Chapter 10

Jagati moaned as the world spun around her. The mist cleared a bit and she got a brief glimpse of the room before she heard Bas curse and stumble. What's up with that? He's so strong. Did crossing through the portal have the same effect on him as it did me? She grunted as Bas stumbled to a bed and collapsed on top of her. Trying to catch her breath, she could hear curses coming from a few feet away. Turning her head, she saw the man who shot at them grappling with another man. When a flash of metal caught her eye, she pushed at Bas. Someone is gonna get killed! Bas can stop this!

She pushed against his shoulders expecting him to roll off her. Even when he'd made love to her the last time, he'd never let his full weight settle on her. He was always aware of her petite stature and hadn't wanted to hurt her. She paused when she realized that his skin was getting warmer by the second. When he didn't respond to her pushing, she grabbed his head and tried to lift it. Dread filled the pit of her stomach as she grabbed his long hair and yanked his head up. His unseeing eyes sent a surge of fear through her.

"Bas?"

No response.

"Damn it, Bas, don't do this to me. You dragged me here, you can't die on me!" She knew her voice was rising but he was scaring her. The heat under her hand increased and a haze of smoke began to surround them. A sob escaped her as she realized the wiring components under Bas's life-like cybertronic skin had begun to melt.

"No!" Her wails brought Sarina to the bedside.

"Shh, Jagati, baby. Let him go." Her mother's pleading barely registered in her ear.

"No. He's mine! He swore he'd protect me, that he was mine. He lied!" She wrapped her arms around Bas's neck tightly and ignored the wafting smoke which continued to roll off him. She fought as she felt a pair of determined hands pulling her away from him.

Aleja crept closer to the door as he watched the short but powerful man exchange punches with his tormenter. Even now, he couldn't help but wish that Josja would die. His body ached from the beating he'd just received at the vicious hands of the evil man. If the stranger hadn't arrived when he did, I'd be in a lot more pain right now. Josja had been on the verge of burying his cock in my ass. Then he would have killed me!

"Boy, do you know where the chhetri is being kept?" Sarina's voice was ragged and jerked his attention away from the two men fighting. She was struggling to free a young woman he'd assumed was her daughter from under the smoldering body.

"Yeah. I do."

"Go get him. Tell him he's needed."

Aleja stared at the woman as if she were deranged. "I don't know if you realize but he's--"

"Go!" The steel in her voice allowed no room for protest. Seeing his opportunity to escape, he took it.

Running down the hall, he slid into the trophy room and got the shock of his young life. Queen Silva was standing in front of the containment case holding what had once held the slumbering body of the last chhetri. The chhetri no longer slumbered, he realized with a start. The massive man was struggling against his glass prison before the gloating queen. She had her skirt raised around her waist and her hand busy between her thighs.

Release me! Hurry as I'm needed!

His eyes flew up to meet the golden eyes of the protector, followed by pleasure at the unexpected mind-link between the master and his soon-to- be student. Without thinking of the consequences, Josja responded to his master's plea. Grabbing a ceremonial spear from the rack beside him, he hurtled it at the containment unit. The sound of shattering glass and rushing water drowned out the queen's scream of anger. Aleja rushed forward to help the fallen warrior to his feet. As he rushed by the Queen, she grabbed him by his hair and jerked him to a stop.

"What the hell have you done?"

"What my master has commanded. Released him. The prophesy has come to pass." Aleja sneered at her as he fought against the hold she had on him.

"Worthless whelp. You've just signed your own death warrant. Guards!"

Dread filled him as he heard the running feet of the Imperial guards responding to their queen's bidding. When they flooded the room, Aleja saw his life flash before his eyes.

"At least I've redeemed myself in the eyes of the chhetri." He spit in her face as one final insult while wishing he could do more.

"Kill him!" She threw him away from her - expecting the guards to do her bidding. When they dropped to their knees, she shook with fury. "What are you waiting for? I gave you an order!" Her furious scream echoed in the silence.

"They no longer report to you." The deep voice of the chhetri brought a quickly indrawn breath out of the queen as she recognized the truth.

"The Protector!" Her voice trembled. "I beg for mercy!" She dropped to her knees.

"Why should I offer it when it is very clear that you have none to offer anyone else?"

"I'll give up my throne. Anything to avoid the euthanasia." Remaining on her knees, her hand inched closer to the discarded spear. As her hand touched it, Aleja saw what her true intentions were.

"No!" He launched himself at the queen. Even with his speed as an untrained chhetri, Aleja was not fast enough to stop the sharp edge of the spear from piercing the tender skin of his stomach. Still fighting for control of the spear, Aleja had no idea they'd were rolling closer to the broken containment unit. Coming out on top of him, the queen lifted the spear.

"No!" Bas'awn rushed forward intent on saving the young man.

Grabbing a fold of her gown, Bas/awn used her momentum against her and threw her over his head. A sharp agonized cry was heard as she landed.

Bas'awn dropped to his knees next to the wounded young man.

"Let me look!" Pulling Aleja's shirt up, he winced as he saw the deep spear cut across his stomach. He yanked his own shirt off and pressed it against the wound.

"The queen?" Aleja raised his head and tried to look over his shoulder.

Bas'awn locked eyes with him. He shook his head. Aleja closed his eyes with resignation.

