by Laurie Roma
“I’m going to go,” Malloy said.
Jaden frowned at him. “You came over to say something.”
“It can wait. If you’re going to be talking about mating and stuff, I’m leaving. Later.”
Katra laughed as she watched him leave. “The commander believes that mating is catching.”
“He’s a confirmed bachelor, then?” Calum asked, amused.
“Oh, I think he will meet his match sooner or later. I just wish my brothers would find their mate soon. They need a female in their lives.”
“They’re older than you are, so I’m surprised they haven’t found one yet,” Jaden said.
She turned to him. “Mates are destined, Jaden. Some Dragon Warriors can spend what others would consider lifetimes looking for their true mates. It is why so many have chosen to travel the stars while they search.”
“Your brothers live on your home world, though. Do they think they’re going to find their mate there?” Calum asked.
“Perhaps,” she allowed. “But more and more Dragon Warriors have been finding their mates from other races.”
“How old are your brothers?” Jaden inquired, then he took a sip from the goblet he was holding.
“One hundred and fifteen.”
Jaden spit out the wine, right at Isak who had just walked up to join them.
“What the fuck—?”
Jaden glared at Katra, who had burst out laughing, then he used his magic to clean Isak and mumbled an apology. Over the last few days, Jaden had been getting used to using his magic, learning from Katra, Killian and Ryker. It still didn’t come naturally to him, but it certainly did come in handy at times.
“Your brothers are over a hundred years old?”
Katra patted his arm. “You have forgotten that Dragon Warriors are immortal. Well, there are a few ways we can be killed, but not many.”
“Holy hellfire, Jaden. You’re going to live forever,” Calum breathed out.
“I need another drink,” Jaden muttered after he finished the one in his hand.
They were sidetracked when Lady Quilla and Aldric walked up to join them. “I’m so happy you could join us today,” Quilla said in greeting.
“Thank you for inviting us,” Katra replied. “We are very pleased to celebrate the new year with friends.”
Quilla’s brow creased. “I’m just surprised that none of the females joined us today. I was so looking forward to seeing Gianna.”
“She and the rest of the ladies at the palace have been busy planning the celebration for Lord and Lady Tor,” Calum explained, telling the lie they had come up with before they’d arrived.
“I hope you will be able to join us,” Katra said.
Quilla beamed at her. “I am looking forward to it. I would love to help with the planning. Perhaps I can come by your palace tomorrow.”
“We would be happy to have you.”
Quilla was pulled away as one of the females had questions about the meal about to be served. When she was gone, Aldric pinned Jaden with a look. “All your females are planning this event?”
“Yes, they are.”
“I see. Please excuse me.” Aldric gave them a curt bow, then excused himself.
“I sensed something from him,” Katra told them softly. “But I am not sure what it is.”
“He is very adept at hiding his energy. So is she,” Jaden added. “It also doesn’t help that there are so many here that seem to be hiding something.”
Calum tracked the other warrior through the crowd. “I will follow him. See if I can find out anything.”
After he left, Jaden and Katra moved around the room, meeting other guests. Most individuals were a little nervous when they noticed Jaden’s eye color change, so it was difficult to get a clear reading from them. Jaden introduced her to two other lords he considered friends, and Katra sensed almost nothing from either male. Lord Kato and Lord Beldor both wanted to know more about Katra, but she was careful about what information she provided to them.
“Introduce yourself to a female named Yessi,” Killian said to her through their bond, distracting her. “I believe she knows something, but we frightened her.”
“I will do so now,” Katra assured them.
She excused herself from Jaden and his friends, seeking to meet some of the females without the males around. Jaden tracked her movements, uneasy to have her so far away from him when there was danger about. Honestly, he had a very difficult time letting her out of his sight at all since he’d been converted. Every second he spent with Katra, their bond had grown stronger. He loved her to the point of madness, and he wanted to spend every moment in her presence.
What a change, Jaden thought wryly. When they had first met, he’d done everything in his power to stay away from her. His heart had known what she was to him, but his mind had shunned the idea of needing someone so much. If he’d known then what she was to him now, he would have kidnapped her the moment he met her and absconded away to the first private place he found to make her his.
He heard her chuckle in his mind. “Silly, mate. My brothers probably would have had something to say if you had done that.”
“I don’t care,” he claimed. “Just knowing I wasted weeks without you pisses me off.”
“We have a lifetime together. Actually, we have eternity together.”
“I guess we do. If I’m going to live forever, I’m happy you’re stuck with me, my lady.”
She laughed again. “I feel the same, mate.”
Jaden had a moment when he realized that if they lived forever, he would someday witness the death of all his friends, and even his daughter.
“We have years before you need to worry about that, my love,” Katra said softly. “Skylar is Arik’s keeper. Her lifeline is bound to his, and the D’Aire live much longer than other races.”
“Thank you for reminding me, mate.”
“I love you, my dragon lord. Now, stop distracting me. I am on a mission.”
Her little retort made him grin. His heart lighter, he took another moment to be grateful she had converted him. Even though he was still getting used to it, being a Dragon Warrior certainly had its perks, and immortality was one of them.
Because he knew that even forever with his lady love wouldn’t be long enough.
* * *
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Rego knew how to throw one hell of a party.
When everyone was seated at the large tables filling the hall, trays of food were brought out. Their host had spared no expense, much to the delight of all the guests.
When the feast was finished, most of the tables were cleared to the side to make way for dancing and other entertainment. Katra turned down several offers to dance, hurrying to do so before Jaden pounded the friendly males into a pile of goo. She was also amused by the way three particular females ran away from her every time she got close to them. It wasn’t hard to figure out that those females had previously been residence of Tor Palace, and had been Jaden’s lovers at one time.
The Tarins’ casual attitude about sex was still strange to Katra, but she didn’t come from a race that needed sexual energy to survive. She watched all the flirting going on in the great hall with interest. Never having been a female who sought male attention, the ritual was fascinating to her.
“Stop,” Jaden growled in her ear as he came up behind her. “The only male you will ever flirt with is me.”
“Of course, my dragon lord,” she murmured, turning in his arms so she faced him. “Then why is it that you are the only male that has not yet asked me to dance?”
“Forgive me, my lady, I have been remiss.” Jaden pulled her to the edge of the crowd that was dancing, and wrapped his arms around her tight.
Swaying to the music, she smiled as she pressed her cheek against his chest. “This is not how the others are dancing, mate.”
“I don’t know this dance,” Jaden admitted, looking at the coordinated dance that the others were doing. “Plus, tha
t dance requires us to change partners, and I’m not about to let another male lift you up like that. How did your search go? Were you able to talk to all the females?”
“You mean besides your former lovers?” She felt him cringing through their bond and didn’t even bother to move her head to look at the uncomfortable look she knew was on his face. “Nay, I have not. People keep coming and going from the room, and I have been keeping my promise to you not to leave the great hall.”
Jaden grunted. “Good.”
“I have been trying to track down that female my brothers told me to speak to, but I have not seen her since before the feast.”
“Can I cut in?”
Jaden turned to glare at Rego, who stood smiling next to them. “Don’t make me kill you.”
Rego laughed. “You need to relax, friend.”
“Lord Rego, have you seen the female named Yessi around?”
He thought for a moment, then said, “No, I haven’t seen her for a while. My sister would know where she is. She knows where all the females are usually, but I haven’t seen her around either. She was busy making sure everything was perfect for the festival—”
“My lord! I must speak with you,” Aldric hurried up to them with Calum by his side.
“What is it, Aldric?”
“Denys is dead, and we have females missing…including your sister.”
Rego’s roar of rage echoed off the stone walls, bringing the celebration to a halt. “Lock down the palace. No one leaves!”
“What in hellfire is going on?” Jaden demanded.
“That is what I want to know,” Rego snarled. “Aldric, explain now!”
“You asked me to keep an eye open for anything strange. That was when I noticed Calum following me.”
“I only followed you because you were acting strange, you bloody fool,” Calum shot back.
Aldric glared at him, then said, “We were doing rounds and discovered Denys dead and Kamon injured. He said six of our females were taken by intruders.”
“How in hellfire did intruders get into the palace?”
Rego paced back and forth, his anger palpable. “This is crazy.”
“Would Korsek be so bold as to order this?” Isak asked.
“He would have to have a number of traitors in place to pull this off. But why do it so blatantly?” Jaden demanded. “He would know by taking Rego’s sister we would never stop looking for him.”
Killian walked up and crossed his massive arms over his chest. “I believe we will have answers for you soon.”
Ryker appeared, holding on to Kamon’s arm. The warrior had a cut on his temple from a blow to the head, but he seemed to be otherwise uninjured. Kamon struggled fiercely, but Ryker held on to him with ease. “Look who I just caught trying to sneak out of the palace.”
“I wasn’t sneaking anywhere. Let me go! I haven’t done anything!”
“Lie,” Ryker snarled.
“Aldric, you know I was wounded. I was just going back to see if I could help find any clues—”
“Another lie!”
“Were you a part of this?” Rego demanded.
Kamon shook his head. “No, my lord. I was attacked from behind when I was on guard duty. I don’t even know what’s going on!”
“Oh, fuck this.” Ryker jerked Kamon’s head to the side and savagely bite him. All the Tarins recoiled in horror at the shocking assault.
“What the—?”
Ryker released Kamon, dropping the now screaming male on the ground. He exchanged a look with Killian, both of them obviously speaking to one another through their bond. A few seconds later when they were done, Ryker finally said, “Well, it does make sense.”
“Why did you do that?” Rego demanded.
Terrified, Kamon scrambled to put distance between himself and Ryker. He was holding a hand over the wound on his neck. “He bit me! He’s a demon! You all saw that!”
“He is working for Korsek,” Killian announced, pointing toward Kamon.
Rego froze. “This is certain?”
“It is all right there in his pitiful mind.”
Kamon’s wide eyes wheeled around in his head as he frantically searched for a way to escape. He tried to crab-crawl away from Rego when he advanced on him. “He…he’s lying, my lord. I haven’t done anything wrong.”
“I am going to kill you,” Rego said as he stalked forward.
Knowing that he was caught, Kamon pulled a dagger from his boot and jumped to his feet. He ran at Rego, screaming. Rego drew his sword, ready to take on the traitor, then Kamon just…exploded into bloody dust. Silence filled the room as they all looked at the empty space where the male Tarin had been standing a second ago.
Killian brushed imaginary dust off his sleeve. “That was immensely satisfying”
Katra sighed. “Oh, Killian…”
Ryker frowned at him. “I wanted to be the one to make the traitor explode.”
“Too late.”
Malloy cleared his throat. “That was—”
“Fucking awesome or totally disgusting?” Lieutenant Caporele suggested.
“Yeah, that…but wasn’t he our only lead?” Malloy asked.
Rego let out a bellow that shook the rafters. “Someone better tell me what the fuck is going on or I am going to—!”
“Calm,” Ryker commanded. “I got all the information we need from Kamon. We did not need him anymore. Lady Quilla is your traitor.”
Rego’s eyes went wide with shock. “No…it can’t be…”
“But she was taken with the other females!” Aldric exclaimed.
Killian nodded. “Nay. She had them taken, and she went with them willingly.”
“But why?” Rego asked.
“Because your sister may be your traitor, but she also goes by another name…Korsek.”
* * * *
They prepared for war.
As soon as the Dragon Warrior twins announced the truth of Lady Quilla’s secret, Rego ordered his warriors to gear up. They’d just needed a direction to focus their attack. When they got it, everything was set into motion.
Twenty minutes later, Killian and Ryker had flown ahead to scout the area, while the Alliance officers had split up to accompany Lord Kato and Lord Beldor back to their palaces to collect their armies. Lieutenant Caporele had gone with Calum to call the rest of the Tor warriors to battle. Jaden and Katra had stayed at Rego Palace because they were worried about Lord Malik Rego. Since he’d heard of his sister’s betrayal, he hadn’t said much.
Rego silently paced the great hall, barely able to contain his burning rage as they waited. Jaden, Katra, Ryodan, Isak and Commander Malloy sat at a table, watching him while they spoke softly.
“Not to be indelicate,” Malloy began, “but after your brothers vaporized that guy, can’t all of you just destroy the army with a thought?”
Jaden shook his head. Because he’d heard what Katra’s brothers had told her through their bond, he knew what was at stake. “Killing one male is different than destroying an army. If the Dragon Warriors did that, it would be an act of war by another species. The other Tarins would never consent to that. We seek to unite this world, but not by giving them another common enemy.”
“I guess that makes sense,” Malloy grumbled. “I still say this would all be easier if you could just eviscerate them by waving your hand or something.”
“Nothing about this is easy,” Katra said quietly.
“So, we ride for Lomar Palace?” Isak asked.
Jaden nodded. “Kamon helped smuggle the females out of the palace during the feast. Quilla and a few warriors that are loyal to her took six females to barter for sanctuary at Lomar Palace. We believe she knew she was in trouble when we showed up here without any of our own females. She’s been pushing Telok to raise an army to fight against us, and she thought we’d figured it out.”
“But why?” Ryodan said. “None of this makes sense.”
Malloy shrugged. “Credits, power…just because she
could? Why does any psychopath do what they do? All I know is that it takes a seriously fucked up woman to sell other women.”
“Aye,” Katra agreed softly. “Perhaps she just enjoyed her game of manipulation. We will not know until we get a chance to speak to her,”
Isak blew out a breath. “It just all seems so strange. Lady Quilla has always been quiet, timid even. For her to be Korsek—”
“Do not call her Lady,” Rego snarled. “She doesn’t deserve the title. Quilla, Korsek, whatever her name. She is a vicious bitch, who deserves to be put down.”
Aldric hurried through the front doorway. “My lord, we are ready.”
Rego turned to them. “We go to war.”
Out in the courtyard, all the Tarins got on large steeds, bred to carry warriors into battle. Commander Malloy, Katra and the other elite soldiers present chose to ride hover-cycles instead, since they were more comfortable with that form of transportation. They were all dressed in body armor, prepared for the battle to come.
Before they could leave, Killian and Ryder returned, bringing news from enemy territory.
“They know we are coming,” Ryker announced. “Quilla must have told them.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Rego spat out. “This ends tonight.”
“Did they see you?” Katra asked, concerned for her brothers’ safety. “The moons are bright.”
Killian looked offended. “Nay, sister. We flew through cloud cover. They did not see us approach.” Switching to their private mode of communication, he said, “I do not understand why we need to ride out with them when we can fly over and take care of this ourselves.”
“Aye, we could take out Telok Lomar’s army and Quilla, but the Tarins are prepared to fight for their own future,” Katra told him. “We might not understand riding onto a battlefield like this, but we do understand honor.”
Killian nodded, getting on his own hover-cycle. “Aye, that we do. We will aid them however we can…without offending their delicate pride overmuch.”
“Thanks,” Jaden said dryly. “You know I can hear you, right?”
Ryker grinned. “Of course, brother.”
Jaden glanced at Katra in exasperation. “Your brothers…”
