Royal Obsession

by Friberg, Cyndi

“You saw into his mind. What are his true abilities?”

  “He can teleport and manipulate brainwaves. He’s had the most experience working with memories, but he can construct compulsions almost as strong as those designed by the elders.” Echo licked her lips and glanced away from Saebin’s crystal-blue gaze. “I saw the world from his perspective. It wasn’t a pleasant reality.”

  “Has he been ruined by his past?”

  “No. It’s made him ruthless and suspicious, but his heart is—”

  “Noble?” Saebin chuckled. “Your mother has taken a passionate dislike to the word.”

  “Regardless of her opinion, the word is accurate. Varrik is noble and selfless and resolute. He’s also stubborn and desperate.” Embarrassed by her own vehemence, Echo cleared her throat and said, “Mother promised Varrik she would keep his location a secret. Is the entire Joint Council downstairs?”

  Saebin shook her head. “Just Tal, Trey, and Lyrik.”

  “The Head Master of the Conservatory, the Director of Covert Ops, and the Overlord.” Echo pushed to her feet and tightened the belt keeping her robe closed. “This isn’t going to help Varrik. We need to move quickly and stealthily.”

  “I agree—to an extent. If I understand the conflict correctly, the initial attack only needs to take out the elders. After they’ve been neutralized, we will require a larger force to assist with the evacuation, but—”

  “We will require? Are you volunteering to help us?”

  “That depends.” The hint of a smile curved the corners of Saebin’s mouth. “I love your parents dearly, but they’re both bureaucrats. Trey leaned across me and whispered to Lyrik, ‘The right strike team could avert this war before these two agree on whether or not they’re going to get involved.’ My hubby just laughed, but it started me thinking.”

  “You and I are the right strike team?”

  “We might be.” She smiled. “Put on your best kicking-ass-clothes and take me to this evil debaucher. I have a feeling I’m going to like him.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Varrik looked from Echo to Saebin and back, unsure what to make of the new arrival. Echo’s telepathic request had taken him by surprise. He had still been trying to figure out how they had ended up dream sharing, when he heard her voice inside his mind.

  She transmitted a locater signal, allowing him to flash into her bedroom and teleport the two women back to the cottage. If Saebin’s shields were as dense as she claimed, no one would be the wiser.

  Moments after they solidified in the cottage, Saebin stripped off her ordinary clothes and revealed formfitting body armor.

  “Where’s your mother?” he asked Echo.

  “I’m a lot more fun than Charlotte. Everyone tells me so,” Saebin answered for her niece. “My life mate is Overlord Lyrik.”

  “Aunt Saebin trained me.”

  “I suspect we’ll need backup at some point, but right now our greatest advantage is the element of surprise. What are the chances of finding all four elders in one place at the same time?”

  “That depends on South. Ordinarily the elders spend several hours each day in their meeting room.”

  “Do your implants work on Rodytes?” Echo asked.

  Saebin’s looked at him and shrugged. “There’s one easy way to find out.”

  Darkness overtook Varrik so quickly, he wasn’t able to struggle.

  Laughter drew him back from the abyss.

  “That wasn’t nice.” Echo knelt beside him, her warm hand pressed against his forehead.

  “No one ever accused me of being nice.”

  Varrik sat up and shook his head, his ear ringing. “What the hell did you do to me?”

  “I have neurostimulators that amplify my Mystic abilities,” Saebin stated casually.

  “How nice for you,” he grumbled as Echo helped him to his feet.

  “We need to get Echo near one of the elders so she can absorb the layout of the maze. What are we likely to face once we get down there?”

  “I can explain Echo’s presence in the maze. How am I going to account for you?”

  “I tried to interfere when you returned E’Lanna, and you captured me as well.”

  Varrik shook his head. “With you dressed like that, no one would believe it.” He stared at her for a moment, encouraged by her abilities. If the overlord’s life mate was cybernetically enhanced, perhaps his people wouldn’t seem so strange.

  “Then teach me how to construct an invisibility shield.”

