by Kelly A Nix
“Queen Sula Ru-Kai, the Camille Empire extends its appreciation for the formal invitation to attend the Gridiron viewing of Prince Truin, heir to the Ru-Kai crest. His Majesty, Emperor of the Camille Empire, regrets to inform you that he will be unable to attend due to the length of the event. He is sending, in his stead, a lady of the court as his representative. She will have a small entourage accompanying her. The emperor trusts that you will see to her every need and treat her in the same respect that you would treat him. The details of her arrival are included with this message.”
Solum stares at the holographic image in disbelief as it flickers out of existence. He plays it again to reassure himself that it’s real and that he didn’t misunderstand. When the light from the image disappears from his dark features, he gapes at Sula. She sits in his office chair with her legs crossed and back straight as though addressing the Crests of Kaji.
“You invited them to the viewing?” Solum asks.
“I did what was expected of me,” Sula says. She meets his accusatory glare with a snarl. “The Camille Empire is our ally. The emperor could have taken offense if I didn’t include him on the invitation list. How was I to know that he would accept?”
“But he did. He actually accepted it.” Solum sets the tablet on the desk and leans against it again, this time for support. “No Camille has left their planet’s atmosphere in our known history.”
“Until now,” Sula says. “The emperor is sending a Camille lady to stay as my guest for the length of the Royal Gridiron. She will also be present at the award ceremony afterward.”
Solum glances at his queen as her words hit home, and he asks a question to which he already knows the answer. “Do you think she is being sent to spy on us?”
“Most definitely. The question is, what does she already know?” Sula narrows her eyes. “I think it may be time for the other one to join us.”
Chapter 39
“You lied to me!” Atae points an accusatory finger at Schinn as she storms into the private training room. She marches toward him, and he retreats a few steps from her wrath. At first, he worries that Beast has seized control again, and he’ll be forced to contend with a feral Kaji. But her string of curses proves that Atae maintains control.
“No, I did what I was told,” Schinn says. “Where’s Jeqi?”
“Don’t change the subject. You lied to me. To Jeqi and me, I mean. You told me…us…whatever!”
Schinn steps closer to the irate hybrid and grasps her hands. “Atae.”
His tender voice abates the flame of her anger, and his nearness sucks the air from Atae’s lungs as her cheeks burn bright. But Beast reminds her counterpart of his treachery, and she rips her hands free of him. Atae steps away to free her mind of the endorphin-fueled haze that his presence incites within her body.
“You said that you heard us while you were in a recovery tank. That you overheard Jeqi and me while we were talking about my shifting ability. That’s not true, Schinn.”
Of course not. He lies.
Atae shakes her head at the memory of muffled voices right outside her tank after wrestling control back from Beast. She could barely hear Jeqi and Schinn when they stood right next to her tank. There’s no way Schinn could’ve overheard them from across the medical wing.
“You lied. You didn’t overhear us. Sloan told you, and you’ve been reporting to him and Prince Truin about me. How could you do that without telling me? You’re a liar. That’s why Beast doesn’t trust you,” Atae says. A sharp pain of betrayal digs deeper into her chest, and Beast coats her mind in an azure haze of concern with hopes of dampening the hurt.
“No,” Schinn says. “I mean yes, but only because I thought it was for the best. I didn’t think you’d trust me knowing that Sloan had sent me.”
Atae nods to acknowledge the rationale but sneers in distaste at the lie.
“You want to out me to my father. You know he’ll pull me from the tournament and the Gridiron if he finds out, and you still want Prince Truin to tell him anyway.”
“Yes, I think that’s the best option for you.”
“How dare you!”
“Atae, this isn’t fair to you. You deserve proper training. Solum can help you understand your ability in ways that I can’t.” Schinn throws his palms out, imploring her to listen. Atae scowls at him, and Beast applauds her.
“You don’t get to make that decision for me.”
“I’m trying to help you. Protect you. Sloan wants to use you in the Gridiron.”
“I know. Sloan may be incredibly annoying, but he’s been honest about his intentions. I wish I could say the same about you.”
