by Lori Foster
In part to ensure her protection, but also to fight alongside her, to encourage her, Mallet tore through the intruders to reach Kayli’s side.
Left in his path were broken and disabled men.
Just before he got to her, Mallet recognized the blond dude as the same one who’d ridden the loud cycle the night Lydina was taken.
Valder Wildoon.
Grabbing Kayli from behind, Valder lifted her completely off her feet. She bloodied his nose with an elbow, brought her heel back, almost hitting his groin.
He grunted, and squeezed her so tight that she couldn’t breathe.
Tuning out everyone and everything else, Mallet stopped in front of them.
Valder greeted him with a smile. “Michael Manchester. We finally meet.”
Mallet didn’t blink, didn’t move. He was so focused on Valder, he saw his every thought, and he knew that this attack was very personal, and very deliberate.
The man should not have used Kayli in his twisted plans. Sounding almost bored, Mallet said, “Big mistake, Valder. Now you’re a dead man.”
Valder gave an earsplitting whistle, and all around them, silence fell. His men, many of them bloodied and limping, retreated to stand behind him.
The defense team took a stance with Mallet.
Feigning amusement, Valder asked, “Will you risk her to get to me?” Slowly, he wrapped an arm around her throat, caging her into his steely hold. “Or will you stay out of matters that don’t concern you?”
“Nothing concerns me more than her.” Mallet needed to see her, needed to know her expression. “Besides, you’re the one bleeding.”
Valder wiped a forearm across his face. “She is fast.”
“More so than you realize.”
Kayli used her elbow again, striking Valder in the ribs and knocking his breath from him a rush.
He cursed, faltered, and quickly readjusted to keep her in front of him.
But not once did he hurt her.
“Take off her helmet,” Mallet ordered. If he could see Kayli’s eyes, he would know her state of mind.
Valder quirked a brow, laughed, and said to Kayli, “Do it, little bird. Let him see your fear.”
Mallet watched Kayli slowly reach up and release her helmet strap.
It was then that Valder saw the ring on her finger. It was almost imperceptible, but Mallet noted his surprise on such a deep level.
He recalled what Raemay had said—that Kayli would be safe while wearing the ring.
Happy for an opportunity to distract the man, Mallet said, “You’re here for Raemay, aren’t you?”
Valder didn’t reply. As Kayli lifted off the helmet, Valder waited with his breath suspended.
And Mallet saw what he had so hoped to see.
No fear.
Kayli’s golden eyes conveyed a message to him.
This time, he had no choice but to trust her, but it didn’t matter. He saw the intent there in her expression; he knew her well enough to know what she’d do, to anticipate when.
He smiled, encouraging her.
The helmet hit the ground, and in moves so fast and economical they seemed a blur, Kayli locked her fists for added impact as she brought her elbow back once more, this time in a crippling liver blow. Air left Valder in a whoosh, loosening his hold just enough for her to turn and drive a knee hard into his groin.
Just that easily Kayli was loose—and Mallet stepped in with fury boiling through his bloodstream.
FOLLOWING the protocol applied to the Arbiter, Raemay waited in her chambers for news. She had finished her morning meal and had just begun brushing her hair when the alarm sounded, and her nerves were still jangled from the awful sound.
She worried for the women of the colony. She worried for Kayli, now distracted with her union.
She even worried for Michael, knowing he would put himself in harm’s way to protect all others.
Pressing a hand to her mouth, she said aloud to the empty room, “I can’t just wait here.”
“No,” Hauk said, “you can not. It is time for you to confront your demons.”
It had been so long since Hauk belonged to her, since he had come to her that way. Not since Kayli became Claviger so long ago and Hauk stopped answering to her had she heard the abrupt intrusion of his voice. Hearing it now had her jerking in shock.
“Hauk!” A fist pressed to her thundering heart, Raemay asked, “What are you doing here? Is Kayli all right? What’s wrong?”
