Ynyr (Tornians Book 3)

  There was no way he could have meant that he had expected someone to send a three year old to a place that sounded like a hell hole to her. It was a death sentence. Ynyr wasn’t that kind of male. He was more caring than that, was more compassionate.

  Turning, Varick’s gaze in the family portrait caught her eye. He seemed to be staring directly at her, condemning her. For what? For what she had done? Comforting an innocent? Or for what she hadn’t done. Protecting him as she’d been protected? Or was it something else entirely? Was he trying to tell her she wasn’t worthy enough to be a member of his family?

  Slowly she sat on the couch trying to think. The sound of impatient footsteps had her raising her eyes to see Ynyr striding towards her. “The little caca got away!” He told her running a frustrated hand through his hair as he sat down next to her.

  “Really.” She said quietly.

  “Yes! Ja heard us shouting and opened the doors to the Wing, he slipped between Ja’s legs before we warn him.”

  “Resourceful little caca isn’t he?” She said just as quietly.

  “Yes, but we’ll find him and when we do, it’s Gehenna for him!”

  “Why?” Abby asked, looking at him.

  “Why what?”

  “Why would you send him there?”

  “Abby, he is the offspring of Risa and Bertos!” Ynyr said it as if that explained everything.

  “You knew they had offspring together?”

  “Of course. Everyone knew they did.”

  “I didn’t.” She told him quietly. “No one ever said that they had left behind a child, an offspring, one with no brother to watch out for him.”

  “Probably because he should have been gone before we arrived.”

  “And that would have been okay with you… that an innocent was sent to such a terrible place.”

  “He isn’t an innocent Abby. He has Risa’s and Bertos’ blood running through his veins. He is tainted. Unfit. Nothing he can ever do will change that. His every breath perpetuates the madness and evil that has infected his blood. It must end somewhere!”

  “You would judge him… because of his parents… because of a chance of birth… giving no thought to the fact that those that raise him will influence him more than those responsible for his birth?”

  “That will not matter! What matters is that his bloodline is tainted. His parents were unfit and unworthy and that makes him unfit and unworthy!” Ynyr answered his ringing comm. “Yes?”

  “We believe we have him cornered my Lord.” Korin informed him. “In the unused Wing.”

  “I will be right there! Abby, I have to go. Know that there are now two guards at the entrance and two at the top of the stairs. You need only to call out and they will hear you. You are safe.” Giving her a quick hard kiss Ynyr went after Brice.

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  Abby watched as her entire world walked out the door, taking with him all her hope and all her belief. The belief that she deserved to be happy. The belief that someone could love her, truly love her for who she was… not where she came from. Lance hadn’t been able to do that, but with Ynyr… with Ynyr she had thought it would be different, that he was different… she was wrong.

  ‘Of course you were,’ the voice spoke again. ‘Look at you! You are short and fat. You never had a chance with such a fit and worthy male! A Lord! Did you really believe a Lord could love someone like you? Best you leave or better yet end yourself so he doesn’t have to.’

  Abby let out a pain filled cry as every word seemed like a blow. What was she going to do? Where was she going to go? Who would help her now? Barely able to rise she went to the comm.

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  “Abby!”

  Lisa’s face was radiant when it appeared on the comm screen, pregnancy must be agreeing with her, Abby thought. She saw the smile quickly fade.

  “Abby! What’s wrong?” Lisa’s eyes flew across her comm screen taking in the utter devastation and despair that filled the face and eyes that only days ago had been filled with happiness. “What happened?” Lisa heard Grim moving towards her from across their resting chamber.

  “I’ve made a mistake Lisa. A terrible… horrible mistake. What could I have been thinking? I should have known better… it always matters… it never goes away… mom was wrong…”

  “Abby.” Lisa shot concerned eyes to Grim, who just shook his head.

  “I need to leave… get away…” Abby’s eyes met Lisa’s on the screen. “Can I come to Luda? I need to come to Luda. It’s where I should have been all along. I never should have come here. Can I come?”

