AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Shit, Lar’a, stop him!” Bryant’s voice cracked through the air, and Mal’ik had just long enough to tense his muscles before Lar’a’s hands clamped down on his upper arm and spun him around.
Mal’ik raised his hands. “I’m not doing anything. Let me go, Lar’a.”
“Bullshit.” Bryant clawed his way up to standing and staggered over to him. “Bullshit, you’re not doing anything, and you can’t do it alone.”
Mal’ik scowled at Bryant, but he couldn’t keep it up. Bryant’s expression was too earnest, and Mal’ik was too vulnerable. “I can’t drag you all into it.”
Bryant scoffed. “Tough.”
“What are you talking about? What are you doing?” Lara gave Mal’ik a shake, and when he didn’t respond, she looked at Bryant. “What is he doing?”
“He’s switching sides.”
The room fell silent.
All Mal’ik could hear was the pounding of his own heart. His breaths were too shallow to pick up any of the scents in the room.
Lar’a reacted first. She shoved Mal’ik against the wall with a yell. “What?”
She advanced on him, but Serihk stepped between them smoothly. “Calm down, Lar’a.” He turned back to Mal’ik. “Are you sure about this?”
Mal’ik had never been less sure about anything. To turn his back on everything he thought he had lived his life for? To betray his leaders and his men and his state?
He nodded. “Those people need me, Serihk.” He swallowed and pulled his shoulders back. “I spent too long protecting them to turn my gatlung on them now.”
“Fuck…” Lar’a turned away and ran a hand through her hair.
Mal’ik glanced at her but kept looking at Serihk. “I hate the Resistance. I hate them. But if I have to join them to protect the people from us, I will.”
To Mal’ik’s surprise, Serihk just nodded slowly. He didn’t look horrified. He didn’t even look confused. “It makes sense. You’ll be valuable to the Resistance, for the same reasons you would have been valuable to the Klah’Eel.”
Bryant leaned heavily on one of his crutches, still standing in the middle of the room. “I think our diplomatic mission just became a lot more urgent, Serihk.”
“Yeah, if you can stop the fighting before Mal’ik gets himself killed, that would be great.” Lar’a dropped onto the couch and tilted her head back to look at the ceiling. Mal’ik managed a half smile. Concern for his welfare and a lack of physical assault was as good as a blessing coming from her. “Though you know there might be legal repercussions afterward? For being a traitor and all that?”
Mal’ik shook his head. “I can’t be bothered by that right now.”
“If you even make it to that point.” Bryant frowned. “How do you know the Resistance won’t just kill you on sight? Why would they trust you?”
“I still have contacts down there,” Mal’ik said. “People who I think will vouch for me.”
“That’s good.” Serihk turned away with a sigh. He laced his fingers behind his back and stared off into a corner of the room. Mal’ik inhaled and smelled doubt, fury, and disgust wafting off him, completely at odds with his cool, still demeanor. “Still, I think you’ll need something else to prove your goodwill.” He turned back around, his skin completely pale but the air around him churning with emotions. “And I think I know what.”
* * *
“So you really don’t want to give me a summary before we get down there?” Oliver clarified for the last time as he buckled himself into the transport that would bring them back down to Tava.
“It would be a waste of my energy,” Dominic replied for the last time as he settled himself and pulled out his data tablet. “You’ll hear about it at the presentation just like everyone else.”
“Yes, the presentation to our potential clients.” Oliver couldn’t help himself. If his brother was insisting on undermining and infuriating him, Oliver certainly wasn’t going to pay him the courtesy of letting him get some work done during the ride. “After which they’ll have questions, and I’ll be ignorant.”
Dominic didn’t look away from his tablet. “Your ignorance of major Turner corporation R&D projects is not my fault.”
Oliver laughed in the way he knew Dominic hated and was rewarded by the familiar tick in his jaw. “Your major R&D project wouldn’t be seeing the light of day if it weren’t for my negotiations.”
“You mean if it weren’t for your habit of getting blown up.”
Oliver had been ready for that and let the reference to his traumatic experiences roll off his back. “Call it whatever you want, you admit your little hobbies would go nowhere if it weren’t for me carving out opportunities for you. We both know Dad’s not very interested in them.”
