by Adrian, Lara
Fuck. He’d had a bounty on his head for too long to register any kind of surprise at that news, but he never meant to pull the Order into his problems.
Zael swore under his breath. “Now that she knows I’m in D.C., don’t think she’ll hesitate to send her guards to try to collect me. They could be on their way even as we speak.”
“Then they’ll have a fight on their hands,” Lucan said. “We’re damned well not going to surrender you to Selene. As commander of the Order, my first priority is the protection of this location and everyone inside it. That includes you now, Zael.”
The conviction in Lucan’s statement moved him, but Zael shook his head. “I appreciate that, but I would never ask it of you.”
“You didn’t. I’m offering,” Lucan said. “You’re a friend to the Order. We protect our own.”
Zael smiled. He had his own warrior’s code, even if his blade and shield had once been bloodied in Selene’s name. He inclined his head at Lucan. “Because I feel likewise about the Order, I cannot stay. It will be better for everyone here—safer for all—if I go.”
All three warriors standing before him appeared ready to argue his decision, but instead of them answering, it was Brynne’s voice he heard behind him.
“Go where?”
He turned to face her. She stood there, looking drowsy and adorable in her untucked button-down and black pants that hugged her long legs. Her dark hair was a mass of bed-tossed waves that made his pulse kick with the urge to have her beneath him again.
Zael couldn’t couch his pleasure at seeing her, nor did he care if the rush of affection he felt was on display in his gaze for everyone in the room.
“To the colony,” he murmured in answer to her question, regret in each syllable. “I should go as soon as possible.”
The expression on her lovely face was one of confusion. And more than a trace of hurt. “You’re leaving.”
There was accusation in the words. A look of resignation creeping into her dark green eyes.
“Selene knows Zael is here,” Lucan informed her.
“How?” Brynne’s troubled gaze never left Zael. “What’s going on?”
“When I used my light in that alley earlier tonight, it broadcast my location to the realm.” He held out his hands, palms open to her. The light was absent now, but she still stared at him in dawning misery.
“Oh, my God. She found you because of me?”
He firmly shook his head. “My actions, Brynne. My decision.”
“She knows Zael is in D.C., and she knows he’s allied with the Order,” Lucan added. “She just overtook our computer systems to inform us that she expects us to turn him over to her.”
Brynne sucked in a shallow breath. “She’ll kill you.”
“Most certainly,” Zael agreed. But then, that had been the risk from the moment he first crossed the barrier that shielded the realm from the outside world.
It had been easier to accept that fact in the past, easier to disregard it. The thought of death took on new meaning when his heart still beat with the memory of Brynne tangled naked with him in his arms.
He wanted to draw her into his embrace and reassure her that if they separated now, it wouldn’t be forever. But he wasn’t certain he could make that promise to her. Not out loud. Selene drawing a line in the sand with the Order had changed everything.
Until the threat of war with her had been neutralized, so long as he was within Selene’s reach, Zael was a hazard to anyone close to him. Selene’s grudges knew no limits. Neither did her wrath.
“Selene can make all the demands she wants,” Lucan said. “She’s going to find out that the only thing she’ll get by pushing us into a corner is war.”
Darion made a derisive sound. “She’d better prepare herself for disappointment. I’d like nothing better than to deliver her defeat personally.”
Zael wanted to warn the tenacious Breed male that Selene was not an opponent who would go down easy. Before he was too eager to charge into battle against her, Darion Thorne would do well to remember that it had taken the combined efforts of several Ancients to bring Selene down the first time, and only because they were aided by sabotage, betrayal, and stolen otherworld technology.
But that was a conversation for another time.
Right now, all of Zael’s attention was rooted on Brynne. He watched her absorb all of this unpleasant news in silence. “I can’t stay now,” he told her gently. “I’ve already stayed too long.”
She didn’t reply. The tenderness they had shared a short while ago was still there in her eyes as she looked at him, but Zael also saw the beginnings of mistrust. Her dark lashes shuttered her gaze, as if she were already starting to withdraw from him.
“I have to go, Brynne.”
“Yes. Of course, you do.” She nodded crisply, refusing to meet his gaze. “I understand.”
No, he didn’t think she did. He knew her too well now to mistake her emotional retreat. He was far too familiar with her attempts to push against anything, or anyone, that might be able to hurt her. He felt that resistance from her now.
More than anything, he wanted to close the distance and offer her a proper explanation—at the very least, make her understand that his leaving didn’t diminish anything they’d shared. It didn’t lessen what he felt for her. If anything, it was only driving home to him just how much she meant to him.
In the corridor outside the tech lab came the commotion of approaching people. In moments, the room was filled with a cacophony of voices as most of the warriors and many of the Order’s women crowded into the room to hear what had happened.
After Lucan relayed his conversation with Selene, the Order’s leader turned to Zael. “Now more than ever we need to take steps to ensure that Selene does not amass any more power than she already possesses.”
Zael nodded. “We are in complete agreement on that.”
“And the colony?” Lucan prompted.
“What about them?”
