CAPTURED BY HER ALIEN MATE

WARRIORS OF THE D’TALI: BOOK FOUR

AVA YORK

STARR HUNTRESS

CONTENTS

Riley

Kator

Riley

Kator

Riley

Kator

Riley

Kator

Riley

Kator

Riley

Kator

Riley

Kator

Riley

Kator

Riley

Kator

Riley

Kator

Riley

Kator

Riley

Kator

Riley

Kator

Riley

Kator

Riley

Kator

Are you a STARR HUNTRESS?

Buried with her Alien Mate: Sneak Peek

Rekker

Kazan

Rogue Mate

RILEY

“Riley!”

I heard someone call for me, the sound echoing from the metal walls.

“Can you come back here? I could use a hand.”

I clambered my way through the wrecked ship. I hadn’t been there since the crash and felt the stirring of old ghosts who’d just as soon not be disturbed. It reminded me somehow of the occasional car accidents I’d dealt with as a police officer.

I paused, caught in memories of twisted metal and broken mechanisms. Things that used to run but now were so much junk. Things that used to carry us safely from one point to another. An illusion. That’s the one thing you learn as a cop—safety isn’t something that lasts for as long as you hope it will.

“Riley!” the voice called again. It was Isabella, our resident tech guru. She loved being here in the wreckage.

She didn’t see ghosts. She saw possibilities. I gave her credit for that.

Me? I could barely tell a hammer from a wrench. But I was glad to help her.

It had been a strange journey so far, being here on another world, caught in the midst of an ongoing war between the D’Tali, our hosts, and the Aetamians, their sworn enemies.

Who were two species on this planet that were so similar they might as well have been kissing cousins.

I couldn’t figure out exactly what the beef was between the two peoples. It didn’t make much sense to me. But another thing you learn as a cop is that it doesn’t take much for folks to not get along. And it doesn’t take much for folks to end up hating each other.

So, you put yourself in the middle and try to keep the peace as best you can. There’s not much more you can do beyond that when it came down to it.

I finally stumbled my way to the back of the ship. Isabella was trying to pry something off a control panel.

“Hey there,” she said with a smile. She loved being back here in the ship, taking it apart and putting things back together.

“What’s up?”

“I need those big muscles you have to help me get this off. It’s a little rusted tight. I’m not able to get it off on my own.”

I gave her a little salute.

“Your wish is my command,” I said and I assumed a position next to her. We put our collective hands on the panel on each corner.

“On the count of three?” I asked.

Isabella nodded.

“One. Two. THREE!”

The pair of us tugged hard, yanked the damn thing right off the wall, and sent ourselves flying backwards onto the deck of the ship.

We both landed hard, cracking our heads.

“Ow,” I said, rubbing the back of my skull. “That hurt.”

“Sure, but hey, we got the panel off!” Isabella said brightly, holding the panel up like a fisherman with his prize catch.

Vokar came bolting around the corner, alarm in his eyes.

“You ladies all right? What happened?”

“We’re fine, honey,” Isabella said, climbing to her feet.

“Yeah, Vokar, we’re good. Just didn’t know our own strength for a moment. We’re super powerful you know,” I said with a wink.

He looked over at Isabella with a truly lovesick look. “Don’t I know it,” he said and leaned in to kiss her.

Ever since Isabella had been taken by the Aetamians, Vokar was incredibly protective of her. Which I got. We all were. In many ways, Isabella was the most important among us. While Camilia was our nurse and Sofia was our queen, Isabella was the one who knew the tech. That’s what gave us a slight advantage (very slight) over the Aetamians. They’d love to get their hands on her, to try to get her to improve their weaponry and tracking systems.

Isabella was working on teaching us all a little bit more about the tech and had been making some progress in that regard. We had all figured that it would make more sense if that knowledge was spread out among us.

But even with that, Isabella was still the boss when it came to mechanics. Which was fine by me.

My attitude towards tech was only slightly above “cavewoman.” I understood its value and how much it benefited us. But beyond that, I was more likely to rely on my eyes and ears to get me through situations.

Being the only girl with three brothers will do that to you. You gotta stay sharp or you’d be likely to find a frog slipped down your dress.

I had found a natural role among the D’Tali in the security detail, helping with defensive planning and strategies. I liked helping in that regard. It was what I was good at. And I liked being the lone human female in amongst the “proud” D’Tali warriors. It felt like I was back among my brothers again.

Don’t get me wrong, my brothers could be a pain in the ass, but I missed them, nonetheless. I supposed that would be true for anyone.

Vokar and Isabella broke off their kiss and I laughed. “Decided to come up for air?” I teased with a smirk.

Isabella blushed.

“Honestly, Riley, sometimes I think she’s just going to swallow me whole,” Vokar said playfully.

“Oh, stop it,” she said, whacking his arm.

“Let’s get some air,” I said. “I think we could all use some.”

The couple agreed and we climbed our way out of the wrecked ship. There was a cool breeze and it felt good on my face.

Sometimes the best part about my old job was you were outside so much. And whenever things got rough (and believe me, they did), some fresh air in your lungs always worked wonders. Still did, it turned out.

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and held it for a moment, before letting it out slowly.

“You okay?” Isabella asked with some concern.

“Oh yeah,” I nodded. “Just enjoying the moment.”

But as soon as I said that, the moment ended.

Over Isabella’s shoulder, out in the tree line, I spotted movement. It was subtle, but it was there for sure.

“Vokar,” I said cautiously, “what do you make of—”

Before I could finish my thought, there was a terrific bang and shouting from all around us.

It was the Aetamians. They were attacking, hurling heavy stones with some kind of crude catapult. They’d crept up on us around the perimeter of the ship’s crash zone.

Seriously, it was like these guys were never going to give up.

“Fuck,” I said. “They caught us napping!”

“Damnit, I was hoping for more time before they showed up again,” Vokar said, annoyance clear in his tone. He turned to me. “Riley, take Isabella and try to get out of here.”

“Vokar, wait a second,” Isabella began, but he cut her off.

“No, Isabella. This isn’t time for a debate.”

The small attachment of D’Tali which had come with us to the ship were already responding to the assault, firing crossbow bolts and setting up smoke screens to give us a little cover.

Vokar gripped me by the arm. “I’m counting on you, Riley. I have to go help fight them off.”

“I got this, Vokar. Go. Don’t wait on us,” I said.

He pulled Isabella into him by the waist, kissing her deeply.

“I’ll find you. Stay with Riley,” he said, then he was gone, drawing his weapons and running headlong into the battle.

“C’mon, Izzy,” I said. “We gotta boogie outta here.”

“But—” she said, looking after Vokar.

I shook my head. “He can take care of himself. Right now, we gotta take care of you, okay? Don’t be stubborn and make me knock you out and carry you.”

She nodded and I took her hand. We took off running, sticking close to the ship, while I scanned the tree line for Aetamian soldiers.

The assault seemed to be mostly concentrated at the bow of the ship, the Aetamians moving in a half-circle as they advanced. Vokar and the D’Tali were fighting them off, however. In my experience, D’Tali were superior fighters to the Aetamians, but with smaller numbers. When you threw in an endangered loved one. . .yeah, I wouldn’t want to get in Vokar’s way right now. Let’s put it that way.

Straight ahead from the back of the ship, things looked pretty clear. I looked to Izzy and gripped her hand.

“Stay low and move fast. Don’t let go of my hand, okay? No matter what.”

She nodded, her face grave. I gave her hand a squeeze and off we went, darting into the trees.

We made it safely and dove into the underbrush.

“Stay down,” I whispered to her and she gave me a thumbs-up. I peeked my head out and I could see that the D’Tali were giving the Aetamians all they could handle.

Looking down at Izzy, I smiled, saying, “I think we’re gonna win this.”

That’s when a crossbow bolt shot right across my field of vision, nearly taking my nose off.

“Goddamn!” I exclaimed and turned to my right. A small contingent of Aetamian warriors were running towards us.

Without looking down, I told Izzy, “Flatten out! Keep still. I’m going to lead them away!”

She tugged on my ankle. “Riley!” she whispered with force. “Don’t!”

I shook my head. “Gave Vokar my word. I’ll be fine. When you hear them come for me, run low and fast back to the ship and the D’Tali. Don’t argue with me. Just do it. I got this.”

She squeezed my ankle again and let go, making herself as small as possible.

The Aetamians were only about fifty yards away, all shouting at me.

“JESUS, YOU GUYS ARE UGLY!” I shouted and took off running to my right. Not that they’d be able understand a single word.

But I’d lay money they would get my tone of voice just fine.

Another crossbow bot blew past me. I darted into the trees. I wouldn’t be able to outrun them for long. They were bigger and stronger than me. But I’d make them fucking work for it.

The Aetamians were in hot pursuit and I kept shouting and yelling nonsense to antagonize them.

“Man, you fucking losers are slooooow!” I said, laughing and turning my head to glance at them. “And your baseball team is never going to win, even if you invent baseball!”

And that was the moment I ran full speed into a tree. I smacked into it hard and bounced back onto my ass on the forest floor.

I groggily sat up, only to feel a knife point against my throat. I looked up and a very angry Aetamian soldier was crouching there, ready to thrust his blade into me at a moment’s notice.

“Silly creature, thinking you could get away,” he said with a hiss. “You might make your strange noises now, but soon we will have your knowledge.”

Shit.

KATOR

Few things drag as much as staff meetings. Especially the meetings that involved the king and his high command. Even worse were those involving discussion of taxes, of all things.

And here was I. Caught right in the damn middle of it.

They didn’t even know how much I loathed all of them. Fools. One of their countrymen had been responsible for the destruction of my mother’s life, and I hated them all for it. Burying that hatred behind a mask of bland interest and loyalty to the king was the act of a lifetime.

“My Lord,” said Aefir, the tax collector of the Aetamian kingdom, “we must press even harder on this issue. Without new taxes, we will no longer be able to give the Aetamian forces the support they need in our struggle with the D’Tali.”

“Struggle?” snorted Jalon, commander of the palace guard. “I’d say calling it a ‘struggle’ is underselling it slightly.”

“What mean you by that, Jalon?” King Mofffat questioned.

“My King, to put it bluntly, we had our asses handed to us by the D’Tali in the last conflict. The word amongst the guard is that the citizenry is getting tired of this endless war.”

As was I. The time and attention it took away from my true goal was beginning to grate. I had spent my adulthood seeking to avenge my mother, and as I drew closer to the truth of her capture and torture, I grew more determined to uncover the truth.

“Nonsense,” Aefir countered. “The normal complaints of the guard. Complaining is the soldier’s lot in life, not to be taken seriously.”

Jalon glowered, holding his chin high in annoyance. He stepped right up to Aefir, towering over him. Aefir looked concerned, but, to his credit, he didn’t back down.

“Do not...ever...speak of the Aetamians under my command that way again,” Jalon said. “Those soldiers have all volunteered their lives in service of the king. Their loyalty is without question. And if they say the people are tired, they would know. When they finish a shift, they go home, to their families, their friends, their neighbors. They hear what the people are saying.”

Aefir buckled but did not break.

“My Lord Moffat,” he said, looking around Jalon’s shoulders, “trust me on this. A decisive victory is exactly what’s called for to lift the populace’s spirits. And more taxes are the cost of that victory. It’s mathematics, nothing more. Complaints will fade in the face of winning.”

Moffat looked as bored as I felt. I twiddled my fingers impatiently, suppressing a yawn, my late night in the library getting to me. A library, and research, I itched to return to. It had taken years to weave my way into a position in the king’s inner circle where I would have access to the royal libraries, and now that I’d had access for some time, my task should have been easily completed. But poring through a castle’s worth of documents in between fulfilling my duties to the king took time. Doing it in a way where I left no trace of my search took even more time.

But soon, barring further distractions, I would achieve my goal. I would know who had raped my D’Tali mother and fathered me.

I would know who to kill.

“Bored, are you, Kator?” Aefir said to me with some snark in his voice.

“With you? Absolutely, Aefir. I find your prattling tiresome.”

“Hear, hear!” Jalon added.

Aefir feigned outrage and turned to the king. “My Lord! How can you—”

“Enough!” Moffat shouted, slamming his fist on the arm of his chair. “I grow tired of you all. Jalon, while I hear you and what your sources inform you of, I must concur with Aefir.”

I wanted to slap the smug look from Aefir’s face at that moment. But the king handled it for me.

“We need a victory over the D’Tali. And we need it soon. However, Aefir, I will not permit you to dismiss the voices of my soldiers again. While you serve a valuable role for the king, you are not putting your life on the line. Is that clear to you?”

Finally, Aefir looked humbled.

“Yes, My Lord,” he mumbled quietly.

“I don’t give a whit for the peasantry. They will do what they’re told. But, if I have learned anything in my years of rule, I have learned that if you disguise the poison in honey, they’re more likely to swallow it.”

“My King—” Jalon began, but Moffat cut him off by raising his hand.

“No, Jalon. I will hear no more of this. I have registered your concerns and honor them to a point, but not beyond. We must defeat the D’Tali. Once and for all. Only then will we have peace. And greater power than before.”

There was a wicked gleam in Moffat’s eyes as he said that. I didn’t like the look of it. Not one bit.

He turned to his son, Hulat, who, after the death of General Mohad, he had named commander of all Aetamian forces. If there was anyone I liked less than Aefir (or Moffat, for that matter) it was Hulat.

He hadn’t earned his position. It was given to him. He had no respect for rank or service and the only thing he brought to the table that appealed to Moffat was brutality. Hulat was infamous for butchering children if they got in his way, and killing his own troops in the midst of combat if it somehow could give him an advantage.

When Moffat made Hulat the high commander, I’d heard the rumor was he went home and beat his mate because he was so excited.

The fact that Aetamian females were as rare as D’Tali females only made such a horrendous act worse.

The fact that my own mother had suffered violence at the hands of Aetamians only made me hate them all even more.

The gods above help us if he ever became king. However bad Moffat was, Hulat would be a nightmare from which the Aetamians may never awaken.

“Hulat, I want plans organizing a new assault on the D’Tali as quickly as possible. And just blundering in like a battering ram will not get it done. So think a little this time,” Moffat ordered.

“Yes, Father,” Hulat replied, his nostrils flaring.

I chuckled. Hulat spotted it and gave me a sneer. “What troubles you, Kator? Does the head of the Assassins Guild find all of this tiresome?”

I stared Hulat down, my expression deliberately bored. “Not at all, Hulat. But to think of the Aetamian army being anything other than a battering ram gives me pause. Seems a bit out of your purview, that.”

“And what you would advise us to do, Kator?” Moffat asked me before Hulat, whose face had turned bright red, could try to tear me apart. The king gave me his peculiar half-speculative, half-penetrating stare. I had been the subject of his scrutiny more and more lately, and at first, I had worried he may have discovered my secret…but if he had, I would no longer be alive, and he was incapable of playing long, deep games.

I shrugged.

“My Lord, I’m not a military expert by any means, but if you want to win a decisive victory, it should be small. Quiet. Strike when they least expect and strike silently.”

Hulat laughed, eyes wide with pleasure. Moffat joined him.

I stared at them both and turned to Jalon, who was more often than not an ally for me in these staff meetings. He shook his head. He didn’t know either.

AT THAT MOMENT, a messenger came running into the chamber, bowed quickly and dropped to one knee.

“What news?” Moffat asked.

The messenger stood. “My King, the word is the operation was a success.”

“What operation?” I asked.

Now it was Hulat’s turn to chuckle at me. “You’re not as clever as you think, Kator. Nor do you give enough credit where it is due.”

“What are you talking about, Hulat? I have no time for your riddles,” I countered.

“What he means, Master Assassin,” Moffat said, “is that we had taken your advice before you even gave it.”

I looked to Jalon again, who was as confused as I was.

“What does that mean, My Lord?” I asked.

“It means that we sent a small party of Aetamian soldiers out to the wrecked ship’s crash site, to sit and wait. Knowing full well the D’Tali and their humans would be coming back there soon enough.”

Alarm prickled up my spine. “Meaning what?”

“What would you say, Jalon, is the biggest discrepancy right now, between the forces of the D’Tali and our own?” Moffat asked, the tips of his fingers dancing on the edge of the table.

“Ah...” Jalon hesitated, looking at me and back to the king. “I would say it was a technological advantage, My King.”

Moffat nodded. “And that technology arrived with the humans.” A menacing grin spread across his face, and there was nothing pleasant about it. “So we set out to capture one.”

What was going on here? And why didn’t I know about it?

Moffat turned to the messenger. “The human is in custody?”

“Yes, My Lord. A yellow-haired female. She tried to flee from the crash site, but we were able to capture her as she ran through the forest. The assault team is bringing her back here now.”

Yellow-haired! They had her. They had Isabella! The Aetamians had her. Of all the damn luck!

Aefir spotted something on my face and cocked his head at me.

“What troubles you, assassin? Surely you’re not sorry that we were able to capture this human. This is precisely the advantage we have been looking for. We can now force her to share her knowledge of this technology with us. With their weapons, the tides of this war will change.”

“I’d advise you not to presume to know my mind or where my sympathies lie, tax collector,” I said. “I have little time for your nonsense.”

“He raises a good point nonetheless, Kator,” Hulat said. “You look...crestfallen. As much as you can with that golden orange coloring of your scales, that is.” His eyes narrowed in grim amusement.

I swallowed my anger at his crack and responded calmly.

“My concern, General, is that there were Aetamian lives put at risk. If the Assassins Guild had been included in the planning, we could have taken this human without the loss of one Aetamian warrior, when each one is worth ten of theirs. So, I think this operation was foolish, regardless of the outcome. With all due respect, My King,” I said, bowing low.

Moffat nodded and gestured for me to stand up. “You show honor in that, Kator. And it is understandable, your position. But this information came to us quickly and we had to move just as fast. No time for debate.”

“Or overly extensive planning,” Hulat chimed in. I wanted to punch his face and knock the smirk right off it.

“Of course, My Lord. I completely understand,” I said.

Moffat stood then and walked over to me, putting his hand on my shoulder. Even at his age, I could feel the strength in his grip. He wasn’t king for nothing.

“In future plans, we will include you. Your counsel is always welcome and now, more than ever. We will be moving swiftly with the next stage of our plans. But now, let us celebrate this victory!”

He headed off towards the dining chamber, where food and drink had been prepared. Everyone followed him out. Jalon hesitated a moment, looking at me, head tilted slightly.

I nodded. “I’ll be with you all in a moment.”

He left and I was alone with my thoughts.

I walked to the window and looked out, frustrated.

How was I going to fix this problem?

I sighed and shook my head.

Being a double agent for the D’Tali was trickier than it looked.

RILEY

There are a lot of things they taught you at the academy.

How to fire a gun, for instance. That’s a big one. How to give comfort to victims (we could’ve been a little better at that, truth be told). How to drive a car in a high-speed chase. (No kidding, we really did that.)

But there was maybe no skill that was more useful than the one I was using now: how to assess a situation.

After the Aetamian soldiers nabbed me in the forest and started dragging me away, I made sure to make a big ruckus, screaming and yelling that they would pay for kidnapping me, not that they would understand a thing I said.

All that really mattered was keeping Isabella safe.

And the real Isabella was safe.

The downside of making a big ruckus, however, was that it deeply annoyed my captors. After several attempts to get me to shut up, and my staunch refusal every time, the leader of the Aetamian patrol had had enough and, with a heavy sigh as I shouted in his face that “Isabella was the pride of the D’Tali and I would be rescued and avenged for this indignity!” (I admit, I was laying it on a bit thick, but hey, you gotta throw yourself into the role) cracked me hard across the face.

I dropped like a rock, nearly unconscious. I had a vague sense of someone picking me up and carrying me, but then I was gone, out like the proverbial light.

So it was that my situational assessment training was coming into play now. I was coming to. Slowly. I knew enough to know that I didn’t need to rush the process.

I scanned my body with my mind and, other than my head, I didn’t detect any pain or injuries. That said to me that I was relatively safe, or at the least, not in immediate danger.

Keeping my eyes closed, I could also feel there wasn’t much light (if any) in the room with me. And I was inside somewhere for sure. There was no breeze and the floor I was lying on felt like slabs of hewn stone. It was cool and damp.

I was in a cell somewhere. The Aetamians had taken me from the forest all the way to their city. I wasn’t sure the distance we’d traveled, but it wasn’t close, that much I knew.

I strained my ears to listen for voices or the shuffle of guards’ feet. But I heard nothing. Just the soft echo that hangs in the air of prisons, present whether there was audible sound or not.

Deciding it was safe and I had learned all that I could by playing dead, I sat up. And immediately regretted it.

Throbbing pain shot through my head as I moved, nearly flattening me to the floor again. I took a few slow, deep breaths, trying to calm the pain down. It was working, thank God. The pain was easing, if not entirely going away.

Well, I thought, I’ll take what I can get.

I straightened and pushed up to my feet. I was a little unsteady and the room spun, but just for a moment.

I pressed my hands against the wall on my left and rested my forehead against the stone. Its cool temperature was soothing and I sucked in some more slow breaths.

The throbbing subsided slightly, and I finally opened my eyes.

I may as well have kept them closed.

There was practically no light. I could just make out the outline of a cell door and a faint, very faint glow through what I presumed to be a grate in it.

Continuing to assess the situation, I felt my way along the walls, determining the size of the space. It wasn’t big, that’s for sure. But that made sense. You don’t make prison cells to be comfortable.

My foot kicked something, and I heard a small splash.

Water.

Reaching down carefully, I felt a cup that had been left for me. Bringing it up to my face, I swirled it around, trying to feel the weight of the water. There wasn’t much in there, but I was grateful for whatever there was.

I brought it to my lips and carefully drank. I didn’t want to risk swallowing it all down in case it had something in it that could prove toxic. Taking a small sip, the water was cool and fresh, and I couldn’t detect anything dangerous in it.

That told me they were invested in keeping me alive.

So, I drank it all down, slowly but every drop. Getting that water in my system helped my head immeasurably.

It occurred to me that I was taking a chance drinking all that water now. They may not bring me any more. But I suspected that wouldn’t be the case. If they thought I was Isabella, they would do everything they could to keep me alive. If they had figured out that I wasn’t her, they would have killed me.

So. What to do now?

Another thing that they teach you in the police academy is maybe the single most valuable lesson of them all: to be patient.

There’s an enormous amount of time spent as a cop doing nothing physical at all. Sitting on stakeouts. Driving around for hours on patrol. Filling out paperwork.

Crime was never as rampant as you’re led to believe. So action was in short supply. More often than not, you’re twiddling your thumbs waiting for something to go down. So, patience was key.

And it was going to serve me now.

I felt for the back wall of the cell and leaned my back on it. I slid down carefully until I was sitting down, knees up, head back, facing the door.

I took another deep breath and began the watch.

What was it that Tom Petty said?

“The Waiting...is the hardest part.”

Amen, Tom. Amen.

Turned out, however, that I didn’t have to wait too long after all.

Beyond the door grate, I saw a flash of light that grew, brightening the hallway outside. Then I heard the heavy steps of Aetamian soldiers.

The door suddenly swung open and three Aetamians stalked inside. One marched right up to me, towering over my seated position.

“Hey, fellas. How’s tricks? I have to say, the service isn’t the best in this hotel, but there’s still a chance for you to salvage a five-star rating from me. Maybe if you get some food, more water and, oh yeah, LET ME THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!”

The Aetamian before me snarled, “Why’d we have to get saddled with this animal?”

These assholes didn’t know I understood them, and I had no plan to clue them in any time soon, either. Maybe I could use that to my advantage at some point but for now at least, I could annoy them.

“Don’t follow, ugly,” I said. The Aetamian reached down and grabbed me by the throat, pulling me up and off my feet.

“This...isn’t...gonna improve...your rating....” I managed to gasp out.

The solider pulled me close to his face, his mouth curling into a sneer. His breath was truly reprehensible. That, combined with the fact that his hand was wrapped around my throat, made air a precious commodity.

I kicked out with my feet but I may as well had been kicking a tree for all the good it did me. The Aetamian soldier started laughing at me and the other two joined in.

Maybe they weren’t so invested in keeping me alive after all.

Then another voice boomed out.

“Let her go! Now!”

I was dropped instantly, grasping at my throat and trying to suck in as much air as I could.

As I lay trying to catch my breath, another Aetamian walked in. He was tall, golden, and clearly in command. The others deferred to him without question, even bowing slightly.

The golden one looked at me for a moment, then nodded.

“Leave us,” he said, and the soldiers hesitated. The newcomer looked at them and a fire blazed in his eyes. “Do not make me repeat myself, or the Assassins Guild will have new training targets.”

That’s all it took. The soldiers left in a hurry.

The golden one walked over to me and I was able to really look at him. There was something almost...familiar about him. Something in his bearing reminded me of...the D’Tali. I didn’t know how that was possible.

He reached down and pulled me up by my wrist.

“All right, you bastard, if you’re going to kill me, then let’s get it the fuck over with,” I said.

“Silence!” he whispered fiercely.

He understood me.

This fire-scaled guy understood what I’d just said…how was that possible?

“I don’t know why you understand me, but if you think I’m going to tell you a goddamned thing about the D’Tali, you’re out of your mind. So, do us both a favor and don’t waste my time. Kill me and have it done with!”

To my surprise, he moved in a flash and put his hand over my mouth.

“Be quiet for a fucking second, you fool! If you’re not careful, they are going to kill you. Or worse! If you want to get out of here, you’re going to have to trust me, Isabella!”

My eyes grew wide. Was this Aetamian trying to...help me?

“Do you hear me?” he said. “Stay quiet and I will get you out of here, but we have to move fast!” He slowly removed his hand from my mouth. “You understand?”

Still stunned, I shook my head. “I’m not Isabella,” I said softly.

He looked at me, shocked, then looked towards the door. There were sounds from out in the hallway.

“Well,” he said, turning back to me, “you are for now.”

KATOR

This human...was not Isabella. This was a turn of events that I had not expected, to say the least. I didn’t know how this was going to play out, but I knew I had to take some action, otherwise this particular house of cards was going to come tumbling down at any moment.

I looked into her eyes. “What happened? Where’s Isabella?”

“Why should I trust you? I don’t even know who you are or why you can understand me, or how you even know Isabella’s name.”

She must be terrified, I realized. Was this how my mother had felt when she’d first been captured? Except she had had no one there to help her. Something in the woman’s eyes drew me in. The sounds of the approaching guards grew louder.

“I can understand you because I’m half D’Tali,” I said, and laid my hand on her arm, trying to reassure her. In that moment, I felt something. A little charge shot through my hand into my chest.

Why did I say that? Why did I feel so compelled to reassure this human I had just met?

“Listen to me, we don’t have time for this. Even by saying out loud I’m here to help you, I’m risking my own skin. If you revealed that, I would be killed without hesitation. No benefit of the doubt. No nothing. It would be over. Do you understand that?”

She nodded.

“All right then. So now you tell me who you are and I will do everything I can to get you out of here in one piece.”

She took a deep breath and let it out. “My name is Riley. I’m a part of the security forces of the D’Tali and I was trying to protect Isabella when the Aetamians attacked. I hid her and made enough of a ruckus they didn’t bother looking any further. Looks like it worked.”

All right, I thought. That made some sense to me. “Good thinking,” I said.

“I would never allow anything to happen to her.”

Her conviction moved me. The laugh of an approaching guard grabbed my attention. I needed to get out of here before they arrived and moved to the door.

“Don’t leave me! Take me with you.”

“I can’t, yet.”

“How the hell do you expect me to trust you if you’re not getting me out of here?”

“I realize this may be difficult for you—”

“Difficult?”

A poor choice of words on my part, perhaps. She wasn’t going to let it go, I could see that by the light in her eyes.

I needed to get back into the hallway before the guards started getting too curious for my own good.

“Listen to me now: I can’t explain all of this to you in this moment. You need to be patient and I will be back to help you further. I give you my word. And that’s the best I can do for now.”

She stepped away from me, then whirled back. “Well, that really isn’t very much, is it? You’re giving me nothing.”

I moved toward her and reached out a hand, putting it on her shoulder and immediately felt that surge of...something again. Energy. Connection.

I must have looked as surprised as I felt, because Riley moved away instantly.

“What?” she said. “What is it?”

I shook my head. I didn’t know if I knew. I didn’t know if I could explain it.

Was it possible...this woman was my mate? How could that be? But the feeling was there. It was undeniable. It spread all the way through me and I could see on her face that something was also spreading through her. It flashed through her eyes, just for a moment. A mix of desire and longing.

This was turning out to be a very strange day.

She reached absentmindedly to where I’d touched her and rubbed the spot.

“Riley,” I said softly, pulling her from her reverie.

“Yes? What?”

“I’m asking for your trust. I know it’s in blind faith. I’m not here to hurt you. I can’t say more than that right now. But if you’re willing to give that trust to me, I give you my word I will honor it. Truly. On my honor as a warrior.”

She looked at me hard and searchingly, then she slowly nodded.

“You are willing to give me a chance?” I asked.

“For now. I hope I’m not wrong,” she replied.

“I’m sorry I can’t take you out right now. It would be too suspicious. And I need to talk to Moffat and Hulat.”

“Who’s Hulat?”

“Moffat’s son. And he makes Moffat look like the kindest, gentlest creature that ever lived.”

She nodded slowly. “I don’t like it, but yes. All right.”

I slipped her some meal bars I had tucked into my belt.

“Eat these. It will give you some strength. They will give you water, but they won’t feed you. They want to weaken you, so that you’ll be more susceptible to their questions and demands. So, act the part, all right?”

Riley tore into the bars hungrily, nodding her head. “Yes, I understand,” she said between bites.

“Excellent. Stay strong for now and I will be back soon to help you more,” I said.

I headed for the door, but turned back before I opened it.

“What’s your plan?” Riley asked.

I looked at her and shrugged.

“I’m working on it. I will be back soon,” I said and closed the door behind me, making sure it was locked.

I stood there a moment, trying to process what had just happened. How could it be that in all the world I would find my mate in an Aetamian cell? And that she would be human? I needed to think about this, but I didn’t have the time at the moment. Such reflection would have to wait.

Moving swiftly, I passed the guards I had dismissed and told them I was done with the prisoner for now but that she needed to be undisturbed.

