Forsaken

by Cyndi Friberg

  “I’ll be able to assign you all the workers you need as soon as it’s safe for my men to be around you.” He watched her silently for a moment as she tasted several of the dishes. “Have you thought any more about how you’d like to proceed?”

  She knew what he was asking, but she wasn’t ready to talk about marking or claiming or anything else that required that they undress. She wanted to pretend she was on a date with a handsome dignitary from a foreign land. The fantasy was safe and manageable, basically the opposite of Kotto. “This stuff is amazing.” She pointed to a small pile of colorfully layered food. “What is it?”

  “It’s called ketzatta. It’s frequently served at celebrations because most people like it.”

  “Well, you can add this human hybrid to the list of ketzatta fans. It’s delicious.”

  “Would you like some more?” Though his tone was indulgent, predatory interest sharpened his gaze. This night had a very specific purpose and he was only going to let her avoid it for so long.

  She shook her head. “If I gorge on one thing, I won’t have room to try the others.” He was spending more time watching her eat than actually eating himself. “Aren’t you hungry?”

  “Famished.” His expression made his true meaning obvious. He wasn’t thinking about food. “But I’m distracted.”

  “By what?” The longer she kept him talking, the longer she could avoid what would inevitably happen when they ran out of things to say.

  “Many things.” His gaze moved over her face then briefly dipped to caress her bare shoulders. Heat spread across her skin and her breasts felt unusually sensitive. She did her best to ignore the reaction, but her body seemed determined to refocus her mind on sex, sex with Kotto to be more accurate. “The transformation protocol is ready for clinical trials. Ashley and Bandar will be the first test subjects.”

  How strange. She’d spent most of the day with Ashley and Bandar and neither said anything about becoming guinea pigs. “When did they decide to go through with it?”

  “They’ve been thinking about it since they found out Ashley had the protein marker, but they made the final decision late this afternoon, likely while you were sleeping.”

  She hadn’t actually fallen asleep, but it wasn’t worth correcting his misconception. “Is it safe? Going first in anything is rarely a good idea.”

  “If no one was ever willing to go first, nothing would ever get done.”

  “I suppose that’s true, but Ashley has been through so much already. She deserves happiness, not more uncertainty.”

  “According to Raylon, the simulations have been flawless.” He pressed back into his chair, his gaze intent and watchful. “The research and medical teams are doing everything they can to minimize the risks.”

  “Who is Raylon? That’s not the first time you’ve mentioned his name.”

  Kotto tensed, pushing his plate away as he reached for his wineglass. “Like Bandar, Raylon isn’t part of my crew. He uses the Crusader as his headquarters.”

  “For what? What does Raylon do?”

  “Whatever General Nox needs done,” he muttered. Then in a stronger voice, he said, “Raylon is General Nox’s enforcer.”

  “If Raylon works that closely with General Nox, why is Raylon here? Shouldn’t he be back on Rodymia or wherever General Nox is stationed?”

  Kotto ran his fingers through his hair and gazed off into the distance. Was he annoyed by the topic or just frustrated by her obvious stall tactic? “General Nox dispatched Raylon when my brother, Keyran, disobeyed a direct order. Raylon was sent to relieve Keyran of duty and install me in his place. Raylon has been here to supervise us ever since.”

  “Ashley told me a little about the rescue attempt. I know one of the people they were trying to free was your niece. Is General Nox afraid you’ll try again? Is that why he sent Raylon?”

  “It’s more complicated than that. There are multiple ships with multiple missions. Raylon is here to keep everyone on track, not just me.”

  She reached across the table and covered his hand. “I’m really sorry everything went so wrong.” He nodded then pulled his hand back.

  “Is this the first time you’ve worked with, or is it for, Raylon?”

  His gaze narrowed dangerously. “I work for General Nox. Raylon is an annoyance.”

  “Sorry. How long have you worked for General Nox?”

  “I’ve been under his command for the past four years.”