“Kayli is happy now.”
Some of the awful panic receded. “Yes, yes she is. Are you saying that because of her happiness, she is not involved in this conflict?”
“You care for Mallet.”
“Michael?” What was Hauk getting to? “Yes, I like him very much. He’s a good man, and he is good for Kayli. Not at all what I always …”
“Feared?”
“What is going on, Hauk? Do you know something about Michael that I do not?”
“I know that he is about to tear apart Valder Wildoon, unless you stop being a coward.”
Her legs gave out and she slumped to the edge of her bed. Vision fading, then exploding bright again, she whispered, “Valder is here?”
“He tried to take Kayli.”
“No.”
“To get even with you. To make you pay for hurting him so badly.”
Raemay covered her ears with her hands. Never had she wanted to hurt Valder. But she’d had no choice, had never had choices …
“Time for us to go, Raemay. There can be no more hiding from the past.”
Tears welled in her eyes. “Yes.” Her daughter had always been noble. Michael was noble.
Time for her to be noble as well.
KAYLI watched as Michael grabbed Valder and hauled him upright. His men started to surge forward, but Valder shouted, “No!” and they all stepped back again.
“Man-to-man, huh?” Michael taunted. “And you just let a girl lay you low.”
“Because of that ring,” Valder said, and there was something in his face, something stricken that incapacitated him. “Look at her hair, her eyes—”
Michael hit him in the jaw and his head snapped back hard. Valder fell onto his backside but shot back to his feet in an instant, spitting blood, shoving his hair out of his face. He didn’t watch Michael as he should have.
He stared at Kayli. Beseeching. Apologizing.
She saw his eyes then, eyes so much like her own. Golden eyes—unlike anyone else’s in their colony.
Michael must have seen it, too, for he looked at Valder, then at Kayli.
She heard Michael say, “No way,” very succinctly. Then right after that, he muttered, “Fuck it,” and he kicked Valder in the head.
The man went flying, landing hard on his side.
Again, he got back to his feet, but not quite as quickly this time. He held off his men with one raised hand. Blood trickled from his nose, a purpling bruise rose on the side of his face, and he wasn’t quite steady on his feet.
Again, he paid no mind to Michael.
“How old are you, child?” he asked Kayli. “Exactly how old?”
She couldn’t answer. For some reason, seeing him so battered hurt her heart. “The women you’ve taken,” she whispered. “How do they fare?”
His swollen mouth tipped in a crooked smile. “All are happy in union. Some are with child. They choose to stay. I have not held them against their will.”
“You swear it?” Kayli asked, unable to trust something that was so opposite of what she’d believed for so long.
Nayana spoke up from the crowd. “It is the truth, Kayli. The man suffered, not understanding why he couldn’t make Lydina happy. Not until I told him she was an AFA did he know.” She stepped forward so all could see her, and her face was pink with a blush. “I, too, have taken union. They are good men, just short on women as we are short on men.”
Michael threw up his hands. “You’re taking all the fun out of this, Valder. I need you to fight
back so I can kick your ass.”
Valder shook his head without taking his attention from Kayli. “I will not. Not now.” He took one step toward her, but Michael stepped into his path.
“I don’t think so.”
“Look at her!” Valder shouted with volatile emotion. “Look at her hair.” And softer, “Look at her eyes.”
Michael glanced at her, put his hands on his hips and dropped his head to mutter, “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”
Kayli drew a shaky, uneven breath.
“How old are you?” Valder asked again.
And Raemay said, “She was born eight months after I left you.”
Valder’s head shot up and he searched for her, found her picking her way around the field. Rage replaced the shock. His mouth twisted in a snarl. “You did more damage than I ever realized.” He thumped a fist to his chest and bellowed, “You stole my daughter from me.”
Michael looked as undecided as Kayli on what to do. Then, giving up on more violence, he came to her and put an arm around her.
Simple support.
