Still, he’d felt a bit abandoned and a lot lonely.
At least until Ture had come into his life. He didn’t know what it was about that man, but he calmed the rage inside Maris that had simmered in his gut since the day his parents had disowned him. Ture touched a part of him that he hadn’t even known he possessed. All he wanted was to be with him. And yet he lived in a state of constant fear that he would lose everything again.
It left him twisted in a knot and unsure. Terrified and anxious, and at the same time happy and serene.
None of it made sense to him.
“I’m not sure how to answer.”
Darling narrowed his gaze suspiciously. “What was the first thing that entered your mind, and I know it wasn’t what you just said.”
Sighing, Maris stepped away. Darling knew him better than anyone. Even himself. “Yes. I like him a lot.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“You know the problem.” Maris looked down at his clothes and luggage. “What am I doing, Darling? I know this isn’t going to last. It can’t. It never does. And I’m so tired of being hurt. How did you ever forgive Zarya for betraying you?”
Darling snorted. “It wasn’t easy. But this great friend of mine threw her at me and left me with no choice, except to deal with the pain of my past. And I wanted to hate her in ways you can’t imagine. I craved it. Yet as hard as it was to trust her, the agony of existing without her was so much worse. There are only a handful of people in this universe I need. The thought of losing one of you sends me into a panic that is indescribable. It’s why the sight of those bags on your bed pisses me off to an Andarion type of rage level. I can’t protect you if you’re not here.”
“As long as I’m sober, I do a pretty good job of protecting my own posterior...and yours.”
“I know. But as of last night, the League has increased the bounty on all our heads again. At this point, your ass is worth almost twice the price of mine. I think Kyr is using you to hurt me.”
“What about Zarya and Drake?”
“Zarya’s a political nightmare for him that he’s publicly avoiding. Who knows what he’s doing in private? Likewise, he’s staying away from naming my brothers and sister. He’s not sure they helped rescue Zarya and Ture and the others, so legally, he can’t touch them.”
That made Maris feel a bit better. “Is there a price on Ture’s head?”
“No. Just those of us Kyr could identify in the rescue party.”
“Me, you, Nykyrian and Caillen.”
He nodded. “It’s just a matter of time before they start sending in their top assassins.”
Maris zipped his last bag closed. “Saf will warn me before they come after me.”
“If he knows. Kyr might not tell him.”
Maris shook his head in denial. “Kyr doesn’t know we still talk.” If he did, he’d kill their little brother and then Maris would annihilate him over it. Ever since Saf had been mistaken for him and brutally attacked when his father had tried to assassinate him, Maris had been hyper protective of him.
No one touched Saf with immunity.
“It’s about to get bad, Mari. I had to dispatch troops to solidify my borders an hour ago. The League is headed for our colonies and is trying to blockade and embargo us. Most of the empires have withdrawn in fear of them. They hit two of the Sentella’s smaller bases yesterday, and killed almost two hundred people. They injured over a thousand more.”
“I’m not afraid.”
“Nor am I. Not for me. But for those I love...I don’t want to see you hurt because I rage-hit your brother when I should have held my temper in check.”
Maris smiled at him. “I told you when we headed out to rescue Zarya that if you were going to hell, I’d be driving the bus. Bring the rain.”
Darling sighed. “And it’s coming, my brother. With a torrential downpour. One I don’t want you caught in.”
CHAPTER 10
Over and over, Darling’s warning replayed in Maris’s head as he sat in the commercial transport that was locked in traffic. He’d never been patient with such things, but today...
He scowled as he swept the scenery around them and a bad feeling went through him. When hunted, gridlock was a dangerous thing. It was another of the reasons he normally drove an airbike. They were virtually impossible to trap like this.
But with luggage, he’d needed a trunk. And a transport made him an easy mark.
Every ounce of his military training kicked in.
“I’ll get out here,” he said to the driver before he swiped his card. “Deliver my bags to the destination and I’ll make sure you’re well tipped.”
“Yes, my lord.”