“I know. But as I said, I no longer have an inside source.”
Sara’s brows arched. “Maybe you should do something about that.”
Lily ignored her. Until Arton emerged from his self-imposed isolation, there wasn’t much anyone could do about the limbo in which he’d left her. “Hopefully, Skyla will train another Ghost Guide, or three, and we can speed everything up.”
“It’s so weird. You had me convinced the Ghost Guide wasn’t real and then she just shows up one day. And now you’re a true believer.”
“Have you met her?”
“Madame Lux.” Sara shivered. “I’m not sure I want to. What I’ve heard about her is pretty scary.”
“She’s a sweetheart,” Lily objected. “You don’t need to be afraid of her.” Lily had spent most of her midday breaks with Skyla since her fight with Arton. Skyla was warm and charming, extremely easy to like.
“Is she as powerful as they say?” Sara uncrossed her legs and scooted to the edge of her bunk. “For that matter, is Arton?”
Lily’s mind link with Arton, even though it had been brief, had given her a damn good idea of his power. “They’re both extremely powerful. But—”
“They only use their powers for good?” Sara laughed. “Couldn’t resist. I can’t trust your opinion of either of them. You’re in love with one and the other will likely be your mother-in-law one day.”
Lily smiled at Sara’s optimism, but uncertainty still simmered inside her. Locking horns with Arton had revealed his stubbornness. Nothing she could do would make him reconsider his position unless at least part of him was open to the change.
MUCH LATER THAT NIGHT, Arton tossed in his lonely bed, missing Lily more with every breath he inhaled. Her image refused to leave his mind. Even meditation made him ache for her softness and the warmth of her gentle smile. He never should have touched her, never should have tortured himself with a taste of what could never be. He loved her, had loved her from the first moment he saw her, which made him even more determined to free her so she could pursue the sort of life she deserved. The sort of life he couldn’t give her.
He drifted in a half-sleep, somewhere between troubled dreams and taunting fantasies. Warmth touched his face, flaring and receding like the heat from a fire. Something soft and ticklish eased between his toes. The sensation was so strange that he wiggled his feet, trying to identify the cause. He looked down and found himself standing on a large, gray fur.
“Greetings, stranger. Do you have a name?”
Shocked and confused, he snapped his gaze upward and stared into the crystalline eyes of his dream elf. She sat in a tall-backed chair, pearlescent hair flowing over her shoulders. Her bed chamber gradually came into focus around him, massive fireplace at his back, bed on a dais to his right.
“Arton the Heretic,” he answered automatically, feeling compelled to provide the information. This wasn’t a dream meld, at least not the sort he instigated. He was awake. He could still sense his body lying in bed. And yet he was here, in her private bower as well.
“I am Isolaund Farr of the Sarronti.” She pushed to her feet and approached him, her stride slow yet assured. “This planet belongs to the Sarronti. You are trespassing. Pack up your ships and leave.”
“No one will believe me. All of our scans indicate this planet is uninhabited. Where are you? Can you appear to my overlord?”
“I’ve tried. Your mind is the only one open to me.” Her head tilted, making the muted colors in her hair swirl hypnotically. “What is your homeworld? Why have you come to mine?”
“We hail from more than one planet,” he explained, frantically searching his mind for her point of entry. How had she gotten past his shields? Even now, he couldn’t sense her. He could see her, hear her voice, feel the heat of her fire and smell the smoke. Yet there was no trace of an intruder in his mind. It didn’t make sense. “I’m Rodyte. My homeworld is Rodymia.”
Her shimmering gaze narrowed as she studied him. “I’ve never heard of it. And your female? Is she Rodyte like you?”
“I have no female.” Not anymore.
She scoffed, her hair whipping out as she spun around and returned to her throne-like chair. “It didn’t seem so the other day when my battle cats tried to capture her for me.”
Fury swept into his mind, burning away his curiosity and concern. “It was you that day in the trees. Why did you attack my mate?”
