Braxis grinned as he looked back at me. “Still a fighter, eh? Good.” He grabbed my hand again. “Come along, pretty pixie. I'm going to show you to our room. You can fight me more when we get there but mind your manners until then.”
I walked obediently beside Braxis, my hand lying limp in his as he took me through the glossy, tubular corridors of Malik's ship. I couldn't feel the ship moving but I was certain we were already on our way to Agranen, Earth and my lovers disappearing behind us. I wanted to burst into tears but I refused to give Braxis the satisfaction. Why did it have to be now of all times? When Danu and I were both weakened. When I was needed the most. Would they be able to force the thief to return the asha without me? Would I ever get back my lost magic? Would I ever get home?
I nearly cringed when Braxis opened a door and took me into Malik's old bedroom. It was just as it had been when I'd seen it last. The sleek bed attached to the floor and bracketed by cabinets, a shelf between the cabinets, serving as a headboard, and a couple of chairs near the small window. Stars blurred into blackness outside the thick glass—we were definitely moving. Everything inside the room mirrored the darkness of space outside the ship but now felt bleak and cold instead of masculine and exciting.
My stare fell upon the framed photograph on the bed's headboard/shelf—a photograph of me.
It was Mal's favorite—one he'd kept even when we weren't together—and seeing it there was like a dagger in my heart. Were his clothes still in the hidden closets within the walls? Were his toiletries in the bathroom? Braxis had once said that he wanted to possess everything that belonged to Malik but the clothes would be a bit tight on him. Still, he might have kept them for the simple joy of knowing that he had them.
Braxis locked the door, then started stripping off his armor. He hit a section of a glossy wall and a panel slid open. Malik's clothes were indeed there but they'd been cast onto the floor of the closet. Braxis tossed his armor on top of them and I tried not to react.
“That was the shortest battle I've ever attended,” Braxis noted. “Far shorter than the one in which I faced you.” His expression hardened. “The one that turned you into my enemy.”
A pang of guilt shot through me. What the hell, I might as well unburden myself and try to win some points with him at the same time. “I'm sorry, Braxis.”
He went still. “About what?”
“Your men. I'm sorry for what I did to them. It's been weighing on me.”
“Don't lie to me!” He suddenly roared as he turned to face me fully.
“I'm not lying,” I said calmly.
He tossed the rest of his armor aside and strode up to me furiously. “Oh, I see. You regret it now that it has cost you so much.”
“No, that's not it either. Although I do regret that it has led to this. How could I not?”
“Tell me the truth, Amara,” Braxis demanded with his glowing tongue. His hand went to my upper arm and squeezed. “Tell me why you regret what you did.”
“That thing you have on your tongue”—I nodded toward his mouth—“it was made to battle Bleiten.”
“Yes, I know.” Braxis shoved me onto the bed.
I caught myself before I went sprawling and instead sat on the foot of the mattress. “Do you know why it was never used?” I looked at him and lifted my chin.
Braxis frowned. “No, he didn't tell me that.”
“He, as in Gregory?”
Braxis blinked—it was the only thing that betrayed his surprise.
“Yes, we know who took it.” My jaw hardened as I looked away. “I'm not surprised now that I've had time to think about it. Gregory has hurt my family before. Currently, he wants to overthrow my uncle. What better way to do so than to trick a bunch of Bleiten into restarting the war?”
“He didn't trick me,” Braxis snarled. “Reviving the war serves my purposes as well.”
“What purpose would that be? Revenge on King Lucifer?” I scoffed.
“Yes!” he hissed.
“And you don't care about the millions of other Bleiten on Hell?” I countered. “What about the other tribes of Reaksar? What about the people in your tribe who you left behind?”
“They'll survive. The Bleiten will win the war eventually.”
“The war has lasted for thousands of—”
“Forget the blasted war, Amara! I want to know why you regret hurting my men!”
With his words, all thoughts and even memories containing the war between the Bleiten and the Triari vanished from my mind. I was vaguely aware of speaking of something prior to answering his question but even that strange feeling disappeared as I spoke.
