When I Fall

AN UNCOMMON WHORE 2:

WHEN I FALL

Belinda McBride

www.loose-id.com

An Uncommon Whore 2: When I Fall Copyright © October 2011 by Belinda McBride All rights reserved. This copy is intended for the original purchaser of this e-book ONLY. No part of this e-book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without prior written permission from Loose Id LLC. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author's rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

eISBN 978-1-61118-579-9 Editor: Sandra Rychel Cover Artist: P. L. Nunn Printed in the United States of America

Published by Loose Id LLC PO Box 809 San Francisco CA 94104-0809 www.loose-id.com This e-book is a work of fiction. While reference might be made to actual historical events or existing locations, the names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Warning This e-book contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language and may be considered offensive to some readers. Loose Id LLC’s e-books are for sale to adults ONLY, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by under-aged readers.

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Dedication To my mother. It’s been a rough year for you; in spite of that, you have been here for me unconditionally. Thank you. Without your faith in me, I wouldn’t be able to pursue this profession.

Acknowledgement When writing a book, an author often feels like the loneliest person in the universe. The reality is that we’re never alone. A book is a team effort, and I’d like to take the opportunity to acknowledge the entire team here at Loose Id. You guys do a phenomenal job on every level. Special thanks go to my editor, Sandra, who always knows what I’m saying, even when I say it wrong. I owe you big-time on this one!

~*~ Sometimes revenge is a kinder fate than justice. —From the writings of Helios Dayspring

Prologue “No!” I bolted upright in my bed, sweat pouring from my skin, my single eye wide in horror at the memory of the dream. I gasped, unable to breathe. “Easy, Grif. You’re all right.” Arms surrounded me, strong and secure. Copper hair, looking like flowing ribbons of blood in the moonlight, spilled over me. “Helios…” I groaned in bewilderment and laid my head to his chest. “Oh…Lio…” I reached up to stroke the beautiful lines of his face. Alive. Safe. I stared at him, reminding myself of the here and now. His heart beat strong and steady; his skin was warm with sleep. But still, the nightmare had been so horribly vivid. He gently laid me back on the bed, his arms still wrapped around my body. I breathed then, gasping, surrounding myself with his warmth and fragrance. The dream seemed real because it had truly happened. I remembered that day, watching the atrocities as the Landaun broadcast themselves to all ships and planets in neighboring systems. Markus Dayspring had stood next to me on the bridge of a rescue ship. He’d watched and, in horror and pain, collapsed to the floor at the wholesale slaughter of his family. All the while he’d been a traitor. He’d known what was to come. Had he been that good an actor, or had his treachery rebounded on him? His grief had been as agonizing and poignant as my own. I also remembered the ritual execution. The blade flashed through the air and then came to rest on Helios’s bared neck. They’d spared him, chortling over his future as a whore and a slave. To the Landaun, surrender was a fate worse than death. Surviving defeat was to be forever shamed. The fate they’d planned for the warrior who’d fought them so valiantly was literally the worst they could dream of. But Helios had survived and returned to us. He was here on our mysterious new world in a strange section of the system. He was alive and in my arms.

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Did he remember that day? I’d asked before, and he’d always said he had no memory of his surrender. I believed him; his memories were patchy at best. The slave chip that had been implanted in his brain by Warlan slave traders had been deactivated, but Helios might never regain all his memories, even of that most horrific day of our lives. So of course, I believed him. There was no reason not to believe.

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Chapter One That day he decided to flirt. I stood against the far wall of the newly built council chamber, where I could observe all entrances and exits as well as the councillors themselves. I also had an unimpeded view of the public gallery where Helios’s sister, Deirdre, was seated, my daughters to her left and Helios’s son, Alexander, to her right. I suspected that the children were numb with boredom, yet when I looked up, I saw that Lauren’s eyes were bright with curiosity, while Maia wore a pensive expression. Alexander was playing a handheld game. When he caught me looking at him, he smiled and winked. He was paying attention. I glanced back at Helios. His cool gray eyes took on a sultry cast, his gaze dropping slightly down the length of my body. His index finger rested over his upper lip, reminding me of what that mouth was capable of. I inhaled, willing back my immediate response. My face went warm; my groin went hot. Gritting my teeth, I fought to keep my expression neutral. A trace of a smile on that lovely face told me he hadn’t been fooled. Obviously I could no longer fulfill my old duty as Helios’s bodyguard, yet I retained my former rank of captain of the Royal Guard and needed to focus on my job. Scanning the room, I took note of any who might have observed my brief distraction. We still had some trust issues with our esteemed council. There were those who used our unconventional relationship to undermine Helios’s rule. Helios wasn’t flirting out of boredom. He was playing a game that might reveal a traitor. Never underestimate a man who’d learned to survive by using his wits and his beauty in equal measure.

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Councillor Evan Pratt was droning on about a delayed shipment of agricultural supplies, and while most would detect only mild boredom in our king’s expression, his attention was sharply focused. This was council business, and as usual, they had to take the issue and worry it to death. There was no such thing as a quick solution when a problem was thrown before a roomful of men and women who were insecure in their personal power. I glanced at him again, and as always, my breath caught. Today he was formally garbed. Generally he preferred the flowing white robes of the temple priests. To his amusement, they were not dissimilar to the filmy garments he’d worn as a slave. He enjoyed the feel of the loose fabric on his skin. The yards of linen also hid the blades that he was in the habit of carrying. Fortunately the robes of the Sun Temple did not require that he hide his face. When I’d first found him on Warlan, he’d worn a veil. The council had pressured him into presenting a more royal appearance for his kingly duties, so once a week, he dutifully appeared in the public chambers attired as the council saw fit. His rigidly tailored coat was jet-black. It buttoned high to the collar under his chin and dropped to the floor. The sides were open to his hips, revealing loose trousers of deep, rich maroon. The fabric of the coat was heavy silk brocade; the rising sun that was the crest of our people was embroidered across his shoulders. The wide cuffs were decoratively stitched in the same gold the crest was embroidered with. At his side hung the golden kilij, the sword he’d earned as a Sun Priest. Now he was both priest and king and entitled to both symbols of office. His fiery hip-length hair was elaborately arranged in tiny braids and clubbed tightly at his neck. He was otherwise unadorned, save for a wide blue sapphire bracelet around his right wrist. It matched the one I wore. Once we were formally married, the bracelets would be switched to the left arm and permanently set in place. For now, I was recognized as the consort of the king, a less official position than captain of the guard. The wedding would not be scheduled until the official palace complex was complete. The delay was a council ploy to stall the big event, but neither of us seemed in too much of a hurry. I still wore my first marriage bracelet on my left wrist. It was humble, the metal an alloy and the stone a simple clear yellow citrine rather than precious sapphire. I carried Suzan’s battered bracelet in a pocket in my utility vest. It had shattered, and every day I reminded myself to take it to a craftsman for repair. Every day I found an excuse to avoid that errand. The broken

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bracelet was a constant reminder that she was gone from my life forever. It felt good there close to my heart. Helios was an uncommonly beautiful man, and that beauty was enhanced by the gentle humor in his expression. With his smooth skin and lined eyes, he was nearly too lovely to be a man. He cultivated that illusion not out of vanity, but out of a desire to mislead. No casual observer would believe that under the silken, pampered surface lay a dangerous warrior with a brilliant mind. Few of the councillors at the table woke early enough in the day to witness Helios during his private training. Nor did they realize that he used these contentious sessions to ferret out suspicious behavior. We knew that Markus had not worked alone in his betrayal of our king. The argument began to rise in pitch and intensity. Across the room, Carlotta Berne gave me a brief smile. She had as little tolerance for bureaucracy as I. Odd, given that she herself was a displaced queen. Before I was able to respond, she was surveying the room, studying the councillors. Several feet to her right stood her old companion Caius, who served as the king’s bodyguard this day. He caught me looking, nodded, and returned his focus to his job. Caius was the king’s last line of defense, and as far as I could see, he took his job seriously. He’d come to us with a small group of Talisian refugees. They’d been mostly women and children, living nomadically, surviving on odd jobs and the money that Carlotta funneled to them from her work as a mercenary. She’d been their queen and breadwinner, but Caius had been their shepherd and protector. I took a moment to examine his heavy features. He was unremarkable in appearance, with short sandy hair that lay flat to his head, and pale blue eyes. He was tall and coarse, yet when he moved, was oddly graceful. In spite of Carlotta’s implicit trust in the man, something struck me wrong about him. His face lacked expression. His rare smiles never reached his eyes. He must have occasionally felt anger, but the telltale signs were never there. He was as blank and mysterious as a mask. Perhaps Caius carried more scars than those that twisted down his neck to his chest. He caught my gaze once again and looked away, seemingly unconcerned. I didn’t like that. Most of the guards would have reacted to my scrutiny with discomfort. “Councillors. Please.” Helios finally broke into the rapidly accelerating argument. Some of those on the council appreciated his presence; they cherished the return of a strong leader. Others

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resented the sudden curb on their power, though until he’d returned, they’d been living at the hard edge of survival. Helios waited until there was silence at the table before continuing. “I understand that the shipment of seedlings has been delayed due to the freighter being held by officials at Niye. We know that Niye is lamentably corrupt. We do not know when the ship will be released or if our shipment will be viable when it arrives. Sadly this is a situation we have no control over. There is nothing we can do to change what has happened. We can, however, control our reaction to the delay.” Classic Helios. Patience had been a hard-earned lesson for him. His temper had once been as fiery as his hair, and tolerance had not been his virtue. “Given that this is the present state of affairs, does anyone have a suggestion on how to move forward? Preferably one that doesn’t involve Captain Hawke being dispatched to wreak havoc and tear off arms?” He smiled in my direction. I’d missed that part of the conversation, it seemed. To everyone’s relief, they left behind lawsuits and bloody vengeance and tabled the issue. Margh Wall accepted the task of locating the needed trees, and I had no doubt the shipment would arrive right at the proper time to drop them into the thousands of little holes waiting for them. She’d once been the lady-in-waiting to our late queen and now was one of our more effective council members. She’d adapted well. The new argument at the table was more personal in nature, and anxiously I glanced at Helios but saw little more than polite interest on his face. Once again, he caught and held my gaze, allowing me to see a flash of heat. This time I didn’t look away, and his ivory skin flushed slightly. Our charade was growing all too real. Reluctantly he turned back to the discussion, a slight pucker in the skin between his eyes. It had moved on to an old family conflict that predated our evacuation from Arash. I automatically looked up at the gallery, where Deirdre watched with concern. None of the councillors were aware of the patchy nature of Helios’s memory. In the year that we’d been home, Lio’s memories hadn’t returned as we’d hoped. He might remember what he’d had for breakfast on a given day a decade ago, but not the face of a former acquaintance.

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Deirdre, Carlotta, and I were generally able to mask those times when he drew a blank. Covering for him in chamber took a bit more imagination. Carlotta cleared her throat. Helios looked up at her in question. “Sir. You have a scheduled communication with Interstellar Coalition delegates as well as a lunch appointment with your family.” Brilliant intervention, even though it put Helios’s assistant in an awkward position. Tanar Ralston did his best to support Carlotta’s slight prevarication. He consulted his handheld calendar. “Yes, sir, you have an appointment to speak with Vash Ambassador Kaarin today.” The call to the coalition wasn’t for several hours, but it would take preparation. And the lunch appointment? We hadn’t arranged that. From the corner of my eye, I saw Deirdre exit the gallery. No doubt she was going to quickly arrange an impromptu family luncheon. “Surely council business takes precedence over…social commitments?” Councillor Pratt frowned in my direction. I reached down and clasped the heavy bracelet on my right arm. Under the eye patch, my scars began to throb in time with my anger. Evan Pratt was one of the most vocal opponents of my relationship with Helios. He’d also been one of the bastards who had pressured the council into sending the ragged remnants of our military into space, separating them from family and denying the community our skills. I squeezed the bracelet, feeling the sapphires bite into my skin. When I’d brought Helios home, Pratt had been sitting at the head of the council and was largely responsible for the sorry state our people had fallen into. With one look at the shoddy settlement, Helios had ordered a mass evacuation, moving thousands off the floodplain they’d settled on. Pratt and his allies had simmered in their anger until cyclical winter rains washed away the abandoned city. “I’m sorry, Councillor. As I’m sure you understand, my family is always a top priority in my life.” Helios pushed back from the table and rose gracefully. “Please continue the meeting. Pratt, you may mediate this discussion. Ralston, please prepare a summary of the meeting and send it to me.”

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His assistant had been on his feet, ready to accompany the king. At Helios’s curt order, he flushed and sat. Ralston was a blandly handsome young man who’d worked for Pratt until Helios had commandeered his services. Since that time, he’d devoted his every waking hour to serving the king. I strongly suspected he’d sleep at the foot of the bed if Helios requested it. Helios strode to my side, Caius a respectful distance behind him. He reached out, pried my hand from the bracelet, and raised it to his lips. His public display cooled the anger that lingered in my gut. I glanced at Pratt, satisfied that he’d seen the gesture. A small hand gripped mine, and Maia clung to me. Lauren slipped between me and Helios, taking a hand in each of hers. Alexander appeared at the far side of Helios. We looked at each other, and he smiled at whatever he saw in my expression. It always surprised me how joy and despair could be so different and yet so similar. As I looked down at my daughters, the pain in my chest was a sweet sensation—one I wouldn’t trade for the world. I looked at my lover and saw my emotions reflected in his face. He was happy. I was as well.

*** Lunch was spread out on gleaming wooden tables in an antechamber. I nodded at Caius to remain at the door. Helios swept into the room and sighed at the array of fruit before him. He bit into a spear of imported pineapple and let his eyes drop closed as he savored the flavor. “Just imagine, Grif… Next year we could be producing our own fruits and vegetables.” Helios loved food and cooking; the idea of this planet becoming self-sufficient fueled his long days and tedious nights in conferences broadcast from other systems. He lifted the spear of fruit to my lips and smiled as I took the food from his hand. Before the war and his kidnapping, he’d never have dreamed of entering the kitchens. Nor would he ever have fed me. While I sometimes felt nostalgia for the old, warriorlike Helios, I cherished this new version. I loved Helios then; I was in love with him now. Pasha the slave had been good for him. “Griffin. I offer my sincerest apologies for even momentarily entertaining the idea that you should travel to Niye to dismember the officials of their export division.”

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Deirdre laughed. “I can’t believe that was said, even in jest.” Like her brother, Deirdre had bright copper red hair and an ivory complexion. The years of living hard had taken a toll on her, but now she glowed with the beauty she’d once been famous for. She’d been devastated during the war and now seemed content to serve as official hostess of the court. Like Carlotta, she’d suffered crippling losses—Deirdre, her husband and child, while Carlotta had virtually lost her entire family. The two women had formed an unlikely friendship, and when Carlotta was off duty, they were often found together. We took seats at a round table. Alexander, a smaller, younger clone of Helios, save for the cascade of hair and tattooed lines around his eyes, sat to his father’s right. Since the return of his father, Alex had become less serious and had relaxed back into childhood a bit, though he sometimes remembered his station. I’d been replaced as his idol and role model, though he still held me in the highest regard. He was old enough to remember his father before the kidnapping and sometimes seemed uncertain of the exotic stranger who had come home to him. “Daddy?” Lauren was the talkative one. Maia sat at my left like a little shadow, leaning forward to see what her sister wanted. “Yes, Lauren?” I looked into her big blue eyes, my heart melting in gratitude, as it so often did. During my exile, I’d watched my daughters grow from a distance. I reached out and let strands of golden hair slip through my fingers. “Would you really pull the arms off the bad men?” I felt Maia’s hand slip into mine. She’d suffered greatly at the hands of the Landaun, losing an eye to their heinous torture. These days she rarely spoke. Across the table, Helios’s face suddenly lost its merriment. “Lornie, love, we were just teasing your daddy. He would never do such a thing. I’m very sorry I said that.” “Why did you say it?” Maia was always direct and to the point. Both my daughters had grown up far too young. Helios was wise enough not to talk down to them. He looked from one to the other and then up at me.

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“I said it because your daddy is big and strong. I think he must be bigger and stronger than anyone I know. The council members were angry at some people and wanted to punish them. I wanted them to understand that we cannot control what other people do.” “Because of the little trees on the spaceship?” Lauren had been following the argument about the delayed shipment. “Yes. Some of the councillors are angry because they feel we are being punished for someone else’s mistake.” “You were right, Papa. We can’t make the ship come faster, can we?” “No, honey. It’s out of our control.” Helios hid any amusement he might have felt; his expression was completely serious. Lauren sighed heavily. “Then there’s no use being angry. Like…if I want to play with Maia’s spindle game, and she won’t share, I just find something else to play with till she’s finished.” “I do too share!” Maia was stiff with outrage, but Lauren had clearly understood the point that Helios had labored to convey to the council. “Daddy?” Maia’s voice was barely above a whisper. “What if the Landaun come again?” There was fear in that deep, dark eye of hers. “The Landaun will not come here, Maia. I promise.” How could I promise such a thing? “Besides, if they do, Daddy will pull off their arms.” Lauren spoke with great authority. “Promise?” “And Papa Lio will slice them with his kilij.” “As long as it’s all right with the two of you, I promise I will pull off the arms of any Landaun who come here.” Maia sighed with relief and returned to her food. Helios looked wide-eyed at the three of us. Whatever he had to say would wait. I’d said the right thing to spare my daughters a nightmare, so it was all to the good.

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Chapter Two “Bloodthirsty little creatures you’ve got there, Griffin. I approve.” “You’d better approve, since you started the whole thing.” We were in our apartments on the outer edges of the Royal Complex. Our private residence was still in planning; we’d decided that housing the population took priority over a royal palace. Helios closed and locked the door and then collapsed onto a velvety dark blue sofa. It was a Somian import. I’d noticed that Helios had developed a taste for the beauty and luxury of that culture. He was incredibly tactile and favored comfort over appearance. To his delight, the Somian had mastered the art of blending great beauty with comfort. The locked door wasn’t so much to keep us safe as it was a message that privacy was needed. After a day filled with petty politics, Helios was often drained and exhausted. We’d take an hour and then return to work, this time wrestling with tasks more to both of our tastes. In the afternoons and evenings, I took my turn training the newest recruits in the army. When he could, Helios joined in; he was a valuable trainer in his own right. He was on his feet again, crossing the floor to wrap his arms around me. “I am so sorry. Sometimes I forget to guard my tongue around your daughters.” “It usually isn’t necessary to do so, but Maia’s been plagued by fears lately. It takes little to remind her of those times. Lauren as well.” Tilting my head, I unfastened the high collar of his jacket and then opened it the rest of the way. I slipped it from his body and tossed the expensive garment carelessly to the side. Helios clucked his tongue in disapproval but didn’t pull away. “Mary will be vexed when she finds that coat wrinkled. I have only the one, you know.” He was smiling again, his humor directed at himself. “I’ll hang it up later. Besides, you should probably have at least one more.” I leaned down and ran my lips over the smooth surface of his throat. Long ago he’d been inclined to be bristly,

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with ruddy whiskers by this time of the day. After his time as a slave on Warlan, he’d never grow facial hair again. Body hair either. I cherished the contrast between us; his skin felt like silk against mine. I reached behind him to unfasten the pin that held his hair in the tight knob and let the braids drop free. Then I slipped the bands from the ends of his braids and shook his hair loose. He sighed in relief as it came down. “Mary enjoys playing with your hair as much as I do.” He leaned against me as I massaged his scalp. “True, but your hand is gentler than hers. Wearing it so tight gives me a damn headache!” He slipped his arms around my waist, and for the moment, we were quiet. It occurred to me then that these were the moments I needed to harvest for the future. Simple moments of peace, love, and contentment. When I was an old man and looking back or when times once again would become hard, I would think back to holding Helios in my arms and the feeling of supreme happiness that surrounded us. When he licked the skin of my neck, I suddenly forgot about those good intentions. Just like that, contentment turned to lust, and I responded in both body and spirit. My fingers were still buried in his hair, so I tilted his head slightly and looked into his face. And then I kissed him. As always, it was heaven. Our lips brushed, pressed, and slid together, but I didn’t take his mouth immediately. Instead I nibbled at the lower lip, pulling it gently into my mouth. I left his mouth to kiss his chin and then traveled down his neck. His silk pants concealed little, and I thrust into him, knowing he felt the heavy leather of my pants through the light fabric. Often we were wild and rough; I’d take him against the wall or he’d straddle me and ride me hard. Other times he’d grab the reins and take me, always careful not to overpower me, as my submission to him was tentative. This time he wanted gentle. I saw the shadows in his eyes and the weariness of his body. If I was not at his side, he’d probably have found a quiet spot and meditated. Knowing that, I determined to be his serenity for the day. I tossed the sofa cushions to the floor and laid him down in a beam of light that shone through the western window. Sunsets were beautiful on Neo Domus; as the sun dropped, the atmosphere broke the light into colors of orange and red spiked

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with soft purple that eased into the blue of night. In that fiery light, with his hair spilling around his body, Helios looked like a god descended from the heavens. The light must have touched me as well, because he studied me as he lay there, his eyes drinking me in. For once, there was no hidden smile or lurking amusement; he was simply looking. When I could take no more of his intensity, I lay on my side, facing him, and ran my hands over his skin. Mine were rough and calloused from sword practice, and he shivered, dropping his eyes slightly closed. When he rolled to begin removing my clothing, I shook my head. “Lie back. Close your eyes.” I wanted him to close his eyes so I didn’t lose myself there and rush to fulfill my own needs. I knelt, drew the flat shoes from his feet, and slipped the pants from his lean hips. They landed in a silky heap near the black jacket. I took a foot in my hand, then massaged it before setting it down and starting the other. I glanced up and saw that his cock was semierect and his nipples were pebbled. I wanted him aroused but not desperate. That wasn’t the purpose of the exercise. “Empty your mind, Helios. Listen… What do you hear?” I picked up one of his muscular calves and began to gently stroke the skin. In the year that he’d been king, Helios had found little time to relax. Even his sleep didn’t allow him complete rest, as his bottled-up memories often played out in his dreams. “I hear the sound of your hands stroking my skin.” “Good. What else?” His face went smooth and relaxed as he listened. “In the distance, I hear voices—soft. Deirdre, I think.” “Keep listening.” I set his leg down and began to massage the thigh. His skin was so fair. When he spent time outside, his face and body tanned to a golden hue, but his legs were still milky white. “I hear the movement of the air outside. The leaves of the toh tree rattle as though they are dry and dead.” Quickly I undressed and scooted up to take his hand in mine, then lightly applied pressure to the muscles and ligaments. From there, I worked up to the forearms and upper arms.

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“I hear you breathing.” He was still reaching out to his surroundings. He opened his eyes, though I knew he wasn’t seeing me or the room. He was immersed in the golden light that angled through the window of the room. “I hear my own breathing.” Good. He was now going within. I reached up and ran my fingers through his hair, stroking the skin of his throat and neck. “I hear my heart.” I lowered myself to lie next to him and looked down the length of his body. He was long and slender, his muscles gracefully etched. He’d never be ripped; his strength was developed from long hours with the sword, which demanded he be lithe and light of foot. I marveled at the gymnastic sets he performed with the kilij when he practiced alone. I studied his face, pleased to see the lines of stress ease away. When I’d found him on Warlan, he’d never have let down his guard so completely. I’d first seen Helios in the robes and makeup of a whore; he’d given me a blowjob under a table in a filthy bar. He’d become accustomed to sudden violence and the worst type of treatment. Even when he’d fallen asleep next to me that first night, I’d sensed he was still wary, even in his dreams. I stroked his chest with the flat of my hand, hearing the intake of his breath as I brushed the tips of my fingers over his nipples. He’d gone completely flaccid, and now his cock was slowly filling once again. Mine was hard and eager; what had been relaxing to him was urgently arousing to me. Helios opened his eyes, rolled onto his side to face me, and caressed my rough, battered face. “Griffin…” he whispered. I cut him off with a kiss. He cupped my face and ran his thumb down the scar on my left cheek. I slipped my tongue between his lips. I teased, tasted, and finally pulled back to look at him. His eyes were open; he still gazed at me. He looked at me with love, and deep down, that knowledge frightened me on a level I did not understand. We moved closer, arching our bodies fully together, hands caressing, exploring. Once again I clasped his head and pulled it to mine to kiss him deeply. Our hips pressed together; like

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me, he was hard and ready, but I was loath to retreat from our embrace. I wrapped my free arm around his hips and held him tightly against me. He was tall, almost my height, and we fit together perfectly. Another kiss, another gentle thrust together… He sighed happily. I squeezed his bottom and felt his arm come down, then pull my hips to his. Clever fingers explored the crack of my ass and then drifted away to stroke the length of my back. We lay that way, watching the rays of the sun cross the room, leaving us in shadow. Our hour was nearly gone. In my arms, Helios suddenly shuddered, a startled cry leaving his throat. I felt the warm pulse of his seed slip over my skin, and then I was there too, the climax covering my body like a warm blanket. It was long, slow, and languorous. It shook me to my very soul. We lay in each other’s arms, occasionally shivering with the aftershocks of the most heartwrenching, soul-feeding orgasm we’d ever shared. We did not speak, because there was simply nothing left that needed to be said.

*** “Cadet Gagne, block!” Even holding back with the dull practice blade, I slid easily under the young man’s guard. He flushed with mortification, so I stepped up next to him and guided his arm through the motion. “This is why we drill for hours. It builds up your strength as well as your muscle memory. In time, you won’t need to think in order to respond.” The teenager nodded, focusing his attention on the combined elements of the move we’d just practiced. The newest recruits lacked confidence, and it showed in their fighting skills. Their lines were ragged, and when they began a fight form, they looked to their neighbor, who was often looking to his neighbor for direction. Inwardly I sighed, but really, they were only slightly worse than the thousands of others I’d trained over the years. I looked into a young, apprehensive face and saw dozens just like it who were now dust. It was difficult to not look away from the clumsy beginners and study Helios, where he sat on the back of one of the few horses we’d managed to smuggle off Arash. He was riding a magnificent sorrel mare, the fire of its coat a near match to his hair.

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He was drilling a small group of students who had shown promise on horseback. The abilities of a mounted rider differed from those of a foot soldier. Foot soldiers had advanced skills in fighting, ranging from close hand-to-hand combat to long-distance weaponry. Riders were accomplished swordsmen who had superior balance and flexibility. Many of Helios’s new recruits were female. Under the rule of his uncle, that would never have happened, but we’d come to the conclusion that the young women had less mass to fatigue their mounts as well as the gymnastic flexibility needed to perform the maneuvers that Helios specialized in. The horses were young and untrained. It would be years before the stables returned to the glory they had been in the past. Our horses had been a source of great pride, and now there were so few. Spies spoke of ragged herds running wild on our former planet. Given the wholesale devastation of Arash, they would undoubtedly die out sooner or later. Helios had assigned a council member to study the feasibility of importing stock from other planets that had long ago emigrated from Earth. A decade ago, such an idea would have seemed nearly blasphemous. Now it was necessity. In private, we’d discussed the danger of sending in small ships to survey the damage, perhaps to rescue not only the horses, but the remnants of humanity that might still be hanging on there. Every report that came to us was bleak and unpromising, yet we had to know if there were survivors. If there were, it was our obligation to do whatever we could to help. Inside one of the new buildings, other students studied piloting and navigation. This was another new development. Our people had once scorned the stars; now we’d been humbled by our awareness of the need to reach out and become a part of a greater whole. Our xenophobia had largely contributed to our downfall. We couldn’t fight that of which we were ignorant. I saw a bent form watch from the perimeter of the training field. Immediately I barked an order to the trainees and strode over to the visitor, my mind simmering with curiosity. “General. I’m pleased to see you this afternoon.” In word, General Willis was my superior officer. He was a century and a half old, perhaps more, and from another era. The general didn’t cherish the changes our people were undergoing, but understood them well. His eyes were still sharp, though his body was hunched with age. “Walk with me, Captain.”

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It was an order, and I complied. We skirted the grounds, where he critically observed the new trainees. He snorted a bit and then continued on, watching Helios perform a tricky maneuver on horseback. “I heard stories of what he did toward the end of the war. Used to think all that fancy riding was just for show till I saw him mow down a half dozen Landaun from horseback. It was a magnificent sight, Captain Hawke.” I didn’t comment, but I knew the battle he spoke of. All had seemed lost, when a bright figure on horseback had descended from Temple Hill. Helios had swept in and rallied what remained of our army, then led them and the Landaun forces to the forests and the hills. He’d engaged them for weeks, coming at them in lightning-fast raids and guerilla attacks. He hadn’t won the war for us, but he’d bought us time to evacuate our survivors. When he’d accomplished that, Helios had scattered his soldiers, allowing himself to be taken by the enemy. They’d dragged the beaten hero into our capital, expecting to publicly humiliate him and our people. Instead they’d found a ghost town. Our people had been rescued by then. The Landaun had only royal corpses and one prisoner: Helios. The general cleared his throat, bringing me back from my memories. I recalled my manners and stood a bit straighter. “You’re out of uniform, Captain.” “So I am.” I spared a smile. He also wore the clothing of a civilian. “I’ve not had a proper uniform for years.” “Time to change that, don’t you think?” I looked over at him. His silver hair riffled in the breeze. His dark skin was deeply lined, and the years had added an indefinable dimension to his expression. Sometimes I saw the same look in Basil Alexander, the elderly high priest of the Sun Temple. “We were shattered. Between the Landaun and the damn council, the army was crushed and sent away limping. I’ve decided it’s time to get the house back in order. I see the Temple is reorganizing; it’s time for us to do the same.” He was right. I nodded toward a worktable that was set up at the side of the field. The general sat stiffly.

