Fahan
I left the men there to start with the extraction. I could not believe Jade, and I had fought like that. I did not like myself for striking her… It had been the first time I had ever raised my hand in anger. She was being nonsensical about Aries. I understood that. But if we let the Riphath go… We would never get off that planet. Our food was depleted, and there was no relief on its way. Our numbers were rising because of instinct. Our bodies knew that we needed numbers to survive. To fight a war. The thing that would save us was also the cause of our suffering.
I had set the scientist to work, stalling. Why would we trade if they were sure that Juliet would not kill Aries? We would wait… And when the extraction was done, we would give him back like the vamps had done all those years ago.
"You can not do this! He is our child. How do you know what they will do to him after you almost kill her mate." Jade was screaming.
She had been waiting for me outside, in front of the building. All my men were there. Avrio and Raas were watching us closely. I hated that it was drifting us away from each other. I lifted my hand, and Dimitrios and one of the men picked her up and carried her out. Her legs were kicking. She was weak… Her body was still recuperating from the branding and from the birth. If it was any other time, she would have been able to fight them. I had hit her at her lowest. When she could do nothing to fight back.
"Watch her and keep her in our cave."
Avrio and Raas had decided to stay. They would not be able to go back to their planet until we could teleport out all my men and declare war on the Vampire planet. It was the reason I was not going back in there and trying for a second time to get my son. When the boy disappeared with him right in front of my eyes, I knew that they would not do anything to him. The way he was cradling Aries. Just before they knew we were there, he was playing with him.
If we were close with Beatrice… It wouldn't be long with even a more robust subject. Dimitrios had said that he had held out admirably the last two weeks. He showed no weakness. I went back inside to make sure they were starting.
A few men opened his cell, which was the first time he struggled. I could see the fear on his face. He knew what was coming. He had been on the receiving end of some method of torture in his past. I turned away as they started chaining him up. I wished there was another way, but there was not. Avrio was overseeing the proceedings, which would only make it go faster.
"How long?" I asked.
"A week or two with someone so powerful and young. Our technology has improved."
I could live with that. In a week, I would go get my son. Even if I had to kill all of them.
***
Chris
I wanted to leave Louis and Marcus on that godforsaken Red planet. The glow the world carried was ominous. The constant droning of the factories and the plants they had erected to give all of it power. It was indispensable and something I had to get used to. I was angry at them, but I stopped at the door. We were on a strange planet. Once again, in a stressful situation. It made me stop to think.
"Chris… I know you said that you would rather be on your own. That the family unit wasn't important to you… You got what you wanted. Soren is out, and you left immediately after. But this is a family problem. You can't come and take over when she calls you."
"Why did she call me Louis?" I asked and glanced back at him. Kubra had sat down, eyes on the floor. It really didn't matter that he was there. He was family, after all.
"It's my fault," Marcus said. "I told her that we would get Michael back. That we had to wait. I had no idea that Fahan would choose both stones."
"Why haven't you done anything on En-gannim? Are you really going to leave her to do everything? If I had known she was all alone… Again… I probably wouldn't have left… You're right… It is your fault. You told me not to manipulate her time. I regret not doing it… If you had known what was going on, Avrio would never have gotten away with it in the first place. You didn't even clear The Tower yet… What have you been doing the last two weeks?" My eyes drifted to Marcus. "Did you not promise her you would work with her… And as far as I know, you didn't mind playing politics when you left Juliet on Earth?"
"I haven't because I… completely shut down… You don't know how it feels to do something for so long. You are still young."
My gaze landed on Louis, and he started speaking. "The only reason I haven't is that I get addicted to the power… It nearly broke us apart on the compound. And even if Michael did throw his tantrum about the baby, he hit the nail on the head… None of us want to work with her. All of us together… In one room… It's a recipe for disaster."
"Fighting is one thing… Challenging someone to a physical fight." Marcus went on. "That we can do as a team… It's a one-time common goal… There, I have the advantage, and she listens to me." Marcus said, sitting down. "Even now, none of us want to tell her because she will do something stupid without taking anyone into consideration," Marcus complained.
"All these excuses… They didn't stop you when you got her pregnant."
Marcus shrugged. "All three of us knew. You didn't have an issue with it either… I have to be selfish sometimes, or it won't work. I couldn't really go to work with her still in the hospital. And who would've protected her? I would have kept my promise. I was just waiting for her. I can't help that every time we have to start working, something else happens in this freaking family. Michael was right in that regard. We should have taken some time."
I came further into the room and sat down.
"Should I go to Ira to hear what they say?" I suggested. "It isn't the time to have another heart-to-heart."
"Yes… And we will go to Earth to hear what they say… Meet us in France."
***
Juliet, Silvanus, and Caleb were feet in the water at the river. The baby was in Juliet's arms. She and Caleb were talking. I sat next to her. "Any news? What did Fahan say?" She asked. It bothered her so much. I knew she was holding back, pushing it all down.
"Fahan's thinking about it… I don't think he knows what to do. Have you seen Ira? There is no one at the house." I asked, trying to change the subject.
