Primal Heat (16 page)

“I'll leave you all to your work. I just came to deliver Bren. I've informed her that the emperor requested her presence.” Tylara inclined her head, her cool gaze never leaving her One. She turned smartly and marched out the door.

Johar snarled and stomped after her, nodding to Bren as he passed. “I will meet you both in the shuttle hangar bay.”

Brows contracting, Bren looked to Farid. “What was that all about?”

“She's his One. They haven't bonded yet, and apparently their courtship isn't going well.” As if Farid's courtship—if that's what he called what he'd been doing—was going any better. At least Tylara and Johar had the openness of honesty between them. When things were settled with the emperor, Farid needed to have a private conversation with his One that was long past due. He wasn't looking forward to it.

Bren winced. “That sucks.”

“Yes, it really does.”

B
ren stood before a full-sized hologram of the emperor and his One. The floor of the shuttle shook under her feet as they sped through the atmosphere on Earth, rocketing toward the surface.

The imperial couple sat on a larger, plusher version of the little ship that held her, Farid, Johar, and a pilot in the scarlet uniform of an Imperial Guardian. She sized them up for a moment as Farid made formal introductions. Jana Townsend was the new empress's name. The girl couldn't have been more than twenty-one or twenty-two, but then, Kyber looked young himself. Much younger than Farid. Then again, she'd seen hardened soldiers at that age, killing machines. Age didn't mean much, experience did.

Though Jana wore a serious expression, her eyes reflected a deep happiness, a contentment that was enviable. Her hand rested securely in Kyber's grip, and they leaned toward each other, their shoulders brushing, even as they sat and faced her.

Bren wondered what that kind of bond would be like. She couldn't imagine anything more intense than the brief connections she'd had with Farid. Twin emotions ripped through her at the thought. First, a throb of utter longing, a craving for something deeper, something stronger and more lasting with the man she loved. Second was the knowledge that nothing she had with him would be as deep or as strong as the bond with his One would be. The mere thought of anyone having more of him than she did made her insides twist with dark, ugly jealousy.

She could see why Farid might fear that kind of connection, considering what had happened to his parents and his sister. He'd seen exactly how bad such a bond could be, all the worst possible outcomes, as it destroyed his family one by one. Sympathy went through her, but she didn't allow herself to look at him. He'd probably take it for pity, and that was the last thing she could feel for someone strong enough to live through all of this and still hold on and keep going.

Kyber flicked his fingers and a woman's face filled the panel. She looked like Jana, older and softer, but definitely a relative. The view expanded and beside the woman stood a man about the same age. A husband? A relative?

Bren's stomach jolted as Arthur appeared on the other side of the woman. Her eyes, gray like Jana's, filled with tears. “We just want our daughter back. Whatever the emperor wants, we'll do it. She's…she's our baby, our little girl.”

Arthur's hand closed over the woman's shoulder. “The United States and our global coalition is going to do everything in its power to get Ms. Townsend back. We have reason to believe that she's been kidnapped and brainwashed by the Kith emperor's unnatural psychic power. She thinks she wants to be there. I'm afraid rescuing her will take a show of force we haven't demonstrated before, but we will. We will not stand for this travesty; we will not stand by and see our people stolen and made into slaves again.” His brown eyes met the camera and seemed to look straight at Bren. “We want the woman back.”

Her. He wanted her. He didn't give a damn about Jana. Other people had gone to the Kith ships and Arthur hadn't cared. He'd washed his hands of those who left the planet willingly, called them traitors to their country and their species. People like Bren.

The panel wavered as Kyber and his One came back into focus. Kyber's ebony brow rose. “You see why I sent for you.”

Her stomach flipped, horrible realization rippling through her. “Whether they realize it or not, the Townsends are now General Arthur's prisoners. Bargaining chips. He knows they matter to your One.” She swallowed, lifting her chin. “You want to trade me for them.”

“I can't say I didn't consider it. For my One, there is very little I wouldn't give.” A besotted smile curved his lips when he looked at Jana. He shook his head and sighed. “However, I can't do that.”

“Oh? Why not?” Numbness spread through Bren's limbs, a sense of unreality enveloping her. There was no way to fight her way out of this one, nowhere to run or hide. This ship bore her wherever the emperor had decided she would go. For all she knew, they were dropping her off on Arthur's doorstep.

