Prince's Fire (15 page)

“You can heal?”

“Yes, amongst a few other things that are of no concern. Do not speak. Conserve your strength.” Two high-pitched clicks came from a small transmitter on the woman’s belt. She smiled down at her, but ignored the device. “It looks like your warrior is resourceful. He has Prince’s Fire

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arrived to save you. It will take him too long to find this location though. I am going to transport you to within yards of him.”

Val. The single thought brought a resurgence of hope. Why was this woman doing all of this? Who was she? “Thank you. He is a prince and will repay you however you wish. I will too -- I owe you my life.”

The woman bit her lip. “I do not wish for him or any other prince of Mysk to know I exist. I did this for you, for no other reason. Saying nothing is all the payment I need.”

She braced herself against the wall and forced herself to stand. Dizziness made her stumble, but the woman was quick to catch her. Why would this woman want to keep her presence a secret? And how did she know there was more than one prince?

“We leave now. I need you to focus your energy for me. We must tap into what little you have left, Gitana. We are too close to the same size for this to be a safe teleport if I use only my abilities.”

Gitana nodded. She closed her eyes and tried to focus.

* * * * *

west.”

Val paused. They had just arrived on Vuner and his brothers were determined they would secure their transporter ship before setting out. Locking it down and cloaking it to ensure its ability to get them off the miserable planet made sense, but he didn’t care right now. Gitana was all that mattered. “Who are you?”

“That does not matter. Your ma e

t is safe. Re r

t ieve her, and leave this place. She is your

concern, nothing else.”

“Not true. How did you come to free her? That was my duty.”

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“Do you wish me to take her back and bring those I killed back to life?” The woman’s amusement grated on his nerves. “Or I could have my warriors defile her as the D’kalhiks intended to do before we arrived. Is that what you wish?”

Val slammed his fist into the door of the transporter, demanding that it open. How dare she speak of such things. He saw Cal look over at him. “I would kill you before you had the chance.”

Laughter filled his head. “Ease up, warrior. She is safe, and my warriors are too spent from the battle to find amusement with her. A little gratitude would be a good thing, you know. Sometimes ‘thank-you’ is all a person needs to hear.”

He felt the light push to his mind that noted Cal’s entry. “It seems I am doubly grateful then. First my brother, now my mate.”

He heard her gasp of surprise. “His mind is strong to remember that day. I had hoped the drug I gave him would rid him of my existence.” Val ran down the exit ramp and sprinted toward the area she had mentioned. “Is Gitana safe?”

“

l

She is dep eted of energy. She needs rest. She expended all her powers protecting herself. She used the last of her body heat to kill her attackers before I arrived.” He came to a halt when he saw Gitana lying in a clearing just past the brush overgrowth. He raced to her, the footsteps of his brothers close behind.

“Injuries ?” He ran his hands over her weakened body, demanding an answer from the voice in his head.

“None you must concern yourself with, warrior.” He breathed a sigh of relief. Van’s recollection of being healed came to him.

“Why did you heal my brother then injure him again ?” An audible sigh filled his head.

“It was not personal. He was too big for me to transport without his help, so I healed him. But then I realized he couldn’t return healed fully if I intended to remain anonymous.”

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“So you beat him? You fucking bitch.” Cal’s incredulous tone cut through Val’s head.

Damn, he had no idea his brother’s telepathic abilities were that strong.

Silence filled the air around them. She had severed the connection. “Real smooth, Cal.”

Val lifted Gitana carefully, bringing her body close to his. “Can you do something about her body heat?” He looked to Van and Cal.

“Wrong twin, sorry. Let’s get her back to the palace,” Cal stated as they turned back toward the transporter. “Who the hell was that woman?”

“No clue. All I know is she saved someone I love for the second time. That’s all I care about.” Val heard Cal’s chuckle at the admission.

“Aw, my brother has lost his balls.” Van even laughed at Cal’s statement.

