“Why are you telling me this now?”
“I have no idea. I know we can’t be together. Your destiny is completely different from mine. But should something happen to one of us, I wanted you to know how I feel. I never thought I’d find someone who makes me as crazy as you do. Someone who could mean so much to me.”
She knew exactly what he meant since he did the same thing to her. “I love you, too.”
Caillen froze at those precious words. “Really?”
She nodded. “Why else would I be here?”
“You live to fight.”
“Not really. I hate fighting. But don’t tell anyone.”
“I would never betray you.”
She placed her hand against the camera. “I hate you for not telling me this when we were together.”
“Yeah, I suck that way.”
“You don’t suck… much.”
He flashed a grin at her. “Fly safe.”
“You too. I’ll see you on Exeter.” She cut the transmission.
Caillen stood there for several minutes as the reality of what he’d done slammed into him.
He’d made a commitment. A declaration. Never in his life had he ever professed love to anyone not related to him. Not even his own father. It wasn’t what he did and yet he wanted to tell her again and again.
I’m such a sappy dumb ass. Too many years with his sisters had corrupted him. All his life he’d prided himself on being able to manipulate any woman in the universe.
Until Desideria.
She controlled him completely. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for her. He’d sell his soul just to make her smile.
So why did their relationshave to be impossible?
Not wanting to think about it, he returned to the bridge where Chayden and Fain were arguing over the best course of action. Normally, he’d join in but right now his thoughts were on the army following them and the woman who’d brought them to him.
If I could only have one more day alone with her…
By the time they reached Exeter, Caillen was mentally pacing the floor. They’d tried several times to reach Darling, but he hadn’t answered. That could be good.
Or really bad.
Caillen was the first one off the ship. He didn’t wait for Desideria, Hauk, Fain or Chayden. He went straight for the Exeterian palace. With any luck, they might be able to end this before Desideria landed. Something that would keep her safe and him sane.
But as soon as he left the hangar closest to his father’s palace, he knew it wouldn’t be that simple. There were flames spiraling from the remnants of the front gate. Soldiers were mobilized, yet no one seemed to be in charge. Plain and simple, it was a chaotic war zone where the soldiers wandered around as if looking for someone to tell them what to do. So much so that no one even recognized him.
His heart hit his stomach.
What the hell had happened? There were bleeding soldiers in the street, firefighters trying to control the flames on the north quadrant of the palace and civilians crying and rushing around while medics tried to tend the wounded.
Caillen flipped on his wrist link and ran the locator for Darling. “C’mon, buddy, be in Sentella gear.” Each of their suits was equipped with a chip that would allow them to find a fallen comrade. Only the Sentella and those approved by Nykyrian were allowed to know the tracing frequency.
Luckily, Caillen was one of the trusted few.
For a handful of seconds, nothing showed up. But as he rounded a corner, he saw the small, faint dot that indicated Darling’s location. Caillen followed it quickly toward his father’s office in the palace.
As he neared the main hallway, he saw a familiar form on a stretcher.
Maris.
His heart pounded as he made his way toward him. Covered in blood, Maris had an oxygen mask over his face. His eyes widened the instant he recognized Caillen.
“What happened?”
Maris pulled the mask down. “We got here right behind the queen. She came in with her Guard and… it was a bloodbath. Not long after the fighting began, Darling shoved me out the door and before I could move, something exploded and shattered it all over.”
“Where’s Darling?”
“He was fighting beside the queen’s Guard. Then I lost consciousness and when I came to, he was gone. I haven’t seen him since.”
Caillen bit back a curse as he put the mask back in place on his friend’s face. “You better be all right, Maris. Don’t make me buy a suit for your funeral.”
He laughed, then winced in pain. “Find Darling. Tell me he’s okay.”
Caillen inclined his head to him, then went back to following his tracer. As he got closer to the study, the damage was more profound. The alabaster had black blast mark scars. All the furniture was shattered and he could see where the fire had licked and scorched the walls and ceiling. A dozen investigators were in the office, taking notes and conferring.