Cold Mark (32 page)

It only took two hours for my Vaq to find me. Damn bond.

I opened the door to my apartment when a booming knock echoed and barely managed to catch it as it rammed out of my hands. I was going to have to move that plant sitting behind the door if all of my visitors arrived this way. I kept my eyes down when they entered in a royal huff, their boots new by the looks of them.

Quiet as the moon's glow, I closed the door behind them and locked it.

With a carefully guarded gaze, I raised my eyes to them.

Leo and Malik were trying to hide their shock, seeing I wasn't in danger but were failing miserably as they put their weapons back into their holsters. Their eyes quickly turned violent as they altered their attention from Jax and Stiller at my table playing a remote game to the Plumas of the east sitting on my couch, where they were watching a flicker show and sipping juice ... all cozy like.

"Um ... I can explain," I stated in an even tone. I held my hands up in supposed surrender when their beautiful eyes rammed in my direction. "You see, I didn't want to be in prison any longer."

As one, Leo and Malik crossed their arms. Stared down at me. Waiting ... not so patiently.

This had sounded so much better in my head, planning what I would say to them. But with their full attention honed directly on me, what makes my Vaq
them
, it didn't sound as convincing as I rambled through my speech. "I asked the Plumas of the east to get me released. They had managed it for Jax, so I thought they could help me." I swallowed and placed my hands behind my back, holding them tightly. "And they did." A head tilt to my apartment. "They gave me my freedom. What I've always wanted. And they gave me a place to stay. This is my apartment."

I tilted my chin up. My voice only wavered a little as their eyes started to narrow. "And I'm not leaving. I like it here. And from what I understand, you two have a place right next door. This is a good location."

Malik's blink was so damn slow, I thought he couldn't open his eyes for a second. "Braita ... "

"Yes?" I swallowed.

"Do you know this is not Belvar? That this is Center?"

Here we go. "Yes."

"You do know that we only live here when we have to. This isn't our home."

"I know." I tilted my chin higher. "You could always make a change."

Another slow as hell blink. "Do you know Pluma Moir and Pluma Creo live right above this apartment?"

"
My
apartment," I corrected, but I nodded. "I do."

His brutal golden stare was unflinching. "Did you also know this apartment building houses only Mian of the east, whereas the apartment building we live in only houses Mian of the west?" His golden, right brow rose when I didn't immediately answer, at a complete loss for words. "Do you know how this looks?"

I hummed and tried not to fidget. Still, no words.

Malik shook his head as if he were trying to wake himself. He bent at the waist, placing his face directly in front of mine. Piercing silver eyes glowed on my face. "Let me get this straight. You have
somehow
managed to get all of the litigators of Triaz to grant you immunity from your guilty-as-hell treason. And with your newfound freedom, you've decided you want Pluma Kreob and me to
move
from our home and the safety of Belvar ... to live here. In Center. While
you
live under the same roof as the Plumas of the east?"

"Um ... yes." There—that was two words.

"
Have you lost your damned mind?"
Malik bellowed, throwing his hands into the air and straightening. He began to pace, pointing a finger at me and glaring. "Leo, talk some damn sense into our deranged Soul before I completely lose it." He started muttering under his breath in his pacing march back and forth inside my living room. I was pretty sure I was happy not to hear any of it by the—quickly turning concerned—look in his eyes as he watched me.

My guests were blessedly silent. And staying that way, even if they were watching the 'show.'

I inhaled heavily and peered up to Malik. "I come from a planet of peace. Is it so hard to imagine that I would want that here?"

Malik ran a hand over his face. "Have you learned nothing?"

My lips thinned in a straight line. "I have." Maybe too much in Human terms.

"I don't think you have, Braita." He shook his hands in front of my face in frustration. "The Mian aren't peaceful. We fight. We kill for sport. We
are
barbaric." He thumped his chest and spoke slowly. "It is literally a part of us. It's not that we don't want to change. It's that we
cannot
."

I crossed my arms, not believing that one bit. "You make your people sound like they are part wild creature. You have intelligence far beyond an animal. You
can
change."

Golden eyes watched me. Guarded. Quiet. "Who says we aren't part animal?"

A trickling stillness went through my frame, holding me in place. "What?"

"A Mian's genetics," Leo drawled. "Have you ever studied them?"

My voice was so damn quiet. "No, not personally. I've only read what the government allowed on Joyal about your kind."

He snorted at my comment. "Have you never wondered why we are better predators than Humans?"

I didn't speak. I had a bad feeling where this was heading.

His head cocked and he smiled. It wasn't pretty. "We are all aliens, after all. The Humans. The Mian. The Kireg." He paused, his gaze running down my features. "Who's to say being part animal isn't normal for one species but completely alien to another?"

I opened my mouth. Shut it.

Cleared my throat. Rubbed it with my right hand.

Glanced at Jax where he was watching. His gray eyes were large on his face. Surprised.

In a slow glide, I turned my regard back to glowing golden eyes. Alien eyes. "Are you ... "
breathe evenly
, "are you saying that you're part animal?"

Calm, easy words. "In a sense? Yes. Unlike any animal you've ever known."

Oh ... shit. "What does 'in a sense' mean?"

"It means to a Human the Mian species would look much like an animal's genetics if you studied it. Just like a Human's genes look weird as fuck to us, almost a step down in evolution to a Mian."

"You're saying you are more evolved than a Human. I already know that."

"But what you aren't understanding, my dear Soul, is that we are fundamentally different in genetics. We are more animal based." He tapped his foot with each word. "We. Are. Coded. Different."

Understanding hit like a missile. I swallowed. "So, that means no peace?"

