by Eden Ashley
“Wait. Just let me explain.” Wes rose from his seat as well, making placating gestures. “When Rhane took you as his mate, we allowed it. We accepted it. We gave The Siren’s Heart to you as a blessing and thereby entrusted its power to you. We had faith in the role you and Rhane would fulfill. We hoped, knew, your combined power could stop it. But Rhane failed to protect you, and we were forced to reclaim what was ours in order to avoid disaster. We hid the Heart so no other could touch it. Secured with a blood seal, neither we nor the Faction could open the vault containing the key to Blight’s tomb. One day, we hoped your bloodline would rise to its original purpose and recover the path to destroy Blight.
“Kalista, dear Kalista, the Heart can be used to get Rhane back, but not in the way you’re thinking. This war can be finished without him…in a way the others have yet to realize.” Rounding the desk, he slowly reached for her hand. She let him take it. “You have the key. You have the coordinates. Not much time remains in Blight’s slumber. Locate the tomb. With your power and another like you, the monster can be destroyed while it is yet weak.” His eyes searched her face intently. “Do you know of another like you, Kali—one who can control fire?”
She made no attempt to hide her confusion. “Wes, what are you talking about? You said I was unique, the only one of my kind.”
His hand gripped her tighter. “I’m not talking about another siren. He’s something else entirely.”
A warning pricked along her scalp as her thoughts whipped back to when she, Bailen, and Dmiri had stood in that very office. “Who’s he? Who are you talking about?”
Wes frowned. His blue eyes took on a slightly darker light. “I’m not sure I believe your ignorance.”
Kali summoned her most disarming laugh and willed the smile on her face not to falter. “Well you really should. I’ve been the absolute last to know pretty much everything, every step of the way.”
Dropping her hand, Wes turned away to face the window. Hands at his hips, he was silent for a long moment. At last, he spoke. “Before you left for China, a kindred and another canine came here with you—a juvenile. Have you seen him as human?”
Kali decided it was wiser to avoid answering any questions about Bailen. She remembered all too well the avarice on Wes’s face when first seeing the canine. “You swore to Dmiri that you held no interest in him. Was that another lie?”
“He’s very special, Kali.” Still gazing toward the window, Wes continued as if she hadn’t spoken. His voice had changed, taking on a foreign, distant quality. “Bring the canine to me and I will make sure Rhane is released from Golden Mountain.”
She backed away from the desk and from him. “No.”
“It’s the only way.” He turned around and Kali saw at once that her friend was gone. “Bring him to me. If you truly love Rhane, you will do this.”
“No,” she repeated louder. “I don’t trust you anymore, Wes.”
He jerked as if the words had stung him. “I’m only trying to help. I’m doing what has to be done. It comes at a heavy price.”
“Too heavy a price.” Kali gritted her teeth, willing herself not to lose her temper. She took another step back. Her palms were burning like heated iron.
“It’s the only way.”
“There has to be another.”
“Why do you resist? You don’t even know what he is.”
“You said it yourself. He’s special.”
“I promise. He won’t be harmed.”
“After everything, after every lie you’ve told me, do you really think I will believe you now?”
Wes blinked very slowly. “I swear on our friendship. The canine will not be harmed.”
Back against the door, her fingers closed around the knob. The metal cold metal was a shock beneath the heat of her hand. “Wes.”
“Give me the canine and I will give you Rhane and Warren. They won’t come home to you any other way.”
“There’s another way. There has to be.”
“No.” He shook his head. “I’m afraid there isn’t.”
Kali closed her eyes. This isn’t a choice. Feeling as if all air had squeezed from her lungs, she collapsed to her knees and dropped her head into her knees. She would do anything for Rhane. He and War were family. But in a short time, Bailen had become her family as well. And if there was a chance he could be more…
Soft footsteps fell as Wes crossed the room. He touched her arm. “You understand, don’t you?”
She nodded. “I understand.”
She should have wept. But there were no tears. None would come.
Chapter 31
Kali strode through the manor’s front doors with a single-minded purpose. The grief felt in Wesley’s office had passed. Whether she had chosen this path or it had chosen her didn’t matter anymore. There was nothing to do but act.
Matthias perched idly on the second floor banister, motionless except for wild eyes that watched her approach. She briefly wondered if he’d been there long or had simply moved to the railing on hearing her arrival.
She called up to him. “Where’s York?”
“He’s in War’s room. But I wouldn’t—”
The rest was lost to Kali’s ears as she was already moving down the hallway toward War’s room. She pushed through the door after two quick knocks in succession. “York, I know what we have to do,” she said. Then shock rooted Kali to the floor, and she couldn’t take another step.
She’d expected to see his long body stretched out on the bed, sneaking in another nap when he probably should have been organizing patrols. Instead it was a bronze face with honey-colored eyes framed by a mane of tousled auburn hair that greeted her. Elbows propped atop the queen size mattress, Cixi braced, arching backward each time her body rocked forward. York half-crouched, half-stood behind her, and he was equally naked. Before Kali could scramble out of the room, Cixi’s eyes widened in surprise and then narrowed with annoyance. York noticed her presence a second later.
