Caillen widened his eyes at her insanity. Heading into her palace was as crazy as breaking into his, the only difference, he knew the security where he’d lived. He was going to bet she had no idea about hers. “Okay, why?”
“My aunts will be after them. Even though they’re minors under our laws, they can still petition for the crown, especially since Narcissa is acting as empress. My sisters will be the next obstacle and target. I’m sure it’s why Kara hasn’t seized the throne. She’s waiting for the assassin to take them out, then come after us with all justification. And trust me. A Qillaq tribunal is not something you want to go through.”
Chayden backed her stupidity. “She’s right about all of that, especially our sisters. If it is a combined plot between Karissa and Kara, they’re unprotected victims waiting to happen—just like your uncle. We have to get to them as soon as possible.” He laid in the course for Qilla. “Once they’re safe, we can sort this out.”
“I don’t know,” Hauk said. “We’re extremely high profile right now. The best course might be to get some of the Sentella in there to secure them and for us to lie low and let some of this die down before we’re spotted again.”
Desideria gave him a withering glare. “The Sentella didn’t keep my mother or Caillen’s father or uncle safe, so you’ll have to excuse me if I’m lacking a bit of faith in them. Besides that doesn’t matter. My sisters wouldn’t go with them anyway. They trust no offworlders and would fight to the death if one tried to take them from their dormitory.”
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Hauk raked a sneer over her. “What makes you think they’ll go with you? Especially since they think you killed your mother?”
Desideria backed down as he brought up something she hadn’t considered. There was no reason for either of her sisters to trust her right now.
None whatsoever.
But that didn’t matter to her.
Keeping them safe did.
“I’m hoping they’ll listen to reason.” She did her best to make Hauk understand. “Either way, I have to try. I’m the best shot at getting them out of this alive. Without me, they’re dead.”
Fain scoffed. “Oh I don’t know. I think I could knock them unconscious and carry them out pretty quick.”
She was horrified by his suggestion. “I don’t want my sisters beaten.” She passed a probing stare to Hauk. “Would you be able to lie low if your family was in the line of fire?”
Hauk glanced over to his brother. “Depends on the day of the week and the mood I’m in.”
She knew better.
And he confirmed it a few seconds later after he let out an aggravated breath. “All right, the name of stupidity right now is us. Let’s go fly into certain death to help people who will most likely try to kill us and claw out our eyes.”
Fain laughed. “Sounds like a typical assignment to me.”
“Yeah, well, there is that.”
Caillen sat back as he ran through all the new information they now had and tried to come up with a reasonable plan of action.
Save the sisters. Clear their names.
Don’t die.
Simple list. Impossible odds. What the hell was he thinking? They were screwed. Every government was out to capture or kill them…
C’mon, don’t give up. You’ve lived through worse odds than this.
Yeah, right.
His gaze drifted to Desideria, who sat lost in her own thoughts. There was a smudge of dirt across her left cheek. Her clothes were crumpled and she looked completely exhausted. Still, she carried on with a warrior’s persistence and her presence gave him strength. Most of all, it gave him a reason to fight to the bitter end. He wouldn’t let her die. Not over something she was innocent in.
Even though there was no chance now of his clearing his own name, he would see her through this no matter what and make sure that when this was done, she was queen.
The one thing she wanted most. He would do everything in his power to give her that dream.
“We’re going to make it,” he promised her.
She smiled at him. “I can almost believe that when you say it.”
“Oh well, paint my ass pink,” Fain groused. “ ’Cause I don’t believe it. I think we’re going to prison or graves. But hey? What do I know?”
Hauk shoved playfully at his brother. “Stop being an asshole.”
“Impossible task. Besides, I enjoy it.” Fain turned back around so that he could continue scanning the news reports for anything else they needed to know.
The rest of them didn’t speak much over the next few hours. They were too tired and too worried. They knew what they were up against and it was debilitating.
Caillen tried to stay focused, but over and over his gaze went to Desideria. He wanted to pull her into a back room and make love to her so badly he could taste it. But she wasn’t the type of woman to welcome that. One thing he’d learned about women, their sex drives were radically different.
They didn’t respond well when they had dire matters pressing on them. Women liked to be wooed and romanced. Something that was a little impossible at present.