"Fuck no."

I gulped down my fear.
Never show fear.
"I'm not leaving. This is my apartment."

"Yes, you are," Leo stated. End of discussion—in his mind.

"She's not leaving, if she doesn't want to," Killeg spoke calmly.

A bomb of tension shot throughout the room, my Vaq swiveling their heads to the other Plumas.

"The hell she's not," Malik growled, the tone marking and calculated.

I took a small step back. It appeared the 'games' were about to begin.

Leo moved to stand next to Malik, brushing his shoulder with his. "She's our Soul, you arrogant fucks.
Nothing
is going to change that. Not you two. And no one else."

"True." Phila took a sip of his juice, eyeing them over the bottle's edge. "But do you really want a woman in your bed,
your Soul
, who would rather be sleeping with two other men?"

Ticking hatred peered out of my Vaq's eyes.

They were about to explode.

The Plumas of the east needed to shut their mouths ... if only they weren't enjoying it so much, the pleasure of pissing off my Vaq there in the shine of their livid gazes.

They wanted a fight.

No, too easy. They wanted
blood
.

Killeg lifted a finger, murmuring merrily, "After all, you do know that we shared an ... intimate ... moment with Braita. What makes you believe she wants that with the two of you? From all that we've seen, she is far more interested in us. Her own Vaq do not satisfy her. Leave it to the ones who know her body best to take care of her needs."

The crater opened, and Hell came out to play.

I squeaked and pressed my back against the wall, grabbing a picture when it rattled to the edge of a table. I honestly couldn't see a damn thing as breathless grunts and deep shouts filled the air. The Plumas of the east and the west were so fast, the naked Human eye couldn't track them. I only saw blurs of color as my hair whipped across my face in a breeze, only for my hair to fly the other way as my pretty couch was overturned, bodies flying over it.

My eyes darted to Jax, but Stiller was shoving him protectively into my kitchen.

I grabbed onto Sweet Pea's collar when he raced down the hallway, waking from his nap.

He barked. I closed my eyes and prayed no one died.

I whispered, "Please stop."

A hurled curse and then blood splattered my front door.

I glared at the life's blood as it dripped down the white paint. I shouted, "Please stop!"

My hov-coffee table crashed to the floor, splintering and shooting pieces over the tile.

My furious gaze slammed to Stiller. "Do something."

His purple hair gleamed under the bright lighting of the kitchen. He shook his head. He wasn't going to 'play' with them.

Dammit.

It was Jax who raised a gun straight up and fired three piercing rounds into the ceiling.

I sucked in a harsh breath as my ears rang and gripped Sweet Pea's collar tight.

All froze inside my apartment. My now fucked up apartment.

Blood dripping and clothing torn, shimmering eyes traveled to Jax.

He lowered his weapon in a sedate manner. "The four of you are wrecking Braita's place." He pointed the gun to all my broken items. "I'm sure she's not thrilled about this development."

I choked, delirious hilarity trying to claw its way up my throat. "Yes, I agree." With the four Plumas paused in their fight, I quickly shoved Sweet Pea into the bathroom and closed the door on him before turning my attention back to the 'game' players. Since they were acting like unruly children ... or like the killing machines they were, I took a stern tone. "This is unacceptable behavior in my home. The four of you may be Mian, but this is where a Human resides. I make the rules here, not you."

Silver eyes narrowed, and Malik growled, "This is not where you are going to live."

"It is." I held my ground.

Leo took a step toward me. "Braita, don't make me carry your ass out of here."

My nostrils flared, and I stated casually, "Try it."

Golden brows rose. "Are you trying to piss me off more than you already have?"

"I'm
trying
to get you to understand I finally have my damn freedom. And the two of you are trying to take it away again!" I pointed a finger at Leo and then Malik. "Let me choose where I want to live and who I want to be with. I may be your Soul, but I have my own mind. My own wants and feelings. Do you really want me with you if I don't want to be? Were you listening at all during the therapy session?"

Malik's head snapped back as if I had slapped him. "After everything, you still don't want to be with us?"

I waved a hand around my broken apartment, sighing in aggravation. "I can tell you that you two acting like this sure as hell doesn't endear me to you."

He stared. "That's not an answer."

"Because I need time. Time while I am free to get to know you better." A head tilt to the Plumas of the east. "And to get to know them better."

His jaw muscles ticked. He glowered as his lids hooded his gaze.

With the back of his knuckles, Leo wiped a drip of blood from the corner of his mouth. "You want to date us." He paused. "And them. That's what you said in the therapy session."

I lifted my attention to the ceiling. "Yes."

His words were quiet. "That's not going to happen, Braita. We would kill each other first."

"Is that true?" I asked, peering at Killeg and Phila. Apparently, they were 'coded' differently, not just savages as I had always believed. The Mian were true animalistic barbarians down to their DNA. "Is he lying?"

Phila scratched at his chin. Blood was dripping from his hairline onto his forehead. "It's true."

"Why didn't you tell me that before?"

He bent, and righted the couch and continued to absently pick up items. "Tell you what exactly? That for us to be together ... that extraordinary circumstances would have to occur?" His dark gaze held on mine as it clicked to what he was referring. Their hybrid powers. They would, one hundred percent, have to use them if I chose them. "We did tell you that you needed to figure your shit out with your Vaq."

"If I wanted to be with them. Not you two."

Simple. "Yes."

Not so simple. "I still don't know."

Or maybe I did. Perhaps ... I had always known.

Killeg chuckled softly. "I suggest you hurry the fuck up and decide before anyone dies."

Leo's gaze snapped to him. "Two will die if you ever lay a finger on her again."