Leaving her mother to sleep, Rain stepped out of the bedchamber and walked straight into the guard posted outside the door.
“I wish to pray.” She looked up at him. “You cannot deny me that comfort.”
“As you wish.” He took a step back and waved for her to precede him. “Remember, I will be at your side the entire time.”
“I expected nothing less,” Rain said.
It was strange walking along the familiar hallways, with the soft silk of her robe catching the slight breeze. Would Jay even recognize her out of her military fatigues? Even as she thought about him, a stab of concern lodged itself in her chest. He wasn’t dead. She was somehow certain she would know that, so where was he? Instinct told her that he would have followed her to Neveks and that he was somewhere close.
She paused at the entrance to the women’s side of the temple and removed her sandals. The familiar ritual was soothing, and the prayers came back easily to her mind. She lit a candle and walked into the center of the large space where there were cushions and benches to kneel on that faced the high altar. The walls were a soft rose-pink and hundreds of candles covered every available surface.
The snarling Goddess who guarded the altar was so ancient that no one knew exactly when she had been carved from the local stone. Her original color was lost now, buried beneath layers of what had once been blood sacrifices, now abandoned. In the old days, anyone from Neveks who had failed the Queen Goddess’s test at eighteen had been sacrificed on the altar. Maybe Rain’s banishment had been a blessing in disguise.
Keeping her gaze lowered, Rain approached the altar and carefully placed her candle among the others before backing away. She knelt down at one of the benches and closed her eyes, allowing the peace and tranquility of the sacred place to wash over her. She’d gotten here in time to see her mother. That was the most important thing. Now all she had to worry about was her own death and what would happen to Jay.
Clearing her mind, she proceeded to pray for her mother, asking the spirits to be kind and to give Alaya a good death with little pain and suffering. She wasn’t sure she believed in the Supreme Being right now, but she was willing to try anything to help her mother.
A vivid picture flashed in her mind of Jay slumped asleep in a cell, and she opened her eyes. Was he here? She gently dropped her shields as far as she dared and caught the jumble of his thoughts. He was in pain. He was worried about her…
A graphic flashed across the void and embedded itself in her head. It showed Jay’s damage report and rejuvenation estimates, presumably calculated by the A.I. in his brain. Had she gained access to his innermost thoughts because they had mated? Could she communicate with it?
“AFFIRMATIVE.”
Rain blinked at the answer and tried to form a response. “Tell him I’m all right. Tell him to leave if he can.”
“DAMAGED.”
“But you can help him rejuvenate, right? Then tell him to leave peacefully.”
“MESSAGE RECEIVED.”
Rain winced and hastily raised her shields. She checked to see if anyone was coming, but she was still alone. It was possible that the temple had been cleared so that her contaminated presence wouldn’t affect the true worshippers.
She hoped Jay would leave… If she saw him again she had no idea what she might do. Leap into his arms or run in the opposite direction? She felt more connected to him than ever, and, seeing as she could access his A.I., she had to suspect that the unusual bond went both ways.
There was the sound of voices beyond the doorway. Rain stiffened and then rose to her feet. If trouble were approaching, she would rather face it head on. She went to the door and washed her hands before walking out into the connecting corridor.
Her guard had gone, but there was another large, all-too-familiar male awaiting her.
“Greetings, Rain.”
She briefly closed her eyes before pasting on a smile. It was inevitable that she’d be forced to meet the one man she had hoped never to see again in her lifetime.
“Asar. I was hoping you’d died.”
The flash of surprise on his face at her unconventional greeting made her want to cheer. She was no longer a gently born eighteen-year-old who thought herself in love. She had nothing to lose and a whole lot of things to get off her chest before someone killed her.
He bowed. “Unfortunately not, although, in truth, it is your survival which is the bigger surprise.” He straightened up and looked her over. His eyes were light brown—almost yellow—and they were full of appreciation.
Rain refused to be the first to look away. “Fortunately for me, the Queen Goddess only banished me rather than sacrificing me on that altar in there. That’s the only reason I survived and was able to become a soldier.”
A flash of distaste crossed his face. “You joined the Pavlovan military?”