  Her questions were clearly upsetting him, but she wasn’t sure why. “What did you do before that?”

  “Whatever I was told.” He emptied his glass then took a deep breath. “I spent twenty-seven years at Fort Ja Harr. It was a military prison and conditions for the guards weren’t significantly different than how the inmates lived. When I was transferred to the Undaunted, General Nox’s ship, it was like leaving the outer ring of hell and going to heaven.”

  “How does the Undaunted compare to the Crusader?”

  “Feature for feature, they’re similar. However, the Undaunted is at least ten times larger.”

  She’d been using the conversation to postpone the decision looming at the end of this evening. Even as reticent as he was, the topic brought up questions Ashley hadn’t been able, or willing, to answer. “Is Keyran Chandar’s father?”

  “No.”

  It was clear Kotto didn’t want to talk about this either, but Raina needed to understand him better than she did right now. He’d made it obvious he wanted to be her lover. Well, there was no way she was sleeping with someone until she knew a whole lot more than his name and occupation. “Then she belongs to your oldest brother, the one with harbinger eyes?”

  “Yes.”

  “You never finished telling me what happened to him.” Already starting to feel guilty, she asked, “Will you tell me now?”

  His jaw flexed and his expression shuttered, locking her out completely. She was about to change the subject, when he gave in. “It’s a disturbing story. Do you really want to get into it right now?”

  Her appetite faded, so she pushed her plate aside. “I’ve never been good at small talk. I need to know that you trust me if you expect me to trust you.”

  “And how will hearing about my twisted family make me more trustworthy?”

  She shifted in her chair, feeling a bit defensive. “I’m curious about the facts, but your willingness to share something so personal with me demonstrates trust.”

  “There are many other ‘personal’ things I’d rather share with you. Each would be more pleasurable for both of us.” As with any predator, he felt cornered so he hunched down and growled.

  She recognized the warning for what it was. If he indulged her now, she better be prepared to indulge him later. “This is what I want.”

  One dark brow arched at that. “And will I get what I want after?”

  “Stop stalling and we’ll find out.” Anticipation zinged through her body, speeding her pulse and making her stomach flutter.

  “You can’t say I didn’t warn you.” He sighed. “My oldest brother’s name was Evon and he was raised by the Harbinger Guild. Keyran and I weren’t allowed contact with him until much later, but he smuggled out blips of information that let us know he was still alive. He grew into a strong, handsome young man with the sort of potential that caught the attention of the guild leaders. Pyre Sterling in particular took a personal interest in Evon.”

  “Who is Pyre Sterling?”

  “It’s as much a title as a name. Whomever the guild chooses to lead them takes on the name Pyre Sterling.”

  “Like the ‘Dread Pirate Roberts’?” The Princess Bride had been one of Mimi’s favorite books. And one of Raina’s fondest memories was curling up in Mimi’s lap and listening to the story. They’d both been thrilled when Hollywood finally got around to making the story into a movie. But seeing the film with Mimi had been one of the last things they ever did together, so that memory was bittersweet.

  He shook his head. “I do
n’t understand the reference.”

  Not wanting to distract him from his story, she said, “Never mind. Go on.”

  “The current Pyre claimed the title when Evon was about seventeen. She was his mentor and confidante, so when she summoned him to her bed, he resisted. It felt wrong, almost incestuous, but Pyre was adamant. Evon was the most promising harbinger the guild had seen in many years and she wanted to meld that power with her own.”

  He rattled off the story in a conversational tone that revealed the depth of his emotion. The harder he worked to conceal what he was feeling, the more obvious it was he was tormented by the events. She felt cruel and selfish for using something so personal to prolong their dinner. Still, the events, and Kotto’s reaction to them, helped her see behind his professional reserve. And she needed that insight badly.

  “They lay together twice and Pyre became pregnant, so Evon prayed to every deity he knew that she would leave him alone.”

