Chapter 1

Slamming his fist into the wall wasn’t the smartest thing Larem had ever done, but it was that or punch his roommate. Since the current situation wasn’t Lonzo’s fault, he’d aimed his temper at something that wouldn’t bruise—or hit back—although right now a good down-and-dirty fight held some appeal. Pain was slow to register, but his blood stood out in stark relief against the wall’s white paint.

“Damn it, Larem, was that really necessary? I hope you didn’t break anything; it’s your night to do the dishes.” Lonzo’s comment held an equal mix of worry and disgust. “We both know Devlin has no choice in the matter. He’s only asking that you and Barak lie low for a while. Besides, it’s only temporary.”

Larem flexed his hand gingerly. Nothing broken. Nothing solved. He was still caught between two worlds, neither of which wanted to lay claim to him.

“Yeah, right. Why not make it easier on everyone concerned and tell the Regents to make one big cage and stuff all your pet Kalith into it?” Larem said bitterly.

Swallowing hard against the acrid taste of his rage, he slowly turned to his worried friend. “Or better yet, shove us back across the barrier. With any luck, the Sworn Guardians will solve the problem for you with just a few swings of a sword.”

Lonzo had his own temper and shoved Larem hard, sending him bouncing back against the wall. “Don’t be such a dumbass. None of us would let that happen.”

Larem got right back up in his friend’s face. “Correction, Lonzo. Some of the Seattle Paladins wouldn’t want that to happen, but you’re paid to follow orders. If the Regents decide they want us gone, what can you do to stop them? If you refuse to rid the world of a few inconvenient Kalith, they can always find others who will.”

He looked down the hall where more Paladins were congregated. “And they wouldn’t have to go far to find them.”

A deep voice joined the discussion. “You’re wrong, Larem. That’s not happening. Not now, not tomorrow, not ever. We owe you and the others too much.”

Larem wanted to believe Devlin Bane. He really did, but he’d been betrayed too many times by his own kind to easily accept that his former enemies would behave any differently. Gods above, he missed his old life so damned much. As a Blademate to a Sworn Guardian, he’d known his place in their world and served his people with honor.

Here, he accepted a paycheck from the Paladins for teaching weapons practice a few hours a month. He hated living on their charity, but he was still learning his way in this new life. Eventually, he’d be able to strike out on his own and be free to make his own choices. Some days he seriously thought about crossing back over into Kalithia and taking his chances that his death sentence would be rescinded. So far he’d resisted the urge.

Another Paladin came out of the conference room and headed straight for Larem. “This new policy is crap, and you know it.”

Hunter Fitzsimon glared at Devlin, his green eyes blazing with pure rage. “I have more reason than most to hate what comes boiling across the barrier at us, but Larem is different.”

Devlin rolled his huge shoulders, no doubt trying to shrug off some tension. “Listen up, all of you. You’ll get no arguments from me on that score. However, until this new rep from the Regents is actually here, we just need to be careful. Arguing by e-mail won’t change anything, but I can and will make our case in person.”

“Yeah, right, and if he doesn’t buy what you’re selling? What then?” Hunter turned his attention to Larem. “Pack up your things. You’re coming home with me and Tate. The apartment over the garage is yours as long as you need it.”

Devlin looked like he wanted to argue, but then the big man shut his mouth and shrugged. “He’s right, Larem. I can’t guarantee this new guy will listen to me. If you’d feel safer moving up north with Hunter, I wouldn’t blame you. Go camp out in Hunter’s apartment, at least until the dust settles and we know more what we’re dealing with.”

For the first time since Devlin had called the morning meeting to order, Larem didn’t feel quite so alone. As tempting as it was to take off with Hunter, the thought of hiding out didn’t sit well with him. A warrior both by training and by nature, he would not run.

“I’ll wait to see what happens. Besides, I’m not the only one affected by this order.” Larem nodded down the hallway to where Barak q’Young stood talking to his sister, who had two Kalith children at home. “We can’t all go into hiding.”

Devlin sighed, clearly tired of dealing with all the bureaucratic bullshit. “This guy is supposed to show up by the end of the week. I suggest we go about business as usual until then.”

Like anything had been “usual” for Larem in a long, long time. “Are we done? If so, I’m out of here.”

