Feral Series IV: Feral Fallout (30 page)

Flonn nodded.

Well, time to face yet another facet of this damned mission. I pressed the cool smooth wood.

Flonn actually had to give the massive wooden door a heave to set the hinges creaking. The dark panel swung inward, revealing an enormous bed covered in silver fabrics, the black headboard flanked by two side tables, a matching desk, and a large upholstered armchair on ornately carved legs. The chair sat beside a tall window's fluttering shimmering silver drapery. M'yote weighed down the chair in black leather pants and vest. Standard Marshal attire.

He stared at the door.

Blankly. With white eyes.

My heart didn't beat.

"Any news?” he asked.

Flonn nudged me across the threshold.

Threshold said everything. Here I was with my philosopher who could no longer see the beauty of the world he loved. How freaking horrible. But I had to learn what happened. Be strong for him. I stepped across the creaking beams of the wooden floor. “I'm alright."

M'yote jerked to the edge of his seat. “Theone?"

The door squealed at my heels.

But no other sound followed me. I was alone. Good. Because I damned sure felt like crying. “I'm here."

M'yote smiled.

Good to see nothing else had changed. I hurried to his knees and squatted at his side.

He followed me as if he could sense where my eyes were.

"What happened? Did Solvun do this?"

M'yote's palms grabbed my cheeks as he leaned down to peer into my eyes with the white-washed orbs that had replaced the blue gems I remembered there two days ago. “I think I burned out my eyes."

Hot tears stung
my
eyes, threatening to burn mine as he claimed was done to his.

"You burned them out? You? I don't understand."

"Apparently, cleansing a planet takes more power than one can give freely.” He gently pressed his velvet lips to mine.

Gods, I wanted to wrap my arms around him and squeeze all this insanity away. Why had he cleansed Prall? Had Solvun put him up to this?

Slowly, M'yote pulled his lips from mine and pressed them to my cheek. He exhaled warm breath against my skin as if trying to cleanse me of my questions.

"I don't understand,” I managed to say without my voice cracking. “You and Sol spoke of cleansing planets often."

He slid his hands around my shoulders and pulled my chin into the spicy scent of his long hard clavicle, almost choking me in an embrace. “No one has ever done it before. We didn't know what to expect. We were fools for thinking something so monumental was possible. But when
The Savior
crash landed, I had to do something to protect you and Cassie. I had to try. And if I hadn't, you would be sick by now."

"I need to cry."

"I know. And I am here to hold you."

Was that all? He wouldn't mourn his loss? How could he be so rational?

"I have all I need, Theone."

I'd make certain of that.

I don't know when Sol entered the room because all my damned sobbing made it impossible to hear. M'yote probably heard his brother's entry. But he never let on.

"D'ena?"

I turned, sniffling, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand.

Solvun stood in brown leather pants and boots, wearing a golden strap crossing his chest, but steps away. “It is good to see you awake.” His gentle words noted he feared I'd burst into more tears.

"Why did you let him do it?” I demanded. “You're the older brother. The King."

M'yote petted my back like I needed to choke up a lung.

Or something. Probably a week's worth of ranting.

"I never could tell my little brother what to do."

Men. “Well, you're all going to start listening to me. Nobody's going to pull stupid stunts like cleansing planets again. Or going into prisons to rescue anyone without a full-blown plan!"

I was ranting on my feet when Solvun pulled me against his chest and combed my loose hair with a handful of fingers then petted my hair from crown to ends twice. “
Sh
, D'ena. I've seen how I misjudged so many. And how we must all work together to protect each other."

He spoke of Flonn. At least he better be. He'd have to accept the !Dakos now.

M'yote stirred where he was buried in the warmth of his bedding. The sunlight hadn't penetrated the darkness. The darkness! Sacred elements! “Theone.” I shoved up from where I laid upon her breasts and scanned the room.

She stirred. “What's wrong?"

No alarm there. Just Theone pulling out of her deep slumber. I stared at the pockets of shadow cloaking her gray features. But her eyes glinted with some wayward light. “I can see you."

She shoved her bulging curves up against my chest and stared into my eyes. “Really?” Her fingers raked into my hair while she grabbed my face. “You're not teasing me just to wake me up so we can have sex?"

Not a bad plan. “No. That's my brother's tactic."

She planted a warm soft kiss on my lips and backed away to gaze into my eyes. “No, he'd just grope me into consciousness. And don't say it's the way Flonn or Wrank proposition me either. Take the blame for your method of foreplay."

Well, I couldn't see. “I can see now. It'll be more fun watching your expression.” I slid a palm down the side of her breast to the enormous mound of her belly. “But you should take care now. More than ever. The paramedic says you're carrying four babies and who knows if !Dakos and Prall nanites understand Earth pregnancy enough to correct problems."

