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It had taken Kylir nearly two hours to run the system check on the shuttle and repair the damage to the navigation controls. He’d been surprised when the captain had arrived to help him, and even more astonished when he’d actually ended up liking the guy.
Neither of them had mentioned what had transpired at breakfast, but there was an unspoken understanding there. Garrik wouldn’t flirt with Astrid, and Kylir wouldn’t try to kill him.
“Miss Astrid has asked to begin her research.” Falling into step beside him, Garrik cupped his hand around his left ear, shielding the small device there from the wind. “Would you like me to take you to her?”
It was still early in the day with several hours of sunlight remaining. Knowing Astrid, she was already elbows-deep in test samples and calculations. She didn’t need his help, and he’d probably just get in the way, but he’d already been away from her for too long.
“Yes.” He jerked away from the captain and held up both hands. “We can walk there, right? No transporting?”
Garrik chuckled. “Transporting would be faster and more efficient, but yes, we can walk there.”
Ten minutes later, after navigating a vast, complex system of torchlit tunnels, they arrived in a circular room in the very center of the underground catacombs. Their footfalls echoed off the domed ceiling, and candlelight from the chandeliers illuminated the thousands of tiny jewels encased in the clay walls.
It was a magnificent room, but its beauty paled in comparison to the smile on Astrid’s face when she saw him. “You’re here!”
He caught her when she leapt at him, lifting her off her feet and spinning her in a circle. “Hello, my onye.” Lowering his head, he claimed her lips in a slow, tender kiss. “You missed me.”
Not a question. He didn’t know what had happened or what had been said after he’d left the dining hall, but something had changed. For starters, she was wide open to him—her expression, her reactions, her emotions. There was no guardedness, no resistance when he carefully probed at the energy surrounding her.
“Mmm,” she hummed, kissing him again. “I did miss you. Did you fix the shuttle?”
Damn, his female appeared almost giddy. Whatever had changed, he was willing to simply accept it as the gift that it was with no explanation. “Of course. Did you doubt me?”
Her expression turned serious, and her voice lowered an octave. “Never.”
Just like that, they seemed to be talking about something entirely different. If his instincts could be trusted, it was a discussion he’d wanted to have for weeks, but he pulled away and reluctantly lowered her to the ground. They would talk, and soon, but it was neither the time nor the place for such things.
“Do you need help with anything?”
If she was disappointed, she didn’t show it. “Actually, yes, and I need your help specifically.”
“I’m all yours.”
“Yes,” she answered pointedly, heat in her gaze, “you are.” She blinked, and the expression cleared. “So, I’ve been thinking.”
“Always dangerous.”
She elbowed him in the ribs but didn’t miss a beat in the conversation. “We know something is ten kinds of wrong in Neverwood. I think it’s the Adderstone.”
Okay, not where he thought she was headed, but he could adapt. “Why do you say that?”
“Well, all four of the other stones glowed for starters. The one on the Northern Isle just looked like a chunk of coal.”
“What’s coal?”
“Never mind that.” Walking away from him, she approached the white, porcelain fountain, placed her hands on her hips, and stared up at the amber stone glowing brightly at the top. “Now, your mojo has been on overdrive since we arrived on the planet, but it seems even more sensitive when we’re near one of the Adderstones.”
“My mojo,” he repeated slowly, rubbing the back of his neck. “I think my language converter is fried.”
“Your ability, gift, empath thing.” She flicked her fingers at him dismissively. “Whatever. You know what I’m trying to say.”
He really didn’t, but he nodded anyway. “Continue.”
“It was different in Neverwood, wasn’t it?”
Thinking back on it, he had to agree. “Really strong emotions, I could sense.” Like when his mate had been enraged at the slight against him. “But yeah, everything else was sort of muted.”
Turning, she grinned up at him with obvious satisfaction. “I think the Adderstone on the Northern Isle is missing.”
She hadn’t bothered to keep her voice down, and her declaration drew the attention of all four sentries in the room.
