by Theresa Kay
“It was the right choice,” I say softly.
It really was. Jace is unpredictable at best, and keeping Ethan’s secret is important. Who knows what Jace would have done with the knowledge of Ethan’s existence? And who knows what Jastren would have done with that knowledge—since anything my brother knows, that red-haired bastard more than likely will too. Still, if Stu had talked to him, said something, anything…
I shake my head to dispel that stupid hope. Jace killed Flint. Stabbed him. Without flinching. Jace is gone, and it’s my fault. There was nothing Stu could have said to get through to him.
I bring my eyes up to meet Stu’s. “You’ve done a good job. Protecting him.”
A poignant sadness crosses Stu’s face, and he’s silent for a moment. “Thank you.” He clears his throat. “Any idea why he… they… whoever would bother going through all the trouble to take the ship out of here? It seems like it was a lot of risk for an uncertain reward.”
I shrug. “Parts, maybe?” But parts for what?
Rym’s face goes pale. “Jastren’s going to attack the city.”
My eyes widen. “What? With one ship? How?”
“Not one,” Lir says. “Two. You seem to forget that this isn’t the first ship your brother has procured.” His words are edged with bitterness and hatred toward my brother.
I turn my head so he can’t see me flinch. “But still… two ships against two hundred thousand or so E’rikon and whatever weapons they have? I don’t get why it’s such a big deal that he has ships. They can’t possibly—”
“A Pulse,” Lir mutters. “We took that ship from one of the askari hangars. It’s equipped with a Pulse.”
“I get why that’s bad, but what’s one Pulse against an entire city?”
Lir doesn’t respond. Instead his back straightens, his shoulders go back, and his expression becomes a mask of indifference. He steps closer to me and places a hand on my lower back as a dark-haired man strides in our direction, followed by four armed men. None of them are familiar to me, but something tells me my alien boy knows at least the leader. Could this be one of the underlings he’s been meeting with?
The man is dressed in full uniform, and judging by the looks of his jacket, he’s probably someone important. His lips pinch together as his gaze passes over me and Rym. But he focuses on Lir as he draws to a stop. “What the hell happened here? Where is the intruder?”
Lir’s hand falls from my back. “The intruder infiltrated your base and stole our ship. Sir.” His voice is flat, steady, even if under all that I can feel the turmoil twisting through him. It’s the full diplomatic mask I rarely see. I once called it his “Soldier Lir” persona, but it’s more than that. “I would like to—”
Stu breaks in. “There’s no way Jace got in and out of here without some inside help. He—”
“Jace? Did you know the intruder?” The new arrival’s head tilts to the side, and his eyebrows rise.
A barely perceptible flinch flashes across Lir’s face.
Stu shuffles his feet. “I know of him. Enough to know who he is, I suppose.” His eyes dart to me, and he gives a slight shake of his head.
I don’t need the warning. The level of alarm flowing from Lir, and this man’s behavior and obvious distaste for E’rikon, are enough to tell me to keep my mouth shut. For once in my life. None of these soldiers are in Gavin’s unit, and they’re all armed. This situation doesn’t need to be escalated any further—which is exactly what would happen if they learned that it was my own brother who flew the ship out of here.
Rym, however… doesn’t get the hint. He lets out an exasperated sigh and throws up his hands. “This is exactly what my cousin has been trying to tell you idiots! No matter what your general thinks, this base is as vulnerable to attack as the city. Jax’s brother isn’t even the worst of it. If it’d been Jastren himself, who knows what might have happened.”
The desire to slap my hand over Rym’s mouth to shut him up is almost overwhelming, and the flare of alarm from Lir makes it worse. Lir’s months without the kitu have forced him to learn the subtleties of human interaction, but Rym is still unskilled in picking up on the not-so-subtle non-verbal threat these soldiers represent. He does, however, pick up on the four guns that are suddenly trained on us. His throat bobs and he wets his lips like he wants to say something—but thankfully he stays silent.
