Consort (Beyond Ontariese 6) (26 page)

But he didn’t let it go, likely
couldn’t with the safety of his life mate on the line. His glances
were subtle and he managed to maintain a smile, but Cinarra knew
him too well. He was completely distracted by the possible threat.
She took him by the hand and led him out onto the wide verandah
that bordered the ballroom on two sides.

The air was mercifully cool against
her flushed skin and even the violent shiver was welcome. “Take a
deep breath and clear your mind, my love. Then sort through the
signals one by one. See if you can find Eagin. Your instincts are
too highly refined. We shouldn’t just ignore this.”

“
Wise advice,
Indric.”

Cinarra whipped her head to the side
as a Bilarrian woman stepped out of the shadows.

“
You should listen to
your…mistress.” She uttered the word with such derision that it was
obvious she was thinking something a lot more insulting. With
glossy black hair twisted into an elaborate chignon and red rings
glowing in her dark eyes, she was strikingly exotic and undeniably
lovely. Her evening gown was colorful and daring, yet she carried
herself with confidence and grace.

“
Nasrin.” Indric took a
cautious step toward them. “Don’t hurt her.”

Cinarra didn’t understand the comment
until she felt heat brush against her arm. Nasrin’s hand hovered
over Cinarra’s forearm, flames swirling around and emanating from
Nasrin’s fingers. Cinarra tried to move her arm away, but Nasrin
matched her movement, keeping just enough space between them to
prevent Cinarra from being burned while maintaining the
heat.

“
What do you want?” Indric
demanded. “Where’s Eagin?”

“
I told him to stay out of
sight, but you know your brother—”

“
Bastard
half-brother.”

“
Whatever.” She tossed her
head, obviously used to having all that long black hair at her
disposal. “Like a child, he had to see what was going
on.”

“
That didn’t answer his
question,” Cinarra pointed out. The flames had spread up Nasrin’s
arm, but her body didn’t appear to be affected by the destructive
heat.

Cinarra glanced at Indric. This had to
be Ametto’s boss. Had he made the connection or was he too focused
on the present threat? His gaze was fixed on Nasrin, his expression
lethal. A throng of people buzzed about in the ballroom and the
transparent doors were even propped open. Should she call for help,
or had Indric already summoned his security team?

“
He just wants to talk to
you,” Nasrin told Indric. “We found out something we think you
should know before you put any more time and energy into a
relationship with this woman.” Her gaze shifted to Cinarra and
animosity sparked within her eyes.

Is this Ametto’s
boss?
She carefully pushed the thought
toward Indric.

“
I’m Queen Nasrin of the
Fire Islands,” the stranger informed her. “And I’m a strong
telepath, so don’t bother trying to reach out to anyone else. I’ll
block the transmission. As for Ametto, I wasn’t sure if he’d
betrayed me or not. Thank you for confirming my
suspicion.”

“
Let her go.” Indric’s
voice was infused with compulsion, but Nasrin didn’t seem to
notice. “I have no interest in anything either of you have to
say.”

“
The choice is simple. Come
with me now or watch her burn.”

An odd breeze ruffled Indric’s hair
and the rings in his eyes began to glow.

Nasrin laughed. “Go on. See if you can
blow out the flame before I char half her body.”

Cinarra jerked her arm away, but
Nasrin lunged, grasping Cinarra by the nape of the neck before she
could escape. Nasrin held her burning hand in front of Cinarra’s
face. The flames were so hot now they made her eyes
water.

Indric raised both arms and summoned
Air to him, pushing the fire away from Cinarra’s face and
minimizing the size of the flames.

Nasrin countered with a sudden burst
of Fire. Cinarra gasped and blocked her face with her arms, crying
out as the flames crawled across her skin. She poured energy into
the burns, silencing the pain and slowing the spread of the injury.
All of Cinarra’s gifts were passive but strong. Still, she’d give
anything to be able to knock the black-haired bitch on her ass or
switch off her mind.

