Текст книги "Broken Skies"

Автор книги: Theresa Kay

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Текущая страница: 14 (всего у книги 18 страниц)

TWENTY THREE

“Stella!” The shout brings me to instant awareness. Not so for the little bundle curled against me and fast asleep. When did Stella come back in here? I nudge her, but she doesn’t even budge.

My face is sticky and when I wipe at it, my hand comes back wet with blood. A nose bleed? The stark white pillow has a sopping patch of red. There’s another shout from the hallway and I hurriedly scrub my face with the pillow case. Without a mirror I can’t really tell if all the blood is gone, but I’d better get my visitor out to her worried parents. This is already not going to go over well with them.

I pull Stella into my arms and carry her into the hallway. “Um… Mr. Vestra? She’s here.”

Vira flies up the hallway and gathers Stella into her arms while Stellan glares at me over his wife– no, his bondmate’s shoulder. “What was she doing with you?” Ice laces his words and I can tell nothing I say is going to satisfy him so I just shrug and avert my eyes. He advances up the hallway, a predatory look in his eyes. “So help me, if you’ve harmed her….”

“Father!” Lir steps out from a door to my right, sleep tousled and wearing a worried frown. “Stop it. She wouldn’t hurt Stella.”

If only the carpet would swallow me. The door to my room is behind me, so I slide slowly backwards, hoping to get away from the father son confrontation about to take off in the hallway.

“You don’t know that Steliro. She may have some of our DNA, but she was raised with humans. They’re no better than animals,” says Stellan, redness creeping up his neck and into his cheeks. “I don’t know what possessed you to bring her here, but you need to get rid of her today, now! She’s completely unstable. Who knows what she’s capable of. I want her out of my house and out of this city!”

“I know what she’s capable of. I—”

“How could you possibly—”

“She’s my bondmate!” Lir’s face is just as red as his father’s and his words come out in a shout. At the shocked look on his father’s face, Lir backs down and repeats it, this time softer. “She’s my bondmate, Father.”

Stellan shoots a glare my way, but I’m sliding back into my room before he says anything else.

My first stop is the bathroom where I wet down my sleeve and scrub at my cheek. The dried blood comes off easily, but my skin is left red and irritated, the dark circles under my eyes standing out against the bright color. I look like I haven’t slept in months.

I turn away from the mirror too quickly. Black stars flash across my vision and my legs falter. One elbow smacks into the counter top, but I catch myself on the doorway before I fall all the way to the ground. I rest my dizzy head against the door frame and take a few deep breaths, waiting for the room to stop spinning before I trust my legs enough to hold me. Stellan is right. I am unstable and not just mentally. Whether it’s the bond, the city, the chaos, or some other variable, the panic attacks have been hitting harder and more frequently since yesterday. Though my mind feels clearer this morning, my body appears to be failing me.

The slam of a door sounds through the house like a shot and then the door to my room opens slowly. Lir pokes his head around, his eyes finding me in the dim room. “Jax?”

I find a weak smile for him and he comes farther into the room, slowly. His eyes take in the tears on my cheeks and he moves to my side. He places a hand on my back, softly, carefully, and rubs it in a small circle. “Are you okay? What’s wrong? I didn’t mean… The dream thing… I’m sorry… I—”

“Stop.” I release the door frame and rest one hand on his chest. “Not your fault.”

“You’re bleeding and you look like you’re about to fall over. The bond is not supposed to be like that. It’s supposed to heal, to give strength, to be a good thing.”

I give him a wry smile. “And we all know how good I am about doing what I’m supposed to.”

He smiles, but it’s nothing more than a simple upwards twist of his mouth, a nervous reflex to my awful attempt at a joke. His hands drop to his sides and he sighs. “My Father would like to speak to you… If you’re not up to it, you don’t have to.”

“But there’s still a Council meeting to get through later, right? Might as well get some practice.”

“He’s just worried about Stella. He’s mad at me, not you. Though it might be prudent to discuss the bond issue with him before presenting it to the entire Council.”

The puff of breath that escapes from my nose is like a near silent laugh. “I’m pretty sure your father’s feelings about me are clear, but he can’t possibly dislike me any more.”

The four of us gather in the living room, Stellan sitting in a chair, Vira perched on the arm and Lir sitting next to me on the couch. I stare at the floor twisting my hands in front of me.

“Now, explain to me why you think this girl is your bondmate,” says Stellan.

“It is something I know, Sir. I’ve linked to her. Met her in her dreams. A severe wound on her leg healed from one dream session that lasted barely five minutes.” That’s what he meant by heal? The bond fixed my leg?

