Page 51 of Star Crossed Delta

MAK

K aal, Saba, and Mak left Shiloh and Zolan in the living room, knowing the couple had a score to settle.

Zolan had to explain his missteps to his woman, but Mak hoped they would resolve their differences.

Kaal settled in Zolan’s dining room to continue his review of Zolan’s networks to sniff out any more rogue Solanite code.

Mak took Saba’s hand and led her past the sliding doors and outside into the lush grounds.

He sat, with care, on a garden seat and pulled her next to him.

They stared into each other’s eyes for a long moment.

‘Hell, what a day, hey?’ Mak murmured.

She nodded, her eyes reflecting the same sentiment. ‘Despite everything, you’re alive and safe.’

Mak’s heart lurched at her words.

‘You do give a fokk what happens to me,’ he growled.

‘Of course, my love,’ she said, taking his free arm and holding his palm to her cheek. ‘You mean the world to me.’

She gazed at him, her face open and vulnerable.

‘Why’s that?’ he pushed, knowing what he wanted to hear.

She tilted her head.

His gaze traced the soft curves of her lips, which parted as she spoke. When her eyes closed, her lashes cast delicate shadows on her cheeks.

When she turned her head, the light caught her hair, turning it into a halo of golden strands.

She was so beautiful, his heart lurched.

‘Because I adore you,’ she said with a slight smile, ‘regardless of your arrogant, pushy, and brooding traits. I also see the man under your brusque mask, the kindness, warmth, and a genuine commitment to those you love and lead. It helps that you are an amazing lover, a kind man, a broker of peace, and a servant of your people.’

Her words brought a rush of emotion, an ache to his soul.

That she understood the intricacies of their society and the delicate balance he had to maintain with all their moving parts burned him up, in a good way.

Her scent wafted towards him, a blend of honey and vanilla, mingling with the perfume of fresh grass and flowers from the garden.

She went on, pushing a hand through her hair. ‘I’m grateful for every moment I get to spend with you. You’re my life, Mak, and I would fight to protect you. If anything had happened today -.’

Her voice broke, and Mak leaned forward to muffle her sob with his mouth on hers.

Her kiss was warm and pliant, a perfect fit against his. Her hand curled around his arm, holding on.

Her grasp was filled with desperate longing, a yearning to silence the words and speak the language of touch, warmth, and connection.

She tasted of honeyed sweetness, her unique flavor, and he groaned.

Lost in the embrace, savoring it with a soft urgency.

At that moment, everything else faded away, leaving only the two of them and the intimate bond that was forming between them.

He pulled back when his shoulder throbbed, staring into her eyes.

He was not ready to say more; instead, he brushed his free hand across her face.

She uttered the words on his tongue as if reading his thoughts. ‘After today, my ?ar , I have faith that we’ll be invincible as long as we have each other.’

Mak gazed away from her at the sky above, easing his way through the healing edges of his heart. ‘I’m beginning to believe it,’ he conceded.

She squeezed his hand. ‘Do you trust me when I say I had no clue of Tewa’s deception? Neither in the past nor now?’

Mak stroked his chin, still getting around it all. ‘There’s still much to clarify, but I’m certain you had nothing to do with it. But we must ensure we get the truth from the horse’s mouth and partner with Zolan to bring about a lasting change.’

‘You’re right,’ she murmured, looking off into the distance. ‘It won’t be easy, and we can’t let our emotions cloud our judgment. Let’s ensure we all stay grounded and work together as one. Always together.’

Mak shivered, sensing the invisible veil of mistrust and suspicion had been torn away.

The air shifted like a curtain drawn back to reveal a novel world of faith and understanding.

Their eyes met, and Mak discovered a newfound trust reflected in hers.

A new covenant now existed between them; a silent promise always to be present for one another, to protect, adore, and uphold each other.

He took an inhale and his chest rose with an unfamiliar yet welcome lightness.

His muscles relaxed as the tension he’d been holding onto for years released, as if a physical load had been lifted off his shoulders.

An unbreakable bond now bound their souls.

The secrets of the past and future uncertainties faded into insignificance as they communed, united, and unshakable.

They sat in silence for a while, taking in the garden’s tranquility.

‘It was worth it,’ Mak grunted.

‘What was?’ she murmured.

‘Fourteen years of torture were worth this moment here with you.’

Her eyes shimmered with tears as he squeezed her hand in response, then lifted it and tracked it to his chest, over his beating heart.

She gazed at him, then down to his hand where their ring fingers were entwined, and smiled.

SABA

Master manipulators like Tewa thrived on control.

