Chapter 19
The following day, near midday, Quin returned to find two of his father’s guard outside the doors to his residence, and two more outside the sealed door of Au'revele’s quarters. When he opened his door and stepped inside, both his mother and Vivi were asleep on the sofa — Alexandrus snoozing happily on Vivian’s chest, and Ba Re’ standing near the sofa, his gaze steadily sweeping the interior of the residence. Across the room Ban Lo stood on the opposite side of the room with his back to the windows, his gaze steadily sweeping the room as well. He heard a throat clear from above and looked up to find his mother’s guards standing on the top landing of the stairs leading up to the second floor of their residence. He took a moment to personally meet the eyes of each male guarding his family, slammed his arm across his chest in a silent vow of loyalty to them, which they all returned, then approached his Ehlealah.
He smiled at the sight of Vivi and Alexandrus sleeping so peacefully and paused briefly to kneel beside Vivian to gently press a kiss to her forehead and Alexandrus’ as well. He quietly stood and made his way to their small first floor kitchen where he took one of the platters out of the cold storage unit, placed it on the counter top and started picking at it. Quin had spent the first hour he’d been away from home with Zahn in the medical suite, then with his father in his office going over intelligence reports, trying to discern which were of concern and which were just fodder to be tossed away. After he could sit still no longer, he wandered the palace, both inside and out, taking a moment to personally put his eyes on every warrior stationed there. Zha Tahl had assembled those of his most trusted to work security, even if previously they’d been assigned elsewhere per their own preferences. If these were the males his father insisted were most trusted, then fine. But he wouldn’t feel completely at ease and able to think clearly until the warriors from his ship arrived. Then he’d breathe easily and think more clearly. Then he’d be able to get down to seriously hunting for and exposing those who would die for what they’d done. Anyone associated with the treachery that had taken place would pay for it. Anyone who knew of the treachery afoot and not reported it would pay. Whether they were male or female, it would make no difference, they would pay.
As Quin stood there looking down at the platter picking cuts of meats and cheeses from the dish and popping them into his mouth, his mind working feverishly to try to figure out the who’s and why’s of the assault on his family, he heard the door to the bedroom Bart had been using since his arrival open, followed by Bart’s footsteps as he walked the few feet to the kitchen itself. Quin said nothing, giving Bart the chance to speak first.
“Any luck?” Bart asked, his demeanor subdued.
“Not yet,” Quin answered.
“Perhaps they’ve fled the planet,” Bart suggested.
Quin turned to look at Bart, his scowl indicating he was very short on patience. “Not hardly. We’ve locked down the transport fields. Each craft in line for departure, even if scheduled days prior, will be searched.”
“Good. That’s good. I’m hoping for a quick resolution.”
“Same.”
“Have you received any word on Zahn?” Bart asked.
“He practically bled out and kept fighting despite it. He’s got broken bones and his trachea has been ruptured. He’s in a healing chamber at the moment. The prognosis is good, but it will take him a while to recover. The longer in the chamber, the longer his body will need sleep to recover.”
“I was told he rushed out after the attacker with no weapon, and no uniform. Nothing at all to protect his body from the battle,” Bart said.
“He did. And had he not been confronted by multiple males who were fully geared and carrying weapons, who tried to kill him while another rushed the female away, he’d have caught her and we’d be getting to the bottom of this instead of still searching for those involved.”
“Perhaps when he awakes he’ll be able to provide more insight into who they were.”
“As I said, it may be some time before he wakes. But for now we know who two of them are — their bodies are in the morgue. We are gathering information on those they associated with and once reinforcements arrive, they’ll be brought in for questioning. The other two are surely injured and would be easy to identify, but we’ve not had any luck finding them yet.”
Bart’s brows lowered as he considered the fact they hadn’t been able to find two that were so injured it would be evident. “Do you think they’re being hidden?”
“I do,” Quin said. “And add to that the fact that Au'revele valiantly fought whoever Alexandrus’ attacker was, they should equally be able to be identified. But again, we’ve not been able to locate anyone bearing evidence of physical marks on their faces or bodies.”
“Because they’re being hidden,” Bart said.
“Possibly. In some form or fashion.”
“Have you spoken to Mirilla?” Bart finally asked.
“Not personally. Have you?” Quin asked almost accusatorily.
Bart glowered at him momentarily. “Are you insinuating something, Quin? Is there something you want to say?”
“Not, yet. I’m gathering information before I make any formal statements,” he said, looking Bart directly in the eye as he bit aggressively into another slice of meat before tunning away to rinse his hands. When he was done, he looked at Bart expectantly.
“What?” Bart asked, his hands lifted in exasperation. “What are you expecting from me?”
“Do you have anything you’d like to add?” Quin asked.
“Yeah, whatever you think that I’ve done, I haven’t.”
“I don’t think you’ve done a single thing, intentionally.”
“Intentionally?” Bart asked, his irritation growing by the second .
“I don’t believe for a moment that you wish ill upon Vivian, Alexandrus, or even me. You’re family. However, the fact that you made poor decisions about security in my home, that exposed my mate and my child to nefarious behavior cannot be ignored.”
