unyielding
Disoriented, he braced his bare feet and controlled his breathing. He wanted to go to his mate, but he wanted to stay upright on his feet also. "Remove the shield in the room. It does not contain him."
Ritz, I need everyone.
We are here, my King.
He felt Jessalynn's eyes on him, but he did not look her way again. Hayden needs to prepare to come to this location. "His ship cannot be contained either. He has been coming and going as he likes."
Ritz give Dezrick the coordinates I am giving you. It will withstand most of our weapons. Tell Dezrick to ready the va'riz and the destroyer machine from the Ratkilgon ship. They need to be used simultaneously and are to be ready on my command.
Yes, my King. Hayden is ready, my King.
Hayden appeared at his side. Her strength was needed.
The boy who tried to steal his life studied Hayden.
"Is this the weapon you wish to fight me with?"
"No. This is my hope that I will not have to destroy you. I will, but first I would give you the same option that my Queen gave you. Leave this planet or become my enemy."
"I didn't say it near as cool as that."
Hearing her voice and not being able to feel her nearly shattered him. His soul had huge gapping claw marks where she had been removed.
"Give me my mark back." He ordered with a voice laced with steel.
"Why would I do that when I will take her from you? The pain will ease some once I take her mark, too. Make your decision."
Jessalynn gave a cry of dismay that hurt him to his core.
"You have damaged our bond, but you have not broken it. You cannot break it. I cannot feel what she is feeling, but I do not have to. I know she is hurting because I am hurting. My soul searches for hers and will never stop searching for her. You are no different from my advisors in your ignorance. She has been stripped from my mind, my memories, and our bond damaged, yet we still cling to each other."
Kellum moved towards him. "I still love her. I would still kill for her, and I would still die for her."
"Is that your decision?"
"Hayden." Kellum gave the order.
She came forward, her hands held up to let him know she could not hurt him. "You're far from home. You're so alone and sad that you let your pain color your judgement. Where once you only saw right and wrong, good, and bad, you see nothing but pain. Let me help you see clearly again. Let me show you the way."
"I'm not far from home. I have no home. She is all I have left."
Hayden's voice was steady. "She's not yours to have. You're a good person. Speak your truth."
"She's all I have left. I was alone for years, and she smiled at me. Gave me food." He looked at Jessalynn. "You can give me purpose again."
"You don't want to hurt her." Hayden's voice was soothing and impossible to ignore.
"I don't want to hurt her, but I must so that when she heals and grows, she will learn to grow around me instead of around him."
"You heal and grow. You're like an oak tree. In time your roots can expand as big as our entire planet and grow stronger with each sunrise, but it will be different for her. Humans aren't like that. Our wounds don't always heal, and Syrians cannot live without their mates. By taking her, you will doom them both. They are to each other like your world was to you."
Still looking at Jessalynn, he rubbed his palms on his pants.
"You don't have to be alone. You don't have to settle. Somewhere in the universe your soulmate awaits you. What if you were to meet her or him tomorrow? Or even a year from now?"
She almost had him, but Kellum saw the moment she lost him.
"I cannot bear to be alone even for another moment." He moved to Jessalynn, but he did not find it as easy to get through Alric's defense as he did Dezrick's.
"Now Dezrick." The boy had power unlike anything he had ever seen before, but most of it came from his ship and without it, they would have a fighting chance. As he gave the order, he called a Ratkilgon collar to him.
Even as his enemy tore a hole in the protection around Jessalynn, the boy could hold off his men with one hand.
There was not a person within a thousand miles who would not have felt the imploding and extinction of his ship.
He paused, and that might be the only chance they get. "Jessalynn, hit him with all that you are feeling."
Give her your strength, he ordered the New Rulers.
Damous landed a blow the boy felt, but he still made another grab for Jessalynn.
Kellum came to stand in front of her, and the collar went around the scrawny neck in front of him and then his hands around his throat. The boy's feet left the ground.
Hands he knew as well as his own touched his back. A kiss to his heated skin slaughtered any thoughts but of her.
"Make him give you your mark back. Please, Kellum."
Her words pierced his already shredded heart. He dropped the other boy, but he could not turn around to face her. Not when he had to do the one thing he never wanted to do. Hurt her.
"He cannot. Not without his ship." His words were uttered without a trace of hope.
He closed his eyes at her muffled sob. "It..." It changed nothing but those words would not pass his lips. "We can learn..."
This time he was the one to run away.
