Untamed Hawaiian Heat (Rift Hunters) (29 page)

“Ahh. Yes, now I remember. So this is the one the Akadios—Remigius, wasn’t it?—cried out for as he died.”

“Yes.”

Mateo fought the anger threatening to boil up inside at the mention of Remi’s name. His heart clenched at the thought of his lover crying out for him. God, could this situation get any worse? A shuffling in the chair beside him followed by a muffled groan caught his attention. Shifting his eyes to the left, he saw Tiaki roll his head as he groaned aloud.

“You should be happier about this, Mordred, my love.”

Mateo lifted his head a fraction of an inch to see a stunning red-haired woman trailing her finger along the jaw of a man he could only assume was Mordred.

“Mother may indeed agree to give the three of them over to the kyrios to do some experiments. Who knows, he may even find a way to stabilize the serum so you won’t have to consume the core magic the way you have been.”

Mordred jerked his face away from her touch. “Don’t call me love, Atê. You and I are nothing to each other.” He stalked to the window. “I don’t like it. There’s something not right about that old man.”

Atê laughed. The sound rang off the high ceiling, sending a chill down Mateo’s spine. “You really believe you have a choice in this matter, Mordred?” She moved closer to him. “Need I remind you that you’re the one who agreed to be one of his guinea pigs? All because you were mad at Daddy.”

Mordred spun on her and caught Atê by the throat. “I did not agree to him experimenting on me. That was Aizik and Thanos.” He released her and paced to the throne and back. “Fine. If you want to give them to her, I don’t care. As long as you get them off this planet. They’re interfering with the mission I was sent here to complete.”

Tiaki moaned again, drawing their attention.

“Ahh. They stir.”

Mateo finally rolled his head to ease the stiffness in his neck and groaned when a sharp pain shot through it. Glancing around from beneath his lowered eyelids, he saw Tiaki, Ash, and Grant also strapped to chairs. There was another chair off to the side, but all he could see was a pair of boots. Despite not being able to see who was sitting in it, he had a sinking feeling he already knew.

The woman Mordred had called Atê came to stand before him. “Shall we test Thanos’s theory, my darling, and find out if they are truly bonded as he says?”

A shadow fell across Mateo’s face as Mordred moved to her side. “I don’t give a damn if they are or not. Call Eris or whoever has been helping you move back and forth between the galaxies and get them out of here.” Mordred spun on his heel and slammed out of the room.

Atê leaned in until her face was level with his. “Hmm. First I hear an Akadios was so taken with you that he called out for you as he died. Now Thanos tells us you’re bound to a Rift Hunter. I wonder what it would take to make you break and reveal what you truly feel.” She raised a delicate eyebrow as another door slammed somewhere behind him.

“What is it you require, Atê?”

Mateo stiffened at the sound of Thanos’s voice. He’d encountered the man enough to know it was him. He was still stunned Tiaki was his brother. They couldn’t be more different.

Atê stood and motioned for Thanos to join her. “It’s quite simple, Thanos.” She waved her hand, and a dagger appeared out of thin air in her palm. She held it out to Thanos handle first. “I’d like you to help me ascertain if you’re correct about them being bonded.”

Mateo fought the hatred that flared toward Thanos as his gaze darted from Tiaki to the dagger and back.

“And how would I be doing that?” Thanos asked.

Mateo felt something inside stir when the dagger disappeared and reappeared in Thanos’s hand. He reached for the feeling to figure out what it was, but it vanished so quickly he thought he’d imagined it.

Atê laughed. “I’m sure you know exactly what I mean.”

She crossed the room to a person in the chair off to the side. He prayed it wasn’t who he thought it would be. Two hulking cyborgs lifted the chair and moved it so it sat directly across from him. The next thing he knew, he was staring into Kiana’s smudged and angry face.
Shit!
He jerked on the ropes holding his hands. He was vaguely aware of the others doing the same.

The goddess knelt behind Kiana and pushed the hair that had escaped from her braid away from her neck. Stroking a finger down the column of Kiana’s throat, Atê raised her eyes and met his gaze. She smiled.

“Hmm. I do believe we have something you care for a great deal.”

Kiana cried out as Atê twisted a hand in her hair and jerked her head back, exposing more of her throat.

