by M. A. Church
“Moments after Dayo and Szin gave birth, Duran informed us he was having them moved to the underground bunkers, remember?” Keyno asked, sitting in a kitchen chair Neo dragged into the living area.
“Yes. He asked me to return to the war room. He said he’d be there as soon as possible.” Hamza settled on the couch next to Neo and leaned against him. Neo slung his arm around his shoulders. “Dayo was asking what was going on as I left. Dabba told everyone the Ne Reyn had not only launched an assault on the Unity, but had now also attacked the planet, and that the Onfre stood with us, that we were at war.”
“That’s correct. Did you notice the mist before you left?”
“Yes. It was Sishya, the arkhim bonded to Dayo, right? Dayo and Raiden were assuring everyone there was no danger.”
“Well, Sishya didn’t pose a threat to anyone in that room, but there was danger, we just didn’t know it at the time. I’m certain you’ve been briefed that Sishya can travel interdimensionally.”
“Yes,” Hamza said.
“Somehow the creature knew Dayo, and the rest of us, I suppose, were in jeopardy. He….” Keyno pursed his lips. “It was the damnedest thing. There was this mist, then Sishya appeared, and we were all transported to a medical area in the bunker, the Royal Physician and nurses included. There was chaos, let me tell you.”
Neo visualized the scene in his mind. Chaos was probably putting it mildly. “I can only imagine. Good gods, that animal can come and go as it wishes, and evidently take anyone it wants with it. Talk about a security risk.”
“Exactly, and as far as I can tell, there’s not a thing we can do about it, either.” Annoyance showed in Keyno’s face. “Anyway, how Sishya knew where to go is beyond all of us. Even Dayo.”
“So what happened then?” Hamza asked.
“We heard the blast, even way down here. Duran wouldn’t stay below. He said as king he refused to hide while his planet, his very home, was being attacked. Since there were no royal guards brought with us, Gibor, Malk, and I left with him. Dale and Chad weren’t thrilled, but they understood why we followed Duran.”
“Weren’t thrilled.” Neo grunted. “I bet that’s an understatement.”
“You would be right, but they knew we wouldn’t tolerate our king being left unprotected.” Keyno grimaced. “For all the good it did. Anyway, Ti and Colt volunteered to remain behind, just in case.”
“Ti and Colt are scary. Plus, Raiden and Takeo were there since Dayo and Szin gave birth, so of course they wouldn’t abandon their mates. I’ve sparred with Raiden,” Hamza said. “He’s lethal with a variety of weapons. Takeo was trained by both Ti and Colt.”
“Add in the arkhim, and yeah,” Neo said. “There probably wasn’t a safer place on the planet.”
“Agreed. Doc and John stayed to help the Royal Physician with Dayo and Szin’s young. Kia wanted to check on the Ne Reynian males from the shuttle we saved, but Malk refused. He wasn’t pleased either, but he did as Malk asked.”
“Lots of unhappy mates,” Neo mused.
“Indeed. We followed Duran back above-ground and arrived in time for the shields to fail.” Keyno thrust a hand through his hair. “The destruction was unimaginable. I won’t go into details, but it was bad.”
Neo shuddered. “I saw enough on my way here.”
“Communications were problematic, thanks to the bombing. It was bedlam. Rubble everywhere. Smoke. There were small fires burning. People were injured. Confused. Panicking. There were cries for help and screaming.” Keyno lowered his head. “Males were dying,” he said quietly. “Duran wanted to assist the survivors—”
“Of course he would,” Neo said. It would’ve been any Tah’Narian’s first instinct.
“But he also wanted to get to the war room. We needed to know the status on our spaceships.” Keyno winced. “But the devastation at the palace—help was required there too. A few of the royal guards managed to locate us. Others were working with the injured, but Duran kept getting sidetracked. There were so many of our people who were maimed. He couldn’t just abandon them. Plus, we’d received notification the Planetary Defense building had been attacked.”
“They attacked us while also attacking the palace,” Hamza confirmed.
“Unfortunately, that’s a tried-and-true battle strategy: distract, divide, and conquer.”
“Fuck them. They have not conquered us,” Hamza raged. “Not as long as there’s breath in my body.”
