The Mynders hesitated and looked at the Guardians, clearly not sure what to do.
“Tell them the truth, Ty,” Kyr implored, reaching out and grabbing his arm so fiercely that her nails sunk in. “We’ll face this together. Don’t do this!”
Her words were breaking his resolve. She was right. They should face this together. Why was he trying to take all of this on himself?
It took him a moment to grasp that she was influencing him.
“She can keep them at bay with her abilities,” he said out loud, pulling his arm from her grasp.
Kyr’s expression reflected confusion and betrayal. “Ty.”
This time, the Guardians stepped forward and took each of her arms. She fought like a cornered animal, screaming for Ty to tell them the truth. For a moment, he almost gave into his own instincts and intervened. He had to remind himself again and again that he was doing this to protect her.
It took several Mynders in addition to the Guardians to subdue her. Eventually, they administered a sedative with a pressure syringe. Seeing Kyr go limp and silent made Ty unintentionally step forward to check on her. Several de’llums swept up to point at his neck, reminding him of his new place. Before he was really ready, one of the other Mynders left the room with Kyr’s unconscious body in his arms.
Ty’s lungs ached with every breath as he watched the woman he loved get taken from him. He knew he’d never see her again. He believed what he had done was for the best, but this parting was going to destroy him.
“Did you send for Advisor Vycor?” Shaya asked one of the Mynders.
“Yes, Guardian. He should be here momentarily.”
Ty’s fists opened and closed. He had known this might happen, but part of him, the part that wanted to share Kyr’s faith in the idea of a happy future together, had hoped it wouldn’t. He knew Vycor would advise the Guardians to impose the most extreme penalties for this. The Advisor wouldn’t be able to wait to get his revenge.
Gren, he sent out, hoping his friend responded. He didn’t. Ty could tell he was asleep. Gren, please take care of Kyr for me. She’s not going to understand…she’ll need you. If you get this, please let Kyr know I love her.
He hadn’t ever implanted a suggestion into a sleeping person’s consciousness before, so he had no idea if the thought got through. He could only pray that it did.
“Why is it his arms didn’t glow when he touched Ma’jah with ill intent?” Brunyr asked.
Shaya frowned. Ty struggled to think of a plausible explanation. If the Guardians found out that Kyr had used her abilities to stop the painful punishment for his touching her, they’d realize he was lying.
“He must have influenced Ma’jah Kyr to use her abilities to stop it,” Shaya said.
Ty had to be content with that theory. Vycor strode into the bedchamber before he could say anything. The Advisor’s expression revealed nothing, but satisfaction radiated from him. Knowing he had nothing more to lose, Ty opened his senses, focusing on all of the thoughts in the room. He had to know what he faced.
“Now, now, Dem-Shyr,” Vycor murmured as he came to a stop beside the Guardians. “That doesn’t seem wise, does it?”
“What doesn’t seem wise?” Shaya asked, her gaze moving between Ty and Vycor.
More thoughts got through as Ty tried to piece together what was going on. He caught enough to learn that Vycor had somehow discovered what was happening in Kyr’s bedchambers that evening. He had forewarned the Guardians, thinking that Ty wouldn’t fulfill his threats against him if it was the Guardians who discovered their relationship. Before Ty could pick up anything else, that strange barrier fell across Vycor’s mind, blocking him.
All of this had been set up.
“You son of a bitch,” Ty said, the words barely audible.
“I believe that title belongs to you, Dem-Shyr,” Vycor said with a mocking smile. “Am I to understand that you were interrupted while forcing yourself on the Ascendant?”
You’d better think twice about what you’re doing, Vycor, Ty thought, fury searing through him.
“Or was Ma’jah Kyr engaging in sexual relations with you of her own free will?” Vycor asked.
His eyes glittered, telling Ty that he heard the thought but was choosing to ignore it. Ty’s hands once again balled into fists. His hatred for the other male radiated from him. The Guardians looked uncertainly from Ty to Vycor, likely sensing that something more was going on than they knew.