  “Yes. Yes. Of course you can but tell me what’s wrong?” Lisa saw Grim punch some buttons on his personal comm and walk to where Abby couldn’t hear him. “What has happened? Are you hurt?”

  “Today. Can you come today? We need to leave today. We can’t stay here. We…”

  “Abby calm down! We can’t come today, we are three days from Tornian. Now who is we? You mean you and Ynyr?”

  “No!” Abby instantly responded, recoiling from the screen. “No, not Ynyr… Brice… Me and Brice. We need to leave. I can’t let Ynyr send him to Gehenna. He’ll die there.”

  “Abby… Abby!” Lisa shouted at her. “Who is Brice?”

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  Ynyr knew they had the little caca trapped. He was somewhere in this room. All they had to do was figure out where. He looked at his comm impatiently wanting to ignore its ring, then he saw it was Grim’s code.

  “I’m a little busy right now King Grim.” Ynyr told him leaning over to check a dark corner.

  “I don’t give a flying fuck what you are.” Grim used an Earth phrase he had recently learned. “I want to know why Abby is on the comm with Lisa telling her she has made a mistake and begging for us to come get her!”

  “What!” Ynyr immediately straightened his exclamation drawing the gaze of every male.

  “That’s what I want to know. What have you done to her?”

  “Nothing. She is fine. I left her not ten minutes ago.” Forgetting about Brice, Ynyr took off at a run for their Wing.

  “She is not fine. She is nearly incoherent she’s so upset. Get your ass to her!”

  “Already on my way!” Disconnecting he ran faster.

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  “Three days?” Abby gave Lisa a confused look. “It will take you three days?”

  “Yes… Abby, who is Brice?”

  “I shouldn’t have called you. I should have called… Kim… no Wray would want to do the same… I can’t call Isis… what am I going to do? Where are we going to go?”

  “Abby!” Lisa’s yell had Abby pausing, looking back at her. “Who. Is. Brice?”

  “Risa and Bertos’ three year old male.” She told her.

  Dead silence met her statement.

  “Their offspring… I had forgotten…” Lisa turned troubled eyes to the returning Grim. “How could I have forgotten about him?”

  “It was not for you to worry about my Lisa.” Grim told her gruffly.

  “You knew about him?” Abby turned accusing eyes to Grim.

  “Of course.”

  “Ynyr wants to send him to Gehenna.” Abby told him.

  “That would be for the best.” Grim nodded.

  “Wait, what is Gehenna?” Lisa asked, looking at Grim. “And why does that upset Abby?”

  “It is a place where the fit and worthy Tornians send those they have abandoned and have deemed unfit. That includes children no one will take responsibility for!” Abby told her.

  “What? No! That’s impossible.” Lisa denied. “A brother takes responsibility…”

  “You have to have a brother, Lisa.” Grim told her quietly.

  “True, but… someone else…”

  “If a male assumes the responsibility of another’s offspring he risks never being able to attract a female of his own, to perpetuate his bloodline.” Grim informed her.

  “Oh yes, let’s not forget ab
out that all important bloodline!” Abby sneered.

  Just then doors to the chamber were thrust open, banging off the walls and Ynyr rushed in.

  “What in the name of the Goddess is going on?!!” He demanded, moving over to Abby.

  Abby swung around in her seat, her eyes full of betrayal as they looked from Lisa to Grim. “You called him.”

  “Abby…” Lisa began.

  “Yes.” Grim cut her off. “Ynyr is your male Abby. The one you chose. He descends from a fit and honorable bloodline, you need to tell him what is wrong so he can fix it.”

  “Fix it!” Abby began to laugh, but it was a laugh full of shredded glass. “Fix it! Like he was going to ‘fix’ an innocent three year old by sending him somewhere to die!”

  “Abby you do not understand…” Ynyr tried to touch her but she jerked away.