She raised her chin. “An honorable occupation by most people’s standards. Not everyone chooses to hide within their own walls on this planet, Asar.”
“But—”
“I had nothing. No money, no family, and nowhere to live. The military were the only people who would take me in. Would you have preferred it if I’d died on the streets?”
He frowned. “I hate to doubt your words, but no one from Neveks is banished like that.”
“How the hell would you know?” she said sweetly. “I was the first person banished in a generation. As I recall, you had a convenient hunting trip that week so you didn’t have to see me leave. Now, will you excuse me? I have to get back to my mother.”
When she tried to edge past him, he grabbed hold of her elbow. “Your mother is in excellent hands. Let’s finish this conversation, shall we?”
She pulled out of his hold. “This conversation was finished the day I left, and you did nothing to stop it.”
“Exactly. You left.”
He looked as furious now as she felt, which was a small victory. If she was going to die anyway, she might as well go down having settled all her old scores.
“What’s the difference, Asar? I was gone, wasn’t I?”
“A banishment is a sacred act that no one can interfere with.” He folded his arms over his massive chest. “Choosing to leave because you defied the Queen Goddess is another matter completely.”
“Wow. You sanctimonious pig.” Rain shoved him in the chest.
“What did you just call me?” Asar asked. “You attempted to overthrow the Queen.”
“Is that what she told you?” Rain regarded him for a long moment and laughed. “Great, whatever. Believe her, because the fact that you chose to says everything about you and what a sham our relationship was.”
He drew himself up to his full, impressive height. “She is the Queen Goddess.”
“And your mother. The Gods help you.”
This time she managed to get past him and strode furiously along the corridor to where her guard awaited her.
“Take me back to my mother’s room, please.”
The male looked over her head to where Asar was standing and obviously received the nod to proceed, which infuriated her even more.
“This way, Princess.”
“And stop calling me that!” she snapped. “I am no longer a citizen of Neveks. I have no rank here, and I don’t want one.”
Asar watched as Rain strode away from him, her head high and her shoulders rigid. She was as beautiful as she had always been, but now her face had more character, and her eyes…
She had seen more of the world than he had done and somehow survived it.
What had she meant about his mother deceiving him? He couldn’t believe she had the nerve to criticize the Queen Goddess. Rain had left because she’d fallen out with the Queen and tried to kill her. The shock of returning from his hunting trip and discovering that the female he was certain he was bonded to had abandoned him had broken his heart.
But Rain had just laughed in his face, her expression a challenge, her whole body taut with dislike and mistrust when he’d suggested she’d lied. When his mother had agreed to his plea to allow Rain to visit her dying mother, he’d imagined her finally apologizing for abandoning him.
Despite his mother’s urgings, he had never ventured into the sacred temple again to ask about his destined mates. If the Gods had lied to him about Rain, then why should he believe they would offer him another mate without the promise of a completed Triad?
Rain was his.
Just seeing her again, inhaling her scent, feeling the familiar tug of her telepathic signal, had set all his buried senses alive.
Asar considered what his mind and body were telling him. If Rain was his mate, then had he been at fault by not challenging the Queen Goddess’s decision to banish her? Was it possible that his mother had been wrong? But, like her sister Oracle at Quoxor, the sacred vessel was never wrong.
If Rain was not of pure blood as his mother had insisted, then even if she’d stayed he could not have bonded with her. As the Queen’s only son, it was his duty to procreate to produce more female heirs. But why had he been attracted to Rain if a bond was impossible? The more he thought about it, the more confused he became.
And what claim did the male currently locked in the dungeons below have on Rain? Despite his desire to get rid of the stranger in the quickest and most expedient way possible, he couldn’t simply kill him. The male claimed to be friends with the Oracle’s heir at the Quoxor Temple and had this strange connection with Rain.
Asar slammed his palm against the door. Nothing made sense anymore.
He could only hope his mother returned soon and helped him understand the complex mess. It was unlike her to be away for so long. He’d wondered whether she had chosen to avoid seeing Rain again, but couldn’t imagine why. She was a Goddess. If she couldn’t explain what was going on, then there was no hope for anyone.
