All the awful things she thought about him were true. He deserved to get his ass kicked by her. The next blow hit him in the mouth and drew blood from his lip. He licked away the blood but stayed still.
She pounded her fist into his belly, and he doubled over. Still he didn't do anything. For a moment, it was like those times the Teran Five goons had beaten him, then fucked him. Pain was something he could deal with, but this emotional shit wasn't.
"Fight back, damn you,” she snarled.
He took a deep, painful breath and let it out. “No. If you want to beat me, go ahead."
"Stars burn you!"
When he lifted his gaze, she'd turned her back on him. “I failed you. I get it. It's my fault. My fault you're an assassin. My fault you carry around a boatload of guilt. Go ahead. Kick my ass."
She turned around, and he was stunned to see tears pouring down her face. “You fool. You bastard. I loved you. All you had to do was tell me—"
"I didn't know you were still alive, Carina. I accepted that you were dead, and with you gone, there was no chance for me to find anyone to love."
She froze and then blinked. “That doesn't make sense. You...you treated me like a brat. You spanked me and ignored me. And then, when I needed you most—” She stopped and pressed her lips together.
"You're damn right I spanked you. And I about died when you came from it.” He curled his hands into fists to keep them off her, just as he had then. “But you were sixteen and I was twenty-two.” He shrugged. “You were too young, too innocent. I was already on the Council's bad side. What could I offer you?"
"You knew?” she asked, her eyes wide.
"That you had an orgasm from my spanking?” His throat was tight from the memory. “Yeah. I knew. You don't know what it cost me to walk away. It was one of my nobler actions and look what it got us."
"Leo didn't tell you I was still alive?” She looked at him incredulously.
"Leo didn't tell me shit,” he snapped. “By the time we met up again, he was undercover with the Primarians and working for the TIF. There was no way I was telling him anything, and he wasn't going to reveal much to me."
She ran a hand through her hair. While she was lost in thought, he studied her, hoping to keep the image in his brain. He didn't believe he'd get out of this one alive. Not if he was going to get her out. Shaun would have to rescue her, and Xandros would have to distract their pursuers. He hated that he'd leave her marked, but he hadn't intended to hurt Carina Tao.
Her dark brown hair was ragged from the vicious hack job the Brotherhood had done. Her face was more angled, a far cry from the sweet, chubby cheeks she'd had as a teenager. Her eyes were a dark brown, and her fingers were long and slender. She had curves that were ruthlessly disciplined into a lean fighting machine. He longed to see those curves rounded by a child, carrying on the tradition of the Nyral people. He wanted a girl with the same fire and the same intense expression.
All those things were pipe dreams, fantasies blown away by the reality of the Primarians.
Bad enough to face a squad of those persistent assholes, but with an Ardasian seer, it was impossible. The seer would read any action they might take, any defense they might mount. The only way to win was to run, and right now, there was nowhere to run. Shaun wouldn't get to them before the Primarians. To save her, he had to lead them off, fool the Ardasian as he'd fooled others of his kind in the past.
Quietly, he picked up her clothes and handed them to her. They dressed without speaking. Then, she wrapped her arms around herself and spoke.
"Xandros,” she said in a low voice. “I need my weapons. I can take the Ardasian."
"No.” In two strides, he was beside her, taking her in his arms. “Shaun is on his way. And we'll escape."
Her gaze met his. She knew. He didn't have to say it. Somehow she knew he wasn't going with her. He pressed her face to his chest and buried his nose in what was left of her hair. Stars, he loved her. The thought solidified, and he realized he had loved this woman all his life.
He might have declared his feelings at that moment, but a sound at the entrance made him freeze. Slowly, he retrieved his laser gun and crouched on the fringes of the firelight.
Atlana stumbled into the cave, blood streaming from her mouth, her green eyes glowing in the darkness. Xandros and Carina rushed forward and caught the Ardasian just as she started to collapse.
"The Primarians’ seer is dead. I killed him.” Her green eyes were brilliant and bright, power emanating from them.
