Page 50 of Phoenix Falling
“Thank you for the sympathy.” I gave Arik a stern look.
He shrugged.
“We have things to discuss,” Basile interjected, his angry glance centered on Arik.
Though Arik had not been directly responsible for Thomas’s death, he’d been there that night, and it was Maddox’s hatred of Arik that had led him to target our clan. Thomas had merely been disposable collateral to Maddox, though his death had ripped our hearts out. Basile had concentrated that emotion on the only person left to blame—Arik. I hoped by bringing them together, I could start a dialogue that would bring Basile around.
Didn’t look like it would happen anytime soon.
“What kinds of things?” Arik asked. Seeming without concern, he drew a KA-BAR from his thigh holster and began to flip it over and over. The implied threat was obvious.
“Yes, Basile,” Kat said, stepping to Arik’s side and intercepting the knife midflip. “Please tell us what we need to discuss.”
“You know I let you do that,” Arik muttered under his breath.
“Did you?” She kept her gaze on Basile.
Even Basile couldn’t stop a faint grin at the way Kat put Arik in his place. “We’ve received additional intel on new Anigma locations. One in each region,” Basile said—to Kat.
Hoping to keep things civil, I took over. “You’ve tracked them longer than anyone, Arik.”
Arik frowned. “I tracked Maddox, not the entire Anigma army.”
“Still,” I said, “you must have some ideas on how to whittle down our options for these strongholds.”
Arik reached for Kat’s hand, entwining their fingers. My gaze dropped to that clasp, an ache starting up behind my breastbone. I missed Rissa, I realized. I missed holding her hand, being surrounded by her scent, feeling the warmth of her body against my side. It was a low tide underneath every moment of my day. For the first time in my long existence, I wondered if I could lay down the burden of my people and take Rissa for my own. I could simply walk away from anything that didn’t allow her to be the priority in my life. Anything that held me back from being with her.
And then I looked at Kat again, the psych who had started all of this. There were two reasons I couldn’t walk away: she and others like her were one. And my people… They needed me now more than ever. They needed a king they could trust, who would honestly seek the best for them and not for himself.
No, there would be no walking away, no matter the black hole that would be left behind when I had to let Rissa go. That didn’t mean I didn’t curse my father for leaving me in this position.
Arik finally spoke. “I don’t know specific locations, but I would be willing to meet with your people and discuss what I’ve learned from tracking the Anigma through the years.”
“We’d like for you to take on one of the regional searches,” Basile said.
“No.” Arik looked to Kat, then back to us. “I won’t leave my mate, nor will I take her with me when she’s still working on controlling her powers. Talk to me when a year has passed.”
My eyebrows arched. Arik referred to Archai tradition; I was surprised he remembered. Any warrior who took a mate—with or without a matebond—was given a year off service to concentrate on his new family. The practice had since been applied to all sexes, and in all facets of Archai society. Pairs were the future of our species, and they deserved every chance we could give them.
“All right, Arik,” Basile said, reluctant respect in his tone. He too knew the importance of this pairing. “If you could at least confer with us. I have warriors arriving from several different North American clans within the month.”
“Are they rallying?” Arik asked, a touch bitterly. I understood the tone. The Archai had not rallied around him when he needed us, an act I profoundly regretted.
“They are,” Basile said. “And with the passing of our king, they wish to solidify their status before the new king.” He nodded in my direction.
I shrugged. Give me a battle debriefing any day; it was the formal shit that gave me hives.
“Fine.” Arik took out his phone. The next thing I knew, my own beeped. “Send me a message when you’re ready. That’s my new secure line.”
I pulled my phone out. “How did you get my number?”
He huffed. “Risk isn’t the only one with the ability to hack.”
Risk’s name made Kat wince. Like a dick, I was grateful—focusing on her reaction helped Arik miss my own. Since meeting Rissa, I’d barely thought about Risk. Still, I couldn’t forget the way I’d lusted after her since the moment we’d met. Even learning that she’d been Arik’s as well as Cale’s lover hadn’t stopped me.
Arik’s goodbye turned hasty as he focused on making up to Kat for his ill-conceived remark. Basile and I watched them go, and despite knowing my future would be nothing like the other warrior’s, seeing him going to his knees (metaphorically) for his mate made me feel the tiniest bit more hopeful for our species.
ChapterTwenty-One
