Of all the things she missed the most, it was his never-ending optimism. That screwed-up humor he had when everything skidded into a s.h.i.t pile. His firm belief that she could do anything she set her mind to.

Why hadn't she fought harder for him?

Harder for them?

And in that heartbeat, everything broke. Sobbing uncontrollably, she doubled over with the pain of all she'd lost. Brand, Ashley, and Kindel gathered her into their arms while Cin and Tasi placed their hands on her head.

"We've got you," Kindel whispered against her ear. "We will stand together. You know that."

It was what their parents had taught them to do. Why Alura hadn't learned that lesson, she had no idea. But what killed her deep inside her soul was that she hadn't given Bastien the same loyalty.

She'd wanted to go after him to help him after his conviction, and her father had talked her out of it.

Now ...

I hope wherever you are, Bastien, that you're safe. Happy would be an unreasonable request given the nightmare he'd been through. Alone. And if she could have one wish right now, it would be for Bastien to find someone he could trust.

Someone who would help him.

Why didn't I do something?

He would never have left her and she knew it.

Choking in her grief, she reached for the necklace Bastien had given her that for some reason she'd never taken off. It was a small heart-shaped piece that held a lock of his hair. She couldn't count the times she'd started to jerk it off her neck and toss it in his face. Yet every time she'd considered it, his words had returned to haunt her.

"Keep this snuggled between your b.r.e.a.s.t.s, Ember. And whenever I'm not with you, remember that you have a piece of me here. More than that, you carry my heart wherever you go. The universe can take any and everything from you, but no one will ever take my love away. It's yours alone to have and to hold. Forever."

In fact, that last bit was engraved on the back of it.

Yours alone.

To have and to hold.

Forever your Bastien.

And though she might not be with him tonight, she was there in her thoughts.

Someday, if she survived this nightmare, she would find him. And either kick his a.s.s. Or kiss his lips.

CHAPTER 5.

THREE YEARS. THREE MONTHS. FIVE WEEKS. SIX DAYS.

Bastien sighed as he marked another day of his fun-filled vacation in h.e.l.l.

"Not dead yet." Though that wasn't quite as thrilling an accomplishment these days as it'd once been. Because at this point, death might be a welcomed distraction from the boredom.

Suddenly, he heard the rumbling sounds of an engine descending.

That can't be good.

Dumba.s.s! You knew better than to mention boredom ... be careful what you wish for. You just might get it.

His heart racing, he grabbed his gear and weapons and went to scout out his visitors. Don't panic, Cabarro. Might be nothing more than another group of Andarions.

For some reason, those crazy b.a.s.t.a.r.ds came here a couple of times a year to scale the mountain range. They didn't stay long. Just enough to get to the top and go. He never made contact with them and they a.s.sumed the landscape too inhospitable for humans so they didn't look for people out here in the desert.

Occasionally, they left behind some supplies he could salvage.

But as he moved into his sniper position, and focused his distance goggles, he realized this was a different kind of vessel than the shuttlecraft they preferred.

A standard R-cla.s.s runner by the looks of it. An older one, too, though it'd been meticulously kept up.

He wasn't sure what to make of that. Other than the occupants definitely weren't from The League, either. League military craft were easy to spot and stood out.

No, this style of cargo ship was normally used by merchant shippers or pirates. Sometimes freelance a.s.sa.s.sins, though that was rare. But then you never knew when a pirate or merchant would hold an a.s.sa.s.sin's license or when they might be willing to pick up some easy creds by killing a fugitive or Ravin.

Better take a closer look.

Bastien scooted down and stealthily made his way toward them.

Not that he had to go far, as they came off the ship and headed straight for him like he was their target.

Minsid h.e.l.l. Tavali, by the looks of their impeccable black battlesuits that were marked with gray skulls. Gorturnum Nation would be his guess, given that. Pirate b.a.s.t.a.r.ds, probably here to scavenge the base. They might have even detected a life form. Though three had left the ship, there could be more onboard.

Bastien took cover.

Two men ... huge effing b.a.s.t.a.r.ds at that. One of them could make two of him. d.a.m.n! What planet were they from and what the h.e.l.l had their parents fed them to make sons that tall and muscled?

For that matter, the woman wasn't small. Even she was taller than Bastien. And she was old enough to be their mother. Given their height and the fact that they all had various shades of blond hair, it would be a good bet.

Hmmm ...

It would also be a good bet that at least one of them carried an a.s.sa.s.sin's or bounty hunter's license, given the way they walked and the weapons they were packing. These beings were well versed in military-styled weaponry and walked as if they would kill or maim anyone dumb enough to threaten them.

Maybe they're just here to meet a friend. Do some illegal business and leave.

If that was the case, he'd hang back and not expose himself.

But that was getting more difficult to hold to as they got closer and closer to his home.

While he kept the interior of the abandoned base stark and run-down, it wouldn't be that hard to figure out someone lived there.

And if they discovered his stash of weapons or food, he was screwed.

