Invaded (Alienated, #2)(88)

She broke into a sob, and the connection between them closed.

A conflicting surge of grief and euphoria crashed so violently over him that Aelyx stopped hearing anything. All he could do was wrap his arms around Cara and crush their bodies together while reminding himself to breathe. He rested his head against her shoulder, and they clung to each other until the wail of police sirens forced them apart.





Chapter Twenty-Two


When Cara was a sophomore, she’d won her first state debate championship by arguing against the paradox of traveling back in time to murder Hitler before his rise to power. Hers was an unpopular opinion, but she’d insisted that killing a man before he committed a crime—or even worse, during the innocence of his childhood—would be just as immoral as genocide, albeit on a smaller scale.

She didn’t feel that way anymore.

Faced with the knowledge that Jaxen aimed to destroy the alliance, she would end him in a heartbeat if given the opportunity. His death would save billions—a no-brainer, even for someone like Cara who opposed capital punishment. Plus, the bastard had it coming. For someone who claimed to love mankind, he had a sick way of showing it. What kind of person forced a terminally ill boy to murder his best friend?

A twisted fasher, that’s who.

But since he was a member of The Way, taking him down posed a challenge. Even thinking about killing him made her a traitor. And she still didn’t know why he would want to kill Aelyx or try to overthrow his government. The whole thing made no sense.

“She’s finally asleep.” Aelyx returned to the living room, where torrential sleet pelted the windows. Judging by the smooth skin around his eyes and mouth, the L’eihr ointment had done its job. He rubbed a hand over his face and Cara noticed the remnants of dried blood beneath his fingernails. God, the blood. If she lived to be a hundred, she’d never forget it. Or the sound of Syrine’s mewling cries when she’d finally broken down.

The memory made Cara’s vision blurry. She blinked a few times to bring Aelyx into focus and wrapped her arms around his waist. “I hope the sedative lasts a while. It seems cruel to keep her awake.”

Aelyx made a noise of agreement, resting his chin atop her head. “Once we’re home, we can rotate her among the emotional healers. It will help a little.”

“Hey,” she said into Aelyx’s chest. “Look at me for a second.” When he glanced down at her, she said, “I love you.” She’d already told him several times, but if she’d learned one thing today, it was never to hold back those words.

He took her cheek in his palm and gave a sad smile. “I love you, too.” For a long moment he simply studied her, his thumb lightly caressing her face. “Things are different now. I didn’t think we could make a home here because I still assumed the worst about your people. I never would’ve guessed it was one of my own kind who wanted me dead.” He brushed back her hair, looking into her eyes. “If you still want to stay on Earth, I’m willing to talk about it.”

The offer warmed her heart. A few days ago, Cara would have taken him up on it, but not anymore. “Not a chance. The L’eihrs are stuck with me.”

“You’re sure?”

“Positive,” she said. “So let’s get back on track.”

There was work to be done. She’d never thwarted a coup before, and when it came to cunning, she was out of Jaxen’s league. They still didn’t understand his end goal or why he’d tried killing Aelyx instead of Syrine or the ambassador. Their deaths would have ended alliance negotiations, too. She added to the list of things she didn’t know: why did Jaxen want to destroy the alliance at all? Was his apparent love for mankind just a front?

“Alona didn’t respond to any of my summons,” Cara said.

“Did you use priority code One?”

She nodded, hoping it wasn’t too late. When rebel factions took control, they started by eliminating the old regime. Aelyx had alerted Colonel Rutter to a potential threat and requested extra security for The Way, but it might not be enough.

“We need a plan,” she said. “If Jaxen pulls this off, both our worlds are toast.”

Troy spoke up from his spot at the dining room table, a sandwich nestled between his palms. “I’ll bet his sister’s in on it, too.”

“She’s not his sister.” Briefly as she could, Cara told Aelyx and Troy everything she’d learned about the Aribol-L’eihr genetics program.

Aelyx swore under his breath. “So they really can manipulate minds?”

“They can and they do.” Did he seriously think she’d made that up? “I wouldn’t be surprised if there are more of them.”

“Enough to replace eight members of The Way?” Aelyx asked.

Cara shrugged. “Possibly. I’m guessing that Jaxen wanted The Way to think humans murdered you so the alliance would fail. Maybe he wants to take over both our planets. Either way, he’ll need a lot of support.”

Aelyx swore under his breath. “I need an audience with Alona. If I can manage that, I can project what Grimes said to David about the coup.”

“But that’s not proof,” Cara pointed out. “You can’t accuse Jaxen without evidence to back it up, otherwise you’ll be the one facing execution.” There was also the issue of mind control. Cara didn’t know if Alona was immune to it. “I have an idea, but it won’t work unless I can get Jaxen alone.”