  A cold chill skittered down his spine. Was this why they were being so helpful?

  “We have nothing to gain by helping you.”

  Varrik narrowed his gaze on Saebin’s face. How many abilities did her neurostimulators amplify? “Why are you here?”

  “I thought there were four thousand people waiting to be rescued.” Saebin looked at Echo. “If he doesn’t want our help…”

  “Are you a naturally strong shielder?” he asked, ignoring Saebin’s annoyance.

  “I’m not a naturally strong anything. However, my implants allow me to master most skills quickly. When do the elders have their meetings?”

  “Midday.”

  “Then we better get started.”

  It took her a little over an hour to learn how to consistently modulate her external shields creating the illusion of invisibility. “This is amazing,” he said. “Many of the soldiers are never able to create the illusion.”

  “What about weapons?” Echo asked. “You and Saebin are perpetually armed. I’d feel less vulnerable with a little something tucked up my sleeve.”

  “There’s a munitions scanner on the arrival deck. We’d only draw attention to ourselves.” He looked at Saebin, his curiosity once again piqued. “What sort of weapons are you concealing?”

  She made a fist and showed him the knuckle conduit that allowed her to release energy in concentrated bursts. “I’ve never set off a scanner. That’s part of the design.”

  “Are others equipped with these implants?”

  She grinned. “If I told you that, I’d have to kill you. Are we going to do this or not?”

  * * * * *

  North stared at Minekus, his teeth clenched so tightly his jaw ached. “I’ll only ask you one more time. Where is Elder South?”

  “You can repeat the question as many times as you like. The answer isn’t going to change. I don’t know where he is.” The head of security turned back to his control console, summarily dismissing North.

  Fury churned within him. He was tempted to burst a blood vessel inside Minekus’s brain. Lor dar Joon lay unconscious in an isolated storage room. Smuggling him into the maze had been no simple feat. If the Mystic regained consciousness before North laid his trap, everything would be for naught. The only way to contain a pyrokin was to knock him out before he realized the threat. Once he regained his senses, there would be no controlling him.

  North left the security center and stomped through the twisting corridors. Maybe East or West knew where he could find South. It was time for their daily meeting, and he needed to keep up appearances. He rounded a corner and collided with West.

  “Where are you headed?” North asked as he stumbled back a step.

  “To find you,” the other man informed him. “You didn’t respond to our page.”

  “I’ve been distracted.” He didn’t ask about South. The others knew they despised each other. Any overt interest would raise eyebrows.

  “East is setting up. Have you seen South?”

  “No. I needed to speak with him about another matter, and even Minekus doesn’t know where he is.”

  “That’s odd.” West shrugged. “Let’s get started. I’m sure he’ll show up.”

  They entered the meeting room a short time later, and East greeted them with a distracted smile. He was fiddling with a gadget centered in the middle of the square table.

  “What is that?” North asked.

  “You know how Rodytes love their toys. Stirate Quentin is even
worse than his brother when it comes to technology. He’s willing to beg, borrow, steal, or kill to get what he wants.”

  Just the mention of the Rodyte leader made North uncomfortable. He saw little value in allying themselves with the Rodytes. In his opinion, it made more sense to form partnerships closer to their base of operations. Besides, if truth be told, they needed the Rodytes more than the Rodytes needed the Shadow Assassins. A position the Rodytes exploited at every turn.

  East picked up the fist-sized object and pushed the subtle indention on the bottom. Light pulsed deep inside the translucent sphere. A flurry of sparks erupted, and then the device went dark.

  “What does it do?” West asked.

  “I have no idea,” East admitted. “Quentin sent it with his compliments. The message said he would check back later to see how we were enjoying—it.”

  “Well, tell him it doesn’t work.” West took his seat and motioned for the others to do the same. “We have more pressing matters than a Rodyte toy.” Accusation filled his gaze as he fixed his attention on North. “What is going on with Varrik? My hunters are restless, and some of the most outlandish rumors are circulating.”

