Fifteen
Three planet rotations later, Kralj considered applying his hand to a certain uncontrollable assassin’s lush backside yet again. She was doing a handstand on the edge of the wall, one strong wind away from falling to her death.
Not that he would allow her to die. He’d save her. Once more.
And she’d laugh, not even considering he might not be there to catch her.
Because she trusted him.
“Come here,” he ordered.
She flipped backward, landing with an ‘oomph’ against him, her spine slamming against his chest. He strapped his arms around her, preventing her from bouncing off him and landing on her beautiful face.
“You called, master?” She tilted her head back, grinning at him.
He wanted to kiss her silly, sink his fangs into that vein pulsing in her pale neck, drink her dry. Instead he nipped at her bottom lip. “Respect me.”
“I always do.” Her laughter tinkled, the sweetest music he’d ever heard. “Are we surveying your vast kingdom?” She gazed at the rooftops, the pathways, the beings hurrying like insects below them.
Kralj did the same, holding her, savoring her feminine scent, her slender curves, the way her curly brown hair danced with the breeze. The battle-axe he’d had his top weaponsmith craft for her dangled from her waist. He’d painstakingly designed it, a miniature of his own, to fit her smaller hands, had engraved it to say everything he couldn’t.
She belonged here at the Refuge, with the residents, with him. Orol was still his second-in-command. That hadn’t changed.
Dita was second to no one. She was a part of him, like his beast, his monster.
“This is nice, isn’t it?” She sighed, leaning against him.
Kralj didn’t say anything because it was nice, a word he never thought he’d associate with his lifespan. He’d been created to kill. Upon escaping, he had modified that mission to protecting the residents of the Refuge, keeping them safe from others and from himself. Caring for another being was outside his realm of consideration.
Yet he did. He cared for his little assassin, his mate, as his beast called her. She was his, the companion he’d always secretly wished to have, perfect for him in every way.
Dita wiggled her ass against his groin, teasing his leather-encased cock.
She was perfect in almost every way. He splayed his fingers over her stomach, pinning her body to his, preventing her movements. She fought him, of course. She always did. But he had the superior strength and she eventually quieted.
She believed he needed to be challenged and maybe he did. Not having the ability to read her thoughts, his senses were fully engaged around her, his perception constantly tested. She made him a better monster, a better guardian of the Refuge, a better being.
He nuzzled against her neck, relishing her softness. Orol circled above him, the winged male surveying the Refuge from the air. Kralj answered questions and settled disputes, reading thoughts, pushing his insights into the residents’ minds. They’d completed a perimeter check, or walk, as Dita called it, before climbing to the top of the wall. The settlement was secure.
“Kralj?” Dita turned within the circle of his arms, facing him.
“Yes?” He palmed her ass, enjoying how her curves filled his hands.
“Would you still be with me if I couldn’t absorb your powers, if I was normal in that way?”
If she couldn’t absorb his powers, she’d be dead. A coldness gripped Kralj’s heart. He would have killed her, taken her smile, her laughter, her light from his world. That ‘what if’ was too bleak for him to contemplate. “You’re not normal in that or any way.”
She squirmed, clearly dissatisfied with that answer. “Let’s say I was. Would you be with me?”
“No, I wouldn’t.” The thought of harming her horrified him. “Absolutely not.”
“Oh.” Pain flashed in her eyes.
He’d hurt her with that answer. “It would be too dangerous. I would touch you, lose control.” As he always did when he touched her. “And you’d—” His voice cracked.
“And I’d die.” She finished the sentence for him. “Would my death bother you?”
“Bother me?” He stared at her. “It would destroy me.”
“You’ve killed in the past and it didn’t destroy you.” Dita acted as though her comment made sense, as though those previous deaths would be comparable to hers.
“I didn’t care about those beings.” Not like he cared for her. “I care about you.”
That word was inadequate for how he felt. His sun rose and set with his little assassin.
“You’d care about me even if I was normal?” Her eyebrows lifted.
“I told you from the beginning.” Kralj cupped her face. “Nothing about you is normal. I’ve lived thousands of human lifespans and I’ve never met anyone like you.”
