by Delia Roan
The vial was empty.
CHAPTER TWENTY
KOVOS
When Kovos returned to his rooms, he found a feast laid out. Fruit slices, hard cheeses, buns, and three different types of jams. A stew bubbled, warmed by a small flame under the round bottomed pan. It was an artfully arranged table.
A note lay on the single plate.
Kovos, it read, I cannot join you for this meal, my love. Please enjoy yourself!
“It’s from Jenna,” he said, pleasantly surprised.
Arthon peered over his shoulder. “I didn’t know she could write Ennoi.”
“Eyes to yourself, little brother.” Kovos punched Arthon on the shoulder, but grinned to take sting out of it. “She probably got her maid to write it for her.”
Kovos carefully folded the note and tucked it into his pocket. Even if it wasn’t by Jenna’s hand, it was a token of her consideration and thoughtfulness.
He sighed contentedly at the table, taking in the flowers strewn on the tablecloth. “She loves me,” he said, placing his hands on his hips.
Beside him, Arthon rolled his eyes. “Disgusting. You are twitterpated, Kovos.”
“Arthon, some day, when you meet your Avowed, when you fall for them and their perfection. When you realize that life isn’t worth living without them. When you find yourself making foolish choices. When you can’t stop smiling. On that day, I will laugh and laugh and laugh in your face.”
“So nice to have a caring brother,” Arthon replied, dryly.
“Likewise,” Kovos responded.
Arthon eyed out the table. “It seems your bride-to-be has a good knowledge of what treats you enjoy. She’s laid out all your favorites. Should I set a culinary aptitude as my standard for true love?”
“You could do much worse, little brother,” Kovos said, “than to find a woman who wishes to cater to your every desire.”
Arthon quirked his lips. “Lithyon is too independent to fall into that category.”
Kovos turned his head slowly to study his brother. “Lithyon? You and Lithyon?”
To his surprise, his brother flushed deeply. “Would that be so terrible? I mean, you don’t want her any more, and a union between Cadam and Haron would bring peace. Might as well be me, right?”
While his brother might be annoying and oftentimes a burden, the thought of Lithyon and Arthon together brought a glow to Kovos’s heart. Two people he loved, together. Yet, now that he had experienced the changes brought by an Avowed mate, he didn’t want to deny two of his dearest loved ones the happiness he felt.
No wonder Mother griped about me marrying Lithyon.
“Broach the subject in a year or two, Arthon. Lithyon is sensible, but she is… upset by recent developments. Give her time.”
His face fell. “She doesn’t see me as a man, yet.”
“She will, brother. Come sit and eat with me,” Kovos said, pulling up a second chair. “You are probably just as hungry as I after that Council meeting.”
Arthon’s nod was morose as he pulled off his heavy robes. He tossed them onto the table and sat.
Kovos frowned. “It’s bad enough that I have to look at your ugly face while I eat, but I’ll not have Mother accuse me of letting you get your brand new Council robes messy.”
Arthon reached out with a spoon and seized a hearty scoop of compote, smearing it on a bun. “Move it yourself, dearest brother. I’m eating.” He took a bite, and grinned at Kovos through the mouthful. “Mmmm, better hurry before I finish it all.”
Shaking his head, Kovos moved the robes to a sitting chair at the side of the room. He’d just settled in his seat, when the door flung open. Jenna stood panting in the doorway.
Kovos rose to his feet. “Ah, are you able to join me for lunch?” He waved the bun he held. “I can tell Arthon to leave. Trust me, it will be a joy to do so.”
Arthon scowled, and stuffed the rest of the bun into his mouth until his cheeks bulged.
“Stop!” Jenna screamed. She raced across the room, grabbed Arthon by the shoulder, and forced her hand into his mouth. “Spit it out! Spit!”
Kovos reached for Jenna’s arm, but at the fear in her eyes, he drew back. “Do as she says, Arthon. Now.”
