Until a soft voice broke through the stillness. "We're here to assist."
Caillen gaped at the last thing he'd expected to hear.
Desideria's face showed on their com screen.
Amazed, he gave her an arch stare. "What are you doing, sweetie?"
Her smile warmed him. "I'm saving you. You can't go in there alone. I mean, you can. But I don't want to see you hurt. After you left, it dawned on me that I have an army at my disposal. So here we are, assisting you until your name's cleared."
He shook his head at her. "Don't you have a government to run?"
"It'll be okay for a few hours. With Narcissa arrested, there's no immediate threat."
Chayden muted them. "You better tell her."
He was right.
This time.
"Feed the transmission into the bunk room." Caillen unstrapped himself and headed off the bridge to talk to her alone. There was actually a lot of stuff he wanted to talk to her about. But this wasn't the time or place.
The one thing though was the tenderness in his heart for a woman who put everything on hold to come to his aid. She didn't know about her mother or the fact that his name was cleared because his father was still alive.
She had no reason to be here.
Except to keep him safe like she'd said.
And this time he knew what name to give the confusing feelings he had inside him where she was concerned. He loved her. Loved her in a way he would never have thought possible. He trusted her and he would give his life to keep her safe.
Those thoughts hung heavy in his mind as he turned on the link in the bunk room and saw Desideria's beautiful face again. Oh yeah, that was what he needed.
No, what you really need is her naked in your bed.
There was that...
"Hey, beautiful. I have some news for you. Are you alone?"
She gave him a droll look. "Fighter only sits one."
He arched a brow at her dry tone. "I didn't know you could fly. You've been holding out on m."
She smiled. "Only Qillaq fighters. I know nothing about other craft."
Yes and no. Flying was flying. But he could understand her reservation, especially if she couldn't read the language for the gauges and controls. That was a one-way trip to the hospital.
Or morgue.
And as he stared at her, he realized how much he liked being around her. Even when she made him crazy.
"Are you just going to stare at me?"
He grinned at her question. "I might."
"Not really productive."
"But highly entertaining. At least from my perspective."
She shook her head that was covered by a flight helmet. He had to admit he much preferred her open-face style to the League and Sentella's closed helmets. This way he was able to enjoy seeing her.
"Okay," she stretched the word out. "If I cut you off, it's because I need to lead my people and--"
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about."
She frowned at him. "Not sure I like your tone of voice."
"That's because I'm not sure how you're going to take this news."
She screwed her face up in distaste. "More bad news?"
"From my perspective, definitely. From yours, probably not so much."
Fury darkened her eyes. "Stop playing this game with me, Caillen. Spit out what I need to know."
"Your mother's alive."
Both of her brows shot up this time. "Pardon?"
"She was in hiding to draw out the traitors. Now that she knows who they are, she's headed for them to kill them."
"Is she insane?"
He laughed, grateful she saw it the same way he did. "I'm not touching that one since she's your mother."
"Is she alone?"
"Darling should reach her... hopefully in time."
She cursed with a word that shocked him. "There's no way to teleport there, is there?"
"Not if you want to be intact when you arrive. The distance is too great and there's too much interference."
"Can Darling fight?"
"Oh yeah. Don't let his diplomatic demeanor fool you. He's as skilled and fierce a fighter as any assassin the League ever trained. More skilled than most. Something I tend to forget too until I see him in action. He might be shorter than most of us, but he can kick ass with the best of them."
"If he reaches her in time."
"Yeah."
The sudden sadness in her eyes was like a punch to his gut.
"When did you find out she was alive?" she asked.
"A few minutes ago. We were heading to intercept her and Darling when you showed up."
Disbelief etched itself into her features. "You were going to protect my mother even though you hate her?"
"Only for you, baby. Nothing and no one else could motivate me for this suicide venture I promise you."
Desideria swallowed at those words that tightened her chest. She'd never loved him more than she did right now. "Thank you."
He kissed his fingertips, then held them out to her in a sign of respect and caring. "Do me one favor."
"Sure."
"When the fighting starts, hang back. I know it flies in the face of your entire being. But for me, hang back."
Right... he was out of his mind if he thought she was going to send him in and then stay back while he put himself in harm's way. "What if I asked the same thing of you?"
"Yeah, but--"
"No buts, Cai. I can't stand the thought of you being hurt and you're already wounded. It's not fair of you to ask me to abstain from the fight when you're not willing to do the same for me."
"I really hate it when you make sense."
She smiled. "I know. I feel the same way about you."
"So should we blow this whole thing off and go grab coffee? Or preferably a bed?"
She rolled her eyes at him. "You're terrible."
"True." He took a deep breath. "Okay so we go with Plan B. Both of us get our asses kicked. Then we limp to a bed where I kiss your boo-boos and you kiss mine. Yeah. That still works."
She laughed. "What am I going to do with you?"
"As long as it involves our mutual nakedness, I'm up for it."
"Cai--"
"Really," he said, interrupting her. He looked down at the bulge in his pants. "I'm definitely up for it."
