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Kai nodded. Paladin didn't worry much about his own
security but those who followed him did. His quarters were
the most secure in Boujara. If Genae was going to be safe
anywhere, it would be there.
Kai kept Genae locked to him with one arm. He made sure
she was between himself and Paladin. No one was going to
touch her and live. Some VanDai males never found the
woman they would formally mate with. He had and he wasn't
going to lose her.
Fury raged through him. His own home wasn't secure. He'd
brought her to Sai-sen-Sai to keep her safe and she could
have died within moments of stepping foot in his city. Never
releasing his grip on his tazer star, he half carried her up the
steps as he followed Paladin.
Paladin stepped over and powered through the debris. Two
VanDai warriors rushed forward to help. Kai searched the
darker anterior, trusting the men at his back to watch the
courtyard. They were all vulnerable and he didn't like it.
There could be more charges. Someone could be hidden with
a blaster or even farther out with a laser.
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With a low rumble, the debris shifted. A huge chunk of
rock fell from the ceiling, hit the floor and cracked, the sound
earsplitting. Kai felt Genae flinch and his arm tightened
around her. His jaw clenched and silently he swore. She
should have been safe here. This was his home.
Paladin reached over the rubble and plucked Genae from
his grasp. Kai leapt over the massive pile of stone and
immediately took her back. He would trust Paladin with his
life and often had. He trusted no one with Genae.
"Find the explosives and bring me a body," Paladin ordered
as he led the way to the right and down a long hall.
VanDai warriors split from the gathering crowd and
converged on the rubble. The crash and thunder of boulders
being thrown and hitting the ground, the slithering rush of
rubble falling filled the air with noise as dust plumed up in a
fine, choking mist.
Genae started coughing and Kai swung her up in his arms
as Paladin picked up the pace. Moments later they turned
down another hall and halfway down it they stopped. Paladin
touched his fingertips to a sensor lock before pressing his
palm to it. The door slid open and Paladin, followed by Kai,
stepped inside. The door slid shut behind them and Kai set
Genae on her feet. His hands tightened into fists as he
released her. He didn't want to let her go. He wanted to keep
her safe in his arms but he couldn't do that and search for the
traitor who had tried to kill her.
His expression turned grim as he looked at her. Her black
curls were frosted with a thick coat of dust. Her face was
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smudged and her dress showed the effects of being flung to
the ground. There was a rip over the right side of her ribs.
His eyes narrowed on the raw red mark that showed
through the tear.
"Settle her then join me."
He looked at Paladin and nodded. "I want two guards at
the door. I'll reset the sensor lock to admit only you, myself
and them."
Paladin lifted one brow. "I thought you would demand at
least four guards."
"The warriors I want will fight like six."
"Marik and Challen."
Kai nodded.
"Done." Paladin turned and strode through the door as it
opened.
Kai looked at Genae and his heart beat harder in his chest.
He could have lost her and he hadn't even seen it coming. "I
brought you here where I could keep you safe and almost got
you killed."
Genae's heart turned over at his words. "You mean I
almost got you killed. Again." She reached up and touched his
face, brushed her fingers over his high cheekbones, traced
the contour of his lips. She couldn't imagine his fierce
presence being gone. He was so solid and alive, he burned
with a vitality she could only admire and marvel at. It seemed
impossible that she could lose him and yet it could happen so
easily.
She took a deep, shuddering breath. The League
President's influence reached even here. Deep inside it hurt to
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think that, because of her, Kai's belief in his own people was
shaken. The ramifications of what she'd done kept growing.
The ripples that had started when she dropped the pebble had
turned into a tidal wave.
"I'll have food brought to you. There's a cleansing pool and
a bed. Use both."
Genae frowned up at him. "Are you trying to say
something about my hygiene?" She tried to sound indignant
but the effect was ruined as the left shoulder of her gown slid
down and dust wafted into the air.
Kai smoothed his hand over her bare shoulder and pushed
the material off her other shoulder. His eyes darkened and his
eyelids lowered. One claw extended and he ran the razor
sharp tip over her dress down the center of her body. There
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