Oblivious to his nudity, he left the bed and put himself between Livia and her family. "You touch her and I
'll tear your heart out."
Rage descended on her brother's face, but Adron saw the fear in the man's eyes as he took in Adron'
s height, build, and vicious scars.
Her father, however, wasn't so easily intimidated. "Take her," he said to his guards. Livia hung her head as she wrapped the sheet around herself. The guards lifted her from the bed and took her to stand before her father.
Adron ached at the frightened look on her face. And the sight of his bloodstained sheets kicked him hard in the gut. There was no doubt what the two of them had done. Or how innocent she'd been before he'd touched her. Her father raked her with a scathing glare.
"Modesty isn't becoming of a whore who spreads her legs for a man she meets in a filthy bar."
Before Adron realized what he was doing, her father yanked the sheet from her body. Tears filled her eyes as she tried desperately to cover herself with her hands.
"Take her outside and beat her."
Rage flooded him. "Damn you to hell." He grabbed the first guard and shoved him away from Livia. He pulled her behind him to protect and cover her. Then he retrieved the sheet from the floor and wrapped it around both of them. Livia stood so close to his back that he could feel her trembling. And it made him even angrier. How dare they ruin this and embarrass her so. What kind of people were they?
If her father wanted a fight, Adron was ready to give him one. No one would hurt her for what she'd given to him. Not unless they wanted a taste of him first.
Her father narrowed his gaze threateningly, and Adron saw the look in his own father's eyes that warned of death if her father attacked him. "Boy, this is no concern of yours. You've done enough damage." Her father took a step forward.
So did Adron's father. And Adron knew that look preceded death and dismemberment. He had to do something.
And in that instant, he knew exactly what.
Adron refused to release her to her father. "Whatever concerns my wife, concerns me."
Livia froze as soon as the words left Adron's lips. Last night, she'd had no idea that he was the Andarion heir. But Emperor Nykyrian Quiakides she knew. They'd been introduced a few days ago when she and her family had arrived for a meeting and the preliminary nuptial preparations. Indeed, it was business with Adron's father that had her getting married on Kirovar to begin with. Now that the two men were together, she saw the similarities between father and son. Nykyrian had the same white-blond hair, the same firm, sculpted jaw. They also shared an identical height and build. And a lethal air that was truly frightening.
Her father shifted his cold stare from Adron to her. "Is this true? Are you his wife?"
Livia swallowed. If she said yes, Andarion law would recognize them as married.
"Adron," his father said sternly. "Do you understand what you're doing?"
Adron turned to face her. He tilted her chin up with gentle fingers until she looked into those icy blue eyes that were laced with pain and torment. "It's entirely up to you. You're welcome to stay here with me if you want to."
Aghast at his offer, she stared at him. She'd never known a man so honorable. He could have left her to her father's wrath, and yet here he was offering her sanctuary. There weren't many men who would be so thoughtful, and it brought tears to her eyes that he would be so kind.
"Are you sure about this?"
"No." A hint of a smile played at the edges of his lips.
"But then, I've never been sure about much of anything in my life."
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She glanced past him to her father's angry face, and her brother's. If she went home, they would have her beaten until she passed out. But if she stayed . . .
She had no idea what that would be like.
The known or the unknown.
"Take her," her father ordered.
Adron turned and put himself between them.
"Quiakides, tell your son to step aside. He is interfering with royal Vistan business."
For the first time, Livia noticed the deep, angry scars bisecting Adron's body. His back was completely covered by them. It looked as if someone had once carved him into pieces. Her gaze fell to the skull-and-dagger tattoo on his left shoulder that marked him as a League assassin. She trembled. She knew absolutely nothing about him.
Nothing except for the kindness of his touch. Nothing except for the way he'd made her feel when he kissed her. The way he made her feel wanted. Safe.
And in that instant, she made up her mind. "What happens to me is the business of my husband."
Her father's face turned to stone. "Then your ties to our house are severed." He glanced at her brother. "Come, Prinam."
Her brother's features softened a degree before he caught himself. Without a word, he followed her father from the room as the guards fell in behind them.
Nykyrian stepped forward with an amused light in his green eyes. "Some things must run in our blood."
Adron frowned. "How do you mean?"
"Ask your mother one day about how we married." He smiled at Livia. "In the meantime, welcome to our family, Highness."
Adron's frown deepened as he regarded his father suspiciously. "You're being awfully understanding about all this. Should I be afraid?"
Nykyrian laughed. "Probably. I hope this means you'll rejoin the world again. We've missed you."
A tic started in Adron's jaw.
Livia wasn't sure what the undercurrent was between father and son, but there was something just below the surface that she didn't understand. Some history that they had yet to work through. Still, his father's face was kind and not the least bit judgmental as he looked back at her. He honestly seemed glad to have her with his son. "You know, you'll have to bring your wife to the palace to meet the rest of your wayward siblings."
"And Mom?"
His father inclined his head.
Something strange flickered across Adron's features. Something Livia couldn't define, but it looked as if Adron wanted to avoid his mother. "When?"
"Tonight."
