Absolutely.” Getting a fold to the palace took Jean-Pierre a couple of phone calls to orchestrate, but finally the three of them glided through nether-space.

Endelle met them at her landing platform, hands planted on her leopard covered hips. “What the fuck is all this nonsense about Third Earth, the darkening, and Duncan? What the hell is going on here?” To Vela’s surprise, Samuel took her hand as she walked beside him down the ramp. She glanced at him and he turned and sent, Is this okay?

She nodded. Absolutely. It’s a comfort because I’m way out of my depth.

He gave her hand a squeeze.

She could get used to this. She’d forgotten the simple pleasures of a man’s company, of holding his much bigger, stronger hand.

Thorne had strengthened the security at the palace over the past couple of years, in part because not so long ago, Greaves had actually attacked the palace during Alison’s rite of ascension. Thorne had also established his Command Center here, prior to the battle over White Lake, which had happened just a month ago.

Based on all the P.O.’s she’d processed for Thorne recently, Endelle’s home would be the Command Center for the Allied Ascender Forces indefinitely.

As she followed behind Endelle, she passed through the smaller rotunda to a much larger one. The palace was essentially a series of rotundas that hung off the side of the McDowell Mountains overlooking a vast desert to the west.

Entering one of the massive dome- like rooms, she had expected to see groupings of couches and tables. Instead, the room displayed a dozen large screens and more computers than she’d ever seen in one room except at Militia HQ. The lights were kept low and specific to each desk. The open air balconies at either end were now partially closed off with enormous rolling screens.

Thorne stood next to Colonel Seriffe, who must have just folded in from North Africa. Together they scrolled through an iPad.

“Thorne,” Endelle called out. “I want you and Seriffe in on this. Now.” Thorne met her gaze and Endelle paused in her steps. They seemed to be communicating telepathically.

Endelle finally shot a hand in the direction of an archway at the north end of the rotunda and called out, “Now.” Thorne glanced at Seriffe and nodded, then the two of them followed Her Supremeness. Seriffe moved quickly as did Thorne. Vela picked up her pace, matching Samuel’s shift in stride. She glanced around at all the techs and support staff who seemed stunned by what had just happened. Apparently, even Endelle didn’t order Thorne around much these days.

After crossing through two smaller rotundas, and passing through an arched entrance, she arrived at Endelle’s sitting room, a large space with a white shag rug, glass tables, and purple couches and chairs.

Once inside, Endelle waved Vela and Samuel to the couch. She sat down and Samuel didn’t hesitate to plant himself right next to her and to take hold of her hand again.

“Give us the details.” Vela relayed in detail her journey through the intricate maze of darkening tunnels, of crossing the dimensional boundary, of the images that whisked by her as she moved, the explosions and of course everything that related to Duncan.

When she was done, Thorne, Seriffe, and Endelle stared at her, unspeaking.

“You’re shitting me,” Endelle finally said. She then dropped into the large purple chair that faced into the room. Her shoulders slumped.

Endelle’s sudden despair stunned Vela and without thinking, she slipped into the woman’s mind. Endelle’s thoughts streamed quickly. Where the hell is Braulio? He’s been gone this month, with not one goddamn word, and now we have a Third Earth intrusion. And the hell if I know what to do. We’re losing Militia Warriors by the hundreds every night because of those three fucking generals and now this? An untried blondie, with darkening powers that exceeds even— She broke off and whipped her gaze to Vela. “You were in my head?” she shouted.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think. I was just suddenly there. And I didn’t know.” Vela eased back against the cushions. She felt as though she’d been slapped, not by Endelle’s outrage but by the truths she’d just expressed, one after the other.

Hundreds of Militia Warriors.

Dying every night.

She released Samuel’s hand and covered her face with her hands. She’d avoided hearing news of the war. And all around the world, Militia Warriors, caught in the extended war, were dying.

Hey, what’s wrong? Samuel sent.

But before she could respond, Endelle had levitated to stand on the glass table in front of Vela. She looked up and stared at the outraged Amazon. “You stay the fuck out of my head, ascender, do you hear me?”

“My apologies. Again.” Vela had never been around Endelle very much and Havily had warned her, but the angle wasn’t helping because Vela could see the lower rounded portions of her Supremeness’s large bare breasts.

Yet somehow that helped, the absurdity of how Endelle dressed.

Endelle grunted, levitating back to the white shag carpet.

