The Conquest (Kelderan Runic Warriors Book 1)
Page 24
“So, you’re ready to have ten children.”
She frowned up at him. “Family means more than children. And given my age, I’d have to have twins one set after another to have that many kids anyway. Unless you want a constantly pregnant woman with mood swings and a steady stream of weird cravings, you might want to rethink the idea.”
He kissed her forehead. “You and my siblings are enough, zyla. Any children we have will just be extra people to love.”
Her expression softened. “I love it when you let your tough exterior down for me, zylar. It makes me love you even more.”
“Then I will keep trying, my bride, to win as much of your heart as possible. We’re going to need love to survive the coming years. Setting up the colony won’t be easy, but together we can accomplish anything.”
She laid a hand on his cheek. “Our future may be unwritten, but I say we can craft a great one.”
“Not great, zyla. It will be perfect.”
She smiled. “I think it’s time to get you to bed. You’re starting to sound romantic.”
“I can be romantic.”
She snuggled into his chest and murmured, “Of course you can.”
As Taryn’s breathing slowed and she fell asleep, he held her tighter in his arms. He couldn’t write the future, but with Taryn’s love and the support of his family, Kason knew it would be a great one. If he were lucky, it might even be perfect.
Epilogue
Two weeks later
Taryn shuffled her feet as the shuttle made its way to Jasvar’s surface. “Why are they taking so long? We should’ve landed by now.”
Kason slowly stroked his hand up and down her back. “The shuttle is taking the normal amount of time to land.”
She frowned up at him. “Are you sure?”
He smiled. “Yes, zyla. Maybe carrying my child has made you lose all sense of time.”
“You only had me tested because of my impatience. It’s odd, though, knowing so early. I’m not the only one who’s going to have to get used to your technology.” She paused and lowered her voice, “My only hesitation about returning to Jasvar is that if I’m carrying a boy, he’ll be taken from us.”
He hauled her against his side and cupped her jaw. “The scientists have been working nonstop to find a cure to the doom virus. You’ve already been given everything deemed safe.” He kissed her gently. “Besides, if there was anyone who could fend off the virus, it would be you, my bride. Your stubbornness has its merits.”
She lightly slapped his chest. “I wouldn’t tease me right at this moment, Kason. I’m impatient, homesick, and pregnant with a probably stubborn child warrior. That combination doesn’t bode well for your soft bits.”
He chuckled. “I’ve already designed special armor, just in case.”
“Kason.”
He stroked her cheek with his thumb, and some of her tension eased. “I believe our child will live and be born healthy. I refuse to accept anything else.” He pulled her against his chest, and she melted into him. “Whatever may come, we can face it together.”
She sighed and wrapped her arms around him. “I know. It’s just been hard the past two weeks. While the initial reports from Jasvar have been promising, I’m anxious to see it with my own eyes.”
“And you will. We’re here.”
Amidst her discussion with Kason, Taryn hadn’t noticed the shuttle touching down. She turned and Kason released her.
Grabbing his hand, she tugged him toward the rear hatch and waited for the light to blink twice. The second it did, Kason typed in a command on a flat panel and the hatch opened at the same time as the stairs lowered to the ground.
As she waited for the stairs to finish descending, she noticed Nova, Kalahn, Jerrick, and a Kelderan warrior she didn’t recognize waiting a safe distance away. Nova and Kalahn waved, and Taryn did the same. Once the stairs were ready, she released Kason’s hand and raced down them.
She rushed into Nova’s arms first and then Kalahn’s. “I’ve missed you both.”
Nova’s voice was full of amusement. “Me most of all, I hope. Otherwise, the wine I’ve been holding back I’m going to share with Kalahn instead.”
She and Kason had decided earlier to keep the news of her pregnancy a secret until they could inform their most trusted friends in private. Taryn didn’t want any of the Kelderan warriors to think she was weaker because of the child growing inside her.
As much as it pained her to keep it from her friends, she merely raised her brows and said, “Maybe I’ve given up drinking wine. The Kelderan equivalent isn’t that palatable.”
Kalahn spoke up. “That isn’t fair. Once you grow accustomed to it, you can’t live without it.”
Nova looked to Kalahn. “But you have for the past few weeks. And consumed quite a bit of Jasvarian wine in the meantime.”
Kalahn shrugged. “I was just trying to follow your customs.”
The three of them chuckled. Nova was the first to speak again. “So it looks like things have worked out between you and the sexy alien. Does he have any friends or brothers? I haven’t had any luck with the lot here.”
“In time, Nova. We might, I don’t know, want to prepare for the colonists first? That’ll increase your choices, so you should be willing to work day and night to get everything ready,” Taryn stated.
“I’ve been working already. I could just use a little release, if you know what I mean,” Nova said as she winked.
Kalahn’s cheeks turned pink. As Nova teased the princess about being innocent, Taryn noticed Kason talking with the unknown warrior. She caught her prince’s eye and he walked toward her, his friend right behind him. As soon as Kason was close enough, she put an arm around his waist. “Nova, may I introduce my husband, Prince Kason tro el Vallen of Keldera? Kason, this is Nova Drakven, my best friend and chief strategist.”