“You’ve never met anyone with the ability to block you.” Her lips flattened.
“I’ve never met anyone with your daring, your laugh, your hair, your off-kilter sense of humor, the way you swing my arm as we walk, how you approach every task like it’s a challenge, your scent.” He inhaled deeply, taking her unique fragrance inside him. “Your scars, each one earned, your acceptance of me, my beast, my monster, my past, the appreciative sounds you make as you eat a nourishment bar, your ability to blend into the shadows—into my shadows, your patience with the females you’re training, the weight of your body against mine as we sleep.”
Her eyes widened. “All of that makes me unique?”
“Much more than that makes you unique.” He lifted her, holding her against his chest. “There’s no part of you that’s normal, even your insistence on pretending to be that way. I could search for the rest of eternity and never replace you.”
She gazed at him. He had no idea what his damn female was thinking. A smile slowly spread across her face, making her pale skin glow and her blue eyes shine.
Fuck. She was stunning, the most enthralling creature he’d ever encountered.
“I feel the same way about you.”
He doubted that. Kralj scowled at her. She didn’t have a beast ripping at her innards, seeking to bond with its mate every moment of the planet rotation. “We should take another walk.” That would calm his beast down.
“We should do another perimeter check.” Her hand slid into his.
Walk, perimeter check, whatever she chose to call it this moment, they were doing it. Kralj pulled her forward.
Halfway through the task, she activated what she referred to as ‘stealth mode,’ slipping from shadow to shadow, climbing sides of domiciles, running from rooftop to rooftop, moving as quickly, as silently as a human possibly could.
Kralj watched over her, aware of her position at all times. He remembered, in the distant past, when perimeter checks were boring.
He never wanted to experience that emptiness again.
“Little one—”
He froze.
Walk. Must Save. Others. Walk. Dita. Have to. Tell her. Walk. Pain. Too much. Walk.
The thoughts originated at the edge of his surveillance range. Azalea, Dita’s young friend, had entered his territory. She was alone, barely alive, had been tortured, the images in her mind obscene.
Kralj braced himself emotionally. This reunion would hurt his little assassin.
“Dita,” he barked.
Her gaze lowered to meet his and her smile disappeared. “What is it?” She scrambled down the side of the domicile.
“It’s Azalea.” Orol, there’s a young female on the edge of my range. Kralj gave his second-in-command her coordinates. Retrieve her. Quickly.
Yes, sir. The winged male flew in that direction.
“Has the caravan returned?” Dita rushed to his side.
He swung her into his arms and ran with her toward the gates. “The caravan was attacked.”
“What?” She struggled, trying to free herself. “Where? By whom?”
“It happened at the first beverage outlet.” Kralj didn’t release her. He’d known she’d react like this. His little assassin cared too much. “It wasn’t a random assault. The clone and his males were waiting for them.”
Kralj exited the settlement with her, stopped at the line of corpses.
“That bastard.” Dita bucked. “I have to go to them, help them.”
“Orol is bringing her to us.” The winged male had located Azalea.
Kralj contacted the Refuge’s best medic, told her to bring her entire team, pushing those commands into her mind. The girl would have the best care he could give her.
“He tortured her.” In all the ways a male could torture a female. “Before he sent her to us.”
“Because of me.” Dita made a hurting sound. “He attacked them, tortured her because of me.”
“Because of us.” He had caused his female pain. If he had allowed her to kill all three of the clones, a caravan of innocents wouldn’t have been slaughtered. “I’m sorry, little one.”
“Let me go.” She wiggled.
“Never.” Kralj held onto her.
Wings flapped. Orol came into sight, the young female cradled in his arms. Her face was a bloody mess, her flight suit ripped. Crimson coated the inside of her thighs.
“I will kill him.” Dita shook with fury.
She would have to wait until the clone returned to the Refuge to have her vengeance. Kralj wouldn’t allow her to rush into a dangerous situation.
Orol landed. “She needs a medic, sir.”
“They will arrive soon.” Kralj brought his little assassin closer to her friend.
“Dita,” the young female whispered, her lips dry and cracked.
“You’re safe, Azalea.” Dita carefully touched her battered hand. All of her fingers had been broken. “We’ve got you.”
