by Joy Spraycar
Max sighed. “No, it does not. I have always wondered how Vitus found Zalphia. How did he know about us?”
“I don’t know. You had Simeon guiding you. Didn’t he say?”
Max rubbed his chin. Why didn’t Simeon know? Had he not discovered who was leading this planet on his fact-finding missions? And if he did know, why had he kept it a secret?
The couch groaned as Max fell back onto it. “No, he did not. Only after my human father discovered my abilities did Simeon step forward, but he did not know why things here were not right. Lucky for me he came before the soldiers, saving me from the same fate as Zalphia. But Vitus never should have known about either of us. Even Simeon seemed surprised that someone knew we had powers.”
Karaticus sat facing his father. “So what do we do now? Vitus will either destroy this child to keep what he has, or he’ll take it and use it as he’s used me.”
“Platy told me she’d convince Vitus to let me and Zalphia go if we returned to Selestia with our child.”
Karaticus rolled his eyes. “I highly doubt Platy has that much influence. Even if she thinks that’s what my brother will do, she’s wrong. He would never take the chance that someone, anyone, who might be able to defeat him, would live. He’s destroyed many here who had no chance to stop him just for thinking about it.”
“So, what do we do?” Max hoped his son had some insight because right now he was at a loss. “You know Vitus best, now that he has changed. How do we stop him? Save Zalphia and our child?”
Karaticus ran both hands through his hair then clasped his fingers behind his head. “I have no idea.” He let his hands fall back into his lap. “I do know one thing, you can’t stay here.”
“I cannot abandon Zalphia.”
Karaticus rose and paced the floor. “If you are captured, Vitus will kill you and Zalphia.”
Max stood and grabbed his son by the shoulders. “Then bring Zalphia to me. I will take her from here, and Vitus will never find her again.”
“No!” Karaticus shrugged Max’s hand from his shoulders. “If I let you take Zalphia, Vitus will kill my family. I can’t... I won’t sacrifice their lives.” He slammed a fist on the desk. “I’ve gone through too much to let them die now. Even my talking to you puts theirs lives in jeopardy. Can’t you see? This is the only way.”
Now Max paced. “I cannot leave Zalphia. I have already abandoned her once. I will not do it again. Would you leave if it were your wife?”
Karaticus sank into the chair behind the desk and let his head fall into his hand. “I don’t know what I would do.” He looked up at Max. “But I’m asking.” He stood. “No, I’m begging you. Go. It’s the only way I know to keep everyone safe for now.”
“How does me leaving guarantee anything?” Max ran his hands down his face. He’d been here before. Left so that they could see how far up this corruption went. And look what Zalphia had gone through because of his actions. He wouldn’t. No, he couldn’t leave again. She couldn’t suffer because he refused to act.
Karaticus’s voice raised an octave. “Because Vitus won’t do anything to Zalphia until he has captured you. Don’t you see? If you stay, I have no leverage to keep Mother alive. And if I help you take her out of the palace, my whole family dies.”
Max grabbed Karaticus’s shirt in his hands and shook him. “I can’t abandon her. I promised not to let her suffer anymore. We only had to see where the corruption went. Now we know. All we have to do is combine our minds in order to bring Vitus down.”
“You can’t.” Karaticus pulled away and glared at Max. “You can’t fight Vitus here. Not on his own territory. This is the only way. You have to go. I’ll watch over Mother. Do everything I can to keep her safe.”
Max shook his head, and his hands balled into fists. “How can you protect her when he’s holding your own family hostage? You will have to choose one or the other in the end.”
Karaticus hung his head. “I know. I see what’s at stake. I’ve seen what mother and you, for that matter, are willing to go through to save this world. I am ready to sacrifice everything to make sure this mission is accomplished. I couldn’t do it by myself, but with you and Mother here, I can at least protect you. Go. I will find you, and we’ll work out a way to defeat my brother.”
