Fire's Touch (The Enlightened Species Book Three) (15 page)

They had never beat around the bush with each other, and Mattie wasn’t going to start now. “Tell me.”

Mick sat at the edge of the bed, his back to her, and dropped his face into his hands. Mattie reached out to touch his back but his next words halted her. “I raped her.”

Mattie felt like cold water had just been thrown on her. “You what?” She didn’t believe it. She couldn’t believe it. Not Mick, no way.

“It was something I’d sworn never to do and I never did, except her. I don’t expect you to understand or forgive me. I wouldn’t blame you if you never spoke to me again.” He gave a self-depreciating snort. “I will never forgive myself.” He told her the whole sordid story.

Even with everything Mick told her, Mattie still felt a thread of denial at what he said. “Were you raptured by her estrus pheromones? I’ve heard they are powerful and difficult to resist for males.”

His shoulders sagged under the burden of guilt. “In the breeding labs, I guarded the females in estrus hundreds of times, and yeah, just like any male, my body reacted, but
never
like that. I never lost control, not even close—none of the Hulven males did. Maybe because we’re sterile, the female fertility doesn’t affect us the same way it does an Elven. I don’t know.”

“How many others raped her during her estrus?”

Mick’s head snapped around and his gaze clashed with hers. His dentes flashed from the moonlight filtering through the window. “No one! I would have killed any male who tried to touch her.” Mattie had never seen a more ferocious look on his face. Fates, he was gloriously handsome. His actions were more of a protector than a perpetrator.

She couldn’t help it; even if he’d once raped someone, it didn’t negate her feelings for him. No one except her had a clue how much he suffered. The punishment he inflicted upon himself far outweighed anything someone else could dole out. Mick was a man blind to the honor inside him. He was unable and unwilling to recognize that he had worth despite the sins of his past. Nothing Mattie could say would ever convince him of that; he had to discover it on his own. All she could do was give back to him the gift he’d always given her: acceptance … love.

He didn’t push her away when she crawled into his lap, straddling him. “Then how did she get pregnant, Mick? Stacey has an Elven son.”

Chapter Thirteen

Finally—Cassie dropped into a chair for the first time since the SOSC had shown up on their doorstep. She’d packed up Johnny, Stacey, and herself as quick as possible, but now a list of stuff left behind that they might need crowded her thoughts.

Meg’s flight from Seattle had landed earlier. Cassie had taken Johnny to the playground while Meg got unpacked in the room she would be sharing with Cassie. Johnny had fallen asleep an hour ago, and Meg now sat with him, giving Cassie a much-needed break.

On second thought, a moment to herself was a bad thing. Cassie sat on Conlon’s porch waiting for Stacey to arrive, feeling so alone her heart hurt in her chest. Maybe when Stacey returned she would just go on her own again. Her phone vibrated with an incoming text:
“Are we really staying at Conlon’s?”

Cassie couldn’t help but grin; no doubt Stacey was scared out of her mind over Conlon and trying to hide her fear from him. Conlon wasn’t much different; of all the Einar brothers, he’d always been the most tight-lipped. Cassie would bet anything Stacey and Conlon had spent hours going out of their way
not
to talk. Fates forbid one of them would slip up and share a personal hope, fear, dream, or desire. No question they were bloodmate-compatible. The question would be whether either of them would pull their head out of their ass and realize it or push each other away.

A pulse of energy at the chortal brought her to full alert.
That was fast.
She expected to see Stacey emerge … instead it was Mattie. Their eyes clashed across the distance of the campus. Cassie felt herself flinch, expecting to see the same anger as earlier. Instead she saw a sad resignation that surprised her. Why the sudden change? Mattie strode up and sat down in the chair next to her with a sigh.

“Can we talk? I’m sorry I was such a … bitch before.” Mattie’s demeanor had changed dramatically; she seemed almost defeated.

“What’s wrong, Mattie?” Without her sister glaring daggers at her, she could see something was really eating Mattie up inside. It was more than their conflict.

“Stacey told me you never meant for me not to find you … and Mother admitted she placed a ‘do not disclose’ clause on your SOSC file to make it impossible.” Cassie had already figured that out. Her mother really did hate her. “Will you please tell me what happened?”

