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“I have no objection,” Kern told him. Actually, he appreciated the support.
“If you’re good with it, so am I.” She offered Cylex a hesitant smile.
After he’d dragged her through his blood-soaked past, would she ever smile at him that way? Unlikely. Well, there was no help for it, so he began, “My mother was consumed by guilt because of the attack she suffered. My grandmother did everything she could to support her but others in our village blamed my mother for the rape. They inferred that she encouraged him and he simply lost control as lonely soldiers sometimes do.”
“Those sorts of justifications are disgusting.” Then her brows drew together and she asked, “What were Torretian soldiers doing on Pyron? I know the war is with Altor, but my mentor made it sound like no one wants anything to do with the Torretians.”
Kern sighed. He would never get through this if she questioned every detail. Still, he didn’t want to start another argument.
“This was long before the war,” Cylex explained. “Jevara’s father was still emperor and he had a love/hate relationship with Pyron. The planets are like siblings. They fight, sometimes violently, yet they have more in common with each other than with anyone else in the universe.”
“All right, but why was that particular soldier on Pyron?”
Her curiosity was understandable, yet the more detail he provided the more vivid his memories became. “A group of speleologists discovered a cave filled with flora, even some simple creatures, believed to be long since extinct. It was like a window into the past and it drew the attention of renowned scientists all over the galaxy.”
Cylex continued when a lump of emotion prevented Kern from speaking. “The ecosystem was incredibly fragile, so the Pyronese government took measures to protect the find. Scientists from Altor, Torret, and Pyron formed a team to investigate and analyze the cave. They agreed to freely share all of their findings so a bit of the fervor died down.”
“There was still a serious lack of trust, however,” Kern picked up the tale, “so each planet also sent soldiers to protect their investment. My father was assigned to the security team and the village where my mother lived was not far from their encampment.”
Raina nodded and slipped her hands into the pockets of her sweater. Mercifully, she quickly summarized then moved the conversation forward. “After the attack, the villagers were being horrible to your mother. What happened next?”
“My grandmother was furious and was making arrangements for my mother to stay with relatives when my mother realized she was pregnant.”
“Why did Udora want to send your mother away? She hadn’t done anything wrong.” Raina managed not to sound accusatory, but it was obvious she disapproved.
The scene grew noticeably cooler as they entered the woods. Less sunlight reached them through the entwining branches, which accounted for the cooler temperature. “Udora was high priestess at one of the smaller temples at the time. She had obligations and responsibilities, so she was not able to be with my mother as much as she would have liked. My grandfather had already passed beyond, so Udora was the sole source of income. She applied for a transfer to every temple that had an opening, but was rejected by all of them. She didn’t know it at the time but the elders had other, far more important plans for her.”
She started to say something more then stopped herself and averted her gaze.
They had stopped walking and now stood near an overgrown pond. He glanced at Cylex who couldn’t contain his smirk. He’d warned Kern that having an inquisitive mate could be challenging. “Did you have another question?”
“I do, but I don’t know how to ask it without sounding like an insensitive bitch.”
Her concern proved that she was not insensitive, so he offered, “If you ask the question, I promise not to be insulted.”
“On Earth there is a medication called Plan B. It allows females who have unprotected sex to prevent a pregnancy. Is there something similar on Pyron?”
Now he understood her hesitation. If his mother had taken such a medication, he would never have been born. “There is, but my mother did not tell anyone about the attack until after such measures would have been effective. And ending her pregnancy was not an option because of the tenets of her faith. She was every bit as devout as my grandmother.”
Raina nodded. It was obvious she was trying to stay calm and keep her expression neutral, but tears kept forming behind her lashes. “Go on.”
Unable to ignore her rising emotions, Cylex reached over and rubbed her back. He offered the comforting touch for only a moment and then lowered his arm. They last thing they wanted was for her Fire to flare again.
“It was my grandmother’s dream to serve at the Temple of Air and her application was finally accepted seven months into my mother’s pregnancy. Not surprisingly, Udora had been unable to find a family member willing to take on a traumatized teen who was carrying the offspring of her rapist. She saw no other option but to turn down the offer and try again later. My mother knew the offer would never be made again, so she left in the middle of the night and left a message begging Udora not to look for her.”
Tears escaped but Raina quickly brushed them away. “Did Udora search for her?”
“Of course, but my mother had gone to the one place my grandmother believed she would never go.”
Confusion drew Raina’s brows together as the wind tugged at her hair. “Where?”
“To Torret. She was determined to make the villain take responsibility for the child he had created. Torret has strict laws that force parents to be financially responsible for their offspring. It is one of the few things that planet does right.”
“Had she known her attacker or was he just a random soldier?”
“She knew him, had been flirting with him for weeks. That was why so many in the village blamed the attack on her.”
Now she looked angry. Her lips pressed together and her eyes flashed. “Victim shaming is despicable. There is never a justification for that sort of bullshit.” She took a deep breath and her expression calmed. “Did she ever locate him?” Raina drew her sweater more tightly around herself and they started walking again.
