by Ravyn Fyre
“Unfortunately, we might never find her. Which is another reason Adira’s punishment will be lenient. She’s well aware she made the wrong decision. If she had spoken to one of us, we might have been able to save her. We’ll never know, though, because she didn’t give us a chance,” Kalen replied, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.
“I could…” I began only to be cut off by Kalen’s growl. “Don’t you dare mention going back in time. You’ll never leave my side again!”
I smiled in response to his alphaness and replied, “I was going to say I could try and find her using Fansa’s gift. Trust me, after my last excursion; I don’t plan on going anywhere or anytime for that matter without you. Speaking of Fansa, what happened on that front? Did we capture Bastian?”
“Bastian escaped, but not before killing the doppelganger,” Kalen responded with a snarl.
“Did we lose anyone in the battle?” I asked quietly.
“There was loss on both sides today. However, nothing cut me as deep as Fansa and Clary’s betrayal. I’ve worked with them for centuries and had no clue they were plotting against me. I’ve yet to interrogate them,” Kalen answered with a frown.
“Well, maybe they’ll have similar stories to Adira?” I posed, hopefully.
“Those hopes shattered when they murdered a couple of the guards sent to apprehend them for questioning,” Kalen revealed with a far off look in his eyes.
“I see. I’m sorry, Kalen. We should talk to them. Maybe we’ll garner something useful. Something that will help us track down the Mengh that escaped or give us an idea of how they communicated with each other. Maybe we could intercept the communication or something,” I replied, scrambling to my knees.
“We will. Right now, we have something better to do with our time,” Kalen replied, pulling me into his chest.
I melted into him and took a deep breath. It felt like it was the first time I could breathe deeply since I went back in time. It would be so easy to sink into us and forget about everything for a while, but then I remembered what I overheard the Mengh say. With a deep sigh, I pulled back and told Kalen what I heard, “I know where we can find the Mengh.”
Kalen groaned. “You’re killing me, Jade. Alright, fine, you win, tell me what you know, and then I want you to forget about it for the rest of the night. Whatever it is can wait until the morning, but I won’t last much longer,” Kalen finished, stroking his cock slowly. Giving me no doubt of what was on his mind.
Biting my lip, I stared at his cock before I spoke, “They said if they weren’t successful in taking me with them, they’d capture me during the trials. From the sounds of it, they were working off of insider information.”
“Fuck!” Kalen roared, launching himself from the bed, and began pacing. “I knew your ability as a borrower would put you at risk, but I thought we’d have a few years before they started making threats against your life!”
I approached Kalen and placed a hand on his arm as he passed me. When he stopped and looked at me, I spoke, “They didn’t know I was a borrower. I mean, they probably do now, but that’s not what they wanted me for. I didn’t get a chance to find out the real reason, but they said it was because of my mother. I should have killed them before they had a chance to escape, but I wasn’t expecting that bitch to try and off you.”
“Glad you had your priorities straight!” Kalen replied with a slight smile before adding, “I wish you would have killed them too. I’d rather keep your gift a secret forever, but I know that’s not possible. We’ll add extra security and set a trap for them. With any luck, they haven’t reported you to their commanding officer.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to postpone or at least pretend to cancel the trials? I’d hate to lose a participant in the crosshairs of their plans,” I declared passionately.
“Do they know you were eavesdropping on them?” Kalen asked with a frown.
“No. Not that I know of. I liked the advantage it gave me. I never said anything that would lead the Mengh to believe I could hear them,” I replied, running my hands through my hair in thought.
“Then I think we should use that to our advantage. There are too many chances for our plans to leak if we pretend to cancel. I think they’ll get suspicious if we postpone. No, the safest bet is to move forward with the trials,” Kalen replied with a nod.
“I suppose you’re right. Does that mean we’ll be using me as bait?” I asked out loud, deep in thought.
Kalen flashed to my location and wrapped me in his arms before he growled, “Maybe I haven’t made myself clear? You will not be attending the trials in any capacity. There is no need for you to compete for a position in the army. Your position is next to me!”
I tilted my head back to look at him before I gave him a seductive smile and answered, “Show me.”
Epilogue
“Jaleal, I’d like you to pick someone you trust to lead the next mission. Let me know by the end of the meeting who your choice is,” Kalen announced from the head of the council table.
“Sir,” I replied from behind him.
“What is it Tanen,” Kalen replied, sparing me a glance over his shoulder.
“I’d like to volunteer,” I stated, swallowing the lump in my throat.
“Volunteer for what?” Kalen answered, swiveling in his seat to face me.
“To lead the mission, my lord,” I answered, unable to look him in the face. I kept my gaze on the wall behind him. With my hands behind my back, I waited for his response.
“Really? I thought you’d want to stick around. What with a new mate and all,” Kalen replied, pushing himself out of his chair to stand.
I met his gaze and replied, “Cynosis hasn’t exactly accepted our bond yet. She’s adamant about competing in the trials. So regardless if you let me lead this mission or not, I’ll be following after her!”
To be continued
In Cynosis and Tanen’s Story:
Siren’s Call