“The others.” Blood glistened on the young female’s lips, her wounds reopening. “He said. If you. If you go to him. They’ll. They’ll.”
“They’ll live.” Kralj expressed her thoughts.
“Sari—” Azalea breathed heavily.
“Don’t worry about Sari.” Dita stopped her from speaking. “You did your part. You gave me the message. I’ll do the rest.”
They’d do the rest, he silently corrected. She was taking no action without him.
The team of medics surrounded them. They scanned Azalea with handhelds.
Their thoughts told Kralj he and his little assassin were in the way. “Little one.”
Dita glanced at him and then at the medics. Her eyes widened.
She must not have noticed their arrival. That was how upset his normally hyperaware female was. Kralj folded his body around her smaller frame, adding an extra layer of protection.
It wasn’t necessary. He sensed everything around them. But it was an action he could take, his mate’s grief, outrage, pain gnawing at him.
“You’re a brave, strong girl, Azalea.” Dita returned her attention to her little friend. “I’m very proud of you.” She forced a smile. “I want you to focus on getting better. These nice beings are going to help you with that.”
“Okay.” The girl’s eyelids already lowered.
Kralj nodded at the lead medic. Her team transferred Azalea from Orol’s arms to a floating support and they whisked her away.
Dita lunged forward as though seeking to follow them.
Kralj maintained his grip on her. “They’re the best medics in the settlement. Allow them to do their job.”
“They’ll do their job while I do mine.” She smacked his arms. “You can release me now.”
No, he couldn’t. Take care of the settlement. Kralj told Orol. Don’t disturb us unless it is lifespan-threatening. Dita was his priority at the moment.
“Did you hear me?” She twisted in his arms.
“I heard you.” He heard every word she uttered, every breath she took. “If I release you now, you’ll rush into that trap the clone has set for you.” His lips twisted. “I won’t allow that. There’s nothing you can do for them.”
“I could save them. Sari—”
“Sari is dead.” He had to be cruel, had to tell her the truth. “They’re all dead. The only reason Azalea remains alive is because Todt-933 needed her to relay his message. You know that.”
“No, I don’t know that.” Dita glared at him. “If there’s a chance I can save them—”
“There isn’t a chance you can save them.” Kralj walked with her, heading toward the beverage outlet, their home. He’d restrict her to their chambers until she started thinking with her brain, not her heart. “They’re dead.”
He’d repeat that fact again and again, if necessary, forcing her to accept it. She’d hate him but he would gladly bear the brunt of her anger if the venting made her feel better, if it eased her guilt, her pain.
He would keep her safe.
“They allowed Azalea to live.” His stubborn female tried again. “Sari—”
“Sari is dead.” It was an effort to keep his voice calm. “She was originally chosen to bring Todt-933’s message to you. Sari convinced them to send Azalea in her place.”
“She vowed to protect Azalea.” Dita quietly admitted.
“Sari told the girl to inform you her debt to the universe has been repaid.” He’d plucked that information from Azalea’s thoughts. “Your friend smiled as she said that.”
His little assassin’s reply was eclipsed by a howl of agony, of outrage. The sound originated from the medic bay in the center of the settlement.
Hulagu had discovered his gerel’s state. Kralj felt the young Chamele’s emotions as though they were his own.
He wouldn’t experience that same sense of helplessness, those same regrets. He’d keep his little assassin safe.
“Sari is my friend.” The grief in Dita’s voice ripped at him. “A normal friend, not merely someone I trained alongside, but someone who cared for me and I cared for her. Do you know how rare that is?”
“Yes.” He knew because he only had one friend—her.
“She can’t be dead.” Dita remained in denial.
“She’s dead.”
“Stop saying that.” She parted his coat and pressed her face against his chest, as though she was seeking to physically hide from the truth. “I can’t bear it. It hurts too much.”
She silently cried, vibrating against him, wetting his skin with her tears. Kralj coiled a thick, impenetrable shadow tightly around them, cloaking her from curious gazes.
His little assassin wouldn’t want anyone to see her break down, to view her while she was vulnerable. He’d allow her to grieve in private.
