TALON (RIBUS 7 Book 4)

by Shae Mills

  Korba’s heart twisted as he witnessed her agony, yet he feared touching her lest she vanish. And so, he remained motionless, her gentle touch soothing his healed wounds but piercing his flayed soul.

  Finally, Chelan withdrew her hands and clasped them tightly to her chest, her eyes still riveted to the network of fine scars that marred his flesh.

  His quiet voice broke the deadlock her vision waged with her distress, and she looked up into his eyes. “They will fade completely and disappear,” he whispered.

  She watched as Korba did up his jacket and shroud. She swallowed hard, mounting a hollow battle against the onslaught of emotions that threatened.

  Korba stared at her small hands, her knuckles turning blue. With great trepidation, he reached for them, almost forcefully pulling them away. He held them firmly within his. “I am glad you came.”

  Chelan focused on his chest, now concealed by the shroud. Her voice was tremulous. “I just came for a short visit.”

  Korba reached for her chin and raised her face up, forcing her eyes to his. “I know.” He smiled again. “A short visit is more than I could ask for, pretty woman.”

  Chelan felt weak, yet she drew her hands back from him. Then she looked behind her for her chair and sat down heavily. Korba pulled up another and sat in front of her.

  Chelan cleared her throat. “Lethiason says that you have relinquished most of your governance.”

  Korba’s smile waned. “Victory was not as sweet as I had predicted.” He paused. “And obtaining it cost me more than I had anticipated.”

  Chelan watched as he attempted to get comfortable in his chair. She noticed for the first time how stiffly he held his left arm. She nodded to it. “You are still injured?”

  Korba glanced at his arm. “A wound near my spine caused some nerve damage.” He looked back at her with warm, azure eyes. “The nerves will regenerate.”

  Chelan felt sick again. She had thought only of his chest and abdomen. Now, with horror, she thought of the rest of his body. She endeavored to obliterate the grisly images. “Is one of the reasons you do not govern because of the injuries?”

  Korba nodded. “Among others.”

  Chelan squirmed in her chair. “Uh, look, I want to thank you for the personalized capsule.”

  Korba smiled at her. “As usual, you are pleased by so little.”

  Chelan’s nails dug into the chair arm. “And the dress…” Her voice faltered and faded into a whisper. “You kept it all this time.”

  Korba nodded. “I kept it when I could not keep you.”

  Chelan suddenly glanced away.

  Korba smiled. “My Lady—I returned it to you because you are not away from me any longer. You reside on my home planet, where I will live out the remainder of my life. Though you no longer lie with me, you are within me.” He paused. “It is Braedon you should wear it for now.”

  Chelan leapt to her feet and turned away. “I am very tired from the trip,” was all she could utter. “I think I should rest awhile, if you permit.” She turned back just in time to see him rise slowly from his chair.

  Then he straightened and nodded to her. “As you wish, my Lady.” He hesitated, his features drawn. “After your rest, do you intend to leave?”

  Chelan faltered. “I don’t know. I will have to discuss it with Braedon.”

  Korba nodded. “If you choose to stay for a time, you are more than welcome—Braedon too. If you decide to leave, then… I want to thank you for coming. It has meant more to me than you could ever know.”

  He bowed to her. As he turned to leave, Chelan called after him. “Where do you stay? I mean, where can I reach you if need be?”

  Korba crooked his head toward the workout area. “When I am about the Palace, Lethiason is usually able to find me. The rest of my time is spent in my private blue room, my Lady.”

  Chelan rubbed her hands together in agitation. “All alone…” she whispered sorrowfully.

  Korba smiled at her as he turned away. “All alone, my Lady, as it has been since we parted all those many years ago.”

  Chelan watched his journey away from her until he disappeared into the darkness. Then she ran to her chambers, flinging herself onto her bed. She felt as though she were becoming insane. She had seen Korba’s injuries shortly after the battle, but somehow she had blocked the images out. As a result, all this time she had only condemned Korba for Talon’s death, somehow letting herself believe that the immortal Korba had emerged not only victorious but unscathed from the combat. But that was far from the case. Her memory was now painfully restored. And without warning, a festering rage welled up in her for all the wounds Talon had inflicted upon Korba. The tables had been turned in her mind. Both men had done irreparable damage to each other.