  “Oh, I understand alright… better than you… you always saw yourself as less because of a chance of birth, because of the order in which you were born, but you never once saw yourself as less because of who you came from, did you Ynyr.

  “No.” He said quietly.

  “And you King Grim,” Abby’s eyes turned to him, blazing at the most feared warrior in all the Empire. “You saw yourself as less because you were injured, scarred but never because of the blood that ran through your veins did you.”

  “No.” Grim admitted.

  “Yet both of you would condemn a three year old to death because of what his parents did, because of the blood that runs through his veins. You have no idea of what he may or may not do!”

  “Most likely he will do as his manno’s blood has.” Grim told her quietly.

  “What about his mother’s blood? What about Risa’s manno, Captain Busto. He was the Captain of the Emperor’s Guard! He died trying to defend King Rask! He was a fit and honorable male. Respected by many! How do you know he won’t follow that bloodline!”

  No one spoke.

  “I understand what you are saying Abby, but it is not a chance I am willing to take.” Ynyr told her. “I am the Lord of this House. He is in my House. It is up to me to make that decision.”

  “And will that be your decision if we have offspring?” Abby demanded.

  “What?” Ynyr looked at her in shock.

  “Are you going to rip them from my arms and send them there to die just like you are doing to Brice?”

  “Of course not!” Ynyr instantly denied.

  “That’s what you say now Ynyr but that’s a chance I’m not willing to take.” She flung his words back at him.

  “Abby our offspring will be fit and worthy…” he began giving her a confused look.

  “How do you know that? You know nothing of the blood that runs through my veins. All your people cared about when they took us from Earth was that we were ‘unprotected’.”

  “Abby.” Lisa’s quiet voice broke through. “What are you talking about? Your parents…”

  “David and Ronnie Jamison were my mom and dad, they were the people that raised me, loved me and taught me right from wrong. They were amazing people, but not one drop of their blood runs through my veins.” Abby saw the shock on Lisa’s face. “Oh no! The blood in my veins comes from Victor and Vicki Davis thank you very much, two of the biggest scum bags on Earth.”

  “You were adopted.” Lisa whispered.

  “Yes.”

  “What is a… adopted?” Ynyr asked.

  “Something no fit or worthy Tornian male would ever consider doing.” Abby spat at him. “They took in and loved a child that no one else wanted. They didn’t send that child away to die just because of a chance of birth!”

  Ynyr flinched at the condemnation he saw in his Abby’s eyes. There was not one ounce of the soft caring female he had come to know and love. He wanted her back.

  “Tell me about them Abby.” Ynyr said.

  “Sure, why the fuck not?” Her self-deprecating laugh hurt Ynyr’s heart. “Let’s get it all out there. That way, no one can blame you for not wanting to have offspring with me. Some bloodlines should end.” Abby looked past Ynyr to the portrait she’d been so excited to find. She had been so excited to think she would be part of a family like that, that she could claim to be related to them. She should have known better.

  “My first memory is of humming, this soft little hum that was always there. It wasn’t until later that I realized it was coming from my sister. She was always holding me and humming. I think she did it so I wouldn’t cry and attract attention. You never wanted to attract the attention of either Vicki or Victor. You never knew what would happen if you did. It might be a slap. It might be a kick. If they were in a really good mood they would just yell at us…”

  “Abby…” Tears began to run down Lisa’s cheeks, but Abby didn’t notice she was lost in the past.

  “I don’t know how old I was then. Hell, I’m not even sure how old I am now… Mom picked the date and year… anyway they kept us in this tiny room with a boarded up window. We hardly knew when it was day or night, not that it mattered to us, all we knew was when it got dark the door would open and they would throw something in for us to eat. Girl would always make sure I got the first bite.” Abby’s smiled slightly at the memory. “It was never long after that when the yelling and the screaming would start. Sometimes there would be strange sounds. We would huddle into the darkest corner and wait for the light because that was when it got quiet again.”

  “Girl?” Ynyr’s voice penetrated the memories long enough for Abby to answer.

