Born of Fury

  But that was a long time ago. And Hauk didn't want to think about how furious his grandfather would be to see a human under the roof of this house. Never mind the herd of them that Hauk had assembled as family. He could hear that old buzzard in his head - the only good human is the one lying dead under my boot heel.

  Luckily, he didn't think that way. It'd been Andarions who had done him wrong throughout the majority of his life. Andarions who saw him as lacking. But then cruelty, unfortunately, was found in all sentient species.

  Hauk's thoughts scattered as he entered his comm room to find Maris on a call with what appeared to be several members of his blood family.

  What the hell? How had this happened?

  They hadn't just disowned Maris, they'd put him under a death warrant. So much so, that Mari was still healing from a wound his younger brother Draygon had given him just a few months ago when Dray had all but killed him.

  Yeah, hell had frozen over and then some.

  Maris smiled as they joined him and the others in the room. He stepped back so that Hauk could join him for the video chat. "Hauk, I know you've met my brother Safir."

  Yes, he had. Many times. But the last time he'd seen Safir, Saf had been in a League uniform with the long braid down his back that marked their top assassins. Now Saf's black hair was cut shoulder-length, and nasty bruises marred his face. Not to mention, his left arm was in a sling.

  Hauk's gut tightened at the sight of his injuries. "Saf, please tell me we didn't cause that."

  Saf let out a bitter laugh. "It's not on you, drey. I knew the minute I offered myself as a shield to Mari so that all of you could escape what I was getting into." He glanced down at his busted arm. "At least I thought I did. Still, I have no regrets. I'd rather be busted up than have to attend all of your funerals and face your families, knowing I chose my health over your lives."

  Hauk could respect that, and it was why Saf was considered another member of their immediate family.

  Like Saf, the other three men on the call were dressed in burgundy Phrixian battlesuits. One armada, and two army.

  Maris indicated the tallest of them. "Allow me to introduce to you the prime commander of the Phrixian armada, Vadim Zahi." Unlike his brothers, he had light brown hair and silvery blue eyes. "Next to him is the prime commander of the Phrixian army, Valari Sadoq." With the exception of the cleft in his chin and the muscular build that would rival Hauk's, he was almost identical in looks to Maris. Same black hair and eyes, and that intense stare that said he could see straight through any bullshit. "And Madai Zhao, who is Val's second-in-command of the Phrixian ground forces." Now Madai could easily pass as Maris's twin. The only difference between them, again, was the larger build, and Madai's skin was closer to the color of Hauk's than Maris's paler complexion.

  Maris stepped back to indicate Hauk. "Phrixian High Command, I present you to Dancer of the Warring Blood Clan of Hauk, one of the high commanders and founders of The Sentella. It's Hauk's daughter who's being held by Kyr."

  The unified fury in the Phrixians' gazes was a thing of beauty and raw terror. They were out for blood, too.

  Val clenched his teeth before he spoke. "We apologize for the cowardly actions that have been taken against your family, War Hauk. We assure you that no member of the Phrixian royal house will rest until this is rectified and your daughter is home safe."

  Vadim nodded. "Our brother - the prince-heir - and father, the emperor, also wish for us to extend their regrets that they were unable to be here to speak with you themselves. They're en route to Andaria to meet with Queen Cairistiona. I'm sure as soon as they land, they will be in touch. But our father wanted us to contact you immediately to let you know that we do not condone such behavior, and that the Phrixian army and armada are at your full disposal."

  Hauk scowled at everyone in the room. "I feel like I've stumbled into the middle of a conversation."

  Safir let out an evil laugh. "When Kyr decided to use me as Maris's scapegoat, he forgot two things. One, we are Phrixian. You have a problem with someone, you fight it out. You don't tie them up and torture them. Two..." He grinned viciously. "I'm the baby. The rest of the family might hate Mari, but they adore me. I'm the favored son."

  Madai shoved him. "You're an asshole."

  "You're just jealous Mom and Dad love me more."

  Hauk scowled at Safir's declaration. "I didn't think the Phrixians had a word for love."

  Saf chuckled. "We don't. But if we did, they would love me best."

  Maris rolled his eyes at his brothers. "Because of what Kyr did to Saf, the Phrixian emperor has already contacted and negotiated a treaty with the Andarion queen, and both the Exeterian and Triosan emperors. Once they get here, they will sign the treaties and become our allies in the war against The League."

  Hauk was still confused as he stared at Maris. "So they're all talking to you again?"

  Maris screwed his face up. "Kind of."

  "What's kind of?"

  Saf let out an irritable sigh as he cast an evil smirk at his brothers. "Kind of would be me. They're telling me what to say to him, even though he's standing right there in front of us. I agree, it's so fucked up. But they did this to me all the time when we were kids and they'd get crossed up, so I'm kind of used to it. However, I am not their universal translator, and I'm really tired of them treating me like it's my sole purpose in life."

  Yeah, that sounded about right. As the youngest of his brothers, Hauk had been there a few times himself. But he did have one more question. "Does this mean the Phrixians are also signing a treaty with the Caronese?"

