by Zara Zenia
"This command, I have already issued. They have standing orders to protect you with their lives. I will not revoke them."
I blinked, half in surprise and half to clear the hopeless tears that had begun to gather in my eyes. "Even if it means your life? It's not worth it." I wasn't worth it.
"The words I said to you before you spoke with Jake Corbin, do you remember them?"
You are worth anything and everything I have to give... and you forever will be. How could I forget them? I would go to my grave hearing those words whispered in that voice. They were the closest to an outright declaration of love I had ever received.
"Every one of them," I said. "But I'm still with you. I haven't always been, but I am now."
"How depressingly sentimental," Nora crooned. "You do realize that any plan you make in front of me, I can dismantle. Kelly's smart, but I set this trap. I know its rules, and I know exactly how to use them against you."
"Then we fight our way out," Special Agent Yadav said. "Your plan could use a few tweaks, sir, but it's got good bones. All we need is to adjust the details. We shut the lights. We all go out together and we use Nora here as a shield until we get outside to the Trilyn team. The rules of your trap don't mean shit when you can't spring it because you're caught in it, Nora."
The details of Yadav's plan entered my brain, and I swear I tried to process them. But I couldn't. For a few seconds I couldn't focus on anything other than the worst hadn't happened. My lies had damaged my growing relationship with Lortnam but not irrevocably. We might never be what we would have if I hadn't lied. I didn't know what we would be if we survived this, but I knew we could be something because even now, he was willing to trade his life for mine.
"I like any plan that gives us a chance of getting out together," I said.
"Even if it means your death, Kelly Grant?” Lortnam asked.
I nodded. Yeah, even if. "I didn't think sneaking my pistol into a UEG facility was a good idea, and I don't think the stun gun is going to help me much against a gun powerful enough to shoot through walls."
"Leave the shooting to me," Yadav said. "Both of you just run for the back door. Buildings like these always have one. Mind holding this, ma'am? Since we already know the Prince won't take the shot?"
After Yadav passed his gun to me, he undid his tie. Stepping in front of Nora, he tied it around her mouth as a makeshift gag. "So you can't rage and take the rest of us with you. Sorry, you don't strike me as a graceful loser."
"She isn't." I turned to Lortnam, hoping that the new plan, one in which he was as likely to survive as the rest of us, would lighten the heaviness on his face. I must have forgotten who I was talking to. "This will work, Lortnam."
I didn't know if I was talking about Yadav's plan or Lortnam and I. Either way, I didn't really believe it.
"We shall see," Lortnam said, looking away. "Whatever the plan, we should move before Jake Corbin wakes."
There was a note of finality in Lortnam's voice that I didn't like, but we didn't have time to keep giving each other false hope. The next few minutes were going to happen, and the only thing I could hope was we came out on the other side alive and relatively unhurt.
And pray that when the dust settled, somehow Lortnam would forgive me. And we could start again.
Chapter 17
Lortnam
David reclaimed his weapon from Kelly and moved to the front of the group, moving his hand over the light switch. I sent a message to my team outside, telling them to find the side entrance, and prepare to protect a retreat.
If I’d ordered them to protect my retreat during the cultural center attack, I might never have met Kelly Fillmore. No, Kelly Grant. Her last name had been a lie, as had everything else about her for all I knew.
"This is it," David whispered. "If anyone has a better plan, now's the time."
Despite my best efforts, I hadn't come up with a different solution to our problem than the one which both Humans found objectionable; the one that almost certainly ended with my death.
Perhaps it wasn't correct to feel so detached from one's own emotions when facing a firing squad, but there was no use fighting the inevitable. Not when my death might mean Nora Morse might be taken into custody. And yes, maybe Kelly might live, but I deserved punishment more than she did for what had happened between us.
I knew we needed to be on guard for false mates. My brothers and I had been burned by the process before. But I thought because I chose Kelly, I might escape the trap. Instead, I had fallen headfirst into it, and now I feared I was in too deep to escape.
I wasn't sure Kelly's deception made any difference in the way I felt about her. In fact, I was quite sure it didn't. Damn my weak and miserable soul for being so unworthy of service. I already loved Kelly too much to care.
Focus! Or neither of you will live to be anything at all.
"If something happens to me, continue to the exit," I whispered to Kelly Grant. "Do not look back."
She looked back at me, tears still shimmering in her silver eyes. "Same to you."
The tears weren't for her, I knew, but for the version of us she believed lost. That much I knew for certain. Her emotions were too naked to continue the lies for a moment longer. Instinct told me to soothe her, but I held myself in check. I would attend to her emotions when we were safe.
David flicked the light switch. The room plunged into darkness. The door swung open. Seven shadow figures lurked at the end of the main hall positioned between the front door and us. Six of them stood in defensive stances with their high tech, model assault rifles trained on the four of us.
My heart raced. This plan could not work, but it was too late.
"Take it easy, boys," David said as he stepped into the hall dragging Nora behind him. "Boss Lady can't pay you if she's dead."
Nora screamed, but her words were muffled by David's necktie. Kelly and I filed out behind him. She brandished the stun cylinder at her side, perhaps intending to use it if any of the men at the end of the hall were foolish enough to get within her reach. I did not think they would, but it filled me with pride to see her refuse to be defenseless, even at the end.