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“Given the changes that have taken place, we’ll have to rework a few things. The pilots, for example. Never thought we’d have a fleet.” “I didn’t either. I never thought I’d end up piloting a ship.” He gave a small grin. “Bet you never thought you’d end up marrying the king either. Or playing nursemaid to the man.” I shot a look at him. “We aren’t married yet. And Helios takes care of himself.” “Don’t go getting angry at me. You’re a man of action. I imagine it chafed badly when you were assigned to be his bodyguard all those years ago. It must be even worse now. You aren’t in a position of command as you should be. You train recruits; you see to his comfort. They neutered you all those years ago, and you’re still playing that role.” I bit the inside of my cheek. His words were painfully honest. But… “It would be a huge conflict of interest for me to be assigned to a position of command.” “Bullshit. You’re capable and vital to this kingdom. If you’ve forgotten, most of our officers were killed.” He turned to face me. “I’m old, Griffin. I’m running out of time to make an impact on our people. Those idiots on the council brought me out of retirement thinking they could control the army through me. And to a point, they did.” He tugged at his ear and looked at the ground. I felt uncomfortable witnessing his shame. “But now he’s here. You’re here. Our world is different. Change is coming. Hell, change is already here.” He struck the table with his fist and glared at me. “I just wanted to give you a warning: I’m the commanding general of this damn army. I intend to behave as such. When I issue orders, I expect immediate compliance, Captain.” I rose and stood, not quite at attention, but not at ease either. “I want our men back in uniform. I’ve prepared a new roster, including promotions and new positions that include the fleet. I’ve made special provisions for the Talisians who choose to serve us as free agents. I expect you in my offices at one hour past sunrise.” He frowned and looked around. “Do you realize we don’t even have a calendar or a time system adapted to this planet yet?” He shook his head. “It’s sunup, noon, and sundown. We’re still holding on to the past, aren’t we?”

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He didn’t expect an answer. Instead he looked out to the field where Helios had the riders in a long line. They raced at a full gallop, and on his mark, every rider dipped to scoop a piece of fabric from the ground, then returned to their saddles and brought the horses to an abrupt halt. Every rider succeeded in the trick, and they broke out in cheers and laughter. The general gestured to the group as they turned and loped to the other end of the field. “Sun knows, I wish I could have learned that when I was younger!” For the first time, a smile settled over his face, making him look decades younger. Laughter carried on the air, and I shook my head, knowing that the morale of our ragged army was growing every time Helios shared a little of himself. Together we walked off the field toward the banks of dormitories and military residences. My makeshift office was housed in a vacant apartment. “A word of warning, Griffin.” General Willis paused, glancing around briefly. “The council wants children from him. They are almost unanimously opposed to your relationship with the king. Not only do they want more Daysprings, they feel you have too much influence over his decisions. His affiliation with the Temple makes them uneasy. The idea that the army has his ear has them very concerned.” I clenched my jaw briefly. “I’m already aware of their objections, sir. But I thank you for the warning. We are grown men, both widowers. Both with children. We know our own wishes in this matter.” The thought of being set aside for the sake of politics sickened me. I’d feared it from the very day I’d found him and realized I still loved him desperately. “Just be aware, this will be coming up in meetings soon. The Daysprings have been part of our history from the day our ancestors chose to leave Earth. They’ve been the ruling family of Astrum for many generations. The possibility that the line might die out frightens them to the core.” “Yet they struggle against Helios’s rule.” I shook my head in disgust. “He’s stronger than they anticipated. More headstrong than his demeanor would suggest.” “Tell me about it,” I muttered. “There’s Alexander and Deirdre still.” I sighed. “And Markus.” “The Landaun killed the majority of the family…not just the king and his immediate family, but nieces and nephews…even distant cousins. And Markus is effectively lost to us.

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Alexander is a boy still, and Deirdre shows no interest in bearing more children. So that leaves Helios.” “Deirdre lost her husband and child. She should be allowed to grieve in peace. When she’s ready to move on, she’ll let us know.” I was angry for Deidre, and suddenly I worried for Helios and Alexander. Somehow the general’s words struck a superstitious chord deep within. It was true—the strike had taken out the ruling family with near surgical precision. “I would love to see more children in our family. But we were both cheated out of years with the three we have.” The thought of babies brought back dark, painful memories. I didn’t want to travel that journey again. Ever. The general laughed briefly. “As a family man, you’re quite right. As the consort to a king, you should learn to think differently. Helios might adopt your daughters; he has the right to name them his heirs. But to the council, they will always be Hawkes.” He looked at me and gave a rueful smile. “In my eyes, that is recommendation enough, but the two of you will need to think on these issues.” I smiled bitterly, thinking of the dozens of lovers whose affairs had been shattered by duty or retirement. I’d been fortunate to have a second chance with Helios. Blessed indeed that a third chance had come along. “I’ll see you in the morning, General Hawke.” I looked up, realizing we’d arrived at the barracks and my office. And then his words registered. I watched in amazement as he strode away. General Hawke? Oh, the council was going to be so pissed. I couldn’t help grinning in delight.

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Chapter Three As expected, the council was thrown into chaos by the general’s casual announcement of my promotion. Helios observed, though he refrained from comment. If he spoke in support of my promotion, he’d have been accused of favoritism. I took a chair at the large table, next to General Willis and across from Councillor Margh. I was grateful the crusty old general had the balls to shove this down the throat of the council. Admittedly not all members objected to the restructuring of the army or to my promotion. When Helios had returned, he’d opened up the council to a balance of appointed positions combined with elected positions. A few of the old guard remained and continued to hold their strong opinions about the army. The rest of the council had a very good grasp of the possible threats from space. They were eager to rebuild our kingdom’s military. The debate was fierce, but there was no vote, no meeting of the minds. General Willis was the head of the army, and unless Helios decreed otherwise, his decisions stood. Carlotta was appointed to my former position as captain of the Royal Guard, and several of my best soldiers advanced as well. As he read his orders, General Willis’s voice shook with emotion. I swallowed hard, remembering those who hadn’t survived to come to our new home. The room went still as he recited the final numbers of those who had fallen or were missing. When he finished, the room observed a moment of silence, heads bowed, hands over hearts. After a few minutes, General Willis cleared his throat, signaling an end to the ritual. “The next item of business—” “Will be tabled for now.” Ralston looked a bit offended when Helios interrupted him. Even I was surprised at his abrupt announcement.

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“Captain Carlotta Berne, please be seated. Deirdre Dayspring is requested at the table as well. All visitors will please vacate the gallery.” He gazed around the room, sharp eyes seeking faces, waiting as chairs were dragged to the table and we were all seated. “Guards, please step to the outside of the room. Caius…” He glanced at the bodyguard as though considering whether the man should stay or go. “Please remain, but remember: what you hear is confidential.” The bodyguard nodded and remained in position. “We face a potentially devastating situation here on Neo Domus.” For once, his words were received without argument. I had to wonder about his gravitas; this morning we’d parted early. I’d been with the general and the few remaining senior officers until we met for council. What had happened in that time? “Decisions must be made regarding the stewardship of our planet. We can mine and market the minerals that are so abundant here. In doing so, we open ourselves up to an influx of miners, settlers, and possible invasion by hostile aliens. We know the drawbacks to that plan, but if carefully controlled, immigration to Neo Domus could bring prosperity to our planet.” “We’d agreed to do nothing for now.” “Silence, please, Evan.” All gazes swiveled to Helios. He rarely rebuked the council—or anyone, for that matter. Now he sat looking grave. He appeared stern in his black robes, his hair pulled back into a severe braid. “As you all know, I approached the Interstellar Coalition of Planets about membership. If we are accepted within its ranks, we will have protection from even the most severe threats that are out there. If our leaders in the past had reached out instead of remaining so…xenophobic, the Landaun would never have dared to lay waste to our planet.” I couldn’t help but notice the slight flush that stained Carlotta Berne’s cheeks. Few here were aware of who she’d once been. It wasn’t a secret; we just never shared the information, and the Talisians kept it close within their ranks. I suspected that many of them didn’t even realize Carlotta was their deposed queen. She’d changed greatly over the years and no longer resembled the pampered young princess she’d once been.

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“We received a communication from the coalition this morning. They are willing to hear our petition. But there are conditions.” No one interrupted as we waited for him to continue. Perhaps even our most pugnacious council members recognized that our future was unfolding before us. “All planets and civilizations that join this alliance must contribute to the coalition. They must actively participate in the governing of the organization. Ambassadors will be assigned to various member outposts. We must have something to offer. When we were assisted by coalition members, they volunteered their skills and services. We will be expected to do the same. When asked what goods or services our people had to offer, I had no answer.” “How can they expect anything from us? The coalition is surely aware of how badly we were devastated by the Landaun!” Dierdre’s shock was reflected in the faces of others around the room. Carlotta frowned down at the smooth wood of the table. To my surprise, Basil Alexander was sitting next to her; I hadn’t noticed his arrival. “We have candar.” I stared at Helios. That mineral was both our hope of salvation and the promise of our demise. The strategic sale of the gemstones had given us enough capital to drill for water and plant crops. It had taken our people from grim, unprotected hovels to snug, clean housing. Candar was more than an exceptional gemstone; it was also an energy source. A single stone could power a ship or light a small city. The mineral was so rare that there was no established market for it; no cartel controlled its distribution or fixed its price. Some called it the sunstone because of its fiery beauty, but we called it the blood stone because of the danger it brought to its owner. If someone wore the gem, he or she flaunted not only their wealth, but their physical ability to defend themselves. Either that, or their extreme foolishness. Helios and I had a world of precious gems to choose from for our bracelets. It was no mistake that we had not chosen candar. “We can’t risk that, Lio.” I was grossly out of order calling him by his nickname, but nobody took note of this lapse. There were murmurs of agreement with my comment. He sighed heavily and nodded in relief. “There is another small settlement several systems from here, near a planet called Selene. The settlement is named New Denver, and the residents

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are shape-shifters from Earth. Refugees. They have sent some of their young people to train as hunter-trackers with Interstellar Coalition Enforcement. But I must point out, they have specialized skills.” I watched as he traced a whorl pattern with his fingers on the glossy wood. “The Valoran are a scientific community. They contribute their technological skills. They are also skilled diplomats. The Somian seem rather frivolous, but they have a particular passion for doing humanitarian work. They have also pioneered studies in the psychological and neurological sciences. They were our primary rescuers at the end, along with the Vash.” I remembered them well; the Somian were bright, colorful people. They were a twin species, and a pair of young men had nursed me and my daughters on the journey from Arash to safety. One of the twins had coral-colored hair; his brother’s hair was brilliant yellow. They’d not only tended our physical injuries, but our emotional wounds as well. In later years, when the burden of missing Helios grew to be too much, I occasionally found solace in the arms of Somian sex workers. They elevated the profession with their grace and beauty, lending it a legitimacy that it lacked among other species. Their love of sex was nearly as great as their compassion. On the other hand, the Vash were a nocturnal species. They were as pale as the moon and nearly as mysterious. I’d rarely encountered them in my years of travel. Their healing skills seemed mystical, but were a product of their evolution. Even with the protection of the coalition, the Vash were frequently enslaved and trafficked as healers by some of the more aggressive species. These two gentle species had slipped in under the sentinels of the Landaun and had rescued us from complete, total annihilation. “The Niye… How did they become coalition members? That entire system is a warren of crime and corruption.” Carlotta’s voice was scornful. “The government still battles corruption, but slowly they are finding their way. I understand the Niye have been cultivating some excellent wine grapes. The soil of their main planet is fertile, and many are willing to turn to hard work to earn a living.” “Fedora?” I had a deep dislike for the little perverts. “Business and trade.”

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We could have kept tossing out questions that way, but as Helios had demonstrated, the point was moot. “What do we have to offer? Horsemanship, though we’ve lost most of our animals? Handto-hand combat with swords and daggers?” Deirdre spoke for us all. We looked into one another’s faces, searching for the answer. Oddly enough, it was Basil who spoke. We were so unused to hearing his soft voice that the room went silent. “We know how to harvest information.” I looked to Helios for clarification. This was his mentor, and surely he’d have answers. Instead of his usual smiling eyes, I saw anger. Grief and shame shimmered there. He met my gaze and then looked away. Something inside me went cold with foreboding. “I must remind everyone that this meeting is strictly confidential.” He looked up and stared at every man and woman at the table. The guards around the perimeter of the room had exited earlier. He lifted his chin. “If this topic is spoken of outside this room, it will be considered treason. It will be punishable by death.” My heart felt frozen in my chest. I looked at my lover, wondering how I could know him so well yet not know him at all. The man I’d made love with this morning would never have made that pronouncement. “Go ahead, Basil.” He nodded, and our attention turned to the wizened high priest. Oddly enough, Basil looked completely unaffected by Helios’s grim mien or the full attention of the room. “We have—we had a spy network. We have always had one of the most comprehensive spy networks in the known universe. We came from the stars, if you remember. It was only in later years that we gave up space to focus on the politics of our planet. The network remains, though it is largely in tatters.” “That’s why you were prepared for the Landaun invasion.” Carlotta looked drawn and tired. “They didn’t expect any resistance at all.” “We were not as prepared as we should have been. We had placed several spies in Talis; one in particular supplied us with vital information about the court. He managed to alert us just

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minutes before the Landaun attack. He told us your father had been taken captive. We had time to hide the royals and muster a small defense. But it wasn’t enough.” He shook his head sadly. Another shock to the room. Carlotta had just been outed. Carlotta’s father had been the king of Talis, our sworn enemy. His hatred of us had led him to make a deal with a devil of the worst sort. He’d opened his door to the Landaun, and they’d destroyed Talis and its royal family before turning to Astrum. She was the lone survivor of her family. “Who? I don’t recall anyone that close to my father.” She looked genuinely puzzled. “But I was closer to my mother’s court. He kept us at a distance.” That was interesting, and I could see the information intrigued Helios as well. So there had been a split within the heart of the Talisian court? At this point, it was little more than gossip, but interesting nonetheless. “I won’t go into detail about how the network functions or who our operatives are. Indeed, only their handlers know the true identities of many of our spies. Sadly many of those men and women are now gone.” Basil sighed heavily, and the impact of his words kept the room in silence. So many spies suddenly cut off… Who were they? How did they fare? “Know only that our network is rooted in the temple.” Basil spoke with calm authority, and suddenly I understood that the actual power base of our kingdom had been far more complex than I’d realized. In fact, it was possible that Helios now held more real power than his uncle ever had. Unlike the kings before him, Helios had roots in both the military and the temple. Now I had a pretty good idea why religion seemed so casual to our priests. I glanced up at Helios; his gaze was locked on his folded hands. He’d been a priest for years. How much memory of this spy network did he actually have? Had he been a spy? The discussion buzzed, but it seemed muted somehow. We were all stunned, I suppose. Fortunately Basil handled the conversation. My mind was overflowing with questions of my own, but I couldn’t ask them here; they were much too personal. When the discussion died down, Helios once again took control of the meeting. “When the coalition asks, this expertise is what I will offer on behalf of Neo Domus.” He looked up, his expression grave. “In future years we will renegotiate. It is my wish that we

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eventually follow the example of the Somian and the Vash as well as others who have devoted their efforts to humanitarian purposes. We can offer candar to civilizations that have been devastated. We can offer energy. Light and warmth for their buildings and power for their ships. We will eventually be able to offer our assistance in rebuilding from the ashes.” It seemed this offer struck a common chord all around the table. At least no one objected. Of course, Helios wasn’t asking for opinions or advice; he was telling us what he planned. I looked at his face when he wasn’t looking in my direction, and he appeared confident and sure. This was so far from the man I’d brought to this planet less than a Common year ago. He looked…hard. I wasn’t certain I liked it.

*** “The sunset here is perhaps the loveliest thing I’ve ever seen.” Helios’s voice was hushed with awe. We reclined on the rooftop living area of our apartments, gazing at the slow parade of color across the sky. I knew the spectacular display was the result of light refracting through various minerals and impurities in the atmosphere, but even scientific knowledge didn’t suppress the beauty. However, the display of our planet’s glory did nothing to soothe my soul. Next to me, Helios watched the sky as I watched him. His hair was unbound, and he was shirtless, wearing only the loose fabric pants that he favored. A bitter smile played over his lips, and I knew at that moment how much he hated his life. It wasn’t that he hated us or being king; he hated not having moments like this more often. Like me, he’d been trained for action, not the ponderous machinations of politics. I had to admit that he’d shown uncanny ability as a ruler, but this life trapped him as completely as his life as a slave had. When he’d announced his intention to travel to the distant coalition meeting himself, he listened to the myriad arguments against the idea and held firm. Even when I objected, he smiled and continued to share his plans. I wanted to rage at his gentle stubbornness and at my inability to force him to change. Yet this must have been his daily burden. The council questioned and frequently challenged his every decision. “You’re angry with me tonight.” He turned and looked at me, his face serious and sober.

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“You would endanger yourself out of boredom.” I looked away, back to the sky, but I no longer saw its beauty. “I may not like all aspects of my life, but it seems that at this moment, I am the only available king. Carlotta is content in her role and doesn’t wish to take part in politics. Deirdre fears the council has no respect for her authority. My sister is still finding her voice.” He paused; I felt his gaze upon me. “I’ve spoken with many representatives of the coalition. To them, we are small and without any viable worth. In this rare case, I believe that no other than the king will serve the purpose. In the future, we will assign a small diplomatic corps to attend to coalition business.” “You are that certain we will be accepted?” “I am not certain at all. But think, Griffin. Why did they come to us, back when the Landaun invaded? We could have been dispersed to refugee settlements as so many others have been. They owed us nothing; they could have left us to die. Instead the coalition placed us on an isolated planet with priceless resources. What was the purpose?” I shook my head. Back in beginning, we’d been trying so desperately to survive that no one had given any thought to the ulterior motives of our rescuers. Now that we were home and our people were recovering, new concerns were rising. “Griffin, don’t you think they must have known what was here? On this planet?” “This planet is on the very edge of coalition space. Perhaps it is strategic in terms of defense.” I didn’t want to believe the Somian and the Vash had deliberately set us on a planet that was a political powder keg. We were undoubtedly the wealthiest society in many systems, yet the very wealth that promised so much was potentially deadly; we dared not take advantage of it. If an aggressive, greedy species like the Landaun discovered what was just under the surface of our planet, once again we would be stripped of our home—and perhaps our lives. I wasn’t the only one keeping a wary eye on the skies. We all glanced up several times a day. Helios clasped my hand. “I brought you up here to celebrate, but instead we are burdening ourselves with worry.” “Celebrate?” I asked.

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He sat up and opened a satchel he’d carried up to the roof. He pulled a slender crystal bottle from the bag. Two glasses followed. “Somian wine.” That brought a smile to my face. The stuff was light, delicate, and laced with an aphrodisiac. He poured and handed me a glass. He raised his to the light in offering to the sky. He then saluted me. “To your promotion, General Hawke.” I tasted the wine, feeling the tingle start on my lips and tongue. Soon it would travel through my body. I was already rising in anticipation. In my mood, I didn’t want to be aroused; I wanted to be angry. “About that promotion. Would the king have had any involvement in my unexpected rise in status?” He sipped the wine, gazing at me over the edge of the glass. His lined eyes were half closed. “Of course not. General Willis knows his mind. I have little influence over his staffing decisions.” He took another sip and set the glass down. His lips were slightly flushed, and his nipples were pebbled and erect. I reached out and stroked one rose-colored bud. His breath caught at my touch. “I might have mentioned to him how much you enjoy braiding my hair.” I pinched and twisted, and his eyes glazed over a bit with pain and arousal. “And of course, I am so proud of the way you tend to my clothing at the end of the day. You are always careful to make certain our rooms are clean, and there are always flowers in the bedroom.” His voice was breathless and harsh. “You did not tell him that!” I growled. He laughed wickedly. He was joking, but I chose not to be amused. I wrapped a hand in his hair and pulled, dragging Helios close to my body. Instead of the kiss he anticipated, I pushed him to the cushions that padded the roof. I pinned him, my fingers buried in his silken hair. I pushed his knee toward his chest, opening him, and held him in place,

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leaving him helpless. He lay passively; his chest rose and fell with his breath, and his eyes were closed in anticipation. I lowered my body to his, forcing his leg farther back. When I tasted his lips, sweet Somian wine perfumed his breath. He looked up at me. “You manipulative bastard.” I glared into those beautiful gray eyes. Once ignited, anger flared through my gut. “Kiss me, Griffin.” He ran his hands up the sides of my waist, under the leather of my vest. “Tell me about the spies in the temple. Were you a spy?” I nipped his chin, his jaw, then ran my tongue up to the smooth skin of his ear. Two could play at the game of seduction. “No. No, I was not a spy.” “Liar,” I whispered. I wanted him. Not only was the wine burning through my body, but simply touching Helios was enough to set me on fire. I loved him even as he lied to me. If he lied to me. I shook my head, trying to clear it of such thoughts. Helios might be manipulative, but he was no liar. He thrust his hips up into mine, and I was glad he’d had the wine as well. He was suffering from its effects, exactly as I was. I reached down and clasped his cock, feeling the heavy weight of his arousal. Like me, he had to be aching with need. I slipped my hand into the waist of his pants and let my thumb glide through the precum on his cockhead. Then when I released him, I jerked the pants from his lean hips. “No.” His voice was strangled. “I was a priest. Remember, Griffin? I was always in the city…in the temple. My wife always complained…” He hadn’t mentioned Cloris before. My irritation spiked. “A handler, then.” I cupped his balls and let them roll between my fingers. A wicked idea came to me; I sat up and found the wine. I let the golden fluid trickle over his shaft. He shuddered as it coated his testicles and spilled down between the cheeks of his ass. “Oh…” It had to be tingling on the silken skin of his genitals. My lips and tongue were still warm from the sip I’d taken. “Oh Grif…” His voice sounded hushed, as if he was in awe. I bent to his body and tasted the honey of the wine blended with the unique flavor of Helios’s skin. I licked, shivering as wine

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and precum melted into my mouth. He was hard as stone, straining not to come. I found my glass and took another drink of wine. Then I took him into my mouth, swallowed him deeply, and listened to him gasp at the sensations that bombarded him. “Oh…by the Sun!” He struggled, and I kept him pinned in place. I swirled a finger in my nearly empty wineglass and pressed against the star of his ass. I slipped my finger in, and he arched his back. He was close, so I banded the root of his shaft with my fingers, forcing him to hold back. He bucked and twisted, effectively trapped under my body. “Please, Griffin!” “Will you tell me? Everything?” He laughed painfully; I looked up to see a tear trailing down his cheek. “I only remembered recently. I promised to wait…” He hissed as my wine-coated finger stroked his prostate. “I meant to discuss it tonight…” I slicked my cock with my wine-laced saliva, throwing back my head at the heady touch of the aphrodisiac on my skin. I trembled and then moistened my lips. “Are you telling me the temple is nothing but a cover for a spy network?” “No, Griffin. We worship. But we are an arm of the government, just as the army is.” I rose to my knees and positioned my cock at the entrance of his body. My possession was not gentle. His gasp bordered on a cry. “How long?” I thrust deeply into his ass, ignoring his muffled curse. I released the pressure on his cock and began to stroke it in time to the tempo that I fucked him. For a moment, the sinuous movement of his chest and belly distracted me. I closed my eyes and focused on slow, deep thrusts into his tight passage. With so little lubricant, the friction flirted with pain. I imagined it was worse for him. When I overcame the rush of the wine, the fire of lust, I opened my eyes and stared down at him. His face was white with bright flags of color in his cheeks. “How long have you kept this from me, Helios?” He opened those beautiful gray eyes of his and looked at me, taking in the anger and the hurt. To his credit, he didn’t look away. “I was…born to it.”

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I didn’t know what hurt worse—that he’d kept something so integral from me for so many years, or knowing my behavior was cruel and my anger irrational. I spit in my palm and pumped his cock, watching as the ivory of his skin became flushed; his chest gleamed with sweat. In the light of the setting sun, he looked exactly like what he was: the human voice of a sun god. His hair was on fire, his skin painted in hues of gold and rose and soft orange. Even now, on his back and powerless, he was truly magnificent. He ruled me in his submission. He cried out, and the warmth of his seed spilled into my palm. My body had instincts I was unable to overcome; my back went taut, and I cursed when his ass flexed around my cock. In a frenzy of need, I slammed into him, forcing every ounce of myself into his body. I continued to pump and thrust even as my shaft softened; it was a desperate act to claim the man who was already mine yet I would never truly own. Still on my knees, I pulled out and turned away, angry and afraid at my reaction. Helios did not move from where I left him. I rolled wearily to the soft pillows, my back to him. As my straining heart began to slow, the final rays of sunset slipped way, anchoring us in darkness. “The dreams started about a month ago. One of the kilij forms…it played over and over in my mind. In my dream, the form translated to words. Poetry. Verses that I am forbidden to say out loud.” He stirred, and I sensed that he was cleaning himself. “From the time I was a child, there was no question of my ever inheriting. Nor would Deirdre…or Markus.” I knew the traditions of inheritance within the royal family. While the crown didn’t necessarily go to the oldest child, it stayed in the immediate family. Alexander was Helios’s firstborn, but if he felt it was necessary, he could name Deirdre his heir—or even one of my daughters once he formally adopted them. He and Markus had been distant spares in the game of king making. Only catastrophe could have landed one of them on the throne. “Though I would never become king, I was trained for royal service. As a tiny child, I learned my first kilij form. That was my induction into the temple.” “So even when we were in the army together, you knew? You knew they’d call you back to serve the temple?” I could hear the harsh pain in my voice. That wasn’t the question that burned inside me. Helios knew what I was really asking.

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“It is the way of our culture for young soldiers to take lovers from within the ranks. We fight bravely when we fight to impress our lover.” He paused, and I could imagine the gentle smile on his face. “But we both knew when we came to adulthood, we’d be expected to end our relationship and marry. That was our duty. Both the king and the temple expected me to marry strategically.” “Your wife ran from you because it was discovered she was spying on us. In reality…” “My marriage to Cloris was politics. Not espionage. I did not take advantage of her. You are correct; I was a handler. I had a string of operatives who reported to me. Ironically I was chosen for that role because of my memory. Handlers must remember everything and leave no evidence. The war shattered those networks, and my enslavement left many men and women cut off from our people. They are so anonymous that even with our coded records, we are only beginning to resume contact with some of them.” He rolled to his side and looked at me soberly. “What I am learning frightens and humbles me, Griffin.” I sat up and shook my head. “The temple schools… We always laughed at them because the failure rate was so astronomical. Students left the school, joking about the priests and novices. They went back to their lives…” “And then some vanished. They went to Talis as traders. Some went to space, taking jobs on other planets. They became merchants and craftsmen. They never stayed.” “Oh shit.” I dropped my head to my hands. “The dropouts…they were your corps of operatives.” The memory of a significant number of temple dropouts seared my mind. “I am not at liberty to reveal their identities, Griffin, but you are now a general, and as such, are part of the governing structure. The information the temple harvests is shared with the army and the royal advisors.” “Not the council?” He hesitated. “No. Not the council. That is no longer their role.” At some point in the past year, the council had lost their king’s trust. He was actively keeping intelligence from them. What else was Helios keeping from me?

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Overwhelmed, I flopped back to the cushions. With my arms crossed behind my head, I looked up into the sky and saw the first stars of the evening flaring to life. Night birds began to sing, and the perfume of flowers tickled my nose. It lacked the lush gardens and forests of Arash, but Neo Domus had magic of its own. In the distance, I heard thunder roll across the sky. The mountains would have rain tonight. In the winter, snow would frost those peaks, perhaps even reach down to our city. The planet was rough, young, and dangerous. I wondered if our skies would remain safe. I rested an arm over my eyes, blocking not only the sky from my view, but my lover as well. My mind raced, one thought skittering off another, until I dropped my arm and once again looked up at the sky. Helios rose and straddled my hips. His hair trailed down either side of his body, and as he moved, it brushed my skin. He leaned forward and framed my face with his hands. “Oh, my beautiful man.” His voice was a heartbroken sigh in the night air. Normally I’d have laughed that off. Tonight, the mood was too heavy. Helios studied my face while brushing his hands into my hair. They were hard and calloused now, so different from the soft delicacy they’d had just a year ago. He loved me; it was there in his expressive eyes, mingling with the growing knowledge that all was not well between the two of us. I’d always loved Helios, even when we butted heads and jockeyed for dominance. But I’d fallen in love with the man who’d been Pasha, the slave and whore. Now it seemed yet another version of Helios was emerging. It was a version of the man I’d forced him to become when I brought him home. Helios tilted his head and feathered his lips over mine. He nuzzled gently, then explored the planes of my cheek, kissing along the seam of the scar that snaked out from under my eye patch. His kisses were chaste, and his love was healing. The tight hold of anger slipped away, and I reached up and pulled him down to lie atop my body. He slid down and rested his head over my heart. We lay under Neo Domus’s golden moons, clothed only in warm breezes and the silk of his hair.

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Chapter Four I was awakened by the sound of crying. Not my own, nor did it come from Helios, who slept restlessly next to me. Lately his sleep was rarely still, and we both tended to wake up fatigued from his dreams. The crying I heard throbbed with the weight of pain and terror. Maia. I slipped out of bed and pulled on a pair of the loose pants that Helios wore. As I quietly opened the door, he sat up. “What is it?” “Maia’s having a nightmare.” He was up and at my side, tendrils of hair escaped from the loose braid he wore. His skin was flushed with sleep. “Sounds like Lauren’s joined in.” Indeed I heard them both now. Their rooms were directly across from ours, so I lit a moonstone, and we let the soft light illuminate our way. Maia lay huddled on her side. Her sobs were deep and heavy, an expression of grief that was too painful to confront during the waking hours. Lauren was wrapped around her pillow, her blue eyes wide and full of tears. Helios sat next to her on the bed and scooped her into his arms. “Does she cry like this often?” he asked. She settled onto his lap and rested her head on his shoulder. “Not always. More since Daddy came home.” “I see. What about you? Do you have bad dreams?”