The rush of power was their drug, their pride so bloated it convinced them the weak existed only to be used, bent, and broken.

Tewa had made a habit of exploiting everyone within reach.

His greed wasn’t circumstantial; it was calculated.

His deceit had wrecked lives, and the rot at his core ran deep, a narcissistic, antisocial pathology too far gone to unlearn.

But today, his nieces had decided it would come to an end.

One way or another, they would be the ones to stop him.

For good.

Shiloh and Saba sat in Zolan’s office, framed by his bookshelf.

The air outside was filled with the soft hum of insects and the distant chirping of birds.

Rays from the late afternoon sun draped over the room, bathing everything in a warm, dreamlike glow.

As the light filtered through the window, it danced on the walls, creating a sense of tranquil magic within the space.

This starkly contrasted with the rage Shiloh and Saba shared at their uncle’s machinations.

Saba turned to Shiloh. ‘Ready?’

After a long chat with Zolan, Shiloh had calmed down and had switched her ire to Tewa, realizing with every minute what a master manipulator he’d been all their lives.

She nodded, her eyes hardened. ‘Let’s do this,’ she clipped, rubbing her baby bump.

Zolan, leaning on the wall in front of them and out of the camera frame, shot her a glance of concern.

It was clear the man loved her and would kill for her. ‘It’s time for Tewa to face the finding out part of -.’

‘ Fokked around,’ Mak added with a smirk, standing beside him. ‘Funny, it’s what I thought I’d be saying to you.’

The men shared a grin, and Saba pressed her lips together, hiding her delight that these two age-old enemies were getting along.

Hope soared as Shiloh and Saba exchanged glances of relief and gratitude.

But they couldn’t celebrate yet. They had one more task to complete.

They dialed Tewa’s line.

He answered after three short rings, his face wreathed in smiles.

He was seated at his drawing room table, flanked by glass shelves weighted with the gross, ostentatious gold figurines he liked collecting.

Saba suppressed the desire to let loose at him with a tirade of insults.

Instead, she put on her act, sniffed, and wiped imaginary tears from her eyes as she gazed at the hapless man.

‘Uncle,’ she sniped with no preamble, ‘we have horrible news.’

His eyes darted from Shiloh’s darkened face to hers, then back again.

‘What’s happened, my daughters?’ he asked, sounding casual.

The fokkin ’ creep.

They were not his offspring, and Saba wished they weren’t his blood.

‘I was kidnapped to Selburnia, to Zolan’s home, where Shiloh was being held. Mak came after me. I’d hoped he’d reason with Zolan and prevent any violence, but -’

Shiloh took over.

Her voice trembled with indignation as she gave him a false account of Zolan and Mak’s deaths, at the hands of Ladik, who she claimed also died in the shootout.

‘Mak bled so bad that he -.’

Saba choked, lifting her husband’s soiled shirt to the camera as proof to convince her uncle further.

Tewa stared at the crimson stain with morbid fascination, eyes gleaming for a second with joy that tried to dampen. But not before Shiloh and Saba caught it.

They exchanged a glance.

Shiloh took a breath to hold back her rage as she continued her stance while Saba clung to her tear-stricken facade.

Tewa’s tone cracked. ‘Oh no, my dears, I can’t imagine what you’re going through. This is devastating news. I’m so sorry for your loss. I never imagined-’

He trailed off as if searching for the right words.

‘Uncle, we have to come home,’ Shiloh said, quivering with emotion. ‘We need you to guide us on what happens next and how we can navigate this tragedy. How will we break it to both the Sidan and Sauvage clans?’

He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing. ‘Of course, my dears. I’ll do everything in my power to help you through this. You can count on me to be there for you,’ he added with feigned concern.

His eyes darted, the cogs turning in his mind as he readied to play his subsequent move, hungry for the desire to control, a serpent coiled, waiting to strike.

‘ Sante , Uncle,’ Shiloh said. ‘We can’t face this alone.’

‘Absolutely not,’ he replied. ‘How fast can you get back?’

‘We’ll get on a Corvette straight away and send you the transponder details. Please meet us en route so we can discuss plans before we get back to the Light Nautilus.’

‘Certainly, my dears. I’ll be present myself,’ he promised. ‘If Mak and Zolan are indeed passed, we must move fast to consolidate their holdings, before the rest of the Sidani and Sauvage family members interfere.’

He could barely hide his glee.

Saba wanted to shout at and rail at him, but she held her tongue.

‘You are both now the formal inheritors of your husband’s thrones and fortunes. There is much we can accomplish together, my daughters.’

They ended the call, and the line went dead, leaving a tangible tension in the room.