The man’s head tilts to the other side. “Brother?” He looks at me, his gaze roving over my features, and a calculating look flashes in his eyes. “Her brother? I was under the impression that only E’rikon could fly that ship.” He studies me again. “And she’s not E’rikon.”
Lir’s jaw tenses for a moment. “I understand why you might be confused. If you would please provide us with an escort to the general’s office, I can explain the situation further. I believe our meeting has been put off long enough.”
I release a silent breath of relief and try to school my expression into innocence, or at least something non-threatening. Underneath I’m boiling with irritation and uneasiness—the same emotions hidden under Lir’s blank facade.
Rym meets my eyes. His head tilts to the side and he moves his eyebrows up and down. Is he expecting me to say something? I shrug and shake my head.
“The general’s occupied right now, but I’m sure he’ll get around to speaking with you eventually. I believe we’ll take you and your friends here into custody until it can be determined whether or not you were working with the intruder.”
Not good. Both fear and alarm rocket through me as the three soldiers step forward. But it’s not them I’m scared of—I’m scared of what I might do to them if they touch me. And what my actions might mean to the hopes of any sort of human and E’rikon alliance. I’m locked in place by the reflexive defenses charged by my E’rikon half. A current of electricity travels through my limbs, and my muscles tense.
Rym and Stu both glance at me. One can probably feel me amping up. The other has seen me in action and knows what might happen here.
It’s Stu who steps in front of me to block the soldiers, his hands up by his chest. “Look, guys, I think there’s been a misunderstanding. Why don’t—”
One of the soldiers grabs Stu’s right arm, jerks it down, and twists it behind Stu’s back. He brings Stu to the ground and places one knee on his back.
Lir’s chin rises and his voice hardens. “I would request that you unhand my friend. I am here on a diplomatic mission, and there is no reason to manhandle anyone. If you would simply convey a message to the general—”
The man’s upper lip curls. “I’m a captain, not some erk’s messenger boy. Any messages you have can just as easily be conveyed while you are in custody.”
“What is the meaning of this?” Gavin walks up with Harrison at his side. He inclines his head in greeting to me, then turns his attention to the man holding Stu. “Corporal, let that man go immediately. Don’t you know these people are our guests? Steliro is an emissary from the E’rikon, and he and his party should be treated with the utmost respect.”
The soldiers look back and forth between Gavin and their captain.
The captain’s mouth twists into a mocking sneer. “With all due respect, Lieutenant Falstaff, these erks don’t deserve my respect. I’m not sure what the girl is at this point, and this ‘emissary,’ as you call him, has done nothing useful since he got here. I’ve yet to see—”
“The general has thus far refused to meet with me,” Lir says. “How—”
Gavin holds a hand up to Lir and shakes his head. Lir’s eyes narrow, but he pinches his lips together and stays silent.
The captain steps forward so he’s looming over Gavin with his nose in the air. “Are you forgetting what they did to our people in the city? Ulrick and his entire team are gone. Killed by erks. You’re way out of line, Falstaff. Just because you’ve had a few successful missions doesn’t move your rank above mine.”
Gavin’s face darkens and his jaw tenses, but he doesn’t say
a word. When his eyes meet mine, there’s a helplessness there, and his expression begs me to understand. He’s trapped by procedure, by his position, by his rank. He can’t go against the captain, not like this. “I apologize… sir.”
“That one can go.” The captain jerks up his chin, and the man holding Stu releases him.
Stu rubs at his wrists and gives the captain a dirty look before turning to me with raised eyebrows.
I tilt my head in the direction we came from. “Go. We’ll be fine.”
He doesn’t exactly look convinced, but he nods and takes off anyway.
As soon as he’s gone, the captain turns back to Lir. “Now, because of the respect I hold for Falstaff’s achievements and those of his unit”—he shoots Gavin a condescending smile—“I’m willing to make a concession. I’ll take you two erks, and whatever the hell she is, to the general’s office to see if he’s available—before I take you all down to the cells.” His gaze hardens. “But you will come willingly and docilely, and you will be taken straight to the general’s office. No stops along the way.” He waves a hand at Gavin. “Go ahead of us and alert the general of the situation. We’ll meet you outside his office.”
