Undaunted (Battle Born Book 6) (8 page)

His bed sat on a dais, a stately centerpiece in the lavish room, surrounded by gilt and ivory. He opened his eyes and stared at his reflection on the underside of the box canopy. In a moment of brutal honesty, he assessed his physical form. He was small for a Rodyte, neither tall nor muscular, like so many of his subjects. And his ancestors. He indulged in a long, frustrated sigh. He’d been born into a family of giants, ruthless warriors who took what they wanted and effortlessly bent others to their will.

Somehow the Keire ferocity had never developed in him. He was timid by nature, much more comfortable avoiding conflict than wresting control of volatile situations. He was a third son and both of his older brothers had been perfect examples of Keire brutality. No one ever dreamed that he would become crown stirate. But war took its toll on even the royal family. He’d lost his oldest brother to an explosion and the second to an enemy’s treachery. He was the last of the Keire line. It was his duty, his sacred purpose, to continue the Keire dynasty.

Which meant he had to squelch this ridiculous rebellion.

With infinite care not to wake his unwanted companions, he wiggled out from under one female’s arm and scooted off the end of the bed. He slipped into the chamber robe neatly folded on one corner of the bed and walked across the room, intentionally banging his foot against the door as he opened it.

Cerkitta, a curvaceous blonde, looked up, her gaze still rather hazy.

“Clear the room,” he told her. “I wish to breakfast alone.” He didn’t wait for a response. He knew she’d heard him and knew she’d obey. She’d managed to hold his interest for several years now, with an intriguing combination of spirit and submission. Too bad they weren’t genetically compatible. She would have made a fine royal mate.

He entered the outer room and crossed to his workstation, anxious for confirmation from Rex Dravon that Garin Nox was in custody and on his way back to Rodymia. Without their notorious leader, the battle born rebels would quickly lose focus. Quinton couldn’t wait to tell the guild masters that Garin Nox was no longer a threat and their treacherous plan to dethrone him had failed.

Unlike the night before, Dravon didn’t immediately respond to his ping. Odd. The
Marauder
should be halfway back to Rodymia by now. Well, there were any number of reasons why Dravon could have been delayed.

Rather than fixate on the possibilities, Quinton pinged Apex General Bidon Paytor, Rodymia’s oldest and most highly decorated military leader. The only person more exasperated by Garin Nox’s involvement in the battle born rebellion than Quinton was AG Paytor. Garin had been his protégé and many thought his eventual successor. Paytor was elite to the marrow of his bones and the only person in the military that Quinton trusted implicitly.

Paytor’s image expanded within the control matrix in response to Quinton’s ping. Well past his prime, the apex general’s experience was written in the deep lines on his swarthy face and the shrewdness gleaming in his blue-ringed eyes. His hair was clipped short, yet the vivid blue strands created an undulating pattern among the black. “What can I do for you, sire?”

“Have you located the
Undaunted
?”

“Negative.” Paytor didn’t bother with excuses or explanations. Pointless details only slowed down conversations.

Quinton tensed. He wanted to hold a news conference announcing Garin’s capture and impending punishment for his treachery. Garin’s former ship would have been the perfect backdrop for the announcement. “It’s the largest ship in our fleet. It can’t have just disappeared.”

“Garin left Sedrik Lux in command. Lux is nearly as wily as Garin. They have the
Undaunted
tucked away somewhere between here and Earth. I will find her, sire. It’s just a matter of time.”

“Carry on, but sooner would be better than later.”

“Understood.” With his usual briskness, Paytor closed the connection and his image disappeared.

Quinton slumped back in his chair. Why couldn’t anything work to his advantage? It was as if Creation herself had decreed that he should fail.

“Your grace, Rex Dravon is responding to your ping,” the central computer told Quinton.

“Put him through.” He quickly sat up and overlapped his chamber robe, concealing his naked chest.

Dravon’s image formed within the matrix. He smiled, but there was a cunning gleam in his gold-ringed eyes. “There’s been a minor complication, sire.”

“Do you have Garin or not?”

“At present, that would be a ‘not’, but I’m confident the situation will change in the very near future.”

Quinton braced his hands on the desktop and leaned toward the translucent image. “What in all of hells rings does that mean?”

“He slipped past me last night, but I know where he went. It won’t happen again.”

Quinton studied Dravon’s face. He looked just embarrassed enough to seem sincere. “If you fail me again, I’ll send someone after you and their orders won’t be to capture.”

All humor left his expression and resentment sparked in his eyes. “I understand what’s at stake.”

“Good,” Quinton snapped. “Com me when you have him.” Before Dravon could say any more, Quinton deactivated the transmission. He rested his forearms on the desktop and stared into space. He felt helpless and beyond frustrated.

What would his brothers have done? They certainly wouldn’t have waited around for a filthy mercenary who had already failed once. He needed to go on the offensive, force Garin’s hand, make a statement so loud the battle born would be unable to ignore it. But what? How could he bring this thing to a head without making himself look foolish? Or losing control?

He pushed his hands back into the control matrix then paused as the multi-color currents swirled around his fingers, waiting for the intricate patterns that launched programs and issued commands. He had to restore order to the battle born. They had to understand that insubordination, on any level, would not be tolerated.

An idea formed in his mind, but he wasn’t sure about some of the details. He sent another ping to AG Paytor and waited impatiently for the general to respond.

“What can I do for you, sire?” The question sounded a bit impatient this time.

“How many ships are commanded by battle born officers?”

Paytor’s brows drew together over his nose, but he didn’t ask the question so evident in his expression. “Sixty-two if you count the
Undaunted
.”

The
Undaunted
had yet to be reassigned, but the detail didn’t matter until they located the blasted ship. “I want every battle born commander arrested and replaced with an elite officer.”

