And before you wonder if this is really Ten Lockwood talking/typing, don't. At one time, delegating work would have been the equivalent of stabbing myself in the heart. Now, not so much. I know my people, and they are spectacular.
You can break Reed's and Kayla's bodies, but not their spirits. Or mine. Even if you hurt my friends, you will not change my mind. However, you will darken your soul. The concept is found in our Book of the Law. I suggest an immediate reread.
If you harm your own people, you are no better than the Myriadians you fight.
Face it. Your plan has been rendered moot. I'm leaving Troika today, entering Myriad--and Many Ends.
Don't worry about Killian. He's going with me. In fact, by the time you read this message, he and I will both be gone.
I'm led by three things, General. Loyalty to my realm, passion for the truth and liberty for all. You will not stop me.
Light Brings Sight!
Conduit and Architect,
Ten Lockwood
TROIKA
* * *
From: J_B_3/19.23.4
To: T_L_2/23.43.2
Subject: You put yourself in danger--and all of us Architect? Never heard of it.
As for Mr. Aarons...what you want me to believe is impossible. A Laborer cannot become a Conduit.
Leave this realm, and I will break one bone in one of your friends' bodies every day that you are gone.
Actions have consequences, Miss Lockwood.
Light Brings Sight!
General John Blake
PART TWO
* * *
Myriad
TROIKA
* * *
From: A_P_5/23.43.2
To: T_L_2/23.43.2
Subject: Guess what?
Per your orders--when did you become so bossy, anyway?--we told the Generals about your plan to free the spirits in Many Ends. They're pretty sure you're going to die, but we have faith in you.
Also, Biscuit rocks. He rallied Reed's and Kayla's guardians--a parrot and a mountain lion--and bingo bango, they rescued Reed and Kayla. (Can I keep the dog, Mom? Huh, huh, please, can I?)
Everything went down in a matter of minutes. No one knew what hit 'em.
All the Generals are frenzied. Not about the prisoners they lost, but about Raanan. He returned just long enough to confirm his new Conduit status.
Oh, and you'll be happy to know the princess has agreed to aid Raanan in his cleansing efforts. Three cheers. The first part of your plan worked. Let's just hope the next part does as well.
Deacon is determined to get in the warehouse and rescue Sloan, Myriad's version of a scarecrow, I guess. I'm not sure how much longer we'll be able to keep him out.
But. You'll be happier to know we're all fine, and so is the realm. (I probably should have led with that. My bad.)
Stay safe, or I will spank you till you scream for mercy. -Not a joke. And I know I don't have to ask you to check on Dior, and keep me updated.
Light Brings Sight!
Archer Prince
chapter twelve
* * *
"The best treasure is total domination of your enemies."
--Myriad
Ten
I'm either the dumbest girl in all the realms...or the second dumbest. If I'm second dumbest, I feel sorry for the ditz ahead of me, because wow. She's a few clowns short of a circus. Let's be real. If she had a second brain, it would be lonely, her intellect rivaled only by her garden tools.
I armed a boy who practically guaranteed he'll betray me, all because I hope that he won't. Now, I'm going to free him.
See? Dumb. To achieve my goals, I'm willing to risk everything. So maybe I'm actually a genius. I mean, let's face it. Sometimes the world's definition of "foolish" is actually wisdom at work.
At least Reed is safe. And Kayla, apparently. All thanks to Biscuit. And, with the princess's help, Raanan is going to cleanse the humans afflicted with Penumbra.
I don't know the specific plan of action, or what's going on with Deacon and Sloan, the "scarecrow." Not going to the warehouse, not helping my former enemy-turned-friend-turned-enemy-turned-friend-again is tough. Tougher than tough. A little piece of my heart withers.
If anything happens to any of my friends...
It will be okay. It will all be okay. What I'm doing, I'm doing for everyone.
With a sigh, I pick up Shamus's hand from the floor. The fingers curl inward, like claws. Lifeblood is congealed at the tips of disconnected tendons and arteries.
Gearing for an attack, I press the thumb against the ID pad on Killian's cage. There's a whoosh as the lock disengages. Then my husband is free. He stalks toward me, every step measured and precise. He is a predator who's spotted prey...
