Cruel Union (Brutal Universe #1)

Epilogue

EPILOGUE

SLADE

W e did a second ceremony at the temple and this time the whole fucking Clan was invited. I had heard that Lyrah was trying to start some nasty rumors, but since none of the Clan Cruel Enforcers liked her, nobody listened.

My Sire wasn’t too happy, insisting that Aurora had insulted not just me but all of Clan Cruel . He eventually backed down when I told him I would take Aurora and leave the family if he didn’t accept her. He wasn’t happy about it, but he agreed. And eventually, he began to warm to my Fated Mate again. Aurora has a sweet way about her that’s hard to resist.

Speaking of Aurora , her brother, the new King of L’Crist , continued to gamble away the tribute money. Normally , I would have chopped off some of his fingers—or maybe even a whole hand—as a warning. But Aurora had a soft spot for him, even though he had essentially sold her twice. So instead of cutting him up, I demoted him.

Now , instead of a monarchy, L’Crist is ruled by the people. The former King has been made a commoner and the palace is now a museum so school children can learn how their elders used to live. Everybody has one vote—both men and women, because Aurora wanted it that way and I agreed.

Her brother now lives in a plain little cottage and has to work for a living like all of his people. I’ve heard he’s not very happy about it, but that’s too damn bad. As far as I’m concerned, after the way he treated my wife, he’s getting off easy.

As for Skeezix , I’m afraid he’s still fucking out there. I have Enforcers searching for him in all four quadrants of the galaxy and I’ve asked my Cross - Clan Crew , Drake , Rath , and Turx , to keep an eye on their territories as well. I know he’s running an illegal cloning farm somewhere and probably snatching Untainted girls to feed into the growth tanks. I’ll find him eventually and give him the justice he deserves—he’s going to die… slowly .

Nobody disrespects my wife and lives.

Speaking of my Crew , I invited them to the ceremony as well. They were there to cheer me on and all of them were jealous of my beautiful wife. I couldn’t say I blamed them. My Princess is the most gorgeous woman in the whole fucking universe and I’ll end anyone who says otherwise.

Since everyone was there, the ceremony was a huge success. In fact, the only person I saw who looked upset—besides Lyrah who had a sour look on her face the whole time—was my little sister, Jessina . I noticed she was quiet and upset but I thought it was just because she was still angry at Aurora on my behalf.

I would have taken her aside and talked to her, but later on, after the ceremony, I saw the two of them hugging. So I figured, problem solved. Right ?

Wrong .

The next thing I knew, I was getting a holo call a few days later from my Sire saying she had disappeared.

“ She what?” I exclaimed, my eyes widening in disbelief. “ What happened? Where did she go?”

My Sire ran a hand over his horns distractedly.

“ We don’t know! Her room was a mess, as though there had been a struggle. And her window was wide open.”

My hands curled into fists.

“ You think someone came and took her?”

“ That’s what we fear,” my Sire admitted heavily. “ I’ve got men out looking all over for her, but so far we haven’t been able to locate even a trace of her.”

“ But who would do this? Who would dare to steal the daughter of a Brutal Chieftain ?” I demanded.

He shook his head.

“ I don’t know. Your mother is worried sick of course.”

“ Yeah , right,” I muttered. I knew how Lyrah felt about Jessina —she hated her almost as much as she hated me.

“ I just can’t believe this has happened!” my Sire tugged on his horns—a sure sign of distress. “ And just when we were planning her Binding Ceremony , too!”

“ Wait a minute— Jessina was getting Bound ?” I asked. “ When ? And to who?”

“ A wealthy merchant from the second quarter—your mother was handling the whole thing. She assured me that he would be perfect for Jessina .” He sighed. “ I had already given my blessing.”

“ What ? You’re letting Lyrah choose who Jessina marries?” I demanded.

“ Well , someone has to handle it,” my Sire said. “ I’m too busy with my duties as Chieftain and she can’t just marry anyone.”

“ What about giving her time to find her Fated Mate ?” I asked, frowning.

He made a shooing gesture.

“ Not everyone finds their Fated Mate . Your sister has had plenty of time and failed—she’s almost past marriageable age.”

I thought it was a fucking mistake to just write off Jessina’s hopes of finding the one She of the Four Faces had set aside for her, but there was no point in saying so. Once my Sire decides something, good luck getting him to change his mind.

