by Amber Kell
“Since there are those who would love to capture him and use him against the newly awakened king,” Bleine countered.
“Anyone who touches him will die by my hand,” Vohne snarled. The idea of someone hurting Kres made him want to turn feral.
Bleine shook his head. “That still won’t bring him back, and sadly, there are many who will die for their cause. Besides, even if they don’t kill him, they might hold him for ransom or just hold him over your head.”
Vohne let out a short laugh as he remembered how his mate had handled the last battle. There had been no shortage of people willing to tell Vohne of Kres’ ruthlessness. “Holding my mate will be more trouble than they might expect.”
Bleine frowned. “In the past, he’s always been a dreamer.”
“Not his time.” Vohne smiled. “This time he’s a warrior.”
Bleine’s expression was one of utter horror. “Then the prophecy is true.”
“What are you talking about?” His brother had always been the bookish one, while Vohne was the fighter.
“All the time you were gone, I searched the vault for reasons you weren’t brought back. I couldn’t understand why you hadn’t resurfaced yet. One of the oldest manuscripts I could find said that even for the king there is a final reincarnation. It will occur when your people need you the most.”
“They needed me during The Great Purge,” Vohne growled. “I let them down by not returning. Something must’ve prevented me from coming back.”
That was the only thing Vohne could think of. An outside force had stopped him from returning and finding his mate in order to prevent the purge.
Bleine nodded. “Which makes me worry about what’s coming now. It said that in the final reincarnation the king’s mate will be a warrior. I shared this with Jallryne. If she is the deceiver like we believe, she’ll be on the lookout for your mate. If he dies, this time he won’t come back.”
Fear rushed through Vohne. “We need to make sure that doesn’t happen. Get this ship landed. I have to find my mate!”
* * * *
It took several deep breaths and many images about the revenge he was going to take on his mate before Kres pulled it together. Picking himself up off the floor, he assessed the pod. With no idea of what situation he might land in, he popped open the provision chamber and scanned the contents.
“Great!”
Finally, something was going his way. The chamber was fully stocked.
The usual amenities lay inside. Food, jugs of water, snack bars, and tucked in the back, a military style survival dagger. Kres snatched up the dagger, tucked it in his boot, and filled his pockets with bars before cracking open a bottle of water. He needed to stay hydrated in case there wasn’t a lot of water where he landed. Damn, he wished he’d asked Vohne more about his home planet instead of concentrating on getting into his pants.
He paced the pod, occasionally glancing at the monitor to judge when he would land. If Vohne survived, he would go to the palace. Kres couldn’t even think of the possibility of his lover’s death. If Vohne were dead, he’d know.
A computerised voice came over the intercom. “Impact in five minutes.”
Kres sat back down and fastened the seat buckle tight.
“You’re keeping secrets from me, man-cat,” Kres mused. Thinking over the hints and bits the Thresl had dropped, he worried about what the shifter hadn’t shared.
“Impact in three minutes.”
Sighing, Kres leaned his head back and closed his eyes. What the hell had happened to his life? A few days ago, he’d been more than happy to be a common soldier. Now he was a Thresl-mate to a king—a king who may or may not be alive.
“You have to be alive,” he whispered. Luckily he didn’t get much time to fixate on his lover’s plight—not while hurtling towards a planet in a small capsule.
“Impact in one minute.”
The pod slammed into the ground, bounced, and slammed into the ground again before rolling. When the pod finally stopped, Kres’ insides were churning and his jaws ached from clenching his teeth.
He let out a breath of relief when the pod landed right side up.
After a few coping breaths to settle his nerves, Kres unbuckled the safety harness with shaky fingers. He grabbed another bottle of water before he walked to the pod door. Programmed to release its occupants after landing, the door popped open at his approach.
“Sure, now you open,” he grumbled, glaring at the silver orb. He wished it had opened back on the ship where he could’ve grabbed Vohne to go with him. He was going to punch his mate in the face the next time he saw him. Vohne damn well better be safe and sound for Kres’ abuse.