“The prisoner is not to be disturbed. I find that someone other than the high command or myself have had use of her, the punishment will be slow. And brutal. Is that understood?”

The guard swallowed hard and nodded his head.

“Yes, sir,” he said, and they all snapped to attention.

“See that it is,” I said, heading back up the stairs to the main floors of the palace, using the time to tamp down my tension. First my mother, and now my…mate. Two women in my life who were in danger from the Aetamians. But I swore Riley would not suffer my mother’s fate. Not while I had breath in my body.

In my mind, the only thing to do was to delay, to find some time until I could come up with a more proper plan, something that would get Riley out of here safely and keep the Aetamians off her trail for as long as I could manage.

Stepping into the throne room, I saw Moffat conferring quietly with Jalon. They stopped speaking when I entered the room.

“My Lord,” I said, bowing slightly.

“Kator,” Moffat drawled, lazily sprawled against the back of his throne. “From Jalon here, I understand that you just spent some time with our prisoner.”

“Indeed, I did, My Lord. I wanted to...take the measure of her before her interrogation proper began. She’s tough, stronger than I would have expected from a weak human.”

“We’ll get what we want from her soon enough. Hulat has many methods of persuasion at his disposal.”

I frowned. “You’re leaving Hulat in charge of the questioning?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“Because, My King, with all possible respect, your son is a bit more of a... blunt instrument, rather than a scalpel, wouldn’t you agree? Effective in many cases, but here, with a prisoner who would rather die than give up her secrets? Perhaps something else is in order.”

Moffat looked at me carefully, then at Jalon, who nodded his head in assent.

“Alright, Master Assassin. What do you suggest?”

“A more nuanced approach may yield greater rewards, even if it takes that much longer,” I said.

“That’s right, My Lord. And we want as much intel from her as we can get.” Jalon added.

Moffat looked at us both and finally nodded his assent. “Very well. I will permit your tactics for now, Kator. But only for now. Without results...”

“You need not even say it, My Lord,” I said.

Moffat nodded and left the room, Jalon following behind.

Time might be on my side, but not for long.

RILEY

I was thrown to the floor. The Aetamian soldiers were not fucking around.

They’d brought me to a private room—why, I had no idea. I had a sneaking suspicion that that Aetamian higher-up had had something to do with it. He had babbled some sweet nonsense, but he didn’t look completely unimportant. He had been able to just walk into and out of my cell, after all.

“Thanks for nothing!” I shouted as the wooden door slammed into place behind me. Jumping quickly to my feet, I ran at the door, screaming my head off. I grabbed at the handle and tugged as hard as I could. Nothing. Unsurprising. I rammed my shoulder into the latch of the door, hoping to feel some give. Once again—nothing.

I took a step back. I hadn’t really expected to be able to get out of here by brute force, but you always had to try. I suddenly flashed back to my police training days. I had been one of the first people to break down a door in the simulations. But those doors were made by and for humans, not Aetamians.

Nope, it looked like I was stuck here—and stuck under Isabella’s alias. My mouth dried when I thought of my friends. I prayed to whomever would listen that nothing had happened to them. Sitting with my back to the far wall, drawing my knees up, and wrapping my arms around them was cold comfort.

I decided that if nothing else, I would die as Isabella’s decoy. It would buy the D’Tali more time before the Aetamians did…whatever it was that they were likely to do.

The room I had been brought to was bigger than I’d expected. With tall, vaulted ceilings and two shuttered and barred windows, it wasn’t the Ritz or anything, but it was miles better than the damp cell I had just come from. I was used to more opulence in the D’Tali tower room I had been sleeping in, but this was clearly a modest but respectable chamber.

To my left there was a bed with plain white linens. Hanging above the bed were three tapestries. I took a closer look. They appeared to be heroism tapestries, depicting a gnarly battle victory. An Aetamian stood on what I could only surmise was an enemy’s corpse, holding the poor schlub’s head with his meaty fingers jammed into the eye sockets. I shuddered. I didn’t want to see the real-life version of that scene any time soon.

Across from the bed, to the right of the door I had just been thrown through, was another entranceway. Curious, I rounded the corner and found myself in a small bathroom. The bathtub was large enough for me to sit comfortably, and there was even a floor-to-ceiling wall mirror. I nearly jumped when I saw my reflection looking back at me.

Jesus Christ, I’m grimy, I thought, staring with dismay at the woman who blinked back. My normally golden hair was grubby and glinted green, while my skin was streaked with mud and sweat. I pulled up my shirt sleeve to inspect what I imagined were some pretty rough bruises on my bicep—and sure enough, there they blossomed, red and purple.

Out of the corner of my eye, the bathtub twinkled at me.

Come on, you know you want to, it seemed to croon.

I bit my lip as I thought. What did I gain from being miserable and sweaty? Nothing other than time to kill until I had to deal with the next Aetamian. I gently prodded one of the bathtub handles. It swung easily to the left and a gushing flow of hot water came pouring out of the faucet. Steam began to rise, beckoning me.

Whoever was coming to finish me off, torture me, ruin my life, or generally murder me might not arrive for hours. Or days. I gulped. Or months, I couldn’t help but think.

Well, time for a bath then. If I was stuck here, I was going to do everything I could to make myself feel less wretched.

It might be a pretty chamber, but it was still a prison.

Still, no point in being entirely surprised. I spotted an upholstered bench near the door and dragged it over to block the door. It might not keep anyone out, but it would at least give me some warning. After roughing it so long, the thought of getting clean seduced me beyond further paranoia.

I gingerly stepped out of my clothes, being careful not to graze any of the bruises and scrapes I had collected over the past few hours. Soon enough, I stood naked in the Aetamian bathroom, watching as hot water filled the bath with surprising speed. I tested the water with my fingertips. It was scalding—just how I liked it. I let the water run for a few more minutes before my yearning to be clean took over and I stepped into the bath.

“Ooooh, ahh, ahh,” I exclaimed, letting out a little yip as the hot water touched my skin. I forced myself deeper into the tub. The heat of the bath now was only going to make for an incredible soak later.

And certainly, only moments later, I had sunk my entire body into the bathtub and was almost entirely submerged. I reached above my head and turned the water off, relishing the feeling of this surprising luxury. When I was captured, I had not imagined this in my immediate future.

I brought my head under the water completely, feeling the tendrils of my hair fan out and brush against my shoulders like gentle feathers. With my ears plugged up with bathwater, I couldn’t hear anything but my own heartbeat.

But then—

Was that the main door opening and closing? The legs of the bench scraping along the floor reverberated through the water.

My heart shuddered. I brought my head to the surface of the water as quietly as I could, hoping that I hadn’t made a splashing sound with it. I couldn’t hear anyone in the main part of the chamber, but I could have sworn that someone had just come in. I held my body as still as possible.

Suddenly, an Aetamian body filled the bathroom doorway.

It was the one from before. The one who had struck me as strangely D’Tali.

His eyes swept the room and landed on me in the bath. I immediately jumped up to my feet, sending water flying everywhere.

“Whoa! Hold on!” he exclaimed, stepping back from the slippery wave splashing on the tiled floor.

I did not hold on. Screaming bloody murder, I grabbed whatever I could find to throw at him. Unfortunately for me, the first thing I found were my clothes. I threw my raggedy shirt and it landed on his head. He swiped it off his face only to have my boot crash down on his temple. He stumbled backward before he gathered himself.

“Stop!” he thundered, but I couldn’t.

I grabbed a pipe hanging from the wall and wrenched it toward me. It broke apart from its perch, bringing water bursting from the open pipe down onto me. I held the freed pipe in my hands like a bat.

“Stay away, Aetamian scum!” I threatened.

His face darkened. He took three swift steps toward me and I raised the pipe.

“I’m warning you!”

“Shut up, will you?” he growled, and as I swung the pipe toward him, he snatched it easily out of my hands.

My heart dropped as he threw the pipe away from him like it was a candy cane. My back was to the wall, I was naked, and an Aetamian noble was closing in on me.

I did the only thing left at my disposal—I began to whale on him as hard as I could. My fists, my feet—anything I could do to slow him down. He grunted in the effort to avoid my blows. A few made contact before my wrists were in his hands and he slammed me up against the bathroom wall. Above us, the broken pipe poured water onto our heads, getting him as sopping as me.

We panted as I tried to break free of his grip, but he increased the pressure. I fought against his hands, only for him to slam me back again, my breasts bouncing with the sudden movement. More out of shock than anything else, I stopped struggling.

I was suddenly extremely conscious of my nakedness, though this Aetamian wasn’t staring at my body, his gaze fixed intently on my face. I studied him carefully. As our eyes met, his pupils seemed to change colors.

“Listen up,” he hissed. His jaw tensed. Was I—was I making him nervous? “If you want to get out of here alive, you’re going to have to shut up, and listen to me.”

I didn’t respond. Despite the water cascading down on our heads, I could feel heat emanating from his body. He took a step closer and the tips of my breasts grazed his tightly clothed chest. I suppressed a shiver that zoomed down my spine.

“Answer,” he commanded, his voice a low growl.

His face loomed closer to mine as he awaited my response. I was stuck. Damned if I did, damned if I didn’t.

“Fine,” I muttered.

His strong hands unclenched slightly as his grip loosened. But he didn’t let go of me, still pinning me to the wall. Our breathing fell into rhythm with each other. Maybe it was the way he held and carried himself, but a sudden association with the D’Tali flashed in front of my vision again.

We continued to stare hard into each other’s eyes. I scrutinized his expression. He had a closed look on his face, but something was teeming underneath his hard exterior.

“Fine,” he repeated. His mouth was just inches from mine. I could taste his breath when he spoke.

“Yeah, fine.”

“Yes,” he replied.

“So…you gonna let me get dressed?” I whispered. “Or am I going to have to listen to you as your naked captive?”

As if he was suddenly brought back to his senses, the Aetamian dropped my arms and took a step back, slipping slightly in the water pooling on the floor. I suppressed a chuckle. I needed him if I was going to survive. And it looked like he could vaguely be reasoned with.

I only prayed that continued to be true.

KATOR

My every nerve hummed. An animalistic part of me demanded that I finish what I’d started and claim my mate. The need to at the very least kiss Riley made my heart pound.

When I had forced my arms down from where they trapped her against the wall, I made sure not to brush a single inch of her lithe body. It was truly a joke from the Ancestors that I’d surprised her in the middle of bathing. A test even, of my forbearance.

“Let’s start again. I’m Kator. Get dressed,” I said. My words came out harsher than I’d intended. It took considerable effort to refrain from devouring her curves with my eyes. Even the glimpses I’d gotten as she hurled things at me were imprinted on my mind forever.

“Thanks so much for that suggestion,” Riley retorted. “If you hadn’t barged in here unannounced, I wouldn’t be naked in the first place!” She crossed her arms under her breasts, which only served to accentuate them.

“Just put some clothes on,” I growled, turning away. I willed my cock to subside. I needed to have a serious conversation with this woman, and that was going to be a lot harder if I was distracted by lust.

“Do I have to put on the same filthy clothes I wore in here, or do you happen to have something else I can wear?”

“Um, no. I will fetch you a fresh outfit,” I said. I quickly searched the wardrobe near the bathroom door, guessing her size. I grabbed pants and a shirt I hoped would fit and handed them behind me, trying not to look.

“Thanks. I can wash the other outfit later,” she said. I heard the rustling of fabric behind me for a few minutes. “Okay, I’m decent.” Riley began tapping her foot behind me. “Are you going to explain now why I got put in a guest room, but apparently with zero privacy? Didn’t anyone ever teach you a closed bathroom door means ‘Stay the fuck out’?”

“You’re still a prisoner.” I sat down, choosing the chair furthest from the bed. “Did you think the Aetamians went to all that trouble to capture you, and then changed their minds?”

“How am I supposed to know? You’re the only one who can understand me, so it’s not like I can ask questions.”

“Please, do not start asking questions.” I groaned at the idea. “Look, I don’t think you understand the kind of danger you’re in here. The goal was to capture Isabella due to her technical skills.”

“Are you kidding me?” Riley doubled up, laughing. “So, your crack team of guerrilla operatives was only going on “kidnap the yellow-haired one”? Take it from a cop, that’s pathetic.”

“They weren’t my team,” I muttered, ignoring the unfamiliar word ‘cop’.

“Not to mention, Isabella and I look nothing alike!”

“Aetamians are unfamiliar with humans,” I pointed out. “Small details and differentiations between individuals are going to be hard for them to learn.”

“Whatever,” she said, tossing her head in defiance. “I’m glad you got me instead of Isabella. And let me tell you now, I’m useless with tech. So, you should probably just let me go. Or I guess, try to ransom me.”

“You’re very naive if you think that’s what’s going to happen when they find out you aren’t Isabella.” My tone was somber. She glowered at me, but I wasn’t trying to insult her. I was trying to warn her.

“What, you think they’ll just kill me instead?”

“Yes,” I said, and the simplicity of my response shook her. I could see it. “Kill you as a waste of time or…worse.”

“You can’t scare me with vague threats like that.” Riley growled, starting to pace.

“Fine. If they don’t kill you, they’ll give you to some high-ranking Aetamian who’d like a little mammal plaything to torture, or fuck, likely both. Does that scare you?”

I shouldn’t have lost my temper, even a little. Only, I had to make her understand. She had to respect the stakes here and accept me as an ally. It was more than my mother had had.

“Yeah, it scares the shit out of me,” she said. The acknowledgement startled me out of my silent fuming. “I’ve seen firsthand some things that are worse than death, and what you just said is definitely up there.”

I wanted to ask her how she’d been exposed to such horrors, but she continued to speak.

“What I don’t understand is why you’re trying to intimidate me.”

“I’m not trying to intimidate you,” I told her, cursing myself for my ham-handed way of going about this discussion. “I’m trying to help you, but you have to play along. Okay?”

“Play along with what?” Riley stopped pacing and crossed her arms again.

Thanks to her making that same gesture earlier, the image of her damp, heaving breasts invaded my mind. I wanted to smack myself in the head. Focus, Kator.

“You need to pretend to be valuable,” I said. “We have to figure out some kind of information that we can spoon-feed to the king. Maybe something true at first, to really convince him.”

“I see.” Riley looked thoughtful, so I pressed my advantage.

“As long as they think you can provide something the Aetamians can use, you’ll be kept alive and relatively comfortable. The moment your status as an informant is lost, your future will be a bleak one.”

“I have to say, this is one of the clumsiest approaches to an interrogation I’ve ever heard.” Riley leaned against the wall, projecting uncaring cool.

“What?” I looked at her in confusion. I’d lied to Moffat and told him I would interrogate her. How had she caught wind of that?

“I can tell what you’re doing,” she said. “I’m not an idiot. I’ve been part of interrogation teams before. You act like you’re on my side and tell me about all the horrible things that will happen to me without your protection. Then, you get me to share everything I know, just barf it all out for you easy-peasy.”

I paused. When she put it like that, this didn’t look too good.

“I am on your side in this,” I said. I was all she had, and I froze momentarily as the truth and weight of that settled over my shoulders. If I didn’t want this woman to end up like my mother—or worse—then I was her only hope. Perversely, knowing that only increased my drive to fully uncover the truth of my mother’s imprisonment.

“Oh? If you’re the only one who can understand me, you’re really gonna tell me you’re not my interrogator?”

“That’s not why I can understand you,” I began, then snapped my mouth shut.

“Then why?” Riley looked at me, giving me a chance to convince her.

I wanted to tell her who I really was. I could admit that I worked for the D’Tali and as proof, explain that Vokar had me undergo the translation process. Then she would have to trust me. Yet if I told her I was a spy, and she was handed over to the inquisitors despite my best efforts…

That wasn’t a risk I could afford to take. To save her and succeed at my own multi-year search for vengeance for my victimized mother, I couldn’t jeopardize my D’Tali allies. I would have to endure her mistrust for a little while longer, ignore my body telling me she was my mate.

“Well, that clinches it,” said Riley, and I realized I’d been quiet for too long. “You couldn’t even be bothered to come up with an alternate explanation for being able to understand me? I’m not sure if this is the job for you.”

“I’m not trying to interrogate you.” Annoyance burst from me, too loud. I lowered my voice. “I’m posing as an interrogator to try to save your life, for the Ancestors’ sake! I know in your position it’s difficult to believe me, but I haven’t done a thing to hurt you.”

“Not yet, you haven’t.” Riley’s expression was suddenly dead serious. “I’ll never trust an Aetamian monster. Not after what I know you did at the banquet, murdering all those D’Tali in cold blood. I know what you truly are.”

Her face was so cold. I hadn’t seen her like that before, and it hit a nerve. I still wished I’d known about the massacre, been able to prevent it. That was the first time I’d let the D’Tali down in a major way. I didn’t want Riley to be the second.

“If you know what the Aetamians did at that banquet, then you know what lies in store for you if you don’t cooperate with me,” I growled.

“And we’re back to threats.” Riley levered herself up off the wall and stalked over to me. She put her hands on either arm of my chair. “I will not cooperate with you. I will not give up even a tiny piece of information about the D’Tali to the people that butcher them at every opportunity.”

I knew as well as anyone what she was talking about. I was the walking proof that the current Aetamian regime brutalized the D’Tali in every way they could.

The way Riley’s eyes were flashing, that didn’t seem likely. It would probably come across as another tactic. Even if she believed me, she might just think I was a traitor to my mother’s people.

“Alright,” I said and stood, startling her. She let go of the chair and backed away.

“What does alright mean?” she asked.

“It means I’m not going to force you to do anything.”

“Do you want me to say thank you?”

Gazing into her eyes, I saw a tinge of fear despite the bravado. It was odd, but it hurt me to see her scared of me and what I represented.

“No,” I told her. “Please just think about what I’ve said. We don’t even have to give the king real information. We can make it up together.”

Riley was silent, her expression shuttered, her thoughts completely closed to me.

“Good night,” I said softly, and left, closing the door behind me.

Once in the hall, I let out a heavy sigh. Moffat seemed eager to get results, but if Riley believed I was an ‘Aetamian monster’, then my plan to keep her safe was going to take some time. I would have to give up some of the information I had gleaned from various other contacts and carefully hoarded.

At least until I could convince her to cooperate.

RILEY

I woke up from my nap right as the sun was about to fall below the horizon. The light of the sunset filtered through the window by the bed, turning everything orange.

Perfect timing—I hadn’t lost my knack of fitting in a quick snooze whenever I could. It was very useful when I had the night shift back home, and my only chance to sleep was when everyone else was awake.

Right then, though, I wanted to be awake when most people weren’t. I was counting on the night, and the darkness it brought.

I was planning to escape.

I yawned and stretched. However, as I swung my feet onto the floor, the door rattled. I hoped it wasn’t Kator again. I was NOT in the mood to try to figure him out right now. I considered blocking the main door, but what was the point? Nothing in here would have kept out anyone determined to come in. Better to play along till I could get myself out of this joint. Something told me “interrogator” wasn’t the full story here, and I couldn’t afford to find out what the full story was.

I curled back up like I was still sleeping. Squeezing my eyes nearly shut, I watched as the door opened. Through the thin line of vision underneath my eyelashes, I saw one of my guards place a tray of food on the floor.

Although whatever it was didn’t look particularly appetizing, a meal would be helpful. Nothing like trying to run away from the bad guys on an empty stomach.

I heard the Aetamian lock me back in, and I sprang into action. Jumping out of bed, I tore the sheets from the mattress. I snatched the tray from the floor near the door and quickly stuffed my face on the way back to the bed. Laying the tray on the mattress, I began to tie the sheets together, consuming the food as quickly as I could between knots.

The knot tying dredged up the memory of learning an extremely secure knot from an old boyfriend obsessed with camping. That guy may have turned out to be a real ass, but those knots sure came in handy.

Once I had the sheets linked, I laid them out on the floor to get a sense of just how long a rope I had. Longer than the length of the room, but not by much.

I ran to the bed and knelt on it, sticking my head out the window. The breeze felt good on my warm cheeks, flushed from exertion and nerves. Purple evening was descending fast across the city, but I could still see.

Bad news, my room was about four stories off the ground. There was no way the sheets were going to make it to the packed dirt below.

Worse news, not only was there a wall around the building, another, giant wall separated the capitol of Aetam from the outside world.

Separating me from my friends.

I shook off the fear and doubt. I would return to my friends, come hell or high water. There was sure to be a back gate or something. If I was lucky, maybe even a crumbling hole in one of those medieval-looking fortifications.

Plus, there was one bit of good news provided by my bird’s-eye examination. All the little whitewashed Aetamian houses were quite close together. There were shadows everywhere. Most of the streets were narrow enough to look more like alleys than thoroughfares. Useful, if you wanted to stay unseen.

Taking one last gulp of fresh air, I ducked back in and headed for the bathroom. The two towels in there would get me a little farther than just the sheets, but what else could I use?

Scanning the room, I absently picked up the dry bread from my food tray and ate it. My eyes fell on a trio of tapestries gracing the wall, and I smacked my forehead.

Of course, why hadn’t I remembered those before?

The hangings were long and narrow, and their depictions of death and atrocity were ugly anyway. Turning them into a rope would definitely improve the décor, at the very least. If I had a knife, I could have cut them into strips, too.

I knew the Aetamians couldn’t be murderous and warmongering all the time, or there wouldn’t be any of them left. Still, I couldn’t square it away in my mind. Aetamian hands wove all those tiny threads together to create yet more death. Had they no joy at all? No bucolic, smiling faces and soft, afternoon light?

Maybe the Aetamians weren’t all bad. In fact, now that I thought about it, I’d heard the D’Tali say that many of them hated King Moffat. He was the bloodthirsty one, not the regular people, but I supposed it was those in power who paid for these works of art in the first place.

An image of Kator’s face came into my mind. The way he peered at me so earnestly as he said, “I am on your side.” I’d reacted badly because I wanted so much to believe him in that moment.

What if he was one of those Aetamians the D’Tali spoke of who hated the king? If that were true, should I trust him? I couldn’t deny that part of me wanted to. I didn’t know why, but something about him called to me.

I hesitated in front of the tapestries. He could’ve been telling me the truth. If he was, did that mean I shouldn’t try to escape? One ally was better than none, after all.

No, I decided, and ripped the first tapestry off the wall. I’d never been the type to sit around and wait for someone to rescue me. And I definitely didn’t need an Aetamian savior, even if Kator turned out to be one of the better ones.

It was the tiniest bit of a bummer that I’d never see him again, though.

I yanked the second and third hangings down, shoving the odd feeling aside. I’d forget about Kator as soon as I was back with the D’Tali. I had plenty to keep my mind occupied there, like wondering whether I’d ever get back to Earth and my old life.

Even if the chances of getting back were slim to none, I still missed my own world.

Tying the tapestries together was hard, but I managed it. With everything together, I had a rope which spanned the length of the room three times, plus a little more. It would have to do. I could jump the rest of the way, if necessary.

As it turned out, the rest of the way was maybe fifteen feet. I clung to the bottom of my ersatz rope, staring down at what looked like very solid dirt. No way the fall would kill me, but if I landed wrong, I could break something.

I didn’t mind heights but dangling at the end of a rope cobbled together from slippery sheets and scratchy woven hangings was not my favorite thing. I looked up, considering climbing back up. I could do it, but… I’d gotten this far.

I gritted my teeth and began to wiggle off the rope. If I could stretch out to my full height, then I’d only drop nine feet. I spared a moment to think about how surprised my old captain would be to see me right now. I’d hated the ropes course during training.

My feet slid off the rope. I swallowed a yelp and dug my hands into the fabric. It burned my palms, but I caught myself just in time.

My shoulders and triceps burned, but at least I was where I’d wanted to be. Gazing down, I tried to relax. Nine feet really wasn’t that far, was it?

I let go. Clenching my jaw so I wouldn’t scream, I fell through the air and hit the dirt. First pain jolted my ankles, and next my ass as I fell back onto it. I bit the inside of my cheek, tasting the metallic tang of blood.

But—I was okay. I got to my feet, staying in a crouch. I scuttled back against the wall of the tower where the shadows would cover me. Breathing deeply, I took stock of myself. I’d been rattled, but, overall, I was fine. I’d have to watch my right ankle, but that was all.

Heartened by my success, I scanned my surroundings. Overlapping shadows lay to my left. I’d start there. I began to move, pressing my back tightly against the wall. I slipped across the narrowest part of the courtyard into darkness under the eaves of a new building.

Footsteps rang through the open air. I cursed under my breath as a squad of guards came around the corner. One of them immediately spotted the patchwork swaying from my window. He yelled, pointing at it.

The guards fanned out. It was past time for me to get the hell away from this place.

I melted from shadow to shadow, avoiding the soldiers. They were big and imposing, but not particularly thorough. I practically followed one all the way to the wall.

While I was glad to make it to the outer fortifications, the guards had clearly agreed to regroup at the wall. More of them filtered into the area. It was only a matter of time till one of them saw me if I stayed where I was.

I cast around for options. There. Some sort of supply shed, with bags and crates piled outside it. I could get over there and hide easily.

I made a calculated dash, diving behind a huge wooden box. Raising my eyes over the top, I breathed the tiniest sigh of relief. They hadn’t seen me. I sunk back down, leaning my shoulder against the slats of the box.

A strange noise began to fill the air. It was like clucking, but underlaid by weird gravelly hisses. The soldiers reacted, tilting their heads to catch the sound. Then I realized the box shielding me from view was shaking.

A steely purple beak crashed through the space between two pieces of wood. I yelped and fell backwards. The creature made a horrifying gurgling caw at me as I scrabbled away.

In an instant, the guards were upon me. Leering, one of them yanked me up by my collar and threw me down into the open. They circled me, pulling clubs from their belts. One kicked at my ribs. I managed to roll away in time, but just barely.

Staring up at their snarling faces, my heart quailed. Maybe I’d made a mistake by acting on impulse. There had been so many moments when I’d almost changed my mind, and now I really wished I had.

A guard raised his club. I tried to get up to be able to fight, but another guard kicked my legs out from under me. I sprawled in the dirt, defenseless.

Suddenly, I saw movement behind the circle of guards. An ominous silhouette detached itself from the shadows, and a tall, shrouded figure emerged into the light.

Hands drew back the hood, and I caught my breath.

KATOR

Riley met my eyes as I pulled back my hood so she could see I was a friend.

Relief filled her expression, followed by a second wave of fear. I was taking a risk to show her my face right now, and she still didn’t trust me.

Damn her, I thought, not for the first time.

Was being incredibly frustrating a trait of their species? Why couldn’t she just stay put?

She was lucky I’d been keeping an eye on her. Even though it took me away from my library research, something had told me I needed to watch over Riley. I’d been worried about the king taking yet another action behind my back, but as it turned out, the danger was actually Riley herself.

I shook my head in irritation and secured my hood back around my head. The particularly doltish group of guards still hadn’t sensed a thing. Convenient. Although, if I were in charge, I’d train my soldiers much better.

I launched into action. Snatching a club right out of the nearest guard’s hand, I struck him on the back of the head. Before he’d even fallen, I’d walloped two more. They all went down like sacks of rocks.

The other two were quicker. One ran at me while the other tried to circle around to my back. I kicked out, nailing the first one in the abdomen. His breath rushed out of him as he doubled over. I heard a whistle of air behind me.

Ducking the second guard's attack, I caught him by the midsection. Bracing my other arm on top of his shoulders, I flipped him into the dirt. He lay there, winded. I crouched, keeping my face averted, and punched him in the temple.

Out like a blown candle.

A weight descended on my back and I staggered. The one remaining guard had jumped on me, and was trying to bash my skull in. I twisted and dropped my hip, sending the guy crashing back down to the ground.

Facing away from him, I placed my forearm on his neck. He kicked as I applied just enough pressure. I avoided his flailing knees and feet and finally, he passed out.

I straightened and saw Riley. She’d made her way out of the fray and was standing on the edge of the open area, gaping.

“I can’t believe how fast you knocked all those guys out,” she said. I felt a frisson of pride but ignored it.

“Shhh,” I cautioned. “I don’t want to have to deal with more of them. Just wait a moment.”

I took out a small stone vial. Making my way from guard to guard, I tipped a few drops into each of their unconscious mouths.

“What are you doing?” Riley seemed to be whispering, but it sounded just as loud as when she’d spoken a second ago.

“Scrambling their memories.” I capped the vial and tucked it back into my shirt. “I’d prefer if they didn’t report this to the king.”

She opened her mouth, probably to ask more questions. I forestalled whatever it was by wrenching the top off the crate of frrili. They burst from the box, flapping dust everywhere as they scattered.

Riley jumped away from one headed towards her and ran to my side.

“I do not like those things,” she told me, thankfully keeping her voice low. “Six wings is too many for one bird.”

“But the wings are the tastiest part,” I said, then caught myself. “It doesn’t matter if you like them. They’ll help confuse the guards’ memories and cause a little chaos while we get you back to your room.”

“No,” Riley protested in a hiss. “I’ve come this far, why not escape now? If you’re really helping me, help me get to freedom!”

“I wish I could, Riley,” I told her. “But the wall is heavily guarded, as are these grounds. If we stay down here, we’re going to have to deal with another patrol. Now is not the time for an escape.”

I stared at her, willing her to understand.

“Okay,” she said, and that was all. I waited, expecting more from this talkative human, but she just hung her head and waited.

I started to lead her back to her room, keeping us in the shadows. I’d been unwillingly impressed by the way Riley had navigated them earlier. She’d gone too fast for me to catch up and grab her before the guards would see, so I trusted her to keep up with me.

While I appreciated Riley’s silent cooperation now, I was still fuming a little as we snuck through the darkness. This whole little adventure had cost me almost a full night in the library, when I was itching to get back to it. I’d been through a lot of logs, and I felt certain I was close to figuring out who had taken my mother captive decades ago.

Being kept from my research was maddening.

I took a deep breath as we reached the door to the tower. I didn’t need to put all my annoyance on Riley. If I’d been her, I would have tried to escape too. She deserved some credit for being brave and resourceful, at least.

As she slipped past me and through the door, I caught a glimpse of her face. What I saw startled me. She looked crushed, almost mournful. I racked my memory. Had I said something cruel to her by accident?

We reached Riley’s room, and I was still wondering what was going on with her. I unlocked the door, and ushered her in. At the threshold, I hesitated. My instinct was to follow her in and talk to her, but if I left, I could get in a few hours of study.

