5. CHAPTER 5 #2
The other two men watched Zayne, and while his father seemed pleased with what he said, that distrust lingered in his brother's watchful stare.
Only Luke saw through Zayne's lies.
The Phaedra thought Dr. Cooper had purged the dissidence from his heart. He'd only driven him to push it down deeper than anyone could see.
Anyone except his stubborn brother.
The meeting continued without a shred of emotion. They all knew how to bury what they felt, and when to do it.
“Take her to Dr. Cooper in four days,” his father said. “Luke will be there to advise on the operation. The Phaedra wants her to feel comfortable. Someone will bring her clothes from home.”
“So, no uniforms?” Luke asked.
“Not for you two. The security team will be in uniform.”
Zayne stiffened. What a ridiculous game to play. “The change of setting will catch her off guard?”
“Yes. No one opens up in a prison cell. We want her to feel at home.”
Ridiculous.
“While the prisoner is with Dr. Cooper, Captain Christopher Garrison will arrive in Caspador to contact her mother. He's on a mission there to deal with our governor and Caspador's king. He'll oversee any involvement with Becka Rogers.”
Christopher was a complete piece of shit.
The Phaedra sending him to Caspador spelled trouble for that kingdom.
They were the only territory that hadn't joined the United's uprising, but they were flirting with the rebels.
The fact that Becka Rogers resided in Caspador only further insulted the Phaedra.
A headache clung to his temples. The Phaedra was making so many moves at once, like the letter promised.
By the time their meeting ended and Zayne left to find his mother, he'd fully made the switch from son to soldier, and Mom never wanted him in uniform around her.
He found her on the porch swing with Mellie, the two of them chuckling.
Pausing in the doorway, he smiled at them, amazed by how much they looked like a family, while the Riven men obviously did not.
His little sister, Andi, knew how to live in both worlds, easily shifting into her role as daughter when she returned home from the military academy.
Zayne struggled so much with the transition from soldier to son or fiancé.
“Zayne.” Mellie stood. “I'm going to make a call. You take some time alone with your mom.”
She squeezed him on her way out, and he settled his crutches against the house to sit beside his favorite person in the empire.
A glass of wine dangled from Mom's hand. Warm eyes met his. Warm and sad and knowing. She wasn't privy to classified information, but she read the signs better than anyone else.
“Has your father returned to his office?”
Zayne nodded as he eased down. “It's over for the night.”
“Good.” She looped her arm through his and rested her head against his shoulder. “After thirty-one years with your father, it still isn't easy sending any of you off to war.”
If she asked him to be a better son and choose her over his rebellion, he wasn't sure he could resist. Instead, she taught him to fight and not give up.
For her part, she lived with the fear of what might happen to a man in his position, secretly fighting against the Phaedra.
Zayne's father might be the High General, but his mother was his High General.
If not for her, Dr. Cooper might have succeeded in breaking his spirit.
“I know,” Zayne said belatedly.
Sitting up, her gaze searched for his, but he couldn't meet her eyes for more reasons than one. The way he'd spoken to Kira was chief among them.
“Losing your people isn't any different,” she said in that gentle voice.
“I can't.” He stared at that empty black sky, voice monotone. “I know I need to but I can't.”
Edwards' weight never left his chest. He walked around holding her, along with all else he bore.
Mom understood that Zayne needed to grieve or all the death would follow him into his dreams, but she also knew how much to push him. Today, he needed mercy with the news of taking Kira to that terrible man.
“Is it bad?” she whispered, hardly audible. This wasn't a safe location to speak.
“Yeah.” He managed to smile as he looked at her this time. “It's good to see you, though, Mom.”
Tears filled her eyes. So much unspoken pain there. Her chin quivered, and it seemed to take all of her self-control to hold back whatever she wanted to say. Instead, she squeezed his hand and nodded.
“I need to go,” he said. “I'll visit you soon when I'm better rested.”
Those tears in her eyes dropped, and she nodded, smiling now, too. “Sleep tonight. Please.”
He kissed her cheek. “Only if you do. Night, Mom.”
On the way back to his apartment, he struggled to keep up in conversation with Mellie. Everything he'd learned tonight hit him again and again like violent ocean waves determined to suck him under.
Dr. Cooper would sniff out any weakness to use against him, claiming he wanted to help.
Zayne now lacked the time to fine-tune his approach to Kira. In a few days, they entered a war, one every bit as dangerous as the kind Zayne fought in the territories. What if Dr. Cooper figured out that Kira painted the message in the sky with the PXI? How could Zayne protect her from this?
Once they were home, he stood in his closet, having no idea what to wear on the trip if not his uniform.
Displaying his double seals may remind Kira not to trust him by linking him to the Phaedra. Good.
The snake tattoo spoke of honor and character, things he didn't want her to see in him. Bad.
On one side of the closet hung his various uniforms, from those meant for training to ceremonies to actual war.
On the other hung a different kind of uniform entirely—expensive suits and ties that choked him.
There existed Sergeant Riven on the right and the son of the high general on the left.
Zayne squeezed into the margins of the two.
Margins too thin for wasting time on buying clothes.
Just a few casual outfits he rarely found the occasion to wear.
He needed three shirts with a collar that covered his neck, which meant long sleeves. So, if he chose to reveal the seals to Kira, he'd have to roll them up.
“Babe. I forgot my shampoo. Did you keep—”
“Yes,” Zayne said, closing his eyes. “There's a bottle in the shower still.” He needed a quiet night, but Mellie missed him and turning her away seemed harsh when he'd just returned.
Once they settled into bed together for the night, she lay against his chest, her voice heavy with sleep. “It feels so good to have you home.”
Zayne closed his eyes, hoping to stave off any nightmares while Mellie was in his arms. Hoping the dead didn't come for her, too.