"Atlana—” Carina started to speak, but Atlana gripped her hand and aimed her eerie gaze at her.
"Must show you.” She glanced at Xandros. “Carry me. Waterfall. Cave."
He lifted the Ardasian woman into his arms. Xandros carried her to the falling water cascading down next to the cave. “Where, Atlana?'
"Through the water. Cave. Prophecy.” Atlana coughed, and blood spattered from her mouth.
Xandros shouldered his way through the water and ignored the cold, wet sensation. He hoped there was something in this cave to help the Ardasian woman. But there was only darkness.
When Carina lit the lantern she'd brought with her, all he saw was more cave drawings. “What is this place?"
"Sindar's grave,” Atlana said and coughed up more blood.
"There has to be a way to help you,” Carina insisted.
"I am done. My part is over. Here with Sindar, I will die. The seer caused me to bleed internally.” She managed a tremulous smile. “It took me too much time to access his mind."
"What are we doing here?” Carina asked. “Let me get help."
"No. I'm too far gone. It's fitting.” Atlana coughed again. Xandros set her down gently on the cave floor, and he and Carina knelt beside her.
With surprising strength, the woman reached out her hands and gripped them both. “Listen. The writings say that the bond you have is the second step to the Brotherhood's destruction. Leo Eyler's mating to the princess is first. Now your mating to Xandros. Both of you hold the key.” Her voice was insistent, desperate. “You will bring forth the enforcer.” She raised her arm and pointed. “The enforcer will kill the Brotherhood's leader."
Xandros stared at the writings. The picture Atlana indicated showed the Brotherhood as a three-headed snake. “And who is the enforcer?” he asked. Part of him already knew who she was going to say.
"His family name is Fenway.” Atlana coughed, and her hand fell away from his arm. “Through him, the Brotherhood is destroyed."
"Atlana—” He held her upright as she started to collapse.
Her gaze held his. “She is more than a Nyral submissive. Her blood holds power. That's why the Brotherhood could not completely mind wipe her. That's why she regained her memories.” Atlana's voice faded. “I've gained you time, but not much.” She smiled at Carina. “You are assassin and queen both. You are the messenger, sustained by your bond to him.” Her eyes closed, and she relaxed in Xandros's arms. “I go to be with my people."
The life bled out of her. Xandros gently stroked the hair away from her face. How old had she been? Thirty? Forty? It was difficult to tell. He laid her down on the cave floor and glanced at Carina.
Tears glinted in her eyes, but she didn't let them fall. “What now?"
"Now I'll lead the Primarians away from this valley,” he said firmly. “I promised Atlana I would take care of the Nariadians.” He rose and checked his laser gun. It was charged and ready. Then he started for the waterfall.
Carina was right behind him. He stopped and glared at her. “You're staying."
"I'm going.” She held his hostile stare. “When I didn't remember who I was, I was a burden. Now I can help you."
"Against a thousand Primarians?” He gripped her shoulders and shook her. “You're not even fully recovered from what they did to you. If they capture you, all this is for nothing. Atlana died for nothing. Wait for Shaun."
"I'm going,” she said through pursed lips.
"Yo
u do exactly what I tell you to.” He didn't wait for her answer.
When they stepped out of the water, several Nariadians stood on the rocks surrounding them. Their faces were filled with grief, with questions. They seemed to know Atlana was dead, even though he didn't tell them. He couldn't even speak their language.
One of the men came forward and touched Carina. Xandros's rage rose to the surface, and he leaped forward. Two of the Nariadians gripped him, and for some reason, their restraint held him. The Nariadian with his hand on Carina spoke five words, and her mark flared bright white. Her eyes clouded over with a milky film. Xandros stared at her. Carina raised her arms, her hands facing each other. Light formed between them, and Xandros felt the power surge through him.
Words poured from Carina's mouth, words he didn't understand, yet he sensed their force. Wind rose and whipped the trees into a frenzy. Lightning cracked across the sky, and thunder exploded. Electricity streaked down the valley floor, and fires erupted everywhere. The light moved like an immoveable bolt of fire, incinerating all that impeded it.