  Then suddenly, she bolted upright. He lived alone still, as he had done for the last five Earth years since she had seen him last. Chelan put a trembling hand over her mouth to mute her sobs. She had been with Dar and Fremma before all hell had been unleashed. But since then, while his tattered heart had clung to her memories and her gown, she had lain with Korba’s butcher and was now considering a life with Braedon.

  She hunched over, her chest crushed by the burden of grief and guilt she now harbored. Lethiason had insisted that she accept Talon in every way possible, and it had taken her years to do just that, but now she was riddled with remorse. The final decision had been hers and hers alone. Years of pressure aside, how had she succumbed to Talon, bloody mind-altering drugs aside. In her heart, she had betrayed her men, all of them, but her gravest betrayal had been that of Korba, and it had happened long before Talon. How could she possibly live with herself now, she wondered, and her tears came.

  *****

  When nightfall descended, Chelan finally slept uneasily, her tears spent. Braedon entered the suite and watched his tormented beauty, her body beckoning to him. He stripped and crawled in behind her, hugging her close. Inhaling her sweet scent, he drifted off to sleep, happy to still have her in his arms.

  *****

  Chelan awoke to pitch blackness. She felt Braedon pressed against her, and suddenly, she needed to be alone. Easing out from under his arm, she sat up on the edge of the bed and peered down at him. She knew it was partly guilt driving her from his comfort, but still, she could not lie with him in Korba’s domain.

  She slipped into her uniform and then out into the darkened Command Center. Feeling her way to the large central chair, she curled up in it and, once again, receded into a deep yet restless sleep.

  *****

  At first light, Korba emerged from the workout area and looked down at the sleeping woman. He glanced toward the chambers and thought about Braedon. They had slept apart on their first night in the Palace, and he was not sure if that set his heart at ease or burdened it.

  He stared at Chelan, wishing with all his might that he could go to her, hold her, and love her. Instead, he turned away and looked at the shimmering pool. He walked up to it and knelt down, touching the water. Suddenly, he smiled. It was warm like her, and in that instant, he needed to be immersed in it. He removed his uniform and slipped into its embrace. Then, slowly, he began his laborious journey to the far end, his motions ripping at all the adhesions and scar tissue within him.

  Chelan rounded the end of the workout area, attracted by the sound of water. She moved to the pool’s edge and sat down. There she watched as he toiled along. When finally he returned and surfaced, she smiled at him. “It is good therapy,” she whispered.

  Korba held onto the pool’s edge and nodded. “Will you join me?”

  Chelan hesitated. “I cannot.”

  Korba stared at the edge, stung hard by her simple refusal. Then he forced a smile. “I will not touch you, my Lady.”

  Chelan’s heart wrenched at the sight on his face of the emotional pain he fought so valiantly to conceal. She glanced at the pool and weighed his request against her defenses. Then she looked back at him. “Oh, what the hell, hey?” And she stood. She
watched as he sank from sight and kicked off, allowing her to undress in privacy.

  She stripped quickly and settled into the water. Then, moving off to the side, she submerged herself, her convoluted thoughts suddenly liberated by the all-encompassing warmth of the pool. She smiled to herself, her burdens temporarily eased, her mind and body freed from the chains of the past. Each time she surfaced, she looked for him. But he kept his distance, chipping away at the vast expanse of water, lap after painful lap. When she surfaced again, she saw him at the pool’s edge. She swam up to him and stopped an arm’s length away. “It is beautiful,” she spluttered. Then she saw it—the familiar yet fleeting spark within his eyes.

  “Not nearly as beautiful as you.”

  Chelan pinked, her smile broadening. Then it faded as he turned from her and began pulling himself out of the water. For the first time since his fight with Talon, she saw his back. If she had eaten, she would have lost the contents of her stomach, and she turned away quickly.

  Korba registered her unease and promptly dressed. Chelan kept her back turned; her eyes burned. Finally, he called to her, and she swam to the edge. He sat down and peered deep into her soft eyes. “Do not cry for me, pretty woman.” He reached for her cheek just as her chin began to quiver. “All you see are physical scars. They are nothing, and eventually, they will be nothing.”