Peeking out of the pod, Kres saw nothing but grass, trees and a stone path. A long burn pattern scarred the earth from his landing.
“Looks like I’m walking,” he muttered.
He’d only taken a few steps towards the path when the sound of electronic thrumming filled the air. A whoosh of air accompanied the landing of a luxury air ship. It was a private ship, only sixty feet long, emblazoned with a crest on the side.
Vohne.
Kres’ heartbeat doubled in speed. Surely this would be the type of ship a king took.
Relief lightened his heart. He waited patiently for the ship to finish landing and the door to open. A pang of disappointment stabbed through his chest when a woman descended from the transportation, followed by a cadre of official looking guards.
The woman approached him with a wide smile. “I was told you were on your way, King-Mate. I’m Jallryne. Welcome home.”
Kres watched her approach, saw her enchanting smile and knew.
This is the enemy.
It was the expression in her eyes. As a soldier he’d learnt to identify hidden motives and unfriendly opponents. She almost vibrated with rage. The closer she came with the armed men at her back the tighter his nerves became. He resisted the urge to go for his knife. Instead, he stayed as still as he could, calling upon hidden resources of control.
“I heard from my mate. The king is well and on his way to the castle. I’m to bring you to him.”
Hearing that news from anyone else, Kres would have jumped up and down with joy, but he didn’t want to get into that ship with her. He knew with a soldier’s instinct, if he boarded that ship, he wouldn’t come out.
His gaze slid over her shoulder at the men standing at attention behind her.
The soldier on her left looked him in the eyes. “Run,” the man mouthed.
Kres’ nerves snapped. Turning on his heel, he fled.
A scream of rage followed his disappearance. He headed towards the trees. He needed cover and needed it right then. A few stray blasts landed too close, scarring the ground beside him. From their proximity he knew it was from the soldier who had told him to flee.
Anyone who could shoot could have easily hit him at such close range. Not all the soldiers were on her side. Unfortunately, it only took one good shot to kill a man who had nothing but a knife to defend himself.
Long forgotten survivalist training rushed back into his mind as his feet found the quiet earth. He instinctively missed the crunchy leaves and rustling undergrowth as he ran. If the deceitful bitch wasn’t lying, Vohne lived.
If Vohne lived, he would find Kres. Kres just had to survive long enough for the reunion.
“You shouldn’t be alive. She promised me you couldn’t return!” the woman screamed behind him.
A thick tree with low branches caught his eye. With a desperate leap, Kres grabbed the lowest branch, tucking his body close to the trunk. With slow, careful movements, he pulled himself to the branch above, his muscles screaming from the strain. Long, draping vines covered the space between branches, protecting him from spying eyes.
Kres was reluctant to attack any of the soldiers. He didn’t know which ones shared the warning soldier’s views and which ones wanted to see his blood sprayed across the ground.
The woman was easy.
&nbs
p; She wanted him dead.
If she came close enough, he would slit her throat with no remorse.
From his informal count of men rustling through the underbrush, there were ten of them along with the woman. He longed for his stun gun with a passion.
“Come out, King-Mate. Once you’re gone, there will be no more problems. Once you’re gone, there will be no more king. He’ll never be able to survive your death this time.”
Shit, she was going to hurt Vohne. Kres hoped if he didn’t survive this, Vohne would be all right. The man-cat had said they needed more time together to be completely bonded. Kres hoped that would increase Vohne’s chances of living if the psycho bitch killed Kres.
Kres’ mind went completely blank as his nerves vanished and a warrior’s calm took over.
She’d threatened his mate.
She must die.
Kres crouched among the leaves. Spreading his feet, he centred himself and steadied his balance, ready to spring and take her down. The soldiers might shoot him after, but he’d take out the danger to his mate first.
He silently slid the knife out of his boot, careful to keep his movements slow and quiet. Peering through the foliage, he watched her approach.
