Fifteen
Annie was full of restless anxiety. She was worried about this fight, but she had a feeling deep down inside that something else was going to happen. Something bad. The knot in her gut got bigger with each hour that passed by. Her men were off doing what they normally did, and although she was bored out of her brains, she was too nervous for her mind to concentrate on any one thing. After walking around the apartment—the ruler’s suite, she had trouble remembering all the correct terms, not that her men seemed to care, and they were taking on more and more human expressions—she couldn’t take any more.
She hurried to the door, her four guards immediately following, and after nodding at Bako and Davo, who were standing guard at the door, she walked down the hallway heading to the lift. Her personal warriors quickly caught up and then surrounded her.
