Chapter 9
Ford
I was quickly learning my least favorite thing in the world was Esme running away from me.
She had always been the type to launch into an easy jog with a little skip before settling into a slower pace. Admittedly, I used to think it was charming.
Now, my stomach sank like a stone every time she did it, especially now that I knew it wasn’t just an ingrained trait—she was actively trying to flee my presence.
Though I wasn’t above straight up chasing her, I kept my pace at a brisk walk, thankful my height gave me a naturally long stride.
Esme’s little start never settled back into a walk, and she kept up a light jaunt, expanding the distance between us.
Something heavy and dreadful settled into the core of my being.
It was like a boulder being tossed into the middle of a lake, sending shock waves across normally still waters.
It was a far more dramatic reaction than I cared to admit, but the sight was rattling me—enough that it felt like my very being was shifting.
I was about to prod around in my mind, going to greet the intrusive thoughts, but Esme’s form disappearing into the stables stole my attention before I could do so.
That sinking feeling took a hard turn into all-out panic, and this time I let myself break into a run to keep pace with her.
As I was rounding the corner, my eyes were already trained to the left side of the stables, where Sky and Shadow rested when they decided to play nice and stay inside.
The doors were open on both sides, letting in the bright morning sun still climbing to its peak.
It took a few seconds for my eyes to adjust, but my body seemed to be miraculously ahead of me, attuned to some other sense that I couldn’t quite name, because my pace sped up, blinding running faster towards something I couldn’t yet see.
When my eyes finally adjusted to the light, I realized just how necessary that pace was.
“Esme!” I barked, fear thick in my voice as I ran towards her, blind with some instinctual driving force that felt potent enough to drive me into insanity with little effort.
She didn’t turn around, but the muscles in her back tightened, signaling that she’d heard me. I knew she wouldn’t want to back down in the face of a threat and could very well handle said threat herself, but there was only one word on repeat in my mind.
Protect.
I passively decided it was worth it if she knocked me on my ass, and got in between her and the Muli soldier standing in front of her.
“Back the fuck up,” I barked, intentionally broadening my shoulders. Pride and self-preservation had him stalling, until his eyes settled on my arm, clocking the Mark there.
He took several steps back, raising his hands as his face blanched of color. People had always been respectful of the Mark and what it meant, but this kid looked like he was going to wet himself.
He had a Mark on the back of his hand, a stark black rose that looked like a freshly inked tattoo. Maybe he’d just had his first rub with the Bond and knew what was coming for him.
My thoughts skidded to a halt, realizing I was entertaining a line of thinking that was natural for someone who had actually felt the Bond before.
Esme distracted things, stepping up next to me. My hand shot out on instinct, banding over her stomach to stop her approach.
She shot me the deadliest look she could manage—which, admittedly, would have scared the wits out of any rational person.
Even then, she knew better than to expose a potential weakness in front of the enemy.
“While your protectiveness in much appreciated, sweetheart,” she said, obviously throwing in that term of endearment just to fuck with me, “I was having a nice conversation with Officer Edeka here. What were you saying?” she finished, directing a brilliant smile back at the still-shaking officer.
“I was sent to give you—well, technically your prince and princess that are over here—this letter,” he said, extending a piece of folded paper with an unsteady hand. Though I recognized the Muli royal seal on the paper, I snatched it out of Esme’s curious little hand before she could touch it.
“That could be poisoned,” she muttered, with less irritation and more restraint. I let myself pause and look at her, taking in the hard set of her jaw and the slightly wild look in her eyes.
I shouldn’t have felt as much satisfaction as I did realizing what was going on. The Bond was clearly back, if not in some small part, and was not happy with the fact that I’d placed myself in danger.
Long repressed parts of myself sparked to life, wanting to prod and tease. Luckily, the rational part of my brain was still in control and knew what would happen if I let Esme in on what I’d discovered. She’d shut down so fast and so brutally, she’d probably hurt herself on the way.
Besides, I had to be smart about this, especially if I was in for my own troubles with a fresh Bond.
Forcing myself to refocus on the task at hand, I responded to Esme simply, “I’m reading this, continue your conversation.”
I had no interest in speaking to that officer anyway. I spared him one more look, noticing a fair bit of obvious appreciation in his eyes. God, I hoped his Match was platonic if he was looking at Esme like that.
My true opinion on that look was much darker, a fact that came out in the brutal way I opened the letter, splitting apart the seal with no mercy.
Dear Princess Edelstenne (and other interested parties reading this letter),
Though we have mutually decided to end our engagement, I believe there still may be a positive relationship between us—of a political nature, that is.
I’d like to invite you, along with four delegates of choice, on a diplomatic visit to one of our nearby cities, Salona.
There, I hope to discuss plans for a revised treaty, as I believe you will be a more effective representative for your family and government.
I understand any hesitations to accept my invitation, especially regarding your personal safety.
Allow me to express my sincerest apologies that you were harmed by one of my own.
As reassurance, I am prepared to allow you to house one of my trusted associates, someone who I believe you’ll find great value in speaking to while I do the same with your delegates.
I have instructed Officer Edeka to remain nearby until you have made your decision.
I would recommend that your Captains Esme Prescott and Ford Langley accompany you. I’d certainly like to meet the individuals who have such a widely renowned entrepreneurial spirit and presence on my planet.
Lastly, I believe that you understand better than most how thin our patience has worn. Please do consider that when making your decision.
