Beno, in contrast to the white of his companions, wore a dress uniform made entirely of black, with high leather boots and a black tunic bedecked with honors and ribbons. His insignia as a commander, a silver sunburst, adorned his right shoulder, and his left was encircled with a looping silver chain that hung from a stiff leather and metal epaulet. He had a blaster and a sword on his hip, both hanging low with shallow holsters to allow a quick draw. He was the image of deadly masculine power.
Between the beauty of Theyn’s pearly gleam and Beno’s sexy, powerful black shine, Sera was deeply impressed.
She could see that Alaia was not immune to the effect. She bowed to the prince. “Your Highness,” she greeted. “I trust that you and your family rested well.”
He didn’t bother to return her niceties. “Tell me how many weapons the Resistance has at its disposal, and where they are.”
Nima licked her lips nervously, then said, “We have seven warehouses and six caches in the western desert. We have enough to fully arm six platoons of foot soldiers.”
“What about air support?”
“The Taluans have all of the air power,” she said, shaking her head. “We have twelve drones, but that’s all.”
Theyn nodded, and Beno asked, “Do the drones have any sort of payload, or are they reconnaissance only?”
“They have a limited payload, but they could be packed with explosives, if that’s what you’re getting at.” Nima’s eyes sparked with hope. “Do you intend to fight?”
Beno walked over to stand beside Theyn. “How many soldiers can the Resistance put into the field, and how long will it take to do it?”
Alaia answered, this time. “We have seven thousand troops currently on alert, and we can easily call another five thousand into action within a day.”
She sounded proud of their numbers, but deflated when the commander said, “That’s all?”
“Well… yes.”
Sera could feel a quick buzz of telepathic communication between her mates, and then Beno said, “It’s not enough.”
Nima sighed. “The people are afraid. The Taluans and Bruthesans have had us down at heel for so long, most of our people aren’t willing to step out of line, mostly because they don’t think they can. It’s hard to convince them to take the risk. The people who are with us, though, are with us one hundred percent. We can depend on them.”
Sera shifted her grasp on Kira, putting her daughter on her lap and holding her tiny little hands. Kira sat up and watched the visitors curiously as her mother asked, “What would it take to convince everyone to rise up?”
Alaia shook her head. “That’s not going to happen.”
“You need to get everyone, every last Ylian, to agree to move when we say so,” Theyn told her. “You are the priestess and you have access to everyone. You’re one of the few who does. Tell them that they don’t need to fight, but they do have to come when we call them.”
“Easier said than done, I fear,” she objected.
“I didn’t ask you for your opinion,” Theyn said coldly. “I gave you an order.”
Alaia and Nima both looked startled, but Beno smirked. The priestess stammered, “Y- yes, Your Highness. May I ask when they are going to be called, and to what end?”
“Allow me to explain what we’re going to do,” Theyn said. “We are going to raid Bruthesan a Taluan weapons stores and build up our armaments. The more victories we win, the more the people will take courage, and the more likely they are to respond when we ask them to come.”
Beno took up the narrative. “I will lead the raids. After we’ve had several successes, Theyn and I will appear to the people at the Temple during the High Festival of Flame.”
“That’s three months from now,” Alaia said, sounding both anxious and disappointed at the same time.
“I am aware.” The commander glanced at Theyn. “When the people see that the prince is here, they will gain courage. There will then be a ceremony where you crown him Emperor, and he will officially take his mother’s throne.”
Alaia’s mouth fell open, and Nima objected, “There’s never been a male ruler! It’s unheard of! Besides, we already have an empress.”
“I assume you’re referring to Queen Apfira on Itzela.” Theyn frowned. “She is no empress, and she has no claim to the throne above my own. Besides, her complicity in helping the Bruthesans has dishonored her, and I intend to remove her from her position.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” Nima said, acquiescing quickly. “My apologies.”