Yes, he was adorable in a completely irritating way. "I'm cutting the transmison now."
"Don't."
Desideria hesitated at the grave tone of his voice as he said that single word. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't."
"Because when I look at you, I can see into infinity."
Frowning, she wanted to understand what he was saying. "What does that mean?"
"I love you, Desideria."
Now he said that? She sucked her breath in sharply at words she'd never expected to hear.
"That was why I said 'um' earlier. I couldn't get the words out in front of other people."
"Why are you telling me this now?"
"I have no idea. I know we can't be together. Your destiny is completely different from mine. But should something happen to one of us, I wanted you to know how I feel. I never thought I'd find someone who makes me as crazy as you do. Someone who could mean so much to me."
She knew exactly what he meant since he did the same thing to her. "I love you, too."
Caillen froze at those precious words. "Really?"
She nodded. "Why else would I be here?"
"You live to fight."
"Not really. I hate fighting. But don't tell anyone."
"I would never betray you."
She placed her hand against the camera. "I hate you for not telling me this when we were together."
"Yeah, I suck that way."
"You don't suck... much."
He flashed a grin at her. "Fly safe."
"You too. I'll see you on Exeter." She cut the transmission.
Caillen stood there for several minutes as the reality of what
he'd done slammed into him.
He'd made a commitment. A declaration. Never in his life had he ever professed love to anyone not related to him. Not even his own father. It wasn't what he did and yet he wanted to tell her again and again.
I'm such a sappy dumb ass. Too many years with his sisters had corrupted him. All his life he'd prided himself on being able to manipulate any woman in the universe.
Until Desideria.
She controlled him completely. There was nothing he wouldn't do for her. He'd sell his soul just to make her smile.
So why did their relationshave to be impossible?
Not wanting to think about it, he returned to the bridge where Chayden and Fain were arguing over the best course of action. Normally, he'd join in but right now his thoughts were on the army following them and the woman who'd brought them to him.
If I could only have one more day alone with her...
By the time they reached Exeter, Caillen was mentally pacing the floor. They'd tried several times to reach Darling, but he hadn't answered. That could be good.
Or really bad.
Caillen was the first one off the ship. He didn't wait for Desideria, Hauk, Fain or Chayden. He went straight for the Exeterian palace. With any luck, they might be able to end this before Desideria landed. Something that would keep her safe and him sane.
But as soon as he left the hangar closest to his father's palace, he knew it wouldn't be that simple. There were flames spiraling from the remnants of the front gate. Soldiers were mobilized, yet no one seemed to be in charge. Plain and simple, it was a chaotic war zone where the soldiers wandered around as if looking for someone to tell them what to do. So much so that no one even recognized him.
His heart hit his stomach.
What the hell had happened? There were bleeding soldiers in the street, firefighters trying to control the flames on the north quadrant of the palace and civilians crying and rushing around while medics tried to tend the wounded.
Caillen flipped on his wrist link and ran the locator for Darling. "C'mon, buddy, be in Sentella gear." Each of their suits was equipped with a chip that would allow them to find a fallen comrade. Only the Sentella and those approved by Nykyrian were allowed to know the tracing frequency.
Luckily, Caillen was one of the trusted few.
For a handful of seconds, nothing showed up. But as he rounded a corner, he saw the small, faint dot that indicated Darling's location. Caillen followed it quickly toward his father's office in the palace.
As he neared the main hallway, he saw a familiar form on a stretcher.
Maris.
His heart pounded as he made his way toward him. Covered in blood, Maris had an oxygen mask over his face. His eyes widened the instant he recognized Caillen.
"What happened?"
Maris pulled the mask down. "We got here right behind the queen. She came in with her Guard and... it was a bloodbath. Not long after the fighting began, Darling shoved me out the door and before I could move, something exploded and shattered it all over."
"Where's Darling?"
"He was fighting beside the queen's Guard. Then I lost consciousness and when I came to, he was gone. I haven't seen him since."
Caillen bit back a curse as he put the mask back in place on his friend's face. "You better be all right, Maris. Don't make me buy a suit for your funeral."
He laughed, then winced in pain. "Find Darling. Tell me he's okay."
Caillen inclined his head to him, then went back to following his tracer. As he got closer to the study, the damage was more profound. The alabaster had black blast mark scars. All the furniture was shattered and he could see where the fire had licked and scorched the walls and ceiling. A dozen investigators were in the office, taking notes and conferring.
He followed the locator past them, out into the courtyard where bodies lay all around. This was where they were identifying and storing the dead until they could be transported to a morgue.
Pain and guilt rose up to choke him. Darling was his best friend. The one person he could always rely on whenever he needed anything. They'd been through hell together more times than he could even begin to count.
How could Darling be dead?
The dot started moving. For a second, hope flared. They're just moving his body to a new spot. It was the most likely explanation.
Heartsick, he closed the distance to where the largest groups of bodies were piled. The sight sickened him. Darling was here somewhere.
" 'Bout time you got off your lazy ass and made it."
