Born of Shadows

  "I told you. Stupidity." He feigned a moment of innocence before he answered. "With her health and crappy personality, I knew she wouldn't be able to survive jail. The inmates there would cut her head off three minutes after incarceration. I, on the other hand, am a little tougher and can take whatever they throw at me."

  Still... she couldn't imagine having someone love her so much that they'd put their own life, their freedom, on the line to protect her. "That was a nice thing to do."

  He shrugged it off. "Where I come from, it's what family does."

  Caillen checked his watch, then stood up. "You ready to get out of here?"

  "You think we've passed enough time?"

  "God, I hope so. Otherwise this will be a short trip." He winked at her.

  She made a "heh" sound at him before she pushed herself to her feet. "What's the plan?"

  "While I was out, I found the local bay. It was pretty bustling then, but I'm hoping it's calmed down by now. If it is, we should be able to commandeer a ship."

  Commandeer... she adored his word choice. "You're not suggesting we steal something, are you?"

  His expression turned impish. "Stealing is such an ugly word."

  "Stealing is wrong."

  Still those eyes teased her. "Look, Princess, survival has no morals. You do what you have to or you die."

  Perhaps, but she'd been raised differently. "I disagree. The depth and strength of our character is defined by our moral code. People only reveal themselves when they're thrown out of the usual conditions of their lives. That's when the truth of who they are is revealed and I am not a thief."

  "Neither am I, but I see nothing wrong with borrowing something we need for a bit. If not for the fact they'd eat my head, I would ask. As it is, I'll make sure they get it back once we're safe."

  "Sure you will." She didn't mean to be such a bitch, but this really offended her.

  He stiffened, his humor completely gone. "Now who's judging whom? Fine. Stay here. Give my regards to the Andarions. I'd rather get back to my father and make sure he lives."

  Desideria watched as he headed for the trapdoor and removed his mirror devices. Part of her wanted to hold her morality close. But in the end, she knew he was right. She couldn't stay here and let her mother be hurt.

  Disgusted with herself and what they were about to do, she got up and followed after him.

  He arched a taunting brow as she caught up to his side.

  She glared at that smugness. "Not one word or I swear I'll gut you where you stand. If my mother's life wasn't in danger, I would never agree to this."

  "Love is the greatest corruptor ever known and has been the number one downfall of mankind since the first creation."

  She didn't comment as they kept to the shadows while navigating through the empty streets. Lifting her cowl into place around her head, she realized that he was moving a lot easier this time than he'd been when he left earlier. Even so, it was a miracle he could move at all given the severity of his injuries.

  She was still sore from the crash, but nowhere near as badly hurt as he'd been.

  They kept to the back alleyways, out of the sight of the people on the street or surveillance cameras. Caillen seemed to have an uncanny ability to see them and stay out of their range.

  Desideria hesitated as she saw another camera on the street that was too close for comfort. "We're being watched."

  "No. I've got a jammer. By the time they realize we were here, we'll be gone. All they see is static."

  "Is that why you're avoiding them?"

  "Better safe than sorry."

  He was probably right about that. And as they drew closer to the bays, the amount of cameras and activity picked up exponentially. But at least it wasn't people bustling about. The bay seemed to be fully automated. Machinery buzzed and whirred as they slipped inside the hangar.

  Caillen froze instantly, causing her to run into his back.

  She scowled up at him. "What are you doing?"

  He didn't speak for several heartbeats as he stared at a black ship in the rear corner. From the style, she knew it to be a fighter class--an older model. The paint was streaked by what appeared to be a blast mark. Other than that, it looked like all the other ones here.

  Why would he stare at it?

  Unless...

  She swallowed as fear gripped her. "Is it the assassin?"

  Again, he refused to answer as he skimmed around the wall toward it.

  Frustrated, she trailed after him, dying to know what was going on and why he was acting so strangely.

  Caillen ducked his head as he slid toward the cockpit entrance. Just as he reached the fighter's ladder that deep, sinister voice she'd heard on his link spoke out of the darkness.