“I had nothing to do with the attempted assault of Alexandrus. At all!” Bart said defensively.
“Other than let your need for a female overrule your intelligence, no I suppose you didn’t.”
Bart glared at Quin angrily. “Are you saying I let my dick overrule my common sense?” Bart demanded.
Quin flashed him a cold smile. “And now we are on the same page.” He walked past Bart, bumping him on the way past, not caring that Bart had not moved enough to accommodate his attempt to leave the kitchen.
Quin walked out into the living room to find Vivian awake and standing just a few feet away, holding Alexandrus in her arms as she listened to the interaction between himself and Bart. He met her gaze for a second before he smiled at her and went directly to her to take her and Alexandrus in his arms. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you, Ehlealah.”
“It’s okay.”
“No, you were finally resting and I should have been more thoughtful. We should have taken our conversation outside.”
“You know Bart didn’t do anything on purpose. He’d never harm any one of us,” she said, looking up at her mate.
“I know. I said as much.”
“Then why are you still angry with him?” Vivian asked.
“Because he should have done better. It is never okay to bypass security measures regardless of who it’s for. That alone is what put you both in more danger than was necessary. It gave those who sought it an easy entrance into our home.”
“But, Quin…” Vivian started, willing to defend her great-nephew regardless of the truth of Quin’s words. Bart and Samuel were all she had left on her side of the family, and she’d defend them regardless.
“No, he’s right, Vivian,” Bart said .
“But, Bart…” Vivian said, prepared to launch into peacekeeper mode.
“He is. If I’d not allowed Mirilla to have undocumented entry to my bedroom…”
“To Au’revele’s quarters! Her private quarters and you both used her private space as a way station,” Quin said. “Making it common place to any who might witness it so that they’d not question it when it happened for reasons other than a tryst!”
“A tryst? We did not have a tryst! She’s going to be my wife!”
“You’re betrothed?!” Eula asked, surprise evident in her tone as she stood from the sofa to finally join the conversation.
“Are you sure, Bart? I’ve not heard an announcement. Females usually tell any who’ll listen,” Quin said.
“She has reasons,” Bart said defensively.
“What reasons?” Eula asked. “And regardless of anyone’s reasons, no one else should have access to, or through, another’s quarters for their own convenience. There is such a thing as personal privacy and we try to respect that as much as possible regardless of the fact that this is a palace.”
“If I were Au'revele, I’d be angry that my personal space had been compromised repeatedly,” Vivian said.
“Even without any of the recent occurrences, it still calls to be addressed,” Eula said.
“Other than try to keep her visits to me secret, she did nothing wrong,” Bart said. “I’m sure she spent no time in Au'revele rooms, and did not even notice any of her personal belongings.”
“So, next time I’m on the Consortium’s station, I’ll wander through your quarters here and there when you’re away, and maybe those of your Generals’, too. They shouldn’t mind as long as I’m just passing through, and don’t touch any of your things, or theirs, right?” Quin asked.
“We just didn’t think through the method by which we were keeping our alone time secret,” Bart said.
“You were thinking with…” Quin started .
“Do not tell him what he was thinking with again, Quin!” Eula said as she would to an unruly child. “You had this conversation only minutes ago. We all heard it.”
Quin glared at Bart.
Bart glared back.
“Quin, I understand you’re angry and looking for an outlet for your anger and frustration about Alexandrus coming so close to harm. Honestly, I am, too. And Bart, I’m sure all you’re doing is protecting the female you love, so much so that you’re trying to reason away things that you wouldn’t normally find acceptable. I understand that all too well, myself. I care very much for Mirilla, she’s a personal friend and has been with me for years. Unfortunately, there are circumstances that must be questioned. But until we have proof, that is all they are — circumstances. We need to speak with her directly instead of assuming. I’ll send for her and we’ll ask our questions and see what she has to say.”
“I think that’s a good idea,” Vivian said.
~~~
Zahn lay perfectly still, enclosed in the healing chamber as his body was healed using the most state of the art medical technology. His bones and tendons slowly knitting themselves back together as his blood cells replicated themselves to resupply his body with the blood he’d lost during battle. His mind was completely unaware of the trauma his body endured. Instead, he thought of a female with dark silver hair, silver skin bearing the most delicate white tattoos, and eyes of such a deep green he felt surely if he leapt into them, he could be lost there forever. But the vision of the female didn’t soothe him. Instead, it caused him more anxiety than he’d ever experienced. No matter how he tried, he couldn’t reach her. In his mind’s eye he murmured sweet, calming words. He reached out to her and laid gentle hands on her shoulder and smoothed the hair from her face, but none of his actions stopped her tears. No matter what he did, she just kept crying. It was obvious her heart was broken, and that was completely unacceptable. Whoever had hurt her would answer to him. He’d stay beside the female until she found a way to rest at least, then he’d hunt down the person responsible for her broken heart, and he’d remove theirs.