“Why are you helping me?”

Riley’s plaintive question made the decision for me. I stepped inside and shut the door behind me, keeping it quiet.

“Please just tell me,” she said, her back to me as she faced the window. I hesitated, weighing how much I should share. Then, she turned around.

Her face was open and unguarded for the first time. Eyes wide, she stared at me steadily, but I could see desperation roiling beneath that clear gaze. There was no way I could lie to her right now.

To buy a moment to gather myself, I strode to the window to pull Riley’s makeshift rope back inside. I saw no soldiers below, which I hoped meant no one else had seen the evidence of her escape attempt.

I turned with the knotted tapestries in my hands, to see Riley watching me, waiting. I sighed and sat down on the bed. It had been a long time since I’d told anyone new the truth of my allegiances.

“I’m not Aetamian,” I told her. She blinked in surprise. “Well, I’m half-Aetamian. My mother was D’Tali, captured by the Aetamians. One of the bastards raped her.” I faltered for a second. When I continued, my voice was barely a whisper.

“She escaped the man who captured and raped her. She found safety for a time with another man, a kinder Aetamian. But then she... she died giving birth to me. Her rescuer raised me as his own, a foundling, a gift from the Old Gods, he always said. He raised me on stories of her love for me, her beauty and determination, though he never told me the truth of how she came to live with him. I loved her even though I never knew her.” More than loved her. As a boy, I had built altars to my dead mother in my mind, imagined her loving arms around me as I slept, tried to construct the sound of her voice or her smile. “But when he died, I found a letter she’d written me. He’d hidden it away.” I shook my head.

Why did I feel so compelled to tell this human so much of my truth? I saw her softening expression at my words.

“But that is a story for another time. Right now, what is important is that you believe me when I say my allegiance lies with the D’Tali.”

“Oh… wow,” said Riley, stunned. “I thought there was something different about you, but I had no idea.” Throughout my story, she’d moved closer, her posture more at ease.

“I can understand you because I’m a spy for Vokar,” I continued, figuring I might as well put it all out there at this point. “He had me undergo the translation process, just in case. I don’t want to let him or the other D’Tali down by letting you get hurt.”

“I get it now,” whispered Riley. She slumped down on the bed next to me, her head in her hands. “You really were trying to protect me with the whole fake information thing. I’m sorry I didn’t trust you.”

“I understand why you’d be suspicious,” I shrugged.

“It’s not just that I thought you were Aetamian,” she said. “I have trouble trusting people in high-stakes situations, especially if they’re telling me to put my fate in their hands.”

“Is there a reason for that?” I was curious about her. It wasn’t just that she might be my mate. I could understand the drive to be fully independent.

“I grew up in a rough neighborhood.” Riley squared her shoulders, like she was about to march into her memories. “It was the kind of place where if you let people—men, mostly—promise that they’d be the ones to get you out, you’d never make it. You’d stay there and rot your life away, waiting for someone else to help you.”

“I know what you mean,” I murmured. I wasn’t ready to get into my whole childhood with this woman, but I wanted to offer something back to her. “Growing up, I could only rely on myself too. My whole goal was to do everything I could to get ahead, escape the life I had.”

“Exactly. Being trapped here, even now that I know you’re my ally… it doesn’t feel good.”

“So that’s why you shut down after I said now wasn’t the time to escape.” I gave a thoughtful nod. What had seemed like petulance in the moment had in fact been despondence.

“Was it that obvious?” muttered Riley. I looked down and saw that her hands were gripping each other tightly, her knuckles white. “I... I have this… strange feeling that I can trust you… like a pull,” she said, tapping her chest with a hand. She searched my face.

Without thinking, I reached over and put my hand on top of hers, caressing her clenched fingers with my thumb.

“I’ll figure out a way to get you out of here,” I told her. “I can’t just bust you out or I’ll be discovered as a spy. But I will get you back to the D’Tali. I promise.”

Riley’s hands loosened. I drew one into my own, holding her fingers loosely.

“That means more than I can say,” she said, turning her face to me. “So strange… my mind says I should pull away from you, but, this… this instinct draws me closer…”

My body began to sing, undeniable pangs of the mating bond coursing through me. Being near Riley felt so right, and yet her skin was too far from mine.

I tugged her closer to me. She held my gaze, and I could’ve lost myself in the limpid pools of her eyes.

Instead, I kissed her.

RILEY

I was lost the second his lips touched mine.

My eyelids fluttered lazily, my heart started beating faster, and a warm feeling spread all over my body. Slowly, I brought my hands up and placed them on his chest, my fingers right above his beating heart. I didn’t know how or why this was happening, but I knew that it felt right.

This was meant to be.

Gently, I parted his lips with the tip of my tongue, allowing our kiss to deepen. I moaned softly as his hands settled on my hips, and I offered no resistance as he pushed me back onto the mattress. He followed me down, the mattress shifting under our weight, and I held my breath as I watched his muscles rippling under his dark robe.

“You’re beautiful,” he said in a low whisper, his words brimming with desire. Inexplicably, the desire in his voice made me want him even more. Of course, it wasn’t just about his voice either. There was something in his gaze that drew me toward him, something ethereal and…

Holy shit, I thought, suddenly realizing what was happening. His eyes are glowing. Almost immediately, I remembered what Isabella and the others had said about their own mates—the first time they had been together, the D’Talis’ eyes had shone like precious gems. According to D’Tali biology and culture, something like that meant that a mating bond had been uncovered.

Was that what was happening now? Was Kator my mate? Had we been brought together by fate? Those thoughts roared into my mind like a tidal wave, crashing against my desire and unleashing chaos everywhere. There was no doubt about it—I wanted Kator as much as I had ever wanted anyone... but I simply couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that we were mates. It was just too much for me to process. To find my mate among the D’Tali would have been one thing, but to find him here...

“Is something wrong?” he said, the light in his eyes slowly dimming. I bit on the corner of my bottom lip, trying to rearrange my thoughts, and looked away from him. He rolled to the side and sat on the edge of the bed, but his eyes never left mine. I could feel his gaze boring into me, just as I could feel him on edge as he waited for me to say something.

When I didn’t speak, he rolled to the side and raked one hand over his face. His eyebrows were knitted together, and I could tell he was trying to peer into my mind. Eventually, I found the courage to speak up.

“Don’t get me wrong,” I started, suddenly realizing just how hard it was to speak my mind. My body needed his in a desperate way, but I just couldn’t go through with it. Not yet, at least. “It’s just that... I barely know who you are. What you’re about. Your goals, your passions. Your hates.” What a person hated often said more about them than what they loved.

He stilled. “My hates? That’s easy, and it’s the same as my goals and passions.” Kator gave me an inscrutable look.

I couldn’t read it, or him. “Who are you?” I whispered. There was something more to this man, some deep river of emotion in him that I sensed beneath the surface.

“I’m a son,” he said finally. “I am my mother’s last hope for justice, so she can find peace.”

He said justice, I heard vengeance. I watched him carefully and knew better than to tell him that justice was for the living—the dead didn’t care. They already had their peace. I knew better than to tell him stories of cops I’d known who’d been consumed by a search for justice. Sometimes… sometimes it was better to walk away.

Kator wasn’t one of those who would walk away. I knew it in my gut. “I’ve been where you are,” I said finally. “I understand. Kator… there has to be more, though. Purpose, pleasure.”

He lifted a brow, and I blushed. I’d left myself wide open for that one. “Not—I mean—”

“I know what you mean.”

“I’m sorry,” I said in a softer voice.

I wasn’t exactly sure of what reaction I’d get from him, but I sure as hell wasn’t expecting the one I got. Instead of getting mad or frustrated, Kator simply looked away from me and smiled. Slowly, he let out a heavy sigh and rose to his feet.

“Don’t worry,” he finally said. “I understand that.”

He gave me a nod and, without a word more, turned on his heels and started walking toward the door. I watched, my heart still beating at a thousand miles an hour.

He hesitated and looked back at me over his shoulder, sadness on his face. “It’s funny, Riley, but you’re not alone in this. I am my mother’s son, but beyond that… I also don’t know who I am.”

With that, he was gone.

I sat there on the bed and stared at the shut door for a long time. I replayed what had just happened in my mind a million times and, even when I tried to sleep, I still found myself gripped by that maddening lust.

His last words demanded my attention. Why had he said he didn’t know who he was? What secrets was he hiding? Even though I barely knew him, I sensed the shadows inside him. Kator was a man of many secrets, and something tied all those secrets together.

Sadness.

Rage.

I couldn’t tell how I knew that, but I knew it.

Was it because we were mates? Was that why I had been able to peer past his outer shell and capture that glimpse of who he was? It was possible. In the end, though, it didn’t matter. What mattered was that I was aching to learn more about Kator. I had no idea who he was, nor what he was hiding from the world…

But I wanted to be the one unveiling it all.

KATOR

“Is that the best you could come up with?” Moffat leaned back in his chair, hacked into a handkerchief, and studied me hard. My lifetime working along the fringes had gifted me with a face impervious to probing. Even so, this king had the kind of eyes that could make a stone sweat.

“Your Majesty.” I eased up to the table. “Even though your soldiers did not retrieve the one known as Isabella, this newcomer has secrets and information of her own. I’m sure she has more information, but these things take time.” To my left, Hulat landed a savage kick on the leg of a chair.

“Too much time if you ask me.” He slicked a knife out from its scabbard. “It was a mistake to grab the wrong mammal. The damned D’Tali will be guarding the rest of them like jewels. There’s only one way to get the enemy to render up the kind of information we need. And it has nothing to do with honey, Kator.” At the sight of his blade, my heart clenched into a fist.

“That kind of hasty action gets us nothing but dead bodies.”

“Dead bodies are what I want.” Hulat’s gaze landed on me, that cruel grin smeared across his face, his tongue darting out to flick at his lips. “If it took capturing the entire D’Tali kingdom one by one, I’d be happy to stack the bodies up.”

“That’s enough, my son,” Moffat said with an indulgent chuckle. “There will be time for bloodletting.” And he meant it. That was the only thing those two could understand, and it increasingly curdled my insides. When Moffat looked at me again, the warm countenance he saved for his son was gone.

“I’m afraid what your pet has been offering isn’t sufficient for our needs. We know about where the storehouses are, and which chambers the council uses to meet.” He spread his hands. “What use is this to us? If we cannot reach these places, it does us no good to know where they are.”

“But once we are inside…”

“I tell you,” he silenced me. “We already know these things. The time for honey has turned to gall. What we need now is the kind of vinegar that gets results.”

“I am getting results.” The lie fell from my lips and hit the table before I could call it back. Something dark flickered across Moffat’s face, and I knew that I needed to come up with something fast. “There is more.”

“You’ve been holding out on us, Kator,” Hulat said, closing on me. The keen edge of his dagger flitted just beyond my nose. “Shame on you.” He stared at me as if he could smell the D’Tali blood in my veins and hated every drop of it.

“Enough of that.” Moffat’s raised hand and cool tone eased Hulat back. With an unhappy grunt, he sheathed the knife again. “Tell me.” The king licked his lips. “What have you been keeping?”

“The most important part,” I improvised. “You know how this goes, My Lord. We always save the tastiest morsel for the last mouthful.”

“We do,” he said, running a hand over his sickly stomach before beckoning me to go on.

“They have been scouring the Skarg ship for powerful weapons.”

“We have every weapon from the Skarg,” Hulat sneered. “Those filthy monsters worked alongside us. There are no secrets they held that we haven’t claimed.”

“But they have the sphere,” I said. It wasn’t something I had wanted to share, but I was running out of options. This kernel of truth might just protect Riley without endangering Tahkath. At least that was my hope.

“Worthless.” With a grumbling snort, Moffat heaved himself forward in his chair. “You have been too gentle with this creature. She’s offering you crumbs when we need the loaf. While I admire the diligence of your methods, it’s time to rely on our old ways. After all, this is why we have a Royal Inquisitor. He is skilled in these things.”

The blood froze in my veins. The Inquisitor’s intervention was the very thing I had been struggling to forestall. Those she questioned were left either dead or begging for death. As much blood as was spilled in her steps, she always returned with sound intelligence.

“More than skilled,” Hulat said. “The woman is an artist. I’d love to study under her.”

“You are too impatient.” Moffat waved his son off. “And what Wyelia does requires infinite and genuine…” he landed his gaze on me “… patience.”

In that moment, the Aetamian king wasn’t looking at me. He was looking into me, searching into my body as if he meant to read the marrow in my bones. It was impossible to say exactly in what corner of my body our secrets were kept, but I stiffened the shell around them. Where his son was merely brutal, Moffat was cunning.

“That may be so, My Lord.” As dry as my mouth was, I managed to make my voice sound careless. “But what good will all her patience do? She could carve this human woman to pieces, and might even be able to extract the information you seek. It will be worthless if she cannot understand it.”

“Convenient that you’re the one who understands her.” Hulat shifted his weight forward over his toes. Between the two of them, I was beginning to feel as though I was the one being interrogated. For a moment, I was relieved that Jalon wasn’t on hand to lend his weight to the proceedings.

“Learning the D’Tali language has been an invaluable asset in my profession,” I said, punctuating the statement with a small shrug. “Luckily, I had a talent for the mammal language, as well. If there were another way, I would offer it. But I’m certain of my work.”

“I’m not,” Moffat said with finality. “Besides, the difficulty with language is irrelevant. You will still be on hand for the effort. Our Inquisitor will do the breaking, and you will ask the questions.”

My head swam. All at once, a thousand unwelcome images flooded my mind of Riley’s blood flowing in rivers. Her perfect, pale skin being scored with hooks and blades. Even if I shut my eyes against the sights, the sound of her bones cracking assaulted my ears. To this point, her voice had only been music to me, but I knew it well enough to torture myself with the sound of it breaking into screams.

For all the courage I had shown so far in maintaining my composure, this was the severest trial. Swallowing hard, I forced a careless smile to my lips.

“It will never work.”

“No?” The king sat, implacable, his son coming to roost over his shoulder. “Then it won’t change things, really. Nothing has worked so far, so why not exhaust every avenue at our disposal?”

“I’ve barely had time to work, My Lord.”

“You’ve had time enough, and returned with nothing of any worth.” With a sudden lunge, he lurched forward and pushed himself up to stand. Moffat on his feet was a rare thing, and I almost let the peasant inside me drop to my knees.

As old and infirm as he was, there was a feral regality about him that was undeniable. As a young and vigorous man, he must have been a terror. Every bit as brutal as his son, as patient as Wyelia, and as cunning as Aefir. When flashes of his former self bristled up, I thanked the Ancestors that I had never crossed him in his prime.

“As an assassin of the court, you are something of a diplomat, Kator. You work with reason. But these filthy mammals allied with the D’Tali are below reason. They are animals, and there is only one truth that animals respond to—pain. Give them pain and they give you truth. It’s the oldest transaction there is.”

“My Lord…”

“There will be no more discussion. It’s too late to waste our time on theories anyway.” Something in his tone crackled through the air. A cold realization dropped into my stomach, nearly buckling my knees.

There was a reason Moffat and his son had indulged me as long as they had. Moreover, the absence of Jalon was suddenly very keenly felt.

“Why is it too late?”

“Because,” he said, “Wyelia is already on her way.”

The news tore into my body, shattering everything along the way. While I had been here offering trifles as a means of gaining time, I hadn’t known that the time was already lost. My heart tied itself into a knot at the base of my throat and threatened to choke me. Those imagined screams which had tormented me mere moments before might be breaking forth in earnest at that moment.

It was too much.

“King Moffat,” I said. “If the Royal Inquisitor is already on her way to see the prisoner, then I must be past my time. What good will any confessions do if I’m not there to hear them?”

“Oh.” He dismissed the notion and sank back down into his seat. “I’ve found that once a secret is out, it becomes cheap. The moment a thing is said, it becomes easy to say again. And, if not,” he snapped his knotty fingers, “our specialist will wring it forth again. Won’t you have some wine?”

“I’ve been dying for some,” Hulat crowed. “All this talk of torture and blood was making my throat ache for something rich. Pity it’s not warmer.” He scooped up a decanter and spilled a gout of dark red wine into his chalice. The sight of it only made the fact of what was impending more immediate.

If this was something the two had orchestrated, it was a brilliant piece of theatre. If not, then it just spoke to how keenly I was attuned to every livid detail.

Two more crisp, red glasses were poured and one was proffered to me. To have refused it would have betrayed every treason they may have suspected of me, but how could I stay? What kind of man would I be, drinking in the royal chambers while the woman of my heart was being broken?

The worst kind, I decided. The kind that wasn’t fit to live.

RILEY

The only trouble was, the more I found myself getting to know Kator, the more I began to long for his company when he was gone. Not just because I could feel that he had my best interests at heart, but I never would have thought I would meet someone within Aetamian walls who was loyal to Tahkath.

When my lips touched Kator’s, everything felt so right. Maybe it was just being starved for physical affection after all the time since we’d crashed, or maybe it was more. Given what I had seen with Isabella, Camilia, and especially Sofia, it felt like dangerous territory.

It would have been very easy to let myself go and surrender to him. But when his eyes had flashed, I got cold feet. In that moment, it was hard to imagine myself being ready to really invest in a life with one of the D’Tali. It still was.

And yet, I found myself itching to see him again. It’s strange, but usually an unresolved romantic tryst with someone only made things awkward—you tend to avoid them after that. Yet, all I wanted was Kator back. I was willing to admit to myself that I liked him, and that was enough for the time being.

So, when the door to my chambers swung open, I clambered to my feet. A broad smile ran across my face, almost in spite of myself. Even if I was a prisoner, he had made my days better—and I wanted him to know it.

When an old, green, reptilian woman stepped across my threshold, however, my smile faded. Flanking her were two sizeable men, darkening the doorway before shoving in behind her.

“Hello,” the woman said, with a warmth that still managed to feel threatening. Was she testing me? I worked hard to show no sign I understood her words. Hell, humans talk to plants without the expectation that the plant understands, let’s hope the Aetamians were the same way. “Won’t you be seated.”

I blinked at her, hoping she’d buy the ruse. She held out a hand toward a chair, and I edged into it. Something told me that when anyone besides Kator came to see me, I needed to be wary.

This green lady stood directly in front of me and, given the deference she commanded from the two massive men, she was someone to be reckoned with. She clutched a small, leather pouch in front of her, and kept her sallow eyes fixed unblinkingly on me.

“May I ask who you are?” It was an attempt to match her courtesy, but even I could hear the mistrust fretting around the edges of my voice. She looked at me, and I could tell that my words were lost on her. Even so, a faint smile worked across her face, as if she could read every trace of my fear.

“Can you understand me, child? Nod if you can.” I simply blinked in reply. She narrowed her eyes. “Well, perhaps you’re smart enough to figure this out.”

While she spoke, one of the men lifted a small table and set it just beside the arm of my chair. The two guards then hovered just off either of my shoulders, barely out of my line of vision. Each placed a massive hand on my shoulder. It only made me feel worse.

“I am Wyelia,” she said, not unkindly. As she did, Wyelia stepped until she was nearly directly over me. “I am the Royal Inquisitor here.”

I nearly fired up out of my chair. The only thing stopping me was the vise-like grip of the two behemoths who had come along with her. I knew what Inquisitors did on Earth, and my stomach shrank at the notion that they did the same thing out here. As the pale green woman leaned over me, it became clear that they did.

“Don’t struggle, child.” As she spoke, my wrists were bound roughly to the arms of the chair. “I wouldn’t want you hurt unnecessarily. That would go poorly.” Dragging over a stool, she sat so she could face me eye to eye.

“Let me go,” I howled, struggling against my restraints. “I won’t tell you anything!”

“Shhhh.” Wyelia held a slender finger to her lips. “That’s no use, my girl. I can’t understand the words, but I know what you’re saying. I need you to look at me.” She waved her fingers between my face and hers.

I did. Her gaze was cold and even.

“You must understand that the gentle methods you’ve received aren’t producing the results our king requires. The man who has been putting the questions to you will be along to ask them again. My job is to prepare you to speak truthfully when he comes. Nod if you understand me.”

I glared at her. Even if I hadn’t understood her words, her tone and the situation, had certainly earned a glare. She sighed as if I were a petulant child. Then, standing up, she undid the strap on her leather pouch and unrolled it across the table. At the sight of her tools, my chest went tight. I would have screamed, but what good would that have done? Besides, I got the idea that I would be doing plenty of screaming shortly.

Her long, practiced fingers flicked over the various blades and picks of her trade, before selecting an ugly looking hook. She held it up to the light and motioned for a candle to be brought closer. Sweat prickled up across my brow, and I was already clenching my jaw so tightly, it felt as if my teeth would crack.

The tool was needle sharp, with a hammered look to it that reduced it to a mottled gray under the light. It harrowed my soul just to look at, and I wondered whether it would be worse if it had gleamed in the light. I decided there was no way this could be worse.

With a slight wave, she instructed one of the lumbering strongmen who had come with her to place a candle over on the table. With the merest flitting of her eyes over to me, Wyelia began to heat the tip of the hook over the flame. I shut my eyes tight and pushed myself back against the chair as hard as I could.

“Open your eyes, child.” I refused. She clapped loudly, startling me into opening them, only to find her maddeningly placid face staring back at me. “Your attention is part of how this goes.” The hook smoked in her hands, and as the wreathes of smoke curled up into the air, I saw past them.

A cloaked figure had come into the room behind her.

I blinked hard, wondering for a moment if my desperation was playing tricks with my eyes. The shape was there. Just what I needed—another tormentor hovering to watch.

Then the figure moved, and I immediately recognized the rhythm of it. It was Kator. I could have read him anywhere, and even in my terror, I marveled that I had come to know him so well.

Wyelia stepped toward me, but her eyes bulged as she suddenly lurched backward. A strong arm snaked around her neck, and a gloved hand clamped around hers. That hissing-hot hook swung in the air for a moment, and I watched as the Inquisitor used her free hand to claw at the arm locked at her throat.

With a thundering rush, the two hulks standing over me rushed Kator. One of them caught the hook in the face with a nasty sizzle, and staggered back with a yelp. At the same time, Kator kicked out from behind the old woman, landing a punishing blow in the ribs of the other attacker.

In a flash, he spun hard and sent Wyelia headlong into the door. She met it with a terrible smack and slid down into an unconscious heap. The first guard was already rallying, and Kator managed to turn in time to throw an elbow into the brute’s throat.

He gurgled and fell to his knees, grasping wildly at his windpipe. The other guard was on Kator, but the grapple only allowed him to rock back and deliver another pitiless kick to the face of the gasping Aetamian in front of him. The hulk’s head snapped back, and he fell motionless to the floor.

Now it was just Kator and the bastard on his back. I nearly yelled out his name but stopped myself in time. If he could manage this whole episode unrecognized, it would be so much better for him.

Writhing against my ropes, I scraped my nails at the table beside me, wild to reach anything in the pouch that might free me. An array of hateful weapons glinted in the candlelight. If I could just reach one, this whole mess would be over in an instant, but my restraints were so tight, my salvation might as well have been a mile away.

The two grappling men grunted and thumped across the room. Kator, smaller than the guard, was a wily and uncompromising fighter. At last gaining a window of advantage, he raised his knee and crashed his foot down hard across the guard’s instep.

With a terrible cry, the hulking guard sank down over his broken foot. Kator wheeled around and slammed his fist into the howling guard’s jaw. The room fell silent, except for the thump of the unconscious lout collapsing to the floor.

Breathing hard, Kator knelt before me and threw back his hood.

“Are you alright?” His voice was ragged. “Did they hurt you?”

“No,” I gasped, my own breath calming down. “No, you made it just in time.”

He bowed his head in relief, and I rested my hand against his chest. His heart was beating so hard I could almost feel it within my own ribs.

Snatching up one of the knives on the table, he cut my restraints, and I rubbed my stinging wrists. Kator glanced at the torturers, who were still unconscious, then turned back to me. My throat caught at the sight of his intense eyes. Part of me longed for that same flash I had seen not long ago.

“Can you run?” he asked. I nodded and he took my hands. “Good. We need to get out of here.”

KATOR

“What’s that?”

Hiding underneath the hood of her cloak, Riley looked at me with wide, anxious eyes. In my hands, the small bird I held flapped its wings against my fingers, but I kept my gentle hold on him. Carefully, I tied the small piece of parchment around one of the bird’s feet and only then did I let go of him.

“I’m sending word to Tahkath,” I replied, watching as the bird blended in with the night, its dark feathers disappearing in the darkness. “Before the sun rises, that piece of parchment will be in Vokar’s hands. He’s going to take care of the extraction.”

I tensed as that word left my lips. Extraction. Vokar and I had always planned for this day, but I never thought it would happen so soon. My job in Aetam was far from over. Still, now that Moffat wanted to be more heavy-handed with Riley, this had to be done. I’d never allow that old monster to hurt her.

Especially now that I knew she was my mate.

“Come, we gotta hurry,” I muttered, guiding Riley through a maze of alleyways. It’d take a while before someone found out about the Inquisitors I’d left behind, but I didn’t want to waste a single second. Time wasn’t on our side, after all.

Moving fast, I led her straight to the commercial district, our hoods pulled over our faces, and stopped before a merchant’s decaying building. I looked around to see if anyone was watching us, then rapped my knuckles against the door.

“Who the fuck is that?” A loud voice came from inside, followed by the heavy sound of footsteps. “Is that you, Barat? I’ve told you, I’m not shipping off any of your stupid furniture unless you pay me what you—”

The barrel-chested merchant fell silent as he pulled the door open. He looked at me with a surprised expression, then his eyes darted toward Riley. Almost at once, he clenched his jaw and waved us in.

“I never really thought this would happen,” he started, shutting the door behind us. Holak was far shorter than most Aetamians, but he tipped the scales with his weight. His arms were thick slabs of meat forged into tools of power and strength by decades of loading wares into carts and warehouses. “Is the woman also going to require extraction? Ah, shit. What a stupid question—she’s here, isn’t she? Come, come. Let’s not waste time.”

I didn’t say a word as I followed Holak deeper into the bowels of his warehouse. At the rear of it was a series of carts loaded with barrels, and he promptly emptied two and waved us inside.

“My employees are going to be here in fifteen minutes, as we’re carting all these barrels out today,” he explained, scratching his chin in a pensive gesture. “I keep enough palms greased so my shit isn’t inspected, so I don’t think you’ll find any trouble getting out of the city.”

I helped Riley into one of the empty barrels, then climbed inside the other. Before I crouched inside it, I looked straight into Holak’s eyes and nodded.

“I want you to know I appreciate this,” I said, but the old merchant just waved my words away. “I’m serious. You know that—”

“I won’t have it, Kator,” he said. “Had it not been for you, my daughter would’ve ended up in the hands of Moffat’s cronies. With women so few and precious, there could be no worse tragedy. I’m in your debt, and this…” He waved one hand at the barrels and shook his head. “This is nothing. I’ll never be able to repay you. Now, hunker down before anyone hears you.”

With one final nod, I did as I was told. Once the barrels were shut, an all-pervading silence settled around me, only dispelled when loud voices cut through it. Those had to be Holak’s employees, I figured. Soon enough, I felt the carts rolling out of the warehouse and I knew that we were on our way.

Nothing happened for at least an hour, but it didn’t take long for my back and shoulders to start aching from the awkward position I was in. The way the cart rolled down the barely paved streets didn’t help much. I tensed when we bypassed inspection at the main gate. Just like Holak had said, getting out of the city was easy.

“Alright, out with ya.” Standing over the barrel, Holak seemed as if he was twice his size. He offered me his hand. With a groan, I took it as he hefted me out of the barrel. Another half an hour had passed, and the carts were all along the roadside. In the distance, I could see Holak’s employees chattering idly. “Don’t worry about ’em. They’re trustable. Still, it’s better for you to hit the road now. We don’t want to take any unnecessary risks.”

“You got that right,” I muttered, then spun around and helped Riley out from her barrel. She groaned as she stretched her legs, and I felt a tingling sensation in the pit of my stomach as I heard the sound of her voice. “You have the gear, Holak?”

“Damn right I have the gear.” Laughing, he opened a third barrel and pulled a large pack from inside it. Just a cursory look and I knew that it contained a tent and what little gear we needed for a night in the wildlands. I grabbed the pack, put it on my back, and clasped Holak’s hands. “Thank you, my friend.”

“Yeah, well.” He shrugged. “Just remember... if you get caught, you never saw me.”

“Never,” I said with a smile, and led Riley toward the underbrush on the side of the road. I kept a steady pace as the trail moved away from the main road and only slowed down once we were out of sight of it. If Moffat sent any patrols looking for us, they wouldn’t be able to see us from the road. That, of course, didn’t mean his patrols wouldn’t venture into the wilderness. We still needed to be careful.

“What now?” Riley asked me after a couple of minutes of walking.

“Now we walk,” I merely said. “Vokar, or one of his men, will meet us. We need to be there before the sun rises tomorrow.”

Thankfully, that wasn’t a hard task. We reached the place where Vokar would meet us by dusk, which meant that we'd be able to rest during the night. After setting up the tent in a secluded spot, I unfurled the blankets over the canvas floor and looked at Riley. Outside, the setting sun was casting long shadows, and some of them were long enough to reach inside the tent. Somehow, the dimming brightness of the day only made Riley more beautiful. It was as if her beauty was the only light anyone needed.

“You can stay in the tent,” I told her as I waved at the blankets. “I’ll be fine sleeping outside. It’s not the first time I’ve done it and, besides, it’s better if I keep watch.”

“Wait.” Before I could leave the tent, she reached for me and curled her fingers around my wrist. I hesitated, the warmth of her skin making my heartbeat speed up, then looked into her eyes. She ran her tongue over her parched lips, and I could almost see the gears turning inside her head as she chose her next words. “I still haven’t thanked you for what you’ve done. Had it not been for you…”

“I did what needed to be done.”

“It’s not that simple, is it?” she continued. “After all, you put yourself in danger just so you could help me. You risked your life over and over again.” She held my gaze for a moment, but that moment seemed to stretch into eternity.

“I would do it again,” I muttered. “And again.”

“Why?”