Face twisted in confusion, Arthon leaned over the table, and spat the food in his mouth onto the plate. “I’m sorry, Lady Jenna. I did not realize you felt so strongly about this meal.”
She whipped around to Kovos. “Did you eat any of it?”
“Je-”
“Did you eat any of it?”
“No! No, we just started.”
She turned back to Arthon. “Did you? Did you eat? Did you swallow?”
Arthon exchanged puzzled glances with his brother. “I’m sorry, my lady. I took liberties and I ate a bun.”
Jenna groaned and sank to her knees. She buried her hands in her face. Then she jerked back to her feet.
“Call a doctor,” she snapped. When Kovos didn’t move, she ran to the doorway and bellowed down the hall. “Call a doctor! You! Yes, you! Call a doctor immediately! It’s an emergency!”
Kovos had enough. “Jenna, what is going on?”
Her eyes held fear and guilt when she turned to him. “I- I think the food… was poisoned,” she whispered.
“What?” Kovos frowned. He dropped the bun in his hand, and wiped his hand on a napkin.
“At least,” Jenna continued. “I think so…”
“That’s not possible. The kitchen staff is trustworthy.”
Jenna wrung her hands together. “It- it’s not the staff.” She looked down at her feet. “It’s me.”
A chill crept across Kovos’s shoulders and down his back. “What?”
Jenna took a shuddering breath. “It was my poison bottle.”
She held out a small object, and Kovos took it with a trembling hand. A vial. The seal snapped. He peered inside, and took a sniff, but could see, nor smell, anything.
He studied Jenna. Misery coated her face. Her eyes were bloodshot.
“Wh-”
Before Kovos could say anything further, his brother groaned, and fell from his chair with a crash.
“Arthon!” He dropped the vial and raced to his brother’s side.
Arthon writhed on the floor, clutching his belly. Kovos pulled him into his arms. Thick mucus spilled from Arthon’s nostrils, and he began to wheeze. The muscles in his neck strained as he struggled to breathe.
“I’m sorry,” Jenna sobbed. “I’m so, so sorry!”
There was a clatter at the door, and a doctor raced into the room. With a few quick strides, she crossed the room and crouched beside Arthon. Two assistants followed, carrying equipment which they efficiently set up around the doctor.
“Get the aerosol mask on him. Need to fix that breathing,” the doctor snapped.
“Yes, sir.”
“What happened?” the doctor asked Kovos, rolling up her sleeves.
“Poison,” Kovos replied. “There’s a vial over there.”
“Hmm,” she said. She took in the guards crowding the doorway. “Maybe you should all step out into the hall while I tend to the patient. You too, Lord Kovos. Now.”
With a growl, Kovos stood. He seized Jenna by the hand and marched out into the room. A medic closed the door behind them. The guards moved down the hall to give Kovos and Jenna some privacy. Their faces were grim, and they huddled together, shooting concerned glances toward the door.
“Is- is he going to die?” Jenna asked. She leaned against the wall. Her voice was tiny in the hallway.
“You tell me,” Kovos replied, keeping his voice low so the other guards wouldn’t hear. He trembled with rage, but his concern lay with Arthon.
Jenna lowered her head to the floor. Tears spilled from her eyes, splattering the floor, but she said nothing.
A second team of emergency medics arrived, bringing with them a floating stretcher. They disappeared into the room.
After what seemed to Kovos like an eternity, the door opened, and a medic led the stretcher out. Arthon lay upon it, pale, but his breathing remained steady. Kovos rushed to his side, but saw his brother was unconscious. His eyes flickered beneath his lids, and a thin line of spittle ran down his chin.
“How is he?” Kovos asked the doctor as she emerged from the room.
She pursed her lips. “He’s fortunate.” She held up the vial. “My guess is this is a catarrh inducing poison, but I’ll have to run some tests. Whatever it is, it’s fast acting. If he had imbibed any more than he had, he’d be dead by now.”
“Will- will he recover?” Jenna asked.