“Take me to see the male in the cells.” Rain demanded imperiously. After a restless night’s sleep, she’d had breakfast with her mother and left her resting quietly while she attempted to get around the guard.
“What prisoner would that be?” The guard looked at her warily.
“The one you brought in just after I arrived. He is my traveling companion and should not be held like a prisoner.”
“If you are so concerned for his welfare, why didn’t you mention him sooner?” the guard retaliated.
“Because I didn’t realize you’d been stupid enough to catch him until after I regained consciousness!” Rain met his gaze. “Let me see him.”
“I cannot do that, Princess. I don’t have the authority.”
“Then take me to someone who does.”
He sighed and turned on his heel. “As you wish.”
She wasn’t surprised when the guard took her to Asar’s set of rooms. In his mother’s absence, and with no female heir, he was the highest authority in the land. When she’d fallen in love with him at sixteen she couldn’t believe her good fortune—that the Queen’s son wanted her—that they had a telepathic bond...
Had he seriously believed she’d left him in a fit of pique, or tried to overthrow the Queen?
What a loser.
“Rain.” He rose from his chair with a fluid grace unusual in such a large man and bowed to her. He wore a simple tunic of green silk and his long hair was tied back from his face at the nape of his neck. “What a pleasure. May I offer you some refreshment?”
“No, thanks.”
“How is your mother this morning?”
“The same.” Rain shrugged. “She is unlikely to recover, but I think she appreciates my company.”
“As do we all.” Asar inclined his head to her.
Rain allowed her skepticism to show on her face. “I’d like to see your prisoner, please.”
Asar waved at her guard to withdraw and returned to his seat. “Why?”
“Because we were traveling together. I feel responsible for his wellbeing.”
“Is that all?”
She smiled. “It’s all that has to do with you.”
“You have changed greatly in the last ten years.” He sighed. “You are much…harder.”
“Yes, being banished and serving in the military will do that to a person. May I see Jay please?”
He stayed seated, his head angled to one side. “My mother said you tried to assassinate her in the Temple.”
Rain fought back several replies and finally settled on something that wouldn’t get her immediately thrown into the cell next to Jay’s. “And you believed her?”
“At the time, her reasoning seemed adequate.” Asar watched her carefully, his mind reaching for hers until she telepathically slapped him down.
“You don’t get to pretend to bond with me anymore,” Rain said. “So keep your thoughts in your own head where they belong.”
Asar stood and towered over her. “I never pretended.”
“Right.” Rain looked back at the door. “Now can I see Jay?”
He took hold of her elbow. “I did not pretend.”
She tried to shake off his grip. “And I’m not here to talk about the past, but to see my mother and help my friend. Got it?”
Asar held on, his amber eyes staring into hers, his touch…
“Let me go,” Rain said softly.
His smile held a hint of victory. “You still feel me and know me. You cannot deny it.”
“Take me to Jay,” Rain repeated her demand, unwilling to admit that touching him had shaken her to her core. She still responded to him, which wasn’t helpful, and, worst of all, Asar was completely aware of it.
“As you wish.”
Asar walked in front of Rain as they descended into the almost empty palace dungeons. He’d motioned the guard to fall in behind her. Not that he thought she would try anything stupid, but she was a trained soldier. The heat level rose as they dipped beneath the surface, and he started to sweat. She wasn’t the sweet, loving girl he’d once taken for granted, that was for certain. She was fundamentally changed, and yet she intrigued him even more. Whatever she claimed, there was still a bond between them, the tug of visceral attraction that no person from Neveks could ever deny.
When his mother returned, he would question her as to what exactly had happened all those years ago. He was no longer an idealistic twenty-year-old who’d been devastated at the evidence that his proposed mate hated his mother so much that she’d tried to kill her.
If he’d been thinking more clearly back then, he should’ve known such a claim was preposterous. At twenty he’d allowed his heart to rule his head, and allowed Rain to leave him, unchallenged.
“Your companion is in here.”
Asar unlocked the door and motioned for the guard to stay outside as he followed Rain in. The strange human was sitting on the dirt floor, his back to the wall, his pale blue eyes fixed on Rain’s face.