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She’d pulled his braid around and was stroking her fingers along it as though it were a favorite blanket. “Sometimes.” She stared up at him, her eyes wide and her face pasty white. What could possibly be going on in her mind to make her look at him that way? Helios rested his back against the headboard, his gaze on Lauren. He smiled at her so sweetly, she had no option but to smile back. She leaned into him, clutching his shoulders, her face buried against his skin. “I love you, Papa,” she whispered, and he cradled her gently, clearly touched by her words. “And I love you too, Lornie.” He kissed the top of her golden head. “Maia, love, it’s all right.” As Helios had done with Lauren, I lifted her into my arms; her pale cheek rested against my chest. The leather of the eye patch she wore rubbed my skin. A silvery tear trickled from her good eye. As soon as she had grown a little more, we’d look into repairing the damage the Landaun had done to her face. An ugly scar and an eye patch was acceptable for an army veteran, but not for a pretty little girl. Another sob shook her body. “Mama.” That had been my greatest fear: not that she was bothered by little girl troubles, but the memory of her mother’s death. Sun only knew the death of Suzan would live forever in my mind’s eye. “I want my mama.” She snaked her arms around my neck, and I held her as securely as I could without hurting her. “Daddy’s here, Maia. You’re all right now.” Gradually, by the tiniest increments, Maia began to relax into my body. Glancing over, I saw that Lauren was asleep, looking small and exhausted in Helios’s arms. He watched us soberly. Alexander now stood in the doorway, looking sleepy and rumpled. Helios nodded at him, and the boy sat on the bed next to his father and stepsister. He gave us a look that was all too knowing for a boy his age. “They didn’t used to have nightmares.” “When did this start, Alex?”

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The boy relaxed back against his father’s bent knees. “I don’t know, really. I just remember that we were all crowded into tents and those little houses. No one was really happy, but I don’t remember Maia crying in her sleep.” Maia was curled up in my arms; she seemed to be more settled. Gently I slid her into her bed and pulled up the blankets. Helios did the same with Lauren, and when we left the room, I set the moonstone on the table by the door. Alex leaned into his father’s side and followed us into our suite. “Do you want to sleep on the sofa tonight?” Whatever was happening was affecting Alexander as well. He was a few years older than the girls, but still, he was a child. He was so serious and collected that sometimes I forgot. Helios collapsed on the large sofa, and Alexander sat next to him. He didn’t cuddle, but he was close. I sat at the other end, facing the two. Young Alexander was a Dayspring, from the top of his copper hair to the soles of his feet. He lacked his father’s whimsy and his uncle’s irreverent humor, but in the past year he’d lost his youthful gravity and was finally behaving like the preteen he was. “You don’t sleep well either, Lio. I wonder if others are having similar problems.” I looked at Helios, who shot an odd look in my direction. Uncomfortably I remembered the dreams that frequently shattered my sleep. Then I thought of the hours I spent watching over Helios as he dreamed. “It’s because you brought my father home.” Alex gazed at me steadily. “What?” I nearly laughed at the dismay on Helios’s face. His son flushed in embarrassment but continued. “It’s safe now. Before you and Father came home, Lauren and Maia were always scared. They always missed their dad. They were hungry and cold. Now you’re both home, and they aren’t scared anymore. So now it’s safe to have bad dreams.” “Safe. I suppose it makes sense.” Helios glanced at me again, and I wondered if he was thinking about the dreams that made his sleep restless at night.

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“I wonder…” Helios laid his head against the sofa back. Once again, he studied me. I grew restless under his steady gaze. “I wonder if we should arrange for someone to come here. Someone who can help those who are traumatized by the past. Would you object to your daughters talking to therapists, Griffin?” I thought about that for a moment. “It would mean allowing outsiders onto our planet. Are we ready for that?” There was that simmering fear, the idea that if a visitor to our planet spotted a candar stone lying in the soil somewhere, the news might leak out, and we would be overrun. I then remembered the sound of Maia’s cries and the look on Lauren’s face. My heart twisted. I wanted my children to be happy. What they had witnessed in their young lives had been cruel and inhuman. “What about Somians? Their psych-scientists are among the best. Since the Somian government was instrumental in placing us here…” He trailed off, leaving me to pick up the thought. It was a good one. As a whole, the Somian were a benevolent species. I glanced at him and nodded. Bringing in Somian therapists might be the answer. “Next time I speak with a coalition representative, I’ll ask for recommendations.” His eyes dropped closed, and I could clearly see the fatigue on his face. Guilt played at the edges of my mind. What would have happened if we’d taken more time before coming here…to this sad little kingdom? He’d have had more time to adjust to his new life and identity. We’d have been able to stretch out that magical time together. I should have prepared him better. Yet now I had so much more than I could have imagined during those grim days. Helios had not bowed to the demands of the council to take a wife, to remarry and produce more little Daysprings. He’d stayed at my side, determined to make us work. As I looked at Alexander, a thread of worry lanced through me. One heir of Helios’s body. Perhaps he should have taken their advice and chosen a wife. It would have been good for the people, good for the succession. As I gazed at his face, his eyes drifted open, and he looked at me with such naked love that I knew the idea was sheer foolishness. If he’d remarried, we’d never have been able to retain our honor. It was too late for that; at least it was for me. I loved him more than honor allowed. I swallowed through my suddenly tight throat. The corner of his mouth lifted in a lazy smile, and his eyes drifted closed again. He knew his effect on me.

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“Helios, go to bed.” Next to him, Alexander was nodding off. “You come too.” “No, I need to listen for the girls.” He said nothing, only looked down at the young man sleeping at his side. Carefully Helios ran his fingers through Alexander’s thatch of auburn hair. He then traced the ivory skin of his son’s jaw with his finger. “I missed so much, Griffin.” Alexander mumbled and gave himself over to his father’s embrace, letting down his defenses as he slept. Helios looked up at me, his eyes luminous with grief. “They took so much from me. From us. I’ll never be able to get it back.” “I know.” What else was there to say? We’d all lost so much…our loved ones and our homes. Our dignity and our pride. I looked back, and he was looking at me sadly. It was odd; Helios was generally accepting of his fate at the hands of the Landaun. He’d known that surrender to those harsh aliens would cost him, but it was a price he’d been willing to pay for his people. Of course, he’d expected death, not humiliation and slavery. Anger welled up inside me when I thought of the past. The fury choked back any words of comfort I might have. I rose and left him to return to my daughters’ bedroom. I stood in the doorway, studying their faces by the dim light of the moonstone. Maia looked peaceful now. As always, my heart constricted at her appearance. Every time I looked at her, I remembered that day. I remembered lying broken and helpless, bound to a table as they took my baby’s eye. Taking a step farther into the room, I looked at Lauren. If anything, the pain grew worse. I rubbed my hand over the ache in my heart. She wore Suzan’s face. As long as Lauren looked at me with her mother’s eyes, I would never forget. The grief rose like a tidal wave. Had I ever cried for Suzan? Had I taken time to mourn her as I should have? The never-ending tide of crisis and hardship had stolen that from me as well. With my back to the doorway, I slid to my knees, one hand clamped over my mouth to stifle the harsh sobs that broke from my chest.

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I was blinded by the tears in my good eye. Oddly, even though my other eye was long dead, tears slipped out from under the eye patch. Suzan would have laughed about that. She’d have made a little patch with flowers for Maia and would have known exactly what to say when Lauren asked those probing questions. She wouldn’t have allowed me to wear the patch when we were alone; she’d have insisted that I was beautiful without it. Arms came around me; Helios knelt and held me tightly. His hair slipped over my shoulders like a warm blanket, protecting me from the frigid wind of my grief. “Suzan?” I didn’t speak. I only nodded. “And Maia. And Lauren.” His voice was soft in my ear. I was crying for them all—for my people and for the years I was in space, separated from my family, searching for Helios like he was the holy grail of ancient lore. “And me.” His words froze me. Breath fought to escape, yet I couldn’t release it for fear that if I wept, I’d never stop. I’d seen what had happened to Helios at the hands of our enemy. I’d seen more than Helios himself remembered. It would forever haunt me. The abuse had been a warning and a threat to those who would retaliate against the Landaun. A promise of what the losing side suffered at their hands. They’d broadcast Helios’s final humiliation with pride, and I’d watched at the side of a traitor, seeing my dearest friend violated and beaten, forced to endure a mock execution. I’d finally turned away, believing him dead. Yet here he was, his arms around me, giving me his strength. With his help, I struggled to my feet, staggering under the avalanche of memory. I hadn’t forgotten—not really. It had been there, just waiting for a safe moment to come out and be acknowledged. Alexander’s words were true. Helios helped me back to our room, back to our bed, and I knew the worst had passed. It was safe now. Safe to grieve, safe to rage and weep and suffer and love. It was safe to remember

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Suzan and her sharp wit. It was safe to remember that she’d loved Helios nearly as much as she’d loved me, and that the baby the Landaun had torn from her dying body might very well have had copper red hair. That final memory was too much. He held me as I shook and trembled. He held me in arms that were powerful yet so very gentle. In them I grieved and finally came to the weary understanding that I was still alive, no matter how painful life might be. For that, I was grateful. The death of our just-born daughter had been too much. He must never know of that final, horrifying loss. I was alive, I was loved, and after so long, I was safe. I slept that night—and did not dream.

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Chapter Five It felt incredibly good to have a powerful horse beneath me. Helios and I rode side by side, scrambling up the rocky slopes of the canyon. The higher we climbed, the more rugged and beautiful the terrain became. Helios had dispatched geologists to determine the source of the gemstones that littered the floodplains and waterways, and had decided a day trip was in order to check their progress. We certainly could have been there in a much shorter time by taking a skimmer, but like me, Helios craved something to do other than play at politics all day. This outing allowed us to actually see and experience the environment we were living in rather than rely on maps and surveys. In the beginning, Helios had suspected the site of the original settlement on Neo Domus was unsafe. Once we physically inspected the miles of fields that surrounded it, we knew the gentle valley was actually a floodplain. Helios quickly ordered the relocation of the village, and that area was given over to farming. Every member of the council had been churlish about the move, resenting the sweeping changes Helios had rapidly instituted when we had arrived. He’d come in like the wind, setting up surveys, sending out engineers, and interviewing hundreds of people, from council members to the most common of citizens. He’d worked with engineers and geologists to relocate and plan the new capital city. He’d overwhelmed the council with new duties as food and commodities were distributed, homes were built and assigned, and crops were planted. It was only at night, behind closed doors, that he allowed his fear and insecurity to emerge. As a whole, his instincts had been right, and his risks had paid off. Now that we were past just surviving, Helios’s attention had shifted elsewhere. He was hunting, but I wasn’t certain of his quarry.

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“I think if horses and wildlife have survived on Arash, there might well be more human survivors.” He glanced over at me and then forward again. “Do you think it is likely we can approach the planet undetected by the Landaun?” “No, we cannot.” My tone was clipped. “However, we have no evidence that the Landaun still occupy the planet. They were very efficient in their rape of the timber and minerals. Our spy drones have noted no significant surface activity in over two years. There’s been no significant space traffic either.” This wasn’t news to either of us, but the fear of the Landaun was deeply rooted in us all. If we were to actually launch a team to our former home, it would have to be conducted in secrecy. The citizens would be frightened of the consequences of such a mission. Helios focused on his horse as they clambered up a rocky embankment. I followed on my gelding. It was a pity he’d been castrated, as our stock was so low. While I knew Helios would love to recover some of our herd, his mind was more focused on the human survivors. “Griffin, I believe Carlotta might have some information she hasn’t shared. I know she has contacts among the few survivors of Talis.” We rode awhile longer before I replied. “Do you think it safe to bring in more Talisian refugees? After their betrayal of our people?” I liked Carlotta; she was one of the few people in the world I trusted. It worried me deeply that she might be withholding information about her people. It wasn’t that I expected her to plot against Helios, but many Talisians were still in dire straits. We could help if the trust was there. “It was their king who betrayed us, not Carlotta. I have doubts about the safety of bringing them in, but decency demands we do so.” A flurry of wings erupted from a clump of bushes to the side, and Helios grinned, enjoying the sight of the bird. “I don’t recognize that one. I wonder if it’s been cataloged yet.” He was so enthusiastic about everything on this world. I couldn’t hold back a smile of my own. After that, we rode without speaking, and I watched our surroundings for more than menace. “Helios.” He looked over at me and dropped back to ride side by side. “I owe you an apology. For last night.”

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“Because you were angry?” He shook his head. “It won’t be the last time, Grif. It’s the nature of relationships. It’s also a hazard of the job.” I looked at him, not quite understanding what he meant. “Loving a king is a sacrifice in itself. Loving someone with the secrets that he must keep? Well, I don’t envy you, Griffin. You face an uphill battle with me. It may not be worth it.” My heart constricted. I’d never heard such a tone of resignation in his voice before. “Are you saying we should call it quits? I won’t abandon you, Lio.” It angered me that he’d even consider that possibility. It frightened me as well. For years before the invasion, my world had revolved around Helios, whether it was through duty, friendship, or love. My life without Helios was unthinkable. We rode on in uncomfortable silence, surrounded by rocky hills and trees that were gnarled and mysterious. There was so much to say to him, yet I hadn’t the words to express my feelings. How could I find words for emotions I didn’t understand? He curled up his lips in a slight smile, and like quicksilver, he changed the subject. “You are a valuable member of the military, Griffin. It was wrong that you were frozen in your rank.” “Some might say my promotion is a conflict of interest. Nepotism.” I was still dizzy from the idea of us separating. He gave a short laugh. “It most certainly is. However, it is also the most expedient way I could think of to not only utilize your skills, but also to alleviate some of the pressure on our relationship.” I must have looked shocked, because he chuckled. “There were too many secrets between us, Grif. Secrets I couldn’t share with a captain or my consort but that I can share with a general.” “You give me far too much power, Lio.” “I hold far too much power. No single person should hold the power of life and death over others. I trust my consort to check that power. I trust you to be my conscience, if it should become necessary.”

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I was speechless. Slowly my fear abated. Regardless of the changes that had come into our lives, Helios still needed me. Unlike most men of power, he recognized his own limitations. “Is this a normal duty of the consort?” I smiled, meaning it as humor and hoping it came out that way. “It’s right up there with doing my hair and making sure there are fresh flowers by the bed.” I kicked out at his thigh, enjoying the sound of his laughter as it rang against the canyon walls that rose around us. “You’re one of the most…ethical people I know, Helios.” He patted the neck of his horse and smiled up into the sun. “But I’m only a man. I’m not a god. The time might come when I need someone to remind me of that fact. When a man rises so high, it makes the fall inevitable.” “I’d never let you fall, Lio.” I reached out and clasped his horse’s rein, pulling us both to a stop. “I meant it, Helios. You are selfless and good. You are the least corruptible person I know. You will not fall.” “And if I do?” There was something there in his eyes—a kernel of fear. A desperate hope. “If I fall?” “I’ll catch you.” He studied my face, and it felt as though the world had paused, waiting for this moment. He blinked rapidly and averted his gaze. As he turned away, he put his heel to the mare. My gelding quickly followed. “It was irresponsible of me to allow you to ride out without guards.” In spite of the solitude, our surroundings made me slightly uneasy. Other than going forward or back, there was no easy escape from this rocky trap. Helios smiled at my concern, yet his expression was wary. There’d been no attempts on his life since we’d returned home, but the lingering knowledge that there might be traitors among our people hung over us like a cloud. “I wanted to be alone with you, Griffin. There are things we must speak of in privacy.” He moved his horse closer to mine yet didn’t tell me what was on his mind. Belatedly I realized our voices echoed off the walls of the canyon. Clearly this was a time to listen rather than speak. I scanned the low rim of the canyon, searching for signs of an attack. In spite of our tension,

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nothing happened. We rode out of the canyon onto higher ground, safe and secure. We both breathed easier. “I’ve never told you of my life with U’shma.” I snorted. “I can guess well enough. That fat slug must have worked you to weariness.” Helios’s mare shied at a flutter of tumbling, rattling toh leaves. “No, not to weariness. But my days were tedious. I woke, fed him, cleaned the house, and then slept until he needed me again. If he was horny, I danced for him. If he needed money to gamble, he pimped me out. When we went out in public, I either remained at his side or was secured outside by a chain around my neck.” Anger simmered and must have shown in my face. I swallowed it down, letting him tell his story. “We couldn’t have sex; I’d made certain of that, but—” “What do you mean?” I stopped my horse again and waited for Helios to turn back. He did and grinned. “U’shma is of the Morgaise, a rather rare species. His member is…intimidating, to say the least. Somewhere, somehow, I remembered that the Morgaise are allergic to various substances, such as citrus. I drank a great deal of juice with citric acid when I first entered his household. I told him my species was dependent on it.” “And…?” I urged him on. “When he tried to compel me to perform fellatio, my saliva burned him. He believed he was allergic to humans.” I burst out laughing. “I managed to spare myself that, at least.” His smile was slightly bitter, and I remembered that U’shma had found other ways to humiliate his slave Pasha. For once, I didn’t feel fury at Helios’s owner, but pain for the man next to me. I set that aside and got back onto the track of the conversation. “What did U’shma do for a living?” Helios frowned. “That’s the thing… I don’t what he did. He sometimes went to the hall of slaves; beyond that, he seemed to have no gainful employment. Yet he had a regular income.”

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“So he had no great wealth or a job that required your assistance. He couldn’t have sex with you and really didn’t appear to need a slave.” “That is correct. And there’s something else.” I looked at him, waiting. “I went to the hall every few months to have my chip scanned. It never occurred to me that we spent an awful lot of time there. They’d give me a complete physical as well. And”—he hesitated—“they had software that scanned my face and fingerprints as well as the chip. I believe my true identity was known to my handler, if not to U’shma as well. They knew exactly who I was.” “So your captors and owners knew you were the missing heir to the throne of the Astrum. They’d also know of the switch with Markus by now.” He shrugged. “I’m sure they must have known immediately. And they also communicated with someone, as though they were reporting in. But I don’t know to whom.” “Shit. The Landaun would never have communicated with their contacts on Warlan. And if Markus was working with them, he’d not have been searching for you.” My gut twisted in guilt and more than a bit of horror. “If he was working with them, he’d be free by now.” “What convinced you of his guilt?” He turned his horse, and we rode slowly. My thoughts distracted me, and I did little more than scan our surroundings. I swallowed hard, doing my best to keep my voice steady. “Once we relocated and began recovering data from our computers, we discovered extensive written communications between Markus and the Talisian courts. And as we traveled together, Markus always seemed to search with intent, as though he had information but wasn’t sharing it with me. And Lio, why was he beating U’shma when we found him on Warlan?” “If my cousin was colluding with the slavers on Warlan, why was he beating the man who was essentially my caretaker? His collaborator?” Same question, different context. And there was no answer to that question. None that we wanted to hear. “The information on the chip. It implicated him.” My voice was harsh.

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“A few strokes of the keyboard would enter any information onto the chip. It could have happened at any time. A skilled hacker could have planted that data when I was brought in for my monthly scanning.” “Damnation.” I shook my head, not believing what I was hearing. “Griffin. Markus was a Dayspring. He was trained in the temple. He would never have left a trail in the computer systems.” My heart plunged. “Was I wrong? Did I damn an innocent man to a horrific fate?” “We don’t know the truth of the matter yet. I’ll have people look into it before the day is out. And this is not solely your responsibility. I was there too.” “No. You had no say in that decision. You were reluctant to leave him there. This is mine to bear.” I turned away, prodding my horse to a gallop. We were nearly at the geological site, and the day no longer held any charm for me. “Griffin!” he called, and I knew it was unwise to ride away, leaving him unprotected. I just needed a moment to absorb the enormity of what I might have done.

*** “I want this on the record.” Councillor Pratt was out of his seat and then back in it. His face was flushed in anger. I flexed my hand around the weapon I wore at my side. I glanced toward Helios and noted his bodyguard, Caius, had narrowed his eyes and stared openly at the older man. Good. He was on his mettle. “Ralston is recording the session, Councillor. Your objection is duly noted.” Helios exchanged a glance with his secretary, who nodded. “As I was saying, I will travel on the Gaia. Griffin, Caius, and a team of Talisian fighters will accompany us. The ship will be flanked by six smaller fighters.” “You should not keep the Talisians at your side. It sends the wrong message.” Pratt was as pugnacious as ever, and his gray hair bristled from his head as though he’d been pulling at it. His distress was unusually high, even for him.

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“It sends a message of trust, Evan.” Helios’s voice was gentle but firm. “If we are to unify our people, we cannot segregate the Talisians. They are now part of this community.” I cleared my throat, reluctant to enter the fray. “Councillor Pratt, the Talisian mercenaries are better trained for space than our fighters are. And I wish to leave a substantial number of our soldiers here on Neo Domus while we are gone. Our priority is the safety of our people and this planet.” For some time I’d been uncomfortable with Pratt. He was vocal, combative, and ambitious. He’d had no apparent political power prior to the Landaun invasion, but so much of what I’d previously believed was false that I no longer trusted my instincts. He might have been very active prior to the war. Could he be the traitor we were searching for? I might have been wrong about Markus, but we knew someone within our late king’s circle of trust had played a role in the kidnapping of Helios. As far as I knew, Pratt had never crossed from Astrum to Talis. He’d run a successful textile business, though, and had had many sales outlets throughout both countries. Perhaps he’d been in a position to assist in the destruction of our government. Someone had given the royal family to the Landaun. They’d been secured away in the labyrinth under the temple. They should have been safe; all entrances were cunningly hidden, and the labyrinth itself was a defense. Yet they’d been dragged out of hiding and executed. “The decision has been made, Councillor. During the time I’m absent, I trust that the council will support Deirdre.” A subtle jab from Helios. They’d blocked Helios’s sister from leading in his absence, and our people had suffered for that action. Pratt sat back in his chair, a stormy expression on his florid face. Margh reached out and patted his hand kindly. Other council members looked equally unhappy. “We do understand your reasons, King Helios. We are simply worried; we lost you once before and are afraid of that happening again.” She smiled at Pratt, who clenched his teeth so tightly that cords stood out on his neck. But he nodded in agreement with the councilwoman. “And you’ve given us only one heir of your body. We cherish young Alexander but would feel safer if there was another.” Helios smiled gently. “You know my position on that issue. Deirdre is also a Dayspring, as is my cousin Markus. Both are young enough to have children. And it is my intention to adopt

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Lauren and Maia Hawke once Griffin and I are formally wed. The succession is secured, Councillor.” “Hawke’s daughters are not Daysprings,” Pratt spit out. “Deirdre has no children, and there is no guarantee that she’ll marry again. And according to you, Markus Dayspring is a traitor to the throne. Your marriage to another man is not acceptable.” The room went silent, whether at Pratt’s blatant disrespect or at the uncomfortable truth behind his words. I couldn’t be sure. I met Helios’s gaze and then took a breath, meaning to speak. “This is ridiculous.” A soft voice cut through the room. Deirdre’s cheeks were bright red. “You speak of us as though we’re cattle.” She curled her lip slightly. “You are creating a crisis from a nonissue. If the time comes that there is no Dayspring to take the throne…so be it. Change comes. Dynasties are not forever.” She looked around the room, daring the councillors to speak. They did not. “At this time, my brother and I are in good health and able to produce children. Helios has suffered enough in his life; it is cruel of you to ask him to sacrifice his family to the altar of the succession. Markus is absent; in time, he will answer to the accusations made against him. When we are no longer worried about our survival as a society, I will consider my personal future. Please know that Helios and I have spoken of this issue. We do not take it lightly.” I looked down at my clenched fist on the table. He’d spoken about future children to Deirdre but not to me? I glanced at Helios, but his attention was focused elsewhere. Carefully I relaxed my hand. There was a time not so long past when Helios looked to me for affirmation and support on the major issues that faced him as king. Obviously things were changing. I should have felt pride and relief. Instead I felt alone.

*** Our departure was scheduled for the following morning. We’d moved from one strategy session to the next, doing our best to prepare for every eventuality that might arise. The council sought to control Helios’s meeting with the coalition, but he was the king. He’d seek and often heed advice from the council, but in the end, he would walk his own path. Slowly those last diehards like Pratt were coming to realize their king was much more than a pretty puppet. The

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council was beginning to remember the tough-as-nails soldier he’d once been. They underestimated Helios at their cost. That was evidenced by the fact that he had lied through his teeth to them. We wouldn’t wait for the small fleet on the following day. The Aida was prepped and waiting for us even now. We’d retire for the night and precede the others by several hours. Our routes would diverge from that of the main fleet, and we would arrive a full day earlier than scheduled. Against my wishes, the two of us would travel with only Caius and a small group of bodyguards. Even now, decoys for me and Lio were installed on the Gaia. Only Carlotta and Deirdre knew of the switch. If our traitor traveled with us, we’d either capture him or deliver ourselves into his hands. I had the distinct feeling that fate had taken the helm and was now running my life. When we left the meeting, I felt drained and on edge, while next to me, Lio nearly crackled with energy. He looped an arm through mine, and we walked silently through the halls, not speaking until we reached the privacy of our apartment. As I locked the door, he strode into the room, shedding his formal garb until he was barefoot and wearing nothing but his flowing trousers. My cock thickened in interest, but something told me to pause, to wait and let Helios ask. I leaned against the wall, my arms folded across my chest. As he paced, I rubbed the tips of my fingers together, pleased at the feel of new calluses rising on my skin. I’d been a pilot for too long. It felt good to feel my hands becoming tough again. Helios paused and looked out the window at the rugged terrain with its wild trees and fertile land. He pushed the filmy fabric away from the window and closed his eyes, inhaling the air. “This land is beautiful, Griffin.” I didn’t speak, giving him time to gather his thoughts. “Have you seen images of Earth…? The Mediterranean? Italy or Greece?” I nodded, and he continued. “This place is similar. The land is harsh, yet after the rain, it’s so green. The trees twist and bend in their battle to flourish, and they give us their wood and their fruit. And the flowers…” He sighed. “I’ve never heard of a planet where plants bloom so vividly during the

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day and then bow down before the moon-color blossoms of the night. This planet… I could come to love it well.” He came to me and clasped my arms. “When I see how hard this planet struggles in its beauty, I fear for it. I fear…” “You’re afraid it will happen again,” I murmured. That same fear sometimes dominated my life. “Yes. Yes! Gods, Grif, I’m afraid of so many things.” He tightened his hands on my forearms, digging deep into the muscle. What was I to say to that? I studied his face, trying to communicate my own fear and misgivings to him. I realized how little I knew of my lover. He’d been changing during this past year, becoming a person who was a mystery to me. In the past, he’d have shared those fears freely. He’d have turned to me for strength. Now he stood alone so much of the time, shouldering those burdens by himself. He released my arms, and before he could move away, I caught him, pulled him close, and hugged him tightly, pinning his arms to his side. It was the same body I’d held close countless times; the same heart beat within his chest. I nuzzled his face with my rough cheek, my heart aching at what I had to say. “Lio, it can happen again. It might happen again. We can only do our best to strengthen ourselves and protect our planet.” He pulled away and nodded, meeting my gaze. “Thank you for being honest. I needed to hear that.” I didn’t let go of his hands, but pulled him back against my body, letting the wall take our weight. “Publicly, I speak with such confidence. I tell our people if the Landaun invade again, we will be prepared. But without time and a good deal of investment in our infrastructure, we are still so vulnerable. It terrifies me.” “And every day you are forced to hide your fear. Every day, you speak carefully, not wanting to frighten us, yet keeping our people aware of the reality. You are doing the right thing, Lio. I don’t like that you’re taking the risk of this meeting, but the coalition needs to see that you’re a strong leader.” “More than that, Grif. They need to know we will be responsible stewards of the planet.”

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“That is something that must be proven.” I rested my forehead against his. “It won’t be easy or quick.” “How did you become so wise, Grif? I recall you’ve always been a ‘strike first, think later’ sort of man.” I nipped his ear. “Comes from hanging around you, I suppose.” He drew an unsteady breath, and we gave up the conversation. I’d led him exactly where I wanted him, with his arms around me and my back against the wall. His bare skin was warm and fragrant. When he trailed his fingers under my clothing, his skin was tough. He shoved the shirt up over my head, knocking my eye patch a bit askew. When I tried to adjust it, he stilled my hand and leaned in to gently kiss the still-painful scar that cut through my cheek. He whispered his lips over mine, and I tasted the fruit he’d eaten earlier. “You’re beautiful, Griffin. Don’t hide from me.” I breathed deeply, fighting off the panic that accompanied his touch on my scar. Other than the healers, no one had ever seen the full extent of the damage. He lowered his hands to my belt and nimbly unbuckled it, freeing my semierect cock. A kiss, a touch, and I was hard. The echo of my heart beat through my shaft. I rested my head back against the wall, surrendering to Lio’s expert touch. He knelt in front of me, and I suppressed the need to pull him back to his feet. It still bothered me that he’d drop to his knees before me. Years of ingrained tradition were difficult to overcome, even when the man in front of me shot me a mischievous grin. He dragged his tongue along my shaft, then detoured to nudge my foreskin before teasing and gliding along my cockhead. My hips bucked, and he grabbed my thighs to hold me steady. “No, Griffin. You aren’t going that way tonight.” He went down for one lingering lick, and I shuddered. He moved to my boots, where he unfastened the row of buckles that fit them to my calves. When he was finished, I stepped out of my trousers, naked and wonderfully aroused. I didn’t want to wait. I wanted to push him to the floor, to slide along the smooth skin of his body, to press deep inside that perfect ass of his. I took a deep breath and cleared my head. Tonight Helios needed to be in control. I’d known that from the moment we’d entered the room.

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Tonight I’d be the bottom, figuratively speaking. Helios was nothing if not imaginative during sex—most particularly when he was in charge. He turned me to face the wall, and then he pressed, glided, and massaged with his hands. He dug his fingers into my skin and lightly scraped a trail from my neck to my hips. I always loved the feel of his hair on my skin, but now he kept it bound in its braid, and the weight of it slapped me as he moved. “Stay where you are.” At the whispered command, I leaned and rested my forehead against the smooth white plaster that covered the cool rock walls. He pressed his hips into my buttocks, rocking hard enough that I felt his erection. With his strong teeth, he bore down on the muscle in my shoulder. He held me in place, his powerful hands digging into my hips. I gasped, and my body convulsed in pleasure. He touched, stroked, and licked every scar that graced my skin, showing me that to him, they were marks of beauty. Tears streaked down my face. For a brief second, I thought of Suzan. She’d been a warrior as well; her skin had carried its share of honorable scars. After the death of Helios’s wife, he’d come back to us. We used to lie abed, laughing as we compared our scars to Helios’s virtually unmarked skin. He’d been pulled from the army long before he’d entered combat. Afterward… The Landaun must have had skilled healers to have erased the damage they’d done to him. He loosened the strings on my eye patch, and I flinched, fearing his reaction to the damage there. In this past year, I hadn’t allowed him that intimacy. The ugliness of it shamed me, and I turned to the wall to hide from him. Helios clasped my jaw, turned my head, and leaned forward to place a gentle kiss on my ruined eye. He rested his body against mine, stroking my hair and the scars along my face. My breath came in sharp, jagged bursts, and Helios calmed me with soft words and tender caresses, bringing me down from panic. He pulled me from the wall and smiled into my face with nothing but acceptance. My heart broke, and I loved him.

