Pride X Familiar ReVamp (Pride X ReVamp Book 1) (42 page)

Evelyn spoke softly. “Another candidate?”

“Yes, Celica’s brother…Caelum Desanto afil Lanfear.”

I watched them react as I expected, with mixed emotions.

I pressed on. “It’s clear that brother and sister are not on the same page. Caelum Desanto has rejected her offer, and suffered for it. I propose we nurture their differences to our advantage.”

Evelyn smiled thoughtfully. “Is it wise to involve him? How do you propose to earn his unwavering trust and co-operation?”

I took a deep breath. “I have confidence in my younger sister. If anyone can ensure his loyalty and devotion, it’s her.”

Evelyn smiled a little more broadly. “I see. You plan on having her capture his young heart.”

Conrad looked deeply concerned. “That’s dangerous.”

I shook my head faintly. “No sir. I believe it’s the best way. Love can be a powerful force, and a very strong bond that money and all the riches in the worlds cannot compete against.”

Xavier snorted. “Preposterous—completely absurd. Love? Are you daft, woman?”

I ignored him, but barely so.

Byron sounded amused. “So what’s the compromise?”

I swallowed again. “Rather than handing the Avienda over to us, I propose that Caelum Desanto undergo training at the hands of the Avienda’s pilot.”

Xavier started to protest, but Conrad waved him quiet. The Primogen of the Sora Pride nodded at me. “Continue, Commander.”

“Thank you, my Lord.” I returned his nod respectfully, then straightened. “We have ascertained that Desanto is bonded to an Artifact known as a Kaiser, specifically, the Kaiser’s Blessing.”

That earned me a round of raised eyebrows.

Evelyn smiled thinly. “The Lanfears were in possession of a Kaiser…how amusing….”

I didn’t find it amusing, but kept the thought to myself. “At present, Desanto cannot fully summon his Artifact. I believe the Avienda’s Khan can help him achieve that.”

Xavier protested. “On what grounds do make such a flimsy suggestion.”

I regarded him flatly. “Because that girl is gifted not only with a Regalia, but with a Valkyrie, just like Celica Desanto.” I paused before asking, “Am I wrong?”

The faces of six Primogens studied Xavier.

His eyes darted about with growing anxiety.

Rather quickly he relented to what I already knew as fact.

I was grateful he was only standing before me as a holoimage. I didn’t fancy being struck by his spittle as he thundered angrily.

“Yes, gods damn it, that blasted little
bitch
is bonded to a Valkyrie and a Regalia. So what if she is?”

I cleared my throat calmly. “Valkyries and Kaisers are somewhat similar in both power and performance. That little
bitch
as you call her would be able to teach Caelum Desanto how to summon the Kaiser’s potential.” I paused before adding, “Afterwards, we can work with the Lanfears, and find him a suitable Warlord.”

“Dear gods,” Xavier muttered. “You’re proposing we work with that untrustworthy Pride. Are you serious?”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “The Raynars and Lanfears are closely related. In fact, the two Symbiote strains are almost the same but for a handful of differences. Are you implying the Raynar Pride is also untrustworthy?”

He closed his mouth as six pairs of eyes regarded him intently.

Conrad asked, “Well, what do you say to that, Xavier?”

Xavier gave me a heated glare, one that would have singed a solar panel. “I need to discuss the matter with my people.”

“We want an answer now,” Evelyn demanded with an icy smile.

Byron, Conrad, and the others all nodded.

I watched Xavier’s holoimage grind its teeth. Eventually he growled, “Very well. I’ll make the arrangements to have the Avienda’s Khan reassigned.”

Conrad nodded very slowly. “Excellent idea.”

Xavier turned to face him. “However—and this I will not compromise on—the Avienda will continue to remain in the Vault kept under Calista Academy. Is that clear?”

The two men stared hard at each other.

Eventually, Conrad nodded once again. “That’s sounds acceptable. After all, it’s clear that you have trust issues concerning the Avienda’s Khan. For now, we’ll choose to err on the side of caution. The Avienda stays in the Vault under Calista Academy.”

I watched the two men discretely, feeling the winds of change blowing between them.

Then I bowed politely to them both. “Thank you, my Lord Primogens.”

Xavier glanced at me with the promise of retribution in his eyes, but I ignored him as I straightened. There was another matter I needed to address, so I spoke before anyone could interrupt me.

