White Fire: Timewalker Chronicles, Book 5 (25 page)

She’d burn that damn Queen to the ground for him. She’d burn every bitch on that planet until she found the one who had accepted Ajax’s message, and then she’d make that Immortal female eat it. Ajax would have his throne back. She’d make sure of it. It was his destiny.

But this thing between them? This had to be the last time. She couldn’t keep doing this to either one of them. She didn’t want to be a Queen. And even if she did, even if she was willing to give it a shot, to be with him, she’d be a manacle around his neck, a political weakness, a burden, his Achilles’ heel. The Immortal race of Itara would never accept a human Queen. But the people of both Earth and Itara needed Ajax on the throne. He’d save lives. He’d be a good leader, both compassionate and fair, something the Itarans hadn’t had for a very long time, if ever.

This passion between them wasn’t right. It was the ultimate betrayal, because it felt like heaven, but would eventually lead to heartbreak for both of them. She’d realized, as the fire consumed her and the cold depths of his kiss brought her back from edge, that she loved him. Completely.

Which meant she’d have to love him enough to do what was best for him. He was meant to be the King of Itara. She’d have to love him enough to let him go.

When he turned her in his arms, she let him. And when he lowered his lips to hers, she kissed him like he was the only man she’d ever love, the only one she’d ever wanted, because he was both. He tested her and found her wet and ready, needy.

He moaned and settled her over his lap as he sat on the shower seat. She followed him down and took his body, slid his cock as deep into her core as she could get him, and rocked against him, never letting go of his mouth. She buried her hands in his hair and kept him prisoner to her kiss as their bodies moved and pleasure rippled through them both.

She was too scared to talk. He’d demand her Mark again, and she couldn’t give it to him, knowing what it would cost him in the end.

But she could love him with everything she had. She couldn’t say the words, but she could damn well let it fill her up. And it did, as she took his tongue into her mouth and his cock into her body. His hands roamed her back and ass, petting her and driving her wild. She loved him. And when she exploded in his arms, she kept the one thing that guaranteed his freedom, guaranteed him his destiny and his birthright. She made him a King.

And she kept her Mark.

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They were drying off when both of their cell phones started ringing, beeping and generally going crazy. They exchanged a look and Ajax reached his phone first. What he read there was not a surprise to him.

“Holy shit.” Emma looked up at him and then raced past him to her living room. She scrambled for the video controls and turned on her television.

“What are you doing?”

“Turning on the news.”

“Why? You already know what is happening.”

Emma ignored him and sank to her knees on the soft rug wearing her towel. The news channel came up on her television and the human female on the screen was talking.

Washington has confirmed the presence of three ships hovering over the United States. The three ships are reported to be over Washington, D.C., Denver, Colorado, and Los Angeles, California. The ships seem to be inert and have made no move to attack or communicate with anyone on the ground. So far, no other countries have reported incidents. The President released a statement saying that the White House has been contacted by the ships’ inhabitants and they have requested a meeting within the hour. The President’s spokesman claims that the people on board the ships are humanoid and nonhostile. We go now to the White House Press Room where the President is scheduled to make an announcement in about thirty minutes…”

“Oh, my God.” Emma rocked back and forth on her knees as the giant warships came into view. Ajax shuddered. Each ship could hold up to a thousand warriors. “What the hell are they doing here?”

“Hunting.”

“The Triscani?” Emma looked up at him as the television reported droned on and on, filling the two minutes of airtime before the President’s speech by repeating everything she’d just said.

“That will be the Queen’s official task. That will be what she promises your politicians.” Ajax walked to her and knelt beside her, pulling her into his arms. “The video you showed me on your YouTube will make it very easy for her to convince your leaders. And when the Triscani begin to surface and feed, they will welcome her with open arms. But we both know that’s not who she will be after.”

“The Timewalkers.”

“Yes.” Unable to resist soothing her, he ran one hand up and down her bare arm. “She sent Raiden to hunt them so she could either kill the Timewalkers or use them in her personal army. A couple hundred Triscani are insignificant to her, as are the human lives they will claim.”

She wrapped her hands around his waist and squeezed him so tightly he could barely breathe. “We have to stop her.”

“Yes.” He held her and stared at the television screen, not seeing it. “The Triads will be up in arms as well. They have no love for the Queen and will not want her interfering here, on Earth, where they’ve been in control of everything for centuries.”

“You have to be King, Ajax. The whole world needs you.” She looked up and took his face in both of her small hands. “Both worlds need you.”

“But I need you, Emma.”

“No, you don’t. I’ll be a political weakness, Ajax. The Itarans would never accept me. I’d have assassins in my room every night.”

“I can protect you.”

“You couldn’t. Not from all of them.” She stood slowly and he knelt at her feet as understanding dawned.

“This is why you refuse me?”

“I love you, Ajax. But your people need you, now more than ever. Earth needs you. I’m going to fry that bitch so you can have your throne. But I can’t share it with you. I’d be a huge target. I’d make you vulnerable, and you have to be strong.”

The sound from the television changed as the news station replayed the video of himself and Emma and the Triscani in that Portland parking lot. The news reporter and another human discussing the video and openly speculated that perhaps this was why the ships were here.

Then the screen jumped to a new post on an infamous conspiracy blog site and Emma gasped as video played of the Triscani coming through their Gate in Nebraska the night before. The Triscani were ugly, and plainly visible. The Immortals who battled them faceless, their features blurred to protect the people Zoey loved.

“She works fast.” Emma was a little in awe of the woman.

“Unfortunately, that video will play right into the Queen’s hands.”

“A ruse to make the Queen happy. That’s what Elijah said.”

“Yes. She wanted a legitimate cover so she could come here and hunt the Timewalkers.”