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He kissed me then, coaxing and soft. Drawing back, he urged me away from the safety of the wall, out into the room. With my hand in his, he walked backward, and I followed him into our bedroom. “Lie down.” I did as he instructed, watching eagerly—almost fearfully—as he slowly disrobed. The hair, though… He kept it braided. He didn’t want it getting in his way. All the fear and need gathered like a vortex, pulling my cock up hard and tight to my belly. He crawled toward me on his hands and knees, came up between my parted legs, and drew our bodies together until he was above me, looking down into my face. He lowered his hips, our cocks met, stroked, and we sparred, thrusting and plunging our hips. Without breaking eye contact, he lowered his mouth to mine and nipped my lips, tasting, then set kisses on my cheeks and eyebrows. My body tightened with intent; I wanted to reach up, wrap that braid around my hand, and pull him down, but he must have seen my impulse. “Lie still.” I had no choice but to obey. Helios was in charge. He traveled the length of my body, kissing, licking, and tasting. He caught and worried my nipple with his teeth, and my back arched; my skin pebbled. Before I could process one sensation, he was gone, moving to another hungry spot on my body, giving me pain, pleasure, and keeping me on edge. My cock ached and throbbed; the head was flushed and dark. I looked down, praying he was ready to do something—anything—to bring an end to my frustration. Before I could register where he was, a warm mouth covered my single remaining ball, laving, loving, and so careful with that tender flesh. Suddenly I was in the past; a momentary flash of red froze my heart. I balanced on the precipice of fear, and then a gentle pull brought me back to the present and Helios and safety. He paused, looked up at me, his eyes unusually serious. “Are you all right, Grif?”

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I clenched my fists at my side, thrusting my cock up toward his face. He chuckled and returned to my groin, then buried his face between my legs and journeyed down the crack of my ass with his hot mouth. “Fuck!” It was torn from me like I’d been punched in the gut. His tongue was probing, spreading moisture, and I had no illusions about what he intended. Even as a spike of fear hit me, my cock grew harder. I opened my mouth to refuse. A groan escaped as he pressed his finger inside, skillfully loosening my ass. I arched my neck; my eye squinted tightly closed. He worked, never too hard or fast, simply pumping and retreating, pressing in till I felt the first insidious brush of his finger on my gland. I clenched my fists and pounded the sheets from the sheer, overwhelming sensation that rushed through my body. When his mouth came over my dick and swallowed me down, I shouted, and the fabric in my hands tore into shreds. I felt his mouth leave my skin, and before he could ask, I grated out, “I’m fine…fine…” trailing off as he returned to his erotic torture. Teeth were added to the mix, catching on the ridge of my cockhead, right at the fine edge of pain. Another finger joined the first, and I grew impatient with his caution. “If you’re going to fuck me, just do it!” He looked up at me, lips swollen and red, his eyes brilliant with excitement. Before I could protest, he was working his fingers again. A third one stretched me wide, and I gasped when warm, slippery fluid slid into me, making the finger-fuck something that drove me beyond the ability to think…to reason. “Now!” I roared, and I found myself unceremoniously rolled to my belly. Helios jerked my hips into the air and shoved a pillow under my hips. “Like this?” His whisper was harsh and angry. He set the head of his cock against my entrance and pressed in, easing his way past the tight, resistant muscle. “Is this want you wanted from me, Griffin? Or is this what you want to do to me?” I looked back and watched as he knelt behind me, slowly thrusting and then pulling back. I took a deep breath, relaxed, and stopped fighting him. As soon as I went soft, he slid inside and glided deep, an impossible presence that possessed me to the very dregs of my soul. He bit

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deeply into the skin of my hips with his fingers, and even though I hated the position, I submitted for Helios. And once I submitted, the pleasure began to grow. “Better?” He leaned over my back, and the heavy rope of his braid rested on my skin. “Better.” “Good.” He pulled out and urged me onto my back. Once again he knelt between my splayed legs, then lifted them over his elbows. Automatically I canted my hips, and when he slid home again, it was painless and good. Just damn good. Braced on his arms, he hovered over me, dipping for gentle kisses as our fucking shifted to lovemaking. He reached up, stroked my face, and lowered his head to whisper nonsense in my ear. My cock had gone flaccid, and it began to stretch and fill out once again. With it pressed between the two of us, I panted at the sensations of his body squeezing my shaft and his cock thrusting, gliding over my gland. “I love fucking you, Griffin.” He picked up his pace, and his body began to strain. “I love the feel of your strength around me, under me. I love seeing you powerless…even just for a minute.” He smiled, and I leaned up to lick a drop of sweat from his chin. “Don’t plan on getting your way with me too often,” I growled. “I get my way every time you take me, every time I go down on you. I get my way every time you come with our cocks pressed together between our bodies. Every time I look at you and see you wanting me.” He panted between sentences, and I found myself unable to speak. “I get my way every night when I lie down with you…and every morning when I…wake…up…” He shuddered, moaned, but he still hadn’t come. “I get my way every time you…come for me!” And that brought me. He gasped, thrust wildly, and every muscle in my body contracted. My body was alive, right down to the smallest cell. I convulsed around him, my cum slick between us, his seed deep inside me. I shouted, muffling the noise against the fine, unscarred skin of his chest. I held him tightly, feeling him finish with twists and shudders that ran through his body.

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His weight came down on me, heavy but good. Comforting. We came apart, but he didn’t move away, and I wouldn’t have let him. We didn’t speak, because there were no words that would better express what our silence communicated. We lay quietly as the air in the room grew cool and a small, pale moon rose in the sky. When it brushed the treetops, I roused myself. His breath brushed my skin as he sighed. I wrapped my arms around his waist and held him close to me. I didn’t want to let him go. Ever. But when the moon rose past the trees, it was time. “We have to go, Lio.” He rolled from my body and sat up, then rose unsteadily to his feet. He looked down at me for a long moment, and I wondered what he was thinking. It was rare to see him so sober. I watched as he crossed to the bathing room to take a quick shower. After he’d dressed, I rose and showered, giving him time to say his farewell to the children in private. When he returned, I pretended not to notice that his eyes were red.

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Chapter Six The ships loomed before us in the darkness like behemoths slumbering in the mild breeze of the evening. A guard kept a shadowy vigil outside the cockpit of the Gaia. We bypassed the ship and boarded the much smaller Aida, the ship on which Helios and I had traveled home a year ago. Caius had instructed the Talisian soldiers to set up their headquarters in the converted gymnasium of the small ship, while he and another guard would take turns sleeping in the small room that adjoined ours. There was nothing overtly suspicious or threatening about Caius, yet I felt uneasy around the man. Perhaps it was the habitual lack of expression on his face or his steady yet detached gaze. I knew from Carlotta that he’d been gravely injured during the Landaun war, both physically and emotionally. There were too many unknowns surrounding the big warrior. He was too dangerous for us not to know what dwelled in his heart. How close had he been to Carlotta’s father, the king of Talis? I piloted, and Helios navigated. He’d become proficient at the helm and set our course with a quiet confidence that was vastly different from the confused, shattered man I’d found on the dusty desert planet of Warlan. He didn’t laugh as much anymore, but his gentle humor was still directed at himself. “Do you think it was wise for us to travel alone?” Helios asked. He turned away from the controls, frowning in my direction. We were in AD space; our ship traveled smoothly in an alternate dimension. It would take weeks off our journey to Prima Vega, which hosted not only the ICE headquarters, but also served as the seat of the coalition government. All member planets and systems had representatives there. We would be surrounded by their most elite law enforcement personnel as well as by high-powered combined military forces. This trip in space was the weak point in our defenses. Helios wasn’t the only one on edge.

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“Any potential enemies will not expect us to travel alone; they will be looking for us on the Gaia, surrounded by a fleet.” I glanced up, surprised that Caius had chosen to contribute to the conversation. His soft voice seemed at odds with his gruff exterior. “If there is a traitor traveling among us, we will catch him by monitoring communications. All the ships are modified to intercept a broad range of transmissions,” I added. I might not have trusted Caius completely, but as Helios’s primary bodyguard, he was privy to a great deal of sensitive information. Carlotta and Helios trusted him, so I had to make a leap of faith and trust him in spite of my reservations. Helios nodded. We’d gone over the issue countless times in private, and ultimately it had been his decision to proceed in this fashion. His uncertainty about his decision had me a bit unsettled. Without further comment, he turned to a pull-out table and lost himself in pages and pages on the computer, preparing himself for the upcoming meetings with coalition representatives. When a pair of Talisians took our places at the helm, Helios moved to a small station in the library and continued to work. I lay down alone and fell asleep, wrapped in the silence of space.

*** “Block!” Before the words left my mouth, Helios had evaded the blow, dodging rather than blocking, taking the unexpected route to victory even while sparring. He twisted, aiming a low kick to his opponent’s calf and planting an elbow in the small of his back. Tyrion went down with a grunt, landing on top of his blunted practice weapon. He rolled to his back and reached up to take Helios’s hand. When he was on his feet, the Talisian soldier grinned, shaking his head ruefully. “Not enough of us fight the way you do, sir.” “Not many with his training are still alive.” Anger simmered deep down. If Helios took his methods to a real fight, there was no telling the outcome. He was brilliant, yes. But that style of fighting put a soldier at risk. Even now, in a sparring session, I wanted to step in, to intervene.

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Helios glanced at me before answering Tyrion. “It’s how the temple students are taught. With General Hawke’s approval, we’ll be teaching the kilij and hand-to-hand to those who are interested in learning.” “But it’s always been restricted to the temple and the royal family,” I said. Helios scooped the practice sword from the floor and handed it to Tyrion. “You’re willing to teach a secret form to the military?” I knew the kilij form was full of symbolism and secret language, so I was curious to hear his response. He ignored my implication. “It’s not so secret. Many cultures have similar styles. This style is effective for women as well as for men. It’s always good to have another skill to utilize.” Together we left the room and headed to the relative privacy of our quarters. In the past week, Helios had rotated from study to sparring to taking fitful naps at odd hours. He ate when I brought him food and slept when I rose to bring him to bed. On occasion, I found him at the observation window, gazing out into the vast darkness of AD space. He seemed confident and serene. As always, Caius was nearby, aloof and watchful. Did he still bear loyalty to his late king? Did he look to Carlotta for leadership? I trusted Carlotta, but not those who would put her back on the throne. He nodded as we walked down the narrow passage and entered our private room. Once inside, I stripped out of my sweaty sparring gear and tossed it into the recycler as Helios took a quick sonic shower. When he emerged, his bare skin was still flushed from the workout. I pulled my clothing from the unit and caught his one-handed, then dropped it in. “I didn’t know the temple intended to allow us to teach your fighting style.” I didn’t look at him as I spoke. The temple and its secrets were still a sore subject. “There are few of us left alive. The art will die if we continue to restrict it to the temple. And it will enhance the fighting skills of our soldiers.” He spoke carefully, as though aware of my mood. Oddly enough, I wasn’t certain what my feelings were, exactly. I felt dangerously close to saying or doing something I knew I’d regret. “You seem to be a rare species, Lio. Last of the temple’s fighters and handlers. The last of the Daysprings.” “There are others.”

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I laid my clothing on the bed and then retrieved his from the unit. “You spoke with Deirdre about children, but not with me.” It hurt to say it, but the words continued. “You were concerned about losing the temple fight forms but didn’t bring it to the army.” “You mean I didn’t talk to you first.” He climbed onto the bed and slid up to rest against the simple headboard. “Griffin, I’m trying. I really am… It’s just…protocol.” “Fuck protocol!” I glared at him angrily. “You’re the fucking king, Helios. Protocol is what you make it!” I flung his clothing toward the chair. “You pulled strings to make me a general. You said it was so we could avoid this sort of thing. But it doesn’t seem to be working.” He wasn’t trying to be seductive, but still, he reclined there, looking graceful and lovely, angering me further. I would have paced, but there was no room. Instead I pushed my way into the head and activated the sonic shower. I never felt fresh after using the unit, but I stood there anyway, pushing my hair back from my face. After it cycled, I glanced into the mirror and was transfixed by the fierce, surly expression. The harsh image reflected made me feel…sick. Back in the bedroom, Helios waited for me. I looked for fear on his face. Or guilt. Anger. But his face was smooth, giving away nothing. “I haven’t decided what part of the kilij forms to pass on to the military. And as for children…” He paused, and I saw something pass behind his eyes. Then he looked up at me, and the pain there took my breath away. “Every day I still expect to see my cousins and nieces and nephews. When I have a difficult problem, I consider asking the king, until I remember that I am the king.” He sighed heavily. “I know that it’s imperative to the succession that Deirdre and I have children, but I cannot bear thinking of it. And Deirdre…” He shook his head. “I can’t make that sort of demand on her.” He was holding something back, so I waited. The silence stretched out until Helios continued. “Deirdre suggested that she act as surrogate for us. With your baby.” My heart stuttered at that suggestion. I recalled Suzan’s swollen belly, the joyous knowledge that the three of us shared a child. A child I’d been unable to save. I looked away, certain that guilt showed on my face. “I think…” I swallowed hard, trying to steady my voice. “I think that is a wonderful gesture. But not now, Helios. Not yet.”

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He sighed with obvious relief. “I lost five years with my son. I want to be a father to him. I want to build our family. I must ensure the safety of our people. We must deal with immediate issues before mapping out a future.” He lay back with his arm over his face. He looked miserable, and in large part it was because of me. I stepped to the bed and settled down next to him. We lay side by side, not speaking, nor even touching. Looking up at the smooth ceiling, I remembered another time we’d spent in this bed. Nearly a year ago, I reclined in this very spot, letting Helios take me as he would. I remembered the bliss of our joining, the glow that had come from the perfect understanding between us. I’d given him my trust. He’d made a commitment to me that seemed unshakable. Yet now I felt him slipping away from me. Tentatively I reached out to stroke his hair. Slowly he inched his way toward me until his head rested on my chest and his limbs twined around mine. He sought comfort, though I had so little to offer.

*** She was so tiny. Nevertheless, she took her first steps weeks before her first birthday, laughing as she tottered into my hands. I lifted her high in the air, awestruck at the way the sun gilded her copper red hair. I lowered her, then handed her to Helios, who held her close, dancing to music that drifted up from the streets. Suzan sat cross-legged in the grass, watching them with a sad smile. When Helios put our daughter on the ground, she went to her mother, taking wobbly, tentative steps. Suzan looked up at me and spoke, but I couldn’t hear what she said. She leaned forward and gathered the little girl into her arms. And then, like mist, they vanished. They were there, and then they were gone before my mind and heart could process what was happening. “Where are they?” Helios stood alone in the middle of the garden, looking around in confusion. “Suzan? Griffin? Where are you?” He looked frightened. I came awake with a jolt, sitting upright in the bed. Helios slept on, a slight frown on his face. He sighed and rolled to his side. “Tell him.”

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The voice was hers. I shook my head and buried my face into my hands.

*** Helios gently piloted the ship into its assigned slip on the orbiting station. It was his first solo docking procedure, and other than a slight bump against the robotic arms that guided us in, he performed it flawlessly. His delight was evident as he powered down. We trooped through the maze of the station, walking unchallenged through immigration with barely a glance from the staff, save for an official who gazed at Helios in drop-jawed admiration. Our paperwork indicated our diplomatic status but failed to specify Helios as royalty. Even in his least flamboyant costume, he looked like someone’s pleasure boy. From there we took internal transports to the shuttle docks. Caius and I debated whether to take a private shuttle or one of the crowded public ships. I felt better about chartering a shuttle, but Caius pointed out that the cost alone would make us stand out to the curious. Tomorrow the diplomatic corps would arrive with a heavily armored vehicle for Helios. That was where we expected problems, and hopefully, once it was revealed the royal delegation was safe inside coalition headquarters, any plots would be abandoned. Today we opted to blend in by taking public transport. We took the final hurtling flight to the planet’s surface in a large buslike shuttle. I’d heard the technology to instantly transfer a person to the surface now existed, but preferred not to risk it. Judging by the crowded vehicle, we weren’t the only ones unwilling to gamble with the molecular stability of our bodies. Helios sat between me and Caius; the guards took strategic positions throughout the craft. As we flew, Helios rubbed his knuckles against my hand, a slight, precious moment of intimacy. He wore the same workmanlike clothing we all wore; his brilliant hair had been tightly braided and covered with a fabric turban. There was little to do to hide those eyes of his. He wore wirerimmed shades, much like the nocturnal Vash wore during daylight hours. I reached down, clasped his hand, and squeezed, watching for his smile. For me, it came, but a little too slowly. “We’re a day ahead of schedule. We should be able to slip into the quarters we’ve been assigned and get settled in. Once word gets out that we’ve arrived, our other ships should arrive unchallenged.” Caius spoke softly, for our ears only.

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Helios nodded. “We’ll be housed in a secure section of the compound. Initially they didn’t think we were in danger and planned to house us at a hotel in the city. Apparently someone intervened on our behalf.” “I never trust favors when I don’t know the benefactor.” I looked at Helios. “Makes me wonder about their motives.” He flinched slightly and looked away to watch the rapidly growing image of Prima Vega on the view screen. “Most of my negotiations have been through Leighe and Ghlen, the Somian ambassadors. They seem sincere, though it is difficult to gauge the true nature of a person through interspace transmissions.” His smile was ironic. “Somians are generally pacifistic to a fault. They’re far more interested in making love than making war.” Caius’s voice held a trace of humor, but his face remained blandly disinterested. Perhaps this was his defense. Perhaps Caius did have thoughts and cares but kept them carefully hidden away. “What about the Vash? Are they likely to be manipulative?” Caius shook his head at Helios’s question. “They are…otherworldly in a literal sense. They are healers; they work from instinct and their personal talents rather than formal training. The species is easily exploited by less ethical races like Fedoran and Landaun. That’s probably one of the reasons they’ve allied themselves so closely with Somians and Zamorans. Both species are strong and influential but not likely to exploit those who are weaker.” I glanced at Helios. This was an amazing speech coming from Caius, who generally preferred silence. He clearly had a great deal of travel and experience behind him. “I’ve encountered the Vash only rarely, and when we evacuated Arash, the captain of the rescue fleet was Zamoran. It seemed odd to me that they have such influence within the coalition.” Caius looked in my direction but didn’t meet my gaze. “The Zamoran are tiny—petite compared to some species. Yet they are some of the top pilots and fighters in the coalition. They learned long ago how to compensate for their lack of stature. Believe me, you don’t want to tangle with one in a fight.” His slight smile suggested that at one time, he’d done exactly that.

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“How’d they manage to survive a species like the Landaun?” Helios leaned forward to look past me at Caius. “Superior weapons and strategy, and as I mentioned, they’re much better fighters. They’ve had their entire history to learn to compete with larger, invasive species.” “We could learn from them. The Somian and the Vash aren’t particularly intimidating, yet they’ve protected themselves throughout their history.” Helios sat back, a slight frown on his face. “Of course, the Somian are always being underestimated. We think of them as frivolous, sexual creatures, not scientists and dangerous fighters. That misdirection is an effective camouflage.” I frowned at the obvious direction of his thoughts. “Lio, we can’t afford to allow others to think we—you’re frivolous or weak. We have to prove our worth to the coalition. We must not tempt others to test our strength.” “Griffin, do you believe I’m weak?” The sudden uncertainty in his eyes shook me for a moment. To cover my shock, I snorted in wry amusement. “I know better than that, Lio. There is no need for anyone who knows you to question your strength.” “Or your ability to lead,” added Caius. His voice was husky, and I glanced at him in gratitude. His face was oddly blank, but for the first time since I’d met the man, I warmed to him. His loyalty to Helios shone through those simple words. He was a strange man, but no traitor. At least, that was what I hoped. Besides, he’d been with Carlotta’s band of refugees when Helios had been captured. That entire group had sworn fealty to the man sitting next to me. The real traitor I sought was the man or woman who’d maintained contact with the Warlan, keeping tabs on Helios for all those years. It was the person who’d given our royal family to the Landaun. It was the person who’d conspired with the Talisians to manufacture our downfall. My thoughts returned to the council, settling on the image of Councillor Evan Pratt. “Helios, would you consider a background check on Pratt?” He looked at me, and his gaze momentarily caressed my face. “Ralston’s already putting together a report. Friends, family, and so forth. He’ll be able to access the public information;

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I’ve got others on the less public information.” He kept his voice pitched low. “Do you still feel he was involved with the invasion?” “I don’t know. I just don’t have enough information about him. Maybe later.” I shook my head in frustration. I no longer trusted my instincts. They’d proven wrong too many times lately. I needed evidence, not feelings. A subtle vibration told us the shuttle had entered the atmosphere. I automatically swallowed and gripped the arm of my seat, then forced my hands to relax. Fear might twist my belly, but I’d never allow it to show. Helios gripped my hand and gave it a light squeeze. He knew. No one else in the world knew my deepest fears, but Helios knew, and that made things better. When I piloted, I never felt fear; it was the loss of control that sapped my courage. I looked up at the view screen and watched as the huge planet loomed closer, until there was literally nothing to see but mist and clouds whipping past. Within a half hour, we’d coasted to a gentle stop in a giant hangar and disembarked into the cool, clean air of Prima Vega. As Caius arranged for our transport, his fighters lounged around casually, blending with all the other travelers. Not one ever dropped their guard.

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Chapter Seven I examined our quarters, ignoring the young woman who’d escorted us to our housing. “Caius, send a team out to the corridors to prepare emergency routes.” He nodded and spoke into his comm unit. “You stay with the king. I want to check the other rooms.” I did a walk-through of the place, noting which rooms were adjoined and where the entrances were. When I returned, one glance told me that Caius had focused all his attention on Helios. We’d received full access to the public parts of the compound. Maps of the complex and city were scattered on the low worktable in the reception room. Even now, two skilled fighters studied the maps, committing them to memory. Caius asked the question that had been at the back of my mind. “Why are we being housed in a high-security wing? Has there been a threat to King Helios?” The young woman flushed. She was human—blonde and fair. Her dark suit was formal and businesslike, and her hair was severely pulled back from her face. She looked like a child playing dress-up. “There have been no direct threats, but there are several delegations from various planets present. The story of King Helios’s return has been widely spread and drawn a good deal of attention.” She gave me a tight smile. “You will find you are both celebrities here.” The girl wasn’t a very good liar. There might not have been a threat, but the very presence of “certain delegations” could be interpreted as a potential risk to us. Rather than questioning her, I shrugged and turned away to examine the windows of the high-rise building myself. Better to see with my own eyes than take a stranger at her word. As I studied a blueprint of the building, the woman continued to orient us.

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“There are small restaurants inside the compound, and of course, you can arrange to have your meals delivered. If you decide to venture out into the city, we’ll be pleased to assign you an escort as well as additional security.” “You say there were no direct threats. Did members of those other delegations imply that they had ill intentions toward us?” I wandered the room, examining ductwork and windows. She cleared her throat. “Not to my personal knowledge.” Caius met my gaze with a wry smile. Obviously the woman had a future in politics; she’d mastered the art of covering her ass. “I’ll take that as a yes.” I handed the blueprint over to Caius and joined Helios. “Your Highness, when can we expect the rest of your party?” “Mmmm…anytime now.” Helios sent her a brilliant smile, and I nearly smiled as well, watching the young woman’s reaction. She seemed a bit dazzled by his flirtation. He was lethal against both genders. “Soon, I hope. I’m nearly lost without my assistant, Ralston.” As he’d most likely intended, the young woman was impressed by Helios’s obvious regard for his secretary. Ralston had become his shadow, making himself nearly indispensable. I was so accustomed to his silent presence that I sometimes expected the man to follow us home at night. He was probably unhappy to discover he’d been left behind with Carlotta, but he’d survive, just like the others we’d sneaked out on. They would arrive in exactly seventeen hours. Separating Helios from the main body of his guard would give a traitor the opportunity to act and perhaps betray himself. It also gave Helios the chance to do some early, unofficial negotiations with whoever had been our benefactor behind coalition scenes. Caius escorted the young woman to the door, and Helios prowled the suite, not out of caution, but curiosity. He touched fabric and played with the lights. I heard water running in the bathroom, and then he returned to the reception room, a smile on his face. He didn’t elaborate, but I had no doubt there was a large, deep tub in there. After living on the dust ball that was Warlan, he’d become extremely fond of anything to do with water. There was a soft knock on the door that connected our suites. Caius excused himself, and I listened to the low murmur of voices as they conferred. For a moment, I luxuriated in the

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freedom of knowing there were men and women I could trust with our safety. Letting out a breath, I felt as though a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. “Ah, Griffin. I’ve been waiting to see some of the care leave you.” Helios reached out and stroked my stubbly cheek with the tips of his fingers. He moved closer, and I didn’t resist, letting him wrap me in a strong embrace. Normally I preferred not to indulge in public displays, but we were in our rooms. For the next few days, we would have little privacy, even when we were alone. “I look forward to seeing the city.” He pulled away and smiled, and I stifled the protest that rose to my lips. He deserved some freedom and entertainment. “Do you think they’d allow us to visit the ICE compound?” He was up and wandering again, his curiosity not allowing him to settle. “I’m not sure, but we can ask. I’d like to see enforcement as well.” I’d heard the Interstellar Coalition Enforcement had an enormous facility that housed the marshals and bounty hunters as well as a state-of-the-art dry dock for their ships. His excitement was contagious. “I’ve heard they have daily weapons training for their hunters.” He winked at me. “Perhaps they’ll be interested in sparring with us.” He nimbly hopped onto the edge of the window and used it as a seat. Outside the view was overwhelming. The city was enormous: clusters of skyscrapers rose in tight formations; wide streets and parks linked the various districts. Though it looked clean and safe from here, all cities had their ugly underbellies. This one would be no exception. I strongly suspected that few of the ICE hunters had Helios’s talent with the sword. I was good with my huge war blade but lacked the sheer talent my lover possessed. Still, it would take little for something to happen, especially with the skilled fighters that ICE employed. There was another soft knock, this time at the main entrance. Caius glanced at me, and I nodded, watching in approval as the Talisians moved silently into their places. Helios remained gazing out the window, while I took a seat on one of the large sofas that surrounded an informal work space. It reminded me of a larger version of the room we’d shared so many months ago, when we’d first met Carlotta. Hopefully this meeting would prove as beneficial.

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“Enter,” I softly commanded, and the door slid open, revealing three of the most amazing people I’d seen in my life. I sensed movement and looked up to see Helios had settled himself next to me on the arm of the sofa and was casually observing our visitors. His lips were turned up in a slight smile as he greeted the strangers. A willowy female preceded the men. Her hair was pale as moonlight, her skin white as milk. Her enormous black eyes were partially shielded by tinted lenses. I studied the elaborate braiding that held the front of her hair back from her face. She wore shades of black and gray, and her hands were covered by supple black gloves. “Command, lights. Adapt for Vash visual comfort.” Helios spoke softly, and the lights dimmed to take on a soft, warm glow. With a smile and a nod, the woman removed her eye protection. The two men were equally arresting. The Somian twins weren’t pastel as I’d expected. One had hair the color of fire, intense and dark. The other’s hair was deep turquoise blue. Both had eyes the color of green grass. They wore their thick, wavy hair loose, feathering down to their shoulders. Other than the coloring, they were identical in appearance and stunningly handsome. The three stood in a row, and to my surprise, they bowed deeply. “That isn’t necessary. But I do appreciate the gesture.” Helios smiled and rose, then stepped up to take both of the Vash’s hands in his. I recognized it as the formal greeting of their people. As a healing species, they considered the clasping of hands a symbol of both the acceptance and offering of trust and comfort. He moved on to the Somians, offering and accepting a kiss on the cheek. “I am Helios Dayspring. This is my consort, General Griffin Hawke.” I rose and followed his example, clasping hands and brushing kisses to scented skin. To my amusement, the flamehaired male was unabashedly aroused by our greeting. Among the Somian, that was a profound compliment, and I chose to accept it as such. “I am Ambassador Kaarin of Vash. My Somian counterparts are Ambassadors Leighe and Ghlen.” Her voice was soothing and hushed, yet compelling. She moved silently and with grace, reminding me of a dancer.

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The guards retreated to the perimeters of the room, and our guests were seated in such a fashion that we were comfortably intimate. I reached out and casually engaged the privacy setting on the work space, allowing us to speak candidly. We sat back, gazing at one another, when Helios suddenly went straight to the point that had worried us most. “Was there a geological survey performed on Neo Domus prior to our people being located there?” The three ambassadors glanced at one another and seemed to arrive at an agreement. Leighe, the Somian with the fiery hair, was first to speak. “Please understand that what we speak of is strictly unofficial.” “Understood,” Helios answered. There was another glance among the three, and Leighe continued. “Long before the Landaun invasion of Arash, the coalition had your planet under observation. We were impressed with both your societies. However, the antipathy between the two dominant kingdoms gave us some concerns. We’d not have contacted either of your societies for coalition membership except for the unfortunate invasion of your planet.” “The destruction of our planet forced your hand.” Helios spoke softly. “The Talisians were nearly destroyed, and the rulers of my people were killed. I was lost, leaving our people without leadership.” “Indeed.” Kaarin the Vash nodded. “Both societies on Arash had a strong sense of stewardship toward the planet itself. It was rich in minerals and resources, yet in the centuries you’d lived there, your people never exploited those riches. We admire that aspect of your nature. It is rare to encounter such a lack of greed in humans.” “So you were aware of Neo Domus’s mineral resources,” I said, opting to ignore the slight against our species. Kaarin sighed and nodded. “The planet is particularly suited to humans, but we were afraid that if we opened it to settlement, the planet would be mined to death.” “Just as the Landaun have raped Arash.”

