Born of Shadows (The League Gen 1 #3)(44)
Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon

That was something Caillen could definitely understand. “C’mon, I’ll walk you out to him.”

Darling scoffed. “You’ve got nerve being here uncovered. They still think you killed your father.”

“Yeah, but they’re not paying attention to me.”

“All it takes is one and you’re screwed. No offense, I’m over my stupid quota for the day and I really can’t take another battle right now, so I’ll just stand here bleeding until Hauk makes it to me.”

“Your call.” Caillen’s gaze paused on the number of soldiers who’d gone down with obvious human wounds. “How much of this was you?”

“Most of it. The Enforcers have no idea what happened. Yet. The bomb Karissa set off took out about half the palace staff, hence the bodies around us. The moment she heard Sarra was coming for her, she had her daughter declare war on the Qills and they called in every trooper they could get. I give Sarra credit, she and her people cut through them in a way a League assassin team would envy.”

“How many did you take out?”

“Not enough, hence my wounds.”

He let out a “heh” sound at Darling’s droll tone. “Where are the women now?”

“That’s where it gets interesting.”

“Interesting how?”

“I was side by side with four members of the queen’s Guard when the bitches turned on me.”

Caillen scowled, not sure he’d heard that correctly. “What?”

He nodded. “They killed the three members who were on the queen’s side, then captured Sarra before she realized what was happening. As they were making their way out the back and scrambling for cover, I knew exactly what Karissa had planned—to kill all of us and buy herself time to escape. I tossed Maris out the doors and tried to save the men who were wounded.”

“Of all people, you know how explosives work. You don’t run toward them, buddy.”

“Yeah and I knew your father’s office would be shielded. The same thing that keeps a bomb from blowing it up on the outside also works for containing a blast when it occurs inside.”

True, but Caillen didn’t like his friend committing suicide either. “Why didn’t you get out before the blast?”

“He pulled out six men and saved their lives.”

Caillen turned to see Hauk joining them.

“I found one of the rescuees on my way here and he told me he owed his life to the Sentella.” Hauk shook his head at Darling. “How wounded are you?”

“Enough that it hurts to breathe. But I’ve had worse.” Darling turned his attention back to their conversation. “I have no idea where the women went. But I give them an A+ on Chaos Theory. They covered their tracks well. No one’s going to be hunting them for a while.”

Caillen let out a tired breath. Was this ever going to end?

“Hauk, get him out of here and patched up,” Darling breathed.

Hauk hesitated before he complied. “What are you going to do?” he asked Caillen.

“Track them.”

“I would laugh at your arrogance, but aside from your sister, you’re the one person I know who could pluck the right particle out of dark energy.” And given the fact that dark energy made up 70 percent of the universe, that was saying something. “Good luck, Cai.”

“You too.”

Darling wouldn’t let Hauk help him so long as there were Enforcers around, but his slow methodical movements confirmed the fact that he was in some serious pain. Caillen admired him for carrying on in spite of it all.

“It’s total chaos still. They’re trying to sort through bodies.”

Caillen froze at a deep, gravelly voice that had haunted his nightmares. A chill went over him as he scanned the people around him, trying to locate its source.

That bastard was here somewhere.

“I will see it done and call you back as soon as I can.”

His gaze narrowed on a thin, balding man a few feet to his right. Though he was much older, the features were the same. Even now, he could see the man kicking his father over and shooting him dead.

A dark cloud of rage seized him. Before he even realized what he was doing, he’d crossed the distance in the yard and pinned the bastard to the wall by his neck.

Recognition widened the man’s eyes as he struggled to breathe while Caillen held him in place with his forearm over his throat.

“You’re only alive because I know you know where my aunt is. If you don’t give me her location right now, I’m going to yield to the need I have to carve you into pieces.”

There was no missing the fear in his eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Caillen pressed even harder against his neck. “I was there, hiding, when you killed my father in a back alley.”

His face went pale. “What?”

“I saw and heard everything said between you and my aunt. And you were wrong. The garbage didn’t burn. It grew into one seriously pissed-off man who’s about to kill you.”

The man started wheezing from his pressure.

Caillen backed off only a degree. He couldn’t kill him yet. Not until he had the intel he needed. “Tell me where she is.”

“They’re waiting for me in the east bay.”

“And the Qillaq queen?”

“She’s with them as a hostage.”

“Cai?”

He looked sideways as Fain joined him. “Perfect timing.”

“For what?”

Caillen slung the man toward Fain. “Hold him. Watch him. Don’t let him make a call or a text.”

“Why?”

“Because if he’s lying to me, I’ll be back in a few minutes to kill him.”

Before Fain could speak another word, he left them to head to the hangar. It didn’t take long to reach it, mostly because he ran the entire way.

Until he reached the north bay where they’d landed. It was virtually empty. There were several large cargo ships and a dozen shuttles docked. But it was the craft with diplomatic markings that drew his interest.

All in all, a dumb choice. However, it fit his aunt’s ego nicely.

Blood surged through his body as he headed for it. But after two steps, he rethought the sanity of charging straight in there and confronting them. Don’t let your temper lead you. Because when it did, it always led to the grave.

He needed to let his battle calm take control. Yet for some reason, it had abandoned him. All he could see was his father dying. See his family struggling to survive with no parents. And why? Because of needless greed.

Let it go.

Something much easier said than done. Closing his eyes, he thought of Desideria. The moment he did, his anger dissipated. He found the peace he needed.

This time, he approached the ship from the back, through the shadows that had birthed and succored him. Even if they were scanning, they wouldn’t pick him up. The main hatch was up which would stop most people from getting on board without notifying them. But the beautiful part about being a smuggler was that he knew ships inside and out. Best of all, he knew access points where cargo could be loaded or removed even under the nose of the best-trained Enforcers.

