Born of Defiance

She duplicated his scowl. “I don’t understand.”


“You know my powers are limited when it comes to this sort of thing, but… this was done for no other purpose than to cripple Galene. There’s dissension in the royal house. If they can get Galene to resign, there won’t be anyone protecting Cairistiona.”

“What does that matter? She hasn’t been in line for the throne in well over a decade.”

“So long as she lives, they see her as a threat. All of them. She and Tylie are the only two beings left of the queen’s immediate family. All the others have been murdered, including the queen’s husband. So long as Cairie lives, she’s a threat to those who might want to take the throne.”

Jayne growled at Hadrian.

He held his hands up in surrender. “I’m not saying it isn’t bat-shit crazy. You’re talking to someone whose entire family was slaughtered. Brutally. Over a minsid throne. There’s a reason why neither Nero nor I have ever tried to reclaim our titles or land. We’re done with the bloody politics.”

“Yeah,” Nero breathed as he began firing their engines. “I’ve had my fill of burying family members because of senseless greed. It’s a harsh universe we live in, and if they want the fucking throne, let them have it.” He glanced at them over his shoulder. “Every sentient creature should have the right to lay their head down in peace, and not fear having their throat cut while they dream of better days.”

Jayne hated to admit how right Nero was. It was why she and her friends had founded The Sentella to fight against The League and any corrupt government that abused its powers.

Nero turned back toward the controls. “Fasten up. Let’s get Talyn home.”

They secured him to the floor with a loose harness before they took their seats for the launch. Even so, Jayne kept her attention on Talyn’s unconscious body. She hadn’t seen anyone beaten this badly since Darling had gone after his uncle in retaliation for Arturo putting Darling’s younger brother in ICU.

Her heart broken, she met Hadrian’s pensive stare. “Will he heal?”

“You want the truth or what you want to hear?”

“Truth.”

Hadrian glanced to Nero. The sad light in his eyes was haunting. “He might come to terms with this, but he won’t ever be the same.”

That was what she was most afraid of.





Chapter 16





F

elicia paced the ER hallway as she waited for Talyn to arrive. Galene had called her and told her they’d located him and were bringing him in. She’d rushed here as fast as she could.

His mother and her brother were still en route.

Every time the doors opened, she ran forward, only to be disappointed that it wasn’t Talyn arriving. It was a cruel, cruel game.

The doors opened again.

Felicia started toward them, then stopped. Two human males came in with a bald Andarion between them. As she turned away in more aggravation, recognition hit her.

No…

Gasping, she snapped around to see Talyn, bald, bleeding, and unconscious. Horrified for him, she rushed to the gurney they were laying him on while the shorter, older human called for help.

“Talyn?” she breathed, taking his hand into hers. His claws had been virtually sheared off. My poor baby.

The taller man tensed as if he was going to chastise her, but then he blinked. “You’re his Felicia?”

“I am.” She sniffed back her tears while she brushed her hand over the nastiest wound in Talyn’s cheek. “What did they do to him?”

Before he could answer, the doctor approached them with the shorter human. But as soon as the doctor’s gaze fell to Talyn, he hissed and stepped back.

“We don’t tend his kind here. You need to take him somewhere else for care.”

Felicia gaped at the doctor and his unwarranted prejudice. “His mother’s fully Vested!”

The doctor curled his lip. “And she’s disowned him. He’s a traitor and an Outcast. You know the law! We can all be arrested for aiding him.”

It was only then that Felicia saw the marks of dislineage on Talyn’s chest and arms. Claw scars that said his own mother had cast him out of his family. “His mother didn’t do this,” she insisted.

The doctor didn’t hear her. He was too busy calling to have Talyn arrested again.

In that moment, Felicia lost every semblance of sanity. All she felt was the hatred and anger inside her over the injustice of what had been done to the one being she loved above all others.

Reacting on pure instinct and defaulting to the defense classes that had been a mandatory part of her primary education, she grabbed the blaster from the human closest to her and angled it at the doctor’s head. “You will treat him. Now! And you will save him, or I will paint the walls with your brain matter, so help me, gods.”