by Kali Argent
“So, yes.” She sniffled and swiped at the wetness that trickled down her cheeks. “I’m very happy. He must really like you to feel comfortable enough to fall asleep like that.”
Bastian tried to play it off with a nonchalant shrug. “We understand each other. That’s all.”
Just like Slade, he couldn’t hide from her. Warmth spread across her skin, and her heart beat just a little stronger—both effects she was receiving from Bastian. She’d heard Torren’s explanation while she’d floated somewhere between waking and sleeping, but she’d thought it had just been a dream. Clearly, that wasn’t the case, but she wasn’t angry. Knowing what they were feeling, being able to read them so intimately, made it a hell of a lot easier for her to trust them.
“If you want to call Knox in here,” she said, “I know you have questions for me. I’d rather answer them just once, if that’s okay.”
While Slade used his wrist unit to contact his brother, Isla gathered Cord into her arms and carried him to the soft, leather sofa in the corner of the room. Once she had him down on the cushions, she covered him with a thin blanket, kissed his pink cheek, and smoothed his hair down.
“You’re really good with him.”
She looked up to see Bastian standing at the end of the sofa watching her. “He makes it easy.”
“He’s a good kid,” Bastian agreed, “but I don’t think you give yourself enough credit. He loves you, Isla.”
She just smiled. “And I love him.”
“Okay, I’m here.” Knox spoke quietly through panting breaths. “Where is she?”
Isla stood motionless, caught in Knox’s penetrating gaze. In a few, long strides, he crossed the stone floor and swept her up into his arms, hugging her close while he breathed deeply against the side of her neck.
“You scared the hell out of me. How are you feeling?”
His relief was so palpable it stole Isla’s breath. “I’m okay. A little weak, a little hungry, but feeling much better.”
Once he seemed to realize what he’d just done, Knox slowly lowered Isla to her feet and took a hurried step back, shoving his hands into his pockets and staring at a point over her shoulder. “That’s good. That’s…really good.”
“Smooth, brother.” Clapping him on the shoulder, Bastian laughed softly as he guided him back toward the bed. “Slade has some questions, and Isla has been kind enough to answer them.”
“I’m guessing you made nice with Ivy and Kai.” Otherwise, she couldn’t imagine why the rulers of the planet would allow the males into her bedroom. “I just don’t understand what that means.”
“It means we believe you.”
Slade glared at Knox. “It means we’re reconsidering our options.”
Following Bastian and Knox to the bed, Isla climbed onto the mattress and sat in the center, crossing her legs, tucking her feet under her. “What do you want to know?”
“Start from the beginning,” Slade instructed. “I want to know everything that happened from your mother’s death to when you arrived on Xenthian.”
She’d expected such a request, but it didn’t make it any easier to discuss. Taking a deep breath to steel her nerves, she linked her fingers together in her lap and pulled her shoulder’s back.
“I’m afraid I can’t tell you much about how my mother died. It was a Saturday morning, and it was raining. I’d slept in and missed breakfast. When I came downstairs, I found her on the floor in the foyer.”
Easing onto the bed beside her, Bastian took her hand, stroking her knuckles with the pad of his thumb. “What happened after that?”
“I screamed, and my stepfathers came running into the room.” They’d feigned surprise, but she still remembered the clear look of triumph in their eyes. “Some more elites showed up, questioned me, searched through my things. Something felt off. They were treating me like a suspect, but they had no interest in the commanders.”
“So, you ran?” Slade questioned.
“Yeah, I snuck out during all the commotion and went straight to Haven.”
Knox’s head snapped up, and he searched her eyes for a long time before he spoke. “Sadayka Tavish’s sanctuary?”
Isla nodded. “The elites knew where I was, though, and we knew I couldn’t stay there forever. Sadayka helped me secure passage to X21 where her cousins offered me sanctuary.” She twisted her hands together in her lap and sighed. “It wasn’t until I got to X21 that I heard the commanders had reported that they’d caught me trying to destroy a vial filled with Rothaarnian pepper flakes a couple of days after my mom’s death.”
