“But you didn’t get me close enough.” She frowned, unsure why his admission made her less afraid of him instead of more. Maybe she was going into shock? That made sense after everything she’d been through.
“No.” He shook his head. “I didn’t.”
She had no idea if he was telling her that was done on purpose, if he’d let her walk away, or if it’d merely been a miscalculation on his part. Before she could even think to ask, his smooth voice was surrounding her once more.
“I had nothing to do with the other night,” he assured her, “or with what just took place here. If I still wanted to kill you, you’d be dead. Some part of you knows that’s true.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
The look he gave her then was piercing—so much so, she felt it down to her toes.
“Because,” he said breathlessly, “I want you to understand that I mean it when I tell you I won’t let anyone else hurt you. The only person on this planet you have to fear, Olena, is me. I could have killed you on the field. I chose not to. The only reason you were even still alive long enough for those other attempts to be made is because I allowed it. And to answer your earlier question”—his hands slipped down to the base of her skull, holding her more securely—“no, I haven’t come up with a solution that doesn’t involve my killing you.”
Oh yeah, she was pretty sure she was going to throw up. With any luck, he’d still be kneeling in front of her when it happened.
“But I am trying to,” he shocked her by adding.
What shocked her even more was that she believed him.
CHAPTER 19
Ruckus showed up a few minutes later, Pettus and Lura close behind him. By then Trystan had already moved to the other side of the room to continue his pacing, so Ruckus was able to get close to her. He wrapped his arms around her as she stood, holding her against him gently but tightly. His warm breath fanned against the crown of her head, and for a moment neither of them spoke.
“I found her fleeing the grounds,” Pettus said then, loud enough for them all to hear, though he was looking at Trystan when he did so. “She was about to board a hover car.”
Those things still amazed Delaney. Ruckus had finally gotten around to showing her some of their vehicles. On Xenith none of the cars had wheels; they all floated. He’d begun to explain how the science of it all worked, but she’d quickly shut him down.
Some things were just information overload at that point.
“Still think she’s innocent?” Trystan asked, staring at Delaney.
She hadn’t said as much aloud, but he must have been able to figure out the direction of her thoughts. That was unnerving, because when she’d been having them, he’d been busy pacing. Yet again, she hadn’t realized he was paying such close attention to her.
“What happened?” Ruckus demanded, shifting so that he had all four of them in his line of sight.
“Someone put toxic in her teekee.” Trystan curled two of his fingers toward Pettus and pointed out the side door that led to the balcony. “Put the atteta in one of the chairs. Maybe she’ll smartly be more cooperative if she sees what she almost did to the Lissa.”
Lura already looked sick, paler than snow, her emerald eyes as round as saucers. There were bags under her eyes that Delaney hadn’t noticed earlier, and her whole body was quaking in Pettus’s arms. She was afraid, yet another sign that attested to her guilt. She’d changed out of her uniform in a hurry, the pale yellow shirt she was wearing not buttoned up all the way. The buttons that were had been done haphazardly, and one leg of her black pants was tucked into a boot that had been left unzipped, while the other leg hung loose over the zipped boot.
“What happened?” Ruckus asked Delaney then as they watched Pettus lead the girl outside as he’d been instructed.
“I knocked the mug over, and Trystan stopped me from touching it,” she said. “If he hadn’t been here, I probably would have drunk it.”
“What was he doing here?” Ruckus frowned over at her, then began to head after the Zane and the Teller, keeping Delaney securely at his back as he did so. It didn’t seem necessary; Lura was too terrified to try anything here in front of them.
Delaney couldn’t decide who Lura was more afraid of: Trystan or Ruckus. She kept ducking glances between the two of them, flinching whenever she caught one of their eyes.
“He wanted to talk.” She didn’t know how else to explain, so she kept it simple.
“Have the Basileus and Basilissa been notified?” Trystan was asking Pettus, who stood behind Lura, holding her down in one of the metal chairs on the balcony. Trystan stood on the other side of the table, his arms crossed, cocking his head in an intimidating manner.