“You trust Sloan over me?” Schinn says. “After everything I’ve done for you? I’ve helped you control your beast and kept you from turning feral.”
Beast bristles within a raging storm of red anger that fuels Atae’s fiery temper. Schinn grabs Atae’s arm when she turns to walk away from him.
“Don’t walk away from me. I’m trying to explain.”
“Explain what? That you think I’m weak and can’t handle my own shifting ability? I may not look it, but I am Kaji. I can handle anything my body was created to do. With or without your help,” Atae says. Beast echoes her words. “We are strong. We are Kaji.”
“I know that, Atae. You are skilled for your age, but no Kajian should go through their shifting phase alone.”
“I’m not alone. I have Jeqi to help me. Even Sloan has proven helpful. And I thought I had you in my corner too.”
The heartbroken expression on Atae’s face rips at Schinn. He reaches out for her, but she pulls away.
“I’m here, Atae,” he says. “I’m here for you.”
He is not worthy, Beast says. She prods her counterpart not to give in to his silent pleas for forgiveness. Atae shakes her head at Schinn.
“I have to go. I’m supposed to practice with the others today.”
“We only have a few days before the final round of the tournament, and you almost shifted yesterday in the arena. We need to practice control. I’ve freed my whole day to work with you,” Schinn says. His face twists into mild irritation, and guilt spears Atae.
“I’m sorry, I can’t. Not with you. Not now,” she says. “Beast and I are doing better. I think we came to an agreement during the last round. I’ll practice control with my pack.”
Atae shuffles to the exit, and Schinn watches her in silence. Before leaving, she glances back. Her fuchsia eyes meet his silver gaze, and a pain erupts in her chest at his look of abandonment.
“Let’s talk after the tournament, okay?” she says. His face brightens a fraction as he nods an agreement, and she offers a small smile, much to Beast’s dismay.
******
Later, inside a private training room, Jeqi, Atae, Marqee, and Sloan lie in a circle on their backs with their eyes closed. They all take slow, deep breaths almost in unison as Atae attempts to calm the churning waves within her. She tries to put her anger at Schinn behind her and focus on the task at hand, but the pain of his betrayal keeps digging into her heart. Beast swirls around her inner wound, leaving behind concerned azure particles. When the pain twists into anger, red rage burst from Beast to fuel Atae’s fury.
Atae fidgets with an audible sigh, and Sloan grumbles next to her, catching Beast’s attention. Her red anger deepens into a crimson need that sends shivers down Atae’s spine.
“That’s it. I’m done. This is stupid.” She jerks upright and shrugs at her pack.
“I agree,” Sloan says. He remains on the ground with his eyes closed. Jeqi ignores him as she shifts into a sitting position and stares at Atae with an admonishing frown.
“I thought meditating helped? This is one of Schinn’s exercises.”
“Well, Schinn is stupid too.”
“I agree,” Sloan says.
“Okay, it really creeps me out when you two agree on something,” Marqee says. He sits up too, flashing a good-natured smile and his adorable dimples. Ata
e is surprised to see Jeqi blush before she hides it behind a forced scoff.
“What’s going on? You’ve never had a problem with meditating before. You said it helped,” Jeqi says.
“Not today. I’d rather do something else. Anything else,” Atae says. Her memories of working alongside Schinn fuel her anger and, she jumps to her feet. “Actually, I know what I want to do. I want to fight.”
“Finally,” Sloan climbs to his feet. “Now, you’re talking my language.”
“You haven’t mastered control over Beast yet,” Jeqi says from the ground.
“I can’t concentrate on meditating right now. We are too wired,” Atae says.
“We?” Marqee asks.
“She means her and Beast,” Jeqi says.
“Sounds like you need to burn off some energy,” Sloan says. He steps away from the group to unsheathe his blade and waves a challenge at Atae to join him. “Let’s see what your shift can do.”
Atae and Beast smile together at the invitation, and Atae steps forward to accept. But she stops and twirls around when Jeqi protests.
“No.”