My Kelly. Yes, I still thought of her that way. I could not help myself.
The security team held their fire, as Nora herself predicted they would. The path perpendicular to the main hall stretched to either side, one with 'exit' written in glowing block letters. Kelly and I hurried in that direction.
We raced toward the door and my guards, who would be on the other side to protect us. Their Trilyn model weapons were far superior to the Human models, a fact the mercenaries would no doubt realize on sight as I had. All we needed to do was get to the other side.
"You got my brother killed you hateful—"
Kelly screamed as Jake Corbin tackled her to the ground. The stun cylinder slipped from her fingers. She stretched her arm, trying desperately to reclaim it, but her fingers came a few centimeters short. Before she could try again, Jake Corbin grabbed her hair, wrenching her neck back.
"Kelly!"
As I rushed back to her, David cried out in pain. Nora Morse wrestled out of his grip as he doubled over in pain. She leaned against the wall closest to her, rubbing her face against it to dislodge the gag.
"Kill them all!" she screamed.
David rushed her again, trying to pull her toward the exit with us. The damage had been done. Her mercenaries unleashed another volley of gunfire, forcing him to retreat toward the exit.
"Sir, move!" he shouted.
Kelly screamed. With Corbin on her back, she couldn't retrieve the weapon. She had abandoned it. Instead, she was using her forearms to protect the back of her head and neck. Incensed, Corbin tried to bash Kelly's face against the ground. She pushed her elbows together, using the space to stop the momentum.
My brilliant Kelly. My strong Human mate. Could I really live without her? Could I leave her to die?
Not in this lifetime or any other.
I ran back to Kelly and J
ake Corbin, grasping his collar in my hands and hauling him away from her. The mercenary growled and thrashed. I held firm. With a roar of rage, I swung him toward the wall with all of my strength. His face and neck smacked into the smooth surface, releasing a sickening crunch as they collided.
Reaching down, I pulled Kelly into my arms, cradling her to my chest. David rushed past. He ran at the door, kicking it open. The first of Nora's mercenaries ducked his head around the corner. I turned and ran for the door.
We have to survive. I must know. So much had passed between Kelly and me in so short a time. It could not end this way.
My guard team— twelve men strong —stepped into view. They took a mix of high and low stances and took aim at the mercenaries, daring them to fire. They did not. We were saved.
Outside, David Yadav slumped against the building. Blood from a wound in his forehead trickled down his face and over his chin. His chest heaved as he fought to catch his breath.
"I'm sorry, sir," he said between huffs. "She slipped me."
I glanced back into the building. Only three of the mercenaries remained in the hallway. The others must have run for the front door or scattered through the building.
I looked back to Kelly. The color had drained from her face. Her eyes had a haunted look to them. It was as if she couldn't believe the last few minutes had resulted in her survival and was afraid at any moment she might be proven right.
"Are you all right?" I asked her.
When she nodded, I set her on her feet, pausing for a moment to inhale her scent. The usual herbs were marred by the acrid remains of fear. It was a combination I did not care for, but its jarring aroma in my nostrils was proof that she was still with me. Just as she said she would be.
"Two of you stay here. One of you take her back to the transport and watch over her,” I gestured to Kelly. "The other call the UEG and inform them one of their officers has been wounded and needs assistance."
Under normal circumstances, I would have referred to Kelly by her formal title, but that would have included her last name. That was a mess we could only sort through privately.
"The rest of you sweep the area," I continued. "Nora Morse will be gone, but make sure none of her team gets way."
The guards dispersed. Reluctantly, I turned away from Kelly and knelt beside David.
"Are you all right?" I asked, extending a hand to him. "Can you stand?”
He nodded and grasped my hand, using the leverage to haul himself to his feet. "She's more of a fighter than I anticipated. I'll remember that next time."
"Ideally next time there will not be a fight at all, David," I said, clapping him on the shoulder. "I do not enjoy seeing my allies in harm’s way. My friends, even less so."
A smile erupted behind the agent's oversized mustache. "I better help your boys keep an eye on the building until the cavalry gets here. Now that Nora has added attempted murder of a UEG agent to her bag of tricks, it's open season."
"Happy hunting." I sighed, leaning against the wall. "Two near death experiences is more than I counted on having in one lifetime. I'm sending notice to the Intergalactic Treaty and Alliance Committee. It's time I admitted I'm an administrator and left the fight to the proper warriors."
"At the risk of being impertinent and straining our friendship, what about the marriage hunt, sir?" David asked. He could only have been referring to Kelly, to the revelations to which he had born witness.
I wished I had an answer for him. I wished I had an answer for myself. Ultimately, the power to cement or shatter our relationship laid with neither Kelly nor me. I was a Prince of Trilyn, one of the seven, on a mission that would bring hope to my people. It did not matter who I loved or who loved me. It only mattered if we were compatible.
So much of our meeting had been a lie. It seemed impossible that we would match. Too many miracles had crossed my path of late. Only a greedy man would beg for another.