“Yes, I informed them. They said to allow the Ander to handle it,” Pettus said.
Of course they did.
“Wouldn’t expect them to want to check on their only child or anything,” she grumbled, then realized it was out loud when three sets of eyes darted her way. She’d sounded bitter, and for all she knew, Olena couldn’t give two shits about her parents.
“Why’d you do it?” Delaney turned her attention to Lura, taking charge. Moving around Ruckus so she could get a better look, she carefully avoided getting close to the melted table.
Lura closed her eyes and inhaled shakily. When Pettus’s hands clenched harder on her shoulders, she winced and then reopened her eyes on Delaney. It wasn’t comforting to know that Olena was the only one on the balcony the atteta wasn’t afraid of.
“No one wants you here.” Her voice was soft, low, but there was a distinct underlying layer of hatred. “You should have stayed on Earth.”
“On that we agree.” She shrugged when Ruckus glared. There was no point pretending otherwise on that aspect; Trystan already knew how she felt about him.
“Linking you to the Zane will only result in the end of our people,” Lura continued. “You’re no leader. He’ll be the one taking control, with you a mere armpiece. You’ll be the death of Vakar society, and he’ll be the weapon you use.”
Delaney’s brows winged up, and she gaped for a moment before regaining control. “You’re serious?”
At Lura’s silence, it became apparent she was.
“That’s what this whole thing has been about? The Tars—it is safe to say you’re with the Tars, right? Yeah? Brilliant—think I’ll be a trophy wife who sits back and lets the Zane destroy Vakar? Did you all forget the only reason either of us”—she waved a finger between her and Trystan—“are doing this is for peace?”
Okay, well, in reality he was doing it because he’d been ordered to. She had no clue what his stance on peace was, but now wasn’t really the time to ask.
“And what’s up with trying to kill me?” She threw her arms out. “I’m the Vakar here; he’s the Kint. Shouldn’t you all be attempting to murder him?” She turned to Trystan. “No offense.”
“None taken,” he surprised her by saying, not the least bit offended by her words. He actually waved her on. “Please, continue.”
“I think I’m done.” She slammed her hands on her hips, felt the telltale tingle of anger rise up in her chest. “You know what? No, I’m not. I trusted you.” She took a step closer to Lura. “I actually liked you, even. What kind of sick, pathetic snake does this to someone?!” She pointed to the destroyed table.
“Understand”—Lura licked her lips and held her gaze—“it’s nothing personal. I actually found myself liking you as well. You’re nothing like what the others told me.” She frowned, but shook her head, sending her blond ponytail flying. “But that doesn’t change the facts. You’re no good for Vakar. Your merger will not result in peace, but war.”
“You’ll have war without it,” Trystan reminded. “Right now the only reason Vakar is still breathing is because of my father’s agreement with your Basileus.”
“Until you actually follow through with the binding,” Lura spoke to him, yet couldn’t meet his gaze head on, “there’s no gu
arantee of peace, of your cooperation.”
They all heard the bedroom door being opened, and a second later Brightan could be seen through the glass, crossing to the balcony. He paused in the doorway, glancing between them all, then settled a look on Trystan.
Delaney assumed they were having a mental conversation through the fittings, as the two of them remained silent.
Ruckus walked over to where Pettus held Lura, to take the Teller’s place. Once his hands were on her shoulders, he brought her down against the tabletop, her cheek a few inches from a small dime-sized puddle that had yet to evaporate. It was slowly eating its way through the glass but must have been too small to work as quickly as the rest had.
Her eyes went wide, and he ignored her gasps and struggles, holding her steady.
“Are there any other attempts we should know about?” he asked her coldly, and Delaney got why Lura had seemed so afraid of both him and the Zane instead of just the latter.
Trystan wore it more obviously, but Ruckus was every bit as capable of being a stone-cold killer.