Breathing becomes a little more difficult, the air electrified, crackling with awareness. His scent--peat smoke and heather, forbidden fantasies and midnight rain, as dark and mysterious as the boy himself--goes straight to my head, intoxicating me.
I back a step away, then plant my heels into place and still. I'm not weak, and I'm certainly not a coward. I face my problems head-on, whatever--whoever--they might be. And Killian is a problem. A very beautiful, seductive problem. Until he remembers me, I must resist him, my warhorse. Or rather, Myriad's warhorse. Who will he support in the end? In this, he cannot play both sides.
He's with me. We charge ahead together.
Loyalty to my realm--our realm. Passion for...Killian. Liberty for all.
My pulse points go crazy, hammering at warp speed. My blood burns as hot as fire, becoming a forge that melts the steel in my spine, remaking the bones into a weapon...of seduction. I tingle and ache.
Finally he stops, only a whisper away. So close our chests brush together every time one of us inhales.
"Are you trying to intimidate me?" I ask, breathing faster. The tingles expand.
"Tryin'?" He laughs, and the deep, husky notes caress me. "If intimidation were my goal, lass, I'd say mission accomplished."
Perhaps he needs a lesson or three about the girl to whom he pledged his eternal future. I slam my fist into his nose once, twice, thrice--and feel the cartilage in my nose shatter. In unison, we howl in pain.
"I'll never advocate spousal abuse, but right now, you aren't my husband, are you?" I raise my chin. "You're my enemy." Wait. Hold up. He called me lass.
Suddenly I want to grin. My Killian is in there.
He chuckles. "Shoulda known you would cut off yer nose tae spite yer face."
Shiver. His accent is back, and oh, do I love it. "I'll punch you every day for the rest of our lives if it means I get to hear your sexy brogue."
In a blink, his good humor is gone. He scowls at me. At least our noses heal, the manna I consumed only minutes ago still rushing through my veins.
I reach up, causing Killian to back up a step. But I follow him, determined, and flatten my palms on his chest. His heart is racing in time to mine. Despite his memory loss, he's still affected by my nearness.
A cool cascade of relief blends with a sizzle of excitement, but I fight to keep my reactions separate from the Grid. I don't want Killian to know how I feel. Let him wonder. Let wonder turn to obsession.
Whether he's onboard or not, I'm going to help him.
Pre-Killian, my life was a mess, my heart nothing but jagged pieces. I was dealing with my parent's abandonment and the fact that they'd paid Dr. Vans to torture me, all in a desperate bid to force me to sign with Myriad. I mourned the friends I'd lost in the asylum, and struggled to make a viable plan for my future. Killian helped me pick up the pieces of my heart and weld them back together. He made me stronger.
Now I will do the same for him.
Resisting him isn't the answer, I realize. No, I've got to help him the way he helped me. I've got to strap on my big girl panties and go for gold. His gold, to be exact. I've got to seduce him, the same way he's seduced me. I'll keep him off balance and guessing--and wanting more.
More...yes. The
more he thinks about me, the sooner his memories will return. The sooner he'll trust me.
"Before we transport out of Troika," I say, my voice as low and husky as I can make it, "you're going to kiss me."
His breath hitches. "Am I, then? Because you always get what you want?"
"No." I nibble on my bottom lip and bat my lashes at him, all false innocence and temptation--I hope. "Because I'm giving you what you want."
Rather than deny my allegation, he stares at my lips, as if they hold the key to his salvation. White-hot desire smolders in his baby blues.
I've seen him in battle. I've witnessed his calm, his unwavering relentlessness. Now, he trembles--for me.
"Do you think I'll kiss you, fall in love and forsake my home?" he rasps.
Been there, done that, my love. "Are you afraid you'll fall in love and forsake your home?"
I expect him to balk, to rant about my daring, or perhaps even feign disinterest.
But he croaks, "Yes," and presses his mouth against mine. Gentle. Tender. Exploratory. Even still, a startled gasp escapes me. He's kissing me. Killian Flynn is kissing me.
