Out Of The Darkness (23 page)

The only thing Nalik had left to do was tell Cassandra he would be leaving her for a few days, after making such vows just a few hours earlier to keep her safe and at his side. He was not looking forward to breaking his word so soon.

But things must be done if they were to isolate the traitor before the worst of the wars were to hit them.

He had not told her of his other goal with this trip. Before he had left the sitting room with Rydere his words turned to a more private nature. Rydere had agreed to his plan readily.

If nothing else, their
Rajnis
would have their father with them for a visit—preferably an extended one. Both he and Rydere agreed it was something that their females probably needed, after the upheaval of their lives over the last twelve or so months.

Rydere seemed to think the man would readily agree. He had retired from Taniss Industries shortly after his elder daughter married—all of Taniss
’s older sons had, so Rydere had said. Said that all of the older sons found their father’s true works to be reprehensible and had abdicated themselves from the family business, so that it could be run by the hands of the next generation.

Who were too young to have
any
blood on their hands from their grandfather, even that spilled through ignorance.

Nalik did respect that. Though he would never be able to look at a male Taniss without seeing their sire or grandsire in them.

It was bad enough that all of the females shared their grandfather’s green eyes. And Aodhan’s female favored her grandfather considerably.

Yet he knew it wasn
’t her fault, what the man had done. Any more than it was his Cassandra’s.

What Leo Taniss had done thirty years past just
was.
There was nothing anyone could do to change that.

All Nalik and the other survivors, and the families of the victims who weren
’t lucky enough to be rescued that day, could do was move on to the next day. And then the next.

Someday, thirty years ago would be just another tragedy in the past. One that had shaped him, but no longer drove him.

Maybe after he and his female had had a few decades together? Maybe after they had their first babe? He wasn’t naïve enough to think that Cassandra would never hunger for babes. Sooner or later most
Rajni
females did. And though their males were often overprotective and anxious, the males eventually relented.

They would be no different.
If
he could father a child, that was.

The one question he had never been able to answer about what Taniss had done to him was the question of sterilization.

Taniss had taunted him with that idea many times, and had cut him on at least a dozen occasions. Sterilization was a damned high probability. When he returned from Gaia he would discuss that with Barlaam or Thad. Two of the top Dardaptoan healers should be able to determine whether Taniss had permanently altered him in that way.

Before he and Cassandra could make any plans for a family.

He started down the hall toward the suite where he knew she still waited. He’d passed her sister again in the hall, just outside the sitting room where he’d left Rydere. The girl had wanted her mate, no doubt about it. And she’d been pale and shaky, and not nearly as confrontational as when he’d left Cassandra.

What had happened between them?

He didn’t need to use a key to open her door, the handle turned easily for him. He started to lecture her—in the demon world, a beautiful half-Druid such as she would be one hell of a good prize—but stopped.

He did not want to start this conversation with admonishments of her safety.

She slept, anyway. Tear streaks covered her cheeks. Had she and her sister argued, then? He stood over her for a good long while, just staring at her.

She was very young. Almost innocent and untouched, yet she was paired with him. Even to his own people he was old, ancient, scarred and not worth a second look.

She deserved far better. She deserved a sweet human boy who would worship her and try to give her everything she wanted. Instead she got him, although he’d for damned sure do more than just
try
to give her what she wanted.

He
’d give her every damned thing she needed, too.

She rolled on her back, and the sleep vest she wore—traditional to this demon world—parted slightly at the top. Gods and goddesses, he wanted to see what was beneath that top.

That was what made him turn and stalk over to the couch. It was far too short for a male of his size, but he had slept in far worse. To a being who had slept in a cage, a sofa was heaven—if he believed in such.

He pulled his
vestis
over his head and tossed it toward the bag his few belongings had fit in. All his worldly possessions rested in that bag—or in the Gaian world. Did he even want anything from that place?

He had to admit, the idea of starting anew in a different world with just his
Rajni
appealed to him on a great level. But what world would it be, demon? Somehow he could not see his little Gaian being content with a world that was several steps behind hers in technology and advancements.

Relaklonos hadn
’t even had indoor plumbing before eighty years ago.

And what of her sister? She would want to be with her sister; of that he had no doubt. And that meant the world of the goddess. Levia had room for many refugees; that had been made clear before.

But which world would hold them all?

There were at least two hundred fifty thousand Dardaptoans who would need rehomed, and nearly as many of whatever Jushua
’s people called themselves. Not to mention the Lupoiux who were now joining the Dardanos tribe on occasion. They occupied a good portion of Levia, from what he understood.

And these were just from Gaia and Euschao. There were still seventeen
more worlds that may very well be affected, and there would
always
be some peoples displaced in wars. He had studied war so many times over the centuries, and that one fact was pretty much a given.

In war, the innocent lost.

Each and every single time.

Someone would have to oversee the refugees. But who?

He would discuss it with Jushua in the morn. Tonight he was just going to sit where he was and watch his female sleep.

“Nalik?” Her word was a low whisper, and it surprised him. Had it not startled her to wake and find him in the room?

