Ha'ven's Song (3 page)

“Ha’ven,” Adalard said turning to look at
his older brother as he started to rise. “Are you alright? The
other night I felt…” Adalard’s voice faded as he studied the huge
male across from him.

Ha’ven saw the concern on his younger
brother’s face. His eyes swept over the long scar marring Adalard’s
cheek. His brother refused to have it removed, stating it reminded
him of the dangers around him.

“I’m fine,” Ha’ven said with a short nod.
“Let’s see what plans have been set up. Raffvin is not the only
danger. We still have traitors of our own to deal with.”

Adalard nodded and stood up. He followed his
brother down the corridor and out through the small hatch located
under the belly of the spacecraft. Once Adalard was clear of the
transport, Ha’ven pressed a button on the belt wrapped low around
his hips. The transport shimmered for a moment before
disappearing.

The Curizans used a combination of
technology and ‘magic’ as some of the worlds called it. In reality,
they were able to gather energy from the world around them and
harness it within their bodies. Once there, they could manipulate
it to do whatever they desired. Each Curizan was born with a
different ability and level of control. Some used it for healing,
some became better pilots, some better warriors. Those that ruled
in the Royal House of Curizan could contain and manipulate it in
ways beyond the limited abilities of most of the citizens of
Ceran-Pax.

The Ha’darra family had ruled for centuries.
Their power was boundless as Ha’ven was discovering. Never had the
full extent of what they could do been explored as there had been a
fear that, if unleashed, it could destroy not only the one who
wielded it but the world itself. Ha’ven had always thought it was a
myth passed down through the centuries to warn those that followed
of the dangers of absolute power. After all, a dead man could not
rule a dead planet. Now he knew the warnings were real. If he was
unable to find a way of controlling the power building inside him
soon, there would be no other choice but to eliminate the threat to
his world.

“Ha’ven, are you ready?” Adalard asked
touching his arm. “The transporter room is ready when you are.”

“Give them the go,” Ha’ven said as he jerked
and muttered a low curse as he realized that Adalard was still
looking at him with concern.

Seconds later, he and Adalard were in the
central transport room inside the palace. If he had been on one of
the larger Curizan warships, he would have just materialized down
to the room but there was no way they could leave the transport in
space uninhabited. It contained new technology that he and Adalard
had recently developed. The small yet sleek transport was perfect
for missions like this. It was designed so a small crew of two or
three could travel for months in it quite comfortably if necessary
or for stealth missions like this one. They had designed it to work
specifically with the power they could manipulate. The weapons,
navigation and shields were enhanced as they fed their powers
directly into it.

He mostly used the transport for short trips
such as this, preferring to travel alone when possible. At first he
planned to travel by warship with Bahadur and Adalard but after a
lengthy discussion with Melek and his brothers, they had decided to
send several of their trusted generals, including Bahadur, to deal
with some of the rebel bases that Arrow had recently
discovered.

Arrow would lead the effort while Adalard
and he worked with the Valdier. Raffvin was one of the key
instigators behind the rebellion and one of the most deadly. He
needed to be stopped once and for all.

He breathed deeply as he felt the energy
surrounding him as the controller locked onto his position. His
eyes narrowed as he felt the energy of the transporter beam meld
with the energy inside him. He did not feel the disorientation that
many others complained about at first. He could see and feel his
body breaking into the smallest form and reveled in the sense of
freedom it gave him. He almost groaned as he felt his body
rematerialize on the platform.

I really need to figure out how to do
that on my own,
he thought before his eyes met the dark golden
ones of Creon Reykill.

“Zoran has called a meeting,” Creon
explained as they walked through the corridors of the Valdier
palace. “
Dola’s
mate will be there as well. He has a plan
that he believes will work. Have you found out anything else about
those on your world that were working with Ben’qumain?”

“Yes, it would seem even in death my former
stepbrother is causing trouble,” Ha’ven said heavily.

“I’m just glad he is dead,” Adalard said
running his fingers along the long scar on his cheek. “I wish I had
been there when Zoran burned him.”

