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“She is enamored with you. I have no idea what she feels about me. What took place on the ship was necessary to save her life. Even so, she likely considers me her captor. It stands to reason that she would want to be as far away from me as possible.”
“Ask your grandmother if I can be present while she awakens Raina. I honestly think if I explain what is happening, Raina will agree to go to Altor with us.”
Kern did not look convinced. He clasped his hands behind his back again, retreating behind his expressionless mask. “You will need to promise them both that we will not touch Raina until she is ready to be courted.”
“I have spent the last few months aching for her. I’m used to it.” Cylex arched his brows at Kern. “Are you going to be able to keep your hands off her?”
“If it means spending the rest of my life with her, I will do whatever it takes.”
Cylex nodded. “Then convince your grandmother to let me speak with Raina. I will convince Raina to let us court her in the human way.”
* * *
“That traitorous son of a whore,” Laidon snarled as he paced beside the Altorian ship. He paused every few seconds to glare at the Temple of Air. He’d paid Kern well for a simple task. Kidnap Raina and deliver her to a designated location. Had that been so fucking hard? “My entire plan went to shit because you decided to get your cock wet!” He kicked a loose stone and it arced through the air, smacking into the side of the ship with a resoundingthunk.
“Is everything all right, sir?” Telias asked from just inside the open hatch.
Laidon waved him away. “It’s nothing you can help with, so make damn sure the ship is ready to lift off as soon as Cylex returns.”
“Of course, sir.” Telias turned to go but not before Laidon caught his subtle eye roll. The crewmembers didn’t like him any more than they liked Cylex. They both had Torretian blood, which meant they couldn’t be trusted according to the crew. The credits Laidon had given the crewmembers were the only reason they were cooperating. Laidon had no delusions about that.
Deciding to use this momentary lull to check in with his brother, Laidon activated the tiny comm-band implanted on the top of his wrist. He requested a holo-comm, but his brother responded with audio.
“I only have a few moments so make it quick,” Boslin urged. His voice sounded distant and slightly distorted as if he’d stepped into a storeroom or ducked outside. “Where the fuck are you and what’s taking so long? My team has been in place for hours.”
“There have been complications. Lots of them. According to the mercenary, our secret weapon tried to detonate without us. He had to—”
“This line is secure and I don’t have the patience to decipher your codes. Just explain so I can understand.”
“Raina’s power started to activate so Kern had to fuck her.”
A harsh laugh burst from Boslin. “Had to or wanted to? I’ve seen images of your little conduit. She is tempting as hell.”
Laidon clenched his fists, not in the mood for his brother’s sense of humor. “His motivation doesn’t matter. The crisis is real. He took her to his grandmother on Pyron and I’m not sure Mistress Air is willing to release her.”
“His grandmother is Mistress Air or were those two statements unrelated?”
“His grandmother is Mistress Air.”
Boslin whistled low and slow. “Is Kern as powerful as his grandmother?”
“I don’t want to find out. Do you?” Laidon generally got along well with his brother, but right now he wanted to shake the fool and yell at him to focus. “Our next objective is currently at the mercy of the Pyronese. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
“Fuck you,” Boslin snapped. “If you’re going to be an asshole, I’ll go back to work.”
Laidon had been looking for a little support, but obviously he wasn’t going to get it from Boslin right now. “Tell your team to stand down. It will likely be some time tomorrow before we arrive.”
“What will you do if the Pyronese decide to keep her?” Boslin finally sounded worried.
“I’m not leaving here without her. It’s as simple as that.” When his brother didn’t respond, Laidon went on, “Raina is the last adult conduit who has yet to be claimed. I don’t know about you, but I cannot wait until one of the teenaged girls comes of age.”
“Put up with Jevara for another four to seven years? Nothing would be worth that.”
Laidon agreed, which was why he was still standing here even after Mistress Air humiliated him. “We cannot move on Jevara without Raina.” He wasn’t sure they could do it without Kern either, but that was a problem to be solved another day. Kern could be replaced, Raina could not. “I’ll probably need to do something rash.”
“I don’t like the sound of that.”
“Diplomacy has been useless so far.” He’d tried talking some sense into Cylex and hadn’t made any progress at all. With Mistress Air, Laidon hadn’t even begun to state his case and she’d ejected him from her temple like an errant child. “They have left me no choice but to be aggressive.”