“Impossible.” He didn’t even hesitate to think it over. “I don’t have sixty-two elite officers left who are qualified to command a ship. Most of the elite officers I’d trust with the position already have ships.”

“Then how many do you have?”

“I’d have to look through the rosters, but I’d say twelve, perhaps fifteen. But let me stress again, if they were worthy of command, they would already have a ship.”

Quinton didn’t let Paytor’s negativity bother him. All sixty-two would have been much more dramatic, but he could work with twelve or fifteen. “Select the twelve ships most likely to be assisting Garin Nox and replace their commanders with elite officers. The battle born commanders will be arrested and taken to a high security detention center to await court-martial.”

“This will take some planning, sire.” Paytor rubbed his jaw with his knuckles as speculation narrowed his gaze. “The arrests will need to be made simultaneously or the other ships will simply desert their posts.”

“Figure it out and make it happen as quickly as possible.”

The general inclined his head as he said, “As you wish.”

The hint of mockery in Paytor’s final statement made Quinton clench his fists. Everyone had underestimated him for long enough. It was past time he took the fight to the battle born.

* * * * *

Not sure when Garin would return for her, Berlynn rose early the next morning and prepared for the day. She shared a quick breakfast with Rachel, glad for the comfort of a close friend.

They’d finished their food and were leisurely sipping coffee when Rachel asked, “Were you two able to work out your differences last night? I know he returned, but I’m not sure how long he stayed.”

Berlynn paused for a sip of coffee, not sure how much she wanted to share. Rachel was a great listener, but Berlynn seldom shared her feelings with anyone. “We didn’t spend the night together, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“It’s none of my business if he did, but you seemed certain he wouldn’t return. Did something change?”

The merry gleam in Rachel’s dark eyes hinted that she knew a lot more than she was saying, so Berlynn didn’t see a reason to avoid the details. “Garin and I are attracted to each other.”

“No.” Rachel stressed the word sarcastically then laughed. “I’d figured out that much all by myself.”

“We thought we were feeling the pull, but when he kissed me, nothing happened. It was pleasant, but nothing more.”

“Mating fever doesn’t always activate with just a kiss. I’ve known couples who had to join fully for the first time before the connection was made.”

“Information that should probably be included in the awakening.” She wrapped both hands around the mug, soothed by the warm enamel. “I was taught that males can smell their mates and females know theirs by taste. End of story.”

“That’s most often the case, but not every couple is the same.” When Berlynn didn’t volunteer any more information, Rachel titled her head and studied her. “Did Garin try something else when he returned?”

A fiery blush crept up Berlynn’s neck as she remembered her abandoned behavior in the forest. If Rex and his men had arrived a few minutes earlier, they would have found her naked and in the throes of release. “Garin returned to Lunar Nine and had my DNA analyzed. He didn’t want to take things further until he knew whether or not there was any hope for us.”

“And what did he find out?” Rachel made and impatient sound. “Just spit it out, young lady. We don’t have all day.”

Warmed by Rachel’s playful hostility, Berlynn became more candid. “There was something in my DNA that the geneticist had never seen before, but I am definitely compatible with Garin.”

“That’s wonderful. Wait. What do you mean there’s something the geneticist hadn’t seen before?”

“They’re not sure if it’s a spontaneous mutation or if one of my ancestors was from a planet that’s not in their database.”

Rachel set down her coffee mug and looked into Berlynn’s eyes. “You’ve always known you were unique. That can’t be surprising.”

“It’s not. It would have been nice if they’d had an answer for me, but I accepted my uniqueness a long time ago.” Knowing her friend would see that she was lying, she had to look away from Rachel’s compassionate gaze. Berlynn was aware that she was different, but she’d never learned to accept it.

“Are you happy about the rest? Do you want Garin as your mate?”

“I don’t know yet. Garin is the leader of a treasonous rebellion. I’m not sure I want to bond with someone who is likely to die.”

“We’re all going to die, Berlynn. You can’t be so afraid of death that you’re afraid to live.”

“I’m not afraid of death. I’m afraid of pain.” She folded her hands on the tabletop and studied her nails. “My heart is still so raw from losing Dad. I’m not sure I could deal with losing someone else I care about right now.”

Rachel reached across the table and squeezed her hand. “I was in love once, a long time ago. We only had one glorious summer together, but I wouldn’t trade those months for anything in the universe.”

Shocked by the revelation, Berlynn looked at her long-time friend. “Why don’t you ever talk about him? Were you mates or just lovers?”

“Just lovers, but that didn’t limit the way we felt about each other.”

“Is he still alive?”

Rachel just shook her head.

“I’m sorry you didn’t have more time with him.”

“It’s bittersweet to think about him. That’s why I don’t talk about him often, but I treasure the memories.”

I want more than memories. I want a long, happy life with my mate at my side.
She didn’t want to hurt Rachel’s feelings, so Berlynn didn’t say it out loud. “I haven’t decided what I’ll do.”

“Well, from the short time I spent with General Nox yesterday, I suspect he won’t make it easy for you to say no.”

A warm tingle shivered down Berlynn’s spine as she remembered their heated exchange the night before. “I suspect you’re right.” After a quiet pause, she added, “There’s something else you should probably know. A team of mercenaries tried to kidnap Garin last night.”

“While you were out in the woods with him?” Rachel’s eyes rounded and the color drained from her face. “They didn’t hurt you, did they? What happened?”

“It was all sort of strange. Garin knew the leader. His name is Rex Dravon. Anyway, he was more interested in finding out if the rebels really had found a way to unlock battle born magic than completing their mission. There was a very short fight, Garin and Rex talked for a few minutes and then the mercenaries left. I don’t think there will be any more trouble with them, but this is your place, so I figured you should know.”