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“Concordant wasn’t supposed to be real. Until it was. Then this… auction. My so-called owner. The Imperial family telling me I’m Dariux. That this—” He lifted his hand and let out a flicker of static that fried Archer’s toaster.
Tucking his hand back in his lap, he murmured an apology, then stared at the drawing again.
“It’s wrong. Or I am. Is this a dream?” He looked up at Cyprian and, just for a second, got lost in those bright yellow eyes. “Did I fall through the mines? Or did I really get bonded with an Imperial prince who drives me crazy, and I’m somehow inseparable from him? I can’t—and then those letters. Nereth solan. Did you know we went to see the royal consort in the hospital?” He snorted at his own words, at how insane he sounded. “Apparently she used those words when she was young, and Daven thought maybe she was somehow reaching out. But I mean… she’s asleep. None of this makes sense. None of it does.”
He absentmindedly accepted an outstretched tigano and took a big bite, shoulders sagging as he hummed.
“All right,” Cyprian said. “Maybe we can shed some light.”
“Attica first? Then Concordant?” Ryneth asked around a mouthful.
Cyprian laughed. “Yes, we’ll start with them. Just eat. I’ll do the talking, and when you have a question, raise a hand.”
“Like at s-school.” Mirel giggled.
“Exactly.” Cyprian shot his brother a wink. Then he turned back to Ryneth, his smile fading into something graver. “First of all, none of us are the good guys. Attica, Concordant, even the Imperial family. Attica is a Helion-based rebel group led by Bekn Zaid, Theo’s older brother. They hate the Imperial family for the violence the Aureates cause. The Aureates killed their loved ones even while they were prisoners, so they set up an organization that produces drugs and kills innocent off-planet inhabitants to destroy Helion’s reputation.”
“Okay…” Ryneth swallowed his bite. “What do they have to do with Concordant?”
Cyprian shrugged. “Other than working together to gain a solid foothold in Helion’s underworld, I don’t think much.”
“But that’s enough to cause serious damage.” Ryneth thought of the night they’d wanted him to come out and negotiate. The night they’d sent Lysa to talk to him. “Yure believes they’re working on something bigger behind the scenes. And yesterday we saw a shuttle land behind the hospital.”
Cyprian just nodded. Light, the guy should be surprised or shocked. Hell, the guy should be terrified. Ryneth knew he was. “They convinced Milanov they have real intelligence on Attica. Enough that he allowed them to land on Helion. Moargan fought him hard over the decision.”
Ryneth swallowed. Letting Concordant onto Helion felt like opening the door to a fire. “They can’t be trusted.”
“K-Kylix hasn’t slept much,” Mirel added softly. “H-he’s making sure Concordant is watched all the time while they negotiate.”
Cyprian nodded. “And Norma, Milanov’s wife, senses something moving behind the scenes. She’s reached out to me before through my visions.” He pointed at the drawing. “Unfortunately my gift only goes as far as this. I get visions that I draw. Why they come or what they mean, I don’t know.”
Ryneth gave the charcoal another once-over. “We’ll find the answers.”
“Yeah, we will.” Cyprian’s hand landed on Ryneth’s shoulder and he squeezed gently. “As for the rest of it, you are not dreaming. Milanov already told you what the bond means. How does it feel?”
Ryneth snorted. “Well, most of the time I want to hit the asshole straight in the face. He’s so arrogant, so fucking sure of himself. He swaggers through life like he’s—Good Light, some sort of God.”
The other three burst out laughing.
“That sounds like K-Kylix,” Mirel managed. But when Ryneth looked at the blond man, he saw that one of those yellow eyes had turned ice blue.
“Unfortunately, all Imperial princes share that same blood.” Cyprian chuckled. “But they’re also fiercely loyal and proud.”
“But what if Daven’s—”
Wrong?
He couldn’t get to finishing that phrase. What if Daven found out he’d made a mistake? That it wasn’t Ryneth he wanted after all?
Cyprian shook his head. “I know what you’re thinking, but it’s not possible. The mating is not a physical choice. We were programmed like this. Designed to be the perfect match. Like you were, when they injected you with artificial Dariux and sent you off-planet, only to return home when the time was right.”
Ryneth remembered the gold-and-white contract that had kept appearing on his multi-slate. He nodded shakily. “Yeah, I’m getting that. So, what do we do now?”
Archer chuckled. “Now you go to the Academy for class.” Gathering plates, he dropped them into the sink. “And promise you’ll come back for another breakfast soon.”
Cyprian’s hand on his shoulder squeezed a little tighter. “Archer’s right. We’d love for you to be our friend here. As for the rest, we can only follow the signs we’re given and piece things together. Something is happening soon. But where or when we don’t know yet.”
“And that doesn’t terrify you?”