“They also have one of the crystals. I will need their promise that if the time should come that Selene escalates this thing into war, the colony will pledge their crystal to us.”
Zael slowly shook his head. “That won’t happen, Lucan. As I told you, the colony’s crystal is their shield from the world outside—the same way Selene’s remaining one protects what’s left of the Atlantean realm. Without it in place, the colony—like Selene—is vulnerable to breach and attack. They will never give it up. For their own security, they can’t.”
“Then I will need their agreement that they will never surrender it to Selene either.”
“That much I can assure you,” Zael said.
Lucan didn’t look convinced. “I hope you’ll understand when I say that I need more than that to make me comfortable that the colony can be relied upon in this. I need their word, Zael, not just yours.”
“The colony wants peace as much as anyone. I have to believe the elders can be persuaded to give your their commitment that the crystal will never be given up to Selene.”
“Excellent,” Lucan announced. “I hope you’re right. We can make arrangements to leave for the colony as soon as you’re ready.”
“We?” Zael nearly choked at the suggestion, but it was obvious from the warrior’s determined expression that he had every expectation of making the trip with him. “Er, that’s not… Lucan, that will not be possible.”
A black brow arched in challenge. “I wasn’t asking, Zael.”
“I realize that. However, the colony does not permit outsiders. They never have. Most certainly not a member of the Order, and least of all the Order’s formidable Gen One leader.” Zael cleared his throat. “I’m afraid your reputation precedes you, Lucan.”
“They will have to make an exception.”
“They won’t. And if I try to bring you—or any Breed warrior—through the veil, the sentries on watch will have no choice but to kill us both.”
Lucan grunted. “They’ll die trying.�
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“With all due respect, my friend, you’re only proving the point.” Zael held the hard gray stare, knowing if the tables were turned, he’d likely be pressing the Order just as insistently. “The colony has survived this long because they’re hidden, protected by the crystal. I am the only one they allow to travel in and out, and that’s by special arrangement with the council elders. I won’t break that trust by bringing a warrior to their doorstep.” Zael shook his head. “I’m afraid I cannot accommodate you on this, Lucan, but I will do my best to present the Order’s case to the elders.”
“And if you are unable to convince the colony to ally with the Order? Granted, diplomacy has never been my strong suit, but I’d feel a hell of a lot more comfortable sending someone in to plead the case for us alongside you. Someone who can speak for the Order and represent the Breed as well.”
“Perhaps I should be the one to go with Zael,” Jordana suggested from where she stood with her mate, Nathan. “I’m part of both the Atlantean world and the Order’s now. Let me speak for both.”
“Not without me at your side,” Nathan said, his tone dark and protective. “No fucking way am I letting you near that place or any other Atlantean stronghold unless I can be there too. It was only a couple of weeks ago that Selene did her damnedest to take you from me. Never again.”
“Nathan is right,” Zael agreed. “And as an Atlantean, you would not be permitted to leave the colony if you did pass through the veil, Jordana. They would hold you for your own protection and theirs.”
“Then what about Brynne?” Tavia’s question drew the attention of everyone, though no one looked less enthused than Brynne herself.
Eyes widened in surprise, she glanced from the intrigued faces of the Order and their mates, to Zael. He could read the reluctance in her gaze.
She frowned at her sister. “Tavia, I… I don’t think that’s a good idea. I don’t imagine Zael would think so either.”
No, he didn’t, and for many reasons. Not the least of which being that, like Nathan with Jordana, he wanted to keep Brynne as far away from the front lines of the coming battle with Selene as possible too. She would be safest here with the Order. Even if leaving her behind was the last thing he wanted to do.
But Tavia didn’t give him or Brynne the chance to argue.
“Why not you, Brynne? Bringing a warrior from the Order is out of the question, but why not a diplomat who can also demonstrate to the colony that the Breed can be trusted as an ally if and when the time should come? Especially one that Zael can personally vouch for?”
As much as he wanted to reject the idea outright, he had to admit there was some merit in it. He could say all he wanted to attempt to convince his people to look at the Breed as something other than an enemy, but nothing would be so persuasive as meeting one of their kind and seeing that they had similar goals and desires for the world they inhabited.
Zael considered for longer than he should have. It was a bad idea, and he knew it. But as reluctant as he was to drag Brynne into the fray with him, the even less palatable option was leaving without her.
“All right,” he relented, catching Brynne’s reticent gaze. “But we don’t have much time. If you agree, then we can—and should—depart immediately.”
CHAPTER 26
From the moment Tavia suggested it, Brynne had her doubts about acting as the Order’s liaison with the Atlantean colony.
Those doubts hadn’t left her, even after she and Zael had departed on the Order’s jet out of D.C., headed for Athens, Greece, where a private car had picked them up and taken them to a small Mediterranean port and a fully equipped sailing yacht that waited at the dock for their arrival.
Zael hadn’t told anyone precisely where the colony was located. That was a secret he intended to keep, even from her. And since he couldn’t teleport with a non-Atlantean accompanying him, they had to travel there by more mundane means.