The defeat in his youngest’s face matched what Max felt inside. Karaticus was willing to let his wife and children go in order to end the tyranny of Vitus. But the last thing Max wanted was to walk out on Zalphia again. He’d done that twice, and both times Zalphia had suffered. Karaticus had a point though. This was Vitus’s territory, and for some reason Zalphia’s mind wasn’t available.
“What if you bring Zalphia here to your office? Couldn’t we combine and overthrow Vitus from here?”
Karaticus sank back into his chair. “No one but Vitus can use his powers in here.”
“How did he manage that?”
“I don’t know, but that’s the way it is. Have you been able to sense Vitus or me?”
Max shook his head.
“Go ahead, try. Try to reach anyone.”
Closing his eyes, Max sent the tendrils of his mind out, but all he found was empty space. Karaticus was right. He couldn’t find Zalphia or Vitus. And even though Karaticus sat just feet away, his mind, too, was completely hidden.
“You are right. I cannot reach anyone. Not even you.” Max sank onto the couch, and his chin quivered. It was true. There was no way to fight Vitus in his own palace.
His head fell into his hands. No other way. Zalphia was just down the hall, and he could be by her side in a matter of minutes. But what good would that do? None. Vitus would win. The mission would be ruined, and they would have failed. Zalphia would have suffered a lifetime of misery, and for what? Karaticus was right. Leaving was the only option.
Taking in air became more difficult as Max’s chest tightened. He couldn’t do it. Not again. Karaticus’s voice interrupted his thoughts.
“I told you. So you see this is the only way.”
“But what will you do?” Max’s shoulders slumped. “How will you guarantee Zalphia’s safety?”
Karaticus ran a hand over his face. “I can’t tell you that right now. I’ll figure something out, I promise.”
“What does Vitus have planned for Zalphia? And what about the child?”
Karaticus rose from the couch and moved to the door. “I’m not sure. He hasn’t sensed anything from the child yet. But as I said, I have and it won’t be long before Vitus senses it, too. Once he does, he’ll know for sure that The Prophecy has yet to be fulfilled. And he will take that threat seriously.”
“Do you have any idea how this prophecy came about? Who is the author?”
“I don’t know. But I suspect it was someone from Selestia. Someone with power to match you and Mother on our home world.”
“There is only one other pair that could see the future, besides our family.”
“I know, Simeon and Mantus.”
“Exactly.”
“But Father,” Karaticus moved back to the couch and sank down on one knee. “They weren’t assigned to this planet. No one from Selestia was supposed to have come here. It can’t be anyone that was like us, could it?”
Max searched his son’s stormy eyes. That was the only option, but he didn’t see how anyone from Selestia could be here without Simeon knowing about it. “I hope not, but Mantus broke so many of Selestia’s laws that it is hard to say to what lengths he would go. He has always desired power.”
“But he doesn’t have powers, not anymore.”
“No, he does not. But he is clever, cunning. He may have found a way.”
“But this! Coming here and changing a whole world? What does he hope to accomplish by doing it?”
Max shrugged. “I could not say. Those on Selestia were devastated to find how many have broken the laws, interfered in the affairs of those on other planets. Mantus is the only one I personally knew from before, and I never would have believed he was
capable of such deception. But here we are, and who knows what he has done or where he is at this point in time.”
“It really doesn’t matter how it started, only that we stop it, right?”
Max laid a hand on his son’s shoulder. “If it costs me my life, I will fight until I can fight no longer. But Zalphia and our child must survive. She is the key, my son.”
“What about The Prophecy?”
“I cannot speak to that. For now, we must wait and see how it plays out.”
Karaticus stood. “Very well. I’ll watch over them both. Come on, we need to get you out of here.”
“I suspect Platy has already told him that I was aboard the ship.”
“She saw you?”
Max smiled. “Yes, and she is lucky she has lived to tell about it. She has promised to help. So use her, my son. Use her in every way possible. If she crosses you, rest assured she will regret begging me to let her live in the belly of your ship.”
