Defender (Battle Born Book 4) (12 page)

Vox rounded the table and Chandar scrambled to her feet. Why did he make her feel so vulnerable?

To his credit, Vox stopped well back and extended his hands at his sides. “I mean you no harm, Miss Evon. Do you remember me?” He spoke Rodyte with a distinct accent. Bilarrian, Vox was from the planet Bilarri.

Miss Evon?
It had been so long since anyone called her anything but Chandar, it took a moment for her sluggish mind to realize he was referring to her. Then her brain seemed to vibrate with a rush of information. Wanting nothing to do with her mother after the loss of her father and brother, Chandar refused to answer to the name Sterling. In response, her mother forbade her to use the name Tarr. Chandar ignored the decree, so Pyre took it a step further and forbade the name Tarr from being uttered in the presence of any harbinger. Refusing to be thwarted by her mother’s decree, Chandar started using her father’s first name as her family name, so she became Chandar Evon. When Danvier told her that he also used Evon as his family name, they each wondered if some filament of their bond remained even after Pyre attempted to destroy it.

“Chandar.”

Raylon called her back to the present and she gave herself a firm mental shake. Everyone in the dining room was staring at her, afraid she’d lose control. Raylon now stood beside her, his arm at the small of her back. She glanced up at him and attempted to smile, but mostly her lips just trembled. “I’m back.”

“Did you have a vision?” Indigo had scooted her chair away from the table, but she still sat beside her mate.

Chandar shook her head. “Just a rush of memory.” After fortifying herself with a deep breath, she dragged her gaze back to Vox.

He watched her silently, his gaze assessing. “Of what did the memories consist?”

It was a clever way of restating his original question. “I don’t remember you, not really. I knew who you were as soon as I saw you and I know we were acquainted. Beyond that…it’s just gone.”

“That’s not surprising.” He clasped his hands behind his back and tilted his head slightly as he continued to evaluate her. “Our sessions were mere days before your departure from Harbinger Academy.”

“You were one of my tutors?”

His head dipped, confirming her assertion. “I prepared you for your final exam.”

Her final exam? Her throat grew so tense she could barely swallow. If Vox was her final tutor, then was he the faceless lover she could barely recall? There was no way she was asking that question in front of a room full of people, so she stated the obvious. “But you’re Bilarrian. Why would the elders give an enemy access to the trainees?”

“Not every trainee can benefit from my techniques. Only the most powerful can tolerate the intensity.”

A strange tingle cascaded through her body and images, jumbled and unfocused, swam through her mind. “Are you a trainer on Bilarri or is it just harbingers you assist?”

The stark appraisal left his gaze and he made a sweeping gesture toward the table. “Shall we sit? Or do you need a few moments to compose yourself?”

His tone held just enough challenge to ignite her temper, which burned away her uncertainty. She wasn’t sure if Vox had provoked her intentionally, but she was pleased with the result. Raylon repositioned her chair and she slipped onto the seat.

“Vox briefed me when he arrived, so I’m going to leave you to it.” Garin departed and Vox took his place at the table.

“Most people on both our planets prefer to ignore the fact,” Vox began once the room settled into silence, “but we are the same species. Every Rodyte has Bilarrian ancestors.”

“And most Bilarrians have Rodyte relatives,” Chandar returned.

“My point exactly.” His red phitons flashed before he went on. “Even Rodyte guilds are patterned after the Bilarrian seats of power.”

Again a dizzying rush of information infused Chandar’s brain. “Bilarri is divided into four regions. Four regions and four guilds. Each guild represents the element honored by its region. Your father is Master Fire. You’re Crown Prince of the Fire Islands.”

“Are these new memories?” Vox asked. “Has my presence triggered these recollections?”

She nodded and dread rolled through her being. The edges of the void blurred as light seeped into the darkness. “I’ve been remembering odd details ever since you walked into the room.”

“Don’t fight it,” Vox advised. “Your being is attempting to right itself, to return to the form in which it was created.”

“She’s shaking,” Raylon snapped. “This is overwhelming her.” Vox chuckled and fury hardened Raylon’s features.

“She’s much stronger than you know.”

