Veredian Chronicles Box Set

by Regine Abel

  “My head knows it, but…”

  “It’s normal to be scared. I couldn’t believe Amalia wanted me with how advanced my Taint was. I loved her with all my heart but feared she only accepted me out of pity.”

  My eyes widened. The love between Lhor and Amalia was plain to see. It was hard to imagine he ever could have doubted her.

  “There’s another thing you need to keep in mind,” Lhor said, resting Vahl’s head on his chest. “Valena has been gloved most of her life. Amalia never was until now. She’s had a lifetime to learn to control her ability and the moral boundaries tied to it. Valena is finally able to explore her ability freely. She’s like a cave dweller who has come to the surface for the first time. She wants to gorge on light, wind, and nature even at the risk of dying from exposure. You must be her guiding light, and her shelter from the elements.”

  I had never thought of it that way. Looking at my mate’s beautiful face, I realized it should have been obvious to me.

  “Thank you, Lhor.”

  “Any time.”

  I rose from my chair and helped our mates with the dishes. Valena gave me a curious look when I held her bare hand as we walked back to our chairs.

  We settled down and dug into our food. At first, we made light conversation, until I caught Amalia and Lhor exchanging a strange glance. He nodded at her, giving his consent to whatever silent communication passed between them.

  Amalia cleared her throat. “I know you’ve both looked at ways of getting out of here and come up empty-handed.”

  Valena and I exchanged a look but listened silently, wondering where this was headed.

  “Lhor and I have done the same. We both agree that our chances of getting out on our own are essentially nil.”

  But…?

  “But we might be able to send a signal out.”

  That got my attention.

  From our previous conversations, we all agreed the lab lay far underground. We feared it might be too deep for scanners – even as advanced as those of the Tuureans – to detect our presence.

  “Like Valena, I have a secondary ability that doesn’t require touch.”

  It shocked me and yet it didn’t. Was I becoming numb to all the twists and turns?

  “I can foresee what will happen in the next five to twenty minutes for a person I’ve at least seen once, as long as they are within range for me to lock onto them.”

  My breath rushed out of me. That opened a plethora of possibilities.

  “Can you influence that future?” I asked.

  “Yes.”

  I ran a nervous hand through my hair. The sliver of hope blossoming inside me dampened as my eyes fell on her gloved hands. Her gaze followed mine.

  “The gloves don’t affect it,” she reassured me. “No one but our very restricted circle of friends knows about it.”

  Restricted circle of friends… It was silly, but those words moved something deep inside me. Between my family issues and my introvert nature, my circle of friends could be deemed as non-existent.

  My eyes flicked to the cameras.

  “Don’t worry,” Amalia said, a smug grin on her face, “they don’t monitor what we say. That’s one of the first things I made sure of.”

  Lhor puffed his chest. I couldn’t begrudge him this bit of pride. Amalia was an impressive female.

  “So how will you do it?” Valena asked.

  “No, Sister. How will we do it?” Amalia said, pointing a finger at each of them in turn.

  “Me?” Valena said, placing her palm on her chest.

  Amalia nodded with a fiendish grin. She ran us through her plan. It was risky and left little room for error, but it could work. The problem was to find the right moment to execute it.

  We finished dinner and I rose to clean the table. As I leaned forward to pick up Lhor’s plate, Vahl's head snapped towards me.

  “Sul,” he said, reaching for me with one small hand, the other gripping his father’s tunic.

  I froze dead in my tracks. I cast a wary glance at Amalia. She stared at her son, a slight frown marring her forehead. Turning to face me, our eyes met for a moment. She nibbled on her lower lip before giving me a sharp nod.

  Lhor’s words echoed in my mind.

  “In love as in friendship, you must take leaps of faith.”

  I knew how much it cost her. The look of gratitude on Valena’s face as she stared at Amalia told me she knew as well.

  “Thank you,” I said, bowing my head.

