Off Balance

by Aileen Erin

  Amihanna was safe.

  Amihanna was safe.

  I kept telling myself that, but it wasn’t quite sinking in. I was terrified of losing her. The years apart had been long and hard and I’d barely gotten through them. If Rysden hadn’t hauled me to his estate seven years ago and beat some sense into me, I probably wouldn’t have survived. For thirteen years, I’d been driven crazy by the wraiths of Amihanna’s terror that chased me across light-years of space. It was my job to balance her. To protect. To love.

  But I couldn’t find her. I couldn’t get to her. I couldn’t fix it for her, and it had driven me mad.

  But she was here now. She was safe. I couldn’t get her back now just to lose her all over again.

  Eshrin took her out of the estate through the tunnels, and they were safe in our secret bunker. The one only our elite royal guards knew about. I knew she was probably mad at me for hiding her away, but I didn’t care.

  I had to do everything I could to protect her. It was my job.

  Being her shalshasa meant that I’d felt her fear when the bomb went off. I could feel her seething anger now, but I could also feel that her fao’ana weren’t active. Which meant I had time. Time to figure out how in the name of the Goddess a bomb was not only allowed through our gates, but was placed on Amihanna’s bedside table.

  I needed patience and clarity of mind to figure out how this happened, but I had neither. My fao’ana wanted blood to pay for this.

  I stood in front of the supervisor for each of the security teams—front gates, perimeter, each floor, and every other specialist on our team, plus Solan, the head of security for the estate. It might not look like every inch in the estate was monitored, but it was. Not the bedrooms or bathrooms, but the hallways. The exterior of every window. The doors. Every entrance and exit.

  Rysden had always been a target. As the next in line for the throne, I was also a target. But Amihanna’s return had been controversial, especially since I refused to cancel our betrothal. We’d received more threats in the past three weeks than we had in the thirteen years she’d been gone. I hadn’t told her about any of them, which might have been a mistake, but she was having a hard enough time. She didn’t need to know how dangerous it really was for her, when she was struggling to release the thirteen years of fear and panic.

  But I told her to put herself out there. I told her to go to that tournament and show them who Amihanna was. I’d made her a bigger target, and now someone had blown up her room.

  This was my fault.

  My fault.

  I’d never before been as scared as I’d been this morning. The seconds that passed between the bomb going off and being informed that she was alive in the gym had felt like the longest in my life, but she was safe.

  My fao’ana started flickering again, and I took a breath.

  Amihanna was safe.

  I raked my fingers through my hair and closed my eyes. I had to breathe. I needed control. There were no enemies in this room that needed killing. At least none that I knew of yet. But I had to find who did this. Quickly. Because I couldn’t keep Amihanna locked up in our bunker forever, no matter how much I wanted to.

  This was the first attack. This was the start. This would open up the gates to more if I didn’t punish those responsible within the next few hours. I could see the pieces falling into place. The different paths that were forming right now. The High Priestess warned me about this, and now it was happening.

  I was days away from getting the throne, and if I wasn’t careful, I’d face a war on two fronts. At home and against SpaceTech.

  The fact that my fated match might cause a civil war made me want to abandon them all, but I couldn’t. And yet, a lot of people were having a lot of opinions about who I should or shouldn’t marry. They didn’t understand that I didn’t care what they thought. If I ruled, then I ruled. I wouldn’t make decisions via committee. Especially not about this.

  The only person I would ever marry was Amihanna.

  I just had to convince her. Which would be a hell of a lot easier if she’d just talk to me.

  She had been getting better, but last night had been the worst since she’d been back. Something was bothering her, but she wasn’t telling me. If she did, I would fix it. Whatever it was, I’d make it better. I’d convince her that it didn’t matter. But I had to know what to fix or who to kill.

  My fao’ana flickered again.

  I took a breath. There was no one here to kill.

  Not yet.

  I didn’t want to be in this room with its control center of desks and monitoring screens, but someone in this room knew something. I wasn’t leaving until I had at least one tiny bit of information.

  The main security room was kept purposefully dim to properly see each square that made up the large vid screen in the front of the room. The teams were still seated at their desks, eyes glued to the monitors in front of them or the screen behind us, but they would patiently listen to every word that I was about to say to their bosses.

  I paced in front of the nearly dozen heads of security, before pausing to face them. “Explain how this happened.” My words were calm and cool, but every single person in this room had seen my fao’ana flicker as I spoke. They knew I was close to losing control.

  I used the breathing technique to settle myself before speaking again. “Each of you knows everything that happens on the premises. Your job is to watch the comings and goings and anticipate any breach of security. What went wrong today? How was this bomb not detected before it even arrived at our gates? Who let it through? Who placed it in her room?”

  I scanned the faces in front of me. Damned if any of them were giving a clue that they knew anything. I couldn’t promise them that I’d keep them from the consequences of a screw-up this big—even though Amihanna was fine—but I knew no one in this room was directly responsible.

  Everyone on the security staff knew that she hadn’t been sleeping in that room. Everyone knew she’d been in the gym for the last few hours, and usually, she was there much earlier. Which meant whoever tried to kill her didn’t have access or knowledge of her actual schedule.