  “That’s what they called her. She was Girl. I was Little Bitch. So that was our lives until one night, Victor came in with another man. They grabbed Girl. I remember clinging to her screaming, I didn’t want to be in the dark alone. Victor just ripped me away from her and threw me across the room. The light was just starting to come up when he brought her back. She didn’t move, just laid where he’d dropped her. What she was wearing was torn and had something sticky on it. She never hummed to me again.”

  “I don’t know how many times they pulled her from that room, I didn’t know how to count, but one night it got really loud and then it got really quiet and they didn’t bring Girl back and the door never opened again.”

  “What?” Lisa asked in a shocked voice.

  Abby looked at the screen surprised to see Lisa was in Grim’s arms, tears running down her cheeks. “The door didn’t open. No more food came. They left.”

  “They just left you there?” Disbelief colored Lisa’s voice.

  Abby just shrugged. “I was nothing to them. Just something to lock away. Out of sight, out of mind, right? Isn’t that the way it is with those you to Gehenna?” She looked at Ynyr who was pale and looked like someone had just sucker punched him. Her gaze went back to the portrait and she forced herself to go on.

  “I don’t remember kicking out the boards on the window, but I must have. Someone found me walking down the middle of the street one night and they took me to the hospital. Ronnie Jamison was the nurse on duty that night. I didn’t know it until years later, but she stayed with me for forty-eight hours straight. She would bath me, lay with me. She brushed my hair and fed me. She hummed to me… she was so soft, smelled so nice, she didn’t yell at me, didn’t hit me.”

  “It was weeks later, after they could find no records of my existence, that I finally told her my name. Little Bitch. It was the only time I ever saw Ronnie enraged, but it wasn’t at me it was for me.

  “She named me Abby, after her mother because she said she knew I would be as beautiful and caring as she had been and then she gave me her birth date. Ronnie was the only person in my life that thought I was worth something, that who my parents were didn’t have to define me.”

  Taking a deep shuddering breath Abby finished. “So now you all know the whole sordid story of Abby Jamison. The unfit. The unwanted. The one from a tainted bloodline.”

  “Abby...” Ynyr started.

  Looking to Ynyr she expected to see disgust in his eyes, the same disgus
t that had been there when he had looked at Brice. Instead, she found him kneeling at her feet, his eyes full of tears.

  “What? Don’t worry Ynyr, you don’t have to beg me to leave, to not taint your fit and worthy bloodline.” She gestured to the portrait behind him. “You are destined for greatness Ynyr. You are going to do exactly as the Emperor has demanded and make your House the shining example it once was. It’s in your blood.”

  “Goddess Abby stop.” Ynyr had never felt more unworthy or unfit in his life than when he listened to Abby reveal her secret. He thought he had suffered great indignities in his life. That he had been judged harshly for something that wasn’t his fault. But it was nothing compared to what his Abby had endured, what she had survived and yet she hadn’t let it harden her, hadn’t let it make her into what had tried to destroy her. Instead, she had chosen to love, chosen to care, chosen to be the exact opposite of what her blood said she would be.

  “Did you find Brice?” She asked, her voice as lifeless and flat as her eyes.

  “No.”

  “I’ll go help search for him. The sooner we find him the sooner we can leave.”

  “We will send the Raptor Abby.” Lisa told her.

  “No!” Ynyr shouted, rising. “Abby is going nowhere! She is my Lady! She stays here!”

  “No Lisa.” Abby’s firm but emotionless voice cut in. “I will not put you in such a position. King Grim has already expressed his feelings towards Brice and I will not divide your House. You have done enough. I will figure something else out, for Brice and for me. Give the girls a hug for me.”

  “Abby! Abby!” Abby ignored Lisa’s plea as she walked out of the resting chamber.

  “Lord Ynyr!” The command in Grim’s voice could not be ignored stopping Ynyr as he moved to follow her. “I’m sending the Raptor. You have three days to work this out with Abby or she and Brice will both become members of my House.”