CHAPTER 19
Artemis
Reece kissed me.
Reece.
Kissed. Me.
And in front of Bromm and Cadmus, too.
The absolute gall of that man.
So, why did I feel like I was about to combust, and in all the best ways?
His actions were confusing and so completely out of character that I didn’t know what to make of them.
Which meant I wasn’t ready to acknowledge the feelings he was dragging out of me.
I had been attracted to him from day one, sure, but that was the case with all of the guys.
It didn’t mean I wanted to act on that attraction, however, nor did it mean they did.
Where was this coming from? Why now?
The truth was, right now, it didn’t matter.
There were far too many things going on that took priority over my love life outside of my already established relationships.
Reece and I were friends, and that was all I had time for.
At least for now…
Baldr, sensing something disturbing me, wrapped his little arms around my neck and squished his cheek against mine.
‘You ‘kay?’
That one action turned me into a puddle on the floor, and I squeezed him a little tighter.
I would never get enough of this kid.
‘I’m good, sweet boy.
Don’t worry about me.’ I pressed a kiss to his forehead and breathed him in as he snuggled further into me.
‘See mama soon?’ he asked, his innocent little voice filled with so much longing that I wanted nothing more than to burn the world to the ground if it meant reuniting them.
‘As soon as we can, Bal.
I promise.’
‘You guys good?’ Dorian asked from over my shoulder.
He had been too far away to hear our whispered words, but he must have recognised the sadness in our body language if he was checking on us.
‘Miss mama,’ Baldr whispered against my neck.
‘Your mama misses you, too, kid,’ he said, his deep voice surprisingly compassionate.
This was a side to Dorian that I wasn’t used to.
From his mannerisms at the academy, I would have assumed he was too rigid in his ambitions to care so deeply for a child that wasn’t even his.
Now, however, I could see that I had read him completely wrong.
The brief insight I had received into his home life, the family that had raised him, and the way he was with Bal had opened my eyes to a completely different man from the one I had thought I knew.
Except, I’d never really known him, had I? Besides a few awkward moments followed by distance and life-or-death situations, I hadn’t exactly taken the time to dig deeper beneath the surface-level mask he presented to the world.
Did I even have the right to call us friends?
But I remembered how I’d trusted him so openly to care for Bal, to keep him safe while I was out saving other people.
How I’d handed over my biggest vulnerability to this man that I knew barely anything about, and I hadn’t for one moment considered betrayal a possibility.
I realised then that I may not have known all the little things that made up who he was, but I knew intrinsically that he was a good man.
Trustworthy. A friend.
As we approached the shabby buildings that made up the village, dust and grime clinging to us from the walk from the ships to here, I took in the world that Dorian had grown up in.
The thick smog clogging the air, the shabby, run-down huts that they passed off as houses, even the packed dirt from the countless feet treading the same path every day.
It was a far cry from the cities and towns I had hidden in after I first escaped from The Program.
Even in their most impoverished places, there was still a certain level of maintenance and structure.
The derelict buildings I had used as my temporary homes – and then eventually levelled with my trauma coming out to play – had been in better condition than most of these small buildings. The naturally made pathways forked out in stark contrast to the paved roads and walkways, the wooden carts replacing metal vehicles as villagers hauled their loads on foot.
And it wasn’t just the state of the structures that made up the village, but the villagers themselves.
Their clothes were worn, many with holes that had either been patched up or still needed to be, but it was the smiles on their faces that called to me the most.
The easy way they greeted each other like they were all just an extension of the same large family.
The way they welcomed us in with open arms, despite the danger we posed, simply because we needed a place to stay.
It was the way that they disregarded their run-down and impoverished living conditions in favour of finding the simple joys in life.
The way they banded together instead of fighting each other, tooth and nail, to survive.
The Ituks surged forward towards a single particular hut that I assumed was theirs, but Dorian slowed down, a hand on my arm so I would slow down with him.
Bromm, Cadmus, and Reece slowed down with us, but he didn’t seem to mind the company.
I shot him a questioning look, and he gave me a sheepish one in return.