  "Sort of," Maris said again. "It's more of an informal agreement not to kill or attack the Caronese, and especially their emperor."

  Who was suspiciously missing from this meeting, Hauk realized, now that he looked around his gathered friends.

  Saf rubbed nervously at his neck before he elaborated. "Our father is still upset at Darling, and Darling is still... shall we say, unforgiving of his treatment toward Maris. We're all thinking for the sake of peace that we keep the two of them out of the same room for a while."

  Hauk couldn't agree more. "Probably a good idea."

  Vadim slid a glare toward Maris. "But we are willing to fight with whomever we must to get your daughter back and see her kidnapper brought to justice for it. We're already mobilizing our forces and will be heading to neutral ground in a few hours so that we may attack wherever you need us."

  Val nodded in agreement. "To hold a child to strike at the parents, and especially the mother, is the most shameful of all acts. We will not tolerate it or stand for it."

  Nykyrian inclined his head to them. "As the Andarion heir, I want you to know that your assistance in freeing our princess will not be forgotten and it will be returned to your empire."

  Vadim returned the bow. "It is our privilege, Highness. While the Phrixians and Andarions have not always been on the same side in war, we have always respected your breed as some of the fiercest and most loyal warriors in the Nine Worlds. It will be our honor to fight with you."

  Safir stepped forward. "And Hauk, since we are now officially at war with The League, our father has given Kyr an ultimatum. He is to surrender your daughter in five universal hours to either Andarion or Phrixian custody, or he will be viewed as a war criminal by our people."

  That was a nice touch. "You think he will?"

  "Honestly, I don't know. That creature isn't the brother I once knew. If he has any honor, he will let her go. But he might see it as a challenge to his authority and there's no telling what he'll do then. That being said, our father has recalled every Phrixian in League uniform. If they don't return immediately, they renounce all ties with Phrixus, and Maris can tell you firsthand what a joy that isn't. While we expect the handful of Phrixian assassins to stay with Kyr, the vast majority of the others will return home. And there are over two thousand of those. One of them is bound to know where he's keeping Kalea. Most likely, it's been Phrixians who've
been guarding her. One way or another, we will have her location any time now."

  "And we'll mobilize immediately," Val said. "We will do everything in our power to make sure no harm befalls the Andarion princess."

  Hauk inclined his head to them. "Thank you, commanders. As my prince and heir said, it is an honor and debt that will not go unpaid or be forgotten."

  As one, they gave Hauk a Phrixian salute, which he and Nykyrian returned before the screen went blank.

  Hauk scowled at Maris. "What did you do?"

  He shrugged nonchalantly. "Safir told you. He's the golden baby child. While my parents haven't hesitated to put him to the hazard to hone his battle skills, they've always been especially proud of his achievements. More so than anyone else's. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that he was born the runt of the litter. And they basically left him to die at every turn. And at every turn, he defiantly survived. Once he started training, he excelled far beyond the rest of us. While Kyr made the decision to enter The League, Saf, as youngest, had no choice. That has been part of the Phrixian treaty with The League since they signed it, centuries ago. The youngest son of the ruling family has always been given to The League as a soldier. They fully expected Saf to take Kyr's place as head one day. But when Saf helped us escape, Kyr took him prisoner."

  Hauk felt suddenly sick. "Are you telling me that Saf has been held and tortured for months now? Because of us?"

  His gaze haunted, Maris nodded. "Kyr should have punished him and released him. Bastard. And he was smart enough not to tell a single soul about it. He knew what would happen if word got back to the family." He moved to stand beside Hauk. "By the way, Saf owes his life to Sumi, and it's a debt he won't ever forget."

  "How so?"

  "To cow her and make her fall in line, Kyr took her to see Saf. He wanted to show her how far he'd go if he was crossed, and what he'd do to her and her daughter. Sumi, before she went after you, sent this to my father." Mari played the voice message. While her voice was low and broken in places, there was no mistaking it as hers.

  "Emperor Zatyr, I hope you will listen to this message and that it reaches you. I have been told that the Phrixians do not condone any form of torture. Please let that be correct. Um... Sir... Majesty, I know it's not my place, but I wanted you to know that your son, Safir Jari, is being held without trial and routinely tortured. Not interrogated, Majesty. Tortured. Horribly and brutally. For no other reason than the prime commander wants him to feel the weight of his anger. I don't even know if he'll live long enough for you to receive this or what the Phrixian stance really is on such things. But as his father, I thought you should know. I know no other way to help him. I hope you can. No one deserves what's being done to him. Thank you, sir. And if you would, please destroy this. It would mean my life if the prime commander ever knew I'd sent it to you."

  Hauk gaped at Maris. "Why didn't he destroy it?"

  "He kept it only so that he could find and thank the woman who sent it, and make sure she wasn't harmed for alerting him. And if you knew how my father felt about women, you'd really appreciate the gesture. When it comes to females on our world, we are not Andarion. They are only property and trophies to my people. A means to an end. My father is a misogynist on steroids. I'm still reeling that he's actually acknowledging Cairistiona as a ruling queen. Which tells you exactly how seriously he's taking this, and how badly Kyr tortured Saf."

