The Power of Fate (The Triad Series Book 5) (14 page)

Mya flung out her hand. “Shut
up
, Orin.”

“Talk to Major Esca about what went down.” Orin hesitated. “Rekk’s a big deal, Mya. I suspect if they wanted him back they would use anyone to get him.”

Mya walked over to the door and opened it to reveal one of the priestesses waiting patiently outside. She refused to give in to her emotions just yet. She was better than that—she was
stronger
. “Do you have somewhere I can place a secure call through to the military?”

“You would need to speak to Captain Ian McNeill, our head of security. Would you like me to take you to his offices?”

A keen-eyed man leaned over the security desk, checking some detail on one of the exterior cameras. He straightened. “Can I help you?”

His accent was unfamiliar, but he was as military as they came, his blue gaze watchful as Mya and Orin were escorted into his domain.

Mya fought the temptation to salute. “I wish to speak with my commanding officer, Major Esca, about the completion of my mission. I understand you can provide us with a secure channel.”

“You brought Rekk Pavan in, didn’t you? Nice work.”

“Thank you.” Mya didn’t smile.

“Roberts told me you would succeed.”

“You know Lieutenant Roberts?”

“Yeah.” Captain McNeill walked them through a couple rooms and entered a secure code at the next door. “We came from Earth together with my mate, the future Oracle.” He held the door open and stood aside. “Here you go. I’ve already added you both to our secure roster. Just go ahead and key in your codes, and you should be fine.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. When you’ve finished, I’d appreciate your feedback on the Etruscans you dealt with on the way here.”

“We’d be delighted to help with that.”

Orin glanced over at Mya as he shut the door. “How in the Gods’ name did an earthling end up mated to the Oracle’s heir?”

Mya shrugged. “I have no idea. It’s almost as ridiculous as us thinking we meant something to Rekk Pavan, isn’t it?”

Orin wisely didn’t say anything to that and took a seat, familiarizing himself with the control panel.

“You go first,” she offered.

He bowed. “No, after you. I’m dying to hear how you’re going to deal with this one, my mate.”

Mya keyed in a series of codes and within seconds, Major Esca appeared on the screen. His smile widened as he took in Mya’s face.

“Congratulations, you made it. We were getting worried when your whole security team got blown up, but I knew you’d get through.”

“I’ll send you a full report of our journey, sir, as soon as I’ve recorded it.”

“Good. Did the Oracle recognize our man?”

“Yes, sir. She did.”

Major Esca sat back. “That’s amazing. He’s really over a hundred years old?”

“Apparently so.” Mya took a quick breath. “Sir, can you confirm whether the military knew of Rekk Pavan’s presence on the Etruscan moon?”

“Not that I know of, why?”

“Because I’ve been led to believe that I was specifically selected to go on the mission in order to find him and… mate with him.”

Major Esca sat forward. “Hold on a moment. What are you trying to say?”

She forced herself to ask the question. “Did you intentionally send me on that mission knowing what would happen to me?”

“Captain Jong, if you think I am the kind of commanding officer who would do that, you don’t know me at all.” All traces of amusement were stripped from his face.

“I didn’t think you would, sir.”

“But you believe someone did? Will you trust me to investigate this matter further and get back to you as soon as I can?”

“Yes, sir.”

“If you were deliberately sent into that situation… I’ll personally get hold of whoever gave that order and rip his head off.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“You’re welcome. Esca out.”

The screen went blue again, as if her superior officer had leapt out of his chair to go and find the answers. Knowing him as she did, it was highly likely.

She let out a slow breath. So if Major Esca hadn’t deliberately set her up, who had? Unless Rekk was lying to her as well… She didn’t want to think about him. Sure, he had a right to be angry that he hadn’t been given all the facts, but she’d done the best she could in the circumstances. It wasn’t her fault that she’d fallen in love with her damaged hero.

Orin spoke to Lieutenant Roberts and checked in with his precinct boss, receiving a host of typically off-color police jokes from his comrades, which didn’t bother him at all. Was he upset about Rekk? He didn’t seem to be, but then he wasn’t the one who’d been dragged through hell to save a prince.