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“Yes, King Helios. Having seen the death of your own home world, we took the chance that your people would value Neo Domus as a home rather than as a resource. Thus far, you’ve not disappointed us.” Whatever Helios was feeling, he kept it under wraps. I felt a surge of anger coupled with relief. They’d thrown us on an undeveloped planet, leaving us to survive as we could. At the same time, they’d been watching, monitoring our actions. “I assume that knowing what’s on our planet, the coalition will be willing to assist us with protection?” Helios sat easily next to me; I sensed only the barest indication of rigidity in his posture. Like me, he was masking anger. “You understand the difficulties we face?” I leaned forward, one hand on my knee. Leighe glanced at that portion of my anatomy, and suddenly I had a slight rush, knowing I had a bit of the same power Helios wielded so casually. I made eye contact with the Somian. “Our people were starving when we returned home. They were cold and miserable, yet we feared… We continue to fear the wealth that lies at our very feet. If we use it, we face being overrun by miners…or worse. We need protection until we are able to protect ourselves.” Helios continued where I left off. “We’ve sold small amounts of candar to private investors. If we sell much more, it will be tracked back to us. Yet we still need capital to become self-sufficient. We need the coalition to assist us with the situation they’ve put us in.” “That’s the problem, King Helios. That information is limited to the Vash and the Somian governments.” The easy smile had fled from Ghlen’s expressive face. Looking from him to his twin, I was amazed at their identical features. Now they wore matching expressions of worry. “You arranged this situation without knowledge or approval from the coalition?” Helios asked. All three of our visitors nodded. I bit back a curse. “The geological study was performed by the Zamorans, who shared the results with our respective governments. We opted to keep the results sealed until a suitable people who were adapted to the planet were located.” Kaarin sat erect; her dark eyes gave nothing away. “The planet is not suited for our three species, and we didn’t want to see yet another planet destroyed. It is a violation of our values and beliefs.” Helios stirred, and his leg pressed against the length of mine. I stifled a smile.

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“The coalition representatives we meet with over the next week will expect something of worth from our people. We understand we cannot simply come to the table empty-handed.” Helios rose and paced the room. He paused at the window, and for a moment, the light of the setting sun touched him, kissing his hair with fire. He’d unwrapped the turban and let it loose as soon as we arrived. His flowing white garments appeared to glow around his body. I heard Ghlen murmur in appreciation. I ignored him, watching Helios with concern. He’d once been as transparent as glass, but now, I was never sure what lurked beneath the surface of his political persona. He returned to the seating area and lowered himself next to me on the sofa. “I will not negotiate using the mineral wealth of our planet. We know the humanitarian worth of candar, but as we lack the strength to protect it, the planet will undoubtedly be exploited by those among us who might succumb to greed.” He sat back and casually draped an arm around my shoulder. I wondered if he was a tiny bit jealous of the other redhead in the room. “In the future, when we are stronger, we will begin to export candar, but only to areas in crisis or development. We will educate ourselves on how to manage the harvesting of our minerals in a fashion that will not harm our home. We’ve identified skilled artists and craftsmen who will begin teaching others the skills needed for jewelry manufacturing. We will also send candidates to Earth to learn about gemology and gem cutting.” The Somians nodded in approval, and Kaarin smiled. “We approve of your creative approach to the situation.” “It seems our instincts about your people were correct.” Ghlen cleared his throat and looked from Helios to me and then back. “What do you plan to offer the coalition?” “Information.” Kaarin lifted a brow skeptically. Helios gave her a singularly sweet smile. “Ambassador Kaarin, I know you deviate from the majority faith of your people. You’ve secretly adopted the Bharan fashion of worship, and your lover is unhappy with that fact. You’ve argued about it often. Your home is on the eighth level of the Sandhom towers here in Kowloon City, but you keep a smaller residence on your home planet. That property has a great deal of land. You rarely offer your services as a healer anymore. I do not know why.”

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He paused, and in the silence, Kaarin’s expression went cold. She narrowed her large black eyes. Then she spoke, as though compelled. “I…I am a better politician than a healer.” Her gloved hands flexed and curled. Even I could tell tragedy lurked behind her words. “Ghlen, you and Leighe had a disagreement that forced you to live separately for a short time. You didn’t approve of the woman your brother had chosen. You didn’t connect with her twin. The split nearly destroyed both of you professionally as well as personally. You are close friends with the Partain family, who are well thought of within the science community of your people. The two of you worked briefly as sex workers before entering the diplomatic field.” He turned to the red-haired brother. “Leighe, during the year the two of you were assigned to the Niye, you served as spies for Valora, attempting to uncover opiate trafficking to their planet.” The Somians didn’t try to hide their shock. I looked at Helios, somewhat surprised myself. I knew the tatters of the temple spy network were being woven back together, but how had he managed to gather such sensitive data in such a short time? “For over two millennia, the people of Arash maintained peace. It was, at times, an uneasy peace, but we managed to sustain it through the establishment of an extensive and effective intelligence network. My forebears always avoided war by having the ability to anticipate the true motives of their enemies. Thus, we were able to…disarm conflict before it exploded.” Helios cupped my neck and then let his hand drop away. “We offer our expertise and training. Do you think that will suffice?” Once again, the three ambassadors exchanged glances. “In my opinion, that will be a welcome skill.” Leighe’s voice was contemplative. “Roane Vaine is in charge of ICE. She will attend some of the meetings this week. You must take special care with her; she will undoubtedly be interested in your…system.” “No, Kaarin. Our network remains secure and known only to its handlers. However, we are willing to teach others how to train effective intelligence personnel.” She looked skeptical. “ICE already has sophisticated operatives in place.” “And I know the names and locations of dozens of those individuals.” Helios shrugged. “I will need to speak with Vaine privately. I may need to convince her.”

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Kaarin laughed, a musical, husky sound, and for the first time I saw her femininity. She was hauntingly beautiful. I could imagine her in the darkness of night, drifting like a silvery flower. “You might wish to take care in how you convince her. Roane Vaine takes pride in her hunters. She will not react well to this information.” She rose, and the men took their cue, standing as well. Again Helios clasped her arms. “It is well that we’ve finally met, King Helios. Rumors mentioned your beauty but not your clever mind.” He smiled and bowed slightly. “The rumors also did not mention the magnificence of your General Hawke.” I flushed slightly; the scar on my cheek ached. Kaarin’s dark gaze lingered on that spot, as though she sensed my pain. “The young woman who was here earlier, she mentioned there might be issues with some of the other visiting delegations. Can you tell us more so I can prepare the king’s guards?” I watched for subtle signs of discomfort and dishonesty, but instead, all three looked concerned. It was Ghlen who finally spoke. “The Landaun are here. They’ve been petitioning to enter the coalition for several years. Their home planet is quickly becoming too barren even for them. Few of their neighboring planets are willing or able to export food and basic supplies to them.” “Their domestic crisis is the justification they gave for the invasion of Arash.” Leighe’s expression lost its sweet cast and became angry. “There was no justification for what we witnessed. They know their attempt to join will be useless, but their desperation grows daily. As soon as negotiations with King Helios were announced, they called an emergency appeal. They’ve actually been in session for most of the week. Things have become quite…tense.” “Are we safe moving around the city?” I asked. Helios stood straight and unafraid, but I knew how this news must have affected him. The knowledge of their proximity sickened me. “They are being housed outside of the compound. If you wish to leave headquarters, then please notify us. Several coalition members have volunteered guards for your safety. You will have a pair of AmWere from ICE with you at all times when you leave the compound.” “AmWere,” Helios whispered. “I’ve never met one.” Leighe chuckled. “They are…lovely. Much as General Hawke is lovely.” Helios shot me a grin. “I look forward to meeting them.”

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We walked to the door, watching as the tiny group exited out into the wide, silent hall. Our door slid closed, and for the first time in days, we were alone. Caius and the guards remained in the hall. I looked around the room, finally at ease enough to take in the understated elegance and comfort we were wrapped in. “They think you’re lovely, Griffin.” I snorted, not dignifying that with an answer. “I think the same.” I looked at Helios, expecting to be drawn into his arms, seduced, and beguiled. I expected laughter and teasing. Instead he stood there in the middle of the room, the very definition of beauty, calling the scarred and battered warrior beautiful. I wanted to laugh, but for some reason the sound didn’t form. My throat felt tight. I didn’t know what to say. I opted for wisdom and kept my mouth shut. He was jealous, and I knew that emotion well. So I did what would make me feel better if I were the one suddenly feeling insecure. I planted one palm in the center of his chest and walked him to the wall of the room, closing in on his space. I clasped his head and held him still as I kissed him deeply, possessively. With my free hand I pinned his wrists above his head. He moaned; his hips flexed into mine—he was becoming aroused and erect. We ground our groins together, and he hooked his leg behind mine, pulling me closer to him. I moved away from his mouth and nuzzled the clean line of his jaw, then traveled down to his shoulder, where I bit lightly and then sucked. He gasped yet bared his throat to me. It would leave a mark, and that pleased me. His clothing would cover the spot, but until it faded, we’d both know it was there. Helios tugged his arms free and then fumbled with my shirt, trying to loosen my clothing. “Don’t.” I backed away slightly, and he dropped his hands to his sides. “Just stay still, Lio.” I pulled his robes open and exposed his torso. “Arms back up.” Obediently he raised his hands over his head again. I studied him as though it were the first time we were together. His body had changed this past year; he was still lean and lithe but muscular. I ran my hands over his chest, then bowed my head to kiss his taut nipples. I reached under his long coat and lightly

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scratched the skin of his back, slowly traveling from shoulders to ass. Through the fine linen of his loose trousers, I explored, kneading and stroking, then reached down to cradle his balls. “May I touch you, Griffin? Please?” “Yes.” With a sigh of relief, Helios held my head and ran his fingers through the thick waves of my hair. I traveled lower, kissing his belly, following the delineated musculature of his loins. I loosened his pants and growled a bit when the tip of his shaft slid into view. I knelt, and when I licked it, his knees buckled slightly. Clearly I didn’t do this for Helios often enough. I glanced up at his flushed face and smiled. He watched me with intensity; his eyes were smoky and dark. How many times over the years had he been used and discarded? How many times had a client cared enough about him to make sex pleasurable? Had Suzan and I been his last lovers? I pulled at his hips to draw him close, then rested my head on his belly. I hugged him for a moment, channeling every ounce of love I felt for him, doing my best to tell him without words. “Griffin…” He caressed my forehead, my cheekbones. He touched my lips, and I kissed his fingers, tasting him, feeling him. I loosened the drawstring at his waist, and the pants slid to the floor, leaving him garbed in the flowing coat that formed a perfect frame for his body. His pale, smooth skin was slightly flushed with arousal, and his cock rose thick and rigid before me. I cupped his balls and rolled them in the nest of my fingers. His breath caught, and he leaned his head back against the wall. Helios didn’t like the touch of pain like I did. He liked to be sensually overwhelmed, swept away by sensation. One at a time, I drew his testicles into my mouth. I explored, probing lightly into his crack with my hand. I leaned back and blew a stream of air over his wet skin, then nearly laughed as he shuddered. I wet a finger and teased that fine skin behind his balls, stroking back to his hole. As I pressed it, I dragged my tongue the length of his cock. His hips bucked even as he clenched over the tip of my finger. It was time to get serious. I engulfed his cockhead and sucked at the crown, finding tiny sensitive spots here and there. He was smooth and cut; that was still a novelty to me, as circumcision was no longer common. After pulling back, I licked again, long and slow, making him wet and slick. He clawed at my hair, occasionally tugging and gripping.

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“Sun…Griffin, I’m close…” He started to struggle away, but I grabbed his hips and held him in place. “Grif…” He was worried about coming in my mouth. He was a king yet still had the programming to serve others. This time was for him, for all that he’d suffered in the past, for all he’d face in the future. I took his length in my mouth, pausing to overcome the need to gag, and then swallowed him deeper. He surrendered to me, and I let go of him to fondle his balls with one hand and my shaft with the other. He began to pump in and out of my mouth, guiding me gently. But I didn’t want gentle; I wanted to sweep him away, to render him helpless. I growled in arousal and drew a moan from him. His hips began to snap faster, deeper, and I pulled his balls forward, away from his body. His body went taut, nearly vibrating with that last, desperate resistance before surrender, and then he came with a groan, spilling into my mouth in a salty burst. I clutched my shaft and pumped it fast, distantly aware of my hips thrusting into air, spilling my seed into nothingness. I sucked him, licked him, and then settled back onto my heels, laughing as Helios slid down the wall to the floor. He splayed out in front of me, a big, goofy smile on his face. I laughed again, because lately there hadn’t been enough laughter in either of our lives. He panted, blinking as though he couldn’t quite focus on me. “Well, don’t you look pleased with yourself?” I had made him happy. I had every reason to be pleased.

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Chapter Eight To my surprise, our tour of ICE headquarters was conducted by Roane Vaine herself. The head of the coalition’s enforcement unit turned out to be a tawny beauty—the daughter of a Valoran businessman and an African diplomat from Earth. She was tall and slender, and like all Valorans, had a good deal of intelligent reserve in her countenance. She wore a tailored jacket and a long pencil-thin skirt. A walking slit in the skirt revealed flat-heeled boots that rose to her knees. A wicked little side arm rested at her belt. In spite of the skirt, she moved swiftly, expecting us to remain at her side. All pureblooded Valorans were hermaphrodites, and I couldn’t help but wonder what was under that skirt. A quick glance at Helios told me he was wondering the same thing. “Prisoner Processing is in the same compound as the Quay, where our personnel reside, but in the event of an emergency, the entire unit can be shut down. It’s staffed by robotics so the prisoners can be tended even if human staff is unable to access the wing.” She didn’t pause as we swept past the vast facility, which temporarily housed prisoners as they awaited trial or assignment to more permanent housing. “You will find conference rooms in this hall. Dorms for our larger species are in that direction. The mess halls are to your right.” We followed her through the broad passageways; the hushed atmosphere was occasionally disrupted by laughter drifting from behind closed doors or by pairs and groups of hunters who quickly sobered and nodded respectfully to Roane Vaine. Eventually we ended up in a vast gymnasium that was furnished with padded floors and walls. A holographic mirror shimmered against the north wall. It was an impressive space. “All practice weapons are in the cupboards by the lockers. Edged and live weapons are strictly monitored by a third party during a sparring session.” We paused and watched as a pair of enormous men grappled together on the floor, wrestling to a standstill. One man finally topped

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the other and held until the loser grudgingly submitted. They rose, dusted off their clothing, and grinned at each other, shifting from opponents to partners. The winner had gleaming, coffee-color hair, golden green eyes, and a steady, watchful gaze. His partner was crowned with tawny blonde waves and smiling blue eyes. Helios and I were not small men, but these two towered over us. There was a wild, feral air to them; sharp cunning graced their very bearing. AmWere. As soon as the realization hit me, the two fighters went on alert, nostrils flaring and eyes bright with interest. They must have scented my reflexive aggression. “Staten and Timber are on loan to us from the AmWere of New Denver. Given the presence of the Landaun, the coalition has deemed it prudent to provide you with extra protection. Anytime you leave headquarters, you will be accompanied by these two.” The blond looked surprised at her statement and started to speak, but then cleared his throat and glanced at the other man. Roane Vaine gave them a cool gaze. “My understanding is that you two planned to be planetside while your ship undergoes repairs.” The dark-haired man nodded. “Our beta arrives tomorrow. We’d hoped to spend time with him.” “You will. Thorn Greywolf is representing the AmWere during the negotiations.” His eyes gleamed speculatively when he turned to us. “Timber, this is King Helios Dayspring of Neo Domus and his consort, General Griffin Hawke. Sirs, this is Timber and Staten, from New Denver.” The two men stared at us briefly and then gave nods that could pass for bows. When Helios extended a hand, they each took it. He smiled at the two men. “I’m afraid I don’t know your customs for greeting.” Both men shook my hand and turned back to Helios. “We were in the same quandary. Neither of us has met a king before.” Staten gave us both a sunny smile, while his companion soberly regarded us. “We’ll be pleased to lend a hand while you’re here on Prima Vega. Our alpha will be unhappy that he wasn’t here to greet you as well, though our beta will be arriving within a few hours.” Timber was clearly the dominant of the pair, yet he allowed Staten to do the talking.

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They functioned so smoothly together that it took only moments for me to recognize they were partners in more than work. “Give us a little time to shower and change, King Helios. We’ll be right out.” They turned away to the locker room, and true to their word, the towering shape-shifters took positions within our group, one to the front and one to the rear. Roane Vaine continued to walk between the two of us. “The AmWere fled Earth a couple of decades ago. They were seeking their alpha, who’d been stolen by poachers. As it turned out, he was hiding in plain sight as the lupine companion of one of my best marshals. While Armand has returned to his people, they are still missing many pack members. In exchange for working as trackers, we give them resources to hunt poachers and slave traders.” “As you are undoubtedly aware, I was enslaved for many years.” Helios spoke softly, though we both knew the AmWere could easily hear his words. “We sympathize with the plight of the AmWere and are willing to lend whatever resources we have available to their quest.” Though his words were innocuous, Helios was playing politics. No doubt the AmWere beta would soon hear of his offer, and hopefully he’d look upon our petition to join the coalition favorably. Every vote counted. Every ally was golden. Soon enough our tour was over, and we left Roane Vaine behind in the Quay. As we ventured out into the sunlit streets of Prima Vega, our group spread out, looking much less intimidating than it really was.

*** The AmWere were the first to sense trouble. We’d entered an upscale shopping area when Timber growled. The sound was so surreal, it made the hair rise on my neck. Smoothly, efficiently, the two shifters drifted closer to our side. “Landaun. Can’t see them yet, but their stench…” Staten curled his lip. His nostrils flared in revulsion. I gave a slight signal and felt the presence of Caius at my side. “The AmWere have scented trouble, probably Landaun.” He nodded once and melted away, leaving the two of us with our temporary bodyguards. I was impressed at how the two newcomers merged into our unit.

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Helios gave no outward clue that he was concerned, gazing into the windows of various shops as though he hadn’t a care in the world. Only someone familiar with him would see the tight lines around his mouth, the slight curling of the fingers of his sword hand. As for me, the horror of being faced by our former conquerors was overwhelming. I’d never really considered how seeing them again would make me feel. A hand settled briefly on my shoulder, and I went tense until I glanced up into Timber’s warm eyes. He knew. He knew what I was feeling and understood. I nodded, somewhat relieved. I wasn’t a coward after all. My reaction was normal considering what I’d suffered. I reached out, gripped Helios’s arm, and gave him a smile. He looked surprised, but then I saw understanding in his gaze. “When I was a child, army hunters killed my parents right in front of me.” Timber’s soft voice was compassionate. “All during my childhood we were hunted. Even today, when I see a human in Earth military uniform, I feel…sick. But I’m no longer afraid. Nor am I alone.” Helios looked at the two giant shifters. “Thank you,” he whispered. Both men touched him briefly, and I recognized that as a trait of their species. They touched for comfort. Their attention was diverted then, and Caius returned to our side. He looked up at the AmWere, who were scenting the wind. “Our stalkers are one street over on either side. There are two Landauns. They might be accompanied by…” Timber tipped his head as though reading the wind. “Faragee?” Staten supplied, saying it as if the scent confused him. “I think it’s Faragee.” Timber nodded in agreement. My throat went tight. While not as overtly brutal as the Landaun, the Faragee were wicked fighters and employed particularly deadly weapons. “Are they trying to trap us?” Helios glanced over at Caius, who shook his head. “I think they mean to confront you suddenly. They want to intimidate you.” As usual, his homely face was devoid of expression. The AmWere looked at him curiously, with the same empathy in their gazes. He might not show it, but the scarred warrior was also affected by the presence of our conquerors. “Nevertheless, beware of the Faragees. They always carry T’hran swords.” “What is a T’hran sword?” Helios asked.

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The weapon was the creation of an evil genius. “It’s a sword based on crude nanotechnology. It’s segmented. Once the blade enters the flesh, the slightest movement triggers the nanites to move. The blade shatters into fragments that travel through the body independently. Death is painful and inevitable.” I glanced around, seeing the traces of fear in the eyes of our Talisian bodyguards. I also saw determination. Pride. Suddenly confidence surged through me. I knew what to do. “Perhaps it’s time for us to confront them. They won’t expect that.” I looked up at Timber, who nodded. He took point while Staten fell in behind us. Timber led us on a sharp, quick detour, and before my heart was ready for it, I was face-to-face with the enemy once again. When I looked at my king, he was smiling. At first glance, it was difficult to tell one Landaun from another. They shared the same pebbly gray skin and black bristles that ran from scalp to neck. They all had fleshy noses and wide, thin-lipped mouths. Factor in the identical uniforms, and it took a skilled eye to discern the slight differences in the shapes of their dark eyes and the sharp, sometimes broken teeth. The one we faced was completely unfamiliar to me, but he knew us. “Ah…the little whore-king and his lover.” He grinned, displaying a wet black tongue through the gaps in his jagged teeth. His voice was oddly high-pitched as he spoke in the Common dialect. He rubbed his crotch suggestively as he gazed at Helios. “Didn’t get a piece of you back then. Maybe this time around…” Helios’s smile did not waver. He did not look away from the Landauns. “My wife got a bite of your leg. She said you were…delicious.” A second Landaun towered over us, and I glanced around, seeing our men and women in a loose circle, closing in on the aliens. “Our Vash healed you up nice. You’re pretty again.” Vash. The idea of the gentle healers in the hands of the Landaun chilled me, yet I was grateful they’d been there for Helios. It explained a lot. The second Landaun tilted his head, surveying Helios. Then he looked at me. “How’s the eye?” His tongue darted out, and he licked his lipless mouth. “The other was tasty.”

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For a moment my vision went red. And I remembered. My fist closed convulsively over the hilt of my sword, and I forced myself to relax, taking a deep breath. Odd that I was looking at the man who’d very nearly destroyed my life and I didn’t even know his name. As he tortured my family, they’d called him “farsh.” That loosely translated to “sir” or “master.” He’d been the leader of the force that had invaded our city of Astrum. He’d been completely willing to dirty his own hands in the massacre. I breathed deeply, forcing back shudders. His hand had wielded the knife that had maimed me. His hands were red with the blood of my wife and the baby they’d taken from her. Fear, grief, and rage crashed through me, and I teetered at the edge of my control. “I’ve heard a rumor.” Helios’s calm voice broke through my fury. He spoke past them, as though the Landaun were not present. The AmWere moved to our sides, and it was clear he was speaking to them. “Look. They’ve got dogs to take care of them.” Though he spoke derisively, the first Landaun gave a bit of ground. He was huge, but the AmWere were larger. “Griffin, I meant to tell you about this rumor. I’ve heard that there are Landaun on the fight circuits. They have a fearsome reputation. They’re free men, and they fight against those who are enslaved. Their planet is barren; it rejects them. Now they must leave their home and entertain the masses to eke out a living.” I looked at Helios, who spoke in a conversational tone. “In spite of their reputation for being fierce, I hear they always lose to the AmWere. Even to the shifter females. Can you imagine a Landaun losing a match to a woman?” He looked at me then, one brow arched. “I’ve also heard the AmWere are merciful, allowing the fallen Landaun to live and fight another day.” The insult was unmistakable. To the Landaun, the only honor for the fallen was death. Their planet had no prisons, no courts. Disputes were settled in the arena, and criminal behavior was either praised or punished by brutal torture and swift death. Three smooth-faced Faragees were with the Landauns. They were one of the few allies the Landaun still possessed. The smaller humanoids flanked the Landaun in a deadly orbit. They fell

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back, alerting us to the incipient attack. Next to me, Staten snorted in humor. “One of these brutes would be no match for Marshall Belle, and she’s not even full shifter!” The Landauns snapped and launched themselves at us with a roar. As one, the AmWere intercepted the warriors as Caius and his men swiftly surrounded Helios. Memory suddenly washed over me, and for a fraction of a second, I froze. Then I sensed rather than saw movement to my right—my blind side. I swung in that direction to meet two snarling Faragees with knives in their hands. I blocked one with my sword. The second broke through my defense, and I felt the bite of his blade under my armor. Before I could react, a dark figure slammed into the second Faragee, knocking him to the ground as I disarmed the first, then shoved him into a wall and pinned him in place. The third had fled the scene. The Landaun had escaped as well. I craned my neck, trying to see my rescuer, but he was in my blind spot. I glanced at Helios to reassure myself that he was safe, but the look on his face caused a chill to rise up my spine. Without letting go of my captive, I turned to look at the man who stood behind me, casually wiping blood from his blade with a pristine white cloth. “You’re damn lucky they only pulled their knives, Grif. Those swords of theirs are fucking nasty.” Black hair tumbled to his shoulders in rough waves. He had angular cheekbones and a bladelike nose. Hard black eyes now held a gleam of humor. He stood a bare quarter inch taller than me, and his shoulders were slightly wider than mine. My face, but without the scars and eye patch. My body, but whole and healthy. I swallowed, feeling…sick. At the same time, a wave of relief ran through me; I thought I’d never see him again. “Raven.” “Griffin.” The cynical smile faded from his expression as he looked me over. For a brief moment I thought I saw emotion in his eyes. I wanted to glance away, to hide my face, but I held his gaze, letting him see my ravaged countenance. I let him see what had happened to his people—to his brother—while he’d been living safely in foreign places.

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He reached up to my face and traced the scar that snaked out from under the patch. I flinched away from his hand. “I heard…” He cleared his throat. “I heard your Suzan was killed but the children were spared.” Around us, Caius and the AmWere had secured our Faragee captives. Staten was calling for ICE assistance as Timber quietly reported the attack to someone on his communicator. Helios moved closer but gave us space. “I heard that your daughter—” “My daughter Maia wears the same scars I do.” He dropped his hand. The anger that burned at my gut faded as I saw shame and grief ghost through his eyes. I looked at Helios, and he nodded, confirming my suspicion that the notorious mercenary Raven Hawke was really part of the temple’s elaborate network of spies. “I’m sorry, Grif,” he whispered, and at that moment, I realized he was risking his cover by talking to me like this. I met his gaze and let him see that I understood and that I accepted what and who he was. And then I punched him. He staggered backward; we were too evenly matched for him to go down easily, but he nearly lost his footing. Raven caught himself and wiped away a trickle of blood that welled up from his lip. The cynical smile returned. “Good Sun, you always had a fist of stone!” He braced himself, rubbing at his jaw. “Lio… You’re King Helios now.” He gave a slight mocking bow. “You could have chosen the prettier brother, you know.” He grinned and gave me a sly look. “In spite of your poor taste in men, I am quite happy to see you.” To my surprise, he knelt formally, caught Helios’s hand in his, and pressed it to his forehead. “I am truly sorry to hear about your family.” Again, that unexpected flash of sincerity. Had he been playing a role most of his life? Was my ne’er-do-well brother really…a patriot? Once again, reality shifted on its axis. I began to feel anxious with so many onlookers. “I understand you’re a merc, a free agent, Raven. What brings you to Prima Vega?” Helios smiled kindly.

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“You.” He winked at Helios. “And my brother. The Fedorans put out a call for hired hands while the Dayspring was in town. Seems like everyone has taken an interest in keeping you alive—or in killing you. You’d be surprised at how many bodyguards are actually shadowing you. A few shady characters as well. And it’s been far too long since I’ve seen my big brother.” I folded my arms over my chest. “Is that supposed to make us feel better?” “Given the cut on your ribs, you should be quite grateful, I’d say.” He grinned, and old, familiar pain bit at me. I supposed there was more than a bit of envy as well. I’d never been a vain man, but seeing a face so similar to mine was…unsettling. A long time ago, I’d smiled frequently. Years ago, I hadn’t been afraid to look in the mirror. As though sensing my emotions, Helios moved close to me, and his shoulder brushed mine. The move was both possessive and protective. It surprised me. “We’ll be seeing more of you this week?” Helios asked. “In an official capacity. I’ll be one of the hordes of extra guards.” His smile faded. “You’ve stirred up a hornet’s nest, Your Highness. I’m not sure what’s behind it, but just know, there are many who are working in your interest.” “Which side are you on, Brother?” I didn’t know why I felt the need to ask. Perhaps I wanted to hurt him. If so, I succeeded. “My employers want him safe and alive. As for me, he’s my king. And you, Brother, are his consort. Rumor has it my nieces are to be heirs to the Dayspring. I fancy being linked to the royals.” He bowed again and mockingly saluted me. “I’ll be around, Grif. Someone’s got watch your backside. You’re too busy watching his!” Before I could think of a retort, Raven was gone, swiftly stepping into the flow of humanity that filled the streets of Kowloon City. Helios reached out and settled a gentle hand on my forearm. I looked at my lover. “Did you know he’d be here?” Helios nodded gravely. “I expected it. I wasn’t certain until I saw him.” He didn’t smile, but gazed at me steadily, asking wordlessly for understanding. Anger sparked inside me once again. “We’ll talk about this later. In our rooms.”

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He dropped his hand from my arm and sighed. I wondered how many more secrets would come to light during this week of negotiations, how many more secrets until we’d gone too far over the line. I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly tight with fear.

