Page 47 of Einar

“Finally, all of you in one place.”

Ruby’sgargoyle,Slavic, snarls out a question. “Kallenwhat is so important that it could not wait until a later time?”

“Oh,Ido not know? …Thefact that yourMamis alive, and you have a youngling sister?”

ChapterThirty

ROWAN

Kallen’sflippant response causes absolute chaos to break out.Allof the guys start shouting at the same time andIcan feel myself starting to freak the fuck out.Ijust can’t handle this many large men acting with aggression so close to me.Rubymust see thatI’mabout to lose my shit because she raises her fingers to her lips and lets out a piercing whistle.Thereare a few winces, but all of their attention is now fixed on where she andIare standing. “Ok, now thatIhave your attention, all the snarling in the world isn’t going to answer your questions.So, pick one and go with it; like you guys actually have some sense.”

Kallensmiles over atRubyin appreciation before saying, “Thankyou,Ruby.Ineed to learn that trick.Ido not believeIhave ever witnessed instant obedience from these or any males before.”

“Kallen,Ihate to interrupt your little speech, butIwatched thatAynarmage slit myMam’sthroat with my own eyes.Thereis no way she survived such a wound.”

Slavic’swords are tortured and what he says makes me gasp.Rubyshoots me a quick look and shakes her head, warning me not to say anything right now.

“Youare right, most would have died and if the medics had not been on scene quickly afterwards, she probably would not have made it.Youmust realize, we also thought you all were dead as well.Slavic, your absence has spanned numerous orbital rotations.Ihave no idea how you have kept your identities hidden all this time.YourMameven put feelers out to see if any of you had been seen or heard of, but nothing came of it.”

Ican tell thatKallen’swords have not landed on deaf ears.Allthe males, includingEinar, deflate after hearing that.Themale hovering aroundKallenis the one that speaks next. “Ithink you need to start from the time we escapedKallen.Orthis conversation is just going to keep going in circles.Later, you andIare going to discuss why you are just now bringing this up.”

EvenIcan hear the censure in his words, and it doesn’t go unanswered becauseKallenfires right back at him. “Iwas not going to retell this story multiple timesRuarc, and it is not like you have spent enough time with me to talk!Iam not sure if you all were aware of this, but yourSirewas one of the males leading the resistance against theAynar.

Theothers who were planning the attack had been trying to recruit him for several orbital rotations, but until they publicly whipped youSlavic, he would not take the chance.Afterthat, he was determined to free you and your brothers, at any cost.TheAynarthought they were in complete control and that was what finally defeated them.Theyspent rotations building the perfect male, with unlimited strengths and stamina.Whenthe confrontation happened, even with their mental strengths they were unprepared for the mass that attacked them all at once.Whenthe main mages were killed, the rest of them fled in the few remaining space worthy ships still planetside.

Accordingto yourMam, the plan was for her to meet yourSireand all of you at the dock a tic after the second sun rise.Shewas on her way there when the primary mage who had taken a personal liking to her, spotted her.Shetold me that she had no clue he was trailing behind her because the accelerating mate sickness had fogged her thoughts, and she was just determined to get to her mate one step at a time.

YourSirewas the one who planned the mine collapse and the landing of theVespira, now theZenith, to coincide with each other.Hisprimary plan was to get his family on that shuttle while the workers in the mines were being rescued from an alternate entrance that he and a few others had been working on.

Oncehe got into orbit, he was supposed to bomb the main headquarters.However, we know this is not what happened, and that is how several of theAynarwere able to escape.YourMamwas found when another ship landed close by.Whilethe males in the mines fought the remainingAynar, all the females were rounded up and put on that ship.Onceloaded, that vessel was programmed to head to the outer quadrants to an unpopulated moon called,Deapra.

Ittook several lunar rotations for any of the males to join us there, so in the meantime, we had to rebuild on our own.YourMam, even though weak from the attack, only several rotations away from birth, and suffering the loss of her heartbond mate, is who took charge.Withouther guidance, we would not have the trade routes or the society we have now.Shewill be overjoyed to find out that you all are alive and well, as she never believed any of you were dead.”

AfterKallenstops speaking, there is silence in the room.Lookingaround the roomIsee that the big guys are having varied reactions to her words.Thedarkest one of the bunch looks viciously angry, but the others look more sad than mad.Peeringup atEinar,Isee that he has tears running unchecked down his face as his massive shoulders hitch with sobs.

“Iwatched her die,Kallen!”

Slavic’sanguished outburst causes sympathy to well deep within me.Thesebeings… they’re not monsters, far from it actually.Fromthe sound of it, they have not had an easy life either.CompassionfillsKallen’svoice as she offers once last piece of information.

“Hervoice was damaged, and she has a terrible scar on her neck that she shows off proudly.Whetheryou believe me or notSlavic, she is alive and well, along with your sisterAtasha, who is the spitting image of her.”

Slavicturns toward us and his tormented eyes land on my sister.Rubyreleases my hand and hurries over to him.Heopens his arms, almost hesitantly, andRubywalks right into them.Iwatch as she hugs him back before he lowers his head and lays it atop hers.Secondslater, an alarm blares through the ship, making me jump in reaction.

Slaviclet’s go ofRubyinstantly before he bellows. “Everyoneto your stations now!”

BeforeIcan blink, everyone rushes out the door behind him, includingRuby.Justas she reaches the portal, she pauses and looks back at me. “StaywithEinar.Donot leave his side, you hear me?”

Noddingat her,Ijust stand here unsure of what to do asIwatchEinarstalk to the other side of the room where a large screen hangs suspended from the ceiling.Hereaches out and hits a series of buttons, turning the screen on and it divides into four smaller screens.Steppingcloser,Isee that it looks like… the outside of the ship, as well as various rooms within the ship?Ican see a room with several of the guys in it whereSlavicis gesturing aggressively this way and that.Somethingis definitely going on.

Einarwipes the tears from his face with the back of one of his hands before studying me, an almost contemplative expression on his face.

“Youhave questions, yes?”

“I, erhm, yes.Ihave questions, but considering what allKallenjust said…Idon’t want to pry when you’re already obviously upset.”

Asmall, rueful smile pulls at his mouth before he replies.

“Youare my mate, anything you wish or need to know about me is yours to have.Someof it may be uncomfortable for me to relay, yes, but knowledge is power.Ido you no favors by keeping you in the dark so to speak.Youmust learn much about your new world so you can make informed decisions moving forward.Whatis it you would like to know first?”

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