At your service,
Caspian Silverthorn XIV
“I’ll be just over the hill,” Edeka was saying as I finished the letter, and I could tell Esme was only paying half attention to him, too busy on trying to subtly gauge my reaction to what I was reading.
Silently, I handed her the letter and waited for Edeka to place his attention on me.
Once he did, his blinks speeding up in fear, I demanded, “Hand over the pack and drop your weapons on the ground. If I don’t believe you, I will search you.”
With bumbling speed, Edeka shed himself of a gun at his hip, a knife at his thigh, and another pistol at his ankle. He turned his attention to his pack, looping it off his shoulders at the same moment Esme had finished reading.
Based on the time that had passed, I assumed she’d read it at least three times, needing to search for new clues and break down the handwriting and syntax and word choices again, despite memorizing what she’d read on the first pass through.
Though she’d never told me outright, she had a near perfect memory. Despite my head being up my ass for the better part of the last decade, I wasn’t stupid.
She’d been drafted right out of a children’s facility and trained specifically for service. Though she was a brilliant fighter, it was her mind that the Empire was interested in.
That fact had always been able to push me into a state of anger that felt capable of snapping my control like it was no more than a twig. I didn’t want to think about what would happen when the Bond caught wind of that.
Esme folded the letter back up and stuck it in her back pocket.
Based on the sounds of commotion approaching, Edeka’s presence had become known to the rest of the camp.
I kept my eyes on him, not satisfied with the idea that he just randomly stumbled upon Esme.
“How long?” I barked at him, feeling all too pleased at the way he flinched in response.
“I’ve been here since this morning.” He seemed like a fairly competent soldier—must have been to have hidden out undetected for several hours.
“Were you asked to deliver the message to her directly?” I asked quickly, knowing that things were about to get a lot more chaotic and I might not be able to ask what I wanted. Freya was normally the one in charge of interrogations, though I often helped.
“Her or you. All I was told was to look for a paramin—a man and a woman with a snake tattoo.” Edeka nodded at my own arm, the snake embedded there looking even more menacing than normal, expanded under bunched muscle.
His bumbling statement struck me as a little odd, but now was not the time for unpacking it.
“EXCUSE ME!” Peter’s voice broke through the silence, blanching the soldier’s skin even further.
My mouth curled to hide a smile at the thought that Peter’s voice must hurt from forcing out that booming yell so often. A thought I realized quickly was shared by Esme when our eyes connected in a secret, shared moment.
Something physically hurt in my chest at the realization that the small smile lighting her eyes was the first of its kind that I could remember seeing in a long, long time. That pain was only made worse when that smile dropped a moment later and her mouth fell into a forced frown.
Was the idea of sharing a moment of laughter with me that heinous?
Or, was it that she’d looked to me for those moments countless times before and my ignorance to them had trained her to suppress it?
Either path had some distant, rumbling force inside me start to awaken, coaxed into life by the depth of my horror.
“You’ll be alright,” Esme said to Edeka, snapping back into that side of herself that could soothe others so easily, even though she clearly didn’t share an ounce of that peace herself.
“I would say his bark is bigger than his bite, but that’s not at all true.
We’ll just make sure he doesn’t actually bite. ”
Oh, God help me, the fool was falling in love with her on the spot, his eyes turning dopey and soft.
You should take his eyes so he can’t look at her again.
That incredibly intrusive thought shot to the front of my mind like it sent there with a slingshot. I had to forcefully remind myself that I did not like harming people and that he did not deserve it and that popping his eyes right out of his head would be gross rather than fun.
Peter approached so fast, any lesser person would have skidded to a stop. He was as solid as a tree trunk and was able to stop his breakneck pace in a second.
In a well-practiced effort of self control, Peter paused to take a deep breath and observe his surroundings before launching off into an accusatory rage.
It was clear he noticed the pile of weapons on the ground and our calm demeanor and decided that the situation didn’t warrant aggressive behavior.
“You,” Peter snapped at Edeka, which was on the softer side of his tone. “Are you here to deliver a threat or a diplomatic message?”
“Diplomatic,” Edeka rushed out. Goodness, did they send the most nervous soldier they had on this mission? His answer quelled the tension in the group, invoking notions of morality in war that transcended worlds—when you sought peace, no one harmed you.
Even then, Edeka didn’t look so convinced that we wouldn’t take his head off in two seconds.
Peter seemed to sense the same, intentionally softening his demeanor and changing his posture so that he looked less imposing. He was better than me—I was still broadening my shoulders to make sure that Esme was partially tucked behind me.
“Is your mission here done, son?” Peter asked, and it wasn’t until then that I realized how young Edeka was. Though twenty-seven wasn’t old by any means, I was on the elder side when it came to soldiers.
Edeka nodded, clearly eager to get out of there. Peter facilitated the next bit, organizing a group to escort Edeka back to his equin that he’d left in the fields just outside of our claimed territory. Ella was leading the charge, the only person Peter really trusted to handle things in his stead.
It was clear that he intended for me and Esme to stay put, which forced me to stand still even though something restless was building with concerning speed in my gut.
And being forced to stand there, to really see the ease and familiarity that passed between Peter and Ella—hell, between every single soldier around me who’d made the journey to Muli with their Match.
Juxtaposing that with the stiff chill radiating from Esme beside me was making me feel inches away from insanity.