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Chapter Nine “Was he one of yours?” This time it was me pacing the room while Helios stretched out on the sofa. His eyes were closed, yet I sensed he was as wound up as I was. “No. I found his name in the encrypted files. His handler was killed before the evacuation. Most of them were. The Landaun targeted the temple soon after they destroyed the palace.” He sat up, his braid tumbling down from his chest. “Funny…I just remembered that…” He watched me as I paced. “Griffin?” I paused by the window, turning my head and giving him the eye patch. I didn’t want him to see my face when he asked the question that was heavy in the air between us. “How did you feel seeing Landaun again?” He moved, and I finally looked over at him. He’d drawn his knees up like a child, and shame filled me. He needed comfort, but still, I didn’t move. “I felt…afraid,” I confessed. “Sick and afraid. I was frozen while the AmWere moved in to protect you. I feel ashamed.” My throat was tight, but now that it was out, I felt…better. “If the AmWere hadn’t been there…” “We’d have been fine. You’re more than a match for any Landaun, and I’m not bad in a fair fight.” I didn’t smile at his understatement. “Lio, they’ve haunted my dreams for so long. I replay it all, sometimes when I should be thinking of something else. I’ll watch the children play and remember what they did.” Helios said nothing. I felt as though a dam had broken inside; I was unable to stop the torrent of emotion. “They left me less than a man, and today I saw my brother for the first time in a decade, and he was whole and strong, and I was jealous. I’ve hated him for years for not being there, for

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not fighting for our people. Now I discover that he was serving us this entire time! I couldn’t protect my wife and children. I let them maim and torture me. I didn’t betray you, yet they still captured you. They tortured you and took you away. Now I find that my hatred for Raven was misplaced for all these years.” My distrust of Markus had also been a terrible mistake. I pressed the heel of my hand over the eye patch. I turned away and looked out at the brilliant sunshine over the city. “They’re ugly and stupid and brutish, yet they defeated us so easily.” “That is true. However, we were not prepared for an invasion by outsiders.” I began to pace again. “But wasn’t it fun watching them be cowed by the AmWere?” His comment brought me to a halt. “Yes. I’ve dreamed of killing them for years…of revenge. But you humiliated them with words and laughed at them as they fell to the AmWere.” I felt a smile starting, and to my surprise, I laughed. It started small, a chuckle, but soon I was bent over, holding my sides, tears running down my face. Who could say if they were tears of humor or grief? I just surrendered to the laughter and leaned my back against the wall. Helios’s arms came around my waist, and he held me, my forehead on his shoulder. I laughed, and I cried, and oddly enough, my soul felt lighter. I realized what a burden my fear of the Landaun had become. When I calmed down, I wiped my face and threw my arms around Helios and held him tightly. He’d smiled, but hadn’t buckled to the emotion like I had. He was strong. Stronger than anyone would ever ask him to be. What did that courage cost him? I know he dreamed, and when memories returned, he often lost himself in sword practice and meditation. Was that how he coped? He looked at me searchingly. “You feel better now.” It wasn’t a question, but I nodded. “I need your strength, Griffin. I need your calm mind and your clear vision. The next few days will be treacherous.” “Carlotta will be here very soon. Ralston as well. He’s more organized than I am, and Carlotta has better political judgment than I do.” He moved away from me and returned to the sofa. I joined him and sat, but then Helios pulled me down till my head was pillowed by his thigh. He stroked my hair, soothing the last vestiges of my emotional tumult.

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“I am grateful for the extra protection the Talisians bring. I’m grateful that we have the AmWere in our corner as well. I’m delighted to know that Raven is out there, well and alive.” He went silent, so I opened my eye and looked up at him. “Yet there is no one I trust like I trust you, Griffin. In the event of anything happening…” “Nothing will happen, Lio. I won’t let it.” I started to sit up, but he gently pushed me back down. The expression in his eyes was so sad. “In the event of anything happening, I’ve named you coregent with Deirdre. She will need you as her strong right arm until Alexander is of age.” Chills ran through me, and my skin pebbled. “Helios. What have you done?” He gave a slight smile and shook his head. “Nothing. But we must be prepared for all eventualities. I’m afraid…I’m afraid I must know something that is worth my life.” “What? What, Helios?” This time I did sit up, and I turned to face him, then rested my hands on his shoulders. “What do you know, Lio?” “That’s just the thing… I don’t know. Or I don’t remember.” My gut went cold. If he was right, it could be anything from his past. “Only a few of us know about the chip. Only a handful know that your memory is incomplete.” He removed my hands from his shoulders. One at a time, he carried them to his mouth and kissed them lightly. “For now, I trust only you.” “And Deirdre. And Basil.” He set my hands down. “They are not here. They are at home, ready to protect our people if need be. But the real battle will be behind the scenes these next few days.” He rose from the sofa and headed for our bedroom. “I’m tired, Griffin. Our first meeting is early. We need our sleep.” “You haven’t eaten.” I gestured to the trays of food that had been brought into the living space. “I’m not very hungry.” He smiled slightly, and I worried. Helios loved exotic food, and the tray was filled with a variety of fare. I looked the tray over and chose a morsel, then carried it to him and fed him from my hand. He hesitated but then took the food and chewed slowly. I leaned

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forward and kissed him, and I could taste the sweet tang of foreign fruit on his lips. After clasping his arm, I guided him back to the sofa and chose another bite for him.

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Chapter Ten Darkness was falling over the city by the time our first day of meetings was finished. Our guard had changed out more than once, and I’d taken extended breaks to consult with the security teams, but Helios had remained all day. His face was drawn with fatigue when we returned to our rooms. Now that our full contingent was present, we filled most of the wing. Without speaking, Helios went straight to the bedroom, then returned clad in his loose robes and barefoot. His hair cascaded down his back, and I remembered that keeping it tightly arranged gave him headaches. He wasn’t fond of wearing his hair long, but he knew how much I loved it and kept it to humor me. I felt a bit guilty for that, but it was so beautiful when it flowed down his back like a fiery wave. There was a knock on the door, and Carlotta entered, followed by several young people carrying trays laden with food. They set up a feast in the adjoining room that was set aside for eating. “Please bring everyone in for dinner. I’d be glad for their company.” Carlotta shook her head. As soon as the servers left, she spoke. “They’ll come in shifts. I have pairs patrolling outside the building as well as in our wing.” She snagged a morsel of some sort and nibbled at the pastry edges. “Besides, your time will be tied up tonight.” She looked serious. “There have been about a half dozen Astrum who’ve submitted requests for a private audience. I expect more to come over the next few days.” “Expatriates?” I asked. “If that’s what you wish to call them.” Her smile told me she knew they weren’t simply common citizens of Neo Domus coming to meet their king; these were spies coming in to report and receive their instructions.

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Helios took a deep breath and let it out. He suddenly seemed energized. “I was hoping they’d start checking in.” He smiled, though a bit of weariness still lingered about his eyes. “I can spare my time for our people even if they no longer live among us.” I sat for a moment, staring. “They aren’t just expats, are they?” He shook his head. “Temple spies?” He looked at me; his cool gray eyes were intense. “Some. I was hoping to connect with our lost ones. Spies and civilians alike.” He rose, filled a plate, and then sat down on a chair. He looked at his food and then set it aside. “Have any Talisians contacted you?” Carlotta shook her head. “Not yet, but they will.” She looked over at me. “Griffin, there is an underground system that rose when the Landaun displaced my people. While fewer and fewer survive to flee the planet, there’s been a network established that our people communicate through.” She paced the room, then finally turned to us. “Helios, I’d like to put word out on this network that my people can come home. To us…to Neo Domus.” I wanted to protest, but I didn’t. These people were an unknown factor, and offering them a blanket welcome made me uneasy, but I already knew where Helios stood on the matter. “Of course. Today I told the coalition that Neo Domus is home to all those who fled Arash. Those words are truth, Carlotta. It’s time for everyone to come home if that is their wish.” She nodded, appearing relieved. “Also, with your permission, General, I’d like to take some personal time.” I lifted a brow at her sudden formality. “General?” When she flushed lightly, I grinned. “He or she?” Helios asked, suddenly looking impish. She gave him a smile. “You’ll see soon enough.” Helios looked at me. “Valoran, perhaps? She’s being very sly about this.” He cocked his head slightly. “But then, she has shown interest in men in pairs… Somian twins, Carlotta?” And then it all made sense. “Somian twins—who happen to be ambassadors. Leighe and Ghlen?” I couldn’t help chuckling at the idea.

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She suddenly relaxed and dropped into a plush chair. As she did so, Helios took his plate and began to pick at the food, reminding me that I was ravenous. I reached over and helped myself from his plate. His smile was sunny as I shared his food. It seemed to trigger his appetite. Carlotta stretched out her long, shapely legs, and I was reminded that she wasn’t only my right hand; she was also a beauty. Her long black hair was liberally streaked with white, and her dark eyes slanted upward, giving her an exotic appearance. Her red lips were full and sensuous, and though she rarely wore makeup, she was stunning to look at. She reached up, unpinned her hair from the bun she kept it in, and shook it out while she massaged her scalp with her fingertips. It wasn’t as long as Helios’s hair, but it was impressive. “Does yours get heavy after you wear it up all day?” She nodded. “Usually it’s not too bad, but this was a long day.” She folded her arms, rested her head back, and smiled, letting her eyes fall closed. “Yes, Leighe and Ghlen. I’ve known them several years. It will be a pleasure to renew our acquaintance.” Her smile faded, and she looked up at us. “You must know, I did not solicit their assistance in this hearing. I was surprised to discover they were your liaisons within the coalition. I avoided contact with them until I arrived.” “What about the Vash ambassador, Kaarin?” I watched her face, seeking any trace of discomfort. “I’ve never met her, nor have I ever communicated with her.” Carlotta sat forward. “I do understand the consequences if it was suspected that we had illicit dealings with the ambassadors. I haven’t seen Ghlen and Leighe for at least two Common years. I haven’t spoken to them in that time beyond casual communication. If it becomes necessary, I’m willing to turn over all my communications hardware for audit.” “I doubt it will come to that, but thank you anyway.” Helios gave her a gentle smile. It was nice to see Carlotta with the glow of anticipation in her eyes. I wanted her to be happy, and if these two men did it for her, I could only approve. Somians usually mated with other twins of their own species, but for now, they would make Carlotta feel like the most beautiful woman in existence.

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A soft rap at the door preceded Caius, who quietly entered the room. Ralston was behind him, looking offended at being subjected to heightened security. I watched as a look passed between Caius and Carlotta. They knew each other well, and somehow it made me uneasy. There had to be a point when healthy caution became paranoia, and I wondered if I’d reached that point or if my instincts were on target. Other than Helios, I trusted no one. And lately, my trust in him was faltering. Too many people held too many secrets, and mine might be the most heinous of all.

*** My dreams were good that night. Odd, considering the steadily mounting tension brought on by the tedious meetings and negotiations. I felt warm and protected, swathed in the glow of good love and a safe place to rest. In the dream, we laughed, stretched out on a blanket under the inky black sky of Arash. My body was taut with arousal but relaxed—in no hurry. Helios sat up and drew me into his arms, my back to his chest. Closing my eyes, I smiled, feeling a soft kiss from Suzan’s velvety lips. I looked at her luminous form, and she smiled back at me. The kernel of guilt that had lodged in my chest dissolved. I gazed at her, drinking her in. She’d been tough—a soldier. But she’d also been beautiful, with curly blonde hair and sky blue eyes. She’d laughed more often than not and had possessed a surprisingly bawdy sense of humor. She reached out and trailed a roughened fingertip over my face. She cupped my cheek, and the scars were gone; my eye was whole again. Blinking, I looked around, seeing so much more than I had just moments before. Colors were rich; light and shadow sparkled. I looked down at Helios’s arms around my chest; they were strong and capable. I turned to him, rolled him to his back, and ground my groin into his thigh. He grinned, and his gray eyes went dark with arousal. I trapped his head between my hands and leisurely kissed him. I felt Suzan’s touch on my back, trailing slowly up my body till her fingers were in my hair. I nearly cried at the sensation, at the relief of having them both with me. For a brief moment outside of time, my life and my body were once again whole and complete. When I woke, my shaft was heavy and thick, resting on my belly. Tears streaked down my face and pooled in my ear. I rolled over and reached for Helios’s warm body. The bed was empty and cold.

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“Lio?” My heart began to race, and my gut twisted in apprehension. All the good feelings brought by the dream fled in a flash of premonition. Something was going to happen. I gasped as sudden vertigo gripped me. Something terrible was in the air. “Lights on!” I scrambled from the bed and darted to the living room, slamming into the doorway as dizziness swamped me. The room was deserted. I ran to the bathroom and back to the bedroom. He was gone. Without dressing, I jerked open the front door; a pair of guards went to sudden attention, alarmed by my presence. “Have you seen the king?” My voice was harsh. There had to be an explanation; he couldn’t simply have vanished from our bed. Immediately the guards were on their comms and Caius was at my side, followed by Carlotta. Her hair tumbled around her shoulders, and her skin was flushed with sleep. Pairs of guards quickly armed up and began to search, starting in our rooms, then moving outward toward the main corridors of the compound. Back in our room, I pulled on my clothing, then strapped on my blade and knives. That was when I noticed his sword was missing. If he’d been taken, the sword would still be in place. “Griffin?” Carlotta waited at the doorway. She’d tied her hair back and was dressed in leather pants and a loose tunic. “He went on his own. He wasn’t forced.” I paced the room, looking to see what else he might have taken with him. “I don’t think he was expecting to go far; he left his comm.” She crossed the room and looked at where the small device rested on a tabletop. “Think, Griffin. If he was planning to meet someone secretly, what would it be about? Why would he feel the need to keep the meeting hidden?” Her common sense calmed me. I rubbed a hand over my face, a myriad of ideas coming and going. There’d been so many secrets between us lately. So many unanswered questions. My heart rate slowed now that the immediate panic began to recede. I tried to remember how much Carlotta knew about the temple and Helios’s network of spies. Glancing at her, I realized she probably knew nearly as much as I did. “Temple business. The expatriates.”

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My brother. I visualized Helios meeting him, and the flare of jealousy that burned in my gut shocked me. I clenched my fists, and I spoke through a tight jaw. “Have Ralston check the Fedoran delegation. They’ve hired a mercenary named Raven Hawke. Helios might be with him.” Her face went stern. “Hawke… As in…?” “Yes. My brother.” My rapscallion brother who was the temple’s most notorious dropout. The black sheep who’d broken more than his mother’s heart when he left the planet to live the life of a lawless mercenary. She’d never believed he was evil. Obviously she’d had more faith in Raven than I’d had. As rumors linked his name to lawlessness and assassinations, she never lost faith. I had. I saw the brief expression of understanding flash across Carlotta’s face. She saw my jealousy, my fear that Helios might indeed favor the brother whose face was so handsome. Raven had sacrificed his good name for the life of a spy. My brother smiled as easily as he lied, yet his actions made him a hero. Guilt twisted through me at my suspicion, and I scrubbed my face, trying to wipe away the irrational anger. Infidelity was not in Helios’s character. Jealousy had long been my flaw. Slowly I pulled the shattered fragments of my emotions back under control—a practice I was becoming familiar with. I listened as she relayed the message to Ralston, who sported a bad case of bedhead, and then waited impatiently as he did a bit of hacking into the Fedorans’ computer network. Apparently Carlotta was as impatient as I was. The little merchants would subject us to verbal negotiations in order to secure the information we requested. Carlotta’s fist came down on a nearby table. “This is taking too long. I’ll send a pair of men down to the Fedorans’ quarters. If he’s there, we’ll make sure to escort him back.” I shook my head and headed for the door. “Just send the data to me. I’ll go myself.” “Not without a bodyguard! Griffin!” I tuned out her voice and ignored the two guards who scrambled into action and sprinted down the hall to take their places behind me. I forgot everything but the sick fear of what I’d see when I finally found Helios. Dread propelled me, and I found it hard to breathe. I wasn’t sure what was worse: imagining Helios broken and bloody at the hands of assassins, or flushed and sated in the arms of

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another. Anger, tempered and hardened by fear, sang through my veins. Guilt made itself known, and that made me even angrier. We didn’t speak; the only sounds in the deserted halls were the noise of our booted feet and the creak of weapons in leather. We moved swiftly, and when we took a corner, very nearly collided with another party of heavily armed men and women. Behind the tall form of my brother I could barely see Helios, but he was there, intact, alive, and with a slight smile fading from his face. “Griffin!” I gestured for my men to stand down. Two of the guards were our own. We hadn’t taken time to do a head count. Still, my hand rested on the pommel of my sword. “Damn it, Lio! Where…? What the hell are you doing?” I pushed past Raven and gripped the front of Helios’s robes. “How’d you get past the guards?” He glanced around, and I realized that wherever we were, it was residential. Anyone could be listening. I didn’t care. “Do you have any idea how dangerous this sort of behavior is?” Behind me, Raven cleared his throat. “You might want to take this behind closed doors, General.” I whirled around, ready to strike. “And you! What the fuck are you doing with him?” “Griffin.” Helios’s voice was calm but firm. I nearly ignored him, but there was a command in his tone I rarely heard—not directed at me, anyway. Swallowing my anger, I took deep breaths and turned to face him. He looked drawn and weary. Whatever he’d been doing hadn’t brought him joy. His face was white; his eyes were heavy. He gazed steadily at me until I finally nodded and turned again to look into Raven’s face. He looked nearly as weary as Helios, but my brother hadn’t gone through an entire day of meetings, followed by hours of social—and not so social—visits late into the evening. Helios took my arm and leaned into me a bit as we walked. He showed no sign of fatigue, but I felt it in the uneven tempo of his gait, the slight weight on my arm. I looked at him once again; this time he didn’t look back. There was no reassuring smile lurking in his eyes. Something was very wrong, and it appeared that Helios no longer trusted me enough to share.

***

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We didn’t speak once we were in our rooms. The guards had been dispatched to bed or to their respective assignments. Raven left silently; I barely noticed his presence or his absence. I didn’t bother setting Helios down for a talk. There was time for that later. We moved to the bedroom, undressed, and crawled back into bed. We lay in the darkness, not speaking, not touching. I was fatigued but couldn’t sleep. Helios took a deep breath and let it out, as though releasing all the troubles that rested within. “I’m sorry, Griffin.” I didn’t look at him. For the first time, it dawned on me that our love might not be enough to keep us together. I was being shut out by Helios’s devotion to duty. It was an admirable trait in a king but a damn poor quality in a lover. “An apology isn’t the same as an explanation.” Silence stretched out. I imagined that slight mocking smile of his. The humor was generally directed inward, never at the expense of others. He is a good man, I reminded myself. Kind at heart and completely selfless. He lay there quietly, and remorse began to creep into my gut. “I was afraid, Lio.” I rolled toward him and lay on my side, straining to see him. Was he awake? He’d looked ready to drop as we’d entered our rooms. I reached out and ran the knuckle of my index finger down his smooth cheek. “I’m too tired to sleep.” I heard the stress in his voice. I should have moved to him and stroked the tension away, and massaged his tight muscles. Instead I waited. Finally he sighed, and I felt the movement of his head as he looked in my direction. “I thought I knew the worst of our people’s suffering. I was wrong.” That was the only answer I would receive. The grief in his voice told me more than the words he couldn’t share. I realized how badly I’d misjudged him. Infidelity had been the last thing on his mind. Without a word, I rolled over and pulled him into my arms.

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Chapter Eleven His posture was perfect, his bearing calm and collected. The unrelieved black of his formal jacket was flawless. Only the loose tail of hair betrayed the fatigue that weighed on Helios. He’d slept late and had no patience with my arranging his hair. I saw it in other small signs: the faint rings under his eyes, the absence of his smile. “On the condition that Neo Domus is accepted into the coalition, I assume that you, King Helios, will not be the primary diplomatic liaison?” “That is correct. We will assign representatives from both the Talisians and the Astrum.” This meeting was small and intimate. The Valoran who’d been grilling him had been pleasant enough but neutral in demeanor. Helios had spent the week in interviews and exams on the history and values of the coalition. He’d taken pains to explain our traditional system of rule and the changes he’d begun to implement among our people. Now we were at the final stage of the process. His voice was slightly hoarse, not only from use, but from fatigue. Carlotta and I exchanged glances. Helios was not holding up well under the pressure. However, I doubted that I’d have fared better. When there were no more questions, Helios rose, giving me a weary smile. He studied my face as though I were the one who’d just undergone the verbal inquisition of the coalition. “Perhaps we should go out this afternoon. Both of you look like you could use a break.” Carlotta strode along on the other side of Helios as we exited the interview room. Immediately a small contingent of guards surrounded us. There’d been no threats since the first day, but still, tension remained high. The atmosphere had an ominous feel. I could only attribute that to the constant presence of the Landaun. I was reluctant to agree to expose Helios to danger, but the pressure of the preceding week had to be alleviated, or he’d eventually break.

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“Carlotta’s Somians mentioned a restaurant that’s nearby. Perhaps you’d enjoy dinner there tonight?” I walked close enough to the king that we brushed shoulders. The contact felt good. It wouldn’t be as intimate as a Somian restaurant normally was, given the guards in our wake, but I knew he was eager to experience new cultures and cuisines. He smiled and nodded without answering. I took his arm and looped it through mine. His muscles were tight, and he gripped me hard. “Is all well, Lio?” I spoke in a whisper, though there were those close by who had sharp ears. “I’m just tired. Too many questions, too many hours awake.” I searched his face for the truth. We didn’t dare speak of his memory here in the open, so I squeezed his hand. Soon enough, we were behind closed doors. Without looking at me, Helios moved through the rooms and silently entered the bedroom. I followed to find him sitting on the edge of the bed, still fully clothed. I slipped off my boots and lay down next to him, then tugged him down till he lay next to me. “You did really well, Lio.” I stroked a stray hair from his cheek. His demeanor didn’t invite much more. I realized it had been days since we’d embraced. We moved carefully around each other, taking pains to avoid conflict. With a heavy sigh, he rolled in my direction and rested his head on my shoulder. Slowly I drew him closer. Touching him felt like water in the desert. I’d been starved for his touch, for the look on his face that was for me alone. I craved the intimacy we’d shared and the confidence he’d once shown in me. Never before had it been so apparent that I shared Helios with so many other people. “Never forget that I love you, Griffin.” “And I love you, Lio.” I put everything I couldn’t say into those words. My fear and my guilt. My sense of loss and isolation. The foreboding that dogged my every hour. Suddenly we shifted positions; my head rested on his shoulder, and his arms were wrapped tightly around me, holding me close.

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There didn’t seem to be much else to say, so we lay there in uncomfortable silence, listening to each other’s breathing. Soon enough he was deeply asleep. When I glanced up at his face, the track of a single tear glistened in the late-afternoon light. I closed my eye and let fear usher me into sleep.

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Chapter Twelve The music was low and sensual, weaving a spell that drifted through the scented air in the room. The notes had texture—the melody was soft to the touch. We reclined on mounds of plush cushions, enjoying the fragrance of good food and the lyrical sound of Somian voices. Helios and I had a private dining room; we were able to relax with the knowledge that the restaurant was secure both inside and out. Helios sprawled elegantly amid a pile of velvet and silk, looking completely at his ease in the sumptuous surroundings. A delicate goblet was cradled in his hand; golden Somian wine sparkled in the candlelight. His eyes were heavy-lidded, and the expression there was meaningful. “Griffin, you look like a great panther about to attack.” I also reclined, but my focus was reserved for Lio. His white robes hinted at what they concealed, skimming over skin and muscle. His erection was bold, with no pretense of subtlety. I looked him over from head to foot and simply smiled, then took a sip of my wine. “The dancers were lovely.” They had been; the two twin pairs had swayed and undulated to the lazy strings of a quartet, suggestive of a greater passion. They had wrapped around one another, limbs intertwined and clothing falling away, until they’d brought one another to gasping, shuddering climaxes. The whole thing had been surreal, a slow, melting orgy performed by artists and athletes of the highest caliber. It reminded me of a live rendition of the ancient Kama Sutra, set to music. I nodded in vague agreement and continued to study Helios’s face in the flickering candlelight. His skin was lightly flushed from the wine. We’d said nothing about the confirmation meetings or the coalition. No word of spies or Landaun marred our evening. It was just us and the music and a simmering, glowing arousal.

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Somians were carnal creatures, and they were lovely in their colorful clothing and rich surroundings, but none were as beautiful to me as the man across from me now in his plain white robes. He drained his goblet and set it gently on the table. Within moments, an identical pair of men arrived and quickly removed our empty plates and glasses, followed by the low table and its settings. They returned with a tray holding a single crystal decanter and two fresh glasses. One of the pastel-hued brothers poured, while the other presented us with the drink. “Chalus. A drink of love.” He bowed fluidly and followed his brother from the room. I lifted my glass, gazing at Helios through the ruby depths of the drink. If I recalled correctly, it was most effective in the long run; we had a long, rapturous night ahead of us. Frankly, it was hardly necessary; my body was hard with desire and aroused to a fine razor peak. The relaxed, sensual atmosphere had done its job, wiping away our cares for the evening. When thoughts rose unbidden, I ruthlessly crushed them. We raised the tiny glasses to each other and drank, downing the fluid in one swallow. Sweet fire sang in my veins. My skin tingled, and I let my breath out slowly, savoring the feel of the wine in my mouth. I looked around; everything seemed slightly hazy except for Helios, who sparkled at the edges. He shuddered, throwing his head back against the pillows, revealing the long, supple line of his throat. I carefully set my glass down, crawled to his side to taste his skin, and found it salty with his sweat and sweet with the flavor of chalus. His moan was no louder than a whisper. I’d have covered him, taken him then, but he rolled lightly away and gracefully came to his feet. As I watched, he lifted an arm and draped the long tail of his sleeve over his face, showing nothing but his eyes. This was my Pasha, the tempting creature who’d seduced me from under the table in a seedy bar. He swayed, catching the rhythm of the music that drifted into the room. Arms floated sinuously, fingers beautifully extended. When he uncovered his face, he turned his head, preventing me from seeing him. He rolled his hips, and in his bare feet he moved in a slow, complex pattern on the thick carpet. He lifted his arm again to hide his face as he gave me his gaze. I reached for him, and he slipped from my grasp, leaving me with nothing but the sensation of silk against my fingers. He flexed his knees as he bent back in a slow, beautiful arc. The rope of his braid puddled on the

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floor, and he slipped his robes back, showing me the bare skin of his belly. His cock was thick and hard under the thin silk of his trousers. As he rose, the outer robe slipped away and spilled onto the floor. I captured the fabric and dragged it to my face, closing my eyes as I smelled his exotic scent. He went up on his toes and undulated from head to foot, taut muscles shimmering under his skin. I lay back, exquisitely aware of my cock hard and throbbing under the thick fabric of my uniform. I reached down to palm myself. “Don’t touch.” He gave me a sly smile, and I obeyed, gritting my teeth at the sheer torture of obeying. He turned away. I watched as the muscles in his back played and glistened in the warm light. His ass was tight and round. I could see the seam of his buttocks beneath the thin fabric of his clothing. My fingers ached to touch, to explore. He reached the end of the room and turned around. The teasing expression had fled, and he watched me, a predatory expression on his face. He moved forward, one fluid step at a time, and finally dropped to his knees between my parted legs. He reached up and brushed my hands away as I fumbled at the catches of my pants. Smoothly, efficiently, he freed me until my shaft lay heavy and dark on my belly. He unclasped my boots and tossed them away, followed by the trousers. “I remember praying that you’d keep me overnight.” He trailed his fingers over the tender skin of my thighs; his warm breath whispered over the heated skin of my cock. “I remember wishing I could take your pants all the way off.” He leaned down and dragged his chin over my foreskin. His face was smooth and hairless; his lips were warm and firm as he nibbled my sac. “This is what I wanted to do to you.” He probed farther back with his tongue, and he pressed his finger to the entrance of my ass. “Fuck” was all I could say as he kissed the head of my cock. “Shit!” He licked then circled my slit, dipping in to catch the precum that was welling up. “The chalus makes you sweet.” He looked up at me, and his gray eyes were glassy and bright. His lips were swollen and red. I reached out and clasped his head, then pressed him back to my crotch.

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He chuckled. “Pushy bastard.” I merely grunted, thrusting my hips up to meet him. As he swallowed me down, he laughed, and the pleasure was nearly unbearable. With a groan of despair, I moved, scrambling to reach him, to give him the same pleasure he gave me. He sucked hard and then flexed his body as I took him into my mouth, dispensing with any suggestion of subtle foreplay. Letting him slide free, I wet my finger, found his hole, and thrust in as I sought his shaft again. I sucked and pumped, all the while I was rising rapidly to my peak, lost in the hot suction of Helios’s wicked mouth. The aphrodisiac flooded my veins. It seeped into my saliva, out of my very pores. Helios’s precum was as sweet as honey, filling my mouth with even more sensation. My skin burned and tingled; my testicle resonated with the intensity of my arousal. I found his prostate, pressed and massaged it, nearly blacking out as he moaned around my shaft. I felt pressure at the entrance to my ass; a finger pressed in, and the slick spit on his finger was rich with chalus. It burned sweetly, and when Helios found my prostate, lights exploded at the edges of my vision. Blindly we gave and we took, and when I thought there was no greater peak, Helios climaxed, spilling his wine-spiked seed into my mouth, down my throat, and I choked, crying out as my orgasm washed over me. We bucked and struggled, hands gripping thighs, moans and cries muffled against skin. We wrestled until the last wrenching spasms gripped our bodies, and for a long moment, I was certain I felt his orgasm and he felt mine. Exhausted and spent, I turned my face from his groin, and I didn’t even try to hold my head up. I panted, smelling the earthy scent of his release, resting my sticky cheek against his powerful thigh. A strong hand clasped my hair, and Helios pulled me up, coaxing me to move until we lay in each other’s arms. My ear was pressed against Helios’s chest, and I listened as his heart slowed. As we came down from the orgasm, sensual music pulsed around us, and I heard the rise and fall of conversation in the main dining room. A man’s cough carried in to us. Slowly reality once again settled over the room. Fingers stroked my cheeks, and a soft kiss came down on my blind side. I held him tightly and shook with wild, frightening emotion. “I’m here, Griffin. I’ve got you.”

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For a moment, I struggled to escape his hold, but Helios didn’t let go. I calmed down, taking deep breaths and relaxing into his arms. My eye grew heavy, and exhaustion crept over me. “Don’t let me go, Lio.” He tightened his hold on me. “Never. Never, Grif.”