“So, they supposedly caught you trying to destroy this vial two days after you’d already left for the sanctuary?” Knox’s face fell into a mask of disbelief.
Isla nodded. “Yeah, but I hadn’t left the planet yet, so it wouldn’t be a stretch to assume I ran because I was guilty, then tried to sneak back into the house to destroy the evidence.”
Slade’s lips turned down at the corners. “You’d never seen the vial before?”
“Never. We’ve never kept pepper flakes in the house, either, not any kind, not even for cooking. My mother hated spicy food.” Katelyn had called it a “delicate” palate, and Isla had always teased her about it.
Slade scratched at the stubble on his jaw, his gaze probing. “How did you come to Xenthian?”
“To be honest, I’m not really sure how all of that happened. I believe the commander on X21 is friends with Ivy. I’m assuming they spoke, and Ivy agreed to grant me political asylum, because a week later, a Xenthian ship docked on X21, and well, here I am.”
As she spoke, Slade felt every emotion Isla did. Fear at being implicated in a murder. Despair at her mother’s death. Gratefulness for the friends who had helped her. Anger at her stepfathers for the part they had played. He felt it all, and as she concluded, he’d never been more certain of her innocence.
Now, he just had to figure out how he was going to feed his crew until the next contract came along.
“You’re worried,” Isla said. “What’s wrong?”
“I believe you.” He saw no reason to lie when she could feel everything he did. “We’re not going to turn you into the Alliance, but that also means we’re not going to collect the bounty.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, staring down at her clasped hands. “I’d help you if I could, but as you pointed out, my accounts are frozen. Hell, I can’t even go home.”
“What if you could?” Bastian asked. “What if we helped you find the evidence you need to prove your innocence?”
Slade didn’t know where his brother was going with that line of questioning, but he instantly disliked it. He’d admitted that he believed the female, and he wouldn’t make her leave Xenthian, but he had no intentions of getting involved further.
“If you could do that, I’d give you whatever you wanted. Just name your price.”
“Half a million credits.” Slade tossed out the figure with an edge of sarcasm. No way would the female go for a number so outrageous, especially since it was nearly double the bounty they’d been offered.
“Done,” she answered instantly. “I can’t leave until I know someone will take care of Cord, though. I won’t just abandon him like that.”
“Bring him with us,” Knox offered, much to Slade’s chagrin.
They were bounty hunters with a rough crew and a dangerous job. The Storm Rider was no place for a child, especially not one as young as Cord.
“I would love nothing more, but he has family here. I’m just some stranger who found him.” Moisture shimmered in the corners of her eyes as she glanced toward the child still sleeping on the sofa. “He belongs with his own people. I wouldn’t even begin to know how to teach him about his magic or his history.” She took a deep, shuddering breath before looking up at Slade with a wobbly smile. “So, half a million credits. What else?”
No one spoke for several heartbeats, then Bastian surprised everyone in the room by taking Isla’s chin and turnin
g her to face him before stating, “You.”
CHAPTER SIX
It hadn’t been a spur of the moment decision nor an irrational impulse. Bastian knew exactly what he’d been asking when he said that the price of their help was Isla herself.
From the moment he’d seen her picture, he’d been enchanted by her beauty. After meeting her, he’d only been more convinced that she could be the one he and his brothers had been searching for since they were teenagers. Once the elder performed his bit of magic, linking them all together and giving Bastian insight into Isla’s emotions, it had been all over for him.
He’d heard that the D’Aire and Dragon Warriors experienced something similar, a unique, intricate bond that tied them together in the most intimate way. Fate didn’t choose a mate for the Krytos, nor did they feel such a deep connection to their partner or partners, and that just seemed unfortunate.