“Leave Ma’jah Kyr out of this,” Ty ground out. “She’s done nothing wrong.”
“Well, I suppose we’ll see what she says when she faces the Inquisitors,” Vycor said.
Ty surged forward. He wanted Vycor dead. Screw the consequences.
The painful slash of a Mynder’s de’llum across his bare chest stopped him.
“As you can see, he’s intent on harming us,” Vycor said to the Guardians. “I regret to say that he will do so if no action is taken. Before things go any further, Guardians, you must retrieve his abilities.”
Ty’s fury and pain receded in the face of his disbelief. Remove his abilities?
“Remove them?” Brunyr said, a frown between his eyes. “Before he’s even stood trial?”
“Yes,” Vycor said, laying a reassuring hand on Brunyr’s shoulder. “I read his intent in his thoughts, Guardian, and you saw him make a move towards us. Besides, imposing these consequences at the spot of the crime seems fitting, doesn’t it?”
“It does,” Shaya declared. “Kneel, TaeDane. Don’t make this any harder on yourself.”
Ty didn’t fail to notice the fact that she didn’t use his title. It served to shake him right out of his shock. Vycor was taking everything from him. Ty should at least attempt to give the Guardians the truth.
But then he thought of Kyr. What if the Guardians didn’t believe him? They had sided with Vycor during every other confrontation, and they clearly believed him now. What if his attempt to contradict Vycor resulted in Kyr having to endure the consequences for giving her virginity to him?
For loving him?
He knelt.
The Guardians took each of his arms, much as they had done when they administered his abilities so long ago. After a moment, their eyes began to glow.
The pain was excruciating. He felt like he was being shredded from the inside out. Unseen fire licked at his skin, making him bite his tongue to keep from screaming. Blood and bile filled his mouth.
It felt like it went on for an eternity. Finally, the Guardians released him. He collapsed on the ground, shaking like a newborn infant.
“Take him to the palace prison,” Vycor said. His voice sounded like it was coming from down a long tunnel. “He’ll stand trial on the morrow.”
If you thought that was suffering, TaeDane, Vycor thought just before Ty passed out, you’re wrong.
Chapter 15
Kyr awoke. She remembered everything.
She remembered coercing Ty into bed despite his concerns about the risks. She remembered doing everything she could to drive him wild, not once thinking about how it compromised his focus on their safety. She remembered her parents charging into her bedchamber, both healthy and outraged. She remembered Ty telling them he had been attempting to rape her.
She remembered him stepping aside and letting them take her from him, rather than allowing her to stand by his side.
Tears stung the backs of her eyes, but she didn’t open them. She couldn’t afford to, not when she could hear voices nearby. Her brain was still foggy from whatever drug she had been given. Her mind wouldn’t cooperate when she tried to listen to thoughts. She also couldn’t connect with Ty. Instead, she lay as still as she could on what appeared to be the soft cushions of a couch.
And she listened.
“She is clearly compromised, Guardians.”
Vycor’s voice. It made Kyr clamp her jaw tightly to keep from growling.
“Not entirely, Advisor,” Brunyr said. “We stopped them before…well…”
br /> “This wasn’t the first time,” Vycor said.
“What?” Brunyr’s voice reflected disbelief.
“I’m sorry, Guardians. I was able to read the truth in TaeDane’s thoughts. He’s been abusing Ma’jah Kyr for some time.”
You sick, lying bastard! Kyr screamed in her mind. Despite her efforts, a tear leaked from the corner of her eye and trailed down to her temple. She hoped the others were far enough away that it went unnoticed.
“How could this have happened?” Shaya asked. The volume of her voice ranged as though she was pacing as she spoke. “There were safeguards in place. Kyr’s repression…”
“TaeDane’s abilities must have overridden the repression,” Vycor said.
Kyr wanted to shake her head. The repression had never worked on her. But they didn’t know that, and she wasn’t sure it would change anything if they did.
“Kyr will be devastated when she awakens,” Brunyr said.
“We can make it a little easier on her, Guardians.”