  “You must have been in so much pain,” she blurted out. “You stood there for so long without help. And I wasn’t even there for you.” And her head sagged onto her arms.

  Korba stroked her wet hair. “You have come to me now,” he whispered. “Even if we never see one another again, this means the galaxy to me.”

  Chelan squeezed her eyes tight, unable to look at him. “But I cannot stay.”

  Korba took a deep breath, his hand ceasing its gentle caress. “I know, my Lady. But this one visit will last me a lifetime.”

  Chelan felt new tears form, but then his hand withdrew from her. Her head snapped up. “Where are you going?”

  He smiled down at her. “I must rest. I am afraid I am merely a shadow of my former self. Today’s therapy has sapped my reserves.”

  Chelan watched as he stood and walked alongside the pool a ways, disappearing into his blue room. She scrambled from the water and dressed hurriedly. Then she stood still, her nerves frayed. She didn’t know what to do or which way to turn. Finally, she ran to her chambers in search of Braedon, but he was gone.

  She began to pace, but the turbulence within her would not lessen. Then, without forethought, she found herself hustling toward the little blue room. Once outside, she took several deep breaths. “May I enter, my Lord?”

  Chelan was startled as the doors parted instantly. She looked in just in time to see Korba sit up and swing his legs over the edge of his bed.

  “You are always welcome here, Chelan. You do not have to ask.”

  Chelan stepped through the doors and edged toward the beautiful, white bed. She sat down stiffly. Then she glanced at his open jacket. Korba looked down and did it up, thus sparing her further pain.

  Chelan could barely contain her anxiety. But finally, she forced her gaze to his. “He was your brother.”

  “I know.”

  Chelan looked at the robin’s-egg-blue walls. “Did he know it was you he confronted?”

  “Yes. He was well aware that I was one of the few capable of challenging him and winning.”

  Chelan’s eyes skated to his. “But he thought you were dead.”

  “Yes. But the battle in the Command Center had not progressed far before he realized who his assailant was.”

  Chelan was suddenly beside herself with misery. “Why did you not simply shoot him? Why did you choose the brutality of sabers?”

  Korba faltered, sickened by the pain in her pretty eyes. “Because I wanted him to know with whom he dealt. On the battlefield, he was arrogant. After our defeat, he shouted to the galaxy about the superiority of his physical prowess, and that was not true. I needed to prove otherwise. And through it all, it was important to me that the strongest of us truly won.”

  “Are you saying he was weak?”

  “No, not at all. He was one of the best fighters I have ever encountered. But in a galaxy ruled by warriors, physical superiority is proven on the battlefield, not expressed in words.”

  Chelan was dumbstruck. “But you chose to prove your point in front of me.”

  “Oh, no, my Lady. That was definitely not part of the plan. We assumed he would check the Command Center at first light while you still slept. We disabled the Center to draw him out. But by the time he realized that there was trouble, my forces and I were literally at his door. When I stepped into the Command Center and saw you, I nearly pulled out. But everything was in motion, and he was the final target.”

  Chelan looked about her frantically. Suddenly, she was swamped by a litany of questions, most too painful to ask. Her chest heaved as her eyes locked onto his. “Why did you not tell me that you lived? For three long Earth years, I believed you to be dead.”

  Korba faced her more directly. “Talon’s assault was unforeseen, my Lady. In the beginning, we thought we were dealing with ROPE alone. As you know, we suspected long ago that they may have acquired our genetics, but we were never sure. So, when Talon sprang upon us with our own genetic stock, his power was devastating. But early into the war, it became apparent to me that due to the ferocity of his Iceanean forces, their sheer numbers, and the advanced technology at his disposal, he not only had the ability to destroy the Empire, he also had the ability to eradicate his own Command, those at the top of ROPE. As a result, I started to have doubts that his sole allegiance was to ROPE. And so strategically, it became important that we determined both his ultimate goal and the extent of his loyalty to ROPE. To do that, we had to make sacrifices. But the attacks, on all fronts, were so powerful, so unrelenting, and so widespread that those of us who survived retreated into oblivion to wait, to watch, to assimilate, and to plan. It took me all these years to regroup and prepare. It had to be perfect. I could ill afford a second defeat.”