Though he’d only known her for a few days, in that time, Bastian had learned a lifetime of knowledge about the female. Isla was brave and strong. She’d endured pain and injustice, but it hadn’t poisoned her like he’d seen it do to so many others. Despite everything that had happened, everything that was still happening, she was optimistic, hopeful that the future would be brighter than reality dictated.
She had a zest for life and an open heart. Never had he met someone who offered love, compassion, acceptance, and forgiveness so freely. Slade had been a right bastard to her from the moment he’d stepped foot on the planet, and he’d given her no reason to trust him, yet she’d still come to his defense.
Bastian had never met anyone like her, and he knew he never would again. Something about the female appealed to him on a primal level, and every instinct within him demanded he claim Isla as his own. Not just for himself, but for his family. While neither Knox nor Slade were likely to admit it, they cared for her, and more importantly, they needed her.
There had been females in their past, and one in particular they’d hoped to build a future with, but it wasn’t meant to be. Ursa Kristos had divided them in ways that hadn’t fully mended, and Bastian would never forgive her for the betrayal.
“I found you! I win!”
Cord’s bright, happy voice pulled Bastian from his musings, and he blinked several times before focusing on the boy. “Damn.” He’d gotten distracted by thoughts of Isla and had completely forgotten it was his turn to hide. “I think you cheated.”
“Nope.” Cord giggled as he wagged a finger at Bastian. “You’re not a good hider. Hide better.”
Out of the mouths of babes. “I’m a better hider than you.”
“Nuh-uh.”
“Oh, really? Then show me. I bet I can find you like that.” Bastian snapped his fingers, making the kid laugh again. “I’m going to count now. You better hurry.”
He pressed his fingertips over his eyes and began counting down from twenty. He heard more giggles echoing through the long, empty corridor, and little footsteps plodding over the hardwood floors, retreating to the north end of the hall. Cord wasn’t exactly stealthy, but he could fit into the smallest nooks and corners, which made him pretty damn hard to find—until he got bored.
When he reached the end of his countdown, Bastian opened his eyes and grinned. “Ready or not, here I come,” he called, earning him another quiet chortle from near the staircase at the end of the hall. “I’m going to find you.”
Holding his hands up in front of him, he curled his fingers like a monster from a vid and stomped toward the sound of the giggles in exaggeratedly long strides. He grunted and groaned, growling from deep in chest as he kept up a constant litany of teasing words. Every time he purposely checked in some ludicrous place where Cord couldn’t possibly be hiding—like behind a painting—the boy would laugh more.
“What in the galaxies are you doing?” Isla asked from the top of the staircase.
She’d pulled her hair back into an elegant knot, and the cream-colored dress fit her like a second skin, molding to her curves like a lover. With the sun shining in from the arched windows behind her and spilling over her smooth skin, she was an absolute vision, and she took Bastian’s breath away.
“I’m sorry. What was the question?”
Isla laughed openly. She’d been confined to bed rest for an additional three days after she’d awoken—medic’s orders—but she seemed rested and back to her old self now, much to Bastian’s relief.
“I asked what you’re doing stomping down the corridor and making all those strange noises. You’re making the staff uneasy.”
Popping up from behind the banister, Cord swiped the hair out of his face as he hurried around to look up at Isla. “We’re playing.”
“Is that right? What are you playing, leelan?”
“Hide-go-seek.”
“Are you winning?”
Cord bobbed his head, causing his hair to flop back into his face. “Yes. Lots of times. Bas said a bad word.”
“Traitor,” Bastian grumbled under his breath. “It was just a little one. It barely even counts.”
“Is that right?” Folding her hands together at her waist, Isla practically floated down the steps and lifted Cord into her arms. “Then, I think Bas needs a timeout.” She tickled the boy’s belly and kissed his cheek. “And you, little sir, need breakfast. Aunt Tira said there were pancakes.”
“Pamcakes!” His little hands shot into the air as he cheered. “I want pamcakes.”
“I want pamcakes, too,” Knox called from the landing above them, purposely mispronouncing the word. “Come on, munchkin. You can show me where they are.”