He takes full advantage of my astonished delight, tangling his tongue with mine. Another gasp escapes me.
He's giving me a glimpse of the bliss to come. Teaching me to crave it--to crave more. And I do. Oh, I do.
Desire fogs my head. He's as sweet as manna and as potent as the wine we once shared inside of Prynne. Waves of pleasure roll over me, eroding any resistance I might have harbored.
"More," I say.
Muscled arms wind around me, yanking me closer, mashing my chest against his. I'm breathing his air and he's breathing mine. Touching him isn't just a want, but a need. I comb my hands through his hair. The strands are butter-soft and seem to melt against my fingers.
He's so strong and hard against me. Where he is stone, I am silk, and I can't get enough.
We've kissed before, and he's touched me far more intimately, but this is somehow inestimably...better. As if he's staking a claim, one he's determined not to forget. As if he's stoking a slow-burning fire with every intention of basking in the ensuing inferno.
How he can take my mouth so slowly, and make me drunk on him so quickly, is a true testament to his skill...or a revelation of the intensity of his desire for me.
A low growl rumbles deep in his chest as he jerks his lips from mine and lifts his head. Panting, he stares down at me, his eyelids hooded, his irises glittering, wild. His lips are red, slightly swollen. My lips prickle.
"The things I want to do tae you," he tells me, and he sounds drunk.
Don't stop. Don't give me time to think. "More," I beseech. "Please."
"Oh, aye." Once again he descends. But something has changed. The sparks between us have intensified. This time, he slams his mouth against mine and thrusts his tongue deep, taking, giving. Demanding. Hard hands settle on my backside, and knead.
This is a full-on sensual attack.
Shadows writhe against the Grid, agitated by our connection, paining me, and yet, the pain is diluted by the great storm of pleasure raining inside me.
So easily I could lose myself in this moment, forget the trials and tragedies ahead. I could be selfish for once; here, now, with him, I'm happy. We're a family. A family that chooses to be together. But selfishness, even momentarily, could cost other loved ones their lives and condemn the dead to their hellish eternity in Many Ends.
Somehow I find the strength to break the kiss. Though every cell in my body mourns the loss of him, and shouts in protest.
"All right," I croak, unable to catch my breath. The drugging taste of him lingers, nearly sending me straight back into his arms. "We need to go." Now, now, now.
The crystalline flecks in his eyes are like raindrops falling from a sunny sky. His hands fist at his sides. "Yer plan failed. I did no' fall in love, doona trust you fully and won't betray my home."
He doesn't sound certain, and I take heart.
"The day isn't over." Still trembling, I curl my hand around his shoulder. With my other hand, I type a message to Clementine into my comm. Thankfully, she messages right back to tell me she's ready.
A beam of Light slams into me and transports me to the cave in Russia. Through my physical connection to Killian, he's caught up in the beam, as well, and appears beside me.
Without the warmth of a blazing fire, the air is frigid. I'm wearing a catsuit, covered from neck to toe, but still I shiver.
My gaze seeks the numbers Killian carved into the wall. 68 + 39 = Love
"Now it's your turn," I say. "Take us to the Veil of Midnight. And Killian? Don't betray me. I'm begging you. You reap what you sow."
He flinches, then runs his tongue over his teeth. "You don't believe in Fate, but you believe in karma, an extension of Fate?"
Ugh. His accent is gone again. "Actions equal consequences. And one way or another, in one life or another, we will face the consequences of our actions. That isn't karma but truth."
A pause as he absorbs my words. "You want me to believe Troika is perfect. You--"
"I never said Troika is perfect. Where there are people, there are problems."
He continues as if I haven't spoken. "What about your Secondking? He is touted as a leader without flaw while his brother is touted as a leader without valor. Yet, under Eron's command, bad things happen, same as they happen under Ambrosine's. Why?"
"Why is the wrong question because it makes the assumption Eron is responsible for all of our deeds. He isn't. We have free will. We alone are responsible for the things we do and say. Bad things happen because people make wrong choices, even good people." Always everything comes back to choice. Mine, Killian's. Everyone's.
