by Cara Lake
The screen crackled to life and there she was, her bright amber eyes shining with excitement and love. Chaos, how he adored this woman! And chaos it seemed was all around her. One look at her surroundings was enough to make him smile. Irina was sitting cross-legged on the floor surrounded by fabric, glue and lots of glittery things. He couldn’t hide the laughter in his voice. “What are you doing, little dove?” He had to ask.
“That’s my hello?” She grinned back. “I haven’t seen you for eight days and you’re more interested in what I’m doing than how I am?” She crinkled her nose, looking all kinds of cute, the sprinkling of freckles he loved to kiss giving him an instant hard-on. Damn! He couldn’t wait to be home. In an effort to ignore his body’s automatic response to the woman he craved, Tyr focused on the devastation that surrounded her.
“I can see you’re fine,” he laughed, “but what’s with the craft attack?” Her eyes lit up. “The triplets’ birthday presents. I’m bedazzling backpacks for them. You know how they like shiny things.”
Tyr did. He hadn’t known her cousins for long but one thing he did know was that they liked their sparkle. Jeze, Lili and Cate were such an adorable trio it was hard to deny them anything. They had tried to give him a sparkly makeover when he’d nodded off one afternoon during one of their visits to his and Irina’s house on Lyra and he’d awoken to find his nails painted and silver glitter in his dark hair. He shuddered in remembrance. “When do they arrive?”
“Tonight. I can’t wait. Luc’s got us tickets to see Gayle Force, that band the girls rave over. Apparently the lead singer, Ronen Gayle, is from Ophiuchus! And Luc’s going to show us the sights of Manhattan.”
Tyr frowned. “Just be careful, Irina.”
Her empathetic smile smoothed away some of his fears. She knew he was worried. “Don’t worry, baby. Merak will be with us. And don’t forget the triplets have wiccani magic, plus Luc has all sorts of ninja moves.”
Tyr grunted at that. “I don’t forget and he’d better take good care of you.” Her eyes twinkled. “You know you have nothing to be jealous of and anyway guess what?” She carried on before he could speculate. “Luc has a houseguest—a girl!”
Now that was interesting. “A girl? Is she…” Tyr didn’t have to finish the question. Irina knew what he meant.
“I don’t know but even if she’s not the one, Luc should have some fun. The chances of his meeting his Esseni partner are so small, Tyr. She’s probably not even from Earth. How we ever met was a miracle.”
“And for that I thank Gaia every day,” said Tyr.
“Not as much as I thank Chaos,” Irina laughed. “I miss you. When will you be back?”
Tyr didn’t want to alarm her with the probability of an impending battle. Tani’s situation at the palace was precarious and the Eunomi were gearing up for a rescue. “Soon,” he said. “There are some issues here to be resolved.”
Irina knew what he was hiding. “Be careful,” she said. “And Tani, has she made contact with her partner?”
“It’s complicated.”
“It always is.”
“Little dove, it breaks my heart but I have to go.” His eyes captured hers and everything he felt for her passed swiftly between them through threads that connected their souls. Even though they were light-years apart, the eternal bond was so strong it was a tangible thing.
Irina blew him a kiss. “As always,” she said, “I love you.”
Tyr grinned back. “I know you do, little dove.”
Cassi walked in with Antares just as Tyr switched off the screen. “Any news of Ziad?” he asked, “Did you find Morana?”
Cassi shook her head. “We went to the Vita Cruor but they denied all knowledge of his or her whereabouts. We know they’re lying. One of our informants saw her taken there but the whole place was in an uproar.”
“It was very odd,” said Antares. “The Vita Cruor are not easily spooked but they seemed to be bothered by some rumors going around. All the sanguini are on edge. Something has made them uneasy and some of it is definitely linked to this Morana. Just mentioning her name had them running scared.”
Cassi cut in. “More importantly we have heard other talk that warriors in the service of another overlord have been seen skirting the city. Everyone is jumpy.”
Tyr didn’t like the sound of that. “Phenex has many enemies,” he said thoughtfully. “Send someone to keep an eye on the situation just in case it’s not a friendly visit. Phenex is rather preoccupied at the moment so we need to make sure the city is defended from predators. There are too many innocents here.”