“Leaving aside the fact we were denied the means to properly face the Black Camellia, the truth is we had no idea Crimson Crescent would execute such an escape plan. Bringing a starship into the habitat was completely outside the realm of what our tactical analysts believed was possible.”

I looked at one Primogen in particular – Morgan Sandoval Sanreal, a tall, broad shouldered individual in his late middle years, with closely cropped dark hair.

His eyes met mine, and I asked, “That ship was
Induran
was it not?”

His nod was somber. “Unfortunately, that vessel was indeed the
Induran
.”

Conrad regarded him. “So the reports we had of its destruction were premature.”

Sandoval’s somber expression deepened. “It’s possible all we destroyed was a decoy…or worse still, a sister ship Crimson Crescent was trying to build in secret.” He took a deep breath. “It’s clear their ship has been upgraded with a Core Artifact. That means someone made a sacrifice and merged with the Core, allowing it to integrate with that starship, giving it the ability—among many others—to tunnel through a mass shadow and open a rift within a habitat.”

I swallowed discretely before stating, “In other words, the
Induran
is now a sentient ship.”

A hush fell upon my office and no one looked at each other, though I kept my attention on Sandoval who grew noticeably despondent.

Clearing his throat, Conrad asked Sandoval, “What do we do about that? Starships are your Pride’s forte. How do we counter Crimson Crescent’s vessel? Your family’s company built it. Surely you know its weaknesses best.”

Sandoval looked up at the ceiling for a moment. “I believe it’s time we gave
Paloma
the opportunity to stretch her legs and show you what she can do.”

I kept my surprise remarkably well hidden, though my heart beat with excitement.

The super-Pathfinder,
Paloma
.

The pride of the Sanreal shipbuilders.

A vessel designed from the keel up with the intention of incorporating a Core Artifact. I’d heard rumors it was somewhere out in the Hurakan Nebula undergoing trial runs. No one knew what it looked like, or what it was capable of, but the rumors indicated it was a starship in a class of its own. It was constructed in complete secrecy deep in the Nebula at a shipyard only known to the Sandoval Family – built to supersede
Induran
, after Crimson Crescent stole the latter almost two years ago.

Conrad asked in a surprisingly respectful tone, “Is she…is she ready?”

Sandoval inhaled deeply before nodding. “Yes. She’s ready….”

His expression took me aback. He looked like a man burdened with deep, heavy regrets.

Closing his eyes, Sandoval’s voice fell to a barely audible whisper. “…and she’ll fly like the solar winds.”

Chapter 20
.

(Caelum)

I was in an induced coma for two days.

I missed the weekend that separated the second and third weeks of the school year.

It didn’t matter. I was alive. To me, that was infinitely more important.

I had no visitors but for the doctors who checked up on me when I woke up on Monday.

Arisa was notified of the change in my condition, and came round to see me. She was tightlipped and said there were things she couldn’t discuss. Matters with the Primogens. She had been forced to answer questions put to her by her Pride’s Primogen, Yolanda Imreh Lanfear, her aunt. She did tell me Caprice was fine. She promised to send Caprice over now that I was awake.

On Tuesday, I learnt school was closed for at least a week if not two, while engineers surveyed the damage to the buildings.

Caprice came round to my hospital room and told me this, including the unbelievable disappearing act pulled by Crimson Crescent after Celica retrieved the Artifact she came for.

Caprice told me Maya and Rina had survived their encounters. She mentioned Maya was having trouble looking Kaleb Deneve in the eyes. Whenever Kaleb spoke to her during training, Maya would grow hot and flustered, and then turn away. It was starting to drive Kaleb up the wall, and Maya wasn’t explaining her odd behavior to anyone.

She also told me about Haruka and Simone.

They had been partly buried by falling rubble. Their injuries were fatal to a Regular, but as Aventis they would survive and they would recover. However, they were consigned to hospital for at least a week.

I was relieved to hear they would recover.

No, I was more than relieved. I felt like a great weight had been taken off my shoulders, but at the same time I felt responsible for what happened. Surely there had to have been something I could have done to have prevented their injuries.

But I was also scared for their safety.

I never thought the pair of them would be caught up in the struggle so directly.

A case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Caprice handed me a data-slate with documents to read. It was information prepared by the Student Council President, a detailed briefing of sorts.

I was surprised by his openness. He was keeping me in the loop, rather than in the dark.

I disliked him a little less, but then wondered how much he wasn’t telling us.