Karaticus cracked the door and peeked up and down the hall. “I’ll make sure of it, but for now you need to go. Come, let me get you out of the palace, but then you’re on your own. Once I find a way to fix this, I will let you know. Until then, remain hidden.”
“Very well.” Max followed Karaticus through the hallways, through several doors, and onto the street.
“Take care,” Karaticus said as he clapped his father on the back and threw the other arm around his shoulders. “I’ll be in touch.”
“I hope it will be soon.”
Max ran toward the nearest alleyway, but took one last glance at his son before turning the corner. He hoped that Karaticus could do as he promised.
CHAPTER 24
The elevators doors swished open. Steam and heat rushed in to replace the cool air surrounding Platy and lifted the hem of her silky red dress, revealing more than just her upper thigh.
Jagged, black stone made up the ceiling of the prison and melted down into smooth walls. Vitus had been kind enough to provide a mattress for his prisoner, but Dameon refused to use it. The circular room held no other furnishings. Platy hated to see the man she loved more than anything living this way. Dameon, on the other hand, didn’t seem to mind.
He stood with his back to her, and his bare skin blended into the darkness of the walls. If it hadn’t been for the shimmer of sweat, he would have completely disappeared against the backdrop of ebony rock. His brush swept expertly amidst his newest painting, then he stepped back to admire his handiwork.
Platy smiled, pleased that he’d put the paints and brushes she’d supplied him to good use. The emerging image, a woman, dressed in red with golden hair cascading down her back resembled the other two he’d already finished.
In the first, the same woman stood on the water, dressed in a flowing gown in varying shades of blue and green. In the second, the woman lounged on a fluffy, white cloud in a golden tunic, clutching a goblet and motioning with her index finger for the onlooker to come forward.
Each picture seemed to move and change as Platy circled the glowing, orange pit situated in the middle of the room. In the dim light, the woman’s eyes seemed to follow Platy’s every move and hear every word exchanged. Uneasiness slid across Platy’s shoulders.
“My sweetness, you’ve returned.” He set the palette and brush aside and turned to fully face her.
Warmth raced through her, and she shuddered. Brilliant white teeth gleamed against his dark skin, and the lighter image behind him accentuated his muscular outline. Now that she had seen Max, the resemblance between him and Mantus seemed all the more prominent. Selestia truly produced scrumptious men.
“I’ve been adding another vision of you to my wall. How do you like it?”
Platy stepped next to him, fully aware the simple cloth he wore wrapped around his waist was all that stood between her and his bare skin. Together they studied the angelic face of the woman standing before her.
Cocking her head, she narrowed her eyes. No matter how many times he claimed these were portraits of her, something seemed off about them. True, the eyes were green and the hair blonde, but that was where the similarities ended. The rounded face didn’t resemble Platy’s at all. How could Dameon declare this was her when her angular features were absent from the pictures? And the hair was long, where Platy preferred hers short and spiky.
Dameon smiled as he studied her face. “What’s the matter, love?”
Platy shook her head. “I just don’t see that face when I look in the mirror.”
Strong hands grasped her shoulders and turned her away from the wall toward him. “You just don’t see yourself in the same light that I do. You are an angel. My angel.” He glanced at the unfinished painting. “I see you as this cherubic image I engrave on my walls. I must keep you ever surrounding me so I will never forget why I wait here in this cavern.”
He pulled her close to his glistening chest and encircled her with his brawny arms.
“You are mine. All mine.” He leaned back and looked into her face. “I know how Vitus treats you, and he will pay for all he has put you through. Believe me.”
Platy turned in his arms, her back against the heat of his skin.
Dameon was creative, artistic, and virile. The mere touch of his skin sent desire burning through her and filled her mind with varying ways to satisfy it.
A single black bearskin, also provided by Platy, lay close to the boiling lava that produced the steam and heat in the cavern.
Dameon feathered kisses against her neck, nipped at her earlobe, and whispered, “Is she here?”