“We still need to make inquiries about Morana,” Antares reminded them. “She seems to be our best hope of finding Ziad. Who among the sanguini eldars is sympathetic to the Eunomi cause?”
Cassi took a moment to answer. “Xaphan has always stood up for us. He might be worth contacting. He has a son who is a member of the Eunomi Enforcement Squad.”
Tyr was determined that they would do everything in their power to locate Ziad. “We need to contact him then. He could be very useful particularly if he has the power of revelation. Perhaps he can pinpoint something with regard to Morana’s whereabouts,” he said.
Cassi and Antares left to follow up that lead. Ziad was an important part of the Eunomi brethren and Tyr owed him much, for he had saved his life, purging poison from his body that should have been fatal. It was after that service that Ziad had disappeared and Tyr was determined to see his safe return and pay back the debt. Plus, Irina had a soft spot for the sanguini healer and Tyr would do everything in his power to make her happy.
Tyr assigned tasks to his men, knowing that The Balance on Ophiuchus had reached a crisis point. The scales were in flux and it was up to the Eunomi to ensure they maintained equilibrium. As Esseni of War and a sworn warrior of the Eunomi, he took his vows seriously. Adrenaline was pumping through his veins in anticipation of the imminent conflict and Tyr knew his skill as a strategist and leader would be tested here. He couldn’t wait.
Chapter Thirty
Deceit
Tani was on her knees. She could no longer feel her body. In fact she didn’t exist at all. With nothing left to live for it seemed easy enough just to let herself fade away. Dematerialize. Vanish.
Sitri had remained close by, laughing and gossiping with her ladies. Tani couldn’t fathom the fact that this woman’s own son was lying a few feet away, dead, yet she was as cold as ice. Instead, she was triumphant as if all her prayers had been answered in one fell swoop. A spark of anger burned through the numbness that coated Tani’s skin. Maybe she did have something to live for after all, even if it was only the hope of watching Sitri suffer as she was suffering now. A burning sensation in her chest began sparking, embers sizzling in an effort to build a fire. She felt the fire and with it an all-consuming rage. Hatred. She had never truly hated anyone before but Sitri she despised with a vehemence that made her body shake with uncontrollable fury. Deep down in her bones, she knew with a certainty that shook her very soul that somehow Sitri had played a part in Jaro’s death.
Footsteps sounded outside the chamber, announcing Phenex’s arrival. His entourage in tow, the warlord entered the room glowering, his face a dark thundercloud. “Why have I been called here, my lady?” Irritation plain, he crossed his arms over his massive chest, turning his head between Sitri and Tani, demanding an explanation. Sitri appeared discomforted for a moment at the harsh light in his eyes. Her lord was not so bewitched by her that he would acquiesce to her demands easily.
“Well, my lord,” said Sitri, walking toward him, the sway of her hips designed to entrance. Her tone set to beguile, she spoke lightly and Tani immediately sensed that her words were laced with a persuasive charm. She recognized it for what it was. The power of persuasion, a rare power, much sought after but also feared for the obvious control the possessor of it could wield. Now it made sense how Sitri had inveigled her way into this position and the way her sons, particularly Lorcan, seemed s
o bound to her whims. “It seems your new mistress was entertaining last night,” Sitri continued, reaching Phenex, pressing her palm against his chest. “Apparently she didn’t care that much for the company.” She gestured toward the bed at the limp form that lay there.
Phenex drew his brows together, anger rolling off his skin. “Who is it?”
“She has very poor taste,” laughed Sitri. “It is…was your slave—Jaro.” She turned toward Tani, a triumphant expression crossing her beautiful features.
Phenex raised his eyes from the body, his expression one of confusion. “That cannot be,” he said, shaking his head, sounding very sure. Sitri paused, her laughter stifled by the certainty in Phenex’s voice. She turned toward him slowly. “What do you mean?” For a moment Tani thought she saw a spark of fear flash in her eyes.
