LITMIR.BIZ

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fingers through his long ebony hair.

      “I don’t,” Farid replied. Not that he minded. More energy to try to harness was not something he desired.

      Kyber’s violet eyes glowed with latent power, paler lavender sparks flashing in his gaze as his anticipation rose. His mind latched on to the subject that Farid doubted was ever far from the surface. “Every time I connect with her, she’s somewhere different. And she’s always gone before I arrive to track her. But not this time.”

      Frowning, Farid gave his cousin’s dilemma more thought than he might normally. “Perhaps her occupation requires her to travel a great deal.”

      “Perhaps.” The emperor shook his head sharply, and his smile became blinding again as the multiveyor door slid open for him. “I’ll find out when I get there. I’m sure I can get to her before she leaves.”

      It wasn’t the first time his cousin had been sure, but Farid sent as much faith and support as he could muster along their familial link. Then he ran a tired hand over his face and turned to walk toward the corridor that led to his quarters. A noise down a small side hallway used for maintenance drew him up short. What now? He sighed and backed up a few steps, allowing his superior vision to peer into the darkness.

      His mouth fell open at what he saw. Shaking his head, he tried to clear it. Tylara Belraj, uptight commander of the fleet and captain of the Vishra, had her arms pinned above her head and her pants shoved down around her boots as a man fucked her ruthlessly from behind.

      Farid watched her slim, firm body arch in ecstasy. Her head rolled against her lover’s shoulder, her eyes closed. Farid had never witnessed such an unguarded expression on her face. She looked…happy, joyful, lighter than he’d ever seen her. He would never have guessed that the woman was capable of such an emotion, let alone displaying it so openly.

      Especially considering they were in an unsecured hallway that any civilian had access to. Releasing her hands, her lover shoved her hard against the metal wall, and his hips hammered forward to slap her smooth buttocks.

      She opened her mouth and hissed, every ounce of her feral naturel alive on her face.

      Farid stood there staring in stunned silence. He couldn’t make himself look away as a gentleman should. The carnal display was arousing, reminding him forcibly of his own powerless, fruitless delight at reaching for his One.

      And that was who this man was to Tylara. Her emotions, as tightly controlled as they were, couldn’t contain that truth, and it ripped him into her maelstrom. He jerked back, trying to wrench himself free of his stupor.

      Tylara’s eyes flew open, their midnight irises almost white with the sparks boiling to the surface. “Farid.”

      Her lover’s head whipped to the side and he snarled low in his throat. A predator possessive of his prize. His blue eyes flashed wildly, sweat ran in rivulets down his ebony skin, and waist-length braids swung around his face. A jolt shook Farid as he focused his senses on the man for the first time.

      Johar Sajan. Brother to Cilji’s perfidious, unstable One.

      Shock made Farid sway on his feet. Tylara’s One was a Sajan. He shook his head, clearing the fog of her lust from his mind as he turned and stumbled away.

      “Farid, wait!”

      He didn’t listen, fleeing blindly down the hallways as he struggled to maintain the shields on his thoughts and emotions. What he felt was no one’s business but his own.

      His memories rose with horrifying clarity, brutalizing his mind. Cilji’s face. His impetuous baby sister. Dead. Anun, no. Not that. Anything but that. Not those memories, not that failure. No.

      “Stop, Lord Farid!” Tylara’s voice was that of the fleet commander, not one to ignore.

      He pulled up, his gut churning with disquiet. Clenching his jaw, he waited for her to draw even with him. He could still scent the sex on her. He could also sense her upset, which was rare for the contained woman. Giving her a curt nod, he stared at a point just beyond her shoulder. “Tylara.”

      “Don’t say anything, Farid. I don’t want to hear it.” She shoved her fingers through her hair, working it into some semblance of its usual order.

      “Johar Sajan.” The words jerked out of him and his fingers fisted at his sides.

      Huffing out a breath, she quit fussing with her hair. “I know his name.”

      “He’s also your One.”

      She snarled at him, some of the beast ripping free of her tight restraint. “Stay out of my mind.”

      Finally meeting her gaze, he arched an eyebrow. “Your thoughts are chaotic, they’re pushing out.”

      “You can block them.” She crossed her arms over her chest and lifted her chin, managing to stare down at him though he was a full head taller than her.

      “Fine.”

      She sighed. “It’s not like with your sister, Farid. I’m in control.”

      Closing his eyes, he shook his head and an ironic smile tugged at his mouth. “If there’s anything I know, it’s that control and bonding with your One don’t go hand in hand.”

      “I’m aware of that. I am in control enough not to force a bonding between us if he doesn’t want it. Yes, I am far more powerful than he is and I could force it, but I’m not Cilji. He may be from the same family as Cilji’s One, but they aren’t the same men. I understand all of that.” Agony flashed in her eyes. There was no deeper torment than this. “I also understand that he may decide it’s not worth it to deal with someone as powerful as I am, that he may leave me for another woman, another bond. An easier bond.”

      “I’m sorry.” He shook his hands out and tucked them into his pockets.

      “So am I.” A tremulous smile crossed her lips. “And, yet, I’m not. I could never regret finding my One, even if I know there may be no good ending that comes of it.”

      He shook his head. “I hope, for your sake, this turns out better than it did for my sister.”

      “No one will die, if that’s what you mean.” Her chin rose another notch.

      “It is.”

      “Have some faith in me, Farid.” She sniffed, her gaze cooling to that of the military commander she was. In that moment, she reminded him of Bren. His gut clenched at the thought. Too many emotions tangled within him today, and still he couldn’t stop the instinctive craving he had for his One. Tylara’s eyes narrowed on his face. “We’ve known each other long enough for that not to be an odd thing for me to expect from you. You’ve seen me work, seen me under pressure.”

      “Leave it be, Tylara.”

      She didn’t. He stifled a groan and rubbed the back of his neck. This was not how he’d wanted this day to go. He should be deep in dreamless slumber. Instead, he was being lectured on faith by the highest-ranking officer in Suen’s military. She poked a finger in his direction. “You want people to trust you and your control. You want to prove you’re not like your sister, but no one else can ask for your trust? Is that truly fair? Or rational? Or reasonable?”

      He clenched his teeth together to keep from saying things that would destroy years of friendly relations with the woman. He found his fangs had erupted from his gums to press against his lips. So much for his vaunted control. He wasn’t doing very well with that today, was he? First, reaching for his One, and now, arguing with a friend. But she was right, wasn’t she? He’d worked long and hard to prove he’d never end up like his sister—out of control in ways the Kith could never be and still expect to remain sane, to survive at all. That was what bonding with a One could do to a Kith, and only control and logic would keep him from his family’s fate.

      He met Tylara’s gaze, hoping she couldn’t see his turmoil. “No, it’s not reasonable, rational, or fair. I’m not like Cilji

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