  Hauk winced over that. "We should have never left him behind."

  Maris sighed. "We had no choice. I tried to drag him with us, but he chose to stay with Kyr, and that loyalty is what saved his life and his royal standing on Phrixus. And it's what has motivated my father to go to war and help you find your daughter. You don't repay loyalty and honor with betrayal."

  Still, Hauk felt sick over what had happened to a good male and friend. "I never meant for him to be harmed."

  "None of us did. But for your Sumi, he'd be dead now. Madai told me that Saf was barely breathing when they got to him. I don't know what Kyr did to him, but they said he wouldn't have made it two more hours. It had to be worse than even we're thinking. As soon as my father had the medical report on Saf, he declared war instantly."

  Poor Safir. It was bad enough to be held and tortured. Yet for it to be family...

  There was no way he'd ever be able to make this up to his friend.

  Maris gave him a lopsided grin. "By the way, I finally found a way to pull Saf out of his brothel."

  "How?" Hauk asked with a frown.

  "Told him Kyr was holding an Andarion princess hostage and that she was your daughter. He immediately went to the others and they called to speak to you."

  Hauk clapped him on the shoulder. "Thank you, Mari."

  "Least I can do. I've not forgotten how many times you've been there for me. You saved my life and Ture's. We owe our sexy beast."

  Hauk laughed.

  "Oh," Mari hesitated. "For the record, I didn't tell Saf who left that message for our father."

  "Why not?"

  "They were plenty motivated to help Kalea without it. And I wanted you and Sumi to see their faces when they find out who he owes his life to. Phrixians may not have words for gratitude, but we do have the emotions. And there are some things that words can't convey. What's more, she also told me again the first time she found out who I was. Even though he'd been released by then and she knew Kyr was his brother, she was still trying to help him." Maris swallowed hard. "You've got a good woman, Hauk. There aren't many in her situation who'd risk it all like that for a stranger."

  No, there weren't. And as Hauk thought about what she'd done for Saf, he choked up. If Kyr ever found out...

  Hauk had never met anyone with her integrity and heart.

  Overwhelmed by emotions he really wasn't used to, he left the others to run back to the gym.

  Sumi was learning an Andarion sword attack when she saw Fadima step away and disengage from the fight. Her white eyes were focused on something behind her. Unsure of what to expect, Sumi turned to see Hauk stalking her with an intense expression on his face that she couldn't read.

  Was he angry?

  Before she could ascertain its source, he grabbed her and lifted her from her feet. He held her so that his head was even with her stomach. Dropping the sword, she looked down at him.

  "Dancer?"

  He didn't answer. He held her tighter.

  Confused, she ran her hand through his braids as he walked her out of the ring and toward the glass wall that looked out onto the sea. Then he slowly slid her down his body until she stood in front of him. He whispered in her ear, but it was Andarion so she had no idea what he was saying.

  "I don't understand. Did I do something wrong?"

  He cupped her face in his hands and stared at her with a love she couldn't fathom. "You are and will forever be the Ger Tarra of my heart." He gave her the sweetest, tenderest kiss she'd ever known.

  Closing her eyes, she breathed him in. His fangs scraped her lips ever so slightly before he deepened the kiss. Every hormone in her body went into overdrive.

  "Should we leave you two to some private time?"

  Horrified, she pulled back to see Fadima, Shahara, and Desideria staring at them.

  Desideria grinned. "Who wants to take bets that we will have a little War Hauk in about thirty-six to forty weeks?"

  Worse, the guys and Dancer's grandmother came in just in time to hear that last bit.

  In that moment, she wanted a black hole to appear and suck her in.

  Unabashed, Dancer kept her in the shelter of his arms as he faced them. "What?" he challenged.

  Darling held his hands up and grinned widely. "All I'm saying is, given last night, I don't never want to take crap from you about me and Zarya again." He pinned Dancer with a meaningful stare. "Know what I mean?"

  The blush on Dancer's face said that he got it. But she had no idea what Darling was referring to.

  And that wasn't the most important thing on her min
d. "Do you have news?" she asked Dancer.

  "Only that the Phrixians have declared war on The League and are on their way to sign a treaty with Cairistiona."

  "Really?" She looked over to Maris. "What happens to you? Are you back in their family?"

  He shook his head sadly. "For now, they're honoring the fact that I'm an Andarion ambassador. But the horrible, awful part is that I shall have to dispense of my snazzy Phrixian battlesuit, and be forced to wear drab to battle in. My people will take issue with me in their uniform since my ex-father decommissioned and disinherited me rather rudely." He tapped his bearded cheek as if something new occurred to him. "Wait!" He smiled at Nykyrian. "As an Andarion ambassador, am I privied to wear an Andarion warsuit?"

  "Sure. Why?"

  Maris clapped his hands together then used his hip to bump Darling's. "I finally get to wear bloodred into battle. And I look so smashing in red. Ooo, we must order those boots tonight. Only Andarions really know how to accessorize for war."