“I’ve joined the ranks, Madame Endelle, and I’ll do what I can to help. But I don’t know what to do. I can get Samuel to Duncan, but there’s a limitation. We can’t exit through the darkening at that point, as you know, in order to pull him out.”

“Fuck. You’re right.” She glanced at Thorne and Seriffe. To the latter, she said, “Did you know Samuel has some kind of Third-based power?”

“No. I didn’t.” The leader of the Militia Warriors scowled as he set his strong gaze on Samuel. “You’ve been holding back?”

“For only one reason. Part of the power I have can’t be controlled, at least not yet. I killed several innocent men with it when I escaped.” Jean-Pierre shared his experience working out with Samuel.

Thorne’s lips twitched. “You’re telling me a mere Militia Warrior kept knocking you on your ass, J.P.?”

“Oui. And I would complain but I believe he must become a Warrior of the Blood soon, perhaps the first we have had since my own induction.” Samuel spoke quickly. “Just to be clear, I have no intention of leaving the Thunder God Warriors.” Jean-Pierre laughed. “We have all heard that from Gideon for over a year. I suppose I am not surprised.” Vela glanced around the group of powerful ascenders, wondering what she was even doing here. How upside down was her world that a former purchase- order-processor sat in Endelle’s private suite?

“Okay, assholes,” Endelle said.

“Let’s get back to work.” She flipped some of the small, spiral shells which in turn exposed a nipple.

All the men looked elsewhere.

Endelle rolled her eyes but addressed Vela. “Take Samuel back to Duncan and see what happens. None of us have this kind of experience with the darkening. In fact, I want to be part of this.

So, let’s do this from my office. You can head on over now. I’ll be with you in a couple of minutes.” Vela rose from the couch but before she even reached the door Samuel had hold of her hand. Once past the doorway, he switched sides so that by the time they’d returned to the large rotunda that housed the command center, he formed a barrier between her and the men who worked there.

What’s that about? She asked.

Those men were gawking at you.

No they weren’t. She’d noticed a couple of surreptitious looks but nothing close to staring at her with mouths wide open.

You don’t want to argue with me about something like this, not right now.

You can yell at me later, if you want. But this damn breh-hedden is like fire on my skin. I’m caught between wanting to punch every man who even looks at you to getting you somewhere private and tearing your clothes off. Shit, I shouldn’t have said that.

As Vela walked, heading back to the platform, she didn’t at first recognize the sensation that moved through her, like little streaks of lightning. His rich scent had thickened the air near her so that desire once more, always ready to take her over, stroked her breasts and the sweet spot between her legs. I don’t mind, she sent in return. And she didn’t. In fact, should they survive this next trip into the darkening, she might even suggest they do a little mutual exploration and see what happened, maybe even tap into a vein or two.

Her mouth watered suddenly. She hadn’t shared blood in a long time and the thought of bringing Samuel into her body in that way, maybe while they were doing other things, caused her to shiver.

As she walked up the ramp, he sent, You have the most wonderful floral scent, which you are shedding in waves right now, and you’ve got me worked up.

Standing beside him on the platform, she turned and met his gaze. Good, she sent. A split-second later, she folded beside him, flying through nether-space, but not before she saw his mouth drop.

Samuel arrived on the landing platform at Administrative HQ in a state of pain, and a level of gratitude for snug briefs and a battle kilt, he’d never quite appreciated before.

Vela’s eyes held a promise, one he understood really well because he knew that signal. Only this time, the breh- hedden had him in its cross-hairs and he was a target ready to hit. Her scent rose in clouds around her.

He slid his arm tight around her waist and walked her down the administrative HQ ramp, newly installed on the bottom floor of the building.

Once inside the elevator, he drew her into his arms and kissed her, plundering her mouth like he’d never known a woman’s mouth before. That she glided her hips back and forth so that her abdomen stroked his erection told him all that he needed to know about what she wanted from him.

He slung an arm around her neck, put a hand on her face and forced her to look at him. But he didn’t say anything, he just met those large blue eyes and willed her to know him, to know what she was getting into. Her lips parted, her breath quickened.

“I’m not who you think I am. The man I could have been disappeared during those years I was gone. Do you understand?” She nodded. “I think I feel the same way. I’ve been lost since my husband died. I haven’t been the same, either.” He nodded, then kissed her again, backing her into a corner, pressing his body up against hers. Time lost its meaning as he arched his hips into hers, pumping like he would once he got inside her.