Page 21 of Taming the Alien Outlaw
I pause to consider something. “Don’t you think that’s odd? I mean, I don’t know how often he sends shipments or how often you “liberate” them, so maybe it’s merely coincidence.”
The intensity radiates off Janik and I can tell he’s really considering everything I’m saying.
“Let me ask you this as well. Is it at all possible Alik is receiving your requests, butyouaren’t receivinghis?”
I can tell this never occurred to Janik. Why would it? He probably assumes all the rebels are loyal to him. Why would they keep messages from the palace from him?
For several long minutes the only sounds are our breathing and the faint rasp of his calloused fingers rubbing across the back of my hand.
“You say that Alik has tried to arrange a parlay with me? To discuss the death of…?”
“Konek.”
“Of Konek?”
I nod. “From my understanding, his first request to meet was met with not just a denial, but an attempt to shift blame. Horek said the reply he got was that Alik had been the one to kill Konek in order to frame you. He allegedly pinned the murder on you to justify whatever retribution he took against the rebels.”
“I never received that message. And if you say that was his first request, then I did not receive any subsequent ones either.” Janik’s unease and confusion is evident. If he’s faking it, he’s doing an excellent job. “If what you say is true, then I need to discover answers.”
“Who would benefit the most by betraying you?”
How it’s possible I’m coming to read his expressions already I have no idea, but the pain in his eyes is obvious. Has he neverquestioned the loyalty of anyone in the rebel camp? If he has spies within Preska, who’s to say Alik hasn’t managed to plant a couple of his own here?
“No one. I am the only person with a rightful claim to the throne.”
Which leads me to the biggest, unanswered question—one of many, actually—I have, but I’m not sure he’ll give it to me.
“Will you tell me something?” Quinn says it never hurts to ask people things. The worst they’ll do is say no.
“If I can.”
“Why do you think the crown and throne belong to you?”
Finally, Janik releases my hand and sits up on the side of the bed. Our thighs touch and the heat of him warms me all the way through. Straight to my core.
“Many cycles ago a male was struck with mating fever while visiting another city. He attacked an elderly male, nearly killing him. The elder’s daughter intervened and by doing so placed the attention on her. The male was so far gone with need that he did the unthinkable to her.” Janik stares straight ahead, but I’m not sure he’s seeing anything. “Once he recovered his senses and realized what he’d done, he offered a significant amount of credits as though that would provide some type of recompense for what he’d taken. Then, he disappeared.”
I cover my mouth in horror. How awful for that woman, to have been violated in such a way. I can’t imagine how she dealt with that.
“Soon after, she discovered she was with child,” Janik continues. “Eventually she gave birth and raised the youngling with thehelp of her father who died when the child was five cycles old. Throughout his life, the child vowed vengeance against the male who hurt his mother and left them to fend for themselves.”
A churning in my stomach tells me I’m not going to like where this story goes.
“Did he? Get the vengeance against the man?”
Janik turns his head to face me and our eyes meet. “The male who violated the female died before it could come to fruition. But he left behind a mate who birthed a son who will now pay for his father’s crimes.”
Holy shit. If what he’s saying is true, then that means Alik is Janik’s brother.
Chapter 10
Janik
This is the first I have spoken of my relationship to Alik with anyone but my mother. I had wanted to tell the other rebels. To give them another reason to support my leadership beyond our mutual hatred of the corrupt king and his son, but she forbade it. She didn’t want anyone to know her shame. I tried to tell her it was King Danik who should be ashamed, but she took to her bed claiming illness until I gave up on the idea.
It has only made my efforts at keeping their support that much harder. And now to discover there could be someone in my midst attempting to sabotage all the work I’ve done.
A soft hand encompasses mine and soothes the embers that threaten to flare to life again. I glance down at where Olivia and I are connected. Her skin is several shades lighter than the dark copper mine has turned since the mating fever struck. Although she is far softer than I am. I lift my gaze to meet hers.
