Defender (Battle Born Book 4) Read online

  She showered, and dressed in one of her harbinger robes. It had been fun to play dress up, but she needed to deal with reality now. Her recovery was also progressing. Not as quickly as she would have liked, yet each day brought her a bit closer to her goals.

  Danvier was in the dining room when she arrived. She greeted him with a smile then went to the nutria-gen and made her selections.

  “Where did you go when you left us last night?” His tone was casual, nonconfrontational. Still she understood what he was really asking. Had she spent last night in Raylon’s bed?

  “I spoke briefly with Raylon, then went to my suite.” She set down her tray and joined him at the table. “Did you guys just finish that one episode or did you watch more?”

  “We just finished the one. We’ll be watching more this evening.”

  Zilor and Indigo walked in a few minutes later and the conversation flew around the table. Indigo was good at engaging everyone in conversations. She was funny and likable, two characteristics that would never apply to Chandar.

  “You’re awfully quiet this morning,” Indigo said as the men paused for bites of their food.

  “I was just listening.” Chandar manufactured a smile.

  Raylon entered the room, drawing Chandar’s attention like a magnet. He paused at the nutria-gen kiosk for a mug of fragrant civata brew then sat beside her. “Good morning.” He angled his chair so he could look at her without twisting his neck. “Did you sleep well?”

  “Not as well as I did the night before.” Heat crawled up her neck at her own boldness.

  “We’ll have to do something about that. Won’t we?”

  Before she could answer, a stranger entered the dining room. With closely clipped dark hair, squared shoulders, raised chin, and piercing blue-ringed eyes, his bearing was blatantly militant. The gold stripes on his black uniform were slightly wider than Raylon’s and the emblem on his chest was even more elaborate. Chandar quickly analyzed the clues. There was only one rebel with a rank higher than Raylon’s. This was Garin Nox.

  Garin stopped just inside the room and assessed the situation. His gaze quickly swept the occupants and landed on Chandar.

  She sank down in her chair, barely resisting the urge to crawl under the table.

  Raylon caught her elbow and whispered, “It’s all right, love. I know why he’s here. You don’t need to be afraid of Garin.”

  “I can’t do this.” She tried to scoot her chair back, but suddenly Indigo was behind her.

  The healer put her hands on Chandar’s shoulders and gave her a reassuring squeeze. “No one’s going to hurt you. We won’t let them.”

  “That’s right, angel. Anyone that wants you has to come through us.”

  Their combined support helped Chandar relax enough to breathe. Just because Garin emanated aggression in waves didn’t mean he’d turn that aggression on her.

  Without asking permission, the general pulled out a chair and sat down. The table was round, but suddenly Garin’s area felt like the head of the table. “Good morning.” Everyone echoed the greeting and Indigo returned to her place beside Zilor before Garin went on. “I won’t take up much of your time, but this is important.”

  “What’s up?” Danvier didn’t seem to be the least bit affected by the general’s unexpected appearance. But that wasn’t surprising. Danvier served Garin. According to her brother, they both resisted the traditional labels of master and servant, but Garin had allowed Danvier to form the metaphysical bond harbingers needed to stabilize their visions. Chandar couldn’t help feeling envious of that bond.

  Garin looked at Raylon. “Did you fill them in on the meeting yesterday?”

  Raylon shook his head. “I knew you were headed this way. Didn’t want to be redundant.”

  “That’s right,” Indigo muttered, more or less to herself. “You met with the human taskforce.”

  Garin shifted his gaze to his younger brother’s mate and offered her a quick smile. “Indeed, but Nazerel and Morgan had less to say than Ulrik Tandori.”

  Indigo gasped. “The Tandoris showed up?” She looked at Zilor, myriad emotions animating her expression. “Do they specialize in dramatic entrances?” She was referring to Vinton Tandori’s uninvited appearance in the middle of her living room. It was one of many stories Indigo had shared, hoping to build trust with Chandar.

  The comment prompted Garin to clarify. “Ulrik is Vinton’s brother. I’m not sure which one’s older. Vinton’s daughter, Berlynn, was there as well.”