I opened my mouth, but the truth got stuck in my throat. Could I really tell her that she was my mate? She’d seen my body’s reaction to her, but did she understand the meaning behind it? Did she know just how important she was? Or that I’d give my life for hers in the blink of an eye?

In the end, I decided words wouldn’t be enough to explain it. Instead, I just closed the distance between us and brushed the hair away from her face. Then, looking straight into her eyes, I leaned in to kiss her. Again, that overwhelming feeling of completion washed over me.

Yes, I thought, you are my mate, Riley.

RILEY

This time there’d be no stopping us.

When his lips touched mine, that thought cut through my mind like a deadly arrow. It pierced all my hesitancy and, in its place, left a deep-seated certainty. Even though I didn’t understand this magnetic pull that Kator had on me, I knew that I was done with trying to resist it. Even if I wanted to, it would’ve been impossible.

“I’ve missed your lips,” he whispered as he kissed me, his hands running down the sides of my body. He nestled them on my hips, his thumbs digging into my flesh, and pulled me against his body. Without thinking, I pressed my breasts against his chest, a soft moan escaping my lips as I felt my nipples hardening.

“And I missed yours,” I replied, my heart beating faster and faster. Acting on nothing but instinct, I pulled his cloak down from his shoulders. Without missing a beat, I then pulled his shirt over his head, and my heart almost burst as I looked at his chiseled torso. Much like before, I couldn’t stop myself from marveling at how perfect he was.

I was about to keep going, my fingers more than ready to tear all the clothes off his body, but Kator was faster than I could ever be. Placing one hand on the nape of my neck, he threaded his fingers into my hair, then lowered me onto the blankets.

I held my breath as he pulled my shirt off, and only exhaled once he unclasped my bra. My nipples hardened further as he pulled it off me, and scorching heat overtook my body and turned into the most maddening wetness between my legs I’d ever experienced.

“You have no idea how much I want you,” Kator said, his words dipping into a lustful growl.

Kneeling between my legs, he hooked his fingers on my pants and yanked them down. Once I was lying there in nothing but my skimpy thong, he looked straight at the wet patch of fabric between my legs, and every single line on his face seemed to deepen with desire.

Before I knew what was happening, he leaned forward and wrapped his lips around one of my nipples. He used his tongue to whip at it, every stroke of it forcing me to moan, but he didn’t linger there. His lips started a downward trek toward my belly, and peppered my naked skin with kisses until he found my thong’s elastic band. Gently, he bit down on it and started peeling it off.

I brought my legs up and flicked the thong aside, then I suddenly felt as exposed as I had ever been. And yet, it was in feeling exposed that I also felt liberated. I wanted Kator to see my naked body, and I wanted to drive him absolutely crazy with it. So far, it seemed like it was working.

“You want me?” I muttered, struggling to push the words out. “I’m right here for the taking.” I had barely finished speaking when he leaned forward once more. My eyes rolled back as I felt his mouth against my inner thighs, his tongue teasing me endlessly, and it was only a matter of time until I started begging for more. “I want... I want more.”

Kator was more than ready to oblige.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he ran his tongue up the length of my inner lips, and he only stopped when he could press it down against my clit. The pressure made it feel as if electricity thrummed under my skin and, as unbelievable as it might sound, I became even wetter.

“You taste so fucking good,” Kator said, opening his mouth wide so that he could fit my aching pussy against it. I arched my back, bright lights exploding behind my shut eyelids, and surrendered to the moment. I moaned every time his tongue wandered over my drenched folds, and my clit soon started feeling like a ticking bomb.

Perhaps sensing it, Kator renewed his attention. He wrapped his lips around my nub and sucked it into his mouth, then brushed two fingers against my entrance. Gently, he started easing his fingers in, curling them upward as if they were a hook. He kept on going until he found that hidden crevice inside me, and that... well, that was enough for me to come undone.

I arched my back so suddenly it was a miracle my spine didn’t snap, and the most powerful orgasm I had ever experienced crashed against me. My nerve endings felt like firecrackers, and my whole body seemed to be boiling from the inside out. Had anyone asked for my name right then, I doubt I’d have had an answer.

“Holy shit,” I breathed out, my heart jackhammering against my chest. My blood had been replaced with liquid ecstasy and, even though I was still engulfed by the sweetest orgasm of my life, I still needed more. “Come here.”

I used my elbows to prop myself up, then moved toward him like a hungry predator. I crushed my mouth against his glistening lips, my fluids still coating them, and savored my own taste as I pulled his belt out from its loops. I kept on going until he was down to his undergarments and, with furious and anxious movements, I tore those from him.

His cock sprang free right away, and it took all that I had not to gasp. He was far more impressive than I had thought. He was so thick that I didn’t know if I’d be able to wrap my fingers around his hardness, and the length of it… god, it was almost too much for me to process.

And so, instead of trying to process the impossible, I just went on the offensive. I brought my hands up to his chest and pushed him down. Once he was lying on the blankets, I climbed on top of him with catlike movements and allowed a mischievous grin to light up my face. Straddling him, I grabbed his hard cock by the root and angled it so that its tip was positioned right between my inner lips.

“I want you inside me,” I whispered, never looking away from his eyes as I spoke. Slowly, I rose on my knees, then held my breath as I lowered myself over his hard length. “And I want it right now.” Once those words were out of my mouth, I went down as fast as I could. His hard length strained my inner walls on the way in, and this time I didn’t moan—instead, I let out a vicious scream, one loud enough to make my eardrums pop.

“Easy now,” Kator said, sitting up and cupping my mouth with his right hand. “We can’t be that loud.” His lips curled into a grin as he said it, and I could tell he had enjoyed my sudden scream. It was dangerous, yes... but it was also devilishly sweet to be with a man that could make me scream like that.

Eager for more, I started rocking my hips against his. It only took a few minutes for my movements to reach a fever pitch, and that’s when I lost track of time. Our bodies seemed to blend into one, and all around us the universe faded into nothingness. It was as if nothing but our naked bodies mattered and, as far as I was concerned, that was just about right.

“This feels so good,” I moaned, my hair tumbling down my shoulders as I tipped my head back. I kept on riding him as furiously as I could, eager to unleash as much pleasure over our bodies as possible, but Kator suddenly decided to change gears and take the reins.

Lacing one arm around my waist, he pushed his hips up and rolled to the side. Before I knew it, I was lying underneath him, my legs wrapped around his waist with a vise-like intensity.

“Fuck me,” I breathed out, looking straight into his eyes as I draped my arms over his shoulders. “As hard as you can.” I kissed him then, and the unbridled fury of my kiss barely matched the intensity of his thrusts. He ravaged me with a lustful fury I hadn’t known was possible, and a shattering pressure built up inside me. “I think I’m gonna—”

“Don’t think,” he said, cutting me short. “Just let it happen.”

I did as I was told and, once I felt his hard cock throbbing against my inner walls, I let go. It was as if a bomb had gone off inside my head. All my thoughts turned to ash, my nerve endings were consumed by flames of ecstasy, and pleasure like I had never experienced coursed through my veins.

“You’re so fucking perfect,” Kator growled, resting his forehead against mine as he came. I moaned as I felt him throb, each spasm of his cock spilling more of his warm seed inside me, and in that moment, I felt…

Whole.

We didn’t move after we were done.

We just remained perfectly still as we tried to catch our breaths. Then, slowly, Kator rolled to the side and sprawled himself behind me. I don’t know why I did it, but something inside me drew me close to him, and I nestled my body up against his. Gently, I laid my head on his chest and let the steadiness of his heartbeat serenade me. I fell asleep in his arms and...

It felt just right.

KATOR

I wasn’t sure I’d ever slept as well as I had that night. Holding Riley tightly to me, I passed the hours till dawn in a state of some kind of suspended animation, where nothing existed but the two of us.

No war. No struggle. No fear.

The sleep I had was deep, with dreams of calm waters and tall trees that waved in the mountain air.

But all dreams come to an end and this one was no different.

I stirred awake when I felt Riley get up. I was still in a bit of a daze but cracked open my eyes to appreciate her putting her clothes on.

“You can go slower than that,” I said with a tired lasciviousness.

She looked over at me and smirked.

“I’m sure I could,” she said. “But I don’t think Vokar would appreciate it too much.”

I propped myself up on my elbows, giving her a quizzical look. “Vokar? What do you mean?”

“Hey there, Kator,” I heard a familiar, masculine voice call outside the tent.

I sat straight up. “Vokar?”

“Yup. Take your time. There’s no rush,” he replied.

I looked over to Riley, who shrugged and shook her head.

“Do you think you could back up, Vokar, and not be so... you know... on top of us for a couple of minutes?”

There was the sound of movement and rustling from outside the tent.

“Ah, yes! Of course. Sorry. I’ll be over... well... you’ll see me when you come out. When you come out. That’s what I meant. Ah. Yeah. Okay. Sorry.”

I listened as Vokar moved away from our campsite and turned to Riley. “What was that? What time did he get here?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “All I can tell you is that very early this morning, I crept out of the tent to... ah... use the facilities, so to speak. And when I came back, he was standing by the tent.”

A terrible thought snuck into my head.

“Were you naked?” I asked.

She gave me an exasperated look.

“That’s what you’re worried about? Whether or not Vokar got a peek at me? Not whether or not I could’ve been attacked by Aetamian soldiers?”

“Well, when you put it that way...”

She rolled her eyes at me as she pulled on her boots. “Men. The same everywhere. No matter the species.”

“I didn’t mean—” I began, but she cut me off.

“It’s all right. Forget it. My bigger concern is that he approached us and we were completely unaware. Doesn’t that suggest that the Aetamians could be nearby too, and we’d never know?”

I shook my head. “I don’t think so. If the Aetamians were nearby, they would’ve jumped us already, not giving us much chance to resist.”

“That makes sense,” Riley said.

“Plus, Vokar can be as silent as the grave when he wants to be. He could be standing outside right in front of us and if he didn’t want us to see him, we wouldn’t.”

Following Riley’s lead, it was my turn to get dressed. As I was pulling on my breeches, I caught her looking at me and gave her a grin.

“See something you like?” I asked.

“Hey, a girl likes a fashion show too, sometimes,” she said with a smile that made me want to devour her right then and there.

But there wasn’t time for that. I was still surprised we’d managed to find the time we had last night. Those chances would be coming few and far between. That much I knew for sure.

I finished getting dressed and gave her a nod. She stepped outside the tent and I followed right behind her.

“Vokar,” I called softly.

He emerged from a tree line as if he had been invisible. Riley was noticeably taken aback. She looked at me with an open mouth and wide eyes.

“You weren’t kidding,” she said.

“I told you,” I said.

Vokar stepped over to us lightly and smiled. “It’s safe. I haven’t seen any sign of the Aetamians nearby. But that doesn’t mean that we should linger too long.”

“Agreed,” I said.

“How’s your energy level?” he asked. “I mean that sincerely. We’re going to have to move with haste to make sure we clear out of their path. And I want to leave as little sign as possible where we were and where we are headed.”

“I feel good,” Riley said. “Ready to move at a sprint, if we need to.”

“Good,” Vokar said. “I’m hoping that it doesn’t come to that, but it’s good to be ready, regardless.”

“I am,” she said.

Vokar chuckled softly. “I hope so. Because if I can’t get you home in one piece, then I just may spend the rest of my life out here in the wild. I don’t want to face Isabella if I come back without you.”

Riley snorted a laugh. “Yeah, that sounds like her. She’s quiet, so you don’t realize that she can be a protective mama bear when she wants to be.”

“What’s a bear?” I asked.

Riley looked at me with some confusion.

“You know, I’m not really sure how to answer that. A bear is an animal. Big. Furry. Four legs. Strong. Can knock your head off with one blow. Maybe even to a D’Tali.”

Vokar and I exchanged a look at that. “Well. I’m glad they’re not here then,” I said.

“Sure,” Riley said. “But their babies are damn cute. Little furballs.”

“We’ll keep our eyes open,” Vokar said. “Kator, I can’t persuade you to join us?”

Riley whipped her head to me, a surprised look on her face. “What?”

“Vokar,” I said in a low voice.

He looked back and forth between the two of us. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I thought you would have told her.”

“Told me what?” Riley said, with real anger in her voice.

I took her by the wrist and led her slightly away. I looked to Vokar, who nodded, but also indicated time was of the essence. I nodded in return.

“Riley—”

“No! Don’t ‘Riley’ me! What’s going on? Why aren’t you coming with us?”

“I told you about my mother, what had happened to her.”

“Yes, you did, but what does that have to do with—”

“I can’t leave yet. Not yet. There’s still a chance I can track down my father and punish him for what he did to her.”

Riley shook her head.

“No, that’s not an option. They’re going to know! Moffat, Hulat, all of them, they’re going to know that you’ve been betraying them this entire time! They’ll kill you as soon as you enter the city.”

“We don’t know that,” I said.

“You want to take a chance on that? Are you serious right now?”

“Riley, listen to me, we were careful, and I don’t think it’s likely that they discovered my betrayal.”

“Yet,” she said.

“Yet,” I conceded. “They’re going to find out. I can’t hide it much longer, but I have to use the time that I have left to track him down. Use every resource available to me. Because when I leave Aetam, leave for real, I won’t be able to come back. I won’t be able to go through the libraries and records of the city to help me find him. Those avenues will be cut off to me.”

Riley threw her hands up in exasperation.

“So what? Listen, I know this is important, I understand that, I really do, I promise you. But it isn’t worth your life!”

I shook my head and stepped away from her. “You don’t understand, Riley. You say you do, but—”

She put her hand on my arm and turned me around.

“Kator, I hear you, I get it, but this is suicide! What happens if they find out when you’re there? Trapped behind enemy lines with no way to get out? You’ll be tortured and killed. And I will never know anything about it. Do you understand that? I will be left in the goddamn dark for the rest of my life wondering what the hell happened to you!”

I took her by the hands and gave them a squeeze.

“I promise that I will always find a way to get word to you. No matter the cost and no matter the outcome. I give you my word on that.”

It was her turn to step away from me this time and when she turned back around, her eyes were wet with tears.

“Riley—” I began, but she cut me off.

“I’m going to say one last thing. One last argument, Kator. And if it doesn’t do anything for you, then I have nothing else to say and I will let it go. Will you hear it?”

I hesitated for a brief moment, then nodded. “Go on.”

“Kator... what would your mother want? Do you think she would want you to step into the predator’s den, setting yourself up for failure and death? Or do you think she would want you to live your life? To be happy and free? To not live under the threat of suspicion and capture all the fucking time?”

I looked at her then and I saw the truth in her words. But it changed nothing.

“I can’t speak to what my mother would want, Riley. She’s gone. I suspect you’re right. She wouldn’t want me taking this kind of a risk. But I’m not doing this just for her. I’m doing it for me. If I didn’t do something, if I didn’t try... I would never be able to live with myself, no matter how happy my life appeared to be. I hope you can understand that. And I’m asking you to try.”

She looked at me then, hard and long, and finally nodded.

“All right,” she said. “I give up. But be careful. Please, please be careful.”

I leaned down and kissed her. “I promise I will. Now,” I said, motioning to Vokar, who walked over to us, “go off with Vokar. He will keep you safe. And he will get you back home.”

“On my life,” he said. I clapped him on the shoulder, and he nodded to me.

Riley looked at me one more time, with a mixture of care and anger, then she looked to Vokar.

“Let’s go,” she said, and started marching off.

Vokar looked at me and put his hand on my shoulder. “She’ll get over it,” he said. “As long as you come back.”

He gave me an encouraging smile and headed off after her.

I could still feel her lips on mine.

I hoped it wasn’t the last time I would.

RILEY

I hit the ground hard, knocking the wind out of me. And believe it or not, that was the highlight of my day.

It’d been several weeks since I’d left Kator in the forest, leaving with Vokar to come back to the D’Tali. That day was a bit of a blur in my memory. I had been upset to leave him in that moment. As a result, I pushed for a quick march back to the city, using the physical exertion to distract me from leaving him.

Vokar had tried to talk to me while we hiked back, but I was mostly nonresponsive. And in truth, I’m not sure I was in any better state now.

So, in seeking more distraction, I had taken to training more with the D’Tali security forces. Because they were generally so strong, the D’Tali didn’t often worry about more subtle forms of combat. They just charged in and knocked heads together. They didn’t know much about submission holds and other kinds of physical restraint.

Because of that, I had taken it upon myself to teach them some of the holds and maneuvers that I had learned in my police training. And I threw myself into it wholeheartedly. I trained them one-on-one, taking time and care to show them all the aspects of the techniques.

As a final training method, I would spar with the soldiers, making sure they understood the techniques, how to properly apply them, and, if needed, how to counter them.

Under normal circumstances, I wasn’t certain I could have taken any D’Tali in a straight-up fight, but in this type of scenario, I could hold my own, much to the delight of the soldiers, who whooped and cheered anytime I took one of their fellows down.

But just as often, I would find myself flying through the air and landing on my back. As I had just now.

The D’Tali would be apologetic and help me to my feet, but I would dismiss it. I welcomed it, frankly.

Getting the wind knocked out of you was a wonderful distraction from a wounded heart and a worried mind. And that’s what I needed now more than ever.

Kator’s safety and well-being were in the forefront of my brain most of the day. I hadn’t heard anything from him, nor had Vokar or anyone else.

Vokar told me not to worry so much, that Kator can take care of himself better than anyone. That he was most likely lying low, doing his research, tracking down his father. And, Vokar would add, probably gathering valuable intel for the D’Tali to use as well. He would tell me that I should take heart at that.

And that’s when Isabella would walk over, put a hand on his shoulder, and tell him to walk away. She would smile at me gently and apologize.

I would shake my head, tell her not to worry about it, and thank her. I knew Vokar was trying to be encouraging. I knew they all were.

It was just hard. And I wouldn’t feel better until I saw his face again. That was the reality of it.

So, along with getting my ass kicked by alien warriors who were more than twice my size, I spent time with Camilia.

She was getting closer every day to having her baby and there were lots of things to take care of before that.

Her pregnancy hadn’t been problematic, exactly, but she had decided that the best thing to do was to take it as easy as possible. So, Isabella, Sofia, and I spent a lot of time fussing over her and making sure she was comfortable.

Camilia would make noise about how we were being ridiculous, but I think she secretly enjoyed being doted upon. Who wouldn’t?

In any event, focusing on her was helping me. So, my behavior wasn’t altogether altruistic.

From fighting to playing nursemaid. Whatever worked for distraction, right?

I had been helping prepare a lunch for Camilia while Isabella was propping her up with more pillows than could possibly be needed.

“If you fluff up one more of those,” Camilia said, “there won’t be any room for me on this bed.”

Isabella laughed and gently whacked Camilia in the face with one of the pillows. It was nice to see my friends be so carefree, but it was hard to join in. There was a cloud over me, and it wasn’t going to just whisk away.

I walked over with some food for lunch and set it down on the table. I caught Isabella and Camilia exchange a glance as I did.

“Riley,” Camilia said, concern in her voice, “I don’t know Kator, but from what I’ve been told by Troko, he seems remarkably resourceful. He’s been at this a long time. He knows what he’s doing, and he’s knows what the risks are.”

I looked at her and nodded.

“I know. I know that’s true. But it doesn’t help. If they catch him now... with all that’s been going on...”

Isabella shook her head. “I’m so sorry, Riley. I can’t help but feel responsible for this whole mess.”

I reached out and took her by the hand. “No, no, don’t feel that way. It’s absolutely not your fault.”

Isabella gave my hand a squeeze. “Thank you, but it’s hard not to feel that way. If you hadn’t had to protect me...”

I sat in front of her and looked her directly in the eye.

“Listen to me, Izzy,” I said, “protecting you is my job. And that doesn’t have anything to do with Kator. I would have been protecting you whether I knew him or not, okay? It’s just... something that happened. And no one could do anything about that. Not even you.”

She smiled gently and nodded. “Okay, love. Thanks for saying so. I don’t really believe it, but I’m grateful for it,” she said.

“It’s no one’s fault,” Camilia chimed in. “There aren’t many things that are laid out as clearly as that, you know? Black and white. Most things are shades of gray. And this is one of those.”

“That’s exactly right,” I said in agreement. “And thanks for relaying what Troko had to say. I mean, I know he knows what’s up. I just wish...”

“You wish what?” Izzy said.

I stood up and walked away from the bed, frustrated. “I don’t know. All this feels so fucking stupid to me.”

“What does?” asked Camilia.

“This! This... absurd war that we’re in the middle of! I mean, the Aetamians and the D’Tali are the same species! Why in the world are they so hell-bent on killing each other?”

Camilia shrugged and shook her head. “Honey, that’s a big question you’re asking there. And I’m not sure we are even qualified to ask it.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that humanity doesn’t exactly have the best record when it comes to moral judgments on war. We killed each other for thousands of years.”

“Yeah, I know, but we’re not on Earth. And the D’Tali and Aetamians aren’t as many, right? The populations are smaller and... and... fuck! I mean, life is goddamned hard enough without having to worry that another country is going to try to butcher you in the middle of the fucking night!”

“You’re not wrong,” Isabella said.

“I know I’m not. It just doesn’t make sense to me. Imagine if the D’Tali and Aetamians worked together. The things they could accomplish! Honestly, right? It could literally change the course of this world. Sharing medicines, technologies, planning, construction, all of it! If they could just find some way to have peace!”

Isabella and Camilia shared another look, something communicating between them.

“What? What is it?” I asked.

“I wasn’t supposed to say anything,” Isabella said, “but I know that Camilia knows about it through Troko.”

“Knows what?” I said, looking back and forth between the two of them.

Isabella looked again to Camilia, who nodded.

“Don’t repeat this, Riley, okay? I’m not sure who knows and who doesn’t and how widespread this knowledge was supposed to be,” she said.

“Of course,” I said. “I give you my word.”

“Vokar had been given permission to start a whisper campaign amongst the Aetamians.”

“A campaign to do what?”

“To encourage the Aetamians to call for a new king and to demand a peace between them and the D’Tali.”

I was stunned. I hadn’t heard anything like this. “Really? You’re kidding me!”

“Dojak and Troko were all for it,” Camilia said. “They wanted to keep it quiet, so that word didn’t spread to the Aetamians that this attempt was being made to subvert their king and any D’Tali elements that didn’t want to have peace with the Aetamians, not just yet anyway.”

“Vokar’s plan was to get word out that disenchantment with the war was spreading amongst the Aetamians. Apparently, a lot of them feel that way, but they’re reluctant to say anything because of the military. You speak out against the king, they come after you hard and fast.”

“If that was the plan, why hasn’t it been implemented yet?”

“Because of Moffat’s son, Hulat. By all accounts, he’s worse than his dad. And he’s currently the head of the military and security forces. If Moffat is deposed, then Hulat would take power.”

“Then,” Camilia added, “he would wage all-out war against the D’Tali. And who knows what kind of carnage that would bring.”

“Was Kator going to be part of the plan?” I asked.

“I’m not sure,” Isabella said. “Vokar hadn’t said for sure one way or another. But it seems likely to me.”

“So Kator has knowledge of a disinformation campaign to remove the current king from power and sow dissent among the Aetamians?”

Isabella nodded slowly. “Yes.”

“Well. That sets my mind at ease. Thanks, friends,” I said and stepped over to the window to look out.

“Riley, I didn’t mean...” Isabella began.

I stopped her. “It’s fine, don’t worry about it.”

But worry was the only thing on my mind now. Even more so than before.

Dammit, Kator. Where are you?

KATOR

There was a particular kind of silence in the library. It felt full of anticipation. It felt alive.

I supposed that was because a library was stuffed to the rafters with knowledge waiting to be read, waiting to be absorbed. There was something somehow both tense and peaceful about it. It’s hard to describe, but I felt it each time I came here.

And now, buried deep in the stacks of the Aetamian library, I was more aware of that feeling than ever.

It was late, the moon was down, and for hours I had been poring over records and documents that could relate to my mother’s capture, looking for some hint as to what had happened to her and who had done it.

For all the many faults that the Aetamians had, recording keeping was not one of them. They were surprisingly meticulous in that regard. I had become friendly with the archivist, Leshone, who had been tending the desk at the library for as long as anyone could remember.

When I walked in tonight, she gave me a knowing look. I had been wary that news of my role in Riley’s escape had already reached Leshone’s ears, but she gave no sign. I had heard no whisper of my betrayal on the streets or within the corridors through which I had crept to reach these tomes.

Perhaps Moffat had chosen to sit on that knowledge. His having to admit I had betrayed him would certainly prick his ego. No, I suspected he more likely had chosen to keep that knowledge quiet—and set another assassin on my trail. Which increased my urgency here, on my last day of free access to this library.

“Back again, eh, Kator? You’re persistent, I’ll give you that,” she said.

“What can I say, Leshone? I learned from the best,” I said, throwing her a wink.

She scoffed at me as I moved into the military records section. Despite her gruff exterior, she had a soft spot for me. As soft as could be expected from an ancient Aetamian female who spent all her time in a huge library all alone.

I had found my section, pulled out a stack of files and ledgers, then sat down at a desk and started my search.

Hours later I was still there, poring over the papers. Leshone came over to me, keys and a candle in her hand.

“How much longer will you be, Kator? Because I was going to go home for the night.”

Looking up at her with a smile, I said, “And here I didn’t think you had a home, Leshone. I assumed you never left the library under any circumstances.”

She curled her lips at me in a dismissive way. “Laugh all you want, young Kator, but I’ll have you know I have quite a full life outside of this place.”

“Indeed?”

“Indeed. So, I would like to get back to that life, if you please, rather than babysitting a child who barely knows how to read.”

I laughed and she joined in. “Leshone, I need to ask a favor of you,” I said.

“Here it comes,” she responded, rolling her eyes.

“I have to go through this paperwork, and I need to do it tonight. Time is of the essence. It’s important.”

She narrowed her eyes at me as I spoke. “What is it you’re looking for, exactly? You’ve never spoken of it.”

I hesitated, then decided that at least some of the truth wouldn’t do me any harm here.

“I’m looking for information about my mother, Leshone. She died when I was a baby. And I need to know more about her. Please. Leave the keys. I can lock up. And I give you my word I won’t disturb anything,” I said.

Leshone looked me over. “And you’ll put everything back where you found it?”

“On my honor.”

She sighed deeply and nodded. “All right. Only because it’s about your mother. But when I return in the morning...”

“Not a hair out of place, I promise you.”

She slapped the keys down on the table. “Don’t make me regret this.”

“Thank you, Leshone,” I said.

She turned to go and looked back over her shoulder at me. “I hope you find it.”

“I do, too.”

She left, and I was alone. Just me and thousands, maybe millions, of pages. Waiting to be turned.

And that was where I found myself, sitting alone in a dark, quiet space. Although the work in front of me couldn’t have been more important, my mind drifted to thoughts of Riley.

I had hoped that I would have had this resolved by now, but it was taking much longer than I had anticipated. Being away from her for such a stretch of time... well... to say I didn’t like it was putting it mildly.

She was my mate. I knew that without equivocation. It felt wrong to be apart from her for an extended period of time. Every moment I was away was another moment that I was letting her down. And risking further exposure with every passing moment.

It was only a matter of time before I was found out, but I needed to use every moment of that time to find out who had attacked and raped my mother.

Riley’s words kept ringing in my ears.

“What would your mother want?” she had said.

But I couldn’t, no, I wouldn’t let it go. This was something I needed to do for me as much as my mother’s memory. I could never live with myself if I didn’t avenge her and honor her memory.

It was a challenging prospect, but it felt like I didn’t have a choice.

And while I missed Riley like the day misses the sun, this was something I had to do.

Lost in those reflections, I was only half-paying attention to what I was doing. I grabbed a thick, heavy logbook from atop a new pile I had pulled from a shelf. Glancing at the date, my mind suddenly snapped back into focus.

The place name and date on the logbook matched my mother’s village and the day she was taken. This was the logbook of the prisoners taken that day by the Aetamian army and who was responsible for what. I couldn’t believe it. This was what I had been looking for.

I furiously flipped through the pages, tracking down my mother’s name. I couldn’t believe I had finally found this, and when I was only partially invested.

I found the section where my mother should have been listed, both her and her captor.

Anticipation welled up inside me. Finally, here it was.

But then, that anticipation popped like a soap bubble.

The pages were gone. Someone had ripped them out.

I shook the logbook, flipping through it to make sure it wasn’t stuck in the binding or between pages somewhere.

Nothing.

“Dammit!” I said out loud, my voice hushed by the shelves and papers surrounding me.

Someone wanted that information kept private. Who? Why? And what the fuck was I going to do now?

I stood up from the desk, pushing it away from me, books and papers sliding off and all over the floor. Leshone was going to kill me for that, I thought.

Then it occurred to me.

The Inquisitors. They would also have records for every prisoner brought before them. The Aetamians were meticulous record keepers.

But those records weren’t public, and the Inquisitors’ offices were locked and guarded. A lot of information was in there that they would prefer not make its way out into the general public.

I made the decision in an instant. I had to get in there and find the records that were missing here. That would give me the answers I was looking for.

Moving swiftly, I stacked all the books and records I had pulled from the various shelves in the library and left a note for Leshone, apologizing for the mess and telling her I would make it up later.

I left the library and crept out into the night, heading for the Inquisitors’ building. It rose up alongside the river that ran through the city. As I suspected, there were two guards out front. They also looked profoundly bored.

Good, I thought. Should make this a little easier.

I slid up along the side of the building from the rear. Waiting for a moment, I listened as the guards made small talk to pass the time. Then, as if the fates were smiling upon me, I heard one say that he was going to check the perimeter.

His boots crunched in the gravel as he approached. I flattened myself against the wall and waited.

Just as the guard was about to spot me, I lunged forward, catching him around the neck with my forearm. I rendered him unconscious before he could raise an alarm, then grabbed his helmet and slipped it on, lowering my head. In the dark, I hoped the other guard wouldn’t be able to tell the difference too readily.

Rounding the corner, I heard him yawning. “That was quick,” he said.

Without warning, I leaped forward, driving a fist into his face, hard and solid, right above the bridge of his nose.

He went down like a stone, out cold.

I supposed I could’ve killed them both and been done with it, but I wasn’t sure that these soldiers were really my enemies.

I opened the door to the offices quietly and looked around. I didn’t see or hear any other guards, but that wouldn’t last.