  I leaned towards the boy to pick him up, but he placed his hand on my heart. Both the most excruciating pain and the most exquisite pleasure exploded in my chest. I cried out and fell to my knees. Vaguely, I heard Lhor echo my shout of pain followed by the panicked cries of our mates.

  My vision blurred and I gasped for breath. I blinked, feeling my heart melting like searing molten lava. Lhor was gripping his own chest as if in pain, while Amalia pulled Vahl out of his arms. Valena rushed to my side.

  “Zhul, are you okay?”

  Her hands came to rest on my chest only to jerk away seconds later. She looked at me in horror before staring at the boy accusingly.

  “What did you do?” she asked Vahl. “What did you put inside him?”

  Amalia wrapped her arms protectively around her son. “What do you mean?”

  “He did something to Zhul. I can feel something inside him.”

  We all stared at Vahl who looked at me intently, a frown on his small forehead.

  “Vahl?” Amalia asked her son softly.

  He looked at his mother then pointed a finger at my face. “Sul,” he said. His finger lowered to my chest and he repeated, “Sul.”

  “Yes, sweetie, that’s Zhul. But what did you do? Why did you hurt him?”

  His little face scrunched into what I could only interpret as frustration. He looked at me then at his father. Pointing a finger at Lhor’s face, he said, “Papa.” Then, as he had done with me, his finger lowered to Lhor’s chest then he said, “Daddy.” Turning back to face me, he repeated the gesture pointing at my face then my chest, both times saying “Sul.”

  “Oh Goddess!” Lhor whispered. “Valena, when you touched him, did it feel like another soul?”

  What?

  “I… err… Yes. I guess you could call it that. Something sentient.”

  “Look, I may be completely wrong,” Lhor said, “but you know how you always said when you are near me you can almost feel Rhal?”

  This can’t be headed where I think it is…

  I nodded slowly, coherent thoughts made difficult by the pleasure-pain torturing me.

  “I could feel something inside you, too. When Khel almost died, his soul came to me.”

  Lhor proceeded to tell us what had happened the day of the raid and when Khel awakened from his induced coma. It sounded too fantastical to be true. Yet, I knew Lhor wouldn’t jest about something like this. But to imply I could have carried Rhal’s soul within me for the past sixteen years? That was too farfetched.

  But what if it were true?

  “Korlethean Geminates always survive the death of their other half,” Valena said. “They say the soul of the deceased returns to the survivor and merges with him.” Her eyes lowered to my chest. “I’ve felt something odd about you before. I think Lhor might be right. You carried your Gem buried deep inside you. Whatever Vahl did brought him to the surface.”

  I didn’t want to believe it, but if there was even the remotest chance…

  “Assuming it’s true, how do I fix it? How do I merge with him?”

  “You need a bridge,” Valena said before staring at her hands. “You do not have the psi ability to do it on your own. But I think I can do it for you.”

  “Do it!”

  The pleasure-pain inside me was receding. My gut told me that meant Rhal was burrowing inside me again. The hesitation on Valena’s face set me on edge.

  “What? What is it?”

  She licked her lips. “It will change you.”
/>   “How?”

  “Korletheans who merge with their other half take on part of their Gem’s personality traits. You will no longer simply be Zhul. You will be a mix of both Zhul and Rhal.”

  The smile on my face told her everything she needed to know about how I felt about it.

  “That will not change the way I feel about you, Valena,” I said, caressing her cheek. “You are my mate, now and always.”

  But will that change the way she feels about me?

  Lhor helped me to my feet. When our hands met, we both felt it again, the connection wanting to form between us.

  “Goddess, I can truly feel him inside you. It’s like he’s crying out for help.”

  My pulse raced as we went into our cell. Amalia and Lhor stayed outside to give us some privacy. I removed my tunic and lay down naked on the bed. Kneeling on it beside me, Valena’s hands reached for my chest but, after a slight hesitation, swerved to cup my face instead. The fear in her eyes tugged at my heart.

  “My feelings will not change. I am yours, Valena.”

