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Authors: Lynda Aicher
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didn’t you turn me in?”
It was his turn to sigh. “I told myself it was to find answers about my brother, Damian.” He contemplated the objects around the room for a moment, taking in the small mementos that reminded him of his family, of how little he still knew about his older brother, before his gaze came back to meet hers. “But in truth, I was drawn to you from the first time I touched you. There was a part of me that couldn’t turn you in until I figured out why.”
“And did you?”
A slow smile slid across his lips. “Yeah, I think I did.” In a quick decision, he held the throwing stars out to her. “Here. Take these. Just in case.”
Her lips compressed and disappeared between her teeth as the point of his gift registered. There were no guarantees.
“You could still go,” he offered even as the thought tore at him. “There’s nothing holding you here.”
Her eyes narrowed slightly, then her chin lifted and she reached for the weapons. “There’s nowhere to go. I’m dead the second I leave the safety of this compound.” The truth of her statement tightened his gut. She distributed the weapons in her pockets and gave a shrug. “Besides, you wouldn’t stand a chance in a fight without me. We’ve already established that.”
He laughed, the tension leaving his body. Louk strode to the door, a beat of optimism in his step. He swung the door open and the optimism switched immediately to rock hard dread.
The cold, blue gaze of his father nailed him with a flat look of disappointment. His patrician nose was lifted in disdain, his mouth set in a grim line between compressed lips. He held his hands clasped behind his back, the strength of his hold displayed in the strain of the tendons on his neck. Clothed in an expertly tailored white silk shirt and slacks, he exuded the power that bespoke his position as the head of the House of Air.
Behind him stood Cronus, the oldest Energen in their enclave, an Ancient and their respected leader. His timeworn face told nothing, but Phelix’s said everything. His brother stood stiffly off to the side, the pain flashed across his features and nailed Louk in the chest.
His father narrowed his eyes and his lip curled up in a show of pure disgust. “Louk,” he said, then rolled his tongue in his mouth as if the taste of the words offended him. “You have betrayed us.”
There was nothing he could say. The truth of the words echoed in his mind even as Airiana stepped up behind him and placed her hand on his back. The energy pooled into him and gave him the needed strength to straighten his shoulders and face his fate.
Wrong. Their fate.
And for them, he would fight.
Chapter Ten
Strong. Airiana kept her shoulders back and her head up as she faced the enemy. That’s what they all were. Except Louk, who stood beside her, his hand tightly grasped around hers. It was his energy flowing into her that kept her balanced. Kept the complete hopelessness of the situation from pulling her under.
Again, it was the two of them against a foe. United when only that very morning they were enemies.
She felt his doubt, though. It whispered over the energy that circled within her. He wasn’t as confident as he was presenting. That unnerved her, but she wouldn’t let it show. Weaknesses were only exploited, and she would give them none.
In truth, she was still shaken by her encounter with Gog. She had no question that the dragon had controlled her and manipulated her into jumping. How, she didn’t know. Without Louk, she would have been dead.
“Explain yourself,” the voice boomed across the chamber. The man who spoke was one of the men who had greeted them outside Louk’s room. He was dressed in a long white robe that draped to the ground and covered his feet so it gave the appearance that he floated more than walked when he crossed the room to stand before them. His hair was white with remnants of gold giving hint to his one-time color. The energy
It was his turn to sigh. “I told myself it was to find answers about my brother, Damian.” He contemplated the objects around the room for a moment, taking in the small mementos that reminded him of his family, of how little he still knew about his older brother, before his gaze came back to meet hers. “But in truth, I was drawn to you from the first time I touched you. There was a part of me that couldn’t turn you in until I figured out why.”
“And did you?”
A slow smile slid across his lips. “Yeah, I think I did.” In a quick decision, he held the throwing stars out to her. “Here. Take these. Just in case.”
Her lips compressed and disappeared between her teeth as the point of his gift registered. There were no guarantees.
“You could still go,” he offered even as the thought tore at him. “There’s nothing holding you here.”
Her eyes narrowed slightly, then her chin lifted and she reached for the weapons. “There’s nowhere to go. I’m dead the second I leave the safety of this compound.” The truth of her statement tightened his gut. She distributed the weapons in her pockets and gave a shrug. “Besides, you wouldn’t stand a chance in a fight without me. We’ve already established that.”
He laughed, the tension leaving his body. Louk strode to the door, a beat of optimism in his step. He swung the door open and the optimism switched immediately to rock hard dread.
The cold, blue gaze of his father nailed him with a flat look of disappointment. His patrician nose was lifted in disdain, his mouth set in a grim line between compressed lips. He held his hands clasped behind his back, the strength of his hold displayed in the strain of the tendons on his neck. Clothed in an expertly tailored white silk shirt and slacks, he exuded the power that bespoke his position as the head of the House of Air.
Behind him stood Cronus, the oldest Energen in their enclave, an Ancient and their respected leader. His timeworn face told nothing, but Phelix’s said everything. His brother stood stiffly off to the side, the pain flashed across his features and nailed Louk in the chest.
His father narrowed his eyes and his lip curled up in a show of pure disgust. “Louk,” he said, then rolled his tongue in his mouth as if the taste of the words offended him. “You have betrayed us.”
There was nothing he could say. The truth of the words echoed in his mind even as Airiana stepped up behind him and placed her hand on his back. The energy pooled into him and gave him the needed strength to straighten his shoulders and face his fate.
Wrong. Their fate.
And for them, he would fight.
Chapter Ten
Strong. Airiana kept her shoulders back and her head up as she faced the enemy. That’s what they all were. Except Louk, who stood beside her, his hand tightly grasped around hers. It was his energy flowing into her that kept her balanced. Kept the complete hopelessness of the situation from pulling her under.
Again, it was the two of them against a foe. United when only that very morning they were enemies.
She felt his doubt, though. It whispered over the energy that circled within her. He wasn’t as confident as he was presenting. That unnerved her, but she wouldn’t let it show. Weaknesses were only exploited, and she would give them none.
In truth, she was still shaken by her encounter with Gog. She had no question that the dragon had controlled her and manipulated her into jumping. How, she didn’t know. Without Louk, she would have been dead.
“Explain yourself,” the voice boomed across the chamber. The man who spoke was one of the men who had greeted them outside Louk’s room. He was dressed in a long white robe that draped to the ground and covered his feet so it gave the appearance that he floated more than walked when he crossed the room to stand before them. His hair was white with remnants of gold giving hint to his one-time color. The energy
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