"They're at the origin city… Your father and Sung are negotiating about the winter spent there and not in Yaroon." Silvanus said.
"Really?" My eyebrows lifted. Silvanus nodded. If he was actually there, they were serious about it.
"I have seen Jamal and Selena, but they are out on patrols." Juliet kept talking.
I cut her off. "I'm going to leave you here. I need to go talk to my father… Or do you want me to stay?" Juliet smiled. "If you need me, just call." I kissed her and stood to leave. She didn't even open her eyes. Her head tilted to the warmth of our star.
"See you later."
I hated lying to her. Sent Kubra a message to meet me in the city. He was waiting at the cave.
***
We had to find Ira. They were busy walking around and cataloging the damage that the fight caused. We greeted them. Ira always had a big smile on his face when he saw me. "Can I talk to you?"
Sung wanted to leave. "Stay… I need to talk to you, too."
Ira's back stiffened. "What happened?"
I told them everything. They were quiet for a long time. It was Sung who spoke first. "It will be almost impossible on their home ground. Thousands of soldiers with weapons to counter us."
"If we wait… They will end up here eventually. If they get on En-gannim and have more tech to their advantage, we would never be rid of them."
"They won't come here… No one has ever dared… And I can't keep bailing out Juliet when things go wrong."
"She didn't hesitate to help us." I retorted. "We got Beatrice back."
"Yes, and I am thankful, but we cannot go into a war where we would lose thousands of soldiers. If we want to move back into the city, we need every man and woman alive."
I sat down. Since I had gotten Juliet back, my mind had changed about leaving Zoreah behind. Getting our numbers up and the population growing again had become something we discussed in length. Louis was right… Being in the same house… As a family… It wasn't something I would get used to.
"I understand. We will have to think about something else. It's more a personal matter… Can't really expect to create a war for one man."
"I'm sorry, Chris… But you didn't want to take over from me… I have to make decisions that will give us the best possible outcome."
I clapped Ira on the shoulder. If he only knew how close I was to bringing up the idea of me taking over. His answer might have been different.
***
Kubra and I traveled to France. Louis and Marcus were already waiting. I plopped down on the couch. How I longed to be back on Earth. The Vampires had the tech that everyone wanted. I hoped that Earth would at least stand with her. "What did they say?" I asked.
"They said no."
"F-. Ira said no, too… Sending just the Vampires in won't work, would it?" I asked.
Marcus shook his head. "Our numbers are too low."
"The only thing we can do is give them the teleporter tech and cut out Avrio and Raas… Or, give Fahan Palmyra?" I suggested.
Marcus stood up. "What! No! It's madness. The resources of Palmyra alone are worth fighting for. We have no idea what happened to the Werewolves… What if they are not dead, and they can fall under Michael's rule. Or even better, Charlene's."
"Do you have a better option?" Both of them were quiet. They didn't meet my eye. My suspicion was growing. They had to have some idea of how to solve this… "You want to leave Michael there… Let them take his ability." I ventured.
"They don't have the means to build a teleporter. They don't have the materials they need. They might get the source energy, but then what?"
"You would put Michael through that? No wonder she doesn't trust you. How can you be sure they didn't already ship everything out there."
"Even if they have. It will give us time to make a deal with Earth to launch an airstrike on them as soon as we do the exchange… We will be rid of them… Michael will be back. We will still have the tech and Palmyra." Marcus added.
"Michael as much as told us in his first communication what to do… He doesn't mind being the sacrifice… If there is a way for us to extract an ability… There are ways to give it back… Michael will bounce back." Louis said.
I got up, yawning. I was tired. Had not slept for days. I walked over to the kitchen, lighting a cigarette. I grabbed a beer. When I opened a drawer for an opener. There was a case under the counter filled with those net guns. When I saw them, I knew what I needed to do. For all Michael was… He would never do that to any one of us. He would never go against her like they were doing. And this was different than Zoreah. She loves him. The only problem was finding out what Kubra would do.
Before Louis could read me and make a decision. I had shot him with one of those nets. Marcus was caught off guard, but he was a bit faster than Louis. My teleportation left him confused. We had not trained together since I had come back. Marcus might not want to rule, but he was letting his fighting deteriorate. I got him cornered and reeled him in like a fish. It felt good. A nice little gadget to have when you want to contain someone with abilities.
My eyes met Kubra's. He lifted his hands into the air. "I agree with you… I had never chosen Marcus for doing the right thing. But because he had a cause worth fighting for. And Juliet is that cause… Sometimes, he needs to be reminded of that. This family comes first, no matter the consequences."
The corner of my mouth lifted. "I don't really know you. But will you help me with my plan?"
Kubra nodded.
We dragged them one by one to the safe room. Louis was swearing at me. Marcus was having a go at Kubra, telling us how stupid we were. That my plan wouldn't work. It might not, but they weren't thinking straight. Giving up a few things for her to be happy was not stupid.
I turned to Kubra and told him my plan so that Marcus could hear. "Do you agree with everything?"