Mattie would still have to mate Hans, even if she knew Cassie was in love with him. Part of her was grateful to the queen for stopping her that night. If her mother hadn’t caught her in the hall outside Hans’ guest chambers, Cassie’s selfishness could have destroyed their colony. It had taken her years to understand that … to forgive her mother. Cassie might not have known about the clause her mother placed on her file, but she understood it.

“I can’t tell you why, Mattie. All I can say is Mother had her reasons. I behaved selfishly, and luckily Mother saved me from making a huge mistake. She did the right thing to exile me. But I need you to know that I never meant to hide from you. When you didn’t contact me, I assumed you were angry. You’re my sister, Mattie—”

“What about Hans? Why didn’t you contact him? You couldn’t have possibly thought
he
was angry with you. That guy couldn’t be mad at you if you rib-boned him open with a knife. He practically …” Her voice trailed off and a peach flush colored her cheeks.

Shit.
She didn’t want Mattie to know. It would just make mating Hans more difficult on her sister. Obviously something in Cassie’s expression had given her away.

“Does this have to do with Hans?” Mattie’s voice whispered.

Trapped, knowing there was no way she could bullshit her way out of this, Cassie nodded. “Mother caught me attempting to sneak into his room. My intent to seduce him was obvious, based on my attire.”

Mattie’s eyes widened and her nose crinkled distastefully. “Seduce Hans? Why?”

Poor Hans. Mattie had never been attracted to him, probably never would be. At the time Cassie had tried to justify her intent with that knowledge. “Because I …”
Don’t admit the love part. Spare Mattie at least that much.
Cassie let out a long sigh. “Maybe all the years of being high-strung, Type-A, fix-everything-for-everyone, dependable girl caught up with me, and the rebel inside broke loose. I’ve always thought Hans was kind of cute.” She shrugged dismissively. Downplaying how important Hansi was to her twisted like a knife in her gut.

Mattie’s mouth gaped open in shock. The realization of what Cassie had said sunk in with a dawning expression, and Mattie started laughing. Not a happy “hehe” kind of laugh, but a sad, stuck-between-a-rock-and-a-hard-spot, utterly despondent laugh. Cassie’s heart broke for her, and for herself too. Maybe she should have taken off before Mattie had come to talk.

“Mattie.” She pulled her sister into a hug. “We both know your duty. What I almost did would have been treason … against you. Mother did the right thing casting me out. I’m sorry I hurt you.”

The tormented look in her sister’s eyes far exceeded the situation. Mattie shook her head as tears of misery rolled down her face. “You don’t know the half of it, Cassie. We both know you should become queen, not me.”

Now it was Cassie’s turn to gape. “You are first-born, Mattie. You will be a wonderful queen. Mother has been preparing you for centuries.”

Mattie pursed her lips—something she always did when annoyed or thinking about something difficult. Cassie had to smile at the expression she’d missed seeing on her sister’s face. “Can you believe when I confronted mother yesterday, she
actually almost
cried. Yes, that’s right, our mother. The formidable Queen Della Aleen had tears in her eyes.”

Of all the things Mattie had just told her, that tidbit shocked her the most. “Not possible. If you had seen her face
that
night … I thought she was going to kill me, Mattie, I honestly did.”

Mattie shrugged, flipping her phone open. “I know what I saw.” She dialed the keypad, hitting speakerphone so Cassie could hear the sound of the line ringing.

“Who are you calling? Please tell me it’s not Mother.” Cassie felt panic till the line picked up and a familiar male voice answered.

“Mattie. Where the hell are you? Have you talked to Cassiopeia?” His voice instantly changed her panicked sensation to longing. Mattie lifted a brow at her with a smirk.

“Why do you care, Hans?” Mattie demanded in her snapping, annoyed voice. The grin on her lips didn’t reach her eyes.

Cassie’s emotions clashed in her. Dread, hope, fear, and love all battled for supremacy while she held her breath and awaited his response. “What the hell, Mattie! What kind of question is that?” he deflected, and Cassie felt her shoulders sag in disappointment.

Mattie pursed her lips again. “I am going to ask you one question, Prince Hansi Alba, and if you don’t tell me the truth, I swear to the Fates I will insist we mate tonight. This is a yes or no. Are you hot for Cassiopeia?”

The silence stretched out for what felt like years then Hansi sighed softly into the phone. “Yes. I’m in love with her. Happy? Now tell me what’s going on or
I swear
to the Fates I’m going to strangle you.”

