War Bride (Battle Born Book 7) (11 page)

“I know you desire him, but is lust all you feel?”

The time for denials had passed. She would never find her way out of this tangle if she didn’t start being honest with herself. “I care for him much more than I want to, but I still find it hard to trust him.”

“That’s understandable. But think back over your time together. Has he ever lied to you?”

“Are you serious?” She shook her head, unable to hide her disbelief. “If I’m not really a war bride, as you claim, then
everything
he said to me was a lie.”

Conviction crept into Tonn’s tone as he responded to her accusation. “He was playing a part, acting as you expected a Rodyte to act. He needed you to hate him enough to do anything to escape him, even agree to help rescue his son.”

But she didn’t hate him. She’d fallen in love with him instead.

“Has he ever broken a promise to you?” Tonn persisted.

“He was about to.” But the thought she’d overheard could have indicated his determination to claim her as mate rather than his willingness to deceive her. She shook her head, heart thudding rapidly against her ribs.

“Is there anything you’ve asked of him that he’s refused to do?”

“Other than freeing me?”

Challenge arched Tonn’s dark brows. “You spent the last six years searching for a genetically compatible male. Why are you so eager to escape now that you’ve found one?”

“He didn’t contact me like a civilized suitor. He kidnapped me!”

“Why do you think that is?” he shot back. “Would you have taken his suit seriously if he contacted you through the mate finder?”

She gasped. “How do you know about that?”

Tonn laughed and looked out into the night. “Where do you think he got your DNA profile and a list of your abilities? Bride hunters have used those charlatans for decades to find compatible brides.”

She thought about all the information she’d given the mate finder. Her interests and abilities. Her background and aspirations. She’d made it incredibly easy for Kryton to find what he needed. “This is unbelievable. We’re doing it to ourselves.”

“No,” he stressed as he turned his head back toward her. “The warriors are to blame. You did nothing wrong.”

“But what about Kryton? Was it his intention to woo me from the start, or did his attitude evolve over time?”

It took him a moment to answer. “If you’d been a true war bride, he would have claimed you that first night.” He waited until she looked into his eyes before he added, “Your courtship might have been unconventional, but he has always been courting you.”

“Oh, Tonn, I’m such a fool.” She covered her mouth with her hand as a sob broke loose inside her.

Tonn wrapped his arm around her shoulders and gave her a quick hug. “Would you like me to com him? He can be here in less than an hour.”

“Please, but don’t tell him what I want. Just tell him I’m ready to talk.”

Kryton powered down his shuttle with a frustrated hiss. Skyla crooked her finger and he came running like an obedient lap pet. He was such a fool. A lovesick fool, he corrected. He no longer tried to deny it. He was desperately in love with Skyla of Hautell, and there was nothing he could do about it. He intended to explain himself one last time and if she was still unwilling to trust him, he’d let her go.

Sorrow squeezed his heart at the thought of losing her. How could he lose what he’d never had? If she felt nothing but lust for him, it was better this way. He knew all too well what it was like to have a
morautu
who despised him.

He crossed from the landing pad to the mansion’s side entrance. It was late and he didn’t want anyone but Skyla to know he was here. If she refused him, again, the last thing he wanted was a bunch of pity-filled gazes following his every move. He scanned open the door then reactivated the perimeter alarms. He’d dismissed the guards shortly after he landed. Regardless of how things turned out with Skyla, extra security was no longer necessary.

Taking the servants’ stairs to the third floor, he went directly to the master suite. He wanted this settled once and for all. Skyla had disrupted his well-ordered life long enough. He paused before the door and raised his hand to knock.
To hells with that
. This was his house and she was his
morautu
. He eased the door open and slipped inside the shadowy room.

It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dimness, then he strode across the sitting area and into the adjoining bedroom. His heart lurched within his chest when he found the bed empty.

“Skyla?” Panic tore her name from his mouth.

The curtains billowed in the wind and she stepped into the open doorway leading out onto the balcony. “I’m here.”

He took a deep breath to calm himself then joined her. Moonlight bathed her lovely face in silver and made her eyes particularly luminous. Her slim body swam within the folds of his bathrobe, making him envy the plush material.

She watched him silently, tension clear on her delicate features.

Her reluctance fueled his determination. “Tonn said you wanted to talk, but I’d rather start if you don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind.” She seemed relieved by the offer.

He rested his forearm on the railing and turned his body toward her. “When I began my search, I wasn’t looking for a bride. I was looking for a weapon to use against Harbinger Guild.”

“I know.” Her tone was emotionless and she said nothing more.