“Yeah, right back at you, bunch of losers.” Orin signed off and turned to Mya, his grin fading. “You okay?”

“Not really.” She hunched a shoulder. “Maybe I’ll feel better after a shower and a nap.”

“While you were talking to Major Esca we were invited to have dinner with the Oracle—and when I say invited, I mean commanded, so we have to go.”

Mya groaned. “Do you think Rekk will be there as well?”

“I would imagine so.” Orin gave her the side eye. “Don’t you want to see him?”

“Do you?”

“Sure I do.”

“Even though he thinks we’re both liars?”

“He doesn’t really think that. He’s just angry at everything at the moment, and we’re the most obvious targets.”

Mya put her hands on her hips. “How did you work that out?”

“Because he knows we care about him and we’ll forgive him?”

“You’re some kind of philosopher now?” She raised her chin. “I’m not sure about that, and I’m not committing to
anything
until I hear whether what he said was true.”

“You can’t blame him if the military set up this whole thing, Mya.”

She raised an eyebrow. “You’re on his side now?”

“I’m not taking sides. He’s in shock because his whole world has changed, and he’s struggling to trust anyone.
You’re
in shock because you’ve discovered you might have been used as bait. Unfortunately, you’re both blaming the messenger, but they are two very separate issues.”

“I don’t like it when you get all sensible on me.”

“Wow, Hakron pride sure is thorny.” Orin held up his hands in surrender. “Fair enough, but you’re going to have to be polite and sit through dinner, okay?”

“If I must.” Mya rose from her chair and opened the door. “Let’s go and find our quarters.”

Chapter 11

Rekk stared at the variety of garments someone had laid out on his bed while he’d been in the shower. There were his newly washed jeans and T-shirt, a white robe with a sash that he guessed belonged to the Oracle’s bodyguard, and a swathe of gold silk that shimmered in the light. There was a breeze, but it was still a warm evening. What should he choose? The traditional Temple attire, his now much-loved jeans, or the draped silk of a prince?

He picked up the silk and smoothed it with his thumb. It was shot through with a fine gold thread. Was it some kind of test? That by choosing one set of clothes, he was somehow committing to a particular identity?

His family was dead. His nearest living relative was a hundred years younger than him, his status in society had changed dramatically, and he’d managed to offend the two people who’d saved his life and brought him safely home.

With a groan, Rekk covered his face with his hands. It didn’t stop him seeing Mya’s expression as he’d laid into her about her lack of trust, her shock when he’d insisted that she’d been sent after him deliberately. She hadn’t deserved his anger, but he’d felt so raw, so betrayed by everyone he had ever cared about…

He opened his eyes. Hadn’t he wanted Mya and Orin to see him as he was? The Oracle had promised him she could strengthen his shields and retrain his telepathic abilities, but that it would take some time. Did he
have
time? He couldn’t return to the past. Did he want to become a different man?

It seemed he had no choice. He couldn’t go on as he was. Rising to his feet, he made his choice of clothing and headed out to dinner with the Oracle.

Orin glanced surreptitiously around the table. Rekk wasn’t there yet, but he was expected. How the heeze had he ended up eating dinner with the Oracle of Pavlovan, her eldest daughter, and her two mates? He was just a simple man. Mya was quiet, but he suspected that was more because she was worrying about what Major Esca would have to tell her than because she was overawed.

“Thank you for bring Rekk safely home, Orin Mazak.”

He swallowed down his drink, almost choked, and turned to the Oracle who was sitting on his left. For a woman of well over a hundred years of age, she looked remarkably youthful.

“It was our pleasure, Goddess on Earth.”

She leaned forward until her lips were almost touching his ear. Her power shimmered through him and he worried he might lose it big time.

“Your mate seems distracted this evening. Is she all right?”

“She’s waiting on some information from Major Esca about our mission.”

“Ah.”

Her thought pierced his mind with the clarity of a bell. “
She doubts that Rekk is also her mate?
”

“Uh…”

“
I sent her to find him. I knew she was the only one who could save his life. He’d given up. I could sense his life force failing
.”

“
You
sent her?” Too late Orin realized he’d spoken out loud.

Mya looked up, her gaze shifting from him to the Oracle, her expression formidable.