Ha’ven didn’t respond. He had been there. In
fact, he had been the one to draw Ben’qumain’s power away from him
so he could not use it to attack Zoran. While his stepbrother had
been royalty, he had not been very powerful. That was one of the
things he had been jealous of Ha’ven. Unfortunately, Aria had been
and had known how to imprison Ha’ven. What neither of them expected
was the power that she would unwittingly unleash during his time on
Hell.

The men strode down the long, gleaming
hallways. Glossy white and black marble glistened on the floors and
walls. Ha’ven shot his friend an amused look. He didn’t want to say
anything but his friend looked like he had been held on the
asteroid and tortured as well. Lines of exhaustion showed around
his eyes and mouth, not to mention his hair was bound crookedly
behind him as if it had been done in haste.

“How is mated life treating you?” Ha’ven
couldn’t resist asking. “You look...” He finished his comment with
a wave at Creon’s hair instead.

“What?” Creon responded distractedly before
he released a small grin. “Mated life is great,” he said ignoring
Adalard’s choked cough of disbelief. “It is being a father that is…
challenging. Having two tiny females is nerve-wracking. They are so
small. I fear I’ll hurt them just picking them up. Carmen insists
they are tougher than they look but I do not understand how that is
possible. You should see Trelon,” he added with a huge grin. “If
you think I look bad, he looks a million times worse. I don’t think
he has slept more than a few hours at a time since his two were
born.”

Ha’ven’s shook his head. “I am just glad it
is you and not me, my friend,” he said in distaste. “I can’t
believe you and Vox have fallen for this species. What is it about
them that made both of you lose your control?”

Creon stopped in the hallway and studied his
friend. He wasn’t the only one looking tired. Something was wrong
with Ha’ven. He knew the huge Curizan warrior well enough to know
better than to ask though. If he was patient, he would learn what
was bothering his friend. Despite the tiredness, he could also see
curiosity shining in his intense stare as well.

“She fills the empty space inside me,” Creon
said quietly. “I was worried when I returned with her to her
world.”

“Why?” Adalard asked moving to stand next to
his brother. “What happened?”

Creon looked down the long corridor for
several long moments before he turned back to face both men. His
face was grim. He glanced around once more before he nodded toward
a small alcove near a set of windows. He walked over to it and
leaned back against the wall near the long windows that looked out
over the central garden.

“Carmen needed closure,” Creon began looking
fiercely at both men. “Her first mate was murdered and she was
gravely wounded by a very dangerous male back on her world while
she was protecting the youngling of another. She was pregnant when
she was attacked and lost her babe as well. She wanted…” Creon
paused, drawing in a deep breath as he turned to look out over the
gardens. “She needed the closure before she could accept her new
life. She wanted to find and eliminate the male who had taken so
much from her. I knew she would not be able to move on unless she
was able to do this.”

Adalard cursed under his breath. “I cannot
hold that against her but how could you risk placing her in the
same danger again?” He asked in disbelief. “She was carrying your
younglings at the time, wasn’t she?”

Creon turned and scowled at Adalard. “Yes,
but you have met Ariel. Carmen is even more stubborn than her
sister! What do you think would have happened if I had denied her?
She and Ariel had already tried to escape once. Do you truly think
I would take a chance with her life? It was the only way I could
think to keep her with me. She… she came close to ending her life
more than once. I was not about to take the chance of it happening
again,” Creon retorted tersely.

Ha’ven put his hand on Creon’s arm. “We give
no judgment of your decision, Creon. I, better than most, know you
would never purposely endanger those you care about,” he said
quietly.

Creon’s eyes jerked to Ha’ven’s. He saw no
recrimination in them even if it would have been justified. It was
his fault that Ha’ven had been captured and tortured. It had been
his stubborn refusal to believe Aria, the woman he thought he
loved, would betray him. His denial had almost cost Ha’ven his
life. He had killed Aria, drawing every traitorous act she
committed from her before he gave her the relief of death. After he
and Vox had rescued Ha’ven from the prison he had been held in, he
had wished he had taken even more time in killing the bitch.