For two seconds he couldn't breathe as he heard that refined accent that spoke his language and syntax. A dichotomy fitting only one aristocrat he knew.
Darling.
He saw the dark shadow leaning against the wall. In full Sentella gear, there was nothing on the outside to betray Darling's identity.
"Your voice distorter's broken."
"I know. It's why I haven't said anything while the Enforcers have hovered near me. I doubt they'd ID me, but not worth the risk."
Caillen scanned the bodies around them. "What happened?"
"The Qill queen is a fucking idiot."
He gaped at a word he'd never heard Darling use before. "Someone's a little pissed."
"Someone's a lot pissed and bleeding all over himself." That was the good and the bad about Sentella uniforms. They were designed to hide injuries. The only person who knew the wearer was wounded was the wearer. It was also what led to the rumor that the Sentella members were immortal and invincible.
"You need a doctor?"
"Yeah. Know one who can treat me without removing my helmet?"
There was that. Since thy were wanted outlaws, exposing their real identities was a moron's move. "Hauk's with me."
"Too bad Syn isn't." Syn had once been a doctor. But while Hauk had no official training, he was as good as most of the medics Caillen had dealt with.
Caillen urged him toward a bench. "You need to sit."
Darling balked and moved away from him. "Hell no. I don't want any of the yahoos to think I'm injured. They'd be all over me." To collect the massive bounty on his head.
That was something Caillen could definitely understand. "C'mon, I'll walk you out to him."
Darling scoffed. "You've got nerve being here uncovered. They still think you killed your father."
"Yeah, but they're not paying attention to me."
"All it takes is one and you're screwed. No offense, I'm over my stupid quota for the day and I really can't take another battle right now, so I'll just stand here bleeding until Hauk makes it to me."
"Your call." Caillen's gaze paused on the number of soldiers who'd gone down with obvious human wounds. "How much of this was you?"
"Most of it. The Enforcers have no idea what happened. Yet. The bomb Karissa set off took out about half the palace staff, hence the bodies around us. The moment she heard Sarra was coming for her, she had her daughter declare war on the Qills and they called in every trooper they could get. I give Sarra credit, she and her people cut through them in a way a League assassin team would envy."
"How many did you take out?"
"Not enough, hence my wounds."
He let out a "heh" sound at Darling's droll tone. "Where are the women now?"
"That's where it gets interesting."
"Interesting how?"
"I was side by side with four members of the queen's Guard when the bitches turned on me."
Caillen scowled, not sure he'd heard that correctly. "What?"
He nodded. "They killed the three members who were on the queen's side, then captured Sarra before she realized what was happening. As they were making their way out the back and scrambling for cover, I knew exactly what Karissa had planned--to kill all of us and buy herself time to escape. I tossed Maris out the doors and tried to save the men who were wounded."
"Of all people, you know how explosives work. You don't run toward them, buddy."
"Yeah and I knew your
father's office would be shielded. The same thing that keeps a bomb from blowing it up on the outside also works for containing a blast when it occurs inside."
True, but Caillen didn't like his friend committing suicide either. "Why didn't you get out before the blast?"
"He pulled out six men and saved their lives."
Caillen turned to see Hauk joining them.
"I found one of the rescuees on my way here and he told me he owed his life to the Sentella." Hauk shook his head at Darling. "How wounded are you?"
"Enough that it hurts to breathe. But I've had worse." Darling turned his attention back to their conversation. "I have no idea where the women went. But I give them an A+ on Chaos Theory. They covered their tracks well. No one's going to be hunting them for a while."
Caillen let out a tired breath. Was this ever going to end?
"Hauk, get him out of here and patched up," Darling breathed.
Hauk hesitated before he complied. "What are you going to do?" he asked Caillen.
"Track them."
"I would laugh at your arrogance, but aside from your sister, you're the one person I know who could pluck the right particle out of dark energy." And given the fact that dark energy made up 70 percent of the universe, that was saying something. "Good luck, Cai."
"You too."
Darling wouldn't let Hauk help him so long as there were Enforcers around, but his slow methodical movements confirmed the fact that he was in some serious pain. Caillen admired him for carrying on in spite of it all.
"It's total chaos still. They're trying to sort through bodies."
Caillen froze at a deep, gravelly voice that had haunted his nightmares. A chill went over him as he scanned the people around him, trying to locate its source.
That bastard was here somewhere.
"I will see it done and call you back as soon as I can."
His gaze narrowed on a thin, balding man a few feet to his right. Though he was much older, the features were the same. Even now, he could see the man kicking his father over and shooting him dead.
A dark cloud of rage seized him. Before he even realized what he was doing, he'd crossed the distance in the yard and pinned the bastard to the wall by his neck.
Recognition widened the man's eyes as he struggled to breathe while Caillen held him in place with his forearm over his throat.
"You're only alive because I know you know where my aunt is. If you don't give me her location right now, I'm going to yield to the need I have to carve you into pieces."
There was no missing the fear in his eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Caillen pressed even harder against his neck. "I was there, hiding, when you killed my father in a back alley."