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‘Naam. But go on.’
She narrowed her eyes at him but indulged him. ‘We were, are, still a dignified society, a century-old offshoot of the Aethryian Kingdom, whose people left Earth long before the leading exodus of humans to this universe. My ancestors settled on a glass-like ice world, which we named The Seven Wonders of Shotel. On the edge of the Omegaverse and Pegasi galaxies, famed for its pale rocky surfaces and covered in white, crystalline vegetation. We brought with us the understanding of how to locate and mine aether which is present on our World. It changed our fortunes, and we used to make weapons and build cities. This knowledge led us to uncover the Elysian Eye SHärd, of which aether is a component, and becoming its guardians.’
‘And this oath you speak of?’
‘We were a mighty civilisation until my father’s killing and the attack on our world sent the empire into a tailspin. According to Shotelai tradition, a king’s family must avenge his murder. So, I took a vow to hunt his killers. Fokk, his ghost, chases me wherever I am to spur me on. I can’t rest before it is completed and our people united and back living together as a kingdom.’
‘How scattered are you?’ Killen asked, his brow furrowed.
‘Too far from each other,’ Sana’a said with a deep sadness. ‘My mother, sisters and I are separated. Our warriors, the Shotelai, are dispersed. Most are now mercenaries and assassins for hire, famed for their deadly sword and knife skills and fierce loyalty to their own. I learnt their ways, trained with my sister and left home to enact our family’s oath to avenge our attackers. And here I am.’
‘How did you get tangled with the Riders?’
She shook her head and huffed. ‘With all due respect to your father, fokk the Riders.’
Killen served her with a slow smile. ‘Too badass for you, khany’s?’
‘Nada, too freakish in their power.’
‘Why’d you say so?’
‘Because they are the only ones who can contain the power of the Elysian Eye. Not so long ago, I was tasked by my mother, the Shotelai Queen, to locate and destroy the pieces my father broke off. She wanted them destroyed entirely. I managed to find the Eden SHärd, and tangled with Zane Sable for it. He convinced me, using his psionic mind, to leave it in his care. Which it now is, as is the Devansi SHärd. Zane is one potent mofo, but we made peace soon after.’
Killen ducked his head in agreement. ‘He is one fokkin kínai I wouldn’t dare tangle with. You’ve got more balls than I do.’
Sana’a laughed, throwing her head and hair back as she did.
His cock was slammed with instant need, and he hissed.
She caught onto the sudden change in his stance and sobered up.
Keen to keep her talking, he continued. ‘And your oath, Sana’a? What will you do after you’ve completed it?’
She gave him a small, sad little smile. ‘I’ll gather my family, find us a home, our little patch of heaven somewhere in Pegasi and rest, Kíríga. Fulfilling that promise has been the bane of my existence for years now. That shit is exhausting, and many times I’ve wanted to run from it, from the weight of it. But I cannot, for a pledge is a bind in Shotelai culture.’
She pulled her eyes away, but not before he caught the lines of weariness etched on her face.
So he reached a hand and gave her a slight squeeze.
When she didn’t shake him off, he set aside his book and snaked a muscled arm around her shoulder, pulling her close to his side.
At first, she resisted, her body stiff, then after a beat, she let her head fall on his chest. As time almost stood still, the sky encompassing them glistened with celestial brightness.
Killen’s eyes were drawn to her, and as if seeing his regard, she glanced up at him, at his silver irises swirling with an unholy light.
Desire sparked and thrummed through his anatomy.
She was enticing.
He ached to bend lower and savour her lips.
With a growl, he sliced his eyes away as she stirred, but, to his relief, she didn’t pull away from him.
Silence fell as he stroked one finger over the skin of her naked shoulder until she spoke once more in a hushed murmur.
‘Speaking of promises, I have one more fight at the arena. Before the k?thi and coliseum shut down for the summer.’
‘When?’ his voice was a hoarse rumble laced with yearning and desire.