Well, I guess he’s entitled to his secrets.

Caprice spent a lot of that Tuesday in the room with me.

She brought along a portable holovid game system and we played a multitude of games until we grew tired or our thumbs grew blisters from pressing down on the controllers.

She left that afternoon for training, and promised to come by in the morning. She left the game console in the room in case I got bored during the evening or night.

I watched her leave.

Neither of us spoke much of what happened outside the Vault chamber.

I didn’t think there was any need to.

I knew that my life had been saved because Celica gave Caprice a pressurized needle with Aventis blood. The strain of Symbiote in the blood had spread throughout my body, growing at a phenomenal rate and healing my wound to the point where I would live long enough until help arrived.

I was alive because Caprice had pleaded with her.

I wasn’t going to forget Caprice’s tears anytime soon.

No, I wasn’t going to forget her despairing face until the day I died.

I lay back on my bed, feeling a slight burning in my chest that wasn’t due to the wound in my abdomen.

I looked up at the ceiling, and grudgingly accepted what that burning ache was telling me as it slowly settled around my heart.

I fell asleep, and when I woke I noticed it was evening out in the habitat visible through my room’s window.

And I had company once more.

She sat on the cushioned chair, wearing tight black slacks and a sleeveless, frilled white blouse. She looked mature and elegant, the perfect young lady, with light makeup on her face, and her golden hair tied into a bundle that exposed the smooth nape of her neck.

To say she didn’t make my heart race was a complete lie.

My body forgot it was injured and responded to her in the time honored tradition of a red blooded male. I hurriedly fiddled with my bed’s controls and sat up, hoping to hide my body’s reaction to her.

She gave me a faint shy smile while I struggled to find my voice.

I swallowed a few times, but my voice was no better than a thready whisper.

“Princess….”

Her smile grew a little more confident. “Hello Caelum.”

“Uh…why—why are you here?” I looked at the clock on the bedside table. “Aren’t visiting hours over?”

“The Ventiss Family has very strong ties to this hospital. It’s the same one I was taken to when I was hurt.”

“Oh, I see.”

“As a result, I’m allowed special visitation rights.”

“Oh, is that so.”

She tipped her head slightly. “Caelum, are you not happy to see me?”

“No, I’m delighted—I mean, I’m very grateful you’ve taken the time to come and visit me.”

She held a box on her lap. It was around the size of a shoe box though thinner. It was wrapped in gift paper and tied with a red bow. She held it up.

“I brought you a gift. Open it later, when they discharge you.” She looked embarrassed and glanced away. “Truthfully, I wasn’t sure what to bring you. I’m not good with these situations—I mean I don’t have a lot of experience buying things for boys.”

She muttered something under her breath, something about my special needs.

Or was she talking about my special wants.

Suddenly, she grew flustered and even more embarrassed. She hurriedly put the box down on the bedside table

“Anyway, anyway,” she repeated. “It’s good to see you are recovering well. The doctor told me you should be released in two days’ time. Isn’t that good news? You’ll be up and about before the weekend.” Her fingers on her lap began fidgeting. “Yes, you’ll be right for the weekend.”

She laughed nervously.

I cleared my throat. “Princess, how have you been?”

“Huh? Me? Oh, I’ve been fine…I guess.”

“You guess?” I sat up a little straighter and focused on seeing the girl, and not just the beauty seated on the chair.

She raised a hand and gently waved it. “No, I’m fine. I really am. Truthfully, I was scared when the evacuation order was handed down so secretively. At first I thought it was a joke, but then the President called me, and told me he was enlisting the help of everyone he could trust. He wanted the evacuation to happen without a public announcement. It took me and the girls a while to convince the others, but then more and more messages were sent to the students’ palm-slates and to the teachers. Then it was all down to keeping people from panicking while the shooting carried on outside.”

Her fingers moved restlessly, and she clenched and unclenched her hands.

“That…that was truly scary.”

She folded her hands together.

She wasn’t close enough for me reach, so I held out my left hand to her.

She gave it a confused look.

“Give me your hand,” I said.

She looked nervous and puzzled now, but she placed her right hand in my open left. I took a hold her hand, and gently pulled it toward me. As I drew it closer, Prissila had to rise from the chair and stand beside my bed.

I closed my eyes and kissed her fingers.

“I’m sorry. I really, really wanted to protect your school. I wanted to protect it for you. I thought I could do it, but I was naïve and stupid.”