“Odd you should say that, because I believe that’s what the plan was,” Keyno said. “You see, before we could decide how to get to the war room, or even if we could, the first vertical lines appeared amongst the rubble. It did not look like how we transport,” Keyno added. “I had a bad feeling. The shields were down, we were vulnerable, and we had unknown intruders transporting in. The next thing I knew, there were many, many Ne Reynian females standing among the wreckage. And they were armed.”
“Fuck,” Neo snarled.
“We dove for cover as they opened fire. Every able-bodied Tah’Narian who had a weapon was soon in a firefight. As I said, our comms worked but were sporadic. Nevertheless, there were numerous reports of unauthorized female life-forms all over the palace who appeared to be questioning wounded or trapped Tah’Narians before executing them outright. What we saw verified that.”
Neo had an idea where Keyno was going with this. He hoped he was mistaken, but the way his stomach churned said he wasn’t.
“At first we assumed they were hunting our king. Bold move on their part—beaming in during a strike—but it was logical. There was mass confusion. While Malk, Gibor, and I exchanged fire with the invaders, one managed to shoot Duran. It was nothing more than a lucky shot.” Pain flashed across Keyno’s face. “Then, abruptly, they transported out.”
“I wonder why,” Neo muttered.
“I believe the Onfre arrived,” Keyno said. “But at the time, we didn’t know why they left, only that they did. While Hamza took time to mourn privately, I started collecting data and conducted what debriefings I could. I found out they were actively searching for white-headed males. Granted, they killed any male they found, but they were specifically looking for—”
“They were hunting the royal family,” Neo gasped.
“All males of the royal line have white hair.” Keyno’s ears were laid back against his head. “Yes, there are the tattoos on the neck, but only the white hair is inherited. Szin, of course, is the exception, and possibly his young, whose hair is brown like Szin’s.”
Neo shot a quick look at Hamza’s long white hair. Even though the tips were a soft lavender, there was no mistaking he was royalty.
“I truly believe the females were trying to wipe out the royal family as revenge for not only taking what they consider their property but also for blowing up a battleship of theirs, which, by the way, fired on a starship of ours first.” Keyno met Hamza’s gaze. “And I must ask for your forgiveness. We were outnumbered, Hamza. When Duran was murdered, I momentarily froze. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Malk fired, killing the female who shot Duran. I learned later she was also targeting me, but I failed my king, and I failed you.”
“Oh, bullshit! That’s patently untrue, and you know it. I know you, and I know you would’ve given your life for him. As would Gibor and Malk! From what you said, we’re damn lucky they didn’t kill you.”
Stunned, Neo’s gaze bounced between Hamza and Keyno. “It’s a miracle we only lost one royal.”
Hamza pushed off the couch and kneeled next to Keyno. “I know how close you and my dabba were. They massacred our family in front of you. In cold blood. Please, do not, not for a unit second, think you failed. I don’t believe that, and neither would Dabba.”
Keyno tugged Hamza to his feet, and then sank to his knees and bowed his head. “Thank you, my Highness, for your forgiveness. I’ll endeavor to do all I can to earn it.”
“Keyno—”
Keyno raised his head. “No, Hamza. You are our king now. It
’s time to take your rightful place.”
Hamza flinched.
Neo shifted uneasily as grief tightened Hamza’s features. But between one heartbeat and the next, the sorrow fled. Nothing but fierce determination showed in Hamza’s stance and on his face now. And hatred. It gleamed in his eyes.
“You’re right. No more will I deny who I was born to be.” Hamza straightened. “Thank you, Captain Shou, and I promise you, the Ne Reyn will know my wrath. Now, stand.”
Neo’s world tilted. This was not his loving, tender mate. The cruelty shining in Hamza’s eyes scared Neo to the very depths of his soul.
Keyno rose to his feet, bowed slightly at the waist, then straightened. “We stand with you, my king.”
“I would like to see my dabba, but I need to do it alone for now.” Hamza turned to Neo. “Would you mind remaining here with Jolak, in case he wakes?”
Neo swallowed. “I guess. But Hamza, are you sure? That’s going to be….” Hard and emotional—devastatingly so.