The doctor nodded. “He should. He is young and healthy. We want to keep an eye on him, though. You can come by the hospital to see him in a few hours. Now, please excuse me.”
Kovos watched his brother being wheeled away.
Once the guards had dispersed to their posts, he grabbed Jenna by the arm and dragged her back into his chambers. She protested at his grip, but meekly followed. The door slammed shut behind her.
Jenna pressed her back to the door. Her eyes were wide with fear, but Kovos couldn’t bring himself to meet her gaze.
Kovos paced.
If he didn’t, he might explode.
“What- You-” He growled. Words wouldn’t come. His body itched where his scales emerged.
He stopped, and lifted his head to the ceiling. He breathed, willing his body back under his control. He couldn’t be this irrational.
Leaders lead with their heads. Not their hearts.
A leader cannot afford to put his emotions first.
His father had told him that many times.
When his body stopped trembling, he turned to Jenna. “I almost lost a brother today.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
He wanted to run to her arms so she could soothe his pain.
“Jenna. Moonsong. Tell me this was all a mistake.”
Her silence stretched out. She took a sharp breath in through her nose. Her back straightened. “It was a mistake.” Relief flooded Kovos, but before he could respond, she kept talking. “The poison was meant for you.”
A dagger twisted in Kovos’s heart. For a moment, he thought his second heart had stopped, but no, it kept beating. He heard the reassuring pulse of it, a promise that he had found his Avowed mate.
A mate who had conspired to poison him.
“Why? Why, my love?”
He hated how broken his voice sounded.
Jenna looked away, keeping her gaze fixed on the scrap of sky peeking through the window on the far wall. She blinked rapidly, shedding tears, and then her face went slack. She pursed her lips, and ran her fingers over them, as she considered her words.
“I am homesick,” she said, each word slow and deliberate. “I am tired of being locked away in this tower. I cannot live like this. Like a prisoner.”
For three simple words, they carried all the force of a spear through his rib cage.
Finally she dragged her eyes to his. “I want Mel. I want my sister. I want to go home.”
Kovos pulled his shoulders back. He swallowed down the lump in his throat. Of course, she is homesick. Cadam was not her home. The Ennoi were not her people. His family were dear to him. Why should it be any different for her? It was foolish to think what he offered would be enough for her.
That he would be enough.
How have I not seen her misery?
Maybe humans felt the true mate bond differently than the Ennoi did. To him, Jenna was part of his heart. He couldn’t live without her. But if Humans didn’t feel the bond in a similar way, how could he refuse her happiness? It would be selfish to insist she remain at his side, if she did not have a physical need to be with him.
Loving meant doing what was best for another, even if it meant hurting yourself.
Monster.
He closed his eyes. He couldn’t look at her.
Not now.
Better her remember her as the laughing woman in the garden than the cold harridan who tore him apart without a care in the world. Better to hold onto the expression on her face as she writhed below him than to deepen her misery by forcing her to stay.
When he spoke, his voice was flat. “You may have to wait a while. The routes are currently closed to the recent Sykorian attacks. Be assured, Lady Jenna Harlock, I shall arrange for your voyage back home to Earth.”
He waited, and after a minute, she spoke. “Thank you, Lord Kovostad Ar’Cadam.”
“However,” he continued. “Due to your recent action, namely your assassination attempt, you will be required to remain under supervision for the remainder of your visit to Cadam.”
“I understand.”
He spun around and bowed to her, never meeting her eyes.
As he approached her by the door, he expected her to say something more. Instead, she stepped aside, her eyes fixed on the ground. He paused, wanting to reach out. Wanting to plead with her to fix this. To make their lives whole again.
If she wanted to be together, she would say so.
Kovos opened the door, and beckoned to a nearby guard. “Inform Yaldir that Lady Jenna is under house arrest. Take Lady Jenna to the holding cells.”
“My lord?” The guard tipped her head in confusion.
“Find her a comfortable room. Well-furnished. But set a guard at her door. Keep the door locked.”
“Yes, my lord.”
