I had some,” Bannon said, sobering.
Shaking his head, Patrick came forward and bent to place a kiss on Marcus’s cheek. “Oh well, we’ll all get some soon enough.” With a wink, he sat down on the end of the bed, his knees peeking out from his kilt. The man had dashing knees. “What brings you here, Bannon? Is everything all right?”
Bannon practically wilted.
Marcus took pity on him, knowing the best thing for him would be to get what was bothering him off his chest. How bad could it be? Marcus was certain Bannon had told them everything about the IN, or at least what he knew. Marcus had read the report on the diplomat’s com-pad and gotten even more detailed information. “Bannon has something to tell us.”
Patrick nodded. “Okay.” He glanced at Marcus and raised a brow.
Marcus gave a small shake of his head, indicating he didn’t know what it was about either.
With a big sigh, Bannon stood. Clutching his hands in front of him, he took a deep breath and let it out. “I should have told you both this when I found out who you were, but I was so surprised and….” He shrugged. “After, I didn’t know how to tell you. Now, the thought that we might all die breaking into that base….” He shook his head and dropped his hands by his side. “I can’t risk either of you dying—” His voice caught and tears gathered in his eyes. “—without letting you know.”
“We’re not going to die breaking into the base, Bannon. We’re going to be smart about it. Now, whatever it is, you can tell us, lad,” Patrick said softly. “Whatever it is, we will not be mad, just tell us.”
“You can’t promise that.” Bannon frowned.
“Yes, he can. You didn’t purposely deceive us, did you?” Marcus asked.
Bannon shook his head.
“Then whatever it is, we will not be mad.”
After meeting Marcus’s gaze, Bannon pressed his lips tight together, then glanced at Patrick. “Trouble, I mean, Jeremy is alive.”
A lump wedged in Marcus’s throat, and his hearing turned to white noise. He blinked and looked at Patrick. He couldn’t have heard that correctly, could he?
Patrick’s brows pulled together, but his gaze remained on Bannon. “Our Jeremy?”
Bannon nodded. “He’s one of my dearest friends.” His voice softened, and a wistful look crossed his face. “He’s alive and on Regelence. He’s Aiden’s stepson, and he lives in Townsend Castle with King Steven and King-Consort Raleigh. He hates being a lord, but he’s learning. King-Consort Raleigh is teaching him.”
The room seemed to close in and waver. Dizziness overtook Marcus, and he gripped the table next to him to steady himself. It was simply too good to be true. “No.” He shook his head. “I saw the cottage. It burned. We couldn’t get to him and Mary. We tried. Oh galaxy, we tried.” Marcus shook his head, unable to believe. He couldn’t let himself hope. It was impossible. Closing his eyes, he gripped his head, bending in half. With gut-wrenching pain, the memories came rushing back.
With a start, he jolted awake. An urgent, almost panicked feeling clawed at his chest. Where was he? He glanced around at the tiny modest bedroom, and everything came rushing back. He was on Verity in the Yarren system. Patrick had been assigned here. Instead of staying on base, they’d rented a small cabin. It was nothing like what they were used to, but it was charming, and it afforded them a little privacy. He lay there for several moments, listening and still, and then he heard it. A crackle. A soft roar. The smell of smoke. “Patrick! Patrick, wake up!”
Patrick came awake with a start. “What’s wrong? What is it?”
“The cabin is on fire.” Marcus jumped out of bed and grabbed his pants and a shirt, aware of Patrick next to him getting into his uniform trousers. He started yelling for Mary, but there was no answer.
Patrick yelled too. “Mary, wake up! Get Jeremy and get out! Mary, do you hear me?”
But Mary didn’t answer. Could she hear them? Was she already out of the small cabin? She slept lightly; she always had…. “Mary?”
They reached for the doorknob at the same time, but Patrick’s hand got there first. He jerked it back with a hiss and started shaking it frantically.
Marcus reached for the knob, but Patrick caught his wrist. “It’s too hot. If you open it, the fire is going to be right in our faces.” As if to prove his point, there was a