Johar spoke up from the front of the shuttle, his voice matter-of-fact. “Because you're his cousin's One. When Lord Farid bonds with you, you will be a Sueni citizen, and as much the emperor's responsibility as anyone born on Suen.”

She swayed on her feet, one too many blows to her composure to absorb what the Guardian was saying. She looked over at the blond nobleman, her lover. “Farid?”

There wasn't an ounce of blood left in his face. His hand lifted toward her but dropped when she flinched. “I didn't want you to find out this way.”

A bitter little laugh ripped from her throat, tears welling in her eyes. She blinked them away, embarrassed they had formed at all. “No, why don't you tell me the truth, Farid? You didn't want me to find out
at all
.”

“Not at first, no.” His voice was a low rasp of pain. “I'm sorry.”

Well, that answered any lingering questions she might have about his feelings for her. Her throat closed, and no words came forth. There was nothing she could say to that. Agony unlike any she'd ever known before wrenched inside her. “I understand.”

“It's not you…I do…” For once the diplomat seemed to be at a loss for words.

“This is neither the time nor the place for this conversation.” If there ever was a time or place. She turned back to the projection of the emperor, desperately trying to lock down the emotions that threatened to drag her into a dark, horrible abyss. “If you're not going to trade me, then you want to use what I know about Arthur to get the Townsends back.”

His lavender eyes sparked appreciatively. “Yes, exactly. And in exchange, I'll agree to help you remove General Arthur from power.”

Jana's hand closed over his shoulder, and she leaned closer to the panel on her end of the transmission. Her long auburn hair fell forward and anxiety flooded her face. “You'll get my parents back, right? And everything will be okay?”

“I'll do everything I can, but we'll have to move fast.” Bren straightened to attention, relieved that at least one part of her life was going according to plan. She only hoped they were able to find the girl's family. “Arthur knows I defected, and the longer I'm away, the longer he has to mitigate the usefulness of whatever information I have.”

“Fast is good with me.” One corner of the empress's mouth kicked up. “That's why we called you before you even got here, just to hammer out the details.” Her eyes cut to Kyber, who gave her a disgruntled look. She petted his arm, her smile every bit as besotted as his had been, and he relaxed into her, grinning back. “I just can't leave the planet until we have them back.”

Johar piped up again. “We'll be touching down in fifteen minutes, Your Majesty.”

“Good. We'll see you when you get here.” The emperor flicked his fingers again and the transmission ended.

“
Khalaa
…” Farid's deep voice trailed away, his features still bloodless.

She just stared at him. “You know what amazes me? The emperor would cross the universe to claim his One, and you won't cross a room for yours.”

A muscle ticked in his jaw. “You know I have good reason to doubt how
wonderful
the One bond can be.”

Glancing at the cockpit, she saw both of the Guardians studiously ignoring the conversation unfolding in the back of the shuttle. She pitched her voice low. “I know why you fear the One bond, why you fear love. I get that, I really do, but I also know what it's like to face your worst fears. What do you think I've been doing for days? I left the army, the only place I've ever belonged, the only home I've ever known, to come to you. I gave up everything and I
depended
on you to help me, to keep me safe. I never wanted to depend on anyone ever, not totally, but I did. I believed in you, trusted you…loved you.”

Salty moisture stung her eyes again and she snapped around to stare out one of the small windows as the shuttle raced closer to land. A small choking noise rose from Farid, but she didn't look back at him. She couldn't.

Was there anything worse than to be in love alone? She'd never felt more helpless in her entire life.

And yet, pathetic fool that she was, she didn't regret it. A single tear slipped down her cheek and she swiped it away. She had a job left to do, even if the rest of her life was in shambles. At least the first part of her mission was complete.

She wasn't a total failure.

Farid drew a deep breath. “Bren, please. I lo—”

A huge boom rocked the shuttle, and she tumbled forward. She tried to brace herself with her hands, but she was moving too fast to stop. The last thing she saw out the window was red fire and black smoke streaking the blue sky. Her head slammed into the wall and the world went dark.

 

Bright sunshine warmed her cheek, blinding her as she opened her eyes. She moaned, grabbing her throbbing head as she sat up. Her ears rang, and when she looked at her hand, it was wet with her blood.

She blinked hard and swayed but forced herself to climb to her feet. Her movements were ginger, her hands braced against the wall of the shuttle as every muscle screamed in battered protest.