Gavin shoots off a sharp salute, then jogs away with Harrison close behind.
The captain signals for the four soldiers to surround us. We set off at a brisk pace in the same direction as Gavin. Hopefully, the general is there and finally willing to speak with Lir. If not… we might need to give up on trying to talk sense into the humans—and try our luck with the E’rikon instead.
THE GENERAL’S OFFICE IS LOCATED in a nondescript three-story building. Gavin is waiting for us outside, and he motions for us to enter. Lir and Rym file in, but I wait beside the door for Gavin, who has stayed back to speak to the other soldiers in a lowered voice.
After a few seconds, the captain nods and motions for his soldiers to follow him away from the building. Gavin pauses, releases a breath with his eyes closed, then strides up the steps, and he and I follow the others inside.
We go up two flights of stairs, down a few hallways, and across a large room with several couches before we arrive at a closed door in the back corner. Gavin opens the door and ushers us through. He points me and Lir to two chairs in front of a large desk.
“The general should be right in.” He slumps into another chair in the corner and rests his forehead on his palm. “I don’t know what to do at this point. I’m not sure where Captain Bell’s thought process is or what he’s thinking you are, Jax, but there’s no way he’s going to keep whatever theories he has to himself. I imagine your secret will be out soon. So at this point, I think the best option is for you to tell General Carter yourself. It’s better than him finding out some other way.”
Rym leans against the wall by the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest. “I think that’s a fantastic idea,” he says. “Let Jax zap some sense into him.”
Gavin shoots him a hard look. “You think a display of power is going to earn any of you any favors? If they think she’s a danger…”
“I was kidding. Mostly.” Rym shrugs. “We can’t sit by and wait for your superiors to come around anymore. Besides the whole Jastren issue, there’s no telling when my father might decide to do something about that group of humans in the city that tried to kidnap Trel and Stella.”
“He’s right,” I say.
Gavin throws up a hand, conceding the point.
Moments later, the door opens again and a stocky, dark-skinned man enters. His close-cropped black hair is sprinkled with gray.
Gavin jolts, and his eyes widen. “President Taylor, sir. We weren’t expecting you.”
President Taylor smiles. “I assumed as much. The young man you sent to me with the news of our guests only reached me late yesterday. Knowing Carter and his feelings on the E’rikon, I thought it best if I dropped everything and came here as quickly as possible.” He chuckles. “I was stuck in one of those blasted trucks for nearly ten hours. I think my teeth are still rattling.” He extends a hand to Lir. “Aaron Taylor.”
After a pause, Lir stands and extends his hand as well. “Steliro Vestra.”
The president turns his attention to me with his brows raised.
“Jax.” I lower my chin in a nod. “Nice to meet you.”
“Jax is my bondmate. It is—”
“A type of relationship unique to the E’rikon,” the president finishes. He looks amused at what I’m sure is a look of shock on both our faces. “Dr. Mitchell may fall under General Carter’s authority, but he’s been a friend of mine for years. I’ve paid a lot of attention to his research into the E’rikon.”
“Oh,” says Lir, obviously taken aback.
“But I’m surprised your bondmate is human,” says President Taylor as he takes a seat behind the desk. “Except for a few here and there, I was under the impression the E’rikon kept to themselves. How is it that you came to be bonded to a human?”
Lir sits back down. His eyes find mine, and his eyebrow arches. This is it. How much do we tell him? I trust Gavin’s judgment, but my mind goes back to my conversation with him in Bridgelake. He was terrified at the thought of his superiors getting their hands on me and my abilities. The president might not be one of those people, but General Carter clearly is—and who’s to say the president wouldn’t turn me over to him?
Then again, does it matter at this point? Either way, the information is bound to come out, and maybe if they know about me, if I can give them some sort of demonstration, I can use it to my—our—advantage. Then perhaps they’ll start taking Lir seriously.