Creon’s eyes flickered to Adalard who nodded
in agreement. “I meant no disrespect, Creon. It is just hard to
believe females react so differently. Even our females are not
fighters in the true sense. They can be lying, deceitful bitches
but they do not know how to fight as a warrior. I have seen
Mandra’s mate in action. I can just imagine what your mate must be
like,” he said with a twisted grin.

“I made sure she was protected at all times
not that it made much difference. She still took matters into her
own hands. Shortly after we returned to her world a male she knew
contacted her and told her where she could find the human she
hunted. I, along with Carmen, Jaguin and Gunner, went to confront
him,” Creon paused and his eyes turned a dark gold revealing his
anger. “The male had two females in the room with him. Both females
had been brutally beaten and tortured. He did this in retribution
for an injury that he blamed on Carmen. The human looked for any
female that remotely resembled my mate. Once found, he would
torture and kill them. According to one of the females we rescued,
he had already killed two others shortly before we arrived.”

Ha’ven hissed as he stepped back. He knew
all too well what it felt like to be tortured. The feeling of being
helpless. The feelings of hopelessness and finally the rage at
being at the mercy and control of another. Then came the next wave
of feelings. The wish to escape from the pain, whether through
death or by any other means. He could not imagine someone
inflicting such pain against innocent women simply for the pleasure
of causing it. It went against every principle inside him.

“What of the females?” Adalard asked
curiously. “You returned with them?”

Creon nodded. “Yes, one of them is Jaguin’s
life mate,” he said.

Ha’ven turned as the door across from them
opened and Zoran stood in the doorway frowning at them. Mated life
must be good for the huge leader of the Valdier because it wasn’t
exhaustion causing the frown on his face, it looked more like
impatience as his eyes darted down the corridor.

“What are you doing there? I want to get
this over with,” Zoran growled out. “Abby and Zohar will be waiting
dinner if we don’t get this over with soon.”

Ha’ven rolled his eyes. “As usual, I see you
are your typically pleasant self,” he drawled out as he stepped out
of the alcove first.

“Shut up, Ha’ven,” Zoran retorted. “Creon
should have let me burn your ass. I don’t know why he likes to hang
with you and that fur ball so much.”

“Maybe because we don’t have a stick up our
asses like you?” Ha’ven couldn’t help the taunt about how uptight
Zoran usually was about everything.

“One of these days, pretty boy, you won’t
have your fancy technology to hide behind,” Zoran snapped but the
amused gleam in his eye took the bite out of his words.

Ha’ven chuckled. “Never. It is as much a
part of me as your dragon and symbiot are of you.” He didn’t add it
was more than technology that protected him.

“Greetings, Lady Ariel, Lady Reykill,”
Adalard spoke up as he came in the room behind his brother. “May I
say you both look as enchanting as ever. I see Bahadur has not been
able to entice you away from the huge ass dragon who has claimed
you, Lady Ariel.”

Mandra’s dark growl rippled through the air
as he pulled Ariel closer to his hard body. His eyes darted past
Ha’ven and Adalard to Creon. He watched his little brother shake
his head showing that Bahadur was not there. He released the breath
he had drawn in.

“You are going to need a new general if that
bastard doesn’t stop sending her gifts. I’m going to cut him into
little pieces and send him back to his home world in a very small
box,” Mandra growled in a deep voice.

Morian’s and Ariel’s laughter filled the
room as the men began competing to discover the best way to kill
Bahadur. Even Ha’ven couldn’t resist adding a few suggestions.
Things did not calm back down until a strange male quietly entered
the room. Ha’ven’s eyes swept over Paul Grove as he entered. A
ripple of unease brushed over Ha’ven as he realized that this male
had in a matter of seconds taken note of everything in the room and
he had no doubt that the male would be a deadly opponent if
confronted. The male’s gaze settled on Morian Reykill who flushed a
delicate pink before she and Ariel quietly excused themselves.