Unexpected Eden (23 page)

Chapter 26

Calling the rendezvous spot a villa was pushing it. Eryx had seen shacks from the Underlands in better condition.

Jagger shimmered into view just behind the tree line shielding them. “I combed the perimeter. It’s clean. The quarans were right, though. Gonna be rough masking without other people to throw off our movements.”

Damn, but it was good to have Jagger back—and the tracking skills that came with him. Giving him leave to handle private affairs in Asshur had been the right call, but if war lay ahead, they’d need every man they could get of his caliber.

Wind gusted down the open field between them and the domed structure, and a black, barely attached shutter clattered against the weathered stucco walls. “Any movement?”

Ludan shook his head, gaze rooted to the open windows. “Nothing but our backups and they’re at least five hundred feet out.”

Another one of Ludan’s handy gifts. His sensory reach doubled that of most warriors.

With a curt nod, Eryx faced the other men. “Ramsay, you’re the one linked to our backups, so you’re on mass communications. Everything else stays between you, me, and Ludan. Circle to the other side and come in opposite me. Jagger, watch his back.”

Both men flashed out of sight, wind swooshing the fallen leaves into a flurry as they took to the sky.

“Lexi?”

She hummed a gentle response. It was kind of amazing how quickly she’d learned to communicate this way, not to mention the other skills she was determined to learn in short order.

“We’re about to go in. If you need me, all you need to do is reach out. Remember, you can call Ramsay and Ludan too.”

“I’m fine.”
Spoken like a truly pissed off woman.

“Go downstairs and find Orla. Or look for Jillian. It’ll keep your mind off things until I get back.”

“Waiting’s not my strong point.”
Her grumble promised all kinds of retribution when he got home.

On the bright side, making up would be fun.
“Mine either. You can make me pay for it later.”

“Giving me time to plan’s not a smart move.”
She hesitated, then a tiny crack broke through.
“Be careful.”

He savored the words. He had a mate. Someone waiting for him at home. Depending on him. If she hadn’t shared Serena’s treachery…

A chill racked him from the inside out. He slowed his breath and centered on his instincts. Now was the time for action. To save his baineann’s friend and, hopefully, cut the head off the rebellion snake.
“Ramsay?”

“In place.”

“Let’s go.”
Eryx eased from their cover and drew his shields in place. Air and earth layered across the outer edges of his mask and blended his presence with the landscape.

By the time they reached the dwelling, the sun touched the horizon. If the house held any occupants, they’d be looking for Lexi now.

“I’m in.”
Ramsay said.

Eryx eased through an open window and waited for his energy to settle.
“Second that. Nothing in the main room. Scan the top floor and I’ll work toward the center of this level.”
One sharp movement and anyone with a decent level of tracking could find them. He combed the first floor. Zero.
“Anything?”

“Not yet. One last room,”
Ramsay said.

“Ludan? All clear?”

“Clear.”
Ludan sounded almost disappointed.

“Shit. Eryx contact Lexi and get up here!”
The echo behind his voice changed. He’d switched to mass communications.
“Lock the castle down. Secure the malress!”

Eryx reached out to Lexi and shot with lightning speed to his brother’s location.

Absolute silence.

The empty noise brought his world to a screeching halt. Roaring for Lexi in his mind, he rounded the corner.

A police badge with a note held Ramsay’s attention.

We told her it wouldn’t be wise to talk with you. Now we have them both.

* * * *

Lexi sat in the middle of her massive bed, knees pulled up so her chin rested on her crossed arms. If she was smart she’d do something productive. Take a bath, or change her clothes. Anything but pout. With a pitiful huff, she scooted toward the edge of the bed. Better to let Eryx focus. With a little luck, Orla would still be in the kitchen and up for some meaningless chitchat. She opened the bedroom doors and jumped a half step back.

“Malress.” At either side of the door, warriors snapped to attention. The one on the left offered a minute bow and kind smile.

Eryx was going overboard. She was at home for crying out loud. Surely this wouldn’t be the norm going forward. She waved over her shoulder and headed for the stairs. “I’m headed down for a quick snack.”

The warrior on her right looked waxen, the corners of his eyes strained. Probably wishing he was out in the field with the rest of the guys instead of wasting his time on house detail.