Kralj carried her through the beverage outlet’s public chambers, into their personal space, set her on the sleeping support, and folded his fully clothed body around hers. She burrowed into his form. That she reached for him for solace touched his monstrous heart.
Kralj petted her hair, her shoulders, her back, trying to comfort her, not knowing what to say, what else to do. He’d never felt as powerless as he did right now.
His female, his mate hurt and he couldn’t help her.
Dita’s trembling eased more and more. “I’m going to kill him.” Her voice was muffled. “That was my mission. I should have completed it immediately and then this wouldn’t have happened.”
“He’ll return to the Refuge. You can kill him then.” Kralj would ensure she wasn’t harmed while she completed her mission.
“If I wait, he’ll kill more innocent beings.” She lifted her head. Red rimmed her blue eyes.
Kralj wanted to kill the clone for her, erase her pain in any way he could. “If you walk into his trap, he will definitely kill more innocent beings. You’ll die and then there will be no one left to stop him.”
“You wouldn’t stop him?”
If the clone touched Dita, he was dead. Kralj would kill him in the most painful way possible, boiling him from the inside out.
“You wouldn’t stop him.” She answered her own question. “Because he hasn’t broken one of your precious rules.” Her voice was bitter. “That’s all you care about—the Refuge and your rules.”
“I care about more than that.” He cared about her, desperately, more than the other two things combined. “But I know the limitations to my power. I can’t protect the entire planet.”
“You could protect some beings from Todt-933.” She grasped the lapels of his coat. “Hunt with me, Kralj. We’ll track him down and kill him.”
That offer was tempting but also irresponsible. “Doing that would put all of the residents of the Refuge at risk.”
And it would put anyone they came into contract at risk. If any being tried to harm Dita, he wouldn’t be able to control his powers. He’d kill everyone.
“Sometimes I hate that you’re so honorable.” She sagged against him.
“Sometimes I hate that about you too.” He brushed an errant curl away from her face. “Waiting is the right decision, little one.”
“It won’t be the right decision for the beings he kills.” She frowned, her bottom lip curling. “Let me go, handsome. I’ll return to you…if I can. I promise.”
She would return to him…if she could. That offer wasn’t good enough. She might not survive her mission and he couldn’t bear that thought.
Her death would break him, would erase the last smidgeons of humanity from his monstrous soul. He would start killing and never stop.
“You’re not going anywhere.” Kralj circled her wrists with his fingers, determined to hold onto her, to ensure she never left him, never placed herself in danger. “Resign yourself to that fate.”
“I refuse to do that.” His female was delightfully honest and frustratingly stubborn. “But there’s no need to restrain me. I won’t hunt him this planet rotation.”
Kralj relaxed, trusting her to keep her vow. Dita was an intelligent being. Once her emotions cooled, she would realize waiting was the logical plan.
Her friend was dead. There was nothing she could do to change that fact.
Kralj pulled off her boots. “Remove your garments.” They wouldn’t be leaving the chambers again that planet rotation.
Dita discarded her body covering. “I’m not in the mood for…” She waved at his groin.
“I realize that.” He stripped quickly. His beast, his monster, all parts of him wanted her. His cock was hard, but he’d control himself. Sexual release wasn’t what his little assassin needed from him right now. “I want to hold you without a dagger hilt digging into my stomach.”
She gave him a shadow of a smile. “Oh.”
“Yes, oh.” Kralj drew her to him, tucking her into his larger form. “Azalea will survive.” He gave her an update, snatched from the attending medics’ thoughts.
As he’d hoped, Dita’s attention turned to the girl, a being they could help. His little assassin asked questions. He shared the information he knew.
Then he listened as Dita talked, relaying every moment she’d shared with the girl, with Sari. That seemed to comfort her, the talking.
It wouldn’t be the last time his mate grieved. She shared his nanohumanics, would live for an almost endless lifespan. The humans, humanoids she befriended would eventually leave the Refuge, some voluntarily, some permanently.
Kralj couldn’t, wouldn’t stop her from caring for those beings. Her big heart and her concern for others made her who she was.
But he could hold her when those relationships ended. He could listen. He could stroke her hair and rub away the tear tracks on her face.
Even a monster like him could do that.