I stole up the stairs like a whisper. The records were on the second floor, towards the rear right hand side of the building.

Reaching the floor, I grabbed a candle off a nearby table, lighting it with the flint I always kept with me.

Now that I had the correct reference, I scanned all the shelves, looking for the log that would tell me who had captured my mother.

Down below, I heard muffled voices.

Damn it. They’d found them quicker than I’d thought. I needed to move quickly.

With careful speed, I moved from shelf to shelf, tracking the dates on them. Boots were coming up the stairs behind me. I had seconds at best.

And just then, there it was, the ledger I needed. I grabbed it from the shelf as the doors to the second floor banged open and the shouting of other Aetamian guards echoed in the room.

I couldn’t possibly fight them all, so I ran toward the rear of the chamber. There was one window, partially open already. I approached, pushed it open fully, and looked out.

The river rushed past below, and I took a deep breath.

“STOP!” a voice cried out behind me and I heard a crossbow bolt whiz past my head.

No time to think. I clutched the ledger to my chest and jumped.

As I plummeted to the water below, I hoped that the ink wouldn’t wash away.

RILEY

I always thought that, when the dawn broke, not only should the world be flooded with light, it should be flooded with heat. It never made sense to me that we had to wait for the day to “warm up”.

As those first beams of sunlight hit the land, it was never as warm as I wanted it to be. Why was that? I supposed that heat didn’t travel as fast as light. Which was bullshit as far as I was concerned.

Laws of thermodynamics, my ass, I mused bitterly as I wrapped a blanket around me, leaning on the balcony’s edge.

It was another early morning for me. Or maybe it was a late night. I couldn’t tell anymore. Sleep had become elusive, to say the least.

I would lie down exhausted, close my eyes, and promptly not fall asleep. The hours ticked by, one by one, in excruciating fashion, moving so slowly. There wasn’t a clock in my room (in fact, there weren’t many clocks in the D’Tali city. That was something I would need to ask Isabella about sometime) but I remained aware of the minutes creeping by.

My mind couldn’t stop turning with worry about Kator and thinking about his mission, his past.

That was an awful lot to deal with at such a young age. The fact that he wasn’t utterly consumed with anger at all times and hadn’t become a monster was a remarkable achievement. He had my utmost respect for that.

I couldn’t imagine what learning that your father raped your mother while she was a prisoner and then she died when you were born would do to you, to your spirit, your soul. To me, it was a sign of strength that he had been able to handle it as well as he had.

Obsession was something I understood all too well. I had seen plenty of it when I was a cop. You got stuck on a case, a puzzle that you couldn’t solve, and you absolutely could not let it go. You couldn’t, you wouldn’t, and moreover, you didn’t want to let it go. It was like an itch you couldn’t scratch because it kept running away from you.

I had seen that plenty in my time as a police officer. Trying to solve a murder, an assault, a robbery. All the pieces dancing in front of you, clues that seemed unconnected but must be connected, evidence piling up that didn’t add up to anything, but it had to add up.

There were stories of cops and detectives getting lost in those cases that they couldn’t close. Even after they’d retired, taking case files home and working on them over and over again, while wives and husbands and children asked for attention instead.

But they couldn’t give it.

Because the crime was what mattered. Solving the crime. And that was its own white whale. There were plenty of ex-cops still looking for justice. But there were just as many, if not more, who wanted the answer.

When they got the answer, the niggling in their brain stopped.

Finally.

It got quiet.

And then you could sleep.

After days, weeks, months... years, sometimes. You finally slept.

There’s a reason that cops look old so fast.

I sighed at that thought, wrapping the blanket around me tighter. Even with that covering, I could feel the cold stone I leaned on. It was like it was breathing cold at me.

How this day was ever going to warm up, I had no idea.

That’s the other thing about not sleeping. The way the days stretched out, it felt like the hours lasted forever. And the idea of a day passing, the idea of the sun heating up the world after a cold morning, seemed impossible.

It was like those old cartoons I saw as a kid, when the animated mouse would run down a hallway and it would stretch out father and farther and farther.

That’s what time felt like with a lack of sleep, warmth a fantasy for other people. But not for you.

I shook my head.

The brain takes some odd turns, doesn’t it, I thought and laughed at myself.

A brisk wind suddenly blew across the parapet I was standing on and it cut through my blanket like a knife. I shuddered and shivered, backing up from the edge I was leaning on.

I hoped Kator was all right in this cold. I hoped he wasn’t alone somewhere, with a fierce wind biting him like a wolf. I hoped he would come back to me soon.

I took one last deep breath of the clean, cold air and turned to go back inside. Maybe I would lie down a bit more. Maybe I could snatch a little sleep before the day took over.

But as I scanned the horizon and the grounds in front of the palace one last time, something caught my eye.

There was a figure shambling towards the city gates. Whoever it was, he stumbled left and right, unable to move in a straight line. Something was wrong with whoever it was.

Then it struck me:

It was Kator.

I could tell by the way the figure moved. It was him. He had made it back!

And he was in trouble, hurting.

Without thinking, I hurled the blanket off and threw on shoes and a jacket, running through the palace to Isabella’s rooms.

I pounded on the door. “Isabella! Isabella! Wake up!!”

I pounded and pounded until I heard the shuffling of sleepy feet. The door cracked open and Vokar appeared, more than a little dazed.

“Riley? What time is it? What’s wrong?” He opened the door wider as Izzy appeared behind him.

“Honey,” she said, “what is it?”

I shook my head and grabbed Vokar by the shoulders. “He’s here, Vokar!”

“What? Who?”

“Kator! He’s back! I just saw him now, outside the city walls. He can barely stand. He’s hurt! You have to help him, please!”

Whatever sleepiness remained in the two of them vanished in an instant. Vokar sprang into action, throwing on his boots and a cloak.

“Izzy,” he said, “go wake up Camilia. I know she has to be careful with the baby, but we’re going to need a healer. I’m going to grab a patrol and ride out to meet him, bring him in.”

“I’m coming with you,” I said.

Vokar shook his head.

“Absolutely not. I don’t know what state he’ll be in or who or what may be following him. I need to make sure it’s safe.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but Isabella cut me off.

“Listen to him, Riley. You can come with me and help Camilia prep the med bay,” she said.

I hesitated, every fiber of me screaming inside to see Kator, to hold him and comfort him --but I knew they both were right.

“Yes, okay,” I said, nodding.

Vokar put a hand on my shoulder. “I will bring him back to you, Riley. I promise.”

“Thank you, Vokar,” I said. He nodded, moving with speed and purpose. He kissed Isabella on the forehead then ran out of their rooms to get a patrol.

Isabella took me by the hand.

“Come on, let’s go get everything ready. Who knows what kind of shape he’ll be in when they get him back here,” she said. And off we went.

Despite the hour, and despite her condition, Camilia leaped into action. Mindful of the baby, she instructed the two of us on what we needed to prepare and what supplies to have on hand.

I heated water and got bandages and sutures ready to go. Isabella sterilized all the instruments and prepared all the salves and balms Camilia had concocted over the years.

I was putting clean sheets on the exam bed when the door to the sick bay banged open. Vokar pushed his way in, carrying Kator in his arms.

“KATOR!” I cried out and ran to him.

“Easy,” Vokar said, “he’s kind of out of it.”

“Kator,” I said, stroking his forehead as Vokar brought him to the bed. “Honey...”

He managed a weak smile and touched my face. “I... I g-gave you... my word...”

I smiled and started crying. “Yes, you did. And you kept your word, baby. You kept it for me.”

“Let me take a look at him,” Camilia said, and Vokar laid him down on the bed.

He was a mess of cuts and scrapes and bruises, with one doozy on his head.

“Camilia,” I said in a worried tone.

She looked at me with the calm that only a medic can possess.

“I don’t know yet, Riley, but it doesn’t look overly serious. We need to clean these wounds and stitch them up. He needs food and water and some sleep more than anything else right now, I’m guessing. But I’m going to do a thorough examination of him to be sure. I think we’re lucky, overall.”

Looking Kator over, I noticed he clutched something in his arms.

“Kator, let me see,” I said, gently prying his arms apart. “What is it?”

A fire burned in his eyes suddenly and he gripped my wrist. I could feel his old strength in that grip.

“I found it, Riley, I found it. Don’t let it go,” he said, then he passed out.

Isabella looked at me questioningly as I took the ledger and held it close to my chest.

“What is that, Riley? What did he find?”

I looked at the ledger and looked back up at her.

“He found out who destroyed his life.”

KATOR

“Hold still, Kator.”

Riley’s faux-impatient voice drifted over my shoulder and a smile touched my lips. She was busy taking careful instruction from Camilia and changing my bandages and was proving to be an anxious but careful nurse. I wasn’t worried. Under Camilia’s patient tutelage, Riley was responsible for half of my healing. Insisting on helping, Riley had anxiously fluttered around me while Camilia explained what salves and treatments she was administering, and eventually grew so impatient to be of use that she demanded she do it herself.

I couldn’t help it, but the knowledge of her worry was almost as healing as the actual ointment she was reapplying.

I closed my eyes. I could only feel the tender touch of her fingers tracing one of the scars on my back with a cooling lotion. It was a delightful swamping of the senses. The only consolation to having spent such a long week recovering from my wounds was that Riley was almost always there.

“That’s great, Riley,” Camilia said. She patted me on the shoulder. “Your Riley is quite the nursing natural.”

My Riley. I liked that our connection was known and acknowledged.

“She is,” I said, practically purring.

“There,” Riley said with finality, withdrawing her fingers. I suddenly ached to feel them on my back again. But soon enough it was Camilia’s skilled, no-nonsense hands rewrapping the bandage. I opened my eyes and Riley’s face was swimming in front of mine. When our gazes met, her face broke out into a nervous smile.

“You’re fretting again, aren’t you?” I murmured, grinning.

“It’s really looking so much better,” she said with encouragement. “You’ve come so far in just a week.”

“You have,” Camilia agreed, finishing up and coming around to face me. She was wiping the salve off her hands onto her apron and smiling, albeit faintly. “I’m impressed, Kator. You really do look worlds better.”

“Just like I said,” Riley added happily.

“But now is not the time to go off gallivanting again—you still need to rest,” Camilia warned, speaking more to Riley than me.

“Kator’s not going anywhere,” Riley said quickly. She sat at the edge of my bed and threaded her fingers into mine. She seemed so certain.

“Not if you two have anything to say about it,” I quipped, though my heart sank. I laid back gingerly onto my pillows. My wounds may have been looking better, but they certainly didn’t feel healed yet.

“See?” Riley smiled broadly at Camilia. “He’s staying put.”

My heart tore in two as I watched Riley’s happy face. She was so excited by the prospect of my long-term stay in Tahkath that I couldn’t bring myself to remind her that eventually, I would have to leave again. I wanted so badly to stay with her for as long as I could—but I also knew that I couldn’t stop until I had completed what I had always set out to do. Find my father… and avenge my mother.

Camilia watched me carefully, and I avoided her eye. Perhaps because she was a healer, or perhaps because she was not clouded by Riley’s feelings, I sensed she understood that my mind was partly elsewhere. Rather than expose me, however, she nodded respectfully and left the room where I had been lying for the past week, often with Riley by my side.

Riley turned to me as Camilia closed the door behind her. My love’s glimmering hazel eyes were blazing with a steady heat I knew well.

“We’re alone,” she said pointedly.

I chuckled and sat up again, moving carefully so as not to strain myself. “We are, indeed, Riley.”

Riley’s lips found mine. The kiss was deep, and in it I could feel her air of celebration. Why shouldn’t she celebrate? As far as she was concerned, I was on the mend and the two of us were looking at a long, uninterrupted future ahead of ourselves. I returned the kiss, relishing the sweet taste of her mouth, but stopped just short of any further temptation. Riley withdrew and looked at me quizzically.

“What’s up?” she asked. “Are you still feeling sore?” Her face transformed from yearning to sudden concern. “I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “I’m jumping the gun here.”

“No, no,” I denied instantly, drawing her close to me. “You’re not jumping anything. I want nothing more than to… ah…” I felt heat fly up to my cheeks. “I want nothing more than to make you writhe with pleasure again,” I whispered. Unbidden, her face broke out into a mischievous smile. “But I’m still recovering,” I continued, taking her hands in mine.

“Of course,” Riley said easily, squeezing my hands in hers. “I totally understand.”

I wasn’t lying—my body was still healing from my injuries, though it longed to be with her. Riley and I hadn’t lain with each other since the night out in the desert. Thinking about being with her made me feel almost drunk, but I had to be responsible. The next time I touched her, I wanted to touch her with all my strength. The next time I drank from her sweet cup, I needed to be healed.

“I knew you would,” I replied, feeling a twinge of guilt. Riley was so energetic and caring. How could I not tell her how I couldn’t plan to stay with her in Tahkath forever?

Distracting me from my internal spiral, Riley insisted we descend from my tower room to dinner. She led me down to the meal at a shared table between her, Sofia and King Dojak, Isabella and Vokar, and Camilia and Troko. My D’Tali brothers cheered at the sight of me walking slowly in Riley’s hands to the table. Through the courses, I ate my fill and delighted in watching Riley’s animated face chatting cheerfully with the others. I was almost able to eat and be merry along with the rest of the group.

But something pulled me back to my room. Though the food had long been consumed, it didn’t look like the conversation was winding down, and so I quietly excused myself from the table, citing my exhaustion.

“He’s right,” Camilia nodded. “He should go rest.”

Riley automatically stood to come with me, but I waved her down. “No, Riley, you’ve been too good to me,” I said quickly. “Sit, enjoy yourself. I promise all I’m doing is going to sleep.”

Riley’s concerned eyes studied my face carefully. I tried my best to look earnest. In the end, she squeezed my hand and placed a kiss on my cheek before letting me retreat to my room.

When I returned, I tried to do exactly as I’d promised Riley: I climbed straight into my bed and attempted to sleep. But sleep was a fool’s errand in that moment, as I could have guessed. I couldn’t rest, knowing that what I had for years longed to learn was bound in leather, just feet away from me.

It was time. I had to know who my father was. I rose from my bed and went straight to the ledger lying on the table. All week it had taunted me, but there was always something else I could distract myself with—Riley, or my healing, or Riley again.

I stood over the ledger and opened its weathered cover. My heart screamed for me to scramble through the pages, but I knew that if I didn’t move slowly, I might miss it, and I couldn’t bear the thought of not discovering who I was tonight. I scanned each page carefully until my eyes stopped on a familiar name.

Nerema.

There she was—my mother, her name scrawled messily in the ledger of an Aetamian war tome, busily describing all of the prisoners and collateral to that ancient war between them and the D’Tali. I followed the line under her name where the notetaker had added a brief message. I had to squint in the flickering candlelight to read it.

D’Tali woman. Now with child. Recommended swift disposal of both mother and fetus.

My heart stopped. My mother’s rape and my inception had been recorded. But neither of us were supposed to live. She’d bought herself months by escaping—I never did discover where she had found safety—but she’d bought me my lifetime.

I had to know, and I was so close.

The last columns of the row listed the D’Tali victims’ captors and their interrogators. I recognized some of the names in the columns listed next to countless other D’Tali prisoners, but there was only one name that I wanted to know.

My breath caught as my eyes slid over to that final box.

I blinked. I re-read the name.

Only one person had had constant access to my mother.

My ears started to ring.

Rage coursed through my veins and I felt no pain, no tenderness in my muscles nor sore tightness around my scars. I stumbled backwards from the table and found myself breathing heavily.

It couldn’t be.

Without thinking, I took the ledger and threw it as hard as I could. Not hearing a satisfying enough crashing sound, I threw the candle after it, watching as the flame flickered to a wet stop as the hot wax slopped over the wick, and the candle and holder broke apart and clattered to the floor. The room was dark, alight with nothing but my rage.

I picked up the table and threw it at the wall. One of the legs broke in two and the table fell with a CRACK to the floor.

My knees hit the floor, and I screamed into the night.

RILEY

When I heard the scream, my blood ran cold.

I had been walking to Kator’s room to check up on him anyway, and was nearly there, but hearing his strangled cry of rage stopped my heart. What was going on? My feet tripped into an outright run. With everyone else still in the dining hall, no one else was in earshot, but my concern for Kator kept me from calling for backup.

I had suspected something was wrong—all through dinner Kator had looked distracted and upset. It was a different energy than his muted, albeit optimistic, presence during the peak of his healing. Something had happened.

My feet pounded the stone of the hallway as the screaming intensified. Pretty soon, other people would come running to see what was going on. I rounded the corner to Kator’s room and found the door shut. When I pushed it open, the door only swung inward a crack before it hit something hard that blocked its path.

“Kator!” I shouted, bringing my face to the crack in the door. “Kator, what’s going on?”

Kator howled like he was in tremendous pain. My heart dropped into my stomach. His screaming ripped through me like a jagged knife. It was the worst sound I’d ever heard.

I tilted my eyes down and saw that something blocked the door from opening, but it moved when I applied pressure. I took a step back from Kator’s door, gritted my teeth, and launched myself at it, hoping that would do the trick. The force of my body blasted away the obstruction and I tumbled into the room.

It looked like a bomb had gone off. The table that normally stood underneath the open window was broken in two. Part of it had been the structure blocking the door, and the legs were smashed to splinters. As my eyes drunk in the horrible scene, I found Kator sitting at the edge of his bed, his hands gripping his head. His shoulders shook as he howled.

“Kator! What’s going on?” I demanded, running to him and dropping to my knees to face him. I pried his hands away from his head and inspected his face and body. No new gashes, no signs of a recent fight. But his face was contorted with torturous pain, and tears were streaming down his face. My heart felt bruised just looking at him.

“Kator,” I repeated, gentler this time. “Are you hurt? What’s happened?”

Kator shook his head. His howls had diminished to quiet moans. He took back one of his hands and covered his eyes, while the other gripped mine tightly. I pressed my body close against his and wrapped myself around him. What had happened that wrecked him like this? I’d never seen him lose control of himself like this before.

In due time, Kator’s moaning stopped, and he breathed heavily in my arms. Finally, when I thought he would never speak, he murmured just one word, “Moffat.”

I drew back from our embrace. “What about him?” I asked.

Kator met my eyes, his normally composed face distorted with fury. His expression was so startling, I almost gasped. “Moffat captured my mother, raped her, and ordered her to be killed. Moffat is…” Kator’s face twisted again with an indescribable rage. “Moffat is my father.”

Without warning, Kator stood and began pacing up and down the length of his room. I stared at him with shock. I knew that Kator had been looking for answers about his origins, but I’d had no idea this is what he would find. Suddenly, his tortured screams made all the sense in the world.

“I want to kill him,” Kator said savagely, his voice raw and biting. “I want to kill him with my own hands and watch him die for what he did. He’s an evil monster, he’s—” Kator stopped, freezing in place.

“I’m a monster,” he groaned, and slumped down to the floor. “I’m the monster—I’m his son. I’m just as bad as he is.”

My breath caught and I ran to him, taking his face in my hands and wrenching it upwards. “Never say something like that,” I pressed, looking deep into his eyes. “You’re not a monster!”

Kator shook his head, tears streaming down his face. “I hate myself,” he whispered.

I dropped to my knees again to remain at eye level and shook my head vigorously. “Not acceptable,” I said clearly. “I do not accept that.”

Kator leaned his face into the palm of my hand, turning inwards. He shook his head. He was so distraught he couldn’t speak. My heart pounded. How could I make him see how good he was?

“Kator, you are a thousand times the man Moffat will ever be. I couldn’t love a monster,” I replied simply.

His gaze snapped to mine. He was shocked to hear me use those words. Hell, I was shocked too. But they came out of me so naturally, and it felt right to hear them out loud. Why shouldn’t I say it? It was true.

He searched my face. I could tell he was looking for any signs of misgivings, regret about what I had just said. But I regretted nothing, and a moment later, his lips met mine.

The kiss started slowly, my lips parting gently to feel his tongue against mine. Yet soon enough, neither of us could hold back, and Kator’s tongue filled my mouth. His hand cupped the back of my head and held me captive within the kiss. I was a willing prisoner. My hands roamed his thick chest. Within minutes, I was exploring underneath his shirt, moving gently against the bruises and bandaged slices, trailing my fingers softly up the length of his torso.

Kator responded by lifting me up by my ass, and the two of us rocketed upwards into the air. He carried me straight to the bed as I straddled his strong abdomen, and together we tumbled onto the ripped sheets. It appeared that even the bed had not been safe from Kator’s rage.

There was no rage anymore, just a hungry need to feel and reciprocate the love I had expressed. I could feel his body responding ravenously, affirming my own admission. Clothes on, we moved to the rhythm of our love, small mewls escaping me and joining his yearning grunts.

“Riley, I—” Kator murmured, and his hard manhood rubbed against the fabric of my pants, already moist with my feverish anticipation.

/“I know,” I gasped. “Don’t say anything.”

Kator wrenched himself from me and gingerly removed his shirt. He exhaled in pain as his shirt tugged against his bandages, and I sat up, quietly repositioning them. He was in so much pain, inside and out. I longed to take it into my own body. Instead, Kator gently closed his hands over my fingers and brought them to his lips.

He moved his kisses from my hand to my wrist and up my arm, lifting my shirt off my body as he did so. He unclasped my bra and threw it across the room. My breasts ached for his touch, and he met them with his tongue and teeth, nipping at them and sending my head lolling backwards as I breathed heavily.

Kator ripped my pants from my legs, drawing my panties down with them. He burrowed his face into my hot, wet crevice and trailed his thumb up and down the throbbing entrance of my opening. Slippery, I moaned with tortured heat. Kator hummed his agreement, his tongue circling and spiraling around my clit.

Just when I thought my pleasure was likely to crest its pressured peak, Kator stopped, bringing me to a shuddering halt. I looked up, confused and impatient, only to see that he had removed his own pants, revealing his tumescent member. Though I had seen it before, it hadn’t diminished in my memory.

“Now,” I begged. “Please.”

Kator grabbed me, flipping me around so that I was presented on my hands and knees. All I could see were my own hands bracing against the thin mattress, waiting anxiously for his enormous cock to enter me. I closed my eyes as I felt his tip barge through my slippery folds and gasped.

“Kator,” I moaned.

“Oh, Riley,” he replied, and pushed the rest of the way in.

Within moments, we had found our rhythm and pulsated against each other, filling the room with the sounds of our passionate thrusts. I felt my ass clap against his scaly abdomen. His hands were tight around my hips, guiding me on his cock, helping me to my elevated pleasure. All I ever wanted was this, right here, right now.

It was all I was going to get. Kator pushed deeper inside me, gasping with delight as I clenched my walls around him. I wanted to draw out his pain and leave only ecstasy. I wanted to show him how loved he was. He needed to know that though Moffat was part of his origin story, he was not part of his fate.

“Riley,” Kator gasped, moving his hands from my hips to my breasts and wrenching me upwards, my back arched against the scales on his stomach. I wrapped my arms around his neck, clinging for dear life as his fingers found my clit and began to tease it. My grip on this moment was slipping. I felt only joy, only cascading pleasure and bubbling, hot pressure. I tightened my hold on his neck and tightened my pussy around his cock. I was powerless to stop the avalanche just around the corner…

We both cried out in shuddering, blinding, loving bliss, climaxing and unclenching together. Kator whispered my name over and over as his warm seed filled me to the brim. I responded equally gladly with his name.

As we collapsed together onto the bed and he held me tightly to his chest, I knew that I was not alone in my feelings. I knew, though he hadn’t said it, that Kator loved me too.

KATOR

The moons shone dimly through the window, bathing us in a mild, perfect light. Looking down across the exposed patches of Riley’s gilded body, I pulled the blanket further up, lest she get cold. She breathed lightly in her sleep, shifting gently as I nestled against her. As much as I would have loved to continue feasting my eyes on her body, protecting her against the cold felt more important.

Protecting her against anything, really.

Her words still careened around inside my ribcage, threatening to crack it open and sail free. She loved me. The admission was more than I could have allowed myself to dream. Being able to hold her and share intimacy with her after hearing that was one of the richest experiences of my life.

Because I loved her too. How could I not? Even if it had nothing to do with some sort of fated bond, I may well have found Riley irresistible. Her strength, the perfect sharpness of her mind, and the gentle, but steely core of her spirit were undeniable. I almost chuckled at my fortune of being the one to love her.

But there was another passion festering in the shadows of my heart. Something so dark, so malignant, that it threatened to overpower the majesty of what I felt for the woman in my arms. And that was my hatred for Moffat.

Thinking of him, I clenched my fists in the darkness. If I wanted to offer myself to Riley, she deserved nothing less than the best of me, the whole of me. And I would never be whole while King Moffat of Aetam breathed. The dark fire of his crime would consume me, even as our love tried to quench it.

I was left with no choice. I had to become entirely D’Tali—to kill the Aetamian in me. And that meant killing King Moffat.

Easing my arm out from under her neck, I slid to the edge of the bed and looked down on my sleeping goddess. Tucking the blanket around her, I planted a kiss on her forehead. And with that kiss, I planted a promise: to fight in her name.

Dressing quietly, I readied myself for all that lay ahead. Before I stepped into the corridor, Riley shifted in her sleep. Turning back in the doorway to regard her, I held my breath in case her eyes opened and found me. If she woke, I might never leave. I might let all the world burn to be with her.

She slept on. I whispered to her through the shadows. “Riley Evans, I love you. Everything I do is for you.”

With that, I stepped into the hallway and toward my destiny. Hugging the walls, I crept to each corner.

I might be a guest here, but there would be questions if I was found running around in the middle of the night.

Thanks to our conversations back in the Aetamian kingdom, I had a notion as to where the armory was situated. The only danger was in getting taken before I made it there. My vengeful heart would be poisonous if I wound up locked away. It simply wasn’t an option.

Padding cautiously down a flight of stairs, a whispered conversation filtered up to meet me. Two midnight guards kept a peaceful vigil.

“Best I ever had,” one said.

“You need to get out more,” the other chuckled.

“The fuck I do! If you can find a better dish of orlian in Tahkath, I’ll eat this sword.”

“I grant you, Gurik serves the best orlian in the western quarter, but you need to venture beyond your own streets. Head to the south.”

“Don’t say it,” the first voice cut in. “Don’t you dare say Nuvil’s.”

“Will you let me finish?”

In some ways, it was refreshing to find that conversations were the same everywhere. When one is raised in the belief that a whole people are an enemy, it’s hard to imagine them squabbling over favorite places to eat. One believes that the whole of their lives is consumed with nefarious plans.

Their debate flared with good-natured heat, and I held my breath as I slipped further down the steps. The two guards stood just off the corridor with their backs to me. The way I needed to go was clear, but sneaking past them would be hard. I could practically see the door to the armory, and my whole body itched to make the dash.

“You can’t be serious!” One of the men let out a bleat of laughter, and wandered out of sight.

“Wait, hang on. Will you hang on a second?” With a smirk, the second guard ducked after his friend, and opportunity fell open before me.

Springing ahead, I dashed down the hallway in swift silence. An adulthood of spying had rendered me adept at moving silently and unseen.

In an instant, I was at the door. Offering a mute plea to the Ancestors, I tried the handle. With a small click, the door opened.

Slinking through, I snugged it closed behind me, and the first leg of my journey broke into success. I turned to find a room lined with anything I could have asked for. All through Aetam, it was well known that the D’Tali boasted less advanced weaponry. But the volume of it was staggering.

I may never have been much of a bowman, but freshly minted crossbows promised to do the job for me. Rows of swords sat glinting in their racks, and a wide array of daggers tempted the treacherous desires in my chest. Right in front of me was everything I would need.

Better still, racks of breastplates presented themselves. Walking among the bounty, I donned a coat of chainmail, then ran greedy fingers over the armor. A sturdy leather chest piece came to rest on my shoulders. Heavy gauntlets guarded my arms against anything that I might encounter.

It was tantalizing to weigh myself down, but there was a journey ahead, and I would need to move easily and quietly. If I was going to go overboard on anything, it was the weaponry. Fastening a sword to my hip, I collected a crossbow and a brace of bolts. After that, it was time to load myself up with daggers.

One for each boot, another three for my belt, and one for the glorious task. Poring over them, it seemed inordinately important to find just the right one to sink into Moffat’s withered throat. That couldn’t be the duty of just any old blade. It needed to be cruel enough for the work, yet beautiful enough for the glory.

Then I found it.

Tucked among his glittering brothers was a taut little stiletto. The wooden handle boasted a single golden ring at the pommel, and the blade fairly reeked of noble blood. It was perfect.

Finding its home on my belt, I was ready to set out. At the far end of the arsenal was a door. What little I knew of Tahkath beyond Riley’s quarters and the corridors between told me it should lead outside. But why would any respectable kingdom have such ready access to their storehouse of weapons? The D’Tali were smarter than that.

Walking over, I gritted my teeth and prepared to push through. It was possible I would encounter a room full of guards at their leisure. If so, I would have to fight my way out, and I hated the thought of shedding D’Tali blood. But if an ocean of it lay between me and the throat of the bastard who sired me and condemned my mother, then I would wade in up to the chin.

A musky smell greeted me, accompanied by a muted snuffle. Stall after stall of numa ate quietly in the night. There was no way I could ride all the way into Aetam, but one of those mounts would carry me as far as the outer bounds.

Vanishing among them, I hunted out their eyes until I found a pair that gleamed without a trace of sleep. Deep into the stable, I found what I was after. A single numa trotted about his pen, seemingly as eager to be free as I was to free him. Reaching out, I placed a palm to scrub just below his quartet of horns.

“Is it you?” I whispered. “Are you up to the task?”

A rumbling grunt told me that he was. It was as if the whole of the Ancestors were behind me, guiding every choice I made. The inevitability of success glowed in my heart, chasing away the venomous doubts that clouded there. Now there were two radiant swells inside me, one light and one dark.

One had to earn the other.

Drawing my steed out to the shadows of the night, I swung up to his back and looked up at the stars. They had watched over me this far, and I breathed in the best they had to offer. With that, I landed a series of tight kicks on the numa’s hard sides and we galloped out toward Aetam.

My aim was to have the sun rise to find Moffat’s head on a spike. No matter how many Aetamians had to fall, I was bound to accomplish my dark ambition, even if I had to die in the process.