What did Vycor have up his sleeve now? His tone was hesitant, as though the idea had just occurred to him. But her brain was awake enough now that she perceived the excitement in him.
“How can we do that?” Brunyr asked.
“We can have her undergo the Proce-Amanti process right away. Pairing her will help ease the scandal and prevent unrest among the people.”
Kyr couldn’t keep her eyes closed any longer. Her eyelids slid apart just enough for her to see through her lashes. The room was unknown to her, but it looked like a lounge or receiving room. Vycor and Shaya both stood while Brunyr sat in a tall-backed chair. As Kyr had deduced, Shaya was pacing. One of the Guardian’s hands fiddled with the necklace around her throat. She kept throwing glances in Kyr’s direction, but since she didn’t react, Kyr supposed she still looked asleep.
“No one will accept her now,” Shaya argued. “The taking of her virginity was supposed to be the Faire-Amanti’s right. The prophecy indicated that the first coming together of the Ascendant and her amanti would begin a transfer of abili—oh, no. Do you think that when he…attacked Kyr, he…?”
“Calm yourself, Guardian,” Vycor said. “TaeDane said he influenced Ma’jah Kyr. Only a union truly based on love could have resulted in the transfer.”
What were they talking about? Transfer? Had she and Ty transferred abilities between each other when they joined?
Of course they had, she thought. Hadn’t she touched upon that conclusion earlier when she compared their abilities? She just hadn’t understood the significance of it.
But Vycor knew that she and Ty genuinely loved each other. He had to know about the ability transfer, too. So why wasn’t he worried that Ty would use his newly enhanced abilities to crush him like the insect he was?
“I’m not sure that rushing Kyr into the Proce-Amanti process so soon after…well, I don’t see how that will help,” Brunyr said.
Kyr was surprised by her father’s words. He hadn’t said or done anything to support her since her return to the planet, always bowing to Shaya’s will. Maybe because Shaya was still coming to terms with this new development and had no idea what to do, he was reasoning things through on his own for a change.
“I must advise that you strongly consider the pairing, Guardians,” Vycor said, his gaze on Shaya. “If she is with child…”
The suggestion made Kyr squeeze her eyes closed again. She was taking birth control, though none of them knew it. For the first time, she wished she wasn’t. She desperately wanted part of Ty with her.
“But the repression would prevent Kyr’s cycle—” Brunyr began.
“If TaeDane used his abilities to remove her repression long enough for her to comply with him, there is every possibility he reduced the part of her repression governing her fertility cycle, as well.”
“Great Yen-Ki,” Shaya gasped, coming to a halt. “I didn’t think of that. This is an even greater catastrophe than I thought. What are we going to do?”
“I believe the best solution, Guardians, is for me to pair with Ma’jah Kyr.”
And everything clicked into place like pieces of a puzzle. Vycor had organized all of this.
The extent of his treachery overwhelmed her. If she had eaten anything the night before, she would have vomited it all up. She should have known. Ty had warned her that Vycor was dangerous. She had experienced it herself. Yet she had mistakenly believed that she and Ty together were stronger than him.
She was a fool.
“We had hoped that Kyr would pair with a Vawn,” Brunyr said.
“Obviously, that can’t happen now,” Shaya snapped. “No respectable Vawn would have her after she played the Dem-Shyr’s whore. And if she bears a Dane child? No. I believe Advisor Vycor is right. He will make a suitable enough match for Ma’jah Kyr. They will undergo the Proce-Amanti immediately after TaeDane’s judgment. That gives the Wrym a few hours to prepare.”
A few hours? Hopelessness made Kyr want to curl up into a ball and weep. But she had to think of Ty. She knew Vycor must have terrible plans for him. Yes, she had underestimated the Advisor, but she was the Ascendant. She wasn’t without her own abilities.
And she was royally pissed off.
Feeling her strength returning, she once again tried to reach Ty. She couldn’t. It felt as though he wasn’t conscious on the other side.
She had to know what had happened to him. Opening her mind, she tuned into the flow of thoughts running through the room. It took a few minutes for her abilities to return to their usual functioning level, but when they did, she found out what she needed to know.