Although mundane was hardly how she would describe the billowing white sails and the endless, impossibly blue water that surrounded them on every side of the boat as it cut through the waves with Zael standing at the helm.
For what seemed like endless hours, they had sailed straight into the open sea. By Brynne’s estimation, at the clip they were going, they should have been able to spot the shoreline of the African continent any minute now.
Should have…but didn’t.
She ventured out from beneath the shade of the bimini where she sat near Zael and peered at the horizon ahead of them.
No land in sight.
Nothing but turquoise water as far as she could see. And a thick, fluffy cloud bank that clung to the horizon. One they seemed to have been chasing for a good part of the day.
Finding no landmarks to gauge their progress, she ducked back under the canopy, glad for the shelter from the sun’s rays. Even though she was a daywalker, the idea of lingering in open sunlight for long periods of time went against her nature.
She glanced at Zael, who was looking far too enticing as he stood behind the ship’s wheel in his white tunic and linen pants. When they’d arrived on the sailboat, Brynne had found similar clothing in her size pressed and waiting for her. She toyed idly with the string that laced the front of her top.
“We must be getting close…to somewhere?”
The trace of a smile edged Zael’s sensual mouth. “We are.”
“You don’t need a map or anything to stay on course?”
“There’s no map that will take us where we need to go.” He slid a wry glance at her, blue eyes the same brilliant hue as the sea now glimmering with droll humor. “You’ll just have to trust me not to lead you astray.”
She met his look with an arch of her brows. “Seems to me you’ve been trying to lead me astray from the first moment we met. I’m surprised you didn’t blindfold me as soon as we landed in Athens.”
He grunted, his gaze heating. “An interesting option. I wish I’d thought of that.”
She laughed, even as her veins throbbed in answer to his playful suggestion. It was good to see some of his tension ease. Since they’d left to begin this journey, he’d been uncharacteristically quiet—more contemplative than she’d ever seen him. No doubt his thoughts were distant, his worries more onerous than she could ever comprehend.
Compounded by the fact that he was saddled with unwanted company on this journey, which might mean neither one of them would be welcome at their mysterious destination.
“I shouldn’t be here, Zael.”
She had seen his reaction when Tavia first suggested the idea. He hadn’t like it any more than Brynne had. If not for being pressured by his alliance with Lucan and the Order, she had no doubt that Zael would have returned to his people alone. Possibly for good.
Instead, he was taking an enormous risk with the bond he had to his own kind by bringing a member of their enemy’s race into their midst. Especially after he’d personally witnessed her at her monstrous worst.
“It’s my fault any of this is happening in the first place,” she added. “If you hadn’t used your power to help me, Selene never would’ve known where you were.”
His brows drew together. “None of this is your fault. I knew what I was doing. I’d do again, if it meant the difference between my safety and yours. As for Selene, she put a target on my back a long time ago. If I let fear of that fact dictate how I choose to live, I may as well lie down and let her finish me now.”
Brynne couldn’t help but admire his courage. She liked to think that she was brave too—a survivor—but her fears had colored every aspect of her life. Fear had kept her isolated and shut off from the people around her. Fear had kept her alone…lonely.
Until Zael.
“Thank you,” she murmured, emotion swelling in her breast as she looked at him, this man who had drawn her out of the shadows of her existence and into the light.
His light.
She swallowed against the affection that clogged her throat as she held his unwavering gaz
e. “Thank you for helping me, Zael. And I don’t mean just last night in that alley.”
His mouth curved as he reached out to her and brought her under the shelter of his strong arm. He kissed the top of her head, his heartbeat thundering against her ear as she rested her cheek against him.
He held there for a long while, one arm on the wheel of the sailboat, the other wrapped comfortingly around her shoulders. Brynne couldn’t deny her contentment, the perfect moments of bliss, as they stood together at the helm while the boat rocked over the waves, still chasing that frothy white mass of clouds near the horizon.
But for all of his warmth with her, there was an undercurrent of tension in the sinew of his body. Something troubled him. She felt it even before he spoke.
“When we get to the colony, Brynne, it will be better if no one knows that we’re involved.” When she drew back to look at him, she found his expression grave with warning. “They will not understand.”
“You mean they won’t approve.”
He acknowledged with a slight nod. “Bringing you in as an envoy of the Order is asking much of them to begin with. If they think I’m motivated by my feelings for you, they may be less apt to hear us out.”
“Of course,” she answered, nodding as if she didn’t feel the pang of hurt inside. Perhaps she needed the reminder that he was only bringing her to his people in an official capacity, and nothing more. Better she understand that now, before her heart flitted off any further into fantasies of what it would be like to feel this man at her side for always, not just a few pleasurable hours.
She and Zael came from different worlds; she knew that. Selene’s personally delivered threat had driven that point home with stark clarity.
But hearing him remind her that she didn’t belong with his people—that she shouldn’t expect them to accept her, and particularly not if she arrived there on the arm of one of their own—made all of the contentment she’d felt moments ago dry up and scatter on the warm breeze that blew in off the water.