Hatred burned inside Mateo, but he refused to make a sound. Without being able to fight back, he’d be helpless to assist her, much less attempt to heal her the way Tiaki had if Atê carried out her threat.

With a wave of her hand, another dagger appeared within Atê’s grasp. She lazily drew the tip along the length of Kiana’s neck. She watched him like a hawk. He wouldn’t let her see any weakness.

“Don’t give in to her, Lieutenant Castillo.” Kiana’s order was followed by a sharp intake of breath when Atê pricked her skin with the tip of the knife.

“Silence,
anoiti thniti!
I didn’t give you permission to speak.”

Mateo remained completely still. He didn’t need to be ordered to keep quiet. He’d long ago learned to focus on something else to keep his reactions in check. He held Kiana’s gaze, desperately wishing he could get their com link back up. He made the mistake of glancing down. At the sight of the drop of blood rolling down her neck, he felt the twinge he’d experienced earlier.

Not wanting to draw attention to whatever was happening inside him, he returned his gaze to Kiana’s. He turned his thoughts inward, seeking the source of the anomaly.

“Hmm. Maybe you have too much control when just one of your mates is at stake.” She gestured to the guards standing at the side of the room. “Come. Move the Hunter so he sits beside the woman.”

Mateo concentrated on Kiana and refused to look at Tiaki. He wouldn’t have a reaction anyway. The connection he’d allowed to form earlier to help locate Kiana had been severed. And he damn sure wasn’t going to search for a way to fix it. He’d never wanted the connection anyway.

“Thanos, hold the dagger to his throat.” When Thanos didn’t move immediately, she added, “Don’t make me call my sisters in. I’m sure they’d be more than happy to take you for the disciplining you rightfully deserve for the debacle with Ferran.”

“Thanos, don’t do this. He’s your brother,” Kiana cried.

Tiaki turned his head and gave Kiana a comforting look. “I don’t think it’s a matter of choice for him anymore, Kiana.” He looked at Thanos as he moved to his side. “Is it, brother?”

Thanos ignored Tiaki and pressed the blade to his neck.

“No!” Kiana cried.

Atê laughed. “I see you’re an easy one to taunt, my dear. I wonder what will happen if I threaten the one they say you’ve loved longer.” She motioned to one of the guards.

Mateo didn’t even flinch when a knife appeared at his neck. He didn’t fear death. Not for himself. For Kiana, yes. Unfortunately he couldn’t figure a way out of this situation.
Maybe the Hunter can
. The thought flittered into his mind, and he shifted his eyes to Tiaki and met his gaze.

As Mateo watched, he saw a subtle shift of something within the crystalline blue depths of Tiaki’s eyes. Warmth washed through his heart. The only thing he could compare it to was how he felt every moment he’d ever spent with Kiana. It was like coming home. He started to look away.

“Cut him, Thanos.”

Mateo saw the blade slice into Tiaki’s flesh in slow motion. The sharp edge pressed in, splitting through the top layer of skin.

The cut wasn’t enough to do any lasting damage. Just deep enough to draw a line of dark red blood to the surface.

Mateo heard Kiana scream as though from far away. The outrage and love contained within her voice ignited something inside. He didn’t have to examine it to realize his magic had broken through whatever barrier the goddess bitch had been blocking it with.

He didn’t need the startled cries from the guards behind him to realize his bonds had been severed. He could feel the magical flames licking up his arms like a cool breeze. He rose to his full height and turned his attention to Atê. “Bet you didn’t count on this, did you?” He summoned his magic and fired an energy bolt at her. He didn’t care if it killed her as long as it got her out of his way.

Mateo started to move to Kiana to release her from her bonds but found her chair empty. He glanced around to find her and Tiaki releasing Ash and Grant from theirs. It dawned on him then that whatever had allowed him to regain control of his magic had also given them theirs.

Tiaki glanced behind him. “Let’s get out of here. There’s no telling how long the guards will be out. And I have no doubt the effects of the blast you hit Atê with won’t last much longer.”

Mateo watched as Tiaki glanced at Kiana. Awareness shivered along his spine, reaching out to Kiana and Tiaki. When it made contact, relief flooded him. He knew what it was but ignored it.

“I agree. I don’t want to be around when they get up,” Grant said as he headed for the door.

Mateo waited until everyone was near the door before rushing through it and racing down the corridor. He wanted to get as far away from here as possible. Unfortunately they needed to locate the rest of the team that had come with them.