Everyone looks to me.

“Yeah my leg—” My voice cracks and I clear my throat before trying again. “I was bitten by a rattlesnake—”

“A bite she protected me from,” interrupts Lir.

I shoot him an irritated look. I’m already about to climb up the walls, if he wants me to talk then he needs to be quiet. Vira closely watches the silent exchange between us.

Stellan interlaces his fingers and gives me a bored look. “And?”

“The bite got infected and Peter, the guy we were staying with, had to cut into my leg to remove the infected tissue. When I first woke up I could hardly walk, but then…well, look.” I pull up the leg of my pants to show the golf ball sized scar on my calf. “This happened only a few days ago.”

“How were you able to do this when you have no kitu and my son’s was not functional?”

Simple is probably best. “I don’t know,” I say. “I just found out about it myself. Somehow… I don’t need one. But there’s something else you need to know. I—”

“Is that how Steliro has survived with you? Can you help the children?” Hope shines in Vira’s eyes and uncertainty turns in my stomach. I don’t know how it works. I don’t know how to use it and I don’t know what exactly it does. How to explain it to them?

“Yes,” says Lir. I look at him in confusion, not sure what he’s agreeing with and then it dawns on me that he’s answering his mother’s questions. “She linked to Stel last night, Mother.”

Stellan looks intrigued, Vira ecstatic and Lir… I don’t know, maybe apprehensive.

“Link to me,” says Stellan, his voice hard. It’s not a request.

“I—I can’t. I don’t know how.”

“Then how did you do it with Steliro?”

A thrum of panic spreads into my limbs. “I didn’t even know what I was at the time. I just…”

Stellan turns to Lir and up goes the eyebrow. “Steliro?”

“I don’t know, Father…Sir,” says Lir. His gaze stays trained on the floor.

Stellan’s eyes harden and his voice goes quieter. “Then explain to me your theories. You must have at least one.”

“I…” Lir’s eyes come up and I can see the conflict in them. Pain flashes across his face for a moment and I can feel him try to reach out to me through the link, but shying away from it when his gaze catches on my face. He sets his face and Lir the solider, the obedient son returns. “It might be brought about by strong emotions.”

Strong emotions? I suppose that could be true, but why won’t Lir even look at me? I get my answer when Stellan stands, watching me like a hawk. He steps toward me and I shrink back at cold calculation in his eyes, my heart climbing into my throat, choking me. Something cold, hard and sharp pounds at my defenses, battering against my mind. It’s not the subtle, liquid connection I get from Lir, more of a very large, very solid rock bashing against the link, trying to force its way in no matter the consequences to the rest of me.

Attempting a deep breath only leaves me with short gasping pants in and out of my nose, and a warm stream of what can only be blood drips from my nostril. The booming of my pulse starts to drown out the world around me and a whimper escapes my mouth.

It’s enough to break Lir out of whatever trace or sense of duty that was stalling him. He opens his mouth, but Vira speaks up first.

“Stop it Stellan,” she scolds. “You are scaring her.” Vira reaches my side and pulls my face to look at her, compassion flashing in her eyes as her gaze falls lower. “It is hurting her.” She turns her view back to Stellan. “We will figure this out without tormenting the poor child.”

Stellan gives a curt nod and his body relaxes into a less threatening pose. Vira grabs my arm and, brushing past Lir and her husband, leads me out of the room and into the bedroom I slept in.

Vira sits down on the bed and pats a spot beside her. “Sit,” she says. “Relax.”

I sit. “Thank you.” I twist my hands in my lap and bite at my lip. “I really don’t know how it works. I…”

“Hush now,” she says. “We will figure this out. I realize Stellan may seem hard, but he is really just worried about Stella… about Lir, about us, about the city. My bondmate just takes the world’s problems on his shoulders and he does not always think things through.” She watches as my limbs relax. “My son does not either. He was not trying to betray you in there. Please do not think that of him.”

“I wasn’t.”

“Really? You were quick to believe the worst of him yesterday.” Her words are not unkind, just assessing.

“That was…a misunderstanding. He was supposed to help me find my brother. Not bring me here.”

“Your brother? Is he…like you?”

“Yes. We’re twins.”

Vira’s head tilts and she smiles. “That is wonderful. We do not often have twins, though I know you met Rym and Trel. Do you know which of your parents was one of us? You might have family here.”

Family? The thought had never even crossed my mind. My father was an only child and had never introduced us to any relatives. But I never knew my mother and my father had never mentioned her side of the family.