‘Um, so I just wanted to warn you.
You’ve met most of my family, and we’re a bit… chaotic.
You haven’t met my little brother and sisters yet, so I figured I’d just, uh, prepare you.’
‘Prepare us for what?’ Bromm asked.
Dorian snorted at his question.
‘Your family is probably even more chaotic than mine, Bromm.
All those siblings.’
‘Ah,’ Bromm chuckled and the others joined in, comprehending something that was still going over my head.
‘I’m missing something again, aren’t I?’
Dorian opened his mouth to explain, but Bromm cut him off.
‘There is no preparing for meeting the family, especially big ones.
Let her see for herself.’
‘I was just going to warn all of you about my brother.
Dami can be… well, he’s…’
‘An acquired taste?’ Bromm finished for him with an amused smirk.
‘Got a few of those myself.’
‘Is nobody going to explain?’ I asked, glancing between them all.
‘Dami, fun!’ Baldr suddenly shouted, and everyone laughed.
Mine was a little more dimmed than the others since I felt like I was still missing an important piece of information that even the baby was in on.
‘Dami’s something, but I’m not sure I’d call it fun,’ Dorian muttered under his breath as he picked up the pace.
When we reached the front door, all of us except Reece had to duck our heads as we followed them inside.
Immediately, we were greeted by the screams of two young children racing around a small living room as some sort of creature chased them.
I tensed, ready to protect them, but their squeals became shrieks of laughter as the animal caught up and nudged them with his nose.
‘Get ‘em, Tuca!’ a male who looked like a younger, slimmer version of Dorian called out, encouraging the beast.
‘Don’t let ‘em get away!’
A sharp whistle cut through the mayhem and everyone stilled.
The boy, who must have been the infamous Dami, turned to glare at Dorian whose fingers were still in his mouth, prepared to let out another shrill sound if they didn’t listen the first time.
When Dami’s eyes landed on me, a flirtatious grin split his cheeks.
‘Well, well, well.
Who do we have here?’ he purred.
‘Not a chance, little brother,’ Dorian snapped, but it didn’t seem to deter him.
So this was the infamous Dami.
Bromm and Cadmus shared an amused look but didn’t try to intercept the younger boy when he sidled up to me.
‘It’s not every day I find a beautiful woman such as yourself in my living room,’ he winked, but it looked more like his face was having a seizure, and I did my very best to keep my face stoic and unreadable.
Luckily, we were interrupted by Una’s voice travelling to us from a room in the back of the house.
‘All right, kids! Play outside or in your rooms.
The grown-ups need to have a discussion.’ They rushed to do as they were told when Una stepped into the communal space, then she turned to those of us who’d just walked in and waved us over.
‘Come on.
Let’s do this at the table.’
I let everyone trickle in first, my ingrained need to stay near the exit rearing its ugly head as everyone packed inside the small room.
There were only so many seats at the surprisingly large table, but it wasn’t large enough to accommodate us all.
A few of us were stuck standing, squished between the chairs and the compact walls.
Bromm and Cadmus had a quick scuffle over two of the chairs, though both of them were demanding that the other one sit so I could take the spare.
Eventually, Cadmus won by physically wrestling Bromm into one of them, then stood behind an empty chair with a smug grin on his face and gestured for me to take it.
‘You sit,’ I told him, and that bright, self-satisfied grin immediately fell, so I rushed to explain.
‘I’m fine with standing, but if I want to sit I can always just use your laps.’
That brought the grin back, only this time there was a lascivious glint in his eyes.
Bromm scoffed.
‘Yeah, mine.’
‘I have more surface area on mine,’ Cadmus argued.
‘You can sit on mine if you want,’ Dami said from beside me, and I turned to see Dorian’s little brother shooting me another one of those spasming winks.
If that’s what it even was.
He could have just been twitching for all I knew.
Dorian let out a mocking laugh.
‘In your dreams, kid.’
The pouty glare Dami sent Dorian’s way only succeeded in perpetuating Dorian’s point.
As if to prove him wrong, Dami turned back to me and leant against the wall, one arm blocking me in, then he pursed his lips and blew me a kiss.