Adron curled his lip as if he'd rather be gutted. "Will Jayce be there?"
"He is your brother."
Hatred flared in Adron's eyes. "He's your son. He ceased to be my brother the day he refused to uphold the League's Code."
Nykyrian sighed, then looked at Livia with sympathy in his eyes. "I hope you know what you've gotten yourself into."
The bad thing was, she didn't.
"You two have a good day. I have an international incident I have to go prevent over this." Nykyrian went to the door and paused. "God help me," he said under his breath before he left. "Let the bribes begin."
Now that they were alone, the reality of what she'd done came crashing down on her. She was married.
To a complete stranger.
"Well, isn't this interesting." Adron turned to face her. "I don't know about you, but when I went to Page 19
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the Golden Crona last night, I never intended to find a spouse."
She laughed nervously. "Since I was there to avoid one, I can honestly say that never crossed my mind either."
He cupped her face in his hands and smiled a warm, dimpled smile at her. And when he kissed her, she shivered at the tenderness of his lips.
"You taste so good." He nibbled the corner of her mouth. "I could kiss you forever."
Desire stabbed her at his words. "You're not so bad yourself in a lethal, I'
ll-kill-you-if-you-look-at-me-wrong kind of way."
He laughed, then scooped her up in his arms.
Livia gasped at the unexpected feel of his strong arms surrounding her. But as he reached the bed, he staggered.
Agony contorted his face as he let go of her and fell
to his knees.
"Adron?" She knelt beside him. She could tell by his face that he hurt too much to speak. "Here, lie on the floor."
Livia helped him lie down, then took his knee in her hand. She did her best to summon her powers, but they refused to come.
No!
Adron held his hand to his head as if something vile were being plunged into his brain. He writhed in misery, and she ached that she couldn't help him.
Her heart hammering, she rushed to the nightstand.
"The injector," he snarled from the floor. "There's a bottle for it in the drawer."
Livia found them and took them to him.
He placed the bottle in the injector, then held it against his stomach and pulled the trigger. Sweat drenched his body as he shook all over. She could only imagine how bad he'd have to be hurting. Not knowing what else to do for him, she covered him with the blanket and then held his head in her lap. She brushed her hands through his damp hair, trying to give him whatever comfort she could. Adron tried not to fight the pain. It hurt less when he did, and yet it ripped through him with such a torturous fury that it left him weak. Drained.
Damn it! The brief reprieve had only made it hurt all the more as it returned. He stared up at Livia as she brushed her hand through his hair and held him close. He'd never before allowed anyone near him when he was like this. Not when he had a choice about it, anyway. But there was something about her that soothed his tattered spirit.
Better still, he didn't see contempt or pity on her face. A peaceful calm stared at him from her brown eyes, as if that were what she wanted to leave with him.
After a few minutes, his pain ebbed enough that he could move again. He sat up slowly, carefully, but it felt as if every muscle in his body had been shredded. He started to push himself to his feet.
She moved to help him.
"Don't," he said with more rancor than he meant. "I can stand on my own."
She took his angry tone in stride. "Can I get you anything?"
"A bottle of alcohol." He slowly made his way back to the bed so that he could lie down.
"Adron, it's morning. Shouldn't you eat something?"
He glared the glare that had never failed to send his enemies running for cover. "Get me something to drink."
She dressed, then returned a few minutes later with a glass of milk. He could have beaten her for that shit. It was something his mother or sister would have done to piss him off. "Damn it, Livia! I'm not a child."
"Then stop acting like one."
Before he could respond, the door chime sounded.
She bit her lip. "Should I answer it?"
"I don't give a damn what you do just so long as you leave me alone."
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Livia sighed at his hostile tone as he shifted slightly in the bed, then grimaced. Leaving him, she went to the door and opened it to find a tall, attractive brunette barely dressed. The short red halter top was scooped low, and the tight black leather skirt would have given Livia's parents the vapors.
The woman removed her sunglasses so that Livia could see the red irises and white pupils that marked the woman as a full-blooded Andarion. "You must be Livia." She grinned cheerfully, flashing her fangs. "I
'm Zarina." She said her name like Livia should recognize it.
She cocked a brow at the odd stranger.
Laughing, Zarina explained herself. "I'm Adron's baby sister. Dad just told me about the marriage, and I had to come meet you and make sure Dad hadn't snapped a wheel and started hallucinating or something."
Unsure what to make of Adron's unconventional sister, Livia let her in.
"You're really, really cute." She stepped inside and dropped her bag on Adron's couch. "But I wouldn't have pegged you for his type."
Was she trying to be offensive? "Excuse me?"
"Adron always had a thing for expensive ho's with the intelligence of backwash. You look like you actually have both a brain and a soul."
Livia scowled. "Should I be offended?"
Zarina laughed. "Please don't be. I pride myself on being socially inept. But the only people I ever intentionally offend are my bevy of brothers. And speaking of, where's Big Bad Angry One? Dad said he was actually up and walking around without his cane. That I have to see."
Before Livia could answer, a loud crash sounded in the bedroom. She ran back to Adron with Zarina one step behind her.