“I didn’t attack her. My battle cats were told to fetch not harm. One misjudged his bite and he was punished.”
“Fetch her for what purpose? What did you want with my female?” He clenched his fists taking a step closer.
“I wanted to get your attention. The situation veered off course unexpectedly, but it sounds like I succeeded.” She made a dismissive motion with her hand and the firelight gleamed off her long, pointed fingernails. “I know she’s fine, so temper down the indignation.” She crossed her legs, pressing back into the chair. “Besides, I thought you didn’t have a mate. Not anymore.”
Her mocking tone warned him that she’d effortlessly read his mind. Her dwelling had to be nearby. Her battle cats harassed their guards on a regular basis. Unless she had a way of transporting them from some distant shore, but why feel so threatened by the Outcasts if her people lived on the other side of the planet?
“The females in your camp look slightly different from the males,” she went on. “Are they a different species?”
Why did she care if all she wanted was their departure? Maybe if he answered some of her questions, she’d answer some of his. “Our females are human. Their homeworld is—”
“Earth.” She hissed, sounding like one of her battle cats. “We know it well. Humans are vile, deceitful beings.”
If she’d been to Earth, why hadn’t she recognized the appearance of the females? “Have you ever been to Earth?”
“I’m asking the questions, Arton the Heretic. We are reasonable, but we will not be ignored. How long will it take for you to dismantle that monstrosity by the river?”
“We have no intention of leaving this place. If you’re serious about wanting us gone, come see us in person.” He made the suggestion as challenging as possible.
“You have thirty days. If I show up in person, pretty boy, I will have an army at my back!”
Chapter Eleven
Arton clasped his hands behind his back, afraid he’d punch his best friend squarely in the face if he didn’t see reason soon. “It was no empty threat, Kage. The Sarronti will attack if we don’t relocate. The other planet was—”
“I am not abandoning an uninhabited planet because you had a bad dream!” Kage seldom raised his voice, but he was shouting now, had been shouting for the past ten minutes. They stood in the living room of Kage’s cabin, both too wound up to sit.
“There is no other choice,” Arton insisted.
“I need proof.” Kage snarled then shook his head. “You said this wasn’t a vision, that your abilities didn’t engage.”
“It wasn’t. I don’t know how she did it.” He shrugged, hoping his calm would deescalate Kage. “Maybe Skyla can explain how it was done.”
“Has Skyla seen the elf witch too?”
Arton sighed. This was the first time in recent years Kage doubted Arton’s visions. But then, as Kage said, Arton’s experience hadn’t been a vision. Not even a dream really. How could he expect the overlord to accept what he was saying when he couldn’t even define what had taken place?
“Isolaund has appeared to no one but me. Lily saw her that day in the forest. Does that help my credibility?” His credibility shouldn’t need help. His warnings and advice had guided Kage for two decades.
“You think the cloaked figure Lily saw was this elf witch?” Kage managed not to sound dubious, but Arton still sensed his doubt.
“Isolaund admitted as much. She ordered her battle cats to capture Lily and bring her into the woods, but one of them bit too hard and Lily was hurt.”
“The
elf told you all of this?” And his skepticism bled through in his tone.
“Yes, sir.” Arton ground out the title between clenched teeth. They should be packing up the ships, preparing for departure! “I wasn’t dreaming and I have no reason to lie. I want a home of my own as much as anyone.”
“Then why have you rejected your female?” Kage lashed out unexpectedly.
Arton just glared at him. What transpired between him and Lily was no else’s business. He would not justify his decisions concerning her to anyone.
“I’ll double the perimeter guards and we’ll start fortifying the Wheel. Without tangible proof to explain my actions, that’s the best I can do.”
Preparing for a war they could easily avoid made no sense to Arton. Still, he understood Kage’s position. The Outcasts were starting to settle into a routine. They’d established boundaries and made their surroundings functional, if not yet comfortable. If Kage uprooted everyone without tangible proof that his actions were justified, one of the warlords would challenge his right to rule. And the consequences of that could be disastrous.