I kissed them again, then pressed my forehead down onto the back of her hand.

“I’m so sorry, Princess.”

“Caelum…Simone and the President told me what happened. They made me promise never to speak of it to anyone, but I believe you deserve to know. You should know that I know what happened down there in…in the vault.”

I kept my forehead pressed down on her hand, but I felt the bed sink slightly when she sat down on it.

“Caelum, I have an older brother. I think if my brother ever hurt me…I don’t think I’d ever recover. I value my family, and I value the bonds we have, but if my brother ever broke that bond it would tear me apart.”

Slowly, I looked up at her.

She was looking flushed but her eyes were steady and so too her voice. “I think I can understand what it was like for you.”

“Can you…?”

She swallowed then slowly shook her head. “No, I’m being presumptuous. I’m sorry.”

“It hurts, Princess.”

“Huh?”

“The way she looked at me. The way she made me feel. I can’t get past it. I can’t get past how relieved and delighted she was when she hurt me…as though she was free of me…as though I wasn’t her brother anymore…just an enemy she had to defeat….”

I felt the tears well up in my eyes and I couldn’t stop them.

I felt ashamed for Prissila to see me like this.

I let go of her hand and squeezed my eyes shut, but I couldn’t hold back my tears, not even when I pressed the heels of my hands against my eyes.

Then I buried my face into my hands, and I cried, overwhelmed by the emptiness inside me – the emptiness Celica left behind.

I grew conscious of someone holding me.

I grew conscious of the fact I was holding onto them.

I felt a warmth, and the gentle scent of girl, a delicious mix of scented perfumes, creams and shampoos.

I felt the firm fullness of her chest, and I buried my face into her overly ample bosom.

I stopped crying before I ran out of tears.

Her warmth, her body, and the rhythmic beating of her heart calmed me. The sense of kindness and security I felt while held in her embrace went a long way toward filling the emptiness inside me.

I swallowed and tried hard not to ruin her blouse any more than I had, but she wouldn’t let me go, and I surrendered to her anew.

I wasn’t aware of time in any practical sense.

I was only aware of its passage by the beating of her heart.

Her heart wasn’t something I should be keeping time by, but it was soothing to hear it drumming gently in her chest.

I drew back and this time she released me from the embrace.

She handed me a couple of tissues. I apologized to her as I cleaned up my face. When I felt I was somewhat presentable, I looked up at her.

She regarded me with her azure eyes. “Feeling better?”

I sighed loudly then took a deep breath. “Princess, I’m sorry. I ruined your blouse. I’m really sorry—”

“Caelum Desanto.”

I swallowed and meekly asked, “Yes?”

Her eyes regarded me with a steady light. “Don’t tell Simone.”

I wondered what she meant by that.

She answered my question by leaning down and kissing me.

Not a peck on the lips, but a very proper kiss.

We’re talking mouth to mouth, tongue on tongue.

A very, very real kiss – the kind of kiss a guy dreams of sharing with a girl.

She broke the kiss and slowly drew back.

I looked up at her and realized a new path had opened up before me, one that presented
interesting
possibilities.

Prissila’s eyes widened and she appeared to realize what she’d done. She blushed hotly, and rose quickly from the bed. Then she began fixing up her clothes, though her blouse was wet with my tears.

“Oh dear,” she murmured then burst into nervous laughter. “Oh, what will I do? I mean, what I have done? Ha ha.”

She broke into more fits of nervous laughter.

I watched her look about the chair in a panic. Then she noticed the box on the bedside table. She picked it up and hastily dropped it onto my lap.

“Ah, don’t open that until I’m gone. But you must open it before the weekend. You must. Do you hear me?”

I nodded furtively.

She continued to look about discombobulated.

Then she found her purse hanging off the back of the chair. Hurriedly she slipped the straps over her right shoulder, and once more attempted to improve the appearance of her clothes.

“Princess—?”

“No, it’s no bother.” She took a really deep breath, one that pushed out her large breasts. “Right, I’ll be going now. I—I’ll come by tomorrow? No, maybe I should wait until the weekend. Ah, but will you give me a favorable answer. Ah, no. I can’t think about that right now.”

Abruptly she darted forward with tremendous speed and kissed my forehead.

Again, not a peck. Definitely not a peck.

“Right, now I’m definitely leaving.”

I stared at her blankly as she fled the room, her high heels clacking loudly. All manner of coherent thought had expelled out of my ears like steam.