Forbidden (A Serian Novel) (12 page)

Chapter Nineteen

Slade held the tray of food in one hand as he opened the door. There she was, standing against the wall with her arms crossed over her barely covered breast. The shirt she wore didn't cover her flat stomach and dipped too low, exposing those breasts he loved seeing, but didn't want anyone else to see. He was really messed up. Next time he came, he'd bring more clothes for her.

"I don't want your help anymore."

He stopped when he heard her voice for the first time. A soft voice, though she was attempting to be stern. "Why?"

That beautiful mouth opened and closed a couple of times before she spoke again. "I don't want the help of a Serian. You're only trying to trick me and you're no better than the others."

So pretty, and then she had to go and say the one thing that would piss him off. "I was just trying to keep you from being killed or worse—raped. I've risked my life to help you and I don't appreciate you linking me with the others."

Laili stepped forward. "I've seen you look at my breast just like the others and you watch my lips when I talk. I'm not stupid. I cut my hair and for some reason I'm still fighting off men like you just so I'm not raped. I don't need you to risk your life for me, so just leave."

"Well, here." He slammed the tray onto the ground and stomped out of there before he said something he'd really regret.

He needed to get his frustration out, so he headed to the sparring room. Beating someone was the only thing that would calm him down. If not, he'd end up walking
right back into that room and kissing those stubborn lips.

"Hey." Mikhail passed him.

Slade ignored him and kept walking until a tight grip pulled him to a stop.

"I just wanted to warn you that Jacrar is back and he has Ryder."

"Shit." Any other time Slade wouldn't have stopped. "Do we have plans in motion to get him out?"

"Not fully, but Gage has something going on. I'll let you know when I know more."

Slade watched Mikhail walk away and decided he needed to fight more than he did before. Things were about to go down and lives were going to be lost. And Jacrar was probably planning on using the healer for Ryder so he could torture him longer.

He turned back around and headed toward her room.

****

She’d gone and done it. He wouldn't come back now and she didn't have to worry about him being killed to protect her. When she said he was just like the others, she knew it was the right thing to say.

It hurt to see him get so angry at her, but it was the only way. Now she just had to wait until they came for her. With Slade out of the way, it wouldn't be long until they came for her.

As if on cue, the door lock clicked and she thought maybe it was Slade. Then the door swung open and she hated how wrong she was.

Jacrar grinned at her. "You've lasted longer than I thought. I guess Slade was really protecting you while I was gone. Good thing he's left you alone now or he'd likely be killed."

Laili gasped and took a step back as the large Co
mmander stepped into the tight quarters.

"Let's go. I've got someone I need you to heal." His grip on her arm caused her to cry out in pain as he dragged her out of the room and down the long hallway. His strides were long and fast and her feet barely touched the ground along the way.

Hearing mention of Slade out of Jacrar's mouth brought tears to her eyes. She hoped she hadn’t waited until it was too late to send him away.

Chapter Twenty

"We need to start thinking about a plan to get to Seria." Talia's voice awoke Anara.

"Seria?"
Her throat felt scratchy and dry when she tried to speak.

Why would they go to Seria? Her heart started to beat faster when she realized why.
Ryder.
She’d failed him.

She opened to him and hit a wall.
A wall coming from Talia. "I need to connect with him. Please."

Her eyes watered as she pleaded with Talia. Panic consumed her while she tried again and again to get to him.

"If I let go, you'll feel his every pain. We need you awake if we're going to help him." Talia held her ground.

Anara knew she spoke the truth, and she also knew Talia didn't give up when she felt strongly about something.

Her body and mind started to relax as a hand rested atop her own. Anara glanced up to find Acacia standing beside the bed. She seemed stronger, but still the timid girl Anara remembered with her head down and eyes averted.

"Thank you," Anara said. If not for Acacia calming her with her ability, Anara was sure she'd have been crying uncontrollably at finally seeing her again.

"You're in so much pain," she said in her mesmerizing voice. Straight black hair fell forward to tickle Anara's arm as Acacia leaned in to inspect her with ice blue eyes.

Everyone, including Nasim who brooded at the
door, turned an astonished gaze to Acacia. As a child, she never spoke much, and from the looks everyone gave her, she still didn't.