The Oracle smiled sweetly. “Yes, indeed. I had a vision.”

“Then it wasn’t a military decision after all?” Mya asked.

“I don’t know about that, my dear. I merely made the suggestion that—”

Mya rose slowly to her feet and all conversation at the table abruptly halted. Captain O’Neill tensed as if ready to throw himself in front of the Oracle.

“You sent me there as bait so that you could recover a prince of the blood?”

“Um… Mya.” Orin looked from her to the Oracle. “Don’t you think you should—”

“Shut up, Orin.” Maya glared at the Oracle. “How
could
you?”

“How could I send you to find your Third and bring him home? How could I
not
?” The Oracle rose too, her power growing to encompass the whole room. “I knew you and Orin were coming to the Temple to find your Third. Then I had a vision, and I knew you had to go to that Etruscan moon first.”

“I almost died there. We
both
almost died.”

“But you didn’t.” The Oracle held her gaze. “I knew you wouldn’t, otherwise I would never have sent you. Are you suggesting that your sacrifice wasn’t worth it? Don’t you want a Third?”

A flash of gold at the dining room door drew Orin’s attention to the man draped in gold silk who stood quietly listening to the heated discussion. Rekk looked like some kind of god in the glinting fabric that matched his eyes and made Orin long to rip it off him and—

“
Mya.”

He tried to warn her, but she was too focused on the Oracle to hear him.

“You risked our lives, you risked
Orin’s
life just to see your vision come to fruition?”

“I am the Oracle. Why would I not?” The goddess raised her chin. “I channel the desires of the Gods. I do their will. I do not question their wisdom.”

“But what if you’re wrong? What if Rekk doesn’t believe we are mated? Was it all a mistake
then
?”

“You question the will of the Gods?”

Icy power poured through the Oracle’s voice, making Orin and everyone else around the table shiver.

“Mya. Sit down, okay?” Orin muttered and grabbed her hand. “This isn’t going to end well.”

She took a deep breath. “I’m sorry if I offended you, Oracle. I’m just… confused.”

“Understandably. It is hard even for me to interpret the desires of the Gods sometimes, and I’ve been doing this for over a hundred years.” The Oracle glanced at the doorway. “Perhaps you might care to explain to Rekk why your journey to find him was unnecessary.”

“I didn’t say that.” Mya turned toward Rekk. “I am
glad
he was returned safely to his people. No one deserves to be held and used like that.”

He bowed. “Thank you, Captain Jong. I, too, wish that you and your mate had not been dragged into danger merely to keep me alive.”

He advanced slowly into the room, his bare feet making no sound on the paved floor. “I also apologize for any assumptions I might have made about your character.” He paused, his gaze fixed on Mya. “You deserve only my thanks.”

She nodded once as Rekk turned his attention to Orin.

“Thank you, as well.”

Orin grinned at him. “You’re welcome.”

The Oracle clapped her hands. “If we have finished discussing this fascinating subject, might we all sit down and finish our dinner? Rekk, you may sit on my right.”

He sat down, the silk fabric settling easily around his body. Orin could get nothing from Rekk’s mind. Either the Oracle was shielding for him, or he was already getting to grips with his powers. Orin’s appetite died. He didn’t want to be shut out from that power. He wanted to be surrounded by it, bathed in it,
part
of it.

“So you’re done with me?”
Orin asked.

Rekk’s hand fisted on the table. “
I am trying to protect you.”

“Do you feel better hiding behind those shields?”

“No.”

And then there was nothing but a wall of steel. Orin started to eat again, chewing determinedly at each delicacy presented to him, determined to enjoy the experience even if it killed him. What the heeze was Rekk playing at?

“
He’s giving you space to think.”

That was Mya. Orin checked out her stiff posture and closed-in expression.

“Now
you’re
on his side
?
I don’t want to be given anything let alone space.”

“
But maybe he does. We can’t force him to acknowledge us. It has to be up to him
.”

“
I’m sure I could persuade him if you let me.”

Mya rolled her eyes at him, and he took the hint. At least he and Mya had each other. Rekk was dealing with a whole new world.

“Why won’t he let us help him
?”