“What would
you
know about it?” Raylon flattened his hands on the table as he came up out of his chair. “You haven’t seen her in over two years. You know nothing about her!”

“Vox is right.” Indigo reached across Chandar and touched Raylon’s arm. “This could be very helpful. Chandar can tell us when she’s had enough.”

Part of Chandar wanted the escape Raylon offered. If she spoke the word, he’d take her out of here. She dreaded the memories waiting in the void, yet she would never function properly without them. Besides, she was tired of being afraid, tired of the weakness and uncertainty. The only way she would ever feel whole again was if she took back control of her life.

“I need to be alone with Vox.” Panic surged as she heard her own words and she quickly amended, “I’d like Indigo to stay.”

Suddenly, Raylon’s hands closed around her upper arms and pulled her up out of her chair. “Don’t let him intimidate you. If you’re not ready for this, we’re out of here.”

His tone was rough and intimate. Protective passion burned in his gaze. She rested her hands on his chest and managed a shaky smile. “I need this. I won’t run from it anymore.”

Then shocking her to the marrow of her bones, he bent his head and kissed her, a deep, unmistakable declaration that she belonged to him. She surrendered to the heated rush that always erupted when he touched her, yet the kiss would have been so much sweeter if jealousy hadn’t triggered the embrace.

“I won’t go far,” he whispered against her damp lips. “If you need me, call.” Then he returned her to her seat and stormed from the room, glaring at Vox the entire way.

Danvier and Zilor followed at a more leisurely pace. And soon the females were alone with Vox.

Chandar heard Indigo make a strange, coughing/laughing sound, so she looked at her friend.

“That was different,” Indigo whispered. “Clearly, you need to fill me in on what happened last night.”

“Later.” Chandar shot a meaningful look across the table.

Vox just shook his head and offered her a full-on, toothy smile. “I’m no threat to Raylon. You are an extraordinary female, but my mate will likely be chosen by my uncle, Lotar, King of the Fire Islands.”

“Your mate will be chosen by your uncle rather than your father?” Indigo’s curious nature gave her a boldness Chandar envied. “Is that the usual custom on Bilarri?”

Vox looked at Chandar, his smile fading to a neutral expression. “Can you explain? What else do you remember about me?”

There was a wealth of meaning in his questions. Chandar relaxed and opened her mind at the first tingle of recognition. “No one can be both king and guild master. Your father had to choose.”

“Correct. What else?”

She licked her lips and a strange, sensual image appeared within her mind. She saw herself locked in Vox’s embrace, his mouth moving hungrily over hers. Her eyes widened as she pressed her hand against her throat. “Are we…were we lovers?”

“Not in the way you mean. We have shared intimacies, but they had a specific purpose that went beyond giving and receiving pleasure.”

“This I’ve got to hear.” Indigo made another combination sound, this one part scoff, part snicker. “Sexual intimacies were part of her training?”

“Were and likely will be again,” he cautioned. “The straightest pathways leading to elemental power are pleasure and pain. Which would you prefer?”

Indigo’s gaze narrowed, but she had no reply.

“However, you jumped ahead. We were discussing my background.” He shifted his gaze back to Chandar. “We can’t begin until you understand who I am and why the harbingers employ me. I can explain, but it will be easier to accept if you find the answers within your own mind. What else do you remember?”

Bracing herself for another deluge, Chandar turned her attention inward. The information rolled out of the darkness with far less effort this time. “Your father was already king when he decided he could accomplish more as Master Fire. He abdicated the throne, making your uncle king, but before your father stepped down he ensured that your inheritance was secure.”

“So you’re still heir to the throne?” Indigo asked and Vox nodded. “Does your uncle have children of his own?”

“He does, but he understood the situation when my father made the change. If I’d been a few years older, Father would have made him my regent rather than king. Uncle Lotar always understood that the placement was temporary.”

Indigo accepted the explanation with a tense nod, yet it was obvious she found Lotar’s selflessness hard to believe. To be honest, so did Chandar. Civil wars had been fought over less.