  The dread underlying Kotto’s tone foreshadowed the horrors to come. This was obviously not the end of the story. “No such luck?” She was almost afraid to ask, but he hadn’t yet fit the pieces together.

  He looked at her and compassion surged through Raina. Pain, regret and grief were all apparent in his stare, raw, obviously unresolved. “Their first child was a boy. His name is Danvier and he was awarded to General Nox back when his family was still in favor with the crown. General Nox has risked much to protect Danvier and we are eternally grateful.”

  The heroic General Nox again. Did Bandar’s brother walk on water? “How did Chandar end up with Akim?” She jumped ahead, hoping to spare him the pain of reliving every detail.

  Kotto ignored the question. “Two months after Danvier was born Pyre summoned Evon again, but the delivery had been hard on her and she didn’t conceive right away. Month after desolate month went by without the desired result and she grew more and more abusive toward Evon. But she ran the guild and the guild owned Evon, so he had no real choice.”

  He hadn’t taken the out when she offered it, so some part of him obviously needed to talk about this. Still, Raina couldn’t bear the haunted look in his eyes. She moved to the chair next to him and lightly touched his arm. “If this is too hard—”

  “It took three years, but Pyre finally conceived for the second time.” He looked at her as if he’d only just noticed her sitting there. “Chandar was born and Evon grew desperate. Protecting a harbinger son was challenging enough, but harbinger females are extremely rare and valuable. As soon as word got out about her birth, half the galaxy would be clamoring to possess her.”

  “What did Evon do?”

  “He smuggled a message to Keyran and begged for our help. We understood the urgency as soon as we learned the second child was female. Meticulously, we worked out a plan to save them all but it’s hard to launch a surprise attack on people who see the future.”

  Kotto spoke of his brother in the past tense, so she waited for him to find the words, suspecting the worst was still to come.

  “It was an ambush. We barely escaped with Evon and Danvier, but they ripped Chandar out of her father’s arms. I can still hear her terrified shrieks and I will never forget the expression on her tiny little face.” He shuddered, jaw clenching as he fought for composure. “Pyre stabbed Evon with an EMP knife that took out his medi-bots. Bio-streaming was still in development, so we were stuck with an antiquated shuttle and a field-med kit.” He took a deep breath, but it stuttered out like a sob. “Evon bled to death before we could get him back to our ship. As he lay dying he made us each swear that we would not rest until both his children were safe and we would lay down our lives to protect them.”

  “You’ve worked tirelessly to keep that promise. Look what Keyran did to—”

  “We kept our word with Danvier, but we have been utter failures when it comes to Chandar.”

  Which brought them back to the present conflict. If Chandar were no longer a part of this drama, Raina would have left it alone. Kotto already admitted his guilt and regret over what his niece had suffered, but Chandar was still Akim’s prisoner, still in desperate need of rescuing. “How did she end up with Akim in the first place? Is he important enough to warrant a female harbinger?”

  Kotto blinked away the past and squared his shoulders. “That’s the confusing part. When Danvier was nine, he felt Chandar’s passing. We believed she was dead, that there was no hope of saving her. That’s the only reason we stopped trying to get her back.”

  “She was protecting you. When you tried to rescue her the first time, people died. Her father died.” And if she could see into the future, she likely knew the suffering had just begun.”

  “I don’t care.” Conviction snapped through his tone. “Leaving her with Akim is not an option.”

  “That’s not what I was suggesting.” She folded her hands in her lap, feeling sad and hollow. “I agree that she must be rescued, but I also understand why she hid. She obviously loves you guys as much as you love her.” Raina’s life had been touched by hardships and tragedy, but nothing like what Kotto and his family had endured. He’d been sold to the army at age three. That fact alone made her want to hug him, soothe him, show him that there was kindness in the world. Well, she’d likely get the opportunity for that and a whole lot more tonight.

  “Can we talk about something else now?”

  She glanced at him then back at her hands. “Thank you for indulging me.”