Sera said, “And after the coronation, when the people have been emboldened and know that the end of this nightmare is close, then the rest of the plan will be explained to you.”
“In the meantime,” Theyn said, “we’ll be staying here. Nima, I want you to gather the leaders of the Resistance and bring them here to the palace. We have much to discuss, and it’s time that everyone knew that the royal line has returned.”
Alaia bowed her head to him. “Yes, Your Highness.”
“I’ll tell you more as it becomes pertinent.” The prince unfolded his arms. “Bring the Resistance leaders here this evening.”
Beside him, Beno directed, “Bring me as many schematics as you have on the Taluan installations and the Bruthesan security forces. I want intel, floor plans, blueprints, whatever you can bring me.”
This time, the priestess’s bow was less gracious, and Sera could guess that the woman was rankling as having to show such respect to a man who had started life as a gardener’s son. She was beginning to understand how elitist Ylian society could be. Alaia said, “Yes, Commander.”
“Any questions?” Theyn asked, although his tone suggested that none would be welcome.
“No, Your Highness,” Nima said.
“Good. You may go.”
The trio watched in silence as Alaia and Nima went to obey the orders they’d been given. Beno said to his mates, ‘Well, that’s step one. Now we get to find out how prepared they really are for this war they want so much.’
‘I don’t like the idea of you going into combat like that,’ Sera admitted, ‘but I know you’re a soldier and you can handle it. Just… make sure you come back.’
He turned to her with a warm smile, an expression diametrically opposed to the stern glare he’d given to their visitors. ‘I wouldn’t have it any other way.’
Theyn took a deep breath. ‘So, you realize that after you start attacking their depots, they’re going to retaliate.’
‘Yes. That’s why part of my strategy is to have as many people filtered through the temple and into the mines as possible before the fighting starts. The Taluans will probably notice the decrease in population, but there will still be people on the surface.’
‘Which people?’ she asked.
‘The Resistance,’ Theyn answered. ‘They want to fight, so let them accept the danger. The civilians and the peaceable can take shelter instead.’
She let Kira get down on the floor to creep toward her daddies. She was very advanced for her age, a reminder that human was the least of her bloodlines. “There was a time when I considered you the most peaceable person I’d ever met. What happened?”
The corner of Theyn’s mouth turned down. “Life happened.”
Kira reached her blond father’s feet, and he scooped her up in his arms, kissing her. She squealed with delight and pounded her little hands against his chest. The signet of the Burning One caught her attention, and she touched it with one stiffly pointing index finger, babbling baby nonsense at it.
“She seems to like that thing,” Sera said.
“I would imagine she would.” He smiled and let her bite the jeweled medallion. “It’s her symbol, after all.”
Beno let out an exclamation of pure annoyance and stalked toward the balcony. Theyn sighed. “He thinks that religion is stupid, and that I’m stupid for believing.”
“I don’t think - ” she began.
“He does.”
“It’s just a di
fference of opinion.” She looked toward the balcony where Beno was standing, his hands gripping the banister and his shoulders hunched. She could imagine the glare he was giving the poor hapless plants below. “Albeit a strong one…”
“Very strong.” He sat down on the couch, Kira in his arms. She cooed and babbled at the phoenix on his pendant, and he smiled at her indulgently.
“Why?”
“He could answer better than I can, but I think it has to do with disillusionment.” Theyn’s face was sad as he looked toward where their bond mate stood alone. “He was just as much a believer as I was, before his captivity.”
“By the Taluans.”
It wasn’t a question. He nodded. “Yes. The Taluans. When they tortured him, they destroyed a little part of his soul, and he hasn’t been the same since he returned.”
She paused, then asked, “How long did they have him, and how did he get out?”
Beno spoke in their minds. ‘You’re whispering, but I can still hear you thinking.’
‘Sorry,’ she said sheepishly.
‘I’m not angry with you for asking. I should have told you the story before now.’