“Though I’m glad Chandar is recalling these details, they’re not crucial to the present situation.” His penetrating gaze centered on Chandar again as he said, “Why do the harbingers employ me?”

When the answer didn’t automatically appear in her mind, Chandar closed her eyes and reluctantly peered into the darkness.
You will not control me.
She projected the declaration into the vast emptiness.
I will no longer cower before uncertainty. I know horrors await me, but I will cling to this one truth. You tried to destroy me, gave it everything you had, but I’m still alive and challenging you!

Purpose and relief washed over her. She felt centered and confident for the first time since her rescue. She breathed a sigh of relief, amazed by her progress.

And then the darkness consumed her.

Chapter Six

Raylon restlessly paced the courtyard, occasionally pushing his fingers through his hair. He could hear the rumble of voices, but couldn’t make out specific words. His combots could amplify his hearing, but he’d invaded Chandar’s privacy too many times as it was. She deserved better.

Vox said something loud enough to draw Raylon’s attention. His hands clenched and he took two steps toward the dining room, then realized what he was doing. Garin had obviously been instrumental in bringing the Bilarrian here, which meant his best friend owed him an explanation. Rather than using the computer to locate Garin, Raylon decided to go look for him the old-fashioned way. He desperately needed a distraction. This would have to do.

He made it to the archway leading out of the Pavilion when fear slammed into his mind. Achingly familiar, the emotion momentarily stole his breath, then launched him into action. He bolted across the courtyard and shouldered past the dining room door, which he’d left partly open.

Flying around the table, he caught Chandar’s upper arms as she went limp in her chair. “What the fuck did you do to her?” Raylon shouted at Vox.

Before the Bilarrian could offer an explanation, Chandar moaned, drawing Raylon’s attention back to her. She arched, her head dropping backward until it rested against the seat. Steadying her with one hand, he dragged the chair away from the table with the other. She jerked and muttered, her head rolling back and forth.

Lifting her into his arms, he sat in her chair and arranged her across his lap. “What the hell happened?” His tone was less cutting and he kept his gaze focused on Chandar’s pale face, afraid of his reaction if he looked at the Bilarrian again.

“Your claim is obvious, but does she accept you as her mate?” Vox asked.

Raylon lifted his head and glared at Vox. The Bilarrian looked worried. First sign of intelligence Raylon had seen from him. “We’re trying to stay focused on her recovery, but we both feel the mating pull.”

“Females can feel the pull and still reject the male,” Vox persisted. “Are you lovers?”

“It’s none of your business.”

“Chandar wants Raylon badly, but she’s still afraid,” Indigo clarified. “He has been wonderfully patient with her.”

Raylon looked at her, making his displeasure clear, then he shifted his gaze back to Vox. “What does this have to do with anything?”

“These blackouts are not a result of her memory wipe. She struggled with them before. That’s why I was summoned to train her. All of the customary techniques had failed.”

“Then why do they keep happening and how did you fix it before.” Despite Indigo’s praise about his patience, Raylon was ready to knock some heads together.

“Her power is immense, so control has always been her biggest challenge. Whenever she becomes afraid and fights against the enormity of her true potential, her mind shuts down. The blackouts are an automatic protection that keeps her from damaging herself.”

“That makes sense.” Indigo tucked a strand of colorful hair behind her ear, her expression thoughtful. “But why is she becoming harder and harder to wake up?”

“That part is new,” Vox admitted. “However, my technique should still be effective. Instinctively she knows how to control her power, but uncertainty and fear get in the way. She needs an immersive distraction. One that will keep her body and emotions completely absorbed. As I said before, the most efficient options are pleasure and pain.”

Indigo’s eyes widened as she heard Vox’s explanation. “You expect Raylon to stand back and let you—”

“No,” Vox cut in emphatically. “The treatment I have in mind would require Raylon’s participation. Chandar returned his kiss, so I’m presuming he’s the logical choice for what I’d like to try.”

“Explain.” Raylon adjusted his hold on Chandar, shifting her body so her head rested more comfortably against his shoulder. “First of all, what qualifies you to give us advice?”

The Bilarrian’s smile verged on condescension. “I’m the only one in this room who’s actually trained a harbinger.”