Kason bowed his head. “Nice to meet you.”
Nova smiled. “That’s a bit formal. Taryn is my sister in all but blood. Come here.”
Nova hugged Kason’s free side, and Taryn bit her lip to keep from laughing at Kason’s startled expression. Once Nova released him, Taryn decided to ask, “Who’s your friend, zylar? We haven’t been formally introduced.”
Kason cleared his throat and motioned toward the Kelderan male with silver hair and lavender-tinged skin. “This is my oldest friend and best trainer, Ryven Xanna. Ryven, this is my bride, Taryn Demara.”
Ryven’s CEL accent was thick but understandable. “I’ve heard a lot about you, Taryn. Kalahn speaks highly of you.”
She looked to Kalahn. “Good things, I hope.”
Ryven answered, “By Jasvar’s standards, of course. I’m still dubious about your dagger wielding capabilities.”
Kason grunted. “Don’t challenge her, Ryven. It’s not worth it.”
Taryn ignored him. “We could hold a contest right now if you like?”
Kason squeezed her gently. “Later. First, you need to show me our home and introduce me to your people. There’s a lot to learn before the colony ship arrives in a few weeks.”
Remembering her duty, Taryn nodded. “Then let’s hurry. As much as I enjoy the replicator on your ship, I can’t wait for a home-cooked meal. Once you try it, you’ll never want to go back.”
“All I remember is the cold, tasteless food I ate here as a prisoner.”
“Are you really going to keep reminding me about that?” Taryn asked.
“Of course.” Kason winked. “But I may forget if I have a good meal and can spend the rest of my nights in your bed.”
Despite her best efforts to resist, her cheeks heated. “Kason.”
He chuckled. “Come, zyla. Show me our new home.”
At hearing “our home,” Taryn’s eyes prickled.
However, she was aware of everyone’s gazes on her, so she cleared her throat and held her head high. “Well, if Keldera’s official governor on Jasvar asks, I should oblige. I need him on my side if our people are to live tog
ether in peace.”
Kason leaned down and whispered, “And I’m sure you’ll find many creative ways to keep me on your side, zyla.”
Ignoring his innuendo, Taryn motioned toward the entrance to the mountain settlement in the distance. “We’d better hurry or the entire settlement will ambush us. Word travels fast here.”
As they made their way toward the entrance, Taryn leaned against Kason’s side. Between the familiar purple trees and pink sky, as well as the comforting presence of Kason and her friends, Taryn was truly home. The future might be challenging, but as long as she had her friends and family at her side, she would be able to face anything.
And as Kason kissed the top of her head, she resisted placing a hand over her lower abdomen. She had much to fight for and damn anyone who tried to stand in the way of her happiness.
~*~*~*~
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The next story in this series will be called The Barren and it’s about Vala Yarlen and Thorin Jarrell. It takes place during the colony ship’s journey to Jasvar. I hope to have it out sometime in 2017. If you wish to stay up-to-date on the release and book’s progress, then please join my newsletter. In the meantime, you may enjoy one of my other series. Please turn the page for an excerpt.
Blaze of Secrets
(Asylums for Magical Threats #1)
After discovering she has elemental fire magic as a teenager, Kiarra Melini spends the next fifteen years inside a magical prison. While there, she undergoes a series of experiments that lead to a dangerous secret. If she lives, all magic will be destroyed. If she dies, magic has a chance to survive. Just as she makes her choice, a strange man breaks into cell, throws her over his shoulder, and carries her right out of the prison.
To rescue his brother, Jaxton Ward barters with his boss to rescue one other inmate--a woman he's never met before. His job is to get in, nab her and his brother, and get out. However, once he returns to his safe house, his boss has other ideas. Jaxton is ordered to train the woman and help her become part of the anti-magical prison organization he belongs to.
Working together, Kiarra and Jaxton discover a secret much bigger than their growing attraction to each other. Can they evade the prison retrieval team long enough to help save magic? Or, will they take Kiarra back to prison and end any chance of happiness for them both?
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Blaze of Secrets is now available on Amazon (Amazon UK / Amazon AU / Amazon CA / Amazon DE).
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Excerpt:
Chapter One
First-born Feiru children are dangerous. At the age of magical maturity they will permanently move into compounds established for both their and the public’s protection. These compounds will be known as the Asylums for Magical Threats (hereafter abbreviated as “AMT”).
—Addendum, Article III of the Feiru Five Laws, July 1953
Present Day
Jaxton Ward kept his gaze focused on the nearing mountain ledge ahead of him. If he looked down at the chasm below his feet, he might feel sick, and since his current mission was quite possibly the most important one of his life, he needed to focus all of his energy on succeeding.
After all, if things went according to plan, Jaxton would finally see his brother again.