  That was the one bright light in this whole mess. It couldn’t have been someone in this room that tried to kill her. The security staff knew where Amihanna was at all hours. That was their job. To keep her safe they had to know where she was at all times. They were all very familiar with her routine.

  But someone in here screwed up.

  Someone had let a bomb slip by.

  That couldn’t have happened if we didn’t have a traitor on staff somewhere on the estate.

  “One of you knows something. However small it might be, I have to know—”

  “Apologies for staying quiet while I made sure, Your Highness. But it was Seri.” A small voice came from the desks behind me. “I’m sure of it now.”

  Seri? Whoever said that had to be mistaken. I’d dated Seri off and on for years, but I broke up with her the second I got the phone call that Declan found Amihanna and was heading to Earth to get her.

  Before I even spoke to Seri, I revoked her access to the estate. Everyone on staff knew she wasn’t supposed to be on the premises without approval or invitation. I’d been annoyed but not surprised that she’d managed to gain an invitation to the estate when my father was here for dinner, but she had no reason to come back since then.

  I looked at Solan. He was nearly as tall as me, with the same long dark hair, but Solan’s eyes were a stormy green-gray. His long hair was tidy despite being woken from bed for this meeting. He’d been on call during the night shift. “Seri was here for about ten minutes yesterday.”

  My jaw ticced as I forced myself to bite back words that I might regret. Instead, I turned to the desks behind me.

  A woman raised her hand as she stood. “I’m Piola, Your Highness. I’ve been tasked to follow a number of regular guests while on the premises, including Seri di Sopoyan.”

  “Tell me what you know.” />
  She blinked a few times, and I realized I didn’t recognize her name. Her skin wasn’t lighting with nerves, and that was saying something. If I didn’t recognize her name, then this was the first time she was speaking to me. Most people found me intimidating, but I didn’t mean to be. It was the title, not me.

  “Seri showed up here yesterday during your usual dinner hour and seemed nervous. I didn’t think anything of it because of your…separation. But she came to speak to one of the housekeepers about something she left in your rooms. She was scanned and allowed entry into the estate to retrieve an heirloom necklace that she thought might be in your suite. She was told to wait in one of the receiving rooms. One of your housemaids entered your suite and retrieved the necklace, which was exactly where she said it was. She handed a small package to the housemaid—what I thought must’ve been a thank-you tip—and then left. I wouldn’t have thought anything of it, but after I heard what she said about Amihanna on the news this morning and then the explosion…I decided to take a closer look at the exchange.”

  “Show me.” I had to see if this was true. I needed to see it with my own eyes.

  “Bytan here—” She motioned to the man at her right. “—is compiling the relevant video footage now for playback. He tracked that same housemaid to Amihanna’s rooms. Which isn’t on her list of duties. She entered with the package and left without it.”

  “Which housemaid?” I knew some of them, but it was impossible to know every one. The estate was large and had an equally large staff to maintain it.

  “Almya ni Morie, Your Highness. She’s the housemaid you need to speak with, but it was Seri di Sopoyan who brought the bomb into the estate. I’m not sure how because—with her revoked status—she went through the proper screening, but I’m sure it was her.”

  Was I really so wrong about Seri? She wasn’t an assassin or an extremist. Not that I ever really talked about politics with her. She would take whatever I was willing to give and asked for nothing more. Unlike some of the others who started planning weddings after one night together. That was why our relationship lasted for as long as it did when the rest were just a night here or there.

  “Your Highness, I have the footage ready for playback now,” Bytan said.

  “Please.” Solan came to stand beside me while we watched the large vidscreen.

  I crossed my arms as I watched Seri gain access through the gates. She mentioned a necklace. She was scanned, entered the estate, and went to the front receiving room. Everything happened exactly as Piola said.

  My blood ran hotter than Sel’Ani’s dual suns as I watched Seri pass Almya a small package, saying that it was something for Amihanna.

  The footage followed Seri as she left before switching to Almya entering Amihanna’s rooms with the package and leaving without it.

  Goddess take it all.

  I made a mistake. A very big mistake.

  “Your Highness?” Solan’s voice drew my attention. “Piola’s right. This video is damning. With your permission, I’d like to pull both into questioning immediately. Seri wouldn’t be working alone, and the question of how she got through that screening needs to be answered right now.” His eyes were clear and alert and showed no doubts in supporting one of his team members.

  Solan was head of security for the estate. This job was a bit of a demotion for him, but when I took over for my father, he’d be my head of security and one of my advisors. But when I spoke to him next, I talked to him like one of my closest friends. “I don’t understand, Solan. This doesn’t seem to fit with the Seri I know. How did I not see it?”

  He pressed his lips together, and he glanced around the room quickly and back at me. I knew him well enough to understand. He was asking for permission to speak in front of all these people.

  “I’m the crown prince of the Aunare. We both know I don’t have a private personal life.” And maybe I didn’t deserve one either. If I hadn’t tried to date, this never would’ve happened.

  “I hate to speak of gossip to you in the presence of others, but all of us have heard things in our line of duty. Whisperings we’ve recorded at various events, especially the dinner your father attended.”

