{Earth}
“Yea. I’ll tell Para. She’ll insist on going,” Bones responded to Chris and Tumu’s most recent update from the depths of the Earth. The crawler he operated hugged the inside wall of the stronghold’s cylindrical entrance. With the bucket extension, they unearthed a third of the chute. But there was still so far to go. He lamented telling his casual lover that her longtime partner, Karter, needed to travel for reconstructive surgery.
Barely recognizable.
That’s how Sagan described her. Hard to imagine one of the most powerful Icarean warriors to exist—a Valkyrie, no less—lay down there reduced to a bloody pulp. He shook his head and waited for confirmation before returning to work.
Chris, a pretty decent guy for a human, assured, “Tumu said it’ll be tight, but he’ll find an excuse for her to visit once ‘the Chef’ arrives to replace her on King Duty. Please pass that along to her. And my love.”
The Shadow—the collective group of apocalyptic elites—loved one another. King Rayne, in her glass coffin, kept the conduit between Earth and Cinder open to allow the Icari to evacuate. Her brother, Jack, supported by Chris, Karter, Ross, and Colton ruled Earth-side and negotiated with The Brethren—the Two Worlds’ governing body—for the good of both races.
Kyle and Cypher guarded the conduit, with the former screening memories of entering Icari seeking asylum. Andrew screened intentions and headed the agricultural restoration of the Vittle crop, the Icari’s primary source of nutrition. His Icarean GQ model, Lucas, headed up Progeny interests with The Brethren.
Tameka, the fieriest redhead that ever gingered, ran the diplomatic division with Caedes, one loyal Icarean warrior, and John, the traveling educator. Sagan, the Seamswalking Progeny, was hands-down the most overpowered being in the Vast Collective and the most down-to-Earth.
Pablo and Lynn ran the medical and weapons research divisions, respectively. Matt and Lucy… killed things very, very violently. Bones and Para completed the teams as necessary.
Not a single member went underutilized or under-appreciated. Love. Kindness. The world Elden wrote about in his Verses. This was family.
Bones twisted the pendant on his chain. Proof of his official initiation. He looked up the chute to Earth’s sky through the plume of rock dust. With these kinds of emergencies, was it time—
Fuck this. “Cypher, I’m heading back to Cinder. I’ll be back in an hour. Do you want a lift anywhere?”
“Roger that. I’ll await instructions here. Say ‘hi’ to the King of Earth and Cinder for me.”
Rumor had it Cypher once had a thing for Rayne. If someone ever asked Bones—and not that anyone would—who he thought made a comparable partner for the force of nature that was his new King, he wouldn’t say a pretty decent but otherwise average human soldier recruited by Xelan to run the first Iona out of Little Rock, Arkansas. No. The Icarus that came to Bones’ mind surprised him. Especially given said Icarus was currently deceased.
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Wild reality they were in.
Those musings entertained Bones the entire flight to Nox’s Castle on his majestic-as-fuck wings. Approaching the open square tower high in the sky, the Icarus hated the message he came to deliver. Through the vent of black rock, he soared into the pit. It housed a lake in its center. In the middle sat a lone island with a glass box.
The Martyr Complex.
Sheepishly, he nodded in reverence to the King that slept within it. Not as if his brain didn’t disrespectfully suggest minutes before that she belonged with the man who built the thing.
Colton, another decent human, waved from the modest kitchen in the corner. He held a finger to his lips and pointed over to Para sleeping on the couch. Shit, he needed to wake her with the news. He approached cautiously, making gentle noises along the way. Never—ever—wake a sleeping Valkyrie with stealth mode on. Bones heard what happened to Chris. Without a nacre, the human might still be a soprano.
“Para, wake up. I brought news.”
The Valkyrie opened her shiny black eyes and bolted upright. Her short blue hair fluffed similar to their post-coitus sessions. At the terror filling her eyes, Bones mentally kicked himself for letting his thoughts even drift there.
Gently, he shared, “Hey. They found her.”
The tiniest of the Valkyrie at five-foot, eight-inches, Para released a shaky sigh of relief that made her appear fragile. She even spread her hands over her face and held her head. He almost choked when her shoulders shook with soft sobs.
Shit. “That’s the good news.”
She snapped back to him with her eyes bloodshot and glistening.
“Chris, Jack, and Tameka are taking her to Enki.” Para made to stand, and he gently gripped her substantial biceps in a comforting squeeze. “She needs upgrades to her nacre. Tumu promised to arrange a visit for you once that new Tritan guard for King Rayne arrives.”
Bones released her, and she leaned her head back onto the couch with her eyes open to the vent above them. He took a cursory glance around the pit and noticed that Colton left them alone. So many decent humans.
“We’ve been together so long now—millions of years—I couldn’t imagine my life without her,” Para choked out the confession. The muscles in her throat strained with the words, and tears poured freely from the sides of her eyes into her hairline. Even softer, she added, “I like Chris. Love him, really. But right now, I resent him because he gets to go with her and I don’t.”
He winced at the truth in her words. Then gently, he offered, “We know him well enough that if you say the word, he’ll switch places with you.”
Para turned, and Bones watched the wreckage salvaged in her eyes. “I know. That’s the only reason I won’t kill him.” The longer she stared at him, the more her eyes shifted into something… else. The sweet, exotic scent of mango filled the air.
Ahh. The rumors of Valkyrie appetites increasing during times of grief weren’t exaggerated. Para looked at Bones like someone lost in the desert looked at water. Thirst. Hunger. Need.
She moved for him.
Against all of his instincts, Bones held her aloft. “I don’t consent.” Shit. Why did he say that?
Para pouted, and his bones hurt. They kicked his own ass for saying “no.”
“It’s not a good time for you, and Colton is around here somewhere. Would Karter approve?”
“Karter would insist on joining even with her injuries.” Para almost purred the words and ended them on a growl.
Bones resisted a shudder. Not a bad one. Her scent intensified with every intoxicating inhale. Stronger than he ever smelled it. Fuck. Him. Please.
“Let’s go to the King’s chambers this time.”
“Race you there.”