Irritation radiates from him, and I'm not sure if it's directed at himself, or me. Then he shocks me, reaching out to frame my face with one beautiful, scarred hand.
Do. Not. Move. Impossible. How can I not lean in to his touch? For too long, physical contact was impossible for us. Now the warmth of his skin tantalizes me, a dream come true. A fantasy made flesh. Tremors overtake me.
"What is the right question, hmm?" he asks.
Easy. "What can we do to make things better?"
He peers at me as if he can't quite decide what to make of me. "You are a singular lass." Without disrupting our connection, he uses his other hand to type into his comm.
My gaze never strays from his. I'm ensnared, a song of hope and Light singing in my veins.
"Get ready." Even as he speaks, shadows rise from the rocky ground. Then, we're swallowed whole.
I lose sight of Killian--of everything. Panic threatens as bone-chilling cold invades, a cold far worse than the icy wind whistling along the mountain.
In a blink, the shadows fall away, leaving us standing--
Inside a home.
I hiss at him. "This isn't the Veil of Midnight. Where are we?"
"The Land of the Harvest. This is one of my safe houses. You're welcome, by the way. As recognizable as you are, you need a Shell. Otherwise you'll be captured or gunned down." His gaze roves over me. "And you could maybe use a shower. Okay, you could definitely use a shower. I could use one myself." One of his thick, black brows arches. "Want to conserve water? We're married, after all. Showering together is perfectly acceptable, even encouraged, considering this is our honeymoon."
Sweet temptation...
He's right. This is our honeymoon...
Shivers slip down my spine and spread to every limb. Resist! I'm supposed to seduce Killian, not the other way around. Not yet, anyway.
"Let's be wild and crazy and splurge for once," I say, my tone as dry as the desert. "We'll shower separately." Even though I would be wise to keep this boy in my sight at all times. But then, I've already established I'm a few cards short of a deck.
"Your loss." He shrugs, as if my answer mattered very little to him, though he can't stop the tingle of disappointment that arcs through our bond.
To hide a smile, I turn
on my heel and study my surroundings.
If home is where the heart is, Killian's heart is empty. There's no furniture, only a backpack in the far corner. There are no pictures on the walls, no decorations of any kind.
Now I'm the disappointed one. I'd hoped my husband's decor style would teach me more about him and his turbulent past.
Learn the past, ensure a better future. True for both of us.
Killian stalks forward, leading me down a hallway, through the master bedroom--as empty as the rest of the house--and into a bathroom.
"Where are we, exactly?" I ask.
"Oklahoma City."
"And no one cares that the owner of this house is never home?"
"It's a ranch house on thirty acres of land. No one notices." He fishes a yellow towel out of the cabinet and tosses it my way. "When you're done, a new Shell will be waiting in the bedroom." He moves to the door, hand curled around the knob.
"Wait." What if he returns to Troika while I'm distracted? Or messages his Leader, and I emerge, soaking wet, to find the house overrun with MLs determined to capture me? Argh! I'm dumb, but I'm not that dumb. "I've changed my mind. We're showering together."
He turns so fast he might have whiplash in the morning. The crystalline flecks in his eyes flare with Light as he shakes his head. "I think I misheard. Did you say you had changed yer mind?"
Annnd we're back. I melt like butter.
"I did. Soon we'll be rushing headlong into danger. Why not enjoy the moment?" Wetting my lips, trembling with nervousness, I drop the towel and remove my catsuit. Head high, I stand before Killian in nothing but my bra and panties. A matching set, black, and just about as sexy as--zero! I can't think of a decent comparison. The circuits in my brain are fraying, connections misfiring.
Despite the plainness of my undergarments, his gaze heats as it slides over me, and I begin to tremble for an entirely different reason.
"Your turn," I croak.
"You got two more pieces tae remove."
No, oh, no. What little resistance I have, well, it will crumble. "Our underwear stays on."
Motions clipped rather than smooth, he strips down to his underwear and the wrist cuffs. I'm utterly mesmerized. Every cut of muscle...every tattoo... Now that I know what the images mean--the treasures he'd hidden throughout his realm, the people he misses--they are even more beautiful to me.