“Just for now. We’ll go together later, but I need this. Please, stay with my atat?” Hamza crossed to Neo and sat next to him on the couch. He took Neo’s hand, threading their fingers together. “I trust you above all others and—”
“Love, you know every Tah’Narian would defend Jolak with their very life.” Neo searched Hamza’s face. The coldness from a moment ago had retreated somewhat. It still disturbed Neo, but Hamza hadn’t totally shut himself off, thank all that was holy.
“I know, but it’s you here with him. You are my heart. My love. My everything, Neo. I need you to be here in case he wakes before I return. That way he won’t be alone, and I don’t know how to explain how important this is to me, but—”
“Then I will be here with him.” Neo slid his other hand behind Hamza’s neck and gently tugged him closer until their foreheads met. Hamza slumped against him. He understood Jolak was Hamza’s atat, and losing him would be more than Hamza could stand. It wasn’t rational thinking, but Neo wasn’t sure exactly how rational Hamza was right now. “I’ll take care of Jolak. I promise.”
“Thank you. Thank you. I can’t lose him too, Neo. I know he’s safe, and there are guards outside, and maybe I’m being silly, but—”
“I get it. I do. I want to be there for you, but if this is where you need me, then this is where I’ll be. I love you.”
“And I love you. I’ll be back soon.”
Neo let his hand slide from behind Hamza’s neck and watched his mate leave to say goodbye to his dabba.
A UNIT hour had passed, and there was no trace of Hamza. Neo had taken a quick shower and changed clothes, and now he paced. He understood what Hamza needed, but Neo’s gut said Hamza seeing his dabba alone wasn’t the best thing for his mate. Hamza was driving his loved ones away when what he needed to do was surround himself with their strength.
That expression in Hamza’s eyes when Keyno pledged to him scared Neo. The absolute loathing wasn’t something he was accustomed to seeing. Hamza had the very traits King Duran had—respect, loyalty, and decisiveness—but he could also be impetuous. And so damn hardheaded it made Neo’s own temper flare.
But Hamza was never cruel, so the coldness in his gaze troubled Neo.
Needing something to do, Neo opened the door to Jolak’s suite. Jolak still napped, so he shut it quietly. His stomach rumbled, and Neo wandered to the cramped kitchen area and ordered food. Standing at the modest kitchen table, he absently ate. Had Hamza eaten? He wished Hamza was here so he could ask, dammit.
There were a number of things he wanted to ask, like what was going on above-ground? There was so much damage, so many injuries, and his skills were needed, but here he was, doing nothing.
That wasn’t fair. He was here because Hamza had asked him to be, so he was doing something, but hell, he didn’t know how Dayo and Szin or their young were. How were Raiden, Takeo, Ti, and Colt handling this? What of Dale and Chad? Or, shit, Kia and Laken? Outside of what Keyno had told them, Neo knew nothing. He hadn’t even seen his own dabba and dad.
He finished eating and wandered into the living area. He collapsed on the couch. “Fuck, what am I doing? This isn’t about me. I didn’t lose my dabba. My whole life wasn’t just upended. I didn’t just become king because my dabba was murdered in cold blood.” He rubbed the nape of his neck, regretting that moment of selfishness. But dammit, someone could’ve at least commed him.
He barely finished that thought when a low tone echoed throughout the area. Elated that maybe he’d be told something finally, Neo jumped up, rushed to the door, and stabbed the wall plate granting permission for entrance. It slid open, and Neo’s breath caught. Low lighting from the hallway illuminated auburn hair, threaded through with gray now, and soft, big blue eyes bracketed by crow’s feet.
“Dad!” Relief flooded Neo. “Oh gods, Dad!”
John wrapped his arms around Neo’s waist and hugged him. “My….” John’s voice broke. “My young.”
Neo hugged him as hard as he could, making John grunt. He closed his eyes, and they started that stupid burning thing again, and shit, he was about to lose it there in front of the guards.
“Neo?” John rubbed his palms up and down Neo’s back. “I’m sorry. I wanted to be here sooner, but I also wanted to find—”
“Your dad’s turning red in the face, my friend. You, ah, might want to loosen your grip a bit.”
“Laken!” Neo gasped, opening his eyes. Giving his dad one last hug, he let go and reached for Laken. “How did I miss you standing there?” he demanded, pulling Laken into his embrace.