“ So you think someone snatched her out of her bedroom?” I asked, getting back to the point.

He nodded.

“ Yes —there’s no other explanation.”

“ I’ll help search for her,” I promised.

“ You can start at the spaceport,” he told me. “ And post some guards at the nearest Space Gates .”

“ On it,” I promised. “ I’ll let you know if I find any trace of her.”

“ Good .” He nodded and signed off with a worried look.

I switched off the projector and turned to see Aurora coming into the room.

“ What is it?” she asked. “ Something about Jessina ?”

“ Yeah .” I sighed and ran a hand over my horns. “ She’s gone—my Sire’s afraid someone has kidnapped her.”

“ Did they ask for ransom?” Aurora asked, reasonably.

“ I don’t think so—my Sire didn’t say they did.” I frowned. “ You’d think they would, though. And if it was a rival Clan who took her, they would have left a token.”

She frowned.

“ A token?”

“ A sign to show they were responsible. Clans don’t war against each other without leaving a clear sign. It’s part of the code—so everyone knows who’s fighting who. Otherwise all Four Families would be at each other’s throats all the fucking time.” I shook my head. “ Only none of us are warring right now. So it can’t be that.”

“ I think I know what it is,” Aurora said quietly. “ I know who took her.”

“ You do? Who ?” I demanded.

“ She took herself,” Aurora said. “ Jessina wasn’t kidnapped at all—she ran away.”

“ What ?” I exploded. “ But why? My Sire said she was about to get Bound .”

She raised an eyebrow.

“ Why do you think she left? I talked to her at our second ceremony—she was very unhappy. She didn’t like the man your stepmother had chosen for her and your father—er, Sire —wasn’t listening to any of her objections.”

“ Fuck !” I swore. I got up and started pacing. “ So you think she ran?”

Aurora nodded.

“ That would be my guess, yes. Of course, I don’t know for sure,” she added. “ Jessina didn’t tell me her plans—she just said she couldn’t marry the man your stepmother had picked.” She looked troubled. “ I wanted to talk to her some more— I was going to offer to let her move in with us, but I thought I’d better ask you first.”

“ She would have been welcome, of course,” I said. “ Damn it— I should have spoken to her at the ceremony. I meant to, I just got distracted.”

“ All we can do now is look for her and hope for the best,” Aurora said gravely. “ But I tell you, Slade — I don’t think you’re going to find her if she doesn’t want to be found.”

“ Where could she be, though?” I asked. “ Where would she go?”

She shook her head.

“ I don’t know. She did say something about having a crush on one of your friends, though she never said who it was. Do you think she’d go to him? Maybe try to Bind herself to him so she couldn’t be Bound to the man your stepmother picked?”

I shook my head.

“ None of my friends would betray me like that. It’s against Clan Code to take a female from her birth Clan and Bind her to you without the permission of either her father or her brother.”

Aurora frowned.

“ Really ? The woman doesn’t have any say in it?”

“ Afraid not.” I shook my head. “ Especially with a Chieftain’s daughter—you can’t just snatch any woman you want or the Four Families would be in turmoil all the fucking time.”

“ I see.” She nodded slowly. “ And I thought my people—the humans—had strict rules about marriage.”

“ You’re not the only ones,” I told her. “ Clan Laws are extremely rigid. But even aside from all of that, none of my friends would betray me that way. Jessina is my little sister! That means she’s off fucking limits.” I felt my blood boil and my voice came out in a growl.

“ Well , then maybe she just went off on her own,” Aurora said. “ Wherever she is, I hope she’s safe.” She looked worried.

“ From your lips to the ears of She of the Four Faces ,” I growled, feeling a surge of protective fear for my little sister. I prayed that wherever she was, she would be safe and protected. The fringes of the galaxy, where we Four Families operate, aren’t exactly safe territory. I hoped that maybe she was headed inward, towards the center of the galaxy where the Imperium kept things safer. But if she was, it would be harder for anyone from Clan Cruel to get to her—maybe that was what she wanted, though.

I would look for her— I would do everything in my power to find her and keep her safe. But something told me that Aurora was right—we weren’t going to find Jessina if she didn’t want to be found.

I wondered where she had gone to and if I would ever see her again…only the Goddess knew. I prayed again for her safety.

Jessina , I thought. Wherever you are, be careful. It’s a fucking Brutal Universe out there!