  “Berlynn?” Indigo echoed. “Do you mean the canine shifter Chandar saw in her vision?”

  “Yes.” Garin’s tone grew terse as annoyance pressed his lips together. Indigo wasn’t used to receiving information from a superior, and Garin wasn’t used to interruptions. Any of his men would have been reprimanded by now. Why was he restraining himself with Indigo? The dynamic was so curious, Chandar had trouble paying attention to what he was saying. “It’s Morgan’s job to keep track of alien activities on Earth. When Vinton’s cabin exploded, she sent a team to investigate. They found enough in the rubble to confirm Vinton’s death, so Morgan contacted Tandori Tribe. When she asked who wanted Vinton dead, Ulrik immediately thought of us.”

  “But Berlynn knew better.” Chandar had hoped to avoid his attention, but this was too important. “She saw who killed her father.”

  Garin nodded then paused for a patient smile. “We haven’t been officially introduced. I’m General Garin Nox.”

  It always surprised her how different Raylon was with her. His inherent brutality seemed to melt away each time they touched. Apparently, each Rodyte warrior had the capability of controlling his natural aggression. Some just chose to revel in it instead. She shook away the distracting thoughts and focused on the rebellion’s leader. Everyone trusted this man, looked to him for the hard decisions. “I know who you are.” Was their trust justified? Did she dare trust him too? “You’re Danvier’s master.” And unlike other harbingers, Danvier had chosen Garin for his master. She motioned toward her brother without taking her eyes off the general.

  “I prefer anchor, and you’re correct. Berlynn knew a female murdered her father. However, that didn’t exonerate the battle born. Ulrik pointed out that Milanni could have been acting on our behalf. To their knowledge, she didn’t benefit from Vinton’s death.”

  “Neither did we,” Zilor stressed.

  “Vinton’s death was more accident than murder,” Chandar persisted. “I don’t think Milanni went there to kill him. She was basically defending herself against Vinton’s attack.”

  “Berlynn agrees with you,” Garin told her. “She was much more reasonable than her uncle, given the circumstances.”

  “Were you able to accomplish anything or did the Tandoris shift the focus of the meeting?” Zilor’s voice sounded gruff and irritated.

  Chandar understood his annoyance. The rebellion desperately needed to move forward. Garin’s confrontation with Quinton had created momentum. If they weren’t able to build upon it, the effort would be lost.

  “They definitely shifted the focus.” Garin sounded as frustrated as his brother, though his expression remained calm. “We spoke about all sorts of things, but it all came down to the battle born against Tandori Tribe. Morgan and Nazerel reluctantly agreed that they have no reason to stand in the crossfire. The players might be in Earth’s star system, but this is a Rodyte problem. The females we need are members of Tandori Tribe, which forces us to negotiate with Ulrik.”

  “What did he want from us?” Zilor asked.

  “Something we’ve been trying to attain ever since we arrived,” Raylon told him. “The location of the Relentless.”

  “We can’t find the Relentless. As you said, we’ve tried everything we can think of and nothing has worked. Even Akim is too smart to make the same mistake twice.” Zilor looked from Raylon to Garin and back. “Why does Ulrik want Akim anyway?”

  “He doesn’t want Akim. We do. He wants someone else on the
ship. We’re pretty sure that’s where Milanni is hiding,” Garin told him. “Akim was her mentor. It makes sense that she would run to him. And being on the Relentless explains why Ulrik and all his trackers can’t find her.”

  “One of us needs to have a vision.” Danvier looked at her, his expression grim. “That’s why Garin’s here.”

  “It’s our only hope,” Garin reinforced. “Ulrik won’t even consider any of our proposals until after his brother has been avenged. And without the cooperation of Tandori Tribe, our transformation study is dead in the water.”

  “I can’t just bring on a vision,” Chandar cried. “My power has just begun to return. I have no control over it right now.”

  “I’ve located someone I hope can help you with that,” Garin told her. Without further explanation, he stood and walked from the dining room.