RILEY

I stirred in the muted warmth of the room, and sent a searching hand over the covers to seek out the firm weight of my lover. My body still tingled with the waves of what we had been up to before toppling into sleep. The bed was cold. Indulging in that little hazy comfort that hangs at the edges of sleep, I curled up and hunted out his scent on the pillow.

Was he really gone?

“Kator?” At first, all I could manage was a light mumble. Then, the frost of his absence settled over me, and my eyes flashed open. Sitting bolt upright in the dark, the prickling sting of the morning air raised goosebumps across my bare skin. Pulling the blanket around my nakedness, I shivered, and searched through the shadows of the room.

“Kator?”

He wasn’t sitting quietly watching me sleep as he might have been. Or standing at the window to watch the sunrise over the dew-covered rooftops, something he might have done even a few days ago—relishing the safety and comfort of our little haven. But he’d become obsessed with the shitty hand he’d been dealt.

If he wasn’t beside me, then I knew exactly what he was doing. In truth, I’d known he might try something foolish. I could feel the vibrating need inside him. So I’d wreathed him extra tightly in my arms before we drifted off to sleep, as if the fact of my body and the love we shared would be enough to keep him.

Leaping fully into the chill of the room, I lit a candle and set about finding some clothes to cram myself into, something I could travel in. Shit, something I could fight in, if I had to.

I could picture Kator on some stolen numa, galloping through the dark night toward Aetam. He was determined to exact his revenge on a king who turned out to be more than a tyrant. After a lifetime of cowering under Moffat’s gaze, and struggling to gain rank in a world that looked down on him, Kator was simmering with a fresh, burning hatred.

It was like a cloud cast over him, and I knew that he wouldn’t be able to rest until his sky had cleared again.

There was something admirable in his sheer focus, if only he wasn’t so goddamn stupid in setting out alone. I knew he’d try to do it all by himself, and the danger of that chilled me.

Sailing out into the hallway, I went in search of the one man able to help me. If I could just find Vokar, I knew I’d have an ally I could count on. The D’Tali might be suspicious of my half-Aetamian love, but a history of clandestine dealings had bound those two like brothers.

Fortunately, at this hour, I knew where to find him.

Knocking lightly on Isabella’s door, I heard the quiet rumblings of people who didn’t want to get up. Not that I could blame them. Particularly after my own rude awakening. After a moment’s scuffling, the door eased open, and Isabella stood blinking away the puffy eyes of sleep.

“Riley? What is it?”

“I need to speak to Vokar. If I can?”

“What time is it?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “Late. Could I please speak to your husband?”

With a tired shrug, Isabella turned back into the chamber. Almost immediately, her slender figure was replaced by the shirtless Vokar.

“What do you need?” Clearly, he was far more used to midnight activities, because any of the grogginess of sleep was absent. His eyes were alert and he seemed ready for action. That was exactly what I was after.

“Could we step out in the hall for a second?” The last thing I wanted was for Isabella to hear any of this. There was a tiny glint in Vokar’s eye, as if he could smell intrigue in the air and was down for all of it.

“Alright,” he said, closing the door behind him. “What’s going on?”

“It’s Kator. He’s found some things out about Moffat and his mother, and it’s been eating him alive…”

“Don’t tell me. He’s gone, isn’t he?” All I could do was nod. Vokar scrubbed a hand over his face and glared at the floor. “That stupid bastard. He’s going back there on his own, is that right? Going in alone to try and kill that fucker Moffat.”

“I think so. No,” I shook my head. “I know it. He is.”

Vokar spun on his heel, and strode off down the corridor with such vigor that I had to jog to keep up. Winding down a set of stairs, he ducked into a hallway and stopped at a door. Giving a couple of solid raps, he pushed it open without waiting for a reply.

I hung behind him at the threshold. The room already had a candle burning, and two D’Tali men were seated at a table. At least, they must have been before the door swung open. Now they were both on their feet, daggers drawn and some sort of gambling game clattering on the table they’d just leaped up from.

“By the Ancestors, Vokar, don’t do that!” one of them said. “You nearly ended up with a knife in the gut.”

“You’d never have been able to get me and you know it, Lonric.”

“Fair,” the other one chuckled, sheathing his dagger in his belt. “What’s got you barging in at this hour?”

“It’s Kator.” Vokar was all business, and I felt like I was peering in on a secret meeting. Which I suppose I was. “He’s riding off alone to try and cut Moffat’s throat.”

Lonric whistled. “Shit. How long has he been gone?”

Vokar cut his eyes back to me, and I realized that my presence was actually more than decorative.

“Maybe an hour? Two at most.”

“Alright,” the third D’Tali said. “We need to hustle.”

Moving as one, the trio of bruisers led me through the castle with the kind of silence that could only come from a lifetime of killing for hire. You’d have thought that men of their size would have had heavy footfalls, but you’d be dead wrong.

At last, they shoved through a door, and the whole of our little party stepped into the royal armory. I’d known where it was, but had never actually been inside. The array of weapons was staggering, and the D’Tali moved among it all as if they could walk every inch of it blindfolded.

“I’ve got bad news, Strovan,” Vokar called from over among the daggers.

“What?” the third of the team asked warily.

“It looks like he took your favorite falchion.”

“Are you fucking serious? Man!” Vokar and Lonric had a hearty laugh at their friend’s expense, but the whole while, they armed themselves to the teeth with glittering blades.

“Why aren’t you just riding out? It’s possible we could still overtake him.”

“Even if we did,” Vokar said, lacing up some leather armor, “we wouldn’t be able to stop him. You know that.” It was true. I did know that. “Even if we did manage to bring him back tonight, he’d just pull the same stunt tomorrow.”

“What, then?”

“What else?” Strovan shrugged. “We’ll just have to join him. It’s been a while since I had some Aetamian blood on my hands. It’ll do me good.”

“You’re going to fight?” I asked, eyes wide.

“There’s not much choice.” Vokar was in his element. “If we can’t stop him, we can at least make sure he succeeds. But don’t worry,” he said, putting his hands on my shoulders to square me up. “I have a plan.”

The look on his face told me he meant it. As much as Vokar could seem like a kidder, there was something determined about him in that moment that I had never seen before, something almost forbidding. By the look of him, Isabella might just be the safest woman in Tahkath. Well, if Kator came home in one piece, the second safest.

“I’m coming with you.”

The words cracked out into the room, and the two D’Tali busily arming themselves fell still. Even Vokar’s face changed, and his grip on my shoulders tightened slightly.

“What?”

“I said, I’m coming with you.” Saying it again, my own certainty was firmer, and I could see that they knew it.

“Riley…” Vokar began, but I wasn’t giving an inch.

“What am I supposed to do? Sit here like some damsel in a castle, wondering if you’re going to bring my love back alive? Fuck that. If there’s blood to be shed, then I have a share in it. As Kator’s mate, I’m entitled to a portion.”

“So.” A sneaky grin played at Vokar’s lips. “You’re saying that you’re looking to cut some throats?”

“As many as I can reach,” I said. “If the whole of Aetam was after the man I loved, I’d fight them all for him.”

“Damn,” Strovan said. “Are you sure you don’t want to be my mate instead? I’d give anything for a woman who talks like that.”

“Sorry,” I shrugged. “I’m taken, fellas.”

“Well, alright then,” Vokar said. He stepped back to size me up. “I think there’s some boy’s armor that might just work for you. But we’re gonna have to lace it up. Tight.”

“Bring it,” I said. “I’m ready.”

“You know something, Riley?” He looked down on me with something like pride. “I think you are.”

KATOR

I left my ride several clicks away and ran the last stretch up to the Aetamian walls on foot. Though encumbered, I was practically sailing. The entire journey, my heart had echoed the drumming of the numa’s stride.

As dawn began to break over the forbidding walls of the city, I stepped back to breathe it in. Try though I might, I couldn’t smell any blood in the air. All the carnage crackling between my fingers had yet to be unleashed. The snap of its promise hung around me in a cloud. The whole of my mind lived in Moffat’s throat.

Almost all of it.

The lust for vengeance wasn’t my only companion for the journey. Riley had been singing in my veins at every moment. At times, it almost felt as though she had been calling me back to her side, begging me to give over the terrible task at hand. I’d very nearly turned around.

In the glass of my inmost eye, I saw her waking alone. The chill of her loneliness tickled at the base of my stomach. I had indulged myself with the image of her pulling the blanket tight around her naked body, searching for any vestiges of my warmth. In the moment of that reverie, the path of my revenge felt uncomfortably akin to abandonment.

But how could I abandon her? It was unthinkable. No, I had left to cleanse myself, to keep from staining her with my fury. If I had stayed and left the job undone, the open sore of my past would have swallowed us both. That was too great a risk.

As I scurried along the outer edges of the city wall, I cast an eye toward the horizon, to gauge the progress of the day. A rising cloud of dust caught my eye, and my spine tingled knowing that riders were closing in behind me. Had I been trailed? Had Moffat and his treacherous son left battalions in the forest to watch for me?

If that was the case, then my path to justice might be cut short before it even began. I’d find myself outnumbered, and cast in chains before my hateful father, to spit my curses in his teeth before my execution. Stripped of my weapons, my pride, and my name. Nothing left but bastardy and vitriol.

Lest it should be so, I sprang from the wall and into a stand of trees nearby. Grinding myself into the dirt, I crawled along until I found a vantage point that gave me the drop on the troop. Their numa had slowed to a trot, and they cleaved curiously close to the tree line. There was every chance they would ride directly in front of me.

As they drew near, I saw a familiar face. At the head of the hunting party was Vokar, furtive as always. He knew how to approach Aetam, and I marveled that he had led his team so brazenly out in the open. It was remarkably incautious for him, and spoke of a haste out of keeping with his usual deliberation.

Then, just to his left, on the far side from me, I saw a figure in a hood. Even with only the faintest peek at her pearly white jawline, I knew it was Riley. That explained the urgency—they had come to overtake me.

“Hsst!” Pushing to my feet, I came to the very edge of the wood and hissed out to them. Vokar saw me first.

“Are you insane?” I called softly. “Riding numa this close is suicide. Double around and meet me in the southern clearing.”

Vokar and his companions turned at my word and began their progress back, but Riley hesitated for the barest moment, and our eyes caught. Where I expected to find betrayal or hurt, I found only understanding. When she turned to join the rest, a blast of shame coursed through me. Why hadn’t I waited until she woke? Of course she would have understood.

As things were, she and others had risked their lives to come after me. My inability to face her had endangered all their lives. The best recompense I could make was to meet them and own up to it. If, however, they tried to stop me, they might as well not have come.

“It’s just like you, Kator,” Vokar said as he slid down from his mount. “Off to a party, and no invitation for me.”

“What I’m going to is no party,” I said. He had a habit of indulging in a bit of gallows humor, but I was far from in a joking mood. “The thing I’ve come for is mine to do.”

“Anything that’s yours is ours.” Lonric helped Riley down, and she ran over to me with eager eyes. “Why would you leave me like that, Kator? I woke up alone.” Her hands cooled the heat rising in my cheeks, and I reached to find her waist.

“I knew if I waited until you woke, that I would never come. My love,” I kissed one of her palms. “This is something I have to do.”

“Then we have to do it.”

“No,” I said. “It’s too dangerous for you, and if I leave it undone, it will eat me alive.”

“Nothing you do is too dangerous for me, Kator.” She stilled me with her firm hands, and waited until I was able to look into her eyes. They were clear, and strong. “Anywhere you go, I have to be. What if you died out here?”

“I won’t.”

“But what if you did? Kator, when I said I loved you, I meant all of you. Your pain and your anger too. They’re mine now. And, if you’re going to die doing this, then I’ll be damned if I let you die alone. You won’t make me live without you. I won’t let you.”

With so much of my life spent bereft of love or trust, the words poured into my wounds like clean water. Since the death of my mother, I had never had anyone who was willing to share in the entirety of my life. Now, for the first time, I realized the depth of what love could mean.

“Riley…”

“Oh, just kiss her already, will you?” Vokar leaned on his numa, looking impatient as always. Before I could take up the challenge, Riley stood on her toes and pressed her mouth on mine. I returned each impulse she sent, and we found a compact that felt strangely like equality. Like a shared path. How could I have left her behind?

When we had made our compact, I looked to Vokar and his team. It was rather humbling—some of his best were at his side.

“Shame to see how you raided our armory,” Lonric smirked.

“If you had just come to see me, I would have fitted you out myself,” Vokar said. “We’ve got things that will fit you better than what you stole.”

“I was in a hurry,” I shot back.

“So were we,” Strovan said. They were outfitted meticulously. But then, they knew the armory inside and out. I had merely grabbed what was most evident. Like me, each man was dripping with blades, and they had more than one crossbow among them.

“You didn’t take many bolts,” Lonric said. “So we opted to add to your store.”

He tossed me a bandolier that was studded with ammunition for my own crossbow. It was a welcome addition. Turning with a smile, I found Riley had pushed back her cloak to reveal her own thick leather jerkin.

It may have been cut for a man, but she had tightened it until it hugged her curves in a way that made me flush that others saw her. At nearly every possible strap, she had tucked dart-like knives, ready for any attack. On her hip rode what looked like a smaller version of the weapons Vokar had told me Isabella had repaired from the alien ship.

It was a marvel to see her, but somehow, I couldn’t tell her, the words sticking in my throat.

I pointed at her blaster instead. “Is that new?”

She patted the holster, a grin spreading across her beautiful face. She wiggled her eyebrows at me. “Isabella asked me to give it a good testing. Less bulk, more elegance, I say.”

“You weren’t kidding around.”

“Neither were you.” She reached out and nudged at my sword.

“Yeah, don’t let Dojak know you took that one,” Vokar chuckled. “He had it forged specially.”

“I took it for a special purpose.” At the reminder, I grew serious. The help would be welcome when it came to carving our path, but one thing needed to be understood. “Listen to me very carefully,” I said to the men. “Moffat is mine. Even if you get the perfect shot. Don’t rob me of this. Is that understood?”

They nodded. Whether or not Riley had told them the reason for my vengeance, this group of men understood what it meant to need a particular man’s blood on their hands. There was something sacred in it.

“Alright,” Vokar took control. “Suit up.”

Riley dropped her riding cloak, and each man yanked a bundle of clothes out of his riding pack. She retrieved her own satchel, and passed a handful of cloth over to me.

“What is this?”

“Disguises,” she said. I shook my head, but Lonric was already mostly dressed.

“Don’t fool around, Kator,” he said. “If you go in as you are, I suspect you’ll find yourself unwelcome. We’d be even less so. So…” he tugged a tunic over his head and presented himself. “We go in disguise as Aetamians.”

“You’re going to want to put your hood up,” Strovan said. “For the lady’s sake if nothing else.”

We all suited up together, and as I watched, Riley swaddled herself in Aetamian garments until she looked for all the world like a child of their kingdom.

With so many capable fighters at my side, I wondered why I had felt the need to set out alone. More than anything, I felt more steadfast with Riley at my side.

I would never leave her behind me again.

RILEY

It was hard not to squirm. I tried to stretch my legs out as best as I could, but seeing that I was sandwiched in between three barrels of wine, there wasn't much space.

I was definitely uncomfortable.

The shit you did for other people.

The cart rocked gently at the pace of the numa, and I did my best not to move. We were in dangerous territory, and I wasn't going to be the one to get all my new friends killed.

But damn, what I wouldn't give to stretch out my legs, even for five seconds.

We made it through the outside gate into the city. The city of the enemy. Aetam.

If we weren't careful, they would kill all of us. And probably publicly, knowing what I knew about the king and his nasty predilections.

Kator kept his hand on the cart, as if providing me some sort of intimacy and assurance with just a touch of the wood. I appreciated it, even the gesture was nice.

I was beginning to see why my fellow human woman had started to fall for the D’Tali, one by one. Sure, they had scales and horns instead of hair, but there was something about them.

Something that really made you feel safe.

Kator made me feel safer than I had felt in years. It was just as simple as that. I used to be a cop, back when that still meant something. Back before all this started. And my entire being wanted to protect Kator. And I wanted him to find success, at whatever he did.

So here I was, squished between a bunch of barrels of wine, twiddling my thumbs and trying not to eat my knees with every bump. Because Kator had business to take care of, and I needed to take care of Kator.

As we were passing through the streets of the city, Vokar took a sharp turn to the right, leaving us in the dust.

Confused, I looked around through the barrels as best I could. But Vokar had already disappeared. Apparently he had something better to do.

I didn't really have time to dwell on it. We were approaching the castle and shit was about to get real.

“I didn't know the king ordered any wine?” a palace guard asked one of the D’Tali soldiers. “And if he did, he didn't tell us about it.”

“Well, if you want us to turn around,” the D’Tali soldier said, “we can. But when the king doesn't get the wine he ordered, he's probably going to be pretty pissed off.”

I couldn't help but hold my breath. My pulse thundered in my ears, and my palms were so sweaty I had to wipe them on my pant legs. This was it. If we were turned away here, I wasn’t sure how we would get Kator into the castle.

Nor was I sure how we would get out of this alive.

And without Vokar, we were already one soldier short versus hundreds. This could end up being a slaughter, exactly like the banquet that Camilia had been to.

It wasn’t like King Moffat had a reputation for taking prisoners. If we were caught here, we would all die.

“The king wouldn't have ordered wine without us knowing,” the guard argued. “It's never happened before, so I really have no idea what you're talking about.”

“Your funeral.” The D’Tali soldier shrugged and made as if to turn the numa away from the gates. “But when he's short on wine tonight, don't be bitching to us about it. We’ll be long gone.”

The guard bought their bluff.

“Wait!” he called, clearly not wanting the responsibility of a sober king on his hands. “I suppose the king's son could have forgotten to tell us. Raise the gates!”

It was all I could do not to smile. I couldn't get too excited, not yet. There was still a lot of soldiers between us and getting into the throne room. But this was the first major step. After this, at least we were all within the walls.

At least we had a fighting chance.

The gates raised, and the cart resumed its gentle cadence through the gates as a strong, cooling breeze passed over us.

“Close the gates!” a guard yelled behind us.

Oh no. Something was terribly wrong. Worried, I searched for the source of the guard’s alarm.

Then I realized.

It was me.

The hood had fallen back from my face, just enough to reveal my entirely un-scaley cheek.

For a moment I locked eyes with Kator. And chaos broke loose around us.

“They know!” a D’Tali soldier gasped.

The other D’Tali pulled their weapons just as the Aetamian guards pulled theirs. I turned on my blaster and hoped desperately that I could get it to work like Isabella had shown me.

Yells surrounded me, and I leaped up to join the fray. I wasn't one to skip a party, that was for sure.

Swords clashed, arrows flew, and Kator took off to battle towards the main castle. And all I could do was go after him. I was a protector, and that applied to Kator, as well.

A sword swung at my head, and I ducked. Then I turned and shot the blaster, which was pretty similar to my old sidearm back in the day.

The kickback was bigger than my old gun, and it almost flew from my hand because I wasn't expecting it. But the soldier went down. Dead.

“This works great,” I gasped to no one. Kator was far ahead of me, and I needed to catch up. I sprinted after him, clearing the way with my blaster.

I had to make sure I stayed alive long enough to tell Isabella the blaster had worked. My main priority was helping Kator. He needed to do this, and I needed to help him. He needed to know that he had a family, even if we weren't related by blood.

Because as much as I had wanted to deny it, I loved him. I knew it in my bones; I knew it in my soul. So I would risk my life to help him. Just like I would for anybody else I loved, like Isabella or Camilia. Just like I used to for the people of my block, long before I came to this planet.

Maybe fifteen feet behind Kator, I saw which door he entered into the castle and followed him. I needed to catch up; I needed to talk to him.

I needed to make sure that he lived, because one thing was certain: I wouldn't be able to live without him. Not anymore, not in this lifetime.

The door slammed shut behind me, and it took a couple seconds for my eyes to adjust to the darkness inside the castle hallway.

A shadow caught my eye, and I ducked just in time. An arrow flew above my head and embedded itself in the wooden wall behind me.

“Hey!” I barked, pointing my blaster and firing. It caught the guard right in the chest, and he went down without much more of a fight. “Fuck you.”

I could hear a battle taking place ahead of me, and my eyes were beginning to adjust, so I rushed forward to help Kator.

I rounded the corner to see a guard being thrown off his feet and slammed into the ceiling. He crashed down to the floor and lay there unmoving.

“Well done,” I said to the panting Kator, who had no less than five dead Aetamian guards surrounding him. If I could swoon, I would have at that moment.

But there wasn't time for that shit.

“You shouldn't be here. This is a suicide mission. And I can't lose you.”

“And I can't lose you,” I said, not bothering to keep the annoyance out of my voice. “So, now that we're done making obvious and stupid statements, where to next, champ?”

“I love you.”

The words still sent shivers down my spine.

“And I love you. Now let's get this over with.”

Kator nodded his approval and led the way through the bowels of the castle. Most of the guards were concentrating on the battle outside, so it didn't take long for us to work our way through to the throne room.

To where Kator would finish it, once and for all.

I heard the chainmail armor before I saw the Aetamian guards behind us.

Two of them rounded the corner, and I took them both out easily. “Man, do I love this gun; Isabella is going to lose it when I tell her how well it works.”

Kator shook his head at me, something I figured he'd be doing lots of in our future.

“I've got this hallway; you go take the throne.”

“I can't leave you. I just found you, I can't lose you.”

I shrugged and shot two more guards as they rounded the corner.

“I'm having too much fun to join you,” I said with my most reassuring smile. “Plus, with how good this gun works, there's really not going to be much for you to do around here.”

Kator gave me a smile.

It didn't meet his eyes.

“I promise I'll be safe. I promise I'll be here when you get out of there. I promise I'll be here still, Kator. Nothing bad will happen to me.”

“If anything… anything changes...”

“I'll yell. Now, go take care of business, darling. I'm going to have some fun.”

I turned away to square my shoulders at the oncoming guards. I cracked my neck and smiled.

KATOR

I didn't want to leave her, but I had to.

Riley had my back. It was the first time I felt completely safe in trusting someone. So now, I had to go take care of business.

I had to go get my revenge. For my mother.

I didn't knock, instead striding into the throne room, my sword in hand.

King Moffat bared his teeth in a vicious snarl. “You traitor! Guards!”

“They’re a little busy right now,” I snapped, letting the anger and the hate flow through me as I took in the room. The king's son, Hulat, was the only other one present, making it a nice, tight little family party.

Good.

“How did you even get in here?” Hulat sputtered.

“I’m an assassin, remember? Did you really think you could keep me out?” I stared at him, my fury trapped in my chest.

“Until recently you were a valued member of my court,” Moffat hissed. “What changed, what turned you into a traitor against your king?”

“You’ve never been my king,” I answered. “I’ve just been waiting for proof. And now that I have it, I'm here to avenge my mother.”

“And who is your mother, that I should care?” Moffat laughed, a deep, mocking sound. “Did I slight her someway?” The laughter was dying in his eyes, and annoyance replaced it. “You're acting like a petulant child, and I don't have time for you.”

“Then make time.” The words hurt me, but I needed to tell him. I needed him to know why I was going to kill him. “Thirty years ago, you captured a D’Tali village, took everyone prisoner, including my mother. She eventually escaped, but not before you forced yourself on her, forced me into her. Luckily, a better man than you found her and raised me.”

Moffat’s eyes narrowed. “That was a long time ago.”

“And you would do it again in an instant if you had the chance,” I snarled. “As would your son.”

“Which son?” His lips spread in a cruel smile. “If your story is true, and it could be, I admit, then you would be my elder son. Do you really think you’re so different than I am?”

“I know it,” I spat back. “And now I’m here to end you.”

“Hmmm.” Moffat leaned back in his throne. “If your story is true, then I’d suspect your D’Tali blood would have weakened you. You’d be no match for a full-blooded Aetamian. Maybe, just maybe, you’re strong enough. In which case, I’d like to see you try.”

“Father!” Hulat’s shocked voice rang off the stone walls of the room.

King Moffat held up his hand, stopping his son's words. “Kill this pretender before you and prove to me that you've earned this throne. Or die, and know that your mother would be the only one who wept for you.”

Prince Hulat looked at me, fear on his brutish face. His fists clenched and unclenched, but I knew that I was going to win.

He was used to commanding everyone and had been so assured of immediate compliance that none challenged him directly, not anymore.

He’d gotten soft, and I planned to use that to my advantage.

Not with my mother beside me. Not with my D’Tali blood in my veins. The prince was going to die, and I would guarantee it. Because failure wasn't an option.

“Father, I don't think we even need to give this traitor the time of day.” Prince Hulat was trying to keep his voice steady, trying not to waver. The slightest quivering of his lips gave away his fear.

I had no fear in my heart, just righteous anger. And my anger would guide me.

“You embarrass yourself,” the king fired at his son. “Now, kill this liar. Kill this half-breed. Because if you don't, then you will die and I won’t lift a finger to save you.”

My entire focus was on Prince Hulat, on his sniveling face, on how he begged his father not to need to fight me.

I knew Riley was behind me, giving me the best chance to win.

And I loved her for it.

I loved her for how strong she was, for how she charged into battle at my side, how she wanted to protect me, just how I wanted to protect her.

There would be no dying today, not for us.

I would not be joining my mother, just honoring her memory.

“Quit complaining, and kill him,” King Moffat said, waving a hand dismissively. “I'm done with this conversation. And frankly, you've both wasted too much of my time. Only the strongest survive.”

I cracked my neck and squared my shoulders, not unlike Riley had just done. The sword at my side felt like it was supposed to be there, an extension of myself.

“Enough talk,” I bared my teeth. “Let's end this.”

“I have been wanting to do this for too long,” said Hulat, jaw clenching as he realized there was no way out. His sword rasped as he drew it and pointed it at me.

I grinned, full of feral delight.

I’d daydreamed endlessly about beating that nasty smirk off Hulat’s face. His very existence was an affront to the Ancestors.

At last, I had a chance to do something about that.

“Funny, I was just thinking the same,” I shot back. “I am thrilled that I get to be the one who ends your scum-sucking waste of a life.”

“I’m a waste? YOU are the traitor here,” Hulat snarled as he began to circle me.

I palmed the hilt of my sword but didn’t draw it. Not yet. I’d seen Hulat training, and I had a good sense of how this was going to go.

Out of the corner of my eye, I glimpsed Moffat smiling down at us. The old bastard had set his two sons at each other, and there wasn’t an ounce of concern in his eyes. No, Moffat was regarding us with only sadistic glee.

As I’d hoped, Hulat moved. He’d bought my fake distraction and launched himself right at me. He expected me to draw my sword and bring it up to block him. Then he could use his superior strength to muscle me down to the floor. I’d seen that trick too many times before to fall for it.

I waited until the last moment, then stepped under Hulat’s outstretched arm, dodging his attack. I kicked at his knee as he passed, landing a solid blow. He stumbled, but only for a minute.

“Oh, so you’re going to fight dirty, are you?” He spat at my feet, rage turning his scales an even sicklier shade of yellow.

“Like you weren’t,” I drawled, staying crouched. “You’ve never fought an honorable duel in your life, have you, Hulat?”

He roared and dove for me again, slicing at my chest. I leaned back just enough to avoid it, feeling only the ripple of air from the swing. Hulat had overcommitted, and the momentum of the swing twisted him so his back was to me.

Seizing the chance, I elbowed the back of his head, hard.

Hulat bellowed in pain, staggering away. I cursed. If I’d hit the right spot, he wouldn’t have been yelling. He would’ve been down for the count.

Now, he was looking at me with a lot more wariness than when we’d started. I gritted my teeth as he grounded himself. I’d lost my edge.

“Afraid of me now, are you? I guess you got too used to letting everyone else do your dirty work,” I taunted. Maybe I could still use his temper to my advantage.

Hulat clenched his fist, but that was all. That wasn’t a good sign. The few times I’d seen him rein in his emotions and focus on fighting, he’d been a formidable opponent.

I sighed and drew my sword. If he was going to wait for me to make the next move, then I might as well make it.

I neared him, keeping my pace slow and balancing on the balls of my feet. At the last second, I feinted towards his left. His torso shifted to block, and I threw myself at his unprotected right side.

Clang. Hulat’s blade met my own, shocking me. He’d known what I was trying to do and faked me out.

“You’re not the only one who can be clever,” he hissed. With a twist of his wrist, he nearly disarmed me. Just managing to hold onto my sword, I backed away.

“No,” I agreed, trying to buy myself some time to regroup. “There are many clever people in the world, but it’s going to take a lot more than that to convince me you’re one of them.”

Hulat merely smiled, and attacked.

The throne room rang with the sounds of our battle. We ranged across the floor, our blades clashing against each other over and over. We were evenly matched, except that Hulat was just a little bit stronger than me. I knew it, and so did he.

Too late, I realized he’d been driving me so my back was to a broad pillar. I jolted as my back struck the solid wood. He’d trapped me.

“I will drink your blood,” he growled. “Then then I will find your little human pet and I will drink hers, too, from a chalice made of your skull.”

I saw red at the idea of Riley at the hands of my vile opponent. I stabbed at him, but he dodged. I was exposed, and Hulat brought his sword up and over, aiming for my head.

I slid down the pillar, trying to get away from the lethal edge. I felt something graze my horns, but I was already too low. My butt hit the ground and I pushed off from the pillar, scooting through Hulat’s legs.

He yelped as one of my horns pierced his thigh and jumped away as I got free. I scrabbled to my feet, but he’d already regrouped. He was back on me.

Hulat slashed at me again and again with the fury of a tornado. It was all I could do to defend myself. Over his shoulder I saw Moffat, watching from his heightened vantage point on the throne. He met my eyes and sneered.

I still couldn’t believe he was my father. A king who cared nothing for his own people, who sought only power. A tyrant and a murderer. That was the blood that ran in my veins.

Hulat sent a blow at my ribs, and I moved to parry it. At the last second, he flipped his arm and drove for my shoulder. I whirled away, but too late.

The sword bit into my shoulder. Pain exploded through me, but I clenched my teeth on the scream that wanted to escape my throat. I’d die before I’d let these monsters have the satisfaction of hearing me hurt.

“Next time, I’ll cut off your arm.” Hulat circled me like a predator, looking pleased. My wound dripped to the floor, the broken skin like a line of flame over my body.