  “But through Lethiason, you cast me into Talon’s arms.”

  Korba glanced down, his expression and voice strained. “I know, Chelan.” He looked into her grievous eyes. “After he attacked RIBUS 7, he was almost within range of RIBUS 8 and 10. I could not even contemplate trying to pick you up.”

  Then he stopped, and Chelan held her breath. She watched as his eyes moistened and his face contorted.

  “I underestimated him. I assumed I could blow him to oblivion and then simply pick you up. God, Chelan—you can’t imagine what it did to me to learn that he had captured you.”

  Chelan held very still, the sight of his tears stunning her.

  “My first impulse,” he continued, “was to lash out and retrieve you. But as my officers indicated, a hasty maneuver such as that would have ended in your death. In the midnight hour of the battle, a tough decision had to be made. Dar offered to sacrifice RIBUS 8 and himself so that I and a few select officers could escape in the ensuing chaos. We knew it was our only hope for retaliation, even if it took years. And in the subsequent battle, both ships were destroyed, along with their crews. They fought as well as they could, but it was to no avail. I retreated into obscurity so that we could live and retake the Empire.”

  Chelan’s own eyes had begun to sting at the mention of Dar’s name, but she had too many other things to deal with first. His memory would have to wait.

  Korba tried to harness his thoughts, the combined devastation of them leaving him winded. Then he looked at her, his eyes pleading. “Oh, pretty woman. If there were any way, any way at all, I could have rescued you, you know I would have.”

  “But all those years when I believed the worst… Oh my god, Korba—I ended up married to him! I slept with the enemy.”

  Korba hung his head. “I know, my Lady.”

  Chelan watched him struggle, his words not coming easily to him. Then finally, he began ag
ain, his voice soft and low. “After we had fled, we decided that it was best that you remain with him.”

  Chelan shook her head. “Lethiason told me… He said you actually wanted me with Talon.”

  Korba’s voice was heavy with emotion. “That is true. Talon had won. He held the galactic power. And as the takeover progressed, he rained down terror everywhere within the Empire. We knew soon after the total defeat that you still lived. Therefore, we knew that he held you as more than a bargaining tool. With that knowledge, I was sure he would keep you safe despite the carnage all around. I knew that he would fall in love with you just as hard as I had. And I hoped that because of that love, you would be safe and cared for as long as it would take for us to reclaim all.”

  “But I died inside.”

  “I know, my Lady. As did I. But if one of my own men had brought you word, or if Lethiason had told you, would you have been able to keep it a secret for three long years?”

  “Yes!”

  “No! Talon would have sensed your stubborn allegiance. You would have fought him, angered him, thwarted him for all eternity. And in the end, if he had suspected anything, he would have killed you. Because I allowed you to believe I was dead, you submitted to him, and in that bond, you became safe. If he had had even an inkling that I was still alive, he would have used you to draw me out.”

  Chelan was nearly gasping for air, so many realizations rolling over her at once. Then her eyes widened as he reached for her and took her by the shoulders. New tears flooded his eyes.

  “Do you know,” he began, “what it did to me to know that I was willingly casting you into his arms? For over a year, I lived with the knowledge that he held you captive, taking from you whatever he wished whenever he wished, leveling whatever brutality he desired against you. Throughout it all, Lethiason attempted to monitor your care to make sure you were safe. But once Iceanea fell, his job became that of matchmaker. And at that point, I actually felt relieved when I heard that you had finally accepted Talon’s offer to be his wife. But with that acceptance—” His words broke off, and his chest expanded painfully. “But with that acceptance, though I knew you were protected, I also knew I had allowed you to slip into his arms… and into his bed.” Korba’s fingers bit into her shoulders. “How do you think I felt to know that while I was on the outskirts of the galaxy floating in hell, you were at home on Iceanea, loving and making love to my mortal enemy?” He took a deep breath. “And so, my Lady, not all the pain was borne by you.”