The woman let out a slow whistle as she scanned the damage done to the exterior of Bastien's homebase. "What happened? The League?"

"No. My brother. The mother of his daughter, Driana, was murdered here, and his wife was held hostage. Aksel wanted Nyk to come for a visit. Lucky him. He did."

Bastien scowled at those words and the unexpected emotion they kicked up inside him. He'd a.s.sumed the blood he'd cleaned had come from soldiers.

To find out it was a female hostage and someone's mother ... that hit home and brought an image of his own mother and sister to his mind he could have really done without.

The male in the middle shook his head. "Needless to say, Nyk was a bit perturbed when he arrived. This is a prime example of 'be careful what you wish for.'"

The other man snorted as they picked their way through the debris to enter the rusted-out remains.

s.h.i.t! s.h.i.t! s.h.i.t! Bastien cursed repeatedly as they went in and he tried to decide what to do. He clung to the shadows as he followed them inside his home.

You know what to do. One way or another, they were about to learn he lived here.

He was going to be exposed, that was a given. So he'd best do it on his own terms. Not theirs.

As they started up the rickety stairs that would lead them to where Bastien kept his electronics and what few personal items he'd salvaged, he knew he had no choice whatsoever.

Making sure they couldn't see him, he clicked his weapon from stun to kill and deepened his voice for maximum impact. "Don't."

The bearded man in the middle held his hands up slowly. "We mean you no harm."

Yeah, right ... Like he was dumb enough to fall for that? "Then why are you here?"

Bastien expected an answer in words. Instead, it came in an invisible wave that knocked the blaster from his hands, lifted him clear off the floor, and pinned him to the rusted-out wall behind him.

Fected h.e.l.l! Trisani ...

A race that was virtually extinct, which was why the mere idea that these three might be part of that rare breed hadn't entered Bastien's mind. He'd never thought to ever meet one in real life. Possessed of unbelievable psionic powers, they were more myth than reality.

But there was no legend to the fierce power that held him in an iron grip he couldn't escape. Worse? The force on his neck was about to snap it in half.

"Wait!" the bearded Tavali shouted as he held a hand out toward the one who must be holding Bastien up.

"For what?" the Trisani sneered. "A f.u.c.king invitation?"

The other Tavali smirked with a reckless disregard for the Trisani's life-and-death abilities. "Set him down."

Growling low in his throat, the Trisani obeyed. "A living enemy makes for a dead you."

Bastien had to agree with that logic as he hit the ground hard enough to rattle his bones and what little sense he'd managed to hang on to.

The Tavali gave the Trisani an amused stare. "I see you've been reading the Book of Harmony again."

"f.u.c.k you, Andarion," he snarled under his breath.

Those words stunned Bastien.

Andarion? With blond hair?

How?

Bastien scowled. Every Andarion he'd ever seen had been dark-haired, dark-skinned, with eerie white eyes. And while the woman with them had the traditional Andarion eyes, the b.a.s.t.a.r.d standing between them appeared human, except for his enormous size.

Yet unlike the woman, his eyes were covered by dark red-tinted gla.s.ses. Bastien had a.s.sumed them human in color, not Andarion.

He snorted at the Trisani, who obviously was not his brother, Bastien realized, even though they fought as if they were. "And another lovely quote from your peaceful scripture."

Bastien glanced to the older woman. "Who are you people?"

"We're just pa.s.sing through." The Andarion shrugged his survival pack off his back. He held it out toward Bastien. "Let us look for what we came after-has nothing to do with you-then you can grab a shower on our ship. I'll leave you with some clothes, food, and water."

In that moment, as their gazes met through those dark gla.s.ses the male wore, Bastien had a sneaking suspicion.

No ...

Couldn't be Jullien.

This Tavali was too fit and trim.

Too sober.

And yet, last Bastien had heard before his own parents had been killed, Jullien had been disinherited by both his mother and father. Thrown out of their empires during a b.l.o.o.d.y coup on Andaria that preceded the one on Kirovar by only a few months. Jullien's brother, who'd been presumed dead before Bastien's birth, had been found alive, and with his return, Jullien had lost everything.

That had been four years ago.

A lot could happen in four years. He ought to know. His life had skidded to absolute h.e.l.l in a matter of weeks.

Still, it was hard to think that this might be Julie. Bastien raked him with a suspicious glare. "Why would you help me?"

"Because you look like you could use it."

Yeah, no one else would bother. He'd learned that lesson the hard way. People only helped when they had a reason to.

Bastien narrowed his gaze on those hazel eyes he was now sure belonged to his cousin. "Do I know you?"

"No."

A peculiar expression came over the Trisani's face while he glanced to the woman, then the Andarion. They had to be talking telepathically, which unnerved him, as he'd love to know what they were saying.

If they were planning to attack him.

Bastien tensed the minute those silvery-blue eyes focused on him with a great deal of suspicion.

The Trisani arched a disdainful brow. "You're that Kirovarian prince who slaughtered his whole family?"