Page 113 of Stars in Aura

Mirage arched a brow. ‘Indeed. Good old-fashioned espionage and intelligence gathering.’

Kainan exhaled. ‘We’re urging you to do your job,aki.’

Ki’Remi’s nostrils flared. ‘I’m a surgeon.’

‘You’re also a Rider,’ Kainan countered. ‘A damn fine warrior first who’s made an oath to protect the Sable family, Eden II, and Pegasi at all costs. Furthermore, you’ve got a relationship with the one person who can get us into Sacran soil. We must exploit the opportunity, for we may never get another again.’

Ki’Remi leaned back in his chair, a streak of obstinacy hardening his face. ‘How? My ammo didn’t even penetrate those beings when they attacked. I only survived because she wiped them out. I’mnadaagainst them.’

That’s what you think, but you are mistaken.

This time, the whisper came from a wellspring so deep within him that he almost growled out loud.

Tamping down the energy surge that went through him, he inhaled.

We have been waiting for such a time as this, Ki’Remi, son of the Ameru. Unleash us at the right moment, and we will win over these so-called gods for you.

His mind spun.

‘What’s up?’ hiskhosiasked, concern flitting as he stared at Ki’Remi’s stricken expression.

Which the Sable medic rearranged into a calm mask. ‘De nada.’

Kainan was not so easily appeased.

His piercing flame-tinged eyes assessed his friend, cutting through to the heart of the matter like he always did. ‘You knowsomething or have something you can use on this mission to our favor. Am I correct?’

Ki’Remi’s jaw clenched, the words hitting a raw edge inside him.

He did have three freakin’ somethings, but what to do with them, he’d no clue.

We’ll show you when the time is right and upon us.

He suppressed a shiver at the whisper, gritting his teeth.

The lines he drew between his calling, commitment to the Riders, his ancestral legacy, and his personal life were fast becoming blurred.

Messy too, with a potential for a significantfokkup.

He loathed uncertainty, muck, andfokk-ups in general.

‘So, tis an order,’ he growled, deflecting.

Kainan nodded, his voice steady. ‘Naam. These attackers, whoever they are, are tied to an extinction-level war on Pegasi. Should they return with bigger guns, we must have intel on their weapons, army, artillery, and threat scale so we can defend and, if necessary, respond in kind.’

Silence pulsed between them.

Ki’Remi exhaled. He could fight the directive, argue, say he wouldn’t betray her.

However, this was no betrayal.

This was survival and the right move for his family, home, and future.

He sat back in his chair, muscles taut, every fiber of his being resisting the ask. ‘Sawa.’

Mirage beamed. ‘You beauty.’

Kainan was still pensive and nailed his friend with an extended look. ‘Whatever you have in your back pocket when it comes to it, use it.’

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