I took a deep breath, burying the pain. Long ago, I’d learned the lesson that you must be able to compartmentalize almost anything in a fight. I could move my arm despite my injury, and that was all that mattered.

I sagged, pretending I was hurt far worse than I was. Hulat’s eyes gleamed as he took the bait. He crept closer, careless that he was entering my range.

“What an embarrassment to the Assassins Guild,” he crowed. “One little cut and you crumble like a—”

I didn’t let him finish. I flicked my sword up and lunged at him. He curled his body away, but not quite enough. The very tip of my blade dug into his chest and I dragged it swiftly downwards.

A spray of sallow ochre scales spattered over the floor as Hulat howled. Panting, he grabbed at his torn tunic, trying to staunch the blood. It wasn’t a deep wound, but it rattled him.

I twirled my sword with my wounded arm, showing Hulat how little his attack had actually hurt me. My shoulder throbbed, but he didn’t know that.

“You’ve always thought you could get out of anything,” I jeered. “Well, you can’t get out of this.”

“I will peel your skin from your bones and devour your organs.” Hatred filled Hulat’s eyes as he seethed. “You are a snake, slithering to your D’Tali masters gorged fat on stolen secrets.”

“They never tried to be my masters,” I retorted. “That is why I brought them your secrets. We all want your downfall."

“Enough of this,” boomed Moffat from the throne. “Hulat, no more talking. Kill him, now.”

Moffat had made a mistake. His interjection stung Hulat, who reacted too quickly to the goad.

As Hulat darted towards me, sword held high, his foot hit a puddle of blood. His, mine, impossible to tell, but it formed a slick over the floor. He went down, and I pounced.

I threw myself on top of him. Gripping his ribs with my knees, I slammed my fist into his wrist. Hulat yelped and released his sword. It skidded away as I leveled my blade against his neck.

“First I spill his blood, then I spill yours, Moffat,” I called grimly to the king.

No answer. I looked up, but the throne was empty. Where had the old bugger gone? He couldn’t move that quickly. I scanned the hall. I caught the end of a robe disappearing around a pillar and twisted to follow it.

Hulat saw my distraction and seized the hilt of my sword. His hands gripped mine, shaking as they wrested the sword away from his neck. He dug his fingers between the bones of my hand, sending bright lances of pain up my arm.

My sword clattered to the floor. Furious at myself for giving Hulat such an opening, I punched him in the face with my free hand. He released me, but before I could pick up my sword again, he’d dug his fist into my ribs.

Blades forgotten, we wrestled each other. Blood welled up from the gash on my shoulder and from Hulat’s chest. We were covered in it as we tumbled over each other, trading blow for blow. There were no more mocking words exchanged.

We both knew this was it. Only one of us would stand up alive.

The thought of Riley came to me. How much she’d risked for me already. How well she understood me already. How I’d need twenty lifetimes to get to know her as well as I wanted to.

A surge of fresh energy burst through me. I wrenched Hulat down, smashing his face into the bloodied stone. With a last rush of strength, I gripped his head in my hands and twisted it.

There was a sickening crunch, and he lay still. I’d broken his neck.

Panting, I lifted my head to see Moffat at the end of the hall, using his son’s sword as a cane, digging the point into the floor. Although his infirm body shook with the effort, he’d almost gotten the great throne room doors open.

I gritted my teeth and forced myself to my feet.

It was time to end this.

RILEY

I felt like I was in a video game.

At first it was easy. The hallway Kator and I came down wasn’t big enough for more than three or four soldiers across. I picked them off as they rounded the corner, one by one, before they even got close to me. No problem.

The pile of fallen bodies started to present a real obstacle to the oncoming soldiers. I figured that would deter them. Instead, a couple of new attackers picked up their dead comrades and used them as shields.

It was gruesome, the way the dead guys lolled in front of the live ones. I wondered if maybe they were trying to spook me, or gross me out. Too bad for them I’d seen way worse than this shit.

I let the soldiers use their corpse protection to come a little closer. When one shot an arrow at me, I went into action. I ran towards them and dropped to the floor. As I disappeared from their field of vision, the idiots craned their heads around their dead friends to find me.

With three ringing blasts, I sent them all to join their buddies in the underworld. The clatter of armor was deafening, as already departed and newly departed hit the stone floor at the same time.

A soldier poked his head around the corner to see what had happened, and I picked him off, too.

I scrambled back to my position directly in front of the throne room doors. There was another, narrower hallway that went right in front of the doors, crisscrossing the main one we’d come down. The one that was now filled with unmoving metal-clad figures.

No one had come down either side of that hallway yet, but I figured it was only a matter of time. Sure, it seemed like a lot of the Aetamian guards were persistent in their stupidity, but I knew there had to be clever ones somewhere.

Like where was that guerrilla unit that had captured me in the first place?

No sooner had the question entered my mind than I heard an unfamiliar sound to my right. It was a cross between a thunk and a click, and no matter what, that couldn’t be good. I dove, belly first to the floor.

A crossbow bolt whizzed past where my head had been. It continued all the way down the hallway to my left and embedded itself in the gray masonry of the wall at the end.

Damn, those things were powerful.

From where I lay on my belly, I squeezed off a volley of shots from my blaster. My aim wasn’t great, but I hit one of the new crossbow squad in the knee, and the bright lethal bolts forced the rest to hesitate.

That gave me enough time to get to my knees. I aimed for real this time and got one of the guards in the stomach. The remaining three began to rush me. I sent a blast at the middle one, catching his crossbow. It exploded, wooden shrapnel going everywhere.

Both soldiers put hands up to shield their eyes, and I took that opportunity to blow them away with hits to the chest.

The remaining one who’d been holding that crossbow, just stared at me. A giant splinter was embedded in his cheek, blood pouring down his jaw. He didn’t have any more weapons that I could see, so when he turned and ran, I just let him.

A small part of me was starting to feel bad about all this. I remembered my moment with the tapestry in my prison room. I could visualize the scene, the way the beauty of the craftsmanship enslaved to the horrors of bloodthirsty power of it made me rethink my attitude towards the Aetamians.

What if this was just a job for these soldiers? They could be going after me because if they didn’t, they’d face a horrible execution for deserting. What if some of them spent their days off with loved ones?

I shook my head, trying to dispel the thought. I’d promised Kator to keep the soldiers at bay, and if I got all caught up in my feelings, that would be a much harder job.

Clangs filled the hallway. I snapped my head left and saw a posse of soldiers holding massive shields together in a line. All together they made one giant panel of protection.

They were learning. Shit.

I started shooting. The blaster was strong enough to blow away both the shield and its holder, but as soon as I got one, they closed the gap. There must have been a bunch more soldiers behind the ones on the front line. Even if I picked off three at a time, the panel was back up in no time.

I heard tinnier noise from my right and turned to see the same thing advancing down that side too. Another shiny, seemingly impenetrable panel.

“Fuck,” I muttered under my breath. “Now would be a great time for you to come back out here, Kator.”

I felt bad as soon as I said it and was glad he couldn’t hear me. I couldn’t detect a single sound from behind those giant wooden doors, but whatever was going on, Kator needed to do it. Of course, I was worried about him, but I understood the importance of confronting Moffat. My love should take however long he needed.

Which meant I had to figure out a solution here, and fast.

At least with the wall of cover so tight, the soldiers couldn’t get any shots off at me without exposing themselves. I had a moment to think. I stopped uselessly nailing shield after shield and looked around me.

I couldn’t leave this spot, not if I was going to keep my promise to Kator. That narrowed my options in a major way. The marching sound of the oncoming patrols filled my ears, and I cursed a long string of foul words under my breath.

“Think, Riley, think,” I muttered.

As I gazed at the encroaching group to my left, beetle-like behind their carapace of metal, I saw it. That crossbow bolt, still quivering ever so slightly from where it was buried in the mortar between stones.

If that medieval arrowhead could penetrate mortar, then damn straight my blaster could.

Giving a silent thanks that the blaster would never need fresh ammo, I swung my aim up to the ceiling. Focusing on the veins of lighter gray between the drab stones, I began to fire.

Powder began to rain down from the ceiling, filling the air. I kept pulling the trigger, going over and over the same spot in a line. Dust made it hard to see, but I hadn’t been the best shot in my cadet class for nothing.

Right before the soldiers were underneath my patch of ceiling, a rumble shook the whole hall. They stopped, finally breaking their formation to crane their necks around, looking for the sound. I had a shot at them, but it didn’t matter.

The ceiling collapsed. Giant slabs of rock thudded down in front of the guards, flakes of mortar going everywhere. The whole mess was waist high and blocked the entire span of the hall.

“HELL YES!” I screamed, delighted at how well my plan had worked. I turned and saw the second group of soldiers hesitating behind their barricade, and I laughed.

“Your turn next,” I hollered. “Come and get it!”

Those Aetamians might not be able to understand my exact words, but they sure knew what I meant. All of them to a one turned tail and ran, letting their shields rattle to the floor behind them.

Because why not, I went ahead and shot down the ceiling to my right anyway. It was fun! Besides, while I thought I’d scared them off for good, no harm in protecting both my flanks.

I turned back to look down that main hallway. Nothing and no one in it. I let myself lean against the wall to the side of the doors as I kept a weather eye out. I took in a deep breath, trying to calm my pounding heart.

Nothing like being beset on three sides to make a girl’s blood pressure go up.

I managed to catch my breath, my eyes still glued to the end of the main hall. Every once in a while, a helmeted head would pop around the corner, see I still stood there, and disappear again. Eventually, a few minutes passed and even that occasional presence seemed to have disappeared.

I decided the coast was clear. I’d done what I promised, and I could head into the throne room. I turned towards the doors.

Out of nowhere, an icy line etched itself across my neck. I felt my skin break from the pressure of a sharp edge, sending blood down into my collar.

Someone had a blade against my neck.

I barely had enough time to register that a gray-scaled Aetamian had me in an armlock, when Kator burst through the already open doors.

He saw the knife leveled across my throat, and the deep gold scales on his face went greenish. His horrified and furious expression hit me like a crossbow bolt to the heart.

“This is between you, and me, Moffat.” Agony in his words, Kator hefted his sword.

Hatred boiled up in me. This gnarly old bastard was the evil Aetamian king? I jerked in his grip, but only succeeded in deepening the cut on my neck.

“Leave her alone!” Kator’s voice gave away his desperation, and my stomach dropped.

“I don’t think so,” Moffat cackled. “Tell her to drop her weapon. It seems, Kator, that I’ve found your weak point.”

KATOR

I stared at my love for a moment.

She was trying to keep herself from showing fear. She was trying to be tough, to be strong, for me. But, as the king continued to push the knife against her neck, I knew there was only one thing for me to do.

I dropped my sword.

“No!” she cried as the metal hit the stone and the sound echoed throughout the hallway. “Don't!”

But I knew I couldn't risk her life. Not for anything, including my quest for revenge against the king. I loved her too much. She was my mate, and I would not risk her life, not for anything.

“I knew you were weak,” the king sneered. “That weak blood ran through your veins, half-breed. You had no right to my throne. And you just proved it by refusing to fight because of a woman. A woman of a different species.”

“You're just proving how weak you are,” I fired back. “Holding yourself in the highest regard doesn't make you strong, it makes you vermin. A parasite, feeding on others, never giving anything back. That's not strength. And you have those confused.”

“Kator, don't do this. I can handle this; I swear I can.”

Tears were starting to form, and it broke my heart. Riley deserved so much better than this. She deserved more than a knife to the neck.

I didn't see a way out of this. Not without losing her for good. And that was worse than losing my revenge. She was worth everything to me, and it didn't matter what slights took place in the past.

“I'm sorry.” I looked her straight in the eye, wanting nothing more than to hold her, wanting nothing more than to keep her safe. “I'm sorry I brought you into this.”

“It's not your fault, I always want to protect you, too,” Riley cried out. “It’s not your fault he got behind me. It's not your fault—”

“Stop your babbling!” Moffat screeched. “I grow tired of this. Your animal's crying, you're begging. You don't deserve a throne. Frankly, neither of you deserve your life.”

“You kill her, and I kill you,” I spat at him. “You let her go, we leave. And we never come back.”

“I'm the one making the decisions here,” he said with a laugh. “I don't know if you noticed, half-breed, but I have a knife to your mate’s throat. You're not making any decisions.”

Riley tried to struggle, but the king wrenched her arm behind her back. She moaned softly, and I knew she was in pain.

The anger I felt for Moffat tripled. I knew I was going to kill him. I knew someone had to. But I couldn't figure a way out of this conversation without Riley dying.

And I didn't care about my anger anymore. I cared about her being in pain and wanting nothing more than to stop it, wanting nothing more than to save her.

The thought of her being taken away from me before anything could start, really start, hurt my soul. I couldn't actually look at the thought, because the emotions that welled up inside were too much for the situation. I couldn't lose her, not today, not tomorrow.

Not ever.

“I'll get us out of this,” I said to Riley. “I swear I will.”

“The only way you're getting out of this hallway is in chains, holding her head in your hands. Because I'm going to take it off her body as soon as I get a guard in here.”

“I took care of most of your guards for you,” Riley said through the tears. I wanted to hug her as she showed such disdain for the king. She was able to make a joke of the tears, and that made me love her even more.

“But I'm sure one or two decided not to come in here when they saw their dead friends.”

The king wrenched her arm higher and dug the knife deeper into her neck. I saw the blood dribble from the tip. Riley gasped in pain.

“I'm so sorry,” I said to her. “Riley, I'm so sorry.”

“It's my fault,” Riley said. “I shouldn't have let him get behind me.”

“Shut the fuck up!” Moffat almost screamed it at us. “I'm tired of hearing your love story. If you can understand me, know this: Your man is going to die, don't worry. I'm going to kill him slowly in front of you, will you watch him bleed out and beg for you to die instead of him. Because I will make him beg for the end or for you to take his place. Then, before he dies, he can watch me rape you over and over. He'll die knowing that I had you. All of you.”

He sniffed her neck, and it sent shivers down my spine.

What had I done? What had I brought Riley into? What fate was she going to suffer because of me? Because of my quest for revenge, because of my being trapped in the past?

Riley shuddered at his touch, but she couldn't pull away. Not with the knife so deep in her throat.

“I seem to have found a weak point,” Moffat said. “For both of you. Not making your little animal noises now, are you, bitch? I'm going to take your fucking whore in this hallway, half-breed. And I'm going to love doing it while you scream for her. Maybe she'll like it, maybe she'll beg me for more by the end.”

He smiled at us. “I like it when they beg.”

I didn't know what to do. I didn't know how to make his anger turn towards me. I didn't know how to free Riley from this doom that I had brought down on her.

All because I couldn't stop living in the past. Because I couldn't stop seeking my revenge.

Something was going on outside, I could hear the sound of masses chanting and marching. They were too far away, and I was too focused to know exactly what they were saying.

Too focused on Riley's white face as she realized what her future held for her.

Too focused on how I was going to save her.

I didn’t care that Moffat would force me to watch her death, even though I knew it would be exceptionally painful.

It would tear me apart, but that wasn’t the worst of it.

Riley was going to go through that pain knowing that I was so close, but I couldn’t do anything to help her.

The chanting grew closer, and I saw King Moffat look towards one of the windows of the hallway.

“You hear that? What is that?” he asked. “What are they saying?”

I shrugged, still trying to figure out a way to get Riley out of this.

Still trying to figure out a way to save her. I needed to direct the king’s anger toward me. Maybe that would give Riley enough of a distraction to escape.

To suffer a different fate than my mother.

I would have to watch another woman go through that. I would have put the only woman I loved through that.

I needed to save her from that fate.

Even if it meant killing her myself. To save her from him. To save the pain. To save her.

The chanting grew closer, and the word started becoming clear to me.

My name. The crowd was chanting my name.

“Kator! Kator! Kator!”

What was going on? How could anything that had happened in the castle gotten out to the crowd already? Were they coming for my head? Did they want me to die because I threatened their king?

Moffat looked as confused as I did, his eyebrows furrowed as he tried to see out the window.

Then he smiled. An evil, twisted smile that only he could come up with.

“The people are speaking,” he said with a sneer. “They want you dead as much as I want you dead. They don't want you in the throne room. They want you dead.”

“That doesn't sound like a crazy mob,” Riley said, able to speak because the king had removed the knife slightly from her neck at the distraction.

There was going to be an opening soon, and it didn't matter what the motivations were of the crowd outside the castle walls.

I just had to watch. I just had to be careful. And I knew I had to keep my focus entirely on Riley.

But the chant was getting distracting. It was my name, over and over. And Riley was right, it didn't sound like a mad or angry mob.

It sounded like a crowd cheering a victory.

I couldn't help but wonder what was going on.

My attention was split, and I knew I needed to focus on Riley. It didn't matter what the crowd was saying; it didn't matter if I had to fight our way out of here. I needed to save her.

I needed to save the woman I loved. No matter the cost.

As the king and I looked at each other, confusion over our faces, I knew that one irrefutable fact.

There was something going on outside, and I was going to use it to save Riley.

RILEY

The blade sagged ever so slightly from my neck. I knew Moffat was staring at Kator, because I could see Kator’s glare blazing back. Their mutual uncertainty over the chanting and its meaning had created a stalemate.

But stalemates had to end sometime. It was up to me to do it sooner rather than later.

I slammed my head back, kicking off the ground as hard as I could. I felt my skull connect with his jaw and felt his knife arm drop.

I’d made myself an opening.

I whirled and chopped the edge of my hand into his forearm. Moffat howled as the blade clanged to the floor. Then I grabbed that rank piece of shit by the shoulders and kneed him in the solar plexus. Hard.

Breath whooshed from his decrepit lungs as he doubled over. After that, it was a piece of cake to knock him to the floor. I almost had to laugh, in a horrible kind of way. Who knew I’d ever take so much grim pleasure from kicking an old person, even if he was a monster.

I caught a blur of gold out of the corner of my eye, then Kator was at my side. He booted the sword down the hallway and seized the groaning king by his collar.

“You’re a hell of a woman, Riley Evans,” he said to me.

Our eyes met, and an intense rush of love went through me. I’d have beaten the crap out of that king just for all the nasty shit he’d threatened, but the best part was helping Kator. He deserved to destroy this dirt bag if that’s what he wanted.

“Let’s finish this.” Kator shook Moffat, rattling the geezer’s teeth. He took a few steps down the hall, dragging the king with him. Light filled the hallway as he kicked a side door open.

I grabbed Kator’s sword and ran after them, to emerge onto a balcony overlooking the palace’s gates. Being so close to the throne room, it was clearly there for the king to address his public. That wasn’t what Kator had in mind, though.

Ignoring the crowd chanting his name at the gate, my love walked to the edge. Thrusting Moffat over the balustrade, he dangled the bastard high in the air. Kator’s face was set, his features grimmer than I’d ever seen.

I guessed that’s how anyone about to kill their father would look.

“Please, Kator. I’ve given you so much.” Moffat’s eyes bulged with fear, and his dark gray scales had become pallid and ashen. He was shaking. “If I’d known you were my son sooner, I’d never have let it get to this point.”

“Yeah, if you’d known, you would’ve murdered me before I could cause any trouble,” growled Kator. “Don’t bother begging, Moffat. I’m still going to let your skull smash to the ground.”

“No,” Moffat gasped. “I’m old, I know I made mistakes, but let me live and I’ll name you my heir! As you should’ve been this whole time, Kator!”

Kator laughed, an awful brittle sound that hurt to hear. I went to him and laid a palm on his back. I didn’t want to distract him. I only hoped he was doing the right thing for himself. I couldn’t bear for him to regret this.

He looked down at me, and when his gaze found mine, something washed over his face. The snarl disappeared, to be replaced by a somber calm. He let out a small, almost amused sigh.

“I don’t want you to see this,” he said. “I don’t want my mate to see that I’m capable of ending my own father’s life. Which means… I don’t want to be capable of it.”

He dragged Moffat back onto the balcony and dropped him. The king huddled, trembling and sobbing for breath.

“With you by my side, I have to be a better man now.” Kator shook his head, wonder coming into his eyes. “And it doesn’t matter anymore. I know the truth, and that’s all I needed.” He looked down at Moffat’s quivering form. “This trash has no hold on me. Not anymore.”

“Kator—” I began to speak, my heart overflowing with love and pride.

Yet all I managed was his name, before a raucous stomping exploded onto the balcony. A group of guards rushed at us, and Kator grabbed his sword.

“Fuck!” I cursed loudly, wishing I hadn’t left my blaster where Moffat had made me drop it. I spun to face the new attack anyway.

For some reason, Kator hesitated. I followed his gaze to the face of one particular soldier and caught my breath. It was Vokar, in the gear of an Aetamian soldier. He winked at Kator, then at me.

Before I could even begin to process that, disguised Vokar dropped to his knees.

“My liege, Kator,” he intoned, as the other soldiers ground to a halt, confusion radiating from them. “The populace finally knows the truth of corrupt King Moffat’s regime. The king’s advisors have finally revealed everything. The people know now that Moffat crushes them with taxes to perpetuate this damn war year after year, just to satisfy his own ego.”

My jaw dropped. The chanting at the gate had turned to wild cheering, and I realized it was because they saw my mate standing tall and strong above them.

“Aetam wants and deserves a better ruler,” continued Vokar. “The news has broken that you are Moffat’s son and have a claim to the throne.” He straightened, now addressing the gathered crowd too. “We have had enough of a bloodthirsty king!”

His audience screamed their agreement, so loudly that the palace gates rattled.

“We want a leader who cares for the wellbeing of the people,” said Vokar, now to Kator. “Will you rise to the challenge, Kator of the Royal House of Aetam?”

Kator stared at Vokar, speechless. I was starting to piece it all together, but slowly. The thing I didn’t understand was how the Aetamians knew Kator was Moffat’s son. He himself only found out a few days ago. It couldn’t have been common knowledge, not enough for the people to storm the gates yelling his name…

“Shouldn’t Moffat be replaced by who he named heir?” A soldier spoke into the silence, insolence saturating his words. “Hulat is the next in line for the throne.”

“Hulat’s dead,” said Kator, his tone matter of fact. The bluntness startled the soldiers, including the one who’d spoken, who took a step back.

“Then you are uncontested, my liege,” said Vokar. “These miraculous events have brought you the crown, and the people clamor for you to accept it.”

A smile danced around our disguised friend’s lips, and I finally figured it out. Instead of joining the fight, Vokar had rushed off to activate the sleeper cell agents I’d heard so much about. With their help, he had the truth of Kator’s bloodline spread through the city like wildfire. There likely wasn’t a soul in Aetam who didn’t know the truth of his parentage.

Vokar had pulled off a coup.

I stifled a laugh. I knew Vokar was clever, but this was a whole other level of machination. He shot me a look, and I nodded to him. I was definitely impressed.

“We are all your subjects, if you will have us.” Vokar looked around him, seeing that a few soldiers had begun to kneel while others milled around, their uncertainty apparent. “On your knees before your rightful king,” he barked.

Exchanging glances, they all silently went to their knees. Some of them looked at Kator with beseeching faces. Others bowed their helmeted heads in respect.

“I ask again,” boomed Vokar, raising his voice to include the assembled citizens at the gate. “Will you rise to this challenge, My King?”

I smiled a little, thinking of how much Vokar’s actual king, Dojak, would enjoy this. The assassin certainly had a flare for the dramatic.

Kator’s eyes caught mine, and I saw the question in them. My smile blossomed, knowing that my mate wouldn’t make this momentous decision without me.

It mattered so much that Kator would want to know my opinion, but it wasn’t even a question. I knew Kator would make an incredible king. He was noble, kind, hard-working, compassionate, clever, and more principled than anyone I’d ever met.

While I’d never planned on being a queen, he couldn’t let that stop him. I’d get Sofia to show me the ropes, give me a crash course in how to be dignified and stuff. And no matter what, I’d still find time to spar with the warriors.

The important thing was, Aetam would be lucky to have Kator as its ruler.

I wanted to tell him that, but I couldn’t in front of these soldiers. He had to look as strong as possible in that moment if he was going to accept a kingship.

So, I just nodded, holding Kator’s gaze.

He gave me a brilliant smile, looking like, somehow, he knew everything I was thinking. He turned to Vokar, and the knot of soldiers.

“Kator of Aetam,” said Vokar once more, shouting my love’s name to the heavens. “Do you agree to lead your people?”

“Yes,” Kator said, simply. Then he spun and walked to the balcony, leaning out towards his city. He took a deep breath, and his voice boomed across the crowd. “With honor and pride, I accept the crown of the Kingdom of Aetam!”

KATOR

Everything happened so fast.

The moment I agreed to be king, Vokar went into action. He dispatched one soldier to the royal vault, and another to find one of the few remaining senior officials. After our attack plus the coup, there were not that many left.

“What is your wish regarding this traitor to the people, My King?” Vokar waved his hand at Moffat. The former king had finally stopped sniveling, but the look on his face was full of despair. He knew his years of tyranny were over.

“The citizens of Aetam deserve justice,” I replied. “Imprison this man to await a trial by the people, where anyone may step forward with charges against him, no matter their rank.”

“It will be done.” Vokar met my eyes with a slightly grumpy look.

While Riley was beaming at me over his shoulder, I could tell he had wanted me to declare some gruesome execution for the old tyrant. I understood that desire, but I wasn’t about to begin my reign with blood. Aetam had seen enough of it to last a lifetime.

Two soldiers pulled Moffat to his feet. They obviously had no love lost for their former monarch and were rough as they put manacles on his feet and hands. A small group led him away. The chains dwarfed his shaky limbs as he hobbled along, his infirmity clearer than ever.

If he wasn’t responsible for so much misery and death, I’d have felt sorry for him.

The soldier who’d been sent to the vault came back through the door holding coronation robes and the ceremonial crown. He passed Moffat, who sent me one last look of deep hatred.

I merely smiled as he disappeared through the doorway. Not only did I not feel sorry for the man who’d captured my mother, I didn’t feel anything for him. I was free and could at last let go of the thirst for revenge that had driven me for so long.

All thanks to having Riley in my life. I reached out, wanting to pull her into my side, but Vokar coughed. He jerked his head towards the man patiently waiting with my new regalia.

“Right,” I muttered, and sent Riley an apologetic look. She didn’t seem to care that she was left out of the proceedings. She stood there, grinning like a madwoman, her hands clasped in front of her.

A tall, deep purple Aetamian dressed in the garb of a high-level advisor stepped onto the balcony. I’d never seen him before and opened my mouth to ask who he was.

Vokar elbowed me hard in the ribs and shook his head.

Right. I could follow along for now. But soon there was going to be some explaining...

“My Lord,” said the unknown ‘official’ in a booming but incredibly pleasant voice. “It is my great honor to confer upon you the rulership of Aetam. Would you turn to your people?”

“I will.” I nodded in a way I hoped looked gracious, but I was still confused. As I moved, Vokar drew closer to me for a moment.

“He’s an actor I found,” he muttered in my ear. “Go with it. The sooner we finish this, the sooner I can take off this ridiculous disguise.”

I smothered a laugh. Leave it to Vokar to have thought of everything. I should’ve guessed as soon as the guy began to talk—no official was that good at public speaking.

“Citizens of Aetam,” cried the actor. “Kator of the royal bloodline stands before you. Is it your wish that he ascends to the throne of your kingdom?”

The assent of the crowd was louder than thunder. Their cheers rolled through every alley and corner of the city and echoed back into the air.

“Kator, do you promise to honor your subjects, and always strive to serve their needs?”

“I promise,” I said, marveling at the way this Aetamian pronounced every syllable so crisply. Our audience must have heard his words clear as a bell.

“And do you swear to never pursue personal gain at the cost of Aetam’s well-being?”

“I swear.”

“Then I proclaim you King Kator of Aetam,” declared the actor as he slid the crown over my horns. “May your reign be long and prosperous.”

Applause and whooping yells exploded from the streets beneath me. I heard the pounding of drums and the clanging of pots and pans. It was a riot of enthusiasm, and it filled me with warmth and determination.

I would live up to the populace’s trust and be the best king I could be. And I knew just the way to get started.

I held up my hand for quiet, and the rollicking crowd calmed immediately. Even though I’d expected it, I thrilled at the response.

“As my first action on behalf of the Aetamian citizenry, I declare my intention to make peace with the D’Tali,” I announced. “I would end this senseless war between our people immediately.”

Things went right back to raucous as everyone gathered shouted their joy and approval.

“You,” I said, turning back to the small group on the balcony and gesturing at Vokar. “You have distinguished yourself this day. Assemble a diplomatic party to be sent to the D’Tali and be on your way.”

“I accept that assignment with gratitude.” Vokar clasped my proffered forearm and grinned at me. “You’re welcome, Kator,” he added under his breath. “And get your soldiers some less uncomfortable armor, for the Ancestors’ sakes.”

With that, he was gone, the actor and most of the soldiers trailing after him. Only two guards remained, and they stood on either side of the doorway, faces impassive.

“I guess you get a royal security detail now,” observed Riley.

“That’s all well and good,” I said, grabbing my love’s hand. “But right now, I’d like a moment of privacy. How about we check out our majesties’ new chambers?”

“I can’t imagine a wiser plan, King Kator.” Riley’s eyes twinkled. She squeezed my hand and let me drag her into the hall. I tried to go right towards the throne room, but she stopped me. “Uh, we can’t go that way. Didn’t you see I brought down the ceilings on either side of that hallway?”

“I was pretty busy when I came out of the throne room,” I pointed out. “You brought down the ceilings?”

“Yeah.” She gave me a sheepish grin. “Your palace is going to need some fixing… sorry about that.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” I told her. “Ever.”

I tugged my mate through the halls, wending our way to the best set of guest rooms in the royal wing. They’d been unused forever, since Aetam hadn’t hosted another ruler for all the time Moffat had had power.

“These aren’t Moffat’s rooms, are they?” Riley wrinkled her nose as I pushed open the carved wooden door.

“Oh no,” I assured her.

“Good,” she muttered. “You’d have to fumigate those before I agreed to set one foot inside.”

I laughed and swept her up into my arms. She squeaked in giddy surprise. I looked down at her affectionately.

“What kind of king would I be if I didn’t carry my queen across the threshold?”

Riley’s eyes darkened with emotion at my words. Cradling her to my chest, I stepped into our new home. I kicked the door shut, as my two guards discreetly positioned themselves outside it.