His next words were a benediction. “I just this moment left Jaro training in the pits. He’s going to meet me tomorrow in battle. I want to see how that dog fights.” His eyes turned back to the corpse on the bed. “That is not Jaro.”
Sitri’s eyes clouded over, and she shook her head. Tani could hardly breathe. If Jaro was alive, then the man in her bed… It was then that she registered the man’s clothing—the rich brocade of an aristocrat, not the fighting garb of a slave-gladiator.
Sitri must have reached the same conclusion. Dropping to her knees, hands beating her chest, she expelled an anguished cry that shredded the thick weight of tension in the air. “No! It cannot be…Lorcan! Lorcan!” Sitri lunged toward the corpse and turned it over. Dull, lifeless gray eyes stared back. Her body sagged for a second but then she twisted around in a flash, her wild gaze finding Tani. She screamed a high-pitched sound that shattered the glass she still held in her hand. “You bitch. You’ve killed my son! It was meant to be you—you and the slave!”
Brandishing the broken stem of the glass like a knife, Sitri charged at Tani, a ball of fury so full of hatred it took all four guards to pull her off. Finally subduing her, they pushed her to her knees before Phenex. She continued to spit curses and wail, although shedding no tears, while the assembled spectators stared in horror as the import of her words penetrated and the meaning became clear.
Sitri’s words rang loud in Tani’s ears, her instincts had been correct. “It was you!” Tani cried, still shocked by the revelation. “You did this. You wanted it to be Jaro. You even knew what poison it was.”
The wailing woman stared at her with demented eyes, her crazed expression wild with uncontrolled venom. “Of course I did it, you bitch!” she howled, the floodgates opened wide. Sitri’s rage consumed her so that she had no filter when it came to exposing herself and what she had done. It all came out. She had set the whole thing up, drugged Tani’s wine in order to implicate her in the murder. She had used the power of persuasion on Tani to ensure that when Jaro arrived, she would open the poisoned bottle for him to drink. But Lorcan had been a glitch in her plans. Sitri obviously hadn’t expected him to visit Tani but it seemed that for some reason he had.
Tani found herself shivering as she thought back to his arrival, suddenly realizing why he had come to her.
Sitri was still ranting. “I urged Jaro to go to you. He should have visited you last night. Not Lorcan!” she spat. “Lorcan was an idiot and Jaro—Jaro never did as he was told. I should have drowned them both at birth!”
Tani was repulsed by Sitri’s words. She had used her sons as pawns in her sick power games. She was truly evil. Tani could only thank Gaia that Jaro had been too strong-minded to follow his mother’s persuasion and had resisted her urgings. As for Lorcan, in her mind he had got what he deserved. No doubt he had arrived full of jealousy, pretending to be Jaro and would have forced himself on her if she had been in her right mind. If not for Sitri’s poison—she shuddered to think what would have happened, nausea rising in her throat. He had tried to seduce her, pretending to be Jaro and that deception had cost him his life. Surprisingly it seemed that she had something to thank Sitri for. Her heart soared with the knowledge that Jaro still lived. She could still save him.
Phenex appeared as horrified as Tani by Sitri’s disclosure, his mood darkening with every word she spoke. “Lock her in the dungeon!” He waved to his guards and they dragged a still-howling Sitri away.
Turning to Tani, who was still on her knees, held steady between two guards, Phenex stared down at her intently, his heavy brows drawing into a frown. “Lady Tanith,” he said, gesturing the guards to release her. She rose unsteadily to her feet. “It seems that you are not guilty of this crime.” His eyes went to the bed. “However, you were entertaining a male.” Her eyes dropped. Tani knew she needed to play this carefully. She was still unsure how much Phenex knew about her Esseni status but she did know he wanted her. To achieve her ultimate goal of liberating Jaro, she had to stay close to Phenex. “I was drugged, my lord, and under a persuasion spell.”
He drew near and slid his large hand down her arm to capture her wrist, pulling her close. “That may be true,” he whispered into her ear, “but I own you now, Tanith Laska, and I do not share my property with others.” Phenex released her and stepped back. “You will take Sitri’s place tomorrow at the fights. We will celebrate our engagement. Congratulations, Tanith Laska, I have decided to take you as my bride.”