Kali wanted to die. More than that, she wanted to claw through her eyes and rip the memory directly out of her brain. Aghast, she could only manage one word. “Sorry,” she croaked.
Unaffected, York winked. “She’s almost done. Give me five minutes, kiddo.”
“Oh god.” His twisted humor uprooted Kali from the floor, letting her finally turn away. She slammed the door, yelling, “Take twenty and a shower!” A satisfied chuckle was the only audible reply.
Exactly fifteen minutes later, York sauntered into the living room looking like a cat that had swallowed an entire family of canaries. His hair was still damp and the scent of fresh soap floated in the wake of his heavy movements. “Wow,” Kali teased. “Check out that afterglow.”
Grinning, York sank into the sofa and propped his giant bare feet on the coffee table. “There are very few things in life that rival great sex.”
Kali raised one eyebrow. “Do enlighten me.”
He folded both hands behind his head. “If I think of any, I’ll let you know.”
She laughed. It was good to see him having a little fun again…even it was with Rhane’s leftovers. Kali cringed. Imagining Cixi with Rhane and reliving the very recent memory of the red-headed beauty getting it on with York was a bit too shocking to her senses. “Seriously,” she said, dropping her voice to a whisper. “I thought you two hated each other.”
“Out of hatred oft does bloom the purest love.”
Kali rolled her eyes, pretty sure he was misquoting someone way more inspired. “You didn’t think of that.”
“That was all York, baby.”
“Whatever. Are you ready to be serious? We need to talk about Wesley.”
“I was born serious.”
“York.” Exasperated, Kali flung a throw pillow at his face. He caught it easily. Cradling the pillow, he settled deeper into the sofa and closed his eyes. “Tell me what happened with the all wise and powerful puppeteer.”
“Wes came up with a play no one has thought about. He wa
nts us to locate Blight’s tomb and destroy it while the creature is weakened.”
“Whoa.” Sobering, York abruptly sat forward with genuine interest. He rubbed his chin. “Is that even possible? I mean, from what we’ve been told, this Blight thing is the ultimate badass. Wes has insisted this whole time that he needs Rhane to destroy it, making all of us jump through hoops because he’s their so-called champion.”
Kali shifted uncomfortably. She knew there was no way in hell York would ever entertain the idea of trading Bailen for Rhane and War. But she wasn’t sure if he would go along with her plan either.
“To be honest, I don’t know. He was probably just baiting me, trying to get me to tell him about Bailen.”
“Huh?”
“What Wes really wants is to trade Bailen for Rhane and War. He promised to release them if I turn Bailen over to him.”
York suddenly looked about as angry as Kali had ever seen him. “No.”
“I know. Of course not.” She took a deep breath. “I have another idea.”
“Let’s hear it.”
“You said you were ready to make the tough decision and live with the consequences.”
“I did. And I am.” York clenched his jaw. “Quit stalling.”
Cixi’s slender hips chose that moment to slink into the room. Unlike York, the beauty didn’t appear freshly showered and dressed. Rather, her straight, shimmering hair and perfect makeup seemed have been peeled straight off the pages of a fashion magazine. High heels, skin tight leather pants, and a flowing cap-sleeved blouse only emphasized her runway presence. “You look upset, Yorkshire. What’s going on?”
Instead of answering, York returned his gaze to Kali. She stood up. Her legs didn’t stretch on endlessly like Cixi’s, but Kali was tall for her age and almost stood eye level with the other woman. “Who controls the rogue hives? Not just those on this hemisphere, but all of them.”
“That would be Moros. He is a dangerous creature to deal with.”
“But you have an alliance with them. Could you use your connections to set up a meeting with this Moros guy?”
“I could speak to his associates, yes. But attaining an audience with a rogue king is not an easy task. There must be an enormous incentive for him—one that even insanity can’t shade.”
“I think incentive won’t be a problem. We want to give him the Heart.”
Taken by complete surprise, Cixi took a full step back. York’s brown eyes stretched wide. “Okay. Wow.” Clearing his throat, he looked at Cixi. “Excuse me. Did you say insane?”
Recovering at last, Cixi blinked. “Moros is a full-fledged lunatic. His madness is well known to all.”
“Hey, we don’t exactly run in the same circles.”
Kali expected a biting reply, but Cixi surprised her. Dipping her chin, the beauty conceded charitably. “Of course not.” She turned back to Kali with markedly less tolerance. “Why would I do this thing you ask? Our trade has been made—my information led you to the artifact. In exchange I received safe passage here. We are even, siren.”
“That’s true, Cixi, but you’re forgetting one huge thing. You’ve become a part of Ian’s pack, and he’s our ally. You can do this because we’re asking you to, or you can do it when Ian tells you to.”
Full red lips framed two rows of bared teeth as Cixi flashed them. She slowly pulled the expression into a stiff smile. “Giving Moros the statue is like surrendering your queen. Rogues will then possess all they need for victory and will be one move away from checkmate.”
