as he turned back toward the guard. “I distinctly remember dismissing you.” His voice was pitched low with twin notes of irritation and boredom—something he had learned out of necessity after twenty-four long years of serving Sela, the Queen of the Cunts.
Fear flashed through the guard’s watery blue eyes. “Yes, my lord. But…”
“But what?” Marco’s voice was soft but distinct, and he nearly smiled when the guard’s already pasty face whitened a few more shades.
“I thought you should be apprised of Danen’s new orders regarding the doctor.”
Marco’s brow furrowed. “Danen is not the council head. He has no authority to give orders without approval of myself or the majority of the council.”
The guard swallowed hard, and a bead of sweat trickled from his hairline to carve a path over his temple and down onto his cheek. “Yes, my lord. Danen gained approval from one other council member and Aedan, the Queen’s consort.”
Marco’s jaw clenched along with his fists as a spurt of fear shot through him. Not for himself, but for the fiery little doctor.
Kiera wasn’t his flesh and blood, but he had worked hard to ensure she had a place in Cunt society if she wanted it, even if it was on the periphery.
That was the least he could do for Cecily, since he had gotten her killed. “What were the orders?”
“That Dr. Matthews is a traitor to the Cunts and must be killed immediately.”
Marco nodded once but was careful to keep his face a blank mask. “Thank you for informing me. Keep Danen confined on my orders, and tell no one his whereabouts or that you’ve even seen him. Dismissed.” This time he watched until the guard closed the door behind him.
For a long moment, his mind sifted through possibilities, discarding them one after another until he was left with only one.
One he swore he would never take.
He smiled grimly. How arrogant he had been to think himself invincible and his cause so clearly in the right. No matter how readily he now admitted his mistake, sacrificing his pride to correct it would be one of the hardest things he had ever done.
His gaze fixed on the exploding sunrise—possibly the last he would ever see if he took this path. Sela wasn’t very forgiving, especially of those like himself who were harder to replace. Not impossible—no one was irreplaceable. Just more difficult.
For the first time in many years he felt…peace. He shrugged his shoulders, not used to the sensation and not sure if he could become used to it again.
It was time to contact an old friend. And if his old friend didn’t kill Marco on sight, maybe something could be done to help Kiera out of her current situation.
Gavin scowled as he pushed through the bone-chilling cold of the between —the pathway between Tador and Earth. With a wave of his hand, the portal opened in front of him, slowly expanding until it was an oval big enough for him to step through.
He winced as the bright morning Phoenix sunlight nearly blinded him after the inky blackness of the between . Heat prickled against his skin in thick waves, and he shivered.
It was probably eighty degrees outside, which would rise to well over one hundred later in the day, but after the numbing cold of the between , he felt as if he’d been plunged into a sauna.
He scanned the area as his body adjusted, alert for any treachery.
It had been nearly twenty-four years since he or anyone else had used this portal, and for good reason. The Cunts had used this particular portal to transport en masse behind the castle on Tador the day they tried to overthrow the current queen’s parents, King Darius and Queen Annalecia.
The screams of pain, betrayal and anger from that day still haunted his nightmares, along with the stench of charred flesh and death.
His jaw clenched as those vivid images replayed themselves inside his mind’s eye.
Guilt still lay heavy on his shoulders. He hadn’t been at fault. However, his best friend had not only sided with the enemy but had planned the attack using his knowledge of Gavin’s defense tactics. If it hadn’t been for his unlikely friendship, many might still be alive today.
He shook his head to clear the disturbing memories.
As soon as the uprising had been contained and all the Cunts banished to live on Earth with the humans, Gavin had sealed this portal along with several others that led to areas not easily protected or patrolled in the long-term.
In fact, that was one of the few times Gavin had actually appreciated his special talent.
Every Klatch—and every Cunt, for that matter—had one special skill beyond normal witch’s abilities which was uniquely theirs. Gavin could create portals between Tador and Earth, although they weren’t always stable, and he could seal and unseal them.
He had been surprised to receive a request to meet here, but the location told him instantly who requested the meeting, even though the note had held no signature.
The very same man who had betrayed not only Gavin, but his entire race that day.
Long-held pain and anger burned in Gavin’s chest, and he swallowed it back. Logic, not emotion, was needed when dealing with the Cunt Council. It was his job to be aware of anything that might pose a threat to his royal charges, so this meeting couldn’t go unacknowledged.
Due to his past history, he had thought about having another guard go in his stead. However, there was none other he trusted to cross wits with Marco. Gavin had even considered sending enough Klatch to capture or kill his old friend. But then another would take his place on the Cunt Council, someone Gavin couldn’t read quite as well.
Better the devil you knew than the new Cunt council member you didn’t.
When he was sure there were no ambushes waiting for him, Gavin glanced around at the neatly planted rows of cotton, the scents of rich earth filling his nostrils.
Off to his left was a well-used road, and just beyond was a newly built Starbucks. He shook his head. He wouldn’t be surprised if Queen Alyssandra soon commissioned one to be franchised on Tador. The thought made him smile.
The new queen brought a breath of fresh air to Tador. She had been raised on Earth by the very Cunts who kidnapped her nearly a quarter of a century ago, and yet she had returned to the Klatch stronger than she might have been if she had been raised in relative luxury on her home planet.
How ironic that the Cunt’s treachery had helped shape the very woman who would save the planet they had fought to control.
A truck carrying square hay bales ambled by on squeaky axles, breaking him from his thoughts. Stray pieces of hay filled the air, along with a healthy dose of dust, and Gavin closed his eyes until the debris settled. He trudged up the outer berm of the cotton field and crossed the road to the coffee shop.
Marco sat just inside the large picture window at the front of the lobby in one of the plush armchairs. A large white paper cup emblazoned with the Starbucks logo sat beside him on the round coffee table.
As
