Warning filled his father's eyes. “It's a direct command from the Phaedra.”
He squeezed his thigh until pain ripped through him, and still, it didn't distract him. That man was the last person he wanted anywhere near Kira. Who knew what that psychopath might do? Everyone at this table hated Dr. Cooper for what he did to Zayne long ago, even though he was one of the Phaedra's dearest friends.
“The Phaedra is testing me,” Zayne said. “With the woman, with Dr. Cooper, with this mission.” A deep breath. “With Luke. He's testing us both.”
Their father sighed. “He knows you've moved past what Dr. Cooper treated you for.”
No one, other than Dr. Cooper, had spoken of that time to him since he was fourteen. Hearing his father peel the lid off the forbidden jarred him. That old pain crept into his chest.
All this talk of hidden things tonight.
“I won't let him down.” Zayne heard himself say the words as if they came from someone else. Everything was starting to make sense. Why Zayne needed to be the one with Kira. The Phaedra and Dr. Cooper schemed this together. Only the two of them together could conjure up such a twisted plan.
They were repeating history.
An innocent civilian.
An order Zayne couldn't follow.
Dr. Cooper there to heal the brokenness inside of him.
This mission was far more dangerous than he'd realized. The Phaedra always favored Zayne for High General, especially after giving him the snake tattoo. All the obstacles standing between Zayne and his purpose were thrown in front of him right now. Every last one of them.
Zayne didn't know how to prepare Kira for what she was about to face. “What methods will Dr. Cooper use?”
Luke lowered his head. “You can't do this to yourself. You can't concern yourself with the prisoner's well-being. Detach.” His brother recognized the danger as well, perhaps more than their father did.
“No,” his father said. “Zayne is different from you. Let Dr. Cooper advise him. He's the treating physician. We shouldn't interfere.”
“Father,” Luke said. The pain of the forbidden lingered in the air, even with the brother who hated him.
“Don't worry.” Zayne hardened himself. “The Phaedra doesn't test us until he believes we're ready. He's teaching me, and I'll become who he needs me to be.”
The other two men watched Zayne, and while his father seemed pleased with what he said, that distrust lingered in his brother's watchful stare.
Only Luke saw through Zayne's lies.
The Phaedra thought Dr. Cooper had purged the dissidence from his heart. He'd only driven him to push it down deeper than anyone could see.
Anyone except his stubborn brother.
The meeting continued without a shred of emotion. They all knew how to bury what they felt, and when to do it.
“Take her to Dr. Cooper in four days,” his father said. “Luke will be there to advise on the operation. The Phaedra wants her to feel comfortable. Someone will bring her clothes from home.”
“So, no uniforms?” Luke asked.
“Not for you two. The security team will be in uniform.”
Zayne stiffened. What a ridiculous game to play. “The change of setting will catch her off guard?”
“Yes. No one opens up in a prison cell. We want her to feel at home.”
Ridiculous.
“While the prisoner is with Dr. Cooper, Captain Christopher Garrison will arrive in Caspador to contact her mother. He's on a mission there to deal with our governor and Caspador's king. He'll oversee any involvement with Becka Rogers.”
Christopher was a complete piece of shit. The Phaedra sending him to Caspador spelled trouble for that kingdom. They were the only territory that hadn't joined the United's uprising, but they were flirting with the rebels. The fact that Becka Rogers resided in Caspador only further insulted the Phaedra.