  "Move and die."

  17

  That thick, deeply accented voice was ominous and cold. It sent chills up and down Desideria's spine. She turned her head slowly to see a...

  Oh my God. He was huge! A full head taller than Caillen, the Andarion dwarfed them both. But it wasn't just his massive, muscular size that was terrifying. His black hair was liberally laced with white streaks and matted into dreadlocks that fell to the middle of his back. A black cloth mask with some kind of spooky symbol painted in a blood red that matched the rim on his eerie irises covered the lower part of his face so that all you could see were those white demonic eyes that glared in anger. He'd smeared green paint with a black-dotted pattern over his forehead and temples, and down the bridge of his nose to give himself an even more sinister appearance.

  Boy did it work.

  It sent her stomach straight to her feet and made her instinctively reach for her weapon in trepidation.

  Until he clicked back the release of the blaster, letting her know silently that if she moved again, he'd shoot her.

  Dressed all in black, he reminded her more of a malevolent phantom than a living, breathing person. An image that was heightened by the sharpened silver claws on both of his hands and the weapons that covered every inch of his body and especially the large blaster that was aimed right at her heart. Any doubt about his intent was laid to rest by the bright orange targeting dot hovering right between her breasts.

  We're so dead...

  Never one to be intimidated, Caillen moved so fast that she hadn't even seen him do it until he had the Andarion's blaster in his hand and aimed at the creature's head.

  The Andarion grabbed him and shoved him toward a large shuttle with an open hatch before he disarmed Caillen.

  With a gymnastic twist, Caillen came up from below and swept the weapon from his hand again. He angled it at the Andarion's chest. "You better be glad I don't overreact to things, Fain, or you'd be dead right about now."

  Fain snorted as he knocked the blaster out of Caillen's hand and slid it gracefully into his holster before he took a step back. "Didn't your sisters ever teach you not to mess with your betters, food?"

  "Yes, but there aren't any betters here." He raked a smug look over Fain's body. "Just you, witling."

  A twitch started in Fain's eye at the insult. He didn't respond to it. Instead, he crossed his arms over his chest. An action that caused the veins on his arms to bulge as he swept a frown over Caillen's body. "Out of curiosity, why do you look like a cheap Andarion hooker?"

  "Spend a lot of time trolling for them, do you?"

  Fain made a low growl that conveyed his annoyance. "I have a lot of friends in their community. They're more loyal than most, so don't go there unless you really want to toss down with me. Which is why your garish appearance offends me for them." Yeah, Fain was definitely lacking in tact and manners.

  Caillen shrugged his insult aside. "I was trying to blend."

  He scoffed at Caillen's answer. "Yeah... okay, that explains a lot about your current predicament. For the record, giakon, you don't blend here--you smack of offworlder--and you're lucky the natives haven't eaten you. I still can't believe you were dumb enough to get made in a transport of all things. What the
hell were you thinking?"

  "I was hoping they'd think I was you."

  Fain sighed. "All I need. A human riding my reputation. Thanks. Appreciate it. Might as well hang a sign around my neck calling myself a wuss. Pisses me off. A lifetime to build my reputation, three seconds for you to destroy." He narrowed his gaze on Desideria. "So who's your trim?"

  Caillen stiffened right along with her at the derogatory word that meant she was nothing more than a mindless adornment for his arm. "I seriously object to that term, Fain."

  He held his hands up in surrender. "Forgot you're from the all-estrogen nest. No offense meant to your woman or you, but if you are offended, I really don't care. Don't have time to deal with something as petty as human emotions while under fire. So given all that, I'm going to assume this is the princess you're accused of trying to kill."

  Caillen made the introduction. "Fain Hauk meet Princess Eternal Pain in my Ass."

  Desideria gaped at him. She couldn't believe he'd introduced her that way.

  Fain laughed, then nudged her toward the shuttle hatch that was open. "Yeah, well, you and Princess Pain in the Ass need to get on board quickly."

