by Vi Voxley
She and Corden waited outside as she triggered the reaction. The explosion shook the entire ship; Lana could feel it shake under her feet. They hurried away before anyone came to check up on the engine.
***
Panting, Lana closed the door of her quarters behind her. Once more, Corden looked like running had been no physical exertion at all. He walked around in her modest rooms, studying them with amused curiosity.
A thought went through Lana's mind.
"If you've been here too before—" she warned, but the warrior shook his head.
"No," he assured her. "Although I appreciate being invited."
"This is for the sake of hiding you," Lana said firmly, although her body was giving her a few more good reasons.
Corden gave her a knowing smile, but said nothing. They waited. Lana's comm link beeped almost immediately, reports of the explosion and the bodies being relayed to her. She ordered repair crews and told the bridge to alert General Worgen. The Brion patrols had a straight link to the warship and one of them was always on the bridge.
"It's better if I tell him," she said, her heart in her throat. "That way it doesn't look like I'm guilty."
"I don't think it matters with a man like that," Corden said, and his voice was very dark.
He looked serious, speaking of the general. Lana wanted to ask about it, but the comm informed her that Worgen was already on his way to her. Since the Brions had destroyed all communications systems capable of calling for help, traveling between the ships was the only way to talk. At least the comms were still intact ship-wise. And of course the Abysmal could broadcast what it wanted to the fleet surrounding it.
"I have to go," Lana said, hesitating. "Don't leave. I'll be back and then we can figure out what to do."
The warrior said nothing about that and Lana left with a heavy heart. The ugly rumors had proved to be true. Worgen was killing everyone he didn't find useful. In the case of women, everyone he didn't think worthy of him. She'd seen a few ships try to run and be destroyed by the Abysmal's guns almost instantly. Even jumping to hyperspace didn't help.
It seemed the Brion warship had a way of sensing the warp core firing up and the ship was blasted apart before they could jump. The sheer mindlessness of it took Lana's breath away, but at least finally there was a way for them to fight back. Maybe. All she had to do was make sure she lived to see that fight.
The bay was almost empty, this time. To spare her crew at least that much, Lana had ordered that when the general was aboard, no one remained in the bay but her. Worgen didn't seem to mind. He didn't even seem to notice. The cold, ruthless eyes looked upon the world like an inventory. Everything was either useful or it was not and the people he didn't value were no better than furniture. He certainly discarded them without remorse.
He only spared Palians, for some reason. Lana had tried to pry the reason from Fraly, but the man only shook his head, refusing to comment. The captain was forced to assume it was because of the Palians' skill and intelligence, making them very valued mechanics.
Worgen was waiting for her, as imposing as the first time she'd seen him.
Death seemed to be like an aura around him. As soon as Lana stepped into his presence, the cold dread that she'd be killed settled over her. The general had that effect on almost everyone, she'd noticed. Away from him, it was possible to discuss him, maybe even plot against him. But right before that passionless, black gaze... all hope died.
The general waited in silence as Lana approached. The words tasted ashen on her tongue, but she kept her head high.
"There has been an accident, General," she said, hearing her voice shake, unable to stop her hands from doing the same. "A patrol unit ventured into the engine room. I'm not aware why and I know very little of what happened. There was an explosion and all three were killed."
Worgen's eyes were like bottomless pits of despair, with no light and no warmth.
"That is a lie," he said.
Lana's blood turned to ice. She'd hoped the plan was good enough to fool Worgen at least for a while, but Corden was right. Brions knew when they were being lied to.
"Do you want to try that again before I kill you?" Worgen asked.
CHAPTER SIX
Corden
He followed Lana through the halls of the Raptor, a curious concern beating in his heart.
The gorgeous captain had an effect on him unlike anything else he'd ever experienced. There had been women in his life, but they were all fleeting memories now. Brions bonded for life—the sacred union between the gesha and the gerion was more important to them than anything else. Before that, they mostly "practiced" with people they liked, often after the heat of battle, but formed no connection with them.
Lana was different. He hadn't even touched her properly, but already she had a stronger hold over him than any woman he'd been with. The sound of her voice, the body that begged to be touched, it was all driving him insane. Just the sight of her alone made his cock stir, rubbing painfully hard against his pants.
Before, when he'd held her in his arms, it had taken all of his self-control not to take her like her body clearly wished. It was an unknown sensation for Corden, but he only wanted more of it. And the more he thought about her, the worse his concern got. Something eternal and invincible compelled him to follow, had compelled him to tell her his real name.
He wouldn't let Lana face Worgen alone, not after what they'd done. Or more specifically, what he had done. He should have been more careful.
And he was playing with fire again. The danger Lana was in made him careless, a word he had never associated with himself. Coming so close to Worgen was a terrible idea. The other general's senses were bound to be as good as his, possibly even better, since he'd had more time to train himself. Even absence of sound gave clues to those who were listening.
Corden edged as close as he could, masking the sound of his footsteps with the noise of the bay. The engine rumbled beneath his feet, the machinery in the bay still running. There were plenty of distractions for him to cover his approach, but Corden never trusted in luck.