“What?” Garrik stomped toward the fountain to join them. “What do you mean the stone is missing?”
Ignoring him, she continued speaking to Kylir. “What’s more, I don’t think it’s just Finn that’s being affected. Did you notice how no one spoke to us? None of the sentries. Not any of the attendants. Even Roe sounded like he was choking every time he tried to tell us anything.”
“What the hell is going on?” Garrik demanded. “What’s wrong with Finn? What happened in Neverwood?”
Kylir had finally caught on, and he mirrored his mate’s smile. They’d been reluctant to get involved, because there hadn’t been any proof of wrongdoing. They couldn’t very well march into the citadel on Sommervail and announce that they thought Finn Silveroak had been cursed, drugged, or whatever. That would have led to a load of questions they had no way of answering. It also had the potential to turn suspicion on them if the inquiry became a he-said-she-said game.
Telling the king that one of his precious stones was missing, however, would certainly get results. Even better, they didn’t have to tell him themselves. Sure, someone could blame him and his mate for tampering with the stone, but he didn’t think it would happen. Not only had Astrid taken a million photographs with her wrist unit, but they had a witness and an ally in Roe Silveroak.
“Garrik, my friend.” Still smiling, he placed a hand on the captain’s shoulder. “How quickly can you get a message to Sommervail?”
“Communications are monitored,” Astrid reminded him before turning her attention to Garrik. “You’ll have to go there personally. You have to tell your king that the stone is missing.”
Garrik gaped at them. “It can’t be missing.”
Apparently, Astrid had been prepared for such a reaction. Tapping at her wrist unit, she brought up the pictures she’d taken in the mountain cave.
“Does this look normal to you?” She swiped her finger across the screen until she found a photo of the stone in question. “What about this?”
The poor captain looked a little green, but he nodded curtly. “I’ll need to speak to my sister.”
With a light rush of wind, he vanished from the room.
“You did it.”
“Not really, but we did what we could.” Stepping closer, she wound her arms around his waist and rested her head against his chest. “It’s out of our hands now.”
What she’d said about his ability being stronger near the stones had been accurate enough, and this time was no different. Astrid was practically screaming at him without saying a word. She vibrated, though she stood perfectly still. There was a restlessness to her energy, a low thrum of disquiet that sank right into his bones.
“Do you have something to say, onye?”
Raising her head, she looked at the sentry to their right. “Not here.”
Kylir looked to the same sentry as well, a curvy female with inky hair and ivory skin. “Can you take us back to our room?”
The sentry nodded, then everything went black. A heartbeat later, his vision returned, and he stumbled sideways as he landed next to the canopy bed in their guest room. Clearly, he should have chosen his words more carefully.
“Damn it,” he groaned as he turned, checking to be sure his mate had made the trip with him. “I really hate that.”
Astrid only lowered her head.
Falling into the oversized chair near the window, he closed his eyes and waited for his stomach to stop rolling and his head to quit spinning. By the time he felt mostly normal again, Astrid still hadn’t spoken.
Whatever she had wanted to say, it seemed very likely that she was trying to talk herself out of it. “Out with it.”
His tone came out sharper than he’d intended, but it had the desired effect. Her head snapped up, her eyes widened, and the breath caught in her throat.
“I love you.” The words tumbled from her lips in a rush and hung on the air between them.
He dipped his head to show he’d heard her.
Her hands trembled at her sides, and a vein in her neck pulsed rapidly with her heartbeat. Her lips moved wordlessly, and her eyes darted around the room, looking at everything except him. She was obviously spiraling, drowning in her distress, and it would be so easy to step in and save her.
He said nothing.
From the moment she’d approached his table on X21, he’d been lost in her. Of course, he loved her. He didn’t even know if words existed to express how much he loved her. He also had no problem playing the hero, whether it be protecting her from physical threat or the inner workings of her own mind.
He could pull her into his arms and tell her all those things. When she stumbled, he could catch her. He could promise her everything would be okay, then coax promises from her as well. When fear staid her tongue, he could give voice to the words that had abandoned her.