Without waiting for an answer, he headed for the gym, intent on working off some anger banging blades with someone, anyone. A few seconds later both Hunter and Lonzo caught up with him. He’d rather be left alone for a few minutes but couldn’t fault them for their show of support. The least he could do was show his appreciation by bruising them up some.

The three warriors walked into the gym and headed straight for the rack of practice weapons. Larem reached for one of the Kalith-style curved blades that the armorer had recently added to the collection. After a few warm-up swings, he tossed his shirt in the corner and faced off against his two friends.

“All right, gentlemen, who wants to bleed first?”

Hunter’s wolfish grin was a mirror reflection of Larem’s own. With a quick salute, the battle was on.

Watching Chaz Willis squirm was a rare pleasure. Right now the two of them were staring out of a tenth-floor office window at the sidewalk below. Thanks to her fiery red hair, it was easy to pick Sasha out of the crowd even from that height.

Her father glanced at George, his mouth a straight slash of anger. “Look, I know Sasha takes her orders from the entire Board of Regents, but I really hate this. No matter how much I argue, she won’t listen to reason.”

George sipped the glass of expensive scotch Chaz had poured for him, savoring the twin burns of the liquor and his friend’s frustration. “I understand where you’re coming from, but you really need to lay off the girl before you drive a permanent wedge between the two of you. She’s well qualified for the job and deserves a chance to prove herself.”

Chaz topped off his own glass and took a large swig. “Shut up, George. She’s my daughter. That gives me the right to interfere when I think it’s in her best interest.”

“And she’s my goddaughter,” George snapped. “Don’t screw this up for her because you’re not ready to cut the apron strings. She’s all grown up—it’s time you realized that.”

Chaz glared at George over the rim of his glass. “I don’t doubt my daughter’s abilities. But as both her father and a Regent, I have some misgivings about what kind of situation we’re sending her into. We both know Kincade made a mess of things in Seattle, and it’s not finished yet.”

George strolled over to perch on the side of Chaz’s desk. “You’re thinking he wasn’t working alone.”

Chaz finally turned away from the window. “I’m thinking we don’t know. I don’t want Sasha caught up in any fallout. By the way, I’m still pissed you helped her rally enough support to get this assignment in the first place. You should’ve stayed out of it.”

“Chaz, you and I both know that Sasha deserves this chance. Besides, we need someone out there who we can trust to do the job right. Would you rather the Board pick someone else, someone we can’t control?”

For the first time all morning, Chaz laughed. “If you think you can control Sasha, especially from almost two thousand miles away, you’ve sorely overestimated your influence on her.”

George clapped him on the shoulder. “Come on, Chaz, how much trouble can she get into? We both know Devlin Bane and the rest of the Paladins have no use for number crunchers. At best, they’ll tolerate her. At the worst, they’ll ignore her. They certainly won’t trust her. Meanwhile, we’ve managed to buy ourselves some time to deal with Kincade himself. We have to find out who else was involved in his shenanigans before we assign a permanent Regent to that sector.”

“That’s just the problem—Sasha doesn’t see her assignment to Seattle as a stopgap measure. She has every intention of being appointed as the new Regent for that whole area. We’ll just have to find a way to monitor her actions carefully.”

Actually, George suspected Sasha would report in only when she absolutely had to and, even then, tell them only what she wanted to share. To maintain control over the situation, it would be better to have another pair of boots on the ground.

“Maybe we should have another man on-site. You know, to keep an eye on her.”

Chaz immediately perked up. “Good idea. She’ll kick our asses if she finds out, but I’d sure feel better about the situation. Any suggestions who we can trust to keep a low profile?”

After running down his mental list of possible candidates for the job, George made a quick decision. The man he had in mind had served as a reliable spy in the past. There was no reason to think he wouldn’t this time.

“Yeah, I do. We’ve even used him before in similar situations.”

“Good. Call him.”

George hit a number on his speed dial. When the guy on the other end picked up, George kept it simple.

“Pack your bags. You just got transferred to Seattle. I want someone I trust to keep me informed about what’s going on out there and to do what’s necessary to keep things from going to hell. There’s a bonus in it if you get there by the end of the week.”