"You're afraid of Sidney? She's harmless. Paramedics only frighten those who aren't strong enough to control their behavior—like horny husbands."

Being classified as anything other than a warrior with Solvun was an insult.

"You're frowning.” She giggled.

"I just gained my eyesight back, and you're saying I'm like Solvun."

She snaked her arms around my neck and wove her fingers into my hair. “No.” She leaned back, pulling me along until I hovered over her reclining form. “No, M'yote. We both know better than that. You're nothing like him. And I'm so happy I've got you back whole again. It would have been horrible to have been the cause of your blindness. But now I can sigh. It was temporary."

"I never thought it would be permanent.” I leaned down to tuck my nose into the
Ghasa
flower scent of her silken hair, careful to place all my weight on anything but her feminine form.

My D'ena. My Goddess. She'd taken the time to braid my hair and bead it all these months. To help me dress and bathe. Like I couldn't do those things myself. But I allowed her to take the time. To spend those hours with me. Call me selfish because I couldn't see her and wanted something for myself the others had. But I could feel her touch. Hear the harmony of the life growing inside her. Embrace each moment we spent together with the joy of merely feeling the ebb and flow of atoms and electrons around me. And now I had everything once again. Not a bad price to pay for turning back the clock when a Handler knew better than to change history's score.

So, I'd lost five months with my D'ena's smile and sky-blue eyes. Memories had to tie me over. But not the rapture of touch.

Maybe I had been wrong?

Maybe I hadn't lost a thing. Not my honor. Not my reputation. Not my Goddess.

"You're quiet for someone who should be jumping up and down,” Theone said.

"I was just thinking."

She chuckled softly. “I wouldn't expect anything else from you."

And I'd cleanse another planet if I had to in order to save my D'ena. Without hesitation.

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"Sol, you're just going to have to beg for help. Your damned nanites caused this.” I stared down my scowling mate who held two of his three infant sons where he stood five steps away in our bedchamber.

Sol swiped his tongue across his teeth, his gaze rolling to the ceiling. “Can't we bring in a grandmother or two?” He snapped his gaze back to mine. “Someone to help? I'm partial to the grandmothers from
Chrillmia
."

Importing women from another planet wouldn't solve his problem of prejudice. And I wasn't going to let him off that easily from learning not to load me up with self-serving nanites again. “But they need their father."

"And I need a bottle of
Vrandian Stots
. What about me? Don't sires get bottles?"

I gulped down a cackle and patted Chad's little bottom where I held him against my shoulder. “I need you sober to help with the babies. Besides, Flonn can help. He loves the idea of babies. Let him prepare the bottles."

Fear gripped Solvun's features. “You can't be serious. He'll kill my heirs."

"Sol, he would have killed you long ago if he wanted your bloodline dead. Just shut up and get the bottles.” Geesh, what a Queen had to do to get anything done around the palace.

He rolled his eyes, laid the babies in their crib, and departed.

Probably to do all the work himself. The obstinate man.

Wrank passed Solvun's retreating form and smiled at me. “He seems angry for a warrior who has three times my joy.” Wrank cuddled his swaddled striped daughter he held in the crook of his arm.

"He's got to learn to accept the war is over. Cassie has things under control. Handled,” I gulped down a giggle at the thought. “And Flonn will sire the next child I carry. Any day.” Oh yes. I ached like a woman starving for a good steak meal. “So, Sol must just accept his Goddess’ mates."

Wrank stopped beside me and planted the sweetest kiss on my lips. “I accept them."

Of course he would. He's a Luvk, a warrior who shares his mate with others if necessary, as well as a Marshal fighting for the greater good of free thinking. That's why I love him. And since my nanites can control my rate of ovulation, I can save all of those precious eggs for the long centuries ahead. After all, I had four immortal mates who needed a few hobbies. Parenting certainly would keep them out of political turmoil. Uh, until the teen years when their sweet little half-human babies stirred up political dissent. But I wasn't about to mention that lovely detail.

So, we survived the prison of Treusch. But political fallout still showered down around me. Good thing I made it this far. My job must be to ease Solvun's fears. Eternal fears. Hell, he was immortal. And old. What was that they say about teaching old dogs new tricks? I could definitely vouch for the truthfulness in that old saying. But all this would keep me as challenged as my mates’ teenagers. At least, I've got four different and intriguing husbands who keep life interesting. And variety is what an immortal girl needs. And with M'yote's vision finally repaired by his nanites just weeks ago, we'd all learned to leave miracles in the hands of Mother Nature instead of forcing them through a Handler. So many strange things kept happening. Immortality was going to be anything but boring. How could it be when a gal had four hunky mates?