Read Online Rebel Kato (Shifters of the Primus Book 1) by Elyssa Ebbott - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Elyssa Ebbott
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sister’s body shaking, but apparently unharmed.
“Are you okay?” I ask Mira, rushing forward to cradle her head in my lap.
She smiles. “Davoso saved me. He was amazing.”
“What happened?” asks Kato.
Davoso’s voice is weak, but he surprises me by answering the question. “King Altak’s men. They were going to take Mira to the human ship. They wanted use her to gain entrance and destroy the vessel. They didn’t expect to find me.”
“You did well, brother.”
“Before he died, one of the warriors said King Altak will still make an all-out attack on the ship to destroy the humans.”
Kato sits down, a stunned expression on his face.
My mind churns. For a moment, I don’t see the purpose. I thought he wanted to stop Kato from choosing me, so why go after everyone else? But it makes sense. On one hand, he probably suspects I won’t be able to sit by while my race is destroyed. On the other, if I don’t come out to stop him, there will be no females but my sister and I. And we couldn’t exactly repopulate the planet by ourselves. “So we’re screwed either way?” I say.
“She is wise,” says Davoso.
Kato nods, his pride clear. “I believe you are correct, my kouva . But I think Altak is wrong. As Prince, I still have the power to bring you before the Sacred Tree and gain fertility. You and I could create a new species. It would take time, but we could do it.”
“And just leave my people to die?”
“They do not treat you right,” Kato says, folding his arms. “I will protect you, even if it means letting them die. Altak will never be more vulnerable. His men will all be away for the attack and we will have the perfect opportunity to strike.”
“I can’t believe you’re suggesting this,” I say. “How could I live with myself if I knew my entire race died just so I could live?”
“Fuck them,” says Mira. The harsh words sound strange from her mouth. I can’t see in the dim firelight, but I know she must be blushing fiercely.
I turn to her, shocked.
“They have never done anything but shit all over us, Lia. This is our chance to start over new, to make something good out of humanity.”
“No. No way.” I look Kato in the eye, moving close enough that I can smell his scent. “If you let my people die to save me, you will lose me. Do you understand?”
His jaw flexes and a long moment passes before he responds. “If I must lose you to keep you alive, I will do it.”
Kato leaves the room and I feel emotion well up inside me. It’s all I can do to keep from sobbing. But instead I turn to Mira.
“I can’t believe you,” I say.
She shrugs. “Name one decent person from our lives before.”
“It’s not that simple,” I say. “Yes, most of the people we knew were asshols and dirtbags. But we can’t condemn the last of humanity for that. For tens of thousands of years, people have dreamed of what kind of lives their children will lead. What kind of lives their children’s children will lead. Every single person up there is the seed of someone’s hope. Maybe they won’t all take root, but if even some of them do, we can’t take that away from them.”
Mira crosses her arm. I can tell she wants to relent but something holds her back. Davoso’s presence, maybe.
“Think about it,” I push on. “We wouldn’t just be signing the death warrant for 5,000 people. We’d be killing every life that ever would have come from them if they lived. Millions maybe. Billions. Even trillions. We have no way of knowing.”
Mira looks down, tears filling her eyes. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I mean, yeah, I still wish we could just let the Umani go up there and slap some decency into them but. . . Yeah, you’re right. I think. . . this just had me all twisted around.” She gestures toward a dismembered arm lying near her foot.
I cup her face and kiss her on the forehead. “I know. It’s okay.”
Then I realize I don’t hear Kato anymore. “Where would he
“Are you okay?” I ask Mira, rushing forward to cradle her head in my lap.
She smiles. “Davoso saved me. He was amazing.”
“What happened?” asks Kato.
Davoso’s voice is weak, but he surprises me by answering the question. “King Altak’s men. They were going to take Mira to the human ship. They wanted use her to gain entrance and destroy the vessel. They didn’t expect to find me.”
“You did well, brother.”
“Before he died, one of the warriors said King Altak will still make an all-out attack on the ship to destroy the humans.”
Kato sits down, a stunned expression on his face.
My mind churns. For a moment, I don’t see the purpose. I thought he wanted to stop Kato from choosing me, so why go after everyone else? But it makes sense. On one hand, he probably suspects I won’t be able to sit by while my race is destroyed. On the other, if I don’t come out to stop him, there will be no females but my sister and I. And we couldn’t exactly repopulate the planet by ourselves. “So we’re screwed either way?” I say.
“She is wise,” says Davoso.
Kato nods, his pride clear. “I believe you are correct, my kouva . But I think Altak is wrong. As Prince, I still have the power to bring you before the Sacred Tree and gain fertility. You and I could create a new species. It would take time, but we could do it.”
“And just leave my people to die?”
“They do not treat you right,” Kato says, folding his arms. “I will protect you, even if it means letting them die. Altak will never be more vulnerable. His men will all be away for the attack and we will have the perfect opportunity to strike.”
“I can’t believe you’re suggesting this,” I say. “How could I live with myself if I knew my entire race died just so I could live?”
“Fuck them,” says Mira. The harsh words sound strange from her mouth. I can’t see in the dim firelight, but I know she must be blushing fiercely.
I turn to her, shocked.
“They have never done anything but shit all over us, Lia. This is our chance to start over new, to make something good out of humanity.”
“No. No way.” I look Kato in the eye, moving close enough that I can smell his scent. “If you let my people die to save me, you will lose me. Do you understand?”
His jaw flexes and a long moment passes before he responds. “If I must lose you to keep you alive, I will do it.”
Kato leaves the room and I feel emotion well up inside me. It’s all I can do to keep from sobbing. But instead I turn to Mira.
“I can’t believe you,” I say.
She shrugs. “Name one decent person from our lives before.”
“It’s not that simple,” I say. “Yes, most of the people we knew were asshols and dirtbags. But we can’t condemn the last of humanity for that. For tens of thousands of years, people have dreamed of what kind of lives their children will lead. What kind of lives their children’s children will lead. Every single person up there is the seed of someone’s hope. Maybe they won’t all take root, but if even some of them do, we can’t take that away from them.”
Mira crosses her arm. I can tell she wants to relent but something holds her back. Davoso’s presence, maybe.
“Think about it,” I push on. “We wouldn’t just be signing the death warrant for 5,000 people. We’d be killing every life that ever would have come from them if they lived. Millions maybe. Billions. Even trillions. We have no way of knowing.”
Mira looks down, tears filling her eyes. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I mean, yeah, I still wish we could just let the Umani go up there and slap some decency into them but. . . Yeah, you’re right. I think. . . this just had me all twisted around.” She gestures toward a dismembered arm lying near her foot.
I cup her face and kiss her on the forehead. “I know. It’s okay.”
Then I realize I don’t hear Kato anymore. “Where would he
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