“Hey.”
“Are you all right?” Rain rushed over and crouched in front of him, her expression so concerned that Asar concealed a growl.
“Sorry to be such an ass.” The male cupped her chin and smiled into her eyes. “I was trying to make sure you were okay, and these guys caught me.”
Asar stiffened as a blizzard of telepathic energy flowed between the couple at a speed that was barely decipherable and with a hint of something unworldly embedded within it. He couldn’t decode it. That was unheard of for a Neveks male of his rank and telepathic power.
“I didn’t ask you to come here,” Rain said quietly. “After everything that has happened between us, I assumed you would be happy to see the back of me.”
“Why would you think that?” Jay took Rain’s hand and smiled at her. “We’re friends.”
“But I—” Rain choked out her reply. After a wary glance back at Asar, who was frowning, she continued, “I almost killed you.”
“Death by sex.” Jay’s tired grin warmed her in unexpected ways. “What an amazing way to go.”
“I wasn’t supposed to be able to do that,” Rain hastened to clarify. “The Queen Goddess said I was of impure blood and that I would never achieve full citizenship or be able to bond with my own kind.”
“But I’m not your own kind,” Jay pointed out.
Rain stared at him. “Maybe that’s why it worked.”
“The big guy behind you is giving off all kinds of angry vibes. He’s the Queen’s heir, right?”
“No, Asar is her only son, but he can’t be her heir.”
“Power passes through the female line?”
Rain nodded.
“Then who is the Queen’s heir?”
“I’m not sure. She has an extended lifespan like the Oracle.” Rain grimaced. “She’s probably disposed of all potential rivals.”
“You do not like her?”
“She banished me and lied to Asar as to why she did it.”
“Why would she do that?” Jay held her gaze.
“Because I once thought he was…” She couldn’t continue that thought.
“He still is.” Jay glanced over at the huge warrior behind her. “I can sense his interest in you right now.”
Rain shrugged. “That’s probably because he can’t read our conversation, and that’s never happened to him before.”
“Yeah, I’m getting that.” Jay settled back against the wall. “I’m not sure what your plans are, but I’m in no shape to leave yet. There’s something weird going on with my bio data and A.I.”
“I know.” Rain allowed herself a small smile. “It contacted me.”
Jay stared at her, his pale blue gaze pointed. “Shit.”
“Why can’t I access your communications?” Asar strode closer and glared down at Rain.
“Because you’re an ass?” she answered sweetly.
“It is not right,” Asar said as Rain rose to her feet.
“Get used to it.”
“It is something you both learned in the military?”
“Might be.” Rain looked down at Jay, and her heart stuttered. He looked drained, and it was all her fault. Surviving an encounter with a mating Neveks female wasn’t always a given for a Neveks male, let alone a human being. “We need to get him up to the healing center.”
“Why?” Asar studied Jay as well.
“Look at him. He’s obviously ill.” Rain glared at Asar. “Do you want a friend of the Oracle’s to die on your watch?”
“Of course not.” Asar nodded slowly. “I will take him.”
Despite his colossal failure to stand up for her with his mother, Asar had never been mean-spirited or lacking intelligence. Rain would give him that.
“Okay.”
To her surprise, Asar bent down and swept Jay up in his arms. He’d definitely filled out his lanky frame in the last ten years and was now a massive muscled bulk of potent male.
“Tell the guard to open the gate.”
Asar went up the many flights of stairs and strode through the healing center. He laid Jay down in the room next to Rain’s mother’s.
“Thank you,” Rain said.
“You are welcome.” Asar stood back as one of the healers fussed around Jay. “You are not just his friend, are you?”
Surprised by his sudden shift into telepathic mode, Rain had no time to block him.
“You’ve fucked him, haven’t you?”
Rain stared back at him, daring him to start on her, almost hoping he would so she could erase her last memories of the young boy who’d loved her so passionately and promised to bond with her forever.
“That is none of your concern.”
He glared down at her. “Why do you think I live alone, Rain?”
She raised an eyebrow. “How would I even know or care that you did?”
“Because since you left I have never sought out another mate.”