Which had her thinking, how well did she really know him? What if she’d allowed her feelings for Ruckus to grow because part of her actually liked being here?
Being with him?
Earth was where she belonged, but she had to admit, if only to herself, Xenith wasn’t all that bad when you didn’t consider the assassination attempts, the weird food, or the asshole regents trying to control her life.
The healing pool was nice, and then there was bergozy.… She’d seriously debated whether or not to ask if Ruckus could find her a bottle of that stuff to take home with her. The biggest perk, the Ander himself …
The Ander, who was currently holding a girl pinned to a table, close to a flesh-eating substance.
“I don’t know,” Lura was mumbling. She let out a cry when she was forced closer, so that the puff of her exhales had the surface of the puddle dancing. “I swear I don’t!” Thick tears began to flow from her cheeks, dripping precariously close to the substance. Her eyes sought out Delaney, and she sobbed. “Please.”
“Stop.” The order was out of her mouth before she could think how it would look. When they all stared at her, she pulled back her shoulders. “Let her up.”
“Olena…” Trystan seemed disappointed.
“Melting a hole in her cheek isn’t going to help get us answers,” she snapped. “Ruckus, you know that’s true. Let her up.”
He hesitated then complied, slowly lifting Lura and pressing her against the back of the chair again. Continuing to hold her securely, he motioned Pettus toward the balcony door where Brightan still stood.
“Ready a cell,” he ordered, “and inform the Barer his services are requested.”
Pettus left quickly. Seemed he was always running off to do an errand or two.
Delaney didn’t know what a Barer was, but it couldn’t have been good, because if at all possible, Lura became even more frightened. Her eyes were still huge, almost looking like they were going to pop right out of her head, and her tearstained cheeks were turning red and puffy.
“We could always partake ourselves,” Trystan told Ruckus, angling his head at Lura in that familiar predatory way that had even Delaney shivering. “There are a few tricks I’ve recently learned that I’d love to get a chance to try out. What better subject than a traitor?”
“I don’t know of any other attacks,” Lura tried again, turning to Delaney. “Please, you’ve got to believe me.”
“The Lissa doesn’t have to do anything,” Trystan corrected. “And stop looking at her. You don’t have any right to it. The Lissa might not want to see your flesh eaten away, but I assure you, I have no such qualms. I will take you apart bit by bit unless you tell me exactly what it is we want to know. Nod once if you understand. Lose a finger now if you don’t.”
She nodded frantically.
“Good.” He moved closer, stopping to press his palms flat against the edge of the table across from her. It was untouched by the substance so it was safe for him. “Who else was in on this? Are there others currently in the castle? On the staff?”
Her sobbing increased, and it was hard to understand her, but she was clearly giving him names. The list wasn’t too long, yet there were at least five other people involved, enough to make Delaney seriously uncomfortable. Lura didn’t want to give them up, that was clear, but her fear of the Zane pushed her into it.
“Did you get all that?” Trystan glanced at Ruckus over Lura’s shoulder.
“Yes.” He tilted his head upward. “I’m alerting my men now. They should have the others in custody within a few minutes.”
“Once they’re apprehended, then what?” Delaney asked, glancing between Trystan and Ruckus.
“Then they’ll suffer the same fate as this one.” Trystan straightened from the table. “Let me just make sure I’ve got this correct…,” he began. “The reason for this”—he indicated the table—“is because the Tars believe Olena won’t make a good Regina?”
“The fact that you call it a Regina,” Lura sneered through the snot now running down her nose, “proves we were right. This is Vakar; here we have a Basilissa. Here we have a Lew, not a Zane.”
What was with the sudden burst of bravery? She’d been a sniveling mess up until this point; now she was talking back to the man who’d just threatened to cut her up?
“I’ve called her Lissa since my arrival,” he argued. “I’ve done nothing to dishonor the Vakar ways.”
“Zane—” Brightan began, speaking aloud for the first time, but Trystan swiftly cut him off.