“My mother,” I say. There’s no way my father, with his ordinary brown hair and eyes could have been E’rikon. “She died. When we were born.” Vira reaches toward my hair, pulling one of the long, deep red strands to her and running her fingers over it. “Stella said I looked like I was from the Reva family.”

“Yes, that is a possibility.” She studies me, measuring me with her gaze. “I do not know how much Lir has told you about us, our society, his father’s position here or even his own, but I do see the connection between you two. However, I do not see how you might form a future together. The people will not accept you, not as a bondmate for our son.”

“But…”

She holds a hand up and gently shakes her head. “Even your heritage would not be enough for them. The balance here is fragile and Lir has many responsibilities. Just bringing you here and arranging for a meeting with the Council was a huge risk and the repercussions of that are yet to be determined. My son’s actions were impulsive and I do not wish for either of you to suffer for that.” She pauses and picks up one of my hands. “Please do not mistake my words for harshness, Jax. I wish things were different. There is just too much distrust between our species and Lir cannot put his own interests over those of his people. It is the price of leadership.”

“I understand.” I do, well kind of. I’ve gathered that Stellan is important and, as his son, Lir is too. I’m not quite sure how the whole thing works though, but it’s not as if I expected this brief happiness of mine to last anyway. Last night, the dream, it was wonderful, but I know I could never be what Lir would need to me to be, no matter how much I wish I could. Despite everything, Jace has been my goal and the only thing I’ve given myself permission to hope for. I blink quickly to dispel the tears I won’t admit are forming.

“Stellan has always preached isolation, segregation from the humans and up until recently the relations between our species have been not so much peaceful as mutual indifference.” She pauses and presses her lips together. “My son has openly defied his father by bringing you here. This comes after a series of acts that went against Stellan’s wishes and his orders, the first of those acts being joining the patrols to search for Kov’s killer. To do this, Lir had to align himself with certain others, most notably Vitrad… my brother…the most outspoken of Stellan’s opponents and the head of our military.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Lir has too much faith in his uncle and not enough in his father. Had he come to us before parading you through the city and announcing his return to the Council we may have been able to help. Even with Stellan’s position as Chancellor, our hands are tied now and there is no time to prepare you for everything that might happen today. I do not know how your request will be taken and Stellan cannot cancel this meeting. I am frightened that Vitrad is going to use it as an opportunity to tip the fragile balance in his favor. I do not know what that may mean for you, but it puts my family in an even more precarious situation than it is now.”

“And you want me to…?”

“The Council does not react well to unknown variables or things they do not or cannot understand. Currently that is exactly what you are. If you cannot make your link work, it is best for you to appear as human as possible, make yourself seem like less of a threat.”

“I’m not a threat.”

Vira smiles softly. “I do not believe you would do any intentional harm, but just by being what you are and the connection you have formed with Lir, you are a threat to our society, our way of living, and simply our basic beliefs. The bond you have managed to form with my son is nothing short of amazing, but most will not feel the same. It will set Lir apart from us, his family and his species, and will garner too much attention from the Council, that is, if bringing you here has not already.”

“Long story short, the Council is bad, cower like a lowly vermin and, whatever I do, don’t say anything about you being my potential mother-in-law. That about right?”

Vira laughs, covering her mouth and looking surprised when the loud sound exits her mouth. “My goodness, you certainly are direct. I think I may understand what my son sees in you.”

I shrug. That makes one of us. “If you’re trying to avoid attention, you might want to tell him to do something about his hair before this meeting. I’m not exactly a barber and I can’t imagine that look is standard around here.”

“He does look a bit ridiculous, doesn’t he?” Her smile is warm and she looks at me with something like affection, as if, were things different, she would have welcomed me into her family with open arms. It would have been nice to have a mother like her. As it is, we can only share a common desire to protect the boy we both care about.

TWENTY FOUR

After a quick, bland breakfast, getting ready doesn’t take long and before I know it, I’m whisked out of the apartment and through the city, following behind Stellan and Vira. Lir walks slightly behind his parents but still well separate from me.

His father admonished him about ‘appearances’ when he tried to hold my hand. Lir opened his mouth to argue, but I shook my head and indicated for him to walk in front of me. It was quick, but Stellan shot me a grateful look, his blank face softening into worry for just a moment before he turned his head. My stomach churns with every step and, even though I can tell he’s trying to stop, waves of anxiety are flowing from Lir to me.

We aren’t taking one of the silver pods and, though I’m curious, I don’t question why. Maybe me walking through the city, unrestrained and following meekly behind is meant to show how non-dangerous I am. Or something.