“Shut up, Cal. You are starting to sound like Jax more and more everyday. If you aren’t careful, I’m going to spay your ass.”

Cal’s laughter filled the area around them. “Oh, brother. I do love your dumb ass. I’m definitely male so it would be neuter, and there aren’t enough miracles left to make it possible for you to do that. What would all the ladies at Paradise do without me to pleasure them?”

Val couldn’t help but laugh. His brother had a way of bringing calm and humor to any situation. But they all knew the situation was far from resolved. They still had to find out who was a traitor.

He settled Gitana on the sleeping surface closest to the door. Her breathing was normal, but her body heat was far from acceptable. Her body shivered uncontrollably. Val knew his powers could not generate enough heat in her to do any good. He could freeze blood and the water in bodies, but heat was more complex. He feared going too far with it, given her weakened state. He looked over at his twin.

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“Do what you can to keep her warm please. I am going to get us out of here.” Van nodded and looked down at Gitana. A death sentence would have been more welcomed based on the expression on his face.

* * * * *

“I’m so cold, Val.”

“I know, v’amarita. Rest.”

She didn’t want to rest. She wanted to show him how much she missed him. She

needed to feel his touch. She craved the feeling of him inside of her.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

She sighed at the soft admission. He had finally said it. She had waited for weeks. Her weak body craved the warm one covering her. She wanted his skin against hers and squirmed underneath him, her hands weakly fumbling to remove his top.

She whimpered when his hands stilled her movements. “Rest.”

“Give me your heat, and I will. I need to touch your skin. Hold me and let me feel protected, please. Make love to me.” She heard a masculine groan in her head, content when his heated skin met hers. She moved beneath him, wanting to remove her top.

“No, v’amarita. This is all we do. Nothing more. Come to me, and let me hold you.”

She wrapped her arms around him and drew in the heat radiating from his skin. Her lips blazed a trail from his neck to his shoulders.

Her head ached too badly to open her eyes, and she was too weak to speak other than telepathically. But she was safe and in Val’s arms. The heat from his skin seared through hers. “Why are you so warm?”

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“I am not. You are that cold. Do not speak. Rest. You weaken yourself further.” She relished the intimate telepathic bond they shared. Nothing could come between them.

“They were horrid, Val. I have no idea how Van survived there for so long. You need to force him to talk to you. He should not deal with such horror on his own. Promise me.”

His hold on her tightened.

“He is a warrior. Warriors do not speak of these things.”

“Everyone needs someone to share their private thoughts with. I didn’t know how much until I found you.”

“Van is different than I am. He does not wish to be coddled.”

“It isn’t coddling. It is love. He needs someone to love him.”

“Sleep.” That was Cal’s voice. Wasn’t it? Confusion set in, and she fought the compulsion to sleep. She had to warn them about the spy. Hadn’t the evil thing said something about that?

“No. Have to tell you about the enemy in the pal…”

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“Never again!”

The enraged words of his twin filled the passageway outside of the royal bedchamber.

Val looked past him to where Gitana slept. Van had every right to be upset.

Val nodded and turned away, sensing the mix of emotions on his twin’s face. Van had formed a bond with Gitana that should never have been made and must be forgotten. After everything he had been through, Val knew his brother did not deserve that pain. Concern overrode his guilt but not by much.

Gitana would be equally upset when she found out that Van had been the one holding and speaking to her. He knew her admission of love was one of deep intimacy meant for him alone. It did not help matters that his brother and mate detested each other so strongly.

Perhaps they would be able to see past their differences and realize how truly similar they were.

“Never again. I owe you my life.”

Van’s eyes reflected a haunted look to him. “We will not speak of this. You will keep her from me until her pity has subsided. I do not wish to see your female wanting to comfort me.”

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“As if he could stop her from doing what she wants. If you haven’t noticed, that female of his does not ask for permission.” Cal backed away when Van took a step toward him, but Val paid no attention to the two of them.

