Freedom's Fall (12 page)

Rye settled Tansy on the couch, ignored her protests about
his fussing and sat down next to her. Dev sat on the opposite side, and they’d
just gotten comfortable when Fellescend spoke to them on an open band.

Jax has called a captains’ meeting.

When?
Dev asked.

Now.

Rye could see how badly his denmate wanted to stay, but he
also knew the responsibilities of a captain wouldn’t allow it. Rye snuggled Tansy
close and looked over her head at Dev. “You have to go.”

“I think it’s more important that I stay here.”

Rye shook his head. “Our dragons and I can look after our
mate.” Jax wouldn’t call an unscheduled meeting without good cause, and Dev had
too many Enforcers under his command to let things slide.

Tansy reached out and patted Dev’s leg. “That’s the beauty
of having two mates. If one needs to be busy, I still have a hot spare to
pamper me and do my bidding.”

Dev reached out to cup her cheek. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, go. Be important.”

Dev rolled forward and gave her a hard, quick kiss. As he
pulled back, his gaze met Rye’s, and for a breathless moment, Rye thought his
denmate was going to kiss him too. But between one blink and the next, Dev disappeared
and Rye was left feeling slightly confused. And strangely disappointed.

As soon as Dev had changed into his leathers and left the
den, Rye turned his attention to Tansy.

“We need to burn those,” she said, gesturing to the holos,
shame dripping from every syllable.

Hearing that tone in her voice brought Rye’s anger from a
simmer to a boil. Easing Tansy out of his arms, he stood, pulled the holos out
of the envelope and searched for one that would best illustrate his point. When
he found what he was looking for he folded the holo in half so all he could see
was Tansy’s brown eyes.

Retaking his seat on the couch, he held the holo out to her.
“What do you see?” The hurt in her gaze sliced him open, but he had a point to
make, so he shook the holo to gain her attention. “What do you see? What’s in
those eyes?”

Tansy’s mouth flattened into a grim line and every muscle in
her body locked tight. “Pain, humiliation, degradation.” She glared at him. “Is
that what you want to hear?”

He ignored the question. “Do you know what I see? I see a
woman who is trapped and powerless but not broken. I see a woman who has the
strength and courage to endure because she’s a fighter.” He tapped the holo. “Those
eyes aren’t dead or lifeless—there’s no acceptance or defeat there. You did
what you had to do to survive. You held on. When the chance for freedom came
you grabbed it and you fought for it. You almost killed a man to save Sorcha
and, despite your terror of falling, you got on a dragon and held it together
for the entire flight home.”

Shoving the holo under his leg where she couldn’t see it,
Rye turned and cradled her face in his hands. “All that pain and humiliation,
the captivity and torture, has nothing to do with you. All of that should be
laid squarely at Willersby Lockmehdyhn’s door. What
is
yours, what you
should claim, is the fight. You survived your ordeal, you’re rebuilding your life,
and I’m so fucking proud of you I feel like my heart will burst.”

“How can you look at those photos and not be totally
disgusted?” Her voice was barely a whisper, but it cut him deep.

“I am disgusted, honey. By him. Those things were done
to
you not
by
you. They don’t define you, because that’s not who you are.”

Tansy threw herself into his arms and clung. He held her
tight and kissed her hair, Stroking her back, he waited for her to realize she
was safe with him in every way that mattered. When she finally let go enough to
cry, her tears burned hot, soaking into his skin and his heart while his arms
locked tight around her. Eventually the storm passed and she spent a long time
just lying in his embrace, accepting his touch and his comfort. Her willingness
to be vulnerable to him, to give him that level of trust, soothed something
deep inside him. Breathing deep and taking her scent into his lungs, Rye
relaxed against the cushion of the couch, content with his world. For now.

Dev didn’t like leaving Tansy when she was so emotionally
raw, even though his denmate was more than capable of looking after her. As he
made his way to the meeting, he put his loves very firmly to one side and
turned his mind to his role as den captain. There were four captains in the den,
and they each had identical duties and responsibilities. Each captain was in
charge of four flights, and each flight numbered between fifteen and twenty
dragons and their riders. Each flight was overseen by a flight leader.