*** Chalus was a wickedly sweet indulgence. When I woke the following morning, the sun slanted brightly into our window. I felt Helios wrapped around my body, his head over my heart, legs twined with mine. The position was childlike but oddly protective. His hair spread out over the pillows behind him, catching the early-morning light. I felt rested, my body sated and only slightly sore from the night’s sexual excesses. Given our recent activities, I should have been very sore in several places. That thought made me grin. That wine cost a king’s ransom, and well it should. The Somian prized the rare fluid and rarely sold it. Instead chalus was generally a gift. I could readily imagine getting carried away, drinking and fucking until death took the lovers away on a soft, sensual cloud. Helios came awake slowly, stretching one limb at a time. He arched like a cat, then winced as a muscle in his calf caught and cramped. He pushed himself upright and looked at me through sleepy eyes. He lazily rubbed at his leg. “Good morning. Does your ass hurt? Mine doesn’t.” He gave me a lopsided grin. I laughed at his greeting and then laughed even harder when he glared at me. He rotated his head slightly, stretching the muscles of his neck. I watched in fascination. His neck was long and graceful and currently peppered with strawberry-color marks. I reached out and ran my finger over one of the spots. As I did, the heavy sapphire bracelet slid down my arm and off into the bedding. “The catch is loose. Here.” Helios slipped it back on my arm and secured the latch.

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“You’ll need to wear your jacket today,” I said. He looked like a teenager with the hickeys on his throat. “You too.” I reached up, touched my neck, and flushed, remembering him nipping and sucking. The memory brought blood rushing into my half-erect cock. “Don’t care, anyway.” He slid from the bed and stood naked, watching me as I pushed myself up against the headboard. “Anyone who was paying attention knows where we went last night.” His smile was free and happy, more natural than I’d seen in days. It brought a smile to me as well. “Today we’ll know. We’re supposed to wait here until they send a messenger. So for me, it’s a shower and then breakfast.” “A bath.” I rose from the bed and headed for the door, and I beat him by mere inches. I shut the door in his face and laughed at his curse. Once I’d finished, I let him into the room, then started the water while he attended his needs. “You know, my uncle had attendants for everything.” I heard the commode flush. “Everything?” I looked up as he emerged from the small room. “Virtually. I loved him, but he was losing touch with the common man and woman. His servants dressed and fed him. Bathed and shaved him. My nephews followed his example. I do not believe that is a healthy way to live.” I’d known that about late king, but still, the idea occupied my mind as I slid into the steaming water of the bath. Within seconds, Helios slipped into the other end, his hair knotted on top of his head. He stared at me gravely. “There are too few of us remaining to indulge in such vanity. I hope to offer an example to those who follow me. I’d hate to see our people ruled that way in the future.” I lay back in the water, studying his face. He was no naive youth. He was still learning and remembering, but Helios was aware of the importance of every decision he made. How many of us could bear the weight of that responsibility?

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“Now—today—you can take actions that will shape the future. You can protect our people from future despots. You can create standards of behavior for your heirs.” He laid his head back against the edge of the tub and let his eyes slip closed. “Helios, do you have a contingency plan? If our application is rejected?” He lifted a single brow and opened his eyes. “Yes. Unfortunately it’s dangerous. I haven’t yet decided how to broach it with our people.” He sighed. “We will begin to sell candar. We will buy our own protection. We will become our own cartel and control its distribution with an iron fist.” I cursed. “You know a hired army can turn on its employer.” “I do know that. Somehow they must be integrated into our culture. If they have a stake in our planet, they’ll be less likely to be corrupted.” He suddenly looked weary. “I’m sorry, Lio.” And I was. I’d taken our good morning and cast darkness upon it. Absentmindedly I twisted the bracelet on my arm. “We don’t have to wait, you know.” He nodded at the bracelet. “We don’t have to wait on the council for permission to wed.” I didn’t answer. Talk of marriage reminded me of Suzan. “Or we don’t have to make plans at all, if you would prefer.” “Helios, I think… I believe in time, the council will relent. It might be easier for all of us if we don’t force the issue.” I didn’t look at him, though I knew there would be pain in his eyes. Was I rejecting him? Thoughts of the ceremony brought a dull ache to my chest. “Griffin, as you said, I must shape our kingdom right now…at the start. It will be a disservice to future generations if we compromise on this issue. It is wrong for the council to force their will on my private life.” “Even if I were a woman, I would still be a Hawke, and they would still object.” He lifted his chin, and defiance shone in his gaze. “The king or queen of our people shall be the person most fit to rule, not the scion of a certain bloodline.” That was an extraordinary idea. I didn’t disagree, but the council—the people might be slow to adapt.

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“Griffin, would you tell me about Suzan? About your wedding?” Startled, I looked at him. “I thought you remembered her. She was your lover as well.” How could he have forgotten her? She’d brought us together, not once, but twice. “What do you recall?” “She was blonde.” He paused. “She kicked my ass more than once, particularly with the long staff.” I smiled slightly. “She was a couple of years ahead of us. When we were old enough, we’d hit the bars in the city together. We’d drink; she’d drag our sorry butts home afterward. One night we didn’t make it to the city with the others. Suzan didn’t show, so we went looking for her. The others went on without us.” “She knew we wouldn’t leave without her.” I watched the smile that lit his eyes as he told the story. “She was waiting in her quarters. That was the first time all three of us were together.” It had been, and we’d shared her so carefully, afraid to let our friendship follow the natural course it followed. It had been Suzan who’d gently taken my hand and guided it to Helios’s shaft. I shivered at the memory of the night I’d first touched him and he’d touched me back. One look at Lio told me he remembered as well. “She wore a yellow-and-white dress for our wedding. You were there, but only as a witness. Suzan wouldn’t allow you to officiate. She never really accepted your marriage. It remained painful to her.” It had been a beautiful day—the blue sky, the trees behind the city rich and green. We were wed out under the sun, as was the custom. Weddings rarely took place in winter. In spite of Helios’s presence, his new young wife at his side, Suzan had been happy. I had been as well. We’d moved on without Lio. I looked at Helios; his eyes were closed as though he was conjuring the memory, constructing it from whole cloth. The slight pucker of a frown told me that the memory was lost to him. I leaned forward and clasped his hand, then squeezed it slightly. “It’s all right that you don’t remember.” The look he gave me was poignant, full of sadness. “I have no memory of her beyond those first days. What I know…it’s only because I’ve been told.”

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So he truly didn’t recall those last days with the three of us together, giddily defying the social conventions of our people. He didn’t recall the risky course we’d decided on. I did my best not to be angry, but still, it was there. How could he not remember the mother of his child when he could easily the names of spies he’d never met? I slipped my hand free, found a cloth, and began to wash my bristly face.

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Chapter Thirteen He was pacing the suite, largely ignoring the food that had been delivered. I felt guilt over my earlier uncharitable thoughts. More than anyone, I knew what he’d suffered and lost. He was too astute not to have sensed the betrayal I’d felt, and that must have hurt. He was dressed in his white temple robes. His trousers were loose and billowy, bound at the ankle and waist by bands of white. The shirt had long sleeves and opened at the neck to reveal his throat and chest. The vest was long, flowing down to his ankles. He moved quickly enough that his clothing fluttered as though there was a breeze. His feet were bare, and his sword lay on a nearby table, ready to be belted around his hips. At the sound of a knock, he went still and alert, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. Regardless of the success of his appeal to the coalition, our world was balanced on the cusp of change. After today, nothing would be the same. Carlotta appeared in the room, and he relaxed. Wordlessly she crossed over and hugged him. I was surprised; Carlotta was devoted to him—to us—yet she never openly showed her affection. Helios smiled and hugged her back. When she came to me, I took a moment’s comfort in her embrace. Like Suzan, her scent was darker than that of most women; she smelled of leather and steel. I also caught something more fragrant and exotic. “Somians?” She flushed, and we grinned. “They concluded their part of the deliberations yesterday.” As they’d argued in our favor at the beginning of the meetings, Leighe and Ghlen had been excused from the final deliberations in our case. Another tap on the door revealed Raven. I stiffened and then forced myself to relax. My suspicions about him and Helios had been misplaced. Our history had been difficult, but he was my brother, and I loved him. Most of the time.

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I noticed he and Carlotta remained at opposite sides of the room. The third knock on the door brought Leighe, Ghlen, and Kaarin into the room. Her face was serene, but the men looked gleeful. “We are here to request your presence at a meeting, which is to take place within the hour.” A smile hovered over Kaarin’s soft lips. She didn’t need to tell us we were now members of the Interstellar Coalition. Helios let out a gusty breath and collapsed onto the sofa. He rested his head on the cushion and then looked at me, a smile on his face. But behind the smile, shadows remained in his eyes. I had to wonder what had put that unhappiness there. Me? He lingered a moment and then rose. “I should dress more formally, I suppose.” “Not yet. This is just the private session. You’ll be introduced to some of the delegates who deliberated on your membership. Tonight’s banquet will require full dress.” As though unable to contain himself, Leighe laughed happily and stepped up to give Helios a quick hug. “Congratulations!” I extended my hand, but he hugged me as well. Once the ice had been broken, there was celebration and hugging all around as our guards entered the room. Ralston grinned in delight; for once he didn’t melt into the background. He’d worked as hard for this as any of us. “I feel as though I can finally breathe again.” Helios grabbed my hand and drew me to his side. Unable to resist, I pulled him into my arms. We all swept from the room and filled the wide halls with our celebration. A thought occurred to me, and obviously Helios was considering the same thing. “The Landaun… Was their request granted?” Ghlen shook his head. “They were invited to apply again in a standard cycle, provided they halt all aggressions and begin reparations, either fiscal or to the environments of the planets they’ve plundered.” I snorted in disgust. That would never happen. Ghlen walked a bit slower and spoke softly. “Their planet is at the end of its reserves. They are very angry, of course. Their government has few willing allies and is nearly bankrupt. They find themselves in an impossible situation.”

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“I find myself unable to sympathize.” No one laughed at my comment, as it wasn’t meant to be funny. We all shared the same sentiment. “They have agreed to release all political prisoners.” Kaarin dropped back to join the conversation. “They’ve been keeping members of my race for years, forcing them to heal their warriors. This conference has brought good news to more than the new coalition members.” Her black eyes were bright with tears. Helios reached out and set a hand gently on her arm. “I am glad for that, Kaarin. We knew the Landaun had Vash slaves following the invasion of our planet.” I clearly recalled the gray, ghostlike men and women, so unlike Kaarin. One had held her palm over Maia’s maimed face. The wound was infected, and Maia was terribly ill. She’d been unable to save the eye, but had undoubtedly saved my little girl’s life. “After the Landaun were finished with me, it was a member of your species who brought me back.” Helios smiled sadly. No doubt it had taken the energies of many Vash to revive him from the numerous and repeated injuries he’d suffered at the hands of our enemy. Helios came to a halt and turned to me. “Griffin, we need to notify Deirdre and the council.” I paused next to him. “Yes, yes, we should.” He glanced at Ralston. “Do you mind heading back, Ralston?” He looked at the assembled guards. “Grif, will you and Carlotta please accompany him? You have the communication codes. And you’ll need another guard.” “No.” I shook my head. “You need all the bodyguards. We’ll be fine.” I smiled. “It’ll just be a few minutes.” He shrugged and winked at me, then turned away as Carlotta and I fell in beside Ralston. We were back at the rooms in moments, with Ralston seated at the desk that had been his control station since he’d arrived. His fingers deftly danced across the board, entering a brief yet thorough message to Deirdre. He copied it to the council as well. “I’m going to code and encapsulate it. That way it’ll arrive much quicker. It’s less likely to be corrupted through the interstellar transmission.” Carlotta looked over his shoulder and then smiled up at me.

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“It’s finally over,” she said. I shook my head. “It’s just the start.” So much more to do still, both at home and here. We were entering a new world. “General, would you like to send a message to your daughters? I can record a video for them.” Ralston barely glanced at me as he worked the flat keyboard. “You can do that? I thought it would break down over this distance.” He straightened a little. “I developed a program. It secures the message and allows it to travel farther and faster, with little chance of interception.” Carlotta’s dark gaze met mine. “You’re very good with communications, Ralston. Maybe your tech skills are being wasted as the king’s secretary.” His cheeks went a bit pink at her compliment. He swallowed. “N-no, I’m satisfied with my position. I’m able to serve my k-king best here.” I’d never known him to stutter before. Perhaps he had a crush on Carlotta. Perhaps not. My skin pebbled in warning. For so long, I’d never really thought of Ralston as a person; he was simply Helios’s shadow. But… Who knew more about the inner workings of our government? Whoever had framed Markus had been a technical wizard and had been right among our own people. Suddenly a strident alarm pealed through the halls, jerking me from my suspicions. Ralston was on his feet, and Carlotta was running to the door. Helios. I quickly keyed in the code to the weapons locker and yanked open the heavy doors. I tossed extra hand weapons to Carlotta while Ralston stumbled out from behind his desk. “Trap!” Carlotta shouted, and the three of us were outside, running as fast as we could down the hall. Between the timed shrieks of the alarm, I heard shouting and the sounds of weapons fire. Most horribly, I heard the battle cries of Landaun in full frenzy.

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Chapter Fourteen The doors of the conference room were guarded and blocked by enormous gray figures. “Stay back!” I shouted to Ralston, and he hovered at the corner, his face pale with fear. Carlotta chose her target and fired even as I did the same, and the single Landaun warrior who had his back to us fell like a log. We’d long ago discovered that the back of the neck was their Achilles’ heel, and out of obstinate pride, virtually every Landaun kept that spot unshielded. We scrambled over his massive body to find the battle in full force. I’d been terrified at the idea of the Landaun ripping through the diplomats, but every man and woman present battled fiercely. From the tiniest Zamoran to a massive AmWere, they were valiant. Bodies were on the floor, and blood was everywhere, but it wasn’t the wholesale slaughter I’d feared. In fact, it appeared as though the attack had been anticipated. I cursed, drawing my sword in my right hand, my blaster in my left. I waded in, forcing my way toward the center of the room where Helios and the guards fought. Clearly he was the eye of the storm. Landaun, Faragees, and humans struggled to break his defenses. His blade flashed in controlled fury, crippling rather than killing. I staggered back as an AmWere screamed hoarsely, tearing at the throat of a massive Landaun male. The pair hurtled past me; blood and gore sprayed the air. The Landaun was down and dead, and the AmWere rose from his body, his black-gold eyes ablaze as he sought his next quarry with deadly efficiency. He whirled; his black, snakelike braid offered a handhold that taunted any would-be attacker. He brandished a hatchetlike weapon in his right hand. The blade was sharply honed; the clawlike end was red with blood. Tomahawk. An ancient Earth weapon. I was impressed with his skill. Unlike Helios, this one was taking no prisoners. To my left, the tiny Zamoran ambassador danced from the grip of a Landaun, tumbling and rolling away. Fearing for her, I started in that direction. She came up behind the warrior and dragged a wicked blade across the backs of both legs, severing his hamstrings. The giant crashed

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to the floor, and she was on him, viscously stabbing her dagger into the back of his neck. She darted away, striking the unwary like a tiny bladed whirlwind. Automatically I sought a position where I didn’t have to worry so much about my blind side. I tangled with a Faragee, dodging the wicked T’hran blade. He slashed at my wrist, and I dropped my blaster. I didn’t worry about it—the room was too chaotic to risk shooting anyway. I kicked it away so he couldn’t use it against me. We engaged: I blocked his strikes, then kicked him back until he stumbled into another fight. When he was distracted, I slashed with my heavy sword, grunting in satisfaction as steel met sinew and bone. His head canted awkwardly to the side, and there was one less enemy in the room. Leaving him to bleed out, I moved on, looking for the less obvious foes. The Landaun were deadly but lacked the subtlety of their Faragee allies. I also watched for humans; a small contingent had sided with the Landaun through motives of their own. More than one of our allies lay on the floor, slowly dying as the segmented swords of the Faragee traveled through the vulnerable flesh of their bodies. I wanted to scream in fury at the agony on their faces. The best I could do was to bring their killers to justice. I checked the room, satisfied to see the fighting was slowly coming to an end. Leighe and Ghlen fought back-to-back, perfectly coordinated, perfectly in sync with each other. Carlotta was near them. She’d just neatly disarmed a Faragee by slicing off his sword hand. He lay on the floor, gripping his arm, shrieking in pain. It made me consider sparing the life of the next who engaged me. Raven was in the ring that guarded Helios. The remaining Landaun had focused their efforts on the king. My brother was sweaty and streaked with blood; his left arm hung limp at his side. We exchanged gazes, and he grinned raffishly. I frowned, then gasped as he was attacked from the side. My face must have warned him. Raven smoothly lunged and drove his sword into the gut of the bleeding attacker. It would take more than a sword to the belly to kill the Landaun, but the wound would slow him down. Helios fought valiantly—brilliantly. Bright splashes of blood marred his robes. He was still barefoot, having forgotten his shoes in our rush to celebrate. His sword flashed and wove through the air, biting, crippling, kissing flesh and weaving through muscle. The bleeding giant he fought dropped to one knee and then reached up and grabbed Helios’s swinging braid. He

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fisted it in his massive hand, then jerked hard, dragging Lio relentlessly down toward the wicked blade in his other hand. Without thought, I palmed a dagger and threw it. I winced as it sliced through the thick red hair. Helios stumbled backward but quickly regained his balance and thrust the golden kilij through the Landaun’s powerful neck. It’d been a risky throw, but if I’d aimed at the Landaun, Helios still could have fallen onto his opponent’s weapon. The king staggered as he freed the sword, caught his balance, and shook his mane of fiery hair back from his eyes. A scream carried through the room, more horrible, more filled with abject pain than any I’d heard before. I whirled, sword at the ready, and saw that Leighe had fallen. Ghlen screamed too, his back still to his dead twin. He screamed as though hell itself had ripped out his soul. He fell to his knees, weapons slipping from his nerveless grasp. Gooseflesh rose on my skin, and I shuddered in reaction. Carlotta stumbled to his side to protect the helpless Somian. As though compelled, I sought out Helios. He’d downed another opponent and was searching for me. When our gazes met, I saw relief there that matched mine. The path to his side was clear, and I pushed past a shattered table, never looking away from him. Fury and love warred in my gut. I was so focused on reaching him that I was too slow to heed the warning that flashed across his face. “Grif!” The blow that halted me wasn’t painful at first. I couldn’t breathe; it felt as though I’d taken a hit to the diaphragm. Automatically I reached out and braced an arm on the wall. Red dots floated into my vision. I looked down and saw the bloody, curved tip of a T’hran protruding from my chest. It had sliced right through my utility vest. “Queen Carlotta was right. It is the end.” Ralston’s voice was a venomous hiss in my ear. Ralston… I remembered my half-formed thought from before. The traitor had been among us all this time, right at the side of the king. I didn’t look back. I could only watch as Caius came from nowhere, running across the room, leaping furniture with incongruous grace. Something rested on the shoulder of my blind side— something deadly.

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Ralston had retrieved my blaster, and it was now aimed at Helios. Fear etched the king’s face as he struggled to reach my side. “He sees you dying, but you’ll see his end first!” The blast was silent, but it burned, singeing the skin of my neck and ear. I smelled the stench of charred hair and flesh and watched in frozen horror as Caius vaulted into the line of fire. For a second the air around his body wavered. He was no longer the homely man I’d grown accustomed to, but someone different and shocking. Then it was Caius again, falling to the floor with the uniform melted away from his arm and chest. Behind me Ralston cursed, and then he was gone. I lost the support of his body and of his hand, which had held the deadly sword in place. My legs wobbled, and more of my weight settled on my arm. Caius was facedown on the floor. He struggled to his knees, shaking his shaggy head, trying to lurch in my direction. “Don’t move, Griffin. Don’t breathe!” He heaved himself to his feet and then collapsed, unconscious. I wanted to laugh, to reassure him that I wouldn’t breathe—simply because I couldn’t breathe. The blade had pierced my lung. In a brief, surreal moment, I saw Helios fighting the single Landaun left alive in the room. I knew him. Farsh. That gray, grisly face was imprinted in my memory forever. He’d taken my wife and my dignity. He’d taken Maia’s eye and Lauren’s security. He’d killed our just-born daughter. I stood frozen in place, watching in morbid satisfaction, knowing that the last thing I would see in my life was my revenge at the hands of Helios, who’d earned that honor. He played with the warrior. Landaun are tough and fast, yes. But here—now—he was simply outclassed. He rushed Lio and found nothing but air. He screamed his fury. He grabbed battered chairs and threw them at the slender human who taunted him. The Landaun no longer laughed at our grief. Instead he raged. He roared. And when Helios’s kilij sliced through his gut, that cry cut off and echoed through the suddenly silent room. Farsh toppled to the floor, alive, but broken in body as well as soul. “Griffin!” I leaned heavily against the wall, and the pain that had been mercifully absent rushed over me like a wave. I was dizzy and nauseated, and without moving my head, I could see gleaming

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metal protrude from my torso. It might have been my imagination, but the steel appeared to vibrate, as though tasting…testing and choosing where to go. “Easy. Be still. When you move voluntarily, the nerves fire, telling the sword to shatter.” My brother. His voice was soothing and calm. I looked at him stupidly, barely understanding his words. I only noticed his arm was deeply wounded, exposing severed tendons and bone. I licked my dry lips, tasting blood. “Raven.” I’m not sure if I made any sound, but he understood. “I’m sorry.” To my surprise, tears welled up in his eyes and spilled, wetting his cheeks. “Oh Sun and Moon, Grif. I’m so sorry.” He blinked, leaning forward to kiss my forehead. And then Helios was there, pushing past the small crowd around me. “Griffin. Oh Grif…” His eyes held anguish. I tried to tell him without speaking how much it meant to look at him at the moment of my death. But there was something I had to ask. “Did…did you know? Ambush?” I forced out. “Don’t talk!” Raven was in my face again. “Shut up, you stubborn little bastard!” I tried to smile. It didn’t matter anyway; I couldn’t stand there forever. Any moment those shards would begin their slow, agonizing journey through my body. “We suspected.” Helios’s face was guilt-stricken. “Raven brought a spy to me the other night. We didn’t know when to expect the attack, but it gave us the edge. We were able to forewarn the ambassadors.” And he hadn’t told me. The betrayal must have shown in my face as I looked from lover to brother. “Griffin, if you’d known, you’d have fucked up the entire operation. He wanted to tell you. I convinced him otherwise.” Raven, once again shouldering guilt that wasn’t his. He must have been accustomed to it by now. My vision was growing dim at the edges. I looked out into the room and watched other small tragedies as they unfolded. The AmWere was on his knees, solemnly inspecting the body of Leighe. Carlotta’s face was streaked with blood as she cradled Ghlen in her arms. She looked at me over his head; I saw the moment that she realized I was dying as well. I smiled as a fiery

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red haze rose from the dead Somian and drifted like a cloud through the room. It swirled around Carlotta, yet she seemed unaware. Good-bye. I tried to say the words, but nothing came out. Carlotta’s eyes filled with tears. “Vash!” Helios shouted. “Get a Vash!” I looked at Helios, trying to tell him. Even the healers were too late for me. When Kaarin appeared in front of me, her face confirmed it. My knees buckled. I was about to fall. I groaned in despair. I wasn’t ready…not yet. My fingers scrabbled as I sought a handhold in the smooth wall. Warm arms wrapped around my body, and suddenly the weight was lifted from my legs. Helios was holding me, his skin dangerously close to the wicked point of the blade. “I won’t let you fall, Griffin. I promise.” I looked at his face…his beautiful, beloved face. He was afraid but undefeated. He wouldn’t allow me to go easily. “Love you, Lio.” One by one, the muscles in my body gave out. I had no more strength to hold myself upright. “Look at me, Griffin. Don’t look away!” I struggled to look into his deep, compelling gaze. My head was heavy, my neck unable to support its weight. I simply wanted to rest against his body and let go. Where Raven had cried, I saw only grim determination on Helios’s face. “Do not look away from me, General. That is an order!” And I obeyed. For endless moments that might have lasted only seconds, I gazed into the face of my soul mate. Sudden understanding came, just as life fled. I’d have laughed if I’d been capable. He’d simply been protecting me, just as I’d been trying to protect him. Helios’s love for me was absolute. He’d never, ever questioned my love or loyalty. He was an amazing, beautiful man. Slowly, inevitably, I lowered my head onto his shoulder. With that slight movement, I felt the metal in my body vibrate and shatter. The pain was unspeakable. Blood welled up then spilled over my lips, further staining the white of Helios’s robes. “No!” he gasped.

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“As long as the body is alive, the segments will travel. I’m sorry.” Kaarin’s voice carried to me as if from a great distance. I didn’t listen. There was only space in my consciousness for pain now—pain and loss. “Trick it, then! Make the sword think he’s dead.” His voice was rough and loud in my ear. He groaned in agony… Or was that me? “Do it!” “Griffin… Listen to me.” The Vash again. “I’m going to try… That is…” “Just do it! He can’t hear!” Raven’s voice held the raw edge of panic. I felt the soothing touch of the Vash as she laid her bare hand on my forehead. I forced my eye open to meet her black gaze. “I’m sorry, General.” I looked at her for an eternal moment in which pain and love, life and death, were meaningless—yet they were everything. My universe was in her eyes. And I died.

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Chapter Fifteen There was a voice I’d never before heard. It was musical, reciting nonsensical verses. Pain defined my existence. A soft hand on my forehead, murmured voices. Maia and Lauren. Alexander. And then nothing.

*** “…rush him, the trauma could be fatal. He has suffered far too much damage to bring him up quickly. Kaarin did the best she could, given the circumstances, but it was against the odds…” Human voices this time, accents I did not recognize. “…damage to his nervous system as well as to the brain…”

*** A sigh. “It’s been so long already. His daughters have been through so much. I wish they could see him awake for just a few minutes before they leave.” Deirdre. I didn’t hear the voice I wanted to hear most. Where was Helios? “The coma is deep, but my guess is that he can hear you speak to him. He’d probably be grateful to hear the voices of those he loves.” That musical voice with a heavy Somian accent. I’d heard it before. I struggled to open my eye, but to no avail. I tried to speak, but my body wouldn’t obey my command. So I listened. “Helios will return to Prima Vega soon. He’s agreed that the children should stay here as long as their father is hospitalized. When I return to Neo Domus, they’ll stay here with him.” “That’s very good. From what I’ve seen, this has been difficult for the children. It will be good for them to remain and watch his progress.” “Dr. Dhrahn—”

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“Lefi.” I could practically hear the smile in his voice. “My system of practice doesn’t recognize such titles.” A hand brushed hair from my forehead, and I heard the jingle of a bracelet. “Lefi, then. Will you talk to the children? They were traumatized before Griffin was hurt. Now Maia has retreated, and Lauren is just so…sad.” “And young Alexander is trying to be their support.” His voice came from farther away, as though he was pacing. “If it’s a matter of payment…” “It isn’t. I’m quite willing to spend some time with them. Ghlen will need me here for much longer before he’s ready to return to his family.” Ghlen. He’d collapsed in agony upon the death of his twin. Pieces began to fall into place, and I began to remember the fight—and what came before. I remembered Ralston, and latent fury began to rise. Did they know it was him? Had he escaped, or had the coalition guards managed to capture him? I had to warn them…warn Helios… Lost in my thoughts, I finally drifted off to the music of a Somian voice.

*** “When will he wake up?” I knew that voice well. It was Lauren, with her usual probing questions. She was close. I supposed there was a chair next to my bed. “The Vash and the doctors will decide that. His injuries might be very painful. They don’t want him to hurt while he heals.” Helios. A tightness I hadn’t been aware of suddenly released. His voice came from the same point that Lauren’s had originated. He was probably holding her on his lap. “Can he hear me? Lefi says he can, but he just keeps sleeping.” “I imagine that if Lefi says so, he probably can.” She sighed heavily. “Do you like Lefi, Papa? I do. He listens good.” “Do you feel better after you talk to him?”

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“Yeah. Sometimes I cry, though. About the bad stuff. You know.” “I do know, Lauren.” The sadness in his voice made me ache. So much had gone wrong between us before we even realized it had happened. I remembered my distrust, my jealousy. I saw clearly now, as though a fog had been seared from my vision. “Do you think Daddy remembers?” Her voice wasn’t as high-pitched as it had been. How long had I been sleeping? I had to return to my family…my world. Yet no matter how I struggled, my body remained unresponsive. I couldn’t even open my eye. Frustration overwhelmed me, but there was nowhere for it to go. Focusing on what I could control, I calmed myself and listened. “I know he remembers. He misses your mother terribly.” His voice held a pain that I’d never heard before. “I do too. I remember all the time…what they did.” “I am so sorry, Lauren.” “They kept hurting her. They wanted to know where you were, Papa. But Daddy and Mama wouldn’t tell. Maia was too little to know. But I did. And I told them, Papa. I told them, and they kept doing it.” Her voice quavered. “And then they killed Mama’s baby.” “Baby?” His voice was a whisper. Just a whisper. And I knew there was no secret he’d kept from me that measured up to what I’d hidden from Helios. It was unforgivable. I fought to move, but my body defeated me. I could only lie there and listen. “A little baby girl. She had red hair like yours. The gray lady took her away…after.” I heard nothing but his breathing, shallow and unsteady. “I’m sorry I told them, Papa. They said they’d stop if I told, but they didn’t. Please don’t be angry!” Her voice broke into a tremulous sob. She cried as though her heart were broken, and Helios murmured softly, words of comfort given in a voice full of pain. It seemed like forever before it came to an end. In all my life, I’d felt this helpless only one other time. “I’m so sorry, Papa.” She gave a little hiccup.

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“You did nothing wrong, Lornie. Nothing at all. And you know what?” “What?” “I love you very much.”