“Understood,” Arton grumbled and turned toward the door. “I’ll keep searching for evidence.”
“Back to Lily.” The harsh snap in Kage’s tone brought Arton to an abrupt halt. “Stop avoiding her. That’s an order.”
Slowly Arton turned around. The overlord had no right to interfere in his personal life, and his best friend couldn’t issue orders. “I’m not avoiding her. Our affair is over. It’s as simple as that. End of story.”
“Bullshit. You think she’s too good for you and it’s really pissing me off.”
Arton glanced at Kage, then away, unable to bear the compassion in his friend’s dark stare.
“How many times do I have to say it?” Kage asked. “You did nothing wrong.”
Arton swallowed awkwardly as he turned his head back around. “I’ve killed hundreds of people and reveled in the violence.”
“Wiping out enemies within the context of war is not murder. As for enjoying it.” Kage shrugged. “It’s a risk for every soldier. Battle creates a powerful rush that can become addictive.”
“I also forced those girls to—”
“You kept them alive long enough to be rescued! A rescue you arranged at great risk to yourself.” Kage’s compassion was now tinged with an intensity that kept Arton from looking away. “If you hadn’t fucked them, each one would be dead. Harbingers don’t make idle threats. They would have killed the females one by one and forced you to watch them die. I’ve seen a whole lot more than you wanted me to see.”
Arton said nothing. His throat was too tight to speak.
“Knock this shit off and go claim Lily. You’ve tortured her long enough.”
“I’m not torturing her,” Arton finally found his voice again. “I’m freeing her to find happiness with—”
“She won’t be happy with anyone but you. Stop lying to yourself!”
“Stop interrupting me!”
Kage crossed his arms over his chest, his glare now as heated as Arton’s. “If I thought for one instant I could make her happy, I’d beat the shit out of you and go claim her myself.”
The barb found its mark, sending surges of possessive fury twisting through him. “Stay away from her!”
“Why? You don’t want her.”
Unwilling to make this physical, and relatively sure Kage would win that sort of fight, Arton just clenched his teeth again and continued to glare.
“Are you really going to make me do this?”
He thought Kage meant beating the shit out of him, but suddenly he felt a stinging pressure inside his mind. “What are you doing?”
“Severing the anchor bond,” he snarled, stalking toward him with menacing purpose. “I will not be linked with a selfish asshole!”
Pain stabbed into Arton’s brain and he screamed, clutching his head with both hands. “Stop it! You can’t...” He screamed again as the pain intensified, tearing, burning, ripping through his head and down his spine. “I have to...”
With stunning strength and determination, Kage did the impossible. Suddenly their connection, a link that had thrived for twenty-three years split in two, leaving Arton emotionally savaged. His knees buckled and his stomach heaved. He stared up at Kage, tears of pain and disbelief escaping the corners of his eyes. “Why?”
“You’re blowing it,” he said simply, as if that explained everything. “You should be linked with Lily, but you’re too damn stubborn to admit it. Only something drastic is going to force you to see what everyone else on this planet can see. Now stop fucking around and go claim your mate. I’ve had it with you today.” Then he picked Arton up by the back of his shirt and the waistband of his jeans and literally threw him out of the cabin. “Don’t speak to me again until you’ve claimed her!”
And then the cabin door slid shut in Arton’s face.
Stunned and horrified, Arton just knelt there for long pain-blurred moments. What in hells’ outer rings just happened? His brain pulsed and his psyche felt ravaged. But more than the pain and disorientation was a horrible sense of isolation. He was alone, truly alone, for the first time in twenty years.
Why would Kage do this to him?
You should be linked with Lily, but you’re too damn stubborn to admit it. Kage’s angry words echoed, providing a harsh reminder of his motivation.
Was Kage right? Would she never find happiness unless he claimed her?
But he was so dark, so jaded, so moody.
She enjoys your darkness and she’s often the only one who can pull you out of one of your moods. Suddenly his inner voice sounded just like Kage. As for jaded? Aren’t we all?