He came back into the room and sat on the couch beside Theyn. Kira reached for him, and he took her onto his lap. “They had me for seven months. They were the longest, worst months of my life.”
“I’ve seen the scars,” she said softly.
“This is the long-healed version. You should have seen them when they were fresh.” He looked at his bond mate, who looked squeamish at the memory. “Or maybe you should be glad you didn’t see them then.”
Sera left her chair and sat on Beno’s other side, her hand on his knee. “How did you get away?”
He closed his eyes. “They let me go.”
She frowned. “That doesn’t sound like them…”
“Theyn’s mother negotiated my release. She got them to let me go in exchange for her promise that we would never leave our star system again, and that we would not interfere with the Taluans’ activities in nearby quadrants.” He opened his eyes again and looked at her. “We were on patrol in deep space, in what we thought was a neutral quadrant. We encountered a Kalari merchant ship that had been shot to hell and left derelict. There were inconclusive life sign readings, so the captain sent my unit as a boarding party. The Taluans had been there, and they had stripped the place of every living being. We thought they were long gone, but we were wrong.”
Theyn said, “They were lying in wait.”
Beno nodded. “In the corridor where the worst damage was, they were hiding behind wreckage and debris. When we came into range, they opened fire. I was the only one who survived the initial firefight.”
Sera took his hand in hers. His skin felt cold, almost as if the memories he was sharing had chased all of his blood away. He squeezed her fingers gently.
“They took me captive and took my fallen men away to be eaten. I suppose they wanted to find out exactly how useful a Ylian would be to them. I’ve tried to forget it, but I still remember what they did to me. Torture, physical and mental. They invaded my mind, used my telepathy against me…” He shuddered. “I never thought that I would survive. Sometimes, I didn’t want to.”
Beno looked down at the floor, clearly seeing things that the rest of them could not. “You don’t have to tell me,” she said. “Not if it hurts you so much.”
“I need to. You need to understand.” He looked her in the eye. “They found out all about Ylia from me. Our ecosystem, our culture, our military capabilities… our coordinates…”
She thought she understood now. She leaned closer to him. “You are not responsible for what they did to your planet.”
“It depends on how you judge it. If it hadn’t been for my weakness –”
Theyn said, “You have never been weak. You were victimized. You’re not to blame.”
He continued to speak, ignoring what they were saying. “The Taluan in charge made me believe that the voice I was hearing was the voice of the Burning One. I don’t know exactly how he did it, but mind control is easy enough to do through telepathy.” He pressed his lips into a hard line, then said, “They were experts at the game. Their technique was well-practiced. They convinced me that my god was there to help me, and I opened myself to him. That gave them the access to all of the deepest recesses of my mind. I gave them everything they asked for.”
“You were not at fault,” Theyn told him again. “My mother certainly didn’t think so.”
“I’m sure she wouldn’t have made a deal to retrieve a traitor,” Sera told him. “That wouldn’t make sense.”
“No, not a traitor. Her son’s bond mate. It took him so long to find me, they weren’t going to let me go without a fight.” His voice turned bitter. “Or without a trade.”
She felt cold. “A trade?”
Beno answered in a quiet voice, his eyes fixed on the carpet. “The promise not to leave our system meant that we surrendered our long-range military vessels, and with it our obligation under treaty to help protect the Karani, our neighbors. They were destroyed by the Taluans not six days after I was released.” He shook his head. “They had no space fleet, and we pulled our vessels out of their system just before the Taluans attacked. We left them undefended. Worse, the fleet was mothballed, and we left ourselves open and helpless when the Taluans came for us.”
“Not your fault,” she said again, more firmly.
He didn’t hear her. “Two planets full of people were destroyed because of me. I have the blood of millions on my hands.”
