Royal Obsession (16 page)

She had no idea what they were. No idea why he had rescued E’Lanna. Forcing her dry throat to swallow, she looked into his eyes. Velvet black, sapphire rings, smoldering passion, his eyes would haunt her forever. “Where are we? Can your people find us here?”

“My people? Another curious choice.” He moved around the bed, stalking her with measured control. “The people sworn to govern and protect the world below are about to destroy each other. If it were only the elders at risk, I would walk away without a second thought. But the elders won’t fight this war. It’s the soldiers who will sacrifice their lives for the arrogance of the elders. My people have never needed me more. How can I abandon my tribe?”

Was he hoping she could convince—

“I expect nothing from you.
Your people
will benefit greatly if we destroy ourselves.”

“You’ve responded to my thoughts before. Can you read my mind?”

He cupped her cheek and bushed her lips with his thumb, his gentleness a stark contrast to his savage expression. “I don’t need to read your mind. Your eyes tell me all I need to know.”

Captivated by the intensity in his gaze, she refused to blink. She reveled in the heat and cherished the tenderness he tried so hard to conceal. He couldn’t mean to leave her like this. She wasn’t ready for it to end. There had to be something she could do.

“How can I help you?”

He bent and kissed the corners of her mouth. “Why would you want to?”

She dragged the tie from the back of his hair and buried her fingers in the soft, blue-streaked strands. He felt the connection; she knew he did. Regardless of his intentions, this had been more than sex for him.

“There has to be some way I can—”

He silenced her with his mouth, pressing her against his chest until she felt the strong, steady beat of his heart. His lips moved over hers, his tongue gently teased. She arched her back and wrapped her arms around his neck. One last touch, a final taste, then she could bear to let him go.

His hands slipped up under her tunic, gliding over her skin with frantic speed. She tangled her fingers in his hair, grinding her pelvis against his erection. Their tongues thrust, mimicking the rhythm their bodies craved. He cupped her breast and pulled her up onto her toes, aligning their bodies more exactly.

She bent her leg and wrapped her calf around his thigh, wanting him inside her, desperate for the fullness of their joining. His other hand found her bottom and rocked her against him. She moaned into his open mouth, wanting him, needing him.

Heat erupted in her mind, a dazzling shower of blistering sparks. Shocked by the unexpected meld, she tried to twist away. He clutched her to him, his mouth firm and demanding. Faster, wider, the energy current expanded, inundating her senses as well as her mind. Information swelled with pleasure. Images infused with power.

She sagged in his embrace, trembling and confused. Her head throbbed, protesting the unyielding saturation. He couldn’t expect her to… Why was he…

“Remember.” His whispered appeal followed her into the darkness.

Varrik stood motionless in the corner of the bedroom, surrounded by a dense invisibility shield. High Queen Charlotte knelt on the floor beside the bed, her hands in perpetual motion above the still figures of her daughters. Her lips pressed into a thin line, and she squeezed her eyes shut. The subtle trembling of her hands was further proof of her agitation. Even in the midst of this crisis, she was regal and composed. Varrik saw where Echo got her strength.

An instant after he deactivated the scrambler signal, Echo’s parents had burst through a transport conduit. Head Master Tal stood at the foot of the bed, his long black hair neatly coiled down the middle of his back. He extended his arms, his pose similar to his life mate’s.

Echo gasped and sprang to a sitting position. Tal rounded the bed and drew her into his arms. Tension closed around Varrik’s heart as he watched the poignant reunion. He’d never known his mother, and his father had been a cold, brutal man. The only kindness he’d ever known had come from his brother and an outcast pleasure giver.

“
Leyanti
, are you unharmed?” Tal’s worried gaze took in her scanty attire before focusing again on her face.

She blinked repeatedly, her expression muddled. “Where is… How did you find us?”

“We’re not sure,” her mother said, pushing to her feet. “All of a sudden your signal blared across our telepathic link. I’ve never been so glad to sense your impatience in my life.” They exchanged smiles, then Charlotte pressed her hand against E’Lanna’s forehead. “I can’t rouse E’Lanna. Do you know what happened to her?”

Echo glanced around the room. Was she hoping to see him, or making sure he was gone? Varrik didn’t allow himself to dwell on the possibilities.

“One of the elders implanted a stasis compulsion in her mind. It’s not harmful, but she’ll stay like this until the elder releases her or until the elder is dead.”

“Did Varrik bring you here?” her father asked.

Echo scooted off the side of the bed and crossed her arms over her chest. Varrik held his breath. How would she react to the memory infusion? His future literally rested in her hands.

“Where is this place?” she asked.

Both her parents seemed surprised by the evasion. They looked at each other for a long, meaningful moment before Tal replied, “We’re in the mountains beyond Mystic Valley. What do you remember of… Did they strip your memory?”

Echo opened her mouth as if she would accept the explanation her father had just supplied. Then tears welled behind her lashes and she looked at her mother. “Can I talk with you alone?”

Tal framed her face with his hands, capturing her gaze with restrained command. “If you were mistreated by—”

“My love, let’s keep this to ourselves as much as possible until Echo and I have had a chance to talk.” The subtle authority in Charlotte’s tone left no room for argument. Varrik’s reluctant admiration grew. Under the right circumstances, he could picture Echo maturing along these lines.

With frustration forming each move he made, Tal gathered E’Lanna into his arms. “I’ll take her to the palace and await your return.”

“We’ll meet you there shortly.”

“I’ll send your guards to you.”

Charlotte accepted the compromise with a brisk nod. “Tell them to create a perimeter. No one enters the cottage unless I summon them.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” He inclined his head, his tone tinged with humor as he stepped into the swirling vortex.