Au’revele sat beside the healing chamber Zahn lay inside of. She gave up being brave and stoic hours ago. Now, she just sat there, crying incessantly. Somehow the infuriating male had managed to worm his way into her heart and was permanently entrenched there. She stood from the stool she was perched on so she could better see into the lid of the healing chamber and gazed down on Zahn, completely unconscious, yet still battling those who’d ultimately put him here. At least from the twitching of his hands and legs, and the occasional grimace on his face, she had no doubt that’s exactly where his mind was. And unfortunately, until the healing chamber finished its healing cycle, and possibly another after that, there was no way she could soothe him, or even just let him know that she was there. Somehow, she couldn’t find it in her being to leave his side, and nothing could make her do so until he was awake and strong again.
“Miss, perhaps you’d like to return to your duties until he awakens,” one of the doctors said, having entered the room to check all the readouts of Zahn’s vital statistics.
“This is my duty. Until he awakens, I’ll stay here,” Au’revele said.
“There’s nothing you can do, Miss. He doesn’t even know you’re here.”
“I know. And when he awakens, he’ll know. Until then, I’ll wait right here.”
The doctor watched her for another few moments, then knowing it was hopeless to try to dissuade her, simply walked away, leaving her to sit with the wounded male. Newly mated couples were sometimes so bound they failed to see any reason at all their actions, and in his opinion, this couple was exactly that. He had no idea that they hadn’t yet bonded .
Au’revele perched back on her stool and leaned against the healing chamber lid, her arms cushioning her cheek as she looked down at Zahn inside. Her tears splashed on the glass window of the lid, as she sniffled, trying to regain some control. “I’ll be right here, Zahn. It’ll be okay. I’m right here.”
~~~
Mirilla sat all alone in Sovereigna Eula’s sitting room, her back ramrod straight as she waited for Eula’s return. She’d heard, as most of the palace had, of the attempted attack on the Sire’s family, and after her morning duties were finished, had come straight to Eula’s sitting room where they spent most every day. She had no doubt that Sovereigna Eula would arrive just as soon as she saw to the safety of her son and his family. And her plan was to just sit right where she was, where her Sovereigna could easily find her when she was ready to. She had something to confess that she had no doubt would greatly affect her place in the palace. In the meantime, she’d given instruction to everyone who looked to her for direction of their daily chores and responsibilities. Done all she could to stop the insidious rumblings and rumors that were quite impossible to be true, and now had nothing else to do but wait to confess that she’d lost her passkey, and hopefully have it forgiven enough that she could be there for the Sovereigna when needed. She could have followed up on the cleaning and chores that had been carried out throughout the morning, but couldn’t quite bring herself to be unavailable when the Sovereigna returned.
Mirilla cast a glance at the timepiece on the wall and realized she’d been sitting here for almost two hours. Not once had she heard from Eula. No messenger had come, and not one person had come for Eula either. Not even the guards were in place as they should have been — no doubt they were still stationed at the entrance to the West wing, but there had been none outside the royal residence when she entered. Surely with the events of the previous night, there would be a more visible security presence. Or maybe not, if they’d moved most of the personal guard to the Sire’s residence.
“Something’s not right,” she said as she got up and slowly made her way out of the Sovereigna’s private sitting room. She moved cautiously, peering around each door before she fully stepped through it. When she saw guards she was not familiar with, posted outside the royal residence, she instinctively moved back inside. She tried to convince herself to just go out into the hallway and ask if they knew where the Sovereigna was. But each time she stepped toward the door, she got such an adrenalin rush, she got lightheaded. Finally, giving up, she went back into the sitting room and accessed one of the hidden exits that only she and few others knew of, until she came out behind one of the storage areas in the kitchen. She moved slowly, but steadily through the kitchen, planning to use the service hallways to the East wing, until someone finally spoke to her, halting her progress just as she was leaving the main kitchen.
“Mirilla,” Jof Ta said, his voice hushed as he quickly approached her.
“Jof Ta! Good morning, or mid-morning now.”
“Shhh, keep your voice down.”
“Oh, why?” she whispered conspiratorially.
“What have you done?” he asked, still keeping his voice low.
“I… I don’t know what you mean. I’ve done nothing.”
“Two of the Sovereigna’s guard were here not ten minutes ago, looking for you. They said she’d ordered them to bring you to the Sire’s residence, but you were not in your quarters and no one had seen you. Have you angered her somehow?”
“I don’t think so. I haven’t done anything, Jof Ta,” she said, feeling guilty about not confessing about the missing passkey yet.
“Are you aware of all that occurred last night?”
“I am. I was the one telling everyone to stop whispering about it.”
“All I can suggest is that if you are aware of anything they are not, or know of someone who is, perhaps you should just go there straight away and tell them. Because they are obviously searching for you.”
“That’s where I’m going to begin with, but I can’t imagine why they’re looking for me. Oh, perhaps it’s because they haven’t seen me yet this morning and they’re trying to make sure that everyone is accounted for and safe.”
“Mirilla, the information we’re getting is that those who tried to harm the Sire’s family are members of our own palace guard.”
“What? Nooooo!” she exclaimed.
“Shhhhhhhhh!” he shushed once more, looking around to be sure that no one saw him speaking to Mirilla. “Whatever you do, do it quickly before anyone finds you and forces you to whatever their instruction is.”
Mirilla, now feeling sick to her stomach, nodded, patted his arm in thanks and darted away.