But she needed it so much, just as she’d so badly needed him to know that she had the situation under control with Valder. And he had. He’d trusted her, he’d smiled at her, he’d let her handle things.
Until she realized that Valder was …
Her father.
She wanted to crawl in on herself. No wonder her mother had always treated her differently. No wonder she couldn’t inherit.
She was a bastard.
“I’m sorry.” Tears tracking her cheeks, Raemay came to Kayli. “I am so very, very sorry, Kayli.”
Even now, with the proof there for the entire colony to see, Kayli couldn’t believe it. “He’s … he is my father?”
Raemay reached out to her. “Darling, please understand. I could not tell you—”
With a roar of fury, Valder took an aggressive step forward—which prompted Michael to do the same. With his body, Michael protected Kayli and her mother.
Valder drew up short in impotent fury. Red-eyed and crackling with rage, he pointed a finger at Raemay. “I loved you! I would have cared for you and our daughter.”
“Your way!” Raemay screamed back at him. “Can’t you see, Valder? Your colony does not value women.”
Valder looked truly shocked by that accusation. “That’s not true!”
Raemay’s lip trembled, then curled. “Women are second-class citizens, never quite equal to men. Even now, you take what you want. You took our women, stole them with threats against my colony.”
His jaw locked. “To get even with you. You think my men need to resort to abduction? Every woman taken was charmed into union within days of joining my colony. They are happier than they’ve ever been here. None are anxious to return. What do you think of that, Raemay? What do you think of your leadership that sends women joyfully to other colonies?”
“Harsh,” Michael said to him, his arm tight around Kayli’s shoulders. “If you’re trying to win her back, you’re batting a big fat zero.”
Valder stared at Michael, then shook his head. “You make no sense.”
“Bullshit. You’re here acting out of wounded pride and lingering love. Why not be a man and admit it?”
Valder looked struck by that observation. He turned to Raemay with a frown.
She shook her head. “Please, Valder, you have to understand. If I had stayed with you, I would have lost everything. I would have been forced to give up my inherited title and position in the colony.”
“You would have had me.”
Raemay covered her face and turned away. Her shoulders shook.
Rolling his eyes, Michael said, “You gotta see it from her perspective, dude.”
Valder looked ready to attack him. “This does not concern you.”
“Wrong again.” Michael tightened his arm around her. “I love Kayli, and Raemay’s her mom. So their business is my business. Deal with it.”
Kayli went weak in the knees.
In the middle of pure bedlam, Michael made that incredible confession. She grabbed his shirt and jerked him around to face her. “You what?”
CHAPTER 23
INSTEAD of answering her, Michael gave her a resounding smooch on her mouth—and then he stuck her behind him as if she needed protection from the chaos.
He addressed the crowd, saying, “Show’s over, folks. This is personal stuff, so stop gawking. Head back to your homes. All of you.” He looked at Valder. “Your people, too, Valder. Get rid of them.”
Valder nodded, but he looked around with no clear idea where to send his men.
Dormius, with Mesha at his side, moved forward into the fray. “Sir, I could take them all, including our … er, guests, to the reception hall. Does that serve?”
Michael slapped him on the back. “Good plan, Dormius. Have Mesha order up drinks or something. Keep them all busy, okay?”
“Yes, sir.”
Not about to cower behind Michael, Kayli stepped around him and caught Dormius’s arm. After all, she was still the head of the defense, and should have been the one giving the orders. “Have my second in command watch over everyone. Tell her there will be no disputes on this day. All will behave, or face consequences.”
“Yes,” Valder agreed. “My men will not cause conflict.”
“Understood.” Dormius tried to lead Mesha away, but she resisted.
Blinking first at her mother, then at Kayli, she made an “oh boy” face and then touched Michael’s arm. “Good luck, sir.”
“Thanks, doll.”
Once everyone had filed a respectable distance away, Michael stepped away from Kayli. He folded his arms over his chest and addressed Valder with obvious pity. “Face it, man. You do have a primitive way of doing things—stealing women and all.”