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Chapter Sixteen The first thing I saw upon waking was a face so beautiful, it simply didn’t belong among mortals. Hair the color of fresh grass hung in a smooth curtain down past his shoulders; it glistened as though translucent. His eyes were purple, and his lids and high cheekbones were lightly shaded with the same green as his hair. He wore a giant amethyst pendent at the open neck of his white shirt. He smiled, and my heart skipped. “Hello, Griffin.” I couldn’t help but look around the room, seeking out a familiar face. I was alone, save for the stranger. Yet he wasn’t a stranger; I knew his voice well. “My name is Lefi Dhrahn. I wanted to be here when you woke up, in case you have any questions.” Questions? My mind was foggy, and when I tried to speak, my dry lips could barely form words. “My family?” was all I could manage. “Your children are outside. Your brother as well. Your husband is on his way.” I swallowed hard. “Not my husband.” “Yet.” He smiled, once again taking my breath away. He pressed a moist cloth to my lips, followed by the tip of a straw. Gratefully I swallowed water and felt it soak into my parched tissues. My throat hurt. In fact, pretty much everything hurt. My skin felt as though it were on fire. I tried to rub my stinging arm, but my hands wouldn’t cooperate. “You are still on Prima Vega. Do you remember the fight?” I nodded. There’d been plenty of lucid moments in the fog. I remembered the fight. Other things too.

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“The Vash ambassador put you into a death state just long enough to trick the Faragee weapon. The nanotechnology deactivates once the body dies. Unfortunately it did shatter and migrate somewhat. The decision was made to keep you in a coma until you healed enough to tolerate the discomfort following surgery.” Discomfort? I felt as though I’d been dropped from a cliff! I took a breath and coughed, then curled up with the pain. He braced my shoulders, and as I recovered, I saw the bracelets that circled his wrists. They were made of heavy links of precious metal; every link held small charms that symbolized sex acts. I looked at him quizzically. “I am a member of the Bacchi Guild. I’m a professional sex worker. By training, I’m a psychological healer. A therapist. My specialty is trauma.” Of course. He was a Somian. He just happened to specialize in their two best-known professions. Judging by the weight of those Bacchi bracelets, he was among their elite. It appeared he’d mastered every known sex act—and perhaps a few that were not known. Automatically I glanced around, searching for his twin. “No twin; I’m a singleton. I came to Prima Vega to help Ghlen through his loss.” “By the Sun. Leighe was killed.” Just remembering made my chest hurt. “How is Ghlen?” “Not well. But he’ll survive. It will be a very long time before he appreciates life again. Someday, though, he will.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Whatever agony Ghlen now suffered, Lefi had experienced as well. I looked at him closer and saw an unusual gravity in his expression. I’d never seen that on the face of a Somian before. “Back to you. Ralston had a Faragee blade and used it on you. He found a blaster and attempted to assassinate the king. He escaped, but the AmWere tracked and apprehended him. He’s been interrogated by Zamorans and now awaits trial at ICE holding.” The blaster I’d kicked away. Ralston hadn’t taken weapons from the locker; he’d merely scavenged them from the carnage of the battle. I nodded, and my next thought was of other victims. Lefi again anticipated my question. “Caius suffered a burn to his arm. He’s recovered well and has actually been on guard outside your door for weeks now.” I looked up at him in shock.

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“Griffin, it’s been a very long time. Nearly six months.” His voice was infinitely gentle. His lovely eyes were full of compassion. Half of a year. What damage had I suffered? I looked up at him for more information. “You died, Griffin. Not only because of Kaarin’s administrations, but from your injuries. You suffered a slight amount of damage to your brain. The sword fragments severed nerves throughout your torso. Fortunately the Vash were willing to send an entire team to treat you. They worked on you day and night until you were stable and the damage was reversed. Unfortunately neural regeneration is incredibly painful. That’s why they kept you unconscious.” My hand trembled as I lifted it to my face. To my belated embarrassment, my eye patch was gone. He smiled gently. “Your scar is nothing to be ashamed of, Griffin. But if you’d be more comfortable—” “I would.” He opened a drawer recessed in the wall and removed my patch, then gently tied it in place. “There. You are once again a dashing, handsome pirate.” His amazing eyes sparkled. “I rather envy your king. Perhaps another time, the three of us…?” “Perhaps not.” But still, I couldn’t help but smile. A brilliant creature like Lefi would be far too much of a challenge for my peace of mind. “But I do have a brother…” He threw his head back and laughed, then rose to his feet. Briefly I worried about what his clothing might reveal, especially considering he’d been counseling my children. To my relief, his black pants were modest and unexceptional. Given his species and career, I wasn’t certain what to expect. Once Lefi approved of my mental state, a steady flow of visitors filed into the room. All were with me briefly, commenting on my health, my looks, and how I’d cheated death. My daughters sat at my side the entire time, reigning over the sickroom. When Raven visited, I finally asked the question that had been uppermost on my mind. “Where’s Helios?”

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He went grave for a moment. “He and Deirdre have been trading places, splitting time between here and Neo Domus. After his last visit, he remained at home.” I remembered what I’d overheard Lauren tell him. If our positions were reversed, would I be willing to forgive the secret I’d kept from Helios? Given my recent—or not so recent— behavior, most likely not. I clenched my jaw, feeling overwhelmed by emotion. Had he finally given up on me? “He is on his way, Griffin. You actually woke sooner than the doctors expected. They were planning to bring you up next week. He’ll be here within a few days.” I nodded, taking slim comfort in that. Suddenly I was weary and in pain. It must have shown, because Raven leaned down and gathered Maia into his arms. “Come on, monkeys. Your father needs his beauty rest.” He looked at me and winked. “Badly.” In spite of myself, I chuckled. We’d spoken little, but there wasn’t much we could say in front of witnesses. For a moment he lingered, looking back at me. “Griffin, once our parents were gone, you were all I had left.” I looked at him steadily. “Don’t do that ever again. Ever.” “Don’t worry, Raven. I have too much to live for.” He nodded jerkily and headed out the door. Another glance back, and then he was gone.

*** One more person came into my room before I was fully asleep. I looked up from my pillows and saw Caius waiting hesitantly in the doorway. Caius, whose loyalty I’d doubted. I made a gesture for him to come to me. His face was calm, but his footsteps faltered. As he stood next to my bed, his fists clenched and opened, over and over. “Thank you, Caius.” He didn’t ask what for; he just nodded. Now that I knew what to look for, I saw the slight displacement when he moved quickly—the impression of ill-fitting clothes. “Show me.”

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He hesitated. “I can’t.” His voice sounded strangled with fear. “You owe me this.” I tried to sound stern, but my voice was alarmingly weak. I listened to the acceleration of his breathing, though no sign of panic showed on his face. Finally he reached to his belt and fumbled at the slight bulge of the unit that controlled the holo-disguise. It slipped away, and I rose on my elbows, studying him slowly. Thoroughly. Now the fear was there in plain sight. He was on the edge of panic simply from showing me his true face. I nodded, and he engaged the disguise. Immediately he seemed more at ease. Was this an addiction of some sort? He was certainly dependent on the mask. “Ralston might have seen you, however briefly. Has he said anything?” “No.” He waited a couple of heartbeats. “Will you?” “Only if it compromises the king’s safety.” “Thank you, sir.” “You will have to tell him. Until then, you’ll be assigned other duties.” He swallowed hard, and briefly, I felt pity for him. Torture came in many forms, and Caius was suffering. But if he wanted to serve Helios, he’d need to tell him the truth. “Carlotta knows?” “It was her idea. Please…don’t take it out on her. She’s suffering enough.” “Leighe.” “She loved him. Now she can’t get through to Ghlen. She doesn’t need to worry about me right now.” I lay back, letting my eye drop closed. “You’re on watch?” “Yes, General.” “Good. I’ll be able to sleep.” He straightened up and nodded. “Yes, sir.” There was no higher praise I could have given. I didn’t bother to watch him as he left the room.

***

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A warm, rough hand loosely clasped mine. I looked over and made out the figure next to me. Helios sat in the chair, his upper body draped forward onto the bed. His hair dropped just past his shoulders and fanned out in thick waves. He was sound asleep. I shifted, and he woke. He sat up and looked at me with sleepy eyes. “Get up here.” I tugged his hand, and he brought one knee up to the mattress. He paused. “Where do you hurt?” “Pretty much everywhere. Take your choice.” I tugged again, and we maneuvered for position until I was comfortably wrapped around him, my head pillowed on his chest. With the tips of his fingers he traced a soothing pattern on my scalp. It appeared he didn’t hate me. I let out a breath. Layers and layers of toxic anger and mistrust rolled away as I exhaled. Now that my secret had been revealed, I felt light. I was in Helios’s arms—I was home. His body shook slightly, and I didn’t need to look to know he was sobbing quietly. Under my cheek, the fabric of his shirt was damp with my tears. “I’m so sorry, Lio.” “About what?” I felt the ends of his hair brush my neck. “For starters, cutting off your hair. When I’m feeling a little better, we can go into my unreasonable distrust and jealousy. And my not telling you everything about Suzan.” “It wasn’t so unreasonable. I was keeping things from you too.” He moved to make himself a bit more comfortable under my weight. “What I kept from you was unforgivable. But I couldn’t…” I floundered, not knowing what to say. “I didn’t remember Suzan’s pregnancy. I didn’t know that I might have another child.” His voice was hushed and strained. “I still don’t remember, Griffin.” “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.” I winced. I’d most likely be saying that a lot in the future. “I was worried how you’d react. It was so…horrible. I didn’t want you to know before you were ready.” “So you kept the secret…to protect me?” “Yes, Helios.”

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He didn’t reply, and that silence spoke louder than words. “Those last days…you were protecting me. I understand that now.” He nodded. “At times, yes, I was trying to protect you. At other times I simply didn’t have permission to share the secrets of others.” Gently he stroked my hair. “Raven told you we withheld information about the ambush. We knew I was the target. We also knew if you had been informed, you’d overprotect me and possibly discourage the Landaun. It was important that their rulers be entirely discredited. Their society now has a clean slate, and we have removed a threat that would have never gone away.” “But at what cost, Helios?” I looked up at him, shocked to see the toll the past months had taken on him. He was thin to the point of emaciation, and dark shadows smudged his eyes. “We lost some of our allies. Leighe and several of the ICE guards as well. Our own guards suffered injuries, though none as severe as yours.” He’d gone stoic. It was an old trait of our people, one I’d never wanted to see in Helios. “Were the ambassadors warned?” “Yes, they attended at their own risk. All carried their personal weapons, and Roane Vaine assigned extra guards to the room. Still, we didn’t expect the Landaun to bring in humans as well as the Faragee.” “There’s more, isn’t there?” I lowered my head, unwilling to look into his haunted face any longer. “The message Ralston sent home wasn’t an announcement of our acceptance into the coalition. It was a call to arms. He had allies within the council and the community, and they rose against Deirdre.” I closed my eyes tightly, dreading what I was about to hear. “Losses?” “None. As far as revolutions go, it was an abysmal failure. It seems Ralston’s coconspirator on the council was Margh Wahl.” “Margh. Damn. I’d never have suspected her. She’s always been the voice of reason within the council.”

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“Exactly. She was a professional. During their interrogation, the Zamorans discovered that the king of Talis had planted her among us decades ago. Ralston, on the other hand, was a common citizen of Talis. He managed to evacuate with our people and immediately attached himself to the council. He is a Talisian loyalist and wanted to see the throne of the Astrum eliminated completely. The amazing thing is that they knew a member of the Talisian royal family had survived, but he had no clue that it was Carlotta. Her appearance has changed substantially over the years.” It had; she’d been so much younger and softer before the Landaun. “I think Ralston had a good deal of subtle influence on the behavior of council members such as Pratt.” “Amazing that he and Margh were able to find each other.” He dropped a kiss on the top of my head. “Not so amazing, given the discontent, especially in the early days. A word here, a gesture there, and those of like minds gravitated together. Margh was one of those who arranged my enslavement. She also led the Landaun to the hiding place of the royal family. Once they’d connected, Ralston monitored my captivity. He also planted evidence against Markus. They intended a complete end to the Daysprings. My cousin has been wronged in a horrible fashion.” His eyes gleamed with unshed tears. I swallowed hard; my actions against Markus had been unforgivable. I remembered when I left Markus behind on Warlan, Helios had protested. Even with his memory gone, his instincts had been correct. “Why enslave you, then? They could have allowed the Landaun to kill you.” “Two reasons: The Landaun negotiated my enslavement. They wanted me defeated. In their culture, death is the only path to honor. And apparently Margh and Ralston earned a substantial amount of money from selling me. In fact, they received royalties of some sort.” “Royalties? For what?” He shrugged. “I do not know.” Clearly this bothered him. “I assume the military put a stop to the rebellion?” Beneath my head, his chest shook slightly with laughter. “No. Margh’s people tried to take the council first. Ordinary citizens overwhelmed them by sheer numbers. Not a shot was fired. Pratt suffered a broken arm, though. I intend to duly reward him for his valor.”

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Pratt and valor didn’t really seem to work together in the same sentence. I looked up at him in question. “Deirdre had taken the children to the council chambers when the riot broke out. Pratt hid them in one of the audience rooms. There was nothing with which to bar the door, so he thrust his arm into the brackets. The rebels shattered his arm as they tried to break through.” “Damnation.” I shook my head in amazement. “I would never have expected that of him.” “None of us did. Deirdre was impressed. He was willing to protect the children with his own body.” “While Margh and her allies wanted them dead.” We looked at each other, shocked at the irony of the situation. Helios shrugged. “I thought he was my enemy.” “As did I.” “He’s been the biggest opponent to our marriage. His loyalty is to me…to the throne. And to you, Griffin.” Pratt’s actions had certainly reflected his convictions. He didn’t object to our marriage on personal grounds, but on the idea that there needed to be a royal dynasty. He’d suffered greatly to protect the Daysprings. And the Hawkes. He sighed. “He’s still a thorn in my side. A big, noisy thorn. But I have new appreciation for him.” He draped his arm over my chest and held me just a bit closer. My eyes were growing heavy, and there were many hours till dawn. I heard him stifle a yawn. “We still have much to talk about, Griffin.” “I know. It’s a hell of a secret I kept from you.” He didn’t answer. I had known the loss of the baby might be too much for him. A secret like that would test the faith of anyone. There were so many problems we hadn’t addressed. So many secrets. I covered his arm with mine. We and our loved ones were well and alive. We were fortunate. Blessed. I pressed a kiss onto his chest, feeling the coarse fabric of his work clothes under my lips. He’d come straight to me from the flight.

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“We’ll be all right, Lio.” I believed it. Everything was in the open, and we still loved each other. “I know we will.” He didn’t sound as though he believed me. I gritted my teeth and swore at the pain it caused. He was weary and still full of despair. I could feel it radiating up into my body. Chances were he was not only starving himself, but not sleeping either. I let go of his arm and slid my hand down his belly to cup his groin. He was flaccid. “Griffin, I don’t think that’s—” He gasped as I gripped hard. I kneaded, tugging at him through his clothing. He liked that. I didn’t look up at him; I knew the exact expression he’d be wearing—eyes heavy-lidded, lower lip caught between his teeth. I let go, worked his pants open, and freed him. He wasn’t hard—not yet. Gently I probed at the smooth perfection of his balls, then cradled the soft orbs. I let them go and softly massaged the silky skin of his perineum. Beneath my head, his heart beat rapidly. “Grif…” He trailed off in the midst of one final protest. “Quiet,” I commanded. Once again I let loose of him. I licked my palm, then reached down to stroke him firmly. I smiled as his shaft lengthened and grew. He began to stroke my hair, and he lifted his other arm up to lock it around my shoulder. I raised one leg up to pin his knees in place. His hips began to jerk involuntarily. His breathing came fast, but he was quiet, releasing only the occasional sobbing breath. I watched, seeing how gaunt he’d become. The bones of his hips jutted from beneath his skin. I pushed up his shirt and could nearly count his ribs. How he’d suffered. Clearly he needed me. Through a moment of distraction, I’d nearly left him forever. He came suddenly, his seed spurting into my hand, spattering in shining droplets on the bared expanse of his belly. He shivered and then let his breath out in one long, heavy release. I reached to the side of the mattress and pulled the sheet up to wipe him clean. Another breath, and then another, until it became clear he was crying. Helios was never one to hide his emotions, but now I sensed he needed me to lie in his arms and simply let him be.

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His slender body quaked and rocked, yet he continued to hold me in his powerful grip. In time, the storm of his emotions ebbed, and he relaxed back into the pillows, never letting me go. One hand was buried in my hair, the other wrapped around my shoulder. When I glanced up, he was sleeping soundly. I smiled and pulled his clothing back into place, then relaxed into his body. Though I couldn’t even rise from my bed, Helios had allowed me to shoulder his burden, if only for a moment. He’d allowed me to be strong in my weakness. After months apart, we were finally finding our way back together. Maybe he was learning something as well.

*** “Your statement was admitted into evidence today.” I jumped slightly, cursing my abstraction. I was braced at the edge of my bed, trying to force my legs to hold my weight. Helios’s sudden appearance surprised me, and I slipped, nearly falling to the floor. He caught me and held me until I was steady again. A flush heated my face, but I chose to ignore the weakness. Step by step, I moved until I reached a chair and lowered myself into it. Helios watched, a disapproving frown on his face, but like me, he was choosing his battles today. He leaned against the bed, facing me. He’d finally conceded on the issue of clothing and had allowed Deirdre to order new garments more suited for affairs of state. His high-collared coat was closely cut, dropping to his hips. The matching trousers were trim and well-tailored. The outfit was less elaborate than his other one, but probably a good deal more comfortable. The rich black fabric was a startling contrast to his fair skin and vivid hair. A wide band secured the high collar; a brilliant green emerald glowed at his neck. “I could have taken the stand.” “Yes, you could have. But the evidence against the conspirators is abundant. You’d have waited for hours before your turn. It was just as well.” We studied each other for a long moment. Helios still looked weary and drained, but next to me, he was the picture of health. My skin was pallid, and I’d lost a massive amount of weight. I never seemed to get enough to eat. I reached up and brushed the hair back from my face. It had grown out and hung past my shoulders. When I’d asked Helios to send a barber, he’d merely

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grinned and wrapped a fist in my hair to pull me close for a kiss. Our old dominance wars had begun again, but this time around, it thrilled me. Helios had indeed changed, but I’d changed as well. I wasn’t up for sex yet, but that didn’t stop me from lusting. “How is the trial going?” I struggled to tear myself from the distraction he presented. “They admitted the interrogation transcripts and analysis today. It was damning for both Ralston and Margh.” The coalition had elected to try all parties simultaneously. It was a conspiracy case, and as it had resulted in the death of coalition personnel, Margh and the other rebels had been transported to Prima Vega for trial. The burden of punishment was off our shoulders. “Ralston opted for interrogation by the AmWere. Apparently he forgot that the shifters can scent a lie.” Helios smiled slightly. “Aside from that, he was interviewed by Thorn Greywolf. You probably remember him from the fight.” I did remember him—all seven feet of him. The shifter was one of the most seriously intimidating people I’d ever encountered. He probably scared the truth out of Ralston. “Margh chose a Zamoran interview. Apparently the AmWere frightened her. She thought she’d be safer with the little people.” The tiny Zamorans were not only insanely fierce; they were telepathic. Neither Ralston nor Margh stood a chance in interrogation. “The Landaun?” “They waived counsel and confessed all. I believe they’re hoping for execution.” I nodded. “Their shame must be crushing.” Helios pushed back farther onto the bed and reclined on the pillows. He looked at the ceiling, clearly gathering his thoughts. “I’d hoped for revenge against them, Griffin. I wanted their blood on my hands. I wanted them to hurt, and I wanted them to die. But that is not justice.” “No. They needed to stand before the world and admit their crimes. In the end, that’s what our people needed most. That is justice.” I rubbed my thighs, trying to soothe the cramping pain that still afflicted me.

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Helios sat up and pulled his knees to his chest. His black outfit was stark against the white of the bedding, and his hair flowed loosely around his shoulders. When he looked at me, his eyes were grave. “Sometimes revenge is a kinder fate than justice. I’m told the panel of judges might opt for life imprisonment rather than execution.” I saw the weight of knowledge in his eyes. Not guilt, though. This time the coalition had taken the burden from us. When Farsh would be punished, his family would suffer the same fate as he. Wives and children, parents, siblings, and even cousins would share his shame. Dozens if not hundreds of Landaun would die because of this trial. It was their tradition. They would die because of the actions of men and women who had plotted against us. And there would be no one left of the bloodline to seek revenge against our people. It was finally over. We could look to the heavens without fear. Helios turned away from me and stared out the window at Prima Vega’s blue, blue skies. And I knew that deep inside, he grieved for those innocents.

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Chapter Seventeen The air was colder than I was accustomed to. It lashed my face as we climbed steadily higher. The engine of the skimmer growled as it adapted to the elevation of the mountains. Helios was at the controls, grinning as white flecks of snow drifted and whirled in our wake. I looked around in amazement; in the years our people had been on Neo Domus, I’d never traveled to the mountains during the winter. The snow was an unexpected delight. It softened the rocky landscape, giving everything a magical appearance. “Just a few more minutes!” he shouted. We could have put the roof and windows up on the vehicle, but Helios wanted me to experience the frigid air and wild scent of the mountains and trees. I shivered and moved closer to him on the narrow seat. The motor whined as we climbed a bit higher, then rounded a bend in the narrow path. There before us, a small cluster of buildings were nestled within a grove of tall trees. They appeared rough-hewn, but I suspected the cabins were warm and well built. We came to a stop in front of the largest, and the lights flickered on, welcoming us home. It was small enough to be intimate, but large enough to house the family for outings. Helios cut the motor, and I slid off the seat to stand in knee-deep snow. I gazed around, smiling at tiny, brilliantly colored birds in the trees. A small rodent scurried out of the brush, unafraid of us. “I thought that as a king, I should occasionally live like one. So this is our mountain palace.” I laughed. We were still living in makeshift quarters at the royal complex. The privacy of this little cabin in the snow was priceless.

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He led me up the steps, pausing to make certain I made it safely. My recovery was nearly complete, and I’d returned to duty part-time. The weakness and occasional pain persisted, making me short of temper and impatient. Well, more impatient than usual. But every day was better, and life was returning to the new normal. We now moved around the city freely, without fear of attacks. The very air was fraught with anticipation as freighters were prepared to travel to Arash. We’d sent crews to the cities to salvage artifacts, cultural monuments, and most important, survivors. Surveillance had spotted small herds of horses and areas that appeared to be crudely cultivated. Unfortunately the atmosphere was compromised. Someday the planet would recover, but for now, it had to be given time to heal. The best way for that to happen was to turn her back over to nature. The inside of the cabin was surprisingly spacious, with an open ground floor and an enormous bedroom loft. The room was scattered with cushions and comfortable seating. It was warm, and the view from the panoramic window was incomparable. I dropped into a plush sofa and relaxed, taking a deep, cleansing breath. It was so quiet. Helios sat down next to me, sharing the silence like the gift it was. The snow came down heavier; tree limbs bent under its weight, until the springy branches finally bowed enough to rid themselves of the burden, then sprang up to collect it again. That was Helios. He bent under his troubles, then finally let them slip away. I was more like the giant hardwoods of Arash; they would split and crack under the burden of the snow. It was a lesson I would take to heart. I wanted to be more like him. I looked over at Helios. “Thank you.” He lifted an elegant brow. I studied his face; if possible, the change in his hair enhanced his beauty even more. It was a darker red, falling in deep waves that hadn’t appeared under the weight of its extreme length. It grew rapidly, and he showed no inclination to cut it. Unable to resist, I dragged my fingers through the silky strands. He returned the embrace and stroked my hair affectionately. It was almost as long as his. I probably looked like a hairy beast. “I built this for selfish reasons. I wanted time up here for myself. For us.” He looked out the window at the beauty that lay before us. “I’ve allowed the office and my duties to intrude on

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me…on my life. Now I understand. I’m more than a king. I’m a father and a lover. I have friends and a life other than what the throne requires. If I’m not healthy…and happy, the kingdom will suffer.” I smiled, glad he was finally able to carve out a niche in his life for himself. “I was chosen king by my people. It’s an honor—one I never expected. But still, it’s not the role I’d have chosen for myself.” I gazed out at the snow, thinking carefully about what I needed to say. “Your uncle was a good king. You are a great king. The best leaders don’t seek honor or thrones. Even if you hadn’t been born to lead, our people would have sought you out.” He smiled and shook his head. “I might have been called to my role, but I was born to a much simpler, more fulfilling destiny.” “And what might that be?” “I was born to love you.” I stared at him in surprise. He took my hand and pressed a silk bag into my palm. Carefully I unknotted it and emptied Suzan’s marriage bracelet into my hand. It had been repaired, and a heavy gold chain ran through it. As I watched, he flipped the catch on my sapphire bracelet. I swallowed hard as he slipped it into the bag and tucked it in the pocket next to my heart. He then lifted the chain over my neck. “You never grieved for her.” His eyes were luminous with tears. “I barely remember her. I don’t remember those last days at all. So I need you to grieve for her…for me.” “By the Sun, Lio.” The curse slipped from my lips. “You’ll know when to put the bracelet back on. Until then, I’ll wait. Patiently, I hope.” I nodded and rubbed my chest. It hurt so very badly. I cleared my throat. When I spoke, my voice was hoarse. “Some time after your wife was killed, you came to our house. Late at night a knock roused us. Suzan opened the door, and there you were. It was Suzan who brought you back to our bed. We went on that way for months…years. And the three of us were happy.

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“After a time, your uncle wanted you to remarry and have more children. We never really spoke of it, but from that point we made certain that if Suzan became pregnant, the child would be yours. She didn’t want to lose you again. Nor did I.” Helios flinched at that revelation. His head drooped despondently. He remembered nothing of that time, and according to the Vash who’d recently scanned his brain, he might never remember. “You were overjoyed. We told the children. It was a little girl. She was just short of term when the Landaun came.” His voice was thick when he spoke. “You’re sure she died?” “She cried. The Landaun didn’t like the sound. They…stopped her.” “Lauren told me a Vash took her away.” His voice carried a thread of hope. I shook my head. “She died, Lio. I’m sure the Vash took her, but…she died.” He wiped his eyes and nose. It didn’t matter that he didn’t remember; he still felt powerful emotions for his lost baby. For Suzan as well. “A daughter. We had a daughter.” He slid down and lowered his head onto my lap. “Did we name her?” “Olivia. For the trees.” “Olivia. Olivia Rose.” I looked at him suspiciously. “How’d you know?” “Don’t know. It’s locked up here somewhere.” He tapped his forehead. “I always thought if I had a daughter, I’d name her Rose.” He rolled to his back and looked up at me. “Lauren had a breakthrough with Lefi Dhrahn. She spoke to me afterward. The things she saw… She’d bottled them up all this time.” “I know. I heard some of it one night when you were visiting.” He clasped my arm urgently. “Griffin, she thinks she’s a traitor. She told them how to enter the king’s labyrinth. Poor baby thought they’d let you all go if she told.”

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“Gods.” The burden she’d carried on her tiny shoulders must have been massive. “It was too late. They’d already been killed.” “I told her that.” He shook his head. “Lefi did as well. He was wonderful with the children. He’s agreed to come to Neo Domus for a few months to work with them and others who’ve suffered losses.” I smiled. “I can only imagine the chaos he’ll cause around here. Has he propositioned you yet?” Helios beamed up at me. “He told me he’d brought the subject up to you, and you’d refused him. I was quite flattered.” “Why?” “Because you were willing to pass on a threesome with such a beauty. Because you favored monogamy with me though our relationship was strained.” I snorted in humor. “Have you looked in a mirror lately? I swear, the Daysprings crossed out to the Somians at some point in time!” “Have you noticed how Somians tend to become infatuated with you?” he shot back. He had been jealous! I tried to ignore the thrill of satisfaction the knowledge gave me. “What now?” I asked. “We left someone behind. We need to find Markus.” Guilt sat as heavily in my heart as it did on his face. “We can’t go back to Warlan, Lio. There are bound to be warrants on both of us.” “But we must. He’s my family, Griffin, and I betrayed him.” “I betrayed him, not you. And as bad as I feel, I can’t change what happened. We can only control what happens next. And we’ll bring him home.” He reached up and stroked my jaw; one fingertip traced my lips. Obviously his attention had wandered. Under the weight of his head, my cock began to fill, and images of what that beautiful mouth could be doing flooded my mind. “Griffin? I trust you have a strategy for this?”

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I blinked rapidly, pulling my wandering attention back to the problem. “Caius. It’s got to be a one-man rescue. We can send Caius.” He nodded, his head jarring my swollen shaft. He seemed oblivious to what he was doing to me. “He’s competent and a damn good fighter. And he’s not pretty enough to catch the attention of the slavers.” If he only knew. I almost smiled. Another secret, and this time, I found myself in the same position Helios had been in months ago. But if Caius wanted to continue with our people, he needed to share his secret with Helios. “I’ll summon him as soon as we go home.” He smiled up at me, then rolled the back of his head over my erection. “But we are home.” I gasped and wrapped a fist into that lush hair of his. He sat up, turned, and began to unfasten my pants. Warm lips dragged the length of my shaft. Sharp teeth caught the edge of my head, just the way I liked best. After that, there wasn’t much left that I could say.

Loose Id Titles by Belinda McBride Belle Star Blacque/Bleu

*** The AN UNCOMMON WHORE Series An Uncommon Whore When I Fall

*** “Educating Evangeline” Part of the anthology Doms of Dark Haven With Sierra Cartwright and Cherise Sinclair “Hunting Holly” Part of the anthology Doms of Dark Haven 2: Western Night With Sierra Cartwright and Cherise Sinclair

Belinda McBride While Belinda's upbringing seemed pretty normal to her, she was surrounded by a fascinating array of friends and family, including a polyamorous grandmother, a grandfather who is a Native American icon, and various cowboys, hippies, scoundrels, and saints. She has a degree in history and cultural anthropology, but in 2006 made the life-changing decision to quit her job as a public health paraprofessional and stay at home fulltime to care for her severely disabled, autistic niece. This difficult decision gave Belinda the gift of time, which allowed her to return to writing fiction, which she’d abandoned years before. She has two daughters, six Siberian Huskies, and an array of wild birds that visit the feeders in the front yard. She supports no-kill animal shelters, and donates platelets twice monthly at her local blood center. As an author, Belinda loves crossing genres, kicking taboos to the curb, and pulling from world mythology and folklore for inspiration. She is committed to taking her readers on an emotional journey and never forgets that at the end of the day, she’s writing about love.