Chapter 23 #2
I froze when struck by a sudden thought. Malaya was thirty-six years old. She was born to a Filipino couple on the first anniversary of Thea’s death. Although I had noticed that fact while reviewing her file, I hadn’t thought much of it back then. But now…
Temerns believed in reincarnation. However, the chances of us encountering a reborn acquaintance or loved one were slim to none.
And yet, as I replayed the meeting in my mind, I couldn’t help but acknowledge that my reactions to Malaya defied logic…
or rather they had seemed illogical within the original context.
I had badly ached to hug and comfort her.
The guards’ rudeness towards her had whipped my protective instincts into a frenzy.
The need to save her had exceeded anything I ever experienced in other cases before.
My soul knew hers.
I burst out crying. And Kayog hugged me in an almost bruising hold, while also giving in to the overwhelming emotions engulfing us. These weren’t tears of sorrow, but an indescribable mix of joy, relief, hope, and gratitude.
Fate was giving us a second chance. And this time, we were much better equipped to rise to the occasion. That corrupt Judge Wuras was going down, and our baby was walking free.
We headed straight for Molvi so that Kayog could meet as many other potential partners as possible. We hated that our daughter would likely end up with someone who wasn’t her soulmate, but it was a necessary sacrifice to keep her safe until all charges could be dropped and her sentence overturned.
On our journey there, we called Tedrick to give him an update on the situation. By the speed with which he answered our com request, he had likely put everything else on hold specifically so that he would be available to speak with us. This case was huge with potentially devastating consequences.
“How did it go?” Tedrick asked as soon as the connection was established.
By the look of the background, he was sitting in his office, leaning against the high backrest of his black leather chair.
“As Torgal stated, she’s innocent,” Kayog said, his voice tense and determined. “We must use any means necessary to save her and bring down that corrupt judge.”
Tedrick narrowed his eyes at my mate. Even without being able to perceive his emotions through the screen, I knew him well enough to understand that my mate’s strong reaction was raising red flags for Tedrick.
“As you know well, there’s nothing we can do about her sentence,” Tedrick stated in a careful tone.
“Obviously, we hope you can do something through matchmaking to keep her safe a while longer. But our hands are tied. We can only hope to gather enough evidence, especially with her help as an investigative journalist. This is the Obosian justice system we’re going up against. It will be nearly impossible. ”
“I don’t give a fuck!” Kayog hissed, making Tedrick recoil. “If I have to burn that entire planet down and break her out, I will.”
He blinked and stared at my mate with a flabbergasted expression. “Kai, what’s wrong? You know we can’t do this. The repercussions…”
“Fuck the repercussions! I’m not letting my daughter die in this foul place!” Kayog shouted. “She’s innocent. I don’t care what needs to be done to prove it, but we will. And if you can’t help, I will handle it. You know I can.”
I placed an appeasing hand on my mate’s forearm.
That seemed to startle him out of the rage brewing deep within.
He gave me a sideways glance, and then his shoulders slouched as he realized he was letting his emotions get the best of him.
On screen, Tedrick’s expression had shifted from shock to a hint of pity, before settling on something more neutral and professional.
In that instant, I realized he believed Kayog was having a mental breakdown.
“He’s not crazy,” I said in a calm but factual tone.
Tedrick flinched. It had been subtle but unmistakable. I locked eyes with him, my chin lifting in defiance as I held his gaze unwaveringly.
“It is fair for you to make that assumption under the circumstances. But my mate is correct. Malaya is our daughter reborn. For thirty-seven years, Kayog has loyally served both the Enforcers and the UPO. Not once has he been wrong about the song of a person’s soul.
Do you really think he could possibly be mistaken about the one from our own child? ” I asked in a stern tone.
Tedrick frowned, an air of uncertainty settling over his features as he weighed my words.
“I was there in the room. While I cannot hear souls the way Kayog does, everything in me claimed her and wanted to protect her. There’s no question in my mind that she’s our child,” I continued calmly.