His declaration made her feel faint.
He loves me.
She clung to the fresh bloom of happiness that lit Mattie’s expression, using her sister’s smiling face to center her spinning universe. Her mouth opened, to say what, she had no idea. Mattie held a finger to her lip, shushing her.

Mattie kept her bitchy tone. “We’re in Mesa.”

Hans’ voice was hushed. “She’s sitting there with you, isn’t she?”

“Bye.”

“Wait—” Mattie snapped the phone shut on his next words.

Cassie’s emotions went from high to low in an instant. She had to nip this in the bud before it got out of hand. “I wish you hadn’t done that.”

Mattie pouted slightly and folded her arms defiantly across her chest. “Well, I’m glad I did.”

Cassie took a page from Stacey’s handbook and tried to keep her expression perfectly blank. “He’s my friend, Mattie. That’s it … I don’t love him. You’ve just set him up to be hurt.” Her throat filled with bile as the biggest, most difficult lie ever, breached her lips.

Shame flooded Mattie face. “Oh, man … why don’t I ever think before I do stuff?”

****

Conlon was impressed. By the time Stacey wrapped up her meeting, her people were motivated and driven to enact her directives. She inspired and rejuvenated them even after the disgrace of a man they had considered one of them. Pushing back from the table as the screens went black one by one, she thanked Michael as he left the room and Jack entered.

“Mark, I want you to take the plane to Mesa, Arizona. Jack will travel with you for protection. I will meet you there.” Stacey included Jack in her conversation. Jack opened his mouth to argue, then met Conlon’s face and snapped his lips together, nodding. “Take care of Alto. See to it that the house is safe and increase the guards before you head to the airport.”

Mark finally asked, “Where are you going?”

Stacey sighed. “I’m porting ahead to my son.”

“What’s … porting?” Mark lifted his brows with interest. Stacey finger-waved and Mark sulked out of the room.

Jack’s eyes snapped to Conlon’s face in question. “I’ll have the full report waiting for you when you get there,” Conlon answered his unasked question. Jack bowed slightly and left.

Conlon stepped behind Stacey, wrapping his arms around her waist. She stiffened and then relaxed against him. Placing her arms over his, she released a deep sigh. “Thank you for being here.” Her whispered confession, heartfelt and honest, gave him hope. In this relaxed pose, she felt slightly fevered rather than a raging inferno. He could not decide which he liked more.

This was his moment. “Stacey, I’m not—” “
The greatest communicator”
was what he’d intended to say, until eight people shimmered into view. Eros, Victor, Greycia, and Greyton had been joined by two more Sicarius males, Brock and Baden, who held leashes attached to Conlon’s brother Shane and Shane’s mate Jess. His brother pulled his mate into his arms the minute they were visible.

“Brother of mine.” Shane grinned knowingly at him. Conlon flipped him off and began introductions for Stacey, explaining that Shane was the commandant of the Human Integration Campus where Johnny and Cassie had been relocated.

Conlon pointed at Jess. “Why the heavy artillery?” His sister-in-law snorted. He could see Stacey taking in the physical presence of pint=size Jess. Conlon liked to tease Jess about being able to fit in Shane’s pocket. Truth was, she might not be the experienced warrior his brother had grown to be, but the female made “deadly” an understatement.
Like a pyrokinesis was rumored to do.

“Is my son in danger?” Stacey’s voice trembled, though Conlon doubted anyone else could detect it. As usual she appeared calm and in control. Her body against his heated a notch.

“He is well protected,” Shane assured her. “We moved Johnny, Cassie, and a human nanny named Meg into your house, Conlon. Hope you don’t mind.”

Stacey tapped her foot. “Don’t you think they could have
asked
me first? Isn’t commandeering someone’s life … like rogue behavior?” Conlon heard the bite in her voice; he recognized it now as a deflection mechanism she used to hide behind.

The warriors all looked at one another in stunned silence. Conlon turned Stacey to face him. “My home is plenty big enough for you, Johnny, Meg, and Cassie to stay. I would be honored if you will stay with me …”
Forever.
The word caught in his throat. Wow.

Her back to the others, she let her fear show in her eyes while they filled with tears. She nodded. He pulled her into a hug to give her a minute to collect herself without the other’s seeing what she considered weakness from her. Perspiration saturated him instantly.