Chapter Fourteen – Sildon
A howl of frustration burst from Sildon as his attack was once again blocked. The warlord was quick and strong, with a better technique than anyone he had gone against before, and though he fought for an opening, he could find none. Even when Zon ceded ground, Sildon couldn’t count that as a victory. He knew that the older T'shav was luring him to a position that would be more advantageous to him.
Fury, hatred and grief battled in his chest, fueling his attack. Zon's eyes were devoid of emotion, which only made Sildon's frenzy more painful. He dodged forward, striking at the other man's arm. Zon blocked the sword, then dropped his arm just slightly. Sildon slid his sword along Zon's blade and nicked his arm. Bright red blood welled from the wound, but it wasn't satisfactory.
"You let me cut you," Sildon growled.
"It is time for this to be over," Zon replied.
"It will never be over until you're dead!"
Sildon was aware of the spectators rushing in to intervene, but he didn't care. All he wanted was to see this despicable man dead. He roared as he brought the sword down. Zon's eyes grew steely. He grabbed Sildon's wrist, stopping the blow, and brought a knee to his stomach. Sildon stumbled back, then jumped in again. Their sword met with a might clash–Sildon's sword shattered. Pieces of metal flew everywhere, scratching his face and arms.
Zon punched him in the face and threw him to the ground. The younger T'shav rolled and made to get back to her feet, but the warlord placed the tip of his blade at his throat. Sildon tensed, preparing himself for the killing blow.
To his surprise, Zon did not strike. "Matka never told me that she had begotten a child."
"You don’t even remember her."
"After fighting you, I do." Zon lowered his sword. He knelt beside Sildon, surprising him. "You have her spirit."
Sildon flinched as Zon moved closer. Surprise shot through him when the warlord embraced him. Sildon tensed. Was this a trick? A trap? He didn't know how to react. He couldn’t remember another man ever hugging him. In fact, he couldn't remember anybody except for his mother and Jada actually offering any sort of physical comfort. Something inside him broke, and the hatred and anger he had been holding inside trickled away.
"Matka. She was a spitfire." Zon sat back on his heels, keeping a hand on Sildon's shoulder. "We were together for only a few weeks, not long before I met my Starmate. We stayed in contact for a standard year, but she never told me about you."
Sildon's shoulders sagged. "She's dead."
Zon helped him to his feet. "I'm sorry to hear that. But I think you have apologies to make."
At first, Sildon thought that the warlord was talking about himself, but when Zon gave a pointed glance at Jada, the younger T'shav understood. His curvy human was standing stock still, her jaw clenched, her hands curled into fists. A pang hit him in the stomach. Yes, he did need to apologize to her. Now it seemed so stupid to have fought against Zon. He could only hope Jada would forgive him.
He dropped the broken hilt of his grandfather's sword as he returned to Jada. The others all stood with Zon, giving them privacy. As soon as he was near, Jada thumped him on the chest. Tears ran down her face and she thumped him again.
"Why did you do that? I thought you were going to get yourself killed. Why would you worry me like that?"
"I'm sorry."
Jada froze.
"I'm sorry that I worried you, and I'm sorry that I fought. I was just so angry… I didn't know what else to do. I'm sorry."
Her lip trembled, and Jada threw her arms around him. He held her back, closing his eyes as he breathed in her scent. He hadn't even thought about what his actions might do to her, and regret and guilt settled into his stomach. He'd make it up to her. Somehow, he'd fix it.
***
Ronan's mate, Erica, entered the scans recording his and Zon's DNA into the machine that would compare them. Sildon tried not to let his nervousness show. He couldn't have said what results he was hoping for. Anything that came back would be terrifying to one extent or another. The best thing he could do was just wait, and deal with what happened afterward.
Lisa and Tom stood with Zon. They didn't speak, but Sildon could see the solidarity between them. Even though he fought against it, there was jealousy burning in his stomach. He could have grown up with a family like this. He didn't even care about their wealth and power. There was clear unity and love between them, and that was what he had always missed out on.
