Page 46 of Venomous Lust
The purple faded from the Arvak’s skin and Celaith swallowed hard, then nodded. Every trace of challenge was gone from her expression as she looked at Hazel.
“I don’t.” Celaith spoke low, her brows furrowing deeply like she was under strain. Her gaze went back to Khal and he understood he had misjudged her. She wasn’t a ruthless bounty hunter, amoral and greedy. “And you’re right. I betrayed Roohl, I betrayed my entire crew, but I had no choice.” Celaith fell silent and her eyes gleamed dangerously.
“You need to tell us where we can find Knut before it’s too late.” Hazel gently nudged Celaith into continuing, and Khal watched her with renewed appreciation. “You need to tell us everything you know.”
Celaith locked gazes with Hazel and both females stared at each other long and hard. Then Celaith nodded, accepting Hazel’s words. Those dark pink eyes settled on Khal and he felt the dread of what she was about to tell them.
“Knut is on Muhar,” Celaith said simply. “And he is not alone. He has an army of Ilarian guards, ten thousand strong, and rapidly growing. Every day, a hundred more of those clones go out of his laboratory, prepared to fight and die for him.”
“That is not enough to tip the scales.” Khal was shocked at the numbers, but not exactly surprised. Knut was never going to stay unprotected. “Knut can’t hope to conquer the entire Ring with ten thousand Ilarians, not even with a negative particle bomb. He would need ten times that number, and even then, it wouldn’t be enough.”
The Ring was too vast, the warrior species too numerous. Having that many planets submitting to a single ruler implied a level of domination almost impossible to impose. The different species would have to submit voluntarily, either out of fear or of their own accord.
“Knut has an ally. Someone high up inside the Ring, someone who’s been helping him prepare the biggest coup the Ring has ever seen.” Celaith spoke softly, her eyes on the blanket, her face a deathly pale pink. “Roohl found out who it was, but he didn’t tell me. All he told me was that this changed everything. That Knut was going to be the next Prime Councilor of the Ring and that he, Roohl, wasn’t going to let this opportunity pass without doing anything.”
Cold dread blanketed the small medical room as everyone present understood the implications of what Celaith had told them.
“Roohl isn’t going to go after the bounty on Knut.” Khal spoke this time, his mind running fast, thinking over all the possibilities. But who was in a position to help Knut in such a meaningful way?
“No, he was going to join him.” Celaith shook her head and heavy tears trailed down her cheeks as she cried silently. “When I understood what he wanted to do, I knew I had to do something. So, when we arrived on Garana to refuel, I told Commander Gerkin everything. He confronted Roohl and, of course, Roohl denied everything. Then he sold me to Gerkin.”
Quiet pain followed Celaith’s words as she cried, her head bent and tears wetting the pristine white of the blanket.
“Roohl bought me from slavers when I was just a little girl. He raised me, trained me to be the best bounty hunter on the Mother.” Bitterness filled Celaith’s voice, raw and painful. “He was the only father I ever had, and I betrayed him.”
“You did the right thing.” Hazel spoke softly, reaching for the Arvak’s shoulder.
“But it’s too late now.” Celaith lifted her face and her gaze locked with Khal’s. “Knut knows you’re coming; you won’t stop him now. All we can do is run as far away from the war as we can and rebuild our lives.”
Then all this had been for nothing. The young Eok’s face, Hayro, came back to Khal’s mind in a flash. There was no doubt that the young warrior was dead, that he had sacrificed his life to save theirs. To save their mission.
He died for nothing.
Then he pictured his brothers’ faces, their mates and the younglings that he hadn’t had a chance to meet, his mother and father, all those Khal cared about.
They’re all going to die.
And Hazel. Hazel, with her green eyes full of passion, her big, courageous, broken heart. She was going to die.
No. Never.
“I’m not abandoning the mission.” His own voice sounded like a stranger’s as Khal’s resolve hardened. “I’m going to get to Knut and kill him before he has the chance to do more harm. And I’m going to destroy that bomb.”
Khal’s eyes flicked over Hazel’s ravaged face, over the terror he saw in her expression. He locked gazes with Zaxis as the Avonie male put a protective hand on Celaith’s shoulder.
“I’m with you.” Zaxis nodded, his features impassive and his voice steady. “Let’s get rid of that monster once and for all.”
Khal held Zaxis’s gaze for a long time. Never had he felt the brotherly loyalty he felt now for anyone but his brothers. But now, he realized that the Avonie male was not only his best chance at saving Hazel and the rest of the Ring—he was his friend as well.
“Celaith needs to rest now,” Zaxis told him as he stared at the Arvak female.
Khal looked at her and saw his friend was right. The deathly pallor was back in her face and her eyes were underscored with deep, purple circles. Whatever hell Gerkin had put her through, it had taken a toll.
“I will bring Hazel back to my quarters. Take care of this one.” Khal lifted a hand to his bloodmate, and after a long second, she accepted it. As his fingers closed around her flesh, a current of possessiveness overwhelmed him.
She was his to protect, his to care for.
And he was leading her right into the heart of danger.