“
Enough!” Indric closed the
distance between them and reached for Nasrin’s arm. Half a second
before his hand closed around her wrist the flames blinked out.
“I’ll come.”

Stunned and frantically working to
counteract the pain, Cinarra nearly missed the significance of
Nasrin’s actions. The Fire Queen didn’t want to hurt Indric. He
might view her as an extension of his half-brother, but Nasrin’s
interest in Indric was separate from her association with
Eagin.

“
Good choice.” She motioned
toward the stairs at the end of the verandah. “He’s in the
garden.”

“
Tell him to come up here,”
Cinarra snapped as she rubbed the lingering sting out of her
arms.

Nasrin watched with speculative
interest. “You heal really well.” Then as if she heard her own
comment, her expression cleared and she added, “That could make
this even more fun.” Nasrin tried to insinuate herself between
Cinarra and Indric, but he forced Nasrin back with a burst of
Air.

Indric slipped his arm around
Cinarra’s shoulders and gave her an encouraging squeeze. “Go back
inside. Find Ametto. This shouldn’t take long.”

“
Not a chance.” Nasrin
raised her chin and smoothed back a lock of hair dislodged by
Indric’s protest. “You both come or we’ll create such a spectacle
it will be picked up by every intergalactic news outlet in
existence. I don’t think High Queen Charlotte would appreciate her
gala being tainted by your dirty laundry.”

Dirty laundry? Was it possible Eagin
had learned about the Mystic? No, she was being paranoid. They’d
probably figured out Cinarra was a cover when she retreated to
Ontariese and presumed Indric didn’t know about her double life.
Well, they were in for a rude awakening. Indric knew all her
secrets and loved her anyway.

Nasrin stared at Indric for a silent
moment, then Indric made an impatient motion toward the
stairs.

“
After you,” Nasrin
countered. “I insist.”

Indric took Cinarra by the hand,
interlacing their fingers. He didn’t form specific thoughts, but
reassurance and affection flowed into Cinarra’s mind. She responded
with a hint of anger and then purposeful calm.

The garden wasn’t large, but
firestones had been inset in the decorative stone path, creating a
soft, slightly red ambiance. Floral scents drifted in the breeze,
the air cool against Cinarra’s face. Indric led her between the
meticulously manicured flower beds toward the statue grouping in
the middle of the garden.

Dressed in a black tuxedo, a tall
Bilarrian man lounged against the half-naked statue of a female
warrior. Though his hair was short and the rings in his eyes were
more bronze than gold, his resemblance to Indric was
obvious.

“
You’ve come a long way to
pick a fight.” Indric positioned himself directly in front of
Cinarra, but she moved far enough to the side so she could see
Eagin.

“
I’m not here to pick a
fight.” He pushed away from the statue and sauntered forward,
insolence evident in every step. “In fact, I’m here to warn you
that potential danger is closer than you can possibly
imagine.”

“
That sounds very dramatic.
Do you honestly think I’ll believe anything you tell
me?”

Nasrin moved forward, angling herself
so she could see both men. “He didn’t uncover this information. I
did.”

“
And you’re any more
credible than him?”

Currents of Air swirled around Indric.
Cinarra couldn’t see his face, but his body was tense, his stance
wide, ready for action.

“
Rumors about Madam Mazodie
have been rampant since you moved her to the palace,” Nasrin
began.

“
I never listen to
rumors.”

“
I understand your
attitude, but I’m not repeating rumors. My interest was piqued by
some of the things I’d heard, so I launched a full-scale
investigation.”

“
What possible interest
could you have in my personal life?” His tone was dry, revealing
little more than annoyance, but the currents of Air became stronger
and swirled faster. “I have never been, nor will I ever be, your
concern.”

Her lip twitched and nostrils flared.
His barb had obviously found its mark. “I consider you a friend and
I don’t like to see my friends suffer needlessly.”

Eagin scoffed, but speculation
narrowed his gaze. Wasn’t he aware of Nasrin’s infatuation with
Indric? “Just spill it, Nasrin. We don’t have all
night.”