* * * * *
Jaro pounced on his opponent, holding nothing back. He heard yelling in the background as he continued to train and registered movement in his peripheral vision when Phenex and his entourage moved away. A bone-crunching smack to his jaw. His sparring partner’s eyes widened in surprise that he had managed to finally make contact. Jaro spat blood. His muscles ached but the pain was nothing. He wanted more of it. He welcomed it. Nothing could compare to the agony he had suffered last night.
After his mother left his cell, Jaro had spent hours debating what to do. Should he go to her? Why had his mother come to him? In the end the compulsion to go to Tani was too strong to ignore. He ground his teeth, remembering the sizzle of anticipation burning through his veins as he pushed open the door to her room slowly so as not to frighten her, the key his mother had given him burning heavily in his palm.
His mother had said that Tani would be expecting him and again he wondered why she hadn’t just visited him in his cell like before. His heart beat faster with every step he took in her direction. Tani was his heartbeat. He knew it as surely as he knew the three Ophiuchi suns would rise every morn and fall every eve. He just had to make her see it. Knowing that she cared for him but that she still believed Lorcan her Esseni partner was ripping his soul to shreds. He had to make her see the truth, that Lorcan could not be trusted. His mother had given him this chance and he would use it. Strangely his mother had also made him believe that perhaps she had changed. But then again, how could he possibly trust his mother?
The living room was empty but as he entered, Jaro heard a faint sound from within the bedchamber. Tani’s voice. It sounded strange, slightly slurred. A man’s voice replied and Jaro drew in a deep gulp of air at the sound of the masculine tones. It couldn’t be, could it? He drew closer, not wanting to look but knowing he needed to verify the truth.
“Drink,” he heard her say, “then make love to me.” The words tore like bullets into his flesh, giving him no chance to recover before his eyes watched the painful scene unfolding in Technicolor before him. He watched as Tani’s lover, his brother, drank from a wineglass and then kissed her, lowering her lithe form to the bed. He watched her wrap her arms around him and pull his body closer as she kissed him back. He watched until he could watch no more.
Rage. Fury. Hatred. Not just for Lorcan but for her. She’d lied to him. Played him for a fool. She had made love to him not long ago and now she was with his brother! How could he have believed in her? He would have sold his soul to the devil ten times over and agreed to spend eternity in hell for just one more kiss. He would hate her forever because even witnessing what he had, he still couldn’t help loving her. No. It wasn’t her he hated.
It was himself that he could think for even a minute that she would want someone like him.
Lies. Deceit. Betrayal. It was enough. No more. There was only one thing left for him to do now, only one thing he could do now. Jaro turned his eyes, still burning from the sight of her on the bed with his brother, red hair splayed across the pillow, moans of passion vibrating in his ears. It was over. She was dead to him and he had no brother. It took all he had to walk away but he did it knowing he would be back and when he returned he would make them pay. He would wreak havoc on them all.
Blood surged through his veins, every cell burning with rage bubbling under the surface, his barghesti self itching to break through. Jaro returned to the present to find his sparring partner an unconscious bloody mess lying at his feet. In the distance he became aware of a surge of tension flying through the air. Guards running in all directions and gruff shouts from the balcony surrounding the arena. Gradually the sounds formed into words. Words that turned Jaro’s world on its axis. Lorcan Rodach was dead. Murdered. His mother and Tanith Laska implicated in the crime. Jaro’s legs gave way and he fell to his knees.
Chapter Thirty-One
Sacrifice
The arena was full to capacity the following evening. It seemed the whole of Serpens had turned out, wanting to watch a barghesti fight. Anticipation swirled thickly in the air, a tangible weight so thick a knife could cut through it. Tani had no doubt that the frenzied interest of the crowd was because the barghesti involved was Jaro and his opponent was Phenex.
She had been kept secluded all day, a guard constantly posted outside her door but she could still feel the tension that blanketed the city, the emotions of the population so strong her skin prickled with heat all day.