“Everything okay?”

“I’m fine, my malress.” Even his voice sounded tight.

Men and their pride. She shrugged and started down the stairs. Didn’t they have any female warriors?

A startled inhalation and a hard grunt sounded behind her.

She spun toward the sound.

The warrior who’d bowed as she left her room stared back at her, eyes and mouth wide. He clutched at a dagger buried in his sternum.

An arm clamped around her neck and a hand smothered her mouth with a vile smelling cloth. She shoved the unrelenting hand. Her mind clouded. Strength melted from her muscles. Her knees crumpled and she thudded to the floor in a heap. Darkness replaced her vision.

* * * *

Eryx flew to the castle with a speed he’d never before attempted. Ludan, Ramsay, and Jagger’s energy resonated behind him, albeit a good distance back.

Lexi’s link was still dead.

“She’s still alive,”
Ramsay said.
“If she wasn’t you’d have felt it. Your mark’s still black, right? Remember that.”

Right. So, she was either incapacitated, or in zeolite. Praise The Great One, let it be the latter. His feet hit the pavement with a boom.

The warriors guarding the entrance wrenched the doors open and dropped their heads.

Ramsay landed behind Eryx, yelling orders as he flanked him. Ludan and Jagger landed a second later.

“Quarans!” Eryx’s bellow ricocheted off every surface and shook the glass windowpanes.

Four of the five quarans raced to his side, and stood at attention, their expressions tight.

“Where is my baineann?”

All of the quarans, save one, paled. The last, the one who’d volunteered his son for duty, stepped forward, eyes burning black with anger. “We locked down the castle as the strategos commanded and combed the interior immediately. We found one of her guards dead. The other guard and the malress were missing.”

Wait a minute. There were only four quarans. There should be five. The one who’d suggested using Lexi as bait was missing. “Where is Quaran Stend?”

The brave one spoke up. “He is also unaccounted for, my malran.”

Eryx’s stomach clenched. “Which of the guards is missing?”

“The one recommend by Quaran Stend.” The man’s voice cracked. He lifted his chin another notch and motioned with his head toward the top of the stairs. “The fallen warrior is my son.”

Eryx found himself at the top of the landing, the short distance a blur of shouts and muted colors. The young warrior lay in an awkward sprawl, his gaze empty, a dagger lodged in his chest.

Dropping to one knee, Eryx slid the blade free. Blood oozed from the wound and coated the weapon. He squeezed the hilt and slowed his breath. Lexi needed him. Sane and focused. He faced the man’s father and offered the bloody dagger, palms up. “Your son will be afforded the honor of a warrior who died it battle. The honor of an elite. When we find the man guilty for this treachery, retribution will be yours.”

The quaran bowed, knife white-knuckled in one hand.

“Ramsay.”

His brother strode forward.

“No one leaves the grounds until they’re minds have been scoured by someone loyal.” Eryx glared at the remaining quarans. “Start with them.”

He spun for his chambers. “Ludan, pull the staff together, start questioning. Jagger, scout the grounds. I’ll check up here.”

The small crowd behind him jumped to life with jumbled, low voices.

Eryx strode to his suite. Everything sat in its proper place, no detail out of order but for the dead warrior being hefted away. The room’s emotional residue reeked of fear and pain, a mix of fetid swamp and copper. Impossible to pull any clues beyond such thick taints.

Their suite proved no better. A rumpled indentation to one side of the bed where he’d left her only hours before. Her rosemary and mint scent still on the pillow. No trail. No clue.

Ludan had been right. He’d been too lax. Too confident. He should have taken out the Rebellion when the rumblings started, but he’d pushed it off—and now his mate was gone.

“Eryx,” Galena shrieked from the foyer.

He vaulted over the stairwell, landed on the first floor, and gripped her shoulders. No blood. No tears or bruises. “What’s wrong?”

She shoved his hands away and motioned toward the open doors. “The guards outside just told me. Did you find anything?”

He shook his head and nudged Galena forward. Beyond the open doorway, Ludan and Jagger questioned staff in the yard. “Nothing yet. We’ll keep digging. Maybe you can pick out something we can’t.”

