AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He nodded and released her arm. He righted her chair then motioned toward it, seating her before he returned to his side of the table. “We are at an advantage,” Kern began, his tone conversational. “Cylex and I were given detailed information about you. We understand who you are, how you were raised, and the situation in which you find yourself. You, however, know very little about us. We are here to rectify that imbalance.”
“All right.” They would likely gloss over their stories if she asked them directly, so she decided to try a different approach. “You were close in your teens. Kern, tell me about Cylex. And when you’re done, I want Cylex to tell me about you.” Kern didn’t look pleased by the suggestion, which convinced her that it would yield the most reliable information.
“It has been many years since we interacted,” Kern objected.
“So, start with his background. That hasn’t changed.”
Kern glanced at Cylex then began, “Both of our fathers were Torretian soldiers who took advantage of our mothers. That similarity is why it felt natural for us to become friends. Cylex’s mother was ruthlessly seduced, while mine was taken by force.”
Raina’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, God, I’m so sorry.” She looked at Cylex, but his features were utterly expressionless and she could no longer sense his emotions. What good would it do to learn more about them if it alienated them in the long run?
“Cylex’s mother might not have been raped, but she was no less shattered by what happened to her. His father cruelly manipulated her emotions, making her think he loved her and would build a future with her. He meant none of it and laughed in her face when she begged him to send her to Torret so they could be together.”
Rather than offer another meaningless apology, she opened her mind and let them sense her compassion. She didn’t know if Kern could feel her emotions, but her mind link with Cylex was still active. She could sense the connection even though his emotions were locked down tight.
“Are you sure you want to hear all of this?” Cylex’s voice was as expressionless as his features. “Neither of these stories end well and they are both deeply unhappy.”
If all they wanted was friendship, even a casual hookup, a deep dive into their past would not have been necessary. But they wanted a permanent relationship. “I need to know who you are. I can’t even consider bonding with you unless I understand the forces that shaped your lives and personalities.”
“Teenaged boys don’t spend a lot of time talking about the past. If you want the details, you need to let us tell our own stories,” Cylex said.
She considered the options for a moment. If either of them left out too much, she could still ask the other person to fill in the blanks. “All right. Please continue. How did it begin? How did your Altorian mother meet and fall in love with a Torretian soldier?”
“This was back before the war began and my family owned an establishment that was part bar, part mercantile. It was on one of the neutral moons that acted as a maintenance and repair hub for long-distance transports. Because of this, many of their customers were soldiers.”
The romance had been false and their parting traumatic, so Raina moved on to the next relevant event. “What did your mother do when she realized she was pregnant? Was your father long gone by then?”
“He had left the outpost, but she contacted him and begged him to come back and get her.” Cylex took a deep breath and stared off into the distance, clearly lost in memories. “He insisted that the child could have been fathered by anyone. She had never been with anyone else, ever, but that clearly didn’t matter to him.”
Raina blinked back tears. It was easy to imagine what Cylex’s mother had gone through. She had to have felt abandoned and horribly alone. “What did your mother do? Were your grandparents supportive?”
His jaw clenched and his nostrils flared before he composed himself enough to speak. He was still shielding his mind from her, which wasn’t surprising. Distancing himself likely made this bearable. “My grandfather pressured her to relinquish rights to me. He insisted that the last thing she needed was a living reminder of her shameful behavior. Luckily, my grandmother wouldn’t allow it. So he begrudgingly provided for our basic needs but would barely acknowledge my existence.” Cylex shook his head and dispelled the past with a sigh. “My grandfather was cold and closed-minded, but my mother, grandmother, and aunt were wonderful.”
“Did you have a good relationship with your—humans call them stepfathers? Your mother’s life partner. You said you were five when you left your grandparents’ house. Was your stepfather kind to you?”
His lips pressed together before he spoke. Clearly the memories were still painful. “He treated me well until they began having children of their own. The first was a boy, so I was soon referred to as her son while my brother was his son or their son. The distinctions only got worse as they had more children.”
“And I’m sure your siblings picked up on his attitude. Children always do.”
Cylex nodded. “My brother and I were never close. He turned everything into a competition and I was happy to antagonize him. My sisters were much younger than I was so I’ve always felt protective of them.”
Everything he was saying confirmed her previous assessment of his character. Cylex was strong and loyal. He defended the powerless and championed difficult causes. “It’s your basic personality to be a hero.”
He shook his head, obviously uncomfortable with the conclusion. “Don’t ever confuse me with a hero. I’ve made countless self-serving decisions and I can be incredibly cruel.”
He might have been selfish from time to time. Everybody was. But Cylex was not cruel. Rather than debate his nobility, she said, “You met Kern at a boarding school. How did you end up there?”
“It all began with my mother’s illness.”
His gaze took on a haunted quality that made her want to wrap her arms around him. How much adversity could one child be expected to endure? “What sort of illness? Altorian medicine seems really advanced.”
“It is. There are very few conditions that cannot be easily treated or regenerated.” He glanced at her then away. His expression became distant, almost vacant, as if he were listing facts that had nothing to do with him. “Hers was a blood mutation that was triggered by bearing a hybrid baby. In very rare cases, Altorian blood is not compatible with Torretian and the mutation results. The mutation is preventable, but once the process has begun, degeneration is fast and the mortality rate is ninety-four percent.”
She easily guessed where this tragedy led. “Everyone blamed you for her death.”
He nodded as he struggled to regain his composure. “Two days after my mother passed beyond, her life partner sent me back to my grandfather. My grandmother had also passed beyond by then so I expected him to be less than welcoming. My grandfather allowed me to stay in a shack on his property for eleven days before he found my presence intolerable. So I was sent to live with a father I had never met on a planet I had been taught was evil. I had just turned fifteen.”
She was unable to stop the tears then, but anger was her primary emotion. “How could anyone be so cruel? You were a victim just as much as your mother. No, more so than your mother, yet they treated you like a villain. It’s inexcusable.” She reached over and covered his hand with hers then entwined their fingers.