Ty had been stripped of his abilities by the Guardians. That was why Vycor no longer felt threatened by him. He was being held in the palace prison, awaiting judgment that morning. Everyone believed that he would receive the maximum penalty for his crimes.
He would be sterilized in a public display.
He would be physically branded in a manner befitting the crime.
He would be banished from the Vawn megai.
He would live the rest of his life in a prison of the Guardians’ choosing, never again having contact with another living being.
Horror had Kyr once again opening her eyes. Why hadn’t Ty told her the full truth about the consequences they faced? Dear, Lord. If she had known…
Ty had known. He had sacrificed himself for her.
Tears fell steadily as she processed it all. Ty had made it so that she couldn’t argue against him. She couldn’t insist that their love and their joining had been mutual. Everyone was convinced that Ty had influenced her, so anything she said would be thought to be a result of that influence.
No, if she was going to save Ty, she had to use some duplicity of her own.
She dried her tears and sat up, prompting everyone to look at her. She noted that two Mynders stood inside the doorway. She didn’t know them, but through her abilities she read their loyalty to Vycor. Other than them, it was just her, the Guardians, and Vycor.
“Ma’jah Kyr,” Vycor said. “You’re awake.”
“Obviously,” she replied, her voice reflecting nothing.
“But I thought you said the sedative would last through the judgment,” Brunyr said to Vycor.
Kyr wondered how Vycor would know anything about the sedative. He wasn’t in the room when it was administered. But then, since he had coordinated everything, she supposed he would have timed that, too.
“I thought it would,” Vycor said, his gaze narrowing.
She knew he was trying to figure out why the sedative hadn’t kept her unconscious as long as he anticipated. She also knew that her healing abilities had come to her aid, cycling the sedative out faster than usual. But there was no way she would share that with anyone.
“I was fighting while the drug was administered,” she said, getting to her feet. “I guess the syringe didn’t go as deep as the Mynder thought.”
“Cover yourself, Ma’jah,” Shaya ordered.
Ky
r glanced down. She was still wearing her nightgown. The image of Ty’s hands on her flashed through her mind, making her chest constrict. She forced the emotion back. Needing Shaya’s cooperation, she reached for the blanket that had been covering her while she slept and wrapped it around her shoulders.
“Is that better, Guardian?” she asked.
Shaya’s gaze moved uncertainly from her to Vycor and then back again. “Yes. How much did you overhear?”
“Enough.” Kyr walked over to them, her gaze on Vycor. “I know you just agreed to pair me with Advisor Vycor.”
“Well, we thought—” Brunyr began.
“It’s the right thing to do,” Kyr interrupted.
She stopped in front of Vycor and allowed the blanket to gap over her breasts. As she suspected it would, his gaze slid down. His rising lust felt like darkness itself touching her soul, but she wasn’t about to change her mind.
“Thank you for making such a generous offer, Advisor,” she said, her voice husky. “Without Dem-Shyr TaeDane’s influence, I can see clearly for the first time in ages. I know now what he did to me.”
Vycor looked up from her breasts and met her gaze. She saw a hint of uncertainty reflected there. He knew Ty had lied about forcing her. He knew she loved Ty and had given herself to him freely.
What she wanted to do was plant a seed of doubt. What if Ty really had been influencing her all this time? What if there was a possibility that her heart was still available for someone to steal?
Available for Vycor?
While she held his gaze, she allowed those thoughts and feelings to flow from her. She had no idea if her attempt to influence him was actually working, but she was determined to try.
“He’s taken something from me that I can never get back,” she whispered. “I’ve been violated in the worst possible way. And I would like to see him pay for his crimes.”
That was the most difficult lie of all for her to maintain. It required a hardening of her heart that she’d never accomplished before. But when Vycor held her gaze and gave her a sympathetic smile, she knew she had accomplished it.
“Of course, Ma’jah,” he said. “You should attend the judgment alongside the Guardians. Once it’s over, we’ll undergo the Proce-Amanti and put all of this behind us.”