They’d barely exited the massive doors marking the entrance of the palace when a low rumbling started beneath their feet, followed by an explosion.

The shock wave created by the blast sent Mateo flying through the air and slammed him into the stone wall behind him.

* * * *

Tiaki struggled to breathe, his mind scrambling to figure out what the hell had happened as his magic returned full force. When he finally managed to gulp in a breath, he sent his magic to heal the injuries caused by the blast. Sitting up, he glanced around to find branches and leaves littering what had been a grassy field only moments before.
“Kiana? Mateo?”

“Over here.”

Tiaki breathed a sigh of relief when he heard both of them respond along the reestablished link of their magic. He decided not to worry about how the connection had returned so easily. Not now, anyway. Sending a pulse of magic, he was relieved to find both of his mates relatively unharmed. A further scan told him Ash and Grant were fine too.

After getting to his feet, he moved toward them when he felt another rumble from the earth, followed by an earsplitting screech. He covered his ears to block out the sound. What the fuck? The others approached him, covering their ears as well. The com links were still offline, so he gestured for them to head to the rendezvous point. They needed to get out of here now.

They raced to the grove of banyan trees behind the palace, dodging the fallen branches and, in some cases, whole palm trees. The closer they got to the meeting place, the more Tiaki sensed something wasn’t right. He paused at the corner of the building and closed his eyes. Concentrating his magic, he quickly scanned the area, trying to find the cause of his unease.

When he settled the churning of his magic enough, he realized it was Earth’s magic screaming in agony as it flowed into the cyborgs. They were consuming massive amounts of the energy nearby. Ripping it from the core.

His eyes flew open at the sound of rich feminine laughter echoing in the eerie silence he hadn’t realized had descended as he’d been focused on finding the source of the disturbance. Glancing around, he found Atê flanked by Palioxis and Proioxis. Shit. Just what they needed.

“You honestly think you’re going to win, puny Hunters? Even with your new recruits, Tiaki?” Atê waved an elegant hand, signaling someone or something behind them. “You’re doomed to fail. Mother has big plans for this planet, and she’ll stop at nothing to see them brought to fruition.”

“Your mother, or the man who pulls her strings?”

Tiaki started at the sound of Mateo’s voice. What the hell did he mean by that? When he’d awoken in the throne room, it had been obvious something had been going on. The question was, what? “Once Zeus finds out what Eris is up to, Atê, he’ll bring her to heel. Just like he always does.” Tiaki shifted his gaze to Thanos, who stood behind the goddesses. Gods, how he wished he’d been able to get through to his brother the last time they’d spoken. “And Rift Master Cacus will take care of the rest of the riffraff.”

“Let him try, tuakana. My master has learned some new ways for us to possess the powers wasted on you insignificant humans. Not to mention—”

“Thanos! Enough, ilithie! You speak out of turn, cyborg,” Atê snapped.

“Bring it,” Mateo growled.

Tiaki glanced over his shoulder to find Mateo’s hands engulfed in sapphire flames.
“Not now, Mateo. It’s time to get out of here.”

“And just how do you plan on doing that, Hunter? They’re standing between us and the rest of our team. Don’t we need to be near each other when the portal is opened?”

Tiaki scanned the area where they’d planned on opening the rift back to the base. If his senses could be trusted, Monte, Cy, and Niki had secured the missing recon team. He noted the energy being drawn by the OS guards. He quickly calculated the possibilities of opening two portals.
“Maybe not.”

“What do you mean?”
Kiana asked.

“I mean, I’m going to attempt to open two rifts. Someone warn Monte and the others. Then I’ll need you both to help project the locations we want them to open at the base.”

Before anyone could stop him or alert the goddesses of his intentions, Tiaki closed his eyes and called his magic and sent a pulse to the core. He concentrated and split it, sending half toward the stand of banyan trees and the other team. When Mateo’s magic raced along the thread, he didn’t back away this time but allowed it to strengthen his connection with Earth’s.

Sensing Kiana joining her magic with his near the other team, Tiaki felt an upsurge from the core. It raced through his body along the ley lines he used to the locations he would open the portals, then back to Mateo and Kiana until it made a complete circuit. He sucked in a breath at the similarities he noted between this spike and the one that had brought him here.