Anara watched her in awe as arms wrapped around her from behind. Glancing back, she saw Isen for the first time.

The family she thought she’d lost all stood around her, willing to go back to Seria for her and her mate.

She never expected lanky Isen to have such large muscles and have grown so tall. His red hair made her smile as strands went in every direction they pleased. His green eyes lit up with happiness, and his scar, starting from the hairline on the right stretched down to his lip, showed his gruesome past.

"I can't believe this is really happening."

"Me neither. We thought you were dead and now here you are. So, what is this I heard about a Lamira?"

No way could she keep from smiling at the sight of his familiar lopsided grin.

"I don't think I like the thought of my little sister becoming a woman."

"Well, according to Talia and Anara, we have to get over it." Nasim's surly voice came from the doorway.

"Did you see Ryder?" She saw Nasim stiffen.

"They already took him and we found you thrashing around on the ground." His words came out in a harsh tone.

"Nasim!”
Talia punched him in the arm. “No, we didn't see him, but we're going to bring him home."

"I'm going." Everyone, even Acacia, looked at her as if she'd grown another head. "I have to help him. None of you understand how it feels to know your mate is in trouble and in pain."

She forced herself up and out the bed. Her body felt heavy, but she hid the evidence well.

"I have an idea." Isen pulled a square object from his bag and opened it up. The high-tech gadget lit up to
show a red dot blinking on the screen. "This is where the ship your Lamira came in sits. I try to track well-known landing locations to know if they are close to us. Also to help runaways."

"You help others?" she questioned them all. They would all die if captured, yet they took the risk to help strangers. Now they prepared to take the biggest risk by going back to a place they’d luckily escaped the first time.
To help her and Ryder.

"Yes, and now we need to help out our own family." Isen pointed to the blinking light. "This is where we'll head. Now, we need someone we can trust on Seria."

Nasim snorted and crossed his arms across his chest. "We're out of luck in that department. What Serian could we trust?"

"I have an idea."
Talia spoke up, her voice uncertain. "There's another Jatron on the ship, and he spoke to me."

Everyone talked at once.

"Quiet! In my head. He spoke to me in my head. I don't know how, and right now, it's not the point. He said he's a friend of Ryder's and wants to help him."

Nasim shook his head with disapproval.
"A trick."

"I have to agree with Nasim," Isen chimed in.

"No, she's right. His name is Gage. He tried to step in to help Ryder. I saw him and I felt the bond between them. We have to use his help. He may be our only hope," Anara said, hoping everyone agreed.

Chapter Twenty-One

Chains clinked together as they held Ryder dangling with his toes inches above the ground. His arms burned as his weight seemed to increase over the hours. Blood pooled on the floor from his father's beating. A whip, knives, and objects Ryder didn't recognize had left their marks across his body. Jacrar loved to make his own weapons to play with.

He couldn't smell anything but feces, sweat, and decay. Behind him, a fire burned inside the fireplace, causing sweat to pour down his back. He wished his father had strapped him in the chair instead of the chains; at least his arms would have a break.

Ryder's throat grew dry, but he could've been worse off. Gage had taken a risk to sneak in and bring him food and water. Getting past his father's loyal followers couldn't have been easy.

Thinking about Anara kept him going. Especially, thinking about the way her body melted against him at the slightest touch, and watching her mischievous and unsure smile as she slid down his body. Her trust in him, even now, still pushed him forward.

He reached for her and failed. Something blocked him from speaking to her. He knew he wouldn't live through his father's fun, but he swore to himself, and to Anara, he would assure her safety. Living stayed his only priority until he knew with certainty his father had lost her for good.

The click of a lock sounded, then the door opened, and thundering footsteps echoed in the small chamber. He didn't have to be able to lift his head to know his father had come back for more. Jacrar snagged him by
the hair and jerked his head, forcing him to look into cold eyes. Pain ripped through his body, and his neck started to burn again. Jacrar had thought it a good idea to burn the brand of the three chain links over the Serian symbol.

"It seems we have a problem finding your whore." Veins bulged from his father's neck and head as his anger rose.

Ryder grinned, tasting copper in his mouth. "Not good," he said with a sarcastic tone.