“Come out, King-Mate. As soon as my people at the castle take care of your mate, the pair of you can reunite in the afterlife. Maybe then he can keep better track of you.”
Kres blocked out her words. He wasn’t going to let her trick him into revealing his location. A bug buzzed past his ear. Kres didn’t move, nor did he twitch when something bit him on the neck.
A few more steps.
She was directly beneath the trunk of the tree where he hid. Taking a slow breath, he bunched his muscles, ready to leap. A series of blasts sounded through the forest. The woman’s body flung back, ricocheted off the tree, then lay still.
One of the soldiers peered over at the woman. “Who shot her?”
“I did.” A blond soldier walked up, approaching the body.
“I don’t think so.” A dark-haired soldier marched over. “See that mark through her heart. That’s mine.” He sounded ridiculously proud.
“Not so,” the blond argued. “See that shot in her forehead. That killed her. I win.”
“Hmm.” The man who’d told Kres to run looked down at the body. The others deferred to him as the leader. “We’ll have to have the coroner examine the body. That will determine the winner.”
Kres stilled. They’re having a contest about who killed her?
“What about the king-mate?” one of the soldiers asked.
“We have to find him. If we return without him, we’d best plan on living in the prison yards,” the leader said.
The blond spoke up. “What if he isn’t worthy? We should have a plan. I’ve never even met the king.”
Kres had heard enough. Dangling from his perch, he dropped down behind the blond. Wrapping his right arm around the soldier’s neck, he used his left hand to hold the knife blade close to the man’s eyes.
“Don’t even think about harming my mate,” he warned. With a backwards snap of his foot, he knocked out the soldier trying to sneak up on him. The man fell to the ground with a thump. “I wouldn’t do that,” he warned as he locked eyes with the leader, who stared back with a cautious expression.
“No need to kill him, King-Mate. He’s just talking like soldiers do. He wasn’t going to harm the king. Were you, Friln?”
Kres lifted the knife a fraction to let the blond speak.
“No, sir, I wouldn’t harm your mate.”
Kres heard the truth in the other man’s voice. “I’m not inclined to like you people very much,” he said in a hard tone.
“I thought you said he was a gentle soul,” another soldier said to the leader. “He doesn’t look so gentle to me.”
“I’m Nelrin, the captain of the guard. The man you have under your knife is my mate Friln. I’d prefer if you didn’t kill him.”
“Did you really get a message that the king is alive?” Kres asked.
Nelrin gave him a surprised look. “Yes. I heard it myself.” His voice turned coaxing. “Come with us and we’ll take you to him.”
“Give me one of your weapons.”
The leader held out his weapon towards Kres, handle first. Kres released Friln, shoving him towards Nelrin. He snatched the weapon when the leader grabbed at his mate.
Kres dropped the knife back into his boot and flipped the weapon to point at the soldiers. He carefully examined each of them before he lowered the blaster.
“If any of you plan on hurting my mate, think again. Now get me to the king.”
Without another glance at the soldiers, Kres turned around and headed back to the shuttle.
He’d almost reached the shuttle when the world started to spin. His skin burned, itched, burned again.
With a gasp he dropped the gun.
As the light started to dim, he heard one of the soldiers curse. “Shit, he’s been bit. He’s going into shock. We’ve got to get him back to the palace.”
Everything went black.
* * * *
“I heard from the palace. Your mate is having an allergic reaction to a Syphin sting.”
Vohne shook his head. “Poor thing. Did they give him an inoculation?”
“Yeah, he’s fine now, but apparently he’s ready to hand you your balls on a platter,” Bleine said with a grin.
“I’m not surprised.” Vohne smiled. “He’s tough.” He wasn’t worried. Syphin bites were brutal, but they’d long ago created a shot that easily reversed the symptoms.
“Not so tough a little bug can’t take him down,” Bleine taunted.
Sweat beaded his brother’s forehead. Ignoring Bleine’s teasing, Vohne looked more carefully at his sibling. “Are you feeling all right? You look pale.”