“We’ll worry about winning later, Cixi. Right now we need to put our family back together. Once Builders sense how close rogues and the Faction are to raising Blight, they’ll have no choice but to put Rhane into play. He is their champion, after all.”
Cixi still wasn’t convinced. “It’s too risky. Giving rogues the Heart could end in disaster for all of us. Do we know exactly what waits to be found inside that tomb? What will happen if rogues succeed in unearthing Blight before you can stop them?”
“We can stand here and talk about infinite what ifs but we won’t know how this is going to turn out until it does.” Kali took a breath, battling to keep her temper in check. “We need to get the statue into the hands of the rogues. And we need them to use it as quickly as possible. Right now you’re the best candidate to make that happen. Set up a meeting. Pretend you were successful in acquiring the Heart. Give it to Moros. You’ll likely receive a big fat reward from him for your efforts and will definitely have our eternal gratitude.”
Cixi scoffed. “Remuneration is the last thing I want from a madman who considers death the shortest road to paradise.” Pursing her painted lips, she shrugged. “Fine. I will do as you ask. But understand if this plan backfires, it’s not my neck where the failure will hang.”
Kali extended her hand. “We accept full responsibility for whatever happens.”
After visible hesitation, Cixi took Kali’s proffered hand and shook it once, firmly. Letting go, she immediately moved toward the front door. “Of course I must notify the alpha of your plan. Then I will return at dawn for the artifact.”
York had risen to his feet. “You’re sure you can get the meeting then?”
A harsh smile cut through Cixi’s features. “You’re making Moros an offer he can’t refuse.”
Chapter 32
It’d taken nearly a week for the wound made by River’s blood silver gladius to completely mend. But as Rhane’s blade locked overhead with the blade of Tovin, his former torturer and one of the strongest warriors remaining in Golden Mountain, he felt the slight ache of the old wound deep within his chest. Growling in irritation, he shoved away from his opponent and leapt lightly into the air, rotating both hips to align the trajectory of his right boot with Tovin’s jaw. Rhane had to trust the hit was enough to put Tovin out of the fight because another dealer was coming straight for him. Meeting the new challenger in an all-out charge, at the last second, Rhane dropped low and swept the dealer’s legs from beneath him. He spared two seconds to bury an elbow into the sprawling warrior’s neck and then brought his sword around to meet the downward swoop of a cut aimed for the back of his head. Wooden blades collided, sounding a brutal thwack that echoed throughout the mountain. Ferocity blazed in this dealer’s eyes. Rhane would have to be just as fierce in taking him down. His gaze slid over the warrior’s shoulder. Behind them, Tovin had wobbled to his feet.
Great.
Freeing his weapon, Rhane aimed a gut level cut that forced the dealer backward in order to avoid the “mortal” strike. The maneuver afforded him room to gather his feet and meet what would be the final offense against him. He dropped into a low guard. Tired muscles were quivering after hours of fighting. The sparring had started with Rhane matched against Galagus, the most skilled of the warrior breed’s remnants. After their champion was defeated easily, the Primes demanded a rematch. Only this time Galagus came flanked with two more soldiers of his choice. Again, the battle had only lasted minutes.
So the sparring continued with progressively greater numbers of warriors assembled to do battle against the great Banewolf. Rhane stood victorious over each contingent, emerging from the skirmishes mostly unscathed. But he was getting tired of the game, and tired of being a spectacle at the behest of Primes. Four warriors stood against him now—four that had begun as twelve. He glanced at his father, the only Prime who maintained his regal demeanor and an expression of passive disinterest. Both Silas and Cale leaned forward on their thrones, fists clenched in anticipation of Rhane’s defeat. His eyes lingered on Jehsi for a moment too long. His sword wavered, drifting ever so slightly to the left.
It was the opening his opponents had waited so patiently for. The warriors blitzed with lightning speed, fanning outward to surround him. But Rhane was ready. The lapse in concentration was intended to draw the enemy in. He met the first, blade to blade, and then struck fast, delivering mortal strikes to both chest and abdomen. The dealer went down and would remain out o
f the fight. Temple and throat clouts felled two more. Then it was only Galagus who remained. Sweat threaded a string of beads from the elder warrior’s forehead. His breathing had diminished to a series of controlled pants. Exhaustion put lead in his movements. It was an act of mercy to put him down.
They circled each other twice. Rhane could see the old warrior wouldn’t make the first move. Galagus knew his fate but seemed in no hurry to accept it. So Rhane took up the offense, coaxing a few good lunges and stabs, barely dodging them to deliver what he hoped would be a good finale. Springing into a tuck, he stopped mid-roll to balance on his left arm and thrust his lower body upward. Both feet slammed into the back of the dealer’s skull. Galagus grunted, falling forward on collapsed legs. Rhane moved in swiftly for the kill strike, barely having time to register the soft warning uttered from his father’s lips. “Behind you.”