The guard reached out for Jenna, but she shrugged off her hand. Head held high, Jenna swept past Kovos, and walked down the hall, followed by the guard.
Kovos watched his heart walk away.
And he let her.
By the moon, he let her.
Monster.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
JENNA
Go back, go back.
No matter what her heart told her, Jenna couldn’t return. No, she’d burnt that bridge in a spectacular way. She wouldn’t look back either. She couldn’t. Deep down inside, she could feel Kovos’s eyes on her. If she even glanced back, she would catch his broken expression and she would crack into a thousand pieces herself.
Don’t look back. Don’t look back.
Jenna expected the guard to make more of a fuss about restraining her, but the guard, sensing her mood, let Jenna be. Instead, she walked a half-pace behind, as if escorting Jenna for her own safety. Even so, servants stared as she passed.
“To the left, my lady,” the guard murmured when they reached an intersection.
“Thank you,” Jenna replied.
Within a few minutes, Yaldir emerged from a side corridor, and fell into step beside her. The guard slowed, until she strolled behind them, out of earshot.
“I came as soon as I heard.” Yaldir kept his voice low, and his face pleasant. “Are you well?”
The consideration in his voice made Jenna choke up. “Yes.”
No, I’m really not.
When Yaldir noticed a pair of servants whispering, he scowled. “Gossip travels too quickly in Ados.”
They reached a corner of the palace Jenna had never been to before. Yaldir opened a door, exposing a long stairwell which curved downward into darkness. Jenna hesitated at the top step.
“I am sorry, my lady, but I felt this might be more discreet,” Yaldir said. “Fewer prying eyes. We could take the elevator, but…”
“No,” Jenna said, “this is fine.”
How can the cold hurt when I’m numb already?
Bracing herself, she stepped downward. The chilled air inside set goosebumps rising along her exposed arms, and the cold from the stones beneath seeped through the soles of her shoes to freeze her toes. Jenna’s breath puffed out in clouds as she descended.
“I shall send for warmer clothing,” Yaldir murmured. His voice echoed. “For now, this will have to do.”
He unclasped his heavy cloak and wrapped it around Jenna’s shoulders. The
embroidered fabric dragged on the floor, and threatened to slip from her shoulders, but the residual heat from Yaldir’s body took the chill from her skin.
The stairs opened into a long corridor lined with wide rooms on either side. Jenna blinked until her eyes adjusted to the brightness. When she saw the contents of the rooms, she stepped back in apprehension.
Sykorians.
At her appearance, the closest one rolled to his feet and strode forward, snarling. Jenna cowered back, but as the Sykorian stepped to the entrance of the room, he slowed, as if the air held him back. There was a cracking sound. He bounced back. He laughed when he fell onto his backside, clearly amused by Jenna’s terror.
“Little human, your face is a treat!”
At his words, other Sykorians in the other cells craned their necks to get a better view.
Forcefields, Jenna reminded herself. Like in the garden. They are locked up. They can’t get me.
She couldn’t stop her trembling as Yaldir escorted her past the cells. The Sykorians leered and threw themselves at the forcefield, jeering when she flinched.
“Human, step away from the boy, and come see a man!” called one.
“No, I can show you a better time, little toy!”
“I’ll tear you from taint to throat!” screamed a third. The Ennoi guard hissed at him, and he grinned at her. “You wanna dance too, pretty Ennoi? I’m generous. I’ll share.”
“Ignore them,” Yaldir muttered. “If you react, they will only escalate. Their words cannot harm you.”
Jenna pressed herself to Yaldir’s side. The guard behind them took several large steps to walk on Jenna’s other side. Flanked by both Ennoi, Jenna kept her eyes on the floor, counting down the steps until they were around a corner, and out of sight of the Sykorians. Jenna could hear their voices, but they began to lose interest in her.
“Come back anytime, human!”
“My deepest apologies, Lady Jenna,” Yaldir said. “I did not realize the beasts would react to you in such a manner. Had I known, I would have planned a better route.”