"Then do it quickly," he finally requested.

"Do what?"

"Execute me."

"Nonsense. Why would I do that? You were doing nothing more than trying to protect me. I will not punish you for it."

"Oh." Relief shown in Aleja's eyes briefly then he passed out.

Arms bulging, Kurlack pitted his strength against the man who'd made his life a living hell in the past. In this body he was more than a match for Josja. Unlike his previous body, this body had been hardened by years of martial arts training. Using it he broke the hold Josja had on him, then utilizing a defensive move as if it were second nature, the advisor went flying over Kurlack's head.

Stumbling to his feet, Josja pulled his knife from the sheath in his boot. Gripping it with familiar ease, he charged Kurlack. As he rushed towards him, Kurlack with a quick twist avoided his lunge and pushed on Josja's back, sending him slamming into the wall. The knife clattered as it hit the floor. Josja's body followed as he hit the floor stunned.

"Kurlack, help me!"

Spinning around at Sarina's cry, he saw her struggling to move the heavy body of Bas off her daughter. The haze of smoke around them obscured part of his view. Rushing to the bed, he yanked the heavy bed curtains down and threw them aside. Grabbing the ankles of the body, he pulled hard and slowly it rolled over...

"Let go Jagati. Sweetheart, he's not in this body anymore." Sarina was trying to reason with her distraught daughter. Jagati had her arms wrapped tightly around the neck of her mate. Kurlack hissed as the heat pouring off the body seared his hands. Wrapping his hands with the discarded bed curtains, he once more grasped the man by his ankles.

"Damn, he's dead weight."

"Not as dead as you're gonna be." Josja wrapped his arm around Kurlack's forehead and jerked his head back exposing his throat. Letting go of his grip on Bas, he immediately brought his hand up and blocked the thrust of the knife. His cursed filled the room as the knife buried itself in his hand. Slinging his head back, he felt some satisfaction as his head connected with Josja's chin.

He was dragged backwards as Josja stumbled. When the other man fell, his grip on Kurlack brought Kurlack down on top of him. Wrestling around on the floor for control, neither men were aware of anything other than their struggle until the door blew off it's hinges. Everyone froze. In the doorway stood Bas'awn, his golden hair flowing to his shoulders, his physique outlined by the bright light coming from the hall behind him. His amber eyes were burning with both retribution and desire. He'd come back to claim what his.

"Enough!" His voice echoed through the room.

"Finally!" Sarina whispered as she pressed a kiss against her daughter's forehead. "He's arrived, baby. Let go of the past and meet your future."

Jagati shook at the male voice which filled the room. She buried her face against Bas's shoulder, despite the pain it brought her. The body was heating up more and more as its' components broke down. Wild panic mixed with pain surged through her. Without him, I don't want to live. I don't understand this. He promised me I'd always be his!

"You are mine!"

The body was jerked off her and thrown out of her grasp. She cried out and reached for it. She crawled after it, her need for her mate making her oblivious to anything other than the urgency to reclaim what was hers.

"Mine!" She crouched on the bed and lunged at the man who'd jerked the heavy body off her then thrown it on the floor.

Bas'awn grunted as he caught the weight of his mate with ease. It was obvious to everyone she was past reason and was reacting on her primal instincts.

"Yes, yours." He wrapped his arms around her tightly before turning to Sarina. "Take care of that." Gesturing to the man Kurlack had pinned to the ground, Bas'awn strode to the door. "The sentence will come after. She and the final tier come first. We'll be in my private chambers."

Sarina nodded and watched as he carried her struggling daughter away with ease and a satisfied smile.

Bas'awn stopped in front of the door leading to what used to be his private quarters. They needed witnesses for the final tier and he knew once Sarina and Kurlack finished securing the prisoner, she would be along shortly with whom ever she chose as her mate. Tradition commanded it and he expected nothing less for himself or Jagati.

"Let me go! I need Bas! You can't hold me here." She struck out against him. She kicked, scratched and bit at any part of him she could reach.

"Stop it, Jagati!" Forcing her away from him, he gave her a rough shake. "Look at me."

She hissed and tried to free herself.

"Knock it off! I'm right in front of you." Logically Bas'awn knew she didn't recognize him in his former body, but it was frustrating none the less to watch her fight what he knew was a losing battle. She was his and he wasn't about to let her go because of it.

"No, you're not my Bas." Kneeing him in the groin, she jerked free of him before rushing the door. He nearly sank to his knees before he managed to straighten back up.

"God damn it, Jagati! You will not run from me again! Have you forgotten the ass paddling you got the last time you tried?" Placing his hands on his strong hips, his temper flared as the dormant powers surged to the surface. He was hanging on to calm reasoning by a thread and he knew it. His body was calling out for him to complete the final tier.

At the door, Jagati paused, his words breaking through the grief that had consumed her. She spun around and faced the man.

"No I haven't and I warned you what would happen the next time you tried to punish me!"

"I wouldn't push me, Jagati. I'm on edge here and if we tussle I can guarantee I'll come out on top. This is my world and I don't want our life together to start out on a bad note."

She looked at him as if he'd grown another head. "It really is you, isn't it? Only Bas would tell me how it was going to be, rather than ask."