The other aliens stare at me as we pass, their gazes skittering over me like tiny bugs, itchy and uncomfortable. It’s not… vicious, not like they want to hurt me or anything, but there’s a lot of curiosity in their eyes and maybe some of them look a little disgusted or confused. That changes when Stellan brings us to a stop in front of one of the three towers.

The two aliens flanking the door look at me with open hostility. They’re dressed in the same bland uniform as everyone else, but like the other aliens in the clearing, their jackets are decorated with symbols. Perhaps this is how they designate members of their military? They allow us passage though, after sending a few narrow-eyed glares at me. Stellan leads the way through a large lobby area to a bank of elevators. The four of us board one of the elevators and I slink into the corner, while Lir and Stellan stand stiffly near the door.

Seconds later, there’s a ding and the doors slide open. Stellan steps out first, then Lir who links arms with Vira. I follow behind, my head down, studying my surroundings with subtle glances from the corners of my eyes.

Two aliens in light gray uniforms stand outside the door we are approaching, snapping to attention as our group gets nearer. The respect isn’t for me though. A simple nod from Stellan and the two soldiers relax slightly and pull open the door. Stellan motions for me to enter, in front of everyone else for the first time. As soon as I enter the large, high-ceilinged room I wish I were still in the back.

I don’t know what I expected but it’s certainly not what I find. It’s a large atrium with seats lining the walls in staggered sections. There’s a raised dais in the center of the room with a large semi-circular table facing outward into the room. On the outer edge of the circle and just slightly elevated above the table, four chairs sit. Lir’s family members file toward the four chairs. When I move to follow, Lir shakes his head at me and motions toward a single chair sitting within and facing the semi-circle.

I walk to the chair, but I don’t sit. No one else is in the room yet, but already my heart rate is climbing and my palms are sweaty. Once Stellan has sat, Lir and Vira follow suit, one on either side. As if on cue, the room begins to fill, aliens filing in from the sides of each row and filling the seats as they go along. Last to enter are five men who walk up to the table in the center, one sitting in the larger center chair and the other four sitting two on either side of him.

Soon, everyone is sitting but me. I try to catch Lir’s eye, but he stoically ignores me as do Stellan and Vira. The alien in the center seat at the table, gestures for me to sit, a glint of something in his eyes that I can’t read.

I sit and place my hands in my lap, fighting the urge to wipe my sweaty palms on my pants.

“You have called this meeting Stellan,” says the center alien without turning around, “Please state your reason.”

“This girl assisted my son, Vitrad” says Stellan. “She would like to make a request of us.” So formal, almost as if scripted.

So this is Vitrad Linaud, alien military leader, Lir’s uncle and the person Vira so desperately warned me against. He doesn’t look so frightening. Tall and slim with golden hair and silver ringed pupils.

His eyes have not moved from me. “Is that so? And bringing a human into our city was your idea?”

Lir speaks up. “No, that was my doing.”

I fidget under Vitrad’s heavy gaze, meeting his eyes and quickly looking away. There’s a subtle gold ring around the flashing silver of his eyes that I hadn’t noticed before. As those hard eyes drill me to my chair Vira’s fears seem much more understandable. Whatever else is going on, Vitrad is not on my side.

“But why?” His voice is mocking. “I still do not see any logical reason for her presence here.”

“When I was…left behind, the unit I was with took her brother prisoner. She is requesting that he be returned,” says Lir, his voice faltering slightly.

“Are you referring to the human we have in custody? The one who killed Teskov, your friend and my daughter’s bondmate? The one who has admitted to knowledge of a forthcoming human attack?” What is he talking about? Flint said Dane had plans, but not that anything was going to happen soon…

Lir’s eyes dart to me for just a second before he answers. “Yes.” The simple syllable sends murmurs throughout the room.

A slimy smile crawls across Vitrad’s face and triumph flashes in his eyes. “And yet you bring one of them here…Did it ever cross your mind that she might be a spy?”

Lir gapes for a moment and his brow furrows in confusion, just enough to shatter the illusion of his confidence. It appears Vitrad has gone off script. Not only was Lir not expecting that ambush, he’d never actually taken that idea into consideration and he has no possible response. Not without revealing the bond between us at least.

My eyes shoot back and forth between Lir, who is still just standing there and Stellan, who is slowly going pale while watching the exchange. When my gaze lands on Vira, I give her a subtle nod, permission to tell my secret to protect her son.

Vira rises and sends me a reassuring smile. “Vitrad there is more to this situation than my husband and son have already stated. It is our belief that the girl is not fully human.”

Vitrad tilts his head and narrows his eyes at her. “Then what is she?”