Lana's explanation was good. She had almost mastered that old trick of first believing your own lie and only then telling it. But there were subtle hints that Corden noticed that gave her away. Worgen noticed them too. How could he not?
When the word "kill" echoed through the bay and Lana's beautiful face paled, Corden winced. The thought of her dead sent such a painful spike through his mind it physically hurt.
"Pity," Worgen was saying, approaching the captain like a storm.
She backed away, her mouth opening and closing without a single word coming out.
The sound of Worgen detaching his spear was the loudest Corden had ever heard. And the moment hit with all the ferocity he'd heard about.
Every Brion binding began with the recognizing moment that only the men experienced. One moment of absolute clarity, their life given purpose, everything suddenly in focus. Even the Monster of Briolina, a man believed to be incapable of emotion—a lie, Corden knew—had said that it felt like the world being made whole. It was a brilliant moment that lifted the man up, pushed his entire being to a whole new plane of existence, when he saw his fated.
The sight before Corden's eyes couldn't have been further from amazing. Lana, his fated, his gesha, backing away from the man he'd been sent to kill. One of the most ruthless, powerful men who ever lived. Who was no longer supposed to be alive.
And whose death he was now destined to ensure.
Corden had always prided himself on his self-control. It was what the rest of him was built on, the iron hold he had on his own temper, his desires and wishes. In one second, he was at a war with himself in a way that nearly tore him apart. Every inch of him ached to dash from his cover, pull his own spear and see if he could kill a legend.
His mind howled against that. Corden's blood boiled, red-hot, so vivid it nearly blinded him. But underneath, his control held tight, held with all it
had.
You'll die. She'll die. This will all end.
It was the truth, Corden knew that. He knew nothing of Worgen but for the fact the man had hundreds of years of experience on him and not one sign of aging. Brion generals and their pride were inseparable, but this was not a fight he could have won with simple rage.
And if he revealed himself right then, Lana would die before he took a step toward her.
All that had taken him a second to process, his gesha still backing away, but luck came to his aid. Worgen didn't seem to be in any hurry. Perhaps he really did think it a pity. Corden pushed down the implications of another man wanting to claim his fated, making his insides lurch uncomfortably.
Stepping forward from the shadows, he dug deep inside, into his very core of being. For years, he'd studied the other generals and it was Diego Grothan he'd always found the most inspiring. Like the eye of a storm he'd described himself.
That was what he needed. The impossible lie.
Corden focused. It didn't come easy, his entire being beating for Lana along with his heart. Seeing her inches from her death made his blood rage when he needed it to cool. The need for her to live proved stronger than his fury. The valor squares on his neck dimmed. There was nothing he could do about the look in his eyes. It was too late for that.
"I killed them," he said.
Both Worgen and Lana turned toward his voice.
It was a gamble, a terrible, deadly gamble. Corden hated risk more than anything else, mostly because he didn't have to do it often and the results could never be calculated to his liking. Right now, he put everything on the line for the chance that no general knew everyone in their service.
Problem was, Worgen had had a century to get acquainted with his.
The lost general caught him in his black gaze. It was the first time Corden got a proper look at his enemy. Worgen was as he'd been described in the whispers and stories he'd heard aboard the Raptor. Onyx eyes, the steaming armor. The emptiness of his gaze. A black hole, not a man.
He'd expected rage, but what he found was so much worse. Worgen wasn't the crazed maniac everyone thought he was. No, the lost general was more like a machine. Lacking emotion, lacking reasoning, only purpose remaining.
Worgen stood, unmoving. The spear was still in his hands. Corden didn't let the apparent ease fool him. He'd seen men throw the spear with dizzying speed in a heartbeat. There was a blade at Lana's throat, even if it was ten feet away.
"They were conspiring to challenge you."
Worgen tilted his head just slightly, observing him with his dark eyes.
"No," he said without emotion. "Impossible."
It took Corden a long moment of stillness to understand the other general wasn't calling him a liar. He was denying the outcome.
Gods. He truly is insane.
If that were true, it worsened the situation considerably. A sane enemy was always better, because they acted within the realm of reason. Men who'd lost their minds were all the more dangerous for it, because you could never predict them. And a mad Worgen... that was bad.
"I didn't say they would have succeeded," he said, as impassively as he could. "I said I killed them for it."
Worgen didn't answer at once. Then he took another step in Lana's direction.
"She didn't lie," he said at once.
Staying in his place was the hardest thing he had ever done. Keeping his valor squares from flashing was right up there with it. Lana was too far from him, too close to Worgen. If he set the general off somehow, she'd die before his eyes and never be his.
The thought was unbearable. Lana was his and his alone, nothing could take her from him. Not gods, not fate, and definitely not the man in front of him.
Worgen turned again, this time a tiny flame burning in the depths of his eyes, matching the small ones running over his armor.
"That was a lie," the general said. "You said it."
He had, hadn't he?