At any given time, Dev had sixty to eighty Enforcers under
his command. It was the same for his fellow captains, and between them Dev,
Ari, Finn and Nash supervised and trained over three hundred Enforcers. And all
of the Enforcers, flight leaders, captains and civilians living at the den were
under the authority of Jaxmyre Randovar. While Dev enjoyed his responsibilities
as a captain, he didn’t envy the den commander one little bit.

Dev turned at a junction in the hallway and saw Finn sitting
on the smooth floor, his back pressed against the pale marble wall as he stared
off into the distance.

Crouching down next to him, Dev put a hand on his shoulder. “Are
you all right, my brother?”

Finn looked up, his gray eyes stormy. “I’ve had a bad week.
A bad month, really.”

Dev swung down, taking a seat beside his friend on the cold
marble. Finn was a good Enforcer, an excellent leader, and most of all he was a
valued friend. “Give me the short version.”

“Professionally, I’ve got two dragons in one of my flights
who have declared a blood feud. They dragged their mates into it, so now I have
four dragons who refuse to fly, train or speak to one another.”

“That must make battle drills interesting.” More like
impossible.

“I’ve tried mediation, conciliation, threats, discipline and
punishment. I’ve gone through all the usual strategies, but the blacks are
still taking a bite out of one another every time they get close enough. And
now they’re so angry teeth and claws aren’t doing the job, so they’re breathing
fire to make their point.”

Dev sucked in a shocked breath. Dragons were aggressive—it
was what made them so good in battle. But it was rare for hostilities to get to
such an extreme level in the Sapphire den. The captains worked well and closely
together, and Jax didn’t tolerate breaches of discipline. There really was only
one answer, and he understood why his fellow captain was avoiding it. “You’re
going to have to tell Jax and Tengale.”

Finn winced. “I came to the same conclusion, but I was
hoping if I sat here long enough a different solution would present itself.”

Dev didn’t blame him. Tengale, the commander’s dragon,
considered himself lord of all he surveyed. He also considered any disharmony
in his den a direct and personal insult. “If Tengale gets involved, he’ll
inflict more damage than those dragons could do to one another.”

“Yep.”

“It’s got to be done.” Dev nudged Finn with his shoulder. “It’s
their own fault. We can’t have that level of idiocy in the den.”

“I know, but I can’t help remembering what happened the last
time Tengale involved himself in a blood feud.”

They both shuddered, the memory unpleasant enough to run
chills down Dev’s spine. Time to change the subject. “In lighter news, how’s
Mackenzie faring?”

The color washed out of Finn’s face and the look in his eyes
made something cold and fearful uncurl in Dev’s gut. “Mac left us. She moved
back to Addestet House three weeks ago.”

Dev’s heart dropped. He knew how much Finn and Behr cared
about Mac, how they’d hoped she might consent to a mating contract at some
point. Something dramatic must have happened for her to leave the den,
especially when the security of the women was still at risk.

“Do you need to talk?”

Finn shrugged. “She doesn’t want us. There’s nothing to talk
about.”

Dev knew there was more to it than that, but he didn’t have
the time or the heart to push right now. “I’m so sorry, my brother.”

“Me too.” Finn rose to his feet. “Come on. If we hang around
here much longer we’ll be late.”

The captains’ room was so called not because it belonged to
the den captains but because it was where they met to have briefings with their
commander. Although it was only used for business, it had been furnished with
the touches that made it uniquely den. A thick red rug covered most of the
floor and paintings of dragons in battle hung on two walls. An ornate,
beautifully carved table and its eight matching chairs dominated the room. The
chairs were sturdy, highly polished and padded in dark-gold fabric.

Nash and Ari were already sitting down when Dev and Finn
arrived, and Dev had barely settled into his chair when Jax came in and closed
the door behind him.

The commander was the only Enforcer in the den taller than
Dev and, though he wasn’t as broad, the sheer power Jax wielded always made him
the most dominant presence in any room. All four captains straightened in their
seats as Jax took his place at the head of the table.

“We’ve had reports of increased activity among the blue
soldiers,” Jax said, referring to the army of the Brightstar Corporation. “Deliveries
to the barracks have increased and a number of shipments have arrived in closed
containers in the middle of the night.”