As soon as they entered the room, she saw him leaning with one hand braced against the nightstand. She gasped at the sight of blood covering him, the bed, and the floor. And every time he coughed, more blood came up.
"Oh, God." Zarina pulled her link from her pocket.
Terrified, Livia went to her husband.
He opened his mouth to speak but only coughed up more blood. His entire body shaking, he fell back against the bed, where he writhed in agony.
When she tried to touch him, he pushed her away.
Zarina joined her at the bed. "An MT unit is on its way."
Livia locked gazes with Adron. She saw the torment and the shame in his eyes. He was embarrassed. But for her life, she couldn't imagine why.
Then it dawned on her. He, a proud League assassin, was naked and helpless in front of his baby sister. If everything else wasn't bad enough . . .
He had that indignity to suffer.
She glanced to Zarina. "Can you give us a minute alone?"
Zarina hesitated before she nodded. "I'll go call our parents and let them know." She left the room and shut the door.
Adron scowled at her. "What are you doing?"
"I'm cleaning you up."
She saw the anger and relief in his eyes before he stopped fighting her. She figured the anger was for himself because he needed help cleaning up, and the relief for the fact that he wouldn't be transported naked.
Something that was confirmed by the weak, bashful "Thank you" he whispered to her once she had him dressed.
She'd just handed him another clean towel to keep the blood off his clothes when the MTs arrived. Zarina joined her as she moved into a corner to give them room to work. They inserted a tube down Adron's throat and gave him another injection while they started an IV. He just lay there, and his calm acceptance of their actions told her he was well used to things like this. Page 21
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Dear Lord, what had happened to him?
And what had caused this episode? Could it be because of what they'd done? Could having sex kill him?
The thought horrified her.
As the air gurney passed her, Adron gave her a tired, sheepish look, then turned away. Zarina draped her arm around Livia's shoulders. "C'mon. I'll give you a ride to the hospital."
Livia followed her to a transport and got inside first. "What happened to him to cause all those scars?"
Zarina winced as if the memory were too painful to even contemplate. "Eight years ago, Adron was the League assassin who was assigned to terminate Kyr Omaindon."
Livia knew the name well. Kyr's bloodthirsty cruelty was the stuff of nightmares. He'd blazed a two-year trail of rape and slaughter through the Brimen sector. Zarina raked a graceful hand through her hair. "When Adron entered Kyr's home to execute him, Kyr grabbed one of his servants and locked himself inside his study. The woman was pregnant, and Adron blamed himself for letting her get taken."
Livia remembered that famous standoff. There had been days of media coverage. It had ended when one of the League assassins had allowed his hands to be cuffed behind his back and then traded for the pregnant woman.
Now she knew the name and face of that assassin.
Worse, she knew his gentle touch.
Tears gathered in her eyes as she tried to imagine the courage it'd taken for Adron to be bound, helpless, and given over to a monster in order to save a stranger he'd never even met. Zarina dr
ove through the crowded sectors that blurred past outside. "Kyr decided to make an example out of Adron. He wanted to ensure that the League thought twice about sending another assassin after him. So he tortured Adron for over a week. They hunted for him everywhere, but found nothing. No traces of either of them."
A tear slid down Zarina's cheek. Angrily, she swiped it away. "It was the longest twelve days of my life. My entire family searched everywhere we could think of--used every resource we had. Finally my brother Jayce found him barely alive inside a Dumpster. There was so little left of Adron that Jayce barely recognized him as a human being, never mind his own brother."
Livia blinked away her tears as she imagined what it must have been like for Jayce to find his brother in such a condition--not knowing if he'd live or not. Never mind the pain the rest of them had felt, especially Adron himself.
"If Jayce saved him, why does Adron hate him so?"
"Because, according to League Code, when an assassin finds another assassin who has been permanently maimed or disfigured, he's supposed to terminate him. The idea is to die with honor and dignity."
Livia ached for her husband and his family. "Jayce couldn't do it."
"No, he couldn't. The two of them were too close. Plus, Jayce would never have been able to face the rest of us if he'd killed him or let him die. Not when all we wanted was to have him home safe and sound." Zarina sighed wistfully. "I wish you could have seen Adron back before he was butchered. He was something else." She gave a sad smile. "He was always rushing around at warp speed, joking, laughing. Now there are days when he can't even leave his bed for the pain. And I can't even remember the last time I saw him smile, never mind laugh. I don't think he's capable of it anymore."
Livia remembered catching a glimpse of that playful Adron last night when he'd made love to her. And he had a beautiful laugh--if only she'd known then how rare a thing it was. "What happened to Kyr?"
Zarina's face tightened. "My father and uncles tore him to pieces. Literally. His was a death I'd only wish on him and no one else. There's probably some poor engineering person who's still finding chunks of him in the sewer where they dumped him."
Livia had never condoned violence of any sort, but after seeing Adron and the constant pain he lived in, she understood their actions. Even as a pacifist, she would have done serious damage to anyone who hurt her child like that.
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In Other Worlds Page 4