Page 7 of Tamed
If his primary function was delegation, both tasks were easily accomplished. Still, Arcon was baffled by Zevon’s choice. “Why involve me in this? Wouldn’t one of your staff trainers make more sense?”
“Most, perhaps all of my staff trainers have developed loyalties. These connections are nearly impossible to avoid in the current environment. You are completely objective. I trust you to make better decisions than someone who is factoring in their political obligations.”
Much to Arcon’s annoyance, the rationale made sense. He didn’t want to train the conduits, much less be responsible for their safety, but he was uniquely qualified for the job. “I wasn’t planning on remaining here that long.”
“I’m aware, but this is important. People tend to become ruthless when they think about controlling the power of a triad. Over and over I’ve seen individuals completely disregard the feelings of the conduits as they plot and scramble to gain control over them. We cannot allow that to happen.”
Arcon had heard all sorts of stories that backed up what Zevon was saying. Conduits were rare and without their abilities it was impossible for controllers or sources to access their own gifts. Wars had been fought over less. In fact, Emperor Jevara’s obsession with conduits was a contributing factor in the current war.
“How long do I have to set all this in motion?”
A pleased smile tugged at the corners of Zevon’s mouth. “Until Jevara has been removed, the safest place for the conduits is the Citadel. We plan to launch that operation within the week. The first two conduits will be sent to each planet shortly after that.”
“Two weeks? You expect me to give forty-four women defense training and assemble numerous security teams in two weeks?”
“I have faith in you, Arcon.” Zevon’s smile spread into an unapologetic grin. “I’ll let you know who I’ve assigned to the strike team, but feel free to recruit anyone else.”
“Yes, sir.” He started to stand, then paused. “If you give me a list of the first eight women, I will prioritize their training.”
“We’ve agreed to let the conduits volunteer.” Zevon didn’t sound happy about this concession. “It’s their lives that are going to be changed by this. They should have some say in who goes where.”
Arcon nodded. He agreed with the concept, but he also saw the complications that could, and likely would develop. “Very good.” He pushed to his feet then nodded to Movu and Soro. “It’s nice to meet you both.”
“Likewise,” Movu muttered.
Soro just returned his nod.
“Will there be anything else?” Arcon asked Zevon.
Zevon chuckled. “Isn’t that enough?”
“More than enough. I’ll update you once I have a plan in place.” He strode from Zevon’s office making a mental list of all the things he needed to do. First and foremost, find out which eight females had volunteered to ship out first. They would need intensive self-defense training. Next, he would assemble the security teams. Four planets each with a three-person team. That meant he needed twelve dependable, trustworthy people. He cringed. He tended to stay to himself, so he wasn’t sure if he’d gotten to know twelve people since coming to the Citadel.
He reached the bottom of the spiraling walkway and found himself heading toward the dining room. Kendra said she was having lunch with Ansley and Eden. Maybe he could—his thoughts came grinding to a halt and he stopped walking. Pursuing her was pointless. As Zevon just detailed, all the Earth-raised conduits would soon be courted by the best and brightest on one of the four planets.
Even if she agreed, Arcon couldn’t court her. He had never teamed up with a controller, and choosing a controller was just as important as locating a genetically compatible conduit. A triad had to function effortlessly. Their personalities needed to complement each other because they would spend the rest of their lives together.
Duty shoved temptation to the back of Arcon’s mind and he focused on the details of what he needed to accomplish. He pivoted on the ball of his foot and headed for the training rooms. Kendra was not meant to be his mate, but he could make damn sure she was protected as she embarked on her new life. Despite his selfless determination, her image tormented him for the rest of the day.
CHAPTER 2
Verbet Foenar stood at the floor-to-ceiling windows in his apartment, hands clenched into fists at his sides. His living quarters took up the entire top floor of one of the tallest buildings in Hanoto, so the view was spectacular. Office towers and stacked domiciles were connected by walkways and tram tubes, creating an elegant clutter that hummed with life and energy. Hanoto was the most populous city on Torret. It was also the Imperial Capitol, a fact that had once filled Verbet with pride.
His forefathers had settled this planet, proving to all the naysayers that Torret could be tamed. They created an underwater empire the likes of which no one had ever seen before. People from all over the galaxy traveled to Torret just to experience the accomplishments of Verbet’s family.
Verbet was the eldest son of Emperor Novar, and for the first three years of his life, he had been heir to the throne. Then his younger half-brother Jevara was born, and Verbet had been pushed aside. The reason was simple; Jevara had been born of the empress, while Verbet had been born of Novar’s favorite mistress. Despite the fact that Novar had acknowledged Verbet at birth and never denied being his father, most still considered Verbet a bastard.
Both of Verbet’s parents were dead now, and his feckless brother was emperor. Jevara had been taught from the cradle that he was ordained by the creator spirits to rule this world. He was special and every person living on this planet existed to serve him. Jevara soaked up the lessons like a sponge, becoming an egomaniacal tyrant that had driven this world to the brink of civil war.
It was hard to reconcile the adult Jevara was now with the boy he had once been. The brothers grew up together. They were supervised by the same staff members and taught by the same tutors. Verbet had always felt protective of his little brother, and it had created a closeness that lasted until Jevara took power. Then Crown Prince Jevara became Emperor Jevara and everything changed.
Warm hands slid along Verbet’s sides. Then slender arms wrapped around his waist.
“Come back to bed,” Domar coaxed as she pressed her soft body against his back. “I can think of much better things to do than brooding about your brother.”
One of her hands slid downward as she spoke, but Verbet caught her wrist and moved it back to his middle. “You’re right in one regard. I need to stop brooding. I need to decide on a plan and act.”
Domar released a heavy sigh then walked to a nearby chair and grabbed her dressing gown. Her dark hair was tousled, lips still swollen from his aggressive kisses. After slipping into the simple garment, she returned to Verbet. “What are your options?”