“
This might be hard for you
to believe, but I have it from a dependable source that Cinarra
Mazodie doesn’t exist. The person behind you is Aneezka Emiel, a
Rodyte spy.”

Aneezka Emiel. Was that the Mystic’s
real name? They had to locate Nasrin’s source.

Indric laughed. “Wow. I had no idea
you had such an inventive imagination.”

His reaction didn’t seem to surprise
or upset Nasrin. She looked at Eagin and signaled him with a subtle
nod. Then, without changing her expression, she went on. “I knew
you wouldn’t believe me. That’s why I brought proof.” She held out
a data crystal, but Indric didn’t move.

Trepidation crept across Cinarra,
making her skin prickle and her muscles twitch. Something was
horribly wrong. This felt artificial, as if they were going through
the motions, playing predetermined parts. Eagin reached under his
sleeve and activated some sort of trigger.

“
Get down!” She tugged on
Indric’s arm, but instead of ducking, he turned and tackled her,
covering her with his body.

“
No! Move!” Nasrin dove for
Indric, frantically trying to pull him off Cinarra.

The rest happened in a blur of light
and sound. Two small objects arched into view, light from the
firestones gleaming off their metallic casings. One dove directly
for Eagin, following his agile movements until it had a clear shot.
With three precision blasts the drone fired and Eagin dropped
lifeless to the gravel bed surrounding the statues.

“
Don’t move.” Indric’s tone
was commanding, leaving no room for disobedience or
discussion.

Understanding washed over Cinarra in
an icy rush. She closed her eyes and used Mystic sight to locate
the other drone. It hovered above them, unable to lock on to its
target. Indric was still breathing, and Nasrin had signaled the
attack, so that only left one possible target.

“
If you don’t move. It will
shoot through you,” Nasrin warned, her voice tremulous. “I’ve seen
it happen before. You don’t have to die for this whore. She’s
deceived you, Indric. She’s a Rodyte spy.”

“
She’s not the one who has
a
Rodyte
attack
drone pointed at my back!” Indric carefully levered himself off the
ground, yet he remained on his hands and knees, shielding Cinarra
with his body.

“
You are not the target.
Just move and it—”

Cinarra couldn’t see what shut her up,
but she sensed other people moving closer.

“
I can hold the drone in
position. Can you destroy it?” She had no idea who Tal addressed,
but she recognized his familiar voice.

“
It’s too close to them.
Anything I do will cause them harm.”

Drakkin. She was relieved for a
nanosecond then his words sank in. If Lord Drakkin couldn’t help
them, they were screwed.

“
On three, I will give you
more room,” Indric said as he looked deep into her eyes.
I love you and always will.
“One. Two. Three!”

His body shuddered as he used a
concentrated blast of Air to propel the drone away from
them.

Drakkin flowed into her peripheral
vision, his right arm raised. The drone exploded in the night sky,
showering them with sparks and debris. Indric remained above her,
refusing to budge until the last fragment landed.

Then Indric leapt to his feet and
turned around, advancing on Nasrin with obvious malice. “You will
pay for this with your life,” he sneered.

Charlotte was suddenly beside Cinarra,
helping her up from the grass. “Are you all right?”

“
I’m fine.”

Tal had one arm wrapped around
Nasrin’s throat and the other minimized her struggles. The areas of
his body near her flaming hands fluctuated between solid and
incorporeal, allowing the Fire to pass right through.

“
I was protecting you,” she
yelled at Indric. “Eagin meant to kill you, so I turned his own
weapon on him. Don’t you understand? I did this for
you!”

“
You targeted my fiancée.”
He snarled and only Drakkin’s hand on his shoulder kept him from
lunging for the Fire Queen. “Attempted assassination of a royal
consort is still punishable by death.”

“
I am a regional queen. It
would take an act of the High Command to sanction such a sentence.”
Even secured within Tal’s restraining arms, she managed to look
haughty.