Jacrar's veins strained against his skin. "I'm glad you think this is funny." His eyes never left Ryder's as he gave his next command. "Bring in the girl."

Jacrar whirled around, leaving Ryder alone with the healer.

She never spoke and never looked him in the eyes. Tender hands pressed against his chest. A small burn turned into a fire raging through his body. He yelled in pain as broken bones mended. Cuts and bruises healed last, leaving him gasping for air.

"I can't heal the brand. I'm sorry," she whispered, before turning away.

"Wait." He didn't mean for his voice to come out commanding. Ryder took a deep breath. "Please."

She halted, but kept her back to him.

"How did he find you?" His father killed all inn
ocents. Dread filled him for the poor girl. Rags covered her body to a bare minimum. Someone had chopped her black hair to her chin; her delicate face was covered in dirt and sweat, but that didn't hide her true beauty. Still, she didn’t compare to his Anara.

"One of his soldiers saw me with another half-breed, and turned us in. They raided our home, and captured me. Now here I am.” She sounded lost, without hope.

Ryder strained to hear her words. "Are you Laili?"

She spun around. "Yes. No one seems to know my name around here. It's either healer or half-breed."

"I swear, if there is any possibility, I will free you." He spoke the truth, but kept quiet about Anara.

"I don't want to be your slave any more than I do your father's." Her voice grew stronger.
Louder.

"I don't want a slave. I know someone who can help you, or at least he would try to help you." Nothing he did now could fix his past mistakes, but he needed to start somewhere. Anara had changed him and made him want to do the right thing.

She swiveled, her eyes wide and jaw dropped open. "No! He'll get hurt. I don't want anyone risking their lives for me."

Why wouldn't she want to be saved?

His father entered then, interrupting their exchange. "Leave."

The girl dropped her head, and left him with Jacrar.

Once again, his torture began. His father picked up his first choice in weapons. A whip. He gave no time to prepare before he flicked his hand and let the tip of the whip slice Ryder's skin.

Ryder ground his teeth to keep from giving his f
ather the satisfaction of his scream. The slash stung as another joined it. And another. Time slowed as he waited for his father's next choice.

"Scream! Cry as I break you once and for all. I'm going to love hearing you beg for mercy as I kill your whore right here. You'll beg like your mother did." He sliced his knife across Ryder’s cheek.

Ryder closed his eyes, trying to ignore the words and the pain. Blood ran down his cheek, adding more gore to the blood-stained floor. Rage numbed the pain enough for him to look his father in the eyes.

"You will be the one begging." He loved the twinge of shock that crossed his father's face. Jacrar always said Ryder didn't inherit anything from him, but he didn't know the truth. His father's rage boiled inside Ryder's own body, a trait his mother never wanted him to
inherit.

"I see you're feeling better. Maybe we'll start again."

Another weapon.

Another hour.

His eyes swelled shut, and he couldn't move as he weakened from blood loss. All contents in his stomach had long ago emptied onto the floor. And his father laughed.

"Bring the girl again, before he ends up dead."

The sound of heavy footsteps moved away from Ryder, and a softer tread of feet came closer.

"I'll be back later," Jacrar called out before leaving him alone with Laili.

Ryder's body shivered from the promise in his father's words.

****

Slade stood in front of the opened door. She was gone. Not that he didn't know exactly where she was, but if he showed up there, then everything would be over. He had no reason to communicate with her and Jacrar would know the truth.

"Looks like I'll finally get that chance." The young Antika walked by laughing.

It was hard for Slade to stay put as the idiot walked by. At least he wasn't intoxicated this time. Well, that was worse. It just meant the Antika really was an idiot.

"Slade."
Jacrar's second in command came up behind him.

Deep breaths.
Slade turned to look at the ugliest Serian he'd ever seen. "What do you want?"

"Jacrar wants you on guard duty."

That's where it started. He really screwed up this time. He didn't want to get Laili out at first, but now was the time to do so. Things were going down soon and Slade didn't want her anywhere near the chaos. The small group of Serians they had was just enough to take down Jacrar and then maybe they could get more help to take down the Elders.

"If you see Mikhail, Jacrar also wants him on guard duty. First thing tomorrow night," the Serian said.

And there it was. Slade had actually screwed up Mikhail's cover in the process of destroying his own.