It had been two days since they returned from Vuner, and Cam and Jad both assured him that Gitana was healed. Jax and Cal kept her in a lulled state merely as an added precaution, since they all knew the fighter in her would refuse bed rest. The time was worth it, but the trail of her attacker grew colder every moment.

Val and his brothers had ripped the castle and the entire village apart looking for any clues as to the identity of the attacker. No villager, warrior, or home was left untouched; everyone was a suspect. Lucian had led the search, equally enraged that the same person that had threatened his mate had almost cost Gitana her life.

Yet, nothing was found. Whoever the enemy was, he had managed to infiltrate their palace without their knowledge.

He watched as Fiona dipped a soft yena cloth into water and brushed it across Gitana’s face. “Can you read anything from her?”

“No but once she rests, she will wake up and tell us what she knows. Do not worry, brother. She is home.”

“I failed to protect her.” The fact that she was safe did nothing to absolve his guilt. He knew she was leaving Paradise, but had decided to give her some space. He was trying to respect her need to absorb all the events that had unfolded. So many things must have been pressing on her mind. Why the hell hadn’t he followed his instincts to keep her there? What had their enemies done to her?

“She needs rest. You should leave.” Val glared at Fiona. She had grown up when they weren’t looking, and was destined to be a handful for her mate. “You order me?”

“Yes. She can surely hear your voice and your heavy footsteps across the floor moving more rapidly. You will agitate her, even if it is not your intent.”

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Val stilled his pacing and sat on the bed. Relief flooded him when warmth met his hand as he touched Gitana’s cheek. His mate was a fighter. Long lashes fluttered open then shut quickly. “Gitana?” he asked skeptically. Surely she would not awaken this soon.

“Val…” Her voice cracked, her hand reaching for him weakly. “Gate…” Her hand fell limply on the bed.

Gate. What the hell did that mean ? His blood stilled in his veins, his heart ceased to beat. The gatekeeper. No. It could not be. The man had spent his life guarding Paradise and had been an invaluable mentor to them all.

He stood and made for the door. “Do not…” Fiona’s voice died off as he walked out and headed for Paradise. Teleporting would be a bad idea. He needed the time for the simmering rage within him to dissipate.

He entered Paradise and glared at the women racing toward him. Their steps halted and their lower lips began to tremble. “Fucking get your ass over here and deal with these meddling women, Jax. I have not the time.”

“Val? Such foul language.” The humor enraged him more. Neither Jax nor Cal would ever make good leaders if they could not be serious. Both of them would laugh at their own death rituals.

He turned the corner to the main corridor, his brisk pace not leaving time for the walls to change to the royal colors. Nor could they expose his presence quickly enough for the older man at the end of the corridor to scurry away. When the gatekeeper turned, his eyes widened and he darted toward the door leading to the Warrior’s Brewery.

“Run, and I will kill you where you stand.”

The older man stopped and turned, his eyes narrowed. “What right do you have to speak to me so, my prince?”

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“What right did you have to betray your people?” The man cried out when Val began to heat the fluid in his legs. Blood, water, it didn’t matter. He controlled them all. “What right did you have to try and kill my mate?”

The man’s screams pierced the air. “No more, my leader.”

“Your leader ? You defied your fidelity to me and our people.”

“She deserved to die,” the man hissed. “My beloved was ripped from me because of her.” The older man’s voice rose in a mixture of anger and sorrow as his cloudy eyes looked at Val imploringly. “What right did the gods have to drive a stake in our souls merely to save that child?”

“She was innocent. You sided with the very evil and the bane of our existence that made it necessary. How could you?”

“I knew the day she died. I felt her soul slipping away. The gods did nothing to bring her back to me, no matter how much I implored them to do so.”

Val shook his head in disbelief. How could they have missed it? The man had aged too rapidly. They should have known it was because his mate had passed. “We have all suffered because of the attacks, and I mourn your loss. It fails to justify your actions.”