  His chair scraped as he pushed back from the table. “Are you ready to indulge me now?”

  “That depends what you have in mind.”

  “First, let’s move over there where we can relax.” He motioned toward the sitting area rather than the bedroom, so she allowed herself to smile.

  “And then?”

  “I have some questions for you.” He stood and picked up her glass. “Would you like more blish?”

  “Please.”

  He turned to the serving cart and refilled her glass from a decanter on the second shelf. “It’s smooth, so the kick can sneak up on you. Don’t forget that it’s intoxicating.” He handed the glass to her then turned back toward the cart and refilled his own drink.

  “Thanks for the warning.” She wandered across the room. The safe move was to sit in one of the chairs, but Kotto made her feisty not afraid. She couldn’t explain the reaction. He was certainly imposing enough. She just didn’t feel threatened by him. She sat at one end of the couch, thinking she’d left plenty of room for him. Then he sprawled beside her and extended his arm along the top of the cushions. His hand barely grazed her shoulders, but he’d seriously invaded her personal space.

  “Ashley told me that your sister was a model and that her death affected you more deeply than you like to admit. Do you trust me enough to tell me what happened?”

  She hid her frustration by taking a quick sip of blish. “Ashley has a big mouth.”

  “If you’re not ready to talk about it, I understand.”

  He’d just bared his soul to her. It only seemed fair that she share a little. “Growing up in the shadow of a super model is probably why my self-image is a little out of whack. Luna was…perfect. She was physically stunning, but she was also sweet. She never let all the attention go to her head.”

  Instead of pestering her with questions, he just waited for her to go on.

  “She became really popular really fast. People worshiped her. But there’s a dark side to fame that most people don’t think about, certainly don’t want to talk about.” Over a decade had passed since the tragedy, so why was this still so painful? “Luna told her manager she had a crazy fan, that he was showing up at all of her events and telling everyone he was her lover. Her manager arranged extra security and they notified the authorities, but Luna wasn’t willing to cancel any of her live appearances.”

  “That was unwise. Her security team should have insisted.”

  “Oh I agree, but Luna had been making her own decisions since she was fifteen. No one coul
d make her do anything.” His savage expression hinted that he wouldn’t have let that stand in his way. She gave in to a sad little smile as warmth curling through her body. If Kotto had protected Luna, Luna might still be alive. “The fan was waiting in her hotel room one night and Luna didn’t survive the attack.”

  “Was this creature apprehended?” His tone was tense as was his posture, but compassion softened his gaze.

  “Her security team heard her screams and crashed through the door. They shot him dead, but they were too late to save her.”

  “Crashed through the door?” He sounded insulted. “Why wasn’t someone in the room with her?”

  His vehemence helped her let go of the past without being overwhelmed by grief. “Because they weren’t Rodytes.”

  Her answer brought a proud smile to his lips and made him even more attractive. “I’m sorry your sister didn’t live to see the woman you’ve become. She might have been physically ‘perfect’, but you are extraordinary too.”

  “That’s just your DNA talking.” She drank the last of her blish and set the glass aside.

  “When did you digitize your grandmother’s journal entries?”

  Raina gasped. “Ashley told you about that too? I’m going to kill her.”

  “I was thinking the same thing a few minutes ago. I suppose if she gives information to both of us she retains her neutrality.”

  “But that’s the problem.” She playfully slapped his side. “She’s my best friend. She should be on my side.”

  He caught her wrist and pulled her beneath his raised arm, turning her slightly until she snuggled into the warmth of his body. “I need all the help I can get.”

  If he had any idea how close she was to surrender already, he’d likely change his mind. She leaned her head against his shoulder and let his heat sink into her body. “Did you have other questions or has Ashley told you everything you needed to know?”

  He chuckled, the sound making his chest rumble. “I’ve barely begun to unravel your mysteries. But this is still business, for now. Did you enter all those entries by hand or scan the documents in some way?”