That didn’t bode well. Brightstar was a mining company but
they held their grip on the continent of Ostalan with a military fist. The blue
soldiers were good at their jobs but they were ultimately responsible to
Brightstar’s board of directors. That board preferred everything uniform, neat,
routine and in triplicate. The Enforcers had learned that deviation from blue
soldier routine usually meant trouble for them.

“We’ll keep to our usual training schedule,” Jax said, “but
I want the perimeter sweeps increased. Double up on sentries and build in redundancies
wherever you can.”

Ari leaned forward. “You’re so sure they’re coming?”

Jax’s eyes deepened to a lethal green. “We stole almost
thirty women from the deck of a Brightstar transport under the noses of a full
company of their soldiers. Women who had been obtained illegally and at great
expense, and who were destined for a very lucrative market. For that alone they
would come at us. Add to that the fact that we flew into their city, breached a
secure building and stole five women who’d already been sold, and you have an
insult they cannot leave unchallenged.”

Nash scrubbed a hand through his silvery hair. “I’m not sure
if that makes us sound heroic or reckless.”

“Neither,” Dev said. “What it makes us is the kind of males
who do what they can to make things right.” Enforcers, in other words, and
there wasn’t a dragon rider in the den who wasn’t proud of that fact. “But if
they’re coming for revenge, they’ll come hard.”

“And our women will be at risk from more than the council,”
Ari said. “If Brightstar’s spies are doing their job, those in charge will know
Sapphire den took the women from the transport. They’ll also be aware which
Enforcers have Earth women living in their homes.”

Jax nodded. “And they’ll know who’s mated and who’s not.” He
looked at Dev, Nash and Finn. “Are you all still hoping with for a contract
with your women?”

Dev’s chest swelled with hot, fierce pride when he gave his
answer. “Tansy has already agreed. We only need the paperwork.”

“Get it done. Today.”

Dev had no problem with that. Tansy was his and Rye’s now,
and her agreement was enough for him. However, he had more rights and she had
more protection if the contracts were legally signed and lodged.

“Finn?”

Finn winced at Jax’s casual command. “No chance. She left
us. Behr and I have been alone in our den for weeks.”

“Fuck. I’m so sorry.” Jax rubbed his forehead. “Try to talk
her around, promise her whatever she needs, but get her back in the den.” Finn’s
nod was miserable. “What about Sarah?”

She was staying with Shay and Tori, and as they were part of
Dev’s flight, he’d made a point of checking in with them regularly. “She’s
still in the den, and as far as I know things are progressing.” He grinned. “Slowly.”

Jax looked at Nash. “Kate?”

“Still with us.” Not by word or gesture did Nash give an
inkling of whether that was good or not. Dev made a mental note to have a chat
with his fellow captain at a later date.

Finn cleared his throat. “Behr and I have a request.”

“Oh?” Jax arched a brow.

“If Brightstar does raid us, Edrick will be commanding the
troops from the back of the line.”

Sergent Edrick was well-known to all the Enforcers. The blue
soldier was a professional, but he had a flair for ruthlessness that set him
apart. When the women had been caged in Allsgate, Edrick had claimed Mackenzie
as his mistress. Tansy hadn’t shared much about the difficulties the other
women had encountered, but it was pretty clear to Dev that Edrick used corporal
punishment as a form of personal entertainment.

Dev didn’t blame Finn for seeking a more personal kind of
justice. Dev would have done it himself if Mac hadn’t had Finn and Behr to
stand for her.

Jax leaned back in his chair and eyed Finn. “You want to go
after him yourselves?”

“Yes. Wouldn’t you if he was the one who’d hurt Sorcha?”

Jax had killed the man who’d kidnapped Sorcha, Dev had seen
it with his own eyes. And the fact that he and Rye intended to do the same
thing to Willersby Lockmehdyhn put him squarely on Finn’s side.

Jax didn’t bother pointing out that Finn wanted to avenge a
woman who had left him and his denmate. He didn’t have to. Dev wasn’t the only
one feeling Finn’s pain.