He and his team of three men were balanced on a sheet of rock five thousand feet in the air. To a human, it would look like they were flying. However, any Feiru would know they were traveling via elemental wind magic.
Darius, the elemental wind first-born on his team, guided them the final few feet to the mountain ledge. As soon as the sheet of rock touched solid ground, Jaxton and his team moved into position.
The mountain under their feet was actually one of the most secure AMT compounds in the world. Getting in was going to be difficult, but getting out was going to take a bloody miracle, especially since he’d had to barter with his boss for the location of his brother. In exchange, he had promised to rescue not just Garrett, but one other unknown first-born as well.
Taka, the elemental earth first-born of Jaxton’s team, signaled he was ready. He nodded for Taka to begin.
As Taka reached a hand to the north, the direction of elemental earth magic, the solid rock of the mountain moved. With each inch that cleared to form a tunnel, Jaxton’s heart rate kicked up. Jaxton was the reason his brother had been imprisoned inside the mountain for the last five years and he wasn’’t sure if his brother had ever forgiven him.
Even if they survived the insurmountable odds, located Garrett, and broke into his prison cell, his brother might not agree to go with them. Considering the rumors of hellish treatment inside the AMT compounds, his brother’s hatred would be justified.
Once the tunnel was big enough for them to enter, Jaxton pushed aside his doubts. No matter what his brother might think of him, Jaxton would rescue him, even it if took drugging Garrett unconscious to do so.
Taking out his Glock, he flicked off the safety. Jaxton was the only one on the team without elemental magic, but he could take care of himself.
He moved to the entrance of the tunnel, looked over his shoulder at his men, and nodded. After each man nodded, signaling they were ready, he took out his pocket flashlight, switched it on, and jogged down the smooth tunnel that would lead them to the inner corridors of the AMT compound.
If his information was correct, the AMT staff would be attending a site-wide meeting for the next hour. That gave Jaxton and his team a short window of opportunity to get in, nab the two inmates, and get back out again.
He only hoped everything went according to plan.
*~*~*
Kiarra Melini stared at the small homemade shiv in her hand and wondered for the thousandth time if she could go through with it.
She had spent the last few weeks racking her brain, trying to come up with an alternative plan to save the other prisoners of the AMT without having to harm anyone. Yet despite her best efforts, she’d come up empty-handed.
To protect the lives of the other first-borns inside the AMT, Kiarra would kill for the first and last time.
Not that she wanted to do it, given the choice. But after overhearing a conversation between two AMT researchers a few weeks ago, she knew the AMT would never again be safe for any of the first-borns while she remained alive.
The outside world might have chosen to forget about the existence of the first-born prisoners, but that didn’t make them any less important. Kiarra was the only one who cared, and she would go down fighting trying to protect them.
Even if it meant killing herself to do so.
She took a deep breath and gripped the handle of her blade tighter until the plastic of the old hairbrush dug into her skin. Just as she was about to raise her arm to strike, her body shook. Kiarra closed her eyes and breathed in and out until she calmed down enough to stop shaking. Ending her life, noble as her reasons may be, was a lot harder than she’d imagined.
Mostly because she was afraid to die.
But her window of opportunity was closing fast; the AMT-wide meeting would end in less than an hour. After that, she would have to wait a whole other month before she could try again, and who knew how many more first-borns would suffer because of her cowardice.
Maybe, if she recalled the conversation between the two researchers, the one which forebode the future harsh realities of the other AMT prisoners, she’d muster enough nerve to do what needed to be done.
It was worth a shot, so Kiarra closed her eyes and recalled the conversation that had changed the course of her life forever.
Strapped to a cold metal examination table, Kiarra kept her eyes closed and forced herself to stay preternaturally still. The slightest movement would alert the researchers in the room that she was conscious again. She couldn’t let that happen, not if she wanted to find out the reason why the researchers had increased her examination visits and blood draws over the past two weeks.
Since then, no matter how many times she reached to the south—the direction of elemental fire—she felt nothing. No tingling warmth, no comforting flame. She was no different from a non-first-born, yet she was still a prisoner, unable to see the sky or feel a breeze, and forced to live in constant fear of what the guards or researchers might do to her.
Of how they might punish her.
Dark memories invaded her mind. However, when the female researcher in the room spoke again, it snapped Kiarra back to the present. The woman’s words might tell her more about her future, provided she had one after her treatment.
She listened with every cell in her body and steeled herself not to react.
“Interesting,” the female researcher said. “Out of the ten teenagers, nine of them still can’t use their elemental magic, just like F-839. Dr. Adams was right—her blood was the key to getting the Null Formula to work.”
It took all of Kiarra’s control not to draw in a breath. Her serial number was F-839, and all of the extra blood draws finally made sense—the AMT was using her blood to try and eradicate elemental magic.
The male researcher spoke up. “They’re going to start a new, larger test group in a few weeks and see if they can stop the first-borns from going insane and/or committing suicide. If we don’’t get the insanity rate below ten percent, then we’ll never be able to implement this planet-wide.”