Pressure on her bones released all at once, sharper pains rushing up her arm, but Taliyah practically floated on clouds. She’d won a third round with the Commander.
I’ve got this. I’m unstoppable!
He stalked into the closet. In no way, shape or form did he look remotely civilized. No, he looked... Oh, man. She hated to say it, but he looked good. Very, very good. She’d never had a thing for beards but...
I might have a new fetish.
Okay, so maybe Taliyah was high from victory. Which was strange. Usually, her dissatisfaction returned in seconds.
He emerged from the closet with a small crystal in hand. “Anytime you wish to see the harpies in the duplicate realm, hold this.” In the center of the spacious bedroom, he stopped and extended his arm, offering the crystal.
She glanced from the crystal to the calculated smile-not-smile playing at the corners of his lips. His entire being screamed, Come and get it.
Oh, that burned. He knew he held something she wanted, and he was forcing her to close the distance in a willing act of submission. The warlord had her, and they both knew it.
Left with no other choice, she sheathed her dagger and marched across the distance. No use putting off the inevitable. He smirked when she snatched the crystal.
Heavier than she’d expected. She shook it, frowned and shook it again. Uh... “What do I do with it?”
“You must only peer into it.”
Really? Suspicious, she held the crystal to her eye and—Oh, wow! Okay. Taliyah gazed into a whole new world. Forty harpies in different stages of healing slept on cots in a large room. Wait. This room? She seemed to be standing in the middle of a body.
With a yelp, she hopped to the side. Her movement changed the crystal’s angle, blurring the other world and real life together. They were so different, yet exactly the same.
Were they the same? Was she seeing into the duplicate realm from where she stood? Did it matter? A duplicate realm was still just a realm. Anyone with a key possessed the means to enter.
Taliyah tweaked her mission objective. Find a key to save harpykind, kill Alaroc.
Through the crystal, she watched as an Astra strode through her new husband’s body. A warlord she hadn’t seen before. So far, she’d clocked six of the nine her mother had mentioned.
The new guy gently lifted a sleeper and carried her out of the bedroom.
“Hey!” Taliyah shouted, ready to give chase. “What are you doing with her? Put her down!”
“He can’t hear you. I’m sure he’s merely taking her to a healer to speed up her recovery. My men are under strict orders. None will disobey.”
That she kind of believed. Taliyah searched the faces of the remaining harpies, on the hunt for Blythe or Isla. No luck. “Everyone is resting so soundly, despite their injuries.”
“They’re in hibernation.”
“Hibernation?” She seriously needed a better understanding of the man she’d just agreed to battle to the death. “Explain.”
Alaroc turned, silent, presenting her with his back, making it clear he’d meant what he’d said; the guy didn’t fear her in the slightest. Worse, he all but dared her to attack him in the no-go zone.
Was this a test?
He unsheathed and tossed several daggers upon the bed. Oh, yeah. Definitely a test.
“If you’re planning to put me into hibernation for the month—”
“I’ll take your life, harpy, but I won’t take your right to choose your end. Surrender or fight me. You decide.”
Never in a million years would she admit this aloud, but he’d just made her heart leap. His ferocity convinced her he’d meant what he’d said. He was offering her a fair fight.
The best warrior would win.
Okay, so, that was kind of burn-the-house-down sexy. Peering at him, considering the challenge and the victory, she felt every pulse in her body, blood rushing through her veins as if a dam had burst wide open. Not a hint of dissatisfaction.
Leaving his weapons on the bed, he headed for the door, grating, “I’ll be eating in the dining room in an hour. If you’d like to join me, you may. If you’d prefer to avoid me, you may. As with everything, the choice is yours. What you won’t do is surprise me. I’m prepared, whatever you decide.” He exited, shutting the door behind him.
Where was he going and why? She would find out.
While she yearned to scour the palace for Blythe and Isla, she had to seize any opportunity to learn more about her opponent.
A pre-General had to make tough calls, putting the good of the people above everything, even family. Besides, if Alaroc had told the truth, Nissa was the sole casualty. Which meant Blythe and Isla were resting. Healing, even.
Maybe she’d luck out and Alaroc would reveal a key to the duplicate realm. What if he revealed a weakness or vice? Or lied? He might be on his way to his concubine even now.
I must know.
This phantom was going to risk big and spy in a palace filled with phantom assassins...
6
Roc could’ve flashed to the throne room, appearing in an instant, but he opted to walk and ponder the mystery of Taliyah Skyhawk. The harpy might prove a tad more tempting than his other brides. The languid way she moved. The inherent rasp in her voice. The permanent glint of wickedness in those ocean-water eyes. She possessed a core of iron, and he found himself more intrigued than before. A strange state he didn’t like... because he liked it.
He was a male who had reduced war to a series of chores and checklists, winning hundreds of worlds without a problem or hardship. Yet a harpy dared to hold on to a dagger, forcing him to break her wrist or retreat, and he developed a permanent hard-on?
The look she’d given him as he’d squeezed her wrist had shocked him. Taliyah the Terror of All Lands had very clearly preferred to lose a hand than a battle.
He should have followed through. He’d warned her; empty threats would only make things worse for him. But... What right did he have to punish such bravery?
Now, however, she’d earned gloating rights. She’d forced an Astra to retreat. The Commander, no less. On day one. During hour one. Twice! As her frostberry scent had invaded his nose, she’d left him trembling like a lad. He’d reveled as a flush spread over her skin, his heat chasing away her cold.
Where was his titanium core?
From now on, he needed to be stern with Taliyah. No more touching her. No more kissing, no matter how badly he craved her sweetness. The woman schemed to oversee his murder, nothing more. Who wouldn’t want to save their people and lead the Astra? He fully expected an ambush before the end of the day. Perhaps even an impressive ambush.