“But we were genetically compatible and it twisted everything. Suddenly I had two needs, both incredibly important, but they pulled me in opposite directions.” He took another breath, trying to slow his pulse, but her scent filled his nose along with the cool night air. His senses came to life and his heart pounded even faster. “I’m Rodyte. I knew you would hate me and want nothing but to escape me. Still, I needed your help to rescue my son. So I decided to use your hostility to motivate you rather than attempt to overcome it.”

Her eyes narrowed and she buried her hands in the pockets of the robe. “But I found out about your son in the dream meld. In fact, you were furious about it.”

“I was furious because I’d lost control of the situation. Tonn was supposed to tell you about Arton, little by little, over a period of time. You weren’t ready to learn what I really wanted.”

“What you really wanted?” Her laugh was harsh and humorless. “You made that perfectly clear every time you entered the cabin.”

He sighed and folded his hands into fists. This wasn’t going well at all. “I won’t apologize for wanting you. Combating the pull every step of the way wasn’t part of the plan. I captured you to rescue my son, not to warm my bed.”

She turned toward the sea, letting the night wind play through her hair. Her profile was so pure, so perfect that it took his breath away. “I know what did happen.” Her voice was soft and thoughtful. “Tell me what was supposed to have happened.”

With a sigh he realized he wasn’t quite sure. The intensity of their attraction had reshaped all his well laid plans. “I knew the only way you’d help me was if I agreed to set you free, but your abilities led you to the truth much sooner than you were supposed to know. You didn’t trust me at all and I’d behaved badly too many times for you to believe anything I said. The pull was stronger than I’d ever imagined and—”

“You can’t blame this on the pull,” she flared, turning toward him again. Her red phitons glowed, a not so subtle reminder that she was Bilarrian. “You’d been through it before. You knew how intense everything would be with a potential mate.”

He shook his head. “It was never like this with Jiatta. Genetic compatibility only amplifies attraction. It doesn’t create it. I was attracted to you before I caught your scent and the pull kicked in. I feel like I’ve always loved you.”

“Loved me?” She shook her head, eyes filled with pain. “I’m not sure you know the meaning of the word. You don’t torment someone you love. You don’t frighten and intimidate them.”

He couldn’t defend his actions. She was right. He’d behaved horribly, used the situation to indulge his savage side. “I’m sorry. I was wrong to manipulate your feelings and exploit the need created by our genetic compatibility. I should have been stronger, more protective of my potential mate.”

Apparently that hadn’t been the response she’d expected. Her expression softened and tension melted out of her stance. “You knew we were compatible before you kidnapped me. If rescuing Arton was your only goal, why didn’t you choose someone else?”

“I never said Arton was my only goal. I said he was my original goal. He was the reason for my search. But my search led to an extraordinary female who was searching for a compatible male. The mate finder told me you’d been searching for six years. I couldn’t help wondering if I could give you what you wanted in return for your help.”

Emotions rolled across her features so fast he couldn’t untangle them. One thing was certain. She wasn’t ready to forgive him yet. “Why didn’t you just ask me?”

He laughed and spread his arms in a helpless shrug. “I’m your enemy. You’ve been taught since birth to hate me. I couldn’t risk your refusal. Rescuing Arton is too important.”

“So you continued with your original plan while trying to ‘court’ me?” She still sounded confused and he couldn’t blame her. The situation was confusing. He was attempting to accomplish two things that clashed and contradicted each other.

“Basically.”

She took a step toward him and then another. “Why were you so afraid that I’d reject you if you told me everything? We’d spent enough time together. You should have known I’d feel compassion for your son and want to see him reunited with his father.”

He clenched his fists as dread twisted through his gut. If she needed complete honesty to trust him, he’d bare his soul. “I wasn’t afraid you’d reject Arton. I was afraid—” Emotion closed his throat and he couldn’t finish the thought.

“I’d reject you?” He nodded. “But why? You know how much I want you.”

“Jiatta wanted me too.” Needing to purge himself of the bitterness and sorrow, he rushed through the explanation. “Mating fever brought us together and allowed us to be happy until Arton was born. Then I was so consumed by my need to protect Arton that Jiatta felt neglected.”

“Wasn’t she worried about the safety of her son?”

Skyla’s vehemence pleased him, but he couldn’t allow the misconception to soften what really happened. “Don’t blame her. The fault was mine. I should have done a better job of balancing my interests. My relationship with Jiatta was just as important as keeping Arton safe, but I focused entirely on Arton.”

Compassion warmed Skyla’s gaze as she shook her head. “It’s never that cut and dry.”

“Perhaps.” He wanted his past laid to rest, so he hurried on with his story. “We fell into a sad routine. It was as if we were going through the motions of life rather than actually living. She was cold and distant and I didn’t know how to reignite the fire we had once felt for each other.”

