I shook my head and stared into the creepiest pair of eyes I’d ever seen. “You’re not even here, are you?”
“Of course I am.”
I took off my boot and threw it at him. As I suspected, the boot passed through him like he was a hologram or a mirage. “You are not here. You’re not real.”
“Come, Larkspur.” He held out a shockingly blue hand, the slightly lighter palm open as if he expected me to touch him. As if I could.
Maybe I could? The feeling of opposing magnets had expanded from my head to my entire body. Something strange was going on. If I touched him, would he feel me? Would I feel him? Would my body translocate like his? These aliens had transporter technology that could basically beam one across the galaxy like a laser or something. I didn’t know how it worked, but if they could do that, why not take that information and send a person to more than one place at a time? If it was all just moving data, could this Nexus unit make copies of himself and send them multiple places at once? The possibility wasn’t as crazy as it sounded, not with what I already knew Coalition technology could do.
No freaking way I wanted original me—or a copy—going anywhere with this guy. No. Fucking. Way.
Kai’s beast growled as he crawled toward the Nexus unit. His muscles strained. His entire body shook with the effort. Veins bulged from the sides of his neck and his temples as if they were about to explode. I meet Rachel’s confused gaze and looked at the rest of the people in the room, still down, suffering.
“Stop this.” I glared at the Nexus unit. “What do you want? Why are you doing this?”
“Come with me now and we will leave them in peace.”
No. No. No. Such a bad idea. I had to figure out a way to break his hold on them.
Wait… what did Kai say helped him survive his integration? When he was a Hive prisoner? Music. Singing the ancient Atlan songs inside his head. ‘I would sing inside my mind until everything else faded away, until there was nothing but the music.’
Maybe it would work again. Maybe it would help all of them.
Shit. I didn’t know the whole song, and I wasn’t a great singer by any stretch of the imagination, but I could carry a simple tune.
I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and hummed the old song Kai sang to me a few hours ago. When I had it as good as it was going to get, I sang. Loudly. The Atlan ballad was about life and death, war and redemption. About falling in love. I loved that part, especially the way Kai had looked at me when he sang, as if the words had been written just for us.
When Kai sang, the chorus repeated, over and over, enough that I’d picked up most of it. The chorus was the only part I knew and I sang the shit out of it. I didn’t know what else to do. The Nexus had some kind of mental hold over all these people. I had to help them break the spell.
I finished the chorus and looked around. Shit. Stupid idea. Nothing was happening. I glanced at the Nexus unit.
“Be silent and come with me now.”
I took a step back. For whatever reason, whatever weird, magical ‘translocation’ mojo the Nexus had going on, he didn’t appear to be able to move toward me. No fucking way I was going any closer to him. I opened my mouth and sang louder, with a slower tempo, more like a prayer than song.
The words were in Atlan. I knew the meaning in English, but more important, I also knew the sound. I did the best I could and hoped the melody would be enough to reach Kai. If he would start singing in his beautiful, deep voice, he could help the others. Please let it be enough to help break the Nexus unit’s mental hold on everyone.
I sang the verse again. The fourth time through, Kai’s voice joined mine. His tone was rich and vibrant, full of emotion. I sounded like a small child playing at singing in comparison, but I kept singing anyway, thrilled when Sebastion joined as well.
Did the Prillons know the song?
Thomar’s and Varin’s voices rose to join them. Maxim’s and Ryston’s.
Yes, yes they did. Thank god. Outside, from the corridors, a chorus of male voices joined in until the air shook with the power of so many deep, rumbling voices.
After a couple repeats of the chorus, Danika, Rachel and Willow added their high, sweet tones.
The Nexus unit watched all of us with a bored expression on his face. When everyone stood, calmly singing, facing him, he appeared to sigh. “Very well. Another day, Larkspur.” He turned to stare at Helion. “Thank you for your assistance, Commander. Tell your sister I am coming for her.”
With the ominous threat hanging in the air, the Nexus unit vanished as quickly as he’d come.
Unsure, we all sang another round of the chorus, but I knew he was gone. The magnetic energy feeling was gone. I grabbed my beast’s hand. “He’s gone. It’s okay now.”
The beast finished the last line about being totally devoted to his mate, bent down and kissed me in front of everyone. When it was over, I smiled up at him. “I didn’t know beasts could sing.”
“Best. Better than Kai.”
I saw both versions of my mate in his eyes, both devoted, courageous males who would do anything to make me happy. I never imagined anyone like Kai. Now I couldn’t imagine life without him. “I love you.”