  “What did he mean?” She looked at Raylon and then Danvier, as panic welled inside her. “Is he coming back?”

  Raylon took her hand between his, gently stroking her fingers. “No one is going to harm you.”

  At the moment, his reassurance just focused her attention on her fear. “I don’t want to meet anyone else. I’m not ready for all this.”

  Before she could escape to her suite, however, Garin returned. And he wasn’t alone.

  The man at Garin’s side wasn’t as tall or as muscular as the general, but energy pulsed from him in tangible waves. His brown hair was short on the sides yet longer on top, a wavy strand drooping over his forehead. Blood-red phitons glowed within his warm brown eyes. From broad forehead to strong jawline, his features were symmetrical and pleasing. The stranger approached the table, his attention focused on Chandar. His mouth curved into a cautious smile while his gaze bore into hers.

  She clutched Raylon’s hand, her heart thundering in her breast. She knew this man. He was Vox Loriet. Even the rhythm of his energy was familiar and yet the details of their interaction remained lost in her fractured memory.

  Vox rounded the table and Chandar scrambled to her feet. Why did he make her feel so vulnerable?

  To his credit, Vox stopped well back and extended his hands at his sides. “I mean you no harm, Miss Evon. Do you remember me?” He spoke Rodyte with a distinct accent. Bilarrian, Vox was from the planet Bilarri.

  Miss Evon? It had been so long since anyone called her anything but Chandar, it took a moment for her sluggish mind to realize he was referring to her. Then her brain seemed to vibrate with a rush of information. Wanting nothing to do with her mother after the loss of her father and brother, Chandar refused to answer to the name Sterling. In response, her mother forbade her to use the name Tarr. Chandar ignored the decree, so Pyre took it a step further and forbade the name Tarr from being uttered in the presence of any harbinger. Refusing to be thwarted by her mother’s decree, Chandar started using her father’s first name as her family name, so she became Chandar Evon. When Danvier told her that he also used Evon as his family name, they each wondered if some filament of their bond remained even after Pyre attempted to destroy it.

  “Chandar.”

  Raylon called her back to the present and she gave herself a firm mental shake. Everyone in the dining room was staring at her, afraid she’d lose control. Raylon now stood beside her, his arm at the small of her back. She glanced up at him and attempted to smile, but mostly her lips just trembled. “I’m back.”

  “Did you have a vision?” Indigo had scooted her chair away from the table, but she still sat beside her mate.

  Chandar shook her head. “Just a rush of memory.” After fortifying herself with a deep breath, she dragged her gaze back to Vox.

  He watched her silently, his gaze assessing. “Of what did the memories consist?”

  It was a clever way of restating his original question. “I don’t remember you, not really. I knew who you were as soon as I saw you and I know we were acquainted. Beyond that…it’s just gone.”

  “That’s not surprising.” He clasped his hands behind his back and tilted his head slightly as he continued to evaluate her. “Our sessions were mere days before your departure from Harbinger Academy.”

  “You were one of my tutors?”

  His head dipped, confirming her assertion. “I prepared you for your final exam.”

  Her final exam? Her throat grew so tense she could barely swallow. If Vox was her final tutor, then was he the faceless lover she could barely recall? There was no way she was asking that question in front of a room full of people, so she stated the obvious. “But you’re Bilarrian. Why would the elders give an enemy access to the trainees?”

  “Not every trainee can benefit from my techniques. Only the most powerful can tolerate the intensity.”

  A strange tingle cascaded through her body and images, jumbled and unfocused, swam through her mind. “Are you a trainer on Bilarri or is it just harbingers you assist?”

  The stark appraisal left his gaze and he made a sweeping gesture toward the table. “Shall we sit? Or do you need a few moments to compose yourself?”

  His tone held just enough challenge to ignite her temper, which burned away her uncertainty. She wasn’t sure if Vox had provoked her intentionally, but she was pleased with the result. Raylon repositioned her chair and she slipped onto the seat.

  “Vox briefed me when he arrived, so I’m going to leave you to it.” Garin departed and Vox took his place at the table.

