Chapter 24 #2
She gaped at his receding back before casting a confused look at me.
An incommensurable amount of paternal pride swelled within me.
I could see so much of Linsea’s strength in her.
A billion words burned my tongue, but I swallowed them back.
Instead, I clapped in a silent applause and jerked my head towards Kronos to tell her to get going.
That snapped Malaya out of her shocked daze, and she hastened after him.
Isobel gently caressed the side of my shoulder in a comforting gesture once they both disappeared inside the house.
I smiled at her and gave her hand a gentle squeeze of gratitude.
In the minutes that followed, I felt the gradual shift in Kronos as he slowly came to terms with the fact that Malaya truly was his mate and an innocent victim who deserved his protection.
Wanting the perfect spot to hold the special ceremony Isobel had helped me prepare for my daughter, we walked down the ramp to the main terrace and chose a spot by the stunning pool that ran the length of the immense balcony, which overlooked the lush forest of Kronos’s Sector.
The sudden surge of lust emanating from him shortly before they both came out of the house struck me hard.
The possessive and protective dad in me wanted to smack him for it.
But the rational matchmaker in me understood that this was great.
With any other couple, I always smiled when that first spark of attraction ignited between them.
Seeing her walk towards us, looking breathtaking in the dress chosen by her mother, she explained everything.
Emotion choked me at the wave of joy Malaya projected the moment Isobel retrieved the Veil and the Cord used as part of a traditional Filipino wedding. I couldn’t officially stand here as the father of the bride, but I proudly played the role of Ninong instead—the godfather of the couple’s wedding.
Throughout the ceremony, Kronos softened a bit more for Malaya as he infused himself with her emotions and the beauty of her soul.
By the time we were done, he had fully made his peace with it and accepted her as his wife.
Despite my lingering annoyance that he resisted so long before seeing the light, the beautiful harmony of their souls filled my heart with joy.
He would take care of my baby and protect her.
“You have gone through some truly difficult and frightening times. But those hardships had a purpose, and it was to bring you here to this male,” I said.
“There is absolutely no question in my mind that you two are soulmates. He’s a good male.
And together, you will accomplish great things and save many innocents. ”
“Thank you. Thank you for everything,” Malaya said, her voice full of emotion.
To my shock, Malaya threw herself into my arms. My surprise gave way to a tsunami of love that nearly had me come undone.
How I had ached to hug my baby again. I returned her embrace, my wings wrapping around her before rubbing the side of my beak on her temple.
I wanted to hold her forever, sing for her, and tell her how much her daddy loved her.
But I forced myself to let go before I betrayed the secret I could never share with her without sounding insane.
As we went through the last formalities, hope filled my heart. Although a difficult road still lay ahead, this time, we would prevail.
Naturally, things didn’t go as smoothly or easily as they should have. Discovering that Malaya nearly died only a few days after her wedding almost sent me on a murderous rampage. Of all the things I could have feared, an assassination attempt never popped up on the list.
Being forced to sit on the sideline while my baby’s life fell apart was driving me insane. With the deadline quickly approaching for her and Kronos to come up with proof of Judge Wuras’s foul play and no leads to follow, I began planning to break her out of Molvi before it was too late.
And then the breakthrough we had started losing hope would ever occur was handed to us from the most improbable source.
It was all there, the culprits, the business, and enough evidence to put away the entire crew involved in this massive network of corruption led by Judge Wuras’s father.
Except, we couldn’t access the key elements that would make sure they couldn’t get away with it.
I angrily paced my living room while Linsea frowned at the vidscreen where Maeve and Tedrick had joined our vidcall from various locations.
“I’m sorry, Kayog,” Maeve said with a deflated expression.
“The data we need is right there, but I cannot access their servers without being discovered. The only way to tap into it requires a scrambling device placed directly on one of their physical servers or computers. Their security protocols are way too high to remotely hack into them.”