In the valley below, men screamed in agony, and shouts of warning were cut short. A swath of destruction burned across a huge section down in the darkness. Xandros saw Primarian soldiers illuminated by the bolt of hot light that cut through everything, and then they were incinerated, their ashes scattering, their weapons useless.
Carina's feet rose from the rocks, and she levitated, her jagged hair whipping and blowing in the wind. More fire ripped through the forest below, and the sound of laser rifles reverberated off the rock walls. A number of soldiers streamed out of the trees and rushed toward them.
Light exploded from Carina's hands and swept across the valley, burning everything. The smell of burning flesh rose in the air. Xandros stared as twenty or thirty burning bodies ran helter-skelter back through the trees trying to escape the fire Carina created. Trees exploded. The swarm of men were now lumps of cooked meat.
As suddenly as it had begun, the fire winked out, and Carina dropped to the ground.
Xandros lifted her head and checked her pulse. Passed out. He gazed down at the now barren valley. Thousands of Primarian soldiers were smoldering globs of burned flesh. Every piece of vegetation was destroyed. The very ground was scorched.
He blinked and stared at the Nariadian. The man nodded. “For Atlana.” The Nariadians turned and retreated back into their caves.
Xandros buried his face in Carina's neck. He didn't know whether to feel relief or fear when Shaun landed his shuttle on the newly barren ground.
[Back to Table of Contents]
Chapter Ten
What the fuck happened? Carina opened her eyes slowly. A med facility. That was good. But she remembered the death, the fire, the burning. The destruction had been incredible. She'd seen it before she'd collapsed. What had that alien done to her? He'd spoken the words, and she'd known them, said them, let the fire rise within her.
And what did that make her? Some kind of paranormal freak.
Xandros was in a chair at the foot of the bed, his head resting on his arms. She stared at him. He was her marked mate, and she didn't know what the fuck that meant.
That power. She didn't know what it was or what it was for. Her memories shouldn't have returned either. A mind wipe was permanent; the only known treatment was to submit to a brain scan on Teran Five. Yet she'd regained her memories without any help at all. Well, after some intense sex with Xandros Jasper.
She wondered what it all meant.
The med door opened, and a beautiful woman strode in. She wore a white flight suit and had auburn hair that shone in the artificial lights. When she pulled up a chair and sat beside Carina, her expression was serious. “How are you feeling?"
"I don't know,” Carina answered truthfully. “I've been kidnapped, mind wiped, found out I was part of some mystical prophecy bullshit, and some alien asshole said a few words which made me burn a few thousand soldiers to a crisp. How should I feel?"
The other woman's lips twitched. “If you have your memories, then you know who I am."
Carina glanced away. She knew. “Princess Sera Ellysa Placido, last heir to the Placidian throne."
The woman stood up, her back straight. “Yes. And apparently your target."
Carina shifted, uncomfortable under the woman's perceptive gaze. “I have a job to do."
The princess nodded. “Destroy the Brotherhood. My death wouldn't have mattered to you."
"I wasn't planning on actually killing you."
Princess Sera lifted her lips in a small, tight smile. “Not unless you had to.” The woman glanced down at Xandros's sleeping form. He hadn't even woken up. “He loves you, you know,” she said casually.
"Right,” Carina said bitterly. “I'm his newest acquisition, nothing more, Princess."
The princess cocked her head to the side. “We had to pry you from his arms."
Carina shrugged, even though her heart warmed at the thought. “I'm an expensive acquisition."
Princess Sera shook her head. “Pity."
"What is?” Carina asked reluctantly.
The other woman stared at Xandros's bent head. “He went into the Nyral rage when the Brotherhood took you. At that distance, it's rare. I've never seen the kind of connection between marked mates."
What could Carina say to that? She stared at the ceiling. “Yay me?"
The princess snorted, a very unladylike sound. “Yeah. It's not all it's cracked up to be, is it?” She stroked Carina's cheek. “Leo has talked about you so often. I feel as if I know you."