  “Most people on both our planets prefer to ignore the fact,” Vox began once the room settled into silence, “but we are the same species. Every Rodyte has Bilarrian ancestors.”

  “And most Bilarrians have Rodyte relatives,” Chandar returned.

  “My point exactly.” His red phitons flashed before he went on. “Even Rodyte guilds are patterned after the Bilarrian seats of power.”

  Again a dizzying rush of information infused Chandar’s brain. “Bilarri is divided into four regions. Four regions and four guilds. Each guild represents the element honored by its region. Your father is Master Fire. You’re Crown Prince of the Fire Islands.”

  “Are these new memories?” Vox asked. “Has my presence triggered these recollections?”

  She nodded and dread rolled through her being. The edges of the void blurred as light seeped into the darkness. “I’ve been remembering odd details ever since you walked into the room.”

  “Don’t fight it,” Vox advised. “Your being is attempting to right itself, to return to the form in which it was created.”

  “She’s shaking,” Raylon snapped. “This is overwhelming her.” Vox chuckled and fury hardened Raylon’s features.

  “She’s much stronger than you know.”

  “What would you know about it?” Raylon flattened his hands on the table as he came up out of his chair. “You haven’t seen her in over two years. You know nothing about her!”

  “Vox is right.” Indigo reached across Chandar and touched Raylon’s arm. “This could be very helpful. Chandar can tell us when she’s had enough.”

  Part of Chandar wanted the escape Raylon offered. If she spoke the word, he’d take her out of here. She dreaded the memories waiting in the void, yet she would never function properly without them. Besides, she was tired of being afraid, tired of the weakness and uncertainty. The only way she would ever feel whole again was if she took back control of her life.

  “I need to be alone with Vox.” Panic surged as she heard her own words and she quickly amended, “I’d like Indigo to stay.”

  Suddenly, Raylon’s hands closed around her upper arms and pulled her up out of her chair. “Don’t let him intimidate you. If you’re not ready for this, we’re out of here.”

  His tone was rough and intimate. Protective passion burned in his gaze. She rested her hands on his chest and managed a shaky smile. “I need this. I won’t run from it anymore.”

  Then shocking her to the marrow of her bones, he bent his head and kissed her, a deep, unmistakable declaration that she belonged to him. She surrendered to the heated rush t
hat always erupted when he touched her, yet the kiss would have been so much sweeter if jealousy hadn’t triggered the embrace.

  “I won’t go far,” he whispered against her damp lips. “If you need me, call.” Then he returned her to her seat and stormed from the room, glaring at Vox the entire way.

  Danvier and Zilor followed at a more leisurely pace. And soon the females were alone with Vox.

  Chandar heard Indigo make a strange, coughing/laughing sound, so she looked at her friend.

  “That was different,” Indigo whispered. “Clearly, you need to fill me in on what happened last night.”

  “Later.” Chandar shot a meaningful look across the table.

  Vox just shook his head and offered her a full-on, toothy smile. “I’m no threat to Raylon. You are an extraordinary female, but my mate will likely be chosen by my uncle, Lotar, King of the Fire Islands.”

  “Your mate will be chosen by your uncle rather than your father?” Indigo’s curious nature gave her a boldness Chandar envied. “Is that the usual custom on Bilarri?”

  Vox looked at Chandar, his smile fading to a neutral expression. “Can you explain? What else do you remember about me?”

  There was a wealth of meaning in his questions. Chandar relaxed and opened her mind at the first tingle of recognition. “No one can be both king and guild master. Your father had to choose.”

  “Correct. What else?”

  She licked her lips and a strange, sensual image appeared within her mind. She saw herself locked in Vox’s embrace, his mouth moving hungrily over hers. Her eyes widened as she pressed her hand against her throat. “Are we…were we lovers?”

  “Not in the way you mean. We have shared intimacies, but they had a specific purpose that went beyond giving and receiving pleasure.”

  “This I’ve got to hear.” Indigo made another combination sound, this one part scoff, part snicker. “Sexual intimacies were part of her training?”