“Did you want to reignite the fire?”

“Of course. She was my
morautu
. I wanted what we’d been promised, a love to last a lifetime.”

Her lashes swept down, shadowing her gaze. “Apparently it takes more than genetic compatibility to make that happen.”

“I agree. It takes conscious effort and determination to make any relationship last. After mating fever burned itself out, neither of us were willing to do the work.”

Silence fell hard and heavy. Tension still pulsed between them, yet neither knew what to say. The story wasn’t finished. He just couldn’t bring himself to reveal the rest, to confess the worst of his failings. They looked out at the ocean, then at each other again. If they couldn’t get beyond this barrier, there was no hope for them.

After a long pause, she asked, “Was Jiatta still alive when the harbingers came for Arton?”

He never spoke about those horrible events, tried very hard not to think about them. But Skyla needed to know. She needed to understand the darkness still lingering inside his soul. “I wasn’t there when they came for Arton, but Jiatta was. We were living in a modest cottage on a secluded island in an effort to elude the harbingers. I still don’t know how they found us, but they killed the guards before Jiatta even realized there was a problem. They forced their way into the house and Jiatta tried to fight them, tried desperately to protect our son. They beat her bloody and left her there on the floor as they took off with Arton.”

Suddenly Skyla was pressed against his chest and her arms wrapped around his body. “I’m so sorry this happened to your family. I can only imagine the pain you must have felt.”

Stunned by her reaction, he just held her for a moment, savoring the unexpected warmth. But the story still wasn’t over. The most important part remained. “Jiatta blamed me for what happened.” He stroked Skyla’s hair as he spoke, comforting himself with the softness. “Her indifference turned to hate and her outbursts became more violent until I had no choice but to leave. That’s why she was alone with her bodyguard when one of my enemies came looking for me.”

“Oh dear gods.” Skyla hugged him even tighter. “Tonn told me that’s how she died.”

He nodded, hoping she’d feel it even though she didn’t raise her head off his chest. “I checked on her the following day because no one at her villa was answering my coms. That’s when I found her body. It wasn’t a clean kill. They’d tortured her before they let her die.” He felt Skyla shudder, so he didn’t elaborate. What more was there to say?

“I know you tracked down the men who did it. Tonn told me that too.” She finally looked at him, her eyes swimming with unshed tears. “And I know you blame yourself for her death.”

“I blame myself for all of it. How could I not? I failed my son and I failed my mate. What right do I have to claim another female when I couldn’t protect the one I had?” He pushed her away and grasped the railing, preventing her from hugging him again. “I didn’t tell you this to earn your pity. I wanted you to understand why I’ve been so conflicted. I hid behind your preconceptions so I didn’t have to face how desperately I want this to be real.”

“Do you still want this to be real?”

He snapped his head around and looked into her eyes, confused by the tenderness in her tone. “I’m not worthy of a mate, regardless of how much I want one.”

“That’s not your decision to make.” A soft smile curved her lips and desire smoldered in her vivid blue eyes. “Unless I misunderstand Rodyte custom, the male stakes his claim and the female either accepts or rejects him.”

“You understand Rodyte custom.” The implications of her statement nearly paralyzed his mind. She’d already rejected him repeatedly. Why was she bringing it up now?

“So explain the rest to me. How would life work for a Rodyte general and his Bilarrian
morautu
? You’re respected and clearly affluent.” She motioned to the oceanfront mansion surrounding them. “Would claiming me put your career in jeopardy?”

“No,” he insisted. “My personal life is my own. My supervisors have nothing to say about it.”

“But it’s likely you would be passed over for promotions and many would criticize your irrational behavior. Unless things are significantly different here than they are on Bilarri.”

He inclined his head, acknowledging her point as valid. “There are many who would disapprove, but I don’t care. I’m the head of my family and there are very few with the authority to dictate my actions.”

“Tonn said you’re a crown favorite,” she persisted. “How will Pern Keire react to one of his generals joining with a Bilarrian? Your planet is at war with mine, yet I will have access to your mind and emotions. Surely the crown stirate will have something to say about that.”

“He can rail and threaten me until hell’s rings turn to ice. He needs me too badly to do more than shout. My heart has made its choice.”

“All right. What about me? Would we live here or on your spaceship? How often would I see you if I stayed here?”

Her tone remained conversational, her expression calm, yet each question she asked peeled away another layer of his confidence. Was it possible she was still considering her options, or was she simply defining the situation so she could reject him one final time? “Here would be more practical, or at one of my other properties. And as for how often you’d see me, I’d be home most every night. I’m a multi-ship commander. I supervise and dispatch long-range missions, but I seldom participate in them.”