Page 26 of Taken By Fury
She smiled. “Of course. You need to go to your brother.”
It was only after her words that he realized he felt Orien’s presence. He had been so consumed with the female when he had portaled in that he hadn’t even noticed the change in the atmosphere here. Oshivana was content. The surrounding energy had shifted, and he realized the city was more powerful than she had probably been in many centuries. The royal family was once again in the palace and their people were slowly coming home.
“Go! What are you waiting for?” She gave him a playful slap on the shoulder, and that was when he didn’t bother with walking. He made a portal straight for his brother.
Orien was looking through a book in the library with Aimee, and when Zander popped in, his brother’s gaze lifted immediately.
“Zander!” His brother dropped his book and in two steps was in front of him and they were hugging, slapping each other on the back.
“I’m going to leave you two alone.” Aimee swept by them and disappeared from the room.
“I never thought to see you alive again,” he said as they each took a step back.
“Nor I you and Grey. I can’t believe this place, and the fact he is now officially king. You have done well, baby brother. Our sister-in-law filled me in on all the details.”
Zander ushered his brother back to the seating area where they both sat. “Everything the Oracles stated has begun to unfold.”
“Has anyone seen or heard from the Oracles?” Orien asked.
“Not to my knowledge.” They had no idea what happened to them when the Concosa had raided their home, but he suspected they went into hiding. The Oracles only came out when they needed to. Zander just wished that the bastards might have warned them of the attack, but then again, he supposed all the events were part of a grander plan.
“You are well, brother?” Orien looked a little thinner, but otherwise, he appeared much the same as that fateful day they were all taken.
“I am. The queen has been busy fussing over me since I arrived.”
Zander laughed. “She is a good queen and addition to our family.”
“Our queen seems a perfect fit. I just wish she wasn’t the one destined to destroy Zolar. It should be one of us.” He smiled. “I hear you have gone and bonded yourself to the lab rat?”
“The doctor? It’s only temporary.”
Orien raised a brow. “Bonding is not a temporary thing. Besides, Aimee has filled me in on everything that has happened. It sounds like the human female was a pawn, like the rest of us. It was her information that led to my rescue, as well as several others, including Viper and Blade.”
“They are back here?” Both Viper and Blade, like Talon, had been warriors in the king’s guard. It was a sure bet that Greydon would keep them in their stations and begin to rebuild the guard.
“Yes, and already conversing with Talon about how best to protect us.”
He nodded. The longer he sat there, the heavier the weight grew on his shoulders until it was impossible to hold up.
“Were you successful on your trip?”
“I was.” He thought of the trinket. “In more ways than one. The ruins definitely belonged to our people. I sensed father’s presence there.”
“Father?”
“Yes. As a child, so I surmise he was born and grew up in that city.”
Orien’s green gaze zeroed in on him and narrowed. “You are hiding something, though. What is it?”
“Don’t you go trying to poke around in my head.” He tossed up his shields so his elder brother couldn’t use his telepathic gift and pry open all of Zander’s thoughts.
“You can’t hide from me. My power has grown immensely, thanks to Zolar.”
Now his gaze narrowed. “What do you mean?”
“That bastard rooted around in my mind so many times it forced me to build up my defenses.” He ran his fingers through his raven hair. “I don’t know how, but I grew strong enough that I became a threat to his own mind, and it forced him to stop visiting my cell.”
“You could read his mind?”