Rain just about stopped her mouth from falling open. “Why not?”
“You know why.” His amber gaze intensified. “Your loss devastated me.”
“But you did nothing to stop it at the time.”
“I was young, I believed the Goddess Queen was always right. I was trained to believe that.” He took a quick breath. “Why didn’t you fight back and wait for my return?”
“Oh, it’s my fault now, is it?” She squared up to him, hands on hips.
“That’s not what I meant!”
“I was also trained to believe that the Queen Goddess was always right, so when she told me I could never have a Neveks mate, what else was I supposed to do, Asar? Hang around and tell you that we could never be together? Watch you turn your back on me in disgust?”
Rain only realized she was yelling out loud when she noticed the horrified expression on the priestess’s face, and that Jay was struggling to sit up. The healer took the opportunity to make a quick exit.
Asar took a step back and bowed to Rain, his expression icy. “Perhaps we should continue this conversation at a later date and in private?”
“Nope. I think I’ve said everything I need to say to you.” Rain glanced over at Jay. “Sorry you had to hear that.”
He shrugged and lay back on his pillows. “No worries. It certainly explains a lot.”
“What do you mean?” Asar rounded on Jay.
“As in, there are a lot of telepathic undercurrents in this room, and now I think I understand them better.”
“Even though you have had sex with Rain, they still have nothing to do with you, human,” Asar snarled.
Jay looked at Rain. “You told him about that?”
“He guessed.”
“Because he’s still connected to you. Got it.”
“He is not—” Rain almost raised her voice again, but gave it up in defeat as both men stared at her. “By the way, I can fuck whoever I like, okay?”
They both frowned, their offended expressions so similar that she blinked. “Now, just hold on a minute—”
Asar bowed. “Perhaps you should attend to your ‘friend.’ I will see you at dinner.” He stalked off, slamming the door behind him so hard it rattled in its frame.
“I think you pissed him off,” Jay observed.
“Good.” Rain turned back to the bed. “Now, how about you lie down and let the priestess help you heal while I go and sit with my mother?”
Jay slowly shook his head. “Seeing as we’re alone, how about we discuss what happened the other night?”
Rain sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed. The blue silk of her dress slipped lower on her arm, exposing the soft curve of her breast. She looked like a different person in Neveks dress, which only made him want her even more.
“Do we have to?”
“Well, having sex with someone who morphed into some kind of fire-breathing dragon and almost threw me through a wall was something of a first for me,” Jay admitted.
“I didn’t think I was capable of bonding.”
Jay studied her downturned face. “So that’s how everyone from Neveks has sex?”
“No. Just those who are…mated. It is not something that is discussed much before a triad is formed.”
A thrill of pure male satisfaction shot through him. “So we’re mated?”
“No! We can’t be, you’re not from Neveks, and I’m…” Rain paused, and then groaned. “I don’t know why it happened. I don’t understand it at all. I’m just glad I didn’t accidentally kill you.”
“As I mentioned before, I’m hard to kill.” Jay rubbed his neck where her fangs had pierced his skin. “Did you actually drink my blood like a vampire?”
“A what?”
“A mythical blood-drinking race who are scared of sunlight.” Jay registered her look of total confusion. “Obviously not a part of Pavlovian folk lore.”
“I didn’t drink your blood. I just—” Rain waved her hand around in a helpless gesture. “I just felt compelled to mark you like that.”
“As your own?” Jay waited until she looked at him. He saw fear in her eyes. “I’m okay with that, you know.”
“Jay…”
“I never thought I’d find a woman who could take my enhanced strength. You can.” He hesitated. “You owned me.”
She reached for his hand. “Jay, I’m not here to make alliances or find…mates or anything like that. I’m here to be with my mother until she dies. When the Queen returns, she will probably kill me anyway.”
He sat up straight. “Not on my watch.”
“You have no idea what she is like.” Rain shivered. “She is so powerful she can sense your thoughts from hundreds of miles away and crush you with the power of her mind.”
“But if we’re mated, then we can fight her together.”
Rain’s shoulders slumped. “It won’t make any difference, Jay. And I don’t want your death on my conscience.”