Theyn spoke firmly. “No. You don’t. That destruction is the responsibility of the Taluans and the Taluans alone. You did nothing wrong. You would never have wished those deaths to happen, and who can withstand torture, anyway? It’s a myth that a man can be trained to withstand it. There’s only so long anyone can rise above that kind of pain.” He crouched in front the soldier and put his hands on Beno’s knees. “You are a good man. You’re the best man I’ve ever known. I am proud to have you as my partner and bond mate, and I will not believe for one instant that you’re guilty of any of these events.”
On Beno’s lap, Kira reached her little hand and touched her father’s mouth, her fingers gripping at his lips and chin. Beno smiled at her automatically, although his eyes still showed that his mind was a million miles away.
Sera leaned against him, her arm around his waist. She pillowed her head against his shoulder. “Even if you can’t believe what we’re saying, believe that we believe it. And we believe in you.”
“Oo,” Kira agreed.
He closed his eyes. “I don’t deserve you.”
Theyn chuckled and rose, his hand going to his bond mate’s face, cupping his cheek. “You most certainly do.”
Beno sighed and tried to slip behind a shield of bravado. “Well… it’s all moot right now, anyway. Thanks for listening to me whine.”
“It’s not whining, and you don’t have to thank us,” Sera told him. “You can talk all you want.”
“I’m done talking. Now I want to break things.” He looked up into Theyn’s eyes and said, his voice steely, “Taluan things.”
If everything went according to plan, they knew that he would get his chance.
*
Asa held Joely on his lap in the darkness. Itan had turned the lights off in the weapons cache, saying it was to save power in case they were trapped down there longer than he’d anticipated. In the darkness, Joely had fallen asleep with her head on Asa’s shoulder.
He stroked her hair and held her tight. He was still irritated and frankly unnerved by Itan’s interest in Joely, and in his desire to attempt to merge with Asa so he could have her. The hybrid Ylian was obsessed with having children, and he seemed to think that Joely provided just the perfect opportunity for him to do that. He’d never even asked her if she wanted to have his child, or any child, for that matter. He was presumptuous and pushy, and when they got out of here, Asa was going to kick his ass from
Austin to San Antonio and back again.
His leg, the one that Joely was sitting on, was starting to tingle uncomfortably, and he shifted slightly where he sat. The movement did nothing to help wake up his leg; instead, it seemed to make it worse, pressing his thigh against the edge of the weapons crate that he was using as a bench. He groaned and nudged his girlfriend.
“Come on, Joe. I need to move. Can you get up?” She didn’t answer, and he frowned. “Joe. Joe? Joely?”
Itan spoke up, his voice sounding loud in the utter blackness of the room. “What’s wrong with her?”
He looked at the alien, and he saw a faint glow of light from his freakish eyes. “I don’t know. She won’t wake up.”
Instantly, Itan turned the lights on and grabbed a medkit from one of the supply crates. He hurried over to scan Joely’s head with a hand-held sensor that looked a lot like a salt shaker from an old diner.
“She has a subdural hematoma,” he said, worry in his voice. “I don’t have the tools or the expertise to treat it. We need to get her to a doctor as soon as possible.”
“Where is the closest doc?” Asa asked. “Can we walk there?”
Itan looked at him with open anxiety, and the Texan wanted to choke him. “It’s too far,” the hybrid alien admitted. “But I can call for help.”
“We’ve been sitting here for hours when you could have called for help the whole time?”
“I thought the Taluans might hear us if we sent a distress beacon.” He looked up toward the ceiling of the chamber. “They’re probably far enough away now that they won’t find us immediately.”
“Immediately.”
“Yes.”
“Son of a bitch…” He ran a hand over his head, then asked, “Do you still have that blood-draw thingy?”
Itan frowned, confused. “Yes.”
“Then use it to draw the blood off her brain until we can get her to some real help.”
“I don’t think it will extend through her skull. Soft tissue, yes. Bone? No. Too hard. And I’m not comfortable with the idea of trephining her head with the sort of tools we have here.”
Ignition: Alien Ménage Romance (Phoenix Rising Book 2) Page 22