Beside him, Jada adjusted a squirming Isabel. She was still upset that he had fought Zon but told him as long as he promised not to do it again, that would be the end of it. He had promised, and Jada had nodded and didn't bring it up again. She met his gaze and smiled at him. His heart lurched.
He'd put everything in danger. He would never have a family like Tom, but he did have a family with Jada and Isabel. In his blind anger, he had nearly lost them. If Jada hadn't found a way to understand what he was going through, then it would have all been over.
Never again, he vowed.
He would never let anger or hate to blind him to what he had here. He would never again risk his relationship with Jada. He moved a little closer to her, wishing he could go back and take back his challenge to Zon. Even if everything had resolved, it would have been better if the fight had never taken place to begin with.
A beeping came from the machine, and Sildon turned his attention back to Erica. She studied the results that were displayed while everybody looked anxiously on. Eventually, she turned back to them and shook her head.
"Results are clear. You're not related."
The tension in the air didn't clear as Sildon had been expecting. Jada squeezed his hand. Tom frowned and came to peer at the medical screen himself. Sildon didn't look at any of them. Of course what his mother's letter said wasn't true. She may not have even known who his father was. That wasn't so uncommon. He had been stupid, to attack without knowing all the facts.
"Are you sure you read it right?" Tom asked.
Erica rolled her eyes. "Excuse me, but who here is a trained medical professional?"
"I didn't mean it like that. It's just… well. I just wanted to make sure."
Did Tom actually sound disappointed? But that didn't make any sense. Why would be disappointed that the man who had attacked and tried to kill his father wasn't actually his brother? But when Sildon looked up, the other T'shav did look disappointed. He scratched at his beard thoughtfully, then shrugged.
"I've always wanted a big brother. It would have been nice to have someone to add to our retrieval trio."
Sildon managed a small smile at that. "I don't think you'd want me on your team anyway. I never learned proper fighting techniques. What I do know I learned from experience. But I don't even have a sword anymore."
"You can make a new sword," Jada interrupted. "And you have impressive skills for being self-taught. Can you take Isabel for a moment? I need to find a clean diaper for her."
Sildon gladly took the baby. The stink of a dirty diaper made him wrinkle his nose, but she smiled up at him and relaxed into his arms. He smiled back at her. He just had to remind himself that he had found a new family. Blood wasn't what mattered, love was. He loved Jada and Isabel. They were what mattered.
He watched warily as Zon approached him. The warlord clapped a hand to his shoulder. "It's never too late to learn fighting techniques. Matka clearly wanted me to teach you our traditions, and if you are willing to learn, I will teach them to you."
Sildon's eyes widened. He must not be hearing right. "You'll train me?"
"Yes."
"But I'm…" There were dozens of reason why Zon shouldn't offer this. "I'm too old."
Zon shook his head. "One is never too old to learn new things. Besides, I would like to learn more about Matka's son, and I think I have stories of her that you would enjoy hearing. I remember a few scars she gave me."
"I…" Sildon didn't know what to say to that. This was so far from what he expected. He bowed. "Thank you. I would be honored."
Zon nodded at him. "There is still the matter of your theft. Considering your motives, it would be unfair to sentence you to jail, but I can't allow you to go unpunished."
"You could turn it into a loan," Jada suggested, pulling a diaper from the bag. "Something that we work to pay off. I do have a successful dating agency, and I have a few more ideas that should pull in some revenue. Musth cabins. A private place for lovers to go crazy without disturbing their neighbors. I know it was a lot of money, but I always intended on paying it back."
Lisa stepped beside Zon. "That sounds perfect. You'll have to pay with interest, though. The exact details can be settled at another time. For right now, I think these two ought to be given their alone time. Don't you agree?"
She arched a brow at her mate and he nodded. "Of course. Tom, please escort them to a room. I will see both of you later."
The warlord gave Sildon's shoulder a final squeeze and they were led away. Sildon felt sort of dazed as he walked, carrying Isabel. Once they got to their room, however, everything finally sunk in and he grinned. Maybe it hadn't happened the way he wanted, but he had everything he wanted at last.
He had his family.