While this was a diplomatic ship, it still had a small hatch that allowed food to be brought on board so as not to disturb the aristocratic passengers. Located in the rear, under the left wing, it was a perfect place to sneak on board.

Making sure they couldn’t see him, he quickly made his way to it and pried it open. It didn’t take long to crawl through it and into the galley. He slid into the ship, then closed the hatch. Pulling his blaster out, he went to the door and listened. The ship was so quiet that all he could hear was the beating of his heart.

But as he crept further down the corridor, he started picking up on a conversation.

“We should leave him.”

“Don’t you dare start this ship. He’ll be here in a minute.”

“Gah, what is wrong with you, Mother? You’re supposed to be Qillaq. Why would you risk our safety for a man?”

“Sit down, you little ingrate. But for me, your father would have married you off years ago for political gain. Just like you did me.”

Obviously that last comment was directed at Desideria’s mother, which meant she was still alive.

That was always a good sign.

For Desideria anyway.

“Mother, you’re impossible. We need to leave. Now!”

Caillen veered into the bunk room. As quietly as possible, he went to the crew station and hacked into the onboard computer so that he could use the video system to scout out the bridge.

His aunt sat in the captain’s chair while her daughter was to her left. Two pilots were in the forward seats and Desideria’s mother was bound and gagged in the seat behind his aunt.

The odds were definitely in his favor. But he had a better idea rather than barging in there and knocking their heads together.

Sealing and locking the bunk door, he opened an audio channel. “Nice move, ladies. But it won’t help you.”

Gasping, his aunt and cousin shot to their feet and drew weapons. “Where are you?”

“Close enough to be your innermost hemorrhoid.”

His aunt motioned for the two pilots to get up and go search for him. Caillen locked down the bridge access doors tightly so that all they could do was pound on the unresponsive portal. The sight of their anger amused him.

Leran ran to the con to fire the engines only to learn that he had complete control of the ship. Not them. There was nothing they could do to retake it.

Not unless they were Syn. Which, luckily, they weren’t.

Take that, you bitches.

His aunt cleared her throat. “Look, we don’t have to be enemies. If you want we could split—”

“The only thing I’ll split with you is your skull. I’m not dumb enough to fall for any lie out of your mouth.”

She held her blaster at the queen’s head. “Surrender to us or we’ll kill her.”

“Then kill her. I really don’t care. You’re the only one I want and I don’t care how many bodies I have to crawl over to get to you.”

His aunt looked around in disbelief. “Am I really the only one you want?”

“Yes.”

She lowered the blaster. “Then you won’t care if I kill my niece, Desideria?”

His heart stopped. He didn’t dare say anything that might betray him.

She held a remote up in her right hand. “All I have to do is press this button and Desideria’s throat will be cut. Stupid chit is surrounded with my people who are more than willing to kill her on my command. Did you really think I planned all of this alone?”

Caillen scrambled to isolate the trigger’s frequency. But he couldn’t. Whoever had designed it had skills and it made his temper snap.

There was nothing he could do.

His aunt curled her lip in smug satisfaction. “If you’re trying to jam my signal, don’t bother. You’ll never find it. Now be a good boy and surrender yourself or I’ll see Desideria dead within the next minute… maybe two.”

Caillen knew she would too. She’d already killed off her family. What was one more niece to her?

But that niece was everything to him.

What am I going to do?

In the end, he knew he had no choice. He couldn’t let Desideria die.

“All right. Don’t press it.”

She laughed. “Just like a man. Weak to the end.”

Yeah, he’d like to show her just how weak he was. But he wouldn’t kill Desideria for his ego.

“Unlock the ship, then you’ll have ten seconds to get up here. One second more and my niece will be nothing other than a bad memory.”

Even though it galled him, he did exactly what she said. As soon as he’d reprogrammed the computer, he ran to the bridge where his aunt waited with a blaster aimed straight for his head. “Can’t you ever die? You have been a pain in my ass since the moment you were born.”

He raked a cold glare over her. “Yeah, well, you haven’t exactly been the light of my solar system either, bitch.”

“You pathetic lovesick fool. But that’s all right. We can go ahead with our original plan. You killed the Qillaq queen and then we killed you as you were fleeing from the murder scene.”

“No one will ever believe that.”

“Sure they will. People are sheep. They believe whatever lies they’re told, especially when it comes from the media. After all, the news never lies.”

Sad thing was, he agreed with her. Most of the time they did.

“Get on your knees.”

Caillen refused. “I kneel for no one. I’ll die exactly how I’ve lived. On my feet.” Defiant to the end.

“Fine.” She flipped the switch from stun to kill an instant before the targeting dot centered on his forehead.

Caillen glared at her as he waited for the sound that would end his life.

A second later, another dot appeared over her heart. Frowning, his aunt looked down as puzzled by its appearance as he was.

“Only I get to shoot him.”

His jaw went slack as he recognized Desideria’s voice coming out of the pilot’s mouth…

No, it couldn’t be.

Could it?

It was obvious the pilot was female, but the suit gave no indication as to the wearer’s identity.

Stunned, his aunt stepped back and aimed for Desideria. Leran started forward to attack her, but the other pilot engaged her.

His aunt went to shoot, but Caillen rushed her before she could kill Desideria. Something not too bright since the blast hit him hard in his chest. Even so, he refused to go down. He wasn’t about to let her hurt Desideria.

Desideria rushed forward as she saw Caillen fighting her aunt for the blaster. The moment she reached them, she realized her aunt’s shot hadn’t missed him. Blood covered his chest and abdomen as he fought her with everything he had.