Dorian wasn’t the only one who groaned, clearly exasperated by his antics, but he was the one to step in between us to prevent any more unwanted, if amusing, advances.
‘Can you just behave this once?’
‘Artemis, would you like anything to drink?’ Una asked as she bustled about in the small kitchen spanning the other wall of the room.
‘Or Baldr?’
‘I’d love some water, please.
For both of us, please, if you wouldn’t mind.’
‘Sure thing,’ she gave me a smile I could only describe as maternal, and it made warmth spread in my chest.
‘Bromm? Cadmus? Reece?’
They all asked for some water as well, and we sipped our drinks and waited for Una to finish bustling about and settle back at the table before we started.
‘So, what’s on the agenda?’ Cadmus prompted, breaking the silence.
‘A lot, unfortunately.
The captives we freed need a safe place to hide.
We need to get the children back to the Forbidden Planet.
We’ve also got prisoners to deal with, not to mention safety measures for ourselves.’
‘And don’t forget Bal’s bio dad,’ Cadmus supplied helpfully.
I groaned.
‘Right.
Can’t forget about him.’
‘That’s… okay, that’s a lot,’ Rett mused out loud, trepidation colouring his tone.
‘But we can break it down into chunks, then we can divide and conquer.’
I nod at him, relieved that I didn’t have to take on this burden alone.
I took in each and every face in this room, the people I never expected to have on my side who had somehow wiggled their way into my life, my heart, my fight, and realised that I wasn’t alone.
Not anymore.
‘I like the sound of that,’ I told him.
‘Right, then,’ Una clapped her hands, determination firming her features.
‘Which is the biggest priority?’
‘The children are safe and secure for now,’ Eloria said, and I jolted at the sound of her voice.
‘Fuck,’ Cadmus jumped, his hand over his heart.
‘Where did you come from?’
Tormik stepped through the doorway, bending low to avoid bumping his head on the ceiling.
His eyes settled on me with a fervour that had me squirming where I stood.
He had always seen right through me, his gaze like a physical caress as he wedged his fingers deeper into my soul.
Every time I looked at him that old hurt resurfaced, but there was something else to it.
The pain and betrayal were still present, but he was trying.
He was making a visible effort and was genuine in his intentions.
And wasn’t that just the biggest mindfuck of the century? I wanted to hate him, but the part of me that still loved him was pushing through, refusing to be ignored.
I wasn’t sure I could love him the way I had before, but maybe I could forgive him.
Maybe we could find a way to be friends when all was said and done.
‘Amarantha woke up, then Xander collapsed,’ he informed us, dropping the bomb before we could even start our planning session.
‘Are they okay?’ I asked, concern tightening my throat.
‘They’re stable.
Henrik and Adara are with them, alongside the Hastings.’
I breathed in a deep breath, grounding myself as I sorted through my growing list of priorities, mentally rearranging them to accommodate this new development.
‘Thank you for informing us,’ I told him.
‘If they’re stable and being cared for, then I think it’s best that we get this discussion out of the way.
I’ll be sure to check on them later.’
My thoughts drifted to Addy, who must have been completely depleted by now, trying to look after Xander, and now Amarantha.
Who was taking care of her?
‘Eloria, would you mind being Adara’s backup?’
Understanding passed between us, and she gave me a curt nod before turning on her heels and walking away, her pace clipped.
Tormik, however, stayed.
He didn’t think I noticed him shadowing me, but I did.
If I were anyone else, he would have blended into the shadows and I never would have known he was there, but he couldn’t sneak up on me.
No one could. I didn’t bother saying anything, however. He needed to feel useful, and if protecting my six was his way of doing that, then who was I to stop him?
As he leaned against the doorframe, inadvertently blocking us all in, he scratched at his hand where he had been cut during the rescue, and I noticed a bandage now covering his palm.
I had seen some blood when it had happened, but I didn’t think it was that bad.
I hoped it wasn’t infected.
‘Let’s get this show on the road, shall we?’ Una asked, dragging our attention back to the purpose of our gathering.