  She nodded, her eyes shiny from the tears that formed there. She kissed me, long and hard, as if to say farewell, then placed her hands on my chest. The excruciating pleasure-pain surged forth again. Ghostly hands tore my chest open and ripped my heart to shreds.

  Then, peace…

  The pain faded as suddenly as it had begun. Flecks of light sparkled and danced before me. They pulsated and heaved as they multiplied and coalesced into a cohesive shape.

  “Rhal,” I whispered, my voice raw from shouting in pain.

  The ethereal form of my twin hovered above me, and his face smiled. I don’t know why I had expected him to have the appearance of the boy he was when death claimed him.

  I could feel his love flow through me. Goddess… I had forgotten how amazing that felt. Tears fell from my eyes.

  “I missed you,” I said.

  “I’ve always been with you. Waiting.”

  He looked at Valena and smiled before facing me again.

  “You chose well.”

  “I love her,” I said.

  “So do I. Let me in.”

  I nodded. His form dissipated into a million sparkling lights that descended upon me like a blanket. They seeped into me through my skin, each one sending jolts of pure joy as they filled the gaping hole in my soul. I closed my eyes and embraced the phenomenon.

  When I opened them, Valena’s sleeping form was curled up against me. I brushed her hair from her face. Her eyes fluttered then snapped open. Her entire body tensed as she watched me warily.

  “I was wrong,” I whispered. “My feelings have changed.”

  Fear flickered in her eyes.

  “But in a good way.”

  She held her breath.

  “I now love you twice as much,” I said before kissing her lips.

  CHAPTER 23

  Lhor

  I lounged on the chair by the couch where Amalia and Valena exchanged stories of their respective youths. My mate and I wondered at the near absent guards here. Valena explained it was actually standard. In the compounds, seeing the guards usually meant bad news. The females were pretty much left to their own devices and free to do as they pleased.

  Despite their circumstances, the Veredians wanted to give their young as normal a life as possible. The children attended classes given by the older females, from mandatory Veredian and Universal language classes to math, Veredian and Galactic history, and everything else in-between. The only restrictions imposed upon them by their captors were any lessons related to combat – whether offensive or defensive – and weaponry of any type. Unlike us though, they didn’t have replicators for food. It would be too costly and ineffective for so many people. Instead, they prepared their own meals with what ingredients the guards brought them.

  My eyes drifted to Zhul sitting on the floor, playing construction blocks with Vahl. Two days after Zhul’s ‘reunion’ with his Gem, we could all see a change in him. And yet, he was the same. The differences, though subtle, were notable. The silent, brooding male he used to be now seemed to bear a permanent, discreet smile on his lips. It softened his features and made him more approachable. The way he moved, walked, talked, and even ate, exuded inner peace. It reminded me of how Khel had softened after I stopped blocking our bonds – which had also made him less prone to anger.

  Like most Xelixians, Zhul always limited his physical contact with other people. And although he frequently held Valena before this, now he would constantly touch her, as if to reassure himself of her presence. Whether a gentle caress, fiddling with a lock of her hair, or holding her hand, he seemed to crave contact. And not only of the physical type…

  Zhul was known to be introverted and to cherish his time alone.

  Not anymore.

  He not only sought our company but even expressed the desire to play Bakhol against Amalia after she revealed how much she enjoyed the strategic board game.

  Big mistake.

  As much as I loved my mate, I couldn’t deny that she was a terrible winner. She had no shame admitting it herself. Ghan had sworn off playing with her after she gloated once too often. Yet, Zhul merely seemed amused and eagerly played another game.

  However, the way he looked at Valena moved me to the core. He didn’t just love her, he worshipped her. From one of her conversations with Amalia, I knew Valena feared Zhul was confusing gratitude with love. I couldn’t blame her. How could he not place her on a pedestal for making him whole again? Over the three weeks during which my bond with Khel had been severed, I’d felt myself slowly falling into madness. Zhul had endured this pain for two decades. So yes, there was no question he felt an eternal debt of gratitude to his mate.

  But he had loved her before that.