Kubra nodded. "Carl and I need to find Charlene. We can't really do that without Michael."
"After that, will you come to feed them?"
Kubra nodded.
"You know Chris, you complain that she is impulsive…." Louis yelled.
"No! Don't put your hang-ups on me!" I yelled back. "I never complained about that… Vampires... So selfish." Louis didn't think it was funny. It was what he told me that night outside her house. "She would do anything for any one of us… Have you thought about what she would have to go through after he came back?"
I waited for Louis to answer. "She would understand why."
"You are an idiot if you think that… She's not going to understand. Your actions are going to break her… Either way… I agree we don't know where Michael fits in. But him always sacrificing because he loves her the most isn't fair… I thought the consensus was that no one would touch him again… Had he not done enough?! You two will have some time to sort yourselves out." I raised my eyebrows. "And, figure out what you will tell your wife."
"Chris, it will be much worse when it's you!" Louis yelled as I closed the door on them and locked it.
Louis might have been right. And all I was doing was giving him Fahan what he wanted anyway. All I was thinking about was lifting the burden for her. I would have to be the man, and I was taking responsibility. My father was going to be livid, but he left me no choice. At least I would get all the credit. Either way… Juliet was going to have a rough time ahead. But… I disagreed that it would be worse if it were me. It might just save the situation altogether. I sat down on the couch and sent Fahan a message.
Chris { We need to talk }
Fahan { Who is this }
Chris { Ira's boy }
Fahan { What do you want }
Chris { Stop the extraction and meet me. I will teleport you out. Come alone. No weapons. Or I will kill your child myself }
Fahan { Very well }
***
I had at least learned how everything worked. Since I could come and go on En-gannim and Earth… I studied whenever I had nothing to do. I had to. You could control it to transfer only one thing at a time.
First, Kubra and I had to dismiss all of Juliet's troops on Palmyra. With Kubra there, it was easy. I didn't know who had the amulet for En-gannim or if it mattered anymore. Juliet will be taking over. If it's the last thing I did. Ira would have to do without me for a while. If Louis and Marcus didn't want to step up. I would.
"You have to leave. I need to talk to him alone. Stay in contact with Fahan while I'm on that thing."
"Are you sure, Chris? I don't know if she would rather it be you or Michael."
My head dropped. I knew the answer. Everyone knew. Michael knew… "I don't want her to have to make the choice… And Charlene can come to take over when she is back. For Palmyra, I'm sure everyone will pitch in. It will be easier for us to fight here."
Kubra's mouth twitched. But it wasn't convincing. "What?"
"If she ever comes back. I don't know why… But I have a sick feeling in my gut."
"When I come back. We will find Charlene and do everything else Juliet's wanted to do for so long."
Kubra traveled out.
I waited till Kubra teleported Fahan through. I kept my distance. He eyed me suspiciously. "I have a proposition for you."
"I am listening."
"I want to take Michael's place. Give him to me. And take me instead."
If he could show emotion, I saw it in his eyes. He was confused. "Why?"
"Does it matter? You will get what you want either way. And… You can have this place." I pointed out into the horizon.
His eyes darted everywhere. Even from up there, Palmyra was beautiful. "May I?"
"Sure."
He walked to the edge of the platform. His fist clenched at his sides, and I knew I had him. No one in his position would give up the opportunity.
He spun around. "Why?"
"It doesn't matter… Nothing is going to happen to your son. Juliet won't do anything to him. But you knew that."
"Mmmm," He bobbed his head once. "What will I tell them? It will make no sense."
"Tell them that you heard about the Werewolves being wiped out if Jade is killed by a branded mate, and you don't want to take the chance."
"Is that true?" He asked. His voice was shaky.
"Yes. Do you see anything living around us?"
"Why not kill me?"
"Michael… Is important. You know there is no way for us to get to him." I said. And I truly believed that. She brought him with her to come to get me. She went against Marcus and added him to her family.
Fahan's chest rumbled as his lips moved over his teeth. He was angry… Noises were almost the only way you knew they had any emotion. "What about Aries?"
"If I know Juliet. She will probably give him back. It's a chance we have to take."
"You are making no strategic sense."
I chuckled. "Yeah… I know."
"I will do it… But if this is some game… You have to know that I will come for Caleb."
The thought that he knew about my children and even their names was a bad omen. "We will both be putting our kids on the line then."
He considered this for a moment and nodded.
"Michael can under no circumstances know that I'm there. None of them."
"Anything else?"
"After. Will you let me go?"
"I will have no use for you? You will still have to get me here. I would need you."
"You will have to kill Avrio and Raas… And give up on En-gannim."
He lifted his hand in the air. "If we can have all of this… Who would want that pink sludge? It is dangerous… Cut out war and death. En-gannim was just a means to an end."
"I have a man working with me. Kubra. Trust him if he communicates with you." I contacted Kubra, and he traveled Fahan out and himself back to the platform. I took out the letter I had written Juliet earlier. Another freaking letter. In that one, I was lying… But hopefully, she would believe it when it was on paper. She knew how serious a note was… I handed it to Kubra.