Carina glared at the woman. “You don't."
"Oh?” The princess raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow. “Pissed that we interfered in your death wish, are you?"
"Yes,” she hissed under her breath. “What are you going to do now? Find me some nice dom to settle down with? One who won't mind that I've assassinated hundreds of people?"
"You already found one,” she said with a significant glance at Xandros. “Funny. The prophecies are so vague."
"What do you mean?"
"There were three...” The princess seemed to drift into thought, and then she shook her head sharply. “If you have your memories, then you know where Finn and Aron were taken."
Stars, she wished she could forget. They'd opened a portal, some magic transporter that had scared the shit out of her. “I'm not sure, but the priests did some kind of magic, and a doorway appeared."
"Do you remember the words they said?” the other woman asked quickly.
Carina rubbed her temples. She didn't want to remember, but the memory was sharp and clear...
Her knees were cold from the metal floor where she knelt. Dim light illuminated very little, except Challah Pestori, the priest's daughter, also kneeling, to her right. The rest was hidden in shadow.
"You should learn from this assassin, my daughter,” Father Pestori said from the darkness. “Even after she has served the Brotherhood by killing her target, she does not question me when I demand she take a soldier's cock in her mouth."
Bile rose in Carina's throat. The only thing that kept her still, kept her deadly knife sheathed, was the hope that she would have her revenge, that she would have the blood of the real leader of the Blueshift Brotherhood.
She shot a glance at Challah and noted the woman's face was pale. Her back was crisscrossed with new whip marks. A punishment, no doubt, for trying to protect one of her father's victims.
Her attention was caught by four Primarians that marched into view. They dragged two men into the light.
Aron and Finn. Damn it. She'd tried to warn them, told them to run.
Her fault. She'd revealed Shaun Fenway's intentions to Leo Eyler, knowing it would lead to the assassin's death or capture. She also knew the Brotherhood would turn on the other two Nyral males.
"But first, let's take out the garbage,” the priest intoned. He spoke words in a strange language, and she trembled. What was he doing?
The four pries
ts chanted, their words resonating inside her. The urge to speak was so strong, her throat hurt. Tears gathered in her eyes, and she tried to blink them away.
Challah whimpered. “Father, please.” The pathetic sound was full of pain and fear.
"You must learn, my daughter, that you are not the only one I can use."
The chants flowed through Carina like electricity, and something elemental passed through her body to Pestori's fingers on her neck. He spoke again, his lined face hard and cold.
Noise like she'd never heard before roared in the little room. Bright light blinded her. Challah screamed, “No, Father, don't."
An eerie, creepy smile lifted Pestori's face, and he pointed his left hand toward the altar. Swirls of bright gold, silver, and purple appeared out of nowhere and formed a doorway.
Before Carina understood, the four priests dragged Aron and Finn to the swirls and threw them toward the brilliantly colored opening. The men screamed, a horrific sound that ripped through Carina like a laser-pistol shot.
They were sucked into the void, the swirls swallowing them like ripe fruit; and then they were gone with only sparkles and glitter left behind.
Carina thought she might scream in horror. Gone. They were gone. For a moment, her mind blanked, unable to process what she'd seen. She'd done that. She'd been the conduit, the live wire to make it happen.
Her fault.
Father Pestori dropped his fingers from her neck. “Not many have seen the fist beneath the robe, Rina Assassin. You are privileged..."
"Carina,” the princess said softly, breaking into Carina's memory.
She blinked for a moment. “The words?” She remembered. Her voice cracked as she repeated the words, stumbling over their pronunciation.
She stared at the princess and watched color drain from her face. Abruptly, the other woman sat down as if her legs couldn't hold her up anymore. “I was right. Holy comet."
"Fill me in?"
"It's a version of the Star Blessing, a Placidian chant. It transports objects, but I've never heard of it being used for people.” Princess Sera ran a trembling hand over her mouth. “I thought the man in charge of the Brotherhood might have a background in Placidian magic, but transporting people?"
Marked for Danger [Marked 3] Page 9