  The funny thing was that he now reminded me of Khel more than ever. The softness in his eyes when he looked at Valena, the careful, gentle way in which he touched her echoed my Gem’s interactions with our mate.

  Speaking of Khel, I couldn’t wait for him to find out our son had claimed Zhul as his new best friend. He would just love that. I hated to admit it, but I was getting a little jealous at the competition.

  As horrible as our current incarceration was, I thanked the Goddess Zhara had avoided capture. Unlike Vahl, our little hellion of a daughter wouldn’t have put up stoically with Nurse Rosthan drawing blood samples from her or scanning her. She barely allowed Minh to do so, except when Khel or Ghan would give her a stern look.

  Rosthan… I couldn’t believe that wretch still lived. When the Guldans brought us to the lab and straight to Rosthan, I believed Amalia would kill the nurse on sight. With good reason, too, after Rosthan and Dr. Lurphin drugged and nearly killed Amalia. The day after Lurphin’s arrest, we’d found him dead in his cell and Nurse Rosthan missing from hers. We’d all assumed she had been taken by V and either sent to serve in one of the Blood Houses or killed after being interrogated. If we were to believe the ‘confessions’ she made every time we were brought to her for more blood and venom samples, she was Varrek’s slave as well. I didn’t know whether or not to believe her, and I didn’t care. She’d tried to kill my mate once. That made her my enemy.

  At least Amalia and I didn’t have to mate twice a day and submit samples afterwards – not like that would have been a chore. V wanted to compare our samples against Valena and Zhul to understand how Amalia had managed to cure us and birth a male. Watching Rosthan take samples from our son was the hard part. We thought of fighting back. Zhul’s combat skills were limited, but my mate and I were both proficient in hand-to-hand combat. However, Amalia’s foresight confirmed any attempt would end badly for us, so we complied, biding our time.

  My gaze roamed over my son, his serious little face focused on the stacks of blocks Zhul was patiently helping him build a house with. I needed to protect him but felt helpless. It worried me that V didn’t simply want to understand Vahl’s DNA. From peeping into Rosthan’s future, Amalia had discovered they were tryi
ng to clone him.

  I needed those samples destroyed.

  Vahl’s head suddenly jerked up. Eyes wide, mouth gaping, he held still as if he heard something startling and waited to see if it would happen again.

  I frowned.

  His entire little body jerked and he squealed in surprise. Whatever affected him must have happened again. Head spinning in every direction, Vahl seemed to look for the source of whatever disturbed him. The females went quiet, the four of us staring at the boy.

  “Vahl!” our son cried out before bursting into laughter.

  Amalia and I exchanged a baffled look. Our son’s most extreme emotions had only ever been despair or a smile. We had never heard him laugh.

  Until now…

  Vahl squealed in surprise again and got up, bouncing unsteadily on his feet. His laughter resonated in the room and we couldn’t help laughing as well, despite our confusion.

  “Mama!” he said, turning to look at Amalia. “Mama… Vahl!”

  “Yes, Vahl. I’m your Mama.”

  Vahl laughed again and stumble-ran towards her. Amalia picked him up but when she tried to hold him against her chest, he fought his way out of her embrace. Confused, we watched him curl up on her lap and wrap his arms around her waist.

  “Vahl…” he whispered then rested his cheek against her stomach.

  A shocked silence descended upon the room.

  Gharah’s Blood! How didn’t we realize this sooner?

  Vahl started humming against Amalia’s tummy. Even though he butchered it, I recognized the lullaby Khel used to sing to me as a child and that we in turn sang to our children every night.

  “Oooh shit,” Amalia whispered, placing a careful hand on our son’s back.

  Rising from my chair, I knelt at Amalia’s feet and caressed our son’s head. He lifted his little face and gave me a look of pure joy that tugged at my heart.

  He placed his small hand on Amalia’s stomach. “Papa… Vahl.”

  “Is that why you were so sad, my little warrior?” I asked. “You were missing your Gem?”

  He beamed at me, closed his eyes, and pressed his face against his mother.

  “Congratulations,” Valena said.