They strode across the raised veranda, toward the garden where Ludan had the staff in neat little lines. Strewn across the path to one side was a mess of dark, rich soil and a jumble of krocious flowers.

“What’s that?” Eryx pulled Galena to his side at pointed at the chaos.

“They were for Phybe, she didn’t show at my house today, so I brought them here.” Galena jerked her elbow from his grasp and waved it off with a scowl. “I dropped them when I heard. I’ll clean it up later.”

Eryx let her go and followed.

Then stopped.

Flowers. Bruised but colorful petals. The same kind the warrior’s widow had clutched in her palm.
I think my friend was wrong about you,
she’d said.

“Galena.”

Galena hurried to his side. “Eryx you’re wasting time. Let’s work with the staff and see what they know.”

Ramsay, Ludan, and Jagger closed in as he pulled Galena to the pile of dirt and blooms. “These were for Phybe?”

She nodded.

“And she was supposed to be at your house today?”

Another nod. “What does that have to do with Lexi?”

“She didn’t show?”

“No. I went by her house to see if she was all right, but she wasn’t there either. The woman who lives across from her said she’s been gone since yesterday.” Brow wrinkled, she glanced at Ramsay, now beside her, then to Ludan. “Am I missing something?”

Eryx crouched, picked up a dislocated bloom, and twirled it in his fingers. The same as the day he’d met Phybe. Its petals quivered in the wind—a perfect match to the tremors firing through his muscles. “It’s a long shot, but I think she may know how to find Maxis.”

He locked gazes with Ramsay. “Find me the widow.”

Chapter 27

Lexi sputtered back to consciousness. Pain shot down the back of her head and a nasty paint thinner taste coated her tongue.

“Ah, there’s our new malress now.” Maxis Steysis. No way she’d mistake that voice. More to the tenor side than baritone with a healthy slathering of maniac.

She kept her eyes closed, pretending to sleep, but her sluggish heart kicked in an erratic rhythm.

“It’s obvious you’re awake. May as well face your foes head on.”

A smooth, steady cloud of rage formed in her belly. She opened her eyes and a flicker of candlelight pierced her vision, the pain radiating down her neck and along her spine.

The dank, sparse cell reeked of mold and earth. With her hands bound behind her back, the burlap cot scraped at her knuckles. No feeling in her fingers. Hard to tell how long she’d been out.

A long, skinny table sat flush against the far wall, the only furniture besides her cot and the ladder chair Maxis straddled. His face was shrouded on one side, the dancing candle barely illuminating the other. Long black hair with tight waves reached his shoulders. “The Chloroform packs quite a punch, doesn’t it?” He gestured casually, indicating a slight female standing rigid in the shadows. “I’m sure you remember Serena.”

Serena slipped into the soft light, the shadows slanting against the elegant angles of her face to create a sinister mask. “Your refined air’s not so bold anymore.”

She reached for Eryx with her mind. The link lay empty, a resounding dead end.

“Reaching for your fireann?” Serena’s voice resonated against the gray marble walls. Snide as ever.

“Easy.” Maxis placated his companion with a gentle tap on her forearm and a low chuckle. God, but his eyes were creepy. Green, but so light it looked unnatural. “You’re in zeolite containment,” he said to Lexi. “The room is surrounded with it.”

Serena caressed Maxis’ shoulder. “She probably doesn’t even know what zeolite is.”

“I know what it is.” A complete lie, but no way in hell was she giving either of these sickos the satisfaction of knowing different. “Where’s Ian?”

Maxis
tsked
with a wicked grin. “Let’s not rush things.” He crooked his head and the shadows sharpened the severe line of his jaw. “I thought we’d take some time to get acquainted. Me. You. Your fireann’s lover.”

“Former lover.” Lexi spat the reminder with enough venom to take down an elephant.

Serena’s lips flattened to a harsh line as she sashayed close, her blue eyes hollow pits of hate. “Perhaps we’ll have the opportunity to reunite after you’re gone.”

“Funny.” Lexi focused on the ceiling and wriggled her fingers to fight the stinging numbness in her hands. “I think you and Maxis make a better match. Your delusion to his insanity. Quite a combo.”

Serena seized Lexi’s hair and jerked her head off the cot.