“I’m not. Human, that is,” I blurt out.
Lir jerks beside me and Gavin releases a loud breath. From their reactions, that’s probably not how either one of them would have phrased it.
President Taylor’s eyes widen, and he rocks forward in his chair and leans toward me.
“Not entirely anyway,” adds Lir quickly. The cadence of his voice slows and his tone grows more confident as he continues, “Jax is half human and half E’rikon. A hybrid.”
Before the president can react to that revelation, the door to the office swings open and bangs against the wall.
“Just what is the meaning of this, Taylor?” yells General Carter, standing red-faced in the doorway. “You know damn well I should be present for this meeting. President or not, you are not in charge of any strategic decisions regarding this base.”
The president rubs the bridge of his nose between two fingers. “Yes, General. I am aware. I was merely having a conversation with the young man—”
“Erk,” snaps the general. He glances at Lir, and his upper lip curls. “Just like the one who infiltrated this base and killed two of my men this evening. They should be in cells waiting to be interrogated by my men, not having personal talks with you. Are you forgetting what happened to my men in that city of theirs?”
Lir’s fingers tighten around the arm of his chair, and a curl of heat flows from him to me. I try to think calming thoughts, but that’s not exactly my strong point.
“Neither me nor my cousin laid a finger on your men,” Lir says. “Your men were fooling around with something they did not understand, and they had no business being there.”
The general goes crimson. “They were on a mission that—”
“Necessitated the assault of pregnant females and children?” Lir runs his tongue over his teeth. “Had you come to us—”
“And bowed down to our new alien overlords?”
Lir’s eyes close, and he takes a deep breath before speaking. Anger is rolling off of him, but he keeps his voice low and controlled. “When have we ever tried to become ‘overlords’ to the humans? We have barely interacted with your species at all, and—”
“Barely interacted?” Carter’s lips twist into a smug smile. “One of your lot is camped out in Bridgelake doing something that looks an awful lot like taking over. Would you care to explain that?”
Lir sighs. “I cannot
defend Jastren’s actions, but he does not represent the E’rikon. He—”
“Is no threat to us. He’s your problem.”
“No,” I say through clenched teeth. “Jastren is a threat to all of us.”
The general turns his scorn on me. “Oh, and just what do you know about anything? Who are you, anyway?”
Before I can answer, President Taylor holds his hands out to his sides. “Carter, how can we possibly expect any sort of alliance with the E’rikon if we throw their emissary in a cell and interrogate him? Trust needs to start somewhere.”
The general scoffs. “We don’t need an alliance. We need to get rid of the slimy reptiles.”
Lir closes his eyes and bows his head. His lips are pressed tightly together, and flames of anger are now rolling off of him. Maybe if I took a little of it? I tug at the connection between us, and his eyes shoot open. He gives one quick shake of his head. No. I can control this. You can’t.
I narrow my eyes at him. I’m not fond of his tone, but he’s right.
The general continues his tirade while Lir sits there, the very picture of calm. At least on the outside. He takes a few deep breaths, slowly rises to his feet, and turns to face the general. “With all due respect, General, you sent people into my city to kidnap my sister. E’rikon died in this intrusion. Do you think my uncle will stand for that? Without an alliance, he will retaliate. Are you prepared for that? Do you know how many weapons the E’rikon have? For that matter, do you know what type of weapons the E’rikon have, and do you have any idea exactly how many of us there are?” The calm of Lir’s words is a sharp contrast to the roiling emotions flowing from him.
Redness creeps up the general’s neck into his face, and his fingers clench into fists.
Lir steps closer. “Well?” he asks, his eyebrow rising to punctuate the question.
Although he’s a tall man, the general is still a couple of inches shorter than Lir, and as Lir advances on him, he takes a step backward. “I don’t think it matters much, boy. Not for our ends, anyway. We can take care of ourselves. Why don’t you go back to your city and leave us the hell alone?”