  Caillen hesitated. "Why?"

  Fain pulled the blaster out again and acted as if he'd captured them. "Move. Now." Then he spoke between clenched teeth. "Get on board the damn ship or I'm leaving you here."

  Caillen jerked his hands up as if he was surrendering in the most sarcastic manner imaginable. Last thing he wanted was to feed Fain's ego by having a tape of him being taken into custody. "Bite me, asshole."

  "I would, but your greasy ass wouldn't be worth the indigestion."

  Caillen snorted before he led her up the ramp. Fain would pay for this, but obviously the Andarion had concerns about them being monitored and wanted this to look authentic if that were indeed the case. So for now, he'd play along.

  Once they were inside, Fain followed them in and closed the hatch. Only then did he relax and return his blaster to its holster. He activated the link in his ear. "Got them. You were right. Dagan headed straight for us when he saw Nyk's fighter." He paused to listen. "I've got the scanners running already. See you when you get here."

  Caillen ran his thumb along the edge of his lips as Fain's patient tone amused him. A ruthless killer who'd been thrown out of the house by his parents when he was just a kid and forced to grow up hard on the streets, the Andarion had little tolerance for anyone except the younger brother he guarded like treasure. "Only one person I know you'd be that civil with. Dancer?"

  "Yeah, and you better be glad you're friends with him. There's no one else who could have called in this favor, especially for a human." Fain sneered the word as he shut the link off and ran over the shuttle's settings. "After your suspicious exodus from the Arimanda, Darling deployed Dancer out to look for you and he called me as soon as he realized where you were. You're lucky I happen to live on this hell rock."

  "Since when? I thought you lived on Kirovar."

  Fain scoffed as he pulled back from the conse and moved to make a systems check. "Too many humans wetting themselves whenever I walked down the street. Got tired of the mamas grabbing their kids up like I couldn't control myself and was going to snack on one of those repulsive creatures. Have you seen what human kids eat? Gah, most of them munch their own mucus. Disgusting little parasites." Shivering, he flipped several switches.

  Caillen laughed out loud at Fain's uncharacteristic rant--normally he didn't do much more than growl at anyone near him. This was probably only the third time he'd ever said more than a handful of syllables around him.

  And it was highly unusual for Fain to show any form of weakness. The Andarion didn't believe in ever exposing his underbelly in any way. "Wow, that's all it takes to make you, Captain Badass, squeamish? I had no idea you were so easily cowed. Forget trying to shoot you. All someone has to do is send a kid into your general direction and you'll run for cover."

  Fain slid a threatening grimace at him. "Don't go there. And my habitat and repulsion triggers aren't the daily topic. You two are."

  "Yeah, I know. We have an assassin after us."

  Fain snorted in derision. "That's the least of your problems given what you're accused of."

  Those words set his temper on fire as he remembered what else he was facing and he slid an irritated glare at Desideria. He was still livid over the stunt her crew had tried with him. He couldn't wait to get back and set the record straight. "Again, I know. The Qills have accused me of trying to kill Princess Pain."

  She gave him a glower that would shrivel a lesser man. "Would you stop calling me that?"

  Fain ignored them. "That's still nothing."

  Now that got Caillen's attention. That and the deadly look emanating from Fain's eyes. "What do you mean?"

  Desideria frowned as a bad feeling went through her. Obviously something had happened that they didn't know about.

  Fain pulled the mask down from the lower part of his face so that it lay against his neck. His handsomeness actually caught her off guard. If he would wash the makeup from his face, he'd be every bit as devastating as Caillen...

  In a freakish kind of way.

  When he spoke, his fangs flashed in the dim light cast by the control panel. "Your father was killed and so was the Qill queen. The entire universe is now after the two of you for their murders."

  Desideria couldn't breathe as that news tore through her like a dagger. Her mother was dead?

  No... It couldn't be.

  It wasn't possible.

  And yet she could tell by Fain's expression that he wasn't lying. Her mother was dead.