“No. My soldiers did their job. I offered them a reward if they disposed of Jallryne. When we land, find out who killed her. The killer is your new captain of the guard. I had to make sure your right-hand man was loyal, and Jallryne had to die to discover where their loyalties lie.”
A sick churning spun Vohne’s stomach. Rushing over, he grabbed his brother’s arm and lowered him back to his chair. “You can survive this. She was a bad match,” he urged.
“No. My time is over. I only lived to see you return to your throne. It isn’t my fate to live any longer. I outlived my first mate and now my second. It’s time for me to fade into the stars.”
“I can’t let you leave me, brother,” Vohne growled.
Bleine gave a thready laugh. “Some things even you can’t control, brother. Watch your back. Jallryne had accomplices.”
Vohne ran to the intercom. “Medic!” he shouted into the speaker. “I need a medic with a cryogenic processor.”
“Immediately, Your Highness,” a tinny voice responded.
“What are you doing?” Bleine asked. His brother’s skin turned an unnatural greyish tint before Vohne’s eyes.
“I’m going to freeze you until I can find you a new mate.”
Bleine laughed, a bare whisper of a sound. “You’re insane.”
“Maybe, but I can’t lose you. Not now. You’re all the family I have left.” He couldn’t lose his brother right after they’d been reunited. He just couldn’t.
“You have your mate,” Bleine reminded him, his voice barely above a whisper.
Vohne nodded. “I know but he’s not blood. I can’t lose you, Bleine. All the others are long gone. We are the last of our line.”
“You have to have children. I left you a list at the castle.”
“A list of what?”
“Of appropriate king bearers. Choose one and get her pregnant. There are several half-Thresls who would do nicely,” Bleine said.
Vohne laughed, even as he felt tears forming in his eyes. “If I got some girl pregnant, I wouldn’t have to worry about being the last of my line. My mate would fillet me.”
“I didn’t say touch the girl. There are m
any other ways. Besides, you will want a child or your mate’s also,” Bleine commented as if he thought it weird Vohne hadn’t thought of that himself.
Vohne imagined a little girl with Kres’ beautiful eyes and felt his heart melt. Bleine coughed, a deep hacking sound as if he were spitting out his soul. Vohne rushed to his brother’s side and helped him to the floor, just as the doors swung open and a medical team marched inside.
“I want him frozen. We’ll keep him in storage until we can find him a replacement,” he commanded.
“Vohne, don’t do this. Let me go,” Bleine insisted. “It’s my time.”
“No!” He turned his attention to the medic. “Do what I said.”
“But, Your Highness, if he doesn’t want to be frozen…” the man unwisely protested.
“I am the king. Do as I say.” He turned back to his brother. “Bleine, don’t fight me on this. I will seek you out a new mate with the help of the advisors. Surely we can find one person to be yours.”
Bleine stared at him for so long Vohne thought he would have to fight his dying brother. Finally, Bleine nodded.
“Do it,” he commanded the medics who quickly rushed to comply.
Vohne stood up, stepping aside as the medical team placed his brother in the metal cylinder. A small clear window allowed him to watch the freezing gas fill the chamber. Bleine’s gaze linked with his until his brother blinked no more, his frozen eyes focusing on nothing.
“Goodbye, brother,” Vohne whispered. A sense of incredible loss filled him. He hadn’t even made it back to his kingdom and already he had a long to-do list. Oust the people who plotted against him, reunite with his mate, find his brother a mate of his own, and try to avoid Kres’ knife when he discovered Vohne was looking for a surrogate to bear his children.
It was going to be a busy, busy time.
Chapter Seven
Vohne all but raced off the shuttle, his eyes scanning the landing area for his mate.
Ignoring the line of people eager to get a look at their king, Vohne moved through the crowd searching for Kres.
“I’m right here.”
Vohne turned around. Pain exploded across his nose. “Ow, you hit me.” He shook his head to get rid of the ringing in his ears.
