the crossbred plants in the hothouse.
“Odd. Very odd,” Esau muttered. He broke off a leaf, sniffed the sap and nibbled on the end.
“Do you know what plants they combined? What they were trying to do?” Leif asked.
“Not yet. It’s going to take a while.”
“Then I’ll see to the horses and fetch you some food.”
“Yes...yes...fine.” Esau scratched the stem with a fingernail and peered at the wound.
Leaving his father to his investigation, Leif groomed the horses, filled their water and grain buckets and checked the tack for wear. When he returned with a tray of fruit and meats, Esau sat cross-legged in the middle of the house. He stared in shock at the branch in his hands.
Leif rushed to his side. “What’s the matter?”
“This.” His father held it up.
“What about it?”
“It’s a cross between the Curare vine and the Theobroma tree.”
It took a moment for it to sink in. “You mean—”
“These people are trying to create Theobroma-resistant Curare!”
10
YELENA
Shocked into silence, I stared at Valek’s bleeding chest. His question bounced around my mind, searching for a place to settle. The deep cut resembled a heart—one half carved by the Commander and the other by Valek, creating a symbol of his love for me. Valek had chosen me over the Commander. A warm sensation swept through my body, turning my insides to goo.
“Yelena?” A hitch cracked his voice. He remained on his knees, waiting for my answer.
Valek’s face had paled to bone white. I’d never seen him so vulnerable.
Sliding from my chair, I knelt in front of him. I took his knife—still wet with his blood—from his hand and sliced my tunic open. Then I pressed the tip into the flesh in the center of my chest. Pain buzzed like an annoying fly. I ignored it as I carved a fist-sized heart shape directly over my thumping heart and between my breasts. “Yes, Valek. I will marry you.”
His tight expression transformed as joy sparked in his eyes. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close as his lips found mine. Red-hot spikes of sensation shot down to my toes. My muscles shivered and my skin caught fire. The need to run my hands over his lean, powerful body pulsated over every inch of my being.
Far too soon he stopped. Before I could protest at the interruption, he pressed his chest to mine. My wound burned with the contact and with the sting of his blood mixing with mine.
“Till death. I do swear, love.” Valek whispered in my ear.
“Beyond death. My vow to you,” I said.
He drew back to meet my gaze. “So we shall be. Forever united.”
“We shall be,” I agreed.
This time his kiss vibrated to the very core of my soul. Our pledge solidified our connection, creating an unbreakable bond.
“Clothes...off...” I said between kisses.
The speed of our disrobement took what little breath I had away. But then breathing no longer mattered. My senses filled with the intoxicating smell, feel and touch of Valek as he lowered my shoulders to the floor. Nothing in life compared to being linked with him. Together we were one.
* * *
Movement roused me, then cold air hitting parts of my body that should not be exposed to cold air. I groaned in protest.
Valek pushed up to one elbow. “Sorry, love. But I need...”
“To what?” I untangled my legs from his. The cut on my chest throbbed. For the first time in my life, I savored the pain. It meant so much.
“...to tell you—”
“What happened with the Commander?” No doubt the meeting went horribly wrong. When he’d arrived, I’d feared the worst. He appeared so devastated. I had never seen him like that, not even when the Commander had signed the order for my execution and extended the document to Valek.
“Yes.”
I waited for more, but he stared off into the distance as if searching for a good place to start.
“Why did the Commander feel it necessary to remind you of your oath?” I asked, helping him along.
“He cited a number of reasons, but it pretty much boils down to the fact that Owen’s his guest and he wanted to ensure I didn’t assassinate him, Tyen and Rika while they are here.”
“Oh.” So many thoughts jammed into my head. The first, we were all dead, summed up the fear and panic that dominated. Owen must have taken control of the Commander’s mind. Ixia and Sitia were both in huge trouble and... We were all dead. That one was hard to move past.
“Yelena, I want you to leave this