“Why not?” Atae asks with an echoing growl from Beast.
“Because you have yet to shift on command. It seems to me that every shift so far has been at Beast’s beckoning. Which means you are not in control.”
“I’m trying, Jeqi. You act like this is easy.”
“And right now, you’re acting like you don’t care,” Jeqi says. She jumps to her feet with a snarl, invading Atae’s space.
“As much fun as it would be to watch you two go at it, we have better things to do,” Sloan says. “Atae, your Beast is too dominant. You can’t control it.”
“What?” Jeqi says. Her tail thrashes as she glares at the dark heir.
Atae isn’t sure if her packmate is upset because Sloan is contradicting her, or because of the truth of his statement. Beast hums with a green pride, letting Atae know where she stands on the topic.
“How do you know that?” Atae asks.
“That she’s dominant or that you can’t control her?” Marqee says.
“Both, I guess.”
“I know she’s dominant because I saw her in the arena before the second round,” Sloan says.
“I remember that,” Atae frowns. “What were you doing?”
“Schinn thought Sloan’s beast would be more dominant than yours. He said having an alpha to follow could help you,” Marqee says. He motions to Sloan, who shrugs.
“Surprise, surprise. He was wrong.”
“So,” a gloating smile spreads across Atae’s lips. “Beast and I are more dominant than you and your beast?”
Sloan returns her teasing with a crooked grin. “I don’t know. Why don’t you try making me submit?”
Atae scoffs at the innuendo and ignores Beast’s eagerness. Jeqi, on the other hand, isn’t in a playful mood.
“Why do you think Atae won’t be able to control her beast? I know her dominance makes things difficult-”
“At her level, it makes it impossible,” Sloan says. “Constantly fighting for control slows down her reaction time and affects her concentration in battle. Never mind the mental exhaustion from that kind of warfare. It’s just not worth it.”
“So what do you suggest? That I just let Beast take control?”
“We can’t just let her go feral,” Jeqi says.
“No,” Sloan says. Fidgeting, he twirls his hilt in his hand as he explains. His tone is calm and nonchalant, but his gaze on Atae is stern and compelling. She can see the sincerity in his expression even as he tries to hide it. “No, you can never give your beast control because you’ll never get it back. Controlling your beast is like holding onto a long rope.”
“A rope?” Jeqi gapes at the dark heir, but Atae bumps her shoulder in warning, and the blonde snaps her mouth shut.
“Yeah, a rope. The tighter you hold it, the more control you have. If you loosen your grip on your control, the rope slips through your hand. It’s okay to slip a bit because it’s a pretty long rope. Hell, it’s long enough to play some pretty kinky games.” Sloan wags his eyebrows at Atae, and she huffs at him. “You can slip up. You can even drop the damn thing as long you’re quick to retrieve it. But every moment counts because once you reach the end of the rope, you’ve got nothing left to grab.”
“No rope, no control,” Marqee says.
“And you go feral,” Atae says. An unsettling anxiety bubbles inside her chest, and Beast watches it with curious eyes.
“That’s my theory. But I’m not Schinn, and I didn’t come from a family that specializes in shifting phases,” Sloan says sarcastically.
“No, your family specializes in killing,” Jeqi says. She sucks her cheek to hide her amusement and maintain her serious aura.
“Exactly, so let’s skip to the bloody part,” Sloan says. He flips his hilt into a firm grip with a flick of his wrist.
“No, wait. What am I supposed to do if I can’t control Beast?”
“Don’t,” Marqee says, and Atae scoffs at him.
“Don’t what?”
“Control her. Don’t bother.” Atae stares at Marqee with an exasperated expression and flips her hands out at him, demanding more.
“He means, use her, don’t control her. Work together,” Sloan says.
“That’s impossible. We’re too different. She thinks and feels the complete opposite of me.”
I am right. You are wrong, Beast says.
“There’s always something you can agree on, just one thing,” Sloan says. When Atae shakes her head, he continues. “How about fighting? You have to both like fighting.”