Arton glanced at the door as he staggered back to his feet. There were a million reasons he wanted to be with Lily, but what did Lily gain by saddling herself with him?
A man who loves her and will always protect her, even from himself. At least his inner voice sounded like him again. But she doesn’t want to be protected from you. She wants you, and only you.
He closed his eyes and leaned his back again the wall. His legs still trembled.
If she truly wanted him as much as he wanted her, why should he deny her?
Kage’s door suddenly opened and Arton forced his lids apart.
“Can you walk?” the overlord asked, his expression all business.
Arton nodded.
“Then follow. We’ve got another visitor.”
Being able to walk and match the overlord’s hurried stride were two different things. Each jogging step jarred Arton’s head and pain ricocheted through his body. “Go on.” He waved Kage forward. “I’ll catch up.”
“On the river side,” he pointed in the general direction but kept on jogging.
Arton slowed his pace, allowing his mind a few more minutes to recover. He concentrated on his breathing as he walked, hurrying as much as he dared. He stepped into one of the central lifts and muttered, “Deck one.” The elevator sank with a smooth motion and he pinched the bridge of his nose, eyes squeezed shut against the throbbing pain.
The lift stopped much too soon to have reached deck one, so he opened his eyes to see why. Skyla and Lily joined him in the elevator and he couldn’t help but laugh. “The universe is out to get me today,” he muttered, resuming his earlier pose.
“Nice to see you too, dear,” Skyla said, sounding amused rather than annoyed. “Is something wrong? You look terrible.”
“Headache.”
Without asking permission, she gently touched the side of his face. Warm, tingling energy pulsed into his brain, immediately soothing the worst of the pain. “Did Kage—”
“Yes,” he said before she revealed the nature of his injury to Lily. The last thing he wanted was her pity. “Do you happen to know the identity of our visitor?” He blinked repeatedly, then looked at Skyla.
“I’m not sure how, but your father has located me.” The lift door slid open and she rushed out into the commons on deck one.
“I won’t let him cause trouble. I promise.”
He lightly caught Lily’s arm before she could get away. “We need to talk.”
She licked her lips, then raised her gaze. “Are you sure you’re ready? I can’t take much more of this.”
“I know, and I’m sorry.” He sighed and motioned toward the front of the ship. “This won’t wait, but I’m ready to resolve our issues for good.”
“So am I.” Still she twisted her arm out of his grasp and hurried after Skyla.
Did that mean she was ready to forgive him or escort him to hells’ coldest ring?
He took a deep breath and hustled toward the disruption. One calamity at a time.
Kryton’s sleek fighter, at least four times the size of Skyla’s long-range shuttle, hovered over the river. The ship’s subtle vibration created ripples on the glassy water and external lights shone out into the darkness, creating an eerie glow around the ship. People streamed out of the Wheel, curious and alarmed. All the Outcasts were brandishing weapons, while the females approached with much more caution.
Kryton bio-streamed to the ground, surrounded by six of his guards. He wore body armor, as any good soldier would. But his head was bare, a telling indication that he didn’t feel threatened by the situation.
Outcasts rushed forward, ready to confront the intruders. Kage raised his arm and made a fist, halting the would-be assault.
Ignoring everyone else, Kryton strode directly to his mate. His gloved hands wrapped around her upper arms and he yanked her up, nearly off her feet. “Have you been harmed in anyway, or was this folly of your own making?”
“My eldest son needed my assistance, so I—”
He swept her into his arms and kissed her into silence. “You scared me to death, female. Do not do it again!”
“I was never in any danger. I just didn’t trust you not to tell Sedrik how to find this place.” She paused until he returned her feet fully to the ground. “Have you tattled on me? Are battle born forces on their way?”
“Not yet, but I may yet change my mind.”
Arton watched the loving banter between Kryton and his war bride turned mate. Their continual teasing and their obvious love for each other had fascinated him during his months in their household. Apparently, their relationship hadn’t weakened in three decades. The realization filled him with wonder, and hope.
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