Lexi snarled, unable to wrench free. “Figures you’d be the wimpy hair-pulling type. Care to take off the ropes and go at it for real?”

Serena snapped Lexi’s head against the cot and retreated behind Maxis.

“Women,” Maxis muttered and set the chair against the wall. “You’d do well to save your strength,” he said to Lexi. “You’ll have a long night of it once our friend gets here.” Maxis ambled toward the door.

Serena stayed rooted in place. “You were out for a long time, Lexi.” She drifted closer and peered down her nose. “Do you know how much information can be gleaned from an unguarded, unconscious mind?”

That nearly jolted Lexi from the cot.

Serena chuckled and joined Maxis at the door. “Have fun thinking on that while you wait.”

* * * *

Eryx stalked toward yet another zeolite mine entrance, leaving his brother a safe distance behind. It was either that or choke him. Phybe was nowhere to be found, her link dead. Which meant she was in hiding, or Maxis had already tied off loose ends. Neither possibility did good things to his mood.

“We need to spread our efforts, Eryx.” Ramsay’s thin-and-diversify strategy only made it worse.

Eryx glanced at Ludan. “You want to shut him up before I kill him?”

“Don’t do family interventions.” Ludan kept pace, his boots crunching against the pebble and rock surface.

Ramsay stepped to his right. “Let’s pull a few squads off the mines and get them scouting in Asshur, just in—”

“Don’t say it.” Eryx shot nose to nose with his brother, the pressure behind his eyes so brutal he thought they might pop. “Don’t even breathe it.”

Ludan gripped Eryx’s shoulder. Nothing evasive, just enough to ward off sibling warfare. Still a ballsy move.

Eryx backed off, though not by much. “She’s my mate. When it’s yours we can spread our men all over the damned globe, but until then it’s my call.” He whirled for the entrance, snatched two unlit torches, and tossed one to Ramsay.

Ludan grabbed a torch and backhanded a line of fire to light all three at once. Gold and red flecks reflected off the zeolite.

Brutal fucking crystal. Eryx sucked in a fortifying breath and stepped beneath the ledge. The zeolite’s power ripped through his core. No mercy. No tenderness. Just nature’s special blend of Myren disembowelment.

He shook his head and powered forward. “Same drill as before.” He motioned to the first three tunnels. “Spread out and work them one at a time. Shout if you find something, otherwise retreat and wait at the top for the next section.”

Faces resolute, Ludan and Ramsay disappeared down their assigned routes.

A steady
plip, plip, plip
filled the musty air. The torch hissed and crackled overhead, and the burnt pitch stung his nose. With each cautious step, rock crunched and the light from the outside grew dimmer.

He angled the light and scanned for signs of activity. The mines hadn’t been worked in over a century, but that didn’t keep boys and thrill seekers at bay. The tracks left behind were too recent for Eryx to gather much.

A sharp gasp echoed down the tunnel.

Eryx stopped and listened.

Nothing.

He took another step.

Not a gasp. More like a hushed cry.

“Phybe?”

A shaky whimper reverberated from the darkness, followed by a sniffle.

“Phybe? It’s Eryx.” Praise The Great One. Didn’t he paint a picture, talking to what was probably his overactive imagination. Conjuring something from nothing.

“Please.” A cracked voice whispered from no more than fifteen feet beyond. “Don’t hurt me.”

His heart lurched, and then galloped. He lowered the torch, careful of every step. “I’m here to help you, Phybe. Not hurt you.” His boot landed on an overlarge rock, and his foot slipped and crunched on the porous rock. He stifled an oath and tried to steady his tone. “Let me hear your voice, sweetheart. It’ll be fine.”

“Over here.”

A dirty blue slipper came into view. Phybe flinched against the light, covering her face.

Eryx crouched and held the flame aloft. Urging her hands down and pushing wild blonde hair from her dirt-covered face, he let loose a shrill whistle.

Phybe jerked and covered her ears.

“Sorry.” Beyond the dirt and rips in her pale blue gown she seemed more frightened than injured. “Can you tell me what happened?”

