Page 156 of Tempt

Both Rathyn and I freeze, and a moment later, Sabik appears. And this time, he is not alone.

I have had very little interaction with other Tarek. They guard their people carefully and with immense possessiveness. It only makes sense, of course. They lost so many to such a pointless war, and they do not breed as often as the Vyastil, so recovering their population numbers takes generations.

But the two beside Sabik look like him. They share the same coloring and the same horns, though the one on the left has longer horns. I recognize him as Sabik’s older brother.

The crown prince.

My hearts speed up. The Tarek have long been underestimated in their ability to win a fight, and I very much doubt Rathyn and I would stand a chance if they were to turn against us.

But Sabik’s words were ones of allyship. He meets my gaze as I bow, and Rathyn does the same.

“I don’t believe you’ve been formally introduced to my brother,” Sabik says. “King Zeial.”

“King?” I say before I can stop myself.

Zeial’s lips twitch around his tusks and his eyes flash, amused. “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Sabik has told me of your support.” His eyes move to Rathyn. “And this is the one you saved. The commander.”

Rathyn has killed Tarek before. The moment is tense. I can sense Rathyn’s nerves as he takes several steps closer, touches his chest, then bows his head.

Zeial’s gaze lingers on him for a moment, then he turns his attention back to me. “Sabik came to me with your proposal. We took it to our war council.”

I hold my breath again, and I wait.

I wonder if Zeial’s enjoying drawing out the tension. It wouldn’t surprise me if every member of their family had a flair for the dramatic. But then he goes on.

“You agree that there needs to be new leadership in place,” he says.

“I do. Not just new leadership,” I add. “An entire system of deprogramming and re-educating our people. I want to bring back everything that was stolen from us.”

Zeial looks at Rathyn again. “You were the first, yes? To have created a VySytheh bond? The first in over three centuries.”

Rathyn’s eyes flash wide for just a second. It is painfully obvious how little he knows, and I blame myself for keeping so much close to my chest. It would have been too risky to share too much before we were ready to make a move, but the guilt is no less heavy for it.

“Is that true?” he asks.

Zeial is quiet for a long moment. “We believe so, though there were several Vyastil and several Ryvek who escaped through the portals early on and never returned to Erethar.”

“How do you know this?” I ask. “Forgive the question, but the Tarek do not use portals. They have avoided humans since the Vorthex first began bringing them to Erethar.”

All three Tarek look at each other. The two brothers, and who I must assume is their guard. At least, I assume it until the third, unnamed Tarek slides a tentacle around the king’s wrist and the king holds him back.

The gesture is unthinking and small and yet massive because it would be a crime punishable by a life sentence in the mines to show such affection in public with another Vyastil. And that—that easy affection—that casual love is what I want for us.

No. It is what we need.

Rathyn steps in close, and I hear him make a soft murmur. He obviously sees it too.

Zeial looks back at me eventually. “We have been in contact with the Vorthex for some time. We do not agree with their means of surviving, but we do understand that they have little choice. Their need for the specific protein humans produce is not about power. It is about survival.”

I bow my head because it is true. There may come a time when the Vyastil need humans in the same way, but for now, it is merely to increase our strength and lifespan. The Outerlanders have been surviving without it all this time. But the Vyastil in the capital would not be willing to give up such a luxury.

“The Vorthex are currently displeased by the new restrictions the council has placed upon their portal use.”

I blink at him, and beside me, Rathyn stiffens.

“Restrictions?” he asks.

All three Tarek look somewhat surprised, then Sabik clears his throat. “You were unaware?” When I nod, he moves forward a few paces and folds his arms across his massive chest. Glancing back at his brother, he waits for the nod of approval. “You must also be unaware that at least one member of your council possesses the technology to shut down the portals remotely. And the Vorthex Portal Science Team has been working tirelessly on ways to combat it, but they’ve been unsuccessful.”