Valder slashed a hand through the air. “It was the only thing I could think to do after I found her again.”
“Raemay, you mean?”
“Yes.”
“So you were looking for her?”
“Looking? I searched for her for years.” His anger on the rise again, he made a point of not looking at Raemay. “We were in love, or so I thought. But she left me without a single word, and I did not know if she lived or if she had died. For such a long time, I suffered suffocating grief.”
Raemay wrapped her arms around herself.
“Time faded the pain,” Valder confessed. “But no other woman appealed to me.” His laugh was rough, suggestive. “No one can claim I have been a saint, but I’ve never formed a union.”
Kayli found it very telling that he had never committed himself to a woman.
“Raemay?” Michael prompted. “You got anything to add to that?”
Her face tear-streaked and her eyes red, Raemay lifted her shoulders helplessly. “I can only apologize for things that were out of my control.”
“Out of your control?” Valder’s piercing stare said he didn’t care about her circumstances. His gaze burned with resentment and lingering rage. “You kept my child from me. That is unforgivable.”
Kayli’s heart clenched with so many painful repercussions. Valder—her father—was truly devastated that he’d missed time with her.
She felt devastated, too, knowing her life to be a lie. Her mother had done much damage to so many.
Seeking comfort, she took Michael’s hand and said a prayer of gratitude that she had him with her. As soon as possible, she would let him know that she returned his love in all ways.
MALLET felt the chill in Kayli’s hand, the way she shook, and wanted only to protect her. But he knew the easiest way to get beyond a hurt was to face it, expose it, and then deal with it.
She’d fought with valor and courage, only to find out that the man she’d faced was a father she’d never known. Kayli hadn’t needed his help, but once Valder realized she was his daughter, he stopped resisting her rather than chance hurting her.
Mallet had to respect that.
There were so many wounde
d feelings at play. As the one least emotionally involved, Mallet hoped to help them all sort it out.
“Did the guy you were in a union with know that Kayli wasn’t his?”
Raemay nodded. “Oh yes, he knew.” A faint, dark memory flickered in her gaze, there and gone. “I owed him that much. You see … he saved me.”
“From me?” Valder sneered with renewed fury.
“No.” More tears glistened in her eyes. “From my father.”
When Kayli stiffened beside Mallet, he put his arm around her and tucked her in close to his side.
Valder’s face went blank with horror.
Putting a hand to her stomach, Raemay nervously glanced at them all, and then moved closer to Valder. “Danta Raine was my father’s closest confidant. He … he did not love me, but when my father rejected all other suitors, Danta wondered why. You see, my father … he was Arbiter before me, hero to many.”
Expecting the worst, Mallet glanced at Kayli, and saw the same dread in her eyes.
“Those of the colony loved my father for his fair leadership. But at home he was a harsh dictator.” As if shamed by the truth, Raemay turned her gaze away from everyone. “Because the bruises on my back and legs were always hidden, not many knew of Father’s true nature, of his hot temper.”
“He beat you?” Valder asked.
She nodded. “But then Danta witnessed the tail end of one of the beatings, and within the week, he told my father of his intent to join me in union. He was the one man my father could not reject without raising suspicions within the colony.”
Valder stared at her, tormented, Mallet knew, by the fact that she’d been hurt, and more so that he couldn’t demand retribution on her behalf.
Her father was long gone, well out of his reach.
“Valder still loves her,” Mallet whispered to Kayli.
“I think you are right,” she whispered back, and she put her head on his chest, surprising Mallet.
Eyes clouded with regret, Valder said, “God, Raemay, I did not know.”
As if she didn’t hear him, Raemay continued. “Danta was kind. He protected me and my father never touched me again after that. But …” She glanced again at Kayli, her eyes filled with apology. “Because he felt no passion for me, because he’d accepted me through pity, he often sought his pleasure with other women.”