“I honestly have no idea. It’s not like you can’t hear when I’m around.” Laken smirked, the bells chiming sweetly in his hair as Neo lifted Laken off his feet.
“I am so glad to see you. So damn glad.” Neo lowered Laken back to the floor. More chimes caught his attention, and Neo peered past Laken. Kia stood next to John. “Hey, Kia. Sorry, I seemed to have missed you too. I’m glad you’re here, though.”
“We came as fast as we could.” Kia regarded the guards. “Shall we go inside?”
“Huh? Oh, sure.” Blushing, Neo squeezed Laken once more then ended the hug. “Sorry, I’m a little scattered.” Neo waved his hand, and the entrance reopened. “Please, come inside. Would anybody like a drink?”
“No thanks. We’ve all eaten,” John replied, perching on the couch, with Kia sitting next to him. Neo grabbed two of the kitchen chairs and carried them to the living area.
Laken settled onto one. “How are you doing?”
Neo sat in the last chair. “I’m fine,” he replied, waving the question away. “Have either of you heard anything? Dad? Is Dabba okay?”
“He is, I promise,” John said. “Things are in chaos, but we’re all okay.”
“More like controlled chaos,” Laken added.
“I’ve been told there’s an emergency command center—I guess you’d call it—set up below ground for now. Szin and Dayo, along with Raiden and Takeo, are still in the temporary birthing suite,” John said. “They’ve been informed about what occurred. They asked about you and Hamza.”
“I’ll try to go see them as soon as I can.” Neo rolled his neck, trying to make it pop. Maybe then the tension would ease.
There was so much to do. He fidgeted in his seat. He was glad John, Laken, and Kia had come to see him, but he needed to hear from Hamza. A little voice in his head kept insisting Hamza did not need to be alone right then. Gods, he was so torn. And helpless. He hated that more than anything.
Hopping up, he started pacing. His skin was too tight and, and…. “Gods. I want this unit day to be over.”
John tilted his head. “Neo?”
Neo collapsed into the other chair. That tilt of the head got him every time. He rested his elbows on his knees and buried his head in his hands. “Hamza lost his dabba. He’s grieving and pissed beyond anything I’ve ever seen, and he’s worried about Jolak, and… and now he’s king, and he has to deal with the fallout from t
hese multiple attacks, and holy shit, Dad, the things I saw on the way here were the stuff of nightmares, and I have no idea where he is or what he’s doing, and—”
“Neo?”
At the soft voice, Neo’s head jerked up. Jolak stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame.
“Shit.” How much had Jolak heard? Neo hurried over. How was he even awake?
The professional side of him quickly catalogued Jolak. Jolak’s face was red and blotchy. His eyes were bloodshot, and the eyelids were puffy. Neo reached for Jolak but paused, uncertain if Jolak wanted to be touched.
He tried to swallow around the lump in his throat when Jolak hurled himself at Neo. John and Kia hurried toward them. Jolak reached out and tugged them into a group hug, then waved at Laken to join them. Neo closed his eyes, holding Hamza’s atat close. Fuck, Hamza should be here.
He had no idea how much time passed before Jolak finally pulled back.
“Where’s… where’s Duran?” Jolak rubbed his eyes. “Is he…. I need to see him.”
“He’s ready now,” John said. “I came to see Neo, but I also wanted to check on you. Kia and Laken asked to join me.”
Jolak nodded. “Thank you both. I need my friends around me right now. Where’s Hamza? Why aren’t you with him, Neo?”
“He….” Neo had no idea what to say. “He asked me to remain here with you. He, um, also wanted to spend some time with Duran. Alone.”
Jolak frowned. “Always so independent, that young of mine. Being alone is not what he needs right now, though.”
If only Jolak knew. Neo didn’t say anything, though. Now was not the time.
“I want to see my mate. I also need to see my young.” Jolak’s posture straightened. “Comm Hamza and tell him to make the necessary arrangements, please. Also, alert the guards that we’ll be leaving momentarily. Give me ten unit minutes to wash my face and to get awake, then I’ll be ready.”
Neo scrutinized Jolak as he strode back to his room. This was the Jolak he grew up with: respectful but firm. Jolak asked nicely first, and if that didn’t work, then he’d take matters into his own hands. In other words, Jolak would damn well walk the halls until he found his mate, if necessary.