“I’m going to kill that bitch.”

“So you said.”

“Do you think she’ll tell the President about the Triads?”

Ajax considered. “No. I doubt it. That would require an explanation of how they got here in the first place. I do not believe she will want to admit to your leaders that she exiles her criminals here.”

“True.” Emma rose and tugged at his hand. “Come on. Let’s go.”

“Where are we going?”

“Back to Katherine’s house. We have to talk to the others and figure out what to do.”

He followed her, his heart breaking with every step. She loved him. She’d said the words, and refused him her Mark. Gods be damned, he wanted her forever, loved her enough to give up his throne. But she loved him too much to let him, and with the Queen’s arrival with thousands of soldiers, he had to admit that she was right. Itara and Earth would both suffer if he didn’t reclaim the throne. But both he and the female he loved would suffer if he did.

He and Emma were alike in one critical way. Duty before self. Neither one of them would be happy if they watched thousands, perhaps millions of people suffer on both worlds, just so they could be together. He’d considered asking her to be his consort, and not his Queen, but the Itaran people would never accept that, and it would leave Emma in an even weaker position. A Queen had certain rights and power. The human lover of an Itaran King would be considered nothing more than a prostitute. He couldn’t put her in that position, and he couldn’t ask her to risk her life to be with him. She was right about that as well. Should she be his Queen, there could very well be an assassin in their room every night.

The churning pain he felt threatened to spill out his eyes, and he hadn’t shed a single tear since the day he’d watched his mother’s body burn.

This hurt just as much. But he wasn’t fourteen. He was old. And tired. And alone.

Chapter Seventeen

Ajax left Emma with Katherine, the two women watching the news on television, and walked outside onto the beach with Teagh. When they were several minutes away from the house, far enough that the females would have no chance of hearing, Ajax stopped walking, and starting pacing.

Teagh waited patiently, but Ajax couldn’t talk yet. He felt like he was going to explode. He picked up a fallen log and hurtled it out toward deeper water.

“Little upset, are we?” Teagh tilted his head to the side and grinned. “Let me guess? Emma?”

“She won’t Mark me.”

“I thought you didn’t want her Mark.”

“I didn’t. I was afraid she wouldn’t survive Itaran court.”

“You’re right. Unless things have changed dramatically, she’d have a tough time. They won’t be happy with a human Queen. But she’s tougher than she looks, Ajax. And she loves you. You should give it a chance.”

“I abdicated the throne.”

Teagh’s head flew back in shock. “You what?”

“I sent Aron to the Queen a couple of hours ago. I relinquished my claim to the throne.”

“Fucking idiot. Why did you do that?” Teagh gestured to the house. “So that’s why that bitch has the balls to show up here now? You handed her your head.”

“I wasn’t thinking clearly at the time. Emma didn’t want to be Queen and all I could think about was being with her, protecting her.” Ajax threw another log, not as large as the first, but it flew through the air like a boomerang and sank beneath the waves. “But now that the Queen has shown up with her minions, Emma won’t let me walk away. She says too many people would suffer.”

“She’s right.”

“I know.” Ajax kicked at the sand. “But she still won’t be my Queen. She refuses to give me her Mark. Says she’d be my Achilles’ heel, a political liability.” He picked up a rock and threw it, watched it until it disappeared on the horizon, too far away for him to track. “A fucking weak point. A vulnerability that I can’t afford in court.”

“Sounds like she’s been there.”

“She has. Snuck around with her invisibility as a child. She grew up on Itara. She knows how the Immortals there operate.”

“Shit. I don’t know what to tell you. She’s right. About all of it.”

“I know.” Ajax wanted to throw another log, but there wasn’t one close by. He felt like he was coming apart at the seams and the only one who could hold him together was pushing him away. “I just don’t know what to do about it.”

Teagh paced for a few minutes and Ajax left him alone to think. The silence and the waves did nothing to soothe his frayed nerves. The Itaran Queen had changed everything showing up here. Before, he’d been content to ignore her. Now? He wanted her fucking head.

Teagh bent down and picked up his own rock to throw. “Celestina said the goddess would come for Emma and take her to the Queen.”

“Yes.”

“So that Emma can turn that bitch into a pile of ash.”

“Yes. And that’s exactly what she says she’s going to do. She vowed to me that she would kill the Queen and any of her descendants if they try to stand between me and the throne.”

Teagh whistled. “Sounds like she’s pissed.”

“She knows the Queen is here to hunt the Timewalkers.” Ajax crossed his arms and stared up at the sky. The sun was setting. They didn’t have long to make plans, not if Celestina’s time table was correct. The goddess could show up for Emma at any moment. “Have you told Katherine yet?”

“Didn’t need to. Katherine and Mari both know why Raiden was sent here. She was on the phone with her mother immediately coordinating the Timewalker descendants’ move into the Darkwalker properties. Everyone Katherine loves will be protected. But there are others out there, human women who don’t know what they are.” Teagh, Guardian of the Gate, Ajax’s dear friend, looked unsettled, and nearly as upset as Ajax felt. “If she comes after Katherine, I’ll cut off her fucking head myself.”

“Everything is going to change, for all of us.” Ajax rolled his head on his neck and tried to think. “Even if Emma ashes the Queen and, by some miracle, I reclaim the throne, the Queen’s daughters won’t stop hunting our females.”

“I know.”

“Especially her eldest, Inessa. That female is over a thousand years old and even nastier than her mother.”

They stood in silence for a minute before Teagh closed his eyes. When he opened them, they were lit with purpose. “Katherine just contacted me. You aren’t going to believe this. The Queen is scheduled to be on live television with the American President so she can make her appeal for peace to the people of Earth.”