  “Boredom has that effect on everyone.” North rested his forearms on the table and narrowed his gaze. “What your men need is a mission, or better yet a series of missions. Any chance—” A shrill alarm interrupted his comment. North pushed back his chair and hurried for the door. Worried that their conversations might be monitored, the elders had never allowed communication devices of any kind in the meeting room.

  He activated the com panel in the corridor. “Minekus, report!”

  Shouts and overlapping conversations came across the link before Minekus’s voice separated itself from the den. “Some sort of pulse erupted in your vicinity, then signals started blinking out all over the maze.”

  “What! Is the pulse still live? What do you mean by blinking out?”

  “Just what I said. Here one minute gone the next.” A garble of angry voices followed as North stared in stunned disbelief at the panel. “Hunters, sir. The hunters are disappearing.”

  North darted back inside the meeting room and snatched the sphere off the table. He threw it to the floor and tried to smash it with the heel of his boot. Pain shot up his leg with each stomp, but the smooth sphere remained intact.

  “It was a trap, you idiot!” he shouted at East. “This is some sort of homing device.”

  “The Rodytes have found the maze?” East sounded aghast.

  “Hunters started disappearing right after you activated this—”

  “Disappearing?” West cut in. “How is that possible?”

  “Ask East! He’s our resident Rodyte fan.” With the sphere in hand, North ran from the room. He had to get the device out of the maze. The scrambler shield prevented teleportation except from the departure deck. The damage was likely done, but he had to try something.

  He came abreast of a doorway, and a black-clad woman stepped out, blocking his path. She pointed both fists at him. One centered on his chest, the other directed at his head. Her beauty distracted him for an instant, and a cool hand touched the side of his face. Heat sliced into his brain and energy rushed out. He screamed, grasping blindly for his unseen attacker. He caught a glimpse of Echo’s infuriated expression before everything went black.

  * * * * *

  “This son of a bitch has Lor locked in a closet,” Echo said in an urgent whisper. “He intends to incinerate South and blame it on Lor.”

  Varrik stared at the elder crumpled at her feet, disbelief scrunching his features. His mouth opened as if he would speak, then he shook his head and asked, “Which closet?”

  “I’ll show you.”

  Saebin fell in behind them as they hustled down the corridor. “What does that one gain by blaming South’s murder on Lor?”

  “He can rally the men behind a central cause and dispose of his rival all in one fell swoop.” Varrik seemed to recover from the surprise as they jogged. “Is South dead?”

  “I don’t think so. North couldn’t find him.” Echo indicated a nondescript doorway, and Varrik scanned it open. “Something else is going on. North was really upset. The Rodytes sent some sort of…” Her words trailed away as she stepped into the storage compartment.

  “Where is Lor?” Saebin asked.

  Light flashed behind her, and Echo whipped around in time to see Varrik disappear. “What the—” Pain detonated deep in her chest. She reached out blindly for Saebin, lost in white-hot agony. Breath was frozen in her lungs, and her muscles refused to obey the frantic urging of her brain.

  As suddenly as light overtook her, it sputtered out, and she was left in utter darkness.

  * * * * *

  Throbbing pain penetrated the darkness. Hurried, male voices spoke in a language Echo didn’t understand. Something brushed against the side of her face. She tried to raise her hand to escape the irritant, but she couldn’t move her arm. Panic surged through the pain, clearing her head. She opened her eyes and felt a second rush of adrenaline.

  She was strapped to an examination table. A burly Rodyte glared at the man standing on the other side of the table. The second man had gray-tinted skin and a faintly reptilian appearance. Was he Linusian? The Rodytes often interacted with the people of Linusia.

  The Rodyte made an angry gesture toward her, and the other man rested his hand on her forearm. Neither glanced down or sensed her wakefulness. She closed her eyes just to be safe and reached into the Linusian’s mind. Not wanting him to feel her presence, she kept her telepathic touch light and focused. She found the communications center of his brain and absorbed the three languages he was able to speak.