Zalphia! Always talk about Zalphia and what was to be done once she produced the child. “Of course.” Platy broke his embrace and stepped away. “I told you I would bring her.” She whirled back to face him. “When have I ever not done something you asked?”
Dameon’s dark eyes flashed and narrowed before softening. “My love, I only ask because the child is central to our plan. You know that! I’ve never been anything but completely honest about why I’m interested in her or why you must pretend to be Vitus’s lover.” He closed the distance between them, want and desire branded across his handsome features.
Platy saw her own features in his black eyes as he stared at her. A single finger traced the line of her jaw.
“You know how I feel about you.” He turned away, and his shoulders slumped. “Damn Simeon. If it weren’t for him and his meddling, I wouldn’t have to be here. In the end...” Turning back toward her, he said, “We’ll knock him from his pedestal. Won’t we, my love?”
He held an arm out to her.
Platy glanced at the latest portrait before desire drove her back to his side. No matter what he put her through, being in his arms made it all worthwhile.
He slid the thin straps from her shoulders and buried his face against the crook of her neck. His lips nibbled then drew skin in, nipping slightly before sucking hard. That mark would make Vitus jealous.
Platy pulled away. “You can’t do that! He’ll see and know that there is someone besides him.”
Tightening his arm around her waist, Dameon drew her in, crushing his lips against her own and successfully ending her protests. She was his, body and soul. And no matter what happened, he could do what he pleased with her, and she would let him.
She leaned her head back, letting his lips travel across her collarbone and down to the silky edge of her dress.
A low growl echoed in his chest as he slid the material out of the way and claimed the bounty that lay beneath.
“Take me,” she gasped.
Dameon leaned back and met her gaze, desire changing his eyes from black to a molten red. “As you wish.”
He scooped her into his arms and deposited her on the rug beside the bubbling lava. As he slid the dress from her body and discarded his own covering, an image of Zalphia lying just so on a rug not much different from this one flashed across Platy’s mind.
Was loving a dark warrior of Selestia as satisfying for Zalphia as it was for Pl
aty?
As Dameon feasted on her flesh, Platy closed her eyes, willing the prying eyes of the paintings to leave her be. She reveled in the animalistic ritual she shared with her lover.
He ravished her, taking her out of the cave and soaring through the sky. Power, dominion, and raw sexual urges kept her glued to him. She cursed his cunning yet simple domination of her. He could do as he pleased and leave marks that would show the world she belonged to the one individual who would stand at its head once Zalphia and Max were taken care of.
Platy succumbed to his appetites, then fell back against the dark cave, covered in lathered sweat. Dameon encircled her with his massive arms.
“You are truly fit to be my Empress.”
Platy stared past him at the finished painting on the opposite wall. The woman stood haughty and tall, her eyes flashing with brilliance Platy hadn’t noticed before. As Dameon whispered in Platy’s ear, she drank in every detail of the painting, realizing for the first time the similarities to someone else, someone who even now lay inside the palace.
Dameon finally wound down, and Platy stood, retrieving her garment.
He lay in unabashed glory in his nakedness on the hide.
“So, my love,” Platy crooned. “What now?”
She slid the silky material over her head and pulled the thin straps onto her shoulder, then accented her breasts with her hands as she smoothed out the dress.
Dameon visibly shuddered and rose up on one elbow. “Must you go already?”
She knelt beside him and ran her fingers along his jaw. “I can’t have Vitus knowing I’ve been visiting. You know how possessive he is.”
“I do, but you know how I feel about you.”
Platy chanced a quick glance at the nearest portrait before settling her eyes on him. “Of course, my love. I’ll get the child, and then we can destroy all those who oppose us.”
“I can hardly wait. Only a few more months and this prison will be Vitus’s undoing.” He laughed. “I doubt he even knows who I really am, let alone that my powers have returned. You have guaranteed that for me, and you’ll be richly rewarded.”