“We do, except she wants to kill everyone we fight. She doesn’t know how to hold back. That’s what’s so distracting in battle. I’m always fighting against her need to use fatal attacks.”
“But she’s dominant.” Jeqi’s face lights up with a new idea. “She’s dominant, so you need to redirect Beast’s instincts from killing your opponent to making them submit.”
“What? No one in the arena will want to submit to me. We’re competing against each other.”
“Exactly,” Marqee says. He grins in awe of Jeqi’s idea. “You’ll have to physically dominate by incapacitating them.”
“So, she’s fighting for dominance, not survival,” Sloan says. “Fine, let’s give it a shot.”
“You want me to make you submit?” Atae plants a hand against her hip and raises both eyebrows at the dark heir.
“No, I want you to try.”
Much to Atae’s surprise, Beast purrs at Sloan’s invitation and doesn’t lunge for control at the anticipation of a fight. The hybrid shrugs and steps away from Jeqi and Marqee to join Sloan deeper into the training room. She slips into a defensive stance and prepares for battle. As she watches Sloan do the same, calm slips over Atae, and Beast falls still. Together they analyze their opponent. Beast notes his offensive stance, and Atae finds the position of his energy blade telling. When Sloan attacks a moment later, Atae is ready.
A step before Sloan reaches her, Atae commands Beast to release her forearm blades. They erupt in time to deflect his long sword, and Atae smiles at their accomplishment. Sloan uses her hesitation and the momentum of her deflection to spin around with his elbow aimed at her nose. His elbow would’ve smashed into Atae’s face had Beast’s orange flash not warned her of his movement. Instead, the hybrid dodges low and slashes her unsheathed claws into Sloan’s ribs.
He groans but doesn’t slow as he twirls his sword around and toward Atae’s head. Again his hilt meets her forearm blades. This time, Sloan is quick to parry, then he slams his foot into her knee. She cries out as her joint shatters under his blow. Rolling to the ground, Atae digs her claws into Sloan’s thigh then dodges his retaliation. A moment later, the two younglings stand several arm lengths from each other, glaring. Atae favors her left leg as her knee swells, and a bruise encompasses the entire joint. Sloan grimaces with each painful breath as blood seeps from th
e wound over his ribs and his thigh. He raises his sword again, this time in defense, and Atae ignores the pain of her injury to press her attack.
Marqee and Jeqi stand on the sidelines, watching the other two younglings sword dance. Jeqi gapes at the difference in Atae’s fighting style. She doesn’t seem distracted by Beast’s presence anymore, and she’s far more aware of her surroundings. Even more than when they were all fighting the horde of clamox. When Atae dodges an incoming strike against her backside, Jeqi feels a twinge of jealousy for the advantage Beast offers Atae in battle, but she snuffs it out. Atae is pack, so any advantage she has helps Jeqi, too.
“It’s amazing what a little inspiration can do,” Marqee says. He watches the hybrid match the majority of Sloan’s sword movements. Atae manages to hold her own against the larger purebred, but he jumps on every minor mistake and dominates the match.
“That’s Atae for you. Sometimes it can take a while for a new idea or skill to click for her. But when it finally happens, she’s pretty amazing,” Jeqi says. Marqee glances at the blonde, enjoying the twinkle in her blue eyes as she smiles. His eyes dart away when Jeqi catches him watching her.
“It’s like the blind leading the blind out there with this whole beast thing,” Marqee says.
“You mean the fact that they both lack control?” Jeqi pauses with a hesitant glance at Sloan. “Does he realize what’s going to happen to him in the Gridiron?”
Marqee jerks his eyes back to her in surprise. It’s such a blunt question about a subject that Sloan continually evades. Finding the concern in her crystal gaze, Marqee answers with a grim frown.
“Yes, he knows.”
“Then, why is he doing it? He doesn’t have to enter. He doesn’t have to be a citizen.”
“He’s an heir to one of the crests. His family…it’s complicated. He has to compete. Besides, he wouldn’t abandon Truin. And I won’t abandon him.”
“Let’s hope he isn’t more harm than good,” Jeqi says.