“Yes?”

“I didn
’t think you meant it.” She sat up, the blankets falling back around her. “About coming back here.”

“I do not lie.”

“I wasn’t sure it was real. I thought maybe you realized you’d made a mistake.”

He stood and walked to her. The fifteen feet or so that separated the sofa from the bed seemed like fifteen hundred. He lowered himself to the bed
near her knees. “I am not mistaken. And I promise to always come back to you. No matter what.”

He could feel her tension. “You
’re leaving?”

“In the morn. For a day or two. Three, at the most. There are things that must be done in Gaia. I accompany Rydere and Aodhan. Your uncle, too. The Wolf god and Jushua. We seek any of our people
s who were left behind. Or who chose to stay behind and now wish to change their minds. And a few other things I do not wish to discuss tonight.”

“You are coming back?”

Chapter 42

Cass couldn
’t see him in the dark; definitely not as well as he probably saw her. But she could feel him near her.

“I vow to you to return to you and quickly.”

She had to admit—at least to herself—that the idea of not having to face him for a few days relieved her. Just a bit.

Emily had told her that if she really was his
Rajni
their being together was just a matter of time. Emily certainly believed that; and it had been very clear to Cassandra that her older sister was far from happy about it.

She
’d confronted Emily about that. It hadn’t surprised her when Emily had voiced some of the same fears Cass herself had.

The number one fear being the very real possibility that Cass just wasn
’t ready for a
forever
kind of relationship. Especially to a man like Nalik. He would demand an all or nothing kind of commitment. It was the Dardaptoan way.

The second fear—and one she hadn
’t mentioned to her sister—was that maybe
Cass
just wouldn’t be good for him. How could he look at her and
not
remember the torture her grandfather had put him through?

It was one thing for Rydere, Cormac, Aodhan and the others to know what their grandfather had done to the Dardaptoan people, to know that the Taniss family had grown incredibly wealthy from the pain her grandfather had caused, but for
Nalik
to marry into that man’s family—even though that man had killed himself after being arrested by Rydere’s men twelve months ago—would be so painful for him. How could he be with her, but
not
have some resentment?

She
resented her grandfather for the things he’d done to her and her cousins and those experiments had been minor compared to what had happened to Nalik.

She
’d bugged Emily to tell her what she knew about what had happened to Nalik and his brother and sister. And Kindara.

Emily had been frank with her, sharing that they had all been tortured repeatedly. Had admitted that Emily had seen some of the videos of what had been done to Nalik
’s younger sister. In front of him. How he had screamed when the little girl—sixteen or seventeen—had bled to death.

Cass closed her eyes, trying to erase the horror that had filled her. Still filled her.  “When do you leave?”

“First light. There is much we wish to accomplish. Your uncle wishes to speak with his brothers about family business, as well. I have agreed to accompany him, for a safety precaution. Jushua and I, while the Wolf god accompanies Rydere and Aodhan about their business.”

“
You’re
going to speak with my father and uncles?”

“Probably not much speaking. It is your uncle who needs see them, not I.”

“I want to come, too.”

“Absolutely not. There is other business between us that you cannot be party to. It is not safe, and you not strong enough yet.” His hands wrapped around her upper arms and he surprised her by
pushing her back against the pillows. “You are best to stay here; the demon king can protect you well in my stead. When I return, I think we should seek out a full Druid to act as your teacher. I believe there is much you still can learn.”

“For what?”

“For yourself. You have gifts; however you got them aside, you have them. You need to learn to harness them and soon. Most Druids learn by their thirteenth year—which is why you probably began to retreat around that time, seeking out the guidance you could gain from your plants. Think of them as a witch’s familiar. The concept is the same. If you can be taught how to accept what you have inside you, you can harness it and bend it to suit your needs in any situation.”

“
More so than I can now?”

“In a healthier way, I think. In a way that doesn
’t drain you so physically. And in a way that allows you to impact the earth on an even greater scale. You have strengths unlike what I’ve seen of Druids in the past. There is much inside of you, Cassandra. I am not sure that I am the one to help you bring them forth.”

More for her to think about. She tried to, but at that moment she couldn
’t. “What am I supposed to do while you are gone?”

He was quiet for a moment. “Relax. Enjoy yourself with your sister and your cousins. Think of everything we
’ve spoken of. Decide if you want to throw your life away on me, or if you wish to move on. If you want something different than what I can offer, I will ensure you get it.”

What
did
Cass want? Why couldn’t she decide? “I always thought a relationship would grow over time. Not just suddenly be
there
in front of me, whether I wanted it or not.”

“Relationships do grow; especially between
Rajnis.
They spend hundreds—sometimes thousands—of years together. The bonds between them are unbreakable and beautiful. And those bonds tighten and grow every day, every year.”

And that was what he was offering her; those bonds. Could she handle them with a man she didn
’t think she loved?

Cass knew she didn
’t; how could she? They’d spent a grand total maybe three-and-a-half days alone together. And half that time—more, even—they’d been lost, and afraid for their lives. At least she’d been afraid.