"I hope to see you before I depart, David," I said. "But if not, then I wish you well."
We shook hands and parted ways. For all I knew, it would be for the last time, but I hoped not.
I found Kelly out front leaning against the transport. Her eyes were locked on the front door of the building, though the activity was still limited to the exterior as I had ordered.
"She's gone," I said.
"You don't know that," Kelly whispered, her voice trembling. "I knew there was something off about her, but... I had no idea she was capable of something like this.”
I wanted to hold her. Needed it more than I had ever needed anything before, but I could not. There were too many unsettled matters between us.
"The most dangerous in any society thrive by being invisible."
Kelly nodded, her eyes still locked on the building. "A deal's a deal, your Highness. I said if we survived I'd tell you what I know. It isn't much, but maybe it'll help."
"At the palace," I said in a tone that left no room for argument, sliding the door of the transport open and motioning for her to get inside. "You can rest there, and we can speak in private."
Kelly nodded. "Just promise if you throw me in the dungeon, you'll let me say goodbye to Mei first? She'll never forgive me if I disappear."
"I have no intention of imprisoning you, Kelly. And you may contact your rabbit after we've talked."
Let some of it have been true. Perhaps not that she was ready to share her life with me. It was far too much to hope for that. But I hoped some measure of the feelings I believed Kelly to feel for me had been real.
Chapter 18
Kelly
I slumped in the backseat of the transport, letting my head fall to the side. The ground pulled away as we lifted into the air bound for Lortnam's palace. My eyes scanned the area as we swept over, trying in vain to catch a glimpse of Nora Morse making her escape in designer athleisure outfit.
Lortnam's security team could comb the building and the surrounding area all night, it wouldn't matter. The mercenaries they rounded up would be of no help either. Nora Morse was a brilliant ghost. She wouldn't be found again until she wanted to be.
As long as Nora was in the wind, I would never be safe. My testimony tied her to three attempted murders— including my own —and conspiracy to commit a dozen more. I was a loose end she couldn't afford to leave unclipped. Life as I knew it would never be the same again and I had nobody to blame but myself.
I didn't have the energy to appreciate how thoroughly screwed I was. Holding myself upright was almost more than I could handle. My scalp ached from Jake Corbin tugging my hair. My arms were sore from defending against his furious blows. The reality that I was still among the living sank in and as the adrenaline worked its way out of my system, I found it hard to ride the crash.
"Was that your first time in battle?" Lortnam asked gently.
Somehow, I knew this would be easier if things were settled between Lortnam and me. He couldn't take the pain away unless he had a physician or healer stashed away in his fortress somewhere, but in his arms was the only place I'd felt safe since I met Nora Morse.
"I don't know that I would call running for my life at battle," I said, licking my lips. "But it's definitely the first time I've gotten a close look at a firing squad. I hope to hell it's my last."
"I'm told knowing when to retreat is one of the most important aspects of military strategy to master."
I craned my eyes upward to look at Lortnam without moving my aching body. He had turned to face me, worry evident on his face and etched in his furrowed brow. I could barely hold myself upright, but Lortnam looked more troubled than exhausted. It had taken every ounce of my strength to fend Jake Corbin off, and I'd still almost lost. Lortnam saved me from him with the ease other men swatted flies.
I'd never been so mad at myself for screwing up a relationship so early.
"I don't want to know about that either," I said, turning my eyes away again. "What I want is to go back to my apartment. Call Mei. Order a pizza from Mr. Mustache an
d go back to my very boring life. But I don't get to do that, do I?"
The hesitation in his voice was the only answer I needed.
“Until matters are settled and arrangements made, you will stay at the palace. As my guest,” he stressed at my wide-eyed expression of horror. “It’s the only safe place. We cannot know how far Nora Morse’s resources and influence reach.”
I had an idea, but I couldn't stand to call the details to my mind. If I did, I would burst into tears.
All my life, I'd prided myself on being tough. I didn't need anything but my brain, a job, and a space to call my own. It only took one near death experience, and the impending loss of the alien Prince I loved, to disabuse me of that notion. I was as weak as any other poor Human struggling to get by on Earth. Worse, the rest of them didn't have unfinished business with Nora Morse.
"What happened to Tia Teller?" I whispered, dreading the answer. I knew she was dead. The death of Blue Corbin proved Nora had no problem dispatching subordinates. From the sound of it, a bullet to the brain took Blue out. A morbid side of me wanted to know exactly how Nora had gotten rid of Tia.
"It will not happen to you," he said firmly. "If Nora had the ability, she would have done so already."
The transport eased into landing bay. Unlike the slow bustle there had been on my first visit, the entire place seemed deserted.
"Where is everyone?" I asked as we touched down.
"Some have joined the operation at the warehouse. Others have begun the hunt for Nora. Still more have taken defensive positions around the palace. We're on alert."
The Prince's hand moved near mine. The warmth of his fingers hovered just out of reach. "Can you walk?"
"I honestly don't know," I admitted. "Can we just sit here for a minute until I'm sure?"
Lortnam's door slid open. He left the car, reappearing a few seconds later on my side.
"You will be more comfortable inside. As will I." he said. "I will carry you, if you wish."