“But whether you or anyone else believes it is completely irrelevant. Just be aware that we will stop at absolutely nothing to save her. That said, we have a huge problem on our hands with that judge. There’s something much bigger and foul happening here.
It must be addressed before the domino effect leads to a much more catastrophic outcome. ”
The wave of gratitude that emanated from Kayog glided over me like a warm summer breeze. He took my hand in his and gently caressed it with his thumb. I peered at him and smiled, only for him to smile back at me with an infinite love.
After thirty-eight years and counting, I just kept falling more and more in love with this male.
“There’s no question that something foul is happening,” Tedrick said carefully, reclaiming our attention.
“But like I said, our hands are tied. All the evidence is insanely incriminating against Malaya. I do not doubt her innocence, but we need proof or at least some sort of lead. We have none of that.”
“Give us Maeve,” Kayog said forcefully. “She’s the Enforcer’s best hacker.
With her current ‘free agent’ status, she will be able to dig into even more restricted places without bringing unwanted attention to your organization or the UPO.
Make it happen, Tedrick. I’ve never made demands or threats.
And this isn’t a threat either. I’m just giving you the fair warning that if nothing can be done on the legal front, then I will take matters into my own hands. ”
“Do not act recklessly, Kayog,” Tedrick warned. “We’re on the same team. Do what you can on your end to buy us as much time as possible. We’ll do what we can on our side.”
“Thank you. That’s all I ask,” Kayog said, some of the tension bleeding out of his shoulders.
“Yes, thank you,” I echoed.
Tedrick gave us a sad smile. He still didn’t believe that Malaya could be our reincarnated daughter. However, he had known us long enough to realize that we weren’t prone to flights of fancy. Therefore, he acknowledged the real possibility that our claims might be true.
We ended the communication and completed the long journey to Molvi.
Our respective assistants did a fantastic job of scheduling a slew of meetings with the various Hell Lords managing the prison planet.
The Obosian nobles who acted as wardens there had been named as such by humans due to their appearance reminiscent of demons found in Earth mythology.
They were tall, with massive horns, silver-white hair, leathery bat wings, and a long tail.
Unlike the demons of human lore, the Obosians had a dark-gray skin, luminous silver-white or blueish eyes surrounded by black sclera, and a smattering of dark scales on their foreheads, arms, and legs.
With Molvi being the most savage and unforgiving prison in the galaxy, it perfectly fitted the human description of Hell, thus making the wardens Hell Lords.
The problem was how rabid Obosians were about upholding the law.
In their eyes, criminals were the foulest type of individuals.
Therefore, the majority of potential candidates we met immediately shut down even considering a union with a convicted murderer.
Implying that one of their judges could have wrongly convicted an innocent person was akin to blasphemy.
We expected resistance, but not this fierce and this unforgiving.
Without a mate to keep Malaya out of the actual holding area for the prisoners, our daughter would never survive long enough for true justice to run its course.
It wasn’t until we met with Lord Amreth that hope finally returned.
Despite being as stuck up when it came to upholding the law, Amreth was a truly outstanding male with a kind heart and a sharp mind.
He witnessed events that led him to believe that there was indeed corruption taking place, however unbelievable it seemed.
Therefore, should we not find Malaya’s soulmate among the other candidates we would meet with, Amreth agreed to take her as a mate to keep her safe until the investigation was concluded.
I nearly wept with relief. The same gratitude radiated loudly from my mate. With a much lighter heart, we went on to two more meetings, feeling totally unfazed by the expected rejection from these potential partners now that we had a fallback plan secured.
And then we met Lord Kronos.
Where the other potential partners had simply expressed curiosity as to what brought us to them, Kronos radiated aggravation from the moment we landed.
I previously met Kronos after he had been rescued by Maeve and Helio—another couple my mate had paired.
He had been held prisoner by a foul Nazhral female called Saydi, who had been abducting young Edocits to harvest the down leaves from their hair, which was the most potent—but safest—recreational drug in the galaxy.
He was standing, back and wings stiff, looking at us with eyes narrowed with suspicion as we disembarked. The landing pad was located on an elevated plateau overlooking one of the many stunning terraces of his mansion.