“You think I’ll control her, is that it?” he snapped at Lura. “That she’ll bend to my will and I’ll be able to wipe the Vakar culture clean off Xenith without so much as a protest from her?”
He chuckled darkly, the sound deep and reverberating from the very back of his throat. “You clearly haven’t been paying attention. This isn’t the same Lissa as the one who left five years ago. It would be a waste of my valuable time to convince her to forsake her people.” His head turned in Delaney’s direction so that he was watching her out of the corner of his eye. “And I have other things in mind I’d like to convince her to do. Better things. Far more interesting things.”
His gaze roamed down her body pointedly, and she barely held back a shudder. The way he’d angled himself, she doubted Ruckus could see where he was actually looking, and not wanting to start the two of them off, she didn’t want to give away that his last words were meant for her and not Lura.
“The names you gave us,” Ruckus chimed in, pulling Lura’s head back slightly so that she was forced to acknowledge him, “are those the only ones? The only Vakar involved?”
“The only ones in the castle,” she divulged, “who I know about.”
“How else do you think they were able to pull off the mass bombing the other night?” Trystan stated. “They had to have had Vakar on their side. Did you really think they were all disgruntled Kints, Ander?”
“No, the other night proved that,” Ruckus admitted through clenched teeth. “Though I had hoped.”
Trystan’s response was a grunt, and surprisingly he didn’t press any more than that.
Delaney crossed her arms over her chest and moved to lean back against the railing. This whole thing was such a mess. She’d known after those Vakar soldiers had attacked her that some of Olena’s own people were involved; she just hadn’t realized how deeply it ran. Trystan hadn’t been kidding when he’d said people didn’t like her.
Vapid had probably been the nicer way of putting it, even.
Which made her even more confused, because how had someone described as a weak pushover been able to come up with a plan the likes of which Olena had? Using a device to make someone look like her, luring her guards after the fake version of herself … These types of things took smarts and planning. Sure, Gibus had been the one to create the device, and she must have merely stumbled upon it and used the find to her advantage, bu
t still.
Either they were all wrong about her, and Olena wasn’t as dim-witted as they believed, or she’d gotten seriously lucky on this one. Making Delaney seriously unlucky.
“At least the Uprising is tonight,” Trystan told Ruckus.
“Still?” Delaney gaped at him, straightening from the railing. Part of her had sort of hoped they’d postpone it, considering the trauma she’d obviously just endured.
“It’s our best chance of keeping you safe,” Trystan informed her as if he thought she was stupid for not realizing it on her own. “Once you’re Uprisen, the punishment for attempting assassination will be raised, and without access to the Alter Pool, the Basileus and Basilissa will be vulnerable to attack. No Vakar would risk losing their rulers for a chance at stopping your reign.”
“He’s right,” Ruckus agreed.
She thought she was beginning to understand the Tars’ predicament, recalling what she’d been told about the Alter Pool. If the Tars killed her prior to the ceremony, then the Basileus would be forced to choose a new heir, despite his not having any other children. He could perhaps try again with his wife, or he could probably choose someone else.
Case in point, there were options. If she went through with the ceremony, however, the Tars would lose their window. After that, if they killed her, they risked their Basileus and Basilissa being murdered before a new regent could even be discussed. The Kint members probably wouldn’t care, so she assumed this fear stemmed solely from those Vakar members.
“If the Kints want war so badly, wouldn’t that be ideal?” she asked boldly. “Get me out of the way then go for Mom and Pops?”
“Mom and—” Ruckus stopped himself, then took a deep steadying breath.
“Who says the Kints want war?” Trystan asked her, voice low. If he’d noticed her slip, he didn’t point it out. Instead he seemed caught up on the first aspect of her statement. “The Rex is the one who posed this asinine alliance in the first place.”
Oh. She really wished she’d known that the Rex had been the one to initially propose peace between them.
Amid Stars and Darkness Page 21