“I’m so proud of you,” Riley murmured. “Kator, you did everything so beautifully.” She brought her hand to my cheek. “You’ve already impressed everyone, and you’ve only been in charge for half an hour.”

“You have to know I couldn’t have done it without you.” My tone serious, I set my love down on the bed with great gentleness. “You have helped me become the person I wanted to be. Riley, before you, I didn’t fit anywhere. I was two halves, each one from an opposing country. I was obsessed with avenging a mother I never even knew.”

Tears swam in Riley’s eyes as she pulled me down to her.

“I hate thinking of you so alone,” she told me, her voice rippling with sadness.

“But I’m not anymore.” I felt a smile as strong as the sun come onto my face. “I know who I am now. I’m your mate, and the leader of the people who need me most. And I can only endeavor to live up to both of those things.”

“You gotta stop talking,” burbled Riley. “You’re making me cry!”

“You’re beautiful when you cry,” I told her. “You’re always gorgeous, and I can’t wait to share the rest of my life with you.”

“Shut up,” sobbed Riley, mopping her face with her sleeve. “I’m sorry, what I mean is I love you, too, more than I ever thought I could love anyone.” She took a deep breath. “Okay, now I mean shut up.”

She grabbed my head and kissed me. My entire body responded immediately, and I gathered her to me. I deepened the kiss, pouring everything into it.

Our lips melded, a fire roaring to life between us. The flames chased away the fear and uncertainty of the whole day. I forgot the excitement of my coronation, forgot that a whole new role awaited me.

Only Riley and I existed in the whole world.

Her lips parted for me as she gave a small moan, and I met her tongue with mine. My scales felt like they were vibrating with need, as I slid my hands under her shirt.

Soft, flawless skin met my fingers. I explored the lines of her sides, her ribs, and drifted up to the curves of her breasts. She gasped as my thumb skimmed just below her nipple. My body shuddered at the sound, and I pressed my hard cock against her.

“You are everything to me,” I whispered, trailing my lips down her neck to her collarbone.

“Oh, Kator.” Riley arched into my touch. “I couldn’t live without you.”

I tugged open her shirt and drew my mouth down between her breasts. I pressed my lips to her heart and made a promise more important than any I’d already made that day.

“You’ll never have to.”

RILEY

Kator’s sweet words melted me. Knees weak, I flung my arms even tighter around him. I buried my head into his embrace, fighting more unbidden tears. For so long I had walked the knife’s edge of fate and the whimsy of evil kings and deep vengeance.

He held me to him, arms tight. For the first time in so long, I felt safe, held in a future of possibility rather than pain and the possibility of horror—the horror of having finally found Kator only to lose him to vengeance and avarice.

Certain I had no more moments with him to lose, I found his mouth again. Oh, his kisses were sweet, but after all this time without him, I needed more. I needed him. Our honeyed kisses gave way to passion, and the fire he had ignited within me was stoked to a blazing inferno.

I clutched his beautiful face, kissing him deeper and deeper. All conscious thought faded as our bodies shed thoughts in the heat of our passion. He slid his hands down to my ass, squeezing my cheeks, and lifted me. I broke from our kiss, panting.

“You’re wearing too many clothes,” I said. I swear I could feel my eyes twinkling mischief at him. Kator laughed—a deep sound, almost a rumble.

“Speak for yourself, my queen.”

I kissed him again, deep, searching. He tasted sweet. Our tongues explored each other till I had no breath left in my lungs, forcing me to break away. I tugged at his shirt, expelling hot breath along the contours of his neck. He rewarded me with a deep rumble of arousal.

“Clothes. Off. Now,” I demanded.

“Yes, your highness.” He kissed me again, deeply. “As you wish.” He dropped the coronation robes from his shoulders.

I lay back on the bed to watch the show. Having disposed of the ceremonial robe, Kator began unstrapping his armor as fast as he could, his golden-eyed gaze returning to me at every opportunity.

“While I appreciate all that armor saving your life today, My King, right now I regret the time it will take you to get it out of my way.”

He barked a laugh. “You and me both, Riley.”

A grin spread across my face. While he shed his armor, revealing himself to me, I traced the contours of my own body, knowing full well he watched my every move. A plaintive whine escaped his throat as he watched my fingers trace over my breasts, my hard nipples, across my belly. He muttered various curses as he tugged at the straps of the last piece of armor.

I let my fingers wander down, under my waistband. The last piece of his armor hit the floor and Kator nearly launched himself onto the bed.

“Uh uh...” I said, teasing him to greater tension. “All of it.” I moaned as my fingers reached my dripping slit. “Hurry, Kator. I need you.”

He panted hard, pulling up his shirt, and I dove for his perfect abs, his perfect chest.

“Hurry up before I bring down the rest of this castle...” I kissed the contours of his pecs, tracing my fingertips along the scales of his taut belly.

“Riley...”

I smiled at his desire-thickened voice, not that he could see me. Kator moaned deeply. I traced my fingers over the bulge straining his pants. His entire body shuddered. He pushed me back onto the bed.

“I can’t take much more of this. I need you.”

I giggled and pulled my shirt over my head. Far too aroused to wait a moment longer, Kator grabbed the waistband of my pants and stripped me of them with a strong tug. I rolled over onto my belly and wiggled my newly-royal ass at him. He made quick work of his own breeches, and I slid my thong over my wiggling rump.

“You’ll be the death of me,” he said, trying desperately to sort out a tangle of boots and breeches. I watched his rigid cock bob with his efforts.

“After I just saved you? I think not.”

I sat up, unhooking my bra in record time. I swung it around a few times by the strap and tossed it at him. It landed on his face, catching on one of his horns. Finally naked, he swept the bra to the floor and dove on top of me. I fell back in a fit of giggles. He reached up for the coronation crown.

“No! No, that can stay.” I couldn’t speak another word because he locked his lips over mine with all the fiery passion in his soul. As much as I had been flirty and playful up until that moment, the probing hunger of his kiss, the feel of his warm body against mine—his hands cradling my face—burned all the silliness away in an instant.

Only one thing remained within me at that moment—our passion, and I dove right into it. He clutched my body to his as if I were the most precious thing he had ever known. I wrapped my limbs around him to clutch our bodies into one burning entity. Breathless, we broke from our kiss, gulping air.

I studied his face with eyes as open as my soul in that moment. His glowing, golden gaze drank in every detail of mine as if he were trying to burn each nuance into his memory. He stroked mussed hair from my face.

“I love you, Riley.” His words, barely a whisper, blew away all other thoughts.

I grabbed his face and kissed him long and deep. His hand ran the length of my ribs, my waist, my hip. My back arched and I rocked my hips into him, grinding my swollen clit against his rock hard cock.

He made enough room between us to slide his fingers into the core of my wet need, and stroked my folds from clit to entrance. I moaned against him. Kator slid his body down mine, only stopping when I could feel his breath on my slick slit.

He stroked my labia with his fingers. Urgent little moans escaped my throat. My hands stroked his head, his horns, anything they could reach. He licked his way up along me in a slow, tortuous line, ending up with a gentle flick at my swollen, throbbing clit. I lifted my hips to his face, begging for more. He slid his arms around my thighs and pulled my sopping heat to his mouth.

His licks ended the next time his lips reached my clit and he nibbled the swollen nub. My moans grew more intense. He trapped my aching clit between his lips, sucking intently. I arched my back to meet him, my breasts heaving with my effort. He unhooked one of his arms and slid his fingers into me.

“Yes...” The breathy rasp of my voice sounded like it came from a mile away. “Kator...” His fingers found that spot, and worked it like he’d known my body his entire life. “Oh, oh god, Kator...” My pleas only intensified his efforts. A dull quake began to judder up through my thighs. My inner walls clenched on him. He suckled my clit harder.

“I’m going to...” I never finished that sentence as the orgasm overcame my ability to speak. I rocked in his embrace. He raised his head and watched the ecstasy wash over my face.

As soon as I could move, I pulled at him, desperate grunts drowning out any attempt at words. He didn’t waste a moment pulling himself above me again. He glowed down at my face, his insistent cock pressing at my entrance. I don’t even know how it got there, perfectly aligned, but I wanted it.

“Please...” I begged.

He grinned down at me, eyes flashing with his desire. “You want it?”

“Yes...”

“Are you sure?”

“Oh my god, Kator—would you…”

He thrust into me. I wailed with the pleasure of his massive cock stretching me wide. Words evaporated as he filled me over and over. Each slow, deliberate thrust pressed a moan out of me, as if he was driving up to my lungs.

I clenched around him, driving myself wild and dying for him to let go. To fill me.

“Harder... please...” I begged, but he refused to relent in his lingering, dragging strokes. One of my arms flew over my eyes and I sobbed.

“Please,” I begged. This time he gave me what I so desperately ached for. He leaped into me deep and hard. The shock of it robbed my breath, but when it came back, I howled out in pure abandon.

“Kator...” I knew by the way he moved that he had finally forgotten his control. I flung my arms around his neck. I clung to him, using my grip to grind my hips into him. Our rhythms synchronized perfectly.

“Riley...” He panted hard, a deep rumble emanating from his chest. I tightened around him more than I ever thought possible. Especially when he was so thick.

“Kator... Kator... I’m—”

He didn’t let me finish. His cock swelled even larger and he began to grunt with the effort. He drove into me harder than ever, and my body fell right over the edge. The most intense orgasm of my life crashed through me.

With a deep roar, he released inside me, filling me with his warm seed. The world faded. My body went limp in his arms. He held me to him, riding the wave of ethereal perfection we had created with our love.

After a moment of heaving chests sucking in air, I recovered enough to lift my head again and look at him. Entirely vulnerable in the safety of his arms, I whispered the only thought left in my head.

“I love you.”

“I love you, Riley,” he gasped, his face entirely open.

We lay there for what felt like an eternity of bliss, staring into each other’s eyes.

KATOR

The coronation had been a quick affair, but this was a more proper celebration. And I had to admit, it was something I had never dreamed was possible.

Here, in the streets of the Aetam city, D’Tali and Aetamians alike were mingling, laughing, shaking hands, learning about each other.

It was an incredible sight to see. As Riley and I walked among the partygoers, we were greeted with joy and welcome. I could see now, perhaps more than ever before, how much damage Moffat and his regime had brought upon these people.

There was a sense of relief in the air, that a long national nightmare was finally over. I learned in talking with the common people of Aetam there truly had been long-standing resentment towards Moffat and his officers. They had felt powerless, as if there was nothing they could do but bend the knee and capitulate to the cruel whims of their ruler.

Now, though, their spirits were unshackled and their hearts soared.

Don’t get me wrong. It wasn’t about me. It was about freedom. A freedom from tyranny that all sentient beings deserved.

When Dojak, Sofia, and their retinue arrived, it was like nothing the city had ever seen before. There were banquets which lasted hours on end, balls and dances in every part of the city. Aetamians and D’Tali huddled together, going over family trees, learning how and why they were related.

Long-lost cousins were reunited, and families grew stronger as their roots grew deeper. And babies would now be raised in a world joined together and working towards peace.

It wasn’t all sugar and light, however. I wasn’t naive enough to think that. I knew there were elements within the Aetam kingdom reluctant to give up their power, who preferred the authoritarian rule of Moffat to the one I hoped to impose.

That was a problem for another day, one I was sure would rear its head soon enough.

For now, though, we celebrated, and looked to the future with hope for the first time in many, many years.

Riley was thrilled to see her friends again, Sofia, Isabella, and even Camilia had made the journey.

They joked that since there were now two queens amongst them, the others would have to get competitive to get some titles of their own. They fussed over Camilia, who looked radiant and full of life. They doted on Sofia’s own child, still a baby himself, over how handsome he would grow to be.

Isabella dazzled us all with her latest discoveries and inventions. She was going to transform this whole world, it seemed to me. Both kingdoms would be the beneficiaries of her skill and knowledge.

As night descended, fireworks started to shoot off all over the city. A magical, dazzling glow filtered through everything and children ran in the streets, chasing the sparks down.

Riley came to me, slipping her arm into mine and pulling me away from a small group which had gathered around me, all asking questions animatedly about plans for the city, proposals for farming, new housing, and on and on.

“Pardon me everyone, I’m so sorry, but I need the king for a moment, if I may,” Riley said, and everyone immediately demurred and offered apologies for monopolizing my time.

She nodded, offering a regal smile (she had been practicing since she had become queen) and promised to bring me right back.

“Don’t feel like that’s a promise you have to keep,” I whispered out of the side of my mouth as she took me away.

“A corrupt politician already,” she said back to me with a wink. “It takes so little for power to go right to the head.”

I put my hand around her waist and gave it a squeeze.

“You have no idea,” I said with mock seriousness.

I followed her as she led me through the corridors of the palace and up a winding stone staircase, our footsteps echoing off the marble with a clacking clarity.

Riley pulled me out onto a refurbished balcony that overlooked the city square and we looked out over the celebrations that filled all Aetam.

Taking me by the hand, she drew me in close to her and kissed me softly on my lips. It was as electric as it had been the very first time. I suspected it would always be that way.

Breaking the kiss reluctantly, she looked at me with her eyes full of promise.

“Look what you’ve done here, Kator,” she said, sweeping her hand out over the balcony and taking in the scene below. “You’ve given these people hope for the first time in their lives.”

I shook my head.

“No, that’s not what I did, Riley. I ended a tyrant’s reign, yes. But hope? Hope has always existed here. It was just buried for a time.”

“Well, at the very least, you dug it up for them,” she said with a smile.

“I will say I handed them the shovel. How’s that?”

She gave me a playful smack on the arm.

“C’mon! You did an incredible thing. You can take some credit! You deserve it, honey.”

“I hear and appreciate what you’re saying, love, but I can’t take that credit and I won’t. You start taking credit for things like that... then the slope gets more and more slippery. And you end up just like Moffat. And that’s not anything I would ever want.”

Riley looked at me then, with understanding in her expression, then she put her hand on my face. That feeling of her hand on my face was still maybe the single greatest feeling I’d ever had in my life. I would do whatever I could to hold onto it.

“And that’s why you’re going to be a great king,” she said.

I smiled at her then, marveling at my good fortune to have found someone like this, to have found a love like this in my life. There was a time, deep undercover within Moffat’s regime, that I had feared I would end up like them: cruel, ugly, corrupt, and violent.

I knew now I had escaped that fate. And the woman in front of me was at least part of the reason why.

“Thank you,” I said impulsively.

She looked at me curiously. “Thank me? For what?”

I shook my head. I wasn’t sure that I could explain.

“I’m just... I’m just thanking you for being with me. Here and now. It’s what makes this all matter. You helped me survive this whole ordeal. I love you, Riley.”

“I love you, too,” she replied without hesitation. “So much.”

At that moment, there was a massive burst of gold and silver fireworks and we could hear the cheers of delight from the people gathered below.

I watched with as much wonder as any of the children on the streets. I felt Riley looking at me and I turned to face her.

“What? What is it?” I asked.

She paused, then took both my hands.

“Your mother. She would be proud of you, Kator. Proud of who you are. Proud of the honor you’ve brought to her memory. I thought you should know that.”

Tears sprung from my eyes unbidden as Riley spoke.

My mother.

I looked up to the stars as I cried, tears rolling freely down my face.

As the fireworks continued to dance before me, I closed my eyes briefly and told her, my mother, to rest now. It was over—that I loved her.

I thought for a moment I felt a hand brush gently against my face again. I assumed it was Riley. But when I opened my eyes, Riley was facing out, both her hands on the railing.

I looked up again and I swear to you... I saw a silver star brighten slightly at me. As if saying goodbye.

The wounded part of my heart where I’d held the pain of my mother’s tragedy all these years emptied.

I exhaled a deep breath of relief. When I inhaled, Riley filled that place. I slipped my arms around her waist, inhaling her perfect scent.

With Riley, I was whole.

And together, we would reshape this broken kingdom.

Together.

WELL, that should shake things up for the D'tali and their mates!

ONE OF THE best things about writing a series, I think, is that not only do I get to explore a whole new world, but I get to work with all sorts of different couples. And while some of our heroines needed a little time to get their feet under them, Riley has been itching for action since the very first book.

I SUSPECT she'll be keeping Kator busy while turning a new kingdom upside down!

WHAT'S NEXT? A whole new part of the D'tali world, and maybe, just maybe, a chance to get back to Earth...

SOME THINGS ARE WORTH SAVORING...

MECHANIC AND RACER Amber lives to go fast. Life is short, so why slow down? When she's forced to work with slow and steady Torvok, she thinks she might lose her mind.

WHEN THEY'RE SENT on a mission to find more metal to rebuild the ship, they're thrown into a mystery. And when sparks fly between them, Amber realizes that Torvok's methodical and controlled touches drive her crazy in all the right ways.

BUT A DISASTER LEADS them deep beneath the ground, and one wrong word could separate them forever...

KEEP READING FOR A SNEAK PEEK, or get it on Amazon now!

ARE YOU A STARR HUNTRESS?

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STARR HUNTRESS IS a coalition of the brightest Starrs in romance banding together to explore uncharted territories.

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BURIED WITH HER ALIEN MATE: SNEAK PEEK

Amber

“You piece-of-shit,” I growled, hitting the metallic panel over and over again. A few D’Tali workers stopped what they were doing to stare at me, but I paid them no heed. I just kept on hammering the metal ‘til my arms grew tired, then I just started kicking against it.

Finally, the damn edges of the panel slipped into place with a harsh click, covering a small part of the hull.

“What?” I stared back at the closest D’Tali worker, and he just arched one eyebrow. “This is what’s called high-level problem solving. This is how you fix things back on Earth.” The worker opened his mouth, a grin taking over it, but I shot him down before he could make some dumbass remark. “If you don’t get it, just move along. I’ve got plenty of shit to get done today.”

“Lunatic,” I heard him mutter, and I had to make a very conscious effort not to throw the wrench at his head. Instead, I grabbed a metal sheet and tried to fit it over the panel I had installed with my patented ‘kicking-it-into-place’ technique.

I was almost done with it when I heard the loud snort of a numa. I looked back over my shoulder to see a numa’s snout poking out from the edge of the crater where the ship sat. Standing up, I narrowed my eyes to see past the afternoon glow of a bright, sunny day. Beads of sweat rolled down my face, the heat almost oppressive, and I wiped them off with the sleeve of my overalls.

“Isabella?” I cried out, my voice ringing throughout the crater.

One second later Isabella climbed down the crater with the help of a tall, purple D’Tali with golden horns. I say tall, but it’s not like there were many short D’Tali around. It seemed like these guys had been fed fertilizer for breakfast during childhood.

“Have you brought me what I need for the locking mechanism?”

“I have,” she replied, now standing right beside the ship. I sat at the top of it, right where the sun felt most punishing, which meant that I had to look down at her. “Torvok is bringing it down.”

She pointed at the D’Tali that had helped her climb down, and I looked up to see him enlist the help of two other D’Tali. Using a couple of ropes and wooden beams for support, they were dragging a thick metal block down the crater’s slope.

“That thing isn’t a porcelain cup,” I shouted at the D’Tali hauling it down. “Are you afraid it’s gonna break or what? Hurry up!” The purple D’Tali shot me an annoyed glance but he didn’t say a thing. He just continued leading his slow-ass procession down the crater’s slope, driving me crazy in the process.

“Don’t rush them, Amber,” Isabella said as I climbed down the side of the ship. “What matters is that the piece is already here.”

“And thank God for that.” I wiped the sweat off my face once more, but all I managed to do was get a smudge of grease on my cheek. Oh, well. “I’ve tried opening those damn doors in every imaginable way, and I’m dying to see what might be inside that cargo bay. I really hope that this thing is really gonna work.”

“It’ll work,” Isabela replied, stepping aside as the D’Tali finally closed in on the ship’s ramp entrance. “The coding mechanism was damaged, which kicked the security locks in place, but with this bypass—”

“Yeah, yeah.” I waved her down, not really interested in the details. Isabella was a genius at what she did, but I wasn’t a fan of going theory-crazy like she did whenever I asked her a question. I was all about making things happen via sheer intuition.

Of course, that didn’t mean I was clueless about my job.

In fact, it was just the opposite.

I spent my childhood inside my pop’s garage, rebuilding classic cars, and I had been pretty damn good at it. Sure, now I was rebuilding a massive starship, but there wasn’t that much of a difference. I figured that a spaceship was just a mountain-sized version of a 1965 Shelby GT 350, and it didn’t hurt that my methods worked more often than not. That’s why Isabella had placed me here.

“Where to?” that giant purple D’Tali asked Isabella, straightening his back.

His muscles rippled under his shirt, making his forearms seem like battering rams. He also had a soldier’s sharp jawline, but something about him told me that he wasn’t a warrior. Not that he wouldn’t be able to fight—with muscles like that, he’d be able to punch through a brick wall. His body, though, seemed to have been shaped by something more practical than war.

“Come with me,” I barked at him, leading the way up the ramp. Isabella trailed after me. Soon enough the grunts of the D’Tali filled the vast hallways of the ship. Shaking my head, I grabbed a heavy-duty dolly and walked toward them. “For God’s sake, put it here. If you keep on pushing like that, this is going to take ages.”

The D’Tali did as I told them, but the purple one shot me another annoyed glance. “Can you speak softly?” he grumbled, clearly annoyed. What, was I too loud and bossy for him?

I folded my arms over my chest and stared him down. “This is who I am.” I threw back at him. “Got a problem with that?”

“Just my luck,” he muttered under his breath. I was already cocking my arm back, ready to send a wrench on a collision course with his head, when I felt Isabella lay her hand on my arm.

“That’s Torvok,” she said, her voice dipping into a whisper so that he wouldn’t hear us. “He’s a blacksmith, and he’s the best at what he does. You wouldn’t believe the stuff he’s capable of doing. I think you two are going to get along.”

“Yeah,” I said with a sour laugh, “right.”

I wasn’t known as the gal that got along with people easily and, besides, it didn’t look like I had gotten started on the right foot with this Torvok guy. But whatever. It’s not like I was particularly worried about being liked.

Once the metal block Isabella had built was on top of the dolly, I started pushing it across the maze of hallways, leading the entire group to the cargo bay. The massive doors rose in front of us, taunting me, and I stared at them with unbridled fury. It was time this obstacle was crushed into oblivion.

“Now what?” Torvok asked, hands on his hips as he looked from the doors to the piece. Eventually, he found the large hole on the wall, right next to the doors. “Is that where it’s supposed to go?”

“Yeah,” I replied, surprised. “That’s exactly where it’s supposed to go.” The two of us unloaded the piece and, side-by-side, we pushed it into position. Once it filled the hole on the wall, I connected the ship’s wiring to it. I immediately heard an electric crackle. “Oh, this sounds promising.”

“What does?”

“There’s a current going through here,” I said, tapping the metal block. “That means there’s a chance this is going to work. The locking mechanism for the cargo bay was pretty banged up, but I think this is gonna solve it.”

Without giving him the time for more questions, I spun around, making a straight line toward the electrical panel on the side. The cover slid aside with the push of a button. It revealed a tangled mess of wires and connecters, but I didn’t hesitate.

I reconnected the wires then punched the large red button mounted beside the doors. There was a whooshing sound, and the hydraulics started hissing furiously. Just a couple of seconds later, the gigantic doors lifted up, tucking themselves inside a hidden partition on the doorway.

“Now this is what I’m talking about,” I exclaimed, a wave of excitement washing over me. Without even thinking about it, I pulled Isabella into me and hugged her tightly. “You, my friend, are goddamn genius.”

“Let’s check it out,” Isabella said, chuckling as she tilted her chin toward the massive cargo bay. I nodded and, without waiting for anyone else, strolled inside the large room we had just unlocked. Dim lights flickered overhead, revealing mountains of crates covered in dust.

“I figure there’s at least three hundred of them,” I said, doing a quick count. They were of different sizes and shapes. With some luck, they would all contain things which would make life easier here. Or, even better, things that would help us rebuild the ship even faster.

“I think this might be where the cargo manifest is stored,” I heard Isabella say, and I looked at her to see her messing with a wall-mounted display. She continued speaking but, once I noticed what was behind her, I stopped hearing.

“Holy shit,” I muttered, unable to believe myself. “Is that a…?”

I rushed past Isabella, Torvok, and the other D’Tali. Moving as fast as I could, I made my way toward the far end of the cargo bay. I marveled at the vehicle someone had stored there. It reminded me of those futuristic hovercrafts you’d see in old science-fiction movies, except this one was real. It seemed to have a cockpit, and the engines seemed to be located underneath the—

“Amber, I’m gonna need you to do an inventory,” Isabella said, laying a hand on my shoulder. “It’s important that we—”

“Yeah, yeah,” I said, still not listening. “Paperwork. Great.”

How could I listen to her?

I enjoyed the process of working in a massive spaceship, but now I had an opportunity to do something I hadn’t done in years. I was gonna tinker with this thing until its engines purred like kittens. Then, I was gonna sit behind the controls and… well, I was gonna drive the hell out of it.

I was in hog heaven.

But first… I’d made a promise to Isabella, and I should get that done first.

I wondered what was in all these crates. I walked over to some shelves along one wall of the cargo bay.

I will have to investigate this stuff if I’m going to give Isabella her inventory list… Don’t lie to yourself, Amber, you know you just want to snoop.

Okay, that too.

So I started snooping. Let’s start with those shelves in the back. I inspected some of the crates, trying to decide which I wanted to open first. Some of the crates had display panels with different settings.

Wish I could read this. Maybe some of these crates are temperature controlled. That would make sense for smugglers.

I dragged a large crate from the bottom of the shelves so I could reach the smaller crates packed at the top.

Might as well, I’ll need help with the larger crates and I wasn’t not ready to get anyone else involved. I pulled a medium sized crate over, opening it like a Christmas present. I miss Christmas presents.

I pushed that thought to the side and focused on the here and now.

A glow poured from the crate as I lifted the lid. My eyes went wide as I saw more power crystals carefully packed into it.

Isabella was going to love this! I quickly closed it so I wouldn’t damage them before I could give them to Isabella, placing the crate next to my legs.

I quickly scanned the shelf, looking for the next to explore. This was better than finding a suitcase of money under a floorboard!

A smaller, bright orange crate caught my eye.

Wonder what’s in there…

I pulled it to the edge, trying to be careful. This one was pretty high up. Maybe I should find another crate to step on.

I hefted a sturdy enough looking crate onto the large crate under my feet. I stepped atop it, using the extra six inches of height to get my fingers on the orange crate and worked it to the edge of the shelf.

What’s even in this? Seems heavy for something so small. I pulled.

The orange crate came down—and brought another with it. The two crates and I tumbled right off the crates upon which I stood. With a resounding crash, I found myself on my back on the cargo bay’s floor, the orange crate cradled in my arms.

I looked over to the crate the orange one had dislodged. Looks like that one was damaged in the crash. It hung open, vials filled with something fuchsia filled it. One of the vials lay shattered on the floor near my head.

Damn, Amber, you did it this time.

Well, I didn’t know what was in it, but, at least, I didn’t break all of whatever it is.

The broken vial’s fuchsia filling lay near my face.

And then, the fuchsia thing twitched.

No. That’s creepy. Is it… alive?!

It uncurled, waving what looked like tiny legs attached to the circumference of its segments.

Oh, no.

I tried to push the heavy orange crate off me so I could get away from the little creature, but it was really awkward. Before I could get distance between me and the critter, it crawled right for me.

Hell! That thing was moving fast!

I squealed as it crawled up my head and—into my ear.

GET BURIED with her Alien Mate now!

REKKER

Rekker wasn't expecting to be matched.

On the eve of being sent to retrieve a mysterious artifact, he's sent something just as enigmatic.

A HUMAN WOMAN, lush and curved.

His mate.

Even worse, she wants nothing to do with him.

His blood burns for her, but the need to make her happy overrides everything.

He'll find a way to set her free, even if it means he'll be alone. Forever.

But when danger comes from an unexpected source, they're thrown together. And when his mate turns to him, he'll protect her.

KEEP HER.

Claim her.

Lila Kanes never wanted any thing but a quiet life on her family farm. She certainly didn't want to be claimed by a massive alien mate.

THROWN INTO THE STARS, she'll do whatever it takes to find a way home.

BACK TO EARTH.

Back to her family.

SHE COULDN'T POSSIBLY WANT to stay with the hot, horned alien with the amazing body, who made her feel like the most precious thing in the universe, could she?

RIGHT?

REKKER IS the first book of the Warriors of Vaznik, a stand alone series in the Warlord Brides universe. There's no cheating, and a guaranteed HEA for each couple!

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KAZAN

An alien warrior resolved to return to battle. A woman determined to get back to her life.

They'll fight the match, but can they fight fate?

A MATE IS the last thing on my mind.

Especially one as sassy as the human female they say is my match.

Even if her lush curves call for my touch, and her fiery spirit is equal to my own.

I will endure the thirty days demanded by the Protocol.

But with every look, every word, I can feel us bound closer together.

Will I be able to leave her, even for her own safety?

KAZAN IS the first book of the Jorkan Protocol Mates. Spend the night with this perfect steamy, funny science fiction romance escape. There's no cheating, and a guaranteed HEA for each alien warrior and his mate! Hot, steamy alien yumminess!

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ROGUE MATE

Science fiction romance is the destination of the Rogue Star…. Hop on board!

OUR RESCUERS ARE a group of pirates. Or smugglers. They're not exactly answering questions, either.

More importantly, they're giant, golden skinned aliens...

And their rogue of a captain seems very interested in the little human commander.

Me.

ROGUE MATE IS the first in the Rogue Star science fiction alien romance series. Click now to start the adventure!

Copyright © 2020 by Ava York

All rights reserved. These books or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the Author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This book is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and situations within its pages and places or persons, living or dead, is unintentional and co-incidental.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Contents

Riley

Kator

Riley

Kator

Riley

Kator

Riley

Kator

Riley

Kator

Riley

Kator

Riley

Kator

Riley

Kator

Riley

Kator

Riley

Kator

Riley

Kator

Riley

Kator

Riley

Kator

Riley

Kator

Riley

Kator

Are you a STARR HUNTRESS?

Buried with her Alien Mate: Sneak Peek

Rekker

Kazan

Rogue Mate

Copyright