“My life and death are on me,” Jay reminded her. “You can’t tell me what to do.”
“I can ask Asar to kick you out,” Rain said, her chin in the air. “I’m sure he’d be delighted to do that for me.”
“Not if I tell him we’re mated.” Jay paused. “But he knows that, right?”
She looked away. “He knows we’ve had sex. He probably doesn’t think I can bond, so he wouldn’t be concerned about that.”
“So his mother is the Queen Goddess, and she’s the one who kicked you out?” For the first time Jay wondered whether Asar was more involved with his mother’s politics than he wanted to be, or whether he was her partner and collaborator.
“Yes. She said the Gods had spoken to her, and that I was not of true Neveks blood, meaning I could never aspire to being part of a mated triad.”
“That must have been devastating,” Jay said quietly. He knew how it felt to be abandoned like that.
“Yeah. She said I needed to leave as quickly as possible, and the next thing I knew I was on the bus going to the city. I’d never been outside Quoxor province before, and I was terrified.”
Jay squeezed her hand hard. “And where was lover boy during all this?”
“He was away with a hunting party. I don’t think he knew what his mother had planned for me.”
“Right.” Jeez, he wanted to punch Asar in the face and keep going until the big man was on his knees, begging him to stop.
“I’ve thought about it a lot, and I really don’t think he knew,” Rain said reluctantly. “He’s not that kind of guy. I kept expecting him to come after me, to pull the bus over, take me in his arms and ride back to Neveks.” She tried to smile and it almost broke Jay’s cold, cold heart. “I was pretty damn stupid back then. Ten years in the military has changed that, at least.”
“You weren’t stupid. If you believed he loved you, why wouldn’t you think he’d come after you?” Jay pointed out. “I would have.”
“Apparently, his mother told him I tried to murder her and that I ran away.”
“And he believed her?”
“She is the Queen Goddess.” Rain shrugged. “Why would he not?”
“Because he was supposed to love you.” Jay stuck to his guns. “Because anyone who has shared even a fraction of your mind knows that you’re as honest and straightforward as pure gold.”
She bit her lip and studied him for a long moment. “Thank you for that.”
“You’re welcome.” He brought her fingers to his mouth and kissed them, aware that he wanted to do so much more, but reluctant to destroy the fragile truce he had spun between them. If Asar was involved with the Queen’s plans Jay would enjoy bringing him down even more because of what he’d done to Rain.
“You need to rest.” As if aware of his less-than-pure thoughts, Rain eased away from him. “The healers will take good care of you. I will be right next door with my mother if you need anything.”’
“Good to know.”
Jay made no attempt to detain her as she left. He was in no shape to take on a morphed Neveks female, especially here in the heart of the Queen Goddess’s temple. He needed time to think about everything he’d just discovered and work out what he needed to do next to ensure he and Rain survived. He also had a mission for the Pavlovan inner council to complete which might end in his death.
The Queen Goddess was up to something. Everyone outside Neveks agreed about that, but what exactly she was doing was his mission to discover and share with the council. Was her son a part of her schemes? Rain seemed to think not, and she knew him far too well for Jay’s liking. He’d have to be on his guard against the male who already intrigued him far too much.
Jay groaned and lay back on his pillow. In order to do any of that he had to regain his strength and find out what the hell was going on with his A.I. He sensed he was changing again, but his analytics weren’t talking to him. Had Rain affected him on every level—physically, mentally, and emotionally?
“AFFIRMATIVE.” His. A.I. confirmed his suspicions.
After the original insertion of the A.I., Jay had ceased to feel much emotion. His concern for Rain and his savage desire to protect her from harm was as shocking to him as it would be to his commander and his telepathic peers. He was the cold fish, the logical brain, and the killing machine. Now all he cared about was saving Rain, and to hell with anything or anyone who dared to get in his way. Even his mission seemed secondary, and that wasn’t good.
Jay’s eyes started to close. It was a good thing that all communication with Kaiden had been cut off when he entered Neveks. His mission was in peril, and all because a morphing Neveks female had almost fucked him to death. He had a sneaking suspicion that his boss wouldn’t be very happy with him right now at all…