"She didn't know," he corrected, hoping that was enough for Worgen. "She fears you."
Perhaps it was the addition of terror, but that seemed to make sense to Worgen. He lowered his spear and observed them both.
"She does, yes," the general said, before adding, "so do you."
Corden felt his temper flash before he could get a grip on it. The twisted smile that slowly dawned on Worgen's face told him how deeply he'd been mistaken.
Rookie mistake. Never underestimate the enemy. Never assume they have the weaknesses you wish they had.
Well, that had been nice while it lasted. The whole two minutes of it.
Knowing he was exposed, Corden let the valor squares come back to life, seeing the way Lana's eyes lit up at that. And right when he'd thought the situation couldn't get any worse, Worgen's attention snapped to her and back to him.
"I see," he said.
No.
His fingers ached for the sure and solid weight of the spear in his hands, but one sudden movement meant Lana's death. There was no guarantee she'd live even if he stayed still, but Corden could no longer risk that.
"It's been a while since I've seen those burn like that," Worgen said, turning his attention back to him.
Corden wondered how much he'd given away. He was no rookie warrior to be ignored. If Worgen knew who he was, would he have dared to take his eyes off him, even for a second? Judging by the way his dark eyes were filled with life now, possibly.
Arrogant bastard, Corden thought. From a Brion, that was a compliment.
The line of Worgen's own valor squares was mostly hidden by his armor, the two rows of them disappearing under his collar. But all remained passive, even then.
"So young," Worgen said, looking at him. "Such a fool."
Corden refused to fall for that trap a second time, even if it grated on his nerves. He continued what he'd been doing ever since he betrayed himself to the other general. Edging slowly closer to Lana with steps that were barely movement at all.
"Stay right where you are, boy," Worgen said exactly as Corden was thinking he was almost close enough to make a run for her. "I know all your tricks and a thousand more that our kind has forgotten."
That was accurate, more than likely. Honestly, Corden hadn't thought it would work, but doing nothing had proven to be impossible.
"What do you want?" he asked.
Worgen looked at him with something akin to pity.
"To make the Brions great again," he said.
As I feared. Radgen has returned to us.
"All those years," Worgen was saying, every word lighting up his eyes even more, his armor responding to the rise of his temper. The armor that was obsidian before began to glow like coal now.
"All those years I've watched from the darkness as your Elders ruin us. We were great once, boy. Now all we are is slaves to this Union. Tame, neutered, imprisoned by this false leadership. The men I knew would have never allowed for this to happen, but they're all gone now. I've returned to put it right."
I expected better from you.
Out loud, Corden said nothing. Pride was not something he was willing to die for. If words were the only weapons Worgen used against him, he'd be fine.
The words were familiar. Every once in a while, a radical emerged, wishing to bring Brions back to the good old days. They meant wars, flowing rivers of blood, endless circles of revenge and the threat of extinction.
True glory, that.
It was one of the reasons his position had been created. Against men like Worgen, exactly for men like him. Corden wouldn't have ruled out the possibility that the Elders had gotten the idea from Worgen's legend.
Which means I was born to kill you, he thought. You and your treacherous dream of death.
Worgen was still looking at him, his black eyes now alight with hatred.
"For that, I need my fated," he finished. "It seems to be the one thing you've gotten right lately. All your generals, binding to Terran women. There has to be something in them that calls to power, t
o real strength. With one, I will be complete, ready to rule Briolina. Imagine what I would become with one, if a nobody like that last one can kill a Clayor Host after binding."
The mad general's eyes drifted back to Lana, sending a blinding flash of rage through Corden's entire body.
"You seem to have beaten me to the best one," Worgen concluded. "But no matter. That can be amended. There is no bond without you, is there?"
The other general moved so fast Corden nearly died in the very first second. Only inhuman reflexes saved him, bringing the spear on guard, catching the death blow inches from his neck. He didn't get a moment to contemplate the impossible efficiency with which Worgen moved; thinking was a luxury he couldn't afford. Blow after blow, he narrowly avoided dying, but the other general didn't immediately succeed in killing him either.
It meant Worgen wasn't invincible. Just damned hard to kill.
Every lesson he'd ever learned paid off, his body pushing itself to the limit to meet and parry and strike back. The battle spears clashed together, searching for an in that neither was giving.
There was a saying about the worst enemy for a Brion being another Brion. Corden found that to be truer now than ever before. Others of their kind made for the most inconvenient opponents, too similar, too practiced in the same tricks as Worgen had put it.
They twirled around each other, dodging under blows meant to cleave the other in half, only to deal out the next. Corden saw the inferno in Worgen's eyes, bared to him at last, but it wasn't the sort of careless fury often seen in Brions when they’d been angered.
It was similar to what he'd found in General Faren—a rage with a purpose, sharpened into the terrible weapon of a man. It didn't make Worgen clumsy; on the contrary, it drove him on as the need to protect Lana gave Corden strength. Something he definitely needed, matched against the man who'd been a general longer than anyone else in Brion history.