  “Do you understand my dilemma?” the Rodyte was saying. The harsh, guttural language made him sound angry. “Stirate Quentin is expecting fifty-eight men. If I present him with the two females, he might be thrilled with the bonus, or he might kill me. There’s no way to anticipate his reaction. If I turn over the men and keep the women, I run the risk of his finding out and—”

  “You’re dead for sure,” the other man replied. Echo moved deeper into his mind. His mother was Linusian, but his father was Rodyte. He snatched his hand back. “Sir, she’s awake.”

  The Rodyte grabbed her chin and turned her head toward him. No longer needing to be subtle, she established a link and dove through his memories. Starting with the present, she sank no farther than was absolutely necessary. She couldn’t pick and choose which memories she viewed, so she’d learned early on to limit her contact. Varrik and the other men were locked in the hold. Elder South was on board! What did the Rodytes want with Elder South? The Rodyte captain didn’t know why Stirate Quentin wanted any of the men. It hadn’t been his place to ask.

  “What did you just do to me?” His fingers dug into her face, nails making her skin sting.

  “Why have you brought me here? What do you want?” She cried in Ontarian, making her voice sound as pathetic as possible. She retreated from his mind and opened a link to Saebin. No reply. Saebin was in a cell across from the men, still senseless from the teleportation pulse. Echo had never intentionally linked with Varrik before. Would he hear her if she sent out a seeker pulse, or would she only reveal her abilities to the Rodytes?

  Her heart pounded and her lips trembled. She did nothing to conceal her fear, wanting the brute beside her to believe she was helpless and terrified—which wasn’t far from true.

  The Rodyte eased his hurtful grip, keeping his fingers against her face. “Who are you? Why were you in the Shadow Maze?” He switched to Ontarian.

  Opening her eyes, she concentrated on the painful throbbing in her head. Tears pooled behind her lashes and her vision blurred, distorting his face. “I was taken there against my will. Haven’t you heard what they do to women?”

  “She looks familiar, sir,” the Linusian said in Rodyte. “I know I’ve seen her face before.”

  The Rodyte acknowledged the warning with a subtle nod. “What did yo
u do to me?”

  “I’m mildly empathic. It was a reflex, nothing more. I won’t do it again.”

  “Who is the other woman?”

  “She’s my bodyguard. When the Shadow Assassins realized she would die before she allowed them to take me, they captured her, too.” That would account for Saebin’s body armor. She needed to keep the Rodyte distracted until Saebin regained consciousness. The ship was small, the crew minimal. Taking control would be no problem, unless the Rodytes signaled for reinforcements.

  “Why do you need a bodyguard, and why did you choose a female for the position?”

  “Not much time for entertainment vids?” She tinged the question with affront and looked away. “My studio will only ransom me if I’m treated with respect.”

  The blue rings in the Rodyte’s eyes ignited as his gaze swept up and down her body. “It will have to be one hell of a ransom to keep me from enjoying you.”

  “Name your price, and I’ll arrange it.”

  The Rodyte reached for the fastenings at the front of his pants, his gaze focused on Echo’s mouth. “I have a better idea.”

  * * * * *

  Varrik opened his eyes and groaned. Light stabbed into his brain, preventing him from identifying his location. His hands and feet were bound, and his wrists were secured to something behind his back. Heat emanated from the bodies pressed against his sides. The faint scent of blood complicated the distinct smell of sweat. He sat against a cool wall, the only thing keeping him upright. Moving his head from side to side, he watched the world swell in and out of focus.

  What the hell had happened to him?

  He’d been creeping through the maze with Echo and Saebin when… He’d just blinked out. Had Saebin lost control and zapped his mind again? That didn’t account for his new surroundings or the people huddled around him.

  Think. Focus. Push through the pain.

  He blinked repeatedly, and his eyes responded to his determination. Smooth, matte-gray walls surrounded him, with no adornment, no obvious door. The room was long and narrow. Held in a position identical to his, other men lined the walls. Not just men, hunters and sweepers. His muddled mind gradually identified the other captives. Had his actions somehow triggered this event? How could he assign blame when he didn’t even know where they were?