“She is a hybrid. E’rikon and human.” Another, louder murmur travels through the room. Vitrad is the only one who looks unaffected.

One alien stands up in the back of the room. “That is impossible. That program is a known failure.” Voices of agreement sound throughout the room, many others standing up to voice their concerns.

Vitrad waves them all off and waits for the noise in the room to die down before speaking again. “Explain yourself, Sister,” he says. “That is not a statement we can afford to take lightly.”

Vira looks to me, but I don’t know what she’s asking now. “Her hair is one thing, but the main reason is what’s inside her, what she can do.”

“What she can do?” Vitrad tilts his head again and studies me.

“She can link to my daughter.”

More voices sound out in surprise, the whole room growing noisy. A new light grows behind Vitrad’s eyes and a sinister smile crawls across his face. The look is quick, gone almost before I notice it, but a cold feeling of dread curls in my stomach. What’s worse is that Vitrad never, not for one second, looked even remotely surprised. He knew. He knows. His eyes meet mine and he looks at me as if he’s a hunter and I’m his prey.

“Not possible,” says Vitrad, waving Vira off. His expression closes off, a mask of disinterest falling into place.

Lir speaks up next, ignoring the not so subtle grip his mother has on his shoulder. “It’s quite possible uncle.” Lir pulls up his sleeve and holds out his arm, putting his kitu on display. “I was hit with a pulse, my kitu non functional. Without her I could not possibly have survived.”

These aliens sure like to mutter in surprise. Or maybe this has just been a very interesting day for them. Vitrad waves his hand again. What is with this hand waving thing? The room quiets and Vitrad stands for the first time.

“Let us test this theory of yours then.” He walks around the table and approaches my chair, his face closed and nonchalant. When he draws closer he leans down until he’s staring directly into my face. “Well?”

Wide-eyed and unsure, I just sit there. “I don’t know what you want me to do,” I stammer.

Vitrad straightens and walks back to the table. “You are wrong, she is nothing but an ordinary human.”

“But—” Lir shoots to his feet. The two guards come up on either side of him and pull him back down.

Vitrad spins around to face Lir and his family, the first time he’s really looked at them since he entered the room. “You, Steliro, are a traitor. Bringing this human here.” He stalks closer. “And you Stellan and Vira, I expected more from you. Harboring her?”

Redness creeps up Lir’s necks and into his cheeks. “I am no traitor. There’s a reason—”

“Silence!” Vitrad bears down on Lir, stopping when he towers over Lir’s seated form. “This is my room, you are here as a courtesy. I suggest you hold your tongue.”

Stellan rises until he is eye to eye with Vitrad. “This may be your room Vitrad, but you do not rule here.”

“And neither do you,” says Vitrad. Stellan glowers, but doesn’t respond and Vitrad turns his attention back to me. “Take the girl into custody.”

My stomach twists and ice water trickles into my veins. The two aliens flanking Lir, move around the table and take position on either side of me.

Lir stands up quickly. “There’s no need for that.”

“Now Steliro,” says Vitrad, a cold grin forming on his face. “This is for the best. We know the humans are preparing to attack. It is only logical that we take her into custody so she cannot warn them we know they are coming.”

Lir tries to step to me, but is blocked by a guard. He steps up to Vitrad instead. “No. This is not what we agreed upon. I forbid it.”

What they agreed upon?

Vitrad’ eyes flick down to Lir’s wrist and he sneers. “I think your issue has made you confused. Perhaps you should head down to the medical section and get your head back on straight.” The sick glee in his eyes makes me shudder when he turns them to me. “Take her.”

“There is no need for this,” says Lir, his voice beginning to rise. “She is contained here. She is no danger to us.”

“That’s what you don’t understand. Contained or not, she is a danger to us all.” Vitrad motions to the guards. “Besides, was not the human initiative your proposal? Were you not the one that advocated the obliteration of the human race? I seem to recall it was your vehemence to bring Teskov’s killer to justice that has lead us here today.”

The obliteration of the human race? What? My head jerks toward Lir. Betrayal, ice cold and complete, coils in my stomach when he won’t meet my eyes.

The two guards grab my arms and pull me back. I send out frantic signals, trying to make it work, prove what I am. But nothing works. I don’t know how to access the link and I’ve never hated that fact more. My feet kick out and I get one arm free. I pull against the other hand on my wrist and I can feel my breath coming faster. Blackness crawls on the edges of my vision and I’m helpless to stop it. My heart pounds against my ribs, but not even the adrenaline is enough to free me. As my body shuts down, I see Lir struggling against two other guards with one hand out, calling my name.