  I'm too late.

  She wanted to cry, but Qillaqs didn't weep. Not about death.

  They got even.

  And still the pain of her mother's loss washed through her entire being. It hurt much worse than she would have ever thought possible. Until this moment, she hadn't realized just how much she'd loved her unlovable parent.

  She wanted to see her mother again. To hear the sound of her voice even if it was criticizing her.

  I'm an orphan.

  It was a stupid thought really, especially given what was going on and what was at stake. She was a grown woman and yet she felt abandoned and alone in a way she wouldn't have thought possible.

  What am I going to do?

  Her life would be forfeit once they found her.

  Over and over, she saw images of her mother boasting about how no one would ever be able to defeat her--how she could take down any assassin who dared to look askance at her. That she was the strongest of warriors. But beneath that was the memory of her mother's happy smile when Desideria had joined the Guard. There for one tiny moment, her mother had been proud of her.

  And she'd failed her in the worst sort of way.

  Her mother was dead.

  This can't be happening.

  Her people were without leadership and she was wanted for her own mother's murder. Her emotions were so tangled. She was angry, hurting and most of all there was a deep, dark hole inside her that felt like it would swallow her up until she lost herself completely.

  Her life would never be the same.

  If she lived...

  The horror of it all washed over her in a tidal wave of pain. She couldn't breathe as panic set in.

  What am I going to do? How would she survive?

  As if he understood her rising panic, Caillen pulled her against him and held her close. Normally, she'd shove him away for intruding on her personal space, but right now she appreciated the comfort.

  No, she needed it. The sound of his heart under her cheek... the sensation of being cocooned by his warmth. He gave her strength even while her entire world was spinning out of control.

  Glancing up, she saw the same look of grief-stricken shock on his face that she felt. "What happened?" he asked Fain.

  "Your father was executed in his room. They found his body right after you'd left--when they'd gone in to tell him what had happe
ned to you. I don't know what their evidence against you is, but there's a standing League contract out on both of youlives. And we are talking major bill-kill."

  She winced at a term that meant the bounty on their heads was so steep that most people would sell their own body parts for it.

  Never had she felt more lost. How could she prove her innocence? No doubt her mother's Guard would kill her the moment they saw her again. It would be expected.

  Yes, she could demand a trial which would pit her in a death match against her aunt or her sister. But she had no doubt her mother's killers would terminate her before she had a chance to clear her name. They wouldn't allow her a chance to prove her innocence.

  And even if she was found innocent, it wouldn't change the outcome. As a Guard member on duty at the time of her mother's death, she'd be held accountable. The only person who could pardon her would be the next queen.

  Narcissa.

  Yeah...

  I'm so dead.

  Caillen tightened his arms around her as he spoke to Fain. "Darling told me my father was all right when I spoke to him."

  Fain leaned back against the seat. "Darling didn't want you to panic. According to him, your father had his throat slit and Princess Pain's mother was left in little bloody chunks all over her bed."

  The bile rose in her throat at those unexpected cold, brutal words. A vivid image of her beautiful mother was blotted out by what he'd described.

  It was more than she could take.

  Before she could stop herself, she ran to the bathroom barely in time and lost what little contents she had in her stomach. Her spasms were violent and loud as her entire body shook.

  Suddenly, Caillen moved in behind her while she was sick. Without a single word, he stayed with her until she was finished. Then he silently flushed.

  Weak and spent, she wanted to crawl in a hole and die of embarrassment. She was acting like a child, not the warrior she'd been trained to be. Worse, tears glistened in her eyes while she did her best to not give in to emotions she knew she shouldn't have.

  I won't cry. I won't.

  Her mother would be disappointed in her if she did and the last thing she wanted was to shame her mother any more. But Caillen wasn't looking at her like she was an embarrassment or weak. There was compassion and something that might even be respect. But now?

  Caillen handed her a cool, damp towel. "Are you all right?"

  She nodded. "I'm so sorry about that."