Realization jarred Varrik from his passivity. The High Queen of Ontariese stood half a room away. He could take her to the maze and—and what? The Joint Council would never negotiate for her release. They would gather all their forces and summon every ally in the sector, moving against the Shadow Assassins with a force that would shake the planet.

Kidnapping Charlotte had never been his intention.

“Mamma…” Echo covered her face with her hands and dissolved into tears.

The reaction was so out of character for the stubborn little hellion, Varrik moved toward her before he realized what he was doing. She couldn’t see him, had better not sense him, or he was doomed.

Charlotte wrapped her arms around Echo and stroked her hair, the gesture natural and telling. Despite Echo’s tempestuous personality, she had needed comfort before. “I’m here,
leyanti
. No one can hurt you now.”

“He didn’t hurt me. That’s what Father will never understand.” Echo raised her face and looked into her mother’s eyes. “Varrik was frightening and intense, but his intentions were…noble. He protected E’Lanna and…”

Remarkably, Charlotte didn’t speak the objections so clear in her expression. “Why did he release you?”

“When Elder North found out who we were, he moved E’Lanna out of the maze. Then, Elder South tortured Aila, hoping to learn Varrik’s true motivation. South also insinuated that he would take E’Lanna, so Varrik set us free.”

The confusion in Charlotte’s eyes made it clear she’d only unraveled part of Echo’s rambling dissertation. Rather than grill her daughter with questions, however, Charlotte only asked one. “Do you know how to find the maze?”

Varrik rubbed his eyes, reviewing the information he’d transmitted during the infusion. How much had he revealed?

“I know it’s underground, and I’m nearly certain the only way to access it is teleportation.”

“That would explain why we’ve never been able to find an entrance,” Charlotte mused. “There isn’t one.” She brushed Echo’s hair away from her face, then stepped back.

“You’re not going to believe this, but there are two mazes. One of them is directly beneath the Conservatory. That’s how Varrik got to us without setting off the perimeter alarms. He didn’t come through the shields. He went under them.”

“There are Shadow Assassins living under the Conservatory?”

“Not anymore. They abandoned the old maze.”

“And you don’t know where the new maze is located?” Echo shook her head, and they lapsed into silence. “What else can you tell me? Take your time. We don’t have to do this now if you’re not ready.”

“I’m ready.” She touched her lips and gazed past her mother, her expression thoughtful. “Just before Varrik left, he filled my mind with images and information. It could all be meant to mislead me. He knew I’d remember whatever he showed me.” She heaved a ragged sigh. “I feel like my brain is about to burst open.”

This was what he’d wanted, why he’d shared his memories with Echo. He needed to know how others would react to the world below. Once the elders were overthrown, the soldiers would need to establish lives beyond the maze. If they were treated like pariahs here, they would have to find a different world.

“What did he show you?”

“A Rodyte named Vade was the first Shadow Assassin.” She hesitated, her brow knitted, lips tight. “I’m not sure how it’s possible, but I think he was Vee’s brother.”

Charlotte nodded. “Vee founded the Conservatory, so most presume he was Ontarian. His father was Rodyte. Vade was his half-brother.”

“How do you know about Vade?” She sounded as surprised as Varrik felt. How much did the High Queen already know?

“Vee left a journal that detailed his entire life. Most of it focused on the development of the Mystics, but there were several entries regarding his past.”

“This is just a foundation on which Varrik’s life was built. If there is anything you already know, stop me.” After her mother nodded, Echo began. “Vade ruled the Shadow Assassins until he was killed during the Great Conflict. After his death, the four strongest generals divided the maze into four equal parts and formed the Council of Elders. One elder for each tribe. One tribe for each geographical region, north, south, east, and west.”

“How are issues resolved if the vote is split two and two?”

Varrik smiled. Only a diplomat would immediately foresee that complication.

“Vade’s son was the first Elder North, so Tribe North is prime. Elder North’s vote basically counts as two. All three of the other elders have to oppose him for an issue to pass without his consent.”

“I never imagined their society was so sophisticated.”

Which was exactly why Varrik was educating them.

“You have no idea,” Echo said. “Beneath the elders are two additional levels of authority, the hunters and the sweepers. The hunters are either appointed or recruited, often from blood relatives of the elders. They must be able to teleport to be considered for the position, but most of the other skills are developed over time.”

Charlotte paused to absorb the information. “What is a sweeper?”

“There are currently six sweepers. They’re the ones who extract memories from anyone who enters the maze.”

“Manipulating memories is such a rare ability. I’m shocked there are so many.”

“Varrik is the alpha sweeper. He trains the others, helps them perfect their skills.” She crossed her arms again, rubbing her skin with brisk, anxious movements. “Vade was Varrik’s grandfather.”

“Then his father was the first Elder North?”

Echo nodded. “His uncle currently leads Tribe North.”

Even knowing about her extraordinary memory, Varrik was impressed by Echo’s insight. She hadn’t just remembered the information and retained the images; she comprehended the subtleties of a very complex society.

“And this uncle is the one who put E’Lanna in thrall?” Charlotte’s gaze took on a calculated fire.

Another nod was Echo’s only response.

“You said Varrik’s motivation was noble. Can you explain what you meant?” Her tone was a bit sharp, though she suppressed the intensity in her eyes.

Echo shifted her weight from foot to foot, then headed for the bedroom door. “It started right here in this cottage.” She waited until Charlotte joined her in the outer room. Varrik followed at a more leisurely pace. Charlotte was reputed to possess one of the most powerful gifts on Ontariese. How long could his invisibility shield continue to withstand her abilities?

Buried beneath ten cycles of dust and decay, hints of the cottage’s rustic charm managed to peek through. “Varrik’s older brother, Sekall, was a hunter. Everyone expected him to take over the leadership of Tribe North when he came of age, but he loved his life as a hunter. He was fascinated with the world above and—”