He said nothing.
If he had been clear about nothing else, it was that whatever happened between them would always be her choice. So, while every fiber of his being demanded he rescue her from the panic he could sense building, he wouldn’t do it, not with something so important. He wouldn’t speak for her, wouldn’t put words in her mouth. If confessing his own feelings might persuade or guilt her, it was better to say nothing.
There could be no possibility for miscommunication, and when they left that room, there would be no doubts about what either of them wanted.
Silent and unmoving, he waited.
When several minutes passed and she still hadn’t spoken, he couldn’t stand it anymore. Maybe just a little help, just a nudge. “Keep going.”
All at once, she seemed to breathe again. He could see the switch flip, could feel her grasping at his words like a lifeline.
Another deep breath steadied her, and a crooked smile graced her lips. “I know what you’re doing.”
Good, then she wouldn’t hate him for it.
He nodded, nothing more.
“Kylir T’Kari, I love you.” Assured. Controlled. “I know you love me, too.”
He couldn’t help it. He smiled at her, and muttered, “I do.”
She pulled her shoulders back and lifted her head a little higher, appearing much more confident than when they’d first landed in the room. “You were right to think I wasn’t ready. I was scared.” Meeting his stare unflinchingly, she took a step toward him. “Not of you, but of myself.”
He didn’t speak, but he did raise an eyebrow in question.
“I’m still scared,” she admitted, “but I’m done hiding behind that fear. I want to be yours, Kylir. I want you to be mine. Before that can happen, though, I need you to know that once you see inside my head, you might not like what you find.”
He hated to break it to her, but she was pretty easy to read, even without his extra abilities. Her eyes always gave away her emotions, and most of her thoughts ended up written across her face. In other words, she wasn’t exactly well-suited to keeping secrets, especially big ones.
Instead of confessing that, he asked a question. “Why would you think that?”
She inhaled deeply again, releasing it slowly through her lips. “Because I don’t know what you’ll find. There are big blocks of time missing from those eight months I was drugged. They’re just gone. I have no idea what I was doing.”
“Is that the only reason you didn’t want me to claim you?” He needed to be sure about that. He needed to hear her say it.
“Of course. What else would it be?” Hands fisted on her hips, she rolled her eyes and added under her breath, “Idiot.”
Instantly, Kylir was on his feet, closing the distance between them and dragging her into his arms. “It doesn’t matter. I don’t care about any of that.” He’d made plenty of bad decisions in his life, all on his own, without anyone else controlling him. “If you were off somewhere, gleefully slaughtering puppies, it wouldn’t matter. It wouldn’t make me stop loving you.”
He doubted it was anything so tragic. More probable, she’d been forced to falsify records, steal supplies, and synthesize drugs. Even if that wasn’t the case, even if she had done something truly heinous, he meant what he’d said. It wouldn’t change anything, not for him. It would be devastating for Astrid, of course, but he’d be right there with her, guiding her through the darkness and loving her through the pain.
“Are you sure?” they both asked at the same time, then laughed.
“I know what I want,” Kylir answered first.
Astrid nodded. “I’m sure. No more hiding.” Reaching into the pocket of her black pants, she retrieved a small, purple jar with a silver lid. “A new beginning. A fresh start.” She pressed the container into his hand. “A clean slate.”
Confused, but willing to play along, he removed the lid and stared down into the contents of the jar. Pale blue with shimmering flecks of silver, the gel-like substance was pretty, but he didn’t understand its purpose.
Pressing her index and middle fingers together, Astrid dipped them into the concoction, collecting a sizeable amount. Then, without looking away from him, she lifted her hand to the left side of her face and swiped the goo over the claiming mark there. The tattoo shimmered briefly, the edges glowing brightly, then the inky black faded away until only smooth, creamy skin remained.
“Now,” she said, taking his free hand and pulling him toward the bed, “I’m ready. I’m ready to be yours.”