“Do you know where those servers are located?” I asked, stopping mid-stride to stare at her on the giant screen.
“They’re in a highly secure location. No one can break in. It would have to be an inside job, and we don’t have any double agents there—at least as far as I know,” Maeve said carefully.
“Understood. But do you know their exact location?” I insisted, slightly irritated.
“Yes, but—”
“Then send me the coordinates and the device you need installed. I’ll take care of it,” I said, interrupting her.
She blinked and stared at me as if I’d gone off the deep end.
“Kayog…” Tedrick said in a reasonable tone.
“Don’t Kayog me,” I replied sternly. “You knew my position from the start about what I would do if we failed to keep Malaya safe. That evidence is within reach. I can make it happen, and you know it.”
“Kayog,” Maeve said, unnerved, “no cloaking device will be able to fool their systems.”
“Do not worry about that, Maeve. My husband can get in and out without being discovered. We just need to know where those servers are located and what steps he must follow to place your device,” Linsea said in a gentle but firm tone.
My heart soared for my mate. It had been years since I last took part in an infiltration mission. Back then, it helped me cope with the loss of our daughter. That trying to save her now led me back to that path seemed fitting, even if only for one last time.
Maeve glanced at Tedrick on the vidscreen.
He was pursing his lips, eyes cast down as he assessed the situation.
While he knew of my psionic disruption abilities, very few other people were aware of it.
Although Maeve belonged to the high-ranking inner circle Tedrick had been building, she wasn’t apprised of the full spectrum of my powers.
Completing this mission would require it.
I had no qualms with it. Not only did I trust her with my life, but I also had the honor of pairing her with her Edocit mate, Helio.
“Even if we wanted to let you handle it, your presence will raise suspicions,” Tedrick argued.
“Not if he conveniently happens to be accompanying his ambassador wife on one of her business trips,” Linsea countered.
“We’ve been sitting on the Damira project for a while.
One of their main investors has his offices in that building.
It wouldn’t be the first time Kayog tagged along during one of his downtimes between candidate interview fairs. No one will question him being there.”
“Fair,” Tedrick conceded. “But the UPO has no interest in participating in that project.”
Linsea shrugged. “Not every negotiation results in an agreement. I often have follow-up meetings to see if potential partners have changed their positions in a way that is more amenable to us.”
Tedrick snorted. “Did I tell you that I like how ruthless you can be behind that sweet and gentle exterior?”
“One does not exclude the other,” I said, glancing affectionately at my mate. “She’s exactly everything she needs to be whenever it’s needed. That’s why my Linsea is the best ambassador you have.”
She puffed out her chest and winked at me.
“Why do I somehow feel like I just stepped into the secrets of the gods?” Maeve asked, her eyes flicking between each one of us.
“Because you have,” I said with a mysterious smile.
Two days later, we walked into the secured headquarters of one of the many companies Wuras used as front for his shady businesses.
No one questioned our presence. In fact, quite a few actually decided to strike conversations with me, either hoping I could give their love life a nudge, or to tell me about an acquaintance that could use my services.
Saying that I was restless would have been quite an understatement.
After many back and forths, I finally decided to complete my task right before dinner, when the staff would be less likely to be roaming corridors as they enjoyed their limited break.
Being caught wandering through the secured sections of the facility late at night would be harder to justify.
Invoking my empathic abilities, I spread my senses far and wide, cataloging every person whose consciousness I could touch within the building.
To think, before Linsea entered my life and completely turned it around, this would have been impossible to do with such calculated precision.
Simply standing here would have had me writhing on the floor in agony.
Instead, I casually walked towards the staff elevator, targeting every person that would likely cross my path with a medium, steady stream of psionic disruption.
I entered the elevator and placed the snitch Maeve sent to me on the control panel. While she could provide instructions through my earpiece, and I could speak to her, we agreed to keep communications to a minimum to avoid the signal getting picked up.