She shook on a fresh wave of sobs and her head hung so her hair covered her face. She pulled her knees in tight. “I didn’t know,” she whispered. “I was in such grief and he was so kind. I had no idea who he was.” She couldn’t get much more disjointed in her speech. Bits of data shot between gasping hiccups.

Just get her up and out of here and take the information you need.
He tamped down the thought. Barely. “Who?”

Her lower lip trembled. “He said his name was Wesley, but I overheard him in Cush. His name is Maxis.”

The friend she’d mentioned. The one who gave her the flower. “Maxis was the friend who found you?”

She nodded and hung her head again, shoulders shaking so hard he thought she might fall over.

Footsteps echoed down the path and Phybe scooted further away, eyes wide with fear.

Eryx gripped her shoulder and held her in place. “It’s all right. It’s my men. We’ll get you out of here.”

She shook her head in a frantic back and forth, her cheeks going fire engine red. “No. You can’t. He’ll find me.”

Eryx gripped her tighter. “Maxis?”

She nodded and gulped a quick breath of air. “He’ll kill me. The man who helped me said I had to stay here until it was safe.”

“Who helped you?”

The darkness lightened by quick degrees as Ludan and Ramsay rounded the last corner. Phybe’s gaze darted from one man to the next and she curled in tight.

Eryx carefully lifted her chin. “Who helped you, Phybe?”

“I-I don’t know his name. But he brought me food. Said he needed time to figure out what to do.”

“You linked with Maxis?”

She hung her head.

“I want to take you to the castle. We’ve got zeolite cells there, so Maxis won’t find you. We’ll go quickly, but you’ll be exposed for a short time.” He gave her a minute to let the plan sink in. “Are you willing to risk it?”

She batted a tear, but agreed with a tiny nod.

He handed off his torch and lifted her against his chest before she could change her mind and headed toward the entrance.

“Maxis wants to hurt you.” She lifted her grimy, tear-streaked face from his chest. “He offered Serena revenge against the malress. I heard them.”

“They’ve already got her.” He didn’t mean for it to come out as harsh as it did.

Phybe ducked and gave into a fresh round of weeping. “I’m so sorry. Saul would be so ashamed.”

He pulled Phybe closer. No matter what her transgressions, she didn’t deserve to suffer like this. Not with the price she and her mate had already paid. “Your fireann knew your kind heart. Maxis saw it too and used it. It’s what he does.”

The tunnel went on for what felt like eons. By the time he reached the entrance, he thought sure he’d find the afternoon sun close to the horizon, but it had barely shaded the entrance. No more than forty, maybe fifty minutes since they’d gone in. As soon he cleared the rock’s edge, the breath of his powers roared into place and he took the first decent lungful of air since he’d gone in. “Can you stand?”

She dipped her chin and he eased her to the ground.

“What will they do with her?” Phybe’s nails bit into his forearm, whether for balance or from fear he wasn’t sure.

He steadied her. “I was hoping you’d tell me how to find her before we get the chance to find out.”

Phybe swayed, her knees nearly buckling. “My link.”

“If you’ll share your memories, we’ll work from what you know and get you squared away where Maxis can’t find you. We’ll figure out the rest afterward.”

“No.” She released the grip on his arm and straightened. She trembled, but her lips hardened with resolve. “I failed once, but I won’t fail again. Let me use my link. Let me atone for what I’ve done.”

“Phybe, a battle isn’t—”

“She’s right.” Ramsay stepped forward, eyes on Phybe. “Do you know anything about him besides where he lives?”

She shook her head. “I was only there one night, then he brought me home.”

Ramsay looked to Eryx. “Maxis will be with Lexi. If he’s got her anywhere but his home, we’re screwed without her.”

Ludan and Ramsay stared him down with hard, relentless faces. They viewed Phybe as an advantage. Even if with his baineann in danger, he saw her as a woman who’d already given her mate for their race.

“Please.” Phybe gripped his hand. “Let me make right what I’ve done.”

Almost twenty-four hours since they’d taken Lexi. Hands down, the longest day of his life.

Phybe waited for his answer, a determination he couldn’t help but respect in her eyes.

“Ramsay, pull a squadron together. Only the most advanced warriors and only those you know intimately. I want four men guarding this woman along the way.” He lifted Phybe into his arms. “Prepare the rest for full-scale combat.”