It took her a moment to realize she'd braced herself against the floor and she was standing on the window she'd once looked out. The shuttle was on its side, the door sagging halfway open to let the sunlight in. They'd been shot from the sky and had crash-landed.

And now she was alone.

Crawling across the chairs bolted into the floor, she worked her way toward the door. The staccato report of machine gun fire sounded outside the shuttle, and she froze, clinging to the broken door. White noise flooded the field they were in, and American and Sueni fighters buzzed through the air, firing at each other.

On the ground, men and women in army fatigues battled a handful of men and women in Imperial Guardian uniforms. Blue lasers burst from the razers the Guardians held, sizzling as they hit the humans. The stripes on an enormous feline blurred as it sped past her to drag a soldier to the ground. Three men lay scattered around the ship, dead, their eyes staring blankly at the cloudless sky.

Despite the chaos of battle, the bursts of gunfire, the roar of the Kith, the hammering of Bren's heart, she could still tell the Sueni forces were badly outnumbered and outgunned.

There was no sign of Farid. No Johar or Kyber or Jana. No one Bren knew.

Stumbling out of the remains of the shuttle, she winced when she hit the ground. Her knee throbbed from the crash and her head felt like a jackhammer was going off inside of it. Scooping up a pistol from one of the dead soldiers, she checked the clip to see how many bullets she had left. Almost full.

She pushed on, needing to find Farid, to make sure he was okay. Sweat slipped down her face to sting her eyes as she pressed her back to the ship, sliding along to peek around the far side. What she saw made her heart seize. Farid and Johar pinned down against the side of another shuttle, surrounded but still fighting back. Johar had lost his shirt, and he looked even more animalistic with his chest bare, his roar cutting through the sound of gunfire.

More men were coming, so she scuttled backward, dropped to her belly, and army-crawled toward the cover of two big army Hummers. Her elbows and knees screamed in protest, but she propelled herself along in spite of the pain. Rounding the front end, she was halfway to her feet when the cold steel of a gun muzzle pressed against her temple. “Preston.”

“Zielinski.” Her heart thumped hard, and she struggled to keep her voice even. “I see you enjoyed your little nap.”

“Shut up, Preston.” He motioned her to her feet and stared at her for a moment. “Come with me.”

She moved in front of him, holding her gun out to the side, but he didn't demand she drop it. Confusion swamped her as he directed her to the open door at the rear of the Hummer. “What the fuck is going on?”

“There.” He jerked his chin toward a slim woman curled up and moaning on the floor of the vehicle. She rocked herself in a fetal position, and her red hair glimmered like a copper penny.

“Jana,” Bren breathed, reaching out a hand to cup the girl's shoulder. Cutting her gaze to Zielinski, Bren glared. “What did you do to her?”

“I didn't touch her, I swear to God. But I…You don't want to know what Arthur intends to do to her. I…I didn't radio in to tell anyone I found her.” His eyes went wide, the same disbelief flashing across his face that he was doing what he was doing that Bren had felt when she'd contacted Farid.

Realization dawned, and she nodded, sliding a hand around Jana's arm and pulling her out of the Hummer. “Come on, honey, we need to go now.”

“She's just a kid. An American. I didn't sign on to hurt our own people. It's not right. She hasn't even done anything wrong.” Zielinski kept talking, justifying himself, while Jana swayed to her feet and looked dazed and confused.

Bren glanced at Zielinski. “Come with us.”

He shook his head. “I'd be more use to you here. Unlike you, no one knows about me, about this.”

“Then get out of here before they see you. I'll be in touch.” She watched him nod, watched his gaze firm as he set his feet to the same terrifying path she had, and turned to walk away. “Thanks, Zielinski.”

He glanced back before he disappeared behind another burned-out shuttle. “Don't thank me for doing the right thing.”

Bren pulled a whimpering, flinching Jana around the Hummer and into the protection from gunfire between the two army vehicles. Bren's mind raced, and suddenly she knew her place in this whole mess. It wasn't just getting the Sueni on her side. She'd helped Arthur put together the coalition, so she had contacts in every single one of those countries. If she could convince Zielinski to defect—hell, if she herself could defect—she could get others to join in. She had always been too upfront, too blunt to consider a career in Army Intelligence, but Farid could talk anyone into anything. Kyber had promised the Sueni would help, and with Bren's contacts and intimate knowledge of the coalition, they could make this work. They might not beat Arthur today, but they would beat him. A fierce smile curved her lips. They would
win
.