“Kay.” After giving Isla a smacking kiss on the cheek, he wiggled until she sat him down, then bounded up the steps as fast his little legs would carry him.
“Cord, slow down,” Isla chastised. “Be careful. You’re going to fall.”
On the landing, Cord took Knox’s offered hand and beamed. “See? I’m careful.”
Isla just sighed as she shooed them away. “Fine, go eat, and save me some pancakes.” Once they’d disappeared around the corner, Isla shook her head and descended the remainder of the steps. “Thank you for watching him his morning.”
“Isla, it’s not a chore. I actually like the kid. He’s fun, and he’s a hell of a lot more honest than any adults I know.”
In truth, Bastian adored the little boy, and he’d destroy anyone who tried to cause him harm. Being the first male Cord had truly opened up to, he even kind of thought of the child as his in a way. He was going to miss the hell out of him when they left.
“I’m going to miss him, too.” Stopping in front of him, Isla reached out to take Bastian’s hands in her own. “Is this weird for you? This connection we have?”
“It’s different, but not bad.” It had meant adjustments for them all, especially Slade, but Bastian didn’t necessarily consider that a bad thing. “I like to know what you’re feeling. Then I don’t have to guess, and it cuts down on confusion.”
“Did you mean it?” Isla blurted. “What you said the other day, about wanting me?”
“This connection works both ways,” he reminded her. “You tell me.”
“You barely even know me.”
Bastian cut right through that bullshit. “That is the dumbest excuse I’ve ever heard. I hate when people say that. What does it matter if it’s been ten minutes or ten years? Who better knows my heart than me?”
“True,” she conceded with a soft smile. “What about your brothers?”
Another male might have felt insecure about the question, but for Bastian, it just made him want her more. “Well, I think you already know that Knox is halfway to in love with you. Slade is stubborn, but he’ll come around. He’s…different with you.”
It wasn’t unusual for two, three, or even more Krytos males to choose and share the same female as their mate. As brothers who shared everything else, it only made sense that they would all claim the same female as their own.
Unfortunately, that dream had died a long time ago
when Ursa had betrayed them and done irreparable damage to Slade’s heart. What made it even worse was that Slade had met her first, and he’d fallen for her hard. Knox and Bastian had cared for her as well, but nothing like what Slade had felt.
They’d been together for nearly a year, but something had always held Bastian back from taking the final step with Ursa and claiming her as his own. With him on the fence, his brothers had restrained themselves as well, even Slade, which had probably saved them all further suffering at the hands of the Krytos female.
After months of sharing their beds, flitting from one brother to the next and back again, Ursa had pulled Bastian and Knox aside and begged them to claim her. When they’d both insisted they wouldn’t do it without Slade, she’d casually dismissed their brother and alpha, stating she’d never really cared about Slade, and she had no desire to belong to him. Then she’d proceeded to call him a slew of unfair and untrue names that had left both him and Knox seething.
Ursa had thought Slade broken, weak, and unfit to be the pack’s alpha. She had even gone as far as to call him “unlovable.” Then she’d admitted that the only reason she’d continued to share his bed was to get closer to Knox and Bastian.
But Bastian had known from the beginning that he hadn’t loved her. For his brothers, he’d tried to make it work, but her careless and cruel words had been too much for him to forgive. Thankfully, Knox had agreed, and in fact, he’d never seen the male so angry, not before or since.
They hadn’t planned to tell Slade what she’d said, but fortune had not favored them that day. Slade had overheard the entire conversation, and from that moment on, everything had changed.
It had been hell living with Ursa for the three days it took to reach the nearest space station, but Bastian had been relieved when they’d left her in the docking bay without a backwards glance.
Since then, Slade had retreated into himself, built walls around his heart, and he’d never quite been the same since. After a few years, and couple more failed attempts to introduce other females into their family, they’d finally given up on trying to find a mate that would accept all of them as they were, flaws and everything.