  A few of the rest nodded.

  I couldn’t—didn’t want to believe it—but Solan had proof. Recordings. “Go on.”

  “The ladies are quite upset about the return of Amihanna and what it might mean for their prospects of marriage to you. Seri has been the most vocal about it and what it might mean for the Aunare. She was on the news this morning—”

  “Goddess. What did she say today that I missed? The one morning I don’t watch the damned news…”

  “She said that you’d be breaking your betrothal in—”

  My skin lit up the room and the tension in the room spiked.

  I knew what they were seeing.

  No one could move as fast as me. No one was as deadly as me. Not when I was glowing like this.

  I was going to have to calm down, but that someone I’d been sleeping with for years—years—had attempted to murder my Amihanna?

  I didn’t have the words. I only had anger. “Find Seri.” I needed a minute.

  I walked out of the room before I did or said anything I’d regret.

  The door slid open in front of me, revealing Fynea, one of my training partners, assistant, and closest friend.

  She moved aside. Her chin-length blonde hair pinned back from her face told me she’d come prepared to fight if needed.

  “What’s going on?” Fynea asked. “What do we know about the bomber?”

  I waited until the door slid shut before speaking. “Answer me now. Truthfully, please.”

  She took a small step back as she scanned my arms, eyes widening just enough to tell me she’d noticed but wasn’t afraid of me. “Anything, Your Highness.”

  “Is every woman I know out to get half my crown? Do they really think that I’d marry one of them when I’m betrothed to someone else?”

  She raised a hand, stopping my words. “I think we know for certain I have zero interest in your crown, so it’s not every Aunare female you know who’s after your crown. But of those you’ve slept with…” She gave me a look that told me clearly enough that I was being ridiculous. “I think that’s safe to assume. Yes. They think because you let them into your bed that they have a shot at the crown. It’s not like you’ve been very selective, Lorne.”

  I was going to throw up. “Goddess. Why didn’t someone stop me?” I was more like my father than I ever wanted to be, and worse—I hadn’t seen it.

  “I bet one of your men—Solan most likely—finally told you what I’ve been telling you for years. These women that surround you, giving into your—” Her nose pinched a bit. “—needs. They’re fake, and I hate—”

  “I know you hate them, but I assumed they weren’t your type. You tend to like a different kind of woman, and you never said—”

  Her mouth dropped open, and I could almost hear her argument before she’d said a word.

  “I didn’t mean that as an insult. Please. I’m exhausted and stressed and angry. Just—Seri di Sopoyan. Explain why you don’t like Seri specifically.”

  “How about the fact that she’s a hateful bitch? She didn’t care about you. She didn’t care about your friends—meaning me. I’m your closest friend, and she couldn’t manage more than a hello to me. She treated me like I was the help.”

  I winced. “You’re not the help.”

  “You’re damned right I’m not.” She laughed, but it was her evil witchy laugh. One that meant she was about to draw blood. “Seri’s pretty to look at, and that’s it. The second she opened her mouth, all I could see was the ugliness inside of her. I don’t know why you kept going back to her. She must have some magic—”

  “Stop.” I gave her a look that told her she knew exactly why I went back to her.

  She sighed. “Look at your skin. You’ve got to get hold of yourself. Eshrin says she’s safe. It will be okay. We kn
ew something like this would happen eventually.”

  “Just because we knew it would happen doesn’t mean that I was prepared for it.”

  She crossed her arms and gave me a flat stare.

  “I’m trying. I really am. That’s what I came out here to do—” I took a breath and started doing what I came out here to do, counting six in. Three out. Three in. Six out.

  “Goddess look at you. You’re back to breathing exercises.”

  It was a sad state that I was back to this like a child, but I let out a final breath and my skin dimmed a bit. “We all need them once in a while.”

  “Not you. Not ever.” She stepped toward me and grabbed my arm. “You haven’t been the same since she came here.”

  I pulled free from her. She was one of my dearest friends, but even she couldn’t speak out against Amihanna for what happened. “Don’t blame her—”

  “I blame you, you idiot! She’s a mess, and yes, I know that she needs time. Every moron with half a heart on this planet knows that. But you don’t have time. Rysden is right about that at least. Things are clearly escalating if a bomb went off inside the estate. You have to push her to start engaging with the Aunare more. She did great at the tournament, but since then—”

  “Push her?” I couldn’t do that. “How can you ask that of me? Of her? We all heard what she went through, the pain she endured, I can’t make it worse, especially after what they’ve been saying about her on the news. I won’t set her up to get slaughtered by the media again.”

  “You’re really on edge. I haven’t seen you like this in years.” Fynea sighed softly, and her eyes softened. “She’s still not sleeping, is she?”

  I rubbed my eyes. “No. Barely at all last night. I’d thought she was getting better since she moved to my room, but it’s crushing me.” Amihanna didn’t like talking about her nightmares, but Fynea was one of the only people I could confide in.

  “Which means neither are you